Munitions Empire-Chapter 1084: Forming cliques in 1006 did not make an impact

Chapter 1084: Forming cliques in 1006 did not make an impact

Upon laying eyes on Ying Yue for the first time, Nangong Hong knew she was an intelligent girl who understood what she should do and indeed possessed certain methods and capabilities for action.

From certain angles, Ying Yue was indeed an appealing girl: her appearance was certainly beautiful, and that alone was almost enough. As long as a woman boasts a stunning beauty, flaws in other areas are often easily overlooked.

However, what Nangong Hong worried about was something else: what their native faction needed was a flag, bluntly put, a symbolic figure, and a flag, a symbol, does not require wisdom—she just needed to be a vase.

What Ying Yue should do was to sit quietly in her rightful place, producing children and staying steady as a rock, enjoying her life, and keeping her mouth shut when there was no need to speak.

The fear was that this woman, who believed in her own intelligence, would start to take action—if she could actually be a bit smarter, that would be fine, but the fear was her causing trouble under the mistaken belief in her own cleverness!

In the case of the map, this girl belonged to the action takers, acting impulsively on what she thought, which was where the danger lay for Nangong Hong and Li’ao.

If this woman representing the native faction ultimately met with an indecent end, it was certain that their native faction would also be implicated.

With this in mind, he felt compelled to caution this emblem, to ensure she did not act foolishly at critical moments: “Your Highness the Princess is wise, your humble servant has a few heartfelt words to share with Your Highness.”

“There’s no need for formality, Lord Nangong, speak your mind,” said Ying Yue, knowing that in the Great Tang Empire, she could only rely on the minister before her, Nangong Hong.

The other ministers were either inaccessible or naturally at odds with her, so she was very amicable in her approach.

In this regard, she did have an advantage, as she was a beauty, a supremely beautiful woman, and in this respect, as long as she was willing to stoop a little, others would generally reciprocate with due kindness.

At this moment, Nangong Hong really wanted to say, “The matter with the map was well done, but do not do it again.”

However, he did not say that, but instead gave a precautionary reminder: “This map is of no use, as the Great Tang Empire already possesses a more accurate map of Qin Country. Such an act may demonstrate your stance, but it also casts doubt on your loyalty. Everything has two sides, with both gains and losses, and it’s not considered a clever move.”

When Ying Yue heard that the Great Tang Empire already had a more precise map of Qin Country, she realized her rashness.

On one hand, she finally understood the extent to which one’s ambition could swell: The Emperor of the Great Tang Empire had already started plotting against a country as distant from Tang Country as Qin Country.

On the other hand, her act of presenting the map indeed had its ambiguities, something she had considered before offering the map; back then, she thought the map was very important and that the other party would overlook that minor blemish on her loyalty.

But now, it called for a different consideration: the Great Tang Empire already had a map of Qin Country, making her gift of the map much less significant, and the flaw regarding loyalty would be magnified…

Seeing Ying Yue lost in thought, Nangong Hong felt pleased. At least up until now, Ying Yue’s intelligence had proven better than he had anticipated.

Therefore, he continued to counsel patiently: “In the Great Tang Empire, there are no overt factions, or to be more accurate, the relationship between various factions is competition, not suppression.”

Some people warrant the investment of time and effort for mentorship, precisely because they present corresponding value.

If it were a person devoid of value, Nangong Hong would not waste a single word. Ying Yue showed potential value, which made Nangong Hong willing to invest more in this regard.

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This was also an investment—if she really heeded the advice, the benefits could eventually reflect back on him.

So he paused, then proceeded, “Whether it’s promotion or dismissal of all officials, it is based on the official’s own capabilities and work performance. Hence, there is no so-called ‘defection’ here; everyone is merely concerned with some shared beliefs and identities, offering support and help as they can.”

Seeing that Ying Yue was listening attentively, Nangong Hong finally added a warning: “The premise for such actions is to not harm the interests of the Great Tang Empire, so if some deeds are overdone, causing problems and displeasing Your Majesty, then one can only bear the consequences themselves, without expecting others to help.”

This was the most important point he worried Ying Yue might misunderstand: in the Great Tang Empire, colluding with ministers to form factions would never get off the ground! That was not a foundation for one’s livelihood, but a path to self-destruction.

The true method for ministers to protect themselves was to work hard, a rule that has been in place since the Brunas Era and has never changed to this day.

If there were instances of corruption, action would be taken as soon as it came to light, even those from the era of Brunas would be dealt with accordingly. Only those who worked hard and achieved excellent results would be heavily relied upon.

This is also why a group of native factions rose swiftly within the Great Tang Empire: they are truly capable of getting things done. For example, General Feng Ke, Qian Jinhang, and those who have become division commanders and mayors, forming the backbone of the Great Tang.

