Munitions Empire

On the outskirts of Laines, there was a vast encampment housing soldiers from three legions, as well as a huge tent erected temporarily for the accommodation of Leite VII.

It could be said that quite a few of the high officials of the Leite Kingdom had moved here with their families, waiting for the moment Jade City's construction would be completed.

However, it would be a lengthy process, so they would have to live in tents for at least several more months, sharing the open wilderness with 5000 soldiers.

It wasn't that they were eager to move; rather, the King of Leite was anxious to hand over Jade City to Tang Mo as soon as possible so that the Great Tang Group could initiate their grand plan of ascension to the throne.

The whole plan would cost a staggering sum of money, an amount far beyond what a kingdom in constant warfare could afford.

Without offering something as collateral, no one could possibly kick off such a massive project, and Tang Mo wasn't a fool—he wouldn't help Leite VII become the world's newest emperor for nothing.

Therefore, many ministers of the kingdom were compelled to move, joining their king or rather their future emperor in what amounted to a six-month camping trip.

This relocation, while chaotic, also breathed unprecedented vitality into the whole Leite Kingdom.

During the process of relocation, the kingdom's decaying underbelly was swept clean, at least on the surface, it seemed to flourish.

Economy, with a year-long push from the Great Tang Group, began to revive, and the momentum of this mass migration swept across most of the nation.

Countless fortune seekers had already flocked to Laines, and indeed, they found their first pot of gold here.

The King generously decided that workers involved in the construction of the new city would all receive their own homes in the future city.

This attracted a multitude, sending many into frenzies. While ministers grumbled and complained, once they received the resettlement fees prepared by the Great Tang Group, they all became understanding and reasonable.

There was no choice... It wasn't a lack of principles on their part; it was just that the Great Tang Group had offered too much...

...

Looking at the black and white photograph laid out on the table, the man who was not yet Leines I, His Majesty the King of Leite, still couldn't quite believe his own eyes.

The truth was, living in a tent was inconvenient and sometimes boring. Leite VII spent most of his time inspecting the construction site of Laines City to pass the time.

After all, even though his coronation, victory parade, and relocation were expensive and exhausting, there really wasn't much for him to do personally.

Some matters would naturally be taken care of by others without his need to intervene, while some were no longer under the jurisdiction of the soon-to-be emperor...

Therefore, he began to take an interest in Great Tang Group's strange technologies, coincidentally, some of which would soon make an appearance at his coronation ceremony.

At this moment, for the first time in his life, he witnessed a technique that could faithfully replicate a scene before his eyes, a "painting" technique.

Or rather, it was no longer a mere painting technique, but an unprecedented form of image presentation.

It was from the Great Tang Group's technicians that he first heard the word "photography."

And then he completely fell in love with this technology that could faithfully record real-life scenes—he certainly wouldn't know that in the future a sorcery called 'Photoshop' would emerge, rendering photos unreliable.

Shifting his gaze from the black and white photograph, he tried not to look at the image of himself in the photo anymore and instead began to examine an entire set of even more complex equipment.

The person who delivered this equipment called these strange-looking contraptions, even more complicated than a Maxim machine gun, a "movie camera."

"It can record moving images... Though not as clear as photographs, it can indeed capture consecutive actions," the photographer said, an old man who used to be a painter and now was one of the world's first photographers.

After all, the art of filming required a certain level of aesthetic, and with film still being prohibitively expensive, it was more suitable for professionals to handle it, to lower the costs.

"We will faithfully record the entire parade, as well as the whole coronation ceremony... This will be a very important piece of visual documentation," he explained about the equipment while elucidating Leite VII.

Hearing this, Leite VII immediately perked up, "Are you saying that this will be the first grand ceremony in the world to be recorded with moving images?"

Many had become emperors before him, but very few had the most glorious moments of their ascensions preserved in imagery.

Many Emperors in the past hired painters, sparing no expense to have their moments of greatest glory recorded.

But no matter how hard they tried, all they got was an ordinary, albeit large, painting.

I am different. When I ascended to the throne, there were cameras to take photos and video recorders to capture the event. I will be immortalized in history due to these precious visual records!

