Chapter 98 is really good

  I'm still unmarried, but unfortunately I've caught a cold. A handful of snot and a handful of tears, it's too miserable to speak. Next Monday and Tuesday are expected to be difficult to update, brothers let me rest for two days, no updates on Monday and Tuesday, that kid will definitely return on Wednesday. Just this chapter to thank the eternal destruction, thanks.

  "Only China's Daqiao can turn a sky-high barrier into a flat road."

  The autonomous region has three large railway construction groups and a small but specialized railway construction company, they are the creators of the steel arteries of the autonomous region. Of course, many places cannot be separated from the help of China Road and Bridge Corporation's three major construction companies, such as the Bashahe Yangtze River Bridge and the Wujiang River Bridge on the Chuan-Qian Railway. If it were not for the help of the First Construction Company of China Road and Bridge Corporation, the completion time of the Chuan-Qian Railway would be delayed, and other railway projects would also be greatly affected.

  However, the significance of China Road and Bridge Corporation does not lie in helping railway construction groups to build railways. They also have considerable contracting capabilities. For example, the first expressway in Guangxi Province from Nanning to Qinzhou to Fangchenggang was built by the second construction company of the group. Later, three important expressways in southwestern Guangxi Province were completed successively: Nanning to Baise in the west and Liuzhou in the north, Qinzhou to Beihai and Zhanjiang in the east, laying a solid transportation foundation for the economic development of Guangxi Province.

  The important transportation artery of the autonomous region, the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway, relies on the narrowest part of the highway with only two lanes to transport the huge cargo volume of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia provinces. This important artery is managed by the third company of the group, which later joined the construction of major highways in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.

  It is through their unremitting efforts that, starting from Baoji, the highways to the north to Yinchuan, to the west to Zhangye, and to the east to Xi'an and Yan'an are no longer limited by poor roads and gravel roads. Today, these highways have become high-quality, two-way, four-lane asphalt roads, making a positive contribution to the economic development of the two provinces. Of course, there are still many projects awaiting them, at least in the three provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia, which have not yet achieved the level of village-to-village road connectivity and county-to-county highway connectivity. Many important towns are still only connected by gravel roads. The Third Highway Construction Company of China has the ability and responsibility to ensure that at least a certain level of highway infrastructure is in place in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces before large-scale railway construction begins.

  In contrast, the first and second construction companies have a very different journey. The second construction company has built many highways in the autonomous region, and their completion has undoubtedly played a significant role in promoting the economic development of the autonomous region. However, the next project set by the Ministry of Transportation is unprecedented: according to plan, a highway will be built from Wuzhou, an important industrial city in the autonomous region, westward, but first passing east through Hezhou and then pointing directly at Liuzhou and Hechi, before entering Guizhou Province, passing through Guiyang, Zunyi, and Chongqing, and finally reaching Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.

  This expressway will be an unprecedented highway construction challenge, and after its completion, it will become another major transportation artery in the autonomous region, which is more conducive to the coordinated development of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Guangxi provinces. However, the third construction company, which is busy building basic highways within Shaanxi and Gansu, cannot keep up, but the second and first construction companies must be able to take on the main responsibility, and the first construction company is more familiar with the situation in Guizhou, so the task from Guiyang to Sichuan Chengdu and Guangxi Hechi falls on their shoulders. Of course, the section of road within Guangxi was assigned to the first construction company.

  But such a huge task fell on them, the First Construction Company had already completed several highway construction tasks, they had quite deep foundation and rich experience, they were not willing to get only so few sections, as compensation, the Ministry of Transportation gave them the construction task from Liuzhou to Guilin, if there was still spare capacity, the highway from Beihai to Yulin to Wuzhou could also be constructed.

  Due to the highway being different from the basic roads built within the autonomous region, as a high-input and high-quality road, it was destined to be an expensive "golden road". The First Construction Company built a highway from Baise through Nanning, Qinzhou, Beihai, and then directly to Zhanjiang. Its branch extends north to Liuzhou and south to Fangchenggang, which means that the four major ports, five major shipbuilding bases, and seven important industrial cities in the autonomous region are thoroughly connected by a large artery. The cargo transportation volume between these regions is extremely impressive. Therefore, relying solely on the tolls from the highway, the company quickly became a lucrative business. If it can connect Beihai, Yulin, Wuzhou, Hezhou, Guilin, Liuzhou, and Hechi with highways, the company will not only make significant contributions to the development of Guangxi Province but also reap unimaginable huge profits for itself.

