Munitions Empire

Eternal Winter Port, a busy port filled with harbingers of freedom everywhere. Some of these ships are docked at the piers, while others are maneuvering within the port.

Cranes hoist loads on and off, and the dockworkers are extraordinarily busy. It seems as if the war has not affected this place at all, which is even more prosperous than during the peaceful times of the past.

The port docks, modernized by the Great Tang Group, have an astonishing throughput. Nearly half of the Dwarf export goods come from Eternal Winter Port.

Despite the harsh climate, with half of the year being extremely cold, the port’s status as ice-free is all that matters.

There are about 500,000 Dwarfs living in Eternal Winter City, a third of whom work in transportation and dock loading and unloading.

These people transport a massive amount of raw materials and important goods from the heartland of the Ice Cold Empire to the docks of Eternal Winter Port all year round, and from there they are shipped out.

Another third are employed in the city’s factories, which include metal smelting and machinery processing plants. Many raw materials are roughly processed here to save on transportation costs.

And this port also supplies the entire Ice Cold Empire with a great deal of imported goods, with food being the largest import. Continue your journey on

Due to climatic reasons, food security was a serious issue for the Ice Cold Empire before they acquired land further south.

A vast empire yet so heavily reliant on food imports, Emperor Binghan the First could say that he had always been quite dissatisfied.

He hoped his country could achieve self-sufficiency in food to reduce dependence on imports, which is a normal strategic thought for a leader.

The way Binghan the First solved the problem was by attacking southward to capture lands farther south, acquire fertile fields for cultivation, and thus resolve the issue once and for all.

In fact, ever since the Great Tang Group started supporting the Ice Cold Empire, food production had been continuously increasing.

With modern cultivation methods and industrial fertilizers, the southern region of the Ice Cold Empire was already able to reclaim some land for farming.

However, as these lands were concentrated near the border, Binghan the First still felt no sense of security. Hence, the Ice Cold Empire was so eager to commence war because from their perspective, securing their own food supply was a matter more important than anything else.

Just last year, the Tang Group aggressively procured food, nearly triggering a food crisis.

The memory of food prices skyrocketing daily had put immense pressure on everyone within the Ice Cold Empire. Therefore, they finally resolved, at all costs, to solve their food supply problem.

Eternal Winter Port needn’t worry about these issues; its residents have always consumed imported rice and wheat. Their food comes from the sea, all brought in by the Tang Group.

On the streets of the now quite modernized Eternal Winter City, the thin snow cover impacted traffic, with cars jammed tight together and horns blaring incessantly.

Inside the unpretentious yet modernized municipal hall, the envoy from the Great Tang Kingdom stood in front of a window, looking down at the cars honking below with a seemingly keen interest.

"We must ensure our own food safety, which is the bottom line for the Empire," the Ice Cold Empire’s foreign minister emphasized again from the sofa behind him.

When they learned that the Great Tang Kingdom’s envoy had come to persuade the Ice Cold Empire to halt its southern expansion, the Ice Cold Empire sent their foreign minister to negotiate with the Tang envoy about this matter. ȒαΝо฿Ёs

"I fully understand the Ice Cold Empire’s concerns about food. You have taken over a vast area of land, which has actually improved your food supply," said the Tang envoy, still facing the window. "Your food production area is now more than two hundred kilometers from the border. Is that not enough?"

"Three kingdoms are still at war with us, and our pressure is still immense. Mr. Envoy, please understand…," the Ice Cold Empire’s foreign minister looked extremely troubled, as if they were the ones being attacked.

"The war you’ve instigated has caused anxiety among neighboring countries, deteriorating the diplomatic environment of the Ice Cold Empire to a very dangerous level. Do you really not mind?" the Tang envoy finally turned around to look at the other party.

The foreign minister of the Ice Cold Empire fell silent for a long while before he finally sighed and spoke. "At this point, do we still have a chance to make amends?"

"If you guarantee to stop threatening the southern neighbors, we can step in. Everyone can sit down, discuss, and sign a peace treaty that ensures the interests of the Ice Cold Empire while also protecting the safety of neighboring countries..." The Tang envoy offered a choice.

"Can we trust the Great Tang Kingdom’s impartiality?" the Dwarf foreign minister asked, looking at the Tang envoy.

