Munitions Empire

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Since the war was still going on, no matter how peaceful people's lives seemed, it was impossible not to notice signs of it.

In fact, whether it was Tongcheng, Linshui, or even Chang'an, one could see recruitment offices filled with crowds of people.

These publicly announced recruitment centers were each overwhelmed with people gathered there, voluntarily joining the Troops as "idlers".

The officers in charge of reviewing applicants sat with looks of helplessness, for the number of young people arriving there prepared to fight for their country was too many to handle every day.

On hearing of various countries declaring war on Great Tang, the Tang People became enraged! The good life they had worked so hard for couldn't be given up easily, and they were ready to fight anyone who tried to take it away!

Thus, on the day the war erupted, despite the pouring rain, countless people rushed to the recruitment centers, expressing their wish to fight for His Majesty the King.

Regrettably, although Tang Country had declared a wartime state and started national mobilization, related regulations were still strictly enforced.

According to the laws of Tang Country, many professionals were not allowed to enlist: this included workers with specific jobs, workers in certain listed factories, teachers and students, those who had been Tang People for less than one year...

These regulations were actually sensible, such as the rule that immigrants must be residents for a full year before they qualified to join the Military: on one hand, this was meant to ensure the composition of personnel within the Military and prevent enemy agents from infiltrating and sabotaging; on the other hand, it was to avoid forcing those who had not yet enjoyed the benefits of being Tang People into conscription.

However, life in Tang Country was so good that immigrants there had long since begun to consider themselves Tang People, so many gathered at the recruitment offices, unwilling to leave, and complained about not being allowed to enlist.

This was an inescapable situation, after all, joining the Military was also a way to quickly integrate into Tang society: as long as there was a member of the military in the family, considering the military-supportive mindset, that household would enjoy a range of privileges, and socially, people were more likely to accept the family.

"Disqualified! Son, you're just eighteen years old and studying machine tool operation, which means there's no need for you to be here," the officer at the recruitment office explained as he reluctantly handed back the identity proof to the young man with a flushed face.

He had to explain this many times every day, but there was nothing he could do, as similar people kept coming, and he had to patiently repeat similar words all over again.

"But! My father thinks I should become a Soldier! He says our family has been taken care of by His Majesty the King, and we should do something for His Majesty," the young man obviously did not want to accept this fact and still stood there, arguing his case.

If it weren't for Tang Country taking them in, his family might have starved to death in the famine of Chu Country by now. Now they were not just living well but enjoying a blissful life they could never have dreamed of before.

If they were unwilling to exert themselves for His Majesty the King under such circumstances, they would feel worse than pigs or dogs.

He had an older brother who was already working in a factory; their father guarded the factory at night, and their mother worked in a textile factory. Last year, they were even blessed with a new little brother and sister.

So he came, his brother had tried the day before yesterday and was sent back, which is why he came today. His family wouldn't miss one person, and he could die on the battlefield for his country.

He was prepared before coming, even if he simply stepped onto the battlefield and got blown up by a shell, they should offer up a life for His Majesty the King's righteous war.

This is the simple mindset of ordinary people: whoever gives us a way to live, whoever gives us hope, we shall fight for them.

Unfortunately, sometimes things just don't turn out as one hopes: when someone drives the common people onto the battlefield, they tend to avoid that person at all costs; but when people willingly volunteer to fight for an individual, that person does not always want to push them into the abyss.

"Son, your task now is to learn! Once you have acquired knowledge, you should serve the country at positions where you're most needed! That... is your mission!" The officer forced an ugly smile and continued to waste his saliva comforting the other.

He felt he should be wielding a submachine gun, fighting the enemy life or death on the front line—that's what a soldier should be doing.

Not like now, endlessly repeating nonsense to a bunch of kids: "Go back! Don't waste my time! Nor your own!"

"I should be good enough!" Shoving aside the young apprentices in front of him, a middle-aged man with stubble slapped his identity proof onto the desk.

His body was robust, although his clothes were shabby. He plopped down in the seat the young boy had just vacated, baring his muscular arms: "I've been a soldier, give me a gun, and I alone could take down five of Dahua's trash!"

