Munitions Empire

The City Lord's wife did not know that the Great Tang Empire's recent bribery often involved gifting gems. These were produced in astonishing quantities from the Orc Empire, which sold them cheaply to the Great Tang Empire.

In fact, in order to boost export earnings, the Orc Empire deliberately lowered the price of gems sold to the Great Tang Empire, fearing that they would refuse to accept them due to oversupply.

In reality, such gems were incredibly cheap in the Great Tang Empire, with many being given away for free—the Orc elders and priests donated gems or other valuable desert items to ensure their offspring could go to Heaven's Isle.

The Great Tang Empire was very willing to accept these inexpensive gems for bribery. Since they could obtain as much as they wanted, it was better to use them as bribes globally.

Besides gold and silver, the items used for bribing local officials in the Great Tang Empire were not particularly valuable. Luxury items and cars were products of the Great Tang Empire, with brand and added value significantly exceeding their actual worth.

Those supposedly terrifying artworks worth millions, and luxury cars and wines costing tens of thousands, had shockingly low production costs. However, in practice, these luxury items were far more effective than gold coins!

...

In a distant office building in Gobur, a young man sat at his desk, smiling as he listened to a dozen officials in the room report on their recent work activities.

Their reports were amateurish; such work would result in immediate accountability in the Great Tang Empire for everyone present.

But here in Gobur, far from the Great Tang Empire, this work style was all too normal. Everyone performed this way, so no one seemed incompetently.

"Stop, stop." The young man eventually interrupted a minor leader presenting his report. Once he fell silent, the young man scanned everyone present and asked, "Did you not prepare any written reports?"

His desk was bare, devoid of any reports. The young man was genuinely curious about how Shireck's operatives remembered daily tasks without forgetting.

Assuming these fools had photographic memory was obviously overestimating them; if they had such skills, they wouldn't be idling here.

No guessing needed, these people were merely marking time, and their work activities remained the same daily, their reports mere formalities.

The young man had no doubt that if he convened them for another meeting tomorrow, their reports would be the same, unchanged.

Vague, superficial, meaningless… Such reports in the Great Tang Empire would infuriate superiors, leading to the reporter being reprimanded "to death."

Unfortunately, here everyone worked in this manner. No summaries, no records… When superiors investigated, everyone would find ways to cope.

"Sir! Written reports are too complex, prone to exposure once written, so…" A chief Shireck officer explained, bowing his head.

He was actually a relatively capable mid-level manager, yet their business acumen was lacking, which led to reprimands from the new Great Tang Group leader.

This young man seemed overly young; they expected a seasoned middle-aged expert but got a blond youth instead.

For intelligence work, wouldn't someone around forty or fifty be more reliable? This man appeared just over thirty, evoking little trust.

Yet he exerted immense pressure on everyone present, as if sitting there was not a young man but a seasoned monster.

"My last name is Xu, and my name is Xu Guo." The young man introduced himself, stood up, and looked at these Shireck intelligence personnel who had long operated in Gobur: "You will be working for me from now on."

"Here's a suggestion: all work from now on should be summarized and formulated into written materials." While he spoke, he walked to the front row of people, passing through the bowed Shireck operatives.

"Every suspicious incident encountered, suspected items, people contacted, and conversation details heard… all must be recorded! Nothing can be missed!" He stood before the last bowed individual, turning and walking back.

He continued while walking, "Keep one eye open while sleeping, hands on guns while eating! From now on, and in Gobur you face, there are no secrets. If you can't manage that… I'll find someone who can to replace you…"

"Tsk…" A man in the corner sneered dismissively. He didn't believe anyone could replace them; past Great Tang Empire officials who made bold declarations eventually slunk away.

Old hands couldn't do it; could a young one? Equally impossible! Nothing would change, and eventually these leaders would slink away, while Shireck would still rule, still… Sofia's domain!

"See! I knew you misunderstood." Xu Guo immediately located the mocking voice, pushed through the crowd, and stood before the sneering Shireck officer.

"Misunderstand? Misunderstand what?" A Shireck head in the front row was unclear on events, and as he turned, Xu Guo had already pulled out a gun, shattering the subordinate's head with a shot.

Blood splattered everywhere in the room, and the people outside, hearing the gunshot, opened the door, then silently closed it again.

The shooter was their superior... the one sent to overhaul the Shireck intelligence network. He had carte blanche to handle matters as he saw fit, killing without explanation.

"I'm here to deal with you! You ruined it, and by rules, you all deserve death! However, since I'm short-staffed, I'm selecting a few appealing ones from the dead, giving you a chance to live!" Xu Guo returned to the front row, glaring at the terrified Shireck intelligence heads, and sneered: "It's you who must ingratiate and submit to me, satisfying me so you'll be spared…"

"Begging for mercy, shouldn't one show a begging attitude?" Xu Guo holstered his gun under his arm and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his face.

"I am willing to serve Mr. Xu unto death!" A small underling realized the situation, immediately dropping to one knee, bowing, and shouting.

"I pledge loyalty to Mr. Xu!" Seeing someone kneel, others followed suit, shouting, "Whatever Mr. Xu says goes! I pledge to follow Mr. Xu's commands!"

"Everything is according to the Great Tang Empire's standards!" Xu Guo threw the handkerchief to the ground, ignoring the spreading blood along the floorboards, and said to everyone: "Starting today, within three days! Disloyal, double-dealers… confess yourselves, and I won't pursue your spouses, children, or your embezzled money."

"After three days, if I find you're still alive, I'll handle your wives, children, and vast wealth thoroughly!" He stepped over the bloodstained floor, returning to his desk and sat back in his place.

Seated again, he emphasized discipline to everyone: "Negligent ones, hypocrites… once discovered by me, they'll face justice! Those who can't persevere may leave…"

After swinging the stick extensively, Xu Guo then produced a carrot to appease this group: "Having discussed punishment, let's talk about rewards, something everyone likes to hear, no?"

"Those who stay will naturally receive better treatment! I, Xu Guo, am not a miser. So long as you're willing to work hard, I'm willing to pay you." He said, tapping his finger twice on the edge of his desk as he spoke.

After tapping, he announced a salary increase that made everyone's hearts race: "Your original salaries will be doubled! As long as your work satisfies me, my promise stands."

"Moreover, I've already drafted a reward system on my way here; if you truly make strides, the Empire won't be stingy with ten or a hundredfold rewards!" After killing the chicken to warn the monkeys and handing out rewards, he finally stabilized the situation.

He was tasked with revitalizing the intelligence network in Gobur, or rather, the entire Don Region. Without employing some harsh measures, a breakthrough seemed impossible.

However, killing just one person wouldn't suffice to revitalize Gobur's entire intelligence system. Xu Guo still needed to continue working hard to complete the mission.

However, due to Gobur's merger with the Dorne Empire event, the Great Tang Empire's intelligence agency was thoroughly enraged and had begun reinforcing the intelligence network in the Don Region.

Li'ao couldn't tolerate unexpected events happening without his knowledge, even if they were far away in Dorne.

He couldn't bear being questioned about his work ability by His Majesty The Emperor again, nor facing the embarrassment of answering "I don't know" to His Majesty The Emperor's inquiries.

In summary, the Great Tang Empire's intelligence department reassigned numerous elite forces from Dahua to the Eastern Continent battlefield.

Pan Yiping, Pan Qi, and Xu Guo, who had previously been secretly operating in the Laines Empire, were all diverted toward Dorne.

An intelligence campaign targeting Dorne, or rather involving the Sofia Group, slowly unfolded—a war without smoke commenced.