Munitions Empire

Forcing an army to carry out a cross-sea operation is truly a torturous affair, as those who have never encountered the ocean are sure to suffer from seasickness.

This type of seasickness isn't just about feeling unwell; it also comes with exaggerated vomiting, loss of appetite, and in severe cases, it can greatly affect combat effectiveness or even endanger soldiers' lives.

The troops of the Great Tang Group lack such combat experience. Their furthest support operation only involved less than a battalion of troops, which was from Brunas to Hotwind Port.

The transport at that time, since it headed south along the coast, wasn't too harsh in terms of waves and turbulence, and with fewer people, the problem wasn't too severe.

This time, the expedition of the Great Tang Group is directly across the western part of the Endless Sea from Dragon Island, landing on Dongwan Island. This distance is about three times that of the previous support operation to Hotwind Port.

At this moment, aboard the Freedom 103 transport vessel carrying over a thousand people, the cabin is filled with a nauseating stench, and those soldiers who boarded with full confidence are now listless and lethargic.

They have been sailing for 29 days. For them, this time has been nothing short of an ordeal.

Despite having ample food supplies, and the ship's mess even providing a variety of decent meals, there are now very few people with the appetite to eat these things.

After all, whatever gets eaten soon comes back up. Under such painful suffering, who would be interested in food?

"We are speeding up as much as possible! But the Freedom isn't designed for assault operations, so the speed is very slow," the captain said helplessly to the pale-faced leader of the 1st Regiment, explaining patiently.

"In terms of speed, we're actually much faster than a sailing ship... If it were in the past, you would have had to drift at sea for at least another 25 days," the first officer had no choice but to defend his captain.

"Under these circumstances... the soldiers have almost no fighting strength left. The situation with the 1st Battalion is a bit better since most of them are natives of Brunas and have lived by the sea, so they are somewhat familiar with maritime conditions...

but the 2nd and 3rd Battalions are from Northern Ridge or Jade City, many have never even seen the ocean in their lives..." The leader of the 1st Regiment lamented for his soldiers, who, whenever there was time, would come to the bridge to ask how much longer it would take to reach their destination.

He had been asking for over ten days, but it would still take at least two more days before the fleet could reach Dongwan Island.

Yesterday, the spies who had set off earlier had already reached Zheng Country. After a brief investigation of Dongwan Island, they sent back the first-hand information.

Brunas didn't stay idle either; they immediately analyzed and compiled the information, then sent the most useful part to the fleet en route.

Looking at the Wolf 1 cruiser nearby, spewing rolling black smoke, the captain of the Freedom 103 spoke up, "We are moving at the fastest speed... Just wait two more days, after two days, you'll be able to land."

He was also helpless because Tang Mo had already made many meticulous arrangements for this landing, but due to a lack of experience, or technical issues, it was still not foolproof.

For instance, Tang Mo went so far as to install refrigerator units in several freedom ships participating in the battle, which dramatically improved the food conditions at sea.

To make the soldiers more comfortable, Tang Mo even rushed to add extra bunks to the troop-transporting Freedom, instead of making do with the hammocks used by sailors.

Even the toilets on the ship were deliberately increased, requiring temporary modifications to add more flush toilets to ensure the soldiers' living needs.

But despite all this, seasickness remained an insurmountable issue, and the seaworthiness of the vessels couldn't be improved in the short term.

It wasn't possible for Tang Mo to wait for the construction of brand new, larger-capacity, specially designed troop transport ships to be launched before beginning operations.

Therefore, he had to pinch his nose and bear the less than ideal seaworthiness of the Freedom, cramming soldiers into makeshift dormitories for 31 days.

Early the next day, more information was transmitted to the fleet via telegraph. The commander of the 1st Regiment took a small boat to board the Wolf 1 cruiser and met with General Bernard, the overall commander of this operation.

"General!" As soon as he climbed onto the deck, he saw Bernard already waiting beside a naval gun.

Bernard returned a military salute, then motioned for the commander of the 1st Regiment to walk with him along the side deck at leisure.

Walking shoulder to shoulder on the impeccably clean deck, the commander of the 1st Regiment felt his breathing become much smoother.

He spent most of the past days crammed in the cabin with his soldiers, not choosing the accommodations on the warship with better living conditions that were reserved for the sailors.

As they walked, Bernard began to share information about Dongwan Island, "According to the spy reports recently arrived from Zheng Country, Dongwan Island has indeed been occupied by Shen Country, but the military force Shen Country has deployed on the island is not substantial."

