Munitions Empire

Sometimes, events are ironically dramatic, and it was such a day at South Wind Pass, where a series of small, ridiculous yet poignant stories unfolded, each more fascinating than the last.

First off, a Dahua General Staff officer was going through the files at South Wind Pass and noticed the still-operational telegraph room, where a Dahua military officer had just received a telegram from the Imperial Capital.

The Tang Army staff officer was extremely surprised, as he was unaware that the Dahua garrison's own telegraph machine was still in use. So, he took the telegram from the surrendered, oddly-composed Dahua officer and read the contents.

The message was filled with irony, as it was personally sent by General Feng Kezhi. The telegram ordered Ding Hong to stay at his post without making any judgment, simply to hold South Wind Pass at all costs.

The telegram also stated that he would command Qian Jinhang to break through the encirclement, which would shift the pressure of the Tang Army to the east side of Li Family Village, making South Wind Pass much safer... If Ding Hong could hold South Wind Pass, that would be a great achievement.

Unfortunately for General Feng Kezhi, who had promised to secure South Wind Pass, the pass had already surrendered. Ding Hong got his wish, receiving 100,000 Gold Coins, and was now sitting in a car heading north to Tengyun, humming a song and looking at the cheque while fantasizing about his future happy life.

This was no small sum of money, but Redman was more than willing to compensate Ding Hong for sacrificing South Wind Pass: Ding Hong's entire family was still in the Imperial Capital, and it was likely that they would never again enjoy any glory or wealth.

Of course, for the overall war situation, Redman and Tang Mo both felt that spending a mere 100,000 Gold Coins to resolve the issue of South Wind Pass was very worthwhile.

At the very least, being able to take South Wind Pass without bloodshed meant all of Tang Army's strategic objectives had been met. As long as they sent a small force towards the southern oil fields while encircling Qian Jinhang's forces, all problems could be resolved.

After seeing the telegram, Redman, after consulting with Tang Mo, graciously replied with another telegram, stating the fact that South Wind Pass was now under the control of the Tang Army.

In fact, after his own telegram vanished without a trace, General Feng Kezhi guessed a bit of the truth and even ordered the entire military to change the encryption codes.

Just as the Dahua troops were frantically changing their codes, General Feng Kezhi received a telegram from his adversary. Redman personally sent a telegram to Feng Kezhi, informing him that he had taken South Wind Pass.

Afterwards, Feng Kezhi replied to Redman's telegram with great sportsmanship, only sending two words: "Congratulations."

However, it turned out that Feng Kezhi's sportsmanship was only superficial: less than 20 seconds after sending his "congratulations" reply to Redman, he telegraphed orders for the southern oil field garrison to destroy all production facilities.

Unfortunately, by this point in the war, anyone with clear eyes could see that the Tang Army had gained the upper hand.

If they didn't carve out more options and prepare more bargaining chips for themselves, wouldn't that be foolish? Therefore, the deputy commander of the Dahua forces stationed at the southern oil fields initiated a mutiny, killed the commander intent on executing Feng Kezhi's orders, and sent out a messenger to surrender.

Of course, that was all later; Redman, still basking in the joy of capturing South Wind Pass, was unaware of the fact that the southern oil fields had decided to surrender.

Moreover, taking South Wind Pass didn't go as smoothly as imagined. Although the majority of the Dahua troops had laid down their arms and did not resist, intense battles did occur in some local areas.

"My Dahua Empire ought to have some who will prove with their lives that His Majesty the Emperor has loyal warriors and our nation has unyielding people!" an officer at the entrance to a military camp refused to surrender his weapons as the Tang Army prepared to take control of the garrison.

The opposing officer firmly explained his choice, with no intention of a sneak attack. He shooed away the Tang soldiers who had come to take over, and when the Tang Army appeared again, he ordered two warning shots to be fired.

Subsequently, a battle erupted in the city. The Tang troops launched a fierce attack, quickly breaching the defense line of this Dahua force.

After more than an hour of fierce fighting, just as the defenders were about to be annihilated by the Tang Army, they set the ammunition depot ablaze, sending a tenth of Dahua's stockpiled ammunition at South Wind Pass into the sky.

The explosion was horrific, and the surrounding Tang Army suffered significant losses, with at least a hundred dead, and the Dahua troops around the ammunition depot were almost entirely wiped out.

After the dust settled, approximately 700 Dahua soldiers who refused to surrender died in the battle. The explosion destroyed a large part of the city, reducing the surrounding area to ruins.

The greatest loss, however, was to the local civilians. At least 2,000 people died or were injured in the blast, and tens of thousands were left homeless.

This incident proved that there were indeed courageous fighters among the Dahua troops; these mid-level officers couldn't determine their own fate, but they would make their own choices.

It wasn't that the Dahua forces had stockpiled all their munitions in the city, but rather that there was such an abundance of ammunition and military equipment at South Wind Pass, it was unimaginable, so materials and munitions were everywhere.

