Chapter 120 Can Zaun Be Independent?
Zaun is the most suitable area for the development of the Wind Leader in Runeterra, because it is a large industrial city with a population of 2 million:
There are a large number of economically disadvantaged, concentrated and militant workers here, providing fertile ground for class struggle;
It also has a mature light and heavy industrial system, and after independence it does not need to go through the painful primitive accumulation process of industrialization from an agricultural country to an industrial country.
"But with a little investigation, you will find that these are Zaun's advantages, but also Zaun's greatest disadvantages."
Lina introduced their findings to the male host, which was also the biggest dilemma that Zaun might face in the future:
"There are no rural areas in Zaun. The urbanization rate is 100%, and more than 2 million residents are industrial and commercial populations without any agricultural skills."
The Zuan family was all city dwellers, there were no farmers, and they didn’t even know how to use a hoe.
Once faced with the enemy's blockade and embargo, food supply problems arose and they would not be able to organize decent agricultural production in a short period of time.
If it were in other places in Runeterra, the leader could also organize and mobilize the urban population who were unemployed in large numbers due to blockades, embargoes, and industrial shutdowns, take them back to the countryside, farm the land, grit their teeth and survive the enemy's blockade, and build an independent industrial and agricultural system bit by bit.
But the problem is:
“This is Zaun. There is no agricultural land to be developed in Zaun.”
Open the map of Runeland and you will know:
There is a sea to the east and a sea to the west of Zuan;
To the north is Piltover, and further north are the northern mountains controlled by Noxus.
The south is also blocked by continuous mountains and the primitive jungle of Kumanggu.
Not only is this place mountainous and densely forested, uninhabited and difficult to develop, but there are also leopards that can turn into women, tribes of hunting lion dogs, thorn forests that eat people... and so on, all kinds of strange and bizarre things.
In other words, Zaan is blocked by natural barriers in the east, south, west and north, and its small size and narrow land make it unsuitable for agricultural development.
The few remaining wilderness areas had long been polluted by the wanton release of alchemical toxins and were unusable.
Even if the people of Zuan are willing to go to the countryside to farm, there is no land for them to farm.
"Zaun is too dependent on the international economic system dominated by Noxus, and we don't even have the natural conditions to break away from this dependence."
"Once Piltover and Noxus kick us out of their economic system and cut off our supply of raw materials and food, we will be strangled by the throat and suffocate in pain."
The problems Lina mentioned are not difficult to see clearly for anyone with insight.
But what Zuan lacks is such knowledgeable people.
Before this, the people of Zaun simply knew how to hate the Chem-Baron and the Piltover people, and hated these villains who exploited and oppressed them.
But no one has ever thought about how Zaun should develop and how to overcome its difficulties after defeating these big villains?
Everyone seems to just want to have a good fight, but has not thought about how to establish a pragmatic and reliable new order after overthrowing the old order.
Food supply issues, raw material import issues, commodity export issues, employment issues, pollution issues, industrial structure, industrial added value, and industrial chain complexity...
These problems will not disappear with the fall of the Alchemist Baron.
But no one in Zaun had ever considered these things, only the leaders had. They established an organization, designed a system, conducted social surveys, and began to fill in the gaps for Zaun.
"This..." The male owner of the house felt complicated after hearing this.
He was both impressed and frightened: "Ms. Lina, according to your investigation results, it seems that we don't have the confidence to offend Piltover and Noxus at all."
"Zuan...seems impossible to be independent."
"Yes, you can," said Lina, "but you have to kneel down."
If, after becoming independent, Zaun continues to sell cheap labor to Piltover, provide minerals and coal energy at low prices, and provide chemical raw materials and alchemical products at the cost of high pollution, then Piltover and Noxus may allow Zaun's independence.
“But what’s the difference between this and not having independence?”
Before independence, I dug coal and wove socks. After independence, I still dug coal and wove socks. Then, wasn’t my independence in vain?
"Does the leader have any way to solve this problem?" asked the host.
"Yes," Lina replied, "Zuan has no shortage of talented scientists and engineers, nor of experienced skilled workers. It is not difficult to improve productivity and achieve industrial upgrading."
"But Piltover won't allow it." The man asked sharply.
