Munitions Empire-Chapter 1194: The neutrality of the Great Tang Empire has never changed since 1114.
"Respected Lord Nangong, I sincerely wish to convey our hopes to you and His Majesty The Emperor of the Great Tang Empire. The conflict between the Ice Cold Empire and the Poplar Empire is purely a private grievance. If the Great Tang Empire has any intention of intervening in the war, please inform us in advance." As he spoke, the Dwarven ambassador’s beard trembled with his movements.
Despite its arrogance, the Ice Cold Empire had no desire to clash with the Great Tang Empire, which possessed absolute technological superiority. Fearing the Great Tang Empire’s involvement in the war, they immediately halted all trade with Mirage Country.
Under the orders of Binghan the First, the Emperor of the Ice Cold Empire, not a single ship heading for Mirage Country was allowed to leave port. As a result, the Tang Navy quickly realized that their commerce raiding missions suddenly lacked any viable targets.
"If the Great Tang Empire supports the Poplar Empire, then we are willing to immediately reconcile with the Poplar Empire. As long as the Great Tang Empire is willing, we are prepared to abandon all currently occupied Poplar Empire territories and retreat to the original borders between our two nations. We adhere to the mediation of the Great Tang Empire, and peace can be achieved at any time." With the entry of the Great Tang Empire into the conflict and the complete annihilation of Mirage Country’s navy, the Ice Cold Empire no longer dared to wage war against the Poplar Empire under the watchful eyes of the Tang Empire.
They were terrified that the Great Tang Empire might casually provide technological support to the Poplar Empire, which would tip the scales of war in favor of those damned Elves of the Poplar Empire.
"The Tri-Imperial Alliance is not the kind of relationship you imagine it to be. Our cooperation is much broader in the realm of trade, and the Great Tang Empire bears no obligations to alter its military stance for the sake of other nations. As for the conflict between the Ice Cold Empire and the Poplar Empire... we prefer to maintain neutrality." Nangong Hong, who had just returned from Fengjiang, wearily accepted a tea cup from his secretary as he spoke to the Dwarven ambassador.
If it had been purely a personal matter, he would have preferred not to meet the Dwarven ambassador in such an exhausted state. However, the Great Tang Empire needed him to make a statement to ensure that the war between the Ice Cold Empire and the Poplar Empire continued.
Without a solidly clear statement from the Great Tang Empire to the Dwarves, the Ice Cold Empire might quickly opt for reconciliation with the Poplar Empire—even at the cost of conceding some interests.
In recent times, Nangong Hong had been so busy that he felt on the verge of spitting blood. Initially, he had believed that his young body could be pushed to its limits, but cruel reality eventually reminded him that the Foreign Minister of this empire was no longer so youthful.
Fengjiang, in fact, was now under the full control of the Great Tang Empire. The process of transferring authority there was enormous and exceptionally complex.
It was even more chaotic than the takeover of Nanshan Port because the entire handover process was conducted in secrecy. By the time the local population realized they had become citizens of the Great Tang Empire, the National Defense Army of the Great Tang Empire had already replaced the Dahua Empire’s troops.
The same scenario unfolded in Nanku and Sword Pavilion, along with Guiguang, Shanping, Wanliang, Hezhe, and the Wilderness.
Although these eight cities were still nominally part of the Dahua Empire, they were, in practice, already under the effective control of the Great Tang Empire.
These locations had begun fully adopting the administrative methods of the Great Tang Empire. Officials were appointed by the Great Tang Empire, and even the farmland near Wanliang was now utilizing agricultural machinery from the Great Tang Empire.
The first outsider to learn that Zhao Yu had sold these territories was Zhao Jie. One morning, after waking up, Zhao Jie received a report from his subordinates: the garrison in Guiguang had been replaced!
Over 300,000 troops of the Dahua military had withdrawn from the defensive line between Guiguang and Shanchong, and in their place stood the National Defense Army of the Great Tang Empire.
This development left Zhao Jie without even the courage to launch artillery toward Guiguang. Instead, he sent an envoy, waving a white flag, to inquire about the situation in Guiguang.
The reply was as follows: while the area was still nominally under the sovereignty of the Dahua Empire, if Zhao Jie got any wild ideas about firing artillery toward Guiguang, the retaliatory fire would come from the troops of the Great Tang Empire.
There was no obligation to explain the specifics of the exchange between the Great Tang Empire and Zhao Yu. As such, Zhao Jie could only surmise: "Guiguang is now being defended by the Tang Army on behalf of Zhao Yu. It’s better not to stir up trouble!"
After surrendering so many cities, Zhao Yu wasn’t left empty-handed. He gained tens of thousands of troops stationed in regions like Guiguang, in addition to receiving a new round of military aid from the Great Tang Empire.
With a massive supply of artillery shells in hand, his forces successfully broke through the Xiqing defensive line. Li Mingshun led his troops to retreat to a defensive position near Caili, leaving Zhao Ji’s controlled territory reduced to only Caili and Rushu.
