Fortress 178 existed for war, so it was destined to be different from the other strongholds from the moment it was created.
There were no dazzling shops on the streets, nor were there any pedestrians dressed in particularly colorful clothes. Some of the girls had already changed into long dresses in the spring, but those dresses were also made of coarse cloth.
The clothing in the entire stronghold was monotonous in color. It was either dark blue, khaki, or dark green.
At this time, the textile dyeing technology in Fortress 178 was still at the most basic stage of dipping and pad dyeing. Clothes that were worn for a long time would even fade in color.
Just as Wang Shengyin had said, the Northwest was one of the most suitable places to grow cotton. However, there was a lack of technology here, and all the resources were focused on developing the military industry and trying to feed everyone.
How could they have the time to research fancy things?
After Xu Xianchu left, Ren Xiaosu, Wang Shengzhi, and the others walked out of the building and carefully looked around this legendary fortress.
The pedestrians on the streets would look at them sideways when they saw them, because other than Ren Xiaosu, the rest of them looked a little out of place here.
Wang Shengyin had also changed into a long dress, but the blue dress did not look like it could be produced in this fortress. Wang Shengyin said this blue was called Tiffany blue, and it was very popular in the Central Plains. It was the color worn by a female singer.
Ren Xiaosu thought to himself that Fortress 178 probably would not have that kind of celebrity singer. He noticed that the women in Fortress 178 were all carrying carrying poles like the men.
Ren Xiaosu suddenly asked Wang Shengzhi, "How do you think Mr. Zhang will deal with the Soong Clan?"
Wang Shengzhi looked up at him and said with a smile, "You want Fortress 178 to help you take revenge, right?"
"Yes." Ren Xiaosu admitted frankly, "But if it's not Fortress 178's decision, I won't drag others down with me. I can still do a lot of things by myself."
Ren Xiaosu was thinking that if Fortress 178 was unwilling to send troops to clear the Soong Clan of this trade route, he would infiltrate the Soong Clan himself.
If Li Shentan could do it, he might be able to do it too.
Wang Shengzhi said with a smile, "Look at the pedestrians on the streets."
"Eh?" Ren Xiaosu was stunned.
"Everyone is actually carrying their own food out with a shoulder pole. Where are they going?" Wang Shengzhi asked.
"Carry it out and sell it?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"The farmers are outside the fortress. These are just ordinary citizens. What kind of food are they selling?" Wang Shengzhi said with a smile, "They're spontaneously transferring all of their food reserves to the defenders of Fortress 178."
"What are you doing?" Ren Xiaosu was stunned. He really did not know much about military matters. Previously, he had encountered an advanced military command skill, but he did not have a Skill Duplication Scroll to learn it.
"This is because Fortress 178 is preparing for war. All of the food has been gathered into the hands of the garrison troops for wartime distribution." Wang Shengzhi explained with a smile, "If you're determined to take revenge on the Soong Clan, don't worry. If Mr. Zhang hadn't thought it through, he wouldn't have let me come to the Northwest. He's already made his decision."
If Fortress 178 wanted to liquidate their massive mineral reserves, improve the lives of the fortress' residents, and obtain better armaments, they would have to open up this trade route.
And the Soong Clan would not allow this to happen. How could they allow others to sleep soundly on their own beds? This was the inevitable outcome of the growth of an organization with a vested interest.
…
In the crude meeting room of Fortress 178, a group of officers were arguing around a huge sand table model. Zhou Yinglong clamored, "I've long disliked the Soong Clan. As you all know, those old fogies from the Soong Clan have deployed their troops to face our Fortress 178. I don't think I need to explain their intentions, right?"
"Everyone knows about this." Someone said, "I went to the valley a while ago and discovered that the Kyung Clan is also stirring up trouble here. However, Qing Zhen's plans are not on our Fortress 178. Now that his people have gone to fight the Yang Clan, only the Soong Clan is left in the valley."
"If we want to open up a trade route, the best route to build it would be through the road in Mt. Dingyuan. I heard that road was a highway before The Cataclysm, right? That's the fastest way. But Mt. Dingyuan is still in the hands of the bandits from the Soong Clan, and Mt. Guan to the north is equivalent to the Soong Clan's forward operating base. "Xu Xianchu analyzed," So even if we don't attack the Soong Clan, we still have to take control of the front line between Mt. Dingyuan and Mt. Guan. "
"How are we going to take control of it?" Zhou Yinglong retorted, "We don't have enough manpower. We can fight them, but it'll be a little difficult to occupy them. How many people do you have to put there to prevent the Soong Clan from launching a sneak attack? Moreover, if the Soong Clan cuts off the retreat route of the defending troops at Mt. Dingyuan, the soldiers there will immediately become an isolated island. Just thinking about it makes me despair. "
"That's right, Old Zhou has a point. There's no such thing as guarding against thieves for a thousand days." A burly man said, "The Soong Clan is right in front of us. Those old bastards have been too restless in recent years. They've been treating Fortress 178 as their imaginary enemy. They've already forgotten the kindness we showed them by guarding Fortress 178 and helping them fend off their enemies from the West!"
Throughout the night, the entire conference room was very noisy. It was very lively with all sorts of discussions going on.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jinglin stood next to the sand table and quietly looked at the patterns on it. The sand table covered a large area that included the entire Southwest and Northwest, as well as a small part of the Central Plains.
But someone suddenly said, "But what if the enemies from the West come again while we're fighting the Soong Clan?"
Everyone looked at one another. Zhou Yinglong hesitated for a moment before saying, "We haven't been here in 16 years. Surely it can't be such a coincidence, right?"
The person who spoke said calmly, "Due to differences in hair, skin color, and race, our people have never been able to infiltrate their camp. For the same reason, they can't infiltrate us either. That's why we don't know each other's situation. How do you know if they really won't come? If we really get caught up in time, we'll be surrounded by enemies. "
Fortress 178 had ignored the Soong Clan for so many years, not because they were willing to tolerate hyenas running rampant at their doorstep, but because they had a more important mission that prevented them from splitting up their forces.
Zhou Yinglong and the others felt a little aggrieved. They had to admit that their mission came first.
The Soong Clan, the Kyung Clan, the Yang Clan, and the Central Plains did not have to thank them, but a mission was a mission.
Suddenly, Zhang Jinglin said, "Let's fight."
The conference room fell silent, and everyone could hear each other's breathing. The eyes of Zhou Yinglong and the others lit up, and their cheeks gradually flushed red. This was a sign of bravery before every big battle.
No matter what was being said in this conference room, no matter how many different opinions they had, only Zhang Jinglin would make the final decision when he spoke.
When Zhang Jinglin made his decision, it meant that war had really arrived.
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