Trenches, Guns, and Magic

The outer fortress complexes of Belgrade, which had held back the Austro-Hungarian army for months, declared a total collapse in a mere hour and a half under the fierce assault of the Fifth Army.

The Storm Assault Battalion soldiers of the divisions under the Fifth Army rushed into the devastated fortress positions with almost no resistance.

They had been prepared for brutal close-quarters trench warfare, and their battalion commanders had reported high estimated casualty rates before the battle.

After all, according to pre-war intelligence, the Serbians had deployed heavy forces and supernatural units here. Those thick concrete bunkers and intersecting communication trenches were supposed to be a meat grinder swallowing human lives...

But the reality was completely the opposite.

When the assault troopers, submachine guns at the ready, leaped into the Serbian trenches, they encountered no decent resistance.

The power of the radiant crystal reaction shells not only destroyed the fortresses' fortifications but also completely shattered the psychological defenses of the garrison.

Most of the surviving Serbian soldiers were in a state of shock from experiencing massive explosions at close range. They huddled in the corners of bomb shelters or slumped against collapsed bunkers.

Many had blood oozing from their ears, clearly having suffered irreversible damage.

Faced with Saxon soldiers suddenly appearing right in front of them shortly after the bombardment ended, these defenders didn't even realize what was happening.

Some assault troopers who had hastily learned some Serbian shouted "Lay down your weapons and you won't be killed!" while quickly securing key positions in the trenches.

Faced with these enemies right in their faces, the Serbian soldiers merely raised their hands numbly, unable to even muster the thought of resistance.

Several core nodes of the fortress complex that had been heavily targeted were reduced to massive craters, with the ground at the epicenters even exhibiting vitrification.

The bulk of the "Special Engineer Regiment 0," upon which the Serbians had placed high hopes, was deployed within these core fortresses.

Although the Vukodlak had suffered some casualties during their previous proactive sallies, the Serbian military still intended to use these supernatural units to inflict heavy losses on the Saxons when they breached the fortress complex.

Unfortunately, these Vukodlak waiting inside the concrete bunkers didn't even survive long enough to lay eyes on the Saxon troops...

Most of the werewolves were incinerated alongside the fortresses by the radiant crystal reaction shells. Only a very small number of surviving Vukodlak deployed in air-raid shelters on the peripheral positions rushed out upon hearing the commotion outside, attempting to pounce on the Stormtroopers clearing the trenches.

If it were conventional infantry of the past facing these incredibly fast and tenacious monsters, they would likely have suffered grievous casualties.

But the soldiers of the Storm Assault Battalions were well prepared.

The instruction unit's previous practical experience fighting these "werewolves" in night combat had long been shared with the Fifth Army, and the "neat tricks" summarized by those macho men were widely circulated among the junior officers.

Therefore, when the team leader Stauffenberg saw a few werewolves crawl out of the wreckage, although he felt a bit of shock seeing monsters for the first time, he wasn't panicked.

He merely took a half-step back and gave a hand signal. Two teams of flamethrower operators carrying heavy fuel tanks immediately stepped forward, and two thick dragons of fire spewed out instantly.

The viscous special fuel ignited upon release, directly blanketing the werewolves charging at the front.

The intense flames instantly ignited the monsters' fur, and shrill screams echoed across the broken positions.

Those Vukodlak, vicious and terrifying a second ago, rolled frantically in the several-thousand-degree heat.

Their regenerative abilities, superior to humans, actually worked against them now, making them experience the agony repeatedly. And their fur, which provided some defensive properties, became excellent kindling...

As dragons of fire flashed across the outer fortress complexes, the remaining werewolves were eradicated without causing significant casualties.

Before the Garrison Command was overrun, the news of the outer fortress complexes' complete fall was transmitted into the city of Belgrade via the last few intact telephone lines.

But in reality, after the Fifth Army arrived at the city gates and repelled several Serbian army units rushing back to reinforce in field battles, the Allied Command knew the city was likely untenable.

Therefore, the Allied Command originally set up in Belgrade had already retreated two days before the offensive began.

In the eyes of Colonel James, a senior advisor deployed to the Balkans by the Holy Britannia Empire Military Intelligence Department, this loose alliance had already fallen apart the moment the Allied Command decided to retreat.

The combat effectiveness displayed by the Saxon Imperial Army completely exceeded the comprehension of these Balkan nations.

When the flames of war spread to the Balkan Peninsula, the small nations here were shocked to discover this wasn't even a war of the same era.

