Chapter 627: When I first returned to Nanling, the territory rebelled (5500)
The commercial and industrial zone north of Nauman City has a gentle name of 'Qingfeng Harbor', but its actual situation is much worse than its name. Since the Nanling Army established its first military base here 150 years ago, Since it was a military factory, the breeze in Qingfeng Harbor often carries the smell of forged steel and molten metal.
One hundred and fifty years later, the military factory was gradually converted into a production site for the production of various light industrial products, providing most of the pioneer towns and manors in Nanling with the necessary agricultural tools, weapons, lanterns and alchemy raw materials.
The smell of potions and metallic smell filled the place, and the gentle breeze slowly blew them away, but the workshops continued to produce them all day long.
No wild animals should be willing to come close here, but the magic of Terra lies in this - large numbers of iron-beaked seagulls like this unnatural taste, and they chirp in the gray clouds above the breeze harbor. As it shuttles, one or two gray feathers fall down from time to time.
At the dock on the seaside, there is an endless stream of merchant ships arriving here with the raw materials needed for the workshop, and also transporting goods away. On the blue ocean sits a tall gray watchtower, its top shining brightly even in the daytime. The eye-catching golden light and the core of thunder flash at the top of the tower. It can not only guide the passing ships, but also be a weapon to drive away the surrounding monsters.
With a steel-patterned sword slung around his waist, the white-haired boy walked along the seaside street. The brown wooden breakwater technology originated from the elves of Canaan Moor. If you think about it carefully, the connection between the empire and Canaan Moor dates back decades. There were clues, but at that time most people thought it was just an ordinary technical exchange, but they never thought it was a precursor to an alliance between the two countries.
He has long white hair that falls to his waist. His ivory white alchemist robe is slightly wider. There is a blue-gray band wrapped around his forehead. On his handsome and fair face, his thin lips are always With a smile.
The slender young man's eyes were clear, and his aqua eyes scanned the seaside streets and the merchant ships that were as dense as a school of fish, as if he was examining something from a high position.
But this condescension does not come with any arrogance or contempt, it is just a purely rational examination.
In the year 773 of Terra, October 22, two weeks after leaving the imperial capital, Ian returned to the area around Nauman City in Nanling.
After leaving the Imperial Capital, Ian did not use the fastest transportation combination of 'Alchemy Train' and 'Gryphon'. In that case, he could return to Nanling in three or four days.
The reason why he stopped and walked all the way back to his hometown at a speed that was not too fast but not too slow was not only to avoid his luck in causing another problem with the transportation system, but also to observe the state of war preparations and the impact of Feiyandi's harassment on Nan What impact does the ridge have?
The results were quite disastrous.
Along the way, Ian saw that whether it was the knights' manor in the golden wilderness or the knights' villages and towns in the hilly areas, they all seemed a little depressed compared to when he left, especially after the agriculture was affected, and the autumn harvest that was supposed to be held recently was All festivals have been cancelled.
After all, there wasn’t much food, so there wasn’t much to celebrate.
The situation around Nauman City is not bad. After all, apart from the grain reserves in previous years, the three core cities of Nauman, Three Rivers and Harrison Port are all large coastal cities. Judging from the luxuriance of Terra's coastal products, the fishing alone is not enough.
As for people really starving to death.
"This is still a situation where I remind you to take precautions in advance - if there is no preparation in advance, it is basically foreseeable that Nanling will fall into famine. It is estimated that only a few big cities can barely survive by relying on the aid from the Imperial Capital.
.”
Ian observed the entire city along the streets. Compared with when he left, the streets of Qingfeng Harbor became much deserted.
Nanling has entered autumn. Without the joy of harvest, only the bleak silence remains. The streets that were originally bustling and full of people and travelers seemed extremely deserted. Those exotic products originating from Canaan Moore, exquisite swords, armors and
No one cares about all kinds of alchemical products.
Most pedestrians were walking in a hurry, and there were no children playing or businesses shouting on the street.
The women were haggling fiercely with the grain sellers who had raised the prices. This was probably the most life-like scene Ian had ever seen.
In contrast, there is a busy scene in the workshop industrial area. Looking across the dirty top floors of the houses, the chimneys made of rock bricks in the distance are spewing various alchemical dusts. Most of these dusts are slightly toxic, that is,
The people of Terra are thick-skinned. If humans on Earth had not experienced genetic modification, they would probably suffer from ailments after living here for three or four years.
