The northern decree came suddenly, but spread quickly, and even Su Yao, deep in the Misty Forest, received the news immediately.
"Complete blockade of food, vegetables, medicine, and weapons, not a single bit allowed to be transported to the south?" Peng Er read this line five times, but still found it absurd. "Are these northern forces planning to unite and target the south?"
Percy burst out cursing, "I think they're just sick! They're fighting in the north, and they want ordinary people to suffer along with them? What kind of logic is that?"
"But if people aren't allowed to leave the North, they can't target the entire South, can they?" Sharp frowned tightly. "I never thought they would unite one day, and for something like this! It's truly ridiculous!"
Percy and Sharp both believed that the four major powers of the North were angry because they saw many people fleeing to the South, which is why they came up with this restrictive treaty.
Robertson also added a point, suggesting that this restriction might have something to do with the three of them, as Northerners certainly wouldn't want to see the South having weapon masters as well.
However, Su Yao shook her head, "Perhaps there are reasons as the masters said, but their main target should be me."
Her relationship with the Wolf Pack Mercenary Group had reached an irreconcilable opposition, so there was no need to even think about it. It was definitely them who started it, and their main objective certainly hadn't changed: they wanted to get the Water-Avoiding Pearl.
"If everything goes according to their plan, the South will soon fall into chaos as well. After that, they will likely reveal their true intentions, exposing me as the cause of the decree, making me the villain of the South, and turning everyone here against me."
The three weapon masters, unaware of the context, might find Su Yao's words somewhat juvenile and baffling. However, seeing the serious expressions on the others' faces, they immediately understood that Su Yao was not joking.
"I had never supported any faction before, but I always thought the leader of the city faction was a good person, and I leaned towards him becoming the final ruler... It wasn't until I saw the decree today that I realized they only care about profit and don't care about human lives at all." Bernice couldn't even imagine how the people in the south would survive without resources from the north.
Potions and weapons have always been exclusive to the North; the South never had them to begin with. The lack of these things has become the norm, and since very few people can go to the North to obtain medicine, Bernice felt that the scarcity of these two items wasn't the most terrifying issue. Another problem was vegetables; the North could grow them, and the South had them too, so this wasn't the most critical issue either.
What worried Bernice the most was the food supply issue.
The cultivation of crops on the Longyin Continent is primarily in the north. Even someone like her, who doesn't farm, knows that every year, people from the south purchase millions of tons of wheat from the north to address their food needs.
Now that the North has imposed restrictions on grain, doesn't that mean that eating will become a problem for people in the South?
"They are starving the Southerners just to target us; they are nothing short of devils!"
"Ayao, aren't we supposed to be promoting rice cultivation? Can this solve the current difficulties in the south?" Ya usually didn't pay attention to this aspect of the inn's business, but she knew a bit about the situation. She remembered Su Yao saying that by next year, rice could be planted in more than half of the southern regions.
"It's already winter now, not the best time for rice planting. But if it can really be promoted and planted, then solving hunger is indeed not a problem."
"So, now we need to see if the current grain reserves in the south can feed the southern people for a year?"
"Yes, even the most conservative estimate would last a year." Su Yao really hadn't expected the North to impose such a restriction, which disrupted her plans. But on the flip side, it also presented her with an opportunity. "I have negotiated a deal with the mayor of Yenan City, the southern capital, but it was limited to the trade of pharmaceuticals. Now it's time to add a grain trade to the agreement."
Su Yao is not someone who passively accepts her fate; whenever she has the chance, she will certainly strive to seize it.
After saying this, Su Yao immediately immersed herself in drafting a contract, assessing all the potential issues that might arise during the collaboration with the mayor, while also delineating the distribution of interests in her mind.
Ready, Su Yao immediately equipped the merchant title and teleported to Yenan City.
In the eyes of many northerners who have never been to the south, the south is a desolate place, and the people are stubborn and uncivilized. But in reality, this is not the case. The south merely lacks some resources; otherwise, it is not much different from the north.
Yenan City, as the capital of the south, is no different from many regions in the north. It is equally bustling and full of southern charm.
This was Su Yao's first time visiting Yenan City. The last contract was signed by the Gerard family and the mayor in a small town next to the Misty Forest.
As soon as she entered Yenan City, Su Yao noticed the worry on the faces of the passersby. She guessed it was most likely due to the northern restrictions.
She didn't linger long and first went to check the situation at the grain store in Yenan City.
Sure enough, a long line had already formed here, with everyone holding a large container waiting to buy grain.
The people in the grain store were so busy they couldn't stop, with sweat constantly dripping down and no time to wipe it away.
"Don't push, don't push, everyone relax, each household can buy a maximum of two bags, so everyone who came today will be able to buy some!"
The person shouting was wearing a guard's uniform, maintaining order at the front of the line.
Su Yao instantly understood; it seemed the mayor had already made comprehensive plans.
"The moment I received news from the north, I immediately thought of the food issue and promptly dispatched guards to take control of all the grain stores in the city. Starting today, the distribution of food will be managed jointly by our officials and the grain stores, and the amount of food allocated to each household is also fixed."
