CHAPTER 1485: CHAPTER 1402: MIGHT AS WELL LEAVE

Another worker stirring cement was equally dissatisfied with this incessant repetitive work. He nodded and summed it up with a phrase: "Exhausting the people and wasting resources!"

Indeed, in his view, this was just wasting time, exhausting the people and wasting resources. Because no matter what they did, when facing the Tang Empire, they would always fall into a passive position.

There’s no way around it, those stories about defeating a powerful enemy with old equipment are essentially just ways to boost morale when one lacks the capability to improve their own outdated weapon technology.

Getting soldiers to defeat a formidable enemy with old-fashioned rifles is one skill, equipping soldiers with aircraft and artillery to face a formidable enemy is another skill. The best situation is actually "I want it all," rather than making a choice.

Is the Laines Empire’s aircraft more advanced than the Tang Empire’s aircraft? No one would think so. Everyone knows that the aircraft equipped by the Laines Empire are just the scraps that the Tang Empire didn’t want.

Yet the ones in power always have a fantasy. They always think that the gap between their aircraft and the Tang Empire’s aircraft might not be as large as imagined.

Or rather, they actually know, but are unwilling to admit the fact that if someone only ever says their guns and cannons are inferior, and that they would surely lose in a battle, they are not a qualified ruler.

Therefore, even if forced, other countries can only try to catch up with the advancing pace of the Tang Empire, not daring to easily fall behind in technology by even a fraction.

There’s no choice; if the gap widens, they will be in more distress: theoretically speaking, the Tang Empire’s advanced weapons are expensive, and using them to consume a large number of worthless targets might be more cost-effective.

But in reality, let’s think in reverse, who the hell wants to use weapons several generations old to attract enemy fire? When many people die, everyone is scared, and there’s no need to resist stubbornly.

With excessive casualties, the troops will collapse and surrender without hesitation... The war could be ended in a few days, and obviously, the inferior side will be the one ended.

In such a situation, rulers cannot place their life or death on the shoulders of the cheap troops’ endurance capacity.

So they can only keep following, stepping right into the Tang Empire’s trap. Because this is essentially an open conspiracy, a trend no one can reverse.

Just like the modern world, everyone knows that if we all destroyed our weapons, the burden on national defense would be less, but no one is willing to do it. The arms race continues in an endless cycle, with no one willing to fall behind by even a step.

"When will these days end?" the worker who spoke first sighed again. He really didn’t want to take on more military work; the pay was low, and the workload was high.

Every standard must be followed, how much steel, how much cement, all have strict requirements. In some places, they even have to be repeatedly poured, piling up a mountain of cement...

To deal with the Tang Empire’s weapons, some countries are digging tunnels, some are building concrete hangars. In short, everyone is very busy.

"There’s no end unless... the Tang people invade..." Another worker spoke boldly, but he kept his voice low and glanced nervously around, clearly feeling uneasy.

"Sigh... This place used to be called King City before it was renamed Jade City. You’re not a local, so you don’t know. Back then, we lived quite well," the worker opposite said directly, not caring about anything.

Recalling the past days, he truly felt a deep sigh. Had he known life here would become increasingly difficult, he might as well have followed neighbors who left with the Tang Group to Dragon Island.

They say life over there is quite good. Apart from not being allowed to easily leave the island, life there can almost be described as paradise.

Unfortunately, that’s just hearsay. Ever since the Tang Empire completely closed Dragon Island and prohibited ships from other nations from approaching, he hasn’t heard any news from over there.

He naturally didn’t know that rockets almost lifted off daily over there, that people there began gradually using mobile phones, nor did he know that massive aircraft carriers were docked in their ports, with jet-powered planes flying in skies unseen elsewhere.

The Tang Empire’s level of construction had far exceeded the imagination of other nations, with many internal Empire flights already replaced by jet airliners, something other countries simply couldn’t achieve.

Although the Tang Empire also constantly exported jet airliners, these planes remained a scarce luxury object in other countries; in contrast, in the Tang Empire, they had become standard equipment at most airports.

"Back then, what we earned allowed us to eat meat every day... Now, we don’t earn much more money, and we can’t afford to eat meat... Sigh." The worker, feeling increasingly bitter, sighed, unconcerned whether anyone nearby could hear his complaints.

Such things had become a daily routine for the original residents in the Tang Group controlled area back in the day. They initially chose to stay behind, not leaving home with the Tang Group, and now, indeed, they regretted it.

If they had known the Laines Empire’s nobility’s appetite was so ugly, if they had known the expelled landlords and gentry would return and become even worse, they wouldn’t hold any so-called nostalgia anymore.

Unfortunately, there are no "ifs" in this world. The Tang Group left and established a massive empire on another continent.

And they stayed, suffering hardships in the equally newly risen Laines Empire, oppressed by those damn officials and nobility.

"What are you talking about? What are you talking about? Work seriously, don’t slack off," said a supervisor walking over, scolding with no good intentions before leaving with his hands behind his back.

He didn’t want to meddle too much, after all, after work he was just a small official under oppression, wasn’t worth straining relationships with scolding bastards for his colleagues.

Nowadays, workers were becoming less and less, anyone with a bit of ability had already fled. Who was willing to stay and be oppressed and exploited by the nobility?

Finding a few capable workers was not easy, it wasn’t easy for him as a small foreman either, so why should everyone create difficulties for each other? As long as the job is done, everything else is minor.

"..." The conversation abruptly ended. In the distance, one could still see the ME-262 Fighter Jets secretly produced earlier. These fighter jets were used as tactical bombers, quite fitting with the original expectations Germany Three’s leader had for this type of plane.