The workshop area shrouded in dust mist is bustling with activity. Production is going on here, with a large number of skilled workers and porters coming and going.
Although universal education has been canceled for many years, official alchemy workshops in various places will provide some training courses for skilled workers, just like the various feeding manuals and planting tips popularized by Axel, which is another sense of education.
Popularization is slowly spreading.
From this point alone, Ian believes that Axel, the landkeeper, cannot simply be classified as a 'bad guy'. He has a comprehensive and step-by-step plan for the governance of his country.
Moreover, he has a strong control over the entire country. Even though he has not appeared much in recent years, the supreme power of the entire empire is still in his hands.
The Setar Empire is not a primitive medieval empire. It is a powerful industrial country with a complete industrial system. The aristocratic system of the empire may seem primitive, but it is not a simple feudal system. It is a system composed of emperors, nobles, knights and common people.
Coupled with the Ascendant system, this structure is indestructible and loyal.
When Axel proposes a policy, the people below will implement it. No one dares to disobey the will of the fifth energy level, and no one is stupid enough to think that they can play word games when facing the emperor's direct order.
But this land defender didn't dare to kill him because of some 'rules' and 'order'.
This emperor of the empire is the descendant of the Sun Bird. It only takes him one second to get from one end of the empire to the other.
"There may be problems with universal education, but if you teach a trade, everyone will welcome it."
After seeing the prosperous scene in the workshop area, Ian couldn't help but nodded slightly: "Reforms must also be adapted to local conditions. Higher education cannot be rushed."
The simple transport trucks on the street are piled with large barrels or large boxes of raw materials, as well as very tightly wrapped products. Ordinary people may not be able to see any clues, but Ian can see through these coverings.
See things within.
That's weapons and ammunition. Lots and lots of different weapons and ammunition.
Armor, swords, parts of ordinary gunpowder firearms, bullets of various calibers, some alchemical gunpowder and alchemical artillery shells.
Ian even saw a batch of core igniters in the heart of the alchemy furnace - armored vehicles with heavy outer armor and a small group of escort knights delivering this batch of strategic materials worth at least 20,000 talers into a lead-gray armored ship.
superior.
This is the current general policy of Nanling. All aspects of productivity are compromised for the military industry. Nothing can be seen from this.
At least you can’t see how ordinary people live today.
After roughly calculating the throughput of the port, Ian walked to a snack shop where he had bought specialties.
He walked in and asked: "Boss, are there any more Qingfeng Baking Cake?"
Qingfeng baked cake is a local specialty. Its appearance looks like two plates put together, which is similar to Dorayaki in the previous life. The pastry using honey and eggs as raw materials has a golden and crisp skin and a sweet taste. Each store will
Depending on the technique, various types of nuts, sesame seeds or raisins can be added.
Some stores don't make the cakes sweet, but add fresh meat or shrimp fillings to bake the rich umami flavor and permeate the entire cake.
When Ian ate it along the way, he quite liked this specialty. When he took a bite, it tasted crispy and sweet with a sweet aroma. It melted in your mouth. The texture of the fresh meat was chewy. When you chew it, the juice and fat spread out. It was full of flavor.
It's full of satisfaction.
Whether it's sweet or salty, Ian loves them all, unlike the local Naumans who would fight over taste and denounce each other as heretics.
But unfortunately, he came at the wrong time this time.
When the clerk saw Ian's alchemist robe and his fair face that looked like he had been soaked in an alchemy laboratory, he bowed respectfully and said, "Sir, the price may be a little more expensive than before."
Ian glanced at the price list in front of the counter with his eyes. The sweet Qingfeng Baked Cake that originally cost two pfennigs each has now increased to four, doubling the price.
On the contrary, it is stuffed with meat and shrimps. Originally it was three pfennig, but now I buy it for five pfennig alone or two for nine pfennig.
"Two meat-filled ones, please."
Ian didn't say much. This pastry shop also sells candies, but the jars on the shelves are all empty. Even Nanling's specialty physalis sugar pills, a sweet and sour snack similar to sweet and sour mints, are empty.
there is none left.
He raised his hand and pointed at the sugar bowl: "What, are they all sold out?" There was a hint of accusation in his tone.
