Munitions Empire-Chapter 1213: The Wisdom of the Great Power 1133

Great Tang Empire, Chang’an.

Tang Mo sat in his office, listening to the battle report on the recent naval battle at New Island. The Mirage troops had employed a troublesome suicide speedboat tactic, and the Tang Army paid a heavy price during the night battle.

The first challenge was that these targets were too small, making them very difficult to aim at during nighttime operations. Moreover, they appeared in overwhelming numbers, making them extremely hard to deal with.

The second issue was that the presence of these speedboats forced the Tang Army to remain vigilant at night, which greatly impacted the combat efficiency of the landing fleet.

"If they manage to get close to the landing zone, those defenseless cargo ships will be attacked. That would be a disaster, with many ships either sunk or severely damaged," said Luff, filled with concern, to Tang Mo.

"This is just the beginning," Tang Mo chuckled. The enemy was still relying on Zero Fighters and suicide speedboats for attacks, which, on a battlefield comparable to World War II levels, amounted to no more than the initial stage of kamikaze squads.

When it develops further, they might use rocket engines to create manned missiles or employ submarine technologies to develop Kaiten torpedoes... That would truly be an endless stream of tricks.

So, Tang Mo shared with Luff two potential suicide weapons that might appear on a large scale in the future, leaving the Empire’s Chief of Staff even more worried.

Both the Navy and Air Force of the Great Tang Empire would undoubtedly face new challenges, which was unquestionably bad news for the military.

Tang Mo smiled and consoled Luff, saying, "There’s nothing to worry about. We will also introduce more advanced weapons to let the enemy understand that these crooked paths will ultimately lead nowhere!"

The Great Tang Empire already had missiles in its arsenal, so so-called manned rockets were merely backward technologies: those things aren’t even faster than the J-6 fighter jets, so why the fear?

With the iterative advancement of missile destroyer technology, intercepting subsonic missiles would become relatively easy, and the so-called suicide planes were simply a joke.

Once the Great Tang Aegis cruisers began patrolling the seas, all those bizarre tactics would become utterly useless.

"Let’s stop worrying about those pathetic suicide speedboats for now. Let’s hear about the 9th Group Army’s progress." Clearly, Tang Mo wasn’t taking this desperate struggle to heart.

After all, it wasn’t worth the attention: the emergence of such tragic, mutually destructive tactics only proved that the enemy had exhausted all their strategies.

During times of advantage, who would waste their efforts extensively developing such talent-wasting approaches to warfare? In Tang Mo’s view, advanced weapons were readily available, but warriors capable of overcoming the fear of death were truly invaluable treasures.

These individuals should be placed in more critical roles, where their courage and determination could be put to greater use—not piloting speedboats or aircraft into suicidal missions against the enemy.

"General Feng Kezhi certainly is a talent," Luff remarked emotionally. "His learning speed in logistics and supply chains is remarkable, and his understanding of troop maneuvering... is even better than many veteran commanders."

To serve as a Great General for a nation, one was certainly no ordinary person. General Feng Kezhi failed because his nation fell behind in progress, not because he himself was incompetent.

After undergoing systematic training and gaining a degree of practical combat experience, the command capabilities he demonstrated were indeed top-notch.

"After occupying Antian Village, the 9th Group Army’s armored vanguard shifted northward, directly clashing with the main forces of Mirage’s 3rd Corps. A fierce battle broke out near Duan Mountain." Luff pointed to a specific location on the map laid out on the table. "Shenwu Erlang didn’t have time for urban combat in Duan Mountain’s city center and was pushed out by Feng Kezhi’s troops. Now, we’ve occupied that area, and by advancing eastward along the railway, we’ll reach Xinshui Port, where Shenwu Sixteen is located."

Xinshui Port wasn’t particularly large. Mirage’s largest port was still Great Southern Bay, followed by Shen Capital, the capital of Mirage. Xinshui Port was merely the third largest port, with a throughput that was only half that of Great Southern Bay.

However, for New Island, Xinshui Port was indeed critical: A large volume of resources needed to be unloaded at this port, while materials from New Island also required transport through it.

Unlike Great Southern Bay, which was on the southern side of South Island, Xinshui Port was situated on the eastern side of New Island. In reality, Tang Army had already blocked its access, leaving the port crowded with fishing boats and cargo ships unable to set sail.

Fortunately, Xinshui Port had its own artillery batteries, and the main Tang fleet was focused on covering landings, leaving a destroyer flotilla to blockade the area without storming the batteries, thus temporarily maintaining a semblance of safety.

"I’m confident in handing the battlefield over to Feng Kezhi." Tang Mo nodded approvingly. Clearly, the personnel he had dug up from the Dahua Empire were of excellent quality.

Recently, the Great Tang Empire’s development had accelerated significantly, due in no small part to the contributions of "Hua-affiliated" ministers. Vice Premier Chu Muzhou was mature and cautious with extensive experience, and Chief of Staff Chen Jing was making tremendous strides, while even Jiang Run from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had revealed an unprecedented level of cunning, dragging the diplomatic style of the Great Tang Empire significantly further into the realm of shamelessness.

