Munitions Empire

"People from nearby islands are fleeing towards us; we’ve already taken in over 400 refugees who’ve smuggled themselves over lately," Tagg said as he entered the room, first pouring himself a hot cup of water before drinking and discussing the recent happenings.

When people can no longer survive, the mere whisper of a lifeline nearby is enough to tempt some to take a chance and venture out.

Recently, with more and more ships passing by Dongwan Island, many inhabitants of surrounding islands started to harbor thoughts of smuggling themselves over to Dongwan Island. Some, in a bid to survive, had already done so.

"That many?" Dino put down the document he was holding and looked at Tagg.

The busiest territory of the Great Tang Group was now Dongwan Island, bustling with construction sites and endless tasks every day.

In just over two months’ time, you could even see chimneys puffing thick smoke near Dongwan City.

Near these factories, one could faintly hear the roar of machinery; those assembled devices, larger than houses, were an entirely novel sight for everyone in Dongwan City.

They were curious about everything because the supplies from the Great Tang Group seemed endless! Luxuries like sugar and salt, once unthinkable to indulge in, were now provided without limit and could be freely traded in stores.

Working for the Great Tang Group meant access to various subsidies, provisions like firewood, rice, oil, and salt; the commoners of Dongwan City were experiencing unprecedented happiness.

Everywhere was a scene of bustling activity; everyone was working as if their lives depended on it, some overseeing goblins carrying stones, others employed in Dongwan City’s newly established administration.

After spending many days together, they had grown to like and become accustomed to the Tang People’s way of doing things, and they had also come to understand what true power meant.

This was no longer a simple matter of crushing with guns and artillery; it was a multi-dimensional, all-encompassing blow that penetrated every detail.

In the administrative offices of the Great Tang Group, even a casual form exuded an air of icy efficiency and precision. By simply referring to it, those in charge could easily assess the situation, controlling the most core and critical data.

Complex data corroborated each other; no chance for falsification as any single department trying to fabricate data would be quickly exposed during the cross-referencing process, inevitably attracting the scrutiny of the supervisory departments.

All the methods employed by the Great Tang Group were far more advanced and refined than anything in Zheng Country. This comprehensive leap into modernization made the original inhabitants of Dongwan Island realize that the Tang People’s victory was no accident, and not merely due to advanced weaponry.

Baus worked tirelessly, bustling between Fengshun City and Dongwan City, busy and seemingly content. So busy he’d become that he had even lost a considerable amount of weight, appearing more spirited.

Dino had been occupied with the Dongwan Island port situation lately, his primary concern being the docks and shipyards.

Seeing the busy Dino raise his head, Tagg nodded and continued, "Yes, they brought a lot of intelligence from the surrounding islands."

"..." Dino didn’t open his mouth but looked at Tagg, waiting for the General to continue sharing the intelligence he’d gathered.

Without making Dino wait, Tagg proceeded, "Firstly, since the troops from the Sheng Country occupied Dongwan Island, many local officials of Zheng Country have fled from the neighboring islands, causing the administrative order to collapse into chaos."

In other words, most of the surrounding islands were now in a state of anarchy and disorganization. Dino just pinched his chin in thought without offering an opinion.

"What’s left of the regular army has mostly fled too, only scattered soldiers remain, banding together, living day to day," Tagg continued, "They’re essentially no different from bandits now, with weak combat capabilities and disordered organization."

At this point, Dino could hear the eagerness in Tagg’s voice, but he wasn’t in a hurry and kept listening to Tagg’s ongoing report. Experience tales at empire

Tagg, straightforward as always and without waiting for Dino’s opinion, went on, "It’s precisely because of the total absence of order that those who wield power often escalate their exploitation of the local population, making life unbearable for civilians on these islands."

Dino nodded, still remaining silent.

"Later, when Sheng Country delayed its attack on these surrounding islands, those escaped Zheng Country local officials came back," Tagg recalled the old fisherman who had been brought before him the day before to report, as well as the timid granddaughter.

The grandfather and granddaughter had never seen fake ham stuffed with starch and grains or large cuts of pork, nor the exotic spices from various places.

As they ate, they talked about their island, one-third the size of Dongwan Island, where they lived.

They spoke of the bandits there, of the corrupt official who shirked his duties, and of the hundred thousand civilians living in misery on the island.

Poverty and hunger constantly loomed over these pitiful people, who struggled to survive like walking corpses, their clothes unable to cover their emaciated bodies.

