Munitions Empire-Chapter 1219 - 1139 New-style Weapons Debut on the Eastern Continent
As an Elf pilot, Mario was completely in love with the 262 fighter jet he had just acquired. It was nicknamed the Super Butcher in the Poplar Empire, and true to its name, it was essentially a killer of the skies!
This plane’s speed rivaled that of bombers from the Great Tang Empire! The roaring sound of its dragon-like engine was enough to intimidate opponents. Its speed was truly astonishing, almost unbelievable.
Without the interference of propellers, the weapon concentration at the nose allowed pilots to aim better. With a sufficient supply of ammunition for its four 20mm cannons, a single volley could shatter the newly upgraded Yak fighters of the Dwarves.
When the 262 fighter jet appeared on the battlefield, the Dwarves were indeed taken aback. However, the number of such planes was so limited that the Dwarves didn’t even bother questioning why the Great Tang Empire provided such advanced weapons to the Poplar Empire.
After all, everyone was aware of the Tri-Imperial Alliance, and they knew that the two puppet Emperors of Great Qin Empire and Poplar Empire, Ying Duo and Yangmu Yi respectively, had both "married" their "daughters" to the lustful Emperor of the Great Tang Empire…
There was nothing to be done about it—who told the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire to have such a preference for beauties? And whose fault was it that Dwarven women did not fit human aesthetics?
What was so bad about Dwarf women anyway? They could fight and work, with sturdy waists and big hips, making them excellent for childbearing… Human emperors just didn’t know their value! Truly frustrating.
The two jet engines provided ample power for the 262 fighter jet, allowing it to easily reach speeds of 700 kilometers per hour and ascend to altitudes exceeding 10,000 meters.
It should be noted that this altitude was previously the limit for piston-propelled fighters, which barely managed to climb to 10,000 meters where their maneuverability sharply declined, making them nearly uncontrollable.
But jet fighters were different; even at 10,000 meters, they remained incredibly powerful. Their climb rate was several times that of ordinary propeller fighters, completely overpowering propeller planes in medium and high-altitude performance.
Since the entire plane was imported from the Great Tang Empire, the failure rate was not considered high either. The Great Tang Empire had not just begun developing jet engines, so their reliability had already reached an acceptable level.
If pilots couldn’t win air battles with such planes, it could only be attributed to the pilots’ shortcomings!
In recent aerial clashes between the Poplar Empire and the Ice Cold Empire, the exchange rate reached an astonishing 17 to 72, nearly making Duke Leibert of the Poplar Empire laugh himself silly.
Historically, the exchange ratio was roughly 1 to 3, but with the recent upgrades to the two countries’ fighters, the exchange ratio had been approximately locked at 1 to 2 for the past month.
But once the 262 fighter jet entered the fight, it shot down 20 enemy aircraft in a single month without suffering any losses, much to the delight of the Poplar Empire’s Air Force commanders.
They regained a local air superiority on the battlefield and successfully launched a counterattack in the Battle of Hotwind Port, lifting the Ice Cold Empire’s siege of Hotwind Port, effectively stabilizing the front line for the time being.
Two jet fighters roared overhead in tandem across the battlefield, eliciting cheers from the hard-fighting Poplar Empire soldiers below.
They had just been bullied by Saab Bombers (SB-2), so the appearance of their Air Force planes excited them greatly.
"See those dodging Saabs? Dive!" Inside the cockpit, Mario pushed the controls, and the jet fighter swooped towards its target.
The roar of the two jet fighters scattered the Ice Cold Empire’s 16-type escort fighters like startled birds.
Originally, these outdated fighters were no match for the Butcher Fighter Jets, and now with the deployment of the even more advanced 262 fighters, they were even more helpless.
Gathering together just made them bigger targets, so those marginally faster I-16 convertible fighters quickly scattered to save their own skins.
The pilots inside the Saab Bombers cursed inwardly, powerless. They could only watch helplessly as their escort fighters fled, leaving them to face the terrifying 262 fighters alone.
Indeed, with enhanced attributes for intercepting bombers, the 262 fighter jet had a combat advantage against Saab Bombers.
The 20mm cannons could rip a Saab Bomber to pieces with a single burst, and in just one engagement, two bombers that had been arrogantly bullying the Elven ground forces were trailing black smoke as they plummeted earthward.
One plane even broke apart mid-air during its crash, its rear fuselage detaching entirely, which looked utterly tragic.
Just the appearance of two 262 fighter jets had reversed the situation in the sky. The Ice Cold Empire’s ground offensive began to crumble, and without confidence, their infantry retreated to their original position. freewebnøvel.com
When the fourth bomber was shot down, six Yak fighters from the Ice Cold Empire joined the battle. Flown by elite pilots, they roared into the fray at low altitude.
With considerable experience, they hovered around 2,000 meters, attempting to lure the 262 fighters into mid-to-low altitudes to negate their speed performance advantage.
