Munitions Empire

In the heartland of Zheng Country, within the factories of Tongcheng, a group of workers watched in shock as sets of equipment belonging to the Great Tang Group were assembled by professional engineers.

This was the first time they had seen such complex machinery, and it was also the first time they had truly felt such a massive industrial power.

It was an irresistible force, a power capable of transforming heaven and earth! These colossal, immensely heavy machines could effortlessly produce more and better industrial products.

Tongcheng itself was an industrial city, where nearly half of Zheng Country’s workshops and studios gathered. During Zheng Country’s Self-Strengthening Movement, many large factories had also been constructed under the secret investment of the Great Tang Group.

Originally, the workers in these factories had no idea why they were building such huge and spacious factory buildings. Now, when they saw these mechanical devices, they finally understood everything.

The railway tracks that had been laid down early on finally had a use. Locomotives produced by the Linshui Machinery Factory suddenly elevated Zheng Country’s transportation by several notches overnight.

It wasn’t an exaggeration at all. Zheng Country’s first and third railways were put into use almost simultaneously, at a time when Zheng Country had not yet been conquered.

In the first month after the war ended, from the fourth to the eleventh railways of Zheng Country were once again nearly put into operation at the same time.

Although the total mileage was still not long, these short-distance railways indeed greatly facilitated transportation within the Great Tang Kingdom.

With these railways and many pre-built roads, transportation issues were resolved, and the development speed of the Great Tang Kingdom became so fast that it was somewhat incomprehensible to people.

A single Liberty ship could transport hundreds of cars, and with several Liberty ships in one shipment, the once backward and barren land of the old Zheng Country instantly came to possess thousands of cars.

Adding to this were the vehicles outfitted by the military which temporarily took on roles as freight transporters. Overnight, more than 10,000 vehicles appeared on the roads of Zheng Country, which was enough to astonish everyone.

To support these cars, hundreds of service and gas stations were constructed at the fastest speed. Vehicles carrying gasoline were incessant on the roads, and in many places, one could even smell the unpleasant odor of gasoline.

Overnight, the local people of Zheng Country were able to witness many things they had never seen in their lifetimes.

Cars and trains, as well as a large number of horse-drawn carriages, brought not only soldiers and cannons but also all sorts of cluttered items.

Previously precious tableware and pots suddenly became less valuable. Military units would casually give these items to the civilians around their stations, while many other things mysteriously "disappeared."

If one paid close attention, one could notice some strange yet not so strange items appearing in the daily lives of the people of Zheng Country.

For instance, many households in Zheng Country came to possess gasoline barrels! These thin tinplate barrels made to hold gasoline, were meticulously taken home by these people, cleaned, and made into water buckets...

This item was very convenient to use because it had a lid and a handle, and the military units often used them as water buckets as well.

As a result, during the "poverty relief" process, many military units left these barrels for the local people to whom they became treasures, for they had never seen such finely made goods before.

Of course, no matter how you washed them, there was always a lingering gasoline smell, but nobody minded these details...

Additionally, nobody would have imagined that the first aspect of life to improve for the poorly clothed citizens of Zheng Country would be their feet—many people in Zheng Country got spare socks and underwear from the hands of the soldiers...

Therefore, on the streets and alleys of Zheng Country, by the roadside in the fields, one could often see a malnourished child wearing only underwear, with socks on and straw sandals, laboriously carrying a gasoline barrel still painted with a white number and filled with water.

One had to admit, the scene was astonishingly fantastical.

The logistics department of the Great Tang Group might be the most troubled department recently as they had to tally the lost items reported by the troops every day, list them, and then place orders for replacements.

Lately, the troops permanently lost hundreds of tents, thousands of water bottles, and on average, each soldier misplaced a food bag once; the quantity of lost iron pots, soldiers’ personal soup spoons, spare socks, and underwear was astoundingly high.

"Damn it, do these people think we are fools?" In the office of the logistics department on Dragon Island, a young officer slammed his pencil on the desk, complaining furiously.

He picked up a form, displaying it discontentedly to his colleagues, "Look at this! Just look! One company lost 100 raincoats in three days! They only have 150 men!"

On the other hand, the official tallying the loss of other supplies stretched and smiled, "What’s this, they even lost 40 canteens! 10 leather belts, 130 pairs of socks! Aside from weapons, they practically lost everything that could be lost. If we’re just looking at the paperwork, our unit has been completely wiped out..."

