Munitions Empire

"Prioritize allocating the stocked Thompson submachine guns to the Navy for use," Alice commanded without looking up, addressing the officials on both sides of the meeting room.

"They don't have an urgent need for close combat; it's merely a matter of standard equipment. Using the Type 56 submachine gun is the same as using the Thompson," she explained briefly before turning to the next agenda item.

Since Tang Moyuan was directing the battle from Anpu, those stationed in Chang'an included a few princesses, among whom were Yulin and Alice.

Yulin, who graduated from the military academy, has been focusing on personnel recruitment and conscription, while Alice has been entrusted with production and economic matters.

Alice, who was always keen on such affairs in Northern Ridge, naturally excelled, arranging everything in an orderly fashion.

"First, issue the Type 56 submachine guns to the Armored Corps. They have a demand for this kind of weapon. Assign one gun per vehicle to start, and consider increasing the number once production ramps up," she said, already moving on to the matter of the Type 56 pistols.

Great Tang Group recently standardized three types of weapons, all named with the number 56, which has become the answer for the naming convention of light weapons for the Great Tang Kingdom going forward.

The previous method of using odd letter combinations has been entirely phased out in favor of a simple numerical naming pattern.

In the future, the AKM assault rifles produced by Tang Group will be called the Type 56 assault rifles, the MP-5 submachine guns will be renamed as Type 56 submachine guns, and the Beretta 92F pistols will be called Type 56 pistols. In short, the light weapons of the Great Tang Kingdom will be dominated by the number 56 for the foreseeable future.

"For pistols, prioritize the troops that need sidearms: the artillery, motorized infantry, and logistics personnel... And let's switch the officers to the Type 56 pistols," Alice declared the pistol rearming plan without discussion.

She was decisive when it came to handling matters, rarely considering other opinions, because she believed her approach was the best.

In fact, she was indeed excellent at coordinating such intricate rearming plans to perfection.

Due to the expansion of the armed forces, the Great Tang Kingdom's previous policy of well-trained soldiers actually started to lag behind developmental needs.

The Tang Army used to issue pistols to all infantry, but it was later found to be somewhat wasteful: in most situations, soldiers never had the chance to use their sidearms because submachine guns were so widespread within the Tang Army.

Therefore, subsequent units were generally equipped only with primary weapons, and the provision of pistols was not continued.

This approach not only simplified logistics but also streamlined soldiers' training: it's not just about handing out weapons; if a soldier needs to master two types of weapons, they require two kinds of training, which is an additional training cost.

Moreover, beyond training costs, there were also maintenance expenses. All weapons required regular upkeep, oiling, and cleaning, which indirectly added to the soldiers' own burden.

Plus, carrying two types of ammunition imposed an extra burden on the soldiers. If they didn't carry a secondary weapon and its ammo, they could carry one or two more primary weapon magazines, which clearly increased their firepower sustainability.

Therefore, while having a pistol at the waist looks cool, it isn't necessarily of much use in actual combat. There are benefits to carrying it, and reasons not to.

Thus, Alice's directive to prioritize new pistols for officers, artillerymen, motorized infantry, and logistics personnel was quite sensible.

Based on the Tang Army's own experience, secondary weapons for frontline forces would gradually be phased out.

After all, compared to the likes of the M1911 and Beretta 92F, the AKM was just too good, right? There's no comparison in firepower, and even a fool would know it's wiser to carry a couple more AK magazines than a pistol.

"Let's make do with the phased-out M1911 pistols for the Navy for now...," Alice continued.

Since naval combat primarily relies on warships, their demand for light weapons isn't pressing. Consequently, their logistical pressure isn't as intense.

Based on past experience, the ammunition for pistols and rifles distributed on naval warships is generally only consumed in training, so their inventory is usually very stable.
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"Since we need to maintain secrecy, prioritize domestic troops for the Type 56 assault rifles!" Alice said, after arranging for the submachine guns and pistols, she then sorted out the deployment of assault rifles.

They were to be issued first to domestic troops not engaged in combat, for simple reasons. Apart from the secrecy Alice mentioned, there was another unspoken motive.

Tang Moyuan was concerned that the Dahua Empire and Chu Country might make irrational decisions, so he was strengthening the combat capability of the domestic garrison troops in advance.

Prioritizing the rearming of these new units with new weapons not only boosted morale and combat capability but also ensured secrecy. It was, indeed, killing two birds with one stone.

