It is Kokang and Changchun

　"Not bad." Kim Jong-un was very satisfied with the cadre's intelligence. He knew to keep a few sets for reverse research instead of being blinded by productivity and arranging all of them to work in the mines.

　Kim Jong-un then said: "Coal resources, especially the vast amount of anthracite, are our greatest competitive advantage. We must make good use of this advantage. In the future, Japan is likely to become our largest importer of anthracite, so in the foreseeable future, we must vigorously build coal mines as much as possible."

　What's more, there are a lot of thermal power plants in the south crying for supply. We have such unique coal reserves and the mining difficulty is so low. How embarrassing it would be if we can't even be self-sufficient in coal?

　In the next five to ten years, I don’t want to see any other foreign coal market share in the domestic coal market, except for a small portion of friendly market share from China and the Soviet Union.”

　"Of course this can be done, but within ten years, isn't it a bit..." The official from the Coal Industry Ministry thought this was a bit harsh, but he was interrupted by Kim Jong-un before he could finish his words.

　"The pseudo-southern vampires have given us too much wealth. Just follow the plan and do it legally and in compliance with regulations. Don't worry about the country's financial problems."

　Kim Jong-un's words seemed to reassure the officials of the Coal Industry Ministry, and their hesitation vanished. He made a firm promise to Kim Jong-un:

　"Comrade First Secretary is wise! We must remember the lessons of history, live off the land and the water, and strive to turn every inch of our country's coal into gold in the hands of the country and the people!"

　"Don't forget the problem of environmental pollution," Kim Jong-un reminded, "and the problem of coal mine safety; these two issues are also major issues. We cannot repeat the dark and bloody old path of capitalist countries in this regard.

　If I receive any complaints from the Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection, then just wait and see. Good work will be rewarded, bad work will be punished, so don't let the Party Central Committee down!"

　Although these are things that should have been taken note of, many times, if the leaders do not deliberately point out some matters, those responsible for the specific implementation may neglect or even ignore other aspects, which will lead to a series of problems brought about by the one-sided pursuit of economic benefits.

　"Well, I will definitely live up to your expectations! Put the importance of safety and environmental protection first!" After being persuaded, the cadres of the Coal Industry Province greatly increased the status of these two items in their plans in their hearts.

　"Comrade First Secretary, I have a suggestion. What do you think?" A cadre from the Coal Industry Province made the request.

　"speak."

　"Hasn't the South recently arrested a large number of counter-revolutionaries and rightists? We can send them to the North to dig coal. This would allow us to reform those counter-revolutionaries and rightists through labor, while also producing coal resources at a lower labor cost. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

　Kim Jong-un chuckled and brushed off the ash in his hand. "I thought it was something else. Even without you saying it, I would have guessed it. Coal mines are indeed a good place for them."

　"I also took into account that the coal seams in our country are very shallow and easy to dig. Basically, all you need are your hands and tools.

　"It's not a complicated job for the prisoners, and they can also exercise their bodies and purify their minds," said a provincial official from the coal industry.

　Suddenly, Kim Jong-un had an idea and said, "Prisoners can be used not only in coal mines, but also in other easily mined mines. There are only a lot of anti-corruption elements in the south, not just bad elements. There must be enough criminal labor to fill the positions."

　"Indeed, the crackdown in the south has only been going on for less than a month, but more than 100,000 counter-revolutionaries and rightists have been arrested there. It is not an exaggeration to estimate that by the end of the campaign, there will be a million-strong army." Kim Jong-un agreed.

　"By the way, there's one more important thing." Kim Jong-un talked about another matter regarding coal: "We have abundant coal resources, but our oil and gas resources are very poor. The central government has decided to research coal-to-oil technology. When the plan is implemented, we will need the cooperation of your department."

　"Okay, we will definitely do our best to cooperate when the time comes." The cadre from the Coal Industry Province answered very straightforwardly.

　If it were in the past, this suggestion would definitely be objected to by officials from the Ministry of Coal Industry, because coal-to-oil technology is almost a blank slate for North Korea. But now that they are cooperating with both China and the Soviet Union in this area, there is naturally no reason to object.

　Afterwards, Kim Jong-un discussed the equipment renewal of old mining areas with officials from the Ministry of Coal Industry, and ordered them to urge relevant machinery companies in the south to speed up production and delivery as required.

　----------------

　Anju Coal Mine, South Pyongan Province

　In a coal preparation plant, a maintenance worker crawled out from under a machine. He held a wrench in one hand and a screwdriver in the other in his oily hands. It looked like he had just solved a major problem.

