The Earlier You Did This, the Better

"N-nine... ninety million?!"

Montgomery's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, and his voice cracked.

"General! You're not selling anything—you're robbing me!"

At that price, he might as well strip the Great Ying Empire down to its underwear!

"No, no! It's too expensive! Way too expensive!"

He was so flustered that sweat poured down his forehead, and he instinctively thought of his special talent again.

"General! How about I spin a couple for you? I'll spin you two bottles of beer! Then you can knock the price down a bit?"

Zhang Xueming ignored him completely.

He couldn't even be bothered to look at Montgomery again. He simply turned toward the door and called out.

"Mr. Manstein!"

"Are our Prussian friends still here?"

"I've got a great deal. Anyone interested?"

Zhang Xueming's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly—and Montgomery heard every word.

"A fighter jet production line, export model, bundled with one of our newly developed Type 2 Tanks."

"Five million Silver Dollars for the package!"

"Well? Interested?"

The moment Montgomery heard that, his mind went buzz, and everything went blank.

The Prussians!

Fighter jets!

And... Type 2 Tanks?!

He couldn't imagine what would become of mainland Europe if those meticulous, unhinged Prussians got their hands on both.

No!

Absolutely not!

"Don't!"

Montgomery let out a shrill scream and lunged forward.

"General Zhang! I'll buy them! I'll buy them!"

"Ninety million it is! We'll take them!"

He clung to Zhang Xueming's arm, terrified that he would sell this incredible bargain to his mortal enemy.

Only then did Zhang Xueming turn back with satisfaction. He looked at Montgomery's panicked expression and gave him a kindly smile.

"Now you're talking."

"See? If you'd done that earlier, we'd be done by now."

He patted Montgomery's hand, then slowly called toward the door.

"Mr. Manstein, I'm sorry."

"We've reached a deal with our friends from Ying Country. The fighter jet production line has already been sold."

"But don't worry. We can still continue our cooperation."

"We can still sell you the Type 2 Tank production line."

"As for the price..."

Zhang Xueming deliberately drew out his words.

"Since it's a model more advanced than the Type 1 Tank, the price naturally has to reflect its value."

"Double the price of the Type 1 Tank production line."

"Fair and square."

The deal had been tentatively settled.

Though Montgomery's heart ached so much he could barely breathe, the thought of keeping the Prussians firmly beneath his thumb brought a smug look to his face.

Clutching the preliminary agreement, he strode out with his head held high.

At the door, he ran straight into Manstein, whose face was livid.

They exchanged a glance, sparks flying between them.

Montgomery deliberately waved the papers in his hand, grinning from ear to ear.

Manstein snorted and brushed past him with a sharp look, already calculating the doubled price of the "Type 2 Tank."

Watching the two men leave, glaring at each other, Zhang Xueming closed the lounge door.

Yang Yuting walked in.

"Young Marshal, that's no way to do business."

Yang Yuting adjusted his glasses and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"You're practically robbing them."

"Robbing them?"

Zhang Xueming smiled unconcernedly.

"In a few years, they'll thank me."

He walked to the window and looked out at the factories and high-rises rising in the distance.

"Besides, what I'm selling them is just technology we've already phased out."

"Our J-2 Fighter Jet is ready for its test flight, and the Type 3 Tank is about to enter the testing ground."

"Trading outdated stuff like this for hard cash to develop ourselves? We're coming out ahead."

He turned around, his smile fading as his expression grew serious.

"Enough about them."

"How are preparations for Kanto University's opening ceremony? Nothing can go wrong."

"And pass the word along: every department needs to be ready."

"The Marshal is about to convene the highest-level military conference."

"That's what really matters."

Fengtian Public Office Building, First Conference Room.

Everyone seated here was a major figure in the Feng Army establishment, the kind of man who could make Fengtian tremble with a single stomp.

Cigar smoke curled above the long oval conference table, making the general stars on the officers' shoulders gleam.

The meeting had yet to formally begin, and the atmosphere was quite relaxed.

"Old Tang, I hear your Artillery Brigade has new guns again? Krupps from the Germans?"

The speaker was Wu Junsheng. He had a booming voice, a cigar between his teeth, and a look of envy and resentment.

Tang Yulin smugly tapped off his ash, grinning so broadly that all his teeth showed.

"Of course. You know whose troops they are."

"That muzzle, that barrel—tch, more alluring than a young woman's waist!"

"Hahaha!"

The whole room burst into laughter. They were all rough soldiers who led troops into battle, and bawdy jokes were the best way to lighten the mood.

Amid the laughter, Zhang Xueliang, seated beside Zhang Xueming, nudged him with his elbow.

"Hey, little brother, that beauty you brought back from Outside the Passes—why didn't you put her in the Great Green House?"

Zhang Xueliang waggled his eyebrows and lowered his voice, teasing him.