industrial lord

Chapter 719 Battle Plan
"Send troops! This is a golden opportunity to send troops!"

In Hammam, Rudolf waved his arms excitedly.

"Latest intelligence: Three days ago, the vanguard of the Kingdom of Suomi launched a surprise attack on the eastern coastal region of the Kingdom of Sverrière, capturing a castle and establishing a solid stronghold."

Rudolf's face flushed with excitement, which meant that the main force of the Kingdom of Sverrière had to return to defend, and the time was ripe for him to take a bite out of the battlefield in the Kingdom of Danma.

Today, in the command center, besides several ministers, there were also many local nobles, both large and small, who were very excited upon hearing the news.

However, there are a few exceptions.

The Archdukes of Mainz and Bain are currently enjoying the southern sunshine on the Inland Sea, leaving all affairs within their territories to their heirs.

Theodore of the Duchy of Mainz and Reiner of the Duchy of Bain exchanged glances and then looked at Franz Jr.

In terms of sheer strength, Franz's Weisen Army is undoubtedly the strongest among all factions, Rudolf's royal army only dares to claim that it is roughly equal, followed by the Duchy of Mainz and the Duchy of Bavaria.

Many years ago, the military buildup of the Duchy of Mainz and the Duchy of Bavaria began to emulate that of the Duchy of Wessen. A large number of officers studied at the military academy in Friedrich, and the three parties conducted a joint military exercise every year. The main force was equipped with weapons such as pea shooters and mortars. Even a leopard drawn from a tiger can kill.

The three principalities also formed an upstream regional cooperation organization, politically uniting as one.

Given the victories of the Weisen army, Theodore and Reiner listened to Franz Jr. in military matters, which was tantamount to listening to Frederick.

As long as Franz Jr. opposes Rudolf's plan, the invasion of Flensburg will inevitably fail.

Franz frowned slightly and said, "It is currently unclear what the relationship is between the lord of the attacked area of ​​the Kingdom of Sverrière and Kosdorf. This attack may be a hoax and a way to eliminate dissidents. If the Kingdom of Suomi has joined forces with the Kingdom of Sverrière, our offensive operation may encounter an unexpected opponent."

Some people think he makes sense, while others think he is being overly cautious.

A minor nobleman, who rarely appeared before the king, saw that Rudolf had already made up his mind. In order to make a good impression, he said disdainfully to Franz, "Your thinking is too conservative. How should we fight according to your ideas?"

He had decided that no matter what excuse Franz Jr. used to delay the attack, he would definitely refute it so that His Majesty the King would know his talent.

Many minor nobles shared the same idea; they were all waiting to gain wealth and glory in the war and were the group most eager for wealth, so they were naturally dissatisfied with conservatives like Franz Jr.

Franz Jr. raised his baton and drew a line northward from Hanma City on the huge sand table, saying, "The main force of the Kingdom of Sverrie is currently in the northern part of the Danma Kingdom's peninsula, and has never considered being attacked by others."

"The western part of the peninsula is mostly mudflats, making it difficult to land, and has a smaller population, but there are some suitable roads. Therefore, we can concentrate our main force and as many vehicles as possible to launch a continuous attack on Kosdorf's main force over a distance of about 400 kilometers."

"As long as we annihilate Kosdorf's main force, they won't be able to pull off any more tricks or schemes."

This was the second time Count Pistor had heard him mention the plan, and once again advised, "Let's take it one step at a time."

Rudolf was also taken aback. In general, listening to Franz Jr. on military matters would not be a big problem, but he had his own objectives in this battle, so he preferred to play it safe.

“Running 400 kilometers is too risky,” Rudolf immediately offered an excuse.

Count Shu Yun Stiga also said, "Let's set our sights on Flensburg first, and seize it as a base for our advance."

Everyone advised Franz Jr. not to be so radical.

Count Rank was about to say something when his heart suddenly skipped a beat. The land route from Wessenburg to Cologne was also more than 400 kilometers.

He kept this thought to himself and said, "I'm afraid we won't be able to raise enough vehicles."

Franz Jr. remained silent, thinking to himself that the General Staff had already prepared a plan, so it was actually feasible.

