Chapter 1 A Base in Turmoil

Inside the Chi Army base, a scene of bustling activity unfolded as numerous logistics officers hurried back and forth across the office area.

At the dinner table, Zhao Wei Hu glanced at the lame middle-aged man delivering pickled vegetables to him, asking succinctly, "Old Xiao, you really aren't staying?"

The lame middle-aged man paused briefly before shaking his head. "No, I won't. Document Number One clearly states that laborers who didn't comply with the recall order within the deadline will be considered to have automatically forfeited their Dragon City citizenship, and they won't have another chance to apply, plus it might affect the next generation. My kid's sick and will need schooling in the future, so we should head back...!"

Zhao Wei Hu, hearing his response, didn't attempt to persuade him otherwise. "Alright, go back and work hard. If you get the chance, find another wife."

"Okay." The lame middle-aged man nodded with a smile.

Just as the two exchanged a few words, a young man sporting the rank of captain entered, saluted, and announced, "Commander, these are the appropriation documents submitted by the military finance department."

Zhao Wei Hu accepted the documents, quickly scanned the numbers, and signed his name at the bottom right corner. "Verbally notify the finance department that, for the foreseeable future, any funds related to material procurement should be given the green light, but the accounts must balance. Anyone who dares to skim or embezzle at this time, I'll have them shot...!"

Seeing Zhao Wei Hu getting busy again, the lame middle-aged man stood up immediately and said, "Commander, then I'll be off."

Zhao Wei Hu's face remained impassive, only nodding slightly at him. "Go on, if you can't get used to it, come back. The headquarters kitchen is always open for you."

"Sure thing." The lame middle-aged man nodded emphatically, then turned and left the office.

Zhao Wei Hu downed most of his bowl of porridge in two gulps, casually wiped his mouth, and said, "Call the guard, we're going to the official military headquarters for a meeting."

Two minutes later, Zhao Wei Hu left the camp in a military vehicle.

...

The lame middle-aged man's name was Xiao Yu Cheng. Thirteen years ago, he was among the first wave of Chinese laborers who responded to the Dragon City government's call to provide infrastructure support in Sinaloa.

At that time, the Mexican government, newly recognized by the United Nations, was facing extreme difficulties. As temperatures rose and resources recovered, numerous factions sought to seize the land, resulting in a proliferation of bandit armies, private armed groups, political party militias, and rebel forces. They united to fight against the Mexican official army, pushing them back repeatedly in a situation reminiscent of the warlord era in the Republic of China.

Back then, Dragon City had just completed its basic construction and was in a weak developmental stage. To ensure the security of its borders and stabilize its neighbor, the First District government chose to support the Mexican government, providing not only supplies, money, and ammunition but also sending many laborers to areas like Sinaloa and Casarosa to assist in infrastructure development. They built ports, military airports, highways, and military factories to sustain the war effort.

During those years, some white engineers and technicians from the First District were also dispatched to Mexico, but their numbers were small, less than ten thousand compared to the Chinese laborers.

Ninety percent of the assigned laborers were Chinese, and they all came from Dragon City.

In those days, some of the leaders and officials of the Dragon City government were still assertive. Having experienced the Unification War, some possessed spirit and dignity, so they initially resisted the order. However, to appease them, the First District government agreed to allocate thirty billion in cash to Dragon City for urban development.

Dragon City, in its early stages, needed money and funding everywhere. The mayor at the time said, "There's really no other way. Let's exchange the sacrifice of a small number of people for the stability of the majority."

Thus, nearly eighty thousand grassroots laborers were sent to Mexico. To boost their enthusiasm, the Dragon City government made many promises, such as assigning them houses before they left, and offering wages higher than those of ordinary workers in Dragon City.

The most attractive promise was a special fast-track to citizenship for those grassroots workers who were not yet citizens of Dragon City. Upon completing their mission and returning, they would be granted citizenship without any obstacles.

This attracted many people because, in that era, many Chinese had heard about the rapid development in Dragon City and came specifically to join their relatives. Without military status or having been part of the military during the Great Escape, the screening process for their household registration was complicated, and many had lived there for one or two years without obtaining citizenship, remaining on a waiting list.

To settle down, they needed to resolve their household registration issues, so many went to Mexico as laborers for the high welfare and high salaries, and Xiao Yu Cheng was one of them. He had just gotten married at the time and came with his young wife.

However, Xiao Yu Cheng hadn't expected the conditions in Mexico to be extremely harsh. The majority of the locals were of low character, with robbery, theft, and drug trafficking rampant. Not only was the living environment dangerous, but they were also very xenophobic.

