Chapter 286

With the successful recapture of the Hetao region, a massive wave of immigrants poured into the area, accompanied by a steady stream of production and living supplies. Facing this new situation, Liu Ye'er proposed a strategy of total militarization, aiming to equip every civilian with weapons and combat skills. Guan Hui and Huang Jiangang understood the complexity of this decision; they had to ensure that civilians possessed self-defense capabilities while preventing potential hazards caused by uncontrolled weaponry. To this end, they carefully designed a weapon modeled after the M1 Garand rifle. While retaining the original performance, this firearm had a reduced caliber and range to ensure safety during use. Militiamen were issued copper-jacketed bullets, while ordinary civilians used plastic bullets. These bullets could inflict a certain amount of damage without being lethal, thereby giving civilians basic self-defense capabilities. Firearms were distributed on a per capita basis, whereas bullets had to be purchased independently. Additionally, each adult was equipped with a mechanical horse and a downsized Garand rifle. They were required to spend half of their time on productive labor and the other half on military training. Annual military skill competitions were held to evaluate training results and inspire enthusiasm for military drills among the civilians. Those who performed exceptionally well in the competitions received corresponding rewards, which further boost…