"What do you mean by 'you were here first'? Since when does business follow a first-come, first-served basis?" The wealthy merchant evidently had no intention of giving face to the Earl next to him, adamantly refusing to budge an inch.
A super profitable deal was a joke to pass up. It would be better to recognize someone else as your father than to give up on such a thing.
"I am an Earl, the head of the Morman Family from the Southwest of the Kingdom! Mr. Tang Mo! I am willing to cooperate with you! I am willing to invest! To invest in the construction of a railroad approximately 110 kilometers long!" The Earl, blocked by a guard, waved a booklet in his hand, shouting from a distance towards Tang Moyuan.
"I am the most famous traveling poet from the eastern continent, Mr. Tang Mo! Are you interested in having a talk with me? I am willing to write an epic in honor of your deeds!" On the other side, a man with exceptional good looks also tried to break through the guards' blockade, shouting loudly.
"Can this thing really make a round trip every day?" Alice asked in surprise as she watched the workers moving the goods from the train onto the platform.
She had never seen such a vast amount of material piled up together; the mountain-like stack of wooden boxes gave her the illusion that it could transport innumerable items at once.
"Almost, it can operate at night too, so to be precise, it can make at least two round trips in a single day."
"It could transport all the things from Northern Ridge to Brunas in just a few days," Alice exaggeratedly said.
"That's why it needs to go both ways, carrying things from Northern Ridge to Brunas and then bringing goods from Brunas back to Northern Ridge," Tang Mo proudly corrected Alice.
"You're truly a genius, Tang Mo!" Alice said excitedly; she understood too well the theory of business activities. As long as goods began to circulate, commerce would immediately prosper.
"Everyone can exchange their thoughts with Mr. Tang Mo at dinner! Don't rush! Don't push! Move back! Move back!" Not far away, the guards were irritably pushing away the elegantly dressed officials, preventing them from getting close to Tang Mo.
At the evening banquet that day, Tang Mo soon parted ways with Alice, as too many people were seeking him out. And because Alice was by Tang Mo's side, many others found it difficult to speak up, like the representative from the Suthers Kingdom currently standing beside him.
This envoy from the Suthers Kingdom was also invited by the Great Tang Group. At the moment, he felt fortunate to be there.
Frankly, Suthers, almost an inland country with insignificant ports and a navy that paled compared to the Leite Kingdom's, found itself in a regrettable position.
But the country did possess vast inland territories, with the core interests of the nation lying inland; thus, they valued their land more than maritime supremacy.
So, when this envoy from Suthers saw the railroad, a way to strengthen control over Suthers' territory, it appeared before his very eyes.
Therefore, holding his glass, he engaged in a pleasant conversation with Tang Mo, discussing the local Suthers customs and various anecdotes from the past.
Then, after the pleasantries were over, he steered the conversation to the main point, "Congratulations, Mr. Tang Mo! The King of the Suthers Kingdom has always admired your abilities. Trade between the Great Tang Group and the Suthers Kingdom has always been smooth, and our cooperation has never broken down. We hope to maintain an unbreakable friendship between us."
"Convey my sincerest regards to His Majesty, the King of Suthers," Tang Mo replied politely. After all, he had once carried out a zero-cost purchase within Suthers territory that ended up taking quite a bit of their money, causing discomfort in Suthers for a long time.
The Suthers envoy's face lit up with a smile as he extended an invitation to Tang Mo, "Thank you very much! If you wish, the King of Suthers invites you to attend his birthday banquet. Believe me, the Suthers hospitality will certainly leave a deep impression on you, Mr. Tang Mo. We value friendship more than others do..."
Of course, he didn't think Tang Mo would easily accept the invitation but he had to show his gesture, as it represented an attitude.
As expected, Tang Mo didn't refuse the invitation outright but instead promised, "I have received the invitation. If I don't have the time, I will definitely send a gift to His Majesty, the King of Suthers."
The Suthers envoy immediately beamed, gratefully thanking, "That would be an immense honor! Mr. Tang Mo."
Tang Mo smiled, but eventually he issued a warning to Suthers. "Oh, by the way, I have a very good relationship with His Majesty, the King of Leite. The Ronin Family from Northern Ridge and I maintain a friendship... The tensions between the Suthers Kingdom and the Leite Kingdom will not bring any benefits to either nation, which I believe Suthers also understands, right?"
