Munitions Empire

On the other side, in the central part of the border line between the Great Tang Kingdom and the Dahua Empire, which is slightly north of the area where the Tang Army had launched an attack and broke through the Dahua border defense, within a command post of the Tang Army, an officer was reporting to his superior, "General! The preparations for the counterattack are all set, waiting only for your command."

Standing in front of the map and studying the target points on it, the commanding officer turned around and nodded slightly to the group of commanders standing behind him, "Order the troops to begin the attack! We can't let the world remember only Strauss, can we? I, Bolton, son of a Blacksmith, it's time for them to see that the hammer that forges metal is indeed the hardest!"

"Yes, General!" Everyone present stood at attention and saluted, shouting loudly, "Long live Your Majesty! Long live Great Tang!"

The officer who received the orders left one after another, and soon all the tasks for the offensive were distributed.

The head officer remaining in the command post finally showed a relaxed expression, walked beside the map once again, and muttered to himself, "Everyone's looking at Hidden Sword Gorge? Everyone's looking at Xicong? Hahaha, do they think I, Bolton, don't exist? Alright, I'll show them that back in Dorne, there were two generals!"

He was the son of a blacksmith; if it weren't for the Tang Military Academy, if it weren't for His Majesty, he guessed that he'd probably still be forging iron for a living.

But now, he was a general! Commanding a hundred thousand troops, he battled the enemy on the bloody battlefield.

Today he was a famous general of his time, one of the renowned duo of Dorne, the kind of commander that kings and emperors dreamt of having.

As Strauss made a name for himself in Chu Country, Bolton naturally wanted to show his prowess within the Dahua territory. Otherwise, if the world only remembered Strauss from the Dorne duo, what would become of him, Bolton?

Therefore, on the first day of the new month, the Tang Army suddenly launched a new round of assaults at the breakthrough point in the Central Region. Two infantry divisions led the way, directly breaking through the Dahua military's defense line, tearing open a gap approximately ten kilometers wide.

Afterward, the commanding officer of the Central Region, Bolton, committed the 6th Tank Division from the Tang Army reserves in the Central Region to the battlefield, beginning a deep assault into Dahua territory.

In just one day, the 6th Tank Division covered seventy kilometers, drawing a magnificent arc, severing the supply lines of four divisions of the Dahua Empire's reserve troops in the Central Region.

The Dahua military crumbled, scrambling to escape the encirclement of the 6th Armored Division. The Tang Army that faced them then advanced, biting into the Dahua troops that had abandoned their positions.

The chase was on, and three days later, the Dahua defensive forces gave up their resistance, surrendered their weapons, and the rupture in the Central Region of Dahua territory widened to nearly a hundred kilometers.

Since the Tang Country had already taken control of the oil fields in the southern region and was nearly out of the oil crisis, the Great Tang Staff Department allocated about half of their oil reserves to the astonishingly successful Bolton, allowing him to continue expanding his victories in the Central Region.

The Great General of the Dahua Empire, General Feng Kezhi, donned his armor and led the Empire's reserve forces to the Central Region's battlefield.

Relying on the mountains and rivers of the Central Region, General Feng Kezhi maneuvered his troops in coordination with the remaining local forces, finally stabilizing the situation.

However, compared to the situation before, an obvious indentation had appeared on the border area of the Dahua Empire, and a significant stretch of territory fell under the hooves of the Great Tang's cavalry.

In the southern region, the troops of Qian Jinhang, already encircled, were still struggling. However, after a full month, they had devoured almost everything edible within their controlled area.

Initially, they extended their meager food supplies by mixing sawdust, tree bark, and various leaves into their meals, managing to hold on for a while longer.

Latterly, food became almost invisible, and the soldiers had to subsist on tree bark, roots, and leaves. Some even resorted to eating leather goods.

At this point, the troops began to slaughter their horses and searched for anything edible. Mass desertions occurred within the military, with many surrendering their weapons so that they might dine on a full meal from the Tang Army.

At this moment, the remaining half-million troops within the encircling siege depended on relief from the Tang Army for minimal stability.

Yes, you read that correctly, "relief" from the Tang Army. The Tang Army had sent some military rations, barely allowing Qian Jinhang to maintain the situation. The Tang Army even stopped compressing Dahua forces further, slowing down their offensive.

About a fortnight ago, Qian Jinhang had sent people to negotiate with the Tang Army, initiating discussions about surrender. In his view, he had done his utmost for the Dahua Empire.

Without any reinforcements or food supplies, his troops had managed to last this long, which could be considered a miracle.

But such extraordinary performance came at a price, and the price was that he would ultimately surrender with the title of Great General, along with tens of thousands of troops, to the Tang Country.