"No, there are no raw materials..." The clerk was taking out the hot cakes from the oven for Ian. When he heard this, he immediately lowered his head: "Sir, are you from other places? The sugar cane and beet fields in Nanling have been destroyed.
Agents of the Flame Land attacked... To be honest, even the price of flour has increased a lot, making it difficult for the store to open..."
His tone was filled with gritted teeth, and the anger and hatred originating from his heart could not be concealed at all.
"That's it." Ian saw that the clerk spoke clearly and seemed to be an educated person, so he asked a few more questions, and then he realized that the other person was actually the owner.
The old shop owner passed away last month, and his son, who originally studied in Nauman City, had no choice but to come back and inherit the family shop.
"My father used to be in good health, how could he suddenly become ill and die?"
The young shopkeeper's tone when he said this was full of sadness and hatred. He believed that his father's sudden illness and death was definitely related to Feiyandi's plague tactics.
Looking at the other person's expression, Ian felt that if he were to meet a Feiyan person, he would probably chop the person into minced meat and stuff it into a baked cake.
Because Ian's image was so good, and he said a few words of comfort, he seemed quite gentle and approachable, so the shopkeeper's chat box also opened up.
All food and cash crops in Nanling have been hit. Although the Governor's Mansion quickly adopted corresponding spraying treatments to eliminate pests and diseases, this year's food production is only 40% of the previous one.
That is to say, thanks to the continuous supply of food support from the Central Plains, the Governor's Mansion has already made preparations to collect food. Otherwise, this year's Nanling will definitely be a year of great famine, and no one knows how many people will starve to death.
Even so, rising food prices are inevitable. Many restaurants in the city have closed, and only some affordable seafood restaurants are still open. Even wealthy people cannot buy their usual pastries, let alone candies.
"Sugar is also a material in the workshop. We are not preparing for war now. We give priority to supplying it to the army."
The shopkeeper nagged like this: "As long as I can kill a few more Feiyan brats, it's not a big deal if I don't eat candy."
Ian felt that it was not that simple, because the mist on the shop owner's body was light red.
But this may have been his personal bad luck, so Ian went out again and went to several other pastry and bakery shops that were still open, proving that the young owner of the original shop was indeed right, basically all
Cereals and sugar have either increased in price or become unavailable at all.
The fortunes of these shop owners are all normal gray and white.
"It seems that I was right to ask Isengard to help me prepare enough food. A fleet of food should be enough to appease the territory."
Holding the baked cake, Ian walked to the observation deck of Qingfeng Harbor, ate the baked cake and blew in the wind, overlooking the most important commercial and industrial town north of Nauman City.
His eyes were lowered and thoughtful: "The reduction in grain production in Nanling has not affected the order of the towns around the three-city trade route. Even pastries are still being sold. Although the price has increased, the fact that they are being sold is in itself a problem.
The representatives still have guests, and most of the residents complain, but they are not panicked or worried that they will starve to death."
"But that's not necessarily the case elsewhere."
"When the grain-producing area of the Agate Stone Plain is hit, the first people to feel the pain are definitely not the imperial people, but the mountain people."
"The Mountain People Autonomous Region and the imperial colonies in the west are unable to stop the spread of the plague of biological warfare immediately. Their food production reduction is definitely more serious than that around Nauman City. That is the main target of the Flying Flame Land."
Ryan collar is naturally one of them.
At this moment, a gust of sea breeze blows in my face, and the coolness of autumn and the breath of the blue sea slap on my cheeks, like the touch of tulle.
It rolled up the fallen leaves, and Ian reached out his hand and took one out of the wind.
"The insect plague continues. The Flying Flame Land has not stopped its activities."
With silver light flashing in his eyes, Ian thoughtfully sent the leaves with traces of insect damage back to the wind: "The situation in Nanling is more serious than what I heard in the Imperial Capital - and the news for ordinary people is blocked.
They don't even know that."
He turned his head and looked at Nauman City. The rows of roofs and chimneys formed a jungle of buildings. The workshops there were also operating at full capacity, spewing out large tracts of white water vapor or alchemy dust. The huge Nauman City
There was even a faint sound like a bell ringing from the alchemy tower.
That's the only place in Nauman City where armor can be legally manufactured.
Even it is operating at full capacity, which is enough to prove that the so-called "total war" is coming and the situation in Nanling is serious.
