Munitions Empire

"Since they think some weapons should not appear on the battlefield, let's take this opportunity to add some of the weapons that disgust us to the list as well. Isn't it all about humanity? Whoever lacks humanity becomes the enemy of the whole world," Tang Mo blew on the ink-still-wet blueprint and continued speaking to Luff.

He looked down and was very satisfied with the new fighter jet with air intakes at the nose, perceiving it as a revolutionary new generation of fighter jets from its outward appearance alone.

After admiring his masterpiece, Tang Mo raised his head and looked at Luff again. "What about all those landmines? What happens when they injure civilians after the war? How will you clear the mines that occupy the fertile lands and roads? Isn't that inhumane?"

Hearing Tang Mo's reminder, Luff suddenly had an epiphany: if they could link landmines to white phosphorus bombs and get everyone to ban landmines as well, that would indeed be a good thing.

However, he quickly reacted and asked, "So, we... we reached an agreement with the Dahua Empire using white phosphorus bombs... isn't that right?"

Tang Mo smiled and shook his head, "We've only unilaterally reached a temporary agreement with the Dahua Empire, not a similar agreement signed with all countries! So this affair isn't over; we need to continue working on it in the winter."

For an arms dealer, he was all too familiar with this game. Countries pull out weapons lists they detest, ban them altogether, paving the way for newer, more cruel, and efficient weapons.

"For now, the issue with white phosphorus bombs can be put aside, but we should consider the issue with the oil fields in the south," Tang Mo changed the subject, bringing up the Dahua Empire's bombing of the southern oil fields.

"Although the new weapons have started production, training still takes time. Relying solely on ground-based anti-aircraft fire is not enough to protect the oil fields," Tang Mo said. "Intimidating the Dahua Empire to stop their harassment of the southern oil fields might also be a strategy."

"It's my fault as your subordinate, if only I had crossed Hidden Sword Gorge at that time..." Luff guiltily bowed his head and blamed himself.

"It's not your fault, the conflict erupted suddenly, and we weren't prepared," Tang Mo waved his hand to comfort him, then continued. "It's not just about relying on the Dahua Empire to uphold the treaty, but about buying time to prepare ourselves."

"By the way, we have received intelligence about the probable location of the enemy's combined fleet, which is very troublesome and tricky," Tang Mo consoled Luff and then proceeded to assign him his next task.

"Where are they?" Luff was curious.

"To the north of Mirage Country!" Tang Mo didn't keep him guessing but directly answered Luff's question. "So, prepare in Beiyuan City, and let's send our opponents a surprise."

"Yes, I understand," Luff nodded, fully aware of what Tang Mo meant.

Currently, most of Tang Country's submarines were scattered in the central area of the Endless Sea, with the northernmost positioned in the south bay area of Mirage Country, laying mines and attacking merchant ships.

Gathering them would take time, and moving them further north would require the support of a northern port.

Therefore, making some preparations in Beiyuan City in advance was necessary to provide logistical support for the submarines.

At the moment, the Tang Nation Navy had no other weapons that could threaten the massive combined fleet; submarines were the only option.

By next year, perhaps the Tang Nation Navy could consider sending its own aircraft carrier fleet north for training, but for now, they could only rely on submarines, a large number of submarines.

"Tell the Air Force to stop the trouble of transporting white phosphorus bombs, and pull out the stockpiled incendiary bombs... since we promised the Dahua Empire not to use white phosphorus bombs, we must remain truthful," Tang Mo brought up the topic of white phosphorus bombs again. "Use conventional bombs for recent bombings, and once white phosphorus bombs and landmines are on the list of banned weapons, we'll send the Dahua Empire a big gift with incendiary bombs."

Upon hearing this, Luff chuckled. The Tang Army's weapons inventory was indeed endlessly innovative; if both parties kept pulling out new weapons for depletion, the enemy might end up having to fight the Tang Army's tanks with dining spoons.

He also understood what Tang Mo meant by Tang Country always standing on the moral high ground: it was about absolute confidence in their own weapons research and development. Tang Mo could ensure that weapons outside the confines of treaties would always be produced and handed over to the Tang military.

Actually, Tang Country's plans for developing new weapons had been disrupted by the brave actions of the Dahua Empire's Air Force. Even Tang Mo hadn't anticipated that the immature Air Force of the Dahua Empire would launch almost suicidal desperate attacks on the crucial southern oil fields.

