"Aiya... That's a big deal. It's almost the end of the season, we need to plant the crops in time. I wonder if your farm tools, seeds, and workers are already in place?"
"Ah... How to prepare?"
Zhang Xiaoqiang, as an otaku before the apocalypse, as a leader who relied on his own strength to grow, had a straightforward way of talking, and unconsciously fell into Qian Kaixi's trap.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Huang Tingwei couldn't help coughing behind Zhang Xiaoqiang. Everyone looked at Huang Tingwei, but Huang Tingwei said to Zhang Xiaoqiang, "Vice-captain, Officer Zhang has made arrangements, and Manager Wang is also speeding up the production of farming tools..."
Zhang Xiaoqiang was even more confused. Wasn't Wang Le modifying the ship? When did he start to make hoes?
Qian Kaixi saw Huang Tingwei's interruption and knew that it was not good. He hurriedly said, "Haha... Officer Zhang is really far-sighted. It seems that you will be busy for a while. There is a lot of land here, and it will take a lot of people to farm it manually..."
Zhang Xiaoqiang didn't even think about farming, it was not in line with his plan. The colony was not what he wanted. It was next to 8 million zombies, and even if it was temporarily safe, it would still be dangerous. This place could only be a bridgehead, and the women and children he took in would eventually have to be transferred to the base. The island could accommodate 3,000 to 5,000 people, and he didn't need the land next to the lake?
"Well... We have a plan for the next step, and I'm afraid we don't have to worry about the land next to the lake..."
Zhang Xiaoqiang thought for a long time, and finally felt that there was no need to waste his manpower and resources on this land. If they were to talk about farming, wouldn't there be more land on the other side of the river?
Huang Tingwei was speechless, he knew what Zhang Xiaoqiang was thinking. Zhang Xiaoqiang didn't care about the land at all, and Zhang Xiaoqiang's final goal was the big ship. As long as they had the big ship, they could travel in the middle and lower reaches of the river, and they could land on any side of the river, and indirectly control the middle and lower reaches of the river.
"How can this work?
How can this work?
This can't work... "
Qian Kaixi shook his head, but his objection didn't cause Zhang Xiaoqiang any displeasure. From Zhang Xiaoqiang's point of view, Qian Kaixi was worried for himself. People were like this, once someone was worried for you, you would let down your guard and start listening to their opinions.
From the beginning, Qian Kaixi was able to create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, linking them and Zhang Xiao Qiang together as a common enemy. At this time, he used the identity of a long-time friend to worry for Zhang Xiao Qiang, successfully changing the probability from the identity of the intruder to the identity of the invited. The source of the change was that he became the smiling man in the name of voluntary help.
"I can't do anything about this... energy is limited, and manpower is limited. Do you expect us to rely on a few thousand women and children to complete this work? Time is too tight, and besides, we don't lack food anymore..."
Zhang Xiaoqiang also let go and said what he was thinking. When he said it, Qian Kaixi keenly noticed a few key words: limited manpower, no lack of food, and the previous next step of the plan. He could tell that Zhang Xiaoqiang's target was not the gathering place, but something else.
Zhang Xiaoqiang was good at making decisions and liked to make decisions on his own. There was a kind of decisiveness in his words, which was completely different from Zhang Huai'an's humming and ha-ha-ha, saying everything except the important things. Zhang Huai'an's slickness and the way he spoke allowed Qian Kaixi to see through Zhang Huai'an's character, but he couldn't take advantage of him. On the other hand, he saw the dawn of victory in Zhang Xiaoqiang.
"Brother Zhang, it's not that I want to criticize you, but you only see what is in front of you, not the long term. You reap what you sow. The more you sow, the more fertile the land gets. If you can grow crops this year, you can grow crops next year. This is a treasure.
How about this, Brother, you go to the gathering place and recruit people to farm. If there is anything you need, just tell me. Even if we have to tighten our belts, we will lend you some first. When the harvest comes, we will add 20% interest. "
Qian Kaixi's role began to change again, from Zhang Xiaoqiang's old friend to a speculator. Zhang Xiaoqiang was a little moved and began to hesitate. Zhang Xiaoqiang's hesitation gave Qian Kaixi a big fright. If Zhang Xiaoqiang really agreed, wouldn't he be asking for trouble?
He shouldn't be so full of himself.
Zhang Xiaoqiang hesitated for a while and began to shake his head. He didn't have the energy to worry about this matter. They would have to leave in the end. Instead of developing the land by the lake, it would be better to focus on developing the island in the center of the lake. With the island in the center of the lake, he would be able to control the whole lake, and the specialty products of the lake could at least feed 100,000 people.
