159: Chapter 70 Grand Blueprint

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of Yongan, Jiangning Prefecture.

Before dawn, Li Ling was woken up by the system.

He threw on his coat, walked to the window, and pushed it open to look out. The entire city of Jiangning Prefecture was wrapped in silver—a heavy snowfall last night had covered the streets, rooftops, and city walls with a thick layer of white.

The morning markets on the street had not yet opened, and only a few sanitation workers were sweeping the snow. The rustling sound of shovels rubbing against stone slabs was exceptionally crisp in the cold morning breeze.

"System, do you know what day it is today?"

[The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, commonly known as the Laba Festival. Host, you haven't forgotten that you are supposed to announce the first Five-Year Plan tonight, have you?]

"How could I forget?" Li Ling closed the window, turned, and began to wash up. "I was just lamenting how fast time flies. In the blink of an eye, it has been over five years since I transmigrated to this era."

[Five and a half years, to be precise. From the early summer of 1898 to now, it has been exactly five and a half years.]

"Five and a half years." Li Ling stood before the bronze mirror, looking at the face—both strange and familiar—reflected in it. Dark stubble had sprouted on his chin, and fine lines had appeared at the corners of his eyes, but his gaze remained sharp.

He touched the faint scar behind his left ear, a mark left by shrapnel during the first naval battle; now, only a pale pink trace remained. "Five and a half years, from suppressing bandits to fighting the United Fleet, from marrying my first wife to my fourth, from three thousand new recruits to an Army of five hundred thousand… System, tell me, how have I done these past few years?"

[Host, the system is not your personal psychologist. But if you must ask—the system can tell you that your development speed has exceeded the system's initial expectations by thirty-seven percent. In other words, you have done even better than the best-case scenario the system envisioned.]

Li Ling was slightly stunned, then smiled. He turned and put on his dark gray marshal's uniform, pinned his medals on one by one, and adjusted his collar in the mirror, ensuring every detail was impeccable.

"System, record every word I say today for me," he suddenly said. "Fifty years from now, I will play these words back to see how much of the boasting I did back then actually came true."

[The system has enabled full recording. Rest assured, Host, not a single word will be missed. However, the system suggests you don't boast too grandly; if it doesn't come true, future generations might laugh at you when they dig it up.]

"When have I ever boasted about something that didn't come true?" Li Ling strode out of the room and headed toward Taihe Hall. His boots stepped on the blue brick floor, warmed by charcoal fires, emitting a steady and rhythmic sound. The hem of his military overcoat fluttered slightly as he walked, revealing a section of his black duty belt and the outline of his sidearm.

The plaza in front of Taihe Hall was already crowded.

The civil and military officials were lined up according to their rank, stretching from the palace entrance to the white marble railings at the edge of the plaza. The military officers wore armor and swords at their waists; the civil officials wore court robes and held tablets.

From time to time, people in the crowd whispered to each other, discussing what kind of "grand plan" was to be announced today—a few days ago, Li Ling had the cabinet issue a notice stating that on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, he would "announce the national policy for the next five years to the world," but the specific content was not revealed, only the four words "concerning the fate of the nation." These four words had whetted everyone's appetite, and even several princesses and wives had privately inquired about it several times.

Li Ling stepped onto the imperial dais before Taihe Hall, turned, and faced the thousands of eyes below. The plaza was deathly silent; even the sparrows perched on the roof ridge dared not chirp. The wind blew from the north, carrying the crisp, cold scent unique to the aftermath of snow, causing the robes of the civil and military officials to rustle in the wind.

He took a document tied with red silk from his adjutant, unfolded it, and began to read.

His voice spread throughout the entire plaza via the newly installed amplification system, and everyone could hear it clearly.

"On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of Yongan, Li Ling of the Qingxia Kingdom declares to the world—starting from the first month of the second year of Yongan, the Tang Country will implement the 'first Five-Year Plan,' using the power of the whole nation to develop industry, strengthen the military industry, promote education, build roads and bridges, extract minerals, and increase grain production. The term is five years; if the goals are not met, I will not abdicate."

