Castle of Black Iron

Youzhou City covered 1,000 square miles, almost half of which were high-yielding farmlands. Additionally, there were abundant water resources in the city. Under the protection of the high city walls, the farmlands were forbidden to be developed for commercial use.

Perhaps, only Hua people could build such a city.

Having just lit a new dragon scale on his knight’s crystal plate, Zhang Tie was loitering in the city and enjoying the magnificent scenery of the only Class A city in Youzhou Province.

After leaving those crowded commercial areas, Zhang Tie entered the neighborhood of those farmlands.

Compared to those buildings with Hua characteristics and various strange places, those farmlands in the city attracted Zhang Tie the most.

In Taixia Country, farmlands in Class A cities were specially called jia farmlands.

According to the Laws of Taixia Country , those who dared violate or destroy any farmland in Taixia Country would be punished to starve to death in the prison of court temples just as brutally as those corrupt officers were punished to swallow golds after being reported.

Jia farmland was an important symbol of a Class A city.

It could be said that Hua people used jia farmland to respond to holy wars.

In holy wars, the jia farmlands which were divided into several pieces in Youzhou City could realize self-sufficiency for its 3 million people when this city was surrounded by demons and constantly fought demons until the end.

Actually, each Class A city in Taixia Country could be a self-sufficient fortress in dilemma. Even though being the toughest battle, as long as the city was not broken through, the millions of survivors inside the city would be able to sustain the bloodline of Hua people.

Besides containing the meaning ”first”, the word ”jia” also meant armor and helmet.

As Zhang Tie’s family wanted to build Jinwu City, Zhang Tie gradually learned more about city planning.

Besides jia farmlands, Youzhou City contained 6 strategic materials warehouses which were buried underground and were built together with this city as the basic allocations of a Class A city. Among those strategic materials warehouses, the first warehouse stored 30 million tons of standard coal; the second warehouse stored 3 million tons of various metals predominated by steel and iron; the third warehouse stored 10,000 whole sets of machinery equipment and tools; the fourth warehouse stored crops’ seeds and table salt; the fifth warehouse stored ordnance and weapons; the sixth warehouse stored other necessary or major strategic materials. These 6 warehouses were called Six Warehouses of a Class A city. Each Class A city should ensure the safety and sufficiency of the strategic materials in the six warehouses.

When a city was besieged by demons, it would enter a state of emergency. These strategic materials warehouses would be activated at once. With the help of the jia farmlands in the city, this city would become a firm wartime fortress.

Without the extremely miserable historical lessons before the Catastrophe, Hua people would not pose such a strict requirement on their Class A cities. After experiencing the constant disasters before the Catastrophe, Hua people genuinely understood what were the most important resources that Hua people could survive on.

If a nation wanted to survive on, it must rely on its cultivated lands rather than its real properties being made of steel reinforced concrete. The genuine mineral resources were much more reliable than the colorful paper notes; with crops’ seeds in hand, they would feel much safer.

Cultivated lands, resources and crops’ seeds were the three basic elements that a nation survived on at the cost of countless blood and tears. If a nation lacked any one of the 3 elements, it would deteriorate into the dust in the long course of history for sure.

Perhaps some small countries could still survive on if they lacked one or two of the three basic elements. Even if they lacked cultivated lands or crops’ seeds, they could also be traded for their demands with others. However, it didn’t fit Hua people. As Hua people was too powerful as the pillar of humans, also the implacable foe of demons. If Hua people lacked any of the 3 basic elements, the entire human race would not survive on.

Hua people almost deteriorated into dust before the Catastrophe.

Therefore, after the Catastrophe, when the first Class A city of Hua people appeared, they prioritized the protection of four elements, namely, Hua population, cultivated lands, resources and corps’ seeds.

No matter how terrifying was the war, as long as there was a Class A city remaining in this land, Hua people would survive on.

When other continents or sub-continents were protecting rich people with high city walls, the largest cities of Hua people were protecting the most basic elements, also the hope of the rejuvenation of the nation with high city walls. This might be the reason why Hua people was the most powerful and awe-inspiring nation.

Only at this moment did Zhang Tie feel something familiar with this city when he watched the tidy aqueducts in the jia farmlands of Youzhou City.

Rich people would not cultivate land themselves; however, jia farmland could not be left uncultivated; therefore, only common farmers would choose to cultivate farmlands in the city. Because of this, if the city was besieged, many of these farmers would survive on due to their ownership of the jia farmlands.

