A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 816 Forgery is the Norm

Faced with this earth-shattering news, the reactions from various countries were mixed. Among them, the most frustrated and anxious were those from the Lobster Country, located far away in Europe.

"God! Is the most dazzling jewel in the crown going to be dimmed and even change hands?" A cabinet member slumped in his chair, muttering to himself in a daze.

A colleague tried to comfort him, but his voice sounded weak and powerless: "Don't...don't worry too much! We're halfway around the world! No matter how powerful their...their 'thing' is, it can't reach us, right? Didn't our son say they don't have a platform to launch it?"

"Fool!" The minister slammed his hand on the table, standing up agitatedly. His finger trembled as he pointed at the world map on the wall. "Open your eyes and look! How vast their territory is! How big is our homeland? If... if the worst happens, can we, with our small land area, withstand such a devastating exchange? Besides, we are an island nation! An island nation!" His voice was filled with despair. "Surrounded by sea! We don't even have the depth to escape to! Unlike them, who, even when cornered, still have room to maneuver!"

"Are you stupid, you piece of shit? You actually believe that ingrate son of a bitch? That shameless guy has been dismantling our colonial system all along, and you're still siding with him?"

Heh heh, that's the tragedy of island nations. Even if they're planting mushrooms on each other, the one with the smaller land area always suffers. What's worse, island nations are all in the sea, so they have nowhere to run. Unlike us, who, if pushed to the limit, can at least play the "switch sides" game or something.

What a coincidence! Our long, narrow island neighbor seems to have quite a bit of experience in this area...

And that's why two countries that weren't exactly good people quickly came together.

Yes, the Desire Shrimp, adhering to the principle of "if you can't beat them, avoid them," went on a visit to the Lobster Country. Although the official explanation is that their mascot is going to sign a famous maritime treaty.

This move truly disgusted Prime Minister Heath of the Lobster Country. According to diplomatic practice, a visit of this caliber should have been reciprocal, but the other party's "timely" arrival forced him to consider a return visit.

Heath cursed under his breath at the flames in the fireplace: "You bastard, you came fast! Shouldn't I be the one to visit Japan first, and then you return the visit?"

"What the hell! You only know to run away when disaster strikes. Where is your so-called 'martial spirit'?" Heath was indignant in private, but on the surface he still had to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor.

However, being shrewd, he was absolutely unwilling to personally travel to that island nation in the Far East that had suddenly become incredibly dangerous at this time.

Although he knew in his heart that the magnanimous Eastern power would not allow the "young lady" to visit his territory for no reason, a gentleman's life is precious, and there is no reason to go into potentially dangerous places.

So the Lobster Country simply went with the flow and quickly signed the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation with the visitors, granting them most-favored-nation status as a diplomatic achievement, and cleverly postponed the return visit indefinitely.

The news reached back in Japan, in a tea room filled with Japanese Zen aesthetics.

"Master! The treaty has been signed! Our long-stocked 'air fryers' can now officially enter the Lobster Country market!" A trusted subordinate knelt at the lower end of the table, reporting with barely concealed excitement.

"Hahaha! Very good!" Upon hearing this, Junichiro revealed a gleeful yet twisted smile, and downed the strong green matcha in his cup in one gulp.

Thick tea foam clung to the corners of his mouth, making his face appear somewhat eerie in the dim light. "Good sign! I've been enduring pressure from the Bald Eagle, waiting for this very opportunity!"

"Let's start upgrading the simple electronic components exported to the Lobster Country from here!"

"The patriarch is wise!" another retainer in charge of technology echoed. "However... I've heard that the alliance seems to have smuggled a lot of similar products over through shady channels, and we..."

"Hmph!" Junichiro scoffed disdainfully. "How can those bulky, clunky things compare to our meticulously crafted products? The gentlemen of Lobster Country have always pursued refinement and taste! Our products are smaller, consume less energy, and have a more elegant appearance! As long as we lower the price a little more, we will definitely dominate the future market! Besides, we have more than just air fryers!"

“But Master,” the finance manager said, looking troubled, “even with most-favored-nation status, at the price you set, we’ll barely make any profit…”

"Shortsighted!" Junichiro rebuked, but his tone carried a smug sense of control. "These small appliances are merely our 'business cards,' stepping stones to the market! Profits? Markets need to be cultivated! Our real profits lie in the export of small economy cars and steel! That's where the real profits are!"

"Master, you have a brilliant mind!" the technical retainer flattered again. "Our version, which uses new insulation materials, is indeed far more sophisticated than the competing products on the market! In addition, our crude steel production has jumped to second place in the world, making this the perfect time to expand outwards!"

"Hahaha... Not bad!" Junichiro laughed triumphantly, his eyes gleaming with ambition. "As long as we control the power of capital, we can conquer the world again! China? Hmph! Since we can't win it by force, I'll buy it with money!"

"No, it's not just China, it's the same for that arrogant bald eagle!"

"The master is wise!"

"May the patriarch live forever!"

"The patriarch has played a grand strategy! Under your leadership, we will surely be able to overthrow the four old and powerful families and take their place!"

Junichiro listened to the compliments from the crowd, then narrowed his long, narrow eyes. The word "replace" in particular made his eyes gleam with a sharp light!

Hehehe, he can indeed take his place. Who told Mingle Ren to insist on playing the romantic love game and set his sights on the "pawn" cultivated by his own family?

Hehehe, doesn't he even consider that ordinary women don't really know how to play tennis?

Fortune favors the gods! Let Akechi be the mascot, I want to be "Seimei"!

In Junichiro's Zen-like yet secretly ambitious tea room, the retainers sat upright, listening attentively as their lord outlined his grand plans. But at the back of the group, a few discordant whispers rippled through the crowd.

"A new type of heat insulation cloth?" A person lying at the very back of the tea room reached out and poked a big butt in front of him.

"Um...what!" The person in front hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at the person behind him.

"King Koizumi, when did we develop this new type of heat insulation fabric? I've never heard of this project in the technical department." The young retainer asked, his face full of doubt.

Koinu curled his lip in disdain, lowering his voice even further: "What's so new about it! It's just ordinary asbestos cloth! It's just a fancy way of saying it."

“That’s called a new type… oh… just like the steel data report we made. The lobster guy pointed to several of our technical indicators and said they didn’t meet the standards. I was thinking about how to improve the process when I got back. I was busy for three days and came up with a really great little idea. But when I submitted the report, the section chief actually said that it had already been solved…” The young retainer suddenly realized, and then remembered another thing and muttered to himself.

"Hey, our steel mill has such strong technical capabilities now? You know, Lobster Guy is very dissatisfied with the tensile strength and durability of our products! Jing San, can you tell me about it?"

"Hey, nothing special. The section chief just had the data on the test report changed. Anyway, the lobster guy is too lazy to actually send someone to re-examine it..."

"Get lost!"

The young retainer and Lord Koinu exchanged a glance, nodded knowingly, and said nothing more.

This level of "technical processing" is considered normal by them.