Two baked cakes were obviously not enough to fill Ian's stomach. Although he looked slender, he had a big appetite.
The new shop owner's craftsmanship is even better than his father's. A little spice powder is added to the meat filling to enhance the flavor. It tastes fragrant and quite satisfying. The higher price makes sense.
So he went back to the pastry shop, planning to buy two more to eat on the way to Nauman City.
By the way, ask the shopkeeper what's going on and help him avoid any bad luck he may encounter recently.
There are indeed preferential treatment for those who are good at craftsmanship.
But as soon as he reached the street where the pastry shop was located, Ian saw two heavily armed knights guarding the door, while two other knights in strong armor were asking about the situation in the shop.
"Please stop...sir."
The knight guarding the door noticed Ian's approach. He saw Ian's alchemy robe and the silver 'Elite Alchemist' badge on his chest. He immediately lowered his head and said in a less stiff tone: "Here is the
Important investigations are being conducted, please recuse yourself.”
Ian heard a sharp voice coming from the store, saying, 'Are you sure you told the whole truth?!' 'Please note, sir, if you don't tell the truth, it will be treason!'
"Crime of treason?"
Raising his brows, Ian looked at the guard knight who seemed to want to continue to expel him. He took out the badge of the Patrol Knights from his arms, and the water element in his hand made the surrounding air moist.
The young man said indifferently: "Tell me the situation, knight."
"this……"
The knight guarding the door was startled. As a civil servant, he obviously did not do his homework well and did not recognize the knight's badge immediately, but he felt that it was quite familiar and could not be offended.
Moreover, such a young alchemist and sublimator...
He looked at another fellow gatekeeper, then stood up straight: "I want to report to the commander."
The knight entered the store. Soon, another captain with more complex armor and power structures on his legs appeared in front of Ian.
Just glancing at the badge in Ian's hand, the squad leader immediately stood up and saluted: "Reporting to the commander, the Nauman City Guards, squad leader Piman, is leading the team to track and screen the special agents of Feiyandi!"
"Report to me." Ian said calmly. He saw the shop owner looking at him in shock: "Why would he be suspicious?"
"Report, sir." Captain Piman was not surprised by the existence of the Patrol Knights. After all, their immediate boss, the Marquis Barton, was the senior supervisor of the Patrol Knights. He said fluently: "A week ago, something happened in the Mountain People's Autonomous Region around the Baisen Mountains.
There was a large-scale rebellion. We traced that Feiyandi agents developed traitors within us and provided weapons and food to the rebellious mountain people through our internal channels."
"There is some overlap between the store owner's raw material channels and the internal traitor's channels. We cannot let go of any clues!"
Nonsense. Ian thought to himself, how many channels are there that can get sufficient and high-quality food at this time? Only if there is no overlap can we really check the situation of this shop owner. He is too powerful.
Moreover, the mountain people rebelled? Which mountain people rebelled?
Elder Manya and the others are still cooperating with the empire recently, right? Marquis Barton is their partner.
However, they do not represent all mountain people.
"No wonder no one from the Dragon Worship Cult has responded to my message in the past two weeks. My feelings are like a fire in the backyard, and the situation is even quite serious."
Thinking of this, Ian suddenly had some guesses in his mind.
But he continued to give instructions to the knights: "Tell us in detail the mountain people's rebellion. How wide it affected and what its impact was."
"Report, sir." Piman also saw that the inspector knight had probably just returned to Nanling, and examining the shopkeeper was not a critical task, so he simply continued to report: "The situation of the mountain people's rebellion is very complicated, and the scope is extremely wide.
The colonies of Guang, Moldor, and Odor have all fallen, and the tribes supporting the empire in the Frodo Autonomous Region are still resisting, and the South China Sea Navy is on its way to support."
"The Midela Autonomous Region and the surrounding aristocratic territories have been caught in the flames of war, but it is currently limited to the interior of the Baisen Mountains. The Agate Stone Plain is patrolled by the Marquis' knights and has not been affected."
"Where's the Ryan Territory?" Ian nodded slightly, and went straight to the core: "What's the situation? I remember that the mountain knights are managing it, so it won't be affected by the rebellion."
Piman thought for a moment, then nodded and said: "Yes, sir, the former Ryan Territory has lost contact."