Munitions Empire

Nowadays, the tank production factories of the Great Tang Group, including those on Dragon Island and in Tongcheng, are only producing two types of tank chassis. One is the chassis of the Number 4 tank, and the other is that of the Number 2 tank.

The chassis of the Number 4 tank is basically all used to manufacture the Number 4 tank itself, as the military urgently needs this new type of tank to fill vacancies, leaving no surplus production.

Production of the Number 2 tank's chassis continues, primarily for conversion into self-propelled artillery to equip the troops.

The Great Tang Kingdom was the first country in the world to equip its forces with self-propelled howitzers, starting with a 105mm caliber, which was quite advanced technologically.

It was because of this new type of artillery that the Great Tang Kingdom's armored corps could guarantee sufficient artillery support for their ground forces during rapid advances.

While the rest of the world struggled to equip their forces with large numbers of towed howitzers, the Great Tang Kingdom's troops were already phasing out some of the towed artillery in favor of self-propelled guns, which could be considered a significant leap.

In addition to that, the Great Tang Kingdom was equipped with the best military trucks in the world and also had the largest number of automobiles, so the mobility of towed artillery was also well ensured.

Nonetheless, like other countries around the world that could not achieve full mechanization, the Great Tang Kingdom's military still retained a large number of war horses.

Cavalry had actually become obsolete; what remained were reconnaissance troops, signal and transportation soldiers, as well as the horse-drawn transport corps.

Due to insufficient transportation capacity, the Great Tang Kingdom's 75mm field guns were still horse-drawn, mostly equipping the light infantry units, which had no choice but to make do with older equipment due to the rapid expansion of the force.

As its territory expanded, the total number of the Great Tang Kingdom's troops had reached an unprecedented level. Nowadays, the Great Tang Kingdom had 20 infantry divisions, with a total strength exceeding 400,000!

One of these was an armored training division that did not undertake combat missions, deployed on Dragon Island, along with a light infantry division responsible for island defense.

Two more divisions were deployed in Jade City and Brunas, while another division was stationed on Dongwan Island as a garrison force.

The 1st Marine Division of the Navy was scattered across several small islands with built airfields between Dragon Island and Dongwan Island, with the remaining 14 divisions stationed on the Great Tang mainland.

Among these, both the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions had a higher proportion of tanks, while the 3rd and 4th Armored Divisions were mixed with mechanized infantry.

Of the remaining 10 infantry divisions, 4 were motorized, equipped with a large number of trucks, possessing high mobility and combat effectiveness.

The remaining six were light infantry divisions, and due to rapid expansion, the combat strength of these 4 divisions was actually quite average.

These troops were the direct-force units that Tang Mo could proudly present—although there were also many military units in Northern Ridge, which Tang Mo could use without any pressure, they were technically part of the Laines Empire.

Presently, the troops deployed by the Great Tang Kingdom on its borders were the six newly expanded light infantry divisions with the weakest fighting capabilities.

Having just been expanded and organized, these units were generally equipped with average gear, had fewer automobiles and more horses, and didn't seem much different from the military units of Chu Country, Qi Country, and the Dahua Empire on the other side of the border.

However, these countries couldn't possibly be completely ignorant of what was happening on the Great Tang side, and in fact, the top echelons of these countries knew that the forces the Great Tang Kingdom deployed in the second line had stronger combat capabilities.

When Luff met Nangong Hong in Tang Mo's office, he nodded as a sign of acknowledgment and then answered the question Tang Mo had just asked him, "Your Majesty, with only four armored divisions, it is impossible to completely control the entirety of Qi Country."

"Soon, the vastness of the lands will force us to divide our forces into regiments, or perhaps even into battalions to continue the fight. Then, the pressure of logistical supply will destroy our troops," Luff said frankly, laying out all the difficulties for Tang Mo to hear.

Waiting for Tang Mo to digest his words, he continued, "Therefore, we must at least arrange for follow-up infantry to fill in the gaps in the combat zone to protect the vulnerable supply lines and maintain order."

"Moreover, we must also be on guard against the flanks from Shen Country and the Dahua Empire. We cannot let them cut off the supply lines of our armored corps from both sides! If our supply lines were cut, we would be in a very passive position," Luff said as he made a pincer movement with his hands on the northern border map.

As a staff officer, Luff had become very professional. Behind him was a large staff team that took a comprehensive approach to problem-solving.

Almost all details were recalculated repeatedly, and the Staff Department, with its models for military operations parameters, had a wealth of experience in this field.

