Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1262 Is this the only way?
The headquarters building of the 17th Legion in Suare, the city of Grey Hill, was formerly the official residence of the Count of Grey Hill. The conference room where the senior officers of the legion hold joint meetings was formerly the administrative office of the Count of Grey Hill. Because it was built too luxuriously, it was nicknamed the "Grand Theater" by the citizens. There was even a rumor that "when the Count of Grey Hill handles official business, he must have an orchestra to accompany him, a troupe to perform opera, and a choir to sing his praises, before he will be merciful enough to sign his name on official documents."

This style was too ostentatious for soldiers, but it was just right for Andre Haven, the commander of the 17th Legion and Major General of the Mindelias Empire Army. Therefore, after taking over the Earl's residence, he not only did not remove the luxurious decorations, but added, deleted, and modified them according to his own preferences to make it more in line with the aesthetic taste of the Mindelias people: gems, tassel carpets, animal head reliefs, and half-length knight statues.

Andre often mocked himself as a general with three noes in the Axis army: no ability, no ambition, no background. He was already favored by the emperor to be able to get the rank of major general by seniority, and he dared not hope for a higher position. Therefore, he was willing to stay in the rear where there were no battles to fight and no achievements to make, and concentrate on providing logistical support for the front-line troops, and by the way, enjoy the treatment he deserved after more than 30 years of hard work. To put it bluntly, his power in this small piece of land is even comparable to the power of His Majesty the Emperor in the two million square kilometers of the Great Empire of Mindrias. What is there to be dissatisfied with?
However, everything in the world is unpredictable, just like when he was a fisherman's son in his hometown of Ennek, he never thought that one day he would lead an army across the ocean and become the emperor's representative of power in a distant foreign land. The unpredictable vortex of fate is always beyond the expectations of mortals. Before Andre could react, the situation had already deteriorated to this point.

A battle map of almost the same size as the table was spread out on the table, which was over three meters long. It was marked with various chess pieces and two-color lines, detailing the topography, hydrological features, towns, roads and bridges, and even military facilities radiating outward from major cities in the Ansers region. The white chess pieces represented the 17th Legion's ruling area, and the black chess pieces represented the areas that had been captured by the enemy; the blue lines represented the garrison situation and support routes of the 17th Legion, and the red lines represented the enemy's offensive intentions and marching routes.

Judging from the distribution of chess pieces, except for the iron city of Bad Ain and the surrounding areas which have been dyed black, the overall color is still mainly white; but judging from the confrontation of lines, the red lines are clearly in the active position, and are moving towards the blue lines in an encirclement posture, with great momentum.

In Andre's eyes, the arrows seemed to have turned into tangible spears, piercing the various garrison areas of the legion mercilessly. With the support of the Kingdom Army, the so-called Liberation Front became more fearless, and the situation was shifting from the original balance to a subtle tilt. What is their next plan? Where does the biggest threat come from? What should be done to curb the next offensive?
While this army major general, who was a general in name but more like an old farmer in temperament, was silently reading the various messages on the battle map, people were coming and going inside and outside the theater, with uniformed staff constantly walking in and out, bringing the latest battle reports or conveying the latest instructions. The sound of heels hitting the marble floor was one after another, making people wonder if the orchestra that had accompanied Count Gray Hill in the past had returned here, but at this moment, they did not bring pleasant tunes, but one after another of annoying bad news.

"Emergency report from Baita Town. The town garrison has detected an unknown force moving towards the Changhu area. An early warning has been issued to the Changhu Fortress, and reinforcements are requested!"

"The 15th Light Cavalry Regiment has sent a message that the Dagger Bridge connecting the three southern towns was blown up by the enemy. The engineering unit is urgently repairing it and it is expected to be delayed by three hours before arriving at the support location!"

"Report! Hewan Town and the northern Qingtianye area have fallen. Lieutenant Bader, the captain of the Hewan Town garrison, led the remaining troops to evacuate to the Yuegou Lake area. They are currently in a standoff with the rebels in Hewan Town. The two cities of Hozila and Mifu in the Qingtianye area have sent a message to the legion headquarters, requesting support in terms of personnel, materials, intelligence, etc...."

