After the fifth day of the lunar new year, Lu Yu and the others still hadn't returned. By this time, Bai Shuang was certain that something had happened to him.

If someone didn't come back for the Chinese New Year, it could be due to a delay along the way, but if they haven't returned by the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, that's not normal.

During her last phone call with Lu Yu, she could feel his eagerness to return home. She refused to believe he hadn't encountered any trouble.

Too fast a speed, run aground? Impossible, the submarine shelters at the Kyoto base wouldn't be damaged even if they ran aground.

A storm at sea? That's even more impossible; we can withstand storms on Earth.

A mutated octopus in the sea? A giant mutated shark? But what kind of mutated animal could withstand artillery fire?

The only possibility is that they will be surrounded and blocked by other forces.

The peace that has prevailed at the Huaxia base recently may be due to him taking other forces to distant places.

Even though they had no shortage of food and weapons, they only had a few hundred people and two submarines.

Bai Shuang sought out Wang Ying.

She was a veteran, a high-ranking officer, and very knowledgeable in military matters; Bai Shuang still wanted to hear her opinion.

"Aunt Wang, I'd like to arrange for someone to go find Lu Yu and the others."

"That's fine. If something happens and we find them, we can help. If nothing happens, we can just consider it as going out to find our compatriots."

If there's anything I can do for you, Auntie, please don't hesitate to ask.

Bai Shuang nodded, "That's what I think too. I want Deputy Chief Zhu to go."

He offended me last time, so I'm sending him to atone for his sins through meritorious service.

“He talked to me once before the New Year. I felt that I had subdued him, that he was afraid, and that he had already regretted it.”

Given the opportunity, he would definitely put in all his effort to find and help.

Aunt Wang nodded, "That's right. Nobody's perfect. Sometimes, mistakes can happen in the blink of an eye."

In addition, we should trust Lu Yu's judgment.

He's been able to stay with Lu Yu for so long, so he must be capable. He might have his own agenda, but he wouldn't betray the overall direction.

Now that we've confirmed our idea is correct, there's no time to lose.

"Xiao Zhao, please ask Deputy Chief Zhu to come see me."

"The base is looking for me?"

Mr. Zhu arrived quickly. He gave a military salute and asked Bai Shuang.

He's quite humble now; it seems some people only listen when they're disciplined.

"Here's a chance to redeem yourself. Will you take it?"

"As long as it is within Zhu's capabilities, I am willing to share the burden for the base commander."

"Take some men and go find Lu Yu and the others."

"As you command!"

“You’re driving a large RV. It’s not about having a lot of people, but about having a skilled and capable crew. You’re a military strategist, so you should understand this better than I do.”

Bai Shuang hesitated for a moment, "Would a thousand elite soldiers be enough for you?"

"One submarine cabin and a thousand elite soldiers are enough."

"Here's more, enough weapons and enough food for half a year. Whether you can be reinstated depends on your performance."

Mr. Zhu was very excited, "Thank you so much, Base Chief!"

After Mr. Zhu left, Bai Shuang gave Xiao Zhao some advice.

"Have someone keep watch along the way, just in case. Don't disturb them unless it's a major incident."

After all, there was a conflict last time, and we're still in the observation period, so we can't completely let go.

After they left, Bai Shuang felt a little more at ease.

Next, Bai Shuang handed over full authority over military deployment to Staff Officer Han and Commander Liu, intending to focus all her energy on base production and development.

Since Fang Yu has taken those bandits away and brought peace to the base, she can't let him down no matter what.

She wanted him to come back and see harmony, prosperity, and development—a well-ordered home.

Inside the base, 90% of the resources are focused on spring plowing.

Besides necessary defense and patrols, soldiers also devoted a large portion of their time to production.

Increase the area of ​​afforestation and pastureland.

In addition to sheep and rabbits, some pigs, cattle, horses, and ostriches are also released to be raised.

Chicken feed needs more grain, but let's wait until we have enough grain before deciding.

In addition to planting all the cultivated land from last year, we also need to continue developing new land and increasing the planting area.

The cultivated land no longer needs Lingjia Spring water; with farmyard manure, the crops will grow well.

But the new land still needs the spring water, just like last year.

Otherwise, there will be no harvest for two years. If things go well, there might be some harvest in the third year, but not much, and the fertilizer will need to be sufficient.

This year, Bai Shuang plans to at least double the planting area. If all goes well, the problem of food will be solved after this year's harvest, and some can be stored.

We'll plant some more cotton, and the textile and garment factories will also get started this year.

It's impossible to completely solve the clothing problem, but it will certainly be much better.

In terms of population, they also brought in young and healthy foreign women from outside the base to achieve a gender balance.

Some younger men with higher education and technical skills were also recruited.

The Babylonians also performed exceptionally well, working diligently in the agricultural areas.

Minister Hong set up a special group for them, with their own people serving as group leaders, each responsible for a specific area, creating a competition between them and other groups to see which group performed better.

It's equivalent to contracting out to a group, where you not only receive wages and points, but also a share of the total income after the crops are harvested, and everyone gets a share.

The top three groups with the highest yields not only receive commissions but also bonuses, while the bottom three receive only salary points without commissions.

This greatly increased everyone's enthusiasm for work. Without any prompting, groups were eager to catch up and compete with each other.

Neither the team leader nor the team members want someone who is cunning and deceitful.

When there was a severe shortage of manpower during the busy farming season, Bai Shuang would also send Huang Xing outside the base to recruit people from other countries for temporary employment.

Let them salvage the mutated animals and plants from the sea, then sterilize them at high temperatures, mix them with the soil, and ferment them to make fertilizer.

Because with the increase in land area, there is a significant gap in fertility.

Soil needs organic matter; otherwise, the yield will not be high.

They are provided with meals and earn points, which they can exchange for food at the base.

However, there are no plans to grant them citizenship yet.

We'll have to wait until most of the Chinese have returned and we've assessed the population situation at the base before making a decision.

Bai Shuang also needs to find two women of good character at the base who are knowledgeable in early childhood education, to train them early so they can take care of her children in the future.

At that time, they will only need to come to work during the day, and Bai Shuang will bring her own at night.

She's had her personal space frozen for over a year and hasn't used it much, so it's perfect for her child.

Within that space, she could control anything with her consciousness at will.

In other words, she won't need to get up to feed the baby in the future. She can just reach out and the baby will be in her arms, and then reach out again and the bottle will be in her hand. It won't affect her rest much.

She plans to breastfeed herself as long as she has enough breast milk.

Compared to cow's milk, breast milk has a more balanced nutritional profile. It contains substances such as immunoglobulins, which can enhance an infant's immunity; and substances such as taurine, which aid in brain development.

As Bai Shuang had predicted, Lu Yu was indeed surrounded.