Munitions Empire

In the conference room, many military heavyweights were present, discussing whether the previously planned invasion of Mirage Country was truly necessary.

Logically, capturing the islands of Mirage Country does not have to be completed by the troops of the Great Tang Empire, as this does not entirely align with the interests of the Great Tang Empire.

"The main reason for capturing there is that we need to provide the Beastmen with a resettlement area, additionally, we also need the major islands of Mirage Country as a stepping stone for the Great Tang Empire to return to the Eastern Continent." A general was gesturing on the map: "But we don't need to lead this war all by ourselves."

"The battle at Fengjiang has opened a new door for us, we can completely have mercenaries fight this battle. The Orcs should fight for themselves! Just gather a force of about 300,000 Orc troops, supplemented by our armaments, and the landing operation can be accomplished," the general confidently offered a relatively conservative figure.

In reality, what he mentioned was just the total number of the first wave of landing soldiers, and if we aim to control the entire territory of Mirage Country, this number would have to be multiplied by at least five.

If using only the Orcs, it's possible that even two million soldiers would not be sufficient, and that is under the premise of continued support from the Great Tang Empire.

However, recently in the military, many share a similar opinion: since other races and nations can be instigated to slaughter each other, the Great Tang Empire does not need to take action personally.

Like the battle between Qin Country and Shu Country, like the civil war within the Dahua Empire — look, the Great Tang Empire didn't lift a finger, and the enemies fell by themselves!

There are quite a few people who hold such views because this approach involves minimal input and can effectively reduce the Great Tang Empire's own casualties. By not getting directly involved in the war, it's like killing three birds with one stone.

Even many believe that the roles of the intelligence and foreign affairs departments are greater than those of the Ministry of National Defense and the Staff Department. For the Great Tang Empire, maintaining basic military deterrence is enough.

As such opinions grow louder, His Majesty The Emperor of the Great Tang Empire has convened this meeting to unify the thinking.

"Although we expect to lose about 100,000 troops, we have no need to worry. The losses pertain to the Beastmen and have nothing to do with us," that general confidently declared.

Since it involved the Beastmen's losses, he spoke with an air of indifference: a loss of 100,000, or perhaps the subsequent loss of nearly a million, doesn't seem like much in the eyes of the Great Tang Empire.

After all, the dead soldiers are all from the Beastmen or other countries... Such things don't count for much within the Great Tang Empire, do they?

If we consider the subsequent profits, the Great Tang Empire might even make money out of this: those Orcs who wish to live a blissful life in Mirage Country, who wouldn't first come to the Great Tang Empire to complete a glorious evolution? They have to work here to earn the chance of ascension, and finally head to Mirage Country, to enjoy a new life there...

Therefore, in conclusion, the general expressed: "The success of the battle at Fengjiang has absolute significance for reference, in the future we can just deploy a small amount of troops, guide from behind, and the losses can be completely transferred out. For the Great Tang Empire, this is very cost-effective."

"Do you all think this way?" Tang Mo looked towards the senior military leaders sitting on both sides, including several corps commanders and Marshal Luff from the Staff Department.

Luff didn't hide anything and explained to Tang Mo: "Your Majesty, there has indeed been such a sentiment lately, believing that the blood of our Great Tang soldiers should not be shed in vain."

Tang Mo nodded his head, then fell silent for two seconds before he spoke to Luff and everyone else present: "I think it should be our troops of the Great Tang Empire who carry out this oversea landing operation... It's an accumulation of experience, a rehearsal for returning to the Eastern Continent."

In Tang Mo's view, what time was it? The Great Tang Empire had just risen a few years ago? And was already taking on some of the bad habits from the Lighthouse Country.

The troops started to be concerned about casualties, factories were still desperately chasing profits, new contradictions emerged, as if everything was fading like the setting sun.

As the Emperor of the Empire, Tang Mo was worried about such developments. He must gauge the situation properly, to keep the entire Empire's nerves tense: they were far from invincible, there was still much to improve in many areas.

The most supportive general of proxy warfare became anxious and advised: "Your Majesty! You are absolutely right, but the losses are estimated to be substantial. The island has tens of millions of Goblins, and it's estimated that mobilizing a million troops might be necessary to maintain the situation in Mirage Country. Compared to what we gain, it seems hardly worth it."

Tang Mo pressed his palm down, and the other party dared not say anything further. The room fell silent, and then Tang Mo continued: "I am aware of your thoughts. Now, let me explain the necessity of the battle for Mirage Country."

