Munitions Empire

The middle-aged tycoon chuckled with a hint of lewdness in his eyes, "I even gave you Shu Xiaoxiao, what do you think?"

His finger stroked the deed of sale for a moment as if he had finally made up his mind, and Zhou Qiang eventually nodded, "Fine. During the grand court assembly tomorrow, I will speak on your behalf!"

The wealthy man knew that he had almost sealed the deal, so he stood up and said, "Chief of Staff, I'm certain you will not regret this!"

...

At the same time, inside the residence of the Dahua Empire's Minister of Works, the old Minister Chen Jing was tapping his chair's armrest.

All of a sudden, he stopped and turned to look at his visiting close friend who had come to lobby him, inquiring in a drawn-out tone, "Are you sure they will invest in building twenty factories as promised?"

"Absolutely certain! As long as the Dahua Empire acknowledges Tang Country in place of Zheng Country, everything will proceed as agreed." The old man nodded assuredly and said, "Great Tang Group has never broken a promise; their word is their bond, and they have an impeccable reputation."

"To take out tens of millions of Gold Coins for investment is indeed a grand gesture! Such political achievements credited to me will indeed solidify my position. But, my old friend, harboring a tiger may invite trouble... After all, I don't feel at ease." Minister Chen Jing expressed his worries.

He feared that his indulgence might rear a ferocious tiger beside the Dahua Empire, which could ultimately devour it...

However, his old friend directly retorted, "Does the tiger simply walk away if you don't help?"

This question struck deep, leaving the Minister of Works somewhat disconsolate and unsure of how to respond. If the tiger that is Great Tang had already arrived, how could it simply leave with ease?

The only hope now was for the Dahua Empire to rally and become an entity even stronger than the tiger.

But... does the current Dahua Empire stand a chance?

After much thought and a long silence, the old Minister Chen Jing still stubbornly lamented, "After all, there might be a chance to nip this crisis in the bud..."

In his view, there was one last move, which was to support the Emperor, His Majesty, and use His Majesty's desire for revenge to wage war against Tang Country, eliminating this future threat.

But this was risky, for as the Chief of Staff of the empire's Ministry of Works, he was well aware of the internal and external troubles facing the Dahua Empire, and he knew that going to war did not guarantee victory.

If they failed, then Dahua Empire's control over the surrounding area would be significantly weakened, accelerating the collapse of the empire, a result Chen Jing did not want to witness.

To put it plainly, if war broke out, it would be a gambit of the empire's fate, a battle for the fortune of the Dahua Empire!

From the perspective of a Chief of Staff, he did not favor staking the empire's destiny on a single battle, which was far too reckless.

Additionally, as the Minister of Works, he naturally came across a lot of information about industrial advancements. He knew all too well that if Dahua Empire did not fully grasp the new technologies that had suddenly emerged worldwide, it could suffer military disadvantages.

Therefore, instinctively, he was averse to such a war. He preferred that the empire take action when it was more familiar with, and had fully mastered, the new technologies. Until that time, it would be best to keep a low profile and feign ignorance.

The elderly man sitting next to him shook his head and said, "It's too late! If we had acted with lightning speed a few months ago when Tang Country was not yet stable, and mobilized a million strong soldiers from Dahua, there might have been a chance. Now that their forces have grown, what can we do?"

This old man had also been an official before, so naturally, he had his insights. However, due to political struggles and offending the wrong people, he had been sacrificed and now barely maintained a sixth-ranking present position, wasting away in the Ministry of Works.

"I heard that Tang Country's entire armed forces comprise no more than a hundred thousand men. If Dahua sends out two hundred thousand, it stands to reason that success will be quickly achieved," Chen Jing said after hearing the old man's words. He first looked puzzled and then asked in confusion.

The idle elder waved his hand dismissively, having seen through the matter long ago, "That's easier said than done, 200,000? If His Majesty could easily muster an army of 200,000, the battle would have started last month!"