"The Great Tang Kingdom will recognize the current borders of the Ice Cold Empire," the Tang envoy extended an olive branch, or one might say, presented the carrot they held.

The diplomat of the Ice Cold Empire thought for a few seconds, then nodded his head, "We trust the old friends, and I will discuss this matter with His Majesty and give you a satisfactory answer as soon as possible."

"I will wait here for you, and hope it won’t be too long," the Great Tang envoy said with a smile, making a gesture of invitation, "In terms of public opinion, we will start to set things in motion, lay the groundwork, at the very least we should let the whole world see the dawn of the approaching peace."

"I quite understand your point of view, peace... is very important." The diplomat of the Ice Cold Empire, deeply aware of the importance of peace after gaining an advantage in war, stood up, bowed deeply, and left.

He had already obtained what he wanted, as long as the world recognized the results of the Ice Cold Empire’s latest round of expansion, then the Empire could securely pocket the gains from this war.

With these new territories, the Ice Cold Empire was the biggest winner in this melee, and it also became a strong nation with balanced power and no longer any weaknesses.

Food was no longer a problem, at least not in the short run. Coupled with its industrial achievements, the national power of the Ice Cold Empire could be said to have reached unprecedented heights.

As long as it could pacify the three small kingdoms that were still at war, the Ice Cold Empire was close to realizing the Dwarves’ great revival.

In the streets of Brunas City, an old man selling newspapers sat quietly inside a newsstand, listlessly enjoying the bright sunshine. There was already a touch of chill in the air, but life in Brunas City was still vibrant.

"Boss, one newspaper, please." A man dressed like a small businessman handed over a few copper coins and casually picked up a newspaper with a huge headline, eager to start reading it.

If you wanted to get rich in Brunas, you had to understand the messages written in the newspapers and what they really meant.

The man unfolded the newspaper and saw the news: the Great Tang Kingdom had contacted several countries, calling on all parties to show restraint, restore peace, and revitalise the economy.

With the war having raged for the better part of a year, such news could almost be seen as an indicator of the way the wind was blowing.

The Great Tang Kingdom, which had always held its forces in check and maintained strict neutrality, had entered the fray, and the exhausted countries fighting the war now had to consider the option of peace.

Peace, for merchants, meant a better investment environment and a reinvigorated economy.

As long as the countries halt the fighting and resume trade, what does a world just out of a great war and in ruins need? Of course, it needs supplies for reconstruction! Everything that counts, from steel and cement to pots and pans, would become hot commodities!

He immediately looked up, closed the newspaper, and hurriedly walked towards the stock exchange across the street, with a giant sign hanging on the front.

A new kind of investment project had recently appeared here, a brand-new venture called futures. With money in hand, you could buy any kind of commodity here, including energy materials and ores, etc.

Then, without seeing the physical goods, just holding a piece of paper, you could reap a handsome profit when the invested goods appreciated in value.

The exchange was bustling with people frantically waving their papers, eyes glued to the board where the prices of traded goods were continuously being erased and rewritten.

The potentially good news of the war’s possible end, known to many, was that grain prices had begun to stabilize, no longer continuing to rise. On the other hand, the price of cement, which had already skyrocketed, was still soaring.

There was no choice, during the war, cement was a strategic material, in great demand by all countries. It was used in everything from trenches to bunkers, hence the price kept rising.

Now, with rumors of the war possibly ending, peace construction would similarly require vast amounts of cement and rebar, driving cement prices to new highs.

I’ve still come a step too late! Seeing the businessmen who had already begun to descend into a frenzy buying up all sorts of material bonds, the small businessman with the newspaper felt a bit disheartened as he squeezed forward.

Pushing through the crowd, he continually apologized, "Excuse me, sorry, please let me through, I’m going to buy some futures, excuse me, I’m sorry."

His movements drew the ire of those around him, but everyone was too busy to lodge complaints, so they muttered curses and let it go.

Outside the exchange, the huge billboard above the street featured a tempting woman posing seductively, beside her was this year’s latest lipstick model.

The whole world was at war, but Brunas remained a paradise... Some might not have believed it before, but now everyone was deeply convinced of it.

Because here, more people were talking about the Bailu Team’s 7-1 thrashing of the Great Tang men’s soccer team last night than those concerned about the front-line situation with the Goburs.

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