Munitions Empire

Imperial City Laines, the brand-new streets bustled with people hurrying along, the Empire was in the midst of war, inevitably filled with a desolate air.

No one knew when this war would end, everyone was longing to return to ordinary life. Every day, news from the front could be read in the newspapers, mainly figures of casualties and so-called major victories.

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For example, some days it was about conquering several of the enemy’s bunkers, about brave soldiers who had selflessly charged into the ferocious battle, receiving great sums of money as rewards, and being awarded medals symbolizing honor.

In the beginning, everyone was excited for a moment, but now only endless torment and numbness remained. Shops were not as bustling as before, construction sites had all stopped, even the once lively places of pleasure were now empty and desolate.

A Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost engine roared past the street in the ultimate display of luxury, kicking up a torn flyer, which then fluttered down next to a curbstone.

Only one sentence remained on this half flyer: "Bailu shopping mall 50% off, leading the fashion trend, what are you waiting for?"

Inside the seamless Rolls-Royce, the driver steered the wheel steadily, turning onto familiar streets, inching closer to the destination.

In the city of Laines, there weren’t many who could afford, or rather who dared to drive, luxury automobiles with large fuel consumptions anymore.

Since the war broke out, petrol had become a scarce commodity. Leines I had issued a decree, strictly rationing the daily use of petrol for civilian vehicles.

Each car would be allotted a monthly petrol ration coupon according to registration, with no replenishments upon use, and even some government vehicles were subjected to this rule.

Hence, the public began to buy and sell these petrol coupons, those lucky enough not to need a car could even earn back their vehicle purchase costs with these coupons.

As the war escalated, and the Great Tang Group inexplicably reduced the export of petroleum, imported petrol became a luxury, domestic petrol production couldn’t increase, making it even harder to see luxury cars with high horsepower on the streets of the Laines Empire.

Even Leines I himself had stopped using his beloved Rolls-Royce Royale, who else would dare to defy the Emperor, showing off during such times and inviting trouble for themselves?

Yet, in these extraordinary times, this luxurious Rolls-Royce car boldly made its way to the front of Leines I’s Imperial Palace, ostentatiously enough to be startling.

The guard did not dare to neglect his duty, tasked with receiving and sending off visitors, he quickly approached the door of the newly-stopped Rolls-Royce and reached out to pull open the heavy car door.

The solid sound of the door opening demonstrated the nearly obsessive precision of the car’s craftsmanship to everyone around, as well as the unstinting solidity of the materials used.

As the door was pulled open by the guard, a foot stepped out of the car, shiny leather shoes hitting the cobblestones, and a middle-aged man emerged from the car.

The Prime Minister of Laines, waiting at the gate, immediately beamed with a smile and made an inviting gesture, welcoming, "Mister Ambassador, His Majesty has been waiting for you."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, then made a similar inviting gesture, and walked shoulder to shoulder with the illustrious Prime Minister of the Laines Empire into the opulent Imperial Palace of Laines.

Truth be told, Leines I had indeed been waiting a long time, if it were anyone else, he might have lost his patience by now.

But this time he had not, instead, suppressing the dissatisfaction in his heart, he waited until his trusted Prime Minister pushed open his door.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!", the middle-aged man said, bowing slightly after entering the room and catching sight of Leines I.

"No need for formalities, sir, please sit," Leines I seemed not to care about the man’s demeanor, instead, he warmly gestured to the imported sofa nearby and said with a smile.

As the Emperor of the Empire, he had just returned to his main base from the frontline yesterday. He had inspected the eastern frontline and visited the troops on the southern frontline, promoted several officers, and reallocated some resources.

To coordinate with Gobur Kingdom’s iron offensive, Leines I ambitiously drafted a battle plan to attack the north.

Leines I moved 50,000 troops to the southern battlefield and urgently requisitioned a large number of shells; he spared no effort.

However, the battle plan was drawn up too late, and because Gobur wished to keep the plan confidential, there was no detailed communication with the Laines Empire, thus Leines I’s planned offensive failed to coincide with Gobur’s attack, missing the opportunity to form an advantageous pincer movement.

Leines I, who personally commanded the operation, failed to break through Dorne’s famed General Strauss’s defense line, and in the end, both sides were at a standstill, with no advantage gained.

This battle ultimately led to the loss of 30,000 soldiers for the Kingdom of Laines, nearly draining Leines I of his vigor.

After the middle-aged man and his trusted Prime Minister had taken their seats on the sofa, His Majesty, the Emperor, who had been quite busy lately, asked, "I wonder, what brings the envoy here this time?"

