leonardwarren Chapter 17: The Operation of the Factory
Chapter 17: The Operation of the Factory
Limited by technological capabilities, Li Ang can only produce very simple "aphid insecticides" for his factory!
The first potion uses mugwort, calamus, and neem leaves as raw materials. After crushing and pressing them to extract the juice, the ashes obtained from burning mugwort and calamus are mixed in. Finally, the alchemists of the Alchemist Guild complete the final ingredient blending and modification.
The second type of medicine is mainly based on minerals, made by mixing powdered sulfur, asphalt, etc. with olive oil.
The preparation of medicines is a simple, unskilled manual task.
The poor people in the slums pick it up relatively quickly.
Old Fuye did his best to fulfill his managerial role: "Young and strong men, come and use wooden mallets to crush and extract the juice! Let the women go and collect mugwort, calamus, and neem leaves! Also, set aside some people to help Amber Town collect wood ash and other plant matter!"
"Also, regarding sulfur and asphalt, everyone should try to wear the leather gloves His Majesty the King has issued! Otherwise, your palms will easily get corroded!"
Old Fuye patrolled the simple medicine dispensing workshop, throwing himself wholeheartedly into his work.
Baron Miguel of Amber Town, watching the "insecticide" delivered every day, strictly followed Leon's instructions, having the town's serfs and free citizens take turns spraying the pesticide on the plants twice a day, morning and evening.
Although the ingredients of these medicines are not the super-powerful chemical substances from my previous life.
However, after the first round of fumigation, the second round of plant-based insecticides, and the third round of mineral insecticides, almost half of the aphids were killed.
Moreover, Li Ang's method does not cause any damage to the wheat plants and will not affect the yield or quality.
Baron Miguel, who had been initially apprehensive, was now gradually becoming more confident.
"Hail, Your Majesty the King!"
"Your Majesty is truly wise!"
Some highly experienced agricultural officials exclaimed in admiration, "His Majesty's methods are truly ingenious! They far surpass those of us farmers who have toiled in the fields for decades!"
Baron Miguel, his face filled with admiration, said, "We must all obey His Majesty the King's orders! And plant the wheat fields well!"
.................
Li Ang used his spare time to patrol the slums.
The craftsmen that Andrew had gathered were transforming the messy shack area on the edge of the slum into a rudimentary production factory, based on the simple blueprints he had drawn.
The crooked, broken wooden planks and moldy thatched huts were cleared away and replaced with rows of simple but neat sheds.
The walls were framed by rough-cut logs and filled with rammed earth and gravel, while the roof was covered with thick, waterproof hay and asphalt felt.
These rectangular sheds are connected to each other, with wide passageways in the middle to facilitate the transport of materials and finished products.
Above the door of each room, its purpose was marked in crooked charcoal: "Crushing Workshop", "Pressing and Filtering Room", "Mineral Blending Room", "Finished Product Storage Warehouse"...
When Lao Fuye saw Li Ang arrive, he quickly led the workers to bow and pay their respects.
In the early stages of factory construction, Li Ang did not intend for it to generate huge profits immediately.
Li Ang specifically instructed Andrew to transfer 500,000 gold coins from the Treasury to serve as "start-up capital".
Fortunately, the poor people in the slums don't ask for much; they just want to be able to eat their fill.
The fact that they could receive a few copper coins every day already made them incredibly excited.
These days, my "faith value" is also increasing rapidly.
10,000 points... 20,000 points... 30,000 points... 50,000 points... 100,000 points!
Li Ang easily collected over 100,000 faith points, and the daily increase was substantial!
"We can gather 300,000 faith points very quickly!"
Li Ang was still somewhat looking forward to what changes would occur after the Yellow Skin System was upgraded.
............
Foreign Minister Tester also learned about the incident from the fat butler and others.
"Hmph! Your Majesty, you're truly confused! What's so important about some poor people, starving people? Why would a king like yourself need to inspect the slums?"
"All my painstaking efforts to save costs and purchase slaves are for the purpose of negotiating with other races, aren't they?"
"Goblins, snake people, slimes, and night elves—these kinds of alien races all require a large number of people as slaves!"
"Now that the Treasury and the Food Service are controlled by Andrew, a confidant of the King, it's nearly impossible to increase the amount of gold and food. The only relatively easy way is to increase the number of slaves."
Tester complained bitterly.
Negotiations with the alien race were giving him a lot of headaches.
On one side, the alien races were making exorbitant demands, while on the other side, Li Ang refused to budge an inch.
Tester had long wanted to back down, but Duke Carloch of the South sent a secret letter urging him to facilitate peace talks and prevent war.
Tester knew that this was Duke Kaloch's way of thinking for his own benefit; the eight alien races were not like the previous Greenskins!
The Greenskins are simple-minded, value promises, keep their word, and are not greedy!
But this time, the eight alien races are completely different. If war breaks out with them, the Kingdom of Grant risks being destroyed!
Duke Carloch of the Southern Territory is ambitious and wants to usurp the throne!
He didn't want the Kingdom of Grant to be conquered by foreign tribes; how could he remain king then?
The fat butler told Tester everything he had learned over the past few days.
Upon hearing that Li Ang had transformed the slums into so-called "factories," and most importantly, that the "factories" were paying the poor people copper coins as wages, he was deeply impressed.
Tester was furious: "What a waste of money! Wouldn't it be better to save this wealth and give it to the alien races? If the eight alien races attack, let's see how Li Ang will still be sitting on the throne!"
Anger aside, fuss aside!
Now that things have come to this, Tester has to find a solution.
The portly steward offered a suggestion: "Sir, actually, His Majesty the King has distributed copper coins to those lowly people, which we can actually use to our advantage! Sometimes, when those lowly people suddenly have money, it's easier for us to entice them!"
"His Majesty the King has restricted our conversion of slaves, but we have other ways to purchase them!"
Immediately, the fat butler told Tester his plan in detail.
Tester's face lit up with delight: "Excellent! This matter is entrusted to you! I'll mobilize men to assist you! A generous reward awaits you upon completion!"
...............
Early morning, Amber Town!
Several agricultural officials patrolling the field ridges suddenly discovered something terrifying.
Those aphids that had been eradicated have miraculously reappeared!
The wheat stalks, which had just turned green again, were now covered with sticky, wriggling dark green and brownish-black insects—countless aphids, densely clustered on the backs of leaves, tender stems, and ear buds.
The number of insects far exceeded that of previous years, and many wheat leaves were completely covered, their original color no longer visible.
Upon closer inspection, the leaves are slightly curled and yellowed, with tiny, pale white spots between the veins caused by the piercing and sucking mouthparts.
Clumps of aphids squeezed each other and crawled slowly, leaving behind trails of drool that smelled of decay.
The news quickly reached Baron Migeler's ears.
Baron Miguel was horrified, a chill ran down his spine, and despair filled his heart.
He dared not delay and immediately sent someone to the palace to inform Li Ang.