Is this cheat code from Bika? Just do it!

Children and adults alike, the elderly and young people alike, have all joined in the learning.

They know that in this era of knowledge explosion, only by constantly learning and making progress can they keep up with the times and avoid being eliminated by society.

As Link watched all of this unfold, he felt a surge of satisfaction and pride.

He knew that his efforts had not been in vain and that his dream was being realized step by step—an advanced, progressive city full of knowledge and wisdom was rising!

152. Improvement

“I never expected that after teaching the children, the adults in their families and the neighbors would also be able to learn together. In this way, the cultural level of adults in the city can gradually improve,” Miyajima Tsubaki said from the side.

“Once the children graduate from elementary school, the adults are basically equivalent to having graduated from elementary school as well,” Miyajima Tsubaki continued to explain her thoughts.

"At that time, the number of illiterate people in the city will definitely drop sharply. I didn't expect that this would also play a role in eradicating illiteracy."

“This all stems from ordinary people’s thirst for knowledge.” Link sat in his office, feeling a little emotional. “Perhaps I can give them another push.”

"Oh? What do you say?"

Link tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a crisp sound, and said, "Let's set up a 'Honorary Community' title. Every two weeks, we'll assess the overall literacy and cultural level of each community. The community with the best score will receive the title of 'Honorary Cultural Community' and will be awarded a certificate and a banner. This way, we can better motivate adults to learn together."

Honor, this seemingly ethereal thing, possesses a magical power. Many people are willing to strive relentlessly for it, which is actually the result of the universal vanity within people.

Take, for example, some game leaderboards on Earth in Link's previous life. Those leaderboards were nothing but empty things, with no real rewards, just rankings. Yet, countless gamers would spend money in the game to improve their combat power in order to climb the leaderboard and grab the number one spot, making game companies rich.

This is a simple yet typical example.

Following Link's idea, Miyajima Tsubaki nodded in agreement and then went to discuss the plan with Kim Mi-tei. Link, meanwhile, had some free time to address another issue.

The Battle of Sealink made Link realize a huge flaw in his army—the equipment was inconsistent and too disorganized.

The various armies extracted from the system each have their own style of armor or weapons, and the native armies of the North also have their own set.

This would result in a wide variety of weapons and equipment, which is absolutely impractical in the military, as maintenance and replacement would become major problems.

Another issue is the soldiers' load-bearing capacity, which is a very serious problem.

Nowadays, most soldiers' armor alone weighs over forty pounds, making it impossible for them to carry any more weight.

Therefore, the weight of the armor had to be reduced.

At this moment, Link thought of the wisdom of his ancestors—lapel armor and plate armor.

Under the same material conditions, larger armor plates will inevitably provide better defense than smaller armor plates.

Because metal is malleable, it absorbs energy through deformation. Larger armor plates can absorb more energy, thus providing better defense.

Modern bulletproof ceramic plates are different. Ceramic has no ductility and absorbs energy by breaking directly. Therefore, the defensive power of small ceramic pieces is not much different from that of a whole piece, but the cost is significantly reduced.

Of course, with current technology, ceramic inserts cannot be manufactured.

Before the Iron Age, humans used bronze armor.

Bronze is highly malleable and can be easily molded into a single piece, so bronze armor, both in China and abroad, is primarily made from a single piece of breastplate.

But iron is not suitable; iron is not as malleable as copper, so for a long time in ancient times, large pieces of iron armor could not be made.

However, iron is much harder than copper, and lighter in weight. Even iron armor with small plates is better than bronze breastplates.

Therefore, chainmail and lamellar armor quickly replaced plate armor.

There is no fundamental difference in defensive capabilities between chainmail and lamellar armor. The advantage of lamellar armor is its low cost, while the advantage of chainmail is its flexibility and breathability.

By the end of the 14th century, humanity had finally overcome the technical hurdle of forging large iron plates, so armor plates became increasingly larger both in China and abroad. Ottoman craftsmanship was slightly inferior to that of Europe; they could not produce a single, curved breastplate, but they could create a single, large breastplate.

The Ming Dynasty used cloth armor, and the inlaid armor plates were much larger than those of the Han and Tang Dynasties.

So why not try to create a composite armor that combines plates and mortar?

Link approached Hannah and began discussing with her the idea of ​​designing a modular, assembly-line production plate-and-soled composite armor.

After a period of discussion, they finally made up their minds.

This type of armor features a half-body plate armor at the chest, without covering the waist, which is still armed with lamellar armor components.

In this way, the waist of the armor is streamlined, making it more slender and aesthetically pleasing compared to a full set of heavy lamellar armor.

After all, while the previous heavy lamellar armor looked imposing, the overlapping abdominal plates made each soldier appear much fatter.

Now, Link is using the design concepts of plate armor to design the new lamellar armor.

However, in order to achieve mass production, the steel armor gloves did not adopt full plate armor, but instead used chainmail technology.

First, a thin layer of leather gloves is applied, then a lightweight riveted chainmail is attached to the outside of the gloves, and finally steel plates are applied to the back of the hands.

