Munitions Empire

Qin Territory, a military vehicle slowly parked at the entrance of the 1st Armored Division of the Great Tang Empire, and those jumping out of the vehicle were some new recruits.

They had just completed their training and were then assigned here. For these new recruits, being allocated to the 1st Armored Division due to their outstanding performance was an honor.

Welcoming these new recruits were several lieutenant officers, who didn't give any special speeches, just casually introduced the situation of the troop's station before taking a few people to the tank parking area.

These newly built tank warehouses even had a lingering smell of paint, yet the tanks parked inside were already very outdated.

Indeed, for the Great Tang Empire, the T-64 main battle tank is considered quite outdated. The new models adopted the Huaxia configuration, directly featuring a square-brick welded turret, instantly enhancing their appearance.

As for whether the vehicle-mounted observation and aiming systems were advanced, nobody knew but Tang Mo. People only knew the new tanks looked more imposing, equipped with some new devices.

The question was: Why didn't the Tang Army's most advanced tanks follow convention and equip the 1st Armored Division but were given to other troops instead?

Naturally, no one would answer this question, and these new recruits in front of them didn't even know the tanks they were facing, already used by others, were indeed not the most advanced main battle tanks of the Great Tang Empire.

"Oh my god, it's so cool! This is the 64-type tank! It's so beautiful." A new recruit exclaimed quietly in surprise once the warehouse door opened.

The welcoming lieutenants seemed somewhat listless, unable to explain to these new recruits their inner frustrations despite knowing some inside information.

They wished to leave too, but unfortunately, to deceive the enemy nation's scouts, they were ordered to stay and perform an art of deception known as "Borrowing beams to replace pillars."

Most of the 1st Armored Division had actually been unknowingly evacuated by two-thirds, with the elite tank soldiers completely transferred to a new camp near Linshui, receiving new Type 96 main battle tanks while awaiting the onset of new wars.

The armored division stationed in Qin Country, though still called the 1st Armored Division, was in reality an empty shell. Veterans had "retired" or "taken leave," with few remaining.

Those left here acting were "poor performers" kicked out by the "teacher," naturally losing face and pride.

Only the new recruits supplementing here were unaware. If they knew these outstanding recruits were actually assigned to the 42nd Armored Division, they probably wouldn't be laughing at all.

This was intentional, as these outstanding new recruits receiving the 64-type tanks here were purposely arranged by the Empire hoping for the 42nd Armored Division to form soon.

Those slightly less competent new recruits were the ones really scattered to supplement other armored divisions, gradually nurtured within the troops.

The more excited the new recruits seemed, the more shame the lieutenant felt for staying behind. Had he not been idling around, he might have been transferred back to the new station in Linshui by now.

"One misstep brings regrets eternal..." He sighed inwardly as he walked to the front of the tank, began the routine lecture on tank usage precautions, and briefly explained the various advanced features.

The new recruits listened intently, as they had been trained on relatively outdated 59-type tanks, making the 64-type tanks seem like very advanced weaponry to them.

The veteran spoke so monotonously and dull: he was very familiar with these equipment because he was originally from the maintenance troops, with nothing to do every day except fixing tanks.

The one consolation for him was that when war broke out, labels were swapped, reassigned. This division would be renamed the 42nd Armored Division of the Great Tang Empire, elevating him to deputy commander of the logistics force of the 42nd Armored Division.

The lieutenant would then become a major, climbing two ranks immediately to head the maintenance squad of the logistics support battalion, considered a proper officer.

Yet being transferred out of the 1st Armored Division, from any angle, was a loss. Becoming an officer in a second-rate troop couldn't compare to comfortably earning military honors in the elite forces.

Too late for regret, as the list was confirmed. The 1st Armored Division of the Great Tang Empire was reorganizing at a new camp around Linshui, labeled as the Empire's Armored Teaching Division.

Liu Guozhu was sleeping on his new bed, a map covering his face, which was the Eastern Continent terrain map distributed internally by the Great Tang Empire's military.

The maps used by the Tang Army were satellite-surveyed; though not as precise to meter-level, they were much more accurate than the maps used before.

Studying maps frequently could establish a sense of direction, understand areas he would soon tread, and grasp firsthand terrain intelligence data. Liu Guozhu often studied maps in advance, which was a trick taught by the regimental commander after he was promoted to battalion commander.

Being a battalion commander, he could enjoy a private room. Next to the soft bed was an office desk with a desk lamp and some books talking about armored troops technology and theory.

Some books were rumored to be written personally by the Emperor, who recited his thoughts to others, who recorded them down, organized them, and published them.

Interestingly, the rumor among civilians was that Your Majesty the Tang Country's Emperor could write a book every day, just speaking casually, allowing people below to publish a trend-leading work.

No one believed such tales, with many viewing them as political propaganda glorifying the Emperor. People preferred to believe that Your Majesty the Great Tang Empire's Emperor had a private team dedicated to making him famous.

Liu Guozhu didn't care about what others said; he only found the theories in these books matched well with his practices. Reading them clarified his thoughts, making tactical execution on the battlefield more effortless.

He greatly admired Tang Mo because, despite never driving a tank into battle personally, this Emperor understood so well the composition, operation, and characteristics of armored troops...

And as the founder of the world's armored troops, Emperor Tang Mo's foresight indeed garnered admiration from countless battle-hardened elites like Liu Guozhu. They regarded His Majesty as a confidant, willing to fight for Him to the last moment.

For all armored troopers of the Great Tang Empire, being able to expand territories for His Majesty or die on the battlefield for His Majesty... was a glory!