Munitions Empire

Nangong Hong actually held the official position of Minister in the Great Tang Kingdom, which is to say he was the Vice Premier, and most of the time, he did the work of the Prime Minister.

He was Tang Mo's think tank, and Tang Mo often consulted him on strategic issues, so it could be said that he was heavily relied upon within Great Tang.

From the perspective of seniority, Nangong Hong had already achieved success in reaching his current position, but Roger was someone he couldn't surpass for the time being.

After learning about the telegraph issue, Tang Mo immediately had someone summon Nangong Hong, who also clenched his chin upon hearing the news.

After careful consideration, he tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, can we really conclude that the Dahua Empire is colluding with the Laines Empire against us just based on a few encrypted telegrams?"

Tang Mo nodded, pointing to his head, "I have this feeling. It doesn't make sense, but I just believe they are targeting us this time!"

Despite being assertive, Tang Mo still tried to explain his judgment, "Firstly, ordinary trade economics actions don't require such high-level encryption… Our intelligence agency can decrypt Laines's low-level codes, but this time they used a high-level one, which is abnormal."

"Secondly!" Tang Mo held up a second finger, "Whether it's discussing economic development or strengthening trade connections, the Laines Empire and the Dahua Empire actually shouldn't bypass us, situated between them! Only by including our Great Tang Kingdom can they possibly maximize their interests!"

"Therefore! The only reason to avoid us is that this contact is inherently aimed at us!" After stating this, Tang Mo paused, looking at Nangong Hong.

"This servant understands." Nangong Hong also accepted Tang Mo's explanation, as the rise of Great Tang did rely entirely on Tang Mo, and sometimes Tang Mo's judgment was the basis, which Nangong had no objections to.

After thinking for a while, he suggested to Tang Mo, "Since the other party has already begun plotting against us, we should also make corresponding countermeasures."

"First is the sea, our lifeline lies on the sea, and the kingdom relies on maritime transport for half of its materials and products, so we must ensure the Endless Sea remains under our control," Nangong Hong had clearly considered this issue many times, so his report was very fluent.

Tang Mo agreed with his view, "Bernard's fleet should have no problems, our battleships are enough to defeat any force challenging our maritime sovereignty."

"I still think we should ask General Bernard to be cautious to avoid unnecessary losses," Nangong Hong advised nonetheless.

Tang Mo nodded, "I will have him intensify his guard... However, I judge that although they are colluding against us, if they really make a move, they definitely need to prepare for a while."

"Then we have time to prepare." Nangong Hong loosened up a bit, "This is good news. Previously, the timeliness of the intelligence I received was too poor, so I am a bit unaccustomed to such timely and accurate information."

"Soon you will realize just how much of an advantage we hold in intelligence with our technological superiority," Tang Mo said with a smile, somewhat boastfully.

"Besides, apart from controlling the seas, we now need to ponder what exactly the enemy intends to do," Nangong Hong looked at the huge map hanging in Tang Mo's office.

Tang Mo also looked at the map, then slowly said to Nangong Hong, "It boils down to three directions, three intents."

"Firstly, from the perspective of the Laines Empire, their goal is quite direct, to subdue Northern Ridge and capture Jade City and Brunas," Tang Mo raised a finger, analyzing from the standpoint of Laines.

He continued, "Secondly, it's about reaching into the Endless Sea, where the situation becomes somewhat complicated. There could be many countries ready to move against us, and we also have quite a few potential allies. However, I think that Gobur, controlled by Shireck, as well as the Laines Empire, and perhaps even others, might cause trouble."

"Without you mentioning it, I wasn't even aware we had so many enemies," Nangong Hong joked.

"Lastly, there's the Western Continent…" Tang Mo followed with a smile and then went on, "The Dahua Empire might launch a protracted war against us, and we must face this issue."

"What concerns me most is just that," Nangong Hong's smile faded, and with a worried expression, he said to Tang Mo, "If the Dahua Empire makes a move, then perhaps Chu Country and Qi Country will also send troops, and we would then have to face a disadvantageous situation of being attacked from three sides."

"Not three sides, but four sides!" Tang Mo's eyes sharpened, "If Laines doesn't seize the opportunity to attack Jade City and Northern Ridge, I'll eat this map."

Standing up, Tang Mo paced to the side of the map, his hands clasped behind his back; he looked at the rich lands of Brunas and Jade City and then at the vulnerable homeland of the Great Tang Kingdom, his face grim.

He placed his hand on the northern part of the Great Tang Kingdom, looking at Nangong Hong, "The Staff Department has already written several contingencies, generally favoring a strategy to quickly crush Qi Country after war breaks out."

