Munitions Empire-Chapter 1225 - 1145 Collapsed Industry

The siege warfare introduces a brand-new tactic, whose impact lies not in the destruction of the target but in an all-encompassing blow to the opponent’s morale.

The Tang Country’s Scud missile strikes on the Mirage Country were not actually fatal in their destructive effect. For a city of considerable size, the destructive power of a single missile was far from catastrophic. As long as the missile did not carry a nuclear warhead, the damage would generally remain within tolerable limits.

However, the effects of siege warfare go beyond the mere destruction of buildings; it is a brutal assault on the human psyche. Imagine ordinary civilians being randomly killed, hundreds every day — such fear inevitably spreads.

And then, as if daytime missile attacks weren’t enough, the Tang Army adjusted its attack schedule to nighttime. This rendered Mirage Capital’s civilians virtually unable to sleep at night.

At first, the air-raid sirens blared incessantly, but later they simply ceased to respond altogether. After all, if the sirens were to sound for every incoming Scud missile, the residents of Mirage Capital would never sleep.

…In fact, sleep had already become impossible. Tang Country launched a missile approximately every two hours — like an alarm clock, punctually reminding the people of Mirage Country to get up in the middle of the night.

The thunderclap of fuel-air explosive bombs reverberated through the night sky, audible clearly for miles, driving Mirage Country’s civilians to the brink of mental collapse.

Some unfortunate souls were struck directly by missiles in their sleep and sent to the Netherworld; others, luckier by comparison, suffered sleepless nights filled with the constant sound of explosions, awaiting the next "lottery draw."

Yes, a lottery — every two hours, the wheel of fortune spun, gambling on where the next Scud missile would land!

The Tang Army was also experimenting with various strategies: after deploying a large number of fuel-air explosive bombs, they began using other types of bombs in their attacks.

These special attacks typically occurred during the daytime, accompanied by the Hong-6 reconnaissance aircraft to confirm the results of the strikes and to determine which warheads caused the most damage to cities like Mirage Capital.

It turned out that while fuel-air explosive bombs were effective against a city like Mirage Capital, cluster bombs proved even more efficient.

The reason is quite simple: half of Mirage Capital’s buildings were made of stone, integrated with wooden beams and other structures. As an island nation, buildings needed to withstand typhoons, meaning their sturdiness met certain standards.

Large-scale bombs could only destroy nearby structures, and no matter how effective fuel-air explosive bombs were, their impacts remained localized.

Cluster bombs, however, were different because they conformed perfectly to the attack requirements: buildings tough enough to withstand strikes but not overwhelming in defense. A single small bomb was enough to destroy them, without wasting resources.

Thus, the Tang Army began deploying cluster bombs during night assaults, significantly increasing the scale of destruction: a countless number of homes collapsed, causing civilian casualties to escalate rapidly.

Beyond nighttime missile strikes, Tang Army began launching bombers for daytime attacks as well: deployed from the South Island, their Hong-6 bombers had sufficient range and could carry a large number of cluster bombs, achieving far higher efficiency than Scud missiles.

In the underground shelter, the Shen Emperor’s expression had turned exceptionally grim. His King City, which had been free from foreign invasions for centuries, now teetered on the brink of ruins.

It was important to realize that Mirage Capital was more than just a capital city; in the minds of Mirage Country’s civilians, it was a sacred place — a glorious city built by the Goblin deity upon descending into this world.

Beyond faith, Mirage Capital was also Mirage Country’s most crucial industrial hub, housing numerous factories responsible for producing various military products.

From helmets and bayonets to tanks and planes, many vital components for weapons had to be processed in the factories surrounding Mirage Capital.

Had it not been for this, the Tang Army wouldn’t bother deploying an array of weapons for bombarding Mirage Capital. Their attacks were fundamentally aimed at weakening Mirage Country’s war potential.

Before the bombardment began, Mirage Country could produce about two Zero Fighters per day. Though these aircraft were no longer effective on the battlefield, Mirage Country could at least manufacture them.

Now, after the attacks, Mirage Country’s Zero Fighter production had plummeted to just 20 units per month, meaning two-thirds of its capacity had been obliterated.

It was the same with tanks. The Tang Army’s bombings made the task of rebuilding Mirage Country’s 2nd Armored Division extraordinarily difficult. Without heavy weaponry, Mirage Country’s ground forces had little confidence in confronting the Tang Army offensively.

Mirage Country’s leadership was well aware that now was the time for all types of weaponry: anti-tank guns, landmines, anti-aircraft guns, tanks, heavy artillery…

Even machine guns, submachine guns, and hand grenades — every additional weapon or shell would make a difference.

But with the Tang Army continuously bombing Mirage Country’s industrial facilities, production had nearly screeched to a halt. Assembly plants lacked components, component factories lacked raw materials.

On one hand, factory machinery was destroyed, and production lines were dismantled; on the other hand, workers were killed or injured in the attacks, making it impossible to resume operations.