"Your Majesty is indeed a man of great insight, so you must have already guessed," Mr. Envoy said directly, "I am here on behalf of the Great Tang Kingdom to mediate the war between the Laines Empire and the Dorne Kingdom."

"Mr. Envoy, you jest," the Emperor said. "This war was started because soldiers from the Dorne Kingdom shot and killed my soldiers, not because I..." For some reason, as he looked into the eyes of Mr. Envoy from the Great Tang Kingdom, Leines I’s voice faded to a whisper.

Those eyes seemed to have seen everything already, as if they were an abyss. Leines I coughed to conceal his embarrassment and prepared to regroup.

He had already taken the first step toward breaking free from the control of the Great Tang Group, or rather he was no longer completely dependent on the Great Tang Kingdom, which source of his courage.

Reflecting on this, Leines I’s expression grew even uglier as he felt anger, regret, and resentment for not having achieved the victory he deserved in the pincer attack on Dorne.

If he had won that nearly desperate battle on the southern front, he would have been under far less pressure from the Great Tang Group, or the Great Tang Kingdom.

This was actually quite easy to understand geopolitically: by eliminating Dorne, the Laines Empire could border the Gobur Kingdom, thus having a direct connection to the Shireck Consortium.

For the Laines Empire, which urgently needed to escape the control of the Great Tang Group, forming a connection with the Shireck Consortium would certainly be more reassuring.

But now? The current situation was that the Laines Empire was at odds with the Empire of Nanla to the east, and both sides were embroiled in conflict, making any hope of obtaining materials from Nanla a luxury.

At the same time, the Laines Empire was fully engaged in war with the Dorne Kingdom to the south, eliminating any hope of importing resources from that direction as well.

To the north, Northern Ridge served as a "barrier" between them and Suthers Kingdom. Even if trade was possible, Suthers was heavily influenced by Tang Mo and was part of the trade alliance. Trading back and forth was still just playing house within the economic system set up by the Great Tang Group.

Trapped in such an "encirclement," if one were content kneeling at the feet of the Great Tang Group, there would definitely be a bowl of soup to drink. However, if one wished to break out of this cycle for more options, in Leines I’s view, the war was inevitable.

Everything fit logically, the only problem was that he hadn’t achieved the ultimate goal of annihilating Dorne and successfully leading his troops into Gobur, as planned...

"We are all adults here, Your Majesty," Mr. Envoy said with a smile, wearing an expression that seemed to see through everything. "Let’s not use excuses meant for the common folk in such an important negotiation, shall we?"

"Mr. Envoy, you jest. In fact, although it’s hard to believe, it was indeed the soldiers from the Dorne Kingdom who fired first," the Prime Minister said, glancing at the embarrassed Leines I and hastening to explain.

"..." The envoy from the Great Tang Kingdom looked at Laines’ Prime Minister on the side, remained silent, and smiled.

"It’s pointless to discuss this now, Mr. Envoy," Leines I rallied once more, regaining his composure as he spoke, "I hope you understand that peace is not just your wish. I too hope to let my people bask in the peace of sunlight."

He paused, gathering his energy before continuing, "However, since the war has already started, ending it is not something I can decide on my own."

"I am very aware of that," the envoy from the Great Tang Kingdom nodded, then added, "But Your Majesty is also aware, I believe, that this war, if left to Laines alone, is unlikely to last long."

He emphasized the words "left to" significantly, conveying to Leines I and his Prime Minister a sense of threat.

Indeed, it was a threat.

If the Great Tang Group stopped supporting the Laines Empire now, the endless supply of ammunition, bullets, and materials would no longer be transported through Jade City and Northern Ridge to the Laines Empire, leaving the Laines Empire truly in a dire situation, both internally and externally.

This was the last thing the Laines Empire wanted to see. Therefore, Leines I knew that, no matter what, he had to give face to the Great Tang Group, or rather, the Great Tang Kingdom, during this time.

That was also why Tang Mo was the first to approach Leines I: the Laines Empire was deeply influenced by the Great Tang Group, and of all the countries involved, it had the least room to maneuver!

Of course, another reason was that the opponent of the Laines Empire, the Dorne Kingdom, also didn’t have many good options at the moment!

Once he had settled the issues with these two countries, Tang Mo was confident that he could persuade Suthers and Nanla, which had already received the benefits they wanted, to back down.

Then, the trade alliance, in name only, could largely be restored, and normal economic trade could cycle once again, naturally improving the economy.

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