Munitions Empire

"Oh, by the way, Your Majesty, what do you think if Great Tang Group, in the future, focuses its development on the west side of the Endless Sea?" As he approached the door, Tang Mo seemed to ask casually, as if it were of no consequence.

Leite VII paused in his step, appearing to be stunned for a second, then he smiled and said, "We're friends, strategic partners. Since Mister Tang hopes to expand to the west of the Endless Sea, I am, of course, very supportive."

Tang Mo heard sincerity in that response.

In the other's eyes, there was surprise that couldn't be concealed. Tang Mo could even detect from his voice that sense of relief and joy as if a burden had been lifted.

"I'll consider it thoroughly," Tang Mo didn't say much more, offering just a vaguely noncommittal comment.

Leite VII nodded his head, then left the room. When he saw his Prime Minister once again, he couldn't suppress his joy.

"He said... Great Tang Group is preparing to expand westward..." As the two walked through a hallway filled with artworks, Leite VII couldn't wait to share the news.

He didn't specify who he was talking about, but the Prime Minister naturally knew that 'he' referred to Mister Tang, whom King Leite took great care to mention.

"This is good news for us. If he's willing to move westward, then we can divert more of our energy into enhancing our influence over the neighboring regions," the Prime Minister said after a brief contemplation.

Leite VII nodded and agreed with the Prime Minister's opinion, "You're right. Without him laying out his intentions, many kings and emperors would be losing sleep over it."

"This man is terrifying. He seems to be interested only in money, but everyone understands that an excess of wealth is also a cause for concern," Leite VII remarked, admiring the famous paintings on the walls with a tinge of envy.

The paintings hanging in this corridor were gifts from other kingdoms or powers to Great Tang Group, or they were owned by wealthy businessmen who had defaulted on their debts to Great Tang Group and had to use them for collateral.

Yet, these were sought-after treasures on the market, all items that made Leite VII quite envious.

"The Weeping Shepherdess..." He stopped walking, looked up at a painting on the wall, and mumbled thoughtfully.

The Prime Minister paused, startled, then noticed the apparently recently hanged renowned painting — it depicted an old Dwarf lady wiping away tears among a group of sheep that resembled demons.

"A masterwork from Furnace Fortress, the beloved treasure of Greybeard, the last ruler of the fallen Dwarf Empire..." said Leite VII, his envious tone tinged with bitterness.

This painting was akin to the Mona Lisa of this world, almost the most famous ancient artwork known. Its creator, recognized as the world's greatest painter thousands of years ago, had made his name with "The Weeping Shepherdess."

Legend has it that the last tyrant of the Dwarf Empire, Emperor Greybeard, who laid his empire to waste, adored this painting so much that he hung it in the most prominent spot in the great hall of the Imperial Palace of Furnace Fortress.

For thousands of years thereafter, even as the Dwarf Empire crumbled to ashes, the painting remained undisturbed within the palace of Furnace Fortress.

But now, it was hanging in Brunas, in the nondescript corridor of the Crystal Palace's guest area, as if it were nothing special.

"The Dwarves really were willing to give it to Tang Mo?" Leite VII, looking up at the painting, asked the Prime Minister without turning around.

The Prime Minister was also in disbelief, for this was his first direct experience of the bottomless strength of Great Tang Group: "I... I don't know..."

"It's a fake," said a Dwarf with a small beard who approached, gazed at the world-famous painting, and declared, "The real one is thousands of years old; the colors wouldn't be so vibrant and bright anymore."

His words allowed the two stunned men to breathe a sigh of relief, because if they really had obtained "The Weeping Shepherdess," they surely wouldn't dare to display it so openly.

"The real one is on Dragon Island." Before the two could fully exhale their held breath, the Dwarf continued, "Mister Tang is very fond of it, so it's said to have been moved to his castle known as 'Dragon's Den.'"

"The Dwarves were willing to give it?" The Prime Minister asked, somewhat surprised and impulsively.

"What's there not to be willing about? On the day Furnace Fortress was taken, the spoils were chosen by Great Tang Group's people first," the man replied as if he had witnessed it himself. ȑＡ𐌽Ɵ฿ĚŜ

"May I ask, who are you?" Leite VII inquired, driven by curiosity.

"Me? My name is Moss, the deputy head of the delegation from the Ice Cold Kingdom," the Dwarf replied with a smile, introducing himself.

"Oh! You are the renowned General Moss! What an honor! What an honor!" Leite VII immediately exclaimed with delight.

