Munitions Empire-Chapter 959 - Operation 882 Days

Chapter 959: Operation 882 Days Chapter 959: Operation 882 Days The reason why the Dahua Empire developed so rapidly can all be attributed to Prince Zhao Yu’s “coming into his own.” This once obscure prince has suddenly become a rising political star in the empire’s court.

No one knew how he became enlightened all of a sudden, but in the past year and more, he has been exceptionally active and has emerged as a strong contender for that position.

The officials supporting him have impressive political achievements in their jurisdictions. They can sign cooperation agreements with investors from various countries, allowing these foreign investors to open factories and pay taxes in their domains, which directly elevates the political status of these officials.

In return, with the strong support of these officials, Prince Zhao Yu’s influence has increased day by day, and he has become an important force in the political decision-making of the Dahua Empire.

Regardless of how one looks at it, this prince has become too significant to be easily dealt with by Emperor Zhao Kai or Crown Prince Zhao Ji.

The funds for the Ministry of Works have all been provided by Zhao Yu’s supporters, making the ministry’s series of operations heavily reliant on his strong support.

Chen Jing, that old fox who wouldn’t wake early if it was not for profit, now has to beg Zhao Yu for every bit of assistance, whether it’s for a water conservancy project or building a road, thereby maintaining an intimate relationship with Zhao Yu.

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On the other hand, as the Ministry of Works manages many factories, their technological research and development also depend on guidance from Zhao Yu’s supporters, naturally making the ministry more biased towards Zhao Yu.

Recently, Minister of Personnel Jiang Run has openly expressed his support for Zhao Yu’s diplomatic strategy. As a Ministry of Rites official responsible for diplomatic affairs, he naturally desires the Dahua Empire to maintain a good cooperative relationship with the Great Tang Empire.

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Only he, the person involved, can feel the real pressure from the foreign ministry of the Great Tang Empire, so he has always been a firm “dove.” After being bullied several times by Great Tang diplomats, he discovered a trick: before talking business with the Great Tang Empire, he would first reach out to Zhao Yu to establish a relationship, making things often go smoother.

Sometimes he can even get unexpected surprises through Zhao Yu—Jiang Run is not a fool; he knows which leg is the right one to hug.

Minister of Revenue Wang Yucái, who is in charge of finances, is also aware of Zhao Yu’s significant contribution to the financial revenue of the Dahua Empire, so he does not wish to be an enemy of Zhao Yu either.

Despite his duty as the head of the Ministry of Revenue to remain neutral and loyal to Emperor Zhao Kai, in practice, he still cannot help but consider Zhao Yu’s feelings.

There’s no help for it, the current situation is this: if the officials in Zhao Yu’s faction slack off even a bit, the national finances could be in deficit next month, leaving him, the Minister of Revenue, in a tight spot.

Though the Ministry of War often goes against Emperor Zhao Kai’s will, General Feng Kezhi, the Chief of Staff of the Military, still has loyalty. He belongs to His Majesty The Emperor, and nobody dares to easily coax this man who speaks for the military.

This kind of meddling into military affairs has always been taboo for the emperor, an act courting death. Zhao Ji doesn’t dare, and he hopes that Zhao Yu would be impatient enough to try to woo the military, but Zhao Yu doesn’t take the bait.

However, even though Zhao Yu has not taken action, the military has already somewhat leaned towards him: General Feng Kezhi, the Chief of Staff of the Military, drew up a strategy to stabilise the east and the west, the core of which was to steady the Great Tang Empire. This idea coincided perfectly with Zhao Yu’s strategy to maintain good relations with the Great Tang Empire, leading Feng Kezhi to have a natural affinity for Zhao Yu politically.

On another note, many of the Dahua Empire’s military procurements of weapons and equipment were “acquired” thanks to Zhao Yu’s help—although most people are unaware of this matter, well-informed individuals have heard rumblings.

As everyone knows, Minister of Personnel Zhou Qiang has long been one of Zhao Yu’s men, and his public alignment with Zhao Yu is nothing new. Compared to other departments, the Ministry of Personnel is practically Prince Zhao Yu’s stronghold.

Among the six most powerful and influential government departments in the Dahua Empire—personnel, revenue, rites, military, justice, and works—that maintain the operations of the empire, five align with Zhao Yu, with only the judicial department remaining the domain of the older prince, Crown Prince Zhao Ji.

With the addition of the seemingly neutral but cunning Prime Minister Chu Muzhou, the political winds in the entire Dahua Imperial court have shifted unknowingly.

This power dynamic appears delicate now: it is clear that the power of the Crown Prince’s faction is not enough, and in the political struggle, this directly translates into a dangerous state where the Crown Prince’s authority is questioned.

