Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks

The giant propeller sliced through the leaden clouds, churning up chunks of fog as the engine spewed scalding steam. The colossal aerial fortress "Ivan the Terrible" was cruising through the sky like a mechanical leviathan.

Its top was equipped with a peculiar coil-like device that would occasionally unleash a devastating arc of electricity upon contact with the cloud layer.

Ivan the Terrible was Tsarist Russia’s most advanced war machine, hailed as a "space air carrier," with six small fast airships hidden in its belly. Its armor was robust, and it was bristling with gun turrets, living up to its name as an aerial fortress.

The "Tesla Coil" mounted on top was a new experimental device personally crafted by the exiled Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla, a top-secret weapon not even shared with Tsarist allies.

As the culmination of Tsarist Russia’s manpower, resources, and finances, even the British Royal Air Force flagship "London," extensively modified over ten times after its defeat in Texas, might not surpass it.

At least, that’s what His Majesty the Tsar and his staff and advisers unanimously believed.

Marshal Petrov of the Tsarist Air Force shifted his gaze away from the periscope, which reflected the image of thousands of infantry below retreating like ants.

"Those useless drunks at the Army Department, who somehow let the Germans advance a hundred kilometers a day with a million troops on the front, really are a bunch of peasant slaves who just can’t learn how to fight, even if they pick up weapons."

As the noble branch of the military, Ivan the Terrible’s crew were almost exclusively of Boye noble heritage, all well-versed in the secret Knight’s Breathing Technique, fully justified in looking down on these land-bound army grunts.

"Urgent telegram from the Eastern Front Army: enemy air fleet discovered, requesting our immediate interception."

Petrov adjusted his military cap and arrogantly ordered, "Everyone, prepare for battle. Move toward the seven o’clock direction—we must show those Knight Order dogs who truly rules the skies!"

The enmity between the Knight Order Country and Tsarist Russia was long-standing.

Back in the Middle Ages, the Knight Order Country coveted the Novgorod Republic by the Neva River, attempting to conquer it and establish commercial dominance over the Baltic Sea.

Unfortunately, this attempt was thwarted at the Battle of Chude Lake, defeated by the Russian forces led by Alexander Nevsky of the Rurik Dynasty’s Novgorod Duke, destroying the greatest chance for the Teutonic Order’s rise.

Later, the legendary general’s fourth son, "Daniel Alexandrovich," was enfeoffed as the Grand Duke of Moscow, effectively forming the precursor to the Tsarist Russia Empire.

Afterward, the Teutonic Order repeatedly contended with the Russians for Pskov and Novgorod regions, known historically as the "Great Eastern War," until the rise of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which turned the Eastern European situation into a tripartite balance and stabilized it.

It’s safe to say that these ancient "Boye nobles" almost universally had ancestors who died in the "Great Eastern War," bearing deep-seated blood feuds.

This was a war of revenge, as well as an honor war to prove whether Boye nobles or Junker nobles were superior.

With orders given, the vast fleet of dozens of Floating Airships began turning amidst billowing smoke.

In just about a quarter of an hour, Petrov saw through Ivan the Terrible’s periscope the Prussian airships, bearing iron cross insignias, relentlessly bombing the retreating Russian infantry in the clouds.

These seemingly cumbersome behemoths actually flew much faster than the infantry reliant on two legs or mules for mobility.

But perhaps because they were too focused on ground targets, it wasn’t until the massive Tsarist fleet opened its side-gun turrets and began targeting the Prussian airships that this fleet, numbering only twenty or so and far inferior in scale to the Tsarist fleet, hastily began evasive maneuvers.

Now, since the Battle of Texas exposed the airship fleet’s weak points in air defense, Floating Airships have specialized into "Combat Airships" and "Bombing Airships," with combat airships’ weaponry primarily focused on anti-air, equipped with Magic Energy Cannons that can shred through Floating Airships’ thick armor, significantly compensating for the steam airship’s deficiency in air combat.

"These airships maneuver well; it seems they’re treasured assets of the Knight Order Country. Relay my command, increase speed, and charge at the enemy like our ancestors!"

Petrov urged excitedly.

Compared to Tsarist Russia, the Knight Order Country was a smaller nation, and losing twenty new Floating Airships would cripple even Tsarist Russia, but for the Knight Order Country, it would be a devastating blow rocking the foundations of their nation.

That meant when Tsarist airships arrived at Danzig, Konigsberg, Riga Port, the Knight Order Country would no longer have air force resources to support ground anti-air firepower.

With Petrov’s command, all boiler workers on the Floating Airships were mobilized.

Shovelful after shovelful of high-quality white coal mixed with Magic Stone Powder was fed into the insatiable boilers, and the airship’s steam engines roared furiously, like fully armed Boye knights of the Middle Ages charging into the sky.

"Their formation is in chaos, they’re scared!"

"Continue to increase speed, let no enemy airship escape. We will achieve the most glorious victory since the war began, to celebrate His Majesty the Tsar’s birthday!"

Petrov shouted jubilantly; the twenty or so opposing small and large ships were at full throttle fleeing, the light escort ships paying no heed to the slower-moving heavy capital ships, leading the way at the front.

"Beware of deception!"

Adjutant Mikhail gripped Petrov’s arm, cautioning, "Typically, these light airships would sacrifice themselves to shield the capital ships, but they are doing the opposite..."

Petrov was clearly unhappy with his adjutant’s pessimism: "Clearly, these Germans were scared witless by our invincible fleet. By sacrificing those slow capital ships, the light airships have a slim chance of survival. Staying means total annihilation. I think any rational commander would make the correct choice—though it seems counterintuitive."

Mikhail opened his mouth but said no more.

Petrov was right; with an "invincible" grand fleet of over a hundred light and heavy ships, sending even a dozen small ships was no more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Taking them down and then pursuing the slow capital ships would be an easy task.

Seeing his partner refrain from untimely comments, Petrov smiled reassuringly: "Buddy, you’re too sensitive. Previously, these Prussian airships always operated with Debang’s airships, supported by ground anti-aircraft guns, preventing us from achieving victory. Today, if we swallow the Prussian’s main fleet, the scales of war will tip, and our invincible fleet will drop the ’Tsar Bomb’ on Riga, Danzig, and even Berlin."

A piercing alarm suddenly shattered the eardrums of every crewman on Ivan the Terrible.

A colonel officer shouted in terror: "Excellency Petrov, unidentified giant flying objects are rapidly approaching from the outside!"

"The enemy has an ambush?"

A piercing alarm suddenly shattered the eardrums of every crewman on Ivan the Terrible.

A colonel officer shouted in terror: "Excellency Petrov, unidentified giant flying objects are rapidly approaching from the outside!"

"The enemy has an ambush?"

A piercing alarm suddenly shattered the eardrums of every crewman on Ivan the Terrible.

A colonel officer shouted in terror: "Excellency Petrov, unidentified giant flying objects are rapidly approaching from the outside!"

"The enemy has an ambush?"