Munitions Empire-Chapter 1209 - 1129 New Island Landing

On April 28, the Great Tang Empire Navy assembled in the southern waters of New Island. The Shen Army’s forward observers on the beach noticed the massive fleet of Tang Army warships.

A Shen Army soldier sprinted along the trench, startling his comrades crouched in the bunker. Then, everyone saw nearly the entire horizon filled with Tang Navy warships.

"It’s not good! Not good! The Tang Army fleet! The Tang Army fleet!" he shouted loudly while running.

Those sleepy-eyed Shen Army soldiers, peeking out from their trenches, were immediately startled awake by the spine-chilling sight before them.

Countless warships were turning their turrets on the distant horizon. The dark muzzle of their massive cannons pointed menacingly toward New Island.

As dawn barely broke, deafening artillery fire commenced. Shells rained down onto the already battered Shen Army’s positions, reducing their hastily repaired trenches to rubble.

The fire-scorched trees were blown sky-high again, and the underground bunkers were destroyed one by one by the explosive force of large-caliber shells.

No wooden or sandbagged bunkers could withstand the strike of naval artillery! Those repeatedly reinforced defensive structures appeared as fragile as paper under the Tang Army’s barrage.

Numerous small-caliber shells bombarded the beach, shattering warning signs indicating the minefield. The vibrations from the shells triggered nearby landmines, adding to the chaos of explosions on the shore.

Fireballs erupted across the Shen Army’s positions as explosions shook the ground. The Tang Army made no immediate attempt to land; they were intent on bombarding—relentlessly bombarding—as if their shells were limitless.

Countless shells fell, and at first, Shen Army soldiers cursed aloud. But soon, those curses became rare.

Either the ones cursing had died, or the noise drowned them out entirely. Perhaps their ears had gone deaf, or fear had robbed those surviving of the courage to swear.

Suddenly, someone noticed the dense formation of Tang bomber squadrons blotting out the sky above.

These aircraft had been carpet-bombing nearby beaches and the deep Shen Army artillery positions for days. This time, they came back to do more of the same.

Their bomb bays flung open, releasing one bomb after another. This time, instead of incendiary bombs, they dropped standard aerial bombs to assist the landing operation.

Rain-like 250-kilogram bombs exploded across Shen Army’s rear defenses. The feeble counter-attacks towards the fleet vanished instantly.

The entire Shen Army position seemed eerily silent, as if not a single soldier remained alive there, except for the sound of Tang Army’s exploding shells and the cries of Shen Army soldiers struggling amidst the bombardment.

On the sea, Tang transport vessels unloaded their soldiers, filling landing crafts with countless infantrymen. Accompanied by naval artillery, these landing crafts started to spread out.

Huey helicopters, launched from retrofitted ships, hovered above the beach, directing naval ships to accurately suppress each segment of Shen Army’s defenses.

Before everyone’s eyes, a Huey helicopter was shot down, trailing thick black smoke as it crashed onto the beach. This might be the Tang Army’s first loss of the day.

On the beach, inside a concealed machine-gun bunker, a restless Shen Goblin commander scraped at the bark of the wood supporting the bunker walls.

Next to him was a machine-gunner, who braced a Maxim heavy machine gun against his shoulder and aimed at the wide beach.

Bunkers like theirs, intact and undamaged, were few and far between. The Shen Army troops deployed near the coastline had been mostly decimated during days of relentless bombardment.

"Do you think there are enemies parachuting behind us?" a young Shen soldier timidly asked.

"I don’t know. There wasn’t any sound of guns or artillery last night, and we haven’t heard of any paratroopers arriving…" The Shen officer shook his head, speaking methodically.

Usually, he might reprimand his subordinate, but now he felt a strange desire to talk. Talking helped him slightly forget the overwhelming tension gnawing at him.

Indeed, he was exceptionally tense at this moment. The sight of the Great Tang Empire’s troops crowding the sea filled him with unprecedented pressure.

He couldn’t imagine the ferocity of the enemy once they charged ashore. Answering his subordinate’s question was, in a way, an attempt to steady himself.

"When they land, just open fire! Aim for the densest clusters of them!" After reminding his machine-gunner, the Shen officer raised a pair of binoculars and inspected the armored vehicles and amphibious tanks advancing alongside the landing crafts.

The Tang Army seemed to have learned from their previous mistakes. Earlier battles saw the armored vehicles and tanks arrive late due to sailing speed issues, depriving the landing troops of timely support and resulting in higher casualties among the initial wave.

