Chapter 134: Li Qiang's Expedition to Caofeidian (1)

Although it was certain that nearly all the grassroots populace would cheer for this law, the reality remained that the power of speech and wireless communications in various survivor zones were still controlled by those in power. A significant portion of these were former pre-apocalyptic officials who, naturally, would not align themselves with the Special Committee that sought to eliminate them. Instead, they tightened their grip and prepared for a confrontation, hoping to trade blows for a chance at survival.

"Hmph, a bunch of commoners," a fair-skinned, stout middle-aged man remarked with disdain in his spacious, brightly lit office. "How naive!"

Despite the office being renovated into a luxurious space after the apocalypse, it still exuded that distinct, lingering military atmosphere.

He was the leader of the largest survivor base near Shenyang, a former mayor of the city under the pre-apocalyptic administration. Under his command were nearly one million civilians and 200,000 troops of various branches.

When the apocalypse struck, he abandoned his wife, fled to a military-secured zone with his mistresses, and then used a dizzying array of political maneuvers to marginalize the military leadership. Once the situation had stabilized slightly, he orchestrated an accident, eliminated all the former military leaders, and firmly seized absolute power.

He considered himself unlucky; he had just secured his exit visa when the apocalypse arrived. Yet, he also felt fortunate, as the United States, where he had intended to flee, remained in turmoil; the Americans were busy with elections, and zombie-clearing operations had essentially come to a halt.

Post-apocalypse, he believed his corrupt past would never be reckoned with—not only was the evidence gone, but the million people under his control made him a valuable asset that any faction would be eager to court. This was his best bargaining chip.

Initially, he welcomed the radio broadcasts from the Special Committee in the Beijing area. They were useful for tracking zombie movements and increasing survival odds, so he did not ban the radio; he even encouraged the public to listen. He had even prepared to march on Beijing, hoping to seize the power vacuum and claim the authority to command the nation.

When the Special Committee initiated radio contact with survivor bases in the Northeast to prepare for a northern expedition, he actively organized his troops, intending to advance alongside them. He planned to return to the embrace of the government, secure even greater power, and outmaneuver the small-time officials of the Committee. He figured that after playing the game together for a while, everything the Committee had would eventually be his.

However, the release of the "Anti-Corruption Law" and its brutal, efficient clearing operations made him realize that he could not rely on the leniency of accomplices to escape, nor could he return to the various regions where he had served to destroy the evidence.

He hid in his room, unable to count how many people he would need to save to atone for his sins. The complex conversion formulas devised by the Special Committee left him dizzy; his graduate and doctoral degrees had been products of trading power with university professors. Even if he could atone, he could never bring himself to relinquish his power or the wealth he had plundered.

Another round of political purges ensued. He confiscated all wireless stations and radios, executing no fewer than tens of thousands of survivors in the process. The military was purged once more; all political commissars, instructors, and Party cell members were executed, finally allowing him to regain control over the survivor base.

Once the work was done, he reset the defensive lines—not to welcome the Special Committee, but to prepare a crushing blow. He wanted to show them who was in charge of this territory, and that simply killing the most zombies or saving the most civilians did not grant one the power or the right to punish former government officials.

To this end, he contacted all survivor bases controlled by former officials across the country to further discuss plans to deal with the Special Committee.

By August 20, 2015, following the conclusion of the Battle of Tianjin, the total population under the Special Committee’s control reached nearly seven million, with an army of four million. As munitions and supplies were exhausted, Li Qiang led three million troops to rest and reorganize at the Huairou mountain base, waiting for supplies and biding their time to head north and recover the Northeast.

Despite the scarcity of the post-apocalyptic population, the gradual decline of the labor force prior to the collapse had led many factories to adopt automated equipment. Repairing and retrofitting these machines allowed the Committee to fully leverage the high proportion of intellectuals among the survivors. The Ministry of Industry and Information worked in an orderly fashion, and newly established social enterprises threw themselves into the great cause of revival with fervor, eager to seize the opportunity to become the first generation of post-apocalyptic tycoons.

Following the new five-year plan, they first restored heavy industrial production, ensuring a supply of steel by utilizing stockpiled iron ore. The restoration of power plants allowed various machinery factories to pivot fully to military production. The reforms of the Ministry of Science and Technology provided ample support for these upgrades. As much of the social resources were ownerless, the Special Committee’s martial law allowed for easy requisitioning, saving vast amounts of coordination time.

Aside from the small supply of materials from the initial repair of production lines, the first batch of military supplies from the retrofitted factories reached the resting troops by September 1st.

The new equipment upgrades were as follows: all firearms were standardized to 7.62mm caliber. Existing small-caliber firearms would no longer be produced once stockpiled ammunition was exhausted. This decision was based on the long range of larger calibers and the need to reserve lethality for the further evolution of zombies.

Heavy artillery was standardized to 155mm self-propelled guns. The new shells were designed with pre-fragmented shrapnel to address the fact that only the head was a vital point for zombies. The shells were set to detonate at an altitude of 30 meters with a 160-degree blast angle, covering an area of 90,746 square meters. The shrapnel was sized to 7.62mm bullet caliber. Experimental results at the zombie observation base were promising; the zombie swarms within the blast radius were riddled with holes and almost entirely neutralized. As reliability and lethality needed further verification in actual combat, only a small number were deployed, with mass production slated for after validation. Several military research scientists were assigned to accompany the troops during the campaign.

Tanks also adopted similar shells. The facilities of the former Beijing Auto and Tianjin Auto companies were entirely converted to produce military vehicles.

Civilian vehicles were scattered everywhere and did not require production for years, only maintenance.

The finalized tank designs were heavily simplified, divided into "Zombie Combat" and "Human Combat" models. The zombie model only required thick armor, high horsepower, and ample ammunition for its main gun; these began rolling off the assembly lines by September 10th. The human combat model utilized the latest 2013 design that had been undergoing testing at the original Armored Force Academy; only a small number were being produced to test manufacturing capabilities.

Both tanks and self-propelled guns were designed with frame structures, and the soldiers inside were required to wear plate armor, ensuring that as long as zombies could not break in, operations would not be interrupted. This idealistic design philosophy would later lead to numerous rounds of rework.