Munitions Empire

In the same building, Harry was discussing collaboration with a maid representative from Shireck, Sofia.

The maid, her tone icy, emphasized as she stared at the unruffled Harry, "We've already expressed our sincerity, you know. The latest batch of Shireck Type 1 rifles has been delivered entirely to the orcs, just as you requested!"

Indeed, those rifles came from Shireck and did not belong to the Great Tang Group, leaving the Poplar Kingdom with no avenue to trace the origin of these firearms.

Even if they knew Shireck was orchestrating everything from behind the scenes, they could not implicate the Great Tang Group—for outwardly, the two seemed to be at loggerheads, with no apparent connection.

It could even be said that the weapons produced by both sides were not of the same kind, employing entirely different designs for firearms...

For Shireck was now mass-producing the 1888 Committee rifles, an outdated German metallic cartridge bolt-action rifle initially sold to Huaxia.

These weapons were deliberately leaked to the Shireck Consortium by Tang Mo, along with obsolete Mauser pistols, considered the price for infiltrating Shireck, and were handed over to the consortium eager for new technology.

Young people who took these technologies and went over to Shireck had now become key individuals in the consortium's talent development and had become nails that the Great Tang Group had hammered inside Shireck.

In response, Shireck's attempts to place moles inside the Great Tang Group's ranks had not achieved such an effect in the short term, for the identities of the personnel simply could not reach that elevation.

Shireck could only stealthily send schoolchildren to schools affiliated with the Great Tang Group, hoping they might prove useful in the future. Alternatively, they could take advantage of hiring waves to place apprentices and other minor figures in the lowest ranks of the Great Tang Group.

Sending schoolchildren into the Great Tang Group's schools was not an easy task. First and foremost, the Great Tang Group had its own identity and security vetting mechanisms, and a major focus of the Silver Fox Tavern lay precisely in this area.

On the other hand, students who managed to infiltrate the schools and who were exposed to the Great Tang Group's advanced knowledge and fully embraced their ideological education often directly said goodbye to the outdated, declining Shireck Consortium.

They would typically go straight to the Great Tang Group's intelligence department, confess their original mission, and weep profusely in hopes of staying on to continue their studies.

Of course, even presumed smart, stubborn spies found it difficult to make their mark. By the time they truly came into their own under the tutelage of their seniors in the Great Tang Group, capable of handling responsibilities alone, it generally took a year or more.

While this time span was not especially long, it was certainly not short either—by the time they figured out a way to send information back to Shireck, it would likely be outdated.

Regarding the second method, although the Great Tang Group indeed recruited workers broadly, including miners and various skilled laborers, such people were all at the bottom rung and had no possibility of accessing Great Tang's secrets.

They might spend their entire lives doing just one part of a production line, not even setting foot in an adjacent workshop once.

Expecting such informants to provide high-value intelligence was undoubtedly foolish, especially considering that at that time there were no cell phones or the Internet, and radio telegraph and generator equipment were as large as a suitcase, making communication extremely difficult.

In the collective dormitories of the Great Tang Group, trying to set up telegraph equipment and connect to electricity... even the thought seemed fantastical.

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Even assuming one could pose as a family, with a separate room or residing within Brunas City, such espionage activities were very dangerous.

After all, this was the heartland of Silver Fox, where anyone could be Mr. Tang's spy and the smallest detail could expose an entire spy network.

So, both methods of implanting moles were not particularly effective. Shireck simply lacked the aptitude to present any treasures and didn't have talents that could catch the Great Tang Group's eye.

Perhaps Shireck's management talent might be of interest to the Great Tang Group, but Tang Mo would never allow such a dangerous potential threat within his company.

Harry's confident and indifferent demeanor left the maid, who had resided in Brunas for some time, feeling on the verge of an outburst, as no one had ever postured like this in front of her.

Her breathing became irregular, and she seemed like a keg of powder about to ignite at the contact with a spark.

So, in anger, she raised her voice, "Up to now, we ourselves haven't been equipped with such advanced rifles! We're working for you, yet you show no sign of reciprocation!"

"Mind your words, miss! The mere fact that we agreed to collaborate with you is already an act of pity and mercy! Isn't that sincerity and concession?" Harry maintained his infuriating composure, as he had no reason to fear the other party.