As the battle reports came in, the atmosphere in the theater became more and more oppressive. Andre was always immersed in the huge battle map, thinking silently. Next to him, a young staff officer wearing a gorgeous cloak, with a gentle and elegant temperament, who looked more like a legion commander, was constantly adjusting the distribution of chess pieces and confrontation on the military map according to the content of the battle report, making it closer to the current situation.

He is Andre's right-hand man, the chief of staff of the 17th Legion, Chrysius. He is quite far-sighted. As early as when the Ash Guerrillas and three other resistance organizations attacked the four northern towns, he suggested to the legion commander that they should send heavy troops to wipe them out as soon as possible in order to stabilize the situation in Ash Hill. However, Andre did not take it to heart, which led to the trouble today.

But Andrei would not show any regret for this, and Chrysius would not show off his foresight in front of everyone. The tacit actions of the two actually reflected a major flaw in the system of the Axis army: the power of the corps commander was too inflated but no one could restrain it. When the former insisted on his own way, neither the chief of staff nor other senior officers could shake this authority. Therefore, the combat effectiveness of a corps actually depends on the strategic vision and command ability of the corps commander.

So, is Andre Haven a capable legion commander?
He hoped that he was, at least at this moment, because a powerful opponent had already sat down at the chess table and was challenging him with chess pieces in hand. On this vast chessboard in the Gray Hills, through these black and white chess pieces and the lines that confronted and oppressed each other, Andre "saw" the man's command style: bold, fearless, adventurous, but impeccable.

Encirclement, division, surprise attack, ambush, support, roam, hold, suppress, lure... Under his command, a huge web gradually took shape. The 17th Legion should have taken the initiative, but now it has become a worm in the web, and can only watch the spider show its fangs. Is this the command ability of the kingdom's famous general Fransander? I thought that the foreign land was poor and feudal, and there would not be many heroes. Now it seems that he took it for granted.

Just a bunch of guerrillas.

Andre Haven kept telling himself that the so-called rebel army was just a third-rate army composed of vagrants, civilians, miners, slaves and even criminals. Even if they had the support of the Noah Kingdom military, would the Count of Gray Hill really be willing to sacrifice his own interests for the sake of his country? As for the commander of this army, he was just an old general who was older than himself, had been on the battlefield three times and was demoted three times. Old people were always confused and lacked energy. Could he really hold on until the end of this war?

He was a graduate of the 36th class of the Infantry Department of the Imperial Military Academy. He had received the most formal military education and the most professional theoretical guidance. His troops came from a more advanced civilization. Every soldier set foot on this continent with a burning ambition. They had used chariots and cannons to destroy the separatist ambitions of the Minsuriya countries, and relied on the power of magic devices and constructed mechas to trample on countless powerful enemies. Would they be defeated by an indigenous army today?
But he knew very well in his heart that these words were false, and he would emphasize them repeatedly because he felt uneasy. A truly confident person would always prove himself with actions.

Andre Haven has passed the stage of proving himself. Unlike his ambitious colleagues who are vying for power and profit, he just wants to avoid making mistakes.

"Retreat the defense line." He raised his head and said to his adjutant and chief of staff, Chrysius, in a tone that was not sure whether to be relieved or helpless: "Order all troops to gradually withdraw to their defense areas and strengthen the defense of important strategic targets. As for those unimportant areas, they will be lost if they are lost. Since they are useless to us, they are also useless to the enemy. There is no need to waste troops here."

After making the decision, his mind became much broader. He fiddled with the chess pieces on the battle map and rearranged his own defense line. "The Changhu Fortress controls the main road from the Changhu area to Baishi City. It cannot be abandoned. Order the garrison troops in Baita Town to abandon their original mission and withdraw to the Changhu Fortress. Lieutenant Colonel Colin will be in charge of the defense and assist the fortress troops in defense. The three towns in the south have limited resources and are geographically remote. Even if they fall into the hands of the enemy, it will not have a major impact on the battle situation. Order the 15th Light Cavalry Regiment to abandon the repair of the Dagger Bridge and withdraw to Serin City. Some personnel can be sent across the river for reconnaissance to grasp the enemy's movements. Hewan Town can be abandoned. As for the Qingtianye area, it involves the two cities of Hozra and Mifu, which is more important. Order the troops in the city to continue to hold on. I will send appropriate troops to reinforce them..."

