Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 1249 Far East Plan

The conference hall on the top floor of the government building was brightly lit.

Su Zhengyang sat in the main seat, his eyes sweeping over the ministers present. These people were all China's top administrative talents, each of them had outstanding achievements in their respective fields.

"Everyone," Su Zhengyang said straight to the point, "Tsarist Russia has returned 1.6 million square kilometers of Far Eastern land. The question now is how to complete the takeover in the shortest possible time and carry out comprehensive development and construction."

"According to preliminary statistics," he continued, "this land has rich mineral resources, a large amount of black soil, and a complete railway network. How to make good use of these resources will be directly related to the future development of China."

Finance Minister Ye Bufan spoke first: "From a financial perspective, we have prepared sufficient financial reserves. The gold reserves alone have reached 50 million taels, which is enough to support the first phase of development and construction."

"In terms of business," Xue Xiaoruo took over the topic, "we have developed a complete business layout based on the original Chinese business network. We can immediately start a new trade system to ensure the supply of materials."

Shen He flipped open the document in front of him: "Agricultural development is a top priority. These black soils are the best granaries. We have prepared a large number of agricultural experts and advanced equipment, ready to start spring plowing immediately."

"We need to speed up resource development," Xu Sheng'an said, pointing to a map. "There are a lot of coal, oil and iron ore on the land that has been returned. Our exploration team has already moved in and is conducting a detailed resource assessment."

Su Zhengyang nodded: "Tell me more about your implementation plan."

"The first step," Ye Bufan said, "is to invest 20 million taels of gold to improve and repair the existing infrastructure. In particular, the railway network must be fully connected with the mainland of China."

Xue Xiaoruo went on to say: “We will immediately start building a new supply chain. A large number of merchants are already preparing to move in to ensure the supply of daily necessities and industrial raw materials.”

"Agriculture is divided into three phases," Shen He unfolded the planning map, "Spring ploughing is about to begin, and the first phase will focus on grain crops. At the same time, new agricultural technologies will be introduced to improve land utilization."

“Resource development has already begun,” Xu said. “The first mining areas have been identified and mining equipment is being transported to the site. We will use the most advanced mining technology to ensure efficient use of resources.”

After listening to everyone's speeches, Su Zhengyang smiled with satisfaction: "Very good, it seems that the takeover work has been carried out in an orderly manner. But remember, there are still many indigenous people on this land, and our development and construction must take into account their interests."

Shen He stood up and pointed to a large map on the wall. "According to our soil analysis, the black soil in the Far East is mainly suitable for growing cold-resistant crops. Due to the cold climate, the planting season in most areas is only 4-5 months a year."

He opened the detailed agricultural plan: "Our agricultural development should be adapted to local conditions. In the plains of the Wusuli River and Heilongjiang River basins, we will focus on developing cold-resistant crops such as wheat, oats and potatoes. Although these crops have a short growth cycle, they can have high yields."

“In addition,” he continued, “in the relatively mild areas in the south, cash crops such as soybeans and flax can be grown. But it should be noted that agricultural production here must be highly concentrated in the summer, and we need to improve agricultural tools and increase efficiency.”

"As for animal husbandry," Shen He said cautiously, "due to the limitations of extreme cold weather, large-scale animal husbandry is not realistic. But we can develop some cold-resistant deer breeding in suitable areas, such as reindeer."

“Most importantly,” he stressed, “we must have a sound food reserve system. The long winter means we must have enough reserves to sustain people’s lives. This requires maximizing production during the agricultural production season.”

But," Ye Bufan suddenly interrupted, "the biggest problem now is that the population is too small. Such a large area of ​​fertile land, but only a sparse population, is a huge waste. I suggest that some farmers be relocated from the densely populated areas in the south of China in a planned manner. "

He took out a population statistics table and said: "The initial plan is to relocate 500,000 people in the first batch, mainly from major agricultural provinces such as Jiaozhou and Qingzhou. We will provide subsidies and land to the relocated households to help them gain a foothold in the new place."

"That's right," Xu Sheng'an took over the topic and pointed to several marked points on the map. "The mineral resources in these places also require a lot of manpower to develop. According to preliminary exploration, the mineral resources in the Far East are extremely rich."

He began to list in detail: "First, coal. The known reserves alone exceed 10 billion tons, mainly distributed in the northeast region. The second is iron ore, which is of high grade and suitable for direct mining."

"There is also oil," he pointed to several red dots. "Oil fields have been discovered in these places. Although they have not been explored in detail, preliminary estimates show that the reserves are considerable. In addition, there are deposits of precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper."

"But the most important thing," Xu Sheng'an emphasized, "is that there are a large number of rare metal mines here. The reserves of strategic materials such as tungsten, molybdenum, and tin are very large. These are all essential raw materials for the development of heavy industry."

Su Zhengyang nodded repeatedly: "So, the Far East can not only become our granary, but also an important industrial base?"

"That's right," Xu Sheng'an said, "As long as we can solve the population problem, this place can be developed into an economic zone that emphasizes both agriculture and industry. Especially with the existing railway network, product transportation is not a problem at all."

"Then," Su Zhengyang looked around at everyone, "Minister Ye will be in charge of the immigration plan, Minister Shen will be in charge of agricultural development, and Minister Xu will be in charge of mineral development. Everyone should cooperate with each other and strive to revitalize this land in the shortest possible time."

"Yes!" Everyone responded in unison.

Su Zhengyang stood up, his eyes firm: "Regarding the population issue, we already have a preliminary plan. The captives and civilians brought back from Fuso can be relocated to the Far East."

"There are about 200,000 of these people," he continued. "Most of them are farmers and workers with a certain level of technical skills. Involving them in the development of the Far East can not only solve the population problem, but also allow them to start a new life."

Ye Bufan immediately responded: "We will provide these immigrants with basic housing and farm tools to ensure that they can adapt to the new environment as quickly as possible. At the same time, we will select a group of agricultural technicians from the mainland to help them adapt to the farming methods here."

"Everyone," Su Zhengyang looked around at everyone and began to make a final summary, "The development of the Far East is of great importance. We must thoroughly develop this land within five years."

He listed the goals one by one: "First, agricultural production must be scaled up. Although the climate is cold, as long as scientific planting is carried out, a good harvest can still be obtained. Focus on the development of cold-resistant crops such as wheat and oats to ensure basic self-sufficiency in food."

"Second, mineral development must be started as soon as possible. Coal, iron ore, and oil are the basis for industrial development. Especially those rare metal mines are crucial to our industrial development."

"Third, the infrastructure must be comprehensively upgraded. Railways, roads and ports must be renovated and expanded. The Far East and mainland China must form a complete economic circle."

"Fourth, a commercial system must be established as soon as possible. Ensure the supply of materials so that immigrants can live and work in peace and contentment. At the same time, we must also develop foreign trade and make good use of the geographical advantages here."

"Finally," Su Zhengyang's tone became more serious, "we want to let the world see that China is capable of managing this land. This is not only an economic issue, but also a political issue."

"Within five years, I want to see the Far East rejuvenated. It will become a new engine for China's economic development and an important cornerstone for our path to becoming a powerful country."

There was warm applause in the conference room. Everyone felt the significance of this project and was determined to turn this grand goal into reality.

This newly returned land will rise again with their efforts, and this will also be a new and important chapter in the history of China.