　He stood up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and shouted to his fellow workers, "Now it's fixed, I guess it can hold up for a while!"

　A coal miner looked at the style and saw the sense of age. There were also large patches of rust on the steel structure, and shook his head helplessly.

　He couldn't help but complain, "Didn't they say the South was liberated? When can this equipment be replaced? There should be better stuff in the South, right? I'm really fed up with this machine going on strike at random times."

　The production team leader said, "Just be patient. The country is going to open a lot of new mines soon, and the new equipment will probably go there. If they say they can use it, use it first. If it really doesn't work, then report it and apply for replacement."

　"Why can't we replace them and use the old ones to open new mines?" said another worker.

　"It's normal to equip a new mine with new equipment. This machine has been used for so many years, so a year or two won't make a difference. I heard from the grapevine that our mine will be replacing equipment soon." The production team leader said to his fellow workers while watching the coal preparation machine working.

　Upon hearing this news, the coal miners instantly became excited, and one after another asked, "Wow?! Is this true? Team leader, you are not kidding us, are you?"

　"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Can't you hold on for the remaining ten minutes?" The team leader stopped a worker who tried to leave his post and come closer to listen.

　The team leader watched the worker return to his post before answering, "The factory director had a meeting this morning. I asked him about it indirectly this afternoon. His answer wasn't direct, but it did have some implications."

　All the workers suddenly realized that if there was such a secretive situation, it must be something big. Then one worker said, "I wonder which production team will get the new equipment first."

　"Why ask? They're all model workers. The team that reaches the production quota first, or exceeds it by the most, will be more likely to receive the machine first."

　"Then do we need to work harder?"

　"There's no point in cramming at the last minute. This is a new machine, not extra rice, oil, salt, or cloth. They're definitely looking at long-term indicators."

　"How much? A year? Half a year?"

　"It feels like at least a year..."

　Just as everyone was talking about this, the production team leader clapped his hands and shouted, "Alright, alright, we've picked out the last truckload of anthracite for today. Now, you guys, check all the surrounding safety stuff, and then you can go home."

　"Okay!" Several workers said in unison. They split up into several groups and checked the work and the surrounding environment to ensure safety.

　One of the workers walked towards the coal pile while humming North Korea's latest pop hit, "Dear Father."

　"Praise Kim Jong-un, the great leader~" Humming the main song, the worker looked at the coal pile not far away and planned to walk over and take a look around. If there was no problem, he would go home for lunch.

　Suddenly, he felt a figure passing behind the coal pile.

　"Who is it? The coal thief? Stop!" The worker was startled and immediately ran over to try to catch up with the suspected coal thief.

　As the worker ran, he shouted on a walkie-talkie to alert the police: "Hurry up! There are coal thieves here!"

　"Damn? A little girl stealing coal? After the workers walked around the small coal mountain, they realized that the figure just now was a little girl with long black hair, who looked no more than third grade.

　However, what surprised the worker even more was that her clothes were very strange. He had never seen a girl dressed like this in his life. It looked very much like a Western-style dress.

　"How did this girl get to the mine? And she ran so fast?" The worker found that he was chasing the girl with all his might, but he was getting farther and farther away from the little girl with the naked eye.

　"Don't run around in the mine, it's dangerous!" The workers' shouting was of no avail.

　Because he couldn't run faster, he lost the chase.

　The worker and his companions returned to the mine in frustration to check the coal pile and found that there was something obviously wrong with the coal pile - several tons of coal were missing.

　After the little girl ran out of the mining area, she came to a dense forest.

　Xiyong patted the little girl's shoulder and said, "Ba Liu, you are still too greedy. If you take less and leave earlier, you won't be discovered."

　"I know, but North Korean anthracite is really delicious and cheap, I can't help but..." Ba Liu muttered like a child who had made a mistake.

　"Although, now those workers can't leave work on time, and they might even be punished. If you weren't greedy, it would be good for you, me, and everyone else." Xi shrugged.

　"I understand." Ba Liu bowed slightly to admit his mistake.

　"Okay, wait for me here for a while. I have to go pay. We can't eat and free meals, right?" Xi slowly stood up, his body becoming more and more transparent, and then walked towards the mine.

　Early the next morning, at the location where 86 was getting coal, a worker found a large gold bar with a piece of paper underneath.

