Munitions Empire

Chu Country, the border.

Below a simple watchtower was a cluster of buildings constructed from wood, resembling a military camp.

A wooden fence surrounded it and within were barrack-like structures built of wood. This was a typical border garrison spot, typically housing a battalion of 500 men.

Under normal circumstances, this border camp should be equipped with at least 10 Shireck muzzle-loading field cannons; however, the border soldiers often had incomplete rosters, so it was likely that such camps would only deploy 5 cannons.

Similarly, the battalion's number of combat soldiers would not be at full strength, as commanders would habitually embezzle part of the soldiers' pay, which was a practice seen with amusement by the higher-ups.

This was a flaw within the old system; if border commanders wanted to enrich themselves, they naturally had to bleed the soldiers, hence the persistent issue of understaffing.

In the usual case, neither the King of Chu nor the Ministers wished the border military to become too strong, so they were content to tolerate a certain degree of payroll embezzlement, turning a blind eye on purpose rather than out of ignorance.

Played right, this strategy created a powerful trunk with weak branches, ensuring strong control and averting insubordination among the border forces. Played wrong, though, it could lead to situations reminiscent of the Song Dynasty or the Ming Dynasty...

But the oversight functions of the old system were anything but precise, so falling into dysfunction was more the norm, hence the eventual replacement by a more advanced modern military system.

Sentinels paced back and forth atop the watchtower, while wisps of cooking smoke rose from within the camp. Some soldiers were busily preparing lunch, while others lounged at various corners of the encampment.

Differing from past situations, at this moment, on the side of the camp nearest to Chu Country, hundreds of refugees were kneeling on the ground, watched over by about a hundred Chu military soldiers.

The leading Chu officer, with his hands clasped behind his back, looked down with a sneer at the civilians prostrate before him, strolling past each lowered head.

These civilians, kneeling on the ground, did not dare to raise their heads. Cries echoed from a distance, and among the crowd, women pleaded.

"Sir! We have nothing left to eat! Please, let us go..." It was unclear who among the crowd was crying out, but it was faintly audible that someone was saying so.

There were children's cries as well, intermingling with the women's sobs, making their pleas even more heart-wrenching.

"Please, Sir! We really are desperate! Spare us!" someone else amidst the crowd mustered the courage to beg for mercy.

"You are citizens of Chu Country! Crossing the border is a serious crime! I am merely performing my duty... do not make this difficult for me," the Chu officer scoffed, drawing out his words to shout at the refugees.

The population of a country is a precious asset, not to be easily forsaken. Civilians crossing the border illegally were committing a grave offense; those caught would be enslaved, doomed to a lifetime of servitude.

They could not be killed, of course, for the population was wealth. But the ensuing punishment was severe—turned into slaves, they were beyond the protection of the law and became the property of the wealthy.

"Catching a few hundred this time... The officer is sure to make a fortune," a captain standing at the officer's side whispered in delight.

Of course, only a few of these slaves would be conscripted and auctioned off, the majority were destined for a handsome profit in personal pockets.

Most of the money would certainly be siphoned off by superiors and officials capable of issuing the necessary documents, but he undoubtedly had his share.

With these thoughts, the border officer also felt quite pleased, viewing the kneeling refugees as if seeing a shining field of Gold Coins.

"Sir, from Zheng Country... Tang Country... there's someone who wishes to see you," suddenly, a Soldier rushed over, cautiously reporting.

Whether the other side of the border was currently Zheng Country or Tang Country was a matter without an official stance from Chu. People used different terms; some still called it Zheng Country, while others switched to calling it Tang Country. Either way, the intent was clear.

However, as time passed, more and more people from Chu preferred the term Tang Country because those across the border referred to themselves as Tang People.

"Hmm?" The Chu officer furrowed his brows, looking at his subordinate—he was surprised, finding their approach to be quite unorthodox.

Logically, there shouldn't be any contact between the opposing border forces, as there was no need for interaction, and such matters were taboo if found out.

Everyone had their loyalties, and if some form of collusion was suspected, it could lead to dangerous misunderstandings. Why would anyone risk their neck for such folly?

After considering it, he glanced again at the mass of kneeling refugees and snorted coldly, commanding a trusted subordinate, "I'll go take a look! Keep an eye on these people! If one escapes, I'll have your head!"

"Yes! Understood, sir!" The confidant nodded and bowed, promptly responding.

The lead officer, along with a few attendants and the captain, made their way across the camp towards the side bordering Zheng Country.