This was a war plan co-conceived by Luff, Tagg, and Redman, aiming to utilize the advantages of the armored and mechanized troops of the Great Tang Kingdom to initially crush Qi Country, which had a predominance of plains.

Qi Country in the north is mostly plains, and its flanks are guarded by mountains that can serve as shields for armored corps, making it an ideal battlefield for deploying armored forces to decisive combat.

Once Qi Country was crushed, it would be possible to gain the strategic initiative and threaten the flank of the Dahua Empire, alleviating some of the pressure in the Central Region.

However, the attack on Qi Country didn't come without problems; the biggest issue was that, after penetrating Qi Country, whether victorious or not, the Great Tang Group would find itself caught in a squeeze between the Dahua Empire and Shen Country in terms of the situation.

If Shen Country really entered the war, then the armored troops that had invaded Qi Country would be held in place, losing the opportunity to continue exploiting their mobility advantage to charge and smash their way through.

The rationale was actually quite simple; it was easy to advance in, but once such a large territory was occupied, it wouldn't be possible to regroup the troops and continue to fight as a concentrated force.

The terrain of Chu Country to the south was much more complex, with intricate networks of rivers in the northern plains, while the southern part of Chu Country was mountainous, which wasn't an ideal battlefield for the tank forces.

But, attacking Chu Country wasn't without benefits: the water network plains were fertile for food production, water resources were abundant for transportation, and the southern mountainous region was rich in minerals, which could provide Great Tang Group with ample ore.

The Great Tang Kingdom itself had an elite mountain force, and the direct lineage forces that often trained in the Vicious Forest had a tradition of mountain warfare, so it seemed that attacking Chu Country was not impossible.

After briefly explaining the Staff Department's various plans to Nangong Hong, Tang Mo brought up another thought, "Originally, everyone's opinion was to avoid direct conflict with the Dahua Empire in the first war, if possible."

"Luff's opinion was to hold off the troops of the Dahua Empire on the frontline with a defensive posture, and after crushing Qi Country or Chu Country, they would then persuade the Dahua Empire to retreat through negotiation," Tang Mo said, his palm passing over the border area between the Great Tang Kingdom and the Dahua Empire.

Nangong Hong knew that the Great Tang Kingdom had indeed built some defensive fortifications in that area, although their scale was actually very limited.

The upper echelons of Great Tang all knew that in principle, that defensive line was merely to deceive the enemy, a blind to prevent the enemy from daring to launch an offensive lightly.

However, after hearing what Tang Mo said today, Nangong Hong thought that this defensive line might still be necessary to build in the future. At least if it truly existed, then the offensive effort of the Dahua Empire would most likely be in vain.

However, the words that Tang Mo continued to say took Nangong Hong by surprise again, "But what I am thinking is... if we reconsider this... why not directly attack the Dahua Empire?"

"Directly attacking the Dahua Empire is not impossible. Based on my previous understanding of the military power of the Dahua Empire, we actually have the capability to crush the Dahua military," Nangong Hong said to Tang Mo.

Then, without the slightest pause, as if afraid that Tang Mo might misunderstand, he continued, "But! Your Majesty! We must consider one issue…"

"What problem?" Tang Mo asked curiously.

"If the Dahua Empire does not surrender, how do we continue the war?" Nangong Hong asked.

Tang Mo was momentarily at a loss for words, as he had not considered that his armored troops, marching triumphantly, might face resistance from a Dahua Empire that refused to surrender.

"Once the Dahua Empire grits its teeth and refuses to surrender, our two flanks will be eyed covetously by two affiliate states of the Dahua Empire, and our frontline troops will be far from our rear... this would put us in a very passive situation," Nangong Hong continued to advise. "Therefore, this is not a prudent plan."

Tang Mo nodded, turning down his own aggressive proposal—in fact, he, who had kept winning until today, did think about resolving the Dahua Empire issue in one fell swoop.

This mirrored his prior discussions about attacking Zheng Country, where he desired to take down Zheng Kingdom's King City in one go, reflecting the arrogance accumulated from a series of victories.

However, Tang Mo was not Hitler; he was not completely blinded by victory and remained open to the counsel of his subordinates.

So he immediately abandoned his immature idea, returning to normal mode: "It seems that the staff's plans from Luff's side are the most reasonable."

"I also think so, Your Majesty," Nangong Hong quickly voiced his agreement. "I also believe that attacking Qi Country is the most logical choice we can make at this moment, no matter from which perspective."

"..." Tang Mo remained silent, staring at the map, deep in thought.