Armor-piercing bullets don't believe in carbon-based monsters

Chapter 377 Let's eat first
The next morning.

Inside the mountain city combat command post.

Looking at the apartment building where people were gradually starting to move in, Chen Jian clicked his tongue in amazement and said:

"With the settlement issue resolved, we'll now move on to the final step."

"Cultural assimilation".

"However, it seems that this step is the most difficult one."

"However, signs of cultural assimilation are already beginning to appear."

"At least, those newly promoted clergy have begun to accept our way of life."

"The first step is to teach them to wash their faces with clean water every day, the second step is to teach them to flush the toilet, and the third step is to cultivate their habit of changing clothes."

"We've completed the first step; the second and third steps should be coming soon."

"not necessarily."

He Shuo shook his head, then continued:

"Changing clothes is not as simple as it seems."

"Essentially, this is not a matter of habit, but an economic one."

"The world's light industry is so underdeveloped now, especially the textile industry; it can't even compare to that of the Song Dynasty."

"You're talking nonsense."

Chen Jian interrupted He Shuo with amusement, and then said:

"Do you think anyone can easily rival the Song Dynasty's hand-woven textile industry? Even in our time, there were still a lot of countries whose textile industry couldn't match the Song Dynasty's level."

"But the good news is that there are small cotton-growing areas in both Hanshui City and the area around Huangshi City, as well as large areas of wild cotton production."

"The reason why production cannot keep up is mainly because grain production is too difficult, food is difficult to obtain, and it takes up a lot of manpower."

"Now, the first batch of early-maturing crops at the 011 base will be harvested soon, which should not be a big problem to supply the permanent residents of these two cities."

"Furthermore, with the increased efficiency of goods circulation brought about by trade routes, we can at least guarantee that 20% of our manpower will be devoted to cotton planting and production."

"This year alone, cotton production could increase to two or even three times the level."

“Even after deducting the quotas required for explosives production, there is still a large amount of cotton that can be directly invested in the textile industry.”

"The textile mill should become our first light industry sector, which will also be of great benefit to our subsequent trade development."

"clear."

He Shuo nodded, then asked:
"But why should we focus on this part?"

"What I mean is, if we're just considering cultural assimilation, there seem to be other different paths, don't we?"

"there is."

Chen Jian shrugged and replied:

“Cultural propaganda, basic education, and the cultivation of group consciousness. But these are all soft solutions.”

"The things that can truly have a major impact on culture are nothing more than the basics of clothing, food, housing, and transportation."

"Your hard work teaching these ordinary people in the wasteland who have been brainwashed by theological ideas for a month is not as worthwhile as giving them a piece of clothing."

"When they realize that we can give them more than the so-called 'gods' can give them, won't mind reform be a natural process?"

"Understood"

He Shuo sighed deeply.

"So you chose the above-board route."

"As for me, I'll just resort to some underhanded tactics."

"The great migration to Jinling City has begun—although it's a little different from what I expected, I estimate that the city will be taken over by us soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jian sighed softly.

Capture Nanjing?
This goal was once quite important to them.

After all, taking over Jinling City is equivalent to controlling the entire commercial hub of the south and automatically gaining influence that radiates across most of the southern region.

For a newly emerging force, such a stronghold is extremely important.

It was so important that Chen Jian was willing to invest most of his resources in it, without seeking any return in the short term.

But now, things have changed.

The mountain city has been captured.

Although it lacks the mature cultural and social heritage of Nanjing, its infrastructure is unparalleled.

Ready-made residences, ready-made internal transportation networks, ready-made modern facilities, ready-made fortifications and defensive equipment.

It is more suitable than any other city to serve as a central city, and the importance of Nanjing has been declining.

So, is taking Jinling City really that important?
Perhaps the more significant meaning lies in the fact that taking Jinling City signifies a complete transformation of the religious "holy city".

In some respects, this is even more significant than the fall of the "holy city" of Chongqing.
"So how do you plan to wrap this up?"

Chen Jian asked.

"There are no specific plans yet; we need to take it one step at a time."

"The most effective tool is, of course, the large-scale population migration from Nanjing."

"Whether it's the migration of believers, or the migration of ordinary people and merchants, it's all beneficial to us."

"What I really want to do is to cause a precipitous decline in the overall living standards of Nanjing in this way."

"When the city's population and socioeconomic activity have weakened to the point that they are no longer able to support themselves, that is the best time for us to take over."

"Destroy, then save."

"That's the basic route."

"It's just that most of the time, the vast majority of people use direct 'warfare,' while we use a different method."

After saying this, before Chen Jian could even speak, He Shuo began to shake his head to himself.

Then he continued:

"Actually, it's still the classic American approach."

"But you have to admit that, in special circumstances, such a solution can be very effective."

"However, the premise is that we must be certain that we are right."

"So my idea is that this plan should be limited to Nanjing and only for this one time."

"Unless there is a particularly intense ideological conflict, it's best to avoid this approach in the future."

“Once our team develops a path dependency, it will quickly deteriorate.”

Chen Jian nodded upon hearing this, and then said:
"Just make sure you know what's going on."

"What I'm most worried about is what you mentioned, path dependence."

"I admit that we are under a lot of pressure right now, but in the end, we still have to have a bottom line."

"clear."

He Shuo solemnly replied:
"Don't worry, I have my bottom line."

The two exchanged a glance and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, the sun was gradually rising.

The mountain town was still shrouded in a thick fog.

But perhaps because of the increased population, the fog no longer seems gloomy.
On the other side, Nanjing.

Under Huang Meng's leadership, the infiltration team has completed its final preparations before departure.

