The recent Brunas looks just like a big construction site, with seven or eight new residential areas starting construction on the south side.
These areas are better planned, looking more magnificent than the former old towns, and even new underground pipelines have been buried.
However, such projects are still quite enormous for Brunas, because Tang Mo took away the majority of the workers, so the construction speed of these settlements is truly rather slow.
In Brunas, no one would trouble Mr. Tang, so even if the city expansion progresses slowly, everyone still doesn't have any complaints.
After all, Tang Mo's factory provides a lot of housing, and obviously, the environment is much better than living in Brunas, so the demand for new houses isn't as urgent.
Lately, Tang Mo's work has been going very smoothly, his shipyard has been completed, and his railroad tracks have been laid successfully, so he has recently focused his main energy on training Navy Sailors.
Just as he was idly beginning to write a training manual for the Air Force, Li'ao burst in hurriedly and reported, "Master! The Prime Minister of the Kingdom... has suddenly arrived in Brunas... he almost came alone... bringing only one companion, Minister of Construction Baus."
"Hmm? You didn't receive any news at all?" Tang Mo was startled by this news, because the Prime Minister's inspection was not a trivial matter, and logically, he should have received notice many days in advance.
"We have no intelligence on this, he visited personally, without any official travel arrangements, so we didn't get any information on this," Li'ao explained.
Actions like these, intentionally kept secret by the parties involved, are actually not that easy to obtain. Especially since the Prime Minister is not the main focus of Tang Mo's spy network, which is currently concentrating all of its efforts against the Shireck Consortium and cannot spare many hands.
Li'ao continued, saying, "He may also be afraid that we would suspect his identity, so he brought Minister of Construction Baus with him. Our people recognized Baus, so they kept an eye on this carriage. The carriage went straight to the City Hall and stopped at the door."
"What's he doing here?" Tang Mo pondered for a moment, muttering to himself.
Li'ao shook his head and said to Tang Mo, "It's not clear yet, he only revealed his identity at City Hall, and then requested to see you."
Then, he added, "Right now, the Mayor and both Solon and Simon are there with him. I came to bring the message."
"Hmm... alright, prepare the carriage, let's go have a look," Tang Mo nodded slightly and instructed Li'ao.
Looking at the bright and clean office, the old Prime Minister picked up an ornament from the Mayor's desk with satisfaction, playing with it with interest, "This place is better than I thought, very good indeed," he said.
He lifted his head and, with a satisfied expression, looked at the somewhat restrained Mayor, the Sheriff, the Tax Collector, and other local officials, "It's truly a source of pride for me to see such a thriving city within the Kingdom. You are all loyal and important ministers of the Kingdom! I hope you will continue to work hard and contribute to the Kingdom's strength."
Truth be told, the sights he saw along the way were different. The closer to Brunas he got, the more he could see prosperity and stability.
This place was utterly incomparable to other areas, especially after entering Brunas' jurisdiction, it was entirely different from other parts of the Kingdom.
The streets were clean, and soldiers patrolled on time. These seemingly ordinary sights are actually hard to come by elsewhere.
Just seeing the well-arranged soldiers marching with coordinated steps on the street was already a novelty to the Prime Minister.
Even in King City, it was rare to see such orderly formations, as if these soldiers were being reviewed, instead of just patrolling an ordinary street.
All over Brunas, there were bustling markets, and trade was everywhere. Casinos and brothels were unprecedentedly prosperous, and most people's faces were smiling.
He was deeply affected by what he saw on his way here; compared to the lifeless other parts of the Kingdom, Brunas seemed to be the Kingdom's last hope.
Perhaps, of all the Kingdom's lands, only Northern Ridge and Brunas, these two areas no longer under the Kingdom's actual control, are the most essential...
Therefore, as the Kingdom's Prime Minister, he didn't skimp on his words of high praise for the officials before him.
Hearing the Prime Minister's praise, the faces of the officials immediately showed joy, and they relaxed and bowed as they responded, "Yes! We will heed your teachings."
The Prime Minister put down the ornament and waved his hand casually, "No need to be so formal, this time, I came here privately to have a look, don't feel any pressure, just treat me like an old man," he said.
"Your inspection of the work here is truly..." A few officials breathed a sigh of relief, and the mayor even took out his handkerchief to discreetly wipe his forehead.