General Moss of the Ice Cold Kingdom, a famed commander, was naturally recognized by Leite VII, for Moss was the first Ice Cold Kingdom military leader to breach the gates of Furnace Fortress.

The war he commanded and strategized for the Ice Cold Kingdom against the Northern Dwarf Empire is considered classic and has become a hot topic for study among commanders from various kingdoms.

If a commander today doesn't know about the "Battle of Dorne Counterattack," "Germelin Quick Victory," and "Winter Breaks Furnace Fortress," wouldn't that be rather ignorant?

"This is the reigning King of the Leite Kingdom!" The Prime Minister of the Leite Kingdom immediately introduced his sovereign.

"I'm truly delighted to meet you, Your Majesty!" Moss also responded with courtesy, nodding and then casually starting to converse about various matters.

He, of course, was aware of Leite VII's deeds—by this time next year, it was estimated that Leite VII would indeed become the first Emperor of the Laines Empire.

In the midst of the three great battles, the Germelin Quick Victory was Leite Kingdom's counteroffensive against the Kingdom of Germelin. In a matter of mere days, an entire kingdom was wiped out, a great victory for the Leite Kingdom that shocked the entire world at the time.

Coming here to this conference was about giving face to each other, then exchanging ideas and expanding one's network of contacts. Having a chat with the famed commander from the Ice Cold Kingdom was something the King of Leite found quite meaningful.

Had it not been for this expo, he might have never met Moss in his lifetime, let alone have such a lively and pleasant conversation.

... Explore new worlds at empire

After Leite VII left the room, Tang Mo, having tested the other party's reaction, also realized that within the sphere of influence of the Great Tang Group, the pressure had indeed grown significant, causing many to be uneasy.

As it turned out, Nangong Hong was right: if the Great Tang Group made clear its strategy to expand westward, it would relieve their existing allies and also unite these countries affected by the Great Tang Group in a short period of time.

So, he called over to Harry, "Prepare a map of Zheng Country as accurate as possible, and also... have Chief of Staff Luff and General Tagg come to see me."

"Yes!" Harry nodded and then went to find the telephone.

Soon, both men arrived at the Crystal Palace.

Not hiding his ambition, when Tagg and Luff entered the room, Tang Mo signaled them to come closer, and then the two Great Tang Group military leaders saw the map of Zheng Country spread out on Tang Mo's desk.

"If the Great Tang Group wants to launch an attack on Zheng Country by itself... Luff, approximately how much would we need to expand the current military?" Tang Mo stood by the map, chin in hand, looking over the vast territory of Zheng Country which could be described as expansive.

Even as a vassal state to Dahua, Zheng Country was itself a super large kingdom with dozens of cities stretching over hundreds of miles, not at all smaller compared to the Leite Kingdom.

To conduct a military campaign over such a vast territory with just a few thousand soldiers was completely out of the question, so the first thing Tang Mo thought of was to expand the scale of his military.

Although the security forces of the Great Tang Group were elite, even capable of fighting ten to one, there just weren't enough of them to maintain control over a country.

"Master, the Great Tang Group security forces were designed and trained with the premise of avoiding as much as possible the provocation of neighboring countries; expanding hastily... might cause unnecessary misunderstandings..." Luff furrowed his brows, tentatively explaining.

At a glance of the map, Luff recognized it as Zheng Country's, and for several times recently, the war games at the Great Tang Military Academy had used the map of Zheng Country.

Hence, he was already very familiar with this particular map, and upon seeing it, he seemed to understand why the mock battles had always used the map of Zheng Country recently.

Tagg, too, saw the map; he didn't think too much into it and was simply somewhat excited. It seemed a new opportunity had presented itself before him.

In the last war, as he was in charge of military affairs on Dragon Island, it was Redman who went to the battlefield and earned the name "Lightning Redman."

This time, he felt it was his turn; he wanted to seize this opportunity to prove himself and let everyone understand who was the true number one general of the Great Tang.

Tang Mo continued to gaze at the map, chin in hand, and said, "I will do my best to persuade the surrounding countries to acquiesce to our expansion of the military... You and General Tagg just need to consider from a commander's perspective, and try to discuss how many troops are needed to attack Zheng Country..."

Zheng Country, huh..." Upon hearing Tang Mo officially confirm the target of the attack, whether it be Tagg or Luff, both fell into thought.

"Purely from a military perspective, using force to conquer Zheng Country is not a good choice." When he saw the coast of the Endless Sea which covered almost half of the map, Luff was the first to speak up, "This country is just too far from us, somewhat beyond our reach..."

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