Stretched from the train station all the way to the city's outskirts, South Wind Pass had stockpiled over a million artillery shells of various types, along with at least a thousand cannons of different models.

To deal with the possible appearance of the Tang Army's air force, the entire city, from the suburbs to the urban areas, had deployed over a thousand anti-aircraft soldiers and scattered more than a hundred anti-aircraft guns wherever there was space.

Most of these anti-aircraft guns were advanced new models, some of which the Tang Army had never seen before, ranging from 50 millimeters in caliber to the larger 76 millimeters, and even up to the sizable 100 millimeters.

Of course, there were also several hundred thousand tons of food for the army: this might be one of the greatest gains for the Tang Army from capturing South Wind Pass—it was, after all, enough to feed Dahua's million-strong military for more than a dozen days.

It's no exaggeration to say that even in the Great Tang State, which was not short of food, such a quantity of supplies would be considered a staggering asset.

If one were to include bedding, clothing, tents, rain gear, vehicles, tanks, fuel, spare parts... then the total materials stockpiled within South Wind Pass amounted to an astronomical figure.

Initially, these supplies were meant to be transported to Xicong to support Qian Jinhang's offensive. But as the Tang Army closed in, the transport of supplies was forced to halt, and everything ended up stockpiled at South Wind Pass.

Having lost this support, one can only imagine just how dire the situation had become for Qian Jinhang, now stuck defending Xicong.

Another battle erupted near the train station, as the Dahua troops stationed there tried to escape by train. However, their escape routes were quickly blocked, leading to an intense firefight with the Tang Army's tanks.

A battalion of over five hundred Dahua soldiers fought to the last moment. A train was destroyed on the tracks, and the clothes and bedding piled up at the station were set ablaze in a hopeless act by the defending force.

The fire continued to burn, disrupting the use of the train station, and the thick black smoke that rose engulfed half of South Wind Pass. The choking smell permeated the city, and it didn't disperse for three days.

If one were to consider it from a strategic perspective, this battalion of Dahua soldiers had created the greatest obstruction possible for the Tang Army with their sacrifice.

They wasted more than two days of the Tang Army's time putting out the fire, preventing their use of the South Wind Pass train station, delaying the Tang Army's transport and movements, and also buying precious response time for the defense of the southern oil fields.

Regrettably, during the time they had bought, the besieged troops in Xicong didn't break through towards Li Family Village, and the defenders of the southern oil fields didn't set the oil fields ablaze like they had.

The sturdy defensive fortifications were of no use; the concrete dugouts, the stretched barbed wire, and the concealed bunkers were all handed over intact to the Tang Army.

The soldiers of the Dahua troops stationed in these fortifications all laid down their weapons, and the mountains of ammunition, wrapping still unbroken, just piled up in the ammunition depots, even watched over by guards.

The inventory of piled-up materials took dozens of Tang Army staff officers, along with their secretaries and clerks, a whole day to sort and they barely managed to account for an approximate total. The complex and chaotic documents were so numerous, they couldn't even fit into several rooms.

The Dahua official in charge of these files, the Left Supervisor of the Ministry of Soldiers, committed suicide by swallowing his gun in his own office: he was completely unaware of Ding Hong's surrender when the news came that the Tang Army had already entered the city.

This desperate Dahua high-ranking official didn't even have the time to escape, and ultimately, for the sake of his family, he chose a dignified end. At least his family in the Imperial Capital would have a chance to survive, not everyone was as cold and heartless as Ding Hong.

General Feng Kezhi helplessly arrived at the Imperial Palace by car, then reported the worsening situation in the south to Emperor Zhao Kai, "Your Majesty! I just received the news that the traitor Ding Hong has surrendered to the Tang Country… South Wind Pass… is lost."

"What did you say?" Zhao Kai, who had heard just a few hours before that the situation in the south had stabilized, suddenly stood up from his seat.

It wasn't that he was too unsettled, but the news had indeed shocked him. The loss of South Wind Pass meant the entire situation in the southern region had collapsed.

With the southern oil field region cut off by mountains, it was essentially no longer contiguous with the Dahua Empire. The vast territories southeast of Hidden Sword Gorge were almost as good as fully under the control of Tang Country.

What was more terrifying was that the several hundred thousand troops under Qian Jinhang's command were encircled, and it was estimated they would all be lost… Unless something unexpected happened, the Dahua Empire's war could be said to be completely lost.

"Your Majesty, with the collapse of the southeastern situation, I…I have failed your expectations," said General Feng Kezhi, kneeling on one knee and lowering his head to Emperor Zhao Kai.

Although this series of failures was not solely his responsibility, as the Great General of the Empire, he could not shirk the blame for such a grave issue.

Even though it was not the best moment to be scapegoated, he, General Feng Kezhi, had to clearly express his attitude and offer the blade to Zhao Kai first.