Munitions Empire-Chapter 1216 - 1136 So be it

The Great Tang Empire’s plan to land on Ben Island was postponed, giving Shan Lu a sigh of relief. He also believed Ben Island would be difficult to attack and required more preparation time.

The Tang Navy Fleet’s two battleships had exhausted the lifespan of their gun barrels and depleted their ammunition reserves during the naval battle at New Island.

Now, both warships had returned to Dragon Island to replace their gun barrels and replenish large-caliber shells.

Although Beiyuan City also housed a dedicated ammunition depot for these two battleships, a stockpile of 1,000 shells was no small number. The reserves on Dragon Island were relatively more abundant, so the two battleships returned there under the protection of other warships.

The gun barrels of battleships don’t fail completely in an instant, but they sustain wear with every shell fired. When approaching the final rounds of their designed lifespan, it’s imperative to strictly reduce propellant charges as instructed, sacrificing range to ensure safety.

It wasn’t just the two Dongwan-class battleships; over half of the cruisers of the Great Tang Empire had also nearly expended the operational life of their gun barrels. They had fired too many shells in support of the troops across the shore, and a thorough inspection and overhaul were clearly necessary.

Consequently, the number of Tang Empire fleets near New Island and South Island had dropped to a relatively low level: aside from several destroyer flotillas, only Lu Qianshan’s aircraft carrier fleet remained.

The entire carrier fleet comprised four carriers, approximately twenty destroyers, and six or seven supply ships.

Currently, this fleet was patrolling and regrouping in the sea west of South Island, with over half of the carrier-based aircraft stationed on South Island while the pilots rested and vacationed.

Meanwhile, more than half of the enormous landing fleet had returned to ports in Dongwan, Beiyuan, and Linshui. Those remaining were anchored in Great Southern Bay, reducing the fleet’s transport capacity and land-air-sea combat capabilities by roughly half.

Should an attack on Ben Island be launched now, the primary force supporting the Orc landing operations would consist of merely four carriers and dozens of destroyers. To Shan Lu, this level of firepower seemed rather insufficient.

He was hoping the battle could be delayed until May or June so that he could gain firepower support from the two Dongwan-class battleships and wait for additional carriers to arrive.

Indeed, if he were willing to wait longer, the Tang Army could gather six carriers to replace Lu Qianshan’s carrier fleet. This would allow Shan Lu to receive more potent naval firepower support.

But in truth, Shan Lu was overly optimistic: by plan, the task of replacing the battleships’ gun barrels was no small feat and could only prepare them to rejoin the fight by August at the earliest.

After roughly half a year of consecutive operations, the 9th Group Army required recuperation, not to mention the Navy needed rest as well.

Thus, in actuality, the Tang Army was aiming to launch the attack on Ben Island around September. By then, the weather would just start cooling, leaving about two months for use. If the Orcs didn’t falter, they could possibly seize the entire island within that period.

"The majority of tasks in the operation to land on Ben Island should be handed over to the Orcs… They’re willing to take on the combat missions," Bernard said to Luff in the conference room.

He gave a brief outline of the attack plan for Ben Island, which emphasized a straightforward and practical approach: "The first wave of landings should still target the island’s southern shores… This shortens the voyage, and since the Mirage Country no longer has robust coastal defenses, we can land wherever conditions are most favorable."

The Great Tang Empire possesses absolute dominance in both sea and air superiority, allowing them to crush their opponents anywhere they choose to fight. Therefore, the choice of landing point could be made recklessly, even brazenly in full view of the enemy.

Lessons from the battle of New Island made it clear that even when the Mirage Country gave their all to meticulously fortify coastal defenses, they barely had a chance to stop the Tang Army’s strong offensive.

Certainly, the Orcs may fall short in some areas, but after two battles, the remaining combat strength of the Mirage Country was no longer impressive.

A naval staff officer stood up, handing an evaluation report to Luff: "Indeed, based on our calculations, their cement supplies should already be extremely limited. Under such circumstances, constructing large-scale fortifications is unlikely."

"Over the next few months, we should build enough airfields on New Island to leverage the Air Force’s advantage to slowly erode the enemy’s defensive capacity, shake their resolve, or even directly force them to capitulate," the Air Force staff officer added to the discussion.

"They won’t surrender. Our conditions are unacceptable to them, and they’re not letting go of Ben Island," Luff shook his head, dismissing this conjecture.

The Mirage Country had indeed proven highly unyielding; thus far, they hadn’t shown the slightest willingness to propose peace talks to Tang Country through diplomatic channels. Clearly, they understood they must fight bitterly to the very end.

Bernard seemed indifferent to their refusal to seek peace: "No matter. We can destroy their coastal fortifications! It’ll pave the way for a smoother landing!"

"That’s no problem. We’ll continue bombing, wiping out the Mirage Army’s coastal defenses and wrecking their airfields!" the Air Force staff officer promptly agreed.

