Munitions Empire

According to Tang Mo's estimate, in the past few months, Shireck has already produced more than 20,000 K1 Quick Guns!

Moreover, if the innovations brought about by steam engines to production technology are also considered, then this number might need to be doubled!

However, these weapons couldn't possibly all be concentrated within the Leite Kingdom, so the total number of K1 Quick Guns aimed at Tang Mo is still around 10,000.

Li'ao glanced at Tang Mo and added, "There are some purchased from Northern Ridge, and with their channels abroad, I estimate there are more than 100 from the Poplar Kingdom... all in all, the total should exceed 100 units."

"It sounds like they might have even more than we do," Roger remarked with a sigh, given the sheer size of Shireck Consortium, it was indeed astounding.

Tang Mo smiled and reminded everyone, "However, in terms of utilization efficiency, they might not be able to attain the level we have, and furthermore... we have no intelligence confirming that they have acquired electrical equipment."

One hundred, or even two hundred steam engines, placed within such a large consortium like Shireck, are essentially a drop in the ocean, a mere trifle.

To fully revolutionize their production technology, they would need at least ten times more steam engines, along with several more months or even years of refining the process.

Unless Tang Mo helped them make a leap, just exploring the various applications of the steam engine would occupy Shireck's people for half a year with their own brainstorming!

Everyone listened intently, knowing that war seemed to have already begun, and under such circumstances, Tang Mo would certainly have a plan.

Without pause, Tang Mo continued, "That is to say, they haven't yet utilized electrical power on a large scale, and we haven't received any news of them applying steam engines in mining or shipping either."

"Yes, in other words, Shireck's steam engines are still insufficient, they can only use them to produce more steam engines, or more weapons..." He concluded, and then looked at everyone, "That's pretty much it."

Li'ao took over from Tang Mo, speaking about the situation of the impending war, "However, we can now confirm that the enemy is amassing troops."

He continued, and for greater clarity, he stood up and walked to the map, lifting his hand to virtually trace along a road, moving westward, "Our people have confirmed, three days ago, enemy forces under the pretense of training, assembled a troop of over 3,000 outside King City."

Speaking, his hand rested near Brunas, "Then, these troops didn't disband, but instead moved westward along the road, slowly approaching Brunas."

"3,000 men? Are they underestimating us?" Wes scoffed disdainfully.

He and Tang Mo had previously crushed an enemy force more than ten times larger in Northern Ridge, and now, to him, 3,000 men seemed hardly enough for Tang Mo's security forces to handle.

After all, he was aware of the intensity of the Great Tang Group's security force training, their weapons and equipment, and even their tactical awareness, which were all far ahead of this era.

He was certain that any soldier from the Great Tang Group's security force, if taken out and given command, could easily become a battalion commander, and even leading a legion might not be out of the question!

Together with Tang Mo's hidden weaponry, including that damned train artillery ring position he had visited... Wes felt that even if the opponent really amassed 20,000 men, Tang Mo would still have the fighting strength to challenge them.

Moreover, who didn't know that the Northern Ridge Earl's current stance towards Brunas? Should things really kick off, it would take only moments for the Northern Ridge Legion to march south to support Brunas.

By then, Brunas wouldn't just have 1,500 soldiers, but at least two legions, 3,000 troops, to hold the defense! With state-of-the-art weaponry and strategically constructed positions ahead of time, 3,000 men might very well be able to take on 20,000...

Li'ao glanced at Wes and promptly explained, "They aren't underestimating us, on the contrary, they are taking this very seriously... Their slow movement is to wait for other troops gathering from different locations. They dare not assemble a large force near King City, as that would arouse the King's suspicion."

"What about now? How many have they gathered so far?" Tang Mo asked curiously.

Li'ao gave a rather precise figure, "Counting the private militias already gathered at the border of our controlled territory, their total military strength has now surpassed 10,000 men."

In fact, with Tang Mo's financial support and the connections opened through arms trading, Li'ao's Silver Fox Tavern's capabilities had increased manifold from before.

They now could monitor the entirety of Leite Kingdom, essentially controlling all information gathering.

If you add on the manpower telegraph system provided by Tang Mo that accelerated the speed of intelligence transmission, and the human and material resources saved as a result, Tang Mo's intelligence system could be said to be an exceptionally powerful entity.

Silver Fox Tavern has already begun infiltrating the Suthers Kingdom and other kingdoms. Though it can't be as comprehensive as within the Leite Kingdom, acquiring information is still feasible.