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Su Yao turned her head to look at the speaker, and coincidentally, it was Mayor Leopold.
"I was worried about the situation in the city, so I went around inspecting each grain store. As I got here, I noticed a figure that stood out from the rest. The closer I got, the clearer it became, and to my surprise, it was the master!"
While everyone else was squeezing into the grain store or running home, only Su Yao stood still, which indeed made her seem out of place.
Su Yao had made many deals with Leopold, but if asked whether she understood him, Su Yao could only answer no.
Today, it was Su Yao's first time interacting closely with Leopold, and also the first time she sensed the extraordinary nature of this mayor.
From the time the northern restriction order was received until now, only a few hours have passed, but Leopold has already prepared an emergency plan and conducted on-site inspections at major grain stores. To this, Su Yao could only say that he is stronger than the four major leaders of the north!
Leopold thought Su Yao was coming over to discuss the potion again, and he excitedly invited Su Yao to the mayor's office to talk.
But after sitting down at the table, Su Yao unexpectedly brought up the issue of food supplies.
Leopold's face turned red in an instant, it was excitement!
"I had previously discussed rice cultivation with the Gerard family. Is the yield really that high?" Leopold was willing to promote rice because he wanted to change the situation where the south depended on the north, but he never imagined that the yield of rice could be so high, even to the point of selling it to the north!
"I won't lie to you." Su Yao handed a piece of paper to Leopold. "This is Gerard's planting situation this summer."
Gerard was truly meticulous with that experimental field, keeping detailed records of every piece of data. He noted the seeds and planting intervals, the use of pesticides and fertilizers, as well as the weather, soil conditions, yield, and so on, all in great detail.
The more Leopold looked, the more delighted he became, his gaze finally glued to the line about yield. "Master, I can't hold back any longer, I really can't. Let's talk about this rice. I'll start by saying that as long as we can ensure the people in the south have enough to eat, we can cooperate on everything else."
Eating one's fill is the most important thing. Leopold didn't know what Su Yao wanted to do, but he was willing to cooperate with her actions.
Su Yao chuckled softly, "Mayor, there's no need to be so tense. I don't have any other intentions. I'm quite satisfied if we can make some money while ensuring everyone has enough to eat."
Su Yao handed another piece of paper to Leopold, this time it was a contract.
Leopold took it and looked it over carefully, "No problem at all. We provide the land and manpower, and we keep enough of the final grain for ourselves. If you want more of the remaining grain, you can buy it with gold coins as stated above."
The price of grain needs to be determined based on factors such as yield and market prices, which vary each year. Su Yao couldn't set a fixed price, so she could only write it like this for now.
After discussing the food issue, we continued talking about medicine.
Leopold was so overwhelmed with surprise that he felt dizzy. If Su Yao hadn't forbidden it, he would have really wanted to kneel down and elevate her to a pedestal!
……
As the mayor of the capital, Leopold communicated with mayors from other regions. Given that cooperation with Su Yao was beneficial to the south, Leopold was more than willing to help by reaching out to other mayors.
This matter gradually spread throughout the entire southern region.
Just moments ago, something that had a group of mayors and town leaders racking their brains with worry had now become an ordinary matter.
"The stored grain can ensure that all Southerners have enough to eat for two years; we have a two-year window for trial and error."
Leopold added together the food reserves reported by other mayors with those of Yenan City, and if managed collectively by their government, it would be enough to ensure the southerners could eat for at least two years.
"Over the course of two years, the situation in the north is bound to change, and there will be plenty of room for maneuvering then." Leopold couldn't guarantee that the cultivation of rice would completely solve their hunger problem, so he had to consider other possibilities as well.
"The northern war situation cannot be ignored, but the mayor can be completely assured about the grain production. It won't take as long as two years; one year will be enough." Su Yao trusted the seeds provided by the system and had even more faith in the diligence of the working people.
In the original world, the working people fed themselves step by step in this way.
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Time flies as the stars shift, and in the blink of an eye, summer has arrived once again.
Su Yao had been in the Longyin Continent for over a year, and today she finally completed the hidden main quest.
With the harvest of early rice, the people of the South completely emerged from the predicament of worrying about food.
Gerard, acting as Su Yao's eyes outside, conveyed a lot of information to her.
He said that when he was traveling for business, he only saw joy on the faces of the farmers. He also mentioned that the use of seeders and harvesters was very effective. Although not as widespread as rice paddies, they were gradually expanding, saving the farmers a lot of effort.
[Successful manufacture and application of the harvester grants *1 card draw.]
[Hidden mainline task completed, congratulations to the host for obtaining: Underwater Creature Blueprint Fragment*3, Deep Sea Clam Pearls*50, Underwater Weapon Manufacturing Book*1, Card Draw Chance*1, Insight Card*1.]
[There are already five fragments of the underwater creature blueprint, automatically synthesizing the book "Illustrated Guide to Underwater Creatures."]
[Insight Card: A one-time use card that, when used, allows you to view the target's identity information and their biggest secret.]