Munitions Empire-Chapter 1179: Airport on the Sea 1099

"The prisoners have all been interrogated. They are not from the 2nd Corps but from the 3rd Corps," a military officer reported as he entered the temporary command post set up inside the airport building, addressing the battalion commander who was studying a map.

"Does this mean the enemy reinforcements have already arrived from New Island?" The battalion commander frowned and asked. He truly hadn’t anticipated the enemy reinforcements coming this quickly.

"Yes. He said he was woken up the night before last and sent to the ship. Before that, their station was on New Island," the officer in charge of the interrogation nodded and replied.

The battalion commander in charge of frontline command rubbed his nose. "Report this situation up the chain! Additionally... let’s rest here for a few hours until our follow-up troops catch up."

Encountering new enemy troops meant encountering new variables. He dared not advance recklessly, opting instead to await orders from higher command.

The Tang Army was accustomed to forming hybrid combat teams for their frontline offensives. These teams had their reconnaissance vehicles, tanks, and infantry and artillery units in large numbers to support the tanks.

With the addition of planes in the sky, these combat teams could independently accomplish many tasks, possessing highly flexible battlefield operational capabilities.

These combat teams were often structured based on a regiment model, including a tank battalion, an infantry battalion, corresponding artillery units, and an assortment of other forces, such as an armored reconnaissance company.

Leveraging the exaggerated combat skills of their lower-ranking officers and soldiers, along with a communications system far ahead of its time, the Tang Army’s tactics proved exceptionally effective against weaker opponents.

During the wait for orders, the troops enjoyed a fairly sumptuous lunch. By the afternoon, after receiving orders, they resumed their offensive, advancing another 70 kilometers in one breath.

In the afternoon, air support for the 9th Group Army from the Tang Navy’s Stukas increased from 40 to 80 planes. These aircraft ensured continuous air support for the Tang Army throughout their offensive.

By evening, when they paused, they had already annihilated the vanguard forces of the Shen Country’s 3rd Corps, which they had encountered head-on.

"It appears that there are indeed competent individuals on the Shen Country’s side," General Feng Kezhi remarked as he reviewed intelligence reports sent back from the front lines.

He truly hadn’t expected the Shen Country’s troops to react so swiftly, deploying the 3rd Corps stationed on New Island directly to South Island. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

In fact, this maneuver had been a part of Shen Country’s pre-planned strategy, which they executed with remarkable speed. Aside from the exceptional redeployment of the 3rd Corps from New Island to South Island, the Shen Country’s forces performed woefully during the Tang Army’s landing, abysmally so.

Although the addition of another corps of enemy troops posed no significant pressure to the Tang Army, the doubling of enemy strength did make General Feng Kezhi acknowledge the Shen Country’s commanders with slight respect.

"They’re all light infantry, not much of a threat. Though the 9th Armored Division was momentarily startled, they paused for an hour before resuming their offensive in the afternoon," the adjutant explained to Feng Kezhi.

After finishing his explanation, he added, "Then the 9th Armored Division advanced another 70 kilometers."

"Have them halt temporarily. They’ve already approached the boundaries of the bombing zones we coordinated with the air force. Continuing the advance may lead to friendly fire incidents," Feng Kezhi instructed, slightly unaccustomed. This was the first time he had commanded troops advancing so rapidly.

Additionally, coordinating with the air force felt foreign to him. In the past, how could he have ever imagined holding air superiority? Not being suppressed from the skies by the enemy had been considered fortunate enough.

…

Elsewhere, Shenwu Erlang finally witnessed the ferocity of the Tang Army. His troops had initially been ordered to move southward to rendezvous with Shenwu Zhong, but along the way, they encountered the Tang Army’s tanks.

At first, Shenwu Erlang believed that his strong forces were capable of breaking through the defensive lines of the Tang Army’s armored units.

However, his initial attack ended in failure. His troops were swiftly routed by the advancing Tang Country armored corps, forcing them to retreat all the way back to the airport labeled as "Runway 5" on the Tang Army’s maps.

Shenwu Erlang had deployed an entire regiment at the airport, over 1,500 troops! This regiment was supposed to be elite within the 3rd Corps, with considerable combat capability.

Yet, the battle lasted only until noon, barely over an hour. His regiment was utterly defeated. After suffering approximately 400 casualties, the Shen Army could no longer hold their ground, and the airport fell into Tang Army hands.

Enraged and humiliated, Shenwu Erlang executed the regiment’s commander on the grounds of poor performance in combat. Little did he know, this was just the beginning of his nightmare.

That afternoon, the relentless Stuka Dive Bombers finally found their way to him. At this moment, he realized just how overwhelmingly oppressive the Tang Country’s aircraft could be.

