Munitions Empire

Chapter 616: 575 as long as you dare

“I say, just how many people are you planning to take away, hmm?” Standing on the docks of Brunas, a Laines military officer looked impatiently at the Tang Country military officer beside him and asked.

He had been here to take over the defense for three days already, but the docks were still crowded every day with all sorts of people, accompanied by bags and luggage of various sizes, ready to leave what was once the wealthiest city in the world.

In his view, it was entirely an enigma: there was a complete and advanced water supply, as well as electricity and lighting systems; countless factories outside the city offered employment opportunities, and the municipal management was so perfected it was astounding.

Why would anyone want to leave such a place that was like a paradise? Two months ago, every house here was worth a fortune!

Yet, just because the Great Tang Group left, just because the Laines Empire was about to occupy it, it seemed as if overnight, the place had turned into hell.

The stock market in Brunas had plummeted overnight – from a crowded land of fortune to a desolate, empty building.

Countless people sold off their shares; stocks that were once worth ten or more Gold Coins each were dumped for just two silver coins!

Two months ago, an 80-square-meter house here could sell for an exorbitant price of 30,000 Gold Coins. Just one month ago, no one would touch it for 4,000 Gold Coins. Yesterday, that same house would sell for only 500 Gold Coins, and today, just 300…

At the height of Brunas’ prosperity, if the Great Tang Group had sold it, they could have bought an entire Kingdom.

But now, it seemed as if overnight the place had reverted to some insignificant fishing village, that worthless, impoverished little town of the past.

“As long as there are people willing to leave, they can board the ships. That was the agreement between us, wasn’t it?” The young Tang Country military officer, with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, watched the civilians leaving for Dragon Island and said to the Laines Empire officer beside him.

He paused for a moment and then continued, “You are getting so much for free; it would be unjust if you didn’t give us this form of compensation, wouldn’t it?”

When the Great Tang Group left, they didn’t take anything with them according to the agreement: including the countless factory facilities outside the city, including power plants and water works, including the docks for shipbuilding and the enormous gantry cranes.

The entire Brunas City’s excellent electrical system, the plumbing, the sewage, and the communication networks… all were left for the Laines Empire.

They didn’t even destroy the telephone system, which was an advanced technology not yet widespread in Laines City.

Moreover, when the Tang Country troops withdrew, they left behind all their weapons and equipment. Including original cannons, machine guns, rifles… as well as ammunition for these weapons.

They took nothing! The weapons were neatly stacked in the barracks, even the steel helmets were left behind. The soldiers’ bedding, even the basins they used to wash their faces, were all left in place.

Even the receiving Laines Empire military couldn’t believe that the opposing side would really leave everything behind. The Great Tang Group upheld their reputation to a faultless extent, compelling the Laines Empire forces that were taking over Brunas to likewise adhere to their prior agreements.

“You’ve already moved at least half a million people! Isn’t that enough?” the Laines Empire officer emphasized dejectedly as he watched Brunas nearly empty out.

At its peak, Brunas had a population of over a million. Before the Laines military marched in, the population had already decreased to below a million.

Now, only a few hundred thousand were left. The 500,000 people the Laines officer mentioned were just those they had seen depart, not including those who had left before.

In fact, just from Northern Ridge, the number of people who had left exceeded one million; Tang Country had imperceptibly undertaken a mass migration at the level of a million people.

To accommodate these people, the Great Tang Group had cultivated a large amount of land on Dragon Island, and they had also settled a considerable population on the islands between Dragon Island and Dongwan Island.

At the same time, the previous inhabitants of Dragon Island moved en masse to Dongwan Island and Linshui Port, and by now they had taken root along the east coast of Great Tang.

The five divisions from Northern Ridge had also arrived at Linshui, and according to the plan, they would soon fill the gaps in the western and southern defenses.

To carry out such massive transportation, the Great Tang Group had used almost all the passenger liners available and even called into action almost all their cargo ships.

Tang Mo had chartered the entire fleet of merchant ships on the Endless Sea, offering them irresistible wages, having them join in the transportation of people as well.

At the most exaggerated point, the sea from Brunas to Dragon Island was so full of passing ships they nearly formed a straight line, and the ships in different fleets could even see each other.

Due to the urgent demand for transportation vessels, even sailing ships were pressed into service right from the start. Any ship that could navigate was brought in for transportation, and all were given payment.

