Doctor, I'm really strong!

"Isn't this silk from the Yan Kingdom?"

"My lord, the silk from Yan Kingdom is not as good as the silk from Gangtegeler; the latter is far superior."

That's right, these things are purely industrial products, plentiful and filling. However, Liu Jiuli is very good at the strategy of scarcity marketing, and he understands even more the noble face-saving mentality of those rich people.

Want to stand out? You'll have to pay extra!

Thus, the exquisite industrial silk, so inexpensive it could make even the devil weep, was sold in nine grades by the Steel Grid Foreign Trade Company after only a little processing. Each piece even had its own story: Liu Jiuli went so far as to incorporate elements of classical Chinese culture into these silks, pairing them with the status of the powerful Yan Kingdom, using phrases like "traditional formulas," "craftsmanship," and "a poignant classical love story."

Arrange everything, and then it will sell out instantly.

Silk alone has created tens of thousands of jobs in Steelgrad's related industries. This is even after Liu Jiuli issued an order prohibiting the expansion of production capacity for ordinary commodity silk. After all, Steelgrad and Kharkiv only have a total population of just over one million.

Do you think that's a lot?

Come on, let's build a large industrial system. Unless you play the American model of hollowing out industry, modern large-scale industry can swallow up hundreds of millions of highly skilled workers in no time. And that's without even considering low-end manufacturing. Labor-intensive industries swallow up even more people and are easier to scale up.

For Kosichä, the rapid expansion of Steelgrad's goods was not a good thing. He immediately mobilized all his forces to conduct a survey of the entire Kosichä Duchy, while also gathering information on other cities, especially their economic conditions and the sources of goods in the market.

These things are relatively easy to obtain and collect; they don't take much time. With a little careful observation and some casual inquiries, you can find out about them.

The investigation results increasingly alarmed Kosiché. The issue wasn't just the quantity of Steelgrad's products in the Far East; some goods were even exported to Bolivar and China, the original producers of silk and porcelain. Now, these countries were also being impacted by Steelgrad's products, and even the status of tea was beginning to jeopardize.

Speaking of this tea, it's quite interesting. Liu Jiuli directly obtained a lot of top-quality tea from Yan Kingdom through the channels of the Reiwa era. These are the kinds of teas that require special environments to grow. Then, he put them all into the all-powerful factory for scanning and reconstructed these teas at the microscopic level. Anyway, the taste is exactly the same, and you can't tell the difference.

The result was an overabundance of top-grade teas within Yan, leaving related industries bewildered and clueless. Furthermore, the tea purchased in Steel Grid was all loose-leaf and unlabeled, leaving these tea-producing families in despair. Some even resorted to desperate measures, acquiring teas from other sources, slapping on labels, and claiming them as their own, arguing that the taste was identical anyway.

The unsolvable black technology production capacity is decimating the fine handicraft industry. After all, it involves the recombination of microscopic matter, and the human tongue obviously cannot distinguish the taste of every single molecule. Therefore, the tea industry in Yan Kingdom has no chance to fight back.

Other types of products are similar. The most famous one is the Oripathy treatment drug produced by Rhine Life. The official purchase price in Colombia is one million Lungmen Dollars per box. The generic version produced by Steelgrass, with a different packaging, costs less than one-tenth of the original price. When it comes to the Red Guards, their infected people receive the drug for free every month, and the drug is even more effective (after all, it is a refined product).

As a result, Rhine Lab's various drugs have been completely squeezed out of the Ursus Empire's market. The markets of Yan Kingdom, Dong Kingdom, and Kazdel have been largely or completely lost, and this is a comprehensive, all-encompassing, indiscriminate crushing defeat, leaving the other side with absolutely no chance to retaliate. As for daily necessities, Steelgrove is rampant. If you sell something for ten dollars, they dare to ship it in unlimited quantities for one dollar, or even for a single cent. And this tit-for-tat price war can last for months or even a whole year. Even large companies can't withstand it, let alone small businesses.

Today, over 90% of the industries in the Ursus Empire are directly or indirectly connected to Steelgrove. From basic necessities like firewood and cooking oil to steel and Originium, Steelgrove has everything you need, and even things you don't. Aside from its limited population, it has everything else you could want.

Kosiché also discovered that during this period, both Steelgrad and Kharkiv were recruiting a large number of workers, and Kharkiv's industrial development was gradually becoming complementary to Steelgrad's, with the two sides showing a subtle trend of joining hands.