  If the "conspiracy" of the First Construction Company is allowed to succeed, at that time, Guangxi Province, which is extremely important in the autonomous region, will face unprecedented challenges in its dense railway network, air transport network and inland waterway transport network. Although convenient transportation is conducive to economic development and social integration, it cannot be denied that every high-speed highway is at a very high cost, with an average of around 10,000 yuan per meter. If these projects are really implemented, they will have a great impact on the steel and cement industries in the autonomous region, making the already somewhat overheated economy even more prosperous. Who dares to guarantee that economic overheating will not bring secondary problems? Therefore, the Ministry of Transport has begun to impose certain restrictions on the First Construction Company.

  People fear fame, pigs fear strength. The first construction company may have been too showy, so its development momentum was curbed. On the other hand, the first construction company that has been working hard in the mountains and canyons is worthy of sympathy. Although it completed the bridge ahead of schedule and received some praise, the profit from the project itself was not great, and its reputation was not enough to make a positive contribution to the development of Shaanxi and Gansu Province as the third company did. Therefore, it is the most pitied by the Ministry of Transportation, but sympathy cannot be eaten as food. They must achieve results to gain face for themselves and also strive for their own pockets.

  They were given the opportunity to build the Sichuan-Guizhou section of the Chongqing-Kunming Expressway, but despite their strong capabilities, they had limited personnel. According to the survey results, the highway from Chengdu to Chongqing was a guaranteed profit-maker. They planned to complete this lucrative project first, but unexpectedly, the Ministry of Transportation assigned them additional tasks, including the highways from Chengdu to Guangyuan and even Baoji, as long as they had the capability to complete them. However, in reality, their abilities were limited, and it was already a challenge for them to finish their own section of the Chongqing-Kunming Expressway. If they could secure a large chunk of profitable projects on the traditional turf of the third company, it would be beneficial for their company's future development in Shaanxi and Gansu. However, due to their limited capabilities, they had to transfer the task to the third construction company, which was left unmanaged by the Ministry of Transportation, just to save face with the host and ensure a good outcome in the future, but it was a bitter pill to swallow.

  So after a series of twists and turns, the third construction company was the one that gained face and prospered. Everyone knows that the People's Government is increasing its construction efforts in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The trucks carrying machinery and equipment are passing through the Sichuan-Shaanxi highway one after another, transporting goods to both places. China Railway First Group, responsible for building the railway, has been working hard to complete the Qinling tunnel as soon as possible, so that the journey from Baoji to Chengdu will no longer be a time-consuming and laborious mountain road trip. If they can ensure quality and quantity and complete the project ahead of schedule, the engineering bonus will be enough for the First Group to celebrate.

  But if a more powerful highway appears between Sichuan and Shaanxi, what will happen? With the entry of many private road construction companies into Shaanxi and Gansu, those who are not capable of building highways can build ordinary roads. As long as the third construction company shifts its focus to the construction of the Sichuan-Shaanxi highway, they have enough ability to complete the highway network coverage between Shaanxi and Gansu. Even in mountainous provinces like Yunnan and Guizhou, a dense network of highways can be built, and Sichuan, known as the "Land of Abundance", has achieved the goal of connecting every county with four-lane roads. All these demonstrate their strength is not bad. If they unite, they will have the ability to participate in the bidding for highway construction.

  However, it is clear that in large-scale projects, the government still trusts state-owned enterprises more, but who can guarantee that the government will not favor private enterprises in the future? To continue to maintain its absolute advantage in road construction, the three major companies must compete with each other and also guard against private enterprises. The most direct and effective way is to take down large-scale projects with sufficient profits and reputation. By the time private enterprises grow up from building low-level highways and have the ability to build large-scale projects, almost all important projects in the autonomous region will be completed, or the brand of the three major companies will be solidified, making it difficult for them to shake their position and market share easily.

  So, in the basic engineering construction with not very high competition conditions, state-led public enterprises have already started to compete fiercely with private enterprises. This shows that the autonomous region has a good market economy environment and competitive atmosphere, but at the same time, it also brings great pressure to these public enterprises. Even the three major groups of railway construction feel the chill. However, the more intense competition benefits other industries and laborers. The unprecedented prosperity of the basic engineering construction market can drive direct employment for the masses, increase people's income, and bring about significant improvements in transportation conditions. This also drives the development of resource-based enterprises, such as steel, cement, engineering machinery equipment, and engineering vehicles, which are booming. In the autonomous region's economic development, the total production value is getting better year by year, which is closely related to the prosperity of the basic engineering market. After all, when people get rich, they will have consumption desires, and consumption will drive enterprise development, leading to social prosperity.