This was Brunas, the stronghold of the Great Tang Group, and for him, it was one of the safest places in the world.

If it were on Shireck's turf, he might have worried about whether the other party would turn hostile, but now... his guards were right outside the door, and it was the woman across from him who should concern herself with her safety, not him.

All he needed to do was yell, and guards armed with the latest, most dignified, most compact, and most art-like PPK pistols would rush in to help him settle everything.

Not convinced? Bite me.

Therefore, he threatened the rather attractive maid without any care or compassion, "If we wanted to, we could take everything we want on the battlefield, we don't need to negotiate cooperation with you."

"Humph! You are aware of the principle that 'some tasks are better left to the opponent than done by yourself,' like this time supplying weapons to the orcs!" Sure enough, after realizing that sheer forcefulness wouldn't get her the terms she wanted, the maid's tone softened somewhat.

The aggressive pressure disappeared, and the other party began to reason with facts.

Well, at the negotiation table, starting to reason... that was not a good sign.

When a group of ruthless bandits sat down to discuss principles, justice, and morality, it was either because they had aged and could no longer wield knives, or they saw that those whom they once preyed upon were now wielding sharp daggers themselves...

Harry pretended to be puzzled and looked at the maid, "Haven't we already expressed our gratitude? We've also agreed to the intention of cooperation with you."

"You!" The maid nearly lost control of her anger, almost erupting again.

"Anger won't solve anything, miss," Harry made a calming gesture, soothing the maid who was about to swear.

The maid took a couple of deep breaths, composed herself, and spoke indignantly, "I can't believe you lack even the most basic sincerity! I want to talk to Mr. Tang personally!"

"Actually, your mistress Sofia doesn't have as much authority within Shireck as I have within the Great Tang Group. It's already quite an honor for Shireck that I'm personally negotiating with you," Harry said, dismissing the idea with a wave of his hand.

He continued, "Previously, Mr. Tang met with you out of curiosity—don't misunderstand..."

"Hmph!" The maid realized that it was unlikely Tang Mo would meet with her personally, so she just snorted and withheld further comment.

"So, miss, can we talk about serious matters now? My time is precious, and I don't want to waste it endlessly here." Harry leaned back in his chair.

The maid thought she had conceded enough, so she felt she could still push for some benefits, "What else is there to talk about? We've already agreed to force the Rosewood Kingdom and the Poplar Kingdom to cede part of their territory. As for matters related to Germelin..."

"The matter of the Kingdom of Gemalin has been settled. Tomorrow... the King of Gemalin will arrive in Brunas City, where he will be executed in front of everyone... Quite dignified, isn't it?" Harry interrupted the maid.

"Haven't you learned negotiation skills?" The maid's blood pressure spiked instantly.

"Whether we know how to negotiate is not important. What's important is, my master Mr. Tang once said," Harry spoke with reverence and admiration when mentioning Tang Mo.

"He said." He didn't wait for the maid to ask before continuing, "'Whatever cannot be acquired in war, cannot be touched at the negotiation table! Victory is the foundation of everything!'"

"It's really unexpected. The tradition that Shireck had always adhered to has been truly carried on by an outsider," the maid sneered coldly, no longer continuing the conversation.

"Once you've given us what's due, we can proceed with the trade. The design blueprints you want for the warship, the technical processes... and the design plans for the shipyard..." After verbally taking the upper hand, Harry also spoke about the conditions offered by the Great Tang Group.

"The Shireck Consortium agrees to relinquish... Taren, Xilun, Germelin, Phalak, Rosewood, and Poplar—the six kingdoms—and officially recognizes the Laines Empire..." Harry seriously stated the terms that had been agreed upon earlier, "Moreover, Shireck must turn over a list of spies embedded within our ranks."

"The production line for the cars! I want the production line for the cars!" Realizing her spies were likely doomed, the maid demanded in a frosty tone.

Harry nodded, which was part of the bargaining chip Mr. Tang had decided to offer and was still within the tolerable range, "We can only give you the production line for the Model T car... but it's for refurbishing, and you can only claim it's technology you've stolen..."

"Agreed!" The maid was also aware she couldn't get her hands on the truly advanced, cutting-edge technology, but was satisfied nonetheless.

Shireck needed time to digest these designs and inspirations, to catch up with the pace of development of the Great Tang Group... although they were already falling further and further behind.