Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 430: Controversy and Prisoners

“... we must reach an agreement with the Nikancas to set up a longitudinal defensive front in the mountainous areas bordering the colonies of the Gulf of Rhodes in response to the attack to be launched by those ten standing regiments of the Kingdom of Hicks..." General Bitchicklin reiterated his view once again.

General Albert laughed bitterly: "I have told you that the Nikancas will never allow our troops to enter their territory, and I have dealt with them many times, all of whom are stone heads. When they established an independent State, they felt that their territory was sacred and inviolable. You just tell them that the Hicks attack is imminent, that they will suspect, before being attacked, that we are not good intentions, that we are not secretly attacking them..."

“Isn't it nice to have Colonel Boquer back with the Nikanchas? The Nikancas believe that he has gone beyond the assurances given by our battlefield to tell those Nikancas that we are helping them, not trying to usurp their territory! ”

“Useless...” General Albert shook his head: "The Nikancas believed in Colonel Boquer, mainly because of the various resources and arms deals between the two sides. Colonel Boquer had earned the trust of the Nikans by virtue of the principle of good faith in trade, but the Nikans would not believe in the territory and sovereignty of their independent State.

Especially when we forcibly relocated the three ruling Nikancas of Tyrsim, Mormary and Arturas, we also used force, washed away the intransigent tribal chiefs and elders, killed a number of Nikanca youthful and strong, and have provoked resentment among many communities in the Nikanca nation. If they hadn't been unable to find other resources and arms dealers at the moment, the bison dealers would have been expelled from their country... "

“Then we will make a strong move to invade the northern coastal mountains, use the ground to build a well-equipped defensive position, and let the Kingdom of Hicks hit our defensive position with a bloodshed...” General Bitchklin said harshly.

“Bick, if you take your approach, the consequence is that we have one more enemy and one less ally. We wanted this Nikantha nation to act as a barrier to the north of our Overseas Territories, and if we attack them, we will only add an undead enemy to our theatre. We would have had to deal with only one Hicks kingdom, and if we did what you said, we would have faced two enemies, which would have made us even more nervous than our enemies.” General Albert rebutted.

General Bitchklin laughed: "Can the Nikantha count as our enemy? With that fighting power, we can block them out of the defensive zone by pulling out just two local guard regiments. That is why we need to capture the northern coastal mountains and rely on mountainous terrain to set up a defensive front along a road. If you equip our Rock Corps with a new rifle, I have the confidence to defend against the attack of the 10 Standing Legions of the Kingdom of Hicks on our Overseas Territories. ”

“You think placing the Rock Corps in the northern coastal mountains would be enough? What should be done to defend the coastal lines and the three main seaports in the direct territorial theatre, relying on local guard corps to carry out the task of guarding? You are disrupting the overall defensive layout of the entire theatre, making it easy for the enemy to find the opportunity. The Hicks, not wild boars, walked down a path and found that the Rock Corps appeared in the mountains and naturally associated itself with the void of the battlefield near the sea defense line.

Besides, if we occupy the northern coastal mountains, what about logistical resupply? It's not under our direct jurisdiction. It's got all kinds of traffic roads. The Nikanchas are accustomed to mountain roads, and how do our buses get supplies to the front lines, offending the Nikanchas, means that our supply routes will be sneaked by them at any moment. So our plan to pre-empt the northern mountains will never work! ”

General Albert seems a little angry, and his voice is starting to get louder.

“What the hell are they fighting about?” Claude looked up and asked General Bolognick, who sat beside him.

“They are arguing about how to resist the 10 Standing Legions of the Kingdom of Hicks.” When General Bolognick picked up a teapot on the table and found that there was no water, he pulled the bell string and asked the aide who came in the door to get him a kettle of water. After all this, he pointed to the map on the wall and explained to Claude: "The northern coastal mountainous zone occupied by the Nikanca Nation is bordered by the colonies of the Gulf of Rhodes, Bick and Allen, both of whom believe that the Kingdom of Hicks will certainly choose to march south from here once it has assembled 10 standing regiments.

Because it is only by taking possession of this place that the enemy can continue to attack the Nikancha nation or the direct authority of the port of Vibato in our theatre. Birk's opinion was to unite the Nikancas, set up a defensive front along a road in the northern coastal mountains, and implement a strategy of layered resistance that would drain the 10 standing regiments of the Kingdom of Hicks of sharp air and strength in the mountains. Relying on our new rifles to thwart wars beyond the immediate jurisdiction of the theatre will not affect the economic development of our eight overseas jurisdictions, even if the war prolongs.