  "One wood does not make a forest, one string does not make music." The prosperity of a region's economy is not solely dependent on the construction of several railways and highways. If the built roads have no vehicles running on them and the railways have no passenger or freight operations, it will instead hinder economic development. The main body of the market, like society, consists of people. Without a certain number of consumers and people with consumption capacity, the market cannot prosper. Therefore, to enable a society's economy to sustainably circulate and flourish, the key lies in giving the social and market entities the ability and desire to consume.

  Consumer desire can be diverse, people have many consumption psychologies beyond food, clothing, housing and transportation, including these aspects themselves. Housing can be a villa or an apartment. Food can be simple snacks or seafood feasts. Clothing can be plain clothes or exquisite brocade. Travel can take buses, trains, or private cars.

  There are many things that can be expanded, especially in terms of human needs at the spiritual level. In the past, washing your face with clean water was enough, but the idea of beauty can dominate people's demand for cosmetics and skincare products. Expanding one's horizons and broadening their perspective, people can develop a desire to travel, self-driving tours, group tours, etc., which are all forms of diversified consumption. The economic driving force is even more powerful due to human nature's tendency to compare with others. The middle class and the wealthy are the mainstay of the market and also the main comparison group, cosmetics, clothing, jewelry, housing, private cars, etc. are their comparison projects, which are also the main driving force behind the diversification and prosperity of the market. Many enterprises in autonomous regions, especially the AsiaMe Group at that time, took advantage of the already well-established market environment in the Western world. As long as the enterprise has a certain ability, it is not worried about the economic benefits being substantial.

  Similarly, as an agricultural civilization country, the main body of Chinese society is not shrewd and capable businessmen and adventurers, nor skilled technical workers with excellent skills, nor outstanding managers with excellent professional ethics. The main population of China is still farmers. The large-scale social infrastructure construction carried out by autonomous regions ultimately aims to create a better market foundation, which is conducive to the diversified development of the market.

  So within the autonomous region, there are many people who go out to work and earn money, then return home to renovate their houses and improve their quality of life. They tear down thatched cottages and build brick and tile houses or small villas. Bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, sewing machines, and small trucks have begun to appear in large numbers among ordinary people's homes. These were things that people would not have dared to think about in the past, but because they earned more income through outside labor, people's ability to consume increased, allowing these industrial products to enter the rural market. In cities, it goes without saying that there are many people who can afford to buy luxury cars for transportation.

  It is precisely because of this that there are vehicles flowing endlessly on the highways in the autonomous region, and happy trains running smoothly on the railways. Without economic circulation, it is impossible to achieve economic prosperity. When overseas markets shrink, the domestic market supports the continued prosperity of the economy under the vast blue sky. The prosperity of the basic engineering construction market may be one of the pillars under this blue sky, but not all of it. After all, can't farmers who don't go out to work become rich? With the development of the economy, the market rules constantly challenge the wisdom of the peasants themselves, and big entrepreneurs and wealthy people can also emerge in agricultural planting.

  As a social subject, farmers have limited ways to become rich. Apart from becoming educated and leaving the countryside to find a foothold in cities, another option is to work outside as laborers to earn money. Labor-intensive markets such as real estate and infrastructure construction require large amounts of labor, including road, railway, and water conservancy projects. As long as contractors fulfill their labor contracts, they can earn a substantial amount of money. This may be the primary path for many rural families in autonomous regions to become rich. However, in some special areas, it is almost impossible to go out and work during slack farming seasons to earn money, such as the Shaanxi-Gansu region which recently joined the autonomous region. These places do not have the thriving industries and massive labor demands like Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, especially Guangxi. To truly become rich, they can only focus on agriculture, especially by leveraging the favorable trend of environmental remediation in the Loess Plateau, where gold can be grown from the yellow earth.

  To rely on agriculture to get rich, there must be good ways and methods. The most direct way is to choose a good crop to plant, such as wheat, corn, soybeans, sorghum, rice, etc. After all, people need to eat, so these grain crops will definitely have a market and corresponding prices. Now that there is no agricultural tax, on their own land, except for prohibited crops, they can make decisions based on their understanding of the grain market. Who can guarantee that when corn is harvested, its price will remain high?

