Munitions Empire-Chapter 1988 - 1865: Dorne Is Trying to Flee

"Dorne is trying to run away!" Inside the Tang Army’s forward operational headquarters, which had been moved to Wolf City, a giant battlefield situation map hung on the wall. Various color flags and markers clearly outlined the troop deployments and latest movements of both enemy and allied forces.

Marshal Tager stood in front of the map, his sharp eyes scanning the blue flags representing the Dorne Army. They were eagerly moving southwest, clearly sensing something was amiss and trying to find a way to escape. He pinched his chin thoughtfully, with a hint of amusement in his voice, like an experienced hunter watching his prey flee in panic, already having a full plan for the hunt in mind.

"Yeah, the feedback from the frontline troops is that Dorne’s defensive lines are being taken over by Laines Empire’s troops over the past few days." A combat staff officer stood beside Marshal Tager, holding a freshly delivered battle report. After swiftly glancing through it, he looked up to report the latest military intelligence: "They’re trying to run off and leave the mess to Laines Empire while they make a clean getaway."

Not only on the front line, reconnaissance planes also confirmed the news: Dorne troops reinforcing Jade City had already stopped halfway, with many even turning southward. It seems they’ve confirmed there is no longer any necessity for rescue for Laines; they need to conserve their forces to defend their own country.

"Where do they think they can run to? Do they think they can outrun our car wheels on foot? The Air Force has cut off the railway near the front line, and any trains they’d find are at least 50 kilometers away." Despite his short stature, Eric’s robust build made him stand out among the group of generals. Upon hearing the staff officer’s report, he let out a disdainful snort, full of scorn and contempt. To him, with the Dorne Army only now thinking about fleeing, it was already too late. The Tang Army had long set the stage with its iron and steel, ready to engulf them completely.

"Once they leave the rubble of Jade City, they’ll be nothing but sheep awaiting slaughter. Beyond Jade City, Laines Empire’s interior doesn’t even have a single proper defensive line!" Sitting next to Eric, an army general, lean yet with piercing eyes, took over the conversation coldly.

The complex terrain and ruined walls of Jade City provided the Dorne Army with some cover, allowing them to tenaciously resist by relying on the rubble. But if they choose to abandon Jade City, it means exposing themselves completely to the Tang Army’s offensive, with no fate awaiting them but to be ruthlessly crushed.

For the Tang Army, enemy troops deployed in the wild posed no threat. Once they caught up and encircled them, the remaining task would be capturing prisoners and boosting their achievements.

"However, their reaction is understandable. After all, by retreating they might be able to take some personnel and equipment with them; staying would only mean being annihilated by us." Another general, with a deeper voice, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and calmly analyzed Dorne Army’s situation, attempting to understand their choice from a strategic perspective.

From Dorne’s viewpoint, indeed as he said: staying put means waiting for death, and the most passive approach would be waiting to die. Letting Laines Empire’s troops cover their retreat while they make a quick getaway is evidently a smarter choice.

"Indeed, even if we encircle Dorne’s troops in the wild, at most we could annihilate ninety percent of them." A bearded general said gruffly, with a hint of pity in his tone, as if lamenting the inability to wipe out the enemy entirely.

Although, from a numerical standpoint, eliminating ninety percent of the troops is virtually indistinguishable from total annihilation, there would still be a few stragglers slipping through the net. From a macro perspective, if the base number is large enough, the number of escapees could still be significant: for example, stragglers from within the Poplar Empire escaping to Suthers, amounting to at least hundreds of thousands.

This time, Dorne’s troops fled more decisively and quickly, so the number could be even higher: Tager calculated casually in his mind that nearly a million Dorne troops could return to the northern border of Dorne.

But this is just a number; how much heavy weaponry and equipment these troops can actually take away, how much combat power they can retain... or rather, even the current combat power of these troops is uncertain.

After such prolonged attrition, the true number of Dorne’s ground troops capable of fighting hard battles is a big question mark. According to the most conservative estimate, among the million troops returning to Dorne, at least over fifty percent are likely fresh recruits who would crumble at the first touch!

Transporting troops and equipment close to the battlefield is a huge undertaking, and moving the weapons, ammunition, and personnel back is just as troublesome. To come and go as you please has always been the dream of military commanders throughout history; whether it can be achieved depends on luck, strength, and the technical conditions at the time.

Clearly, the Allied Forces, or now what can be called the Dorne Empire side, does not have these technical conditions: their transport relies heavily on railways, and they can’t find a sufficient number of trains in a short time, making it impossible to bring the north-bound troops back south to the country.