Munitions Empire

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"Really hit?" Looking at the huge base in front of him, and then at the turret that had been replaced on the shore, the Dwarf Envoy asked the official who was accompanying him incredulously.

The official from Tang Country had a smile brimming over his face, for the astounded dwarf in front of him was always ready to spend a fortune.

No matter from which perspective, the Dwarfs were wealthy, for although the northern lands they inhabited were not conducive to farming, they were certainly not short of mineral resources.

These metal and fuel resources were now very valuable, for whatever Tang Country lacked would become extremely prized.

There was no choice, on the one hand, the exporting countries wanted to balance out the trade deficit with Tang Country, and on the other hand, it was true that Tang Country needed a tremendous amount of raw materials.

In the past, the steel demand of a nation would be only a few thousand to tens of thousands of tons, maybe up to a hundred thousand tons, but Tang Country's use of steel had now reached the horrific level of tens of millions of tons.

It wasn't as if they were just using steel, it was as if a giant steel-eating monster was at work! With such huge demand, how could the price of steel not soar?

"Didn't you see it with your own eyes?" The accompanying official looked at the Dwarf Envoy, gestured towards a group of engineers measuring data in the distance, and said, "The 320mm caliber main gun shell from a Shireck battleship hit at a distance of about five kilometers."

"It didn't penetrate?" The Dwarf Envoy took a few steps forward, staring at the somewhat ferocious scar, and subconsciously asked again.

"No penetration!" The agent laughed heartily, walking forward with Mr. Envoy until he had a close look, then continued to ask, "How about it? Mr. Envoy, do you see it clearly now?"

"I, I see it now." The Dwarf Envoy finally understood why such a battleship would cost so much steel.

It was practically a solid lump of iron! Such thick armor steel plates, such formidable cannons, put together, they were the very definition of overwhelming power.

He could hardly think of anything that could completely destroy the steel monster before him.

"Now you see why the weapons from Great Tang Group are expensive, don't you? Genuine materials! In places you can't see, every single detail is conscientious." The official spread his arms proudly, making an encompassing gesture, "You will soon understand that what we're selling is integrity."

Yes, aren't all your sales about integrity? An airship so expensive it's blood-curdling, and although the gas used is inert and not prone to explode, the price is truly unbearable.

If your airships weren't so expensive, would everyone need to buy Shireck's hydrogen airships to make up the numbers? But this is just great; they are like floating bombs in the sky, ready to explode at the slightest spark...

Of course, such complaints are pointless, expensive isn't a flaw of the product, it's a flaw of the consumer... As a Dwarf Envoy, he wasn't brave enough to complain at this moment.

He just focused intently, watching the industrial technological achievements of Great Tang Group being slowly unveiled before his eyes.

Along with the explanation, he ascended the gangway step by step, saw the steel armor structure beneath the wooden floor, saw the densely packed watertight compartments, and saw the intricate and precise piping.

At the same time, he also saw the complex wiring, the elaborate and elaborate mechanical computing equipment, the advanced boilers, and the specially prepared onboard fire suppression and explosion mitigation water systems.

The technical staff detailed each feature of these devices, and with every function mentioned, Mr. Envoy felt a sense of awe.

Really, as a civil servant, he had never imagined that a weapon could be so exquisitely complex; he had also never thought that technology could truly determine victory or defeat on the battlefield.

So he groped around like an idiot, here a touch, there a glance, trying to commit everything to memory.

But then he realized that it was futile; he couldn't remember any detail because there were just too many of them here.

He couldn't even understand the operating principle of the mechanical computing devices. When the Tang Army soldiers demonstrated the device, he stood there dumbfounded, and a few minutes later, he found that he remembered nothing, then stood foolishly in front of a boiler, his mind filled with turning shafts and gears.

"We've tested these compartments; they can dissipate the shockwaves produced by explosions." In the somewhat dim compartment, the technical staff explained the reason behind the slight deformation of some compartments.

"It's a marvelous design." Mr. Dwarf Envoy from the Ice Cold Empire nodded along, then he was at a loss whether the other party was intimidating him or explaining the entire battle of the Endless Sea to him.

According to the Tang Army, they commenced firing from a distance greater than 10 kilometers and swiftly achieved the accomplishment of sinking a Shireck battleship.

The Navy of the Kingdom of Dorne had to change their battle strategies, moving closer to the Tang fleet and thus losing the initiative.

