Ding Yun had spent eleven full years preparing, so many foundational industries had already been established. Even high-yield seeds, various fertilizers and pesticides, and agricultural machinery had been cultivated and mass-produced during these eleven years.
What was needed now was merely promotion, so the pace of overall agricultural reform was undoubtedly swift.
So swift that in just three years, the per-mu yield of grain in countries worldwide increased fivefold. The per-mu yield of several high-yield grain varieties easily surpassed ten thousand catties. Livestock breeding volume increased tenfold, and grain prices were more than halved.
This led to the problem of low prices harming farmers.
Countless farmers went bankrupt and sold their land due to the excessively low grain prices.
Then, Ding Yun provided them with job opportunities.
In summary, Ding Yun was promoting large-scale land consolidation. On one hand, this made it convenient to sell various pesticides, fertilizers, and agricultural machinery to wealthy land consolidators, helping them establish large-scale manor farming. This not only increased specific per-mu yields but also reduced labor consumption.
On the other hand, it provided a large labor force that could be absorbed into factories, promoting industrialization.
Although the process was somewhat brutal, this was the path of transformation. Moreover, Ding Yun had greatly shortened the transformation process. Fortunately, her preparatory work and planning were sufficient, so no major problems arose. A job that provided food and lodging was enough to temporarily placate those dispossessed farmers.
Coupled with the drop in grain prices, the prices of various livestock and meat also fell. Abundant basic living necessities and low prices were enough for them to support their entire families through normal work, and their daily lives were even better than when they farmed.
This wasn't to say Ding Yun was particularly benevolent, but rather that with more abundant resources, life felt easier and better.
After developing like this for a few years,
New conflicts arose.
The old aristocracy habitually lived off unearned income and easily plundered others' fortunes, leading to irreconcilable conflicts with the emerging factory owners. Conflicts between some stingy factory owners and their workers also began to erupt.
The appearance of firearms gradually rendered the martial artists patronized by the old aristocracy obsolete.
Some insightful individuals could already see that
A new era was about to emerge.
Ding Yun took the lead by establishing various rules beneficial to workers, such as minimum wage, maximum daily working hours, a system of rest days, compensation for work-related injuries and illnesses, and retirement pension schemes.
Of course, the initial standards were not high.
But compared to other factories, these were unprecedentedly good deeds. Upon the news of these policies, Ding Yun gained immense prestige among the entire worker class. The workers in all her factories developed a strong sense of cohesion and collective identity.
Following Ding Yun's actions, most factory owners with some foresight chose to follow suit. After all, they knew that being merely factory owners was not enough to contend with the old aristocracy. Only factory owners with the support of tens of thousands of workers behind them could fight against them.
If they didn't offer some benefits to the workers, why would the workers stand with the factory owners? Only by making the workers a community of shared interests could everyone truly unite and fight against the old aristocracy.
Thus, they could gain more influence.
And even secure policies favorable to them.
What followed was a period of prolonged chaos, which could be called the period of transformation, the period of power transfer, or the period of social system change. It was a transition from the old feudal system to various new, more liberal systems. This transition was not uniform. Some countries' monarchs were more amenable and willing to accept change, resulting in a relatively gentler transition, perhaps just a reduction in power and a hint of constitutional monarchy.
Some countries' monarchs were more brutish and tried to resist head-on, leading to them being sent to the guillotine.
In some countries, under the guidance of some of Ding Yun's disciples and with her assistance, the old aristocracy and old systems were overthrown entirely, ushering in a new era.
In essence, hope was born amidst the chaos.
The social systems and development of each country varied, but this was appropriate. Ding Yun herself was unsure which system would be best suited for this society, so it was better to let a hundred flowers bloom and progress together. With gradual development, it would naturally become clear which system was superior.
Of course, to maintain this situation, Ding Yun had to expend considerable effort. Just to prevent large-scale wars of annihilation, Ding Yun had intervened countless times behind the scenes and killed numerous ambitious individuals.
Although war could spur technological breakthroughs, the technological foundations of the countries were not yet stable. This was not organic technological germination but rather forced growth initiated by Ding Yun. Therefore, large-scale wars at this juncture would be purely detrimental and unlikely to yield any significant technological leaps, so Ding Yun naturally had to control the situation.
Next was the expansion of education. In a relatively peaceful social environment, the scope of education was broadened. The second, third, and fourth batches of disciples gradually emerged, either excelling in their respective fields or directly engaging in education.
The entire world was changing day by day.
Education drove technology, technology drove development, and development led to the prosperity of all citizens. Within a few years, basic sustenance for all was largely achieved, followed by the universalization of basic education, forming a virtuous cycle.
Under Ding Yun's tireless efforts, she initiated technological enlightenment. It took a full fifty years before this world finally began to resemble a modern society, leaping into the electrical age, with telephones, televisions, and the like. People gradually shifted from pursuing basic needs to seeking spiritual fulfillment.
The League of Nations was also established under Ding Yun's guidance.
Although localized conflicts could not be entirely avoided, there was at least an international covenant for mutual restraint.
As the saying goes, even the worst system or rules are better than no system or rules. The League of Nations and the international covenant were established with this consideration in mind. The most powerful and leading nation was, naturally, Qixia, the country where Ding Yun resided.
However, Qixia had already changed its system.
It was primarily a virtual monarchy, with a national prime minister making decisions, rotating every five or ten years. In the initial years, Ding Yun, worried that the prime minister's ideas might not align with hers, specifically had her son and daughter alternate for thirty years. Only in the last decade did they appoint a truly recommended prime minister.
This prime minister assumed part of the authority of the League of Nations.
And also took over the governance of Qixia.
Ding Yun, along with her children, began to slowly withdraw from the major powers. The global landscape was now largely stable, and countries were relatively peaceful. Technological development and other aspects were progressing as Ding Yun had planned. Further intervention was largely unnecessary.
At least, Ding Yun felt she had done her utmost. If the future development faltered, it would not be her fault.
Of course, the most important factor was that as the people's living standards improved and humanitarian power gradually flourished, the residual forces of cultivation civilization and martial arts civilization were completely eradicated in recent years. With no one cultivating anymore, Ding Yun finally imprinted her mark on the world's origin, completing the mission, which was a significant factor.
If she didn't withdraw now,
She couldn't possibly live until her natural death.
As a True Immortal, she could easily live for tens of thousands of more years.