Dozens of Stukas swarmed over him. Even Shenwu Erlang’s personal vehicle was destroyed in a bombing. He narrowly escaped death by sheer luck, as he wasn’t inside the vehicle when it was struck.

Under the cover of these aircraft, Tang Army tanks advanced another 70 kilometers before halting. They continued their march over the corpses of soldiers from the Shen Country’s 3rd Corps!

On this day, however, Shen Country did manage to score a notable milestone. Their first suicide plane successfully penetrated the Tang Army’s defensive perimeter and crashed within their core area.

Although it didn’t cause any damage and failed to ram into any Tang warships, it sent back an incredibly vital piece of intel: the pilot of the aircraft had personally witnessed a Tang Country aircraft carrier!

Indeed, this Shen pilot fortuitously saw the Tang Country carrier and reported this information to his superiors.

In addition, another Shen pilot observed that the Tang Army was constructing floating docks… These structures, stretched across the beaches, were massive and impossible to miss.

Thus, by the third afternoon of the Tang Army’s landing, Shen Country finally uncovered the secret behind the Tang aircraft’s ability to reach South Island: the Tang planes were, in fact, taking off from ships!

After learning this secret, Shen Country’s high command found themselves powerless to respond. Their fleet had already been utterly destroyed, leaving them with no means to deal with the Tang naval forces at sea.

Surprisingly, this revelation even provided a slight solace to Shen Country’s high command. They had previously worried that the Tang Army might repair and utilize captured airports to support their frontline operations.

But now, they worried less. After all, the Tang Navy had brought its own mobile runways. Those ground-based airports likely weren’t as crucial for the Tang Army anymore.

"To think, they could conceive the idea of building a runway on a warship…" Shen Haiping, a Shen admiral still unaware of what an aircraft carrier was called, mused aloud. It was a concept he could never have envisioned.

"This doesn’t add up… They can’t possibly only have one of such warships!" Realizing the implications, Shen Haiping immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.

By any calculation, the Tang couldn’t have achieved such rapid aircraft deployment with just one carrier. It was impossible!

In stark contrast to the Tang forces, South Island now had only one functioning airport, and the resulting drop in sortie efficiency for Shen aircraft was glaringly evident.

Thus, the Tang Army must possess multiple carriers—possibly as many as a dozen. With so many sea-based runways, it was no wonder the Tang forces could deploy enough planes to dominate South Island’s skies.

"The question now is whether we can find a way to destroy those sea-based runways…" Shen Wen Dabo interjected, realizing the stakes.

"Don’t even think about it. The enemy doesn’t only have this one new type of weapon. They’ve hidden too many futuristic weapons, which is why we suffered such crushing losses in the naval battle," Shen Haiping replied bitterly to Shen Wen Dabo’s suggestion.

Recalling the incidents, bitterness soaked his words. The Tang forces had night-precision weapons capable of accurately striking warships, and now warships capable of launching aircraft... With so many innovations, it was little wonder his primary fleet had been annihilated.

"Fresh reports indicate that Shenwu Erlang’s forces have also suffered massive losses! The enemy is already nearing the island’s central region! Now, the only question is… can we hold Great Southern Bay?" Shenwu Ke, the Shen Army’s general, stiffened as he delivered this grim assessment.

His troops had performed abysmally. Shenwu Erlang’s 3rd Corps had lost Runway 5 and significant swathes of the island’s central areas. Tang forces had seized every key location they wanted with little effort. Meanwhile, the island’s defenders had effectively been split in two: the northern 3rd Corps and the southern 2nd Corps within Great Southern Bay.

"But… even if Shenwu Zhong holds Great Southern Bay… those floating docks near the beaches… the enemy can still land reinforcements!" Shen Wenxin pointed out. "Our assumptions were all wrong. The Tang forces don’t need Great Southern Bay at all!"

"Even if the enemy has alternative ways to land, Shenwu Zhong must hold Great Southern Bay at all costs! Hold for a day if possible, an hour if necessary!" The Shen Emperor suddenly intervened. "From this moment onward, every city and village must be turned to scorched earth before being abandoned!"

"Moreover, deploy more suicide planes! Target Tang warships—especially those sea-based runways!" After a pause, he added, "No matter what, we must destroy this enemy fleet! Otherwise, their soldiers will keep flooding onto South Island!"

He turned to Shen Haiping. "Expedite the production of those small assault boats you mentioned! Spare no expense. Find a way to eliminate Tang’s navy! Furthermore, conscript every capable soldier. The fate of Shen Country hinges on this battle. Even if we lose South Island, we must hold on to the remaining three islands!"

"Yes!" Shen Wen Dabo, Shen Wenxin, and General Shenwu Ke lowered their heads in acknowledgment.

"Yes!" Admiral Shen Haiping also bowed in agreement.