"The records say you were a soldier in Dahua..." The officer looked up at the strong man in front of him, a bit torn between laughter and tears.

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The Tang Country issued identity cards to every citizen, detailing their basic information, accompanied by a small booklet that catalogued their history before and after arriving in the Tang Country.

Each page contained stamps of approval from the relevant departments, along with the use of high-quality anti-counterfeit paper, and also included photos; it was quite comprehensive.

"Uh..." The other party became slightly embarrassed, then scratched his head, "When I enlisted... I wasn't faint-hearted!"

"But you've only been here for eight months... sir," the officer shook his head, continuing formally, "The regulations only allow citizens of the Tang Country who have been here for more than a year to enlist in the military."

"I've already been here for eight months! Officer!" The robust man became agitated upon hearing this, leaning forward in an attempt to get closer, "I am a Tang person! I have lived here for eight months already!"

"I have no choice, unqualified is unqualified, even if I let you through, you would still be eliminated in the subsequent reviews," the officer helplessly continued to explain.

"Please!" Initially, one might have thought that the stout man would continue to create a fuss, but he suddenly softened, his face contorted with tears as though he was about to kick away a stool and kneel down: "Give me a chance for revenge! Those bastards embezzled my military pay, and I had no money to treat my father's illness! I want to slaughter those mongrels! Please give me a chance!"

"..." The officer, who was already feeling lenient, was ready to casually nod and turn a blind eye to let the stout man through.

However, when he caught sight of the crowd queueing up behind the stout man out of the corner of his eye, he knew that if he didn't stick to the rules, at least two thousand applications for enlistment would have to be approved at the recruitment center today.

This was no joke: if you allow one person through, then you must let everyone who witnessed it through as well, otherwise the angry crowd might tear the place down...

Grabbing the cup in front of him, he took a big gulp of warm water, and the officer finally regained his composure, once again painstakingly escorting the tearful stout man out of the recruitment center.

Then, although it was futile, he still raised his voice to the crowd queuing at the door, "Anyone who does not meet the enlistment criteria can leave now! Especially workers, teachers, doctors! Those with special blood types are also not allowed..."

Seeing that the crowd showed no sign of dispersing, he had no choice but to emphasize again, "Moreover, I must remind you all! Enlisting now does not mean you'll be sent to the battlefield right away! You must go through rigorous training for over three months! Who knows if the war will even be over by then!"

He spoke the truth; the Tang Army never had a practice of sending untrained recruits into battle. On the contrary, the Tang Army emphasized the training of new soldiers, which lasted at least twice as long as other countries.

Moreover, these new soldiers were often scattered and directly supplemented into existing troops after training, so that the veterans could impart some experience to the new soldiers who just arrived on the battlefield, increasing their survival rate.

If it was necessary to deploy a new regiment into battle as a unit, the commanders of the Tang Army would try to assign these troops simpler tasks first.

Seeing that he had said so much and yet the people queuing were still not dispersing, the officer sighed, "Fine! Keep queuing! I will review each one! Those who are not qualified, go back quickly… sigh…"

He shook his head and returned to his seat, resuming the process of checking IDs one by one, identifying both those who were qualified and those who were not.

Those who were eligible were given a form and instructed to report to the military camp outside the city. For those who were not eligible, he would still explain and send them away.

Those who got the form were overjoyed, even flaunting their approved application to the people in the queue as they left.

Those who did not get a form were immensely disappointed, some cursing and some crying, as if they had missed their own wedding.

Despite such strictness, in the half month after the floodwaters receded, the Tang Country still managed to enlist 500,000 people, forming 25 divisions in one go.

Although these divisions were light infantry divisions, with many troops not even outfitted with enough Type 4 assault cannons and self-propelled guns in time, these troops were still genuine infantry divisions.

By the standard of other countries, these divisions were well-equipped and abundantly provisioned, comparable to front-line forces! Nonetheless, cautious as ever, the Tang Army still arranged these troops on the second line, participating in intense training at their respective stations.

Of course, that is a story for another time.

In the currently ongoing battle zones, only the outer perimeters of Xicong remained, with Qian Jinhang's commanders and their soldiers seemingly staring at the end of their own fates.