Munitions Empire

"Drop anchor!" The massive chains slid into the sea following the command, and on the swaying ocean surface, tiny boats were being pushed out from the sides of the freighters by cranes.

Refitted side ladders had been securely fastened by sailors, and makeshift iron stairs installed on the ship’s side were crowded with soldiers carrying various equipment.

"No resistance!" After putting down his telescope, the navy captain on the bridge of the Brunas ironclad warship flanking the fleet said to his executive officer with a hint of regret.

All the angled cannons on the warship were aimed at the shore, various calibers of gun barrels silently awaiting their moment to roar.

"Board the boats! Board the boats!" An officer, wearing a life ring around his neck, waved his arms and shouted loudly, leaning on the ship’s railing.

Having climbed to the end of the rope ladder and with weapons on their backs, the soldiers jumped into the rocking boats with the help of sailors.

"Be safe! Be safe!" Each soldier reminded their comrades, as they were all in good condition due to only a few hours of sailing.

Without the exhaustion from long marches or the dizziness from extended time on the sea, they were now the vigorous soldiers of the Great Tang Group, marines who received special allowances every month!

"He’s in position! Cut the safety ropes now!" After arranging the soldiers on the seats of the boats, a sailor with a sharp dagger severed the ropes tied behind them.

Learning from the lessons of the last landing, all soldiers were equipped with orange life-saving gear, and before boarding, everyone had a safety rope secured to their backs.

This rope ensured that should they fall into the sea, someone could still help them back to the surface; though cumbersome and complex, it indeed increased the survival rate of soldiers overboard.

Amid the din, fully armed marine soldiers began charging toward the shore, their steel helmets bobbing with the waves atop the boats.

In the waist-deep water, the soldiers leapt from the boats, holding their weapons high, and struggled through the shallows.

"Move fast! Move fast!" commanded officers during the live exercise, their voices overlapping. No one knew if the enemy would truly appear, so everyone was on high alert.

After all, during their last landing, they had encountered a sudden counterattack by the Zheng Country troops, so this time, no one dared to take things lightly.

"Step it up! Take long strides forward! Watch your footing!" A platoon leader, trudging forward with difficulty, waved his arms, urging his soldiers to keep up swiftly.

Learning again from the last landing, the landing troops maintained their organizational integrity as much as possible. Squads stayed close to ensure the simultaneous landing of entire companies if possible.

This avoided the chaos of the previous landings: not a single company had been intact, everything was disorderly, relying solely on front-line commanders to organize combat operations.

Experience after all is something that accumulates over time. And equipment that conforms to experience needs time to be produced.

Compared with the previous landings, this time the Great Tang Group’s weaponry was clearly a notch more advanced.

Because of weight reductions, machine guns could now accompany the troops ashore simultaneously, a significant improvement for the attacking forces.

At the same time, the Tang Group’s landing craft also received some subtle improvements: some boats were now outfitted with petrol engines and propellers!

This was also a major advance: with engines and propeller drives, the number of sailors needed to row could be reduced, allowing more marines to be carried on a single boat.

Such boats were also faster and could shuttle back and forth more often within the same time frame, transporting more soldiers as a result.

They were less affected by tides impacting their speed, far more advanced than any rowboat.

With such boats, the first troops of the Great Tang to land did so more swiftly and in greater numbers.

The soldiers who landed started quickly establishing defensive positions around the landing site, drawing on their experience.

The initial reconnaissance teams also sprang into action, gathering terrain intelligence for the commanders who landed first and further confirming the absence of enemy defense forces nearby.

Also, as a lesson learned from the last landing, radio communication equipment was brought ashore early to establish contact with the fleet.

This allowed for calling in artillery support and also for reporting progress to higher command in the rear, making command and coordination both quicker and more targeted.

Then, in the midst of the noise, the 1st Regiment of the marines successfully landed, followed sequentially by their artillery and vehicles being brought ashore.

The 1st Battalion of the robust Marine Corps Regiment swiftly assembled their troops and, guided by local guides, charged towards their previously designated target—the only town on the island.

Not to be outdone, the 2nd Battalion launched an offensive into the hinterland an hour later, aiming for the bandit camp entrenched on the island. The 3rd Battalion stayed behind to protect the landing site and help unload subsequent heavy weapons and equipment.

"The landing process was much smoother than last time." Putting down his binoculars, Bernard was very satisfied with the scene before him.