Unfortunately, Crown Prince Zhao Ji lacks distinguished guidance and a vast economic system to support him; all he has is the Emperor’s favor and a desolately solitary Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice of the Dahua Empire, which oversees the judiciary and trials, can be guessed to be thoroughly infiltrated by the intelligence department of the Great Tang Empire, as much as a sieve, by the nature of its duties.

Under such circumstances, this comrade Zhao Ji is hardly different from being a commander with no troops—he faces an impossible task if he wishes to turn the tide.

Silver Fox Tavern, a large chain tavern with branches in almost every country and city, was hosting a meeting in its outpost within the Imperial Capital of the Dahua Empire.

“A bit too forceful,” Du Jia said, glancing at the dandelion ring on her finger as she looked down, speaking to the various people seated around the conference table, “Our goal is very clear. Right now, the situation with Zhao Yu dominating alone is not what the higher-ups want to see.”

A blonde-haired editor-in-chief of the “My Sovereign” newspaper said somewhat unwillingly, “I said we should have left some leeway for Zhao Kai and Zhao Ji… If we switch sides now, I bet people will see through our intentions.”

The specifics of the plan had been implemented by everyone present, and nobody had anticipated that the six ministries of the Dahua Empire would fall before the Great Tang Empire even made a move.

The original plan was to covertly manipulate events, getting the Ministry of Personnel and the Prime Minister on Zhao Yu’s side, gradually taking control of half the court to counterbalance Emperor Zhao Kai and Zhao Ji, creating conflict between the two factions.

But now, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue had unwittingly begun to lean toward Zhao Yu, and opportunists in the Ministry of War were gradually preparing to ally with him, leading the situation to spiral out of control.

The leaders of all the hooligans in the Imperial Capital, while casually filing their nails and not looking up, said, “So what if our purpose is discovered? Even if they know, can they stop our actions?”

Du Jia clasped her hands together and sighed, “It’s better to act covertly if possible; if those people confirm our intentions, our actions will face unnecessary resistance. If we complicate the mission and jeopardize the great cause, our lives wouldn’t be enough to make amends for the delay in His Majesty’s affairs.”

“What if I defect? Jump to Zhao Ji’s side?” The editor-in-chief of “My Sovereign” tested the waters.

An ordinary-looking woman seated at the far end raised an objection, “Wouldn’t that also amount to telling others that our true goal is indeed to divide the Dahua Empire?”

This woman was the most famous doctor in the Imperial Capital of the Dahua Empire, young but skilled in medicine, commanding respect among many influential figures.

Her ability to prolong life was crucial at this juncture. Many who valued their lives gave her due respect.

Du Jia then shared her perspective, “For people like Chu Muzhou, having Zhao Yu as Emperor is different from splitting the Dahua Empire… They might tolerate Zhao Yu taking power, but it’s unlikely they’d allow the Dahua Empire to fracture.”

After pausing for a few seconds, she continued, “If we alert them and they start to unite against us, we’ll have to reevaluate the success rate of our subsequent moves.”

“What do we do now?” someone asked, with everyone’s eyes turning toward Du Jia.

Du Jia thought for a few seconds, going over all the relationships and influences in her mind, before presenting her plan, “The only unclear forces now are the members of the Royal Family like Zhao Chen and Zhao Jie.”

She surveyed everyone present, “Find a way to gauge their inclinations! If they lean toward Zhao Ji and Zhao Kai… then the balance… would almost be there.”

For these two Princes who held military power after General Feng Kezhi’s martyrdom, their current stance was critical. If Zhao Kai were willing to help Zhao Ji personally, the power balance would indeed be evenly matched. For the Great Tang Empire, the ideal scenario was the Dahua Empire having two evenly matched forces.

“Brilliant!” the gang leader who had been filing his nails perked up instantly, “Does this mean the ‘Balance Operation’ can commence immediately?”

“Yes, if the plan is completed ahead of schedule, we can indeed begin the ‘Balance Operation’ immediately,” Du Jia reaffirmed.

In but an instant, everyone’s expression became grave, recognizing the significance of this development.

It could be said that their many years of infiltration into the Dahua Empire had been primarily to pave the way for the ‘Balance Operation’. Due to some fortunate errors, they had inadvertently completed the task assigned by their superiors ahead of time.

Regardless, this was good news! The seemingly placid world was about to ripple again because of their efforts.

“So, let’s get moving! I’ll await your news here. For His Majesty!” Du Jia stood up, chin held high as she looked down at everyone seated.

“Long live My Sovereign! Long live the Empire!” Everyone stood up with a shout, standing at attention and puffing out their chests in unison as they responded.