Munitions Empire

"I understand," Tang Mo nodded, gazing at the map as he shared his thoughts, "However, I must consider the possibility of various changes should the war enter a stalemate phase."

"Firstly, we must think about The Sheng Country to the north of Zheng Country... A naval superpower, they harbor ambitions," he released his chin from his grasp, pointing with his finger to the Northern Region of Zheng Country, "Look, they have already annexed most of the islands near Zheng Country. If our progress in battling Zheng Country is slow, I worry they may make their own decisions...

whether to attack us or Zheng Country!" Continue reading on empire

Clearly, the islands that belonged or might have once belonged to Zheng Country were now under the control of The Sheng Country.

These Goblins are extremely vicious, and with Zheng Country being so corrupt and weak, obviously, their military strength is not on the same level.

Moreover, The Sheng Country, founded on their naval power, is clearly more deliberate in naval construction and it's not surprising that they could defeat Zheng Country.

Compared to Zheng Country, The Sheng Country is clearly in a period of ascension, with stronger national power, military strength, and aggressiveness.

With such a neighboring country, Zheng Country is bound to suffer; however, with the backing of the Dahua Empire, The Sheng Country doesn't have the ambition to swallow Zheng Country whole for the time being.

But if Great Tang Group intervenes, the nature of the situation could change entirely. If The Sheng Country were to ally with Zheng Country against Great Tang Group, the Group would face difficulties no matter what.

Likewise, if The Sheng Country took the opportunity of Great Tang Group's attack to seize some of Zheng Country's territories, wouldn't Great Tang Group be unwittingly dressing another bride?

Therefore, Great Tang Group must prepare for this, and at the very least ensure they can secure the essence of Zheng Country to guarantee their own interests.

If that effort proves to be thankless, the economic advantages Great Tang Group has accumulated and the psychological advantage of being battle-hardened would vanish.

Should they wish to recover, it would take years of accumulation—a waste of time that could certainly frustrate Tang Mo for quite a while.

"On the other hand, Zheng Country's suzerain – the Dahua Empire might intervene... If Dahua sends troops, what choices would we have to make?" Tang Mo paused before voicing another concern.

Setting aside The Sheng Country's meddling, Tang Mo also had to seriously consider the stance of the Dahua Empire—if the Dahua Empire intervened, Tang Mo's moves in Zheng Country would likely fall apart swiftly.

The Dahua Empire was not like the Empire of Nanla or the Laines Empire, which were smaller in scale. They were not in the same dimension. The territory of the Dahua Empire is five times that of Nanla, and its population is nine times larger!

This was no joking matter; if there were to be a conflict with the Dahua Empire, an army of hundreds of thousands could easily advance, and even if Great Tang Group had a tactical advantage, the situation would still be perilous.

At that point, with instability at the borders and rising resistance within, whether Great Tang Group could secure a foothold in Zheng Country became questionable.

Should the war drag on, and Great Tang Group be forced to supply reinforcements over the sea, the expenditure would become too great for the resources available, and Tang Mo would have to taste the flavor of defeat.

Having laid out his concerns, Tang Mo voiced his requirement for the war: "Therefore, I prefer a swift and decisive campaign!"

"Hmm…" Hearing Tang Mo's explanation, Luff also understood the importance of speed and fell into thought.

"Uh…" Tagg, too, stared at the map as if pondering a perfect solution. However, this seemed difficult to come by, and both men fell into a prolonged silence.

"We cannot risk a small troop on a rapid assault for fear of being put on the back foot," after a while, Luff finally spoke, though it sounded more like muttering to himself, "We must deploy as many troops as possible…"

"The more troops we have, the more difficult it will be to supply them. We must compress our forces as much as possible," hearing Luff's murmur, Tagg also murmured.

"To strike swiftly is vital, or it will draw the attention of neighboring powers…" Luff spoke again, glancing at Dahua Empire and The Sheng Country.

"Fighting quickly, however, might not be secure enough, raising concerns about control over the surrounding regions," Tagg said with a hint of frustration as he looked at the vast expanse of Zheng Country.

"This is really troublesome," Luff lamented as if deflated.

"Yes, it is," Tagg echoed, his face full of worries.

"Anyway, no matter how you look at it, expanding the army is something we need to do immediately," Luff looked at Tang Mo.

Tagg nodded in agreement, "No matter what we decide to do, expanding our forces to four divisions is necessary. If needed, expanding to six divisions wouldn't be excessive."

