Munitions Empire-Chapter 987 - : 909 relatives arrived

Chapter 987: 909 relatives arrived

Although the Goblins are fierce and the Orcs are good at fighting, the situation on the battlefield compelled Luo Xiao, the head of the consultant group, to reconsider other options.

During these 10 days, he sent 1,000 Goblins and 2,200 Orcs to the front lines at Shanping, and equipped them with weapons. This was probably the transport capacity’s limit for Tang Country: keep in mind that the railway from Fengjiang to Shanping also had to support the logistics of the Fengjiang troops, and reinforcement was almost entirely dependent on helicopters working overtime.

Yet, these 3,200 “mercenaries,” within 10 days, had almost 2,000 casualties! This rate and number of casualties were a huge headache for Luo Xiao.

These troops weren’t truly comprised of foreigners; those actual “mercenaries” formed from convicted death-row inmates purchased from foreign countries were still en route.

The majority of these individuals were “labor workers” drafted by the Great Tang Empire, adept at construction and road building. Their loss was also distressing, not something to be easily discarded as mere cannon fodder.

Although their loss didn’t make one as heartbroken as losing Tang Army soldiers, these troops weren’t something to be squandered either. After all, such a high casualty rate also impacted the empire’s group of slave laborers.

There were many reasons for the heavy losses of the Goblin and Orc mercenaries, with the most significant being their high frequency of use and lack of training.

To ensure the efficiency of the assault, these “outsiders” who had been temporarily reinforced to the front lines were often deployed as the main force in the attacks, naturally increasing the casualty rate.

The very existence of these troops, and the reason they were sent to the front lines, was to serve as spearheads for the main forces.

Simply put, they were Fengjiang Army’s human tanks, explicitly used to breakthrough. What was needed from them was their fearless and fierce style.

But as a result, losses were inevitably high as well.

Another reason for the massive losses of these troops was their grossly inadequate training: from their selection and assembly to their arrival on the front line to participate in the battle, there were less than 15 days in total—an unrealistic timeframe to expect any real training.

To put it nicely, these soldiers were captives who had experienced killing and seen blood, and they possessed basic combat skills. To put it bluntly, some of these Goblins, the oldest batch, hadn’t touched a gun in nearly a decade.

It’s just that the military of the Dahua Empire wasn’t much better either, a case of the pot calling the kettle black… which allowed these “slave workers” to develop and display their own style of incompetence.

But no matter what’s said, the massive losses of the troops are a real problem that has continued all the way from the midpoint between Fengjiang and Shanping, to under the walls of Shanping City—these mercenaries have indeed suffered tremendously.

It was imperative to think of a solution, as quick reversal of the situation was constantly on Luo Xiao’s mind now.

To make the consultant group more grounded, the Staff Department deliberately assigned a general familiar with the Dahua Empire to “inspect” the situation—indeed, this person was Qian Jinhang, an eminent general from the Dahua Empire serving in the Staff Department.

General Feng Kezhi wasn’t brought in because he was currently a commander of a corps in the Great Tang Empire, a genuine military leader who had graduated from the empire’s military academy.

Compared to him, Qian Jinhang, who was entirely on the path of staff assignments, did not have as smooth a career prospect as Feng Kezhi—both had completely different styles, also reflecting how different choices affected their careers.

Another reason for choosing Qian Jinhang over Feng Kezhi was the relevance of their positions: since the consultant group was dispatched by the Staff Department, why bring in an army general with actual power?

The third reason was even more embarrassing: Tang Mo thought that to handle those of the Dahua Empire, Qian Jinhang was enough, sending Feng Kezhi would be like using a butcher’s cleaver to cut chicken.

Look, the monarch of the Great Tang Empire thought that his surrendered general’s former subordinates were sufficient to deal with the Dahua Empire… Truly taking Zhao Kai for granted.

Luo Xiao updated Qian Jinhang, who was examining the military situation on the map, before giving his opinion: “General! A normal assault likely won’t be able to drive back the Dahua defending forces anymore, the window has passed, they have fortified their positions, and with their back against Shanping, it’s difficult to engage.”

