Chapter 900: Empire's Industrial Revolution

"Lei En, has the candidate for Minister of Industry been decided?" Akarande stood up, his face urgent, and asked.

"Sit down!"

Without waiting for Lei En to answer, Beili Saliu let out a light scoff, "Akarande, when will you get rid of your impatient habit? The Consul hasn't finished speaking, why are you so anxious?"

Akarande's expression froze, then he realized that Lei En's invitation today was well prepared, and his own overly impatient display would put the Mechanical Guild at a disadvantage in the subsequent negotiations. He glanced at Beili Saliu, thinking that the Chief could keep his composure.

"Sorry, I got too excited, Chief," Akarande bowed his head in apology and sat down honestly.

Beili Saliu nodded.

His gaze returned to Lei En, and he asked, "Consul, may I ask what the purpose of establishing the Industrial Department is, and what powers and responsibilities this department holds?"

Indeed, he's truly seasoned!

Lei En murmured a silent praise; his soul's eye saw that Beili Saliu was also quite excited, yet remained clear‑headed, and captured the point in a single sentence.

"Frank," Lei En signaled to his chief of staff.

Frank took a document from his ring and handed it to Beili Saliu, "This is the plan for establishing the Industrial Department; please review it, sir."

Beili Saliu caught the light, only a few pages thick document, his expression as heavy as if he were holding a mountain, immediately opened it and read every word carefully. Next to him, Akarande couldn't help leaning over, stretching his head to also watch.

The document contained little, but each paragraph was highly concise, clearly the product of long contemplation.

First, it explained the term "industry."

Industry is the manufacturing sector, a social material production department that extracts and gathers natural resources and processes various raw materials.

The document outlined the importance of industry; it is the main force driving a nation, even a civilization, forward.

It can boost agriculture and is the cornerstone of commerce, playing a decisive role in a nation's economy and development; industry's status is on par with, if not surpassing, supernatural power.

Industry freed humanity from the limited output of agriculture, replacing labor with machines and large‑scale factory production instead of individual handcraft. The invention and use of the steam engine is a landmark event; its significance to human civilization is so great that future generations will increasingly recognize it as the "Industrial Revolution."

A country that has undergone an Industrial Revolution differs fundamentally from one still in the agricultural era.

Upon reading this, Beili Saliu's hand couldn't help trembling.

Akarande became even more animated, his eyebrows dancing with excitement.

In their understanding, industry is steam and the Mechanical Guild, and Lei En actually raised industry's status to be on par with supernatural power!

This is simply fantastic!

All along, the vast majority of people worldwide, including many engineers, have only treated the steam engine and the Mechanical Guild as a new force, enjoying the conveniences and benefits brought by technological progress.

However, very few have ever considered what all this truly means.

Now at last someone has spoken it, and more clearly than the Mechanical Guild itself, giving Beili Saliu and Akarande a sense of sudden clarity, as if the fog before their eyes had been swept away, and the questions they had long struggled with finally received a clear answer.

And this person is no ordinary individual.

He is the Consul, wielding the Empire's executive authority!

The two, brimming with excitement, kept reading; the document divided industry into "light industry" and "heavy industry". Light industry caters to daily life, producing various common goods; heavy industry supplies materials and machinery for light industry, including steel, metallurgy, mining, and machine manufacturing, among others.

Industry is so important, therefore the Empire needs to establish an Industrial Department.

The department's duties include formulating industrial policies, industry regulations, overseeing and approving industrial companies, guiding, studying, advancing, and applying industrial technology, managing a forthcoming series of Empire‑directly operated industrial companies, organizing the cultivation of industrial talent, and so on.

The latter part of the document also listed the organizational structure of the Industrial Department.

The headquarters directly oversees a dozen subordinate divisions; from provinces to cities, corresponding industrial bureaus will also be established. Just by the number of personnel, one can see this is a massive department, wielding great power, hardly inferior to the three major departments of internal affairs, finance, and military‑administration.

After reading, Beili Saliu took a deep breath.

Akarande glanced at the composed Lei En, about to speak but held back, ultimately deciding to remain silent.

The Minister of Industry slot is a prize the Mechanical Guild is intent on obtaining. It is essentially the Mechanical Guild's direct superior in the Empire; if the person in that seat is not one of their own, the entire Guild will be unable to eat or sleep.

Of course, the establishment and operation of the Industrial Department also cannot do without the Mechanical Guild.

Thus Lei En invited himself and the Chief today to discuss; he will not hand the Minister of Industry position to anyone else, yet he will not easily give it to the Mechanical Guild either.

