Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 423-421: Weather Warfare (Please Subscribe)

Lion Estate

Second floor, inside the study.

"Where? Where?"

Luo Yi seemed to have gone mad, dumping a large amount of documents onto the desk and letting them roll to the floor.

He quickly rummaged through them, muttering to himself.

Beside him, the red dragon Virgil looked at him with a puzzled expression, but still waited patiently.

A moment later, he found a document, spread it on the ground, and then went to look for other documents.

Virgil the Red Dragon peeked out and discovered that it was an intelligence report from the Habsburg Empire.

The above passage, written in a sarcastic tone, criticizes the poor transportation and environment of the Bonaparte Empire.

There were too many torrential rains in the summer, making the roads muddy and hindering the transport of supplies.

This news made Virgil the Red Dragon frown. He looked at it from all angles but didn't see anything wrong with it.

Then, there was the second piece of information that Roy found, which was forwarded by Grand Duchess Afra and came from the Bonaparte Empire.

It's likely that the empire dispatched mages to cause rain in a certain area, thus slowing down the enemy's march.

This gave Virgil the red dragon a sudden flash of inspiration, but he couldn't quite grasp it, causing him to furrow his brow even more.

After that, there were more and more news reports about the weather, piling up to dozens of them.

Finally, Luo Yi stopped searching and stared at them intently, seemingly lost in thought.

Red Dragon Virgil couldn't contain himself any longer. He grabbed Roy and asked, "What are you looking at? Tell me."

Luo Yi took a deep breath and finally said, "I'm observing the Allied Forces' tactics, Marshal Joffre's strategy, and the key to victory or defeat in this battle!"

"The deciding factor?"

Virgil the Red Dragon also looked at the data: "You mean the weather?"

"I think 'weather warfare' is a more fitting description!"

Loy paused slightly, organizing her thoughts, before saying, "I'm not entirely clear on the specifics of the Imperial Schlieffen Plan."
However, based on what we can see now, I guess they are relying on artillery fire and sharp weaponry to quickly penetrate into Habsburg's empire.

They shattered towns and cities like lightning, crushing knightly orders that were not yet fully mobilized.

"As you know, the drawbacks of the feudal imperial military system are that the knights themselves are scattered across various manors."

When the war began, it took them far too long from receiving orders to responding to the call to action and then assembling in various locations.

With this time, the Empire could rely on the speed of the magic-powered trucks and the firepower of its guns to directly sweep away resistance along the way and then occupy the city of Luttia.

"Although the Bonaparte Empire has a profound foundation and many powerful figures, its legends still roam abroad, and natural disasters are scattered in various places."

They didn't dare to attack when faced with a well-organized army!

"And as long as we capture Luttia and take over the Bonaparte imperial family, it will mean victory in this war."

It could even be said that in just over a month, the empire had seized control of one of the Old World's dominant powers, a feat that would surely silence and terrify the other kingdoms and duchies.

"If that were truly achieved, I can hardly imagine the sheer power and influence the Habsburg Empire would possess today!"

"Unfortunately, there are also capable people in the allied forces who have clearly seen through these things, and therefore they have been exceptionally proactive."

On the Habsburg Empire's side, after declaring war, they immediately sent troops to the Kingdom of Caroline. The three major empires, without any pause, reached an agreement as quickly as possible and all chose to send troops.

The Slavic Empire, in particular, launched a war against East Prussia due to a lack of timely mobilization.

This forced the Empire to withdraw some of its military forces to the Eastern Front. Although it annihilated two army groups of the Slavic Empire, it also weakened its forces on the Western Front.

At some point, Luo Yi found herself with a map—an Old World map. It wasn't very accurate, but it was definitely usable.

Loy reached out and gestured on the map, which even the red dragon Virgil could understand.

But he couldn't help but ask, "But what does this have to do with your so-called weather warfare?"

"Of course it does matter!"

Luo Yi took a deep breath, then exhaled, and said, "That Marshal Xiafei is truly formidable."

He knew very well that even if the entire coalition forces came together, they would not be able to defeat the Empire in a head-on battle.

The technological gap in weaponry is too large; if they were to recklessly charge in, they would inevitably lose.

