The vicious cycle in the Green Valley Region was not a first-time occurrence.
In past years, every monster wave saw similar events unfold.
However, previous waves of beasts were neither particularly long in duration nor particularly large in scale.
Once the tide of monsters abated, the source of the vicious cycle would disappear, and things would start to improve.
Raiders were either eradicated or, in the territories they occupied, they would “whitewash” themselves and turn into legitimate plantations. Those who did not whitewash and continued as raiders existed as well, but their numbers would never be too significant.
Ultimately, when most people had enough to eat, the situation would gradually settle down until the next wave of beast tides, and the vicious cycle would commence anew.
In summary, that’s how the people of the Green Valley Region got by over the many years.
But this year was different, the wave of Aberrant Beasts too large, not just sporadic; and it lasted too long, nearly half a year now, showing no signs of weakening but instead escalating.
With the source of the vicious cycle not diminishing but strengthening, that vicious cycle naturally could not be stopped.
Yet, the issues in the Green Valley Region needed to be addressed.
It is the most important granary of Rage Owl Star, not only feeding the 10 million population of the Green Valley Region itself but also supplying food to Central Province and the Eastern Provinces.
If the problem in the Green Valley Region is not solved, it not only means a livelihood issue for its 10 million population but will also lead to widespread famine across the entire planet.
Ultimately, this is a population loss Gu Hang could not tolerate.
Population is extremely important, both for productivity and for the fixed monthly income in his system.
Only with more people can a larger industry be sustained, more armies be maintained, and more merit point income be provided.
This grain-producing area, these ten million people, were definitively something Gu Hang had to protect.
And several months ago, the Alliance had already taken action.
The weapons and equipment replaced by the military, from those of the Old Alliance Legion to the adventures of Rubbish Town who were incorporated after being disarmed, were sold in large quantities as military goods to the Southern Green Valley Region.
In need of weapons, the Green Valley Region theoretically could have paid high prices for these firearms and homemade artillery, but under Osenia’s instructions, the Alliance Commerce Department did not proceed in that manner.
When there was a shortage of food earlier, the prices were sold a bit higher, but as soon as the food imports from the Western Desert Region increased significantly and the pressure on Central Province’s food supplies eased, the Commerce Department even further lowered the prices.
Later on, some of the weaponry produced in Weixing City’s armory was sold to Green Valley Region.
And numerous weapons and equipment were not sold for money but were provided free of charge as military aid.
Of course, “free of charge” essentially meant everything but money was required.
Military aid, assistance in all kinds of essential goods, consumer products, definitely all came with an agenda, a strong political attribute.
Without such a large batch of military goods, how could the Alliance’s diplomats, civil administrators, and military observers establish the so-called “Qinggu Mutual Aid Committee”?
And this so-called “Qinggu Mutual Aid Committee” was Gu Hang’s preparation for the future and complete control over the entire Green Valley Region.
Many plantations, refugees, and even raiders willing to lay down their arms and whitewash were brought in.
The “Mutual Aid Society” made the plantations give up grain as a protection fee, ensuring that refugees and raiders would not plunder them; they organized refugees and whitewashed raiders, armed with the aid and sold weapons from the Alliance, into militias and patrol teams to strike at other raiders not affiliated with the Mutual Aid Society; these militias and patrol teams would quickly provide support upon receiving pleas for help from various plantations.
If they encountered an insurmountable wave of giant beasts, at the very least, they could ensure the people inside could evacuate alive.
The existence of the Mutual Aid Society proved to be highly effective over the course of two months.
This can be seen from how the Mutual Aid Society, in just two months, rapidly expanded from a smattering of initial locations near Central Province, which was under Alliance control, to a massive organization covering nearly four million people, almost the entire Northern Green Valley Region.
To be frank, the population under the Mutual Aid Society was already nearly comparable to the Alliance proper.
Such rapid expansion was not only due to the effective work of Alliance’s external staff and the valuable military goods provided but also because the Mutual Aid Society met the needs of almost everyone in the Northern Green Valley Region.
Refugees found a haven, whitewashed raiders had a stable grain income, and plantations had strong armed support…
Gu Hang viewed the Mutual Aid Society as a rapidly growing fruit of victory.
Once the Mutual Aid Society expanded sufficiently, the Alliance Army could swiftly move southward, bringing with them the militias and patrol teams of the Mutual Aid Society, to fully regroup and push southward, leveling the mutant beasts that had overrun the central and southern parts of Green Valley.
Initially, he had already been capable of annihilating tens of thousands of Aberrant Beasts with just a single infantry battalion, let alone now.
His army had grown in number, and their weapons and equipment had undergone several upgrades, now possessing powerful long-range firepower, armored troops, and even air forces.