What did this shipping route look like in terms of busyness? It was so busy that if a ship sank, before its hull could completely submerge, the crew who fell overboard would be rescued by passing vessels.

Upon reaching Dragon Island, the means of transportation diversified: a portion of civilians arriving at the port of Dragon City would be directly transported to Weigang via car or train.

The indigenous inhabitants of Dragon Island, on the other hand, would take flights to other islands or fly to Dongwan Island before continuing their journey to Linshui.

This was also an important reason why Tang Mo’s airplanes were seldom spotted by ships at sea: most vessels were now running routes on the eastern side of the Endless Sea, while Tang Mo’s planes were flying through the skies on the western side.

“Everyone can only bring two sets of clothes!” At the dock, a female soldier holding a megaphone walked alongside the line of civilians queuing to board the ship, loudly shouting continuously.

Some people threw their suitcases out of the crowd, letting them smash onto the ground. Some broke open, spilling clothes all over.

“Carry your documents on you! Keep an eye on the children! Documents! Identity documentation is all you need to board the ship!” On the other side, similarly a female soldier with a megaphone, her voice slightly hoarse, yelled.

“Throw away your luggage! You won’t be able to bring all of your luggage on board! You’re only allowed to bring valuables! I repeat, you’re only allowed to bring valuables!” Amid the noisy crowd, a soldier with an assault rifle strapped to his back shouted hoarsely.

Only a very small number of soldiers carried firearms, their duty simply to maintain order, nothing more. And docked at the pier was none other than a Wolf-class cruiser.

This type of warship was initially designed for long voyages, with ample cabins and strong cargo capacity, so accommodating some civilians wasn’t any trouble at all.

However, compared to the larger, more stable Freedom-class ships, the experience aboard a warship wasn’t as pleasant as one might imagine.

Children might be excited, as they could get up close to the large cannons on the deck, which would definitely be a novel experience.

But adults were less inclined to travel on such slender military vessels, with their poor seaworthiness, cramped quarters, and often restricted movement, making long voyages quite oppressive.

“If everyone wishes to leave, we will transport everyone.” An officer from Tang Country glanced at an officer from Laines and smirked without warmth in his reply, “It’s the agreement!”

“We have received orders that in three days, if you haven’t left by then, we have the right to shut down the entire port,” the Laines officer warned.

“That’s your concern.” The officer from Tang Country replied indifferently, “You can shoot me at any time, as long as you dare.”

The Laines officer snorted coldly, extremely dissatisfied but still shut his mouth. Although he was ordered to threaten the remaining staff of the Great Tang Group, both military and civilian authorities had warned him not to start a fight.

These people either regularly received bribes from the Great Tang Group or had witnessed the might of the Tang Army. They were as cautious as possible when taking advantage of the Great Tang Group.

Having obtained what they wanted, they certainly wouldn’t cause unnecessary complications. Leines I did not wish to engage in a firefight with Tang Army warships in the ports of Brunas during the handover.

Even if he were foolish, he wouldn’t make the blunder of smashing his own bowl: he wanted to peacefully see off the Great Tang Group and then develop Brunas into one of Laines’s most important port cities.

“The Laines Empire will protect all those who stay! We will reduce taxes, secure workers’ rights, and recognize the property ownership of every individual who remains…” At the dock’s main gate, Laines soldiers also with megaphones, kept advertising the policies of the Laines Empire.

Their propaganda indeed had a certain soothing effect on the people, and many chose to stay. After all, the area still buzzed with life and prosperity.

Many opted to purchase real estate offered at low prices and stayed there. For them, this choice was a gamble that, if won, would ensure easy living for the rest of their lives.

Despite some looking back with reluctance, and others deciding to stay while in the queue, the docks remained wide open, and the line of boarders was still impressively long.

In the second month of the war between Qi and Tang, Brunas was still in the process of a peaceful handover. Although Northern Ridge had become a part of the Suthers Empire, and in fact, Brunas already belonged to Laines, they all abided by their agreement, not restricting the freedom of immigrants.

Today, there were still those from Northern Ridge who had been indecisive but finally made up their minds, rushing to Brunas to board a ship and leave the continent for the new territories of Countess Alice.

There were also a few who regretted their decision and took ships from Dragon Island back to Brunas—return voyages had plenty of spots available, so getting back to Brunas was very convenient.

And on the Endless Sea, even though the ship fleets continued to come and go ceaselessly, behind this prosperity, everyone could feel that the long-suppressed storm seemed about to arrive.

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