Munitions Empire

Qiumuluo stepped out of the big tent, took a couple of sniffs, and then glanced sideways at the space behind him, revealing a contemptuous smile on his face.

The mice on a ship are the first to know when it's going to capsize; the load-bearing walls are the first to know when a building is about to fall… Qiumuluo felt that Shireck now didn't seem to be the same Shireck who was once worth his submission.

Thus, he walked towards where Baron Stela's troops were stationed, passing through camps where Shireck's soldiers were busy with preparations for the impending battle.

In the distance, on the ground filled with corpses and craters, most of the Great Tang Group's soldiers were leaning against the edges of the trenches, closing their eyes to rest.

Their training had taught them to fall asleep quickly amidst the noisy battlefield environment but also to wake up in time when needed for combat.

These soldiers had already gotten used to such conditions, and their equipment supported them to rest comfortably in such an environment.

Packed with underwear, socks, and blankets, their backpacks served as cushions, allowing the soldiers to lean against the edge of the trench with a relatively comfortable sleeping posture, grasping every opportunity to conserve their energy before being awoken by sentries, much like stones in the trench.

Inside the machine gun bunkers, a few soldiers had already collected up all the spent casings scattered on the ground. These items were expensive now, and it was definitely worth it to recycle them.

Moreover, the conditions for recycling here were really good, at least they didn't have to pick them up one by one in the field or search all over. They were all beside the machine guns, having been ejected after firing, and had fallen to the ground, mostly in piles.

As for the rest of the positions, they were basically in a state where not a single shot had been fired, so there was no issue of recycling bullets.

In the rear, the food supply unit of the troops had already started cooking their meals. They built fires on concealed slopes, supported by specialized cooking wagons, and began simmering soup after processing the prepared ingredients.

Compared to the troops of other countries in the past, Tang Mo's unit paid far more attention to details, with much improvement—it certainly helped to have existing models to emulate, making Tang Mo's security forces seem like they came from another planet in terms of the soldiers' experience.

A cart full of ammunition wobbled along the road until it stopped in front of a specially concealed supply distribution point.

The waiting soldiers swarmed it immediately, dividing up the ammunition stacked on the wagon. Two machine gun positions needed to resupply their ammo, and more ammunition had to be stockpiled at some of the forward defensive positions.

Although the collapse of the enemy forces had been swift and the security forces of the first engagement had not expended much ammunition, they still had to prepare for the subsequent battles.

To be prepared for a rainy day, this was the notion Tang Mo constantly instilled in his soldiers—the philosophy of the Great Tang Group was, "If I have two dollars, I will definitely not fight a one-dollar battle!"

While these soldiers of the Great Tang Group's security divisions were seizing the time to rest, the rhythmical sound of drums began to resonate from the opposite side.

"The enemy has begun their attack!" A squad leader was the first to stand up, peering over the edge of the trench and then loudly shouting to his comrades nearby.

The soldiers who heard the yell immediately got up from the bottom of the trench with agile movements and began checking the weapons they had just propped up beside themselves without a word.

On the horizon, Shireck's troops started their second charge in groups, still in dense formations, still marching in squares one after another.

The beat of the drums drove everyone's pace, but as these units approached within a hundred meters or so in front of the Great Tang Group's security forces' defense line, they were forced to slow down.

They had to step over those stiff corpses, staggering forward with difficulty. The air was thick with the stench of blood, causing many to involuntarily begin to retch.

Some crows feasting on the corpses finally flew away, leaving behind the delicious meals they were reluctant to abandon.

The Shireck soldiers, stepping forward incrementally, didn't even dare to look down at the mangled corpses.

"Boom!" A few shells exploded in the midst of the crowd, baptizing these pitiful Shireck soldiers with artillery fire before they could even get close to the enemy's positions.

Cries of agony rose and fell, and the originally orderly squares began to fall into disarray. The remaining soldiers couldn't help but quicken their steps, disregarding the commands of the officers and no longer advancing to the rhythm of the drums.

They wanted to complete this charge as quickly as possible, to end this nightmare.

However, as they trudged over the bodies, making their way closer to the Great Tang Group's defensive line, the roar of machine guns sounded once again.

