Chapter 121: Reform

Li Hongshen emerged from Exhibition Booth No. 5 with a shaky gait. His face was deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded on his temples, trickling down his face, while his legs trembled uncontrollably.

Clutching a thin sheet of paper, he glanced back at the booth, gritted his teeth, and led his subordinates toward the takeoff zone. They boarded their Storm Eagles and made a swift return to their territory.

He had not met with Lord Tian Qi at the booth; instead, he had been cornered by her three personal attendants. After a grueling day of painstaking effort and fierce verbal sparring, Li Hongshen’s silver tongue had ultimately failed against the combined force of the three ladies.

Exhausted, parched, and physically drained, Li Hongshen had conceded. Recognizing his disadvantageous position, he signed a series of treaties and contracts that finally satiated the appetites of these women.

He had successfully traded for the spiritual metals he desired, while simultaneously reaching several trade agreements, including contracts for electric lights, electric rail engineering, and the supply of basic spiritual materials, meat, eggs, and grain.

Beyond this, Li Hongshen was also obligated to take on a portion of their raw material processing, specifically metal purification. Because they had seen the products of his territory and trusted his smelting technology, they demanded that he act as their contract manufacturer.

It was foreseeable that, squeezed by these women, Li Hongshen’s territory would have to tighten its belt for some time to come, while also laboring for their benefit.

However, necessity dictated his actions. These spiritual metals were of immense value to him, and given the specific types and quantities he required, only a lord like Tian Qi could meet his needs.

At the same time, she valued his resources and technology, and was willing to cooperate with him. This allowed Li Hongshen to maintain his autonomy, earning back enough in certain areas to remain a trade partner rather than a mere menial laborer.

This was one of the reasons Li Hongshen had been reluctant to join the gathering point. Before senior students, newcomers were always the weaker party, especially in trade. To join a well-established system, newcomers were always required to pay a price.

Three days later, Li Hongshen’s territory detached from the gathering point, descended about five hundred meters, and under the guidance of Tian Qi’s navigator, docked with the city of Binji. They formally signed the relevant contracts, completing their first transaction.

***

Upon returning to his domain, Li Hongshen began to vigorously develop his territory. His first act was to distribute the orders and engineering tasks, demanding that the workshops handle them as quickly as possible.

He then convened the high-level officials of his territory once more. At this meeting, Li Hongshen announced a new five-year plan, informing them that his experiences at the gathering point had served as a stimulus, compelling him to commit to sweeping reforms.

The territory would shift from a closed-loop tribal economy toward external trade, prioritizing science and technology as the primary productive force, centering on economic construction, and liberating labor productivity.

They were not only to provide a solid material foundation for the tribe’s development but also to generate sufficient surplus capacity to meet external trade demands. However, while expanding capacity, they were to ensure stable quality; they would not do anything that might tarnish their reputation.

In addition, they were to build a stable internal economy, enabling the citizens to engage in free trade at the center of the gathering point or travel to open cities for learning.

Simultaneously, they could not neglect the development of personal martial prowess. While ensuring economic growth, they were to set aside enough time for the citizens to train and improve the territory’s combat capabilities.

In particular, generals like Zhao Yun were to work in sincere cooperation with the Great Elder and other officials, maintaining a balanced approach—grasping both ends firmly—to comprehensively enhance the territory’s strength.

While focusing on economic construction, they were to ensure the military power needed to defend the territory. They were to plan military training programs carefully, ensuring the fighting spirit of their soldiers and providing them with necessary practical combat experience.

Furthermore, they were to strengthen cultural development within the territory to enhance the cohesion of the tribal citizens. The administrative and military leadership were to focus entirely on the territory’s development, serving the tribe wholeheartedly without the slightest slackness.

They were to implement a people-oriented philosophy, as the tribe’s development could not exist without the support of its people. At the same time, they were to continue improving medical standards, providing a solid foundation for population growth and ensuring the medical corps became a pillar of strength for the soldiers.

When necessary, they were to open their medical system to the public, welcoming citizens from other cities to seek treatment in Hong City, thereby establishing, promoting, and elevating the reputation of Hong City’s medical arts, eventually even offering medical training programs.

Li Hongshen emphasized the importance of fully implementing the tribal education policy, adhering to the goal of pragmatic development, following the path of education with Hong City characteristics, and maintaining the direction of public education.

Based on the fundamental realities of Hong City, they would follow the laws of education and persist in reform and innovation. Their objectives were to unite the people, refine character, develop human resources, cultivate talent, and benefit the citizens, ultimately raising builders and successors who were well-rounded in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor.

They were to improve the quality of life for the citizens with heart and passion, coordinating work in employment, education, and healthcare. Meanwhile, the military and administrative teams were to be managed with strict discipline and purity.

As for the citizens, Li Hongshen intended to increase training efforts to ensure a goal of universal awakening, universal utility, and universal combat readiness.

Regarding population policy, Li Hongshen imposed no restrictions. He declared at the meeting that as long as the citizens were willing to have children, he would raise them; from birth to graduation, all living expenses for the children would be covered by the territory.

Li Hongshen also pointed out the need to vigorously develop regions outside Hong City, preparing for a new round of city expansion. However, they were to always prioritize the ecology and green development, refraining from any destructive actions against the environment.

After the meeting concluded, the proceedings were compiled into manuals and distributed to the instructors. During subsequent training sessions, these would be read to the citizens to ensure everyone understood the future they faced and what was expected of them.

Thus, Li Hongshen’s Hong City launched its grand reforms. First, the spellcasters’ research on artillery weapons was paused, shifting instead to the development of spiritual-mechanical equipment for factories.

At the same time, the original workshop model was restructured. Industrial zones were demarcated, large-scale factory buildings were constructed, and previously idle citizens were transformed into skilled workers, working in three shifts, day and night, to contribute to the territory’s foreign trade.

Li Hongshen also dispatched multiple sales teams to gather information on the surrounding areas, promote Hong City’s products, and ensure their goods reached as many lords as possible, thereby establishing the Hong City brand.