Iron Dynasty Chapter 1041

Ten days had already elapsed since the engagement when the reports from Manila finally reached Xiao Ming. Upon meticulously reviewing the provided details, a deep frown creased his forehead. The Dutch had constructed remarkably deep trenches for their landing defense—so profound, in fact, that their soldiers were forced to stand on stools just to peer over the parapets.

These fortifications bore a striking resemblance to the trench networks of the modern era's First World War, where opposing sides relied on such designs for attrition-based standoffs. The emergence of these trenches mirrored the historical rise of machine guns and heavy artillery superiority. It appeared history was repeating itself. He felt a rare sense of relief that, despite the presence of bunkers, his enemies lacked advanced machine guns or the devastating Imperial Guard artillery; otherwise, the conflict would have devolved into a horrific meat grinder.

He was hardly surprised that the Dutch utilized firing-hedgehog formations to counter his troops, knowing full well that any competent commander would adopt such defensive measures. Even so, pairing a defensive firing strategy with deep trenches created a formidable headache for any assault. While he retained full confidence that the Imperial soldiers would ultimately prevail, the inevitable surge in casualties troubled him immensely. Every individual soldier had become an invaluable asset.

The reach of the Empire had expanded significantly. Garrisons were required in the newly annexed territories of Goryeo and Japan, while colonies demanded a consistent military presence to maintain peace. The native populations in these regions still existed in a primitive state of civilization, utterly unmoved by diplomatic negotiations; tribal leaders were prone to declaring war on a whim.

Furthermore, the land conflict with Tsarist Russia remained unresolved, and the geopolitical landscape beyond the Tian Shan mountains was increasingly labyrinthine. Between the remnants of Persia, the Durrani Empire of Afghanistan, and the sprawling Ottoman Empire, the region had become a volatile powder keg. Adding Tsarist Russia to that mix meant the area could ignite into total war at any moment.

Consequently, he had raised the prospect of decelerating their expansionist agenda during his discussions with Yue Yun. He had, in merely a few years, constructed a colonial structure that had taken European powers over two centuries to cultivate. As the old adage warns, attempting to bite off more than one can chew invites disaster. He was grappling with that exact reality; vast tracts of land had been brought under his banner, yet zero infrastructure existed to support them. In their current state, these territories offered no benefits to the Imperial economy.

Warfare had become an insatiable furnace for ammunition and bullets. While the massive domestic mining of copper sufficed for the time being, he would be a fool not to extract resources from these hard-won territories. Furthermore, with the Empire’s mature ironclad construction technology and upcoming steam-powered merchant fleet, the ability to transport overseas resources back home was set to increase exponentially.

Of greater significance was the reality that, even after crushing Western armies in Southeast Asia, invading the European continent itself remained an impossibility. Any landing operation would unleash the terrifying defensive war potential of Europe, dragging the conflict into a protracted trench war he could not afford. Thus, the immediate future of the conflict would focus on colonial struggles and securing maritime hegemony.

With this conclusion, he issued an order to Yue Yun to seize Jakarta and proceed to annihilate the Western naval presence in the Indian Ocean. Accompanying the battle report was intelligence from Wang Xuan, indicating that Western forces were massing in India to launch a campaign to retake Singapore and simultaneously stave off an Imperial assault.

In Xiao Ming’s view, however, the Westerners had once again miscalculated his intentions. Armed with a fleet of ironclads, he had no reason to engage in a reckless, head-on collision. For them to strike at Singapore, their warships would first need to reach it. Under the shadow of the Empire’s naval dominance, any attempt to threaten his colonies was pure delusion, and the troops in India were destined to wait indefinitely for ships that would never arrive to extract them.

Just as a dark, knowing smirk crossed his face, the rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed nearby. Shortly thereafter, Qian Dafu and Chen Qi arrived at the Imperial Study. Chen Qi offered a bow, announcing, "Your Majesty, the modifications to the mortar are complete. I have come to provide a report."

Xiao Ming felt a surge of pleasant surprise. "That quickly? Excellent! The soldiers in Southeast Asia are in dire need of these weapons." He stood up and strode toward the door. "Let us go. I must see these results for myself."

Chen Qi smiled as he trailed behind him. Upon reaching the military factory, he signaled the technicians to present a shortened cannon for inspection. "Your Majesty, this is the refined mortar. It no longer requires a two-man carry; a single soldier can transport it while on the move," Chen Qi explained, gesturing toward the green-coated weapon.

Xiao Ming nodded, thoroughly satisfied. The weapon was a precursor to the modern mortar, both functional as indirect fire artillery. Since the debut of the Imperial Guard artillery, he had tasked Chen Qi with this upgrade, and the device now held the sleek profile of a modern battlefield tool. "It weighs 9.4 kilograms, the stand adds 5.8 kilograms, and the shell weighs 2.18 kilograms," Chen Qi detailed. "It possesses an effective lethal radius of 17.8 meters and a maximum range of 2,000 meters with an 82-millimeter caliber. It is perfect for neutralizing enemies hidden behind natural cover."

While Chen Qi had envisioned such designs before, the lack of quality alloy steel had been an insurmountable obstacle. The advent of electricity and the Academy of Chemistry’s use of pressurized condensation had finally allowed for the production of pure oxygen, revolutionizing the oxygen-blowing process in electric furnaces and vastly improving the quality of refined steel.

"The shell is the most critical component. Does it meet the required standards?" Xiao Ming asked, bypassing praise to address the core issue. Chen Qi signaled the staff, who presented a crate of mortar munitions.

Xiao Ming picked one up, inspecting the construction. The firing mechanism was distinct from his other field pieces—the weight of the projectile drove the primer into the firing pin at the breech. This lit the base cartridge, using the explosive force of the smokeless propellant to launch the shell. Upon impact, the nose-mounted fuse would trigger the main charge. The complexity required for such precise components—shell body, tail fins, base cartridges, and fuses—was immense. Yet, the shell in his hand was perfect.

He let out a sigh of genuine appreciation. The industrial capacity of the Empire was charging forward with immense momentum, and the technological bottlenecks that once hindered his progress were rapidly evaporating.