Munitions Empire

Chapter 30: 30 hearsay

"It must be true, my child is already going there. Just yesterday, the boss himself came looking for us... and even gave my kid a notebook." More and more workers joined the conversation, one excitedly offering proof that Tang Mo indeed intended to do just that.

The news had been circulating among the workers for not just a day or two. Tang Mo had released the information some time ago because, in this era, the families of most workers were usually not living by their side.

To get these workers to bring their children over and enroll them in school would still take some time.

Moreover, Tang Mo needed time to prepare, to set up the school, to prepare the teaching plans, and to ready a whole host of things.

So, it was only natural that word spread far and wide, and Tang Mo had intentionally dispersed this news in order to gauge everyone's reactions. He didn't know whether the workers would support or oppose the idea of their children attending school, so he needed to test the waters.

As a result, everything went very smoothly, and Tang Mo received the feedback he was hoping for, so the school was indeed established.

It was at this time that the worker who first brought up the topic excitedly said, "That's really great, I'll bring my boy over too when I go back!"

Many other workers also started to become interested—after all, they had children at home, too, many with more than one child. It would definitely be a good thing to bring those wild kids over for proper education.

Even better, it was said that Tang Mo was also planning to provide accommodation for these children. Although it was only a wooden hut, that was not unbearable.

Compared to living apart, being able to live with one's family, even under tough conditions, was definitely the better choice, wasn't it?

"I wonder if it's okay for girls too…" mumbled a worker under his breath, as he had no sons, only a daughter at home.

In those times, the thinking that boys were more valued than girls was deeply ingrained, and this was evident in the severe male dominance within Tang Mo's workshop. Apart from Auntie Cui Xi in the canteen, there were only a few elderly women who did farm work.

The reason for recruiting these female laborers was simple: these older women demanded low wages, and that was it.

A few dozen women came over from Northern Ridge, most of whom had followed their husbands, giving it a bit of a migratory flavor.

Many of these workers from Northern Ridge had families in tow, and Earl Fisello, in choosing people to send to Tang Mo, had deliberately selected households where every family member could work.

This showed the benevolence and attention to detail of Earl Fisello, a nobleman who didn't act like one, whose attitude towards the common people could truly be described as kind.

However, compared to Tang Mo, Earl Fisello's old-fashioned thinking still limited his vision. Tang Mo had no discrimination against female workers and was even willing to employ them in more areas.

Moreover, from Tang Mo's perspective, he hoped that the school he was building would have a more balanced ratio of boys to girls, which would align more with his stereotypical image of a school.

It couldn't be helped, Tang Mo was a time-traveler, and he had his own set ideas and stubborn notions about certain things.

That's why when Tang Mo was preparing to send Tagg back to Northern Ridge to report on his duties, he planned to bring back even more women with him. He wanted married women, he wanted unmarried women. As long as they were willing to come to Brunas to work, he was accepting them.

Farmers or workers, the husbands and children of these women should all come too. He was not turning anyone away; he could arrange accommodations and provide them with jobs. Now, with vast lands at his disposal, Tang Mo was in great need of labor—desperately so!

When someone asked about girls attending school, a worker who knew the details promptly spoke up to clear up the question, "Of course! Why not? The boss said he wants girls too! As long as they are children, he will teach them, and it's free of charge!"

"I heard the boss is also building houses for us, so that in the future, the whole family can live together?" The workers talked more and more animatedly as they brought up the issue of housing once again. Lately, due to the influx of workers from Northern Ridge, the workshop's dormitories had become increasingly crowded.

Tang Mo was building more houses, but due to the rush, most of these houses were made of wood. However, even among the wooden houses, there were differences.

The wooden houses meant for living were constructed with more care, with thicker wood, and coated on the outside with plaster, giving them somewhat of a decent appearance.

In such wooden houses, there were bunk beds, a temporary solution to the housing issue. According to Tang Mo's plans, all these were to be renovated in the future, transformed into apartments.

After more than ten days of hard work, one could hardly see tents in Tang Mo's workshop anymore. Even the eight soldiers brought by Tagg now had their own rooms, though all eight of them had to squeeze into one room with standard bunk beds.

A few workers who had seen the progress of the wooden houses spoke confidently and in various tones, "But of course..."

