Kraków's Scheme

These former serfs worked far more efficiently than the Austrian Empire's officials had expected. It turned out that as long as the money and provisions were there, people's initiative could spring to life in an instant.

Besides the boulders, trees and weeds were much easier to clear. After all, this was already a timber-producing region, and there were no gigantic trees that took several people joining hands to encircle.

The workers could deal with most trees with saws and shovels. For the larger ones, they could hook up a Steam Tractor and have dozens or even hundreds of people pull together, and those could be taken care of in no time.

Once the ground had been mostly cleared, Steam Tractors would drag heavy plows across it, turning the soil thoroughly.

Then the workers would remove the debris brought up by the plows, such as stones and tree roots.

After that, Steam Tractors would plow the land again, swapping the topsoil and subsoil. This process was also known as "deep plowing."

Finally, fertilizer would be added to enrich the soil, and the land would be leveled so crops could be planted.

Aside from the dikes and wasteland, there were also swamps and lakes. The nobles of Galicia had been far too reluctant to develop their land.

As Steam Tractor after Steam Tractor arrived by train, enormous pipes began draining the water from swamps and wetlands. These, too, would become fertile farmland.

Those barren hills were actually mountains rich in minerals. Though their deposits were nothing special, they could still provide jobs for some people.

The nobles of Galicia clung to their few traditional salt mines, but as the Austrian Empire developed its coastal regions and built railways, salt prices were plummeting.

In fact, Galicia also had an important strategic resource—oil. As