"It seems the Red Guards have taken control of Kharkiv. Well, it makes sense. They're so close to them. It would be a miracle if Liu Jiuli could resist making a move. But when did he do it? There wasn't a hint of it beforehand."

After all, what happened in Kharkiv was too secretive. On the surface, the city was still peaceful and quiet, even better than before. Since it was better than before, the locals naturally didn't react. The people in power thought they had everything under control, so they enjoyed a life of debauchery in the information cocoon woven by the Red Guards. Outsiders certainly couldn't see anything amiss, so naturally, everything remained the same, and everyone went about their own business.

"Population. Now the Red Guards' only weakness is their population."

Kosiché frowned. Although the population was the Red Guards' weakness, it was difficult to stop them. He couldn't even think about resorting to underhanded tactics. If he dared to make a move, the other Black Snake colleagues in the Red Guards would notice the problem, and then Liu Jiuli would definitely come to visit him, have a heart-to-heart talk, and then turn around and leave, solving the problem physically.

This unsolvable Ubisoft is the fundamental reason why Koschei dares not act rashly. Moreover, he is not alone; he has an organization with exceptionally strong economic and military power under his command, as can be seen from the Red Guards' anti-banditry work.

Heavens have mercy! The problem of bandits in the Far East that had plagued the Ursus Empire for thousands of years has almost disappeared in their hands. The Ursus Empire would have to kneel down and call them father for their military organizational capabilities. Such an army would be no less capable than a regular army on the battlefield.

Blocking population movement is also unrealistic. Putting aside the vast area of ​​Ursus, various cities in the Far East are now thriving in the economic chain of Steelgrad, forming a solid alliance of interests. If he hinders their profits, these people will be the first to stand up against him, and may even cause the Ursus Empire to split under Liu Jiuli's instigation.

Unbeknownst to many, that once immature organization has now grown to the point where it can claim territory and even become an empire. How unpredictable life is!

Thinking about this, Kosiché suddenly realized another problem.

Prince Alexei on their side has been planning to take revenge on the imperial family, and his anger will inevitably spread throughout Ursus, which will lead to a civil war. Under such circumstances, what will the Red Guard do?

"This guy, could he have planned this from the beginning?!"

Section 160: Cossic in the Old Days

(Second update! Can I get a reward, dear readers? (?ω?))

As a deity and an immortal being, the Black Serpent possesses ample life experience, making it easy for him to see through a person.

But that was when facing normal people. Liu Jiuli was clearly an existence outside his comprehension. His powerful strength made Koschei feel constrained in his actions. Moreover, there was no corresponding template for the new political system on the Terra continent. This caused Koschei's intelligence to be distorted on various levels when facing Liu Jiuli and the Red Guards he created.

In other words, the results derived from one's own experience may be quite different from the actual situation.

While employing the same economic means, Liu Jiuli prioritized people's livelihoods, built an internal circulation system, and while developing the external market, he also expanded and strengthened his own power, emphasizing simultaneous development. Furthermore, the government was able to effectively intervene in the economy and manage grassroots affairs thoroughly. These were all unprecedented in the history of the Ursus Empire, and other countries could not achieve them either.

Yan Kingdom is considered to have done a relatively good job in terms of centralized power and grassroots management, but it is still a centralized power model with the emperor and scholar-officials sharing the world and the Red Guards as the main body of public ownership economy. This is truly the first time for Terra to adopt such a centralized model.

Moreover, Liu Jiuli often didn't engage in any so-called targeted planning. He merely set development goals at a macro level, then each department came up with its own plan, which was ultimately assigned to each individual, with precise task progress. Essentially, it was all about pursuing his own development while simultaneously driving economic prosperity in the surrounding areas. Even if you want sustainable, exploitative practices, you have to ensure sustainability first. Before harvesting the crops, you still need to fertilize them, right?

Liu Jiuli's strategic goal for the surrounding areas was to "promote a large domestic and international market and achieve a dual circulation." As for the local economy being battered and bruised by the Red Guards, that was merely collateral damage. In the end, local wages rose, the market became more abundant, people lived happier lives, the powerful and wealthy lived luxurious lives, and everyone had a bright future. Who wouldn't like this win-win situation?

So much so that later on, as soon as many cities heard that SteelGree was going to invest, they immediately took the initiative to invite them, offering all sorts of free policies, determined to bring this benefactor to their doorstep.

As for the problem of it being easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away, don't you like the money that the God of Wealth gives you?