This time, an officer finally saw the exact location of the machine gun bunker's firing port, flickering with light.

The bunker was concealed halfway up the earthen slope, hidden behind a gap in a thicket of shrubs, possessing a very favorable shooting angle.

Moreover, the firing port was slightly skewed, not directly facing the road, making it even harder to detect.

At this moment, this firing port was spewing flames, and it was from this port that the deadly bullets were being sprayed!

The bullets burst into the crowd from the side, one soldier after another falling as they were hit. Most were still bewildered, not yet realizing where the enemy's assault was coming from when a bullet pierced through their bodies.

A soldier who took a bullet to the head fell backward, crashing onto another whose arm had been blown off. They toppled over together, finally landing on the corpses at their feet.

The standard-bearer, holding the Shireck flag high, watched as a bullet snapped the flagpole in his hands. Before he could stoop to pick up the flag that had fallen, a bullet tore through his stomach.

Then the standard-bearer died on his knees, his body slumping forward in unconsciousness, his head striking his own entrails, buttocks upturned and motionless.

Despairing cries filled the air, and the scene was utter chaos. The soldiers no longer heeded their officers' commands, and those officers were scurrying for cover.

Another legion's attack was thus instantaneously crushed, and, save for the soldiers who had fortuitously escaped the crossfire, the legion might as well have been described as completely annihilated.

Although their artillery was still intact, now they seemingly only had their artillery men and logistical personnel left.

The battlefield once again fell swiftly silent, the roar of machine guns fading into the distance. The road, the embankments on either side, and even further afield in the wilderness were piled high with the bodies of Shireck soldiers...

In some places, the bodies lay three layers deep, while in others the soil was still faintly visible. Beside the dismembered corpses, brand-new K1 Quick Guns were scattered around.

Soon, those fearless crows returned once more, beginning to scour the gruesome battlefield, strewn with limbs and torn flesh, for their preferred sustenance.

For them, the flesh here was fresh, not yet rotten, enough to fill their bellies, and in quantities... more than sufficient...

In just over ten minutes, the second attempt to breach the defensive line of the Great Tang Group ended abruptly in failure. Amidst the panic, Shireck's troops once again left behind a thousand corpses before retreating like startled birds.

After two consecutive offensives, Shireck had lost a total of 2300 men at this location, and two legions were completely wiped out...

By traditional standards, the forces under Gis, after losing one-fifth of their strength, were essentially no longer capable of continuing their offensive.

But this time was an exception, as this one-fifth was not evenly spread among all units.

Because of the devastating power of the machine guns, these losses were concentrated within the two assaulted legions, leaving the other units unscathed and thereby eliminating any notions of fear or reluctance to fight.

This was also one of the reasons why Gis had not yet considered calling a retreat; he still had the resources for another battle, or to put it another way, he still had enough soldiers to sacrifice.

The road west to Brunas was the only one near that led to Brunas, and now this road had become muddy.

Blood was seeping into the soil, and corpses on the road were starting to decompose, making it almost impassable.

If Gis wanted to bypass this road, it would require covering a distance of more than ten kilometers, heading south to take another road over the mountains.

Letting his troops go south to explore another route would take a lot of time, but a frontal assault seemed uncertain, so Gis decided, relying on his numerical advantage, to take a two-pronged approach.

He ordered two legions, three thousand men, to head south, and continuously commanded Baron Stela's troops to attack, hoping to seize every second and resolve the battle before any unforeseen events occurred.

As a cunning and deceitful Shireck leader, Gis always felt that the power behind him from the Leite Kingdom was a threat.

He had a premonition that if his offensive were to stall, the King of Leite Kingdom would definitely intervene in the matter—and most certainly side with the Great Tang Group.

Furthermore, in his view, Northern Ridge had always sided with Great Tang, and the longer things dragged on, the more likely it was for reinforcements from Northern Ridge to arrive. Once Northern Ridge's reinforcements came, the Great Tang Group would become even harder to deal with.

Without time to continue clearing the bodies, another new legion, led by Baron Stela, entered the battlefield in full force.

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