Munitions Empire

Unlike Redman, Tagg had a good sleep. His command post was always fixed, and the military forces were almost always stationed in the same location, with no major troop movements, so on the whole, things were quite comfortable. He had a nice breakfast and then read some domestic newspapers: the floodwaters were receding, and many places had already resumed production. The newspapers reported the navy's submarine fleet's splendid victories; they had sunk over a million tons of the enemy's transport and war vessels, forcing the enemy's main fleet to not dare to launch a decent attack on Tang Army's ports until now. In the photo was a navy submarine captain in Linshui receiving the third-class Abyss Medal from Admiral Bernard. He was smiling brilliantly, and his salute was in perfect form. Another page reported on Tang Country's plans to build a larger port in Beiyuan City to support the industrial development of the northeastern region. The report stated that the Great Tang Railway Group was trying to build a new railway between Beiyuan and Pingning to increase transport capacity and ensure the supply of raw materials for the Pingning Automobile Manufacturing Group. Building a larger automobile manufacturing plant in Pingning was also one of Tang Country's very important strategic plans. In the future, all of Tang Country's heavy trucks would be produced there, including some large vehicles for special purposes. Nanye's automobile factory and Pingning's corresponded with each other, one focusing on civilian cars and the other on trucks, as the industrial layout of the Great Tang Group was gradually unfolding across the vast territory. This was a huge project, and there wasn't any sign of slowing down due to the war: half of Tang Country seemed like a construction site, with construction workers diligently laboring every day, making their hometowns even better. Or you could say... making their hometowns even more damaged: industrial pollution was becoming apparent, and many areas' rivers were already gold, dark red, or bright purple. To rapidly build factories, large quantities of trees were being cut down, with the wood processed into planks, and without even completing the basic drying process, it was hammered up as makeshift building material for factory use. Some factories in the southern regions didn't even need walls; they just fixed a foundation, set up the shelter, placed the machines, and could start production. By contrast, factories in the Northern Region had to be built more solidly and needed hot water pipes for heating, which also made them more costly. When Tagg saw that the 3rd Mechanical Factory in the south had resumed partial production, a smile appeared on his face: he knew that factory, it was one of the first to go operational in the Great Tang Group. That was quite far to the south. If the 3rd Mechanical Factory there had resumed production, it really meant that the flood was almost over. For Tang Country, this was good news. If the floodwaters receded, the paralysed production in the southern part of Tang Country would gradually recover, this production capacity would immediately affect the front-line troops, providing them with a strong combat capability. Moreover, once the floodwaters receded, the Tang Army could dispatch even more troops to the front lines, and then Dahua Empire's advantage in troop strength would no longer exist. Tagg took out one hand and grabbed the spoon to stir the hot lean meat porridge, continuing to read various pieces of news in the newspaper. In a corner of the third page, a piece of news caught his eye: it was an official Tang Kingdom denunciation of Chu Country's terrorist attack, severely chastising Chu Country spies for attacking dams, causing civilian casualties, and their scoundrel behavior. Of course, being placed in such an unobtrusive spot actually said a lot about the official stance of Tang Country: when the rain stops, I'm too lazy even to denounce you! Bombers will fly straight over, so you just wait! Next to the news, there was a commentary on a heroic deed that praised a driver who threw caution to the wind, driving his vehicle into the breach and blocking the gap blown open by the enemy, saving countless lives—a glorious act. The further back you read, the more trivial the news seemed. It included the opening of a new flight route from Linshui to Tongcheng, allowing civil aviation passengers to commute between these two cities more conveniently. A new type of engine that was low in fuel consumption and high in power had been developed, capable of replacing current technology. The southeastern coastal region was promoting aquaculture, with fishermen earning tens of thousands of Gold Coins... The news on the last page left Tagg somewhat astonished: the third Princess of the Great Tang Kingdom, Miss Yue'er from the Orc race, had actually taken on the role of the National Environmental Protection Commissioner, establishing an environmental protection investigation department. This signified that the Kingdom had formally begun to pay attention to environmental protection, focusing more on sustainability in the process of economic development. Tang Mo wouldn't wait until it was impossible to turn back before trying to save the situation—he had always been paying attention to environmental issues. It's just that there had never been enough time or energy to manage it. But with the incessant development of industry, people were gradually starting to notice changes in the