Soon, Luff brought up the issue of fuel reserves. Once Tang Mo decided on a particular attack plan, the corresponding reserves of fuel would have to be transported and stockpiled accordingly.

Ensuring that the four mechanized divisions advanced in unison was no small feat. After the attack was launched, it was crucial to precisely calculate how to capture the enemy's railways and roads, control traffic nodes, and bridges.

If road conditions couldn't keep up, or if there were changes, then the speed of the subsequent advance, or even whether it could continue, would be affected!

And that was just the issue of fuel. To ensure the troops' advance, ammunition, supply of food were all considerations that had to be addressed.

To keep the armored corps moving forward, the Great Tang Kingdom had formed four specialized truck transport regiments. The mission of these regiments was to find ways to deliver the supplies needed by the front-line armored corps!

It was no exaggeration to say that in ancient warfare, the logistics moved first before the army. In modern warfare, the importance of troop support was even more critical than in the past.

These military matters were not Nangong Hong's forte; it was only because he had just been discussing this with Tang Mo that they called Luff in for a detailed discussion of military operational details.

Actually, if it came down to expertise, Tang Mo was no longer a match for Luff. After all, he now spent more time on macro management, and naturally, he couldn't compare to Luff, who dealt with these matters on a daily basis.

Listening to Luff, who listed off a long inventory of logistical support like an expert, including items such as gauze, alcohol, and gastrointestinal medicine, Tang Mo showed a hint of a smile on his face.

His investment in talent was finally paying off at this time. His enemies and opponents probably didn't have such professional generals to command their armies.

The gap in weaponry was still manageable to catch up and make up for, but the disparity in military concepts, the sensitivity to tactical innovation, that was not something one could learn and understand in just a day or two!

The abundance of military talent graduated from Tang Mo's military academy supported the modernized military of the Great Tang Kingdom! They were the soul of the Great Tang Kingdom's military!

"So you're saying that if I decide on a certain plan now, then a series of subsequent mobilizations will have to begin?" Tang Mo asked Luff.
Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire

Nangong Hong also realized that if they made a strategic choice now, it would be like shooting an arrow that could not be brought back.

"Yes, Your Majesty! If we start to deploy resources to the north, we won't be able to change the decision and send the resources to the south at a moment's notice... because that's a huge undertaking. Even with the support of the railways, it can't be done easily," Luff replied.

"Moreover, we also have to consider the issue of confidentiality..." Luff continued. "Additionally, I haven't yet mentioned the details of the subsequent troop formations."

He cleared his throat and then went on to explain to Tang Mo and Nangong Hong, "If we choose the plan to attack the Chu Country, then there is no need to continue expanding the armored division. The water network there and the mountains are not suitable for armored division maneuvers, so we should form and train more mountain and light infantry divisions to adapt to the terrain there."

"But if we are going to attack Qi Country, then with plain warfare, according to our theory, armored corps are the best choice. Therefore, we can form a new armored division and add two or three infantry divisions as follow-up troops..." After briefly explaining, he stopped speaking and looked at Nangong Hong and Tang Mo.

After hearing his explanation, Tang Mo let out a slight sigh—he wasn't rich enough to fight two wars simultaneously with strategic supplies!

Only now did he realize how hard it was for a poor country to wage war: his fuel was only sufficient for one strategic risk, and his troops could not even afford to fail once...

Even though he was the most qualified person in the world to wage a wealthy war, he still felt the huge constraints and handicaps that reality imposed on him. It was as if he were dancing in shackles, a truly unpleasant feeling.

In fact, he was aware that he was putting on airs, because at least he could ensure that his first strike would be successful! That was already a tremendous advantage that many kings and emperors dreamt of.

"I understand now," Tang Mo replied to Luff with a slight sigh, "Continue with the expansion of the army for now. Expedite the troops' training. As for the matter of resource deployment, I still need to consider."

Heading south or moving north each had its pros and cons, and Tang Mo couldn't just rely on a gut feeling to decide when to start a war.

Today, he had only summoned Nangong Hong to discuss the possibility of a threat to the Great Tang Kingdom's strategic development if the Laines Empire colluded with the Dahua Empire. He wasn't prepared to launch a war tomorrow!

In fact, while waiting for Luff to arrive, he had had a serious discussion with Nangong Hong on whether it was feasible to send envoys to win over the Dahua Empire and break up any possible alliance between the Dahua and Laines Empires.

After all, compared to facing the whole world alone, uniting with a few allies to reduce some of the pressure seemed to be a more sensible choice.