The Empire will continue to win

The main gate of the gun factory.

"stop!"

"I am Liu Mingchuan, battalion commander of the First Division of the Army. I want to see your Inspector Shen."

"Wait outside the red line."

"What? You're not letting us in?"

"I'm sorry, but our supervisor has ordered that from today onwards, no one other than factory personnel may enter without prior notification. Otherwise, all guards on duty will be dismissed."

"What if I force my way in?"

"Look over there!"

The sentry pointed to a brand-new stone tablet to the side, on which was written in red paint: "Military restricted area. Trespassers will be shot on sight."

"Damn it!"

Liu Mingchuan clicked his tongue in amazement. He never expected that this bird factory would start to militarize itself. The sun had risen in the west, had it?

Half an hour later~

He was allowed inside.

.........

Factory office.

"Supervisor Shen looks good; have his injuries fully healed?"

"Everything is ready. Brother Liu, please have a seat."

Liu Mingchuan casually took off his peaked cap and tossed it onto the coffee table. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and wore his gleaming military boots and crisp, khaki officer's uniform. The only flaw was the many pockmarks on his face.

"Brother Liu, have some tea."

Thanks.

This was the second time the two had met. Last time, Shen Moqing, who was covered in blood, had left a very deep impression on Liu Mingchuan, who swallowed a mouthful of green tea.

"I heard that Brother Shen is a top student who graduated from the Naval Petty Officer Academy?"

"To correct you, whether I can graduate is still unknown."

"Hahaha~ I've heard that your crappy school has a graduation rate as low as 2%."

"No, it's a dropout rate of 2%."

There was a two-second pause.

Liu Mingchuan burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face, revealing the forthright nature of a man from northern Anhui. For some reason, he had a very good impression of Shen Moqing.

"Brother Liu, you wouldn't visit without a reason, surely you have official business to attend to?"

"You guessed it. I've come on the orders of the Commander to inform Brother Shen that the development of the repeating gun can begin. Time is tight and the task is heavy. I'm entrusting it to you."

"Where is the imperial edict?"

"What?"

"The gun factory is directly under the royal family. How could I dare to initiate a new weapon project without imperial approval?"

"Before I came, Commander Li said that he and you had already discussed it beforehand."

"He did express his desire to equip your First Division with repeating rifles, and I agree; we're all serving the Empire. But procedures still need to be followed. It's like asking Brother Liu, would you dare to mobilize troops without an order from your direct superior?"

Liu Mingchuan blinked his sly little eyes, as if that really made sense.

"Alright, I'll head back to camp to report now."

"By the way, inform Commander Li that having the imperial decree to approve the project is not enough; we also need the Forbidden City to allocate funds. You can't cook without rice, after all."

Liu Mingchuan put on his peaked cap and strode out of the conference room.

Shen Moqing snorted coldly, not because she was dissatisfied with the carefree Liu Mingchuan, but because she was dissatisfied with the scheming Li Shaoquan. Did he think I was an easy newcomer to officialdom?

Old Li, you shouldn't get too close to him.

.........

When I leave work.

Shen Moqing made a point of greeting Zhang Zongcang and tossed him a money bag.

"I always take your money, no, no."

"We're sworn brothers, so apart from women, we're all one family. What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. However, you'll still need to keep a close eye on night patrols, fire prevention, and theft prevention."

After taking office, Shen Moqing learned that the gun factory warehouse had been burglarized three times in the past year alone. The thought that the stolen weapons might fall into the hands of rebels filled him with dread.

"Don't worry, I absolutely won't be ambiguous."

"Brother, when you're urging your men to select suitable guns for the front lines, try to hide a batch of them," Shen Moqing said in a low voice as he leaned closer.

"How much will be deducted?"

"Thirty to fifty long spears, one hundred and eighty revolvers, and a basic quantity of bullets for each. Don't let anyone know, including Shen Lian."

Fuck!

Traitors can steal, parasites can steal, so why can't I, Professor Shen, steal?

"clear."

Although Lao Zhang, this sworn brother, has many flaws—he loves gambling, drinking, and can't hold onto money—he is, after all, a brother who has been through thick and thin with you.

On the way home, I rode in a horse-drawn carriage.

Hidden under the seat cover were five brand-new rifles and a bag of bright orange bullets.

This is what they call "living off the land where you live" or "living off the water where you live".

Like ants moving house, they move slowly and steadily!

.........

From Nanyuan to the capital, there is an official road that stretches straight to the end, and this road is also on the central axis.

At sunset.

In the distance, a steam train sounds its whistle and slowly heads north.

No one knew that this was a military train, its carriages filled with soldiers and munitions, bound for Fengtian.

The slow-reacting United Empire has finally begun to retaliate! However, surprisingly few people in the vast empire are paying attention to this border war; everyone is focused on something called money.

The carriage circled the city wall once before entering the city through Anding Gate.

At the city gate.

There was a long queue.

According to regulations, all vehicles entering the city must be inspected.

But Shen Moqing remained calm.

"Little Six, what's going on?"

"Oh, it's Young Master Qing. No need for further examination, let's go."

"Shall we take a look?"

"have to."

The city gatekeeper, Liu Liuzi, craned his neck to peek into the carriage, and that was it.

The Liu family were distant relatives of the Shen family, living in the countryside. When a famine struck and the family ran out of food, Granny Liu went to the Shen family's door and begged the old lady for help.

Because of this connection, Shen Moqing dared to walk through Andingmen with peace of mind.

"Whenever you have free time, invite Grandma over to watch the opera. The old lady always talks about her."

"Okay."

It's only half a mile from Andingmen to Zhenxian Hutong.

Just got to the door.

The doorman, Jiao Da, shouted anxiously, "The second young master is back!"

Instantly.

Firecrackers crackled and drums resounded.

A large group of elegantly dressed women lined both sides, laughing and chatting, bowing and saying, "Congratulations, Second Young Master!"

"What's the congratulations for?"

Shen Moqing was completely confused.

"Qing'er, you don't know yet, do you? The Emperor is so kind to us, bestowing houses and land upon us in the palace!" Madam Wang said, her eyebrows dancing with delight.

Shen Zheng cleared his throat and imitated An Dehai's voice:

"The Empress Dowager said that Shen Moqing has made great contributions and is hereby rewarded with 500 mu of fertile land in the suburbs of the capital, 3 shops in the southern city, 2 boxes of gold and silver treasures, and a house outside Xihua Gate."

"The Empress Dowager also said that you are still young and that you will spend a long time with your ruler in the future."

His imitation was so lifelike that it made everyone burst into laughter.

It turned out to be the case.

Shen Moqing wasn't surprised. Yesterday, the Yanxi Hall of the Yangxin Palace had been feigning poverty, which was clearly a premeditated act. He pulled his mother aside and asked, "What about the palace maids bestowed by the Emperor last time?"

"They all followed the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree back to the palace."

"That's good."

Shen Moqing breathed a sigh of relief; the manor was now four fewer spies.

Old Madam Shen, with a ruddy complexion, leaned on a dragon-headed cane and spoke with a strong voice:

"The second son's family."

"Your daughter-in-law is here," Madam Wang replied quickly.

"Mo Qing's wedding should be even more extravagant. Don't be afraid to spend money. Money is something that you have more the more you spend."

"Could you please provide a set of rules, Madam?"

"Jade for the hall, gold for the horses, silver as mere dirt. I want this wedding to let everyone in the capital know that our family is no longer short of money!"