To the armies of the Balkan nations, the Saxon firepower and tactics were simply a dimensional strike.

With the Kingdom of Bulgaria stubbornly holding out, and the capitals of the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Romania both besieged, the daily communication meetings of the Allied Command had completely devolved into a venue for the various factions to shirk responsibility and vent their anger.

The arguing reached a climax on the afternoon when the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Serbian Field Marshal Radomir Putnik, collapsed on the spot.

During a communication meeting attended by representatives of all parties, the elderly Field Marshal rolled his eyes in fury at the sarcasm of the Ottoman Empire representative and the buck-passing of the Romanian representative.

He abruptly stood up and slammed the table, but halfway through the motion, he went limp and collapsed into his chair.

After the military doctors arrived and declared the Field Marshal needed absolute rest, Colonel James, the senior advisor from the Holy Britannia Empire Military Intelligence Department, privately offered a different assessment to his adjutant.

"That old man is sharp."

Colonel James sat in the back seat of a bumpy military vehicle, looking through the window at the Serbian civilians fleeing south along the road with their families.

"He likely saw this mess was beyond saving and simply found an excuse to step down... Even if they investigate the responsibility for the defeat later, he can play the 'health reasons' card to shield himself."

"But the old man's judgment isn't wrong either. Even the gods might not be able to save this situation."

The adjutant listened and nodded in deep agreement.

The car was quiet for a while.

Colonel James pulled out a now-voided proposal document, looked at it, and couldn't help but sigh.

"I'm incredibly thankful now that the Empire's high command didn't rush to land the Expeditionary Force in the Balkans."

"There were quite a few voices back home clamoring to open a second front here to pin down Saxon forces."

"Looking at it now, it's actually a blessing in disguise."

The adjutant chimed in.

"Indeed... Given the combat effectiveness and organization displayed by the Balkan nations, if the Empire's Expeditionary Force really landed here, they'd likely be dragged down with them."

"Then we wouldn't just have to face the elite Saxon troops, but also wipe the asses of these useless allies..."

Hearing this, Colonel James put down the document, pulled out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth, though he didn't light it.

He looked at the congested convoy ahead, the terrifying advance speed of the Saxon Imperial Army flashing through his mind.

No one expected the Saxons to move so fast. Not only did the useless dolts in the Allied Command not expect it, but even when he himself got the news, the Saxon surprise force had already reached the outskirts of Bucharest...

At that moment, Colonel James judged the situation in the Balkans to be thoroughly ruined, and subsequent events indeed proved his deduction.

Thinking of this, Colonel James, suddenly feeling a bit irritable, issued an order to the driver ahead.

"Don't take the main road. Detour onto that dirt road next to it and get out of this godforsaken place as soon as possible!"

Back to the present.

With the outer fortress complexes completely occupied, the main forces of the Fifth Army following behind began to cross the ruins and march toward the urban area of Belgrade.

After inspecting the forward positions, Crown Prince Georg returned to the temporary command post near the armored trains.

By this time, reports from units across the front line were arriving one after another, all confirming the Serbian defensive lines had completely collapsed.

Not long after Crown Prince Georg sat down in his private tent, Chief of Staff Major General Nobelsdorff quickly walked up to him, holding a newly decoded telegram.

The Crown Prince put down the coffee cup he had just picked up, stared at the telegram in the Chief of Staff's hand, and asked, "Is this from Bucharest?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Nobelsdorff handed over the telegram, his expression turning somewhat serious.

"This is a summary of several scheduled communications we had with the joint command of 'Kampfgruppe Morin' and the 48th Corps before the offensive began this morning."

"We've also received more details about the battle, as well as the specific circumstances of King Ferdinand I of Romania's death."

Georg took the telegram and scanned it quickly. His brows gradually furrowed. Finally, he threw the telegram onto the table and tapped its edge twice with his fingers.

"Sir Schmidt, have you noticed any issues?"

The Chief of Staff nodded, stating with certainty, "Your Highness, it is evident that both 'Kampfgruppe Morin' and the 48th Corps are intentionally managing public opinion regarding the killing of Ferdinand I."

"To be precise, they are consciously downplaying Colonel Morin's role in this incident."

Georg also nodded, leaning back in his chair with a long sigh. "Sigh... this is bad. I only suspected it initially, but now I increasingly feel that it's highly likely Friedrich killed Ferdinand I with his own hands."

Major General Nobelsdorff agreed.

"Your Highness, logically analyzing it, this is also the most probable scenario."

