Munitions Empire

As trenches began to frequently appear and started to block the attackers, causing the assailants to pay a heavy price, everyone was eagerly awaiting a type of automatic weapon that could be used by individual soldiers. Whoever could produce such a weapon might once again transform the mode of warfare.

As long as the firepower was fierce enough, it could tear apart the enemy's trench defenses, allowing victory to be secured with fewer losses. Therefore, even if the price was high, everyone did not mind shelling out some extra Gold Coin.

Of course, in reality, the prevalence of machine guns was pitifully low, and most armies were not actually going to equip their soldiers with expensive weapons like the submachine gun on a large scale. Compared to submachine guns, militaries preferred to have more machine guns to boost their firepower.

This was a very contradictory psychology; on one hand, everyone hoped to be equipped with a large number of K2 rifles or better individual automatic firing weapons, to end trench warfare.

On the other hand, they felt that they did not have enough heavy firepower to support their defenses, so they wanted to be equipped with more machine guns.

There was only so much money, so deciding what kind of weapons to prioritize purchasing became an issue of trade-offs for many troop commanders.

After all, there were not many nations with deep pockets, and there were even fewer people like Tang Mo, who was ready to equip his entire military with submachine guns.

Moreover, Tang Mo had no plans to immediately expand the production of automatic weapons; he intended to keep these weapons secret for a while longer, allowing the battlefield to fully digest the existing arms first.

A large number of advanced weapons had suddenly emerged in this world because Tang Mo could disregard the laws of factual development and forcibly develop some experience-based weapons that would have otherwise only been forged through warfare.

He could unreasonably bring out mature weapons that were certain not to take a wrong turn, something that others could not achieve.

But doing so also brought a series of problems, which was that the battlefield presented a pathological and chaotic state.

Actually, it was quite laughable; most military commanders, more than two years ago, were still commanding their troops to engage in dense phalanx charges, using firing squad tactics in a row to determine the outcome.

Later, when breech-loading rifles were introduced by Tang Mo, the situation on the battlefield began to change, and the casualties of phalanx gun battles shot up dramatically, causing both warring sides to be overwhelmed by such horrific losses.

With the advent of metallic cartridges, trench warfare became an entirely new tactic, a kind that others had never seen before.

Until trench warfare began to be frequently used around Leite Kingdom, most commanders in other war zones had not even seen what a machine gun looked like.

Breech-loading cannons, another novel item, were also scarce, and everyone was still inexplicably experimenting with new tactics to adapt to new weapons.

The graduates of the Great Tang Military Academy accelerated the spread of new tactics and weapons, but they also brought a series of practical problems.

For example, the concept of position warfare appeared prematurely when tank technology was not yet mature, which directly led to a dramatic increase in the cruelty of war.

In various combat areas, it became common to see soldiers lining up in neat formations, charging the enemy's machine gun positions like madmen.

There also began to appear wars of attrition where both sides used trenches, neither side initiating an attack, fearful of incurring heavy casualties.

Everyone was haphazardly trying new tactics and developing a whole array of bizarre weapons, hoping to use these weapons to end the current chaotic state.

In Poplar Kingdom, large Left-Wheel Handguns capable of firing over a dozen shots consecutively appeared, and the Songmu Kingdom's military purchased a large number of K2 lever-action rifles to solve the problem of insufficient close-combat firepower.

Leite Kingdom tried to rely on purchasing more artillery, creating larger caliber guns to eliminate enemies hiding in trenches.

Things in Dorne Kingdom were even more interesting. Because of lagging tactics, Bolton and Strauss led their troops to attack, and the opposition was still chaotically organizing their units into phalanxes for defense…

"What is this thing?" Wes frowned and asked as he looked at the new weapon with a wooden stock and a metal barrel laid out in front of him.

Instinct told him that the new weapon before him seemed to be very unfriendly to a man who liked to duel, like himself.

Sure enough, Tang Mo smiled as he reached into the tray, grabbing the Thompson Submachine Gun, and took a magazine from the tray as well, inserting it into the gun.

He then naturally pulled the bolt back, aimed at a distant target, and pulled the trigger.

"Tatatatat!" The dense gunfire, accompanied by the faint blue smoke drifting from the muzzle, startled Wes, who stood beside Tang Mo.

One after another, metal shell casings fell at Tang Mo's feet, and the wooden target in the distance was riddled with bullet holes from Tang Mo's shooting.

After emptying the 30 rounds in the magazine, Tang Mo stood the submachine gun upright and turned to Wes, "The C-1 Submachine Gun! With a 30-round magazine or a 50-round drum for ammunition; it's a new weapon that can fire continuously once loaded!"

