Munitions Empire

Fengjiang, the front line of the Tang Army, a commander set down his binoculars and turned his head to look at the artillery position beside him that was preparing to fire.

He never expected that one day he could assemble so many cannons, as if all the artillery of the Great Tang Kingdom had come to support his troops in battle.

No joke, from yesterday on his flank position, various heavy artillery had started to deploy, including 155-mm caliber howitzers and numerous 105-mm caliber guns.

These guns were all very advanced new models, most of them towed, but there were also more than 30 self-propelled guns of 155 mm caliber.

Assembling so many artillery pieces was because the commander of the Tang Army, Bolton, planned to launch a massive offensive before the winter snow, aiming to capture Fengjiang and end this year's campaign.

For this, he gathered 300 artillery pieces from the Central Region, supplied them with ample ammunition, to support the offensive operations of six infantry divisions.

Of course, he also prepared some "lucky gifts" for his opponents: a full 100 rocket artillery pieces! These rocket artillery would launch an attack simultaneously, destroying all enemy defense structures marked on the map.

Before the bombardment began, the Tang Army would deploy 300 Stuka Dive Bombers and Flying Fortress Bombers to bomb the Southern Region positions of Fengjiang first, to avoid the smoke from the artillery obscuring the targets and affecting the air strike results.

Everything was being prepared intensely, the six infantry divisions also moved towards the designated attack areas, supported by more than 300 tanks and assault guns.

Just looking at this number, one could tell how much the Tang Army was banking on this attack. Bolton was tired of being entangled with the Dahua defensive forces in the Fengjiang area and longed for a victory, and the Tang Army also hoped to end this year's war with a great triumph.

"What strongest infantry! In front of us, there is no such thing as the strongest!" the officer commanding the artillery sneered, handing the binoculars to his deputy, "What we value is steel! Let the steel deplete the enemy's blood! Once they have bled dry, we will let our own soldiers charge!"

"That's right, we have more cannons, more ammunition, and we shouldn't risk the soldiers' lives!" the deputy agreed deeply with his superior's words, nodding his head.

As he spoke, the Tang Army's bomber groups had already crossed over their heads, countless bombers roaring past, then flying towards the distant enemy positions.

Like Mount Tai crushing down, these planes shadowed the sky like dark clouds; when they flew over the enemy's positions, bombs dropped like rain.

The ground started to tremble and shake continuously; the highlands controlled by the Qin Army and Dahua forces were immediately engulfed in flames. Billowing black smoke joined together, and from afar, it looked like the entire horizon was ablaze.

Stuka Dive Bombers swooped down, dropping 500-kg heavy aerial bombs on the enemy's positions.

Newly built trenches and bunkers were blown into the sky by ferocious explosions, stones scattered everywhere, and in just a minute the entire highland was completely unrecognizable.

On the Tang Army's side, however, everything was very quiet, everyone watching from a distance this earth-shattering bombardment.

For the first time experiencing such fierce bombings, the soldiers of the Qin Army finally realized that despite their bravery and skill in battle, their current enemy was completely different from any opponent they had faced before.

After stockpiling ammunition for more than a month, the Tang Army finally showed its fierce fangs. Before the bombers had even departed, the Tang Army's Rocket Artillery Troops unleashed a furious roar.

Countless rockets flew out of the rails behind the truck, charging and crashing towards the Qin Army's position, which was still emitting thick smoke.

Seconds later, the Qin position was once again engulfed in flames, thousands of rockets landed at the same time in a brief moment, flipping the entire position's soil into the sky.

A steel-formed torrential downpour cleansed the entire highland, tossing trees, sandbags, stones, and soil up into the air. These items hadn't even had the chance to land when they were blown even further by the blast wave caused by the artillery.

300 large-caliber artillery roared together, their deterrent power equally devastating. The troops stationed at the positions of the Qin Army were utterly frightened, and after the artillery fire continued for over half an hour, they still hadn't managed to organize any effective counterattack.

In fact, they truly had no strength left to counterattack: their artillery positions were decimated after the air strike, followed by the rocket artillery attack, and now they were trying to withdraw the few remaining guns.

