Munitions Empire

"We don't need the house anymore… we don't need it… please come back… come back." He sat there murmuring as if he had gone mad. Countless soldiers passed by his side, barechested, carrying leaking sandbags filled with mud and water, rushing towards the embankment, dropping the sandbags, and then quickly returning. Their shoulders were raw and swollen, and every step they ran, water squeezed out of their military boots. There were still civilians on the embankment, civilians whom no amount of persuading could move. They muddled together with the troops and obeyed orders just like the soldiers. But no matter what you said, these people just wouldn't leave. And what was both amusing and sad was that they were also incessantly trying to persuade the soldiers to leave. They said they didn't need their houses, they said they didn't need their crops. They would rather rebuild their homes and accept a year of failed harvest than continue to watch these soldiers sacrifice their lives. And those soldiers fighting beside them said the same, asserting that they would rather sacrifice their lives than give up their "position"! They didn't want to lose, even if their opponent were the heavens themselves; they didn't want to fail! They had already lost many comrades-in-arms, so they had to make sense of those sacrifices. "It's not like we could meet them later and say we ran away, we lost, we gave up the dam," one soldier said with a naive smile, uttering words that were both stubborn and reluctant: "Besides, we eat the food provided by the military, we take our pay; having eaten your food, how could we have the face to leave?" So everyone was persuading everyone else, civilians and soldiers alike stayed put, all standing on the embankment, continuing the task they had been repeating for a long time. Everyone was shirtless, everyone stood together, and in the face of nature's vastness, human beings as insignificant as ants managed to hold up a long, thin line that the floodwaters couldn't wash away. The raging power belonging to the gods, the floods that had almost always been irresistible in the past, seemed at this moment unable to wreak their havoc, restrained by countless insignificant humans, pressed into the path it was originally meant to take, all the way east. At Linshui Port, aboard a warship anchored at the harbor, an officer with a somber expression walked in front of the sailors, who had lined up in two rows on the deck. Everyone stood at attention and saluted. After the officer returned the salute, he started speaking in a hoarse voice, "Those who can swim, who are sure they can stay afloat for an hour without sinking, raise your hand." All the arms were raised, not a single one was left down. "Are you guys crazy? Raise your hand if you can swim! Those who can't, especially the technicians who can't swim, put your goddamn hands down!" the officer scolded. No one lowered their arms; they were all still raised. "Wang Erhe, can you freaking swim?" Out of options, the officer turned to a radar operator he knew well, a rookie who obviously hadn't learned to swim yet. "Reporting, sir! I'm learning. I can float now!" The young soldier identified responded with his chin raised. "Put your hand down!" The officer ignored the explanation and kicked Wang Erhe in the shin. He didn't use much force, but he looked fierce. Very reluctantly, the young soldier lowered his arm, while the rest continued to defiantly keep theirs raised, pairs of eyes firmly on their commander. "I know what you all are thinking, but this is a level two combat readiness! If we really go all out, you all will die!" The officer looked at his sailors, tears welling up in his eyes. "Captain! We're not afraid!" a young sailor shouted boldly. "Right! Captain! We're not afraid!" the other sailors also echoed loudly, "Send our life jackets to the disaster relief troops! They need them more than we do." The captain lowered his head, silent. It took a while before he lifted his face again, now covered in tears, "Fine! I'll join you in this madness! If we die, we'll all be brothers in the sea!" He turned to his executive officer and gave an order, "Organize people to deliver two-thirds of the life jackets to shore! They're to be trucked out to support the disaster area tonight!" "Yes, Captain! Mission will be completed!" The executive officer saluted solemnly, his chin lifted with a determination never seen before. There weren't enough life jackets and inflatable rubber boats in the Navy, and these items were not abundant in regular reserves. Thus, the Navy had to allocate a batch to support the disaster area. How much to allocate was for the Navy to consider. Upon hearing that 70 soldiers had gone missing in the waters and more than 2700 were injured, the count of usable supplies the Navy could spare suddenly increased. Lifeboats became useless, and life jackets were "temporarily unnecessary." Overnight, it seemed as though everyone in the Navy could swim, as if those requesting seasickness medication before were not them. Bright orange life jackets, one after another, were tossed into the beds of trucks. Even some of the rubber rafts from the warships were unloaded. In the factory at Linshui, a row of female workers were busy at their stations, while several workshop leaders stood on ladders, hanging a banner that read, "Work overtime to