　There was no signature on the note, only the following content: "I'm sorry for taking 6 tons of coal from you yesterday. I'm giving you this big gold bar as a token of my gratitude for buying coal from you.

　Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any loss. You can measure the price of this gold (calculated based on the gold price on the day of delivery). It's only more than the price of the coal you've lost, it can't be less."

　Chapter 429: New Order in East Asia (1)

　The Anzhou coal mine is not far from Pyongyang, and the story of "stealing coal for gold" soon reached the Blue House.

　Kim Jong-un initially thought that someone was just messing around with him. But after seeing the detailed investigation report and the witnesses and evidence, he had no choice but to believe this bizarre story.

　Because the coal was lost without a trace, the North Korean shipwrights who were plastering at the Ryugyong Hotel construction site were ordered to be temporarily suspended for investigation. The next day, because they all had extremely strong alibis, they were reinstated to plaster.

　"Who stole the coal and almost made us take the blame? If I, Weishan, find out, I will send you to a coal mine for forced labor! Since you like stealing coal, then you might as well stay with coal for the rest of your life!" Weishan, who had just returned to the construction site after being cleared of suspicion, complained angrily.

　Zhongwu also seconded the idea: "That's right, if you want to buy coal, why don't you do it openly? Why do you have to use this sneaky method to buy coal?"

　"Forget it, everyone... As long as you are innocent, you have nothing to fear. The investigators quickly eliminated the suspicion. Now we are back, aren't we? Stop complaining and just work hard." Jiang Yuan felt that being cleared of suspicion was a good thing, as long as he could keep a normal mind.

　Jiang Yuan continued, "And then again, the loss of coal is too contrary to common sense, so it's normal for us to be suspected. As far as the ship girls are concerned, we can achieve such an effect."

　"You mean there are new companions? If it's for food... but there are so few coal-burning ships?" In Ulsan's cognition, he really couldn't imagine that those coal-burning warships could produce ship girls.

　Zhongwu tried hard to search his memory and suddenly remembered something: "It seems so. I remember that the German battleship Baden had coal-fired boilers, and some of the boilers of the Chinese Ninghai class were also coal-fired."

　"What? Do you still suspect that they stole it? Putting aside whether Baden is still there, isn't China's coal enough for the Ninghai class? It's impossible for other ship girls to steal coal!" Ulsan said.

　While the three ship girls were discussing the "coal thief", Kim Jong-un in the Blue House was also discussing this matter.

　"Okay, I don't want something like this to happen again. Even though they paid, what if they don't pay next time? Can you guarantee that they will pay every time?

　If they don’t pay, it will be difficult for us to collect the debt, not to mention that if they ever have evil intentions in politics, with their strength, it would be easy to get rid of a few leaders...” Kim Jong-un pointed out the terrifying point when you think about it carefully.

　Kim Jong-un had just put down the phone after recounting the coal theft when another one rang. He calmly picked up the receiver again and answered, "Hello, this is Kim Jong-un. Speak."

　"Comrade First Secretary, we received a message from China inviting us to Beijing to attend the four-nation leaders' meeting of North Korea, China, the Soviet Union and Japan." Prime Minister Kim Deok-hoon brought a bombshell news on the phone.

　Kim Jong-un perked up instantly. "North Korea, China, the Soviet Union, and Japan? Did I hear correctly? I can understand North Korea, China, and Japan. The war is over, the geopolitical environment in East Asia is unprecedentedly favorable, and regional economic integration is inevitable. But if you add the Soviet Union... are they really going to completely embrace Asia?"

　"That's right. The Soviet Union did have a strong tendency to move closer to Asia. After all, the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War completely extinguished the illusions within their party and government about European and American countries." Jin Dexun replied.

　"This is a big deal, but our economic system is very different from that of the other three countries. Moreover, if we establish a free trade zone, it will involve the question of whether the basic economic system needs to be reformed. This needs to be discussed carefully." Kim Jong-un believes that this matter is of great importance.

　Jin Dexun said, "Comrade First Secretary, I was just about to ask you about this."

　"Oh? According to your usual style, you should have an answer in your mind now, right? I want to hear your opinion." Kim Jong-un knows himself as the prime minister. He has always been a master at solving problems, not a master at submitting questions.

　The first secretary sent himself

　Jin Dexun cleared his throat and spoke his mind after getting ready.

　"My humble opinion is that we should open up the market in the south as the interface for the free trade zone. For the time being, we should refrain from making drastic moves in the north. We should further open up existing cities, while leaving other cities as is."

