Chapter 377: Let's Eat First

Chapter 377: Let’s Eat First

The next morning.

Inside the Mountain City Operations Headquarters.

Staring at the apartment building that was gradually being occupied, Chen Jian clicked his tongue in admiration and said:

"The settlement issue is solved; the next step is the final one."

"Cultural assimilation."

"But as it stands, this step appears to be the most difficult."

"Yet now we are already seeing signs of cultural assimilation."

"At least the newly elevated clergy have begun to accept our way of life."

"Teaching them to wash their faces with fresh water each morning is the first step, learning to flush the toilet is the second, and adopting a habit of changing clothes is the third."

"We have completed the first step; the second and third should be near completion as well."

"Perhaps not."

He Shuo shook his head, then continued:

"Changing clothes is not that simple."

"Fundamentally, it is not a matter of habit but of economics."

"The light industry of this world is woefully underdeveloped, especially textiles; it scarcely rivals even the Song Dynasty."

"You’re just spouting nonsense."

Chen Jian laughed and cut He Shuo off, then said:

"Do you think anyone could just pick up Song‑era hand‑loom weaving? Even in our own time, many state‑run textile operations lag behind the Song."

"The good news is that around Han River City and the outskirts of Huangshi City there are modest cotton farms and abundant wild cotton fields."

"The shortfall in output stems mainly from the difficulty of grain production and food procurement, which consumes a great deal of labor."

"Now the first batch of early‑maturing crops at Base 011 is about to be harvested, so feeding the permanent populations of those two cities poses no serious problem."

"Coupled with the increased efficiency of material flow along the trade routes, we can allocate at least twenty percent of our manpower to cotton cultivation and processing."

"Within a year, cotton yields could double, perhaps even triple."

"If we set aside the quota needed for explosives, a substantial amount of cotton can be poured directly into the textile sector."

"A textile mill should become our first light‑industry department, which will greatly benefit our subsequent commercial development."

"Understood."

He Shuo nodded, then asked:

"Why focus on this particular aspect?"

"I mean, if we only consider cultural assimilation, aren’t there other routes?"

"There are."

Chen Jian shrugged and replied:

"Propaganda, basic education, collective consciousness‑building—those are soft‑approaches."

"What truly shakes a culture are the basics of clothing, food, shelter, and transport."

"Spending a month teaching these theology‑brainwashed peasants is less efficient than simply handing them a garment."

"When they realize we can provide more than the so‑called ‘god’ ever could, ideological conversion will flow like water downstream."

"Got it."

He Shuo let out a long sigh.

"So you’ve chosen the upright, above‑board path."

"As for me, I’ll resort to intrigue and subterfuge."

"The great migration from Jinling City has already begun—though it differs from my expectations, it won’t be long before we seize the city."

When his words faded, Chen Jian also sighed softly.

Seizing Jinling City?

It had once been a goal of great importance to them.

After all, capturing Jinling meant controlling the entire southern trade hub and automatically radiating influence over most of the south.

For a fledgling power, such a stronghold was priceless.

It mattered so much that Chen Jian was willing to pour the bulk of his resources into it without expecting immediate returns.

But now circumstances have shifted.

Mountain City has fallen.

Though it lacks the cultural and societal depth of Jinling, its infrastructure is unrivaled.

Ready‑made housing, internal transport networks, modern facilities, defensive works and equipment—all already in place.

It is more suited than any other city to serve as a central hub, and Jinling’s importance continues to wane.

So, does taking Jinling still hold that much weight?

Perhaps the greater significance lies in the complete re‑coloring of the religious ‘holy city.’

From certain perspectives, that outweighs even the fall of Mountain City, the so‑called ‘holy city.’

"So how do you intend to finish this?"

Chen Jian asked.

"We have no concrete plan yet; we’ll proceed step by step."

"The most exploitable factor remains the massive population shift from Jinling."

"Whether it’s believers, ordinary citizens, or merchants moving, it serves our interests."

"My true aim is to precipitate a cliff‑drop in Jinling’s overall standard of living through this method."

"When the city’s populace and economic activity weaken to the point they can no longer sustain themselves, that will be the optimal moment for us to take over."

"Destroy, then rescue."

"That is the basic outline."

"Most people resort to outright ‘warfare,’ but we will employ a different means."

Before Chen Jian could reply, He Shuo began to nod to himself.

He then continued:

"It’s essentially the classic American playbook."

"Yet you must admit, under special circumstances, such a scheme is remarkably effective."

"Provided, of course, that we remain convinced we are right."

“So my thought is, this plan is limited to Jinling City, limited to this one time.”

“Later, as long as the ideological conflicts aren't especially intense, it's better not to resort to this again.”

“Once we develop a path dependence, our team will quickly degenerate.”

Chen Jian nodded at the words, then said:

“You just need to know it in your heart.”

“What worries me most is what you called path dependence.”

“I admit, the pressure we face now is huge, but still, there must be a bottom line.”

“Understood.”

He Shuo solemnly replied:

“Rest assured, I have a bottom line.”

The two exchanged a glance and said no more.

At that moment, the sun was already rising gradually.

The mountain city was still shrouded in a thick fog.

Yet perhaps because of the population, the fog no longer seemed so gloomy.

On the other side, Jinling.

Under Huang Meng’s leadership, the Interleaved Company had completed the final preparations before departure.

All transport equipment had been hitched to the trailers, and the engineering vehicles were ready to roll.

