Munitions Empire

The border of Chu Country was swamped with people, almost filling the military camp that had been around for over a hundred years. Women holding children and old men leading oxen made the army camp look more like a bustling marketplace.

The soldiers responsible for registration were overwhelmed, causing temporary congestion at the place. They scrambled to restore order, shouting loudly with no real discipline.

There was nothing to be done; these civilians crowded into the military camp were like walking Gold Coins. The soldiers could only scold them, as they weren't easy to manage.

"Line up properly! Did you all damn hear me?" a soldier brandishing a firelock shouted at the disordered crowd before him.

"Stop crying! Stop crying! I'll feed you soon! You'll eat soon!" In front of this shouting soldier, a ragged woman patted her baby in her arms, trying to soothe it.

Beside the woman stood a man carrying a hoe, gazing coldly at the people around him, eyes filled with the sorrow of leaving his hometown.

"Moo..." An old yellow ox sauntered by, led by an elderly farmer who passed by the firelock-bearing soldier without bothering to pay him any attention.

"Gun! Gun!" Several children pointed at the Shireck Firearms in the soldier's hands from afar, yelling excitedly.

Some carried shoulder poles with various household items hanging from them; shirtless and wearing straw hats, they apologized politely after bumping into others as they weaved through the crowd.

Those who were bumped into would grumble a complaint before continuing to bicker, voicing their frustrations about how slow the checkpoint was in letting people through.

"Line up properly! Did you all damn hear me?" Not being able to save face and having lost his usual authority, the flustered soldier yelled again, knowing no one was listening, and had to find another spot to continue shouting.

On the other side of the crowd, an officer wiped the sweat from his forehead, complaining, "I haven't even had time to drink a sip of water this morning, it's really, really damn bad luck."

His subordinate tugged at his collar, looked up at the sun, and gasped for air with equal discomfort, "Yeah, been standing here all morning, and the number of people hasn't decreased at all."

Although he said this, he was still unwilling to leave and take a break because he needed to monitor the checkpoint to ensure the count was accurate.

Everyone passing through had to be registered because the numbers had to be verified before they could be accounted for!

Each number here represented two or even three Gold Coins; if the person was a craftsman or scholar, the price could be even higher.

It was as if they were selling livestock, trafficking their own country's population and then dividing the money into shares, fooling the eyes of everyone who knew about this.

So they didn't want to leave. Looking at these people in front of them was like looking at heaps of glittering Gold Coins.

In fact, they had indeed seen countless Gold Coins, and after receiving a huge sum they wouldn't have dared to dream of in the past, they even thought their earlier life was a waste.

Now, they could indulge in high-class brothels, dare to enter gambling houses and taverns even the City Lord's son couldn't afford, and even had the boldness to argue with their own wives...

All these were things they couldn't have imagined in their dreams, but now, they had all become reality! They had divided up hundreds of Gold Coins just last month!

This fortune was nearly five years of their military pay, and if including deductions, it might take ten years to earn such an amount. But now, they had received it in just one month!

Real Gold Coins! Of full weight and measure! And what's more terrifying is that this was just the beginning! As long as they kept doing this, they could keep reaping the benefits!

No joke! If they stayed here for a year, they could simply pull a few strings when they returned home and become a local magnate, rich and influential.

What a delightful thing that would be.

As the two of them were complaining about the fierce sun, two Tang Army soldiers wearing steel helmets and grey-green military uniforms boldly crossed the border. They hauled a heavy chest over to the two men's side.

From the looks of it, these two soldiers had been here more than once, as several Chu Army soldiers greeted them familiarly along the way.

The Tang soldiers set the chest down beside the two men, then tore off the cardboard box's outer wrapping revealing its contents inside. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

In the box were clearly glass bottles, each filled with a strange orange-yellow liquid.

"Come! Have a drink of something good!" One of the Tang soldiers took out a bottle opener from his pocket and pulled a soda bottle from the box. With a crack, he opened it and handed it to the Chu Army officer opposite him.

The Chu officer took it, eyeing the oddly colored liquid warily, hesitant to pour it into his mouth.

The Tang soldier laughed heartily, took out a bottle for himself, popped the cap, and drank, then let out a satisfied burp.

This finally gave the Chu officer the courage to try it. Taking a sip of the cold, sweet soda, the spicy carbon dioxide tingled his tongue and rushed into his stomach with an indescribable thrill.