Chapter 9, How many devices is freedom worth?
Old Butch had mixed feelings.
As he gets older and experiences more hardships, and he has been shouldering the safety of the entire Feidong Society, it is inevitable that he will overthink and be suspicious about everything.
In his opinion, the hundreds of people in the Waste Cave Society gathered together in the dangerous wasteland for survival. No matter what situation you encounter, it is better to think more and be more cautious, even if you miss many opportunities, than to take a wrong step and be doomed.
He was extremely grateful that the Governor General had brought troops to rescue them. Without external help, they would all have died.
But to be honest, what he hoped most was that the governor would bring his troops to kill all the bandits and then leave. Even if they had to pay a higher price, that was fine. He thought of the worst case scenario, which was to double the tax in two years, which might cause half of the people in Feidong Society to starve to death, but it was better than all of them dying.
But now, not only did the Governor not ask them to pay anything, he was willing to give them more, which made Old Butch very worried.
No cost at all may mean the biggest cost.
After listening to Gu Hang's speech, he couldn't help but feel excited and cheered along with the crowd.
Of course, what the Governor said was what he expected and what he dreamed of.
but……
Is it really possible?
The people of Feidong Society have nothing but their strength. They have no skills, no equipment, and even the resources such as mines are abandoned mines before the war. The reserves are small and the mining is very difficult. If there is a good quality mineral vein, how can it fall into their hands?
How can they pursue a better life?
Old Butch couldn't even imagine it.
He didn't want this to happen, but he couldn't help but think of the worst. He felt that Gu Hang was just fooling them with what he said, and that in the future he might sell them off as slaves or something.
But he is no longer the leader of Feidong Society.
The current leader, Patel, seemed to be brainwashed, and fanatically believed in the words of the Governor. After the Governor's speech, the boy was so excited that he went there at the Governor's beckoning, saying that he wanted to discuss the subsequent development of Feidong Society.
"I was sold and still helped others count money!"
Old Butch could only return to his cramped, musty little space, feeling depressed.
He didn't feel depressed for long before there was a knock on his door.
The door opened and Patel walked in.
The room was dark. Patel asked, "Why don't you turn on the lights?"
"Save a little."
"As the Governor said, a happy life cannot be achieved by saving money."
"Haha, you're talking about the Governor all the time now."
“He saved us.”
"I never denied it."
"He will bring us a bright future."
"Uh-huh." Old Butch said perfunctorily. He had given up trying to persuade Patel.
Now that things have come to this, what else can we do?
To be honest, Feidong Society has no power. Even if Patel listens to him, what can he do? Can he still resist the Governor?
Thinking of this, he became even more disheartened. He asked with a dull look, "Why did you come to see an old man like me instead of discussing the big plan with the Governor?"
"We've already discussed it. I'm here to ask for your help."
“So soon?”
"The Governor is very particular about efficiency."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Lead our people to the surface and build a settlement. We can't live in the mines for so long. The poor living environment will bring us diseases."
"but……"
Old Butch was hesitant.
It would be great to be able to live on the surface, but who wants to live in the mine? In fact, the Feidong Society had planned to move to the surface before, and they had a camp on the surface.
Then, he was beaten by the "Prisoners of the Dead". The dozens of people who were captured were also captured from the surface camp.
The surface is too dangerous, and Feidong Society cannot defend it with its capabilities.
"I know what you are worried about." Patel said, "But we have the power to protect ourselves. The Governor will leave a hundred mechanical servants here to take charge of the defense. At the same time, a hundred sets of soldier equipment will be delivered, and people will be selected from the Feidong Society to equip a company!"
Now it was old Butch's turn to be surprised.
He felt that the governor was fooling him, but he didn't expect that the governor could do one of his promises so immediately.
No, it should be two.
Arming Feidong Society’s own soldiers so they can protect themselves is one thing; building houses on the surface and improving living conditions is another.
The change is immediate.
Old Butch had no way of shirking his responsibility in this matter.
But he was curious about another point: "You want me to help build the surface camp, so what do you do?"
It can't be military training. The governor will definitely send someone to take charge of this kind of thing. Not to mention military power, even if Feidong Society were to do it themselves, no one in their group would be able to do it.
"As for me..." Patel smiled mysteriously and stopped keeping the secret. "I want to build our own production line. New mining machines will be delivered, as well as alloy smelting furnaces. The Governor will not only help us improve the efficiency of mineral mining, but also directly build a production line for the production of alloy plastic steel!"
Hearing this, Old Butch was so surprised that he was speechless.
Building an army and returning to the surface to live are all good things, but to be frank, they are just illusions. How can Feidong Society afford a decent army on its own? Doesn't it still need to rely on the Governor for blood transfusion?
This is the core reason for Old Butch's pessimistic attitude. If the Waste Cave Society wants to live a good life, it must have sufficient value. He never expects others to give blood transfusions to the Waste Cave Society for free and unlimitedly, which is impossible.
Even if it is just to win people's hearts temporarily, it is for the greater good. Whether it is to build a reputation or have a darker plan, it is not a good thing.
But now, he knew he was wrong, extremely wrong.
Indeed, Gu Hang would not give unlimited and free blood transfusion to Feidong Society. He did have something to ask of Feidong Society. However, what he needed was something that Feidong Society could not afford at the moment.
But it doesn't matter, Gu Hang can make Feidong Society develop. When their productivity increases, their own value becomes higher, and they can afford the price Gu Hang wants.
Of course, by that time, the debt that Feidong Society owed Gu Hang might be far more than just a life-saving favor.
But old Butch enjoyed it.
This opportunity was what he had always dreamed of.
He was already fully alert, and his previous worries had long been thrown out of his mind: "When will we start?"
Patel asked jokingly: "You said before that it was a disaster, not a blessing? And what about losing freedom?"
Old Butch's face turned red, and he said stubbornly, "You little brat, you know nothing! Is our freedom worth more than the equipment that the Governor got?"
"Hahahaha!" Seeing his uncle's attitude change 180 degrees, Patel also laughed out loud.
This is not to laugh at the uncle, this is to be happy for the future fate of all of them.
(End of this chapter)
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