Munitions Empire

In fact, every country in the world has some graduates who have studied abroad in the Great Tang Empire, and these graduates have indeed brought modern naval technology back to their motherland.

This is part of the Great Tang Empire's conscious and planned technology diffusion. They need such talents to exert influence in their respective countries, ultimately impacting decision-making in various nations to make choices favorable to the Great Tang Empire in weapon procurement, promotion of commanders, and so forth.

Indeed, the Great Tang Empire has achieved its desired goals. The mid and lower-level commanders of various nations are all fans of the Great Tang Empire, and all aspire to transform their military into an invincible force like that of the Great Tang Empire.

Unfortunately, the military budget of each nation is limited, and they don't have the terrifying money-making machine of the Great Tang Empire. So, these military commanders who return to their respective countries can only pursue the dream of a modern powerful military within a limited scope.

Compared to the old guard generals and nobility commanders, these officers from the Great Tang study abroad faction have very clear advantages. They are more advanced, have an understanding of modern military technology, and have their own understanding of weapon utilization.

Similarly, their disadvantages are also very evident: they always talk about how the Great Tang Empire does things, so they cannot gain the trust of their nation's rulers, and hence they cannot obtain roles where they can independently take charge within the military.

In other words, in the military of their respective countries, the study abroad faction who went to the Great Tang mostly serve as staff officers, at most as deputies, usually reaching mid-level commander is their ceiling.

Everyone has a clear understanding of this: if you choose to study and advance in the Great Tang Empire, the advantage is fast promotion, because you have the ability, and upon returning, you are at least a battalion-level officer. However... the highest you can be is a regiment commander or division commander, don't expect higher.

If you don't go, you can only accumulate experience within the military, initially perhaps transitioning much slower, but because of loyalty, trust is higher, and with luck, you might endure to become a corps commander or chief, your ceiling is much higher than the study abroad faction.

Then how to decide depends entirely on personal thoughts. Generally, those without background would choose to study abroad in the Great Tang Empire, which gives a higher starting point; whereas the nobility prefers to accrue experience, as it ensures a higher potential limit.

Over time, this has resulted in the opposition between the "commoners' faction" and the "nobility faction" within each country's military. Both sides are opposed to each other, mutual disdain, often stirring up incidents.

So when the young staff officer expressed his opinion, the noble officer next to him immediately snickered and sarcastically said, "Aren't you just scared to die? As an Empire's staff officer, what you should do is refine the plan, not seek a bunch of excuses to avoid battle!"

"Who do you say is avoiding battle? I'm just stating facts!" The young staff officer wasn't biting. He couldn't question Blomayer's plan, nor admit his own cowardice, so he could only emphasize the real difficulties ahead.

"You're here to solve problems, aren't you?" The visiting general stopped their argument, addressing the young staff officer: "Since you studied abroad in the Great Tang Empire… you should have experience here, tell us where the entire plan could be refined."

This plan should never have existed from the beginning! It's not about refining it anymore, the loopholes in this plan outnumber the steps that can be executed!

Though he really wanted to blurt these thoughts out loud, the young staff officer swallowed them for his own life and future, speaking in a more mild manner: "We could try purchasing intelligence to test how frequently the Great Tang Empire monitors our ports."

"What else?" Hearing about spending money made the general a bit uninterested. War is imminent, and every penny needs to be spent wisely, what nonsense is this testing business?

"Also, our fleet should frequently go out to sea, this way we can confuse the enemy, making it unclear whether our fleet leaving port is a signal of commencement of battle." The staff officer added another suggestion.

This suggestion was somewhat constructive. Since training at sea is required anyway, combining them certainly can produce a certain deceptive effect.

Hence, the general nodded in agreement: "Very good, this indeed can deceive the enemy."

"Moreover, we should deploy more anti-submarine destroyers to search in relevant sea areas, forcing the Great Tang Empire's submarines to dare not approach our port waters! Prevent the opponent's submarines from discovering the movement of our fleet as much as possible." The staff officer continued to express his ideas.

The knowledge he gained while studying in the Great Tang Empire wasn't the most advanced, but his thinking was correct. Based on existing weaponry and equipment, piecing together a relatively reasonable tactical approach, that's his ability, or can be called competence.

In this regard, he is quite authoritative, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to participate in such high-level combat training meetings. And the suggestions he provided indeed benefited naval generals who hadn't gone to study in the Great Tang Empire.

"What you said is very good, it should be indeed." The general gave a satisfied slap on the shoulder, displaying a 'I have high hopes for you' expression.

In fact, everyone knows that the colonel rank hanging on the young staff officer's shoulder is likely the highest he can achieve, maybe a chance at major general, but that would take many years.

"Go back and write a report for me, and send a copy to General Blomayer!" The general said as he shifted his attention back to the sea.

There, the returning Stukas once again crossed this sea area, the engine roar becoming noisy, accompanied by the sound of waves lapping against the rocks below.

The Stuka formation was very tidy, clearly all flown by elite pilots. Over the years, the Laines Empire had amassed thousands of experienced aircraft pilots, with thriving civil aviation providing them a large reserve of pilots.

The newly established naval aviation was naturally the best of the best, their flight training hours were several folds higher than land aviation, thus they could easily form a squad and rehearse "ultra-low altitude penetration." Only through strict training and precise bombing can one triumph over the enemy!

It is precisely because of this foundation that nourished Leines I's ambitions. As his grasp over military power inflated, his appetite grew bigger. Enchanted by greed, Dragon Island seemed less of a keg of dynamite and more like a tempting… cake.