Munitions Empire

What made it even more popular was its use of electric lighting, a novelty not yet widespread in this world, which made the hotel brighter and more distinctive.

Besides, it offered many special services, including the local Brunas cuisine invented by Tang Mo, as well as the most popular song and dance performances.

In the Leite Kingdom, or perhaps within the nearby kingdoms, the most influential singer, Susan, often performed here, and it almost always was her inevitable choice of accommodation when she visited Brunas.

At this moment, within the lavishly decorated hotel lobby, on stage, Susan was softly humming a song that was making its first appearance in this world to the accompaniment of the band.

Her seductive red lips slightly parted, swaying minimally on the stage, a first-time appearance of white light beams hitting her, making her jewelry reflect dazzling light.

"The military port\'s night is so very still,

The waves gently rock the warship,

The young sailors, with waves as their pillows,

In their sleep, show sweet smiles."

Susan\'s voice was very gentle, and while she sang this part, it was as if she was humming a lullaby.

At that moment, there seemed to be a halo behind her, a sensation that mesmerized many ladies of high society, who also longed for such a radiant moment.

Truly the center of attention, truly brilliant and dazzling, truly envy-inducing, truly captivating to the point of making one linger and forget to return...

Many men also swallowed hard, and numerous wealthy patrons were inquiring whose high-level executive Susan from the Great Tang Group was possibly entangled with on stage.

If she truly had something to do with the mysterious Mr. Tang, they wouldn\'t dare make a move, but if she was still unattached, it was time to show off and flaunt their magic charm.

"Gentle is the sea breeze\'s touch,

Gently do the waves sway,

How laborious is the sailor\'s voyage afar.

Upon returning to the motherland\'s embrace,

Let our sailors sleep soundly."

On stage, Susan continued to sing with deep emotion, her graceful figure incredibly captivating.

Under the stage, those in the know paid no attention to the murmuring inquiries of the rich bugs.

Today was the day the Great Tang Group\'s navy fleet set out to sea, with three Brunas-class warships leaving the harbor, quickly heading towards the battlefield they were destined for.

Leaving in advance were also 30 transport ships supporting the operation, these sailing vessels laden with supplies and shells, heading for Hotwind Port.

In Hotwind Port, the Great Tang Group had already prepared coal and various supplies in advance, which would greatly shorten the supply line lengths for this southern expedition.

War is a game of money, and the Great Tang Group had prepared a whole 100,000 Gold Coins for this, as well as purchased an additional 100,000 Gold Coins\' worth of supplies and coal fuel.

If we include the cost of building the warships, or rather the current actual sale price of the Great Tang Group\'s warships, the military expenses of this war had risen to the point of leaving the King of Leite Kingdom astonished.

In the past, no nation would plan for a war in advance and gather hundreds of thousands in military expenses—it was too costly, no longer justifiable by victory to cover the war\'s expenditures.

"The military port\'s night is so very still,

The waves gently rock the warship,

The young sailors, with waves as their pillows,

In their sleep, show sweet smiles."

On stage, Susan continued to sing, her voice filled with a magnetic quality that was very soothing to listen to. Being the top courtesan in the Leite Kingdom, she definitely had her own set of skills.

At the very least, standing on the stage, her performance truly lived up to her value—if people outside the Great Tang Group now sought to hire this singer, the price would be so high that even the wealthiest patrons would balk at the prospect.

Remember, even the handbags that Susan carried when she went out were luxury items coveted by high society ladies.

Even if you were to buy an identical one outside, it wouldn\'t suffice without the Great Tang Group\'s LOGO to certify its authenticity…

In reality, all these wealthy people are just lunatics with money to burn; what they need isn\'t a particular item, but a symbol that can distinguish their rich status from the poor.

Even a plastic bag, as long as it lets people recognize at a glance its exorbitant price and shows off a status unique to the wealthy, then such an item could become infinitely expensive.

Tang Mo was naturally familiar with this routine, so he easily convinced everyone around him to accept it.

Now, luxury goods that don\'t come from the Great Tang Group are considered second-rate trash. Only those crafted by the Great Tang Group are genuinely considered luxury goods!

And the factory that now makes luxury leather bags, or rather the workers there, used to make ammunition pouches and webbing belts for the K1 Quick Guns produced by the Great Tang Group.

They also made military boots and army leather coats designed for the cold... Of course, ever since they started making the first set of black leather trench coats personally designed by Tang Mo, and he wore them himself, the products from this workshop could no longer be described as good and cheap.

