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What kind of new policy is it if it doesn't kill off a few opponents?
"Ronan, what is state-owned?" Ambrina asked curiously.
“State-owned is your camp,” Ronan replied. “I am the state, and you will be the state in the future. Of course, for now, you belong to our great Majesty.”
“The factory will pool its funds to purchase some properties as collective ownership by the workers, which is the difference between it and privately owned factories,” Ronan added.
Giving workers shares in the factory directly, or making the means of production collective, was absolutely impossible for Ronan. This was not only because he was a reactionary feudal imperialist bureaucrat, but more importantly because he fundamentally did not agree with this idea.
He once said that factories inevitably experience both losses and profits, and that workers' shares could become worthless or even become hidden debts at any time.
The means of production are even more problematic; the machinery is outdated, and the factory land cannot be allocated, so it is actually still in the hands of the managers.
It's only reliable to distribute the cotton fields to other industries. For example, here, a textile factory pays to buy a portion of the ownership of a cotton field and distributes it to the workers. The factory doesn't belong to the workers, but the cotton field does.
Incidentally, we will also purchase a portion of the farm's ownership and transfer it to the workers' collective to provide them with inexpensive meat, eggs, and dairy products.
Of course, whether it's cotton fields or farms, they must all belong to collective farms.
This is how state-owned factories and collective farms were combined.
There are some more complex operations that Ronan will not go into detail about. For example, trade unions, which are used to incite the masses to fight each other, should be added. The hierarchy among workers should be clearly defined. Farmers' associations, which are used to control collective farms, should be added. Sufficient restrictions should be placed on farmers to ensure, through the system, that there is no unity among workers and peasants and that workers and peasants fight each other, thereby ensuring that bureaucrats and powerful figures hold the position of arbitrators.
The saying goes that each generation does its own thing. Ronan's job was to lead the powerful, the capitalists, and the bureaucrats; that was about all he could do.
These words definitely cannot be said to Dinia, or I'll surely get beaten up.
Ronan had long suspected that Dinia had a romantic revolutionary streak and was a dangerous person.
Ronan still remembers that not long after he arrived in the colony, Dinia took out a pen in front of him and wrote the word "history" on a piece of paper. "The pen represents the times, and I am the one who holds the pen and writes, but the word 'history' is carried by countless people. Without this paper, there is no history."
Going back to reality.
Ambrina clapped her hands; she liked Ronan's ability to both centralize power and bring benefits to the people.
Yvette also cast an approving glance; in terms of construction, Ronan was truly in a league of his own.
Dinia tapped her fingers lightly on her thigh twice. "One question: who will manage collective farms and state-owned factories?"
“Last August, when the indigenous people’s unrest began, I had already written to the King. Judging by the time, a group of young civil servants who used to be in charge of the collective farm in Xinhai City should arrive in a few days. As for the state-owned factories, of course, Your Excellency will be in charge of the overall situation, while I will be in charge of the specifics. The management team will be handed over to the people brought by Her Highness the Princess.”
Ronan had already made arrangements for this.
The collective farm was managed by civil servants who had previously worked in New Sea City. They were experienced, and coming to the colony was an opportunity for them; otherwise, given their background, their ceiling would have been the position Ronan had reached at the age of fifteen.
The state-run farm was handed over to the people who came with Ambrina. These people were actually the king's men, but they came from very ordinary backgrounds. They were either the sons of second- or third-rate small merchants, or illegitimate sons of noble families who had no right to inherit, and a few were civil servants who had some education but were stuck at the grassroots level with no hope of advancement.
However, Ronan thought this was a good thing, because these types of people are usually very motivated.
“Then let’s wait until they arrive, then hold a meeting to announce the plan,” Dinia decided.
At the same time that Dinia made her decision, thousands of miles away, in the royal palace of Palisto, the capital of the Kingdom of Phos.
King Lucien is reading Ronan's report.
