Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1280 Will Victory Be Certain?
In the large conference room on the third floor of the Legion Headquarters building in the Gray Hill City of Suare, there was a silent atmosphere. The many senior officers participating in the meeting were all watching their backs, and no one dared to speak first to break the stagnant air.

With the fall of Hector, the Silver Sprout City, the 17th Legion's situation in the Ansus region has become precarious. Their most urgent task at the moment is not even to continue to maintain the rule of the Axis and the Empire over this land, but how to preserve themselves under the fierce offensive of the rebels.

The offensive and defensive situation has changed. The 17th Legion, which once took the initiative, can only defend the city and build the last line of defense with Suare City as the center. As for those troops who are still struggling under the enemy's attack, it is obvious that they have been abandoned.

The legion commander, Imperial Major General Andre Haven, knew that the fall of every city, every fortress, and every fortress would make the already difficult situation worse, but he had no choice.

In fact, the situation should not have deteriorated to this point. Although Major General Andre lacked ability and only got his current position by relying on his seniority, he had self-knowledge. As early as when he found that he was unable to contain the offensive of the rebels, he decided to shrink the defense line and send a signal for help from the rear. The former was to buy time for the latter, while the latter would launch an attack at the weakest point of the rebels and cooperate with the 17th Corps to blow the horn of counterattack.

However, Major General Andre made two mistakes. First, he did not expect that the offensive of the rebels would be so powerful and almost unstoppable, and the defense line he painstakingly built did not achieve the desired effect. Second, he mistakenly overestimated the tactical position of the Crusaders' reinforcements, so that when the latter encountered problems, he did not have any contingency plans to deal with them.

Yes, the turbo carrier Nidhogg did approve the 17th Legion's request for assistance and sent a fleet as support, but the fleet has not yet arrived at the scheduled combat position. The last time the 17th Legion's intelligence department received a contact signal from the fleet was five days ago. At that time, the fleet sent a signal indicating that they had crossed the Gunnar River and were heading towards the Ansers River Basin, requesting the 17th Legion to be prepared for support.

Major General Andre specially dispatched a force to attack the rebels near the landing site to attract firepower for friendly forces and create opportunities. But after a few days, there was no news from the fleet, as if it had mysteriously disappeared from this world without a trace.

It was impossible for such a large fleet to disappear without a reason. The only explanation was that they had an accident during the voyage, ran aground? Stranded? Or attacked by a powerful monster? But Major General Andre did not think that these factors alone could stop the fleet's progress. He even considered the possibility of the rebels sending troops to intercept them - but the other side did not have enough naval power, and the Crusaders' support fleet was always well-equipped, with no shortage of magic cannons or field devices. Even a demigod-level extraordinary person could not annihilate them quietly, so that no message could be sent back.

This incident exudes a weird atmosphere, which makes those who know about it keep it a secret and dare not say more.

Andre has already sent intelligence personnel to the area where the fleet lost contact to gather information, but considering that the rebels have already occupied most of the rural areas and are still continuing to expand, these intelligence personnel may not play a big role in the end and can only be said to be better than nothing.

In any case, the matter has been settled, and Andrei convened a military meeting today not to shirk responsibility (besides, according to military law, he, as the corps commander, is the primary responsible person), but to discuss countermeasures.

However, judging from the current situation, the predicament of the 17th Legion cannot be solved simply by winning one or two battles. Strategic mistakes often require huge costs to recover. But neither Major General Andre nor his officers are qualified to make a decision. The only qualified person is undoubtedly the monarch who sits on the throne and overlooks the entire empire. Unfortunately, he is not the kind of magnanimous person who is willing to take responsibility for the failure of his subordinates.

Therefore, the meeting had been held from morning till now, but no satisfactory conclusion had been reached. A group of imperial soldiers who graduated from a regular military academy were forced to such an extent by the natives of a foreign land, but from the commander, Major General Andre, to the young lieutenant who had just started his career, none of them thought it was their fault, let alone recognized the enemy's strength.

Since it’s not that the enemy is too strong, nor that I’m too weak, then... I can only say that I’m just unlucky, right?
Who would have thought that the Grayhill Eagle, which was driven away like a stray dog ​​half a year ago, could raise such a large army? Who would have thought that the conservative Kingdom of Noah would be willing to spend so much money to support the liberation of the Ansus region? Before the fall of the Kingdom of Noah, where did the rebels get their endless supply of supplies? How did they establish a complete and detailed intelligence system? Even at the most critical moment, even the fleet supporting them disappeared without a trace. This situation is really hard to explain if it is not bad luck.

Thinking of this, Major General Andre suddenly felt relieved. After all, bad luck was not his fault. Although His Majesty the Emperor would not believe this explanation, he could at least comfort himself.

At this moment, the door of the conference room was suddenly knocked, breaking the silent silence. Major General Andre looked up unhappily. He had already made it clear that important tactical meetings should not be interrupted unless it was urgent. Could it be that his authority in the army had fallen to such an extent that even his subordinates ignored his words?

Adjutant Crisius was keenly aware of the major general's displeasure and vague uneasiness, and knew that he was actually afraid of hearing some bad news, either a city fell or a unit was wiped out. In recent days, similar news has been coming like a storm, and not only the major general, but also other officers are uneasy.

Chrysius actually had similar feelings, or even more so. After all, he was the adjutant of Major General Andre, and usually the second-in-command of the legion. Since he was trusted by the commander, he naturally had to take on the responsibility of checking for omissions and providing advice to the commander. However, when Major General Andre initially formulated the strategy of shrinking defense, Chrysius did not object. In other words, if the war failed and the former was the first person responsible, then he would follow closely. If he survived and returned to the country in the future, even if he had noble status, he would inevitably go to the military court.