Across the shallow trench marking the border, an automobile was parked on Tang territory. It was a people's Type 3 car, unostentatious but with significantly improved performance.

A standard Type 1 car probably couldn't have made it to such rough terrain for lack of horsepower and off-road capability. Yet the Type 3 managed easily.

The man standing in front of the car wore a pleasant smile, dressed in respectable clothes, and had gold-rimmed glasses.

The cultured and refined Chu Country officer let out some of relief after seeing this man. As long as it wasn't someone in a military uniform, one meeting wouldn't be too much trouble.

"I hear you wanted to see me?" There was a small wooden bridge atop the border, which was actually unnecessary as the shallow ditch could be crossed without it. It was constructed merely to avoid muddiness below, hence the makeshift bridge.

In fact, not many people passed over this bridge on any given day, so it hadn't been repaired even once in the past year. Stepping on it caused it to creak non-stop, as if it might collapse at any moment.

"Yes, General." The cultivated man replied with a smile, "I've long heard of the General's great name..."

"Skip the useless talk, just tell me what you're here for." The Chu Country General waved his hand dismissively, impatient as if swatting at a fly.

"I'm here to discuss a business deal with the General." The bespectacled man still wore his smile as he answered the Chu Country general's question.

"Hmm? Business? I'm a soldier, what kind of business could I possibly do?" The Chu Country officer glanced at the man with glasses and countered.

"I would like to buy... people! Those refugees, the healthy ones," said the man with glasses straightforwardly.

"Ha! I haven't lost my mind, that's not a business I'll be doing, goodbye." The Chu Country General lifted his eyebrows and declined bluntly.

"Two Gold Coins per person," said the man with the glasses, as if he hadn't heard the refusal, and named his price directly.

"Hmm?" This time, not just the Chu Country officer but the subordinate officers by his side were stupefied.

They apprehended refugees and sent them back... but never at such a good price. Looking merely at the price, this deal... seemed doable.

"That's too little." Surprisingly, the Chu Country officer laughed greedily, "This is the blood money for me and my brothers!"

"Two Gold Coins for the able-bodied men, three for the women of marriageable age, the same price for the old and children," the man with glasses took out a Gold Coin and tossed it to the Chu Country officer: "This price is not low."

The Chu Country officer caught the Gold Coin thrown by the bespectacled man and saw that the Gold Coin was of excellent quality. He rubbed it and then pocketed it.

Whenever he caught refugees crossing the border, he had to share the profits with his superiors, only keeping his share, which was obviously not substantial. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire

But if he turned a blind eye to the refugees crossing the border, letting them pass without reporting the number or needing any complex operations, he could earn multiples of his usual compensation; this was clearly a better option.

"How many do you want?" Greed glinting in his eyes, the moved Chu Country officer grinned and asked.

There were a few hundred refugees behind him, and if the man took them all, he could easily pocket close to 1000 Gold Coins.

Even though he needed to divide some of the money among his men to keep them quiet, he would finally be able to keep the lion's share, and that was undeniably good news.

"I'll take as many as you have." The bespectacled man kept smiling, very composed in his response: "Every person, as long as they can walk over this wooden bridge by themselves, I'll pay."

"Are you insane?" The Chu Country officer, completely caught off guard by the vastness of the other's appetite, was startled.

"Snap!" The man with glasses snapped his fingers. The two Guards that had been lingering behind the car immediately opened the car's trunk and took out two large chests.

They walked to the edge of the wooden bridge and placed the heavy chests on the ground, expertly flipping the lids open to display neatly stacked Gold Coins inside.

"There are 500 Gold Coins here." The man with the glasses gestured invitingly.

His Guards returned to the car, brought out two more large chests, and carried them over to the Chu Country officer in the same manner, placing them on the ground and flipping open the lids.

"Now, there are 1000." The man with glasses spoke casually, "I can pay you first! What do you think?"

"Who exactly are you?" Terrified by the other's extravagance, the Chu Country officer swallowed hard and inquired.

"Me? I'm a businessman," the bespectacled man replied, "A businessman who makes friends everywhere. General, would you like to be my friend?"

"Of course. You can send someone to collect the people tomorrow, money in one hand, people in the other." The Chu Country officer certainly wanted to be friends with money: "I have many refugees here, more than you could imagine!"

"Ah, that I believe!" The man with glasses shrugged nonchalantly, "But I also have a lot of money, really... more than you could imagine!"

Having said that, he turned and walked away, pausing beside the car to look back at the Chu Country officer: "Do you like this car? How about I send you one next time?"