Because they had a numerical advantage, Mario and his wingman were initially hesitant to enter the opponent’s combat zone recklessly.
Seeing those Ice Cold Empire planes covering each other as they fled to the Ice Cold Empire-controlled area, Mario and his wingman decided not to pursue them any further.
"Report to the tower! Report to the tower! The enemy bombers have entered their control zone! Requesting permission to pursue! Requesting permission to pursue!" Holding the radio, Mario asked for the ground control tower’s opinion.
In fact, when a pilot asks this, it usually means they are reluctant to pursue. Everyone knows—if they really wanted to chase, they wouldn’t bother asking, right?
Of course, because the 262 is the most elite and top-secret advanced weapon, it’s technically prohibited from entering enemy territory to engage. If one were to crash and its technology fell into enemy hands, the Poplar Empire would have nowhere to cry.
"No need to pursue further! No need to pursue! Check your fuel and return to base!" Indeed, the order to return was promptly relayed through their headsets: "The safety of the secret weapon is most important!"
The two jet fighters detached from the battle one after the other, and another battle was over. The Dwarves had lost 4 Saab bombers and 2 16-type fighters. Had the battle continued, the backup Yak fighters on their way would likely have suffered losses as well.
Meanwhile, the Poplar Empire incurred no losses! The battlefield deterrence brought by the two jet fighters ultimately led the Dwarves to abandon their offensive, canceling their subsequent battle plans.
After losing quite a few aircraft in the air, the Dwarves could no longer sit still. The Ice Cold Empire’s ambassador to the Great Tang Empire personally met with the Tang Country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nangong Hong, that day, to confirm once again the Great Tang Empire’s stance.
The Dwarves were straightforward indeed: if the Great Tang Empire was determined to support the Poplar Empire, the Ice Cold Empire was willing to end the war immediately, maintaining borders as they were before the war started.
If the Great Tang Empire mediated the war, the Dwarven side was also willing to pay 5 million Gold Coins’ worth of minerals in gratitude for the Great Tang Empire’s "impartiality."
Seeing that his counterpart nearly discussed the Four Emperor Alliance, Nangong Hong could only reaffirm once more that the Great Tang Empire would maintain a neutral stance on the Eastern Continent’s war, even willing to covertly sell two submarines at half price!
Nangong Hong also asked for the Dwarves’ understanding that the Great Tang Empire needed to consider the face of the Tri-Imperial Alliance, and therefore must at times show support for its allies.
However, the Great Tang Empire was fair and just, and the Dwarves were also friends of the Great Tang Empire. So, the Great Tang Empire was willing to export submarines at 35 million each to help the Dwarves gain an advantage at sea.
In the end, the Dwarf ambassador could only begrudgingly accept the Great Tang Empire’s statement: after all, what else could be done? Declare war on the Great Tang Empire? That’s a joke—better to pretend ignorance if possible.
Seizing the opportunity, the Dwarves didn’t hesitate: they directly purchased four submarines and negotiated the price down to 25 million! Nangong Hong agreed to the price without fuss.
To be honest, the price was indeed very favorable—considering these submarines amounted to direct combat power, they could be deployed to the front line in the short term.
With seven submarines, if the Dwarves blockaded Hotwind Port again, they could cut off sea routes, preventing the Poplar Empire from maintaining Hotwind Port through maritime resupply as they had previously.
However, this compensation was confidential; the agreement stated that if the Poplar Empire learned of the submarine compensation agreement, the Great Tang Empire would also sell submarines or anti-submarine destroyers to the Poplar Empire.
This condition seemed reasonable, so the Dwarves agreed to the Great Tang Empire’s requirement. The same day, the Dwarf ambassador signed the agreement with Nangong Hong, paying one hundred million Gold Coins.
Money speaks volumes: the Dwarf Empire, with its ample mineral and oil reserves, certainly had enough foreign exchange reserves. They could pay with minerals or cash, and either way, they could buy goods from the Great Tang Empire.
The Great Tang Empire also preferred doing business with countries like the Ice Cold Empire—it had the mineral resources urgently needed by the Great Tang Empire, and its credit was still relatively sound, qualifying them as high-quality clients.
Just after sending off the Dwarf ambassador, the Elven ambassador arrived to see Nangong Hong: Their purpose was simple as well; the Elves wished to purchase another 30 262 fighter jets to secure air superiority on the northern battlefield.
Nangong Hong knew they couldn’t further expand the Elves’ advantage, otherwise, the Great Tang Empire’s balancing strategy would end up fostering a giant empire in the Eastern Continent.
The Great Tang Empire cited limited production capacity, while the Poplar Empire claimed an urgent need for sufficient planes. Eventually, after much discussion, they agreed on a contract to temporarily sell 10 262 fighter jets to the Poplar Empire.
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There will be another chapter later. Everyone can read it tomorrow morning.
