Munitions Empire

"Your Majesty is truly a divine being!" The Prime Minister of Laines, holding a wine glass, walked up to Leines I and smiled as he raised his glass to honor his own Emperor.

"Prime Minister, your dedication and efforts for the nation are commendable. This success naturally includes your contribution!" Leines I, in a great mood, also raised his glass and took a sip.

The banquet was filled with beautiful women everywhere, dressed in magnificent attire, singing and dancing, bringing the atmosphere to its peak.

Many nobles, with their arms around the slender waists of women, holding wine glasses and laughing heartily, as if they had already secured their victory.

Indeed, in their eyes, they had already grasped their victory: they had taken Jade City and were about to capture Brunas!

"Have you heard? This morning, that Tang Mo from Tang Country sent a telegram to our Emperor. I bet he was crying when he sent it," a noble bragged pridefully after planting a kiss on his young companion's cheek.

"Really? Is that true? Hahaha!" Another noble, handily roaming over a woman's body and laughing boisterously, basked in the bashful shoving of the lady in his arms, tipsily asked.

"Guess what he said?" The noble with a face smeared with the lady's rouge kept everyone in suspense and didn't spill the beans.

"Out with it! My old man at home is the Minister of Construction and not as well-connected as your lord father," a drunken noble joined in the conversation.

"That Tang Mo said, 'I leave everything intact for you now, in the hope that when you're defeated, you could at least do it with some dignity!'" The noble in the know scoffed after revealing the message, "Just like a sore loser! Hahaha!"
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"Hahaha!" The noble with his arms around a woman joined in the loud laughter.

Similarly, the drunk noble also burst into raucous laughter, "Wooh... Hahaha!"

It seemed as though they wanted to use this frenzied laughter to vent the frustration they had been feeling for many years from being oppressed by the Great Tang Group.

These people laughed unrestrainedly, as no one would find it inappropriate today — they had just captured Jade City! That prosperous, opportunity-laden city of the Great Tang Group!

"Did he really send this telegram to Your Majesty?" A minister, who had just heard about this, looked toward his Emperor.

"Yes, just like a sore loser." For the first time, Leines I felt that his rival Tang Mo was so childish, to send such a telegram at the time of a crushing defeat, warning his adversary like a child.

The question was, whether it was a threat or a warning, did it really have any effect? At the end of the day, doesn't everything still depend on strength?

As long as one's fists are big enough, what can the Great Tang Group do but obediently cede their richest lands?

The music grew louder, and the corners of the hall became even more chaotic and filthy. It was at this moment that an officer with a grave expression entered the hall and quietly made his way behind Leines I.

"What is it?" Leines I was quite displeased, feeling that the military's interruption of his victory celebration was no different from making a scene.

But the officer seemed not to notice his Emperor's dissatisfaction and whispered into Leines I's ear, "The latest news from the front line with Qi Country..."

"Wait a moment." Leines I glanced at the officer, then instructed. After saying this, he looked towards his Prime Minister and two close advisors, gesturing them to follow him to a corner.

Soon, they stepped out of the great hall into a quiet corner, where a group of people awaited the officer's message.

The officer immediately produced a telegram and reported, "The latest message just arrived, the Tang Army has broken through the Qi Army's border defenses..."

"What?" Leines I, an expert in military matters, was shocked to hear the news. He had always believed that even the valiant and battle-hardened Tang Army would be at a loss in trench warfare, which is why he had been so confident in sparking this wave of partitioning the Great Tang Group.

But the Qi Country defense line, set up with the help of the advisor Shireck, supposedly stronger than the northern defenses of Gobur, had been breached in just one day!

What's left to fight? Engage in mobile warfare with the Tang Army? Didn't the incident of Suthers' several thousand men being chased by a mere eighteen hundred happen just a few years ago? Of course, Leines I remembered it vividly.

Without even mentioning distant history, just the recent years alone, his Laines Empire's founding battles, the half-month war that obliterated the Kingdom of Gemalin, were all directed by the Northern Ridge troops of Great Tang...

How embarrassing...

Leines I, with a face already filled with mortification, continued to stare at the messager - or rather the harbinger of doom - dragging his words with gritted teeth, "What else is there! Out with it! Dammit!"

The officer, also aware of the awkward timing, felt compelled by duty to continue his report despite the discomfort.

""

He had only angered His Majesty the Emperor, but if he were to delay important military affairs, he could well become a national criminal; he was very clear about the distinction.

