Munitions Empire

In the Northern Region, the cold had begun to quietly erode everything it encountered, and amidst the ice and snow, countless Dwarf Troops were trudging through with difficulty.

If one were to ask who the biggest beneficiary of the war was, which resembled more of a civil conflict among trade alliances on a semi-global scale, the answer would naturally be the Ice Cold Empire.

With many Dwarf Kingdoms nearby that were not only lacking in strength but had also not completed industrialization, and with the racial rifts preventing much support or aid from other kingdoms, these weaker Dwarf Kingdoms were completely powerless to resist being subsumed by the Ice Cold Empire.

A few kingdoms with some industrial foundations managed to struggle a bit, but those that were purely agricultural or ore-exporting nations were defeated without even the chance to struggle.

Since the beginning of the war up to now, the Ice Cold Empire had swallowed up three kingdoms and was concurrently waging war with another five.

With the righteous cause of Furnace Fortress as its blessing and the declaration that the Ice Cold Empire was destined to replace the Dwarf Empire and become the sole legitimate power of the Dwarf world, the empire’s military advancements were as unstoppable as a bamboo splitting apart.

By the time other powers in the world finally realized that something was amiss, the Ice Cold Empire, which had already possessed a high degree of industrialization, suddenly became an unexpected major power.

If one were to go by the traditional notion of a strong country in terms of territorial size, the Ice Cold Empire, having absorbed the Northern Dwarf Empire and nearly five other kingdoms, had surpassed the Empire of Nanla to become the second-largest empire in the world after the Dahua Empire in land area.

If industrialization were to be considered, the Ice Cold Empire had even surpassed the Dahua Empire, showing a subtle trend of becoming the most powerful empire in the world.

The Dwarves, who had always been exploited by the Human Race, marginalized, and fragmented like sand, seemed to have united overnight and turned back into the formidable Dwarf Empire that once struck fear into the hearts of many!

As memories of the nightmare when nearly the entire world was dominated by the Dwarf Empire resurfaced, many started to act, hoping that someone could put a stop to this war and then give proper thought to the grave matter of the world’s geopolitical landscape.

After much consideration, everyone could only think of approaching the linchpin of the former trade alliance—the Great Tang Group—to mediate with the nations of the world.

Unfortunately, it appeared that no one else truly had the qualifications.

"Sir! You must convey our concerns to His Majesty Tang Mo," pleaded the envoy from the Songmu Kingdom to Harry, who was sipping tea, his voice full of anxiety, "If a unified Dwarf Empire emerges again, the pressure on us in the north will be immense."

"That’s true," added the Orc envoy from the Gales Kingdom, whose stress was even greater at this moment, as Orcs, compared to Elves, were closer to the Ice Cold Empire and felt the immense pressure even more keenly.

Currently, in a bid to attack the Poplar Kingdom from both sides, the Songmu Kingdom and the Gales Kingdom had united. Their joint approach now was indeed due to the immense pressure they were facing.

Both had been warring with the Poplar Kingdom and had already amassed their military forces, with their national strength nearly depleted.

Especially for the Songmu Kingdom, which was a small nation defending against a larger one and was already adopting a defensive strategy—should a high-level looter come from behind at this point, the game would be over.

"The ambition of the Dwarves is dangerous and needs to be guarded against early…" On the other side, the envoy from the Suthers Kingdom chipped in, "A strong and unified Dwarf Empire is a threat to everyone."

If there were to be a second beneficiary of this war, it might well be the Suthers Kingdom. Despite its seemingly passive development, it had managed to carve out a significant presence.

They had been undergoing systematic reforms, thus holding a not-insignificant advantage in governance. They had a more efficient tax system and an education system closest to that of the Great Tang Group, while also having a relatively high degree of industrialization, thanks to being backed by the Northern Ridge.

They could produce their own automotive mining machinery and even manufacture trains with only a minimal import of parts, which was indeed impressive.

Moreover, this kingdom had the advantage of being an inland nation, which naturally eliminated the need to develop a navy, thus saving a significant sum and sparing the time it would take to train naval personnel.

Therefore, if Tang Mo were to choose, Suthers could be considered among the countries with the highest potential, or at least one of the front runners. Explore more stories with

After completing its own transformation, this nearly modern-industrial nation took advantage of the ongoing war to annex the Kingdom of Phalak, securing a solid start. ꭆάNꝋβÊȘ

In this civil war of the trade alliance, the Suthers Kingdom, which had already integrated new lands and peoples, steadily absorbed another northern kingdom, initiating a new chapter.

The Suthers Kingdom, always wary of biting off more than they could chew, acted with precision and ruthlessness with each move. After reaping the most benefits, they promptly backed off, and their territory was now comparable to that of an empire.

