Surprise

Grand Duke Meyer was pleasantly surprised by the arms provided by Dutch Van der Linde, far beyond his imagination.

Because they not only had Tanks, but also repeating rifles!

Oh, right, they were called Marko repeating rifles.

So Grand Duke Meyer not only ordered all the Tanks, but also the first batch of ten thousand Marko semi-automatic rifles.

Of course, after these rifles were brought back, Germany would soon have its own semi-automatic rifles.

The main reason they still ordered them, despite being able to replicate them, was the kickbacks.

Grand Duke Meyer naturally took kickbacks, and not just kickbacks; the number of rifles he reported was twenty thousand.

To pocket a million dollars in kickbacks from rifles alone, one could only say he was truly a Grand Duke, truly gorging himself on the nation's wealth.

It's worth noting that Germany's military expenditure in 1913 was only 880 million US dollars; it would be even less now, with 400 million US dollars being considered a lot. (After World War I broke out, the military expenditures of Britain, Germany, and France all soared to over 70 billion, while Japan's military expenditure during the same period was only over a billion US dollars, completely not on the same scale. The United States, on the other hand, became completely rich due to the immigration of wealthy Europeans).

This shows the significant proportion of that one million US dollars.

But this was none of Van der Linde's business.

Because Van der Linde was busy preparing for military expenditures.

"New Hanover and Lemoyne are recruiting! Tune in for the latest news from Van der Linde; the New Hanover and Lemoyne Governments have issued conscription announcements!"

Newspaper boys stood on the streets, shouting loudly.

Some of them stood together in pairs, while others shouted alone, reading from books in their hands.

Compared to before, their lives were now much better.

In the past, newspaper boys couldn't even afford clothes, running around the streets and alleys all day in ragged shoes with exposed toes, constantly hungry, with countless numbers starving or dying from illness.

But now their lives were completely different; they could become official employees of the Saint Denis Government newspaper, with food and lodging provided. Van der Linde even kindly provided free clothing every year, and their wages were much higher than before. This undoubtedly made their lives completely better.

Many newspaper boys even chose to attend Van der Linde's school for free, hoping to work for Van der Linde officially after graduation.

And that was why they were reading while selling newspapers.

So diligent!

The newspaper boy's shouts attracted the attention of the surrounding people, especially the long queue at the entrance of the Saint Denis City Government.

Van der Linde's policies were like a paradise for ordinary people around the world.

So, the immigrants coming over during this period were almost continuous.

Immigrants called their relatives, and when the relatives came and saw that the benefits were indeed good, without a second thought, they called their own relatives again.

Everyone had their own relatives, everyone had good friends, and this back and forth, immigrants bringing immigrants, relatives bringing relatives, greatly increased the workload of the Saint Denis City Government.

Now, the most common arrivals from the oil tankers at Saint Denis Port were not goods, but batches of immigrants who had traveled long distances.

In this era, everyone was truly suffering, so much so that even a tiny bit of sweetness made them rush forward, afraid of being left behind.

So, more and more immigrants came.

The queue of people coming to apply for Van der Linde residence permits at the entrance of the Saint Denis City Government reached a thousand meters every day; these people were almost driven mad.

They waited in line here every day without eating or drinking, hoping to obtain residency in Van der Linde's territory and thus officially live a happy life.

And this had already become a scenic spot in Saint Denis, attracting a large number of Saint Denis workers to watch every day.

It was somewhat like a senior seeing a junior processing enrollment.

The long lines of immigrants were all dusty, and many were even emaciated.

Although Saint Denis couldn't compare to the large cities in the east, its development during this period was unstoppable. Various high-rise buildings were being constructed, and even cars, which were only found in Europe and the east, appeared.

The street environment was exceptionally well-managed, and it was even difficult to see garbage on the ground.

Van der Linde did not allow garbage to be discarded at will, nor did he allow public urination or defecation. He even specifically designed more toilets and trash cans for this purpose.

And this result was obvious: it not only gave the entire city a new look but also created more jobs.

And these clean and tidy streets also made the immigrants who had traveled long distances feel a sense of inferiority.

They had never seen such a city, a city that seemed to have no dark corners.

Even in other places, like Washington or Berlin, the capitals, one could find beggars and vagrants in some corners.

But in this place, there seemed to be no dark corners at all.

And this filled them with insecurity, as if they had no place to call their own.

Could these impoverished immigrants, or rather, beggars from other countries, truly find their own home here?

The anxious immigrant queue stretched along the streets of Saint Denis, a thousand-meter-long line that wound around, even forming three circles on the street, so as not to impede traffic.

From time to time, workers, dressed simply but neatly, came to watch. These workers had rosy complexions, faces full of happy and joyful smiles from their lives, and most of them held food that these immigrants could not afford, laughing and talking amongst themselves.

This made these immigrants feel even more inferior.

But just then, the shouts of the newspaper boy standing at the street corner attracted their attention.

"Saint Denis is recruiting soldiers! Anyone can sign up, with a monthly salary of thirty dollars, and food and lodging provided! A two-year service period, and if you're an immigrant, you automatically get a Van der Linde residence permit!"

"Saint Denis is recruiting..."

The newspaper boy's shouts even reached into the saloon, causing Arthur, who was drinking at the bar, to slightly raise his head.

"Alright, Davey, Dutch is a genius! His plans always succeed. Oh, I feel like I don't even know Dutch anymore. He really..."

"Rumble..."

Outside the saloon, it seemed to have started to stir, and the chaotic footsteps, due to the sheer number of people, sounded like thunder, causing Arthur, sitting in the saloon, to stop speaking.

"Sh*t! What the hell are they doing outside?"

Arthur turned around in surprise to look out the saloon window.

Outside the saloon, it was already a chaotic mess. Groups of immigrants, like a stampeding flock of sheep, ran wildly through the streets of Saint Denis, rushing madly towards the Saint Denis recruitment office.

There were not only men and women, but also some elderly people mixed in.

Damn it, can they even be recruited?

"Of course they're going to join the army, Arthur. Didn't you see how many immigrants were queuing outside when you came in?"

Davey drained the brandy in his small glass, saying carelessly.

"Alright!" Arthur sighed deeply, glanced at the chaotic scene on the street outside, and then turned back, saying to Davey with a hint of melancholy, "Sigh, Davey, I've been feeling lately that our development is a bit too strange. Even I can sense that something big is about to happen."

"Oh, come on, Arthur. If John were by my side lamenting right now, I might even think he had a point, but as for you, Arthur, what else can you do besides sarcastically making snide remarks?" Davey was completely unfazed by Arthur's lament. Not only was he unfazed, but he also wanted to mock him a bit.

"Sh*t! Davey, I knew I shouldn't have discussed this with you at all; you're even more obtuse than Marston! Oh, sh*t! I feel like I should leave you on the snowy mountain to be gnawed on by wolves a few times before you'll actually speak like a human!" Arthur was broken by Davey's words.

What did he mean by he trusted Marston but not him, Arthur? What did he mean by what else could he do besides sarcastically making snide remarks?

Sh*t, is that how sarcastic it is?