Munitions Empire-Chapter 1240: Don’t let others find fault with you at 11:59

The undercurrents of reform in the Great Tang Empire surged violently, and countless corrupt officials were detained and punished. Tang Mo abandoned his previously gentle approach and harshly dealt with some senior officials brought over from Brunas.

These officials, relying on their positions, committed actions that greatly displeased Tang Mo, resulting in their severe punishment.

The replacement local officials didn’t bring Tang Mo much peace of mind either; they, too, were dealt with harshly. Ultimately, dozens were executed before they started behaving properly.

A unit must purify itself during its advancement—it’s necessary and healthy. At least, this is how Tang Mo saw it: the more proactively he eliminated, the smaller the actual losses would be.

On another front, far away on Ben Island, the war between Orcs and Goblins continued relentlessly. The Orcs’ 1st Armored Division’s 1st Corps encountered significant trouble when attacking the Goblins’ 3rd Armored Division.

Shen Army troops began playing their old suicidal tactics again: their soldiers desperately attacked Orc tanks using Sting Thunder weapons, leading the 1st Corps to suffer the catastrophic loss of 20 tanks in a single day!

The next day, the Orcs’ situation worsened even further. As Tang Army’s aircraft carrier fleet prepared to retreat, air support to the Orcs’ ground forces dwindled.

Under such conditions, the Orc troops’ offensive became increasingly sluggish, even appearing powerless. Shan Lu, facing desperation, could only increase the number of sorties by the Orc Air Force from New Island, but this led to direct and inevitable losses for the Orc Air Force.

The unfortunate fact is, Orc pilots couldn’t receive the extensive training that Tang Army pilots did to counter Shen Army’s Zero Fighters. This allowed the previously struggling Shen Army Air Force to regain some ground.

The Goblins, to their surprise, discovered they now had a slight capability to engage their enemies. Shen Army fighters from northern Ben Island took off once more and appeared near the Orcs’ landing sites.

Violent aerial battles erupted in the skies, resulting in the loss of 20 aircraft that day—7 were Orc Butcher Fighters, 1 was an Il-2 attack aircraft, and the remaining 12 were Shen Army Zero Fighters.

This sort of exchange gave Shenwu Ke a hint of optimism. He ordered more fighters to join the battle, only for 8 Zero Fighters to be shot down by the arriving Datang Empire Air Force jet fighters aiming to score victories.

Such massive losses instantly sobered the Goblin pilots who had briefly felt elated: "Big Brother is still Big Brother, and Tang Nation’s planes are always Tang Nation’s planes."

The Butcher Fighters, mostly piloted by Orcs, could somewhat hold their ground, but encountering the Datang’s advanced jets, all the Goblins could do was flee or avoid them.

By the 6th day of the Orcs’ landing, their Air Force had lost a staggering 39 aircraft, with over 20 pilots killed. Near the landing site, Dragon Bombers—which had nearly disappeared beforehand—began to reappear.

These bombers, despite carrying fewer bombs, acted as a barometer, symbolizing the battlefield situation: their mere presence in the sky indicated Shen Army was roughly gaining control of airspace.

Eventually, those slow and vulnerable Dragon Bombers were driven off by Orc-piloted Butcher Fighters. Three Dragon Bombers were shot down, while the remaining escaped in disarray.

The Orc Air Force’s advantage in fighter jets wasn’t as overwhelming as to allow their pilots to waste it recklessly. Although the Butcher Fighter seemed superior in performance, the Zero Fighter wasn’t weak either, leaving both sides evenly matched.

However, Orc planes suffered a disadvantage in range. Aircraft taking off from New Island couldn’t linger long on the frontline, giving Zero Fighters with greater range opportunities to strike.

Generally, Shen Army’s remaining elite pilots employed low-altitude approach tactics to avoid Datang jet fighters potentially patrolling the skies, then suddenly climbed near the landing sites to ambush Orc fighters.

This tactic proved effective, yet Shen Army didn’t gain much overall: the exchange ratio of fighters remained one-to-one, a figure that hadn’t changed significantly.

After all, whether it was the Orc Air Force or the Goblin Air Force, their pilots were roughly equally skilled, meaning no miracles emerged.

Still, for the Shen Army Air Force, their accomplishments far exceeded those of the past few months.

Previously, they couldn’t even shoot down a single Datang aircraft. However many planes they deployed, they’d lose just as many.

Now, they achieved some measurable results, greatly exciting Shenwu Ke, who believed the Tang and Orc forces conducting overseas operations were beginning to show fatigue.

Similarly, ground battles seemed to affirm Shenwu Ke’s analysis: after failing their fierce assault on Dingcheng, the Orc troops grew increasingly timid.

Indeed, it appeared the Orc forces had no effective solutions against Goblin defensive fortifications near the mountains and rivers. After several attempts at attacking, they could only halt their assault.

