Munitions Empire-Chapter 1129 - 1050 Vigilant Mirage Country
Mirage Country is comprised of four islands, named from south to north: Northern Island, Ben Island, New Shen, and South Island. Each of these islands is quite large and has many natural good harbors.
However, the largest port in Mirage Country is still the Great Southern Bay on South Island, which is the busiest and most modernized giant port that the country relies on.
In addition, the capital city of Mirage Country is located on Ben Island, called Shen Capital, which is the political center of the country. The King of Mirage Country, revered as the "Shen Emperor" by the Goblins, rules over the whole Mirage Country from here.
The Prime Minister of Mirage Country is named Shen Wen Dabo, a very short and withered-looking old man. At this very moment, he is sitting in his office, listening to another Minister, Shen Wenxin, report on some rumors he has recently heard.
"Prime Minister, it seems we need to hasten the construction of our coastal defenses," Shen Wenxin said with deep concern, "According to the intelligence, the ambition of the Great Tang Empire to covet our territory is becoming increasingly apparent."
Historically, Mirage Country and the Great Tang Empire seemed to have a natural opposition: when the Great Tang Empire first decided to make moves on the Western Continent, Mirage Country had already clashed with them over Dongwan Island.
In fact, the westward strategy of the Great Tang Empire took away the opportunity for Mirage Country to expand into the Western Continent. On this issue, there is a fundamental strategic conflict between the two countries.
In terms of expansion interests, the contradictions between the two countries are almost irreconcilable. Mirage Country later goes to war with the Great Tang Empire at Beiyuan City, which is an embodiment of the concentrated outbreak of these contradictions.
Apart from continuous conflicts with the Great Tang Empire, Mirage Country had conflicts with the now-extinct Zheng Country as well. At that time, Mirage Country invaded many islands of Zheng Country, oppressed Zheng fishermen, and slaughtered Zheng coastal soldiers and civilians, committing heinous crimes.
At that time, Zheng Country was powerless to resist the invasion of Mirage Country, so this deep-seated vendetta had to be reluctantly endured. But now the situation is different, the Great Tang Empire has inherited all the territories of Zheng Country, and thus also inherited the civilian hatred for Mirage Country that existed on the former Zheng lands.
Nowadays, many Tang People are very resentful when it comes to Mirage Country. They feel they have an old score with the Goblins that has yet to be settled.
The other country that the Great Tang Empire absorbed, Qi Country, also harbors animosity towards the people of Mirage Country: during the fall of Qi Country, the numerous crimes committed by Mirage Country in Beiyuan City are also etched in the hearts of Tang People.
The two countries, with irreconcilable strategic contradictions and deep-seated enmity, simplify the situation: it would be a disservice to the Heavens’ arrangement not to have a war between them.
"As for the Navy, General Shen Haiping has once again requested a budget for three more battleships. In my view, it seems more in our interest to engage the enemy at sea rather than confining ourselves to the land," Prime Minister Shen Wen Dabo said as he pushed up the glasses on his nose bridge to Shen Wenxin.
These glasses, incidentally, were imported from the Great Tang Empire, and Shen Wen Dabo is quite fond of them. They are one of the few personal items he seldom goes without.
"If all goes well, indeed, investing in naval warships might be more cost-effective. We can advance to attack or retreat to defend," Shen Wenxin agreed, before adding a caveat, "However, Prime Minister, I worry that our Navy will not be able to fulfill the task of repelling enemy forces in the open sea, given the Great Tang Empire’s continuous emergence of advanced weaponry."
"Let’s first discuss your intelligence," Prime Minister Shen Wen Dabo said, unwilling to draw a hasty conclusion. His judgment affects Mirage Country’s strategic decisions, so he must be as fair as possible.
"In the past three months, the Great Tang Empire has mentioned our country eighty-seven times through official news channels. They are fanning the flames of public hatred against us, and our trade with the Great Tang Empire is drastically decreasing," Shen Wenxin presented his evidence.
Another Minister, Shen Wenyu, weighed in, saying, "They have intentionally reduced trade with us and are training their troops for amphibious operations. These are not secrets... Additionally, Qin Country and the Poplar Empire, which have close relations with the Great Tang Empire, seem to be distancing themselves from us."
"This is certainly a serious issue," Prime Minister Shen Wen Dabo nodded in agreement with this viewpoint.
Continuing with his concerns, Shen Wenxin said, "The foreign affairs department of the Great Tang Empire has also become very aggressive. Their Deputy Minister, Jiang Run, has made many statements against us recently, claiming that the Great Tang Empire should have more influence over the northern part of the Endless Sea." freēnovelkiss.com
"The content they are preparing to sign with us is extremely harsh; the Shen Emperor Your Majesty would never agree to such humiliating and power-surrendering terms. We are not Qi Country, nor are we Dahua; we are Mirage Country!" Shen Wenyu also voiced his grievances.
