Of course, when Tang Mo had Wes bring Gales the Ninth over, he wasn't planning to discuss the evolutionary history of the Orc race or chat about Orc cat girls.
He invited him over purely to find a disgusting opponent for the Poplar Kingdom.
"So tell me, why have you come to see me?" Tang Mo leaned back in his chair, signaling that the Gales the Ninth could take a seat anywhere he liked.
Honestly speaking, Tang Mo's office still wasn't very impressive, considering he hadn't had time to create a base that satisfied him; so he also hadn't paid much attention to his office.
However, compared to his previous room, this place had undergone a drastic transformation already.
At least now there was a sofa, the place had been decently decorated, and even the office desk Tang Mo was using was probably one of the largest in Brunas.
Helpless really, given his strength, even if he wanted to be low-key, objectively speaking it was no longer permitted. The Great Tang Group was thriving, and it needed him to display his momentum.
Tang Mo spoke as he picked up a cup from the side, swirled the beer around the ice cubes, and watched Gales the Ninth, who was guarded by two soldiers and sitting on the sofa, waiting for him to answer.
Gales the Ninth didn't make Tang Mo wait too long; he answered Tang Mo's question directly: "Because you, were the one who gave the Poplar Kingdom needle-fired guns!"
Hearing this reason, Tang Mo nodded, then asked, "Not bad, you even know about needle-fired guns. I'm a businessman, what's the problem with people coming to me to buy goods? Blaming me is not appropriate, is it?"
"But why didn't you sell to us?" Gales the Ninth angrily attempted to stand up, his face already ugly to begin with, contorted with emotion, it appeared even more repulsive now.
"You didn't come to buy either," Tang Mo replied nonchalantly, spreading his hands in response to the core question. This reply completely stunned the prince of Gales Kingdom.
The logic was actually very simple, the other party could have figured it out too, but hatred blinded them; they simply didn't want to think about it as excuse for the Great Tang Group.
"In fact, you know it too, the fall of your country has little to do with the Great Tang Group, but you still came," Tang Mo continued, playing with his glass and admiring how the beer washed over the patterns inside the cup.
"Because you don't dare to seek revenge from your real enemy, because you don't have the strength to take revenge on the Poplar Kingdom, you believe you can squash a soft persimmon, you can come to me, kill me, destroy my factory, and showcase your justice." After speaking, he paused, waiting for an explanation.
Gales the Ninth fell silent, he felt he couldn't refute Tang Mo's words, and indeed, he had lost his kingdom but hadn't sought revenge on his real enemies, the Poplar Kingdom.
It wasn't that he lacked courage, but he still bore the heavy responsibility of restoring his nation, and he didn't yet have the strength to challenge the thriving Poplar Kingdom.
"You're right..." Finally, Gales the Ninth spoke up, his voice hoarse, showing how difficult it was for him to speak, "Let go of my men, let them leave, and my death alone will be enough."
"If you don't believe me, I can personally disband them... But, please let them leave," he lifted his head, staring at Tang Mo, pleading once again, "I beg you."
"Do you think I want to kill you?" Tang Mo didn't agree to his request, but instead asked another question.
"Could it be, you are willing to let me go?" Gales the Ninth saw a glimmer of hope.
"Answer me one question, tell me, why did you change your mind? By the wall of the factory, you changed your plan, your plan to kill me," Tang Mo asked curiously.
"I... just felt, suddenly felt, that it wasn't right to destroy... all of this magnificence," Gales the Ninth chose his words carefully as he responded.
"Your awe of civilization has saved you," Tang Mo nodded slightly, then looked at Gales the Ninth, "It's because of your awe that you and your men can keep your lives. Remember today's lesson and don't make the same mistake again."
"Are you... You really plan to let us go?" Gales the Ninth asked Tang Mo with disbelief, wanting to confirm if what the other said was indeed true.
Now at the mercy of another, he would naturally be much reassured to hear a guarantee from Tang Mo himself.
He wished he could see those loyal men who had been captured outside, to see what state they were in after being beaten and tormented, after the interrogations.
"I must explain to you, we... the Great Tang Group, actually have a feud with the Augustin Family of the Poplar Kingdom," Tang Mo took a sip of the beer and continued with a piece of news that left Gales the Ninth utterly astonished.
"Hmm?" Gales the Ninth widened his eyes incredulously, seeming eager to hear what Tang Mo would say next.
