Munitions Empire

Chapter 670: 629 a little worker

Lu Ming moved his heavy body and pushed open the room door in front of him, the creaking sound echoing in the somewhat dim corridor.

This was a brand new dormitory, a typical one built to the standards of the Great Tang Group of this era.

Each floor had a long corridor with doors to rooms on either side, and next to each door was a small window, not meant for people to enter or exit, a very typical apartment-style design.

Besides the independent bathrooms, each unit had only one room and a windowless living area, with the kitchen right next to the door, adjacent was the narrow window opening onto the corridor.

Logically speaking, it was impossible to raise children in such a house, but the workers didn’t mind. They used to be homeless, and now they had a home, so they didn’t care about the details.

Lu Ming, who had always been eking out a living in the Dahua Empire, was a typical migrant. He was actually from Chu Country but had lived in the Dahua Empire with his mother since he was a child.

...

His mother was a woman who hid her past, high-end speaking somewhat like an escort, low-end speaking just a call girl without a fixed workplace.

By selling her body, she brought him up and then died sick and penniless in the Dahua Empire.

Not yet twenty years old, Lu Ming, without any source of livelihood or money for rent, could only begin his wandering life. He later followed some migrants to Tang Country, having heard that there were job opportunities there.

Indeed, the rumors didn’t deceive him, he found work here and also obtained free training opportunities, becoming a worker.

After signing a contract akin to selling himself, he started to receive some wages every month and got to live in the factory’s dormitory building free of charge.

There, each dormitory room had bunk beds, with eight men to a room, each floor had a simple kitchen, only two toilets, and communal sinks for washing.

Just work here for 20 years, and one could regain one’s freedom and win the reward of housing, moving into the apartment building he was now living in.

As it happened, he had learned a lot in just half a year’s study here. The master who mentored him got a promotion and a raise, and he too became the backbone of the factory’s technology.

That contract was reasonably shortened to 15 years, and his usual wages were substantially increased. What thrilled him even more was that the factory often organized social events with a weaving mill in the same city, to introduce the workers to some female workers.

All young folks in the prime of their youth, men and women got to know each other, correspond, and eventually come together, get married, and become a family.

Later, Lu Ming learned that this was a strategic move by the factory, a birth strategy to increase the population of Tang Country: it saved on dormitories while also encouraging marriage and childbearing.

It was then that he met a woman, now his wife. They had a collective wedding, simple and hasty. They received the factory’s blessings and then moved out of their respective dormitories to be allocated this modest dwelling that seemed rather plain but was incredibly cozy for them.

“You’re back,” said the woman who had finished her shifts, tidying up the house, cherishing their place with wooden floors and a big bed.

For them, it was all they had, the place they called home. Both had lost their parents, both were migrants from afar, and here they had… begun anew.

“Yes,” Lu Ming felt his shoulders ache constantly, he took off his coat and hung it on a nail on the bathroom door. That was their makeshift clothes rack; the cramped space by the door simply couldn’t fit a real one.

Lately, the workshop of the factory he worked at had been doing overtime consistently, with 12-hour workdays. For him, it was a fulfilling way of life.

He was happy to see every tank chassis assembled and sent out of the workshop because it was the fruit of his labor.

Previously, he always thought he was from Chu Country, then felt he was Dahuan, but now he was certain he was a Tang People, an authentic one at that!

Every person from Great Tang was proud; they had their own lives, worked diligently every day, created wealth, and made their humble lives vibrant and colorful.

Their lives were visibly improving at a rapid pace, something they couldn’t even dream of before they came to Tang Country.

In the past, they thought eating a steamed bun a day was life, but now they could have two with every meal, even with some vegetables, and occasionally, they could enjoy a meat dish.

Back then, they had to endure hunger daily, eating leaves and all sorts of messy things, reluctant to let go of any caught insects or rats.

Lu Ming now realized that he no longer had to consider disgusting things like eating rats, because every day he could enjoy the dinner prepared by his wife, fragrant white rice and wheat flour, and the emerald green vegetables seasoned with salt.

“When I came back from work today, I passed by the vegetable market and saw that the carrots were very fresh and the price was low, so I bought some.” His wife unfolded the table and carried over the plates from the stove.