"According to the combat details reported by the Kampfgruppe, since Ferdinand I had already completed vampire transformation and could serve as the core of the Bucharest vampire incident, it's highly likely he became some kind of supernatural unit..."

"Within the entire Kampfgruppe, aside from that high-ranking cleric of the Holy See, I'm afraid only Colonel Morin possessed the capability to deal with him."

Georg rubbed his temples, couldn't help but laugh and curse.

"This guy Friedrich, he sure knows to keep a low profile after making his move! Before acting, he clearly never considered the ensuing troubles of getting blood on his own hands..."

The Chief of Staff stood by, not adding to the conversation.

He knew very well that although His Highness the Crown Prince was complaining verbally, his tone held little blame. Instead, it revealed a commander's indulgence and protective urge toward a capable subordinate.

Georg picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and calmed his emotions slightly.

"Sir Schmidt... how effective do you think the information control by the Kampfgruppe and the 48th Corps will be?"

Nobelsdorff thought for a moment before giving a rather pessimistic answer.

"Your Highness, I believe its effectiveness will be very limited."

"Perhaps on the surface, they can downplay Colonel Morin's role through public opinion control, making the official combat report look relatively mundane."

"But to those with ulterior motives, this cover-up is meaningless."

"The scale of the battle in Bucharest was massive, involving not only the instruction unit but also various units of the 48th Corps, not to mention Holy See personnel and Romanian civilians..."

"Those 'interested parties' within the Empire only need to put in a little effort to ask around, and the details of the battle will quickly fall into their hands."

Georg nodded upon hearing this, completely agreeing with the Chief of Staff's view.

"Exactly. Those politicians and nobles hiding in Dresden offices love nothing more than to make a fuss over this kind of thing, especially since some people have long viewed Sir Friedrich as a thorn in their side..."

"Some will definitely feel he's stealing the limelight and want to knock him down a peg, or even use this as a pretext to attack the royal family and the military."

Georg stood up and paced slowly to the map inside his tent.

His gaze didn't land on Belgrade; instead, he looked toward the distant capital of the Saxon Empire.

"We cannot let generals bleeding and risking their lives on the frontlines suffer political backstabbing in the rear. Since Friedrich has already passing the point of no return, we must make some preparations in advance..."

...

Two days later.

The capital of the Saxon Empire, Dresden.

Inside the Falkenstein Estate in the suburbs, the tranquility of the morning had yet to be broken by the bustle of the city.

The morning light slanted through the gaps in the heavy curtains into the spacious bedroom, casting a bright patch of light on the carpet.

As time passed, the patch of light slowly moved, eventually climbing onto the large bed in the center of the bedroom, faintly illuminating the peach-like, exquisite curves of the figure on the bed.

Before long, a soft, rhythmic knock sounded at the bedroom door.

However, the figure on the bed merely let out a lazy hum, pulled the silk quilt tighter, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

About half an hour later, the knocking sounded again. Seeing that the figure on the bed still showed no intention of getting up, a soft click came from the lock.

Head Maid Luna then pushed the door open with her elbow, walking steadily inside holding a silver tray with both hands. She placed the tray on the nightstand, then leaned close to the bundle of quilts on the bed.

"Madam, it is time to get up."

A muffled voice came from under the quilt.

"...What time is it?"

"7:45 AM."

"Five more minutes, my dear Luna~"

"Madam, you have already pushed it back once... You have a meeting this morning, you must get up early to prepare."

After a few seconds of silence, the silk sheets finally began to shift, and a fair arm emerged from within.

After handing over a glass of warm water, the efficient head maid walked to the window and pulled open the heavy curtains.

Bright sunlight poured in instantly, completely illuminating the entire bedroom.

Cecilia was currently sitting groggily on the bed, holding the glass with both hands, taking small sips of the warm water.

Her long, honey and platinum blonde hair was a bit messy after a night's sleep, falling casually over her fair shoulders.

This slightly sluggish state added quite a bit of homey domesticity to the normally aloof "Radiant Crystal Queen."

"The estate has been too quiet these past few days. I can't hear Helga and Patricia's voices in the morning anymore, it's making me a bit unaccustomed to it~"

"It seems you have also been influenced by the two young ladies, Madam, and have grown to like a livelier atmosphere," the head maid replied with a smile.

Squinting slightly against the bright light, Cecilia put down her glass and stepped barefoot into the slippers beside the bed.

Helga had gone to the Balkan front, and Patricia was also participating in crucial project breakthroughs at the Magitech Research Institute...

This caused the estate, which had become quite lively due to the two young girls, to return to its former tranquility.