Tang Mo didn't play coy. He directly said, "The K1 needle gun that defeated you, along with other weapons, were actually bought by the Augustin Clan. They purchased my technology, and at that time I even sent people to help them build their factory."
"..." Gales IX heard this explosive news for the first time and swallowed hard, waiting for Tang Mo's next words.
Indeed, Tang Mo went straight to a conclusion that almost made him laugh, "Unfortunately, Augustine only paid me half the fee."
"They're all despicable scoundrels!" Gales IX said through gritted teeth. When he heard that the technology used by the bastards who defeated his country was obtained through deceit and that they hadn't even paid for it, he truly felt indignant, "All elves are liars! All vile creatures!"
"If you can't let go of your hatred, if you can't step out of racial prejudices, then you'll never achieve anything great in this lifetime." Tang Mo glanced at him and reminded him to control his emotions.
As expected, Gales IX calmed down quite a bit, but he still said, "Forgive my anger... However, sir, if you are willing to supply us with arms, the Gales Kingdom will definitely help you get justice... The Poplar Kingdom is our common enemy!"
"If I were willing, I could get justice on my own," Tang Mo replied and took another sip of his ale before continuing, "Okay, let's talk about the Poplar Kingdom. Tell me everything you know. I'm very curious about how far they have actually gone."
"They have already started to attack eastwards... Defeating another Elf Kingdom on their other side was a breeze, and they will soon become the strongest kingdom nearby, perhaps even a true Empire!" Gales IX briefly described the expansion of the Poplar Kingdom.
It turned out that the Poplar Kingdom hadn't stopped their expansion. On the contrary, they were annexing neighboring countries just like the Tri-King Alliance.
A small country known as the Liumu Kingdom had already been annexed by the Poplar Kingdom, and now the Poplar Kingdom's territory was nearly as large as an Empire's.
What was even more alarming was that the Poplar Kingdom seemed to have reached some agreement with the Shireck Consortium, which was secretly supporting the Poplar Kingdom's expansion. Wherever the Poplar Kingdom invaded, there would be problems with the arms supply.
Without arms, those countries found it even more difficult to fight against the Poplar Kingdom, which was why they were defeated.
In fact, compared to the Tri-King Alliance, the Poplar Kingdom's expansion was faster, especially since Augustine could match the Great Tang Group in the production of needle guns.
The difference between the two wasn't significant, after all, Tang Mo had shifted the focus of weapon production to cannons and machine guns.
And to support their weapons, Brunas had to stack most of their production capacity on metal cased ammunition and shells, as the demand for ammunition sometimes far exceeded the demand for weapons alone.
"Seems like they've made it big in Novice Village," Tang Mo sneered contemptuously, giving a very fair assessment of the Augustin Family's factory.
Even if the weapons weren't cutting-edge, as long as they were stronger than those of the opponent, there will certainly be an advantage. Add to that the bias of the Shireck Consortium, and it's certain those nations with a shortage of military supplies would be put at a disadvantage.
Kingdoms that usually had some strength might manage to hold their ground for a bit, but those that were usually indulgent and negligent in military affairs would evidently crumble like a house of cards.
"Novice, Novice what... Village?" The Orc prince, completely missing the reference, repeated the term with a blank face, a term he didn't understand at all.
"It seems we should start dragging their legs, otherwise, once they accumulate primitive capital, they'll be even harder to deal with." Tang Mo felt that he shouldn't allow the Augustin Clan and the Poplar Kingdom to continue their unchecked barbaric growth.
"You're of no use for the time being, so don't get involved," Tang Mo signaled Wes to take the Orc prince away, "Take him to his subordinates, keep an eye on them, and don't let them cause any trouble!"
"Yes, sir!" Wes immediately nodded in response.
Gales IX was led out of the building by Wes, who took him to the canteen where he finally saw his subordinates again.
The prince, who had been worried about his subordinates all this time, entered the door only to be met with a mix of ridicule and sympathy as he watched his men shamelessly piling their plates and gorging on food.
There was no helping it, as they had been wandering at sea, with no chance to enjoy good food, so most of the time they were roughing it, in a state of hunger or semi-starvation.
Now that they had the opportunity, they naturally let their appetites loose...
"You disgraceful lot... Aren't you afraid of being poisoned..." The exiled prince covered his face helplessly, completely at a loss for words—then, a few seconds later, he too began to devour his food voraciously: "Forget it, I'm starving. If we die, we'll die together!"