As orders were issued one after another, Krisius silently adjusted the distribution of chess pieces and the direction of lines on the battle map, and the battlefield situation changed accordingly. It can be clearly seen that Major General Andre's defensive strategy is to rely on the major hub cities in the Ansers region and important strategic targets such as fortresses and fortresses to concentrate troops to contain the enemy's offensive routes. As for the vast fields outside the city, they were strategically abandoned. Except for a few important villages and towns like the mineral town Lostra, other areas are not worth wasting troops to defend, or in other words, they cannot be defended at all.

“General,” faced with such a conservative, almost radical combat strategy, the Chief of Staff, Chrysius, had to gently remind them, “Based on the current comparison of troop strength, it shouldn’t be difficult to hold on in the short term, but over time, people’s hearts will change. If the rebels gain momentum, it will be a small matter if they become too powerful to be eliminated. Our army may suffer as a result and be unable to complete the mission assigned by the General Staff…”

In addition to receiving dispatches from the Allied Forces Command, the Axis Powers were also directly controlled by the military departments of various countries. Therefore, the 17th Corps had two main tasks in the Ansus region. One was to be assigned by the Allied Forces Command to provide logistical support in the rear and escort the central battlefield. The other was to be assigned by the General Staff of the Army Committee of the Great Empire of Mindrias to strengthen their infiltration and control of the Ansus region, publicize and promote the empire's ideas and policies, and preferably to subtly transform it into another overseas province of the empire.

There is no doubt that His Majesty the Emperor wants to embed another pearl in his crown.

For these officers sent overseas, the missions from the Allied Forces Headquarters are mainly related to the country's overseas interests and have no political significance. Therefore, even if the mission fails, the headquarters has no right to demote them or transfer them to other troops. They can only be dealt with privately by the military departments of each country. The missions from their own military departments are directly related to their future and even personal safety, not to mention an empire like Minderas that retains a highly autocratic monarchy. The favor of His Majesty the Emperor is even more important than personal ability and background.

Andrei had neither ability nor background, so he could not lose the favor of His Majesty the Emperor; Chrysius had both ability and background, so he could not lose the favor of His Majesty the Emperor even more.

Actively giving up the defense areas other than cities and fortresses would weaken the 17th Legion's dominance in the Ansus region, and the Gray Hill people, who were not very obedient to the empire's rule, would rise up in large numbers to respond to the call of the rebels and resist. In this way, how could they complete the task from the General Staff and use this overseas pearl to please the ambitious emperor?
Chrysius was the first one who did not believe that the Emperor would understand their difficulties and be magnanimous.

"..."

Andre was silent for a while, until the footsteps coming in and out of the theater gradually faded, he lowered his voice and said: "It's okay, just hold on until the reinforcements arrive."

Reinforcements? Krisius was stunned. Where did they get reinforcements? The Mindreas Empire's overseas forces, except for the 17th Legion, were mostly concentrated in the central battlefield. How could they possibly come back to help at such a critical moment? As for counting on other troops of the coalition, it was even more nonsense. Why would troops from other countries fight for Mindreas' colonies? The truth was that they just stood by and watched.

No, there is indeed such a force within the coalition forces. It treats all countries' troops equally, regardless of nationality and without seeking interests. It seems that it has no other intention than to promote the smooth progress of this war.

The Crusaders, led by Saint Favrona, are said to have a Turbine Mothership Nidhogg still lingering outside the Broken Sea, as if waiting for something. A troop dispatched from the Broken Sea, along the route of Josi Beach-Guna River-Ansus River, will reach the Gray Hills in just half a month and intervene in the war.

This is the only way.

Give me some meow