The report details how Dinia accidentally uncovered Louis's treasonous plot to collude with people from the Villa colony during an indigenous uprising. She then secretly followed Louis with Ronan, and upon arriving, she witnessed Louis being murdered due to internal discord. Dinia then worked with Louis to clean up the mess and prevent further unrest in Louis's territory.
Then came Henry's story. Henry voluntarily relinquished his title and lands, but was manipulated by a vengeful Weylander who bribed Henry's old steward to set up a plot to murder Dinia.
Thanks to the combined efforts of Dinah and Ronan, the crisis was resolved. Henry, disheartened, insisted on relinquishing his title and lands, and donated a large sum of money before setting sail, only to be shipwrecked.
According to Ronan's account, none of the events were initiated by him or Dinah; they were all caused by Louis, Henry, the Villars, and the Weylanders.
Of course, Lucien could see perfectly that the so-called indigenous unrest was entirely orchestrated by Ronan, and the treason was also a fabrication by Ronan. However, Ronan framed the treason perfectly because the Villars actually killed several people, claiming that they were rebels who colluded with Louis and disrupted the peace between the two countries, thus completely confirming Louis's treason.
As for Henry, wasn't it Ronan who forced him into this? That old butler named Duden could never betray Henry.
“Excellent, you definitely made the right choice.” Lucien nodded in praise. Ronan’s performance was more than perfect, as he had taken down Louis and Henry in just six months, whereas Lucien had originally expected Ronan to take at least a year to complete the task.
At this moment, a middle-aged man approached Lucien, stood there with a smile, and said, "Your Majesty, the mission is complete." The one who spoke was none other than "Thousand Changes," whose true appearance was unknown to anyone.
"Understood," Lucien replied.
The so-called mission was to eliminate Ronan's mother and brother.
Although Ronan never intended to take his mother and brother back, King Lucien did so anyway.
Ronan was born into a noble family that migrated south a century ago. His family was small to begin with, his father died early, and now his mother and his slightly older brother are gone. All that is left are his two half-brothers and sister, who are teenagers, born after his mother remarried. He can be considered the perfect royal consort.
"Next up are those old stubborn folks."
Lucien already has his next goal.
There were a few old nobles who, although they had no power, were still quite famous and were particularly insistent on the aristocratic system. If Ronan wanted to marry Ambrina, they would definitely jump out to oppose it. Their reason was simply that Ronan's background was too low. Rather than waiting for them to come out and obstruct him later, it would be better to kill him now.
"After we get rid of them, that's when we'll face the real trouble."
Lucien sighed deeply.
His daughter, his wife, and the man who seemed flawless, yet all suspicions pointed to him—his elder brother.
"The last two years of my life have been so exciting, I have no regrets." A hint of the excitement that one only feels when pursuing women in one's youth appeared on Lucien's face.
Chapter 286 Limited Spots, Memories at the Grave, The Road Home
On the night the development plan was finalized, Dinia was drinking with Agustina in her room.
Agustina looked at Dinia with some surprise, because Dinia had obviously called her over to say something, but ten minutes had passed and Dinia still hadn't said a word.
Dinia took another big gulp of strong brandy, exhaling two long breaths with the smell of alcohol through her delicate nose, but still didn't speak.
Agustina couldn't hold back any longer and took the initiative to ask, "Captain, what is it? Tell me."
Dinia put down her glass. "You could try being a little more proactive with Ronan."
"Huh?" Agustina was completely stunned, and even wondered if Dinia was possessed by a demon, how could she say such a thing.
"Anyway, just listen to me. Besides, haven't you and him made some progress?" Dinia asked with a smile. Having said what she wanted to say, she felt much more relaxed now.
Agustina didn't know how to explain it for a moment. During the journey to the tower, she and Ronan did have some heart-to-heart talks, and after solving the mystery on the first floor of the tower, she and Ronan became a little intimate.
But is it really necessary for Dinya to say something like that?
"You'll find out when the time comes." Dinia didn't want to explain further; her words were actually related to the crystal skull skeleton.