For the Orcs, the Goblin defense lines prepared by the Tang Army were formidable. These tunnels, integrated with minor surface fortifications, were something the Orcs couldn’t quickly overcome.

But Shan Lu couldn’t wait. If they continued this stalemate, the Orc troops fighting a back-to-the-wall battle would only face worsening circumstances.

Hence, Shan Lu was compelled to rush to Dingcheng personally and direct the 1st Armored Division in an all-out attack on the Goblin forces. However, what he didn’t realize was that even if he broke through the frontline Goblin defense, more fortifications awaited behind.

"Shan Lu’s troops likely won’t be able to breach the Goblin defenses… I think these defense lines, almost hollowing out the mountains, were actually prepared for us." Qian Jinhang looked at the map indicating potential Goblin defensive areas and spoke to Marshal Le Fu, who stood on the opposite side of the command table.

Le Fu stroked his chin, studying the satellite and reconnaissance photos, deeply contemplating whether to intensify efforts by deploying General Feng Kezhi’s troops on Ben Island to help Orcs carve out a breakthrough point.

"These known defensive lines are incredibly robust. They’ve built numerous fortifications, and the northern and western sectors are similar… Shan Lu’s Type 4 tanks will struggle to breach these defenses. The Type 4 wasn’t designed for this kind of warfare," Qian Jinhang added, after seeing Le Fu remain silent.

When the Type 4 tank was first developed, most nations didn’t even possess tanks. At that time, it could easily tear through enemy defenses and use its communication systems and speed to dominate.

However, times had changed. Against solidly entrenched defenses, the Type 4’s weak armor and inadequate firepower became glaring deficiencies.

"I’ve already ordered the Air Force to deploy incendiary bombs and fuel-air explosive bombs to conduct intensive carpet bombings in these regions," Air Force Commander Xiao Yun told Marshal Le Fu. "The actual effectiveness will need evaluation, but it should create some difficulties for Shen Army within their tunnels."

"The primary issue is the Orcs’ combat effectiveness… it’s frankly abysmal." This Air Force Commander openly pinned the blame on Shan Lu’s troops for the failures.

Nearby, Tang Mo overheard and finally understood the sentiments of German generals who mocked the Italian Army’s combat prowess during WWII.

Regardless of who lost the battle, it would certainly never be their fault. Since it wasn’t their fault, it obviously had to be the allies’ fault. Although Tang Nation Air Force indeed avoided blame, in fairness, the Orcs were already fighting valiantly.

At least they didn’t collapse at the first clash like Italy reportedly did on the battlefield… Though many anecdotes about Italy’s WWII performance were exaggerated jokes, the poor wartime performance of Italy and France was undeniably a fact.

A staff officer nearby seized the moment to briefly update on the Orc troops’ subsequent landing: "The Orcs’ 4th Division has now taken the former position of the 2nd Division, while remnants of the 2nd Division have moved northward to join the heavily damaged 1st Division in continued combat."

"The 7th Infantry Division is expected to land tonight. My suggestion is… have this unit try advancing westward," Le Fu proposed while analyzing the map. freёnovelkiss.com

"Is that necessary? Isn’t dispersing forces potentially detrimental?" Qian Jinhang hesitated after hearing Le Fu’s plan and reminded his superior.

Le Fu ignored the concern and maintained his stance: "I believe it’s worth trying, and we can provide the Orcs with some equipment from the 9th Group Army… improving their combat capabilities at least slightly."

"That works—give them outdated weapons, artillery… even Scud missiles would suffice. But not the Type 59 tanks; our Type 64s still aren’t abundant enough." Tang Mo supported Le Fu’s plan, knowing the 9th Group Army was the last formed unit within the Tang Army, with less sophisticated equipment.

This group’s artillery utilized Wild Wasp self-propelled howitzers, identical to those being sent to the Orcs—old models based on the Type 4 tank chassis.

Additionally, the 9th Group Army possessed several towed 155mm howitzers, making this a good chance to upgrade their arsenal, while providing the discarded equipment to the Orcs.

"However, having the Orcs’ 7th Infantry Division advance westward… it’s best not to finalize this plan yet. Let’s consult Shan Lu first and hear their challenges." Tang Mo demonstrated a degree of generosity towards the Orcs.

This was quite understandable: after all, within Tang Nation were hundreds of thousands of Orc laborers closely observing this war. As long as the Datang Empire expressed goodwill, they could garner support from these Orcs.

Such support wasn’t merely verbal—it was genuine support involving labor and effort! The Orc workers would work harder, striving to secure a future opportunity to move to their own homeland on Ben Island.

"Additionally… import another 100 Butcher Fighters from Chu Country to support the Orcs. If we want to commit, we should give it our best effort," Tang Mo added. "Don’t let others find cause to criticize us!"

"Understood!" Le Fu straightened up and lowered his head in respect to Tang Mo.

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After sending the two of them off, I returned in a terrible state, struggling to write a single chapter. Everyone can read it for now—Dragon Spirit will rest and post another chapter tonight.