Chapter 1489: Chapter 1406: War at the Doorstep

The roar of airplanes accompanied by the thunderous sound of bombs landing caused the entire land of the Qin Country to tremble uncontrollably. On this day, war finally broke out on the soil of the Qin Country, and on this day, the people of the Qin Country finally witnessed the brutality of war firsthand.

The Great Tang Empire’s jet bombers launched a nighttime air raid on the Qin Country’s old border, dropping approximately 20 tons of bombs on a transportation city near the border.

For the first time, the core homeland of the Great Qin Empire was attacked by an enemy nation, shaking the court and the country. All the ministers were summoned to the Imperial Palace for discussions.

Prime Minister Ying Ke looked at the murmuring ministers, suppressing a surge of anger in his heart. His mighty soldiers of the Great Qin were still valiantly fighting hundreds of kilometers beyond the national borders, yet the flames of war had already reached his own home.

Ying Duo, due to illness, was still unable to personally govern, leaving Ying Ke overwhelmed as he assisted in governance. The Princely Heirs of the Great Qin Empire, however, remained quite well-behaved, not causing any trouble during this time.

But the situation had already spiraled into a state beyond repair. While there were no internal troubles, the external threats were already fatal.

“Prime Minister… How should we handle this? You must provide some guidelines,” a minister approached Ying Ke, lowering his voice to request.

“The people in the border areas are in a state of panic, the city is a sea of fire, the losses countless, and this matter is causing quite a stir—how to calm the people’s hearts and explain to them?” After waiting a while without receiving a response from Ying Ke, the minister had to brace himself and continue to ask.

Ying Ke sighed, knowing that delaying such matters would only lead to further chaos. However, he truly had no good plan for the Great Tang Empire’s bombing.

Previously, the Great Tang Empire’s missile attack on Wuyang, while not large in scale, involved ballistic missiles that traveled thousands of kilometers. Without nuclear warheads, their cost-effectiveness wasn’t high.

But this time was different. The Great Tang Empire’s bombers directly attacked the homeland of the Qin Country, causing an impact far more psychologically destabilizing than the missile attack on Wuyang.

“I don’t have any good strategies either; since the enemy has come once, it proves the border is now within their bombing radius. In such a situation, they can come whenever they wish. What strategies can I possibly have?” Ying Ke sighed and spread his hands helplessly.

Since the Great Tang Empire’s bombers could come once, they could come a second time. The Qin Air Force was utterly powerless to intercept them, and under such circumstances, there truly wasn’t any effective strategy.

Counting on those Model 183 fighter jets was less promising than hoping the air defense artillery deployed in Wuyang City or the border might incidentally shoot down an enemy plane.

The loss of Huxuan caused trust in the auxiliary forces to reach its lowest point throughout the Qin Country. With the Huai Mountain defense line on the brink of collapse and the Shu Mountain area also at risk of being lost at any moment, most of the Qin Country’s peripheral control zones had already been lost.

If the northern front were to lose more, then the Great Qin Empire would no longer need to refer to itself as the Great Qin Empire.

The previously occupied areas were almost entirely lost, leaving mostly the old territories of the Qin Country. Under such circumstances, the Qin Empire’s name was no longer justified, and reverting to the Qin Kingdom seemed more accurate.

In fact, if this war continued, whether this so-called Qin Kingdom could even continue to exist would become a question.

“What does the Air Force have to say? After spending so much money, purchasing so much equipment, acquiring so many plans, and outfitting so many planes… In the end, does none of it have any use?” Another minister sharply raised his voice, questioning the air force leader nearby.

Zhang Tuo looked embarrassed but was speechless, forced to remain silent. Originally, he did not wish to continue serving as the Air Force Commander. Still, since his brother was redeployed from the front due to defeat, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and persist.

“Yes, young General Zhang, does the Air Force have any confidence in intercepting the Great Tang Empire’s bombers, preventing them from entering our Great Qin?” Another minister relentlessly continued to press, making Zhang Tuo even more embarrassed. Since Zhang Tuo was Zhang Xuan’s younger brother, he was referred to in court as young General Zhang to distinguish him from his brother, General Zhang.

The Air Force’s radar equipment was insufficient in quantity, outdated in performance, and easily jammed or suppressed, rendering them ineffective.

After several rounds of losses, the resources painstakingly accumulated were depleted in previous counterattacks, leaving Zhang Tuo unable to perform even if he had the skills.

Knowing the details, Ying Ke truly understood Zhang Tuo’s predicament. He also knew that the Air Force had no power left to fight, nor any possibility of intercepting the Great Tang Empire’s nighttime bombing formations.

To put it bluntly, whether the Qin Country’s air force could even muster 100 Model 183 fighter jets on the northern front, or find pilots capable of flying them, was uncertain, let alone forming squadrons and achieving combat results.

Practically, occasionally taking off once or twice, these fighter jets usually met with a fate of no return. The Qin Air Force’s presence on the battlefield held almost no practical significance, only serving to boost the morale of the ground troops.

“With spring arriving, if agricultural production is disrupted, and the harvest falls short, national power will become even more fragile.” The minister in charge of agriculture murmured dilemma-ridden on the side.

Originally, gaining the Shu Territory meant the Qin Country did not need to worry too much about this year’s grain harvest, but now that the Shu Territory had been lost, the Qin Country had to start worrying about the food issue again.

If it were just a matter of farming, it would be manageable. After all, although the territory had shrunk, the population had also decreased significantly due to the war, allowing continuation of some stability.

The challenge lay in the fact that the outbreak of war would disrupt farming, leading to a potential grainless harvest, abandoned farmlands, and at that point, everything would truly be over.

“With our homeland attacked, how to mitigate the loss also needs to be discussed…” Another minister chimed in: “I heard that many cities lack air defense facilities, and the warehouses for material storage are not well-guarded… If problems arise and losses can’t be controlled to some extent, we would all be sinners of the Great Qin.”

Ying Ke also knew he was right, but at that moment of myriad problems, he couldn’t unravel a clear course of action. He truly felt a headache as big as a mountain, even finding it difficult to breathe.

“From the Military side, come up with a plan for precautions and defenses… There must be a strategy.” After regaining some composure, Ying Ke gritted his teeth and began issuing orders: “Border cities should enter a wartime state, find ways to restrain the populace, strengthen defenses…”

He issued a dozen or so commands in one breath, with relevant ministers noting down their tasks. Everyone’s expressions grew more solemn because it seemed the war was drawing ever closer—it had arrived at their doorstep.