Munitions Empire-Chapter 1131 - 1052 This is indeed good news

On the aircraft carrier’s bridge, an officer walked up behind Marshal Bernard, stood at attention, and reported: "Marshal! The aircraft carrier fleet will set sail in four hours. We have about 850 warplanes available for combat. Due to the distance, replenishing losses will be very difficult, which is our disadvantage."

"Position of the second escort fleet?" Bernard asked without turning his head.

In front of him, outside the porthole, the smokestacks of Dongwan-class battleships, serving as the aircraft carrier fleet’s guard, had already started smoking. Further out, countless destroyers and several large cruisers were already weighing anchor one after another.

"The second escort fleet has set out from Dongwan and is expected to rendezvous tonight with the 1st Landing Fleet that set out from Linshui," the aide-de-camp reported proficiently.

The Chief of Staff, still somewhat uneasy, said to Bernard, "I’m still rather worried about maintaining control of the landing site at night... We only have two Dongwan-class battleships, whereas the Mirage Country is estimated to have more than 10 battleships..."

"So we can only rely on torpedoes and radar from the destroyers to deal with these adversaries equipped with large-caliber guns?" He had always felt that the success of such a large-scale maritime operation was a fluke.

Actually, if it weren’t for the Great Tang Empire’s comprehensive breakthroughs in communications, scheduling, and signaling, Tang Mo wouldn’t dare to launch such an enormous landing operation.

However, technology has improved, and the Great Tang Empire’s coordination capabilities are tens or hundreds of times stronger than before. Under these conditions, a joint landing operation is no longer an insurmountable task.

"Not exactly, you also have missile destroyers equipped with anti-ship missiles. These are also our means of dealing with night battles," Bernard said, holding his trump card close—new weapons.

He had Styx anti-ship missiles at his disposal, which could be useful even at night, and of course, their destructive effects were better than those of naval guns.

"I hope those high-tech gadgets are as reliable on the real battlefield as they are in tests," the aide-de-camp quipped.

In previous tests, the Styx anti-ship missiles had been successful twice in a row, showing good performance. However, naval commanders still lacked sufficient trust in such "hit-every-shot" weapons. In their world, it seemed normal to have twenty volleys without a single hit on the target.

"Let’s hope so," Bernard responded with a smile.

"The landing fleet has begun to assemble." Another officer walked through the bustling crowd on the bridge to Bernard’s side, stood at attention, and reported: "The 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions commanded by General Lu Qianshan are ready, and the 9th Group Army led by General Feng Kezhi have already boarded."

"According to the message from the Air Force liaison, the airborne troops will depart after the fleet enters Mirage Country’s waters. 100 Hercules C-130 transport aircraft will carry 6,000 paratroopers for an airdrop behind enemy lines to hinder enemy troop movements," he said, handing over the liaison documents to Bernard.

"This will be the Great Tang Empire’s most technologically advanced, multi-branched, and complex military operation since its founding," Bernard was excited to command such a large-scale campaign.

"The army troops must break through the enemy’s beach defenses within 2 days to meet up with the paratroopers behind enemy lines, or they risk being annihilated by the enemy due to lack of ammunition and provision," the Chief of Staff still expressed his concerns: "General Feng Kezhi must initiate the operation without heavy weapons and succeed in advancing at least 50 kilometers within the specified time."

"Won’t that be too stressful? This is our first time carrying out such a complex operation, what if something goes wrong..." he asked Bernard nervously.

"If something goes wrong, then we’ll show our loyalty to His Majesty!" Bernard said bluntly: "We must complete the mission by any means necessary!"

...

"Where is the attack target located? South Island?" In the Imperial Capital Chang’an, Tang Mo looked at Mirage Country’s map and asked his Chief of Staff Luff behind him.

Frankly, he was also very nervous. After all, it was a landing operation involving several hundred thousand people, and the number of forces to be committed later might reach the million mark, something the Great Tang Empire had never organized on such a scale.

"Yes, it can only be South Island... The airdrop limit of our Hercules transport aircraft is at South Island. If it’s any further, I’m afraid the paratroopers won’t be able to participate in the combat," Luff said with some resignation.

Due to technological and tactical reasons, the Great Tang Empire’s landing site could only be South Island: it was equivalent to fighting with open cards, using one’s own fist against the opponent’s shield.

But the existing technology and Mirage Country’s geographical situation forced the advisers of the Great Tang Empire to make such a choice, and Luff had no better alternative.

"I actually hope they won’t have to participate in combat. In that case, maybe Feng Ke won’t need to consider taking desperate offensive actions," Tang Mo was already pondering the matter of casualties.

"Your Majesty, General Feng Kezhi is not without support; he has Air Force backing, doesn’t he? A whole 300 Flying Fortress bombers are all at his disposal... It’s a pity the bombers can only carry out one bombing mission a day," Luff consoled Tang Mo.