Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1226: Has the battle plan been finalized?

After everyone's discussion and supplement, the plan to raid Lostra through the abandoned mine tunnel was quickly finalized, but it was still just a prototype, and there were still many details to be discussed. For example, how many people should be sent to carry out the raid? Too few people will not be enough to win the game, and too many people will inevitably be bloated, which is likely to have a counterproductive effect in the dark and complex mining environment; for example, after successfully entering Lostra, how should the troops be arranged? The enemy's gunpowder depot, armory, headquarters, etc., there are too many strategic targets worth attacking. Which one should be prioritized and which one should be shelved? For example, can we win the support of the miners who are still in Lostra? Old Giovanni is quite prestigious in this group. Although the years have passed, this reputation has not faded with time. On the contrary, it has become more and more amazing due to the activeness of the Miners' Brotherhood. If he comes forward, he may be able to support the miners in Lostra and rise up together to repeat the failed uprising more than a decade ago...

However, these issues can be discussed later. There is a more important issue at the moment, which is the second issue that Regina has not mentioned before. That is, mine blasting is not a secret operation. The power of engineering explosives can not only blow up mountains and crack rocks, but also attract the attention of the defenders in the town. For this reason, someone needs to distract their attention, but how to do it?

The answer is simple: frontal attack.

Only by launching a strong attack can the defenders be pinned down on the front battlefield, giving the team carrying out the raid in the rear an opportunity to take advantage. This also means that the team launching the strong attack will face the enemy's most powerful firepower and the most fierce offensive.

A difficult and dangerous task.

At this time, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became quiet. No one spoke. Everyone stared at the Gray Hill Eagle in the main seat without saying a word, because in theory, he was the temporary commander of the entire Liberation Front and had the qualifications recognized by various resistance organizations to command troops and dispatch troops. This decision could only be made by him. But on the other hand, Gray Hill Eagle knew in his heart that if he made an unfair decision, it would undoubtedly plant a seed of suspicion and doubt for this alliance that had not yet realized its ambitions. Then, even if this operation succeeded by chance, it would inevitably suffer a painful blow in the future. Belief is the cornerstone of ideals, and trust is the foundation of cooperation. This is the most precious asset of the Liberation Front, and no one can squander it at will.

Carson Borg didn't say anything, but signaled his assistant with his eyes: "Take out the map, Regina."

The red-haired girl responded, then took out a map rolled into a paper scroll from a wooden barrel in the corner of the room and spread it out on the table. With the dim light from the oil lamp above their heads, everyone could see the straight lines, curves and contour lines on the map. They were amazed: this was a military map of a very high professional level, and it was very detailed, so detailed that people even thought it was stolen from the archives of the Seventeenth Legion.

Of course not. This was drawn by a certain princess herself. In order to draw this map well, she made up a lot of drawing knowledge, especially military knowledge. As for the traces of manual modification on the map, it was probably modified by Grayhill Eagle after field investigation. After all, the map that Ovella consulted from the Library of Truth was a version from many years ago. After so many years, there will always be some changes that cannot be recorded on paper.

Although he had no experience in reading military maps, old Giovanni recognized it at a glance because of his familiarity with his hometown. This was a map of the town of Lostra and its surrounding terrain, even the direction of the mines and veins was included.

"If we are to carry out a blast, which locations do you think are more suitable, Boss Giovanni?" asked Carson Borg.

Giovanni thought for a moment, then circled three locations on the map with his gray fingers that looked like they were covered in lime, and said, "Here, here, and here. If I remember correctly, there were several mine tunnels passing through nearby, but they were abandoned for various reasons. These three locations are all located behind the mine, which is relatively hidden, and the rock layer is thin. We just need to dig a little deeper and then blast away the gravel and soil that are blocking the road, and then we can connect to those abandoned mine tunnels."

"I understand."

Carson Borg took out a pen and marked the three locations circled by Giovanni, then said to the others, "In that case, we will also send out three teams to carry out the raid mission from these three locations. Although the number of people is not large, as long as the arrangement is proper, it will be enough to have a decisive effect. My opinion is that the Forest Rangers, the Hand of Ashes and the Brotherhood of Ash Hill should carry out this mission. Their members have the ability to fight secretly and maneuver at high speed, and they are the most suitable candidates. As for the Brotherhood of Miners, the personnel need to be dispersed and arranged into these three teams. Each team must have at least two experienced demolition experts and an old miner who is familiar with the mining environment. The rest of the personnel can be selected from the old warriors who participated in the miners' uprising twelve years ago. On the one hand, they have rich combat experience, and on the other hand, they can also use their prestige to support the miners in Lostra Town and facilitate our actions. This is my personal opinion. What do you think?"

Giovanni naturally had no objection, and the others looked at each other and acquiesced to this arrangement. In the past, due to their radical ideas, the Forest Rangers and the members of the Hand of Ashes often carried out assassination missions. Their resistance to invaders was mainly reflected in poison and daggers, and the Gray Hill Brotherhood was simply a variation of the Thieves Guild in the Gray Hill area in the past. As the Eagle of Gray Hill said, stealth combat is their strong point, and no one is more suitable for this task than them.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Carson Borg moved the pen tip to the northeast of the mineral town of Lostra, and finally stopped at a camp about two kilometers away, and said: "There used to be a village here, but since Lostra fell into the hands of invaders and was garrisoned by troops, the people of the Westland moved all the nearby residents and transformed the old village site into a military base. The mineral town is located in the lowlands of the mine, and the terrain nearby is rugged and complex, which is not suitable for vehicle combat, so they placed the chariot troops in this military base. If you want to attack head-on, you must first ensure that after the battle breaks out, the enemy's chariot troops cannot immediately rush to the battlefield to support. It is best to contain them in the base and not let any chariot go. Their appearance will put us, who lack vehicle mobility, into a difficult battle. Jose, I have decided to give this task to the Pale Knights. What do you think?"