"Approximately a year ago, a naval battle broke out between the two countries, and Zheng Country's Navy suffered a heavy blow, losing 17 sail warships, and was forced to relinquish part of its control over the seas."

This was the second difficulty because Zheng Country was so far away that intelligence work started very late and the support provided by intelligence was pitifully scarce.

The specific situation on Dongwan Island was not known to the tactical troops; the main reason Tang Mo dared to let his troops charge over was his considerable confidence in their weaponry.

Their light weapons were almost on par with those used during World War II, while their adversaries were still using flintlock muskets... There was simply no comparison.

"According to the texts sent back by intelligence, and comparing with the imprecise nautical charts we have obtained, Dongwan Island is confirmed to be a leaf-shaped island stretching from north to south, with slightly pointed ends and the widest section in the middle, with many mountains in the eastern region and a narrow plain in the western region," Bernard explained briefly about the island's geographical environment.

This was the third difficulty of the operation—the fleet could not directly initiate an attack from the east side; they had to navigate around to the west side of the island.

And since the enemy did not need to defend the eastern side of the island, they would certainly concentrate a large force on the western side, which would pose considerable difficulties for the landing operation.

Upon arriving at a cabin door, Bernard gestured for the regimental commander to follow, leading him, the accompanying adjutants, and other attendants into the makeshift operations command center.

A crudely sketched map hung on the cabin wall, noting approximately two cities and some probable regions where enemy forces might be deployed.

In reality, such maps would never be used as military maps within the Great Tang Group—they were at best rough sketches.

Yet, before setting sail, the most detailed map they could find was an old-fashioned one without even contour lines, devoid of precise topographical details.

The regimental commander knew that he was, in essence, about to lead more than 2,000 soldiers to attack a location about which they knew nothing.

Bernard pointed to the map, continuing, "Shen Country has approximately 30,000 troops on the island, divided into 20 legions and 60 battalions. The main force should be stationed in Dongwan, the largest port city in the northern part of the island, with a small deployment in the southern Fengshun City."

He gave a simple explanation, "Actually, the eastern part of the island is not suitable for our landing, so the fleet has to go around to the western side and choose the gentle sandy beaches to unload our troops."

"We expect the resistance on the island to be not particularly strong because the enemy forces are scattered and have not built complete defensive positions. They do not know of our coming, and it's unlikely they will make targeted deployments." After speaking, Bernard looked toward the regimental commander.

Clearly, he was waiting for the regimental commander to offer some thoughts. The regimental commander thought for a moment and then asked directly about his most pressing concern, "Are you sure there are no defensive positions?"

He knew his own troops all too well—their condition was already very poor. Under such circumstances, if they had to engage immediately with the enemy forces, there were obvious difficulties.

If they were just landing without immediate combat, a few hours of rest, or even staying in place for two days to recover combat readiness, he had great confidence in his subordinates overwhelming thousands of enemy troops.

"Absolutely none! This is true for both Zheng Country and Shen Country—they have not yet upgraded to breech-loading rifles on a large scale, and their main forces still primarily use flintlock muskets. They likely haven't encountered modern warfare techniques, nor are they prepared for our landing operation.

That's why we dare to make a forced landing with such scarce information," Bernard affirmed immediately.

He paused briefly then continued to encourage the regimental commander, "Therefore, we also conclude that defeating the 30,000 troops stationed on the island will not be difficult; we have an overwhelming advantage in both weapons and tactics."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Unfortunately, the regimental commander still lacked confidence in his troops, "The biggest problem now is how much fighting power our soldiers still have left... I estimate that by the day of the landing, it would be lucky if we could muster 300 men."

The only forces he could rely on were the relatively fit 1st Battalion, 1st Company, and 2nd Company; after all, these two companies had been the main reinforcements at Hotwind Port and participated in the Battle of Dorne, possessing both extensive seafaring experience and combat experience.

As for the rest of the troops, there was really not much hope for them, at least not in the next two or three days.

"We'll make do with whatever we can muster; after all, we're inexperienced. Next time... it will definitely be much better," Bernard reddened with embarrassment, feeling somewhat sorry for these army brothers.

"Alas..." The regimental commander also felt extremely frustrated, believing that the tasks of overseas landing operations should ideally be handled by the Navy themselves, "Will we be able to see Dongwan Island tomorrow?"

"Yes, by the morning of the day after tomorrow, you'll probably be able to eat your meals onshore," Bernard delivered what the regimental commander considered to be the only piece of good news.