The disaster caused by the supervolcano eruption was unimaginable. Some experts estimated that the following 15 years would be a long winter. Even if the ground warmed up in summer, it would be unsuitable for growing crops, especially grains, as there would only be three to four months for the soil to thaw.
In this situation, people everywhere could only reluctantly plant legumes, which mature quickly. Moreover, due to the pace of work and the low temperatures, these crops struggled to grow. Even at harvest time, the yield was nowhere near what it was before the volcanic eruption.
Yet, people had no other choice. If they didn't plant these crops, they wouldn't even have a simple bowl of bean gruel.
It was under these circumstances that Shen Feng flew from afar, landing directly on the Three Gorges Dam. Many important figures were already gathered there. In the distance, numerous soldiers stood with eager anticipation, their faces sallow, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition due to lack of food.
Long ago, Shen Feng had received guidance from a semi-immortal who told him that if he harbored ambitions of conquering the world, he must secure the strategic location of the Three Gorges as early as possible. While Yuzhou also had its own Three Gorges, the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River was controlled by others, making it difficult to gain an advantage on the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze.
Unfortunately, Shen Feng encountered unforeseen circumstances later and did not follow this advice. Instead, he first entered Sichuan Province, acquiring a vast territory and human resources.
As a result, by the present day, he had obtained the Three Gorges Dam, and from then on, no one could obstruct him on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
Shen Feng descended from the sky, appearing spirited and majestic. In the eyes of others, he was the brightest star.
"Lord Fengshen, you have finally arrived! We have been waiting for you for a long time. We didn't expect you to come so late!" The military officers on the Three Gorges Dam rushed forward to shake Shen Feng's hand.
Shen Feng smiled and said, "From now on, we are all one family. There are many important cities that you will need to defend in the future. I ask that you do your best to fortify them. As for the Three Gorges Dam, you may leave this place behind, but I guarantee you will have a better life!"
Having secured the Three Gorges Dam, Shen Feng understood that his power was now beyond reach. All he needed to do was wait for the Great Ice Age to pass, which was 15 years away, and then he could contend for the world. Perhaps then, he could ascend to the supreme position that others only dreamed of.
Ke Yiming also brought Chen Yide, saying, "Shen Feng, this is General Chen. We were already paying attention to you before you acquired Luzhou. You were quite bold back then, using the Yangtze River's waters to drown all the tree zombies along the banks. Truly remarkable!"
"I've heard much about you. I didn't expect you to remember me! If you don't mind, sir, you can reside in Yuzhou and serve as my advisor. I have many things I need to consult you on!" Shen Feng said.
Chen Yide, however, shook his head and replied, "Alas, I only wish to retire to the mountains now, to find a secluded place. In this twilight of my life, given this environment, I don't know how much longer I can live. I won't trouble you. Lord Fengshen, I heard your teacher, your wife's grandfather, once told you to save the common people. How has that endeavor progressed?"
"I have been working on this all along, though the results may not be very good. However, compared to other places, there have been many positive effects!" Shen Feng replied.
Ke Yiming then approached Shen Feng and said, "Our young lady's dowry is on its way. Remember to accept it. These researchers are our treasures, so don't mistreat them!"
"What are you saying? How could I mistreat researchers? Researchers under me are the ones who live the best lives. They have no worries about food or clothing, and they don't have to go to the battlefield. They truly have the easiest lives!" Shen Feng said with displeasure.
The dowry he mentioned was what Shen Feng had previously requested, not gold or jewels. After all, these things couldn't be eaten or drunk, and even if obtained, they wouldn't be useful in the short term. This so-called dowry was actually blueprints for aircraft and rockets, along with many researchers.
Now that the Three Gorges Dam had fallen into Shen Feng's hands, Jinling had also sent its sincerity, having these researchers bring numerous blueprints to Yuzhou. Shen Feng, in turn, used ships to transport vast quantities of grain.
The importance of grain at this time was self-evident. If a large amount of grain were to be transported, it might be attacked along the way, so the security forces had to be sufficient. If a crisis occurred en route, the grain could be lost. Yuzhou had assigned Li Keyi, Xu Xing, and Lin Yue to be responsible for this matter.
It could be said that this vital grain was directly escorted by armed soldiers. If anyone dared to rob the grain foolishly, this force would be enough to destroy them.
Chang Jianyi was still pursuing more perfect results. Although current grain production was barely enough to sustain those under her command, accumulating grain for winter would require expanding the scale of grain production, which meant continuously finding more greenhouse facilities. Without enough greenhouses, grain could not be produced normally.