The Empire's military funding was already very tight, and with the recent appearance of multiple new weapons, the military had diverted some of the pay to purchase and test a few weapons.

Normally these things wouldn't pose a problem, but now they have resulted in a lack of surplus funds for raising troops for combat.

If they wanted to suddenly gather enough military pay, they would invariably have to reallocate funds from other areas. Whether it's the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of Rites and Personnel, which department would be willing to give up their own benefits?

So, Chen Jing struck the armrest of his chair in frustration, complaining resentfully, "It's all those pests' fault! Everything was fine, and then they had to go and buy from Shireck..."

"What's the use of complaining now? Besides, if it weren't for Zheng Country being overwhelmed by the powerful ships and cannon of the Shell Country, showing us the might of new weapons, wouldn't we still be using the flintlock guns from Shireck? Wouldn't the situation be even more perilous?" The old man shook his head as he spoke.

In his view, had it not been for the prior insight into the power of new weaponry from other wars, the Dahua Empire would be in real danger this time.

Raising an army haphazardly to face an enemy with strong ships and powerful cannon, how would they end the conflict? Although the Dahua Empire's territory was vast, it could not withstand such turmoil, could it?

"Alas... but this time, refitting 200,000 Shireck Model 1 rifles, it really hurts!" Chen Jing became infuriated at the thought of the Ministry of War doling out the money for 200,000 rifles all at once.

The elder chuckled, "Hurts? Be content! That doesn't even include the cannons! Put it all together, and that's when it really gets pricey."

Although compared with the weaponry from Great Tang Group, Shireck Consortium's weapons could definitely be considered affordable by now, such a massive procurement would still take some time for the Dahua Empire to digest.

Had it not been for the war between Zheng Country and Shell Country acting as a stimulus, had it not been for the pressure from Tang Country, the Emperor of the Dahua Empire would probably not have agreed to such a massive weapons purchase plan so lightly.

Thinking this, Chen Jing sighed again, "I previously submitted a memorial for the construction of railways, yet Your Majesty has not given a reply... Presumably, it really is a matter of no money."

"A lack of money is not the issue, we can pay for it ourselves!" the elder said. In his eyes, the railway was the real marvel, capable of connecting the vast expanses of the Dahua Empire, truly leveraging its size advantage.

Thus, he and Chen Jing were in agreement: even if the country had no money, they from the Ministry of Works would muster efforts to push forward the construction of the railway.

The Ministry of Works managed Dahua's industry and construction, and they certainly had their own lucrative revenue streams, so if they wanted to raise money, it wouldn't be a difficult task. The prerequisite, of course, was ensuring that those who paid got more benefits in return!

Building railways naturally meant everyone could gain from it, so the elder was so confident, believing that he could raise the funds.

"Dahua is lacking loyal and righteous men like you... that's why it has degenerated to this point today!" Chen Jing sighed once more before praising his old friend.

"However, if it weren't for an old friend like you looking out for us in the court, those people below wouldn't dare spend so much money on building what you call railways, so... you are the mainstay for everyone," the elder said, looking at his long-time friend.

"I understand! I know what to say now," Chen Jing said, closing his eyes and making his choice with resignation.

At the residence of the Minister of Revenue, Chief of Staff Wang Yucái smirked at his loyal subordinates, "If His Majesty still has the intention to wage war tomorrow... you know what to say, right?"

"The treasury is empty!" A row of ministers and officials from the Ministry of Revenue bowed their heads, speaking in unison.

--------- Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire

This chapter was poorly written. I started yesterday and only finished it today; I apologize for not asking for another day off... I forced myself to write despite suffering from stomach pain. Please bear with it, and I'm sorry. My health has been quite bad recently; it may be a stomach and intestinal cold or possibly enteritis.

I dare not go to the hospital, so I can only take medication at home and endure. Updates may not be stable, so dear readers, please be understanding.