While Li Shentan was trying his best to convince the Lian Clan to join him in his plans to prosper in the Northwest, hundreds of red banners were suddenly put up in Stronghold 144 in the Northwest.
"Pay what's in the stronghold, and the rest is yours!"
"If one man farms, the whole family won't go hungry!"
Such eye-catching banners appeared on the streets and alleys of the stronghold, and the towns outside the stronghold were no exception.
Not only were there banners, but Wang Yuexi also organized hundreds of employees from the administrative center to go out on the streets and set up small tables in dozens of crowded places in the stronghold. The tables were filled with leaflets.
Such a big commotion naturally attracted countless residents and refugees to gather around and ask about how they were going to contract the farmland.
The staff members answered all the questions fluently and answered everyone's questions in detail.
Before this, Wang Yuexi had given them more than ten days of pre-job training. He instructed them to face the residents with the best attitude possible, and they absolutely could not be in a situation where they did not know what the residents were asking them.
In fact, everyone was even more enthusiastic than Ren Xiaosu and the others had imagined.
But here came the problem. The stronghold residents were used to living a comfortable life in the city. Who would be willing to abandon their homes and businesses to farm outside?
Although everyone was enthusiastic about asking questions, when it came to getting them to farm, everyone just smiled and waved their hands before leaving. They were purely here to watch the show and waste time.
Although there were also some refugees outside, the number of refugees was far from enough compared to the entire Northwest that was waiting to be reclaimed.
At this moment, Ren Xiaosu understood why the Wang Clan had suddenly plotted against the Kong Clan and the Zhou Clan by attracting the refugees from these two consortiums to the stronghold. So it turned out that population was very important to the development of an organization!
The contract system policy was very attractive to the refugees. In the first week of the announcement, almost half of the refugees had signed the contract. However, this number was still not enough for the wasteland they were going to reclaim.
Moreover, Wang Fugui had gone to Ren Xiaosu for the first time to complain. He was the president of the Northwest Chamber of Commerce, so it was reasonable for him to speak on behalf of the entire chamber.
Wang Fugui sat in Ren Xiaosu's courtyard and said, "Young Marshal, first of all, I definitely know that ensuring the farmland in the Northwest is a red line that no one can touch. After all, this concerns the economic lifeline of the Northwest. But now that a large number of refugees have gone to farm, the Northwest Chamber of Commerce's basic positions such as loading and unloading goods, packaging, logistics, and transportation have all experienced a manpower shortage. If this matter wasn't serious, I wouldn't have come to talk to you about this. It's just that the lack of manpower has seriously affected the normal operation of the business. Some workers know that we are lacking manpower, so they increased their salary by three times on the spot … Of course, this is understandable. I just hope that Young Marshal can think of a solution. "
Ren Xiaosu fell into deep thought. Governance of the stronghold was definitely not as simple as fighting in the past. In the past, you just had to kill your enemies. It was very simple.
But now, all of your decisions will affect the rest of your body.
Trade was also a very important industry in the Northwest right now. Without the Northwest Chamber of Commerce, Stronghold 144 would not be as prosperous as it was today, and Stronghold 144 would not have such an abundant financial income and expenditure.
Therefore, the population problem had to be resolved.
Wang Yuexi's considerations were more long-term. When Ren Xiaosu proposed the contract system, he had already mentioned the population problem. He also suggested that the stronghold's residents be given birth subsidies and reduce the cost of their children's education.
Ren Xiaosu agreed with Wang Yuexi's suggestions and asked him to introduce the relevant policies as soon as possible. But the problem was that no matter how much they encouraged people to have children, they could not just give birth to an 18-year-old chubby boy who could work.
It could only be said that this policy was too long-term and could not solve the immediate problem.
However, Ren Xiaosu was not someone who would avoid problems. He did not discuss the countermeasures for this matter with Wang Fugui, Wang Yuexi, and the others. Instead, he went straight to look for Big Bluff and started discussing the supporting plans to prosper in the Northwest.
If he looked for Wang Yuexi and Wang Fugui, they would be discussing serious countermeasures. But if he looked for Big Bluff, it would be obvious that he wanted to come up with some unserious countermeasures.
When Big Bluff arrived at Ren Xiaosu's courtyard, he said politely with a smile, "What's the matter, Young Marshal?"
Ren Xiaosu got straight to the point and asked, "Where can we get thousands or even tens of thousands of people to prosper in the Northwest?"
Big Bluff was taken aback. "That many?"
Big Bluff thought to himself, 'In the past, I've only abducted one or two people to prosper in the Northwest. But this Young Marshal is different the moment he makes a move. He wants to abduct tens of thousands of people right off the bat.'
It looked like the cause of prospering in the Northwest was about to be upgraded and enter the era of 2.0!
But the problem was, where was he going to get so many people?
When Ren Xiaosu saw the troubled look on Big Bluff's face, he suddenly said, "You've been receiving intelligence from the Central Plains recently, right? How's the Zhou Clan doing?"
Big Bluff said, "The Pyro Company has even abandoned their last stronghold and fled to the northern border with the grasslands. The Kong Clan only has one stronghold left by the sea, but it looks like it'll be occupied by the Wang Clan in less than half a month. A large number of refugees have fled south, but the Zhou Clan themselves are also in chaos. Many of their factories have started going on strike, so both the refugees and the refugees have no food to eat. It's very tragic."
Ren Xiaosu said in seriousness, "Is this all because we killed the leader of the Zhou Clan? It's all my fault … "
"Uh, although that's the direct cause, Young Marshal, you don't have to blame yourself." Big Bluff said, "After all, the Zhou Clan's own management is rather chaotic. Now that so many people are starving, it's also related to their eagerness to fight among themselves and their lack of concern for the people's livelihood."
Big Bluff felt that there was no need to blame himself for it since they had already killed the leader. Besides, the Zhou Clan only had themselves to blame when they were punished for their wrongdoings.
To be honest, Big Bluff had recently realized that Ren Xiaosu had become more and more benevolent ever since he took over the stronghold. He was a little worried that Ren Xiaosu would go to the other extreme.
After all, righteousness did not do business, and kindness did not command troops. A truly benevolent person might not be able to lead the Northwest to survive in this chaotic world.
When Big Bluff thought of this, he wanted to persuade his Young Marshal not to be so soft-hearted. He should be unscrupulous when dealing with his enemies.
However, he heard Ren Xiaosu say with a compassionate expression, "That won't do. I do have something to do with the refugees and refugees who are suffering from hunger and destitution. Look, I killed their leader and caused them to be in such a miserable state. So as compensation, I should bring them to the Northwest to eat and wear warm clothes. Isn't that right? "
Big Bluff was stunned. "Young Marshal, your shamelessness is really in line with the core ideology of rejuvenating the Northwest."
"Then it's decided." Ren Xiaosu said, "The problem now is how to bring them to the Northwest!"
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