"Whether we should focus on bombing the Capital City itself remains to be debated, but attacks on other locations can certainly proceed," Luff recalled the last meeting, where many had hoped to preserve the Shen Capital’s port to reduce repair time.

At that moment, a military officer stepped into the room, delivering urgent news: "We just received word. During a reconnaissance mission near Shen Capital’s port, the Beiyuan 46 destroyer was struck by 22 enemy suicide planes and 10 suicide speedboats. It sustained severe damage and was sunk."

This marked the second Tang Empire destroyer to be sunk. The Mirage Country’s suicide tactics had indeed achieved some semblance of effect.

Bernard spoke with some concern: "How are the personnel?"

The officer immediately responded to the Marshal’s query: "The accompanying Beiyuan 44 rescued crew members from the water—11 killed, 12 missing, with the remainder safely returned aboard Beiyuan 44."

"Those lunatics are determined to stick to this suicidal strategy," Luff frowned, clearly displeased with the Mirage forces.

Bernard felt it was time to consider a formal reprisal: "Absolutely. We should use harsher methods to teach those Mirage Goblins a proper lesson!"

Luff decided to abandon any consideration for preserving the port and instead suggested attacking Shen Capital directly: "Using Scud missiles from New Island to strike Ben Island… What do you think?"

"Fuel-Air Explosive Bombs?" Bernard, driven by hatred, naturally suggested going all-out: "Target their Royal Palace! I refuse to believe we can’t hit at least one out of 100 rounds!"

"Then, that’s settled for now!" Luff nodded, making his decision.

…

In Shen Capital’s Royal Palace, Mirage Emperor listened to the reports from his subordinates and managed to reclaim a semblance of regal confidence: his suicide speedboat forces had already sunk two enemy destroyers—a triumph that could only be described as splendid.

Frankly speaking, comparing pure battle results, the whole Mirage Country’s main fleet hadn’t inflicted as much damage on the Tang Army as these dozens of suicide speedboats had!

Still, this was far from a sustainable strategy. Refreshingly skilled and courageous sailors willing to die alongside their foes were becoming rarer. The problem was much the same as with Air Force pilots—there weren’t enough technically adept and daring soldiers left!

Most of the Navy’s soldiers had already been lost during the destruction of their main fleet. Among those remaining, the truly brave—or daredevil—fighters were few, and training replacements was a challenging task.

Those willing to die either lacked the ability to pilot boats or planes, while those capable of doing so often lacked the requisite courage… This issue was becoming more significant for the Mirage Country.

"We’ll have to draw personnel from the Army for training… For now, it seems to be the only solution," Shen Haiping suggested.

Shenwu Ke said nothing. He knew deep down that this was the best approach to preventing an enemy landing. Nonetheless, handing over personnel to the Navy for training made him somewhat uncomfortable.

Yet, prioritizing his inland defensive strategy prompted him to compromise. He dutifully promised to dispatch 1,000 officers to assist the Navy in learning to pilot suicide speedboats.

He then provided an overview of the Army’s updated inland defense plan: Since deploying heavy troops on beaches and constructing ineffective fortifications couldn’t halt the Tang Army’s landings, why not shift the battlefield into the island’s interior?

Shenwu Ke’s strategy was to go against convention—stationing heavy troops inland, relying on fortified positions away from the coastline to avoid the disadvantage posed by Tang Navy superiority. Through attritional battles and layered defenses, his goal was to wear down and defeat the landing forces.

With mountains and rivers inland, he could methodically establish defensive lines, bypassing attacks from enemy paratroopers and protecting critical facilities like airports. Without cement, they could dig mountain tunnels, utilizing terrain for combat rather than wasting lives on the beaches.

Once the enemy forces extended beyond the protective firepower of naval heavy artillery, sturdy fortifications and urban combat would allow the Mirage Army to better perform.

Bold as this strategy was, it was also born of desperation: continuing to pit troops against Tang Country’s naval heavy guns on the beaches was outright suicidal.

Further, moving the battleground inland would moderately increase the opponents’ aircraft travel distances, thereby draining some of their fuel and limiting the active engagement time of those planes in combat.

Overall, it was at least an apparently feasible approach. What Shenwu Ke didn’t realize was that Kuribayashi Tadashi had employed this exact strategy during the battle of Sulfur Island years ago.

And it was a proven tactic—capable of significantly raising the operational costs for the attackers and depleting their available forces.

"Your Majesty, I believe this plan is worth a try!" Shen Haiping, after receiving 1,000 military officers’ support from Shenwu Ke for the Navy, expressed his goodwill towards Shenwu Ke.

"Then it’s decided!" The Mirage Emperor approved the plan: "Excavate every mountain! Turn every city into a fortress! Spare no cost—bury those daring enough to invade this island!"