So, he continued, "The war report says that the Great Tang Kingdom used a new type of aircraft to launch a surprise attack on the Qi Army position, even bombing the Qi Country King City during the daytime..."

"A new aircraft?" A military-dressed officer at his side sensitively caught the new term and asked.

"The report says it's called an airplane, a secret weapon of the Tang Army! It was only deployed to the front after the war began, so for the past few days... the Tang Army has been inactive, waiting for these new weapons to be in place," the officer replied, swallowing hard.

It was only then that Leines I realized they had completely misunderstood the situation—assuming the Tang Army did not dare to attack; they were waiting for their big move's cooldown, while the Qi Army was waiting for death...

"What does Shireck say?" An unresigned Leines I turned his gaze to an advisor from Shireck at his side.

The advisor from Shireck was also in a state of shock, having just heard of the matter. What opinion could he have?

But since he had been asked, he could only bite the bullet and reply, "I haven't been notified yet... However, I'm sure Lady Sofia must have a plan..."

He couldn't say he had no solution, so he resorted to using a stalling tactic. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Laines had already started considering the next countermeasures.

"Your Majesty! If Qi Country cannot hold on, on our side..." He looked anxiously towards Leines I, only to find the once triumphant and calculating Emperor now had a sullen face and looked ready to kill.

"Don't be afraid! Even if the Great Tang Kingdom truly defeats Qi Country, they will still have to deal with the pressure from Chu Country and the Dahua Empire. They won't have time to target us for a while," said Leines I after a few seconds of silence, speaking to steady the morale of his army.

"Besides, Suthers has taken Northern Ridge, we've taken Jade City and Brunas, Dorne has devoured Hot Wind and Winterless City, Poplar has seized Osa, and the Ice Cold Empire has claimed Eternal Winter. Why should he pick on us alone?" Leines I forcibly calmed himself down, "When the time comes and so many of us nations form an alliance, will he dare to make a move?"

The more he thought about it, the more Leines I believed in his own reasoning, speaking more fluently as if he had everything under control, "So, all we need to do is stick to the plan and take it step by step!"

"Then... should we still take over Brunas?" The military man dressed as a general looked towards his Emperor to confirm.

"Of course! We must take it! Not giving them a foothold means they'll have a harder time counterattacking! Leaving Brunas would be inviting trouble for ourselves, wouldn't it?" insisted Leines I.

After speaking, he looked towards the advisor from Shireck again, "Find a way to get Shench Country to join the battle quickly! Stir the waters! Escalate the war! Otherwise... if the Tang Country gains control of the situation, we will all be very passive!"

"Understood! I will convey your intentions to Lady Sofia," the advisor from Shireck quickly replied.

"Send... a telegram back to Tang Mo..." Though reluctant, Leines I still recalled the telegram he received from Tang Mo that morning, "Just say... say that there will be reciprocity, and I will maintain the dignity and decency of the Laines Royalty."

"Yes..." the Prime Minister replied softly. After all, isn't everything still dependent on strength? As long as the Tang Kingdom's blade is swift enough, a naive warning becomes a naked threat...

After a brief pause, Leines I took a few of his confidants back to the banquet hall. He had to continue the banquet because it was a matter of his face.

Despite the Great Tang Kingdom having shown its blade, the various nations on this side that had taken advantage of the situation had also lost their options. They could only forge ahead on the path they chose, even if the end of that path was a coffin.

"He actually dares to threaten our Emperor! Ahahaha!" Inside the banquet hall, people were still joking about the telegram.

"Who does he think he is? Just a foolish boy, ha ha ha ha!" another noble laughed along.

To the ears of Emperor Leines I, these laughs were painfully piercing!

Feigning decorum, he approached the group of nobles and rebuked them coldly, "Not even the semblance of nobility! Where are the manners? The decency? Get out and reflect on yourselves! Each of you is fined 1000 Gold Coins!"

The nobles who had just been laughing carelessly looked at each other, and the general standing beside the Emperor shouted, "Get lost, now!"

Upon hearing this, they scattered like birds and beasts, suddenly unaware of what had happened. Obviously, after the Emperor left the banquet and returned, his complexion had worsened considerably.

His mood seemed very bad... very bad indeed...

This Tang Mo, why didn't he just lie down and wait for death? Why couldn't he just die?

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Two chapters today