"This content comes from a television program in the Great Tang Empire. The show’s host claims Mirage Country is untrustworthy, saying that Goblins have a habit of breaking faith and deserting, and that we like to kill... He is stirring up divisive sentiments." To strengthen his persuasion, Shen Wenxin also presented some materials.
"Has our foreign affairs department lodged a protest?" Shen Wen Dabo asked a question. In his view, such provocation should be directly protested against, to let the adversary witness the firm stance of Mirage Country.
Shen Wenxin gave a wry smile and explained, "We have lodged a protest, but the Great Tang Empire has ignored it. Therefore, I suspect they are already considering the possibility of waging war against our country."
In fact, all the ministers and generals of Mirage Country present understood that the Great Tang Empire would not pay attention to protests from Mirage Country. Sometimes, protest is just a method to show one’s stance. If you are strong enough, you don’t need to protest, but if you’re not strong enough, protesting is useless.
For the Great Tang Empire to launch a war against Mirage Country, there isn’t much preparation work needed in advance: other countries might need to inform their citizens and repatriate expatriates, etc.
In Mirage Country, there are a pitifully small number of Great Tang civilians and merchants, not mentioning a few spies and intelligence personnel.
"How well have we prepared? I mean, in military terms, are our preparations already good enough?" Knowing that war was inevitable, Shen Wen Dabo looked toward the army generals sitting aside.
"Obviously not. Prime Minister, we have a coastline of about 700 kilometers that could potentially be landed upon, and it’s impossible to defend such an extensive coastline..." the army general named Shenwu Ke began to speak: "However, we are desperately strengthening the stretches of coastline that the Great Tang Empire may attack."
"Give me the specifics," Shen Wen Dabo, with his arms folded, continued to inquire.
"Yes, Prime Minister! We have built enough bunkers and defense lines on South Island, which is the main focus of our defense efforts. That’s because there lies Great Southern Bay, a port most familiar to the Great Tang Empire, and its geographical location is relatively closer to the port of Beiyuan City in the Great Tang Empire." Shenwu Ke stood up, approached the map, and explained to everyone the progress of Mirage Country’s war preparations.
"Due to the tension over the past six months, we’ve built multidimensional fortifications on South Island, constructed 10 field airports, and have deployed 300 of the most advanced Zero Fighters." He pointed at several marked locations on the map as he spoke.
This was the focus of Mirage Country’s defense: in the last war, the Great Tang Empire relied on aerial superiority to defend their coastline and islands, and this time Mirage Country decided to replicate the Great Tang’s successful case.
He continued to add, "Over 500 pieces of 150mm caliber heavy artillery have been placed along a 200-kilometer winding coastline, forming four main artillery clusters."
Furthermore, he started to introduce the defensive deployment of the important port of Great Southern Bay: "In addition, on both sides of Great Southern Bay, we have also constructed permanent defense fortifications made of reinforced concrete – that is, the eastern and western gun batteries."
After the introduction of the defensive fortifications, Shenwu Ke then proceeded to introduce the disposition of Mirage Country’s troops: "To prevent the Great Tang Empire from landing, we’ve positioned over 200,000 troops on the front line, and in the secondary line, we’ve deployed two armored divisions with over 500 tanks, and an additional 200,000 infantry as a reserve force. These troops can support most beachhead positions within a day and launch counter-attacks against the enemy forces!"
The entire defensive arrangement is quite sophisticated; as long as their air force can control the skies, the fleet of the Great Tang Empire will definitely be defeated.
Therefore, after listening to his presentation, Prime Minister Shen Wen Dabo nodded in satisfaction and praised, "It looks like we have made sufficient preparations on South Island."
Shenwu Ke confidently responded, "Indeed, our Zero Fighters have an absolute advantage in range, and our Dragon Bombers are also excellent. If the enemy’s fleet gets close, we can gain air superiority."
"What if the enemy doesn’t attack from South Island?" Shen Wenxin raised a question.
Shenwu Ke, evidently well-prepared, smiled and explained: "If they do not attack South Island first, the airfields and aircraft on South Island can cover defenses on New Island, with the enemy getting caught in a pincer by air forces from both South Island and Ben Island. Ultimately, they will struggle, sustaining heavy losses."
"Continue," Shen Wen Dabo was even more pleased, instructing with a smile on his face.
Shenwu Ke went on to introduce the arrangement on Ben Island: "The defense level on Ben Island is even higher since Ben Island itself has fewer suitable locations for landing. Our defense line is more concentrated, and the troop concentration is higher. If the enemy forces undergo a forced landing here, they will face our resolute counterattack."
Similar to South Island, Mirage Country also deployed heavy troops on Ben Island. Such deployment allowed the least number of forces to ensure the absolute safety of New Island in the middle.
"On Ben Island, we’ve deployed over 500 fighter jets and three armored divisions comprising 700 tanks… Relying on solid fortifications, we can repel any landing enemy forces back into the sea." Once Shenwu Ke had finished introducing the army’s deployment, Prime Minister Shen Wen Dabo had the feeling that the money Mirage Country invested in coastal defense was well spent.