His future, his life and death, even the honor of his name and family, everything depended on this war.

But the commander could show his sadness or anxiety, but the adjutant was not qualified to do so, so he could only suppress the haze in his heart, ask the major general for instructions, and then go to open the door himself. After communicating with the intelligence personnel outside the door for a while, he quickly returned to the meeting room with a paper envelope.

"General," Krisius said briefly, handing the envelope to the commander, "This is a communication from the Nidhogg. The confidentiality level is... the highest level."

Major General Andre looked up suddenly, took the envelope without hesitation, opened it, took out the letter and began to read. The officers present at the meeting also perked up, paying close attention to the general's mood changes at all times, trying to catch a glimmer of hope from it - or just the opposite.

It seems to be the former.

Chrysius noticed a hint of joy on Major General Andre's brow, as if things had taken a major turn for the better. He asked tentatively, "Any news about the missing support fleet, sir?" Apart from this, he could not think of any other possibilities. Even if the Nidhogg had received the news that the fleet had lost contact and was willing to send a second fleet to support, it would be too late - the rebels were attacking fiercely and would arrive at the gates of Suare in a week at most.

"Do not."

Andre shook his head slowly, denying his guess. However, the major general held the envelope tightly in his hand, and seemed to be more excited than when he learned that the rebels had captured the Silver Sprout City Hector. He raised his head and looked around the conference room, sweeping his eyes across the faces of the senior officers one by one. After thinking for a while, he decided to speak and tell them the specific content of the intelligence.

Although this is the highest level of confidential information, theoretically only he and his adjutant Chrysius have the right to know it, but right now he really needs this news to inspire people. Otherwise, with the current morale of the army, they may not be able to hold on until the moment when things turn around.

"The Navy Headquarters did not mention the missing fleet. I guess they haven't received the news yet, but they brought another piece of news."

Major General Andre paused for a moment, as if giving everyone time to digest the information and to gather their emotions, before he spoke word by word: "Currently, a saint is heading towards the Ansers region. If nothing unexpected happens, he will arrive in two weeks."

Saint! ?

The officers' first reaction was not excitement, but looking at each other in bewilderment. Normally, the word "saint" only meant the supreme leader of the seven orthodox sects that made up the huge religious organization of the Church Union, the spokesperson of the seven orthodox gods, which was roughly equivalent to the status of the Pope in other churches.

But in addition to this, they also represent the highest military force of their respective churches, as well as the most advanced technological creations - constructed mechas.

Each saint possesses power equivalent to the first-level sequence in the supernatural system, and is said to be even stronger, but they have never shown it; each saint drives a constructed mecha with terrifying performance. Whether it is the Earth Witch Scarlett or the turbo mothership Nidhogg, they can be called walking steel fortresses and mobile war fortresses.

Coincidentally, the turbo mothership Nidhogg, which is still hovering in the Broken Sea, is piloted by the Saint of the Crimson Church, the Crimson Dragon God's representative on earth, the Commander-in-Chief of the Axis Allied Naval Command - Her Majesty Favrona, who possesses war authority and supreme power.

"Has Her Majesty Favrona decided to take action personally?"

Someone asked, with a tone of expectation and awe. Although the questioner was not a believer of the Crimson Dragon God, the status of the seven saints in the human world was just like their gods in the religious world. Moreover, Her Majesty Favrona was not only the commander-in-chief of the Crusaders, but also the commander-in-chief of the Allied Navy. She had made great military achievements. The respect she showed to her was more of a soldier's identification than a belief.

If Her Majesty Favrona takes action personally, with the help of the Crusader's naval fleet and the deterrent power of the turbo-carrier Nidhogg, it would be easy to deal with a group of rebels. But the question is, why does the Crusader attach so much importance to the war in the Ansers region? Although it does bear the logistical responsibility of the central battlefield, it is only one of the many logistical bases of the coalition forces. It is willing to send a fleet to support, which can be said to be for the sake of His Majesty the Emperor. Now even His Majesty the Saint, who has always been in the rear, has taken action personally. Is there any unknown secret hidden in this area?

"It's not Her Majesty Favrona." Major General Andre shook his head slightly, his tone somewhat complicated: "It's Her Majesty Carabosse of the Night Roost."

Another saint, and the most mysterious one among all the saints. Not only is she secretive and rarely appears in public, but even the constructed mecha she drives has only one name passed down - Star Apostle Alien Philosopher.

There are rumors that she has been driving this construct mecha, leading a secret army, active outside the civilized world, carrying out an unknown and important mission, which is even enough to change the future of mankind and the world. The Order Union has never responded to these rumors, but it has not denied them either.

If even His Majesty came to the East Continent, but did not go to the more intense battlefield in the Central Region, but came to this insignificant overseas colony relative to the entire war situation, does it mean that there are indeed some secrets hidden in this war? Moreover, it must be a secret that is extremely important to the United Church.

Everyone has the desire to explore, but unfortunately, in this matter, they will never be able to touch the truth.

"No matter what, since Your Majesty is determined to support us, we should also work together, put the overall situation first, and hold on until Your Majesty arrives." Major General Andre's voice rang out in the conference room. Perhaps the news of the arrival of strong reinforcements gave him some confidence, and his tone sounded a little more majestic. The major general looked around, his eyes swept across the faces of many subordinates one by one, his expression seemed particularly serious: "Start preparing for war from now on, and use all means to strangle the rebels' offensive under the walls of Suare."

"This battle is not only for our mission, but also for the glory of the empire, the glory of your majesty, and even the glory of the entire coalition."

"Believe me, we will win!"

Give me some meow