Nangong Hong’s trip to Fengjiang this time involved coordinating with numerous departmental heads to fully take over this vast region. The sheer workload was staggering; it was no exaggeration to say that he hadn’t had proper rest for over a month.
996? Don’t even joke about something so pleasant. For an official like him, there were no holidays to speak of. When there wasn’t much happening, he might manage a few days of rest here and there. But in times of high demand, he could end up working for dozens of days straight.
Hearing what Nangong Hong said, the Dwarven ambassador let out a sigh of relief. He was genuinely worried that the Poplar Empire might have offered some benefits to the Great Tang Empire, leading them to pressure the Ice Cold Empire into making concessions.
Now that the Poplar Empire hadn’t made a move, didn’t that mean the Ice Cold Empire could strike preemptively? With this thought, hope reignited in the Dwarven ambassador’s heart, and he asked, "In that case, is there any possibility that the Great Tang Empire could side with us in the Ice Cold Empire?"
"Just as we won’t support the Poplar Empire, we also won’t support the Ice Cold Empire. We have no interest in the wars on the Eastern Continent. Doesn’t that align with the interests of the Ice Cold Empire as well?" Nangong Hong smiled as he declined the ambassador’s "invitation."
Before the ambassador could fully process this disappointing news, Nangong Hong added soothingly, "If we were to show any interest in re-engaging with the Eastern Continent, I imagine that both you and the Poplar Empire truly wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, would you?"
While Nangong Hong’s question was delivered with a lighthearted tone, its sharpness was enough to make the Dwarven ambassador shiver down to his spine.
If the Great Tang Empire genuinely expressed strong interest in the conflicts on the Eastern Continent... both the Ice Cold Empire and the Poplar Empire might swiftly find themselves compelled to shake hands and make peace.
Should the Great Tang Empire—a giant dragon—step onto the scene, then neither the bear-like Ice Cold Empire nor the eagle-like Poplar Empire would be spared. They would both become food for the Great Tang Empire.
The Endless Sea, once thought of as an insurmountable barrier, now seemed far less secure: If the Great Tang Empire could transport troops to Mirage Country, then sending them to the Eastern Continent would hardly be a challenge.
As a result, nations on the Eastern Continent were desperately vying to purchase the Great Tang Empire’s new advanced weaponry.
They all believed that, at the very least, they needed weapons capable of deterring the Tang Army from launching an amphibious landing. The unfortunate reality, however, was that none of them knew what such a standard of deterrence even looked like anymore.
In the past, their weapons were still within the realm of their comprehension. They could understand the trajectory of advancements in weaponry. But since the outbreak of the Mirage Country War, the Tang Army’s weapons had completely surpassed their scope of understanding.
Previously, Tang firearms had been superior, but their general nature was still comprehensible. Shireck also had muskets, though the Tang Group’s guns were simply better.
Similarly, Tang cannons were taller, and Tang warships were stronger and more resilient....
These things existed previously and were somewhat comprehensible in their design. People could at least pretend to understand—like hot air balloons and zeppelins that could float, or rocket artillery that could fly toward their targets.
As advanced and impressive as these weapons were, they were still within the realm of human understanding, allowing observers to feign a sense of mastery over their principles.
But now, the weapons the Great Tang Empire showcased had crossed into the realm of "incomprehensible." The Great Tang Empire had developed weapons of extraordinary precision capable of directly threatening enemy battleships.
They even had aircraft capable of emitting a dragon’s roar, soaring through the skies at speeds two or three times that of ordinary planes!
Technicians from various countries racked their brains but couldn’t fathom how the Tang Group had developed such weapons.
How did these weapons work? Why were they designed in such forms? What materials were used…? These were questions without answers, problems without solutions, and mysteries that no one could clarify.
Even earlier, when the advanced technologies like radar began spreading from the Tang Country, no nation’s technicians could follow the Tang Group’s developmental logic.
It was as though they were children babbling incomprehensibly, their minds empty, endlessly absorbing the bits of knowledge leaked by the Tang Group. And just as they began to grasp some concepts, the Great Tang Empire would unveil something entirely new.
"You’re joking..." The Dwarven ambassador forced a smile and wisely chose not to pursue the topic further. Instead, he said to Nangong Hong, "Since the Great Tang Empire maintains strict neutrality, our Ice Cold Empire hopes to purchase your nation’s advanced weaponry."
"It’s no use telling me this." Nangong Hong waved his hand dismissively and stifled a yawn before saying, "This is something you’ll need to discuss with Harry. We treat everyone equally—any weapon approved for sale by the Ministry of National Defense, the Staff Department, and His Majesty The Emperor will be sold to whoever pays."
This was a statement the Great Tang Empire (or rather, the Tang Group) had repeated countless times to the outside world. Many nations doubted its validity, yet the facts often proved that the Tang Group’s reputation in this regard was largely trustworthy.
Apart from the cutting-edge weapons designated for the Great Tang Empire’s own use, the weapons sold by the Tang Group to other nations were indeed of high quality and exactly as advertised.... And, as they claimed, they were willing to sell to anyone willing to pay.