Beili Saliu closed his eyes, pondered for a few minutes, and finally spoke.

But he did not immediately seek benefits for the Mechanical Guild; instead he asked, "Consul, the Industrial Department's creation is more than just establishing a department—does it relate to your policy agenda for the next ten years?"

"Yes."

Lei En nodded, his respect for Beili Saliu rising a few notches, and disclosed, "Industry and education will be the two most important aspects during my term, into which I will devote most of my energy."

Akarande heard this, and his eyes showed an unmistakable joy.

Beili Saliu's face lit up with sudden realization, sincerely praising, "It is a blessing for the Empire, and for its people, to have you as Consul."

Lei En waved his hand, "I am merely trying to contribute something for the Empire's people."

"The Consul is being modest," Beili Saliu stopped flattering Lei En, and instead said, "The establishment of the Industrial Department is a major matter, certainly requiring the Supreme Council's approval..."

"You need not worry about that," Lei En interrupted, "If I were not confident, I wouldn't raise it. Given the current layout of the Supreme Council, the Chief should know well. The Industrial Department will be a permanent institution of the Empire, and even after I step down, it will continue to exist."

Beili Saliu gave a slight nod.

No one knows that the Mo Du faction now holds half the votes in the Supreme Council, effectively controlling it; with Lei En's standing in the Mo Du faction, his proposal is hard to reject.

Lei En continued: "In recent years, in Gelamogen and the Augustus Principality, we have cooperated very pleasantly. The Augustus Principality's development speed, the Chief knows well, its population and territory have changed little, but within a few years its national strength has multiplied several times, and the people's lives have become dramatically different; all of this has been driven by industrial development."

"The Augustus Principality underwent an Industrial Revolution, shifting from an agricultural nation to an industrial one," Beili Saliu suddenly said.

"Exactly!"

Lei En smiled, "Chief has already grasped the true essence of this document; the economy, military, and living standards of an industrial nation, and all other aspects, far surpass those of an agricultural nation."

"The Augustus Principality, after all, has limited territory, insufficient population, resources, and natural resources; its base numbers are small. Even if it eventually becomes a fully industrial nation, its comprehensive national power may increase dozens of times, yet compared with the Empire it would still be negligible..."

At this point, Lei En paused.

Beili Saliu and Akarande's eyes lit up, their breathing unintentionally quickened a bit.

They had already understood Lei En's meaning.

The Augustus Principality is too small, while the Empire is vast!

Indeed, Lei En said, "The Empire's industry is the most developed and advanced in the world, currently in the transitional stage from an agricultural to an industrial nation, but the pace is too slow, lacking comprehensive and clear policy guidance, and also facing interference and pressure from all sides."

Beili Saliu couldn't help but nod repeatedly.

Lei En's words seemed to go straight to his heart; for centuries, steam and the Mechanical Guild have driven the Empire's social development, permeating people's lives and wielding great influence, yet only among ordinary folk, never reaching the top of Imperial power.

The greatest concern and resistance, of course, is the Supreme Council.

All members of the Supreme Council are Holy Soul Wizards, possessing extraordinary power beyond ordinary people's imagination.

A new force, entirely different from magic, is rising; the Holy Soul Wizards may not perceive the Mechanical Guild's huge potential, yet they instinctively tacitly approve each Consul's suppression of the Guild. The Supreme Council's power is unshakable, so the Mechanical Guild dares not confront it directly, not even to voice a rebellious thought, and can only quietly amass wealth.

The Justice Church and the Earth Church are also wary of the Mechanical Guild.

The use of mechanical equipment prompts people to think, shaking their steadfast faith in the gods.

Imperial nobles, especially the old aristocracy, despise the Mechanical Guild to the core; the factories they build strip nobles of profit, give peasants a new livelihood, and diminish the importance and value of land, forcing them to cooperate with the Mechanical Guild and be subject to the mechanics.

In short, the Mechanical Guild has offended every vested interest!

Lei En knows this perfectly.

The same situation has occurred countless times in his past life.

His words, together with the documents in his hand, moved Beilisalou and Akalande to near tears of gratitude; the two wished they could call Lei En a confidant, even a great benefactor of the Mechanical Guild!

The Soul Eye read their emotions like an open book.

Lei En smiled inwardly, but with a serious expression said, "The establishment of the Industrial Department is precisely to accelerate the Empire's shift toward an industrial nation, sparking an industrial revolution within the Empire. This is only the first step; I will also launch the Empire's first Five‑Year Plan, with industrial development as its focal point."