The person he was asking was none other than Jose Asher, the leader of the Pale Knights. This middle-aged man with a square face and a resolute look would wear his heavy steel plate armor and carry a long sword and shield on any occasion, just like a real knight. In fact, he almost got the status of a knight, because he was once a squire of a knight master, and he had been running around for him for ten years. He finally accumulated enough qualifications and merits, and when he was about to get the status of a formal knight, the invaders came. Unlike the image of a knight imagined by most people, the master that Jose Asher was loyal to was an absolute spineless person. He surrendered to the invaders without much resistance. However, the kingdom had just lost a battle at that time, and the invaders were in full swing. Even the Count of Gray Hill fled upon hearing the news, and there were many who surrendered. Therefore, there seemed to be nothing to blame for his behavior. However, this knight not only surrendered, but also completely sided with the invaders. In order to meet the invaders' demands for taxation, and at the same time being unwilling to give up his extravagant life, he raised taxes in his territory many times, and even resorted to despicable means such as forging documents, framing others, and taking false oaths. The harm he caused to his people was far greater than that caused by the invaders themselves.

Once when he ordered Jose Asher to wield the knife to the peasants who could not bear his tyranny and rebelled, and promised that if he did so, he would immediately grant him the status of an official knight, the hot-blooded young man finally couldn't bear it anymore. He replied, "Fuck you, knight," and stabbed to death the lord who had taken the oath of knighthood but never kept it. Then he gathered his companions, burned the lord's manor, took away the lord's horse, and became a rebel - not only resisting the invaders, but also resisting those unjust lords.

It was impossible for him to become a knight, and no one would recognize that a knight's squire who killed his lord was qualified to become a formal knight. Many people even slandered him as a "oath-breaker" because he violated the oath of loyalty he swore to his lord. But Jose Asher didn't care. He believed that when he stabbed out the sword, he had completed the trial of knighthood, but he was not the kind of knight generally recognized by the world. So he called himself the "Pale Knight", and the warriors who followed him also followed suit and called themselves the "Pale Knights."

When Linger first heard about his experience, he felt that Xino would have a lot in common with him. The legendary level of this experience is comparable to the experience of Gray Hill Eagle abandoning his faith and expelling the gods. But then again, who sitting in this small room at this moment doesn't have a legendary experience? Even if it's old Giovanni, whose story sounds the most ordinary, his age is legendary enough, right?

"Since it is the expectation of the Grayhill Eagle," the pale knight's speaking style also has a classical charm, and his low and solemn tone is like reading the knight's oath: "We will not fail in our mission."

"Good work."

Carson Borg nodded slightly. For the Pale Knights, this task should not be difficult, at least it would be much easier than for others, because they were the only organization among many resistance organizations that had the ability to maneuver vehicles. In the past, Jose Asher used the stolen horses to train his soldiers into qualified cavalry, and then led them to come and go like the wind in the vast wilderness between Suare City and Bomier City, harassing and looting the invaders' transport convoys. But these horses had already died in frequent battles. In the end, the Pale Knights simply took a different approach and tamed the Nightmare from the Black Forest in a special way - a creature similar to a horse, but with pale hair on its body and pale flames burning on its four hooves. Its life form was even close to that of a monster, so it could use some simple extraordinary abilities.

Carson Borg's pen tip was still moving on the map: "In addition to the tank troops, the enemy has another support force, that is, their mecha troops. Although the firepower of the constructed mechas jointly developed by the cult is not as fierce as that of the steam chariot, its mobility and single combat capability are even better, and it can adapt to battles in a variety of complex terrains, and it is more threatening. The enemy's mecha troops are placed in a base closer to the Mineral Town to ensure that they can support the battlefield in a very short time. Therefore, after the battle begins, we must restrict the mecha troops more quickly and decisively. I decided to give this task to the people of Moore's Hammer. They are all rangers, good at capturing opportunities, and their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated. As for the last and most important frontal combat, it will be jointly responsible by the Ash Guerrillas led by me, as well as the Union Crusaders, the Lionheart Society, and the Wolf Blood."

Maul's Hammer, Guild Crusaders, Lionheart, and Wolf's Blood are all resistance organizations that have been absorbed into the Liberator's Front in recent times. The members of the latter three are mainly adventurers, church knights, and mercenaries. Like the Ash Guerrillas led by Grayhill Eagle, they are the strongest and most adept at frontal combat in the Liberator's Front.

"The above is the personnel arrangement for this operation." Grayhill Eagle stopped writing, looked away from the map, and slowly asked, "Do you have any opinions?"

The Forest Rangers, Hand of Ash and Gray Hill Brotherhood, who are good at covert operations, work together with the Miners Brotherhood who are familiar with the local situation to launch a surprise attack from the rear; the Pale Knights who control the Night Dire can compete with the enemy's steam chariot troops and tie down their energy; the Hammer of Moor, who are good at capturing fighter planes and group combat, are responsible for suppressing the enemy's mecha troops as soon as the battle breaks out; the Ash Guerrillas, Union Crusaders, Lionheart and Wolf Blood, who have the strongest frontal combat capabilities, need to assume the most important responsibilities and withstand the enemy's fierce offensive.

All arrangements were made based on actual conditions, not to mention that Carson Borg and the Ash Guerrillas he led took the initiative to undertake the most dangerous part of this operation, and there was no possibility of favoritism.

Then naturally no one would raise any objections.

Thus, the battle plan that would determine the future fate of the Liberator Front was finalized, and the specific implementation time of the plan was... one week later.

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