So, in the first two years, Xiao Yu Cheng tried several times to apply to return to Dragon City, but considering the high wages, he ultimately endured. After all, he had to survive, save money, and wait for the allocation of a house.

He worked like this for over six years, saving some money, and he and his wife had a son. However, the Mexican government's situation remained precarious, with ongoing escalation of conflicts in various regions, making the laborers' situation dangerous as well. Sometimes, while working, they had to suddenly relocate and run.

During a counterattack by rebel forces, Xiao Yu Cheng and his wife were working at the port when several shells landed, and his wife fell amidst the unfinished ruins.

In fact, many laborers met such tragic ends, like the batches of Korean laborers sent abroad before the 19th century, doing the most dangerous work and constantly risking their lives. The only difference was that the Koreans were doing it for their nation, but Xiao Yu Cheng and the others didn't know who they were doing it for, and many lost their lives without knowing why.

After his wife died, Xiao Yu Cheng became depressed for a long time, and the Dragon City government had changed leaders twice. The many promises made to the laborers were repeatedly delayed and never fulfilled. Additionally, the laborers' wages were paid by the Mexican official army, and at that time, they had no money either, so the laborers' income gradually decreased.

At this point, a disgusting situation arose. The laborers felt their wages were low and wanted to return to Dragon City, but if they left individually, it would be equivalent to not fulfilling their contracts, and the welfare benefits they had earned, would naturally not be honored, including housing, household registration, and so on.

As a result, many were forced to stay and continue working, unable to return home. But at that time, the Mexican government and various rebel forces were locked in a stalemate, with territories frequently changing hands. For example, sometimes a road would be built, and the area would be captured, effectively helping the enemy. Therefore, the Mexican official army, unable to control the situation, became too lazy to engage in large-scale infrastructure recovery and only did what was absolutely necessary.

With less and less infrastructure work, the laborers' wages became even more meager, so many had no choice but to engage in bartering and small businesses, trying to make a little "war fortune."

Xiao Yu Cheng, because he had a child, didn't initially consider bartering, as it would require frequent travel through war zones, risking his life. So, he found a fellow villager and asked them to help him join Zhao Wei Hu's Chi Army, where he secured a job working in the kitchen.

At that time, Zhao Wei Hu had just started his outfit and didn't pay his men much, but fortunately, the logistics department was relatively safe, so Xiao Yu Cheng worked there for another two years.

Later, during a troop movement, the logistics department was ambushed by bandits, and Xiao Yu Cheng, hiding in a vehicle, was hit in the right leg by a stray bullet, leaving him crippled.

Lame, he couldn't continue working in the army, so Xiao Yu Cheng, like others, began bartering in safer areas of Sinaloa, dealing in goods such as grain, cotton, and clothing. Because he had cooked special meals for Zhao Wei Hu and had some connection with the Chi Army, he didn't have to worry too much about sales, and his small business did quite well, allowing him to save some money.

...

With the issuance of Document Number One, the Dragon City government and the First District Supervisory Committee issued a "choose one of two" policy to the laborers. Simply put, if you didn't return within the recall period and chose to stay in the local area, you would no longer be considered one of their own, and you would not be able to apply for citizenship in the future.

This order was extremely disgusting and unreasonable because the upper-level government wanted to impose a blanket trade embargo on the Mexican government. They feared that these laborers, having been away for too long, would choose to remain in the local area and continue secretly selling goods, relying on their Chinese identity to establish underground trade lines with Dragon City.

Furthermore, the laborers were sent out by the First District government, and this matter had to be brought to a close, demonstrating an attitude of "breaking up" with the Mexican government. Therefore, people had to be recalled.

So, laborers like Xiao Yu Cheng, who had been away for more than a decade, most of them had families, wives, and children. If they didn't return, their children's education, births, aging, and deaths would all become problems, so they were forced to give up everything they had accumulated there and return to a Dragon City that had become unfamiliar to them.

However, Xiao Yu Cheng hadn't yet considered what he would face upon his return.

...

Late at night, on the Yu family sofa, Kong Zheng Hui, drinking tea, suddenly said to Su Tian Yu, "Hey, do you think we could help You Yi Fan find some customers if he's going to do this business?"

Su Tian Yu looked up at him. "You mean the Chi Army?"

"Yeah!" Kong Zheng Hui nodded. "With the material control, the ones who suffer the most are armed groups like the Chi Army. They don't have any backing to begin with. Weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, daily necessities, all depend on the military expenses they earn and buy here in Dragon City... Now with this blanket ban, they're screwed. If we can help connect them, You Yi Fan will see our sincerity, and we can also do the Chi Army a favor, don't you think?!"

"Makes sense." Su Tian Yu immediately nodded. "You truly are a master at seizing every opportunity!"