Munitions Empire-Chapter 1032 - 954 Tactical Debate
Chapter 1032: 954 Tactical Debate
Inside the Forbidden City of Great Tang Empire, Wuying Hall.
This place could arguably be described as the holy land in the minds of military leaders worldwide. Entering here, one gains access to cutting-edge weapons they’ve never encountered before and can command the most powerful military in the world.
The military theories born here are so advanced, they’re often inapplicable to the armies of other nations. Every day at the Wuying Hall Staff Department, staff officers engage in discussions on various topics, exploring the world’s most advanced tactics and strategies.
“The Air Force should prioritize the development of high-speed, high-precision bombers with long range, capable of destroying the enemy’s deep industrial areas in the shortest time!” An Air Force officer was arguing heatedly with an Army officer.
He is an advocate of strong air power theories. Before every exercise, he would debate with the judges over the assessment parameters concerning air force damage effectiveness.
There’s no other way around it, as the military exercises in the Great Tang Empire are competitive, the judges would generally reduce the damage effectiveness of the home Air Force by about fifty percent.
If judged according to the actual damage effectiveness, both factions’ ground troops, lacking anti-aircraft firepower, would suffer heavy losses, obviously undermining all subsequent ground operations.
“According to your theory, the range of the planes needs to be increased to over 3000 kilometers, which is simply impossible!” An Army officer said shaking his head: “Though the Air Force is strong, it’s not omnipotent!”
“I don’t mean to look down on you, but in future warfare, your Army merely needs to secure our airbases faithfully, while we can destroy any enemy! As long as our Air Force is strong enough!” The Air Force officer proudly said.
“In the future, the Great Tang Empire should establish a strategic air force system strong enough to destroy entire countries. We should possess more than 2000 Type 6 Fighter Jets, and also manufacture 5000 new jet bombers!” He went on, unfazed by the gazes of others, talking about his grand ambitions.
In the eyes of these staunch Air Force theorists, as long as there are enough and sufficiently powerful airplanes, they can crush any opponents on the ground.
Hundreds or even thousands of airplanes bombing in rotation would leave the opponent utterly powerless. Once the enemy is totally annihilated and incapable of combat, paratroopers could move in to mop up the remnants.
Brutal ground fighting simply wouldn’t happen; the precious lives of Great Tang Empire’s military personnel wouldn’t need to be risked! Paratroopers could simply capture some prisoners effortlessly, and the war would be won. Isn’t that excellent?
“Good grief, 5000 bombers? Are your Junkers 88s not phased out yet?” An Army officer couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke sarcastically.
This left the Air Force officer red-faced; indeed, their Air Force had too many old planes, so many that they hadn’t managed to phase out all their outdated aircraft yet.
“You! You! Isn’t your Army the same?” The Air Force officer pointed at him, countering with embarrassment: “Don’t you still have a bunch of Panther Tanks and Type-4 Tanks?”
“That might be less than your flying fortresses though?” When it came to this, the Army officer’s tone became more justified. An Army tank was much cheaper than an Air Force airplane: “Our one tank costs much less than one of your Type 6 Fighter Jets, right?”
The Air Force officer felt like he had been stabbed in the chest again: Jet fighters are great in every way, so great that he almost believed the Air Force was invincible. But these things are really expensive, the kind of expensive that makes you bleed.
The past Butcher Fighters were already invincible, but back then, one Butcher Fighter was much cheaper than an Army Type-4 Tank.
Now the situation had reversed, a single jet fighter required two jet engines, and aerospace materials used were very pricey, far more expensive than tanks.
But there’s a reason for the expense! Have you seen a fighter jet that can surpass the speed of sound? The enemy doesn’t even react before they’re blown up by our fighter!
And besides, isn’t your Army’s tank, even if more expensive, still playing a life-threatening game face-to-face with the enemy? Our Air Force bombers won’t even allow the enemy a chance to intercept, it’s just a one-sided beating, completely risk-free.
At this, most of the Army commanders in Wuying Hall, who are traditional proponents of large ground forces, in their hearts, everything Air Force and Navy, are just helping out their Army.
You can bomb with a thousand planes for several days, but it’s still not as effective as one salvo from our Rocket Artillery Troops followed by a tank assault.
Not to mention, the tracks of our tanks roll over land, marking it as the solid territory of Great Tang. Your planes fly overhead and still need to fly back when they run out of fuel, what’s the point in that?
To rely on airborne troops is even more laughable. Those are merely light infantry armed with rifles, aside from parachuting, within our continental army, they barely count as third-rate light infantry, the type that cannot make a public appearance!
Look at what the darlings of our army are: heavily armored main battle tanks, tactical missiles that can strike hundreds of kilometers away, and that terrifying number of large-caliber artillery!
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“So you see, cannons are the rulers used to measure the territory, tanks are the blades of the Empire, truth is forged in blood and fire, our army is truly the pillar of the Empire!” exclaimed the proud army officer.
It’s no wonder he feels superior, which inch of the vast territories of the Great Tang Empire wasn’t conquered by our infantry soldiers? At most, the Air Force could be considered mere foliage, not fit to compete with flowers in splendor!
Not to mention anything else, just looking at the current situation where two out of the four marshals are from the army and one is the chief of staff, it’s clear who His Majesty The Emperor truly relies on.
As for the Navy, they still have a marshal representing, but look at your Air Force, even now it only has two generals. How can it compete with the army?
Now some technologies are still being developed, everyone is researching various tactics and strategies in their respective fields, everyone is filled with anticipation for the future, believing that what they are studying is an indispensable agenda for future warfare.
After witnessing the formidable destructive power of the Air Force, many Air Force commanders sincerely believe they are the future spear of the Empire, possessing unmatched advantages in loss control and response speed.
Similarly, from the army’s perspective, traditional strength prevails. In the eyes of army officers, only the land beneath their feet truly belongs to the Great Tang Empire. The high-flying tactics of the Air Force cannot deliver a decisive blow.
In fact, both sides have their reasons, and both hope to gain more attention in the future. It’s a competition, a competition among invincible military branches.
“Starting an argument again?” A staffer walked into the meeting room, threw some documents on the table, and asked the Navy officer who was smoking beside him.
The Navy officer nodded, “Exactly, twice a day…”
“Didn’t you go up to debate?” The staffer pulled up a chair, took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth and asked vaguely.
The Navy officer took out a lighter from his pocket, lit the cigarette for him, then shook his head with a smile, “It’s not the national defense budget meeting, why go now.”
“You’re taking it pretty easy.” The staffer chuckled emitting a smoke ring, “It’s just you guys in the Navy making a fortune quietly, I heard you’ve just launched the tenth aircraft carrier?”
“Launching aircraft carriers doesn’t help much.” The Navy officer took a drag on his cigarette, rather helplessly complaining, “You haven’t seen our internal meetings, our boss is so anxious.”
“Still not satisfied?” The staffer was visibly surprised. Looking at the scale alone, the naval forces of the Great Tang Empire hidden on Dragon Island nearly equal the combined naval strength of other nations.
“Unless Stukas are phased out, and jet fighters are aboard carriers, Marshal Bernard says he can’t sleep peacefully,” the Navy officer flicked his ash, speaking to the staffer beside him, “Can’t outperform the Air Force, can’t beat the Army, it’s embarrassing.”
Unexpectedly, while they were talking, the debating officers had come over, originally wanting to enlist support, but upon hearing the Navy officer’s words, both felt a sense of crisis.
These discussions about the great Air Force, great Army, ultimately aren’t they all about funds? Which military branch doesn’t require the nation to pour money in? Now there’s another contender wanting a share, how can this stand?
While the Navy officer and staffer were chatting casually, an army officer standing behind them suddenly spoke up, “Well, well! Always thought you were honest, didn’t expect you to be a staunch advocate for the Navy!”
The Air Force officer was also full of disdain, “Your thick eyebrows and big eyes also harbor much cunning! The Navy’s budget isn’t enough for you? Want jet fighters too? Our Air Force only has a few, just a few?”
Several people argued in clamor, and when a few more officers entered, they shook their heads one after another, “Started arguing again?”
“Exactly… don’t even know what they’re arguing for.” One of the officers disdainfully curled his lip, “Which department could do without logistics?”
“Marshal Bolton has arrived!” With the guard’s reminder, the room immediately quieted down. Bolton walked into the meeting room, returned a military salute to all the saluting officers, and then motioned for them to sit down.
“Today’s meeting content, you all should know, Marshal Le Fu has ordered me and General Strauss to host two war simulations respectively, to calculate the feasibility of Qin Country attacking Shu Country,” he said and then walked over to the map, “Navy officers are here to observe, tactical plans are developed by the Staff Department, everyone has seen them, any thoughts… let’s hear them.”