The core interests of the Great Tang Group were concentrated between Northern Ridge and Brunas, and the obvious conflict was if Suthers' southern vendetta passed through Northern Ridge, clashing with the central interests of the Great Tang Group.
Therefore, Tang Mo had to make his stance clear, showing his bottom line to ensure that the reforming and strengthening Suthers Kingdom wouldn't misjudge the situation.
True to form, the Suthers envoy's expression soured upon hearing Tang Mo's words. His smile faded and, with some difficulty, he dragged out a long, "Well..."
Tang Mo's attitude reminded him of the unreasonable heads of the Shireck Consortium that he had encountered before, a chapter of his life he did not wish to revisit.
He did not particularly want a large interest group involving many countries to show too much dominance or interference in the domestic affairs of his nation, as this could prevent them from assessing the situation from their own perspective, seriously impacting the strategic planning and operations of the country.
While he was conflicted and unsure whether to negotiate further, Tang Mo continued to speak, "I know the matter of Ice Crystal City has been very distressing for the upper and lower ranks of the Suthers Kingdom..."
Hearing Tang Mo speak this way, the color visibly returned to the envoy's face, for Tang Mo's tone was not overbearingly proud, which suggested that there was still room for maneuver.
Thus, the Suthers envoy expressed his thanks, "I hope Mr. Tang Mo understands."
Tang Mo and the gentleman from Suthers moved to a secluded corner, and seeing that Tang Mo was accompanied by someone of no insignificant standing, the dignitaries who had hoped to approach Tang Mo did not come any closer.
With the surroundings becoming somewhat peaceful, Tang Mo continued, "I totally understand your feelings, but hatred can definitely be resolved, or at least compensated for, right?"
"What do you mean?" The Suthers envoy looked at Tang Mo with some confusion and asked.
Tang Mo gave a somewhat puzzling response, "In the future, I will steer the Leite Kingdom to focus its attention on the southern regions of the kingdom..."
"Hmm?" However, the Suthers envoy picked up something different from this statement.
Indeed, Tang Mo explained, "If the Suthers Kingdom wants to gather strength and strive for more interests to the north, then the two kingdoms will form back-to-back allies. I also hope that between the two nations, we can trust each other and become friends who help one another."
The Suthers envoy caught on to Tang Mo's implication and excitedly asked, "So... you would support the Suthers Kingdom in expanding its territory northward?"
Tang Mo laid out his bargaining chip, "I will train at least 4,500 men for the new Suthers land forces, supply the entire troops with military equipment, and after the deeds are done, I want forty percent of the benefits."
The Suthers Kingdom's envoy looked visibly thrilled, bowing slightly to show his respect to Tang Mo, "I understand, His Majesty will be most delighted to hear such good news."
Tang Mo shook his wine glass with a smile, "Believe me, cooperation is the path to mutual victory."
"Beyond doubt, Mr. Tang! This is the most memorable banquet I have ever attended," the envoy from Suthers said with a beaming face, agreeing with Tang Mo.
"If you have the chance in the future, you can visit Brunas and drop my name, play in the casinos. It's on me," Tang Mo also extended a personal invitation to him.
The envoy's smile brightened, as it was almost an act of personal goodwill from Tang Mo. With private matters now dealt with, the envoy finally remembered his public duties, "Then I can't thank you enough, Mr. Tang! If..."
"If?" Tang Mo looked at the envoy.
Testing the waters, the envoy asked, "If Suthers wishes to build a railroad within its own territory..."
"I can provide technical support, 1 engineer, 10 technical workers, 100 training slots... I can transfer technology, set up a steel mill in Suthers specialized in producing steel rails," Tang Mo generously said.
The Suthers envoy immediately showed joy and gave his assurance, "By the gods above, your generosity rivals that of the sun and the moon! When the Suthers Kingdom rises, the Great Tang Group will also have free rein within Suthers territory!"
And such an assurance was actually the promise given by the king of the Suthers Kingdom when the envoy had set out.
Tang Mo raised his glass with a smile, offering a toast from afar, "To our mutual interests! Cheers!"
"My regards to Earl Alice," the envoy knew it was time to take leave, bowing slightly, and making room as he whispered his farewell.
The meaning of his words was pretty clear—by sending regards to Miss Alice, the Suthers Kingdom had practically acknowledged Ice Crystal City's affiliation with the Northern Ridge.
For a considerable time to come, there would be no wars between them, and they might even maintain a cooperative relationship to a certain extent—this was the meaning behind sending regards to Miss Alice.