Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1129 Is this the essence of war?
"According to what you said, the Axis forces don't seem to have any reason to invade the Ansus region."

After patiently listening to Carson Borg's story about the complex relationship between the Evernight Forest, the Kingdom of Noah, and the Ash Hill City of Suare, as well as a long history, Linger asked this question. Through previous contacts, he already knew Carson Borg's true identity, and also knew that the Ash Guerrillas he led were fighting against the 17th Legion of the Axis Army that occupied the city of Suare, trying to regain the sovereignty of their hometown city.

However, the Ash Guerrilla did not have an official identity recognized by the Kingdom. They were just a group of volunteers gathered by the Gray Eagle in his personal name. In the Ansus region, there were many similar civilian resistance organizations, some large and some small. The Ash Guerrilla was only of medium size in terms of numbers and combat records, but it was the most famous resistance organization. The reason for this was the calm and resolute man in front of him.

However, when they talked about this, Carson Borg's reaction became a little vague. He kept deliberately avoiding mentioning his past, and Linge was not the kind of person who liked to get to the bottom of things and would not hesitate to expose people's scars for it, so he did not continue to ask.

To get back to the point, for the Axis Powers, the Gray Hill City of Suare - and even the entire Kingdom of Noah, actually does not have much value.

First of all, from a geographical point of view, the subcontinent of Undrel is surrounded by the majestic Ansers Mountains, and land transportation is almost completely blocked. The few channels of communication with the outside world are the dozens of port cities represented by Broken Bay and Port Jossey along the coast of the kingdom. However, the scale of these ports is not large, the draft is shallow, and the sea space is not wide enough. It is difficult to serve as a general civilian and commercial port, let alone meet the requirements of the army. Moreover, none of the several important routes controlled by the Axis Powers need to detour through the port cities of the Kingdom of Noah. Whether it is supply or routine maintenance, they have more suitable options.

What about the expected benefits? After all, the essence of the colonial war is a war of dumping and anti-dumping. If actual benefits can be gained from it, not to mention a mountain range, even an ocean cannot stop those well-dressed ambitious people from casting their greedy eyes on any corner of the world. But how much benefit can the Ash Hill City Suare bring to the invaders? The production of high-quality wood, raw materials for alchemical fire, materials for extraordinary rituals and potions, and the fur and flesh of ash creatures here is naturally a precious treasure house for the people of the East Continent. Otherwise, there would not be so many merchants coming all the way to Suare City to trade every year.

However, this is not the case for the Axis armies. The countries, religious associations, chambers of commerce and big capitalists on the other side of the sea are not just financing this war for petty profits. After the establishment of the ocean city of Osier, the gems, spices, precious minerals and even gold and silver that are continuously shipped to the western continent are the biggest benefits they pursue. Obviously, the cost of occupying the entire closed and backward Kingdom of Noah and the Gray Hill City of Suare, which only relies on the Evernight Forest to maintain its vitality, is not proportional to the benefits gained, which does not meet the expectations of the invaders.

Finally, from the perspective of actual combat, although the Kingdom of Noah is small, it is also a complete sovereign state with its own army, fleet and extraordinary people. The Ash Hill City of Suare is a paradise for adventurers and explorers. These border residents who have been fighting against the ash creatures for a long time are like the mountain people in the northern Ashok Mountains. They are bold and straightforward, and have a kind of tenacious resilience. That is their nature acquired in the cruel struggle against nature. Once the taboos in their hearts are violated, they will become like a different person, fighting bravely and fearlessly. Even the elite troops of the Axis Powers will definitely have to pay a heavy price to completely occupy this area.

This can be seen from the endless civilian resistance organizations in the Ansus region. Although the Axis army has occupied the gray hill city of Suare, some people are still unwilling to give up their hometown. In order to suppress these resistance organizations, the Axis needs to continuously send troops and supplies to this area. Maybe it is nothing to the wealthy invaders, but it is undoubtedly a huge strategic mistake.