To avoid unnecessary trouble from signal loss, this time they even selected several “professional” drivers to accompany the team. And this time, their goal was simple.

To fully open the transport route from Base 011 to Guangshen, forging a north‑south backbone.

This is part of the Net‑Road Plan and a necessary condition of the Fire‑Seed Plan.

Formally speaking, the mission is not complicated.

It consists of nothing more than clearing, paving, arriving, and transporting.

Yet the prolonged duration injects a great deal of uncertainty.

No one can foresee what will happen in the next two months, nor can anyone guarantee, should this massive force encounter a powerful monster without warning, how great the loss would be.

All they can rely on is themselves, and the weapons and gear in their hands.

After Huang Meng gave the tracks of the 30A tank one last inspection, confirming every connector was intact, functional, and wear within controllable limits, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When he rose, the representative from Guangshen—more precisely, from the Ring Chamber of Commerce—Wang Lizhi, also spoke in turn.

“This time we will also commit forces to help you carve a passage and escort you along the way.”

“It may take a bit longer, but the problem shouldn’t be serious.”

“After all, we have long traded along this route; the path itself is mature, it’s just a little short of the ‘channel’ you demand.”

“A little?”

Huang Meng couldn’t help but find it amusing.

If he were still the naïve youngster from a few months ago, he would probably think this was merely a simple task and truly regard the route as “mature.”

Yet it was clear that in the months with the Huaxia army, he had learned far too much.

He had forged his own judgment, and his understanding of large‑scale infrastructure projects had deepened.

So he knew this mission would certainly not be as simple as Wang Lizhi imagined.

With that thought, he said:

“In fact, you really have no need to intervene.”

“The mercenaries you command, armed only with light weapons, are nothing more than a joke before us; the most they could do is fend off a few small monsters, blood skeletons, or bandit raids.”

“Moreover, we would have to spend effort managing them.”

“They might even slow down our overall progress.”

Having said that, Wang Lizhi was at a loss for words.

He wanted to call Huang Meng arrogant, but seeing the massive array of equipment and weapons amassed behind him, he realized the arrogance had some foundation.

He felt a sting at the contempt, yet considering his own strength, he conceded that Wang’s words were indeed correct.

Are those mercenaries truly useful?

If they were, the moment the Flower Capital gathered them to assault Huangshi City, they would not have been repelled by inexperienced, poorly equipped, barely‑trained “militiamen.”

It is natural for Huang Meng to disdain those mercenaries; after all, they are his defeated subordinates.

On the other hand, as he said, profit‑driven mercenaries could indeed cause “management” troubles for the Huaxia army.

One must remember this mission is far more than a simple “transport task.”

The Huaxia army intends to use the opened road to gather all the scattered residents of the surrounding area.

Such a mission’s nature is ill‑suited for a swarm of morally dubious mercenaries.

After a brief hesitation, Wang Lizhi spoke:

“At the very least they can serve as laborers, right?”

“If you think so, there’s no problem with that.”

Huang Meng spread his hands and continued:

“In short, let’s follow the original plan.”

“We are ready to set out; are you prepared?”

“We are ready.”

Wang Lizhi replied:

“We can depart at any moment.”

“Then let’s go.”

At Huang Meng’s command, every member of the Interleaved Company, along with their equipment and machines, sprang into motion.

This was an unprecedented large‑scale mobilization; even during the Beast Tide, they had never moved such a volume of heavy gear.

Under the gaze of the men at Base 011, the force slowly advanced, disappearing into the horizon along the newly forged road.

Only when the bulldozer finally rolled onto the vegetated, unpaved, unbroken ground did their task truly begin.

Amid the roar of machinery, tree after tree toppled.

The bulldozer unearthed roots that clung underground, then leveled and compacted the earth anew.

The soil hardened from soft to firm, the intermingled gravel granting it added strength.

Clearing as they went, the convoy pressed onward at a measured pace.

From the 10 a.m. departure to the 5 p.m. rest, the unit covered just under thirty kilometres in total.

Yet, this already exceeded Huang Meng's expectations.

To be frank, he had thought that carving out fifteen kilometers in a day would already be a success.

Clearly, Fuxi's foresight and calculations of the route had provided a considerable aid to this mission.

As night fell, the squad began its first respite.

But before the rest, Huang Meng ordered the interleaved company's soldiers to conduct a thorough sweep of the surrounding area.

Gunfire startled the birds and beasts of the forest, and wandering monsters and blood‑stained skeletons fell beneath the barrels.

When the “hunting” warriors returned to the temporary camp, Huang Meng was startled to see that some “newcomers” had fallen in behind them.

“Who are these people?”

Huang Meng asked.

“The refugees from White Horse Town.”

The leading soldier replied:

“White Horse Town has been razed—they have nowhere to go and have taken shelter in caves.”

“We discovered them while clearing the outskirts and brought them back.”

“Company commander, what shall we do with them?”

Settle them?

Huang Meng drew a deep breath, looked over his men’s shoulders, and gazed at the rag‑clad refugees behind him.

The mission had begun, and so had his responsibility.

He could not simply let these people march back to Base 011 along the newly forged passage.

Though the road was smooth, it was far from safe.

Even a tiny monster could be enough to doom everyone here with no return.

With that thought, he spoke:

“We will escort them.”

“After we reach the next town we will set them down, and the follow‑up support units will organize their relocation and settlement.”

“Now.”

“It’s too late in the day.”

“Regardless, let’s eat first.”

(End of chapter)