Chapter 116: The Seeds of Change
With the rebellion crushed and her military strength reaffirmed, Lin Yuer's empire seems to be on the brink of a new era. Yet she knows that power, even when secured by force, must be nurtured by more than just victory on the battlefield. The people's loyalty, the foundation of her reign, cannot be guaranteed by bloodshed alone. She must show them that their sacrifices are worth it, that the future she envisions is one in which they can all thrive.
Her first order of business is to reinvigorate the economy. She commissions a series of agricultural reforms that will increase food production and introduce more sustainable farming techniques. Potatoes and yams, which she had introduced years ago, have already begun to change the food landscape of the empire, but Lin Yuer now wants to expand her reach. She plans to introduce new methods for growing fruit and vegetables that will reduce the dependency on imports and create a self-sustaining economy.
But her agricultural reforms are just the beginning. Lin Yuer has an even bigger vision for the future: industrialization. She envisions a vast network of factories, employing thousands of people, producing goods that will be sold not only within the empire but also in distant lands. The first step is to establish a series of textile mills that will produce fabrics for clothing, which can then be exported. She hires foreign experts to guide her, but she insists that the knowledge gained from them will not remain confined to the upper echelons of society—it will be shared with the common people.