Munitions Empire

Chapter 498 479 no money

The middle-aged tycoon chuckled with a hint of lewdness in his eyes, "I even gave you Shu Xiaoxiao, what do you think?"

His finger stroked the deed of sale for a moment as if he had finally made up his mind, and Zhou Qiang eventually nodded, "Fine. During the grand court assembly tomorrow, I will speak on your behalf!"

The wealthy man knew that he had almost sealed the deal, so he stood up and said, "Chief of Staff, I'm certain you will not regret this!"

...

At the same time, inside the residence of the Dahua Empire's Minister of Works, the old Minister Chen Jing was tapping his chair's armrest.

All of a sudden, he stopped and turned to look at his visiting close friend who had come to lobby him, inquiring in a drawn-out tone, "Are you sure they will invest in building twenty factories as promised?"

"Absolutely certain! As long as the Dahua Empire acknowledges Tang Country in place of Zheng Country, everything will proceed as agreed." The old man nodded assuredly and said, "Great Tang Group has never broken a promise; their word is their bond, and they have an impeccable reputation."

"To take out tens of millions of Gold Coins for investment is indeed a grand gesture! Such political achievements credited to me will indeed solidify my position. But, my old friend, harboring a tiger may invite trouble... After all, I don't feel at ease." Minister Chen Jing expressed his worries.

He feared that his indulgence might rear a ferocious tiger beside the Dahua Empire, which could ultimately devour it...

However, his old friend directly retorted, "Does the tiger simply walk away if you don't help?"

This question struck deep, leaving the Minister of Works somewhat disconsolate and unsure of how to respond. If the tiger that is Great Tang had already arrived, how could it simply leave with ease?@@@@

The only hope now was for the Dahua Empire to rally and become an entity even stronger than the tiger.

But... does the current Dahua Empire stand a chance?

After much thought and a long silence, the old Minister Chen Jing still stubbornly lamented, "After all, there might be a chance to nip this crisis in the bud..."

In his view, there was one last move, which was to support the Emperor, His Majesty, and use His Majesty's desire for revenge to wage war against Tang Country, eliminating this future threat.

But this was risky, for as the Chief of Staff of the empire's Ministry of Works, he was well aware of the internal and external troubles facing the Dahua Empire, and he knew that going to war did not guarantee victory.

The elder chuckled, "Hurts? Be content! That doesn't even include the cannons! Put it all together, and that's when it really gets pricey."

Although compared with the weaponry from Great Tang Group, Shireck Consortium's weapons could definitely be considered affordable by now, such a massive procurement would still take some time for the Dahua Empire to digest.

Had it not been for the war between Zheng Country and Shell Country acting as a stimulus, had it not been for the pressure from Tang Country, the Emperor of the Dahua Empire would probably not have agreed to such a massive weapons purchase plan so lightly.

Thinking this, Chen Jing sighed again, "I previously submitted a memorial for the construction of railways, yet Your Majesty has not given a reply... Presumably, it really is a matter of no money."

"A lack of money is not the issue, we can pay for it ourselves!" the elder said. In his eyes, the railway was the real marvel, capable of connecting the vast expanses of the Dahua Empire, truly leveraging its size advantage.

Thus, he and Chen Jing were in agreement: even if the country had no money, they from the Ministry of Works would muster efforts to push forward the construction of the railway.

The Ministry of Works managed Dahua's industry and construction, and they certainly had their own lucrative revenue streams, so if they wanted to raise money, it wouldn't be a difficult task. The prerequisite, of course, was ensuring that those who paid got more benefits in return!

Building railways naturally meant everyone could gain from it, so the elder was so confident, believing that he could raise the funds.

"Dahua is lacking loyal and righteous men like you... that's why it has degenerated to this point today!" Chen Jing sighed once more before praising his old friend.

"However, if it weren't for an old friend like you looking out for us in the court, those people below wouldn't dare spend so much money on building what you call railways, so... you are the mainstay for everyone," the elder said, looking at his long-time friend.

"I understand! I know what to say now," Chen Jing said, closing his eyes and making his choice with resignation.

At the residence of the Minister of Revenue, Chief of Staff Wang Yucái smirked at his loyal subordinates, "If His Majesty still has the intention to wage war tomorrow... you know what to say, right?"

"The treasury is empty!" A row of ministers and officials from the Ministry of Revenue bowed their heads, speaking in unison.

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This chapter was poorly written. I started yesterday and only finished it today; I apologize for not asking for another day off... I forced myself to write despite suffering from stomach pain. Please bear with it, and I'm sorry. My health has been quite bad recently; it may be a stomach and intestinal cold or possibly enteritis.

I dare not go to the hospital, so I can only take medication at home and endure. Updates may not be stable, so dear readers, please be understanding.