"Your Majesty!" The new Prime Minister saw Leines I in the spacious and bright office, who had been in an exceedingly good mood recently.
The Imperial City of the Laines Empire had now been developed impressively. Large factories could be seen everywhere, buildings rose in succession, and a bustling scene spanned as far as the eye could see.
Although it seemed to lag a fair bit behind Brunas, this place had already become one of the foremost advanced cities.
Since the city had considered the large-scale use of electricity from the onset of its construction, as well as a complete sewer system, and the streets on the ground had been systematically planned, it was far more perfect than the old district of Brunas.
Leines I casually gestured for his Prime Minister to find a seat and then began with a smile, "Who would have thought, the recent turn of events could really be described as an unexpected twist."
He genuinely hadn't anticipated that a war erupted far away, across the Endless Sea, would indirectly rescue the Laines Empire.
Previously, the Laines Empire had been very passive; its forceful territorial expansion and becoming an empire had loaded it with tremendous pressure.
This pressure was partly tangible, quantifiable figures, and some of it was intangible — but regardless of form, pressure was ultimately pressure.
Because the territory was vast, the Laines Empire had to expand its military to deal with threats from all directions; Leines had no choice but to maintain an extremely large armed force.
Leines I had to ensure a basic defensive capability towards Brunas and Northern Ridge, and also face the real threats from the neighboring Empire of Nanla.
At the same time, he had to maintain troops in the south to guard against the possibility of the now imperial-scale Dorne Kingdom suddenly marching north.
Thus, Leines I had to expand his army from around 200,000 to over 800,000 soldiers. Had it not been for industrialization and war dividends, he wouldn't have been able to sustain so many mouths to feed.
Even though his series of victories and the new territories helped him support such a large army, it was indeed costly to maintain them.
To maintain his military superiority, Leines I had no choice but to take out loans from the Great Tang Group, accruing huge debts.
It was inescapable, as the trade between the Laines Empire and Great Tang Group had always been in deficit, and even with money, such a situation could not continue endlessly without end.
A yearly trade deficit of several tens of millions of Gold Coins was unbearable not just for the slightly enriched Laines Empire but also for the longstanding powerhouse, the Empire of Nanla.
Frankly, the situation was similar for most countries; they were massively importing technology from the Great Tang Group and buying high added-value products, naturally leading to huge trade deficits.
Nations skirted the brink of bankruptcy and kept testing the waters, essentially struggling to keep going.
In such an environment, international tensions gradually escalated, with each nation looking for ways to transfer their crises or contemplating waging a war.
The Dorne Empire prepared to continue expanding southward to avoid conflict with the likewise industrializing powerhouse, the Laines Empire.
For the King of Dorne, the outcome of a war with the Laines Empire was unpredictable, but attacking Gobur to the south seemed like a far more worthwhile gamble.
As long as Gobur was taken, they could effortlessly lay claim to the Shireck Consortium's automotive industry layout in Gobur, swiftly enhancing their national power.
Gobur naturally would not just sit and wait to die. Once they sensed danger, they immediately sought help from Sofia, and the two countries started a new round of frantic arms racing.
The Laines Empire, due to the arms race between the Dorne Kingdom and Gobur Kingdom, also had to begin its own military procurement plan.
There was no other choice; who could tell whether Dorne Kingdom's arms purchase was meant for attacking Gobur or targeting them, Laines? Therefore, Leines could only follow suit and buy, and by the same token, the Empire of Nanla also had no choice but to keep buying.
Then came Suthers buying, Songmu Kingdom buying, Poplar Kingdom buying, Ice Cold Kingdom buying...
After so much buying, everyone was nearly bankrupt, yet they found that all the neighboring countries were strong, none being an easy target, nowhere to strike to regain their strength.
With no opportunity for revival, the verge of economic collapse became a fatal wound, and these nations, filled with aggression, sought desperate chances for survival.
For a time, the borders were filled with fearful whispers, everywhere constructions of trenches and defensive works. Eventually, many countries even diverted the cement intended for infrastructure to building defensive structures along their borders.
Just when everyone was about to collapse, the Great Tang Group settled its conflict with Zheng Country, and a war that had erupted suddenly ended even more quickly.
Immediately following, purchase orders reached everyone's hands. The always input-only Pixiu, the technologically leading Great Tang Group, suddenly began to import all sorts of things in large quantities.
Previously, the most imported items by the Great Tang Group were steel and oil, with other items barely used to balance a trade surplus.