Munitions Empire

"Our destroyer didn't find the target. If the Tang Empire's fleet was nearby, they would have definitely seen it," the adjutant brought back the latest news, giving the unlucky commander some belief in his fortune.

The adjutant was right. If the Tang Army's fleet had arrived, then the warships he sent out would have surely been sunk, and if the Tang Empire's fleet deployed, anyone who wasn't blind could see it…

"It seems it's not happening here… They also reported from Dorne that nothing was found… So could it be the north?" The Empire's navy commander had an excited expression on his face, sincerely hoping the Tang Army was heading north.

Besides, nothing happening here, there was plenty of amusement to be had: if the Tang Army attacked the Poplar Empire, it would be like a son-in-law challenging his father-in-law. Exciting! If they attacked the Dwarf Empire, it would be a human race war against the dwarves, also very exciting.

"It's likely towards the north… The staff department also believes that it's more likely for the Tang Army to fight under the cover of land-based aircraft." The smile on the adjutant's face was hard to hide. Knowing that the formidable enemy was just passing by certainly made him happy.

…

"It's probably us." After repeatedly confirming that nothing had been found in the directions of Dorne and Laines, Marshal Mos had a rather heavy expression.

He had already ordered his troops to enter a state of first-level war readiness and informed the Imperial Capital to notify the Emperor of his judgment.

As Binghan the First was preparing to summon the Great Tang Empire's ambassador stationed in the Ice Cold Empire, the Tang Country's ambassador delivered a declaration of war from the Great Tang Empire.

Binghan the First was still making a final effort, hoping to make the Great Tang Empire reconsider and give up the war by paying tribute or other means.

But all efforts failed, as the Tang Country's ambassador rejected the request for peace talks and provided a laughable reason to the dwarves: the intelligence department of the Great Tang Empire obtained solid evidence of the dwarves aiding Dorne.

This reason sounded legitimate since everyone knew the Great Tang Empire was at war with Dorne. If the dwarves had indeed left evidence of aiding Dorne, then Tang Country did have the right to declare war on the dwarves.

But the issue was, there were many nations aiding Dorne on the Eastern Continent, and you Great Tang Empire actually knew, so why declare war on my Ice Cold Empire alone?

Moreover, your Great Tang Empire's attacks on Dorne over the past year were like a joke; you didn't even take it seriously. Sometimes, you wouldn't even conduct an airstrike in a month, and now you say it's unforgivable for my Ice Cold Empire to aid Dorne? Isn't that a bit excessive?

Unfortunately, there's no place in this world to argue the reason, and no one dares to come forward to debate it, so the dwarves could only prepare for war.

Due to some intelligence support, the mobilization work of the Ice Cold Empire had started a few days earlier. Countless dwarves were conscripted, assembled, and began training.

"The Great Tang Empire declared war on the Ice Cold Empire…" Upon receiving this news, Laines the Second let out a sigh of relief.

"The target of the Great Tang Empire is the Ice Cold Empire…" Upon hearing this news, Emperor Dorne the First of the Dorne Empire also let out a sigh of relief.

Yangmu Yi of the Poplar Empire also felt relieved: his son-in-law ultimately didn't choose to cut down his father-in-law.

Only General Moss became tense. On the first day of July, he received reliable intelligence from the navy: a patrol ship used for reconnaissance had lost contact.

Looking at the position on the map, he knew that nearby was a massive fleet, so large it was impossible to see the end, aggressively advancing towards his Steel Rampart.

"Have all troops enter their positions, check material reserves, and quickly send more ammunition and food to the front-line positions as soon as possible." Moss looked at the officers around him and ordered, "An air raid can happen at any time… Gentlemen, the time has come to test us."

"Losing contact at this position indicates that the target of the opponent's attack is most likely our Steel Rampart area." He looked at his subordinates, turned his back to the map, but used his hand to tap the location of the fortification area on the wall map: "It matches our judgment; the Tang Army refuses to give up the advantage in the number and performance of land-based aircraft. They believe these advantages could offset our fortification advantage."

"I am confident in the defense line I built, so all that's left is to wait, wait for our opponents to arrive, and see whether our steel and concrete barrier can shatter the teeth of the Great Tang Empire, or if they can grind us down." After he finished speaking, he gestured for departure to everyone: "For the Empire, fight to the death! Ura!"

"Ura!" All the dwarf officers stood at attention and saluted before leaving Moss's command post. As they departed, the command post became much emptier. However, the continuous telegram sounds and phone call noises still informed everyone that a great battle was imminent!

With one order after another, the dwarf soldiers in the barracks began to take to their positions. On the anti-aircraft gun platforms, the artillery loaders began moving ammunition from the underground shelters behind them to convenient locations.

Commanders ended their leave and moved into their temporary command posts. The atmosphere around the Steel Rampart was just like its name, cold and imposing.

The vertical reinforced concrete fortifications' outer wall was half-exposed outside the mountain. Within the dark horizontal machine-gun deep holes, the muzzle pointing at the beach was faintly visible as the dwarven soldiers stationed inside the fortification gazed at the distant sea, waiting for their enemy to arrive.

After such a long period of preparation, the dwarven defense line could, in a sense, be described as impregnable: their investment was much greater than countries like Dorne and Laines.

A truly solid barrier, with interlocking machine gun bunkers, combined with guns covering the beach and countless stockpiled artillery supplies, ensured this fortification was ten to a hundred times sturdier than the barriers the Great Tang Empire troops had shattered in the past.

No water? There's enough reserve water for the troops to use for a long time. No electricity? More than seventy percent of the fortresses and tunnels can operate without electricity.

This was not an intentional design by Moss against the Great Tang Empire's tactics but because constructing such massive electrical circuits and water facilities was too cumbersome, and the dwarven construction team couldn't complete them in time.

However, this indirectly increased the self-sustaining capability of the dwarven defense line so that even if surrounded or if supply lines were cut, these fortifications could continue to fight for a while longer.

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Updating with an additional chapter.