Alan, for their part, believes that the Nikantha will not believe our warning, and even if they discover that the Kingdom of Hicks is going to attack them, they will never let our troops enter their territory to help them defend themselves. If the Nikancas do not want us to help them resist the attack of the Kingdom of Hicks, we cannot set up a defensive front in the northern coastal mountainous areas beforehand. When the Kingdom of Hicks occupies the northern coastal mountains, the next step to Port Vibator is the Hirakawa, for which we must prepare ourselves for a bitter battle and a solid clearing field.

If there are only two or three standing regiments of enemies, we can care less about the situation in the northern coastal mountainous areas and not who occupies the area. But this time the Kingdom of Hicks has prepared ten standing legions, which are more than 600,000 troops. With only two regiments in our theatre and 18 local guard regiments, we are outnumbered, and without the benefit of the land, it is difficult for us to resist the enemy's attacks despite casualties. If we get caught up in the enemy, we can easily fall back into the circle, and then it's hard to get away. ”

Claude immediately understood General Bolonik's unexpected surprise that the force levels were too wide and that the battlefield, despite the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion, had 18 local guard regiments, which together amounted to nearly 200,000 troops. However, the eight Overseas Territories under theatre jurisdiction are too large, which requires a presence in strategic locations. Like the Rock Corps, two divisions under one of the divisions, the four main field corps, are required to be stationed in the three main seaport cities of Port Vibato, Port Patres and Port Cobichous, respectively, and the Dolinibara River Line of Defense.

So the real manoeuvre that the Rock Corps can pull out is about 20,000 men per division, and even with the regimental units, it's just one more regiment. Claude's Thunder Corps, on the other hand, is an aggressive, light-handed field corps, with some talent in position defense.

If more than 600,000 troops of the 10 standing legions assembled in the Kingdom of Hicks are smashed like hammers, then the strength of a division of the Rock Legion, plus the Thunder Legion, and a few more local guard regiments, these 100,000 men and horses are really hard to resist in a flat geographic environment to resist the fierce attacks of the enemy, and even the possibility of being surrounded by heavy enemy troops...

Enemy forces can be assembled to carry out focused attacks. On the other hand, the strength of the defensive front needs to be deployed separately on this line. The enemy is already weak and dispersed on the defensive front makes it even more disparate. As long as the enemy disregards a single point of the casualty Rapid Defense Front, the entire defense Front will be rendered useless and will even be pursued by the enemy as soon as the defensive force at the position is depleted and occupied by the enemy...

It is with this in mind that General Beechlin and General Albert will continue to argue over the northern coastal mountains. This is indeed the most advantageous terrain for defensive operations if we are to resist the direct authority, but only with the support and assistance of the Nikanchas.

General Albert, who sat in the town of Port Vibato and the Nikans, had dealt with each other many times, was well aware of the integrity of the Nikans, and if they had not willed, the demands of the theatre would have been rejected. Even if they're kind enough to help them, they doubt your intentions. From this point of view, Colonel Boquer did understand the Nikancha's temper in the theatre, and he had his own set of tools to deal with the Nikanchas.

Just as Claude wanted to move the three Nykanchas, it became a slogan to free his fellow citizens who had been oppressed and exploited by the immigrants of the Kingdom of Ovilas when he arrived at Colonel Boquer. To that end, the Presbyterian Church of the Nikanca Nation generously allocated millions of gold and silver reserves for the removal of those suffering compatriots.

Claude then commanded the forces to mount a killing spree and settle those Nikanchas who did not wish to relocate onto a forcible transport vessel. In the Nikansas, these forced migrations of Nikansas' blood and tears made the elders who advocated the transfer of their fellow Nikansas more complacent, and it was their foresight that spared their fellow citizens the fate of being bullied and killed in the direct jurisdiction. So Colonel Boquer, who helped them reach a relocation agreement, also mixed the glorious title of a Friend of the Nikancas.

General Albert's proposition was to help the Nikans to restructure their armaments and armaments, to sell half of what was not needed in the warehouse to the Nikans, and to strengthen their armed forces. So when the Hicks attack, the Nikancas will be at the top of the line, draining the strength of the Hicks, and then intervening in the theatre when they can't sustain it. The Nikanchas would then join forces against the Six Kingdoms in a willing joint theatre, thankful for the theatre.