Good days were just around the corner, and everyone's spirits were clearly soaring. Just a month ago, they were worrying about whether the workshop would continue to exist and whether they'd be unemployed, but now, they were witnessing the rapid development and growth of the workshop.

A large expanse of barren land to the north had been purchased by the boss, Tang Mo, and the wilderness had already been cleared for use as a school playground and a testing range.

The original shooting range was being replaced by a new factory building, and countless simple wooden shacks were being constructed in every available space next to it. Most of the wooden shacks served as storerooms, with the names of the goods stored inside hanging on the walls, which were full of cracks.

Far from the source of the noise, another busy construction site was taking shape, this one for dormitories made of wood, significantly better in quality, lined up in row after row, just as densely packed.

In short, starting a month ago, this place had been bustling with life—construction was happening everywhere, imparting a very reassuring feeling.

With moods lifted and future prospects bright, naturally, there were more jokes among everyone, and so, someone started to stray: "Great! My wife can move here and live with me!"

"You have a wife?" His words no sooner fell than someone, with a mischievous grin, set a trap for him.

The young worker retorted indignantly: "Nonsense! Of course, I have a wife! I haven't been back for a year... I miss her."

"You have a wife but no kids?" A few middle-aged workers with wicked smiles joined the teasing circle. Many others laughed along, and the atmosphere became extremely lively.

"Once I bring her here, won't there be kids?" The young worker's face turned red, and it was only after a long pause that he managed to squeeze out this sentence.

At these words, many workers burst into laughter. Amidst the roaring laughter, the worker who had just spoken about sending his two children to school quickly said, "I heard the soundproofing in those wooden shacks is super bad, and the wooden beds aren't sturdy. Don't let the creaking and groaning be heard by the neighbors."

As soon as he stopped speaking, more people joined in the laughter, drowning out the young worker's annoyed rebuttal: "Hahaha!"

Inside the office, Tang Mo was also making final preparations for recruiting students. He rubbed his shoulders and looked at Tagg, who had been asked to join: "I plan to give you lot some extra lessons too. What do you think, do you want to come and listen?"

"Us? We need to take classes?" Tagg couldn't believe his ears, repeated Tang Mo's words, then asked, "What classes are we taking?"

"The soldiers you brought with you, along with you, Luff, Bernard, and some of the mercenaries I've recruited—we'll all take classes together," Tang Mo replied. "Tactical classes, including artillery theory, infantry tactics, cavalry tactics..."

"Me, a teacher?" Tagg asked uncertainly, feeling as if he was the only one qualified to teach such courses. After all, there were no talents under Tang Mo's command who had seen battle—he was the only one!

However, he didn't quite understand Tang Mo's intentions—what was an arms dealer doing training officers for no reason?

With this thought, he looked at Tang Mo somewhat warily, but the latter replied with something unexpected: "Of course not, you are here to learn! I'll teach you the latest, most cutting-edge tactics!"

"You... you can't be serious?" Tagg was taken aback.

"Of course I'm serious," Tang Mo said, looking at him with a somewhat helpless expression—he really needed to save time now, so he was indeed making use of every able-bodied man he could. If he had a choice, he still preferred to train his people.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to recruit and sustain a large private army; Bernard and Luff with their dozen men were already the limit he could currently nurture.

So he had no choice but to grab Tagg and the others to make up the numbers—after all, he had a bit of confidence that one day in the future, he'd be able to pull this ferocious tiger, Tagg, under his command.

"But you..." Tagg felt he couldn't accept such a thing.

"Haven't been on the battlefield?" Tang Mo interrupted his doubt and asked with a laugh.

"Yes, that's right," Tagg internally admitted that he knew Tang Mo hadn't been to battle. Without battlefield experience, to dare to teach veterans tactics? What a joke.

But Tang Mo was unfazed: "There's nothing strange about that. Because I'm a weapons merchant, the future modes of warfare will be determined by me, not by you."

After a slight pause, he continued questioning in one breath: "You've been on the battlefield, but so what? Have you ever seen a revolver? If you haven't seen a revolver, how could you understand the tactics it suits? Without having seen a revolver, what kind of experience do you have with future warfare?"

"..." Tagg's face clouded over, his mind roaring in protest: "So what if I haven't seen a revolver? Do you have to keep saying it over and over again?"