CHAPTER 1487: CHAPTER 1404: A FARCE

A meeting about expenditures just came to an inconclusive end; the Laines Empire’s fiscal revenue was merely a pittance, and thus fixed expenses could scarcely be reduced.

For instance, the investment in education. Under the influence of the Great Tang Empire, all countries were striving to establish schools, believing this was the main way to catch up with the Tang Empire’s technology and retain talent.

Emphasizing education and retaining talent... had become the direction in which the monarchs or rather the ruling classes of all countries were willing to invest heavily.

Unfortunately, despite these years of effort, apart from raising a group of ingrates who always sang praises of the Great Tang Empire, the results were very limited.

The budget for education could not be reallocated, the investment in agriculture, the nation’s foundation, was even more unshakable, and industrial matters... were even more immune to changes.

This was a disaster zone where the nobility exerted influence. Most conflicts between royal power and noble interests were concentrated in this area. If Laines the Second dared to make any moves in this field, the uproar might drown him.

For example, a certain steel plant was invested in by a major noble, or a certain parts factory was an enterprise of the Emperor’s relatives... In short, the ripple effect would be vast; Laines the Second did not have the boldness to make such reforms.

If it were Laines I, it might have been possible; after all, he did not need the support of the nobility and landlord gentry as much as Laines the Second did.

With a chaotic ascension and lacking justification, Laines the Second lost too much noble support in the assassination action against the old Prime Minister, so he dared not challenge those nobles already on the brink of eruption.

Therefore, various industries, including factories, stock markets, and land, that allowed the nobility to make money, were the affairs Laines the Second would not meddle in or inquire about.

Calculating it this way, the vast Empire truly didn’t have much money for Laines the Second to splurge. Thinking of the emperor-specialized car he rode, which was a gift from the Great Tang Empire’s emperor to his father, made Laines the Second quite uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, he really had no way to change the status quo: to prevent threats from the Great Tang Empire along the Empire’s coast, including Brunnis Port, all ports and coastal areas had to strengthen their defenses.

This was a predetermined national policy of the Laines Empire and a plan personally approved by Laines the Second. To support this plan, the Laines Empire poured out its resources, so Laines the Second’s plans to renovate the Imperial Palace could only wait for more time.

They could only wait longer... Most craftsmen were drafted to build defense fortifications. Starting from Bonas Port, bunker fortifications occurred every less than a hundred meters along the Laines Empire’s coastal area, stretching hundreds of kilometers, forming a spectacular sight.

The Laines Empire even gave this whole project a loud name: Endless Bastions! Throughout the Endless Bastions plan, 11,000 bunkers of various sizes were to be constructed, alongside 15 large gun emplacements, 150 smaller ones, and 250 kilometers of steel and concrete trenches, all large and complex.

Behind this line of defense were numerous anti-aircraft gun sites, radar stations, field airports, and other supporting facilities.

The entire defensive line had fifty large underground munitions depots, and each position was connected by telephone to improve interference resistance. Ingeniously, many decoy positions were set up using electromagnetic signals to deceive the Great Tang Empire’s attacking forces.

Without thinking of countermeasures, for now, this was one of the most effective defensive means Laines Empire engineers could think of.

Besides, more than 500 cannon of various models, ranging in caliber from a terrifying 300mm to 75mm, were distributed along the entire line. These artillery pieces could cover almost every inch of beach and precisely target landing troops using firing tables.

Of course, this could only be achieved if the entire defensive line was built and remained intact during warfare.

Should the Great Tang Empire’s attack prove effective, the so-called invincible defense line’s efficacy would pose a big question mark.

Moreover, in actual construction, due to lack of funds and time restraints, Laines Empire’s Endless Bastions defensive line’s completion degree fell short, deserving a skeptical assessment.

The nobles embezzling project funds doesn’t need much elaboration, it’s well understood. The remaining construction materials were all substandard in reality.

The deadlines were tight, and workers’ construction skills were limited, so the end products differed slightly from the original designs... which was understandable.

For example, there were numerous instances where an originally planned 3-meter-thick concrete top cover ended up only 0.5 meters thick. To pass inspections, adding thick layers of dirt on top of the bunkers was standard operational procedure.

In summary, this was a fascinating number game: the Laines Empire’s treasury could not allocate much money, so they had to borrow from the nobility. When nobles lent 1000, they actually gave only 900; this was customary.

After receiving the funds, the financial department reserved a portion as ’loss’, so from 900 they distributed only 800, leaving the rest for lower-level people to find solutions on their own.

Noble merchants who received 800 first pocketed 300, then everyone benefited during procurement of cement, steel, and other materials, leaving only a hundred or two for actual implementation.

When this hundred or two reached the workers, it naturally incited complaints, and everyone did less than their best to get by.

The result for the military was a pile of defenses that looked passable superficially but were really shoddy works.

Even this line of defense fell short in scale: an originally planned 130-kilometer-long line resulted in only 80-plus kilometers, with a planned depth of over ten kilometers that was only two or three kilometers in reality.

No money was available!

This trend escalated to an astonishing level: the money lent by the nobles to the state was almost entirely back in their pockets after just a round on the books without actually being handed over.

Sometimes, counting embezzled money and additional state investments, they even managed to profit a bit. This slight gain greatly stimulated the patriotic enthusiasm among noble gentry and merchants, who eagerly donated money and materials to the state, creating a lively scene of patriotism.

And that high-and-mighty new emperor of the Laines Empire had no knowledge of these matters. He was still vexing over how to repair his palace and pondering how to scrape that money from ministers and the people.