Munitions Empire

After leaving the room, Zhao Yu's entire demeanor brightened; he had obtained what he wanted. The chess piece he had dropped unintentionally in the past had played its biggest role at the most critical moment.

Years ago, when Nangong Hong was still a young man traveling to study, Crown Prince Zhao Yu, who was not even ten years old, saw Nangong Hong on the street looking like a beggar.

At that time, Nangong Hong was quite destitute, and Crown Prince Zhao Yu, who belonged to royalty, felt sorry for him, so he gave Nangong Hong some money to sustain him and let him stay in the prince's residence for over ten days.

It was with Crown Prince Zhao Yu's assistance that Nangong Hong managed to make a name for himself in the Imperial Capital of Dahua. Only a few years later, Nangong Hong left the Dahua Empire, traveled through Qi Country, Chu Country, Zheng Country, then lived back home for over a decade before moving on to Brunas.

Nangong Hong was not one to forget a kindness. After he became an important minister in the Tang Empire, he immediately wrote to Zhao Yu, expressing his willingness to help.

Before, Zhao Yu hadn't taken this offer seriously because at that time the Dahua Empire was still considered the strongest power on the Western Continent, and seeking external support in competing for the throne was taboo. Zhao Yu also dared not agree lightly.

Furthermore, Crown Prince Zhao Ji of the Dahua Empire had the absolute support of the court and had shown no signs of misbehavior on ordinary days, so Zhao Yu had no chance at all.

But with the Tang Empire defeating the Dahua Empire, becoming the de facto strongest nation on the Western Continent, Nangong Hong's offer of repayment now seemed significant to Zhao Yu.

With the support of such a powerful nation as the Tang Empire, Zhao Yu felt he had a great chance of winning the competition for Crown Prince.

After all, the military support, intelligence, and finances of a powerful country are incredibly vast resources. With this support, Zhao Yu would have a significant advantage, assuming he was not utterly incompetent.

In any case, he had the full support of the Tang Empire, and his father, Zhao Kai, would not be able to use the entirety of the Dahua Empire's resources to support his older brother, Crown Prince Zhao Ji.

"Your Highness?" one of the two confidants guarding the door asked with a smile when he saw Zhao Yu's joyful expression.

"The matter is settled! Mr. Nangong is indeed grateful and has promised us his full support," declared Zhao Yu, unable to hide his jubilation.

"Congratulations, Your Highness! What great news!" the other guard immediately rejoiced: "Your Highness, your great cause is sure to succeed!"

"Mr. Nangong... promised... to give us... what kind of support?" asked Zhao Yu's top confidant cautiously.

At the end of the corridor, an ecstatic Zhao Yu, almost dizzy with excitement, boasted proudly, "Once I return home, people from the Tang Empire will naturally come looking... They will regularly provide us with intelligence, help us bribe ministers, and... eliminate any opponents we don't wish to see!"

"Ah! If that's the case, then Your Highness will undoubtedly be invincible in battle!" his confidant beamed, offering a flattering bow.

"But it doesn't stop there! Mr. Nangong told me, 'A drop of water should be reciprocated with a gushing spring.' He knows that currently we lack funds and can't gather our own power... So... he took 100 gold coins from me, and now returns 1 million..." While speaking, he subconsciously touched the "check" in his pocket and couldn't help but make a small noise in the elevator.

He hadn't intended to tell his two confidants about this large sum of money, but Nangong Hong insisted that he "leak" the news to them.

Because, as he said, the most important thing in motivating subordinates is to give them hope. Mere promises can't get one's subordinates to serve willingly, sometimes, tangible rewards are needed!

These million gold coins served as fodder, bait to compel his subordinates to serve him.

Moreover, Nangong Hong told Zhao Yu not to worry about funding issues since he was determined to repay Zhao Yu, such financial support would henceforth be inexhaustible.

When Zhao Yu received the money, he was shaking uncontrollably. He had never seen so many gold coins before, nor had he ever imagined that he would be able to fight such a "wealthy" battle.

Now, all he felt towards Nangong Hong was gratitude and endless admiration. How difficult it is for a person to be as good as their word, to truly reciprocate small kindnesses with great repayments!

Yet Nangong Hong had done so, not only meeting but far exceeding Zhao Yu's expectations. Zhao Yu thought Nangong would only offer verbal support, but he had never imagined that Nangong's backing would come in the form of cold hard cash.

This was genuine generosity: not only had Nangong Hong provided him with the urgently needed funds, but he had also offered valuable manpower, and most importantly, "military power."

Do not underestimate the latter—in any country, the most irreconcilable conflict between an heir and the incumbent is over control of military force.

