Chapter 1393

This way, when harvest time comes, the reclaimed area will be too large, and the farmers won't have enough hands, so they'll naturally come to Your Highness for help with the harvest.

At that point, Your Highness can propose businesses like selling and leasing to the farmers, providing after-sales services and the like—if it breaks down, they can enjoy repairs, and even enjoy upgrades at a low price.

Wouldn't that be a win-win for both sides?

"This idea is excellent, and it fits~ our current situation perfectly."

Upon hearing the concept of leasing and sharing, Li Jian's eyes couldn't help but light up!

Up to now, no proper leasing and trading has ever appeared in the empire. If low-priced leasing of agricultural equipment were to appear, it would indeed be a good thing for the farmers.

Establishing a special commune seems to be an urgent priority.

It may not be profitable at first, but as time goes on and the number of leasing farmers grows, the profits will clearly add up to a substantial sum!

However, the room for maneuvering in this also needs to be handled carefully, to prevent loopholes from being exploited by those with ulterior motives—he has to be wary of his third brother and the other brothers who want to compete with him for the throne.

Once this matter succeeds, the throne will be almost within easy reach.

Once the farming households see the power of these three kinds of equipment—cheap and very labor-saving—even if they can't afford to buy them, they can still lease them. After a long time, once the farmers get used to the convenience, they naturally won't be able to do without agricultural machinery.

By then, his promotion plan will slowly begin to show results!

The source of the agricultural equipment must also be kept in his own hands. If some scheming noble were to exploit it and sell it at a high price, his plan would collapse. Also, the price of low-grade magic crystals absolutely must not be allowed to be driven up by the nobles.

Fortunately, he had already had people warn the relevant nobles in the imperial capital in advance, and secretly stockpiled a large batch of low-grade magic crystals. If any noble dares to reach out their claws, he'll chop them off!

Lin Cheng, how many units of the first batch of second-generation magic crystal internal combustion engines do we have?

"My current stock is roughly around units. Give me a few months and I can definitely produce more. The imperial capital needs at most 90 units to meet the basic needs of the farmers. In the future, when more land is reclaimed, we may need more."

"In short, Your Highness, you decide."

Lin Cheng handed the choice to Li Jian—even if he took them all, it would be fine. His actual stock was actually 300 units, just to be prepared for any contingency.

"Mm, I'll take 60 units." A glint flashed in Li Jian's eyes, and a plan gradually formed in his mind.

"Ah."

Lin Cheng asked in surprise, "Are 60 magic crystal internal combustion engines enough to supply the entire imperial capital?"

Although the farmland of the imperial capital isn't large, that's relative to the entire empire. In reality, even the imperial capital's not-so-large farmland produces enough in a year to supply the entire imperial capital's populace with food for a whole year, and there's even some surplus to store in the warehouses for emergencies.

"It has to be in short supply—only then does it appear especially precious. If there's too many, those nobles will all want to get involved."

That was how Li Jian thought about it.

As long as he let His Majesty the Emperor see the effects of the magic crystal internal combustion engine, then His Majesty would give him more authority, allowing his achievements to benefit not only the imperial capital's populace, but even the entire empire's populace!

He was just afraid that the authority in his hands wasn't great enough to intimidate those fellows.

"Alright, if the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works encounter any problems, they can contact me through long-distance magical communication." Lin Cheng just wasn't good at all that scheming and infighting.

Even when it came to commercial activities, his methods were too plain in the eyes of ordinary merchants.

Out of deference to his ability and reputation, no one dared to compete with him, nor had the ability to compete with him!

· ·······Seeking flowers····· ·····

A strange youth, dressed in loose clothes like a sleeping robe, eyes bright and spirited, a Wu Shidao hanging at his waist, and an apple in hand, stood at the city gate of Boulder Fortress City, stretching out his arms and calling out emotionally.

This drew the surrounding people to gather and watch, showing looks of disdain—but they soon hurried away. That was only because the strange youth's companions glared at them fiercely, and the passersby, though angry, didn't dare to speak up and could only leave in a hurry.

Among them was a masked woman in plain white clothing, her bearing as cold and clear as a moonlit night—even just standing there, she gave off a chilly feeling that kept people a thousand miles away.

............. 0

An out-and-out aloof goddess!

"Boss, is the person who can make us stronger really here?" another youth carrying a long spear on his back asked the masked woman at the head.

"Mm."

The woman responded softly, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

It wasn't Boulder Fortress City she was nostalgic for.

Memories that weren't all that distant gradually surfaced in her eyes. After that battle at Black Rock City, she had thought Lin Cheng and Miss Qianhui were doomed to die, and had led the mercenary group and Gong Bailiu all the way to the imperial capital.

But who would have thought, less than a month after arriving at the imperial capital, she heard that there was a young craftsman at the border Boulder Fortress City who had just been promoted to an Imperial Eighth-Grade Forgemaster—and his name was Lin Cheng!

Upon hearing this name, Bai Susu's first reaction was that Lin Cheng and the others hadn't died, and had even become the empire's fourth Eighth-Grade Forgemaster!

Overjoyed, they inquired from multiple sources and finally confirmed through a magical recorder that the newly promoted Eighth-Grade Forgemaster was indeed Lin Cheng!

At the same time, the mercenary group forces in the imperial capital were doing their utmost to suppress their Bai Heng Mercenary Group. The members of the group either left or died. Perish.