All the transport equipment crashed into the trailer, and the engineering vehicles were ready to go.

To avoid unnecessary trouble caused by signal interruptions, this time they even selected several "professional" drivers to accompany them. And this time, their goal was also very simple.

Completely open up the transportation route from the 011 base to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, forming a main road running through the north and south.

This is part of the Network Project and one of the necessary conditions for the Spark Project.

In terms of form, this task is not complicated.

It's nothing more than four parts: clearing, paving, arrival, and transportation.

However, the long duration of the mission also brings a high degree of uncertainty to the mission.

No one can predict what will happen in the next two months, and no one can guarantee with absolute certainty how much damage this large team will suffer if it encounters a powerful monster without prior warning.

They can only rely on themselves, and the weapons and equipment they have.

Huang Meng finally breathed a sigh of relief after conducting a final inspection of the 30A tank's tracks and confirming that all connecting parts were intact, normal, and the wear was within a controllable range.

As he stood up, Wang Lizi, a representative from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, or more precisely from the Yuanhuan Chamber of Commerce, spoke up at the opportune moment.

"We will also invest resources to help you open up the passage and provide escort along the way."

"Although it takes a while, it shouldn't be a big problem."

“After all, we’ve always traveled this route for trade, and the route itself is quite well-established. It’s just that it’s still a bit different from the ‘channel’ you’re looking for.”

"A bit?"

Huang Meng couldn't help but find it funny.

If he were still that naive young man from a few months ago, he would probably really think this is just a simple task, and he would really think this is a "mature" path.

But it's clear that he learned a great deal during his months in the Chinese army.

He has developed his own judgment and has his own understanding of large-scale infrastructure projects.

Therefore, he knew that this mission would definitely not be as simple as Wang Lizi thought.

Thinking of this, he spoke:
"Actually, you don't need to get involved at all."

"The mercenaries you have, armed only with light weapons, are no laughing matter in front of us. The only thing they can do is probably defend against attacks from small monsters, blood skeletons, or bandits."

“We even need to dedicate some of our energy to managing them.”

"They might slow down our overall progress."

After these words were spoken, Wang Li was speechless.

He wanted to say that Huang Meng was arrogant, but when he turned around and saw the huge array of equipment and weapons gathered behind him, he felt that the other party did indeed have the right to be arrogant.

He was somewhat indignant at the other party's contempt, but considering the power he possessed, he realized that the other party was indeed right.

Are those mercenaries really useful?

If it had been effective, when Huadu assembled these mercenaries to attack Huangshi City, they wouldn't have been defeated by the inexperienced, poorly equipped, and largely untrained "militia."

It's normal for Huang Meng to look down on these mercenaries; after all, they were his defeated opponents.

On the other hand, just as he said, these profit-driven mercenaries could indeed cause trouble for the Chinese army in terms of "management".

It's important to understand that this mission is not just a simple "transportation task".

The Huaxia Army planned to gather all the scattered residents in the surrounding area by opening up the roads.

This type of mission is indeed not suitable for too many "morally deficient" mercenaries to join.

After a slight hesitation, Wang Lizi spoke:
"At least they can act as porters, right?"

"If that's how you think, then there's nothing wrong with it."

Huang Meng shrugged and then said:

"In any case, let's proceed as planned."

"We're ready to go, are you ready?"

"Ready."

Wang Li replied:

"We can set off at any time."

"Let's go then."

At Huang Meng's command, all the members of the infiltration company, along with their equipment and machinery, sprang into action.

This was an unprecedented large-scale mobilization; even during the beast tide, they had never carried such a large amount of heavy equipment.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone at Base 011, the team slowly moved forward, disappearing into the distance along the path that had been cleared.

Their mission officially begins when the bulldozers finally drive onto the unpaved road that is covered with vegetation and has not yet been cleared.

Amidst the roar of machinery, trees fell one after another.

Bulldozers ripped out the roots that were entrenched in the ground and then leveled and compacted the ground again.

The soil changes from soft to hard, and the gravel mixed in makes it even more solid.

The procession moved slowly forward, clearing a path as it went.

From 10 a.m. when they set off to 5 p.m. when they rested, the team covered a total distance of less than 30 kilometers.

However, this exceeded Huang Meng's expectations.

To be honest, he originally thought that driving 15 kilometers a day would be considered good.

Clearly, Fuxi's prediction and calculation of the route provided considerable assistance for this mission.

As night fell, the team began its first rest period.

Before the rest period, Huang Meng ordered the soldiers of the infiltration company to conduct a thorough clearing of the surrounding area.

Gunshots startled the birds and beasts in the forest, and wandering monsters and blood skeletons fell to the muzzle of guns.

When the "hunting" warriors returned to the temporary camp, Huang Meng was surprised to find that some "newcomers" had followed behind them.

"Who is this?"

Huang Meng asked.

"The refugees of Baima Town."

The team leader replied:

"White Horse Town has been destroyed—they have nowhere to go and are hiding in caves."

"We found them while we were clearing the area and brought them back."

"Company commander, what should we do with them?"

Resettlement?

Huang Meng took a deep breath, looked over his teammate's shoulder, and looked at the ragged refugees behind him.

The mission has begun, and so has his responsibility.

He couldn't possibly let these people walk directly back to Base 011 through the already opened passage.

Although the road was flat, it wasn't safe enough.

Even a tiny monster is enough to ensure that everyone here never returns.

Thinking of this, he spoke:
“We’ll take them away.”

"After arriving at the next town, we will drop them off, and the subsequent support teams will organize the relocation and resettlement."

"Now."

"It's getting late."

"Anyway, let's eat first."

(End of this chapter)