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Following that, the decisive battle became a one-sided massacre. The Tang Country Navy, with three battleships, faced the Shireck Navy's four battleships. As a result, at the minor cost of being hit by a single cannonball, they sank all the enemy warships!

The Shireck Navy, as the most powerful navy in the northern waters of the Endless Sea, was entirely incomparable to the Ice Cold Empire.

Although the Ice Cold Empire was wealthy and had vast territories, in reality, it had always prioritized land forces and paid little attention to the development of its navy.

Now, after the annihilation of the Shireck Navy, there was no one left in the entire Endless Sea who could rival the Tang Country Navy. To the Dwarf Envoy, this sounded very much like a threat.

"How about it? If you are willing to purchase, we can sell you the complete production technology for these battleships, including blueprints, and we could even improve upon them and redesign a more advanced and powerful model," the Tang Country official suggested earnestly as he escorted the Dwarf Envoy on a tour.

"Although it's a bit expensive, it can at least guarantee the safety of the Ice Cold Empire's northern sea routes. When it comes to safety, spending a bit more money is always worth it," he went on confidently, enticing the Dwarf trailing behind him.

Regrettably, if this offer had been made a few months earlier, he, as the Dwarf Envoy, might have considered whether it was worth the money to build a navy fleet of their own.

But now, he no longer had a choice: the order from Binghan the First, Emperor of the Ice Cold Empire, was to purchase airplane technology, which for the eagerly militarizing Ice Cold Empire, was of paramount importance.

After all, as proven, with a strong understanding of airplane technology, the coastline could be protected by aircraft — this was the best option for many land-based countries.

As for building a powerful navy, they didn't really care about that: unless it could bring them benefits, they would only consider spending less money to give it a try.

Land was the foundation for these countries: as for those who once valued their navies, they had all been eradicated by the Tang Army, and no one else was to blame—only Tang Mo could be faulted for acting too ruthlessly.

The Taren Kingdom was once a naval superpower, but now it had been completely annexed and erased by Dorne. The Poplar Kingdom also used to be a naval powerhouse, but it obviously hadn't kept up with the pace of development in recent years.

As for Shireck, the country that valued naval development the most, had purchased so many warships from Brunas over the years. However, after the disastrous battle in the North Sea, it essentially fell from the ranks of naval powerhouses.

Thus, Tang Mo's introduction of battleships for sale at this time was quite awkward. Those interested had either been killed or crippled, and the rest were a bunch of ignoramuses.

"We accept pre-orders, Mr. Envoy. You can pay with steel, cobalt ore, nickel ore, and the prices are very favorable," the Tang Country official continued to earnestly promote his products.

However, the Dwarf Envoy shook his head with a wry smile, regretfully saying, "Sir, I think even nickel ore is something we can no longer afford. We now have to work hard to produce these ores to pay for the airplane technology fees you require."

"It's such a shame," the Tang Country official said, somewhat reluctantly letting go of such a big deal, but there really wasn't much that could be done.

Who could blame them? The airplane technology of Tang Country was simply too expensive: one billion Gold Coins for a country. How many countries could actually afford to pay such a large sum in full?

In the end, isn't it all about using various kinds of materials to offset the debt? Iron ore, copper ore, cobalt, nickel, oil, and so on…

They even had to use some industrial products to offset the cost, such as the cars produced by these countries, as well as some cheap industrial machinery and equipment.

Although Great Tang could produce all of the industrial machinery, there was an obvious focus on the production process. For those low-end devices that were not urgently needed, Tang Mo did not mind directly importing some for use.

In any case, in order to enhance the technological level of Great Tang, Tang Mo was eagerly drawing nutrients from every corner of the world. He was greedily absorbing everything, propelling Great Tang forward relentlessly.

"There's nothing to regret; you've already made ten to a hundred times the profit on the airplane technology," the Dwarf Envoy remarked with feeling, continuing to walk forward.

The interior space of the Dongwan-class battleship was over a hundred meters long, giving him plenty of time to continue his walk.

He walked step by step, feeling the might of Tang Country's military power. He repeatedly asked himself why no one listened to him when he knew from his time in Brunas that Great Tang Group was not to be provoked.

His Emperor, his friends, didn't believe a word he said. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

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My back still hurts quite badly today; I've struggled to write just two chapters, delaying the promised updates. Sorry.