The entire world can't erase my moments of glory, and anyone who studies photography in the future won't be able to bypass the fact that I was the first!

What a fortunate thing this is! This is simply the best gift Tang Mo has given me! Now, as the founding Emperor, what I care about the most is ensuring that my deeds are forever passed down, isn't it?

The photographer excitedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty! According to the Great Tang Group, they will use special equipment to record the entire military parade, as well as your coronation ceremony."

Being selected to film the coronation of an Emperor, he was also incredibly excited. This was the first time in the whole world that such an important moment was being recorded with photographic equipment.

He too could make history and become a monument! This was the beginning of photographic technology and also the peak of his own artistic career!

After a brief moment of distraction, Leite VII suddenly burst into laughter, "Ha... Hahaha! Mr. Tang Mo is an interesting person. I find him more and more to my liking!"

He was extremely satisfied with this special gift from Tang Mo, perhaps more so than ever before.

Although it was just a small detail of the entire ceremony, this detail truly moved him, causing him to laugh heartily.

As an Emperor, isn't what I want and wait for to create history and become the beginning of an era?

Now I have achieved that, not only founding a dynasty but also becoming a pioneer in another field, being the first!

This feeling... it's really good!

After the photographer left, Leite VII sat back in his seat and dismissed his attendants.

Once he was sure there were no eavesdroppers nearby, a trusted Minister by his side began to speak calmly, "According to the previous agreement, he will become the Empire's first hereditary prince."

"Hmm, give it to him then. With his support, my reign as Emperor will be more stable," Leite VII replied somewhat reluctantly.

"Yes, and at the same time, we must fix Brunas's paper currency as the imperial currency. Its credit will be guaranteed jointly by Brunas and the Empire, and Brunas's paper money will be renamed Imperial Paper Currency, with the unit being... yuan." The Minister continued to inform Leite VII, "The issuance and operation will all be controlled by the Great Tang Group."

Leite VII, sensing the dissatisfaction in the Minister's voice, sighed and complained, "Honestly, even though I only understand the basics, I'd rather not have my country's currency issued and controlled by a merchant."

"Your Majesty..." The Minister wanted to advise further, for he truly did not wish for the nation's economy to be in someone else's hands.

"Listen to me! I'm not a fool; I know that there are endless tricks involved. With control over the state-sanctioned currency, Tang Mo could easily manipulate everything, and my Emperor's power has been unprecedentedly undermined," Leite VII said, recalling his duplicitous Finance Minister Simon.

"But, I'm also aware that it's a transaction. He has hundreds of students serving in my military, more than half of the Ministers in court act in accordance with the Great Tang Group's wishes... Even my 'loyal' Prime Minister has become the damned neutral party! Tang Mo's infiltration is even more thorough than Shireck's; I'm practically an Emperor in name only," he said, clearly becoming angry.

"Your Majesty, you're taking this too seriously. In reality, we still have a cooperative relationship, and Mr. Tang Mo has no intention of meddling with the power of the Laines Empire," the Minister knew his master did not like to hear this, so after saying it, he hastily added, "Although his power is, indeed, too great."

Leite VII replied with a grim expression, "I know... That's why I've been biding my time until now! As of today, the conflict between him and me has become irreconcilable."

"Ah..." The Minister could only feign a sigh, seemingly with a hint of helplessness.

"He wants the right to issue currency, he wants the economy of the entire country... Even just for self-preservation, what he wants is simply too much... but I have no choice but to grant it to him, for his support is the foundation of my claim to the throne," Leite VII said, sighing involuntarily after hearing the Minister's sigh.

Still wary of the other party, yet needing to seek their support; this feeling is really not good, very unpleasant indeed.

"Right now, the entire country is in a delicate balance, but this balance could be broken at any moment." He felt powerless about the situation, so he had no choice but to accept, "I can trust him, and maybe he really won't betray me, but what about in ten years' time? What if he dies, or if I fall ill and die? Will his son covet the throne under my son's rear?"

"Your Majesty! Those are issues for the future... Worrying about this now..." The Minister, fearing his master might entertain dangerous rebellious thoughts, quickly interjected with reassurance.

"I know... I know..." Leite VII, frustrated, cut the Minister's reassurance off.