Chen Jian did not expect that the enthusiasm for military recruitment among the Qian Island Lake refugees would be so much higher than he had anticipated.
He initially thought that after witnessing the severe casualties of the Huaxia Army, even if they didn’t run away on the spot, they would at least avoid all high-risk jobs.
Chen Jian had even prepared to arrange special armed escort forces for the upcoming land clearing work.
But unexpectedly, the situation was quite the opposite.
After the order was issued, the number of people signing up for military service had already exceeded 40 by the next day.
This was not the limit of the population scale of Qian Island Lake Town but rather the limit of the Huaxia Army’s recruitment standards.
If Chen Jian did not set age and gender requirements for recruitment, this number could at least double, almost covering all young and strong manpower in Qian Island Lake Town.
Looking at the list in his hand, Chen Jian asked Shen Yue puzzledly:
"...What exactly are these people thinking? Is our propaganda work really that effective?"
"It’s not a matter of whether our propaganda work is effective or not."
Shen Yue shook his head and replied:
"The living standards of our first batch of residents, especially the Huaxia Army soldiers, have widened a large gap with the new refugees."
"Leaving aside the living environment inside the 011 Base, just in terms of food itself, everyone can see the difference with the naked eye."
"The Huaxia Army supplies high-quality meat protein almost every meal, while others at most have meat broth made from scraps and a small amount of jerky."
"Don’t underestimate this little difference. For people on the wasteland, just this threshold of food quality is enough to make many people willing to risk their lives for us."
"Of course, more importantly, you’re overlooking one point."
Shen Yue said earnestly:
"The ’painful’ casualties for us are, in the eyes of these refugees, insignificant."
"Under the siege of hundreds of monsters, we only had 7 casualties, and only two of them were killed."
"Think about it, for them, how exaggerated is this battle damage ratio?"
"And this is based on the fact that we were already short on manpower."
"So, they can easily conclude that joining the Huaxia Army is not a very risky thing."
"With minimal risk, they can exchange for a chance to detach from their previous lives and enjoy better benefits... Wouldn’t you do it?"
With this clear analysis, Chen Jian finally understood the mindset of the new refugees.
They were not particularly noble, nor did they have the relatively pure beliefs of the Yellow Stone City residents. They were simply looking for a better way to make a living.
This might sound somewhat utilitarian, but essentially, isn’t this how every team starts off?
The military should be an educator, not assembled after completing civilian education, as that’s reversing the order.
With this in mind, Chen Jian continued to speak:
"There is nothing wrong with that. At least we indeed attracted them."
"Let Huang Yu sift through this list, and then we prepare to expand the army."
"He was worried about having nothing to do, but now he won’t have time to idle in the foreseeable future."
"Do you think we should find him an assistant? I suppose team construction should also be on the agenda, right?"
Shen Yue nodded and said:
"Let Huang Meng do it. He also suffered a minor injury, so for the time being, he shouldn’t participate in combat actions. It’s better for him to focus on training and help Huang Yu, it’s pretty good."
"Didn’t you say there were only three minor injuries?"
Chen Jian asked in surprise.
"Oh, come on, you know better than anyone how flexible the standard for minor injuries is, don’t you?"
Chen Jian was left speechless.
Indeed, the definition of minor injuries on the battlefield differs significantly from their description during rest and recuperation.
On the battlefield, even if you have a broken bone, as long as you can still carry a gun, it’s considered a minor injury.
But upon returning, even small scrapes and bumps that require a bit of time to heal fall under the management of minor injuries.
Thus, Chen Jian decisively issued the latest appointment and task arrangements, and after the orders were issued, in under two hours, Huang Yu successfully filtered the personnel and established the first reserve unit of the Huaxia Army.
Looking at the reserve unit lined up on the training ground, Chen Jian couldn’t help feeling a bit emotional.
From a mere group of four, his team finally had some semblance of scale.
However, following this line of thought, how large does the team need to be to bring this world back on track?
A thousand, two thousand, or ten thousand, twenty thousand?
Chen Jian vaguely felt that the things he needed to do were far from simple.
"Should we distribute weapons to the residents of the base?"
"As the activity range of the residents expands, relying solely on ourselves and the unmanned combat units is no longer sufficient to ensure everyone’s safety."
"We must allow them to have some self-defense capabilities, what do you think?"
Shen Yue instinctively touched the grenade gun hanging on him and then said:
"But the weapons used by residents should still have a gap compared to our standard weapons."
"My suggestion is to directly give them the Type 75."
"Just in time, after fulfilling the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce order, we have surplus production capacity."