As the Navy commander, the newly established Marine Corps was an elite force under his command. Seeing the troops newly assigned to him performing well, Bernard’s face naturally couldn’t hide his smile.

He knew that the attack on Zheng Country, along with the possible subsequent attack on another nation, would definitely be led by his Marine Corps, so he was filled with anticipation for the future.

"Indeed! If we compare the timing, at this point last time, the 1st Battalion was still assembling troops on the beachhead." The aide-de-camp added with a smile.

The previous landing operation on Dongwan Island was indeed too chaotic. Despite numerous contingency plans being made in advance, when it came time to execute, all kinds of problems ensued.

The cavalry horses had landed but the reconnaissance cavalry was still adrift at sea, the shells had landed but the big cannons had yet to start being transported on the landing craft.

What was even more frustrating was that the cumbersome Maxim machine guns couldn’t land with the troops, which resulted in only one machine gun being able to participate when the enemy counterattacked.

Now things were much better, the new MG42 machine guns were obviously more portable than the Maxim machine guns, allowing them to directly accompany the troops in the assault, with no need to worry about failing to keep pace with the attacking rhythm of the troops.

Because the order of landing was rearranged, the entire landing force appeared well-ordered, and it also saved quite a bit of time.

"We can’t be complacent yet, there are still many details that need to be recorded, refined, and improved!" Bernard earnestly summarized, "With each detail perfected, one less soldier will be lost in future real landing operations! This must always be remembered!"

"Yes, General! I understand!" The aide-de-camp answered solemnly, "I will keep an eye on this matter."

"Afterwards, have every soldier write down their feelings! Every non-commissioned officer, squad leader, platoon leader, company commander, and battalion commander must write a summary report!" Bernard reiterated insistently, "Any discomfort should be rectified!"

"If the equipment isn’t up to par, we’ll modify the equipment! If the tactics are wrong, we’ll change the tactics!" Before the aide-de-camp could speak, he continued, "We both should give some thought to what else might need to be further refined!"

"Yes, General!" The aide-de-camp stood at attention and saluted.

"Report! A radio call from the 1st Regiment’s headquarters on the shore: aside from one soldier who sprained an ankle while wading, no one was injured! The subsequent equipment is landing smoothly." A messenger stood behind Bernard, stood at attention, and reported with a salute.

"Radio back to the 1st Regiment’s commander, celebrate the 1st Regiment’s smooth completion of this live-fire drill! I hope your subsequent battles go just as smoothly." Bernard finished speaking and returned a military salute. Then he accepted a pen from the other party and signed his name on the shorthand telegram.

On the island, the locals who had spotted the landing troops didn’t seem afraid; they numbly watched these Great Tang Group soldiers, who looked like aliens, passing by their village.

After hearing what the guides said, these people were even overjoyed, expressing their willingness to lead the way to find those despicable bandits and thieves.

They had no food left to lay out to welcome the king’s army, but still, they stood by the roadside, their bodies weak, desperately waving at the troops of the Great Tang Group passing by.

The Great Tang Group’s security troops, passing by, carried on their tradition, tossing the food they carried to the hungry civilians who greeted them from the roadside.

Soon, civilians picked up the food and wolfed it down, some waving their arms in gratitude as they ate.

These emaciated people used every gesture they could muster to express their joy to the Great Tang Group’s security forces as best they could.

"Next time... for something like this... should we bring more food?" Seeing his troops throwing out their raincoats and everything edible they carried, the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Marine Corps turned to his deputy, asking with a mixture of laughter and helplessness.

It was an old tradition of his unit, wherever they went, they would throw things out—whether to the local people or back on the landing site... This... damn, it was the 2nd Battalion’s tradition.

"Indeed... we should carry more of the softer, easy-to-eat, and slightly better-tasting food... This would facilitate giving out charity..." the deputy, earnestly writing in his notebook, said: "Additionally, we need to remind the soldiers not to waste purified water and not to accept drinking water offered by locals... It’s easy to contract parasites and cause diarrhea."

"Damn! That’s detail-oriented, I didn’t even think of the water issue." The 2nd Battalion commander looked at his deputy with admiration, "Keep writing; I’ll go up front to take a look."

After speaking, the 2nd Battalion commander patted his deputy on the shoulder, pulled out two pieces of chocolate candy from his pocket, and approached a dirt-covered child by the roadside.

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