Secretary-General Wu, possessing profound foresight, was acutely aware of the persistent difficulties in assigning jobs to demobilized soldiers over the years, not to mention the millions of active-duty servicemen soon to shed their uniforms. He probed cautiously: "One million soldiers, plus five million family members—can they be put to use by me?"
Hearing this, Liu Ye'er understood instantly that population growth was the cornerstone of development. She pondered for a moment and replied: "There is strength in numbers, but it is best to absorb them in batches. The first batch will be twenty thousand, followed by ten thousand in each subsequent batch, integrating them gradually to avoid overwhelming settlement pressures. Furthermore, I require all personnel absorbed to be equipped with weapons—they do not need to be overly advanced. Our stock of Type 56 rifles, machine guns, mortars, and Type 40 rocket launchers will all suffice, provided ammunition is ample. Please calculate the total cost required."
Secretary-General Wu felt a surge of quiet joy upon hearing this. The issue of demobilized soldiers had long plagued the state, while vast quantities of obsolete weaponry had become useless burdens. Now, these two major problems could be so cleverly resolved in one fell swoop; it was truly a stroke of good fortune.
Chapter 224