This made Tang Mo regret missing out on Shen Chuan. If Shen Chuan had been placed in the position of Minister of National Defense, their brilliance might have shone equally brightly.

"What troubles me are the problems that might arise from the millions of Mirage civilians." When Tang Mo uttered this concern, Luff’s expression subtly shifted as well.

Both of them fully understood that to fully control South Island and New Island and prevent goblins from infiltrating the Great Tang Empire and becoming its "citizens," they had to drive out or even eliminate the goblins inhabiting South Island and New Island.

Thus... if they needed to expel or eradicate these goblins, then resistance would inevitably follow. The small-scale uprisings happening on South Island were just the beginning, and subsequent eruptions of trouble would come quickly.

Shen Wuxiong, who had long pledged allegiance to the Great Tang Empire and served as a loyal Mirage collaborator, was now being groomed as a future "leader" of Mirage. He and Shen Wenmao were staunchly devoted to the Great Tang Empire, and indeed, they had no other choice.

"Shen Wuxiong and Shen Wenmao both understand our intentions. If they perform well, then the goblins will have the opportunity to continue living on Northern Island... But if they fail, then the Northern Island reserve zone will cease to exist," Luff explained to Tang Mo.

"They certainly realize that the best interests of the goblins are tied to their own actions. Both of them understand this very clearly." Having served as the Empire’s Chief of Staff for so many years, Luff still had unwavering confidence.

In fact, the Great Tang Empire had a backup plan: supporting a puppet member of the Mirage royal family during the invasion and eliminating Shen Wuxiong and Shen Wenmao.

The criteria for selection were simple: Whoever was more obedient to the Great Tang Empire and whoever demonstrated even a hint of proactive action would be chosen.

For now, Shen Wuxiong and Shen Wenmao were equally matched, both working hard to prove themselves. Their brutality toward the goblin civilians of Mirage far exceeded the Great Tang Empire’s expectations.

Since they couldn’t decide between the two, the solution was not to choose at all. Tang Mo now preferred to keep both of them, assigning each a suitable position.

Under Tang Mo’s plan, Shen Wenmao and Shen Wuxiong would become Mirage’s "President" and "Prime Minister," respectively, dividing power between them and keeping each other in check, allowing Mirage to fully experience the "joys of democracy."

As for the side effects like political instability or ineffective governance—that was none of his concern. After all, it was merely a vassal state of the Great Tang Empire; whoever ascended to power was still subordinate to Tang Country.

"I’m considering whether it’s better to kill fewer and leave them with a population burden, or to kill more and control the population base." Tang Mo wasn’t suddenly moved by compassion; he was weighing how to manage Mirage.

The moment he decided to invade Mirage, the concept of mercy had vanished entirely from Tang Mo’s mind. He had far too much to consider, and mercy had no place among those concerns. After all, isn’t the idea of mercy in the mind of a war initiator itself a joke?

"Your Majesty, this isn’t exactly my area of expertise," Luff said, chuckling wryly. "You might want to consult the Vice Premier on this matter."

Tang Mo suddenly realized he had a wealth of advisors at his disposal, especially Chu Muzhou, an old man who had once steered a massive empire.

So, he promptly summoned Chu Muzhou. Upon hearing the question, Chu Muzhou nodded and offered a very reasonable answer: "Your Majesty! If the impact of a decision is unclear, sometimes it’s better to refrain and wait."

"The Orcs will face the same issue on Ben Island... They’ll also have a choice: to kill the goblins or send them to Northern Island... If they choose to relocate them to Northern Island, then so will we. The population pressure will keep the goblins impoverished." As a seasoned veteran, Chu Muzhou’s strategies reflected shrewdness and maturity. freewēbnoveℓ.com

He paused briefly before continuing, "If the Orcs kill, then we kill as well, reducing the goblin population to a dangerous level. In the short term, they’ll pose no threat whatsoever."

Evidently, this former Prime Minister, who once oversaw an empire’s affairs, had his unique insights. The lack of a platform for his abilities—certainly not the absence of cunning schemes—didn’t mean he was without a wealth of crafty ideas.

Tang Mo nodded, agreeing that Chu Muzhou’s approach was indeed excellent. All he needed now was to wait for a result—wait for the outcome on Ben Island.

"What about during this period..." Tang Mo asked further.

Chu Muzhou chuckled, "Your Majesty, I think... Choosing the future leader of Mirage is indeed a challenge; patience and observation are key... Shen Wuxiong is a fine talent, and Shen Wenmao is equally impressive. Examining their character and integrity thoroughly before making a decision is the way forward, isn’t it?"

This essentially meant leaving the mess for the goblins themselves to sort out and slaughter their way to an outcome. Tang Mo nodded, realizing that for a massive empire, waiting might indeed be wiser than making a premature decision.

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