His voice echoed across the vast plaza, every word nailing itself into the hearts of everyone present like a spike. The metal casing of the loudspeaker trembled slightly in the wind, but the words he spoke were as steady as a rock, without any tremor or hesitation.

"The core objectives of the plan are as follows—"

"First, steel production will triple within five years. From the current annual output of 300,000 tons, it will be increased to 1.2 million tons."

"Second, coal production will double within five years. From the current annual output of 5 million tons, it will be increased to 15 million tons."

"Third, railway mileage will exceed 5,000 kilometers within five years. Initially forming the three major railway trunk networks of North China, East China, and Central China."

"Fourth, establish no fewer than ten institutions of higher learning, cultivating no fewer than 50,000 professional talents. Simultaneously launch a universal basic education plan, ensuring the enrollment rate of school-age children nationwide reaches over forty percent within five years."

"Fifth, the number of main naval warships will double, the Army will fully achieve heavy equipment status, and the Air Force will establish no fewer than five Aviation Squadrons."

"Sixth, grain production will increase by fifty percent based on the current level, achieving basic grain self-sufficiency through the promotion of improved seed varieties, water conservancy construction, and fertilizer manufacturing."

Li Ling read the last word, slowly lowered the document in his hand, and his gaze swept across every face below.

He saw the lips of Minister of Rites Shen Zhibai moving slightly, as if silently repeating those numbers; he saw the light in the eyes of Zhang Zhidong, a light of excitement and hope; he saw Patriarch Lin Xiaolian take a deep breath, as if digesting that huge goal of "tripling steel production"; he saw Princess Zaiyi nodding slightly, a hint of determination appearing in her eyes.

He saw too many complex expressions—excitement, shock, skepticism, anticipation, worry—all kinds of emotions intertwined on thousands of faces, like a silent storm brewing.

"Some may feel that these goals are too big, too distant, and too difficult." Li Ling's voice sounded again, even steadier and more powerful than before, "I do not deny it. Increasing steel production from 300,000 tons to 1.2 million tons within five years is indeed an unprecedented challenge. But I can tell you—five years ago, when I began training troops in Jiangning Prefecture, I only had three thousand men and a few broken guns. If someone had told me back then that five years later I would be able to defeat the United Fleet, establish the Tang Country, and marry four wives, I wouldn't have believed it myself."

A low chuckle came from below the stage, and the atmosphere relaxed slightly.

"But I did it." Li Ling's gaze became sharp, and his voice rose accordingly, "It was not by luck, not by fate, but by walking step by step, hammering blow by blow, and cutting stroke by stroke. The Five-Year Plan is the same—no one will complete it for us, only we ourselves can. Every railway, every blast furnace, every school, every warship, we must build them ourselves."

"I assure you—five years from now, when you look back on today, you will feel that these goals were not only met but exceeded." Li Ling's voice grew higher and higher, and the last sentence was almost shouted, "Because I have already seen that day! I have seen railways reaching every provincial capital, seen the light of blast furnaces illuminating every city, and heard the sound of children reading echoing through every village! Those images are already in my mind, and now I want to turn them into reality!"

"Are you willing to join me in turning those images into reality?"

After a brief silence, a deafening roar erupted in the plaza.

"Willing!"

"We are willing to die for Your Majesty!"

"Long live the Tang Country!"

The shouts came in waves, one higher than the last, echoing in the plaza in front of Taihe Hall, shaking the snow on the eaves so that it fell with a rustling sound, and causing the distant city walls to tremble slightly.

The wind blew across the plaza, carrying those sounds to further places—to the fields outside the city, to the ports by the river, and to the railway construction sites currently under development.

Li Ling stood on the imperial dais, looking at the excited faces below, feeling the vibration coming from under his feet—that was the resonance produced by thousands of people stomping and shouting at the same time.

He suddenly felt that everything he had done since transmigrating to this world over five years ago was condensing into a clear and solid shape at this very moment.

Those blueprints, those steel ingots, those guns and cannons, those warships, were no longer cold objects, but a living, breathing dream.

"System." He said softly in his heart.

"Hmm?"

"Look, they are shouting."