produce life vests, strive to be the first in disaster relief!" The entire factory was running at full capacity, working around the clock in three shifts to produce the urgently needed various disaster relief materials. Initially, the factory produced life vests for the Navy, and its products included life rings, inflatable rubber boats, raincoats, tents, and more. Now, these items were in dire shortage, so the female workers started accelerated production to support the nation's needs at the earliest opportunity. The machines ran non-stop, and raw materials were continuously consumed. The women slept in the factory, only returning home once every three days, and took a half-day off every nine days, demonstrating their determination to support the nation's disaster response efforts with their actions. They were thin and not beautiful, with many worn by life to the point of wrinkling their faces, and it was only in these few days that they had come to know of a "cosmetic" called camellia oil. Yet, it was these women, mostly uneducated with a literacy rate below twenty percent, who completed the daunting production task. They made no complaints, eating their meals beside the machines. Their hands flew over the work just like the machines, sewing straps on both sides of the orange life vests. Millions of women workers just like them existed in the Great Tang Kingdom. The country had given them hope, and they repaid their nation with their diligence and dedication. The drainage system in Tongcheng was completely overwhelmed. The streets were flooded up to the knees, but the factories didn't stop working. Countless engineering vehicles drove straight from the factories to the embankments at the city's edges. This was a war, a war that tested the Great Tang Kingdom! But the people of the Great Tang Kingdom, who had just brushed the edges of a beautiful life, were fearless. Unwilling to let go of the hand holding on to happiness, they unleashed unprecedented strength. This strength could defeat gods and instilled fear in those watching the Great Tang Kingdom. Such power to overturn systems kept the old forces awake at night. In the Dahua Empire, inside the imperial court, a group of ministers waited with grim expressions for their Emperor to make the final decision. Shireck's envoy had already explained the stakes; now might be the best chance to defeat the Great Tang Kingdom. Much of the Tang Army's main force was scattered along the riverbanks participating in disaster relief, and the defense line against Chu Country had been utterly destroyed by the floods. "They have tied their own hands and feet! Your Majesty, they have ensnared themselves!" Shireck's envoy spoke enticingly. "But if we indeed wait for this natural disaster to pass, the hearts of Tang Country's people…" At that mention, all the ministers present couldn't help but inhale sharply. If Tang Country were to weather this disaster, then who else in the world could stand against Tang Mo? This demon, who had demonstrated a wholly different national system, would, at that time, be able to call to arms. Naturally, those commoners who had benefited from his grace would follow him. At that time, whether it be the Dahua Empire or Shireck, wouldn't they both become like fish on a cutting board, to be flattened and rounded at Tang Mo's whim? "But to muster an unjust army... Your Majesty…" Prime Minister Chu Muzhou still wanted to dissuade, as the southern part of the Dahua Empire was also affected by the disaster. Launching a war at this time seemed too excessive. After the last war ended, many empires had urged Tang Mo, who had annexed Qi Country, to declare himself Emperor. Tang Mo gave the Dahua Empire enough respect and did not show intentions of putting himself on equal footing with it. Without declaring himself Emperor or showing unfriendly intentions, attacking them while they suffered a disaster was not a noble act. "We have missed too many opportunities. If we don't break Tang Country this time... then we will never... have another chance again!" The envoy from Shireck, with his head bowed, persuaded once more. Before the other ministers could speak, he continued to up the stakes: "Qi Country, Laines Empire, Dorne Empire, Ice Cold Empire, Poplar Empire... all will stand with us this time!" "The tangible benefits of the war will all go to the Dahua Empire! The other countries just want Tang Country's technology... After one war, Your Majesty... your empire... will become the most powerful... Empire on the Western Continent!" After throwing out this massive bait, the envoy from Shireck wore a triumphant look on his face. Sure enough, Zhao Kai was moved. None of the previous statements had touched his heart, but this last one hit the mark. This was truly an opportunity that came once in a millennium! If he defeated Tang Country, then he would be able to expand his territory by tens of thousands of miles! And these places were lands of plenty: Tongcheng, which Tang Country had been developing for years, the magnificent Chang'an, and Linshui, the seaport that the Dahua Empire had long coveted! He really wanted all of this, because he believed himself to be the unparalleled Emperor of the Dahua Empire! An overlord deserving of all this! Therefore, the hand resting on the armrest of the chair couldn't help but clench tightly, forming a slightly trembling fist!