Munitions Empire-Chapter 1167 - 1087 Shen Haiping’s good idea

The torpedoes launched by the Tang Army’s destroyers were not just a few. More than twenty destroyers from multiple directions fired at least 120 torpedoes at the Mirage Country fleet in one go.

The depth settings for these torpedoes were relatively deep, as the Tang Army’s destroyers paid no attention to the small fry scattered around the Mirage Country fleet.

Their targets were the big ships—they were aiming to finish off those Mirage Country battleships and heavy cruisers!

The Mirage Country Navy, which had been focused on countering the Tang Army’s anti-ship missile offensive, had indeed become lenient about the situation on the sea surface. In reality, they couldn’t continuously monitor the sea surface in poor visibility conditions.

The Tang Army was completely different. Even without anti-ship missiles, their warships were equipped with radars, enabling them to approximate the other’s speed and direction, and calculate their relative positions.

Furthermore, due to the anti-ship missile attacks, the formation of the Mirage Country fleet became elongated and sluggish—a formation that was highly susceptible to torpedo ambushes.

After a cruiser was struck by a torpedo, there was no time to make evasive maneuvers before yet another Mirage Country battleship was hit by two torpedoes, simultaneously exploding at both the bow and the stern.

Tragically, this battleship had already been hit by an anti-ship missile earlier, and efforts to extinguish the fire in the midsection of the ship had just been completed when water started pouring into the front and rear sections.

The entire battleship began listing to one side, and without even a moment’s respite, the sailors aboard had to resume emergency repairs.

Being hit a second time rendered this battleship virtually incapable of continuing the fight, and under its current condition, there was doubt whether it could escape the range of Tang Army’s carrier-based aircraft after daybreak.

At this moment, the remaining warships of the Mirage Country Navy finally snapped out of their inertia and started evading the incoming torpedoes. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

The fleet’s lights shifted from pointing toward the sky back to the ocean surface, as everyone looked for the white lines in the seawater—until another warship was struck...

This had become purely a matter of luck: Torpedo trails at night were inherently difficult to detect, and with the fleet in disarray, evasion became even more challenging.

Fortunately, due to the "zigzag maneuvers" ordered to avoid the Styx Missiles, the Mirage Country Navy warships unintentionally dodged many of the incoming torpedoes.

This was an unforeseen blessing—Mirage Country Fleet Commander Shen Haifeng probably never imagined that his random order for the fleet to use serpentine evasive maneuvers against anti-ship missiles would accidentally help his fleet escape the torpedo barrage.

Yet, luck is always a matter of probability, and quite a few warships were still hit by torpedoes. Unlike anti-ship missiles that damaged a ship’s superstructure, torpedoes fundamentally affected a ship’s propulsion—the ones struck by torpedoes mostly lost speed and could no longer advance.

...

At the main headquarters on Ben Island in Mirage Country, the decision-makers, after ignoring Shen Haifeng’s request to withdraw damaged warships, were discussing their next move.

Using the fleet to gamble the nation’s fate was one option, but passively awaiting their doom was something no one could accept.

Thus, Shenwu Ke and Shen Haiping, the two generals, joined Shen Emperor in a conversation about Mirage Country’s upcoming preparations for war.

Shenwu Ke spoke first: "We now need more anti-aircraft guns to deal with the impending Tang Army aerial bombardments. Additionally, we need more radars to provide early warnings…"

The battle of South Island had largely been lost due to Mirage Country’s failure to maintain air superiority. If they didn’t learn their lesson, the other islands would fall even faster.

Previously, their reliance was on Zero Fighters, but who could’ve anticipated that the Great Tang Empire could cross the sea and bring in fighter jets to compete with the Zero Fighters for air supremacy?

Now, with South Island fallen, Tang Army would soon build airfields on the island, further bolstering the Tang Nation Air Force’s dominance.

Butcher Fighter Jets, Flying Fortress Bombers, Yir Attack Aircraft, combined with those enigmatic bombers that zipped through the air like the wind—the Tang Army’s aerial advantage would only grow stronger.

After addressing the need for anti-aircraft guns and radars, Shenwu Ke transitioned to the topic of soldiers: "In addition, we also require more soldiers deployed to defend against enemy landings along potential invasion fronts… These areas must be fortified…"

With the Tang Army nearing full control of South Island, they could launch attacks against other islands from closer proximity than before.

Under such circumstances, Mirage Country’s troops needed to be heavily deployed on the remaining three islands. The existing army size was insufficient for such needs.

As Shenwu Ke explained further: "Our previous underestimation of Tang Army’s ability to conduct amphibious assaults across the sea has led to this predicament. We probably need to construct at least another 1,000 kilometers of fortifications to secure each island properly."