In this way, a set of steel hand armor produced according to this standard can be manufactured.

The helmet remains unchanged, and the shoulder armor still uses lamellar shoulder guards.

The belly armor sections on both sides of the waist were removed. The shape of the skirt armor covering the legs and the front and back of the groin remained unchanged, but the number of armor plates was reduced, and larger but thinner steel plates were used as new skirt armor components.

The boots on the feet also adopted the same design as the steel gauntlets: a layer of leather boots with chainmail attached, and then covered with large steel plates.

In this way, by using certain plate armor components, reducing the number of armor parts, and replacing a large number of dense small steel plates with some harder and thinner large steel plates, the weight of the entire armor was greatly reduced, from the initial heavy plate armor averaging about 45 pounds to the new plate-plate composite armor averaging 25 pounds.

This not only facilitates the implementation of mass production standards, but also makes production easier compared to the original full-body heavy armor.

After finalizing the design, Link converted the smelter production line, which was originally used to produce heavy lamellar armor, into a production line for the new armor, and planned to complete the uniform replacement of the entire army within a week.

During the two days that Link was redesigning his armor, Hannah told him that a craftsman named Mina had successfully created a wooden-handled grenade based on their previous ideas.

After testing, this wooden-handled grenade proved to be very powerful, and its moisture-proof properties were much better than those of the previous explosive packs.

Link was overjoyed and decided to equip the army with these gears when the army changed its uniforms.

After this round of design, although the army's weapons and equipment did not change much, firearms began to replace most of the bows and crossbows in the army's hands, further reducing the burden on soldiers.

This way, the soldiers wouldn't need to carry an extra quiver of crossbow bolts.

Although gunpowder and projectiles were used instead, they were still lighter than iron crossbow bolts.

Thus, a brand-new image of a Northern soldier was born.

They still wore black helmets to protect their faces. The neck guards that were originally covered by the iron helmets had been removed, since the helmets themselves could directly protect the neck.

The shoulder armor is still made of lamellar armor, and the arms are made of chain-linked composite steel arm and hand guards.

The original full suit of lamellar armor on the upper body has disappeared, replaced by a 2mm thick half-breastplate armor protecting the chest. The entire abdomen and waist area has been replaced with larger, vertically arranged, 1.5mm thick steel plates. The belly armor on the left and right sides is gone, and the new waist armor is more form-fitting and streamlined.

A row of leather pouches hung from his front waist, containing loaded explosive charges. A row of approximately six wooden-handled grenades was mounted on his back waist.

A four-bladed bayonet was hung on the right side of the waist. In close combat, it could be attached to the muzzle of the musket, allowing it to be used as a spear. Next to the four-bladed bayonet was another double-row leather hook with a small wrench and cleaning rod, used for cleaning the chamber and compacting the gunpowder during reloading.

The skirt armor used the same large steel plates as the waist armor, extending all the way to the knees. The feet were fitted with chain-linked composite steel boots.

Thus, the image of a Northern soldier, covered in armor, with a leather ammunition pouch hanging from his waist (which is thinner than the rest of his body), a row of wooden-handled grenades on his lower back, and a musket or longsword in his hand, was born!

153. New Products

This morning, steaming hot soup dumplings were laid out on the table. Taking a light bite, the rich, fragrant meat juice burst in my mouth, leaving a lingering aroma and an unforgettable taste.

"Delicious, so delicious! No wonder Miyajima Sakura packed ten baskets to take to school, saying she wanted to eat them on the go." Dilva ate heartily, her mouth stuffed full, and kept muttering to herself. As she spoke, a trickle of meat juice dripped from the corner of her mouth. She casually wiped it away with her thumb, then licked her fingers, looking quite adorable.

Asagi's cheeks flushed slightly. She glanced at Link furtively before speaking softly, "Sakura has been very busy with school affairs lately. She got up very early and even helped me make soup dumplings. Besides, the ones she took away were all handmade by her."

"Huh? She's too cunning. I'd love to try Sakura's soup dumplings." Dilva pouted and said with some regret, "I've been eating Asagi's cooking all the time, and I sometimes want to change things up and try something different."

"Oh? Miss Dilva, are you complaining that my cooking isn't good?" Asagi narrowed her eyes, glancing at Dilva with her light purple pupils, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing. "Or are you already tired of it?"

"No...no, that's not it." Dilva stiffened and quickly waved his hands to explain, "I just wanted to know what other people's cooking tastes like."

"I see!" Asagi tapped her chin lightly, recalling the soup dumplings Miyajima Sakura had made that morning. After steaming, they were not only devoid of any broth, but also rock hard, making them difficult to swallow.

Well, after all, Sakura is still a young girl, so her cooking skills are naturally not as good as those of the "veterans".

That's the advantage of being a mature woman!

Asagi secretly gloated and chuckled, "Then tomorrow's breakfast, Dilva can have Sakura's."

"Huh? Is that possible?" Dilva's eyes lit up, and he said expectantly, "Sakura has been learning to cook with Asagi and her mother Miyajima Tsubaki for several days now. She should be able to make something delicious."