“What do you suggest then, Colonel Luo?” asked Qian Jinhang without turning around. Over the past two years, he had become familiar with the Great Tang Empire military’s prowess and effectiveness, and he had also gained a new understanding of the poor quality of the Dahua Empire’s forces.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Standing in front of this map, Qian Jinhang thought that if all the flags of Fengjiang’s troops were replaced with those of the 1st Corps and 2nd Corps of the Great Tang Empire, the cities of Guiguang and Xiajian would probably have been captured by now.

Luo Xiao immediately spoke of the plan he had been devising these days: “I need to request the deployment of special forces to strike at the Dahua military headquarters in Shanping. Only by successfully executing a surprise attack in conjunction with the frontal assault can we stand a chance of winning.”

“Share your thoughts.” Qian Jinhang wasn’t authorized to deploy the Great Tang Empire’s special forces, the operations of which had become increasingly mysterious over the years, with many units even disappearing from the military’s standard organization lists.

Luo Xiao thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and said to Qian Jinhang: “Our spies placed in Shanping have confirmed the exact location of the enemy’s headquarters. Deploying special forces to sneak up… Attacking their headquarters will create chaos.”

“At the same time, our forces will launch a sudden attack. The enemy will immediately fall into disarray and will likely collapse. Only their collapse can restore our attack speed and turn the battle of positions back into a maneuver battle.” He then walked closer to Qian Jinhang and traced on the map the southern push of our frontline forces.

Looking at the map, Qian Jinhang shared his opinion, “Are we being too bold? If there are casualties, it would be difficult to handle.”

Upon hearing Qian Jinhang’s concern, Luo Xiao directly replied, “If the operation is conducted at night, the casualties should not be too high. We have a civilian base locally, and with a frontal attack in coordination, it’s unlikely that the enemy will have time to react.”

The capability of the Great Tang Empire’s special forces to operate at night is no longer a secret within the General Staff — you have to let your commanders know your capabilities so they can remember to use you when it matters, right?

After equipping with the Nightmare system (Early Night Vision Device), the special forces of the Great Tang Empire have initially gained the ability to operate in low visibility conditions.

You might say it’s not very professional. It indeed falls far short compared to the mature night vision systems that allow operations as if it was daylight. However, compared to their opponents, they are more advanced…that’s enough, isn’t it?

“Alright, then submit the application. Don’t tell Shan Lu or Shen Wuxiong about the real situation, let them keep fighting on the frontline, and avoid alerting Dahua,” Qian Jinhang nodded, thinking it might be good to show this plan to his direct superior.

Luo Xiao was thrilled, feeling that he might become the first commander to use special forces to defeat the enemy with a surprise attack: “Understood.”

Qian Jinhang stood in front of the map, but his thoughts were not on the special forces. In fact, he wasn’t even thinking about the southern front.

As someone familiar with the Dahua Empire’s military, he was more concerned about the defensive line on the western side of Fengjiang: based on his experience, the troops from Hezhe of the Dahua would certainly be the main attack direction, and they could get more support and supplies.

In the context of the Dahua Empire’s military, this means stronger combat power and more pressure: Zhao Kai would incessantly urge the frontline commanders to aggressively attack Fengjiang.

And the troops defending Fengjiang were also from Dahua, who also have inherent weaknesses of the Dahua military: in fierce battles, these defenders of Fengjiang would retreat and abandon their positions.

What would happen if the Fengjiang forces from the Hezhe direction were to be pushed back to the outer areas of Fengjiang first?

At this moment, a mid-level officer of the defending forces in Fengjiang entered the headquarters to deliver some battlefield reports to the advisory group from Tang Country. He looked surprised at the Tang general standing in front of the map, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

But he dared not confirm his suspicion since this was the room of the advisory group from the Great Tang Empire, and it was strictly taboo to speak recklessly here.

However, as he left, he still furrowed his brows, constantly feeling he had seen that general somewhere before.

“How familiar…” he muttered to himself while walking. He even ignored his colleagues greeting him.

Suddenly, he remembered that about five years ago, he had the chance to meet the officers under Great General Feng Kezhi when he returned to the capital to report on his duties — it was Qian Jinhang!

“It’s him!” The Fengjiang officer’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but look back at the command room of the advisory group: “It really is… a slap in the face.”

—–

One more update coming tomorrow morning.