[The system sees it. Host, this sound is more precious than one hundred Dreadnoughts.]

After the announcement ceremony ended, Li Ling did not return to the palace to rest but went directly to the Production Base.

He changed into a dusty work uniform, put on a hard hat, and walked into the bustling factory workshop.

Fritz was instructing several young Chinese technicians on how to operate the electroslag remelting furnace, and when he saw Li Ling enter, he immediately came forward to greet him.

"Your Majesty! Why are you here? We are still debugging here, and it's very dusty." Although Fritz said this, the smile on his face could not be hidden.

He rubbed his hands, which were covered in machine oil, and pointed toward the furnace, "You came just in time; the first batch of trial samples of improved armor steel just came out, and I was about to send them for testing."

"I came specifically to see this." Li Ling followed him toward the testing room.

As they passed through rows of operating machine tools, he saw several young Chinese technicians surrounding a precision measuring instrument, using German and gestures to communicate something with a German engineer.

The engineer looked helpless, and could only explain the operating steps of the instrument by speaking and gesturing.

The technicians listened attentively, nodding from time to time, and some even took out small notebooks to take notes.

"How are these kids?" Li Ling asked Fritz, his gaze sweeping over those young technicians—the oldest looked to be only in his early twenties.

"Very good, better than I expected." Fritz pushed up his glasses, his tone serious, "They learn things very quickly and are not afraid of hardship. Yesterday, a young man stayed by the furnace for six hours just to figure out a set of quenching data, without even eating. I told him to go rest, and he said, 'Master, if you can squat here for a whole day, why shouldn't I be able to?'"

Li Ling's footsteps paused slightly, then he continued walking forward, but the curve of his mouth could no longer be hidden.

In the testing room, a piece of armor steel plate that had just come off the production line lay quietly on the workbench, its surface polished, gleaming with a blue-gray luster under the lights.

Fritz walked to the front of the table, picked up a sample, placed it on the hardness tester, operated it a few times, then turned to look at the reading meter and remained silent for five seconds.

"Your Majesty," he turned his head, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement, "The tensile strength of this steel has improved by another eight percent compared to the previous batch. If we continue to optimize at this speed, the finished products we deliver in three months will have performance more than fifteen percent higher than the initial design specifications."

Li Ling walked to the workbench, also picked up a sample, and weighed it in his hand.

The cold, hard touch came through his fingertips, carrying the heavy texture unique to metal.

He gently stroked the edge of the steel plate, feeling the subtle sharp corner.

"Mr. Fritz," he said, "do you know what this represents?"

Fritz nodded vigorously: "It represents that the armor protection capability of future Tang Country warships will exceed any warship currently in service. At the same thickness, our armor is harder, tougher, and more resistant to hits."

"No." Li Ling put down the steel plate, turned to look at him, his gaze calm yet burning, "It represents that the Five-Year Plan is not a slogan, but a concrete first step."

He walked out of the testing room, stood at the factory entrance, and watched the setting sun falling outside.

The snow had stopped, the horizon was dyed orange-red, the chimneys in the distance were still emitting white smoke, and the lights in the factory buildings lit up one after another, enveloping the entire industrial zone in a warm glow.

"System."

[Hmm?]

"You recorded everything I shouted today, right?"

[Everything was recorded. Every word, every pause, every second of resonance.]

"Good." Li Ling took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs, refreshing his entire spirit, "Keep the recording safe. Five years from now, I want to hear for myself how much of the boasting I did has actually been realized."

He turned around and strode into the twilight.

Behind him, the machines in the industrial zone were still roaring, and the welding sparks flickered like stars in the night sky.

That was the heartbeat of this ancient nation moving toward the future, one beat after another, louder and faster, like war drums, like thunder, like a new era tearing open the curtain of the old world, walking toward the world step by step.

In the distance, the outline of the city walls of Jiangning Prefecture gradually blurred in the twilight, but the flags with the character "Tang" on the city walls were still rustling in the wind, as if bearing witness to this Five-Year Plan that had just begun.

This nation would eventually, like the young man who stood on the imperial dais reading the plan, walk out its own trajectory step by step.

It has already begun.