Without any ground guidance or radio guidance, using basic astrological judgments and the most outdated bombers, the Dahua Empire incessantly harassed the southern oil fields at night.

This action utterly disorganized Tang Nation Air Force's weapon innovation plans: the urgently needed new weapons of the Air Force were new, more efficient ground-attack aircraft and medium bombers.

Although the Stuka Dive Bomber could psychologically intimidate and devastate enemy soldiers, the effectiveness of this shock was rapidly diminishing with the ongoing war.

When the enemy had no way to counter dive bombers, the Stuka certainly was able to act without restraint and make the most of its advantages.

However, as the enemy's anti-aircraft firepower grew stronger and their preparations more robust, the Stuka's shortcomings, such as low airspeed and low bomb capacity, began to emerge.

Thus, by the end of August, the Tang Nation Air Force had received a new type of attack aircraft from the factory, known as the IL-2.

This attack aircraft corrected some of the Stuka's deficiencies, enhanced ground attack capabilities, and improved striking efficiency.

Compared to the Stuka, the new IL-2 attack aircraft featured four 20mm caliber cannons, doubling the firepower of its cannons!

The Tang Nation Air Force's version of the IL-2 attack aircraft removed the standard two 7.62mm caliber machine guns, replacing them with two 20mm caliber cannons.

However, it wasn't without cost. The original ammunition load was reduced from 300 rounds to 210 rounds, slightly decreasing its sustained combat capability.

The IL-2 could carry aerial rockets and smaller bombs, offering clearly heightened attack flexibility.

It could serve as a useful complement to the Stuka, with the dive bomber utilizing large aerial bombs to precisely destroy robust targets, while the IL-2 served as a standard ground attack aircraft.

As for the reason behind naming this aircraft IL-2, the official stance was that the experimental model had been named IL-1, hence the mass production model was designated IL-2.

It was only natural for His Majesty the King to name this new aircraft 'IL,' similar to the Stuka. Everyone was unaware of the reason; it was merely a special name.

Another new aircraft, which began testing in the military from August, was called the Junkers. It was in fact Germany's Junkers Ju 88 multipurpose aircraft.

This aircraft was one of Germany's more successful designs, carrying a bit of an obsession. It could also be used as a bomber capable of performing dive bombing.

Thus, when used as a bomber, it was reluctantly in line with the usage habits of Tang Nation Air Force pilots.

It could dive bomb, though not as professionally as a single-engine Stuka. However, its bomb load far surpassed that of the Stuka.

The Junkers Ju 88 could carry more than double the ammunition and had more than twice the range of the Stuka dive bomber, supplementing the Tang Army's lack of medium bombers.

Additionally, this aircraft could be modified into a night fighter equipped with radar and enhanced firepower, becoming a highly specialized bomber killer.

Tang Mo chose it for its versatility, clearly seeing that the German Army had more insights into the use of night fighters during World War II compared to the B-25.

This rather unsightly but highly capable bomber could even carry two torpedoes, serving as a torpedo attack aircraft or maritime striker in coastal regions.

If technology upgraded later, its greenhouse-style nose could provide the gunner with a good line of sight, allowing them to use command-guided bombs to strike targets.

While the bomber carrying Fritz-guided bombs during World War II was the DO-217, clearly, with modifications, the Junkers Ju 88 could also carry similar weapons.

Both types of aircraft were initially experimental tests for ground attack roles in the air force, only for news to break out about Dahua Empire's air raids on southern oil fields.

The Tang Army had to adjust, slowing down the medium bomber experiments and prompting the factory to continue producing the Junkers medium bombers converted into night fighters.

As a result, the project to equip the troops with medium bombers stalled, while the night fighter project was accelerated, throwing the whole testing process into total confusion.

This was the original intent behind the secret weapons project for night battles that Luff heard about: everything was a temporary change from a bomber project to a night fighter project.

"Go ahead, and tell Bolton to do as I just instructed, agree to start negotiations, and buy time! After a month or two, we won't be as worried about night attacks on the southern oil fields," Tang Mo arranged everything, then signaled that Luff could leave.

With radar support and the secret weapon of night fighters, Tang Mo felt quite secure about the air defense over the southern oil fields. After all, the performance of the Junkers night fighters far surpassed any aircraft Dahua Empire used for nocturnal bombing missions.

After standing at attention and saluting, Luff turned and walked out of Tang Mo's office: "Yes, Your Majesty!"