“…I understand now.” The astute Ying Yue immediately grasped the key point in Nangong Hong’s words: he was telling her that forming cliques had no future, as everyone’s interests are underlying and cannot be publicly used as a bond.

This was actually good news: if the native factions could not openly support her, then the foreign factions would certainly not dare to openly oppose her.

Indeed, she was right: if anyone dared to oppose her openly, many of the generals from the Brunas factions might have had her killed on the way.

In the eyes of these military powerholders, intercepting a train and killing a princess was simpler than a regular Great Tang Empire internal military drill.

Seeing Ying Yue look as if she had understood, Nangong Hong nodded in satisfaction and then continued, “Your Highness, gaining support from some will naturally attract enmity from others. This is also why His Majesty is willing to accept you. Please be cautious and deliberate, think more and do less… as the saying goes, the more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make, and by doing nothing, you make no mistakes.”

This was to make Ying Yue remain a mere ceremonial figure, reminding her to understand her position and not to cause trouble for the native faction’s external ministers.

Ying Yue was indeed insightful and straightforwardly said, “I understand what Minister Nangong means, to not compete for power or favor, and to properly be the Imperial Concubine, because being able to become the Imperial Concubine is already a stroke of luck for me.”

Nangong Hong was even more satisfied, clearly Princess Ying Yue was a truly intelligent woman, who would not foolishly outsmart herself, and that to him was terrific news indeed.

So, he personally opened the car door to welcome Princess Ying Yue, bowing slightly and praising her, “Your Highness is as intelligent as ice and snow, so this servant will cease his prattle.”

The Princess did not get into the car but turned to ask, “Thank you, Minister Nangong, for the advice. So, do you suggest I should offer the map or not?”

Nangong Hong candidly answered this question, while also reminding Ying Yue of the power of the Tang Empire’s intelligence department: “In the Tang Empire, nothing can be kept hidden from His Majesty. Today’s events will be truthfully reported, and Your Highness should continue to do what you deem fit.”

Hearing Nangong Hong say this, Ying Yue’s smile grew even brighter: “Interesting, interesting! The Tang Empire is indeed unique. I think I’m beginning to understand some of the reasons for the strength of the Tang Empire.”

Nangong Hong, holding the car door, made a welcoming gesture: “Your Highness can observe at your leisure. You will soon realize how enviable it is to become the Imperial Concubine of the Tang Empire.”

Ying Yue entered the car, and looking up from inside the vehicle, nodded to Nangong Hong, “Thank you, Minister Nangong.”

Only then did she have the leisure to look at the Fengjiang Station before her, realizing that although the station appeared minimalistic, it was on a larger scale than the Imperial Capital Station of the Dahua Empire she had seen.

Pillars supporting the station’s train platform, each dazzlingly white and nearly two and a half meters in diameter, demonstrated an imposing splendor.

Compared to the stations of the Dahua Empire, everything here was extreme in its simplicity. Yet within this simplicity overflowed a sense of power. The rib-like reinforcements spread overhead, complemented by lighting akin to stars, creating a sense of grandeur and superiority.

Ying Yue knew that this was merely Fengjiang, just a border city’s station. She grew somewhat eager for the station in Chang’an, which she imagined would be even more magnificent.

Only at this moment did she notice that the car she was sitting in seemed to be a previously unseen model of Rolls-Royce: Ying Yue had her own vehicle in Qin Country, but that export model of Rolls-Royce was clearly not as exquisite as the specialized version used by the Tang Royal Family.

It was also only now that Ying Yue realized what true luxury was: the interior decoration of the car she was in was exaggerated to an alarming degree, making her feel slightly uncomfortable sitting within.

Once her maid boarded the car, the vehicle started: they were to stay here for one night and take a flight to Chang’an the next morning.

Traveling by plane within the Tang territory was actually very safe, much safer than in other countries. The plane Ying Yue was to board was a diplomatic department special aircraft arranged by Nangong Hong, with even higher security.

The next morning, Ying Yue arrived at the airport and saw a specially modified Model 130 transport plane. It was safer and larger than the DC-3 transport plane widely used by other countries at the time.

As for the 3,000 elite Qin Army soldiers who accompanied Ying Yue, it was natural that they could not proceed to Chang’an: they had been disarmed and left in Fengjiang waiting for their families to arrive.

These people would then be dispersed and settled throughout Great Tang, registered to join the Tang Empire, becoming true Tang People.

Their future was no longer important, for their most vital mission of escorting Ying Yue was complete. Coming to Tang Country and becoming Tang People would secure a tranquil second half of their lives. They would continue their lives in Tang Country, embarking on a new chapter of life.