The drum magazine was not a reliable method of feeding ammunition, its structure too complex, prone to malfunction during the process, and its reloading exceptionally cumbersome.

Therefore, on the battlefield, regular magazines were the more dependable method for feeding ammunition, though drum magazines still remained popular among many soldiers, since sometimes having more rounds meant greater security.

However, Tang Mo, who prioritized portability, preferred to equip his Thompson Submachine Gun with a magazine, rather than the more famous and bulky drum magazine.

"It can rapidly turn the target, or rather everyone within the target area, into a sieve! Don't doubt it, it's a true weapon of mass destruction!" Tang Mo said as he handed the still-warm submachine gun to the stunned Wes.

"It uses the same bullets as the S4 pistol, so its power is considerable... you just aim at the target and pull the trigger, and all your troubles will be blown away! Convenient and quick..." Tang Mo watched as Wes subconsciously received the submachine gun, and he took a new magazine from the tray and handed it over.

Under Tang Mo's guidance, Wes ejected the spent magazine and reloaded a new one, pulled back the bolt, and completed the chambering action.

Then, following Tang Mo's gesture, he braced the butt of the gun against his shoulder and squeezed the trigger at a new target.

A series of rapid gunshots rang out again, with shell casings falling to the ground like raindrops, producing a pleasant clinking sound.

Afterward, the target a few dozen meters in front of Wes was shattered by the barrage of bullets, leaving only one third of it barely standing.

"It can be called the king of close combat." Tang Mo said, laughing while patting Wes's shoulder: "My guard troops will be the first to be equipped with this weapon! What do you think?"

"What can I say? No one who crosses you will end up well," Wes said, looking at the submachine gun in his hand and suddenly feeling old, as if he could retire.

He had been trying hard to keep up with Tang Mo, to adapt to the new weapons Tang Mo developed—frankly speaking, when he saw the Left-Wheel Handgun, he knew the martial arts skills he once prided himself on were almost obsolete.

Nevertheless, he had mastered the shooting skills of the handgun and learned how to kill enemies more efficiently.

And now, just when he thought he had finally gotten a handle on pistol shooting techniques, Tang Mo had developed an even more formidable weapon!

"Don't be so discouraged! Actually, it has its drawbacks," Tang Mo comforted Wes with a tinge of regret.

"I don't see any drawbacks..." Wes grumbled, staring at the rapid-firing weapon in his hands that could spit out dozens of bullets in an instant.

"There are. There are!" Tang Mo hurriedly assured him.

Then, he gestured and said, "Don't you think it's... a bit too big?"

"It's not easy to carry, and it can't be tucked into a pocket like a handgun." Tang Mo gestured with his hands to indicate the length of the gun, annoyed that he couldn't choose the MP-38 submachine gun with the folding stock: "It's definitely not something you can bring to a banquet... right?"

Upon hearing Tang Mo's explanation, Wes laughed. Indeed... this weapon was a bit too big and wasn't suitable for many occasions.

But for Great Tang Group's security teams, factory patrols, and other special situations, the power of this weapon could only be described as otherworldly.

"Your troops will get priority in being equipped with it! Don't worry!" Tang Mo saw the longing in Wes's eyes and said directly: "You're also welcome to practice as much as you want because... we are not short on bullets."

The .45 caliber bullets were already being produced on a large scale by Great Tang Group, especially since the S4 pistol, also known as the M1911 pistol, had also started mass production.

At the same time, the PPK pistol, as a new personal defense weapon, had also begun mass production and was extensively equipping Great Tang Group's administrative and intelligence personnel.

And to simplify their product lines, Tang Mo had already shut down all production lines related to needle guns and recoilless rifles.

These pieces of equipment had been disposed of or transferred elsewhere. Brunas was no longer producing needle guns, and Northern Ridge had also ceased production of this type of weapon.

The flagship product of Northern Ridge's firearms factory was now the K3 bolt-action rifle, which is the Mauser KAR98K rifle.

The production line of Great Tang Group's K2 lever-action rifle had also been entirely moved to the suburbs of Leite Royal City, since Great Tang Group was no longer interested in this type of weapon.

Similarly, the technology for recoilless rifles had already been disseminated by Great Tang Group, and now 75mm recoilless rifles could be produced by Northern Ridge and Leite Kingdom, although this production was still under the supervision of Great Tang Group.

Unknowingly, Great Tang Group had shifted many of its downstream production projects to other regions, driving industrial development in those areas.

And Great Tang Group was consciously starting to keep its cutting-edge technology on Dragon Island, a place more suitable for secrecy and development... its true stronghold.