As for those scattered dandelions, they actually do not belong to the Silver Fox Tavern but are independent operatives sent out by Tang Mo; they are a separate establishment with a different command system, directly under Tang Mo's personal command.

Moreover, these elites aren't merely intelligence undercover spies; they serve a purpose beyond that. Assigning these individuals to simple espionage tasks would indeed be to underuse their capabilities.

"It seems they want to use ten legions to deal with my security force," Tang Mo calculated roughly, deducing the enemy's troop strength.

About ten thousand men had already assembled, yet they did not immediately launch an attack, which clearly meant more troops were still being mobilized.

Considering the modern weapons the enemy could bring to bear, such as needle rifles, it was evident that they had to have assembled at least ten legions, exceeding a force of 15,000 men. No more, no less, precisely ten times the size of Tang Mo's main force!

Of course, one could not calculate the strength of forces that way, because Tang Mo still had the absolute support of Northern Ridge and the covert aid of the King.

Taking these external factors into account, the balance of forces was essentially ten legions against about four.

Moreover, one of Tang Mo's legions was not just 1,500 men, but almost 2,000 strong. Although it still comprised three battalions, the reinforcement of artillery and the main force battalion's machine gun teams meant his legion outnumbered traditional ones significantly.

After all, judging solely from the logistical system, the rate at which Tang Mo's troops consumed ammunition and their supply needs, far exceeded those of this era.

"Delusional fantasies!" Tagg countered loudly, "We can definitely repel those bastards with one-tenth their numbers!"

The murderer of Lord Earl had not been found, and Qiumuluo had vanished as if he had evaporated from the earth.

Yet all signs indicated that this issue was inextricably linked to Shireck, so Tagg's hatred towards the Shireck Consortium was deeply etched and irreconcilable.

He had subjectively determined Shireck to be the mastermind behind the murder of Earl Fisello, so he had been holding back his anger, ready to settle scores with Shireck on the battlefield.

"Do we have a way to deal with them?" he asked Redman and Luff, feigning ignorance with a smile.

"Easy peasy!" Luff replied without hesitation, eager to answer first.

Tang Mo nodded, then turned to Redman and commanded, "Well then... let's put our troops on battle readiness. We always have to give others a bit of face."

"Yes!" Redman stood, chin up, and saluted smartly.

"Yes!" Tagg and Luff also stood up and responded loudly with a salute.

"You don't need to go to the front lines this time, do you?" Wes asked Tang Mo, smiling.

"Though it isn't necessary, it's still not bad to go see what the fuss is about," Tang Mo replied, smiling back teasingly at Wes.

Wes immediately put on a dismayed expression, eliciting laughter from everyone around.

A few minutes later, within the barracks, a soldier hurried to the alarm bell and began frantically cranking its handle.

The sharp, piercing sound started reverberating, turning the previously quiet barracks into a hive of frenzied activity.

The fully armed soldiers of the Great Tang Group's security troops were neatly dressed, carrying their 98K rifles, and swiftly formed up in silent formations.

Each person was checking their gear: they had rucksacks, leather armored vests with many pockets, and leather ammunition pouches hanging on both sides.

Hanging behind on their lower back were food bags, while on the opposite side hung an Engineer Corps shovel coupled with a water bottle on its outside.

At the most accessible position, one side carried a rifle bayonet, the other, a Left-Wheel Handgun—Tang Mo treasured his soldiers, bestowing the finest equipment upon each one.

All soldiers wore steel helmets, with Tang Mo directly copying the design of the German M35—a both stylish and functional choice.

Initially, Tagg was very opposed to equipping soldiers with what he considered useless armor, thinking helmets a wasteful and obsolete indulgence of steel.

However, Tang Mo insisted that all soldiers be issued steel helmets and even mandated that on the battlefield, every soldier and officer must wear the helmet instead of the typical cloth caps used during regular training.

Due to the season, Tang Mo's forces had already switched from long coats to shorter jackets, made of thinner, more breathable fabric.

Even to ensure the troops protected their feet well, Tang Mo had issued high-waisted leather boots to each soldier—those with laces for easy removal, accommodating some of the functions of puttees.

The security troops of Great Tang Group, wearing a mix of tactical gear from various countries like Germany and the United States from both World Wars, looked irresistibly charming by the standards of the era, filled with convincing details at every turn!

Exuding handsomeness from inside out, this assembly of soldiers stood even more upright and proficient, more formidable and fierce, as well as colder... and more merciless...