　The South has a strong industrial base, and if it opens up, it will still be competitive against Chinese products. But if the North were to fully open up now, our market share would be reduced to a mere fraction.

　Therefore, the South can open its market immediately, but the North can only do so slowly, over a period of ten to twenty years."

　North Korea has to save face, and local brands in the north need to survive and develop. Even if Chinese companies have no intention of taking over the entire North Korean market share, North Korea will only see it as charity from a powerful country.

　Once the North Dynasty fully opens up, let’s not talk about other things for now. Just in the beverage market, Master Kong Green Tea can kill Enqing Tea, and Lijia Qingdao Harbin can beat Taedong River Beer so badly that even its mother won’t recognize it.

　"Also, opening the market is intended to appease the people of the South. Based on security information from the past few months, many southern residents aren't outright anti-corruption elements. They're more likely to complain about the new economic environment because they're not used to it.

　In my opinion, if the economic environment could be liberalized, at least these self-absorbed people could be settled down. After all, even if you improve the economy, the real bad anti-rightists will still be determined to oppose you, no matter how great your achievements are.

　After hearing Kim Deok-hoon's opinion, Kim Jong-un did not respond immediately, as if he was thinking about something. After half a minute, Kim Jong-un nodded and said:

　"Overall, it's pretty much what I thought. We need the industrial technology and economic flows brought about by the free trade zones and the Belt and Road Initiative, but our fundamentals must not be shaken. We can only open up the south as a window first, and then gradually open up one city at a time after productivity in the north improves."

　Kim Jong-un took a sip of water from his porcelain cup and continued, "In the process of reform and opening up, the interests of workers must be at the core. I would like to especially warn those foreign companies that like to practice 996 that if they want to set up factories and hire workers here, they must ensure that all employee rights are protected. Otherwise, forget it!"

　"What the First Secretary said is absolutely right!" Prime Minister Kim Deok-hoon strongly agreed with Kim Jong-un's addition. He had considered this point before, but now that the boss has said it clearly, he feels more confident.

　Kim Jong-un said: "Anyway, let's do this for now. Since this is a serious matter, it needs to be discussed and approved by the Politburo. You prepare the materials first, and I will draft a meeting notice."

　"Yes, Comrade First Secretary."

　Chapter 430 Sister Lightning, my Superman!

　Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Soviet Far East

　"Comrade Eve, your tea is ready."

　Lightning came to Eve carrying the large round plate that waiters used to serve food, and gently placed the freshly brewed black tea on the table in front of Eve.

　Who is this "Lightning"? It's actually an experimental android created by Eve based on the tactical figure OTS-14 (also known as "Lightning") from Girls' Frontline.

　However, for the costume design, Eve used the design of Lightning from Girls' Frontline 2. After all, compared to the dress-like dress of the original skin of the first generation, she felt that the design of the second generation original skin looked more tactical, more capable, and more in line with the character design and positioning of the humanoid.

　Even the Ots-14 rifle behind her, with its handle, handguard, and black iron body, all looked so shiny.

　As for why Lightning calls Eve by her name + comrade instead of "Commander", this is Eve's request, so the order is set like this.

　Eve had a feeling that if Lightning called her "Commander," some of the more sensitive players might be upset if these things became public. Also, calling him "comrade" would give people a sense of déjà vu from Atomic Heart—both red and professional, and sounding exciting.

　You should know that the way game characters address the protagonist is equivalent to calling their spouse in the eyes of some people. For example, "Commander/Admiral/Teacher" can be equated with "husband".

　Eve picked up the black tea, took a sip, and said to Lightning, "Thank you, Lightning. By the way, how do you feel about the hydrogen fuel cell?"

　Lightning smiled and said, "I feel great. The energy conversion efficiency gives me an incredible boost of power, my endurance is greatly enhanced, and my body is much lighter than before.

　Especially during this morning's combat test, I barely managed to hold off the white-haired ball in a one-on-one duel for the first time. In the past, I'd be taken down in under three moves, but after switching to new energy, I was able to hold out for ten rounds."

　"So which one do you think is better, lithium batteries or hydrogen fuel cells?" Eve asked.

　Lightning was stunned for a moment, blinked, and after two or three seconds, he replied, "This question can be divided into two situations. One is from my personal micro perspective, and the other is from a strategic macro perspective.

　From a personal microscopic perspective, apart from the need to regularly empty the water collection tank, hydrogen fuel cells are much better than lithium batteries and have energy conversion efficiency that lithium batteries cannot achieve.