"Hahaha! They’re still here! Because throughout the entire war, they only fired 300 bullets and replenished one bayonet! So, I’m certain that this unit is still around, and might not even have a single casualty!" On the other hand, the official responsible for counting ammunition and weapons stock was utterly relaxed because the replenishments in this area were actually very few.

On another side, the official in charge of tallying medical supplies was almost in tears; he had been busy for over an hour now, and the data for this unit was only just compiled, "No casualties? Stop joking! I swear, if we’re just looking at the data, they all really fell in battle!

In the past 40 days, they used 4000 meters of bandages, 1300 doses of hemostatic drugs, and replenished medicine for malaria and typhoid four times."

Clearly, this troop had hardly been fighting at all; they were essentially playing the role of a medical team and a generous spreader of wealth.

They distributed almost all of their carried supplies to the nearby civilians, helping these people to resume production and, to the extent possible, providing aid to those who were sick and in need of help.

The Tang Army had a terrifying amount of experience in forging good civil-military relations; they had been accustomed to doing such things since the day of their inception.

On one hand, this was because they were truly full of kindness and had received special training in this regard, and on the other hand, because... they had money!

Yes, that was also why they dared to lose things! The Great Tang Group’s Security Troops, the rich predecessor to the Tang Army, was the most affluent troop of its time.

The leaders wouldn’t rage with embarrassment over a soldier losing some piece of equipment, which gave all the soldiers the courage to offer their kindness, helping the civilians around them as much as they could.

Moreover, because of their wealth, they neither looted nor took things from the people, and such military discipline was exceptional even in the olden days, so the Tang Army was welcome wherever it went.

Conversely, this also made many civilians who had seen the Tang Army willing to help them; the people were more inclined to join such a military, which was beneficial for the Tang Army’s expansion.

However, when tens of thousands of Tang soldiers acted as generous benefactors at the same time, even the affluent logistics department of the Great Tang Group started to feel a headache.

The warehouses filled with mountains of raincoats and undergarments were now basically emptied out. All the troops were losing socks, all were reporting losses of their tents and raincoats, and all were experiencing thefts—except for weapons and ammunition, everything else had disappeared.

The medical supplies, dry food, snacks, and the daily consumption of materials by the Tang Army encamped in the wilderness was truly comparable to fighting a dire, real battle.

An officer in the office lamented with a sense of helplessness, "And this is just one unit! It’s even more exaggerated for an entire battalion; I suspect our troops were not sent to fight but to alleviate poverty."

"That’s exactly what it was, poverty relief. If we went through the normal aid process for so many supplies, it would be too slow, and the common folks there are living too harshly." An old clerk who knew the ins and outs smiled and lowered his head to continue organizing the data.

Tens of thousands of large armies, consuming resources every day as they and their horses munch away; even if it were just legitimate consumption, it’s enough to drive one to despair. At that time, there were no computers, everything depended on their manual calculations, and you can imagine the workload.

A former criminal, an officer with a head of black hair, nodded in agreement: "Isn’t that the truth? In my hometown, the City Lord probably doesn’t live as well as I do now."

"I believe that, I doubt the Lord of your hometown has ever used a telephone in his lifetime," many in the office nodded in agreement. Before they arrived in Brunas, before coming to Dragon Island, they never imagined their lives could change this way.

They never thought that light was so simple, that just pulling on a light cord could illuminate their rooms. They also never imagined that just turning on a tap would provide them with an endless supply of clean water. Likewise, they never dared to dream that they could eat their fill at every meal, even to the extent that they didn’t have to lick the rice grains from their bowls.

Another blond officer made a teasing remark, prompting much laughter: "But he certainly has more women than you! Hahaha!"

After the laughter, suddenly an official spoke up in a half-questioning tone, "I heard that this time, our losses were also quite heavy. In the battle to attack the Zheng Country’s King City, we lost more than 100 men?"

The mood suddenly turned somber, for the Great Tang Group had never experienced such a heavy loss since the day of its birth.

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You must understand, when eliminating the Kingdom of Germelin, just for the loss of a few dandelions, Tang Mo executed the Germelin King as a warning to others, even at the risk of offending many kings and nobles.

And this time, in one war, the Great Tang Group sacrificed so many excellent soldiers and officers—this could not help but weigh heavily on them.

An informed person spoke up in a grim tone, "Hmm, the specifics aren’t too clear, but I heard from the people in the next office that they’ve already issued compensation to at least 50 people."

"Alas... What a pity." Many voiced their sighs.

"Yes, such a pity," others sighed in unison.

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