Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 587-585: The Emperor's Offensive (Two-in-One)

In March of the New Divine Calendar 318, after completing its initial conscription, the Habs Empire immediately launched an offensive, reigniting the flames of war on the western front.

The Imperial General Staff devised a series of operational plans, which were named after the Emperor and were known as the 'Emperor's Offensive'.

The first phase was the Somme Offensive.

At 4:00 AM on March 21, the Empire assembled 6,000 heavy field guns and launched a saturation bombardment in the Somme area.

The relentless bombardment, coupled with the poison gas attack, stunned the combined forces of the Bonaparte Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia.

At this time, the Empire unleashed another trump card: the meticulously crafted Stormstrike Force.

This is a powerful team composed of at least Tier 3 Transcendent beings, who have extensive combat experience gained through countless battles.

At the same time, they were equipped with state-of-the-art magical weapons and alchemical tools.

The entire crew is equipped with a six-barreled Gatling gun, high-powered grenades, portable mortars, and high-energy sniper rifles.

Please note that this is the standard equipment, which also includes a portable handheld tiger crouch cannon for the gunner.

As the name suggests, this is a magic energy cannon, but it is supported by the powerful physique of an extraordinary expert, so it can be carried on the shoulder or in hand.

At the same time, although they did not have magical shields, they were equipped with alchemical armor, which is the kind of traditional alchemical tool that can trigger magical shields.

Carrying so much equipment on one's back is obviously impractical.

Therefore, the standard equipment is that everyone has a dimensional bag, and there are even two or three people in charge of logistics and treatment.

Such teams are not meant for frontal assaults; they are for special operations.

Taking advantage of the cover of artillery fire and the thick smoke, they infiltrated the enemy's trenches, disrupted their plans, and carried out massacres.

This is an extremely rare special operations team with a clearly defined role, and it is rare even in the entire history of warfare in the world of Herka.

The results achieved were quite remarkable.

The allied forces lost large tracts of territory, and the Imperial army advanced rapidly, advancing five or six kilometers every day, until March 25, when they reached south of the Somme River.

However, the coalition forces reacted swiftly, immediately dispatching General Fak Wood to take unified command.

This person quickly made arrangements, overwhelming the Storm Assault Team with the power of a fourth-tier Calamity.

Only after regrouping the army and setting up layers of defenses was the collapse stopped.

At the same time, the empire also faced problems such as insufficient reserves, difficulties in logistical supply, and soldiers' fatigue.

Until April 5th, the operation was declared a failure, with nearly 240,000 Imperial soldiers lost, and the predetermined objectives were not achieved.

However, the Empire, emboldened by setbacks, rallied and launched the Lis River Offensive four days later, on April 9th ​​of the New Divine Calendar 318.

The objective of this operation is to break through the Lis River defense line, force the Sardinian army to the coast, and isolate it from the Bonaparte Empire's army.

The tactics they used were almost identical to those of the Somme Offensive: first, heavy artillery bombardment, which lasted for a full 48 hours, leaving the Allied lines completely devastated.

Then there's the infiltration tactic: elite assault teams, under the cover of night fog, quickly breach the defenses and focus their attacks on the weak points of the Sardinian reinforcements.

In this battle, they advanced 8 kilometers on the first day, forcing the Sardinian First Army to retreat.

By April 10, the Imperial Fourth Army had joined the attack, forcing the Sardinian Second Army to retreat.
Thus, the two imperial army groups on the left and right formed a pincer movement, almost completely encircling the Sardinian reinforcements.

At that very moment, Her Majesty the Queen of Sardinia delivered an important speech, declaring, "We are facing a desperate situation, and we must fight to the very end!"

This leader's intervention prompted the allied forces to urgently withdraw all reserves, including those from the Bonaparte Empire, and deploy them to the battlefield.

However, the defeat in this battle cannot be attributed to the bravery of the Allied forces, but rather to the collapse of the imperial economy.

After the elite commando team penetrated deep into enemy territory, their supply lines were cut off. The soldiers discovered among the captured Sardinian reinforcements that the enemy had ample supplies, while they themselves were facing famine.

This led to a collapse in morale, and even a refusal to move forward.

This gave the Allied forces a chance to react, and the reserves arrived, making the fighting even more intense.

By April 17, the Imperial Army's advance had stalled, and by the 29th, the operation was declared a failure.

In this battle, the Empire suffered approximately 12 casualties, and its elite commando force was reduced to more than half its size, failing to achieve its operational objectives.

