Munitions Empire

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Perhaps no one expected that this great battle in Dorne would ultimately make heroes out of two young generals who had graduated from the Great Tang Military Academy.

After this war, their names would be sung throughout the world alongside the military exploits they had achieved.

Now, they were not yet the renowned Dorne Duo of the future, but they were in the process of showing the world the talent that had been buried in obscurity.

Three days later, in the afternoon, over 7,000 Dorne troops, shielded by more than 20 machine guns, encircled the 50,000-strong army of the Xilun Kingdom from the rear.

A semblance of chaos spread instantly, and at this point, the commander of the Xilun Kingdom was still unaware that his retreat had been completely cut off.

He sent his trusted subordinate leading 3,000 soldiers to counterattack along the road, attempting to recapture his supply line and retreat path.

The result was that these 3,000 soldiers suffered heavy casualties and were forced to retreat to their point of origin once again.

It wasn't until then that the commander-in-chief of the Xilun Kingdom realized that the army appearing behind him was not a minor Dorne harassing force as he had guessed.

After the first counterattack failed, the commander of the Xilun troops immediately became aware of the gravity of the situation, and he once again rallied 5,000 of his main force, took command in person, and tried to recapture the route.

After a fierce battle, he finally acknowledged the fact that his troops were encircled, and what was intercepting him was not a small detachment but a large army with formidable firepower.

Thus, the attempt to recapture the retreat route turned into a breakout, and the nature of the battle changed immediately. The commander of the Xilun Kingdom called back another 5,000 men from the front to fight again.

The delay in communication made the coordination of the Xilun troops extremely slow, and the frequent movements caused great unease among the other soldiers. Chapter Discover:

They watched as large numbers of troops were withdrawn from their sides, not knowing whether they were retreating or heading somewhere else to continue fighting, so everyone was confused.

By this time, the commander of the Xilun Kingdom, including the person in charge from the Shireck Consortium with the army, still did not know that the Taren Kingdom's troops had already been defeated, and that they were completely surrounded.

On the other hand, the security forces of the Great Tang Group had their own manpower radio communication devices. They used pedal-powered generators to send telegrams to the Dorne troops in the direction of the King City early on.

The more timely and accurate information allowed the Dorne commander in the direction of King City, Bolton, to immediately order a full counterattack, preparing to pin down the Xilun troops on the front line.

Meanwhile, as Bolton launched his counterattack, he also started spreading rumors that the Xilun commander had fled, also aiming at a "psychological warfare" maneuver.

As a result, the Xilun troops on the front line, who had lost their command, took the rumors for truth, because they really could not find their general...

A greater chaos finally erupted. The 20,000 Xilun troops at the front surrendered, abandoned their camp, and were unable to break through the encirclement. The remainder of the Xilun troops collapsed in an instant.

The farce lasted for two days. Out of the more than 40,000 troops of the Xilun Kingdom, aside from a few hundred stragglers who managed to escape, the rest became prisoners of Dorne Kingdom.

Even the person in charge of Shireck was captured, taken back to Dorne King City by Bolton, along with a large shipment of military supplies meant to support the effort, which now became the spoils of Dorne's great victory.

The war ended in such a confused manner, but the results were incredibly shocking: On the southern front, where the enemy had the greatest advantage, two kingdoms had almost lost all their mobile forces, almost as if they were stripped naked, leaving themselves at the mercy of the Dorne Kingdom.

This war also saw many historical firsts. For example, it was the first time naval artillery supported land operations—the old muzzle-loaded cannons couldn't reach that far.

Another example is the use of telegraph machines on the battlefield for communication, allowing widespread troop movements and coordinated combat.

Plus, it was the first war in the world's history to have battlefield scenes recorded by cameras. Journalists from the Great Tang Group's security forces used photographic equipment to capture many valuable images of the war.

These black-and-white photos became precious visual records for review and analysis later on, and they also became important archives that bore witness to the magnificent victory in this war.

In this local battlefield of the war involving 11 countries, termed as the "Victory of the Duo," the losses of the Shireck Consortium were simply innumerable.

The two kingdoms had deployed an army of 80,000, with more than 600 artillery pieces, including 30 of the 130 millimeters in caliber, and over 300 of the new breech-loading cannons.

Equipped for this 80,000-strong army were also 50,000 Shireck-made needle guns, 10,000 left-wheel handguns, and lever-action rifles.

Along with the horses and vehicles that brought the heavy artillery to the front, as well as the artisans and servants that accompanied them, all of these were essentially completely lost.

The remnants that managed to return to the Taren Kingdom salvaged some Gold Coins and valuable items, but the Xilun Kingdom's forces were truly and utterly obliterated.

...

