Everyone was worried about the grain supply, as most people understood one thing: the current climate was far too cold for growing crops. If their food ran out, what would happen to them? Would they resort to cannibalism?
At this critical juncture in Yuzhou, Chang Jianyi stepped forward. She found Shen Feng and said, "Give me a Purifying Unlock, and I'll solve this crisis. I have an idea, and whether it succeeds depends on my ability to fully utilize my powers!"
Although Chang Jianyi was a superpowered individual, she had never been on the battlefield. She had always stayed behind the scenes, solving various rear-guard problems for Shen Feng. Because of this, many didn't take her seriously. However, at this critical moment, she stepped up, wanting to share the responsibility.
"Are you planning to use your powers to feed everyone in the jurisdiction? How is that possible? How can one person achieve such a feat?" Shen Feng frowned upon hearing her idea.
Chang Jianyi replied, "You need to hear my plan first. I don't believe I can feed tens of millions of people, as my powers are limited and their range is also quite extensive. However, at this moment, if we don't give people hope for food, the lower classes will erupt, and our position will become unstable!"
"Then how exactly will you do it? I'd like to hear your plan!" Shen Feng said.
"I plan to establish a massive agricultural production base. Within this base, we will use sufficient fertilizers daily and replace the soil and water. This base will primarily consist of greenhouses, whether made of glass or plastic film, because these greenhouses will help retain heat and allow crops to grow. Then, I will use my powers daily, and thus we will have a continuous supply of food," Chang Jianyi said earnestly.
"However, establishing such a large agricultural production base won't be quick. It will take at least a few months to complete. By then, summer will arrive, and crops can barely grow. We won't need to do this," Shen Feng said.
"What if the temperature doesn't rise much by summer? Even if the crops grow, autumn and winter will soon arrive, and the ground will still be frozen. How will we ever solve the food crisis then? By then, it will be too late to establish an agricultural production base. It's better to start now. I promise I will complete this task!" Chang Jianyi said seriously.
"Since you've said so, what else can I say? I'll only listen to you now. I will announce this order immediately, asking my subordinates to quickly establish the agricultural production base, especially a large number of greenhouses. However, there's a problem: the power system might not be sufficient," Shen Feng said.
In the Sichuan-Chongqing region, thermal power generation was no longer used much, as there were no large coal mines nearby, making coal-fired power generation unrealistic. Therefore, in the post-apocalyptic era, many hydropower stations were built in these areas, ensuring a sufficient supply of electricity. However, an unexpected situation arose: global temperatures were dropping, leading to reduced glacial meltwater from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Consequently, even the Yangtze River was showing signs of drying up, and hydropower stations everywhere had significantly reduced power generation.
"Don't you have your Wind God powers? Since hydropower is no longer usable, quickly change strategies and use wind power. Build a large number of wind power stations on the mountains, and then use your powers to summon strong winds. This way, we will have enough energy! At the same time, accelerate the delivery of oil and natural gas from the south," Chang Jianyi suggested.
"Now we need to build production bases and wind power plants. We truly have no strength left to do anything else. We can't even afford small-scale wars!" Shen Feng said helplessly.
"Don't think about fighting wars now. Being able to protect ourselves is already a great achievement. Don't mention anything else. Let's just proceed with these tasks step by step. Explain these two matters at tomorrow's meeting and strive for everyone's approval!" Chang Jianyi said.
"So be it. I don't think anyone will object to these plans tomorrow," Shen Feng said.
The next day, Shen Feng convened a meeting with the people of the City Lord's Mansion to discuss the issue. Any intelligent person could see the crisis they were facing. If they couldn't secure enough food, the people would riot, and their positions would become unstable. Therefore, the most urgent matter was to solve the food crisis, so they could solidify their positions.
"Recently, I've heard a lot of complaints. Many people resent the wars I initiated, believing that conquering the southern regions was useless. A volcanic eruption polluted most of the plains, making it impossible to grow crops. Therefore, my plan was wrong, and I wasted food. What do you all think?" Shen Feng didn't directly address the situation but first spoke about some irrelevant matters.
"Those people are short-sighted. They can't see your good intentions, City Lord. Your decisions are correct. At least we can obtain a large amount of oil and natural gas, making the production of various chemical products easier. Moreover, with natural gas, people can heat their homes in the city, which is quite good! Although we already have heating in the south!" someone immediately began to flatter Shen Feng, dismissing the criticisms as the views of short-sighted people.