environment around them. Big cities are always shrouded in a veil-like fog, and people walking on the streets can't help but cough uncontrollably. Strange illnesses began to increase, and many hospitals saw a rise in women giving birth to babies with deformities. If this trend were to continue, it would lower Tang Country's population growth. The fish in the rivers were dying in droves, and even the sea foam on the beaches was rolling with a metallic luster—if this continued, worse things would happen. Thus, the Department of Environmental Protection, which had always been understaffed with only two idle workers, started to get into action, and His Majesty even generously allocated a special fund of one million Gold Coins. The Princess's job was to oversee this spending: according to the plan, the environmental agency would establish standards, and all factories had to reduce their wastewater emissions to within these standards within a set time. Frankly, this was a role with great or minor authority: if strictly enforced, many factories might face fines or shutdown punishments; if implemented with some flexibility, many factories could easily save thousands upon thousands of Gold Coins. Tagg saw things from a different angle. While most people were paying attention to the establishment of the environmental department, Tagg was focused on Princess Yue'er. Assigning Yue'er to this position meant that Princess Yue'er, who had always been behind the scenes, had finally taken center stage in Tang Country's politics: she began to wield power and started to share His Majesty's concerns. Princess Yulin, of the King's direct lineage, had always controlled the Interior Ministry, holding power that could counterbalance Li'ao's Security Department; Princess Alice of the Northern Ridge lineage presided over the Finance Department, similarly wielding great power and standing toe to toe with the Economy Department's Simon. Now, Yue'er, who had always been mysteriously studying in school, finally stepped into the limelight and began to emerge as a public figure of the royal family, entering everyone's field of vision. Whether this was a good thing, no one knew, but it was a change... And change itself is a signal, isn't it? "Commander! According to yesterday's plan, our forces on both wings are counterattacking... Intelligence indicates that part of the enemy forces is fleeing towards South Wind Pass," a military officer entered the room, stood at attention beside Tagg, and reported the latest situation. "That's not our concern. If they want to go to South Wind Pass, we can't stop them, but make sure to keep a tight grip on both wings," Tagg put down the newspaper he had finished reading and picked up his porridge, gently blowing on it. Unlike Redman, Tagg put more emphasis on planning. He liked to play it safe and was not inclined to take risks. This was directly related to his honest, stubborn, and rigid character. He was better at meticulously following Tang Mo's orders without cutting corners. This made him appear very composed, as if everything was under his control, and this sense of composure infected those around him, making them become steadier as well. Therefore, the Tang Army on the southern front and the forces moving south from the Central Region looked completely different, as if they were two people with entirely different personalities. "Yes, Sir!" The military officer saluted again and then left the room. The porridge was still steaming, and Tagg continued to eat it with relish. The rain outside the window had noticeably lessened, and no longer pattered loudly against the window ledge. This lifted Tagg's spirits, for the weather was turning more and more in favor of the Tang Army. "Boom!" A muffled explosion came from the distance. It was not thunder, but the sound of Dahua's military cannons! The nearby region of Xicong was becoming livelier once again, as Qian Jinhang seemed prepared to make a final struggle. Dahua's troops were desperately launching fierce attacks, seemingly in an attempt to change their fate: if they could capture Xicong, at the very least they would have one more barrier to cover their retreat. Or perhaps, Qian Jinhang wasn't thinking about that at all: he seemed more like he was burying his own troops, choosing a gravesite with good feng shui for himself. "They're really not making it easy," Tagg finished the porridge in his bowl, stood up, stretched, and then walked out of the room. Just as he reached his office, another officer rushed in, so excited that he forgot to knock on the door. "Commander! Just received great news! Great news!" The excited officer handed a telegram to Tagg, his voice several pitches higher: "Our army has entered Tengyun; the place is almost empty, it seems Dahua's troops have abandoned it!" "Oh?" Tagg was taken aback, then took the telegram, looked it over carefully, and showed no sign of joy. It seemed more practical to have the troops at South Wind Pass reinforce Tengyun than to have Tengyun's forces retreat southward. This way, backed by the plentiful resources at South Wind Pass and with more time to prepare, Dahua's military would stand a better chance of holding the position. Once they joined with the retreating forces from Xicong, the situation at South Wind Pass seemed to be stabilizing! So Tagg approached the map and muttered, "It seems the enemy also has wise men. Abandoning Tengyun, they're pulling all their troops back to South Wind Pass... They're ready to fight to the death there."