This time, the Tang Army ensured their tanks and armored vehicles departed early, guaranteeing that tanks and infantry landed together. These armored units would provide immediate and effective protection for the infantry.

"Yes, sir!" The machine-gunner aimed at a landing craft heading directly toward him, poised to fire the moment its passengers disembarked.

But soon, a cloud of white smoke obscured his vision as a choking smell filled the air. Smoke grenades launched from Tang warships began obscuring everything nearby.

"Cough! Cough!" Despite Tang Army’s use of smoke grenades during the South Island landing, Shen forces still lacked any effective countermeasures. Soldiers clutched their mouths, hacking dry coughs, unable to see anything on the beach.

"Damn it! Cough, cough!" Covering his mouth, the frustrated Shen officer cursed as he coughed incessantly within the confined bunker. He and his machine-gunner couldn’t see any targets nor suppress the advancing enemy.

Blind firing proved useless, but the furious Goblin officer shouted out an order: "Open fire! Don’t aim—just keep firing!"

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!" Muzzle flashes burst forth from the bunker’s firing ports as the machine-gun’s roar echoed through the thick fog. Shen soldiers didn’t know who they were attacking, but they had no other options.

On the beach, Tang landing craft lowered their front ramps. Tang soldiers, who had awaited this moment, surged onto the shore, trudging through the damp sands, advancing painstakingly forward.

Countless craters assured that enemy minefields were disrupted, though unlucky soldiers still stepped on remaining landmines and were blasted off their feet. Engineers cleared paths with detonators, each echoing blast kicking sand into the air, provoking curses from nearby Tang infantry.

Naval artillery continued ceaselessly. The piercing whistle of shells slicing the sky kept everyone jittery.

Explosions boomed from unseen distances. Tracer bullets occasionally tore through the smoke, sending shocked soldiers scrambling in confusion.

The shrill sound of whistles urging movement echoed continuously. Passing officers dragged panic-stricken soldiers off the ground, pointing them forward, shouting orders to keep going.

Compared to the previous landing operation, the 9th Group Army displayed noticeable professionalism this time. The Navy Marine Corps’ Type-63 amphibious tanks had reached the shore, forming solid flanking protection alongside Type-77 amphibious armored vehicles.

"Inform the Navy! Adjust fire! Adjust fire! Coordinate parameters plus five! Coordinate parameters plus five!" A radio operator, kneeling on one knee, worked with a liaison officer to direct naval artillery fire.

Tang soldiers advancing on the beach were now in danger of friendly fire from continued naval bombardment. The smoke was too thick for naval observers to see clearly.

Having the experience of a prior operation, Tang soldiers avoided the chaotic congestion on the beach and swiftly utilized tanks and armored vehicles to breach barbed wire and close in on Shen Army trenches.

Compared to the nearly intact South Island coastal defenses, New Island’s defenses were rudimentary and severely damaged: craters sprawled everywhere, wooden machine-gun bunkers were easily destroyed and suppressed.

The Shen Army troops scattered across their ruined trenches could hardly mount an effective resistance. Tang forces shattered Shen’s first line of defense at minimal cost.

As the smoke cleared slightly, the beleaguered Shen officer in the bunker finally assessed the situation: directly ahead of his position sat a Tang tank. On the flanks, Tang infantry had already engaged Shen troops in close combat.

"We’re running out of ammo… sir," the machine-gunner said despairingly as he noted the empty ammo boxes around him.

The trenches were destroyed, and the resupply lines seemed utterly unclear. Tang troops were right in front of them, yet they hadn’t even truly fought back. The defensive line seemed on the verge of collapse!

Those imagined scenes of mowing down enemies endlessly on the beach, bodies piling up, simply never materialized. The minefield they had depended on seemed to barely impact the advancing Tang Army!

Instead of being stalled on the beach for a bloodbath, the enemy rushed effortlessly into Shen Army positions after a ruthless naval and air assault!

Despairing, the Shen officer watched as a Type-63 amphibious tank crushed a trench beside his bunker. He could do nothing but pull out his pistol, prepared to fight to the bitter end.

A hand grenade rolled into the bunker, causing wide-eyed panic and horrified screams. The next moment, the grenade exploded, releasing black smoke from the bunker’s firing ports.

Tang soldiers lying prone around the area rose to their feet. On the distant high ground, the Tang Dragon Banner was seen proudly hoisted.