Lu Ming naturally sat down at the table, picked up a washed carrot, and stuffed it into his mouth. It tasted very good, crisp and sweetly fragrant, and it crunched satisfyingly as he chewed.

“Try this!” His wife pointed to some vegetable leaves beside him, her face beaming with happiness. She had married a good man and life was exceedingly blissful, which filled her with great satisfaction and gave her new hope every day.

Finally, Lu Ming picked up the chopsticks from beside his bowl, grabbed a piece of the vegetable leaf, placed it on his rice, and then shoveled it into his mouth, the garlic flavor mingling with the saltiness, instantly awakening his taste buds.

“Delicious.” He smiled, even forgetting the pain in his shoulder for a moment. His wife was quite attractive, worked hard in the textile factory, and was a virtuous woman—the type he had never even dared to dream of before.

But now, she was sitting there, chin propped on her hands, looking at him with a gentle smile that stirred his heart.

“I heard from Aunt Li next door that their son got injured on the front lines.” There were no customs such as eating in silence in the Great Tang; even His Majesty the King often summoned ministers during mealtime, and it was unthinkable for poor families to trouble themselves with such formalities. The hostess, watching her husband eat, brought up the gossip she had heard that day.

“They said he took a cut to his thigh, but aren’t they all using guns to fight now? How did he get cut by a blade?” The woman, not understanding much, casually mentioned it just for some mealtime amusement.

“How did Aunt Li find out?” Lu Ming asked his wife, his words muffled as he continued to eat.

Her spirits lifted immediately as she explained, “There was a letter from the front lines, along with an appreciation letter from the military representatives, very official, praising Aunt Li’s son for his bravery. They mentioned an injury subsidy and a medal. Tax exemption too, it all sounds so enviable.”

The authentic medals of the Great Tang Kingdom were sent directly to the soldiers’ homes, while the soldiers on the front lines wore replicas to prevent loss during combat.

However, there was one exception: when a soldier had no family, both the medal and its replica were given to the soldier, with the authentic one usually stored within the logistics department at the division or army level.

The military’s unique postal system was also highly developed, and since the railways were connected, letters sent from the front could quickly reach their designated destinations.

“The honors won with life cannot be envied.” Lu Ming continued eating and shared his opinion.

His wife nodded vigorously, “Mhm! You’re right, we shouldn’t envy such things! You are a skilled worker and don’t have to go to the front, which is wonderful.”

The state had already recruited soldiers twice, and despite adhering to the principle of volunteering and offering high subsidies, it still made people nervous.

In the newspapers, on the radio, and even through the factory loudspeakers, there were reports of victories on the front lines and triumphs of our troops. However, people talked, questioning the logic of continual victories coupled with ongoing conscription.

But to protect everyone’s new way of life or to perhaps seize a future opportunity, strong young men from various places still joined the military, forming troops one after another.

Although many knew that most of the newly recruited troops were sent either to the south or to the east and remained in training without being deployed to the front lines, the concern remained.

People worried about themselves, whether the good days were coming to an end, and whether the country might perish… In short, a certain sense of patriotism had sparked in many.

“Being stable and safe is what truly matters.” Lu Ming didn’t think it was wrong to be cautious, as everyone had their own way of being patriotic: it was hard to say whether he, a worker who installed parts on dozens of tank chassis every day, contributed more to his country than a soldier on the front lines.

“Do you think our Tang Country can win?” His wife, knowing nothing of such matters, pinned her hopes on her husband working in the military factory: “Our way of living will certainly continue, right?”

“Definitely.” Lu Ming paused, then nodded firmly: “If we still lose with such powerful weapons, wouldn’t the soldiers on the front be useless?”

He thought of the steel behemoths welded together in the factory. If anyone could defeat the tanks of Tang Country, that would be truly unbelievable.

Such beasts were not to be overcome by human strength, and he firmly believed that the Tang Army, armed with such formidable power, would be invincible on the battlefield!

With this thought, he felt the grains of rice in his mouth taste even sweeter. So he chewed vigorously, his cheek muscles bulging with each bite.

He felt he should work even harder, produce more tanks, so his good days could continue just like this, forever.