Then, they began to produce all sorts of messy things, and the leather craftsmen here (many of whom were formerly just hanging around the workshop for a meal) were packaged as artisans full of the craftsman spirit.

These craftsmen are now leisurely crafting real leather seats for Rolls-Royce cars, making leather shoes for King Leite VII or Prime Minister Suthers, and incidentally producing some saddles and gloves and belts...

Their production pace was deliberately slowed down, doing just a little bit each day; it was absolutely forbidden to work too fast.

The price of their goods was somewhat incomprehensible: a saddle made for Tang Mo\'s racehorses at the racetrack was now fetching 5000 Gold Coins each, and they were in high demand at that.

And the Rolls-Royce cars took more than ten days to produce one, with a price tag equally steep and somewhat frightening.

A pair of leather shoes from this sub-brand of the Great Tang Fashion Group would cost 300 Gold Coins, and required customization. The King of the Leite Kingdom, Leite VII, even made a plaster cast of his foot to send to Brunas.

"The sea breeze, you blow softly,

The waves, you rock gently,

The mariners on a long voyage work so hard,

When the dawn\'s glow reddens the sea,

Look, our warships are ready to weigh anchor."

In the midst of this song, 3 Brunas-class ironclad warships leaving the port of the Great Tang Group joined a larger and sleeker Ironclad Warship in the night and then sped off into the distance.

The thick smoke from the three warships was obscured by the night, and the Soldiers standing on the deck gazed at the distant port, moved to tears by the beautiful night view.

Brunas is the first genuine city that never sleeps in this world, its lights are like stars, and its night scene is unparalleled. .net

Eventually, it may be surpassed by the safer and more reliable Dragon Island, but indeed, it has illuminated this era, lighting the way forward for all living beings.

At the backstage exit, Tang Mo held his head high, while Wes helped him adjust his tie, "Do you know why I deliberately sold the S4 handgun to Shireck?"

"I\'m sure you have your profound reasons," Wes said as he retracted his hand with satisfaction and spoke to Tang Mo.

Tucked under his arm was a delicate S2 handgun, a Left-Wheel Handgun with six bullets.

This banquet had strict security checks; almost no one but him was allowed to carry a weapon.

Of course, if Tang Mo wanted to bring a handgun himself, nobody would object — but it seemed unnecessary to do so.

Those who could enter here were mostly well-known individuals with backgrounds that could withstand investigation, and most would not commit the madness of assassination.

So, having Wes carry a handgun was just a precaution; there was not much chance it would be used. If things really kicked off, the security Troops outside the venue could rush in to protect Tang Mo at any moment.

Hearing Wes\'s response, Tang Mo laughed and said, "Actually, there\'s no special profound reason. It\'s just about setting a trap for them to see if they can be led astray, delaying the time it takes for them to get back on the right path, that\'s all."

"That\'s impressive enough," Wes always thought that Tang Mo\'s schemes were not quite in line with his actual age.

Tang Mo explained further, "Yes, we are in the accumulation phase. A brand-new bullet production line is being built on Dragon Island and in Hotwind and Osa, and soon we will be able to mass-produce real automatic weapons."

"Real... automatic weapons?" Wes thought that the S3 and S4 weapons were already quite good automatic weapons.

Tang Mo nodded and mentioned the new weapon still in the mass production preparation phase, "Yes, the C-series weapons of the Great Tang Group."

"C-series weapons? I think I\'ve heard of them," Wes had also heard mention of this highly confidential weapon.

"Yes, submachine guns, a kind of weapon that Soldiers can carry individually, firing automatically non-stop, just like the G1 machine gun," Tang Mo said with a proud smile on his face.

These were his finest creations, weapons that would ensure the security forces of the Great Tang Group could crush their enemies.

"My goodness," Wes certainly knew of the Maxim machine gun, which was the hottest selling weapon of the Great Tang Group now: the G1 machine gun!

The G1 machine gun had given the defenders on the battlefield a tremendous advantage and had started to change the way battles were fought.

Wes found it hard to imagine what it would mean for the world to have a portable, single-soldier version of the G1 machine gun on the battlefield.

Tang Mo helped Wes picture the wonderful future, "By that time, the battlefield situation will change completely, and our advantage will be truly realized."

"Now, wars have already changed," Wes said after a thought, then he made a comment.