"Looks like Brother, you really have something important to do. I won't try to persuade you. Brother, rent the land to us. Every year, when we harvest, we will hand over a portion to you. It might not be a lot, but it can be considered a token of our appreciation."
At this time, Qian Kaixi finally revealed the main purpose of today's visit. With the previous foreshadowing, he did not speak too abruptly. It was like pushing a boat with the current, and it was natural.
At this time, Zhang Xiaoqiang did not agree immediately. It was not that he was vigilant, but his nature was playing tricks on him. He did not want others to take advantage of his own land. After thinking about it, Zhang Xiaoqiang felt that it was inappropriate. He looked down on renting the land to them, and it seemed like he was letting them take advantage of him. The key was that the rent was not easy to negotiate. Qian Kaixi did not mention the amount, and he was embarrassed to ask for a high price. It seemed like he really did not lack that bit of rent.
Zhang Xiaoqiang stood up and walked towards the slope. The sudden change made Qian Kaixi and the rest scratch their heads in confusion. They could not help but follow behind Zhang Xiaoqiang to the slope. Unintentionally, the initiative that Qian Kaixi had created fell into the hands of Zhang Xiaoqiang.
Zhang Xiaoqiang stood on the slope and looked down at the large open space that extended to the lake. He then turned his head to look at the gathering place. The lake shore stretched far into the distance.
Looking at the vast land, Zhang Xiaoqiang was a little speechless. He did not think that he would have such a large piece of land under his name. How much manpower and material resources would it take to farm it? Then he thought of the chaotic entanglement of the three major forces and the many smaller forces in the gathering place. He suddenly became vigilant. If he rented the land to them, wouldn't they be accumulating for nothing? When they were strong enough, he would not be letting them grow stronger for nothing.
But the land was right here. If he did not rent it out, he could not use it. Could it be …
"You're treating me like an outsider … You're treating me like an outsider … Why are you talking about renting it or not? Just take it …"
Zhang Xiaoqiang said casually. Qian Kaixi's face bloomed into a smile. He still wanted to refuse and insist on paying some rent. Zhang Xiaoqiang spoke again, "Sigh … I know that the gathering place is tough … Seeing those poor people who have no food and clothing, seeing those corpses dying by the roadside, I feel bad. We are all from China, and it has not been easy for us to survive until now. I know that you all have your own difficulties, and I am not in a position to say anything. We can't feed too many people with our meager efforts.
Now that the fish have been eliminated, the lakeside is safe. As long as we find some food by the lakeside, they will not starve to death. It is fine now that it is summer, but when winter comes and food is scarce, won't the people die one by one?
So … I have decided to donate the land for free. Two-thirds of it will be given to the poor people, and one-third of it will be given to all the forces to be divided equally. Of course, the land will not be taken for free. You will provide some necessities to the poor people, and treat it as the use fee for the land. "
Qian Kaixi was stunned … The other three were stunned as well. They did not know that Zhang Xiaoqiang's thoughts would jump so far. He had pulled himself out of the equation in just a few moments, dug a hole in front of them, and asked them to jump into it themselves. What was even more ridiculous was that they had laid the groundwork before, so they had no choice but to jump into it.
To put it bluntly, it was very simple. Qian Kaixi was proficient in conversational skills, but he had always placed himself in a relatively weak position. He could not be really strong. The real strong one was Zhang Xiaoqiang. Zhang Xiaoqiang sat on the skull and looked at them coldly. They were also disarmed, so they naturally did not feel safe.
Without a sense of security, they could only focus on Zhang Xiaoqiang. Otherwise, even Sun Kefu did not dare to raise his head and only stared at his toes, which explained the problem. Qian Kaixi played the role of a glib fox in front of Zhang Xiaoqiang, while Zhang Xiaoqiang was a snoozing tiger.
The fox tried his best to persuade the tiger. The tiger was reminded by his own thoughts and went to patrol his territory. At this time, they followed behind Zhang Xiaoqiang, inadvertently causing Zhang Xiaoqiang to struggle out of the comfortable environment. These people were no longer the leaders who were on equal footing with him. They were just a group of pitiful people who had to rely on others.
In other words, they were the ones who distanced themselves from Zhang Xiaoqiang, giving Zhang Xiaoqiang a psychological hint that he had the final say here. Therefore, Zhang Xiaoqiang thought from the perspective of a superior, and finally came to the conclusion that none of them could gain any advantage. On the contrary, Zhang Xiaoqiang's decision could make him gain the love and respect of all the poor people. What Zhang Xiaoqiang gained was the hearts of the people, and what they gained was just a group of insignificant land.