"Hello? Hello? We need support! I need support here! The Tang Army's artillery is too fierce! Hello? Hello? Speak!" Clutching an expensive telephone, the Qin Army's commander roared in fury and humiliation.

Above his head, due to the vibrations, clumps of earth occasionally fell, hitting the map spread on the table, making a crackling sound.

Qin Army had just seen this novel gadget with Shireck's assistance. After using it previously, they had marveled at how advanced these "walkie-talkies" were, but now, when they needed to use it, they realized it really wasn't very safe.

After yelling into the microphone for a long time, the frontline commander of the Qin Army had not been able to connect with the general behind him, and the support he needed was even more out of the question.

The bombing and shelling from the Tang Army had already lasted for over 40 minutes, and the intense barrage had nearly destroyed all of the Qin Army's painstakingly constructed frontline positions.

Under such a fierce attack, merely relying on the Qin soldiers stationed at the front was clearly insufficient—he needed more artillery support, he needed the assistance of the Dahua military...

An officer from the Qin Army, wearing a steel helmet, ducked into the headquarters and started immediately brushing the dust off his uniform, "Sir! The artillery position reports they can't retaliate; they only have two cannons left!"

Hearing his subordinate speak like this, the commander of the Qin Army burst out furiously, "Even with just two cannons left, they must fire! Retreating during battle is punishable by execution! Doesn't he care about his military honors? Doesn't he want his noble title anymore? Does his whole family want to die?"

The reason the Qin Army was so formidable was that they had a system of military honors. Soldiers could be promoted and even receive noble titles by distinguishing themselves on the battlefield, advancing to another class.

This reward mechanism encouraged the Qin soldiers to bravely advance in combat, naturally making them much more formidable than other nations. Coupled with the very strict disciplinary system of the Qin Army, their bravery was well known far and wide.

Compared to the Dahua Empire and the likes of Zheng Country, Qin Country was established in the northwest; its people were fierce, and the nobility was skilled in combat, creating a national system that was overall more progressive and flexible.

Simply put, Qin Country was similar to early nomadic tribes where everyone played rather clean and straightforward, about honoring and rewarding based on merits without much trickery, hence a higher efficiency and smoother operation.

The officer who entered later took off his steel helmet, tousled his short hair, and walked to the front before saying, "Isn't it a bit late to talk about this now? With the grand display made by the Tang Army, surely they wouldn't have done this just to shell us a bit for amusement, right?"

The leading commander was somewhat uncertain because previous attacks by the Tang Army hadn't involved such intense artillery preparation, so he hesitated to send the troops in: "Isn't it a bit too soon to send in the main forces to hold the positions?"

The later-arriving officer shook his head and reminded, "If it's too late, we might not have enough time... Right now, no one knows if the Tang Army has truly started their attack."

He had witnessed how the Tang Army coordinated their infantry and tanks—the artillery never ceased, tanks and armored vehicles pushed forward rapidly, giving the Qin Army no time to prepare.

If the bravery of the Qin Army had indeed caused significant trouble for the Tang Army, then the skilled warfare of the Tang Army had also left a deep impression on the Qin forces.

Qin commanders had never before encountered such a formidable adversary; when they fought savage orcs in the far northwest, they had never encountered such difficulties.

Where would orcs have so many cannons? Where would there be skies filled with planes? Where would there be machine guns that sounded like fabric being ripped, making one's heart and flesh tremble?

Nodding in agreement, feeling it prudent to be cautious, the Qin commander immediately adopted the suggestion: "Send one battalion to check it out!... Wait! Two battalions! Push forward! If Tang Army attacks, immediately send someone back to report!"

Upon hearing the order, the officer who had just entered knew he had to relay the order again, so he placed his steel helmet back on his head and loudly acknowledged, "Yes!"

"And what about Dahua's artillery? Go find the liaison officer from Dahua! If they don't open fire to retaliate, on behalf of his superior, I'll chop his head off!" Somewhat irritable, the commander of the Qin Army added another line: "It seems the telephone lines have been cut; you'll have to run there again."

In his opinion, those cowardly Dahua people, who only relied on their country's wealth, superior equipment, and large populations, truly did not deserve so much fertile land; they did not deserve to be the sovereign over their Qin Country!

After having put on his steel helmet again, the officer nodded: "I'm on it!"