The old fisherman even knelt down to Tagg right there, crying and begging him to rescue those who could only afford half a meal a day.

His son had been tortured to death by hunger, and his daughter-in-law had been defiled and killed by the bandits of Zheng Country who had turned to piracy on the island.

In order to seek revenge, the old man was even willing to follow the punitive forces back to lead the way for the security troops of the Great Tang Group.

"They are already powerless to control these officials turned bandits, so in the end, they could only strike deals with these people, allowing them to continue plundering the civilians, as long as they could provide some tax revenue." Thinking of this, Tagg sighed and continued, "Thus, the officials of Zheng Country became protectors of the bandits, and the bandits’ looting became legalized… The local civilians suffered terribly, and the fishermen couldn’t even support themselves."

"The fishermen can’t catch fish?" Dino was taken aback, asking in disbelief.

"Yes, according to the intelligence provided by the fleeing fishermen, the enemy has taken over the better fishing vessels, leaving only the rest to fish near the coast, which means the catch has become increasingly scarce, and they still have to pay taxes…" Tagg explained.

"They’re really hitting them hard." Dino was shocked, then there was a trace of anger towards the lawless robbers on the island, he remarked with a wry smile.

Tagg nodded again, "Yes, so I asked for instructions from the master, providing this intelligence. Since they only need to provide some tax revenue, why shouldn’t we occupy these islands?"

"The master? The master approved your plan?" Hearing that Tagg consulted Tang Mo, Dino’s expression became even more serious, "This could provoke a war, a war between us and Zheng Country."

"Yes. The master approved my plan." Tagg smiled, "There are no regular troops of Zheng Country on the islands anymore, our actions won’t be exposed."

It was actually easy to understand, the bandits on the islands were in no position to contact officialdom, as they didn’t exist on the records in the first place.

Now, according to the official records of Zheng Country, there were no regular garrisons on these islands, only so-called "civilian forces maintaining order". As for how combat ready these forces were, how many people they comprised, or what equipment they had, Zheng Country’s side was clueless.

Therefore, eliminating these bandit troops was something no one would question. The risk of doing so was virtually the same as directly slaughtering the officials of Zheng Country on these islands.

"Are you confident?" Dino asked knowingly.

Of course, he knew that the officials on these islands would have to communicate with coastal towns of Zheng Country if they wished to report anything.

The officials in these towns were already being bribed by the Great Tang Group, busy embezzling funds for their retirements while deceiving their superiors and subordinates; they hardly had time to care about a few isolated islands out at sea.

They wouldn’t even need additional bribes, a mere word from Dino, and officials of Zheng Country in these coastal cities would keep their mouths shut, turning a blind eye to Great Tang Group’s operations at sea.

Tagg had obviously thought of this too, even seizing on the key point of taxation: "I personally feel very confident. We only need to pay a small amount of tax to secure these islands."

Indeed, as long as the tax was paid on time, with a few extra Gold Coins passed along, no one in Zheng Country would know that these islands were lost.

As for whether those local officials who collaborated with the thieves to bully their own people were dead or alive, it was a small matter that concerned no one.

In the remote seas, isolated in the far reaches, shrouded in filth, lacking doctors and medicine, who would care if a few insignificant officials perished from illness?

"Is there any benefit?" Dino asked almost rhetorically, sure that his workload on Dongwan Island was about to increase: "It isn’t a trap of some sort, is it, false intelligence?"

"The confessions have been compared and verified, and these bandits and officials on the islands lack the wit for such deceit," Tagg replied, visibly elated, "During the process of occupying these islands, we can practice amphibious warfare. By taking the islands, we can gain some population. Moreover, the operation will ensure the security of Dongwan Island."

"I think… it’s feasible. When do you plan to move?" Dino resigned himself to the fact that soon he would be managing several islands, neither too big nor too small.

"Today," Tagg answered earnestly, "Before I came here, the fleet had already set out. The first campaign of the newly established Navy Marine Corps First Regiment is highly anticipated."

"Indeed, but more than that… I’m looking forward to a full-scale war with Zheng Country," Dino lowered his head again, returning to the documents before him.

He didn’t mind that Tagg had mobilized the military without consulting him because Tagg was directly responsible to Tang Mo on military matters, and he had no authority to interfere. That Tagg had come to brief him on the situation was already showing respect to him, the Governor of Dongwan Island.

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