  "Besides, who says that wheat planted at a low price will not make much money? In the future when it's harvested, its price might be very high. The market is affected by supply and demand, resulting in fluctuations in commodity prices. As long as we seize the opportunity, one mu of land can have different yields. Even if the market price is ridiculously low, we can sell our grain to the Grain Reserve Bureau at a protected price set by the government. We can only say that we'll make more or less profit, but it's almost impossible to lose money, unless there's a natural disaster..."

  The Agricultural Department of Shaanxi Provincial People's Government sends a guidance team to the countryside, and whenever they arrive at a village or town, they hold an agricultural technology exchange conference with farmers. Of course, not all discussions at the conference are about agricultural planting techniques, nor do technical personnel only talk about scientific planting methods for grain crops. Relevant work on environmental protection in the Loess Plateau is also carried out simultaneously.

  "How can we grasp the opportunity? The market price is not under our control, and in the past two years, due to drought, grain prices should have risen sharply. However, who would have thought that the government transported a large amount of grain from Sichuan to stabilize prices, which made these speculators cry out in surprise. As a result, grain prices did not rise but instead fell, and even farmers with some harvests didn't make much money..."

  "So, if we simply rely on the market price to make next year's agricultural planting plan, we will be very passive. Moreover, many lands in this Loess Plateau are experiencing different degrees of soil erosion and land degradation, which is very serious. The grain yield per unit area is showing a downward trend, especially in years with poor natural conditions. Once there is another drought like in the past, reduced yields and income will be unavoidable."

  "But why do we have to focus solely on grain crops? In many areas of Guangxi Province, there are many farmers who were initially affected not by drought but by typhoons and heavy rainfall, resulting in poor harvests for their rice crops. Later, they changed their minds and started planting cash crops such as sugarcane, rubber, and fruit, which are less affected by natural disasters. These farmers had already signed contracts with agricultural product companies, so when they delivered their orders this year, they immediately signed next year's contract, ensuring a stable price and minimal production risk, resulting in higher and more stable incomes."

  Before guiding the main content of the technical guidance meeting on the environmental governance of the Loess Plateau, technicians have introduced and guided many good methods. To cure the bad situation of the Loess Plateau environment, water and soil conservation is the key, so guiding afforestation, grass planting and land consolidation are the main contents of the technical meeting.

  Convert sloping farmland into horizontal terraced fields, reduce water flow velocity, promote loess sedimentation in place, increase soil fertility, and plant grass and trees to maintain water and soil. Building horizontal terraced fields can also retain water and soil. Build reservoirs for regulation, flood control, power generation, and build dams in gullies to intercept mud and sand, prevent mud and sand from flowing into downstream rivers, and accumulate mud and sand into dam land, with thick soil layers and good soil quality, suitable for planting grass and trees or miscellaneous grains.

  "It's better to cultivate one mu of ditch than ten mu of slope; building a dam is like repairing a warehouse, blocking mud is like storing grain. If a village has a hundred mu of dam, it won't be afraid of drought again; building a wall in the ditch can block mud and also collect grain." This proverb actually coincides with some content guided by technical personnel, but although government leadership is important, the key is to make the people determined to follow, and what they care about most is whether they can obtain economic benefits. Just like the guidance earlier, if planting grains is not as profitable as planting cash crops, farmers will definitely be willing to change, and they will rush towards wherever the maximum benefit is.

  The government can organize technical personnel to guide scientific environmental governance, promote environmental restoration in a way that suits local conditions, and welcome farmers to cultivate land. The key is to let them be willing to plant trees and grass, and have better benefits to naturally promote the development of the industry.

  "Can we also plant cash crops here? What kind of cash crops are suitable for these places? Will there be economic benefits?"

  "How can it not be? The natural conditions of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces are still quite good, with places like Hanzhong, Ankang, and Shangluo producing valuable Chinese medicinal herbs. Won't things like gastrodia and eucommia have a market and bring in benefits? Zi Yang's Maojian tea, Hanzhong and Chenggu's citrus fruits, Shangluo walnuts, Zhen'an chestnuts, tung oil, fire crystal persimmons, big red dates, Xi'an Qin pepper, Hancheng Dahongpao pepper... Gansu's Lanzhou white melon, drunken melon, winter pear, black melon seeds, Tianshui flower apple, Anxi white melon... Don't these count as economic crops? If you think they all have regional limitations and will experience price drops after large-scale cultivation, there is one thing that will absolutely never go out of style: planting it in the barren land around your house, in front of or behind your home, not only beautifies the environment but also brings in economic income."