"As for tactics, leave that to the Staff Department. Luff! Prepare three sets of plans!" Tang Mo turned to Luff, "I want actionable plans!"

"Understood, Master," Luff immediately responded.

"Tagg! You will oversee the operations! Prepare for the expansion of the army to seven divisions! At the same time, start work in Northern Ridge and Dragon Island, Brunas! I want the usable forces to expand close to the scale of 100,000 as soon as possible!" Tang Mo then looked at Luff again.

Luff nodded and assured him, "As long as the funds and equipment keep up, all we need to do is follow the planned procedure to expand the troops. It's not a big deal."

After saying that, he added, "The real difficulty is convincing Leite, Suthers, and Dorne that we are not targeting them…"

"That's my job," Tang Mo nodded and smiled—the smile of confidence a powerful person reveals when facing a challenge: "If we win this war, we will take their place! We'll establish our own empire!"

Luff and Tagg were stunned, then both of their faces lit up with ecstasy. They lifted their chins and saluted Tang Mo with formal precision: "We look forward to the day our master becomes the Emperor!"

"Go on!" Tang Mo waved them off, indicating they could leave: "Don't talk nonsense out there! Understand?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Yes!" The two saluted again and then marched out of the room with a bustle. Tang Mo walked over to the glass window and looked down at the hall below, watching the crazed tycoons waving their arms as they purchased various products.

No matter how you looked at it, this grand event was just beginning.

"40 cars!" At the Dwarf's booth, a generous farmer from the Empire of Nanla placed an order: "I'd like to reserve 40 dwarf cars!"

His farm needed a lot of agricultural vehicles. Even though the Dwarf cars were a bit small, they were much cheaper and offered great value for money.

Moreover, most parts used in Dwarf cars were standard parts from the Great Tang Group, so they were very convenient to replace and repair, with most issues fixable on one's own.

After all, the Dwarf cars directly used the production lines discarded by the Great Tang Group, so it was not surprising many parts were interchangeable with the Great Tang Group's Model T cars.

"I want to order 100 cannons!" At a weapon exhibition booth belonging to Northern Ridge, a representative from a distant country spoke up.

Because the cannons from the Great Tang Group were just too expensive, he decided to order the cheaper Northern Ridge cannons.

It was said that the two factories had a deep connection. The salespeople from the Northern Ridge munitions factory hinted blatantly and subtly that their production lines were from the Great Tang Group and that the quality was absolutely guaranteed.

After some deliberation, the representative made his decision: "I wish to visit your factory! As long as it's possible, I will order 100 cannons!"

"Of course!" The salesperson smiled and nodded in agreement—this was a big deal and the commission he stood to gain was substantial, so naturally, he was grinning like a blooming flower.

"We need this kind of textile equipment! We are a major cloth exporting country, and if we don't keep up with the times, we will be eliminated." Next to the textile machinery booth, two ministers from a certain country were in constant discussion.

Just a moment ago, they witnessed the production speed of the new textile machines, which was far more advanced than the old models.

If other countries began to widely adopt this kind of textile machine, then their advantage would vanish and even the national finances would be impacted.

"I've already sent someone rushing back to our country…" One minister explained with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Idiot! Send someone immediately to buy a power generator and a telegraph set! Without a telegraph set, are you planning to send someone on horseback the next time you need to send a message?" his superior berated furiously, disappointedly scolding him.

"Right, I'm sorry…" The official bowed his head in embarrassment, acknowledging his mistake.

"I want 100 of these watches! Right away!" Not far away, a trader shouted excitedly.

A common watch that could be bought for two Gold Coins in Brunas could be resold for about five Gold Coins in other regions!

Only a fool would pass up such a business! Just traveling to and fro a few times could accumulate a large sum of money, then switching to another business would be the path to wealth!

In Brunas, who didn't know that just by finding some task to accomplish one could make a fortune? Can't you see, even those who open fast-food chains selling burgers have become filthy rich?

The watch booth's owner was already smiling from ear to ear—since morning, he had nearly sold out all his stock! Compared to those who sold expensive luxury watches, he as a volume seller of timepieces actually didn't make too little, and in some ways, he even made more.

It's like how a dealership selling Mercedes makes more money in a year than one selling Rolls-Royces.

"Why didn't someone think of such a good method before?" The official who was just reprimanded sighed as he watched the trader's frantic actions.

"Whoever thought of this expo... must be a genius," his superior said, gazing at the striking ship model and exhaling deeply: "A genius capable of changing the world."

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Delayed happy Dragon Boat Festival wishes—the joy of catch-up updates!