Having waited for quite a while, the Prime Minister was getting anxious and couldn't help but ask, "Has Mr. Tang not arrived yet? The truth is, my visit this time was to meet the young and talented Mr. Tang Mo. To think he could conduct such large business here, it really is an eye-opener."
"Hahaha! Oh, not at all! Prime Minister, you jest! These are but small trades! Merely small trades!" Just as the Prime Minister asked about him, Tang Mo pushed the door open, came in with an infectious laugh and brisk steps.
He had been in high spirits lately, since the laying of the railway tracks for his train project was proceeding very smoothly, and the exploration of the route toward Northern Ridge was well underway.
As he entered, still laughing, he approached the Prime Minister, bowed slightly, and spoke, "To not know the esteemed Prime Minister was gracing us with his presence, my lack of reception is truly shameful! Shameful indeed!"
"There's no need for formalities, Mr. Tang. I journeyed all this way to have a serious talk with you, a youthful man," said the Prime Minister, who was already sixty-three this year. Though well-maintained, his face was nevertheless lined with wrinkles.
"Now that Mr. Tang has arrived, I will take my leave," proposed Minister of Construction Baus, giving the Prime Minister a look.
As soon as he announced his departure, the remaining officials from Brunas also realized that they seemed superfluous there.
Consequently, these officials made their exit one after another, with the mayor and Sheriff Solon among those departing the room. Their departure was so natural that they showed no reluctance after Tang Mo's arrival.
In fact, they didn't even consider the Prime Minister's feelings, nor did they ask for his opinion; they simply left the room in an orderly fashion.
Before leaving the room, Tax Officer Simon gave Tang Mo a meaningful look, signaling that the Prime Minister had no intention of investigating the tax matters.
Soon, the mayor's office was left with only the Prime Minister and Tang Mo.
When the door closed again with a pleasant click, Tang Mo took the initiative to speak first, "Elder Sir, now that we are alone, might you share why you came all this way to seek out someone of my junior stature?"
Hearing Tang Mo's question and recalling his novel experiences along the journey, wrinkles on the Prime Minister's face blossomed into a radiant smile, "Haha, you are an interesting young man. I wouldn't have traveled so far, with old arms and legs, if the Kingdom had any capable individuals."
"How could that be? The Kingdom is abundant in talent; there should be plenty of loyal ministers and valiant generals, right?" Tang Mo feigned ignorance, questioning in disbelief.
"Regrettably, the majority of them are Shireck's people, or at least they have intricate connections with the Shireck Consortium," the Prime Minister said with a smile, looking straight at Tang Mo, "There's no need to act in my presence. Being open and honest might save us some time."
"Oh?" Tang Mo was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Mmm, you have a point."
The Prime Minister didn't care to watch him continue the act and said to himself, "His Majesty sent me here to ask Mr. Tang...whether you have the willingness to cooperate with the royal family?"
Tang Mo was still tight-lipped, "I am a subject of the Kingdom. As a businessman who insists on paying taxes according to the law, I am already a loyal subject of the royal family. As for more significant matters, I, a humble citizen, am afraid I cannot bear such responsibility."
Jokes aside, saving the world wasn't something he couldn't do, but they would have to offer more money! Without mentioning benefits, who would want to add complications to their life for no reason?
"The King intends to purchase 3,000 of your new rifles," the Prime Minister declared astonishingly.
"Oh? Can't Shireck mass-produce the K1 Quick Gun? I heard their production rate is quite fast," Tang Mo asked deliberately, pretending to be ignorant.
He knew full well that Shireck's new guns would be prioritized for their private army and wouldn't reach Leite Kingdom for a long time.
Even if they were available for purchase later on, it would be on a highest-bidder basis, and might even trigger wars of conquest against smaller nations during the process of rearming with new weapons.
As expected, the Prime Minister explained somewhat helplessly, "Shireck's firearms are not for sale yet. They claim they need to conduct experiments and tests. Therefore, we are considering buying directly from you."
"That can be discussed. I can supply at any time, as long as the King pays," Tang Mo replied, smiling and readily agreeing.
"The King isn't wealthy, so he can only pay you 3,000 Gold Coins," said the Prime Minister, eyeing Tang Mo's smiling face and quoting a rather low price.
"At that price, I would incur quite a loss, so I'm afraid I'm not able to help," Tang Mo said with a shrug and a reluctant tone, declining the offer.