"Finally, some good news," Tang Mo, who had been waiting for almost 20 days, put down the telegram in his hands and let out a sigh of relief.

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He was also very nervous, fearing that his people might mess up in Dorne. If that happened, he would have to consider giving up on Dorne completely, abandoning Hotwind Port, and even temporarily postponing his plans for settling accounts with the Taren Kingdom.

If Dorne couldn't hold, there was a very real possibility that the Leite Kingdom itself might be at risk, and Brunas could potentially come under attack from Shireck.

If it really came to that, he would have to give up on Brunas and retreat to Dragon Island, losing over a year's worth of development time at least.

However, the good news was that all of these worries did not come to pass. The Battle of Dorne had been won, and the development of the Great Tang Group in the upcoming years would no longer be threatened.

"The dwarves from the Ice Cold Kingdom..." Harry's face also revealed a smile. He was walking faster than usual when he came to deliver the telegram.

He couldn't help it; the good news was just too significant. They could continue to develop, continue to expand, and continue... to make even more money.

"Now that we don't have to worry about watching our back, it's time to think about how we're going to make money," Tang Mo said with a smile to Harry. "Although I haven't figured out how to deal with Shireck and avenge today's grudge, causing them a bit of trouble shouldn't be a problem."

"Go! Fetch those anxious dwarves and tell them... I agree to their request." Having said that, Tang Mo pressed the telegram on the table, stood up, and walked towards the window.

What a splendid afternoon it was. After victory, even the familiar scenery of the factory district seemed to take on a different flavor.

"Yes!" Harry left Tang Mo's room.

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"Have you resolved your troubles?" The Dwarf Envoy asked in disbelief upon seeing Tang Mo.

"Of course, otherwise how could I brazenly consider your request... If I had been defeated, how much of the promise I made to you could have been fulfilled?" Tang Mo gestured for the Dwarf Envoy to sit down, and asked with a smile in return.

"..." The dwarf fell silent. He knew the immense pressure Shireck could bring to an opponent, so he was very clear about the enormous cost of resolving Shireck's challenges.

In the end, he felt there was no need for Tang Mo to lie to him. It seemed that the Great Tang Group had indeed won a splendid victory on the battlefield.

"Soon, you'll see the results in the newspapers. The war is over, and what's left... is just garbage time," Tang Mo said with a smile, sitting opposite the Dwarf Envoy.

The dwarf was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding and bringing the topic back to the trade between the Ice Cold Kingdom and the Great Tang Group: "Have you truly agreed to our request?"

"Yes, I've thought it over for a long time and feel that having a friendly partner in the north is in the interest of the Great Tang Group," Tang Mo nodded and said.

The dwarf didn't speak because he knew Tang Mo would certainly propose additional terms—the original price was not the same after the Great Tang Group defeated Shireck.

"The Ice Cold Kingdom, or shall we say the Ice Cold Empire... must completely sever ties with Shireck, prohibiting them from conducting any business within the regions controlled by the Ice Cold Empire, within the span of their influence," Tang Mo said with a smile, uttering the coldest of demands.

"Agreed! We accept this condition," the Dwarf Envoy, having anticipated the additional condition to be related to Shireck, nodded in agreement with Tang Mo's terms after a brief reflection.

As long as the Great Tang Group supported the Dwarf Kingdom in industrialization, the dwarves wouldn't really need to bother with Shireck's outdated technology.

Therefore, cutting off ties with Shireck and first building an industrial system to learn the technology of the Great Tang Group was in the interest of the Ice Cold Kingdom.

"So... here's to a pleasant cooperation!" Tang Mo extended his hand, smiling.

The handshake ritual originated in Brunas, and anyone who had dealt with the Great Tang Group knew very well that when the people of the Great Tang Group extended their hand, it signified that a deal had been reached.

And with a collaboration with the Great Tang Group, Gold Coins would come pouring in, unstoppable! This was the reason the Great Tang Group caught everyone's attention and why people went crazy for it.

"To a pleasant cooperation!" The dwarf stood up, extended his hand, and clasped it with Tang Mo's.

The next day, Brunas's newspapers published the news of the great victory in Dorne. For a moment, everyone who saw the content of the newspaper was dumbfounded because they had not expected that the second place to be decided would be Dorne.

In fact, at almost the same time Tang Mo learned of the great victory in Dorne, the King of the Taren Kingdom had only just found out that his Troops had been routed and had returned to the country.

He hadn't even had the chance to deal in his wrath with the defeated generals when he heard an unbelievable piece of bad news from the messenger soldier who had come to deliver the message.

The Taren Kingdom's Fleet... had been utterly annihilated at Hotwind Port.

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Two more chapters today