Heirs yearned for control over military forces, as this provided them with the basic ability to defend themselves and the power to eliminate rivals. Yet, the very thing seated rulers feared most was heirs controlling the military, for then, the ruler's own safety would be in jeopardy.

Once an heir touched military power, the conflict with the seated ruler would become irreconcilable. The two sides would erupt into conflict, ultimately leading to a breakdown of the situation.

Either the seated ruler would be eliminated, or the heir would be, but one must die for the situation to return to stability.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, an heir might court ministers and gather funds, but would not openly develop military forces. The military would also deliberately keep distance from heirs; it was an unspoken understanding.

Even Zhao Ji, although a Crown Prince, could only do so much. He dared not easily build his own armed forces; this was his Achilles' heel.

But Zhao Yu was different; he could covertly utilize the power of Tang Country, easily eliminate his rivals, and then pin the blame on enemy spies without having to take responsibility for it. This gave him a natural advantage on the road to succession.

Indeed, upon hearing that Zhao Yu had 1 million Gold Coins in cash, the two confidants became even more attentive.

They knew that Zhao Yu didn't have much wealth before and was somewhat behind on the road to succession. But now everything had changed; the master they were following possessed what other Princes lacked!

Following such a powerful Prince was a very fortunate matter, for they could very likely become the future "Dragon's Vassals." By then, they would be the most trusted subordinates of His Majesty The Emperor, receiving countless benefits.

Life's opportunities came but once. If they failed to seize this one, there would be no more chances to turn things around. They had to grab this opportunity, to elevate themselves above others.

...

An old man entered the room, leaning on a cane with slow and careful steps. He walked up to Nangong Hong and took a seat where Zhao Yu had just been sitting, "How's it going?"

"Arrogant, brainless, full of ambition, yet not much skill," Nangong Hong opened another covered teacup, poured tea for the newcomer, and pushed it across the table.

Li'ao smiled and nodded, taking a sip of tea, "He fits our requirements perfectly, doesn't he?"

"Exactly, the rest is up to the Security Bureau," Nangong Hong poured himself a cup of tea and drained it in one gulp, "After all, I'm not the one for this kind of tasks."

"But you're quite professional, much better than I had anticipated," Li'ao set down his teacup, "How so? Feeling sorry for Zhao Yu, whom you've helped?"

"Not at all; I've given him a glimpse of the dream of succession, years of immense wealth, and even... if he does things well enough, ruthlessly enough, he might even take the throne of the Emperor of Dahua... This is my repayment to him," Nangong Hong spoke calmly, "I just can't stand these underhanded methods."

"Ha ha ha!" Li'ao laughed out loud, and after his laughter subsided, he spoke, "Acting uprightly is His Majesty The Emperor's business, to reason, to take the right path, to lead a righteous army, to fly the hunting flags... As for me, I've always been the one to do dirty jobs. Who else would do these shadowy tasks if not me? The tactics under the sun, they have you, they have Roger, they have many others to carry them out, which is enough."

He wasn't angry as he spoke these words, his tone remained calm, for Tang Country had already fulfilled his wishes, and he had no regrets left in this life.

One day in the future, he would lie in a coffin, buried in his family's most illustrious graveyard, worshipped and honored by many. His clan would take pride in him in the future, and his deeds would be praised by the people as the Great Tang Empire rose.

Nangong Hong stood up, straightened his sleeves, smoothed out the wrinkles of his clothes, and bowed solemnly to Li'ao, "Nangong Hong has learned a great deal! The master walks his own path, and Nangong Hong wishes the master fair winds."

Li'ao did not avoid it, lifting his teacup towards Nangong Hong and then downed it, "May we both have fair winds!"

Watching Nangong Hong leave, Li'ao remained seated without moving. Soon, more people entered the room. These people would never have the chance to personally witness the military parade within Chang'an City. They needed to leave immediately, heading for the Dahua Empire to carry out their duties.

"Have no regrets, your contributions may be unknown, but the Great Tang Empire will remember you forever..." Li'ao said, comforting the faces, young and old before him, "Go..."

"Yes!" All the individuals in the room bowed their heads slightly; they were bound for many places to establish a vast empire within the shadows.

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I apologize for taking leave last night. Dragon Spirit had a noisy family gathering yesterday, and with a headache, I went home early and fell asleep. When I woke up at 12:30, I realized I hadn't written the story... I could only take leave and make everyone wait all night for nothing, I'm truly sorry. I'm quite busy these next couple of days, so the makeup updates will be delayed, but I'll definitely make it up; rest assured.