Shen Feng smiled and said, "I don't have any issues with these comments because I know what these people are worried about. It's their livelihood, food. If there's no food, everyone will starve. That's why they are so anxious, am I right?"
"That's right, but the temperature is too low now. It's impossible to even attempt cultivation. The seeds will just rot in the ground. How can we solve the food crisis then? I don't have any good ideas," Tu Xuhuai said helplessly.
This was the first time Shen Feng had seen such an expression on his face. He could tell that Tu Xuhuai was truly powerless to solve this crisis and could only shake his head in resignation.
Shen Feng looked at Yang Ye and asked, "Do you have any suggestions for me now? Any suggestion is welcome!"
"I'm also at a loss. My idea is that we endure for one year. Whether it's digging up grass roots and bark or digging up insects from the ground, we must persevere for one year. Because after one year, the plains of Mian Dian can be cultivated to some extent. So, even though the world has entered a great ice age, it's still possible to grow crops in tropical regions, with one harvest per year. This way, everyone can eat their fill!" Yang Ye's idea was very simple: everyone should endure together. As long as they could get through one year, dawn would arrive.
"This idea is probably unrealistic. We're not waiting for one year, but two years. Because after one year, we can sow, but we can't harvest immediately. We still need the crops to grow for more than half a year. What means can help us endure for two years?" someone raised this question.
"Doesn't the City Lord have those two or three mutated plants at home? Even in this icy weather, they can bear fruit. How about contributing the apple trees and orange trees? We can have people pick fruit every day. Picking tens of tons of fruit every day should be no problem, right?" someone joked.
"Are you all serious about giving suggestions? Why are you all joking? The fruit from those two trees can feed how many people? Even if everyone eats just one apple a day, it can only save tens of thousands of people!" Shen Feng was clearly angered by this suggestion and couldn't help but scold them.
Seeing that the City Lord was angry at this moment, everyone wisely shut their mouths and dared not speak nonsense anymore. Instead, they seriously considered solutions.
At this time, Chang Jianyi felt it was about time. She stood up, and before she could speak, everyone's gaze turned towards her.
Everyone was very curious about what the Madam was thinking at this moment that made her stand up. Some had already guessed her intention, as connecting it to her powers would reveal what she planned to do.
"Everyone, please listen to me. I have a solution, but to completely solve the food crisis, we need everyone to work together. What do you all think?" Chang Jianyi said slowly.
"What Madam says is definitely correct. Whatever suggestion you have, we will all support it!" Everyone expressed their commitment. They had no other options now, so it was better to hear Madam's suggestion and then judge its feasibility.
"Simply put, we need to establish a large agricultural production base, primarily consisting of greenhouses. This way, we won't be unable to grow crops due to the external icy weather. However, one aspect to note is that establishing this base will consume a large amount of energy and resources. It might take three months to complete. After that, I will use my powers to make the crops in the greenhouses grow and mature rapidly," Chang Jianyi said calmly.
Upon hearing the plan, everyone nodded, feeling that the plan was indeed feasible. However, they also had a concern: establishing such a massive agricultural production base would not be a quick undertaking and would inevitably consume more food.
"In addition to establishing the large agricultural production base, I also have an idea to build more wind power plants to solve the electricity shortage in various areas," Shen Feng continued.
"Both of these large-scale projects will consume a lot of manpower, which might cause dissatisfaction among many people. Furthermore, the food supply is also a problem. What if the food runs out in advance?" Tu Xuhuai asked.
There is a saying that wonders can mislead a nation, meaning that building strange sculptures or magnificent sights often leads to serious mistakes.
In essence, many large-scale projects require careful consideration before implementation. If these major projects are undertaken without careful deliberation, they often lead to wasted labor and resources. Tu Xuhuai's concern was that undertaking two large-scale projects simultaneously would surely lead to public outcry.
Shen Feng clearly had considered this concern. He immediately stated, "Almost the entire world has fallen into the crisis of the great ice age. The north is completely unable to grow food. In the south, cultivation is only barely possible during summer, and the yield is dismal. At this time, the most important things are food and energy. Both of these projects are efforts to solve the food and energy crises, and everyone needs to support them."