...

Dragon Island, outer waters, two Flying Fortress Bombers with engines roaring, flew in formation below the clouds.

This type of patrol had been normalized because actual combat proved that radio navigation was very effective, and the risk of aircraft going out to sea had been greatly reduced.

However, for safety reasons, all the patrol planes were Flying Fortresses and Stukas, single-seat Butcher Fighters did not participate in patrols.

Because of the long range and not slow speed, the B-17 Flying Fortress was simply a godsend in the operational environment of long-distance patrol and reconnaissance.

It could carry a large amount of fuel, cruising over a substantial area in one go, and thanks to its greenhouse-style nose, reserved tail, and lateral fuselage windows, it offered quite a good view as well.

The two planes, one in front and one behind, flew past in the sky; soon an observer put down his binoculars, pressed the throat microphone, and shouted loudly, "Fleet spotted! Fleet spotted!"

"3 o'clock direction! 3 o'clock direction!" he anxiously reminded his pilot and then raised his binoculars again.

On the sea surface, one warship emitting thick black smoke was moving forward, followed by another vessel.

They cut through the sea, with white waves rolling to both sides, clearly visible from the sky.

Alerted by the observer, the crew on the other plane also spotted these targets, "We need to verify identities! Command tower, calling command tower!"

"This is the command tower! This is the command tower!" the radio on the other end quickly responded, operated by the duty officer commanding this patrol.

Due to the frequent nature of the patrols, everyone had grown too lazy to use any codenames. Words like honeybee, blossom, dragon's nest, and the like, had been used almost to the point of exhaustion.

"Eastern patrol group, coordinates 117, 219... two unidentified ships spotted, please verify identity! Please verify identity." The radio operator on board the plane, having taken the coordinate information from the navigator, reported loudly. The Flying Fortress was so large that its crew could even walk around inside.

"I'm checking the shipping list! Keep a close watch on this fleet." In the command tower, the duty officer grabbed the shipping list to start checking.

"Third ship spotted! It's a large fleet!" The two Flying Fortress Bombers, already adjusting their course, spotted a third warship.

The planes, definitely faster than the ships, quickly discovered more targets after adjusting their course specifically to circle around.

"Fourth ship! Fifth ship! Lots of ships! Reduce altitude! Maybe we can confirm if they are warships or not!" the pilot on the navigating plane started to descend, once again passing over the top of the entire fleet.

"Don't be reckless! Keep your distance!" echoed a reminder in the headset from the command tower, "I'm still looking at the shipping list! It takes time!"

"I think... you no longer need to check the shipping list!" shouted the pilot on the now-lower plane, opening the throat microphone.

"They have deck guns! They have turrets! They are warships! These ships are warships! Damn it!" he yelled at the command tower as he flew past a Shireck-made warship that was picking up speed.

"I've also found the shipping information; there shouldn't be any transports at your location! Damn it! Sound the alarm! Sound the combat alert! We've found the enemy fleet!" Excited, the command tower even forgot to close the line.

"Stay on them! I'll immediately dispatch planes to relieve you!" The duty officer quickly picked up the communicator again and ordered loudly, "Gain altitude! Just maintain contact! Be careful! Don't be impulsive!"

"I'm a patrol plane! Sir! I'm not carrying any bombs! Repeat, I can't launch an attack!" the pilot explained helplessly. He couldn't attack even if he wanted to. What was he supposed to do, ram the plane into the enemy ship? Ridiculous!

Obviously, the fleet below had also spotted the two circling bombers. On the deck, some personnel began to look up into the sky, pointing at the two Flying Fortress Bombers.

"We've been discovered!" a Shireck navy officer inside the bridge turned to the Gobur Kingdom's navy commander-in-chief.

"It was only a matter of time. Didn't the telegram say they had a new type of weapon called airplanes, fast... It's only logical to use them," said the Gobur navy commander with a wry smile.

He grabbed the binoculars and looked toward the planes in the distant sky, "I've already advised three times against this operation... But you wouldn't agree."

"I didn't have a choice..." The Shireck officer smiled bitterly too, "After the airship incident, I also felt this attack... wouldn't be so easily successful."

"If the enemy warships are nearby and we get discovered, we're finished," said the Gobur navy commander, putting down his binoculars and pointing at the distant planes, "Too bad... we've already been discovered!"