As time went on, Mirage Country’s stockpile of raw materials began to deplete, such as petroleum resources and rare metals. These shortages further hindered Mirage Country’s production.

With no other options, after South Island was occupied by the Tang Army, the Shen Emperor issued a decree prohibiting civilian automobile use.

However, this decree wasn’t effectively enforced. In Mirage Country, those who could afford cars were typically high-ranking officials with government duties, and they always found excuses to drive.

The ones truly suffering were merchants and other ordinary citizens with no connections — their vehicles were confiscated and sent to the military to make do. As a result, public resentment boiled over, and the factories controlled by these merchants began to deliberately underperform, further diminishing Mirage Country’s industrial capacity.

Without sufficient fuel, Mirage Country started mixing additives into gasoline: 97 octane downgraded to 95, 95 downgraded to 92, eventually even using cooking oil — giving the fuel an arguably "pleasing" color, aroma, and taste.

"Yesterday, the western thermal power plant was bombed, killing over twenty workers. The western district has lost its power, and recovery has yet to be completed," Shen Wenxin gloomily reported recent losses to the Shen Emperor.

In reality, the eastern district still hadn’t restored power either; the factories there had completely shut down. The capacity to produce anti-aircraft guns had plummeted to the lowest point, barely managing to produce a dozen units a month.

These outdated items were technologically primitive and utterly incapable of intercepting the Great Tang Empire’s aircraft. Yet, even such crude weapons were beyond Mirage Country’s current production capacity.

Next month… the Tang Army might launch its invasion! And a mere dozen artillery pieces would hardly make a dent in the battle involving hundreds of thousands of troops.

Another minister, Shen Wenyu, shared his frustration with the Shen Emperor: "Factory 408, responsible for tank production, had two workshops destroyed. Production can no longer continue. Tanks for the 2nd Armored Division will have to rely on the Shireck-5 model for now."

The factory producing Mirage Country’s most advanced tanks was bombed into rubble, with machinery and equipment destroyed. The country now had no choice but to rely on outdated tanks manufactured by other factories.

Compared to Mirage Country’s self-developed heavyweight tanks, Shireck-5 tanks fell far behind in capability: their original design was based on the United States’ M10 tank destroyer. Given blueprints by the Great Tang Group, Shireck merely added a roof and passed them off as tanks.

While the performance of these vehicles appeared viable on paper, they were now outdated. Not only had Tang Country already begun widespread adoption of the 59 Main Battle Tank, but other nations around the globe were also equipped with heavy tanks featuring larger-caliber guns and thicker armor.

Even Mirage Country itself had developed its own heavy tanks, while the Shireck-5 model had been relegated to "filler" status.

Now, Mirage Country could do nothing but rely on this "filler" tank. Unable to produce heavy tanks, Mirage Country had to use Shireck-5 tanks to rebuild its 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions.

To save steel, the width of the tank tracks was reduced by 2 centimeters! Even with Shenwu Ke’s tacit approval, the rear armor of all tanks was partially removed.

This was the most resource-efficient method for producing enough tanks. Since it had been decided to engage the Tang Army in decisive battles on Ben Island, having sufficient ground weapons was the key to victory.

In fact, not all weapon production had decreased; some weapons, due to their simplicity and ease of manufacture, had seen an increase in output. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

For instance, the anti-tank Sting Thunder, referred to as "Gun Thunder" by Mirage Country’s troops, saw increased production. Essentially the Otherworld’s version of the "Happy Stick" used by Japanese soldiers during wartime, this weapon’s appearance differed slightly but was fundamentally the same.

To bolster individual anti-tank capabilities, and because this weapon required minimal raw materials, its production numbers had continuously risen.

It was hard not to mass-produce these explosives: the thunder body itself was easy to make, and the long rods were simply made of wood — a resource in abundant supply in Mirage Country.

Additionally, Mirage Country’s suicide speedboats saw increased output: though the port of Mirage Capital was bombed, production capacity on Northern Island improved somewhat.

Combined with rushed, shoddy construction efforts, Mirage Country temporarily managed to grow its suicide speedboat force to 300 vessels.

However, most of these speedboats were barely functional, lacking protective armored steel plating. Once targeted, these boats had slim odds of survival — they were essentially civilian speedboats loaded with explosives.

"Given the heightened frequency of enemy missile attacks, Your Majesty… it would be safer for you to move to the secret bunker in the suburbs," Shen Wen Dabo proposed again following the reports to the Shen Emperor.

Mirage Capital possessed few underground shelters; the city had never invested in preparations for warfare. Under these circumstances, leaving seemed the more pragmatic choice.

"I will consider the suggestion carefully," the Shen Emperor replied noncommittally, an answer that already set many officials’ minds pondering.

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The time zones have thrown me off — the second update will be posted tomorrow morning, don’t wait up.