Munitions Empire-Chapter 1180 - 1100 complex landing materials

"According to the usual course of action, we should be constantly transporting soldiers to the shore by now." On a transport ship, a sailor gazed at the busy beach in the distance and spoke to his companion.

Their transport ship had a displacement of about 12,000 tons, a remarkably large vessel. Yet within the fleet, it was a veritable tiny adorable matchbox when compared to other transport ships exceeding 30,000 tons.

This ship had a rather peculiar cargo to transport—not grains or rice, nor ammunition or weapons, and certainly not soldiers… it carried cement meant for road construction, as well as some engineering machinery.

The massive cranes aboard the ship were transferring cement packed in nets onto smaller transport boats, as its draft prevented the vessel from getting close to the shore.

Although the Great Tang Empire had already begun mainstreaming container ships, traditional transport vessels still occupied a large swath of the transportation market.

Transport ships retired from use by the Great Tang Group often ended up in second-hand markets; these vessels, though only about a decade old, still appeared relatively new, and plenty of buyers were willing to invest.

Maritime shipping companies affiliated with the Bailu Group or other Great Tang Empire-controlled conglomerates often purchased these vessels, allowing these less-efficient ships to serve additional purposes.

The proliferation of new things always takes time, and aged items rendered obsolete by new technologies don’t necessarily fade away instantly. They continue to be utilized, enduring until the end of days.

Just think, the Mosin-Nagant Rifle had better replacements available as early as the 1950s, yet some nations were still using it up until the 1980s… this is the true world, a painfully harsh one.

When mocking your own country’s outdated infantry equipment, remember: half of the world’s military forces still wield World War II-era weapons. When laughing at your own country’s inability to manufacture cutting-edge jet engines, consider that fewer than five countries worldwide can independently produce excellent ones…

On the distant beach, a floating dock capable of accommodating ships had already been constructed. However, it was not yet long enough nor large enough for bigger vessels to dock.

Shallow-draft transport boats were now able to unload cargo at the floating dock, while newly landed soldiers moonlighted as dockworkers, busily unloading goods on the shore.

As more troops landed, increasingly diverse supplies and equipment were sent ashore. The materials required by the landing forces were astonishingly varied, including customized folding tables and chairs, as well as portable military beds.

With the aid of a reinforced concrete fortress, the Tang Army managed to set up a sprawling field hospital, featuring over 300 beds and even two dedicated operating rooms! The hospital was fully equipped, boasting sterilization units as well.

Each hospital bed came with an IV stand and foldable stools serving as bedside tables. To make the patients more comfortable, a ship was assigned to deliver sketchbooks, books, playing cards, and mahjong tiles specifically for the landing troops.

In order to rehabilitate the airport abandoned on the island to a usable state as soon as possible, the Air Force’s specialized transport ships expedited their unloading. They occupied a floating dock, transporting specific vehicles and specialized equipment ashore.

The transfer of jet planes is no small endeavor; before flying them from point A to point B, myriad preparations must be completed at point B’s airport.

Preparations included dispatching ground crew familiar with jet planes to the site in advance, acquiring specialized tools and maintenance equipment, constructing dust-free engine maintenance workshops, and arranging copious supplies of specialized aviation oil and cables…

That’s not all — to command these jet fighters, the airport needed an entire set of communication and control systems, including advanced high-frequency radio systems and a more intricate array of precision cables. Additionally, dispatch radars, surveillance radars, and other specialized equipment had to be installed.

Jet fighters require more sophisticated runways compared to piston-engine fighters. Piston fighters could, in extreme circumstances, take off and land on flat grass fields, whereas jet fighters necessitated reinforced ground runways.

As fighter jets grew increasingly advanced, their logistical dependencies became progressively intricate, making it a herculean challenge to deliver equipment unavailable in Mirage Country to the site.

For the landing Tang Army, this was merely the beginning: the high-grade aviation fuel they required had to be shipped in from the homeland. If Mirage Country adopted a scorched-earth policy, nearly all consumables like fuel would have to be transported from the mainland exhaustively.

Many Tang People arriving here now realized how drastically different much of the world’s nations were compared to theirs.

The roads here were a disaster; the towns and villages resembled those from Zheng and Qi Country several decades ago.

Frankly speaking, in its quest to assemble a respectable fleet, Mirage Country’s economy was undeniably strained: beyond a handful of railways, modern buildings were scant.