"Therefore, he frantically mobilized troops, filling the battlefield with poorly trained militia to slow down the Empire's advance, numb the soldiers' nerves, and increase the burden on transportation capacity."

At the same time, the Empire's elite knights will have time to mobilize, the Empire's strongest warriors will be conscripted, and the Empire's resources will be gradually extracted...

They preferred to use powerful individuals, employing various extraordinary magical items or scrolls, to slow down the movements of the Imperial soldiers.

"It was during this retreat that the Empire's supply lines were stretched. Even though the Empire had magic trucks with considerable transport capacity, they were still constrained by terrain and weather."

"I suspect that the Allied Forces must have organized one, or even many, powerful mage corps that travel throughout the Empire, using magic to summon rain."

"It looks like a summer downpour, but in reality, those dirt roads turned into a complete muddy mess under the rain."

Even with its incredible power, a magic-powered truck can only watch helplessly once it gets stuck!

"Therefore, the Empire's supply lines have been in trouble for a long time."

"If food, drinks, medicine, bullets, shells, guns, and grenades can't get to the front lines, then we're in big trouble!"

Millions of Imperial soldiers clashed head-on with humans, without food or water—how furious they must have been!

Virgil the Red Dragon finally understood. His eyes shone brightly, astonishingly: "If you can't win on the front lines, then attack our logistics."

Instead of a direct, head-on assault, they used a roundabout, delaying approach.

I knew that old bastard Xiafei was no good; he was definitely full of wicked schemes!

"Weather warfare, weather warfare, haha, I've never seen anyone play this game before?"

"It has happened in the history of the Old World, but this is probably the first time that it has been used on such a large scale and in such a covert manner!"

"Then you're telling me, the Empire didn't notice anything?"

"At first, they might not realize it, but as the numbers increase, they will inevitably figure it out."

Therefore, they would be eager to launch the decisive Battle of the Marne.

Loy reached out and pointed to the Marne River, then moved south, pointing towards the city of Luttia.

"If we can break through the Marne River and then reach Luttia, it will be a flat plain."

And as long as we occupy this place, this ancient capital with a thousand-year history, this romantic city, it will be equivalent to achieving a stage victory.

By then, the empire will be able to leisurely plunder land and solve part of its supply problems.

"Therefore, this battle was actually an operation to save the empire. Only by breaking through the Marne River defense line and pressing in with a large army could there be any further possibility."

"The Allied Forces are well aware of this, so they are determined to stop the Empire, even if it costs them everything."

"The result is what you see now."

Both sides have gone all out, using every last trick in the book like it's free.

And so, this battle, which would soon become world-famous, was born.

"So you mean the Empire is going to lose?"

"It's not that simple. It's not that the allied forces annihilated most of the Empire's main army. Rather, it was the Empire's own decision to retreat and avoid their sharp edge."

However, Habsburg's plan to destroy Bonaparte's Schlieffen scheme had completely failed.

As Luo Yi said this, she looked down at the map and couldn't help but sigh, "Now I finally understand what you meant."

Three question marks appeared above Virgil's head: "Uh, I said a lot of things, which sentence are you referring to?"

"Regarding strategy and tactics, no matter how many tactical victories you achieve, they don't actually play a decisive role."

Strategic wins and losses are the most important.

Therefore, all tactics must serve the strategy, and the outcome of a war often depends on factors outside of the war itself!

Virgil the Red Dragon's lips twitched, and he didn't want to speak anymore, but then he thought for a moment and said, "Do you know who said that?"

"Who?"

Louis Bonaparte Napoleon, also known as Napoleon I, the founder of the Bonaparte Empire.

The man who, though exiled, could still return and stand before the Imperial Guard, commanding the surrender of all.

In other words, he forged Bonaparte's empire's dominance over the Old World!

Luo Yi's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but look up and ask, "You still know him?"

"Haha, this is the benefit of living long enough. I've seen all the heroes and great kings you talk about!"

I even kicked his ass!

Luo Yi's lips twitched, and she didn't want to say anything.

Why is it so hard to show off in front of this old guy?

　Update, update!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)