"Great General! The 100,000 troops on the perimeter have laid down their weapons as agreed and have been taken into custody by the Tang Army…" An aide entered, addressing Qian Jinhang who was sitting in front of the desk.

Distracted, Qian Jinhang replied, "I know."

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"Great General... it's not too late to change your mind now," another subordinate who was organizing documents reminded Qian Jinhang with a hint of unwillingness, glancing at his somewhat withered spirit.

Qian Jinhang slightly nodded his head, then shook it, "There's no turning point left. Since they have promised not to mistreat the prisoners of war, the best outcome is for these soldiers to surrender their weapons."

Because the Tang Army intended to distribute these prisoners in different locations, they didn't make all the Dahua troops within the encircled area surrender at once.

The Dahua prisoners who surrendered in batches were not treated in the usual manner of the Tang Army and were not sent to various regions to serve as labor.

In fact, Tang Country was very friendly towards the people of Dahua, which was completely different from the treatment of the goblin prisoners from the Sheng Country. Logically speaking, the tall and strong people of Dahua, in every aspect, were more talented for labor than the goblins.

Unfortunately, in Great Tang, there was no need to hide one's discrimination. Everyone looked down on goblins, and so their treatment was worse, an unavoidable reality.

For the Dahua troops encircled, there truly was no better option than surrender. They were unable to break through, nor could they continue to hold out.

The weather had cleared up significantly. The previous continuous rainfall had ended, and even the raging rivers were no longer ferociously tumbling.

To the Tang Kingdom, clear weather was the perfect time for killing and arson. Countless planes took off, patrolling back and forth in the sky.

One merely had to look up at the sky to understand the futility of persisting. Had Qian Jinhang not swiftly changed his stance, the bargaining chips in his hands might have diminished by a hundred thousand men.

Sometimes, things are peculiarly wondrous. Two generals of the Dahua Empire would, in the near future, run into each other on a certain street in Chang'an.

One was a fierce general who commanded a million-strong army and once nearly snatched Xicong from Tagg's grasp, while the other was a traitor who surrendered and sacrificed an army of a million and a southeast territory of the empire.

Their fates would be vastly different: Starting from the moment Ding Hong surrendered, he could only live as an obedient wealthy man. The fact that he was alive in Chang'an was already an act of grace by the honest and trustworthy King of Great Tang.

Qian Jinhang's situation was completely different. He was a great general of Dahua but destined to be a commander of Great Tang. Although he could no longer lead troops in combat, there was a place for him in the Staff Department.

After all, the Tang Kingdom was also short on talent. A general who could command nearly a million soldiers, manage their needs, and drive them into combat was a treasure wherever he went.

Even if it were only to find deficiencies and devise strategies for Luff in the Staff Department, someone like Qian Jinhang was still useful.

As for the disposition of the six to seven hundred thousand troops, the higher-ups of Tang Country had already arranged it appropriately.

They would be scattered and sent to cities in dire need of labor forces to undergo labor reformation, working for three years.

After the completion of three years, they had the right to choose to stay or return to the Dahua Empire. If they chose to stay, they would receive a sum for settling down, meaning that their three years of labor in Great Tang was actually paid.

Those who chose to leave naturally would not receive any money, but how many would actually decide to leave after three years, only heaven knew.

According to Tang Country's laws, if such personnel chose to stay, the Tang Kingdom had the right to demand from the Dahua Empire their family members and relatives within three degrees of kinship.

Of course, the Dahua Empire had the right to refuse the request, but at the risk of certain repercussions, such as a declaration of war from Great Tang or sanctions, among others.

In reality, the name Tang Kingdom could possibly no longer exist soon, as many senior officials within Tang Country had begun to earnestly consider whether they could take things a step further.

That's right, the Tang Kingdom could very well rename itself the Great Tang Empire after achieving complete victory in this war, and Tang King Tang Mo, was soon to become the Emperor of Great Tang Empire.

This was not Tang Mo's doing, but rather, a wave initiated bizarrely by a large group of officials who launched an earnest entreaty.

In the beginning, it involved a bunch of old men and old ladies who had nothing better to do in Chang'an City, those who participated spontaneously. They had a respectable title known as village elders.

In other words, they were the bunch of old folks living off the country in Tang's homes for the aged. They jointly petitioned for Tang King to ascend to the throne and transform the Tang Kingdom into a true Great Tang Empire.

If you say there wasn't someone manipulating behind the scenes, even Tang Mo wouldn't believe it. Now that the plate has grown larger, many ministers had their own thoughts, and Tang Mo couldn't expect them always to maintain the so-called simple folk customs...

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