Even feudal nobles were moved, let alone capitalists. In their eyes, money has no high or low value. The money of the proletariat is still money, and the money earned from selling ropes and streetlights is still money. Even if they were hanged on it in the end, they would ask before they died if they could livestream their death and earn some tips.

Don't ask me if I can spend it; the important thing is to make money, make money, make money! "Am I getting old?"

Liu Jiuli had so many tricks up his sleeve that Kosichev began to doubt his own ability to keep up with the times.

I've never had these symptoms before, what's wrong with me lately?

What else could it be? The sense of powerlessness of outdated productive forces against advanced ones is not just a problem of Kosicheans; it's a problem of the entire Ursus Empire's traditional system facing new challenges. Just as feudal lords couldn't understand why the bourgeoisie would trample on them, the bourgeoisie couldn't accept a group of people who could exploit them solely based on bloodline and birth.

My money was earned through hard work and exploitation. Apart from the moment you were born, have you ever struggled in your life?

As for the Crown Prince's problem, Liu Jiuli only made it on a whim, and he didn't care whether the other side succeeded or not. However, because the Red Guards were developing so well in the Far East, the economic level of the Ursus Empire's Far East region also rose, allowing Crown Prince Alexei, who was preparing for revenge, to also reap a huge benefit (middleman's cut).

Previously, the two sides had cooperated to establish a smuggling network to western Ursus. Now, the western region of the Ursus Empire has been ravaged by the goods of Steelgros, but the locals are oblivious and feel that life is getting better and better.

That's right, there are more cheap goods, and billions of dollars in subsidies every day. How could people not be happy? Look at how badly those companies that collided with SteelGree's products died.

The Red Guards are employing a concentrated economic campaign to continuously eliminate the industrial capital of Ursus, replacing it with a tertiary sector that lacks production and research capabilities but absorbs a large population. • What, you're asking what the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors are?

The primary sector is agriculture, the secondary sector is industry, and the tertiary sector is services. Do you understand?

Agriculture is the foundation of industry, and industry is the guarantee for agriculture and its own growth and strength. The service industry depends on agriculture and industry. This is the modern industrial structure. Without primary and secondary industries, the tertiary industry is just a mirage. Just look at how badly those countries that rely on both primary and secondary industries have been ravaged by the pandemic. You will know the consequences of not having strong primary and secondary industries.

The Ursus Empire does have its own agriculture, but the traditional serf system is no longer suitable for the times. In any case, once the Steelgrove factories opened, countless traditional landowners within the Ursus Empire went bankrupt. Those who survived either completed the transformation or are struggling to stay afloat with their past wealth.

Without war, the Ursus Empire was forced to change solely due to the economic impact of its advanced productive forces.

We can't afford not to change; those who stand in the way of productivity never have a good ending.

Many people believe that war changed the world, but what truly changed the world was productivity. If it were only war, there would have been very few peaceful years since the birth of humankind. At that rate, the Milky Way would already belong to humankind. War is merely a catalyst, and for a catalyst to work, there must be something to catalyze it. No matter how much war in the Stone Age catalyzed civilization, it would never have enabled humankind to develop spaceships.

This was also the fundamental reason for Napoleon's defeat. Even if he demanded that the whole of Europe blockade Britain, he could not stop the infiltration of British goods. When the buttons on the clothes of French soldiers were made in Britain, the outcome of the war was decided from the beginning. Britain could lose seven times, but France could not afford to lose even once.

The economic base determines not only the superstructure, but also the strength of the superstructure.

Therefore, as long as Koschei's own thinking hasn't changed, he still represents that vast but corrupt ancient political system. This has nothing to do with knowledge; it's a matter of perspective determined by one's position. Many times, it's not how you think, but your stance and logic that determine how you think. Just as selfish people see selfishness and selfless people see selflessness, the most perfect and powerful empire in Koschei's eyes is the Ursus Empire at its peak. He hasn't escaped this historical cycle.

Talulah, the Black Serpent, has entered a new historical cycle, so she sees further ahead; this is the essential difference between the two.

However, there is one thing that the Black Serpents have always adhered to: the pursuit of a powerful empire, hoping that Ursus in the North could grow stronger and more prosperous. So no matter what their stance is, this is the direction they are striving for.

Koschche is still the same Koschche. The traditional mainstream ideology within the Black Serpent is still the survival of the fittest under the Tsarist system. Only the truly strong are qualified to rule this snow-covered land, and weakness is the original sin here.