Hearing his question, Carson Borg couldn't help but smile bitterly, because Ling's thoughts were also the thoughts of many people in the Kingdom of Noah. Under the protection of the Ansers Mountains, the kingdom was isolated and occasionally had civil strife, but it had never been invaded by foreign enemies. The peaceful and tranquil years had quietly passed for 562 years, so that many people had lost their vigilance against crises. When the colonial war broke out, the invaders from the continent across the sea once again set foot on the land of the East Empire Vant Continent, but finally showed their sinister fangs. From top to bottom, from the king to the people, everyone in the kingdom thought that this was another war that had nothing to do with them. The Axis forces would never invade here, because there was nothing they wanted here.

Facts have proved that everyone was wrong. Pastor Ling's mistake was that he did not know enough about the geographical connection between the Ansus Mountains and the subcontinent of Ondrel and the main continental plate; and the optimistic people in Noah's Kingdom were wrong because their vision was not broad enough and they could not see things beyond their own cognition.

"The key is that there is another country across the Ansas Mountains from the Kingdom of Noah, the central hub, the Kingdom of Billingsman." Carson Borg explained, "From the name, you can tell that although the Kingdom of Billingsman is only separated from the Kingdom of Noah by the Ansas Mountains, their status is completely different. The latter is isolated and almost isolated from the mainstream civilized society for a long time; while the former is a key hub connecting the north and south regions. Relying on the many canals and developed shipping within its territory, it plays an important role in connecting the Yalas Empire in the south and the Holy Religious countries in the north, and has always been an important member of the 'Holy Alliance'."

The Holy Alliance, also known as the "Alliance Army", was initiated and established by the Yaras Empire and the Nordon Holy Religion countries mentioned by Carson Borg, and also includes some influential religious and extraordinary forces. Its full name is the "Holy Empire Vatican Continent United Alliance", which happens to correspond to the "Axis of the Sigiriya Continent", also known as the "Axis Powers". If the location of the Kingdom of Billingsman happens to connect the two core alliance countries in the north and south, then its strategic significance is self-evident.

Both the Holy Alliance and the Western Axis could see its importance. Therefore, almost at the beginning of the colonial war, the Kingdom of Billingsman became the most intense battlefield. The severity and cruelty of the battle made the invasion suffered by the Kingdom of Noah only insignificant.

This is exactly the problem. When the Axis Powers were in a stalemate with the Allied forces in the Central Battlefield and could not conquer and occupy the Kingdom of Billingsman in a short period of time, they naturally turned their attention to the Kingdom of Noah across the mountain. If they could establish a military base there, they could continuously transport troops to the rear where the Allied forces' defenses were relatively weak. Even if they could not establish victory, they could disperse the Allied forces' forces and increase the pressure on the front battlefield.

So, just seven years ago, in the autumn of 1850, the Axis forces launched a blitzkrieg against the Kingdom of Noah from the Broken Sea, starting with the "Josie Beach Landing". After a series of rapid, efficient and almost breathtaking offensives, nearly half of the territory of the Kingdom of Noah became a battlefield. The people who had never experienced such a large-scale war were panicked and uneasy, and it was difficult for them to form an effective resistance force.

Finally, the Royal Family of Noah signed the Trade and Commerce Agreement, also known as the Treaty of Bulvera, with representatives of the Axis Powers in the port city of Bulvera. In fact, it was a defeat agreement, ceding dozens of cities including the Gray Hill City of Suare to the Western Continental invaders. At this time, the Allied Forces were like an old man on his deathbed, acting dull and inflexible, and evading the request for help from the Kingdom of Noah. They did not send envoys until the treaty was signed, questioning why the Royal Family gave up resistance so easily and handed over the important rear area to the invaders...

That was undoubtedly a humiliating history, so much so that when Carson Borg narrated this, his usually calm tone could not help but tremble a little. There were invasions from the enemy outside, and accusations from friendly forces inside. The royal family was weak and incompetent, and the people were panic-stricken and afraid of fighting, so that their hometown became a sacrifice, not to mention that even the gods abandoned this land... He gradually stopped talking, his eyes dimmed, and he was unwilling to continue recalling. Lingge also responded with silence. In fact, he had many questions in his heart, but he knew that at this time, it would be better to give the man in front of him some quiet time. He did not learn many useful things from that not-so-long pastor career, but patience, understanding and respect should be an exception. Of course, he could also say that this was learned from Mr. Yang Ke, and he had understood the truth of the world long before he became a pastor.