If the people of Zaun are unwilling to make parts and transform electric vehicles, they will be stealing Piltover's business.
As long as Piltover closes the ports and canals, it can strangle Zaun with raw materials and food.
By then, the people of Zaan won’t even have enough food to eat, so won’t they have to go back and do hard labor?
So, the people of Piltover are actually not afraid of Zaun’s independence at all.
Without economic sovereignty, even if becomes independent, it is only a fake independence with incomplete sovereignty.
So in the end, to solve this problem, we still have to rely on...
"This?" the host asked tentatively, placing his shotgun on the table.
"Ahem..." Lina immediately smiled and emphasized: "Sir, our leader's philosophy is 'non-violent non-cooperation'."
The man was also a smart man: "I understand, I understand... Piltover's combat power is limited... Uh, I mean, they might agree to 'cooperate'."
"What about Noxus behind Piltover?"
"Goddess Janna is on our side." Lina said, "Noxus will agree to 'cooperation' sooner or later."
"Is the goddess real?" the male host asked in surprise and joy.
"It's true." Lina didn't explain further: "Goddess Janna will come to the mortal world soon, you can wait and see."
"This..." The man hesitated.
It seems that he is not only a Janna believer who has mastered the theory by self-study, but also has the enthusiasm to devote himself to this great cause.
Then, the man turned his head and whispered to his wife: "Wife, do you think we should take the 'child' to Piltover to join these leaders?"
"Takeda has been sending people to look for us everywhere. Zaun is becoming less and less safe... but these people may be able to protect us."
"No!" the hostess objected vehemently.
Seeing that Lina and the others were curious and followed the reputation, she lowered her voice and said:
"How long have you known these leaders? What if they are not as good as described in the booklet?"
"Who knows if they will use that 'child' as a tool and weapon like Takeda Saito?"
The male host was also a little hesitant when he heard this.
But he still said: "No, I think these leaders are different from all the gangs and organizations we have seen."
Before today, he also had doubts about the leader .
But after reading Lina's "Zaan Investigation Handbook", the male protagonist realized the extraordinary nature of the Leader.
"If they were not true idealists and did not truly want to change the world, they would not have gone to the trouble to produce such a detailed social survey report."
The leaders are definitely not those sanctimonious "philanthropists" in the past who liked to use charity to embellish their facades.
Otherwise, they would just need to do some good things for show, and there would be no need to spend so much manpower and resources to conduct a social survey in Zaun.
"They are different." The man thought so.
"..."The hostess was gradually moved.
Their life in Zaun was not easy, and she certainly longed for a safe and reliable place to go.
"But we still need to observe more..." The hostess was still hesitating.
Outside the small building where the two lived, there suddenly came the roar of a motorcycle engine approaching like a tsunami.
"Oh no!" Upon hearing the voice, the man stood up reflexively.
He rushed to the window holding the modified shotgun, opened the curtains and looked out:
"It's Takeda Saito—"
"Takeda Saito's cybernetic transformation troops!"
The host and hostess' faces turned pale.
"What?" Lina and the others reacted cautiously in their confusion: "Baron Takeda's cybernetic transformation troops?"
After several weeks of investigation and practice, they can say that they know the situation of the major forces in Zaun well, if not completely.
Takeda Saito is a big gangster boss in Zaun, second only to Hilco and Renata.
The cybernetic transformation troops under his command are also one of the most elite armed forces in Zaun.
Lina and her teammates are aware of this.
But the enemy was so powerful. How could they find two small alchemists who lived in seclusion in the ditch area?
"Because we are not living in seclusion here, we are hiding here for refuge." The male host sighed helplessly.
Who would have thought that he was still struggling with whether to go to Piltover to join the Leader the previous second, and the next second he was in disaster and couldn't leave even if he wanted to.
At this point, there is no point in hiding it any longer:
"Actually, my wife and I used to be alchemy researchers working for Takeda Saito."
"In order to save the 'child' from the laboratory, we betrayed Takeda Saito and hid him in the Sump District."
"And these lackeys of Takeda Saito are probably coming for our 'children'."
"Your children?" Lina was puzzled.
"Well, his name is ZAC."
"Our son, Zach."