In normal times, after the wastes in the sewers and the domestic garbage were fermented and dried in the sun in a concentrated way, they would become the fertilizers of the jia farmlands. In this way, the urban resources were gradually recycled.

As the competition for the provincial governor of Youzhou Province had just come to an end a month ago, the greater part of jia farmlands in Youzhou City had not been sold out yet.

All the jia farmlands in Youzhou City were high-yielding farmlands. Additionally, the irrigation engineering in the jia farmlands had been established. The price of such farmlands was as same as that outside the city walls. Additionally, they were in city walls, which meant that the grains produced from such farmlands could be sold directly in the city. Given so many benefits, they should have been in urgent demand; however, they had not been sold out yet over the past 3 months. Because Taixia Country posed very strict requirements on the qualification of the purchasers.

As the dean of the provincial court of Youzhou Province, even though Zhang Tie could buy hundreds of thousands of square miles on the border of Yanghe Prefecture, he was not qualified to buy any jia farmland in Youzhou City.

According to the Laws of Taixia Country , the purchasers of jia farmlands had to be farmers who had cultivated lands for over 10 years with adroit farming skills; besides, they had to have the preliminary farming gentry qualification certificate. Each preliminary farming gentry could purchase 10,000 square meters’ jia farmlands; farmers with medium farming gentry qualification certificates could buy 20,000 square meters’ jia farmlands; farmers with senior farming gentry qualification certificate could purchase 30,000 square meters’ jia farmlands. Farming masters who were one level higher than senior farming gentry could purchase 150,000 square meters’ jia farmlands.

In Taixia, if farmers could cultivate lands well, they could promote to farming gentries. After purchasing jia farmlands, farming gentries would become townspeople and enjoy a lot of benefits. After promoting to half landlords, they would win a sharp increase in honor, social status and wealth. In wartime, farmers who had jia farmlands could be real farming gentries as long as the city walls were not broken through. For most of the common farmers in Taixia Country, they could win higher social status by owning jia farmlands.

Although it was snowing, some places near the jia farmlands were still pretty boisterous. A lot of purchasers were converging there from all the other prefectures of Youzhou Province. They were checking the topography and fertility of the farmlands before purchasing them. Zhang Tie also swarmed up and gained more knowledge about that.

After joining in the fun, Zhang Tie suddenly thought of his No. 1 earthworm, ’I wonder how many grains could be increased across Taixia Country if I placed several kgs of No. 1 earthworms in each piece of Jia farmland?’

After Zhang Tie took a walk around Youzhou City in a leisure way, it was 10 minutes away from 12 am. Zhang Tie came to White Tiger Complex on time with high spirit.

As the new year was coming, the outside of White Tiger Complex had also been faintly decorated with red lanterns, which represented a festive atmosphere.

According to the appointment, Zhang Taixuan and Zhang Tie would meet at the lunchtime. It felt both genial and important to talk about it at lunchtime.

To tell the truth, Zhang Tie really felt a bit hungry after exploring around the city for an entire morning.

Less than 10 people could be qualified to be invited by the provincial governor across Youzhou Province. When he thought that his father-in-law was going to invite him for a lunch, Zhang Tie felt especially strange.

After putting off his hood, Zhang Tie had been recognized by some fighters from Huaiyuan Palace who were standing outside the White Tiger Complex. Therefore, he was invited into the Provincial Governor’s Mansion respectfully.

After over 2 months, Count Long Wind looked more dignified as the provincial governor of Taixia Country.

In a tranquil place of the Provincial Governor’s Mansion which was full of plum blossoms, Zhang Tie and Zhang Taixuan were talking about the affairs in Youzhou Province while drinking and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

”How do you feel about Huaiyuan Palace’s position in Youzhou Province now?” After proposing toasts to each other for three rounds, Zhang Taixuan put down the glass and suddenly watched Zhang Tie with a solemn look.

Zhang Tie murmured inside, ’Here it is...’

”After taking a round in Youzhou City, I learned that Huaiyuan Palace is growing increasingly vigorous in Youzhou day after day!” Zhang Tie replied leisurely.

However, Zhang Taixuan suddenly let out a sigh, ”Although Huaiyuan Palace looks vigorous in Youzhou Province, it’s actually treading as if on thin ice. It might be at stake at any time!”

After hearing this answer, Zhang Tie became stunned at once...