Rudolf decided he could no longer let Franz Jr. take command, so he decided to do it himself. He raised his baton and pointed to the Elbe River from the outskirts of Hammam all the way to the vicinity of the estuary and then upstream along another river, saying, "This march will mainly be by water, directly to the village of Red Waterwheel, about 20 kilometers south of Flensburg, where we will establish an attack camp."

The nobles, who had fought many battles, nodded in agreement. Little Franz said that it would be difficult to gather carriages, but it would be easy to gather riverboats, as there were many on the Elbe River.

Rudolf pointed to Redwaterwheel Village and two other places along the way and said, “Our supply line must be secured, so in addition to Redwaterwheel Village, we also need to establish outposts in Hawthorn Village and Stork Harbor to connect with the outer camp of Flensburg.”

Everyone nodded in agreement once again. The four locations—Daying, Hongshuiche Village, Shanzha Village, and Guangang—are all 15 to 20 kilometers apart in a straight line, which would allow them to firmly control the entire waterway.

But a problem arose: while defending the rear was important, it was not as rewarding as conquering cities and seizing territory. Many people began to seriously study the sand table, fearing being singled out.

Franz thought to himself that, from the king's perspective, the Weisen Army would probably be placed at the back to avoid stealing his credit.

So Franz Jr. studied the sand table with the others, and he was so focused that it seemed as if the collapse of the building at any moment wouldn't bother him.

He was testing Rudolf to see how determined he was to place the Weisen Army in the rear, in order to gauge the Weisen Army's importance to him and prepare for the future.

The command room fell silent. Rudolf was waiting for Franz Jr., as the Allied Commander, to discuss the rear defense and make arrangements, but Franz remained silent.

Rudolf didn't intend to directly order the Weisen army to garrison Storkport, the furthest point from the battlefield, which seemed too deliberate, but Franz Jr. just wouldn't bring it up, leaving him in a difficult position.

He began to think of a solution and looked at Count Shu Yun Stiga.

Although Earl Shu Yun Stiga was loyal, he didn't have much of a tacit understanding with the king and thought he was supposed to guard the supply line.

Even the most loyal person has some selfish motives, and his gaze naturally turned to Earl Rank, preparing to find a topic to chat about.

Count Ranke, having spent a long time at court, naturally knew Rudolph's thoughts and assumed that Count Shuyun Stiga also knew them, and was now asking him to set the tone.

"Ugh……"

Count Rank sighed inwardly, thinking that it wouldn't be good to send the powerful Weisen Army too far away; it would be better to place them in Redwaterwheel Village.

He said to Rudolf, "Your Majesty, Red Waterwheel Village is of utmost importance and needs to be garrisoned by a strong and powerful army."

At this moment, Count Shu Yun Stiga came to his senses and realized that he did not want the Weisen army to steal the credit. So he went along with it and said, "Count Rank is right. I suggest that the Bain army be stationed in Redwaterwheel Village, the Mainz army be stationed in Hawthorn Village, and the Weisen army be stationed in Stork Harbor."

He remembered that the Grand Duke of Bain and Frederick had a conflict back then, so there was a possibility of winning them over. Therefore, he placed him near the battlefield to gain some military merits, which might incur the dissatisfaction of the other two families.

In the unlikely event of an accident, the Bain Army, with its strength, could provide some assistance.

Rudolph, who had been annoyed that Count Shuyun Stiga had ignored his eye signals, now realized that Count Shuyun had asked Count Rank for help and that he had wronged the good man.

Count Schünster continued, "If the situation is right, the Weisen and Mainz armies can depart from Storkport and head north."

Everyone thought it made sense. If you want to launch a surprise attack, then go ahead and do it yourself. We'll just stick to our strategy and take down Flensburg.

Theodore and Reiner looked at Franz together. It was good to be able to slack off in this war. Anyway, the three duchies had already reached their limit of advancement. Any further advancement would mean seizing Rudolf's throne. It was more important to be in sync.

Franz Jr. nodded slightly. That's not bad either; they can be used as a reserve team if something goes wrong.

Just then, a staff officer rushed in and handed a telegram to Franz Jr.

After reading it, Franz frowned and said, "The Kingdom of Piast is amassing troops at the northern port."

(End of this chapter)