  Later, the technical personnel began to introduce a crop that was being cultivated in batches at the Autonomous Region Agricultural Science Academy. It is called the "King of Trees" - the Mahua tree. The seeds of this tree were brought back by Zhang Yu from the Tianyu No. 1 spacecraft. It is a treasure for developing and utilizing new star deserts in the 30th century, and after high-tech improvement, it quickly became the best species for transforming desert regions as determined by the researchers at the Agricultural Science Academy.

  "It not only has easy artificial afforestation, strong natural renewal ability, and is fire-resistant, it can also grow in dry, barren, and degraded soil. It is suitable for planting in tropical, subtropical, and arid river valleys with little rainfall and poor conditions, making it a primary choice for water conservation, soil fixation, and soil improvement. The tree has extremely strong reproductive ability, dense branches and leaves, fast closure of the forest floor, easy to rot but not easily combustible, and strong soil improvement ability. The forest of trees growing on steep slopes becomes a good biological firebreak... Technical personnel began to carefully introduce the propaganda handbook to the participating farmers, these saplings that are still being cultivated in large quantities in the experimental fields of the Academy of Sciences are waiting for large-scale promotion and planting."

  The tung tree was originally cultivated for its medicinal properties, but it has now been found to have a high oil content in its seeds, making it one of the energy plants that can produce biodiesel. The tung tree has very high economic value and is an excellent bio-energy tree. Its nuts are traditional raw materials for soap and lubricating oil, and also have purgative and emetic effects. The oil cake can be used as pesticide and fertilizer.

  "It is a perennial, drought-tolerant woody plant that is suitable for planting in poor and marginal lands. Planting is simple, management is rough, and growth is rapid. The mulberry tree forest can bear fruit within two years of planting and enter its prime fruit-bearing period within four years. The fruit-picking season lasts up to 70 years, which means you don't need to intentionally manage the trees after planting them; you can start picking fruit after two years and continue for seventy years. Planting such a species in your own barren area with zero investment and high returns..."

  Technical personnel do not know many things, but there are also many things they do not know. They may know that the fruit of this tung tree has an oil content of over 75%, but they may not know that tung tree oil can be used in various diesel engines and is superior to the No. 0 diesel currently produced in the autonomous region in terms of ignition point, freezing point, sulfur content, carbon monoxide emissions, and particulate matter. Compared with fossil diesel, tung tree oil is a green diesel fuel. Tung tree oil has low sulfur content, and its sulfur dioxide emissions are more than ten times lower than those of No. 0 diesel. Without additives, it also has good low-temperature starting performance at minus twenty degrees Celsius, strong lubricating function, low wear rate of the fuel pump, engine cylinder block and connecting rod, longer service life, high safety performance, and excellent fuel performance.

  That is to say, if the technical conditions are met, every hectare of tung tree can produce 3000 kg of oil and 4000 kg of residue that can be used for power generation. 7500 hectares of tung trees are enough to supply a 1.5 billion-watt power station and provide electricity for 2500 households, which is an extremely optimistic prospect. Moreover, the tung tree has low requirements for growth conditions, making it easy to survive and completely suitable for planting in wasteland, avoiding the suspicion of "competing with the people for food" and greatly reducing the autonomous region's dependence on external energy sources.

  "What's its yield per mu? What are its market prospects?"

  "The yield of wild tung tree nuts is estimated to be around 800-900 kg per mu, and even in harsh environments, the yield is not less than 700 kg. Moreover, pure tung oil can be used for cooking, lighting or generating electricity. Its by-products include glycerin used in cosmetics, and tung seed cake made from further processing, which can be used as organic fertilizer. The seed oil residue, residual oil residue and leaves can be used as pesticides, and after detoxification, they can also be used as animal feed. The nitrogen-rich seed oil residue is an excellent plant fertilizer. These nuts are all in high demand by many companies in the future, how could there not be a broad market prospect? Even if the planting fails, the government's planting subsidies would be enough to cover the labor costs, wouldn't it?"

  "It's also the case that planting windbreak trees in a deserted place still requires subsidies, anyway it's just idle land. If we can create lush mountains and green waters, even if there is no economic benefit, that would be great."