In May of the New Divine Calendar 318, the Empire, having learned from its previous defeats, raised sufficient resources.
They chose the Aisne River as their point of attack, intending to seize Lutetia, the power center of the Bonaparte Empire, once again.

Imperial artillery commander Bruchmiller, in particular, used intelligence to pinpoint locations and precisely calculate ballistic trajectories.
With 3800 cannons, the Bonaparte Empire's front-line positions, command posts, and rear railways were completely destroyed in just two hours and forty minutes.

This battle also marked the Empire's first attempt at a combined attack using high-explosive and poison gas shells, causing the Bonaparte Empire's communication system to completely collapse.

Meanwhile, the Empire also mobilized the remaining Stormstrike Forces, launching a two-pronged attack.

They captured the key ridge position within 20 minutes.

The other route broke through complex terrain, and its speed was so fast that the supporting tanks behind could not keep up.

In this battle, the Imperial Army advanced 22 kilometers on the first day, captured 2 men, and seized 650 magical cannons, setting a new record for the highest single-day advance on the western front.

By May 30, the imperial army had advanced to Thierry Castle on the Marne River, only 37 kilometers from Lutetier, and the capital of the Bonaparte Empire was once again placed under martial law.

However, as it turns out, luck never seemed to be on the empire's side.

The first reinforcements from the Glorious Empire have finally arrived. They are the Second and Third Divisions of the Glorious Empire, mainly composed of Winged People, Eagle People, and Half-Dragon People. After countless years, they have set foot on this land once again.

This flying race descended upon Bellorin Garden, directly blocking the Imperial Legion as they were crossing the river.

In other words, the human race in the Old World has been too well protected for countless years.

They had forgotten about the alien races, and many had never even heard of them, so when these strange-looking races descended from the sky, they were truly terrified.

This group of reinforcements from the Glorious Empire actually managed to stabilize the battle line through hand-to-hand combat.

After having a buffer period, the allied forces launched a counterattack on June 3 and recaptured the occupied territory.

By June 6, the most elite Stormstrike squad had been almost entirely wiped out, and the Empire had no choice but to order a halt to the offensive.

Thus, the Aisne Offensive came to an end, with the Empire suffering nearly 13 casualties and exhausting its last strategic reserves, yet still failing to achieve its strategic objective of capturing Luttia.

This battle marked the culmination of the "Emperor's Offensive" and also the prelude to its decline.

Through this battle, the coalition forces validated the effectiveness of defense in depth and coordinated operations.
At the same time, it also exposed the fact that the empire was depleted of resources and unable to launch a strategic offensive.

However, the Imperial Army never gave up, and so they launched the third phase of the 'Emperor's Offensive': the Noyon-Mondidier Offensive.

In this battle, the Empire attempted to open a new breakthrough between Noyon and Montdidier.

The intention was to sever the supply lines between Luttia and other command posts, forcing the allied forces to disperse their forces and thus relieving pressure.

Even with resources nearly depleted, the Imperial organization's attacks remained sharp and swift in this battle.

In the early hours of June 9, they used 2000 artillery pieces to launch a precision strike, directly destroying the Allied forces' first trench and disrupting their transportation hubs.

At the same time, they advanced 8 kilometers in one day, captured more than 8000 allied soldiers, and seized hundreds of magic cannons.

However, the coalition forces' coordinated operations are already well-established, and they have even achieved information sharing.

They used the promise of abandoning their defensive lines as bait to lure the Imperial Army into a pre-set artillery barrage zone, where they were then subjected to a barrage of attacks.

Meanwhile, reinforcements from the Glorious Empire arrived one after another and were continuously deployed to the battlefield.

The various alien races caused some panic, and the abundant weapons and fighting spirit of the Glorious Empire's reinforcements hindered the Imperial army's advance.

From the start of the offensive on June 9th to June 14th, in just five days, the Empire was forced to announce the termination of the offensive, failing to achieve any strategic objectives.

This battle could even be seen as the final chapter of the 'Imperial Offensive,' with some Imperial scholars even stating that the defeat in June foreshadowed the Empire's inability to change the course of the war. However, the Imperial military would not admit defeat.

Therefore, in July of the new divine calendar 318, they launched the final phase of the "Emperor's Offensive," also known as the Second Battle of the Marne.

In this battle, the Empire attempted to launch a strong attack on the Champagne-Marne defensive line, thereby cutting off the Allied forces' connection with Luttia and forcing the Allied forces to redeploy troops to reinforce the city.