Having said this, he added: "Apart from anti-aircraft guns, all cities must start digging cellars and air-raid shelters… to mitigate the effects of enemy bombings on urban areas."

Shen Emperor suddenly felt a pang of annoyance—his treasury was already depleted, and now there were demands for this and that; it felt as if his life was being drained.

Yet he understood that Shenwu Ke’s concerns were legitimate and had to be addressed. Thus, he stood there silently, listening as Shenwu Ke listed his various requests.

After reflecting on his proposals, Shenwu Ke also recalled the issue of South Island’s bombed airfields and voiced another concern: "Additionally, the airfields need defensive measures! We previously failed to anticipate enemy aircraft bombings, leaving our planes parked under simple hangars. This situation is unacceptable—those hangars must be fortified immediately! Also, the airstrips themselves must be camouflaged to minimize damage from enemy bombing. The sooner, the better!"

Neither the army nor the air force had made any serious defense preparations before, leaving airfields and planes exposed or housed under mere sun shelters.

This negligence had allowed the Tang Army to devastate Mirage Country’s airfields and aircraft, crippling their aerial forces considerably.

Thus, Shenwu Ke emphasized the construction of concealed and reinforced airfields to enhance their resilience against attacks.

"As for ground forces, we need more tanks, armored vehicles, anti-tank guns… We need a significant number of landmines… and every anti-tank weapon we can manufacture." Shenwu Ke’s speech became increasingly fluid; he seemed to believe all of his demands could actually be fulfilled.

But in reality, with Mirage Country’s current industrial capacity, even producing one-fifth or one-tenth of the requested equipment would be considered miraculous given how hard their workers were already pushing themselves.

The issue was that even if Mirage Country’s workers worked day and night, where would they source the raw materials? The Ice Cold Empire, which had been their primary supplier, was now embroiled in a war with the Elves, leaving them struggling for their own steel and copper needs—how could they possibly ship resources to Mirage Country?

As for whether Tang Army would seal off sea trade routes once their navy was decimated, that was a risk Mirage Country’s leaders chose to overlook for now.

"The army also needs more heavy artillery, more shells… and more planes. Even if their performance falls short of our opponents’, we still need more Zero Fighters… and their pilots." By this point, Shenwu Ke realized he had asked for an overwhelming amount, and his voice gradually softened before he stopped speaking altogether.

Shen Emperor turned his cold gaze toward Navy Admiral Shen Haiping, who had remained silent throughout, and asked, "Anything else? Speak it all out."

"Regarding the navy, we need to focus on developing more practical equipment! At this stage, it’s already too late to think about replenishing our main battleships. Our national capacity won’t allow us to rebuild a large-scale fleet anyway." Unlike Shenwu Ke, Shen Haiping was more radical and imaginative. He knew rebuilding the navy was impossible, so he proposed an alternative plan.

He boldly stated, "I propose prioritizing the production of speedboats powered by gasoline engines, with speeds preferably exceeding 50 kilometers per hour! These speedboats would be packed with explosives, piloted by courageous soldiers, and rammed into enemy ships!"

"Hmm?" To Shen Emperor, this idea seemed more practical than Shenwu Ke’s long list of needs, and he grew intrigued by Shen Haiping’s plan.

After outlining this daring strategy, Shen Haiping added another point: "This is the only way to compensate for our lack of fighting power! I hope the army will come up with similar tactics—like flying planes loaded with explosives and crashing them into Tang Army warships. One plane for one warship!"

"Is this really necessary?" Shenwu Ke was momentarily caught off guard.

"It’s absolutely necessary! Only by doing this can we prevent our nation’s collapse and extinction!" Shen Haiping resolutely declared.

Shen Emperor found this reckless plan satisfactory—it was realistic within the current constraints. So, he ordered, "Then let’s settle it! Form two special units under the command of each of you respectively!"

As the two generals stood at attention and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty," an officer sprinted over and handed them a telegram: "Your Majesty! Shen Haifeng just sent an urgent message—enemy forces launched a torpedo attack… The fleet has suffered heavy losses!"

"What?!" Shen Emperor snatched the telegram and read it carefully: Mirage Country had already lost five battleships, and the Tang Army’s landing fleet was only one hour’s distance away from the landing site.

"Reply immediately! Tell Shen Haifeng to advance toward the landing site at all costs! Eliminate the Tang Army’s landing fleet!" Shen Emperor gritted his teeth and issued the command, seemingly grasping hope from that one-hour distance.

However, what Shen Emperor didn’t realize was that before Shen Haifeng could receive the reply, another battleship had been damaged by a Styx Anti-ship Missile, and a cruiser had been sunk...

Furthermore, standing between Shen Haifeng and the Great Tang Empire’s landing fleet were two heavily armed battleships, ready for battle!

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End of Update