"Firstly, the war must commence amidst the conflicts in the Eastern Continent, taking the opportunity to attack Mirage Country in the chaos, resolving the territory issue of the Beastmen, as well as our question of returning to the Eastern Continent," he began by stating the necessity of this war.

The Empire must assuage the concerns of the millions of laborers within and needs a stepping stone back to the Eastern Continent, so this war must be fought, and the strategic decision must be unanimous.

He paused, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and then continued, "The reasons for war are sufficient and necessary, so it is imperative we fight this battle, and I believe this is something everyone can agree upon."

"Why we must send our troops instead of letting the Beastmen replace us, let me explain. First, we must ensure our own combat capability, which is key to deterring others," Tang Mo pointed out with a finger.

He emphasized: "We are not afraid of losses, we are not afraid of war! We have the capability to wage war and the determination to do so, and these things must remain in our own hands to control."

At this point, he thought of many infamous names, like the notorious Blackwater, like Wagner of the Prison Legion.

Although relying on these desperadoes, both countries had achieved some successes, Tang Mo did not consider this a good choice. He preferred to make war pure: I am here for the victory, not for any other purpose.

Historically, whenever the motives behind a war were impure, they exacted a heavy price. Emperor Yang of Sui launched the war against Goguryeo to deplete the power of the noble clans, only to end up with the destruction of his country and his own death.

If it had been just the destruction of the country and the death of the emperor, it would be bearable, but his failure ultimately led to a disastrous defeat in the war against Goguryeo, with countless men sacrificing their lives on the front line—a tragedy of an era was thus born.

The so-called wonders of the Sui Dynasty led the country astray, fundamentally an "intrigue" by the Imperial center to weaken local power and drain local civilian strength, but it encountered an emperor who sought quick success, ultimately botching the endeavor.

Subsequently, the Li Dynasty, up until the ascent of the empress, tried every means to continue Sui Dynasty's method of striking against the noble clans, until the Song Dynasty when the noble clans finally evolved into a bureaucratic gentry.

Similarly, sending death row criminals to the front lines also came with severe social issues: if a large number of criminals were released early due to their service in war, how to solve the problems they would create upon returning to society?

The solution is actually simple, to find ways to expend these criminal prisoners on the battlefield: if they do not leave the front lines alive, wouldn't the subsequent problems cease to exist?

But such a solution, while looking good on the surface, harbors a paradox: once one disregards the changing situations on the battlefield and the lives of soldiers, can one truly deserve the smile of the goddess of victory?

Wars fought for impure victories, wars themselves are a desecration of war: rife with internal calculations and trade-offs, filled with deceit and traps, even if victorious, in the end, they will plant the seeds of trouble, causing the victors to pay a higher price down the line.

Tang Mo did not want to use the war as a millstone, severely duping the Beastmen, as it would only increase contradictions and make subsequent work complicated and inefficient.

The Beastmen are not sovereign in Mirage Country; it is still the territory of the Great Tang Empire and must be under Great Tang's jurisdiction, existing only nominally as an autonomous region of the Beastmen.

However, what Tang Mo feared most was not this; his greatest concern was that the Empire's generals would start fearing losses, become timid in war, and begin avoiding the tasks that should belong to them!

Rome collapsed when the mercenary corps became increasingly relied upon, and the Tang Dynasty also disintegrated when foreign mercenaries became increasingly relied upon... With so many lessons from history, isn't it enough for Tang Mo to reflect?

The reason humanity cannot learn from historical reflection is that in the current reality, those who have a choice often have no better solution, often have no other options.

But Tang Mo is different; his substantial capital accumulation allows him to choose freely, to reject decline, a unique advantage of being a transmigrator.

Therefore, he raised a second finger and said, "Secondly! The second concern I have is that becoming accustomed to solving problems with mercenaries, although it may reduce immediate costs, will lead to the neglect of our own combat capability. Always fighting proxy wars means our own soldiers won't be trained."

"As this continues, the Great Tang Empire will eventually become apprehensive and timid in war, losing the heart to decisively win. It will degenerate into the Shireck Consortium or become a second Dahua Empire." Tang Mo didn't need to cite Rome or the Tang Dynasty from his past life as examples; there were already ample contemporary examples before him.

"Shireck is accustomed to solving issues with capital and means, but at critical moments, they are always too slow to respond, ultimately allowing the Great Tang Group to take their place." Tang Mo thought of Shireck, who was fond of fighting proxy wars, yet repeatedly lost to the Great Tang Empire.