Therefore, he supported the struggle for the throne between the eldest prince Alexei and the seventh prince Nicholas, and as long as Liu Jiuli truly had the power to sweep everything away, he wouldn't mind if the emperor of the Ursus Empire was surnamed Liu.

However, this time, his thoughts might not be able to keep up with Liu Jiuli's pace.

Kosiché's gaze wandered across the map, as if he were pondering something, before finally settling on Steelgrad.

His intuition told him that one day, a tremendous upheaval would be unleashed here.

So, will the eldest prince in my hands give me some surprises?

"The Crown Prince still has quite a few cards to play. Don't let me down, Your Majesty, the Tsar in reserve."

Section 161: What are you doing? What do you want to do?!

(Happy Dragon Boat Festival everyone! Do you prefer sweet or savory zongzi? Or do you like them with durian, dipped in soy sauce, and served with goji berries? (～￣▽￣)～)

Lappland and the captured mercenaries were imprisoned in Kazdel's prisoner-of-war camp, or rather, a prisoner-of-war camp.

For the next few days, their main tasks were attending classes, studying, going to bed early and getting up early, and receiving treatment. Heaven knows whether they came to be prisoners of war or to get medical treatment. The most outrageous thing was that the Red Guards were actually willing to give medicine to the infected, even those in the middle stage of infection.

Don't they know how expensive those filter capsules are? Using them on prisoners of war, are they conducting experiments?

The problem is that the infected people in the Red Guards took the exact same medication as them. In fact, every day when they took their medication, the instructors in the POW camp would take out the pre-packaged capsules, take one themselves first, and then distribute them to everyone one by one, who would take them on the spot. If they could fake that, the acting costs must be quite high.

Many of the mercenaries are Sarkaz, and more than half of the Sarkaz are infected with Oripathy. In reality, this proportion could easily lead to a situation where everyone in a localized area is taking medication. According to the instructor, all infected individuals under the Red Guard can receive medication, and it's free.

You lie without thinking, huh?

Lappland didn't believe a word of it. Even the most basic drugs for the infected were unaffordable for ordinary people, let alone a group of mercenaries who didn't know where their next meal would come from. Making a living on the edge was not easy, and they were going to lose money.

However, Lappland soon experienced firsthand the level of medical care in the prisoner-of-war camp.

"Lappland, right? Your infection symptoms are very severe, and you need surgery."

"Really? I don't think it's a big deal. I'm used to it anyway," Lappland said nonchalantly.

The medical staff looked at her and then sighed: "Are you worried that you won't make it off the operating table? Or perhaps you don't fully trust us? That's understandable, since you're currently prisoners of war. According to the wartime traditions of various countries, prisoners of war, except for those with special status who can be ransomed, are generally considered to be consumables in the hands of the enemy. But we Red Guards are different from them. Of course, I also know that words are not enough. You can take this for now."

A blue metal ring was fastened to Lappland's wrist.

"This is?"

"The infection monitoring bracelet can monitor the infection status in the body of an infected person at any time. Once an acute infection occurs, we will treat you immediately. By the way, it can also monitor whether you are taking your medicine properly."

"So this is a surveillance camera."

“ε=('ο｀))) Sigh, think what you want, but only you know whether you feel physically uncomfortable. Be good to yourself, otherwise you won't see any more interesting things.”

As she spoke, the doctor winked her right eye at Lappland, looking quite mischievous.

A strange place, everything about it seems strange, but...

After leaving the infirmary, Lappland obediently took her medicine.

Although it was strange, the medication here was indeed effective. During this period, she clearly felt that her mental state had improved a lot. After all, you can't lie to yourself about whether you're feeling unwell or not. If someone really had a conspiracy, they wouldn't bother with all this trouble.

Many prisoners shared similar thoughts with Lappland, while some simply gave up and treated the prisoner-of-war camp as a campsite.

With food, drink, and even medical treatment, it's like a vacation.

But that's not always the case, because there are always a few exceptions.

While sleeping at night, Lappland suddenly heard footsteps outside. The quick-witted girl immediately got up and pressed herself against the corner of the wall to listen to the sounds outside.

"Quick! The patient in room number three is having an acute attack of Oripathy. Get him to the medical room immediately!"

"Inhibitors! Quickly prepare inhibitors!"

"I'm not sick! I'm not sick! I don't want to go out! I don't want to go out!"