Unfortunately, this goal had been thwarted because people discovered a frustrating issue: there was not enough plastic film. Plastics were byproducts of petroleum processing, meaning that only with sufficient petroleum and related industries could enough plastic be produced. However, in South Asia, there were several centimeters of volcanic ash accumulated, making it difficult for people to survive. In such a situation, expanding oil production capacity was unlikely, thus limiting oil production and the speed of plastic production.
Shen Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief after the rotation at the Three Gorges was completed. Now he could rest easy.
However, General Chen, whom Shen Feng had wanted as an advisor, suddenly disappeared. Some said he had left the known universe and headed north, and no one knew if he had starved to death along the way.
An old man in his fifties, his body very weak, walked through the treacherous wilderness. If he encountered danger, he lacked the strength to protect himself. Therefore, many were worried about his situation.
Many places had completely run out of food. People went to the mountains to peel bark and dig for roots to alleviate their hunger, but these things were also largely devoid of nutrition. When all the bark on the mountains had been stripped bare, all hope was extinguished. Even if some heard that grain was still being produced in the Sichuan-Chongqing region in the southwest, these places were too far away, hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. These people lacked the strength to travel there on foot and could only wait to die.
Shen Feng returned to Yuzhou, but before long, an unexpected person appeared before him: Yue Hengyi. He had gone north last year to kill locusts and was rumored to have gained great fame there, with countless people believing he could end this chaotic era. Unexpectedly, at such a crucial moment, he had come south to Yuzhou.
"You've come to visit your parents and children, haven't you? They are living peacefully in the city and have been fine! If you're worried, I can take you to see them!" Shen Feng said to Yue Hengyi.
However, Yue Hengyi replied, "That's secondary. The real reason I've come to Yuzhou is to find you. We have a very important plan that requires your participation, so we hope you will agree! If this plan can be implemented, then the entire world can achieve peace!"
Shen Feng, however, was not moved by this. The reason for his mindset was that the current situation did not allow for grand actions. Anyone knew that large-scale wars and large-scale construction consumed a lot of energy, and this grain could not be produced quickly. Now that Yuzhou had Chang Jianyi, grain production had just gotten on track. If there were any major movements at this time, even working themselves to death would not be enough to produce a large amount of grain.
"Your so-called plan, although I am very interested and want to know its details, I don't want to do anything now. I just want to guard my own small plot of land and not bother with anything else. Even if everyone outside has starved to death, I won't go out!" Shen Feng said calmly.
"Don't you want to end this chaotic era? If you end the chaotic era, you will surely be remembered in history and people will remember you!" Yue Hengyi questioned.
"I don't know the details of your plan yet, but I can guess. Your so-called plan is to unite multiple parties and act together, striving for the same goal, is that right?" Shen Feng asked.
Yue Hengyi thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, that's exactly it. Have you already learned about this in advance?"
Shen Feng shrugged his shoulders and said, "How could I have clairvoyance or super-hearing? Of course, I don't know your so-called plan, but I can guess. Since it requires joint action, someone needs to provide grain. In short, you have your eyes on Yuzhou's grain, is that what you mean?"
"That's correct, but we have our reasons. To complete this grand plan, there always needs to be some contribution. Since Yuzhou happens to have sufficient grain, we need you to carry out this plan. There should be no problem with that, right?" Yue Hengyi replied.
Shen Feng shook his head helplessly and then said to his secretary, "Quickly escort this gentleman away to reunite with his parents and family. As for other matters, I don't want to hear them. No matter how bright or great the reason, it still requires us to contribute grain. That's impossible!"
Shen Feng would not agree to anyone's plan now, even if it would bring him the admiration of the world upon completion.
Because in the eyes of others, with Chang Jianyi in Yuzhou, the ability to produce grain had undoubtedly increased, and it was easy to produce large quantities of grain. Therefore, countless people envied this. However, only Shen Feng knew that producing large quantities of grain was still very difficult.
Chang Jianyi would not go home for a week at a time to ensure that the crops in the grain production base grew normally. She needed to live in the production base for extended periods and also required strong security to protect her from injury. Using her abilities was also very physically demanding. Therefore, it was impossible to simply give away the grain that was obtained through such hard work. Every grain needed to be carefully preserved.
Yue Hengyi did not expect to be given the boot. If he didn't leave now, it would be too impolite, and Shen Feng clearly did not want to cooperate. No amount of communication would be fruitful with such an attitude.
However, before leaving, Yue Hengyi still expressed what was on his mind: "Shen Feng, you just hide here for the rest of your life. Millions have already starved to death outside, and you completely disregard them. How can you claim to care about the common people? Others say you are very benevolent, but in my eyes, you are completely cold-blooded!"