When she and Ronan returned from Asgard, it wasn't that their souls returned to their bodies. Their bodies were fully restored, and they were still wearing the clothes they wore in Asgard. Clearly, their bodies formed in Asgard had been swapped with their original bodies, but she and Ronan didn't have time to think about such things.
Later, after Ronan and Nan studied the crystal skull transplant technique given to them by the numbered androids, they realized that the crystal skull was not simply a matter of solidifying the soul.
The crystal skull skeleton can also generate a corresponding body based on the soul.
Simply put, if you learn the Soul Transfer Technique, you can transfer your soul to another body. However, no matter what body it is, it will never be as compatible as the original body that has been constantly assimilated by your own "magic base". The new body will age rapidly and may even develop some unknown diseases.
But with the crystal skull skeleton, things are different. With it, the new body will gradually be assimilated by the soul, becoming indistinguishable from the original. In special circumstances, it might even directly generate a body, just like what happened to her and Ronan in Asgard.
However, for those who do not have the "original species", this process may take a while.
It's impossible for her and Ronan to be reborn almost instantly.
Even so, if a person has a crystal skull implanted and learns the art of soul transfer, then they can remain ageless.
Dinia wasn't in a hurry at first, but after Ambrina arrived, she suddenly realized that this was something she really couldn't afford to be in a hurry about.
There are ten crystal skull skeletons in total. She and Ronan have already taken two, leaving eight.
Ambrina is definitely involved. The Freigo family's bloodline is problematic. Apart from the founding monarch, Oran, no one has lived past sixty-five. Sixty-five is considered a long life for ordinary people, but for a high-ranking mage, it is a short life.
Ronan's two maids, Elena and Alice, who were actually his adopted daughters and lovers, would take up two more spots, leaving only five.
If Agustina doesn't secure a spot soon, she might run into trouble later.
After all, while Ronan wasn't as rotten as some of the nobles, it had to be admitted that he was very attractive to women, handsome, rich, powerful, and strong.
"Commander, you should definitely go first in this kind of thing."
Agustina said, half-jokingly, that she was unaware of Dinia's considerations.
“Go when I tell you to,” Dinia said firmly.
Agustina took a sip of her drink and said helplessly, "Captain, don't let my frequent jokes fool you, I'm almost thirty and I've never dated a man. I just can't do it."
“That’s your own business,” Dinia said impatiently. “He’s in heat 24/7 as long as he’s not working. You can just go directly to him.”
Agustina fell into deep thought.
"Alright, I'm going to sleep. You can go back now." Dinia told Agustina to leave.
Agustina suddenly smiled. "Captain, how about we practice?"
"Get out!" Dinia hissed, throwing Agustina out.
With a bang, Agustina burst out of the window.
At the same time, with a loud rumble, on the other side of the sea, within the territory of the Kingdom of Villa, on a hill, it was a rainy night with lightning and thunder.
A man dressed in white, standing out starkly against the dark, rainy night, held an oil-paper umbrella and stood before a magnificent tomb. Then, a flash of lightning illuminated the tombstone, along with the young and handsome Eastern face of the man in white.
Francis Bravo Flag Lopez.
“Sacred calendar 1498-1565”.
"Courage and elegance went with him."
The man in white picked up a bottle of wine, flicked his finger as if slicing open the bottle with a sharp blade, took a swig, and then poured the rest of the wine in front of the tomb. "This is how it is in our country," he said.
After saying that, he brought out a seafood rice dish and placed it in front of the grave. "Old friend, this was your favorite seafood rice dish. The owner of that shop has changed to Juan's son, but the taste hasn't changed. Although you no longer enjoy food and lost that courage that rivals youth and that eternally elegant demeanor after I caused you to pursue immortality, I still want to use this to commemorate you and the time we spent as friends."
“I still remember the year I came to Villa. As the Duke, you invited me to dinner for the first time at that little open-air restaurant by the sea. You were nothing like the barbaric and hypocritical Westerners I had ever met. Alas, what a pity…”
"I'm going back now. I have things to do." With that, the man in white turned and left.
