Munitions Empire

Now, the Great Tang Group was not only importing machinery and equipment but even automobiles, showing a sense of desperate need.

The Ice Cold Kingdom and Gobur Kingdom's machinery processing industries were the first to receive orders, bringing them hope once more.

Afterward, the Great Tang Group swept up all the grain available on the international market, spending a large sum of money, and everyone soon breathed a sigh of relief.

With trade, and a smooth trade cycle, the economy naturally found some room to breathe. After receiving a vast number of orders, relations between the various countries notably improved.

After all, who would want to risk war when there's money to be made? Isn't it better for everyone to peacefully develop and prosper? Why engage in warfare and killing?

In the past, people were prepared to stab each other in the back because they couldn't make money. Now, with orders from the Great Tang Group, it makes perfect sense to earn money steadily!

As for the previous readiness to stab each other, that was all a misunderstanding, purely a misunderstanding! The key point is, it hadn't happened yet, right? If you haven't stabbed, it doesn't count as stabbing, correct?

Many times, that's how things are. Once a country sends out a signal of goodwill, what follows is everyone searching for a way to back down honorably.

For the Laines Empire, with its relatively advanced industry and solid foundation, life improved significantly with the large-scale purchases by the Great Tang Group.

Firstly, a portion of the loans, or rather, the interest on the loans, could be offset by the goods produced, greatly alleviating the pressure on the Laines side.

Secondly, the acts of factory production and infrastructure construction themselves brought about a series of chain reactions, which reduced unemployment rates, stimulated local economies, and prompted everything to develop in a healthier direction.

Anyway, as orders from the Great Tang Group came in one after another, every country saw the hope of stabilizing things first, so they temporarily forgot the dangerous options they had considered months before.

"At least we've stabilized this month! Next month there will be a partial harvest of the grain, and then we can sell some more... it has become possible to pay off some of the debt," the Prime Minister said, also taking a breath of relief with a smile.

"Yes, since Great Tang is offering such high prices, I believe the other countries don't have much grain in reserve..." Leines I felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

He had only recently moved into a luxurious, electrified palace and had just become an Emperor! He hadn't even had the chance to enjoy it before he was caught up in perpetually expanding the military and preparing for war, a life he no longer wished to continue.

"Indeed, without stored grain, military operations cannot proceed, at least not until the harvest next year. War is unlikely to break out before then." After Leines I stopped speaking, the Prime Minister nodded in agreement with the Emperor's view: "Your Majesty, this time, we can't afford to go back to our old ways!"

"Yes! I've decided we should double the number of existing factories! Only then can we meet domestic construction needs," Leines I decided to follow Great Tang's example and focus wholeheartedly on internal development.

Compared with Great Tang, which had its own set of internal problems, the Laines Empire also faced numerous issues. Seventy percent of its territory was gained through warfare, and it likewise needed time to consolidate.

On the lands of the conquered Kingdoms, countless native inhabitants needed pacification, integration, and taming.

This problem also troubled Dorne, Suthers, and the Ice Cold Empire, forcing these nations to attend to internal issues and making them reluctant to choose war lightly.

Though the Empire of Nanla didn't need to worry about such problems, its internal issues were equally serious. Decay was its greatest hidden danger, and the Emperor of Nanla had been continuously working on improving these issues after his health gradually improved.

Thus, it was a curious equilibrium, a world balanced on the verge of war... Everyone was dealing with their own issues, with one singular aim of gaining a political advantage at home before the next war arrived.

Tang Mo hadn't actually considered that his westward expansion strategy would grant the world a precious year. However, he indeed required that precious time now to settle his own affairs.

Leines I recalled the news that had come from Brunas and thus said to his Prime Minister, "Great Tang Group has recently sold many new technology licenses, it seems they have indeed spent a lot of money. We could take this opportunity to purchase some useful technologies..."

The Prime Minister bowed slightly and spoke in praise, "Your Majesty is wise! I also believe that they have really bled themselves dry! Buying that much grain in circulation, it must have cost them a pretty penny."

"I believe that this time, they might have trapped themselves. Managing a country is not an easy task, so many poor people could drag even a wealthy Great Tang Group down to its demise," he paused to consider his words before continuing.

The Emperor greatly agreed with this assertion, also feeling that expanding into Zheng Country and establishing the Great Tang Kingdom was a poor move chosen by Tang Mo.

In his view, taking on a poor and backward country with low integration was Great Tang Group giving themselves trouble.

In the short term, the returns were completely negative, and even in the long run, the benefits weren't guaranteed—based on his experience, by the time Great Tang Group assimilated Zheng Country's national strength, Tang Mo would almost have to consider passing the throne on to his son.

"Hmm, you are right, they now have no choice but to rescue an entire country, even for a wealthy entity like Great Tang Group, that's too much of a strain," he nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

He felt that he'd been smiling a lot more recently. Previously, he was accustomed to being expressionless, but those around him knew his mood was not very good, always tense.

Back then, Laines faced internal and external troubles, so he was seldom seen smiling. But now, after resolving many problems and genuinely bolstering national power, his smiles had noticeably increased.

As he spoke, he felt that perhaps Tang Mo was not that remarkable after all, "So it is said, we only saw the strength of Great Tang Group and overlooked their biggest issue—they lack at the national power level, there's an enormous gap between them and us."

The Prime Minister also agreed, "They lack management experience at the national level, the time it will take for them to complete control over a country is much slower than the speed at which we learn from them and achieve industrialization."

Leines I was almost ready to applaud, he looked at his trusted subordinate and said, "You're absolutely right! Very right! Thus, we need to catch up with them, and then... take back what originally belonged to us."

Without needing to stress it further, the Prime Minister naturally knew what belonged to Laines he was referring to—a shining pearl on the East Coast of the Endless Sea!

Of course, beyond that pearl, there was Jade City, Northern Ridge... and many, many more things.

Therefore, he did not mention Brunas by name, instead following Leines I's narrative, "Yes, Your Majesty! That all belongs to you!"

...

Dragon Island, Dragon's Den.

Tang Mo smiled as he put down the document in his hands and said to his subordinates, "A burden? If it were just about feeding the people of Zheng Country, would I need to buy so much grain? So many pieces of machinery? So many cars? So much oil?"

He paused, his smile broadening, "I, or rather we, are building a brand-new country! The day this country takes shape, it will become the new benchmark for the entire world, it will become the world's leading superpower! We are creating an entirely new future! Gentlemen! Is that a burden? That is the beacon for the whole world!"

---------

4 days already… I haven't dared to go to the hospital, just continued to suffer from diarrhea =.=! But the stomach pain has subsided, it's just frequent trips to the toilet, how miserable. Dragon Spirit will take a few days off and will resume updates once it gets better.