However, this proposition is equally flawed, and when the Nikanchas are unable to sustain it, it may be that Hicks' army has reached the border, and even if the theatre sends troops into the northern coastal mountainous areas, the mountainous part that can occupy is only a tiny piece and cannot even form a deep defensive front. If the army of the Kingdom of Hicks breaks through a little, it is likely to collapse across the line.

That is also why General Bitchklin insists on a full occupation of the entire northern coastal mountainous zone, and the three current jurisdictions of Port Vibato, Cromwell and Beringana are no longer capable of any more robust countermeasures. The port of Vibato has the first firearms manufacturing workshop in the theatre and is also producing state-of-the-art new rifles. More than 2 million military immigrants have just settled in both Cromwell and Beringana territories, which could seriously damage the foundations of the theatre if the war were to resume...

“Stop arguing, both of you. Come sit down and have a good discussion.” General Bolognick summoned General Albert and General Beechlin with a frown.

Claude dropped the folder in his hand: “I have a question, I think, about the second half of the previous year, when McGidd III had just calmed down the noble rebellion in their country, how, in less than two years, did he form ten new standing legions within the Kingdom? Poor soldiers can't fight so fast. Our kingdom has also formed only five new major regiments in the five Eastern Regional Wars to supplement the Ace Field Legion. The rest are the expansion of the compulsory recruitment of local second-line regiments..."

Claude believes that if all 10 new standing legions in the Hicks kingdom were recruited, there would be nothing to worry about. In less than two years, the new legions were filled with farmers who had laid down their hoes and transported them thousands of miles to the distant continent of Nubicia to participate in the colonial war. Then the morale and fighting power of these new standing armies can be imagined, and perhaps even the Nikanchas can reject them from the national gates.

General Scully silently handed over a newspaper called "Today's Highlights": “Take a look at this story…”

Claude looked at the news section, which was outlined with a red pen, and his face suddenly turned extremely ugly. This newspaper was published more than three months ago, and it also talks about the readiness of the Kingdom of Hicks to lease the colony of the Rodex Bay in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

However, in the passage drawn in red, it was mentioned that, following the rebellion of Grand Prince Hansburg and the annihilation, in February last year, of the fearless fleet of the Kingdom of Ovieras in collusion with the kingdom of Hicks, more than 300,000 prisoners were released from the former Kingdom of Hicks in hard service in the Principality of Rimodra, the Principality of Eskilin and the Principality of Siddins.

McKid III reassigned his envoy, reconstituted more than 300,000 prisoners into five standing regiments, and paid a sum of money to Grand Prince Hansburg to rent the best Florrick seaport in the former facilities of the Principality of Limodra as a retreat training ground for the five standing regiments...

According to the report, it was clear that the Kingdom of Hicks had regrouped more than 300,000 captured soldiers into five standing regiments in anticipation of their shame and courage. Go back to this colonial war with the Kingdom of Orvilas, wash your own shame as a prisoner on the battlefield with the blood of your enemies, and repay the trust and support of King McKid III with victory. Once a lease agreement had been reached with the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands for the colony of the Gulf of Rhodes, the five standing legions would be the first troops to be sent to the colony.

Claude was blushing, and the more than 300,000 prisoners were captured in the First and Second Colonial Wars by members of the Royal Hicks Army, with some fighting power. Especially the five Standing Armies of the Second Colonial War, which numbered nearly 300,000 horses, and Marshal Michelchi, who used a strategy of cutting off the enemy's food route, forced him to surrender only after he was forced to starve.

Only later did the kingdom's emerging commercial aristocrats greed for the unpaid labour of more than 300,000 captives, migrate to theatre with 100,000 families of forcibly demobilized soldiers, supplement the conditions to be formed for the reinforcement of the five divisional regiments, and reach an agreement with Marshal Michel, who then transported more than 300,000 Hicks captives to the kingdom itself as the main labour force for the development of the newly occupied territories.

Now, more than 300,000 Hicks prisoners have been rearmed and reconstituted into five standing regiments. They were shameless veterans preparing for the ensuing colonial war, and their fighting power was much stronger than that of the regiments formed by the recruits, not so easy enemies to deal with.

The Rock Regiment and Thunder Regiment in theatre, on the other hand, have just transferred the veterans into local guard armaments and recruited 100,000 recruits. Although recruits have been trained, they have not been on the battlefield and have no combat experience at all...

“Damn it!” Claude bites his teeth off and punches them on the conference table: “Now I'm glad we turned down Prince Hansburg's request and didn't follow him, otherwise we'd be real traitors! ”