The rain suddenly intensified, and the man in white stopped, looking up into the distance. He thought of the man and woman mentioned in the intelligence report, "People favored by fate? No, they should be said to be people who create their own fate."
Ronan's relationship with the Heidi people is that Dinia was born with the original species, which can be said to be fate, but everything they subsequently gained was due to their own actions, and these actions made them immortal at this age.
"Perhaps in the future, we will meet again, as those who create destiny and those who try to rewrite it."
After a sigh, the man in white left.
He was the one who rewrote his destiny. Fate always mocked him mercilessly, but what did it matter?
After walking a few steps, the man in white turned back to look at the tombstone again. "Youth is truly wonderful."
In his youth, he left behind some arrogant words before leaving that tower, but now he would never do that again.
He's getting old.
Now, he wants to return to that distant Eastern country to continue what he has been working on and to rekindle the passion of his youth.
Chapter 287 Progress, Incognito, a Good Citizen
More than three months have passed in the blink of an eye, and it's now early June, with the weather gradually warming up.
In the morning, on Ronan's large bed, a naked Ronan and Ambrina, dressed in a light gauze nightgown, were performing oral sex on each other in a 69 position. Over the past few months, they had tried every position except for penetration, but Ambrina seemed to have a special fondness for the 69 position.
Seemingly because of watching it all the time last night, Ambrina was putting in extra effort this time, swallowing it as deeply as possible each time, as if she wanted to swallow the whole thing.
Last night, after sensing that Ambrina was gradually getting used to the situation, Ronan revealed his more primal side, brutally taking advantage of Elena and Alice twice in front of her. Afterwards, Elena collapsed on her back, her long, disheveled golden hair spread out on the sheets, her toes loosely spread in her black stockings. Alice lay face down, her hands gripping the sheets tightly, her small, round buttocks and slender thighs, encased in torn white stockings, twitched and trembled for a long time, her tender vulva opening opening and closing like a hole from which a radish had been pulled.
Afterwards, the two went back to their respective rooms.
Ronan's large bed could actually fit four people, but Ambrina had a peculiar sleeping habit: she would lie sideways in her sleep and kick people, so the large bed could only barely fit her and Ronan.
Soon after, Ronan ejaculated. He had come four times the night before, so by morning there wasn't much, and it wasn't thick either. The already skilled Ambrina swallowed it all.
After resting for a while, Ronan got up. "Let's go. Take a shower and change your clothes. We still need to accompany her on her incognito visit later."
She is Dinia, of course; this was decided a few days ago.
Three months ago, the development plan was finalized. Two months later, the funds and equipment were basically in place, and a month has passed since the colony's large-scale development plan was fully launched.
Of the five state-owned factories proposed by Ronan, all except the textile mill have already begun production.
There was no way around it; even though Ronan understood the principles of the steam engine, could draw up blueprints, and had conducted numerous experiments intermittently over more than a decade, it was still not something that could be accomplished in just a few months.
Textile mills without steam engines could not compete with the local textile industries of the Western Continent.
However, the glass factory and bone china factory are doing relatively well.
The glass factory was surprisingly simple, because the glassmaking technology of that era was already quite good. Ronan had only added a few things, which didn't even qualify as innovation.
The bone china factory's technology was, of course, developed by Ronan. They introduced an assembly line production model, dividing the production process into dozens of steps, including clay digging, transporting, mixing, and shaping, thus fixing the work rhythm and implementing unified management. This improved efficiency and also facilitated the preservation of the technology.
Porcelain is extremely profitable in the Western Continent.
The food factory was very simple. Since meat and fruit were practically free in the New World, they made dried meat and dried fruit to sell to the military as military rations.
The same goes for leather factories. Fur can be said to be one of the core industries in the New World, but the New World only tans the hides and then sells them to the Western Continent, with others making the lion's share.
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