In stark contrast, cities like Chang’an, Linshui, and Tongcheng back in Tang Country had forests of skyscrapers in abundance.

In the Great Tang Empire, people were accustomed to suburban areas lacking city walls, to the ubiquity of highways, to dozens of stories of tall buildings, and to the picturesque allure of neon advertising boards.

But upon reaching Mirage Country, many Tang People finally understood — all the bright neon lights and countless chimneys, the vivid allure of women’s red lips and silk stockings, the pervasive cigarette smoke mingling with tailored suits and leather shoes, the bustling flow of cars and hurried pedestrians on avenues… none of it was an inherent presence.

This place lacked tens of thousands of orc laborers, as well as the railways and airports those laborers constructed. There were no endless factories here, nor the familiar, ear-splitting, yet endlessly grating mechanical roar.

"Be careful! Don’t drop anything into the sea! If this stuff falls into the water, it’ll be useless!" Leaning against the railing, a sailor shouted at the personnel aboard the smaller transport craft below.

The crew below gestured a thumbs-up in response, signaling they understood. Their smaller boat swayed up and down with the rolling waves.

The January sea breeze was still icy, though sailors accustomed to long journeys at sea already took such weather in stride. Overhead, pairs of Pirate Fighters roared by — part of the patrolling fighter squad.

Earlier this morning, an aircraft carrier and several destroyers depleted of anti-ship missiles departed the fleet, tasked with resupplying at Beiyuan Harbor and undergoing repairs.

The carrier transferred all damaged naval aircraft from its air wing, while simultaneously evacuating about 500 wounded soldiers.

As the war continued, an unending procession of ships sailed forth from Beiyuan Harbor to South Island, and likewise, Tang Army vessels departed South Island toward either Beiyuan or Linshui.

An immense flood of resources was converging upon South Island, including carefully selected orc laborers. These workers weren’t there to fight — their purpose was purely to toil.

Rather than the importance of the battle itself on South Island, the island’s foundational infrastructure was far more crucial to the Tang Army. Productivity devoid of a modern support system would severely hinder operational efficiency.

"I should have gone back." Standing on the beach and watching piles of Tang Army supplies being unloaded ashore, Shan Lu remarked with regret.

Several of his companions had already returned to Beiyuan aboard ships, where they were responsible for mobilizing 10,000 orc laborers to build their "homeland" on South Island.

"No worries — orcs have already boarded ships. Once you’re here, you must play your part. Let’s hope… they’ll be as courageous as they were in Fengjiang, and as industrious as they were in the Great Tang Empire." Lu Qianshan said with a smile to his orc friend.

"Trust me, General. Should anyone dare slack off, I’ll twist their neck and toss them into the sea!" Shan Lu declared fiercely.

Lu Qianshan laughed even louder: "General Shan Lu, do consider — everyone who crossed oceans to arrive here must perform. Killing an orc may be easy, but transporting one all the way from the Great Tang Empire… that’s quite expensive."

"Understood, General! I’ll ensure every orc contributing here does their part. They must be warriors when armed, and laborers when idle! If need be, we’ll fight for the Great Tang Empire till our deaths!" Shan Lu nodded solemnly, grasping Lu Qianshan’s meaning.

A fuel tanker truck with the Air Force insignia passed in front of the two men, prominently displaying the warning label "NO OPEN FLAMES."

Dozens of similar trucks now dotted the beach, alongside numerous personnel carriers painted with Air Force markings. In the distance, self-propelled artillery outfitted with Four-Tank chassis formed a column and underwent meticulous inspection.

Meanwhile, the Tang Army busily constructed various facilities on abandoned Mirage Country positions, such as fuel depots, ammunition stockpiles, and even a new radar surveillance station.

The newly-placed radar equipment wasn’t particularly large, with its antenna being relatively inconspicuous. Yet, its capabilities were impressively high, rivaling the performance of larger systems acquired by other nations.

With this installation, Mirage Country aircraft from northern South Island attempting to approach Tang Army’s landing zone would face significant challenges. However, establishing the radar station still required more time, as its supporting infrastructure remained under construction!

Indeed, even now, the Tang Army had yet to spot a single power plant in Mirage Country, meaning it had no choice but to build its own electricity generation facilities...

Technically, Mirage Country did have two power plants on South Island, one of them being a hydroelectric station upstream on the Greater Southern River. Regrettably, those locations were still under Mirage Country’s control for the time being.