“Yes!” Asagi nodded firmly, then turned to look at Akiyama Rinko and asked softly, “Rinko, would you like some breakfast made by Sakura?”

Akiyama Rinko's hand, which was stuffing a bun into her mouth, suddenly froze, and she mechanically shook her head: "No need, I'll just eat what Asagi makes. Sakura is a teacher, she's very busy."

She knew very well about Sakura Miyajima's talent for cooking.

Sakura devoted almost all her talents to kendo and athletic skills. During her childhood, under the careful guidance of her father and grandfather, Sakura's kendo skills improved rapidly. Furthermore, Sakura not only excelled in sports but also achieved top academic results, fully demonstrating her leadership abilities and athletic talent.

However, in other aspects, especially her talent as a housewife, Sakura was terrible and did not inherit any of the good qualities of her mother, Tsubaki Miyajima.

"Huh? So I'm eating Miyajima Sakura's breakfast all by myself? I don't know why, but I'm really looking forward to it!" Dilva was full of excitement, completely unaware of the "crisis" that was about to come.

Link couldn't help but slap his forehead and look at Dilva with pity.

This carefree female warrior was still tricked by Asagi.

One can imagine how "exciting" the scene will be at breakfast tomorrow.

"Lord Link, what's wrong?" Dilva asked, tilting his head in confusion as he saw Link's actions.

"Cough cough... It's nothing." Link shook his head and picked up a clean cloth to wipe his mouth.

“By the way, Lord Link, Lushe told me last night that sales of items other than wheat and salt at the market have been decreasing day by day these past two days,” Dilva reported while eating breakfast. “Of course, sales of some snacks have actually increased.”

Link nodded in understanding: "That's for sure. The market is saturated. People will use items like ceramics and wooden spoons for a long time after buying them. Unless they break or they have the money to exchange for new ones, few commoners will buy them again in a short period of time. But food and snacks are different. Food and salt are necessities that are consumed every day and therefore need to be replenished. Now that the people of the North are wealthier and have spare money, they will naturally have more demand for consumer goods like snacks after their basic needs are met."

“I see. I will tell Lushe.” Dilva nodded.

“Make sure everyone’s production doesn’t decrease, even if our market becomes saturated. Don’t forget, we have Farahia’s caravans. We can use them to sell these goods to other cities, and even trade with other races,” Link said confidently.

“Yes! I will tell Lushe,” Dilva replied.

At this point, Hannah, who had been eating quietly without saying a word, put down her chopsticks and said, "By the way, sir, the research department sent a message yesterday saying that the spinning machine and loom you requested have been manufactured. Would you like to go and take a look?"

“Very good.” Link immediately stood up and said decisively, “Let’s go and take a look right away.”

Spinning machines and looms, these two powerful tools, could largely solve the problem of expensive and scarce clothing in this era, so that people would no longer be embarrassed by having no clothes to wear.

This was Link's first and most crucial step in bringing prosperity to the North.

What attracts businessmen the most?

Of course, it's goods that are cheaper and more exquisite than others.

"I'll go prepare the carriage right away!" Rinko Akiyama ran out with two soup dumplings in her mouth.

"Wait for me!" Dilva chased after him, holding a soup dumpling in each hand.

“Lord Link, a restaurant in the commercial district has finished its renovations. When would you like to take a look?” Asagi asked, following behind Link.

"Oh? So fast?" Link asked in surprise.

"We're just missing a few crucial details, and we're waiting for your decision," Asagi said, flipping through her notebook.

“Okay! We’ll go later.” Link nodded. That restaurant was also a crucial place, and he needed to oversee it.

Link has almost completed the initial setup; now all that's left is to drive traffic to the business.

The traffic-generating strategy began to show results a few days later; all that was needed was a final push.

Soon, Link and his group boarded the carriage. They pulled the rope, and the carriage set off. Escorted by a squad of soldiers, they headed towards the research department.

"By the way, Asagi, have you issued the construction plan for the dock?" Link thought of a concern: a dock that could accommodate large ships.

“Yes, I saw the dock construction plan on my desk this morning. Seeing that you had already signed it, I handed it over to you,” Asagi nodded in response.

“Tell them that the construction of the house can be postponed for now. That dock is more important; let’s build a short section of the dock first, large enough to berth large ships,” Link said.

Link still felt there were too few people.

If only he had hundreds of thousands of people at his disposal, even basic construction projects would be very labor-intensive.

After all, in this era without large trucks and excavators, just transporting some stones was quite labor-intensive.

The carriage arrived at the research department quickly.

The research department has now been renovated and refurbished; it is no longer the simple little courtyard it used to be.

A high wall has been built around the perimeter, and people are patrolling both inside and on the wall.

They were all armed with powerful muskets, and anyone who approached suspiciously would be shot on the spot.

Moreover, the military camp is very close by; if anyone tries to break in, the alarm bell will ring immediately, and cavalry will arrive in less than two minutes.