Chapter 979 - 202: Giant Dragon Legion
When the army under Losa’s command gathered in Danzig, William’s expression was somewhat displeased.
"Captain, are you planning to take this army that seems to have crossed over from the Middle Ages to help us defeat the million-strong Russian army on the Eastern Front?"
William took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger that had been stirred within him.
Although the Eastern Front battlefield was not as brutal as the Western Front, with land cruisers, floating airships, and airship carriers, an infantry division thrown into the fray could be halved in a single morning.
However, the most basic chainsaw guns, armored infantry, and magic energy firearms were still in ample supply. Furthermore, over the years, the Russian army had constructed numerous fortifications and strongholds along the defensive line. If they were to launch a direct attack, these armies still stuck in a cold weapons era might collapse at the first encounter.
After all, it was once a colossal force that shocked Europe and defeated Napoleon, recognized as the fourth strongest power in the world, not to be underestimated by anyone.
"Elector, please remain calm."
Losa gave William a deep look. As expected, the hot-tempered William of his past life, even at his age, still couldn’t hold his cool.
Having helped Texas defeat the British Expedition Army, he shouldn’t underestimate his capabilities, should he?
"William, you’re still the same."
Viviana’s tone didn’t carry any disappointment—he had always been like this.
But William wasn’t exactly a fool. He just instinctively disliked Losa, the man who had eloped with his sister and vanished for decades. Yet even he found this aversion to be baseless.
It was a decision made by his father, which had now benefitted the entire family. If they could indeed defeat the Russian army on the Eastern Front through this, it would serve as the keystone for realizing the Hohenzollern’s great ideal.
What grievance could he have?
"Apologies, I was a bit out of line. So, Captain, what hidden cards do you have that give you confidence in helping us defeat the Russian army on the Eastern Front?"
Losa shook his head and laughed, "What exactly it is, I can only reveal on the day we initiate the attack to avoid alerting the enemy."
"For now, consider it a steam airship which, unfortunately, is slow and has weak anti-air capabilities."
William, being a monarch, knew that Berlin’s military enterprises also produced steam airships. He was well aware of the weaknesses of these large and costly aerial machines.
"War machines from the future?"
Losa neither confirmed nor denied, saying, "Indeed, they are war machines not belonging to this era."
...
Planning a large-scale offensive is no simple task.
The foremost issue is the matter of logistics.
Despite being among the secondary powers, and having benefited from neighboring Debang’s strong support, the Knight Order Country had decent technology and industrial foundations, making its national power comparable to a larger version of Belgium.
However, despite a decent industrial base, population, resources, and raw materials are limited.
In terms of war potential, the Knight Order Country has no qualifications to compete with the Tsarist Russian bear.
However, William had no idea what had transpired in the Viennese court. Previously unwilling to support the Eastern Front, Emperor Franz suddenly dispatched a large number of Western Front reinforcements and authorized the Eastern Corps Command to command all troops on the Eastern Front.
This was nearly a two-million-strong army, a scale William couldn’t even imagine.
Losa looked at William’s surprised expression with no sense of surprise.
Franz was certainly not persuaded by Rudolf, but rather he realized that Losa’s resolve could not be changed, making it impossible for him to turn and help on the Western Front. He recognized the reality.
Given the current progress of the war, it was fortunate to stand a chance of victory.
With Losa’s assistance, the chances of victory on the Eastern Front were high. No matter how much Franz didn’t want to see the Hohenzollern’s plan come to fruition, creating a north-south opposition within Debang, he couldn’t sabotage it.
Best to invest more power to avoid all the credit for an Eastern Front victory going to the Hohenzollern Family.
However, such large-scale troop and logistics movements couldn’t be concealed from the Allies, who soon realized the enemy intended to make big moves on the Eastern Front. They intensified their Western Front offensives while dispatching massive transport convoys aiming to supply the Russian army via the Black Sea route.
France was indeed a powerhouse in this world, with France, Western African colonies, and North Africa forming a continuous stretch, not to mention the Sahara railway connecting them. If not for the British fleet blocking their Atlantic routes, dragging it out would inevitably lead to Debang’s defeat.
"Marshal, good news!"
A staff officer hurriedly approached with a telegram, and upon reading it, William’s pupils constricted with shock, "Good, very good, those cowardly and incompetent Ottomans finally did something worthy of their ancestors’ legacy!"
The telegram boldly stated that just as French transport ships were about to pass through the Bosphorus Strait, the Ottoman coastal defense cannons on both sides of the strait suddenly opened fire. After a night-long fierce battle, they managed to send the majority of the French transport ships to the bottom of the sea.
Though soon retaliated bloodily by the Black Sea Fleet and the French Fleet, the Ottomans, prepared for years, managed to withstand the pressure and tightly locked the neck of the Bosphorus Strait.
At that moment, the Grand Master also dashed into the command center with a telegram in hand.
Uncle and nephew exchanged glances, simultaneously saying, "The opportunity has arrived!"
Together, they stood before the sand table. "Captain, we plan to concentrate over a thousand artillery pieces to bombard the enemy’s lines from Gorlice to Tarnov, then, with all our mobile forces, execute a focused breakthrough, encircling and attempting to trap all Russian forces in the Polish Region within the encirclement!"
The Eastern Front has ample forces, but spreading them across the entire long front line and, along with the Western Front
The Eastern Front’s Knight Order boasts a very strong cavalry force. The land cruiser, such a giant machine, hasn’t replaced cavalry, this ancient mobile class, although in this wartime application, cavalrymen have gradually transitioned to "armored infantry."
Names like Lancers are reserved only for ceremonial branches or simply retained in title only.
The Eastern Front has ample forces, but spreading them across the entire long front line and, along with the Western Front
The Eastern Front’s Knight Order boasts a very strong cavalry force. The land cruiser, such a giant machine, hasn’t replaced cavalry, this ancient mobile class, although in this wartime application, cavalrymen have gradually transitioned to "armored infantry."
Names like Lancers are reserved only for ceremonial branches or simply retained in title only.
The Eastern Front has ample forces, but spreading them across the entire long front line and, along with the Western Front
The Eastern Front’s Knight Order boasts a very strong cavalry force. The land cruiser, such a giant machine, hasn’t replaced cavalry, this ancient mobile class, although in this wartime application, cavalrymen have gradually transitioned to "armored infantry."
Names like Lancers are reserved only for ceremonial branches or simply retained in title only.