As Cecilia gradually woke up, Luna skillfully assisted her in getting up and washing.

After emerging from the washroom, the two walked down the heavy-carpeted spiral staircase to the dining room downstairs for breakfast.

During this process, Luna, who had already finished her breakfast early, stood by. Opening the hardcover notebook in her hands, she began Cecilia's "morning briefing" for the day.

As the head of Falkenstein United Industries, Cecilia naturally had her own information-gathering channels, thanks to her massive industrial layout and deep network of connections.

She often obtained confidential information inaccessible to the public much earlier than official announcements.

"Madam, a senior official at the Admiralty revealed that the three-nation combined fleet achieved an epic victory in a naval engagement with the Britannian Mediterranean Fleet in the Mediterranean."

"In a decisive fleet action, the combined fleet nearly destroyed all of the enemy's capital ships."

"The surviving vessels of the Mediterranean Fleet that luckily retreated to the periphery of Malta Port were also ambushed by submarines."

"The currently releasable information is that one Britannian pre-dreadnought was sunk by a torpedo, and another battlecruiser was severely damaged. It likely won't be able to sail for a short while..."

Immediately following, Luna quickly briefed Cecilia on the situation in the Balkan Peninsula.

For example, the Saxon Imperial Army's Fifth Army had already captured Belgrade and was continuing its deep advance in coordination with the Austro-Hungarian Empire...

In the Kingdom of Bulgaria sector, due to Romania constantly withdrawing its attacking forces, the pressure on the Kingdom of Bulgaria was greatly alleviated, allowing them to allocate more troops to counter the offensives from the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Greece.

Although they had lost a large amount of territory, the crisis of national subjugation had basically been resolved.

For Cecilia, her businesses were closely tied to the Empire's situation. Naturally, she also hoped the Empire would continue to achieve victories on the battlefield...

After all, under better circumstances, both the business environment and the volume of orders would reach a higher level, bringing more profits to the enterprise.

"Lastly, regarding the war in Bucharest, the capital of the Kingdom of Romania..."

At this point, Luna's voice suddenly paused, her expression appearing somewhat hesitant.

Noticing Luna's pause, Cecilia put down her teacup, looking up at the head maid.

"Luna, you know very well that the Bucharest sector is what I care about the most. Why did you suddenly stop?"

The head maid took a deep breath, closed the hardcover notebook, and her tone grew somewhat heavy.

"Madam, the battle in Bucharest is over. Young Master Morin, he..."

"Regarding matters related to the military, remember to use titles or ranks~" Cecilia reminded her.

"Yes, Madam... The troops commanded by Colonel Morin, with the cooperation of friendly forces, have completely taken control of the city. However..."

"However what?" Cecilia's brows furrowed slightly.

"Starting last night, a piece of news has begun spreading like wildfire in the circles of the Empire's high command."

Luna lowered her voice and continued, "The news claims that Colonel Morin personally killed King Ferdinand I of Romania during the battle to capture the royal palace."

"Now, a small number of nobles and officials have already started using the title 'Kingslayer' when discussing Colonel Morin in private."

When the word "Kingslayer" came out of Luna's mouth, the dining knife in Cecilia's hand stopped mid-air. All expressions on her somewhat languid face instantly vanished.

This meticulous woman immediately realized the complexity of this situation. For Morin, this was clearly not entirely a "good thing"...

Cecilia placed her dining knife gently on the edge of her porcelain plate with a crisp clink.

"Luna, don't you think this news is spreading a bit too fast?"

Cecilia leaned back in her chair, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the edge of the dining table.

"The battle in Bucharest only ended two days ago. Even we only received the definitive combat report through special channels this morning."

"The frontlines would definitely enforce strict secrecy and control over such a sensitive incident..."

"Yet now, certain 'useless individuals' and some impatient people in the Empire's high command have already started spreading nicknames like 'Kingslayer'?"

Cecilia sneered.

"This is not simple news dissemination... Someone is deliberately fanning the flames behind the scenes, wanting to use this opportunity to push Morin into the center of the storm."

Having reached this conclusion, Cecilia began rapidly formulating countermeasures in her mind.

Somehow, she suddenly recalled some things she and Morin had discussed while lying in bed embracing after a particular "battle."

At that time, Morin had described many concepts related to "public opinion control" to her, and using deductions, detailed scenarios of manipulating public opinion to perform "crisis PR" for enterprises or individuals...

Thinking of this, Cecilia looked up at her head maid.

"Luna, which newspapers do we have close ties with?"