"Industry cannot do without the application of mechanical technology; this requires the support of steam and the Mechanical Guild."

"Therefore, I have invited you both to discuss."

As soon as the words fell, Beilisalou immediately responded, his tone involuntarily rising, and shouted, "The Mechanical Guild will fully support the Consul's work! Whatever the Mechanical Guild can accomplish, if the Consul needs it, we will never shirk."

"Then I am relieved."

Lei En nodded appreciatively, then his tone suddenly shifted, "Getan is also Imperial territory; lately, Getan's construction lacks certain supplies…"

Beilisalou understood immediately.

Getan is Lei En's city; nominally it belongs to the Empire but is de facto fully autonomous, and Lei En used Getan as a pretext to set conditions.

"The Mechanical Guild is willing to contribute its strength to Getan's construction," Beilisalou replied, fully understanding.

Frank then timely produced a document.

Beilisalou took it and read rapidly; it was a material list, hundreds of items filling over a dozen pages, each annotated with required quantities. The largest entry was a premium refined steel, amounting to five hundred million pounds, which made his eyelid twitch.

The production of this refined steel is high and its applications wide, but five hundred million pounds is absurd, equivalent to two to three years of the Mechanical Guild's total output.

Moreover, for unknown reasons in recent years, refined steel has sold extremely well on the market, and its price has risen considerably.

The other items on the list are similarly massive: mithril, refined gold, auric iron, and dozens of magical alloys, ranging from tens of thousands to millions of pounds. There are also various alchemical materials, rune stones, precious magical gems, minerals, a huge quantity of mechanical equipment, and so on.

Some of these items cannot be bought even with money; they must be requisitioned from the Mechanical Guild's warehouses across the Empire or purchased elsewhere at high cost.

Roughly estimated, the total value of the supplies on the list exceeds one hundred million Gold Shields!

The sheer volume of materials instantly sparked an idea in Beilisalou and Akalande's minds: Lei En intends to build a Fu Kong Cheng!

Apart from the Fu Kong Cheng, they could not imagine any other possibility.

Beilisalou said without hesitation, "Consul, rest assured: starting from the first day of the new year, a shipment will arrive in Gotham City each month, guaranteeing that all supplies will be delivered within a year, and will not delay Getan's construction."

Mid‑sentence, he folded the list away.

Lei En raised an eyebrow.

To be honest, Beilisalou's candor surprised him; this wasn't a trivial sum but a hundred million, enough to build an entirely new Fu Kong Cheng. He had expected Beilisalou to haggle at least a bit, but the other party immediately agreed.

Beilisalou's tone was equally relaxed, as if he were merely signing a check offhand.

He had still underestimated the Mechanical Guild's financial might!

One hundred million can buy the position of Industrial Minister; Beilisalou didn't even blink nor consult the mysterious chairman, showing that this sum is no trouble for the Mechanical Guild. He finally witnessed what it means to be extravagantly wealthy.

Of course, in the Empire's forthcoming industrial revolution, the Mechanical Guild can easily recoup that hundred million Gold Shields, and even reap greater profit.

In any case, no one loses; it's a win‑win deal.

"Good."

Lei En smiled, noting that the supplies on the list were enough to build a second Star Destroyer, and praised, "I thank the Mechanical Guild on behalf of Gotham City for its support." He then turned the conversation back, "Does the chief have any recommendation for the Industrial Minister?"

Hearing this, Akalande involuntarily straightened his chest, his eyes full of anticipation.

However, Beilisalou nodded and said, "The Industrial Minister must be steady‑tempered, quick‑witted, and possess a comprehensive understanding of mechanical technology and industrial development. Therefore, I recommend the most suitable candidate to the Consul: another vice president of the Mechanical Guild, Fasi Ding."

Akalande's expression froze.

"Fasi Ding?" Lei En was also surprised.

He had heard the name; the Mechanical Guild has several vice presidents, and Fasi Ding's credentials rank just below Beilisalou's, though rumors claim Fasi Ding competes with Beilisalou and is more obsessive, not as beloved by the mechanics as Beilisalou.

Lei En glanced at the dejected Akalande.

"Consul, I insist that Fasi Ding be appointed Industrial Minister; he is more suitable for the role than Akalande," Beilisalou reiterated his stance.

The one who provides the money calls the shots.

Lei En could only nod and say, "Since this is the chief's wish, I agree with your recommendation."

(End of chapter.)