In this battle, the Empire intended to replicate the success of the Aisne Offensive, and assembled 51 divisions.

In the early morning of July 15, 3400 artillery pieces were concentrated and launched a saturation attack on the coalition positions for four hours, using a mixture of poison gas and high-explosive shells.

Then, they launched another pincer attack from both the north and south, using magic tanks, fighter jets, and commando teams.

However, the coalition forces were prepared.

They continued to use the abandonment of their positions as bait to lure the Imperial Army into the pre-set artillery area for a barrage of attacks.

Having halted the Empire's offensive momentum, the Allied forces also attempted a counterattack.

With the strong support of the Glorious Empire, the Allied Forces also learned from the Empire's tactics, escorted by more than 600 fighter jets and organized more than 200 tanks to launch a mass assault.

They tore a gap of more than 20 kilometers directly on the western side of the Imperial defenses.

Furthermore, the First and Second Armies of the Glorious Empire assisted the Bonaparte Empire's army in a surprise attack on the Marne River, cutting off the Empire's retreat route.

On the first day of the counterattack on July 18, they advanced 18 kilometers and encircled seven of the Empire's divisions.

In this battle, the Empire suffered 13 casualties, lost 800 magic cannons and 300 tanks, and its elite soldiers were almost entirely wiped out.

At this point, the empire had completely lost the initiative in the war.

This battle was also publicized by the Allied forces as the beginning of the end of the war.

The empire lost as many as one million professional soldiers in a series of 'Emperor's Offensives'.

The remaining soldiers of the empire, after suffering heavy losses, finally awoke from their fanatical state, and many warriors, driven by despair, launched large-scale resistance actions.

The Imperial People's Daily even wrote: "July 18th of the New Divine Calendar 318 was the darkest day in the history of the Habsburg Empire."

Of course, the reason for writing it this way is not only because of the series of crushing defeats suffered by the empire.

At the same time, it was also because the pillar of the empire, the towering king, the great Hohenzollern III, finally could not hold on any longer.

imperial capital.

dong dong dong dong!
The bronze bell hanging at the highest point of the palace was rung, and with the blessing of magic, its sound echoed throughout the entire capital.

Countless citizens of the empire looked up numbly, already wondering what bad thing had happened again.

After the year 318 of the new divine calendar, nothing good seemed to happen.

The once invincible imperial army has lost its glory.

News from the Allied forces seemed to indicate that the Empire was not as invincible as its propaganda suggested.

Countless pieces of bad news piled up and exploded, to the point that they were all numb.

As some people often say, "It's already like this, how much worse can it get?"
However, when they heard the seemingly endless tolling of the bell, a terrifying thought arose in their minds, leaving them utterly shocked.

Has His Majesty the Emperor passed away?
The great Hohenzollern III died just like that?
They didn't want to believe it, but as the news kept coming in, they had no choice but to believe it.

At that moment, some people laughed loudly, some wept bitterly, some knelt for a long time, and some stood there in a daze.
Some even pulled out magic-powered pistols, pointed them at their own heads, and pulled the trigger!

The defeat on the battlefield was not the most devastating blow; the emperor's death was!

Inside the palace at this moment, the current crown prince had become numb.

He watched as his father, who was like a lion king, breathed his last.

Those once bright eyes turned lifeless, those strong hands fell limp, and that warm body grew cold...

In truth, deep in the darkness of his heart, he had cursed his father, saying he should have died long ago.

He, the empire's most outstanding crown prince, should inherit the throne and lead the empire from one victory to another.

However, when it actually happened, he felt no joy whatsoever.

Even more so, an immense sense of fear gripped my heart!

But as it turns out, the things that terrified him are still happening.

Hohenzollern III died less than a quarter of an hour later, while the bronze bells were still ringing, he was surrounded by a group of ministers as he walked out of his bedchamber and into the council hall.

In that magnificent palace, he was surrounded and ascended the throne.

Somehow, he was crowned, wielded a scepter, draped in royal robes, and forced onto the throne.

Below him, a dense crowd pledged their allegiance to him, while nearby, the popes of the Royal Society and the Church of the Seven Gods testified.

Everything seemed so natural, yet so rushed.

And he had become Hohenzollern IV, the master of this empire!
However, at this moment, he felt no joy or excitement, but rather a chill all over his body.

He was like a puppet on strings, supported and urged on by these people