Chapter 1203 The Golden Road
Zhou Bang, eastern Jiangsu Province, Jinling, Gucheng Lake gathering place
What was once a dilapidated and chaotic settlement has, under the organization of the Jinling Military Sub-district and through the arduous efforts of nearly 100,000 survivors, begun to take shape as a new military stronghold.
The original low wall, pieced together from sandbags, abandoned vehicles, and wooden stakes, has long been demolished and replaced by a new city wall that extends outwards and is reinforced with rammed earth, precast concrete slabs, and steel bars.
The city wall's outline was several times larger than the old one, encompassing more usable land. Standard firing positions and patrol routes were set up on the top of the wall, and reinforced watchtowers stood at key points.
Inside the city walls, the scene has been completely transformed.
The once muddy streets have been replaced by gravel and compacted soil, and the main roads have even been paved with simple hardened surfaces.
Most of the once cramped shacks have been cleared away, replaced by large areas of neatly arranged barracks and dormitories built with standardized prefabricated components. Although still rudimentary, they are well-planned, with much better ventilation and lighting than before.
In particular, the Jinling Military Sub-district has focused on rectifying hygiene issues. Indiscriminate urination and defecation are no longer considered a matter of moral character, but have been elevated to the level of illegality. Once arrested, not only will the tools used in the crime be confiscated, but a beating with a police baton is inevitable.
In the core area of the entire Gucheng Lake settlement, more functional semi-permanent buildings have been constructed: the Jinling Military Sub-district headquarters, street garrison points, warehouses, repair shops, medical clinics, and water purification stations that rely on field-recovered and air-transported parts for operation, etc.
As news of the establishment of the Jinling Military Sub-district spread rapidly, the population siphon effect of the Guchenghu gathering area became increasingly significant.
The flags of the Central Plains war zone, the stable order, and the visible food supply acted like a lighthouse in the night, quickly attracting survivors struggling to survive within hundreds of kilometers.
Today, in addition to the rapid integration of the original Gucheng Lake settlement and the scattered survivors in the surrounding area, the population of this settlement has snowballed to nearly 10, with new faces still pouring in every day.
It is foreseeable that as the reputation of the "Jinling Military Sub-district" and the "Zhongzhou War Zone" spreads further, an even larger surge in population gathering is imminent.
Meanwhile, on one side of the Gucheng Lake settlement, a giant field airport, positioned as the future eastern aviation hub of the Central Plains Theater, is rapidly rising from the ground.
In addition to the original rough field runway, two more new runways of the same specifications, or even longer and more robust, have been opened up in the past month or so.
The three runways are arranged in a fan shape, which is sufficient to support the simultaneous take-off and landing of multiple large aircraft.
The lighting systems and navigation equipment on both sides of the runway have been improved, and the apron area has been expanded several times, with clearly defined loading and unloading areas, maintenance areas, and fuel replenishment areas.
Although the building materials and construction equipment were limited and rudimentary, the functions were already complete.
With the help of the Y-20B fleet regularly transporting aviation fuel, spare parts, and specialized ground staff from the rear, the airport has been able to maintain periodic, moderate-intensity airlift operations.
At this moment, in the operations command room of the Jinling Military Sub-district headquarters at Gucheng Lake gathering point.
On the huge regional sand table, signs representing controlled areas and newly built facilities are densely packed.
Colonel Du Yuming, commander of the Jinling Military Sub-district, stood in front of the sand table, listening to reports from the heads of his subordinate departments.
Hu Renfu, the administrative director in charge of civil affairs and construction, stood up first, holding a yellowed notebook with curled edges, and said with great respect:
"Commander, comrades. As of today, the base's permanent and registered population has reached over 98,000, and the daily increase in population is stable at around 800 to 1,000."
"Regarding the labor force," he said, unconsciously wetting his index finger with saliva before turning the page to continue his report:
"Due to the brutal selection process of the post-apocalyptic environment, currently, young adults aged 16 to 50 with full labor capacity account for as much as 92% of the base!"
"It is precisely because of this large and obedient workforce that our city wall expansion, barracks construction, road paving, and various infrastructure projects have been able to proceed at a speed far exceeding expectations!"
He paused and added:
"Currently, we are implementing a model that combines 'work-for-relief' with 'military-style management.' All healthy adult survivors must participate in designated labor in exchange for food rations and points."
"Since the policy was implemented, the overall order in the cluster area has been good and the production efficiency has been very high."
Du Yuming nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Zhao Jie, the brigade commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade of Yezhou, who was in charge of organizing specific military operations.
Zhao Jie immediately stood up and reported in a loud voice:
"Commander! The local conscription work is progressing extremely smoothly!"
"Our original plan to recruit 20,000 men and form four new infantry brigades has been exceeded and completed ahead of schedule three days ago!"
"Currently, all new recruits have completed initial registration, quarantine, and distribution of basic supplies. They are temporarily being managed and trained in basic drills in temporary training camps."
"The quality of the soldiers is not ideal due to the impact of the apocalypse, and most of them are malnourished. However, they are very adaptable and obedient, and have a strong spirit of hard work and endurance!"
"Once the next transport cycle arrives and the four training battalions (system soldier backbone) promised by the theater command arrive, comprehensive recruit training can begin immediately!"
At this point, Zhao Jie's tone was full of confidence: "At that time, relying on the standardized training syllabus, strict discipline and combat experience brought by the training battalion, we are confident that we can quickly enable these four newly formed brigades to form basic combat capabilities in a short period of time and fill the gap in our army's ground forces in the Nanjing direction!"
...
Listening to the solid progress reports and looking at the ever-expanding, vibrant green control zone on the sand table, Du Yuming's eyes flashed with satisfaction and joy.
Population, workforce, nascent military, and increasingly sophisticated base facilities...
Under his leadership, the war machine of the Jinling Military Sub-district is being assembled and activated with unprecedented efficiency.
If everything goes smoothly, wouldn't I have done my part in "expanding territory" for my superiors and the war zone?
Think of those colleagues who pioneered new territories in the past, whether it was Zhu Jun or Lu Chong... now they are all powerful figures in the war zone...
And this time, it was finally my turn!
It wasn't that he was arrogant; rather, compared to the 'territory' his colleagues had previously conquered, he was planting the flag of the war zone in the heart of the region, thousands of kilometers away in the east!
So what kind of infrastructure is being built in the Gucheng Lake area? It's clearly Du Yuming's grand road to heaven!
Even if you do a good job, becoming a major general is just the minimum guarantee. Based on this achievement alone, as long as you don't make any mistakes, it's entirely possible to be promoted to lieutenant general with ease!
That's a lieutenant general!! And with a deputy theater-level officer on top of that... I could die happy!
Thinking of all this, Du Yuming could hardly contain his smile.
'And what about my old team leader, Wang Wu? I heard he's gone off to work on the front lines again?'
cough~
I don't mean to discriminate against frontline workers at all; it's just that people like me have more opportunities to explore!
If only we could perfectly complete the top-secret mission assigned by the commander...
Thinking of the top-secret mission, Du Yuming's sunny mood from a moment ago instantly turned somewhat complicated.
This task... is going to be tough...