Even more alarming was that due to their superior system and having early on suppressed the Nobility, there were no issues with governance in Suthers. Instead, as the land continued to expand, they reaped enormous benefits from the war.

Nowadays, with the Northern Ridge at its back and direct trade with the Great Tang Group, the vast and powerfully Suthers Kingdom seemed to have even more say than before.

For this newly risen power, the chaotic situation of the Elf, Dwarf, and Orc races clashing in the north was clearly more advantageous.

Thus, this time they stood with the Elf Race and the Orcs, coming together to request the Great Tang Group’s help in ending the war in the northern part of the continent.

"I am aware of your hopes, and I will convey your request to His Majesty as soon as possible," Harry put down his teacup, savoring the tea he had just drunk, and assured the people in front of him, "Please rest assured, we also believe that the world should return to the order it ought to have."

In fact, compared to the chaotic situation in the south where Shireck was interfering, the northern battlefield was relatively simpler and clearer.

The Ice Cold Empire was conducting its own expansionist war and, since it was fighting nearby Dwarf nations, it hadn’t actually erupted into direct war with the countries within the trade alliance.

It was just that as the Ice Cold Empire grew larger, it began to cause dissatisfaction among more distant Elf and Orc races, who started to become vigilant.

Meanwhile, the Suthers Kingdom, which always followed a strategy of steady expansion according to the plan, didn’t really intend to widen the war further.

They had already annexed their target and were, in fact, already disengaging from the affairs, beginning to digest and absorb the fruits of victory.

So, strictly speaking, the war in the Northern Region was mostly separate battles without much intersection.

There’s no need to mention Suthers—they would end the state of war themselves. Although the Ice Cold Empire was expanding on a large scale, it was not fighting countries within the trade alliance, so the impact was very limited.

On the contrary, it was the local battlefield where the Orcs’ Gales Kingdom and the Songmu Kingdom were pincering the Poplar Kingdom that was a bit more troublesome to deal with.

However, in Harry’s view, or rather Tang Mo’s, no matter how troublesome, it needed to be addressed. Therefore, Tang Mo ordered Harry to first contact Prince Gales IX of the Orcs, who was greatly dependent on the Great Tang Group.

This former distressed Orc prince, who had managed to reclaim his throne with the help of the Great Tang Group, owed them an enormous debt of gratitude.

If they asked His Highness Prince Gales IX to end the war honorably, he certainly wouldn’t dare utter a word of dissent.

After all, compared to countries like the Ice Cold Empire, Laines, or Dorne, the Orc nation of the Gales Kingdom clearly lacked a complete modern industrial base.

The Gales Kingdom, lacking in self-sufficiency and heavily reliant on supplies from the Great Tang Group, would essentially be signing its own death warrant if it went against Tang Mo’s wishes in this situation.

First, prepare the Gales Kingdom for withdrawal from the war, then use this outcome to pressure the Songmu Kingdom to agree to a ceasefire; the Songmu Kingdom would certainly agree.

Because the Poplar Kingdom was currently fighting on two fronts and thus caught between enemies, if Gales withdrew, Songmu would have to face the entire might of the Poplar Kingdom alone, which was obviously an unreasonable demand for Songmu.

"Once both the Songmu Kingdom and the Gales Kingdom have compromised, that will be our chance to extort the Poplar Kingdom. We will have helped them escape fighting on two fronts; they should give us some benefits, shouldn’t they?" Tang Mo said with a smile to Nangong Hong after receiving Harry’s telegram.

"Your Majesty is truly ingenious," Nangong Hong said with respectful admiration as he bowed to Tang Mo. He genuinely admired Tang Mo’s tactics, which considered some details even more thoroughly than he had: "Once the war in the north ends, economic recovery is just around the corner."

"Our established strategy of expanding westward must not waver!" Tang Mo also knew that vacillation was very detrimental to himself. Since they had initially decided to conquer the Dahua Empire first, they had to stick to it to the end.

"If we followed the enemy’s wishes, constantly shifting our main forces around, wasting time and resources, that would be true folly," he said.

"We still don’t have enough strength. If we had enough forces, even simultaneous campaigns in the east and west wouldn’t be a problem," Tang Mo lamented somewhat discontentedly at this thought.

"Your Majesty, I believe that day will surely come," Roger said confidently from the side: "After all, just a few years ago, we had nothing! And now, you own a country!"

"No, we had a workshop back then," Tang Mo said with a smile.

Roger nodded, "Hahaha! You’re right, Your Majesty, we did have a workshop."

Nangong Hong looked at the two of them, enviously: he had come too late and missed the best time. If only he could have met this young man, now laughing in front of him, a little earlier, how wonderful that would have been.

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