Munitions Empire

The most fatal issue during ancient warfare was the backwardness of communication technology. The battlefield could only be divided into small segments by outdated communication, each fighting on its own, which could even lead to situations where they hindered each other.

Therefore, in most cases, the outcome of ancient warfare was decided by battles between the most elite tens of thousands, because these troops were the limit that one commander could control.

Beyond this limit, signal flags and drums completely lost their function, and no matter how brilliant a general was, they couldn't coordinate and command effectively, and additional forces would fail to play their role due to missed opportunities.

Thus, under the constraints of ancient technological conditions, military superiority might not be realized, and the so-called military advantage often manifested in having many soldiers and abundant generals. In simpler terms, different generals would lead troops to execute their respective tactical missions, fighting independently to achieve strategic goals.

This method was merely a compromise, often resulting in coordination errors due to varying capabilities of the generals and differences in enemy strength during combat, leading to near-failure.

At this moment, the Laines Empire Navy fleet was facing the same situation: they were unable to communicate with each other, so mutual coordination was out of the question.

The forward reconnaissance fleet had already been hit by the Tang Army's anti-ship missiles, while the main fleet following behind was still oblivious to it.

Leines I sat in the bridge of the carrier Leines with a displacement of over forty thousand tons, accepting a cup of hot tea from an attendant.

He was feeling very seasick, unable to endure the twenty-some days of sea voyage as a landlubber. But he was also unwilling to entrust his most elite troops to someone else, so he personally led the expedition.

In his hands were the Laines Empire's most elite hundred thousand troops, various supplies, and an entire navy fleet.

According to his calculations, the main carriers numbered five, battleships five, and more than twenty light modified carriers! This was definitely an indomitable force.

"Has communication not been restored yet?" Blomayer asked in a low voice, staring at the captain of the carrier Leines with a grim expression: "Could there be an issue?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but this kind of complete communication breakdown hasn't happened before. I suspect the Tang Army might have discovered our movements," the captain of the carrier Leines replied frankly.

He had previously disagreed with Blomayer's reckless plan; the sneak attack on Dragon Island was almost technically unfeasible. Even if the Tang Army did nothing, as soon as they entered the Dragon Island range, their patrol aircraft and destroyers equipped with radar would surely detect this massive Laines Empire fleet.

Not to mention, how could the other side be so careless? The war had already broken out a month ago, and all Tang Army units should have been on alert by now, making the sneak attack an impossible task.

Frustratingly, neither Navy Commander Blomayer nor Emperor Leines I opted to ignore these issues. Both naively believed that the Tang Army was unprepared, and that a sneak attack could succeed.

"Report!" The navy carrier-based aircraft commander approached, stood by the two men, and said formally: "Supreme Commander, Captain... Just now, two patrolling Sea Spitfire Fighters returned, saying they saw warships in the forward reconnaissance fleet catching fire, with thick smoke billowing."

"What?" Blomayer, who always had a bad feeling, suddenly raised his voice: "Say it again? What do you mean by catching fire? Thick smoke billowing?"

The captain of the carrier Leines was also bewildered: "What's actually happening? Could the reporting pilots have been mistaken?"

"Communication is heavily disrupted, and the reports from the two patrol planes are intermittent, but their reports do include catching fire, thick smoke billowing..." The carrier-based aircraft commander hesitantly explained.

He also didn't want to believe such a thing; their purpose this time was to attack Dragon Island. Yet now, barely more than halfway through, still at such a distance from Dragon Island, they had been discovered by the Tang people...

Even being discovered was not the worst, but the Tang people had already begun attacking, which was certainly not good news for such a massive fleet.

"We're doomed... There's still the landing fleet behind, so many ships... It's likely too late to turn back now..." Blomayer began to back down. Though he was previously the advocate and promoter of the Dragon Island sneak attack plan, that was because he believed at the time that this "tactic" could succeed.

Even though there was an element of self-deception, he genuinely thought then that risk-taking could result in success. Now, the situation had become more complicated, and all the premises previously set had vanished; in these circumstances, he dared not continue risking the entire fleet in a gamble.

"Wait a moment... On what grounds did they attack us directly? Have they declared war on us? On what grounds are they attacking our fleet?" Blomayer quickly grasped the key issue.

Having taken his medication and drunk hot tea, Leines I recovered some strength. He looked at the small circle of people surrounding Blomayer and others, and involuntarily furrowed his brow.

"What's going on?" He hated being kept in the dark, and so this Emperor coughed, asking with a voice full of authority.

"Your Majesty!" The few individuals were startled by Leines I's voice, then became a bit flustered, unsure whether to inform Leines I of the news.

Ultimately, it was Blomayer who answered Leines I's inquiry: "Your Majesty, there was just an unconfirmed report... The forward reconnaissance fleet was attacked... Likely by the Tang Empire."

"What!?" Leines I stood up abruptly from his seat; he swayed a bit, then walked over to Blomayer and the others, asking somewhat nervously: "What exactly happened? Tell me everything clearly!"

Once the subordinates had explained the entire situation, Leines I regained some of his composure. He looked towards the communication officer standing by, sternly questioning: "When will communication be restored? When will the equipment be repaired?"

"Your, Your Majesty... I'm not sure how long it will take..." The communication officer replied, bracing himself for the Emperor's questions: "We haven't yet determined the cause of the radio communication breakdown!"

"Commander! Based on this situation, what do you think our response should be?" Leines I looked at Blomayer.