Carson Borg was a man as strong and stubborn as a rock. He established the most famous armed resistance organization in the Ansus region, making the name of Grayhill Eagle resound throughout this long-occupied land and becoming a nightmare for the invaders. Therefore, just some memories from the past could not destroy this man's fighting spirit. He quickly got rid of the haze of memories, raised his head, and gave Pastor Lingge an apologetic smile: "Sorry, I lost my composure a little bit..."

"This is understandable. It is human nature to empathize with sadness and suffering. You have a noble and fearless heart."

Linger's tone really made people feel that he had never given up his career. He had always been the calm and composed pastor in Tianxin Church. Seeing that Carson Borg's mood had indeed returned to normal, he asked, "But I still have a question that I am very puzzled about. If the Axis army can see the importance of the Kingdom of Noah to the Central Battlefield, is there no one in the Allied Forces who is knowledgeable enough to judge the enemy's intentions?"

"That's the limit of common sense, Mr. Linger."

Carson Borg smiled bitterly and said, "In the past, we never thought that the existence of the Kingdom of Noah would have any impact on the situation in the central battlefield. This is because there is the obstruction of the Ansers Mountains. It is an insurmountable barrier that isolates the connection between the subcontinent of Andrell and the main continental plate. It is almost impossible for ordinary troops to cross this obstacle. If an army composed mainly of extraordinary people is dispatched, the cost will be too high and the gains will not outweigh the losses. As for maritime transportation, the route for the Kingdom of Noah to communicate with the inland must bypass the Broken Sea, and the time cost required has far exceeded its own value. Therefore, the idea of ​​trying to use the Kingdom of Noah as a rear base to transport troops and supplies to the central battlefield is unimaginable to us. Since no one has imagined something like this, it can be explained why we are not on guard against it."

Ling Ge looked puzzled: "But why can the Axis Powers..."

"Because they have mastered the so-called magical technology."

Carson Borg seemed to have known what the young man wanted to ask, and answered: "Mountains that cannot be crossed by human power only require more powerful power for airships. The cost of building an airship will never be more expensive than training a qualified extraordinary person. Moreover, the troops and supplies that an airship can carry far exceed the upper limit of human power. For the Axis powers that master magic technology, the Ansers Mountains can even become a one-way barrier to prevent the Allied forces from launching a counterattack on their military bases."

"Just think about it. The Axis airships can fly over the Ansers Mountains without restriction, continuously transporting troops and supplies to the front battlefield, and even launch offensives from the rear of the Kingdom of Billingsman. However, the Allied forces can only watch the enemy's forces continue to replenish, strengthen, and grow, and have to disperse their forces to guard against attacks from the rear. With this situation, although I haven't paid attention to the situation on the central battlefield for a long time, I can imagine that the situation is probably not optimistic..."

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Having said that, he sighed softly. This sigh was filled with so many complicated emotions that Lingge didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Humans cannot imagine things beyond their own cognition. The magic technology of the Western Continent is beyond the cognition of the people of the Eastern Continent, which completely subverts their cognition. The traditional rules of war have been broken, and the rigid tactical thinking has been updated. The Kingdom of Noah, which should not have been related to this war, and Suare, the hometown of the Gray Hill Eagle, have also become victims of this phenomenon.

This reminded Linger of the beginning of the colonial war, when those countries that had natural high-quality ports were targeted by inland powers and forced to cede their territories after a series of tragic and hopeless wars, such as the Kingdom of Suer. They were countries in the Western Continent, but they were also victims of this colonial war. In other words, the war did not distinguish between the Eastern and Western Continents, cultural identities, races, and ethnicities, but only distinguished between victims and vested interests.

Colonial wars have never been about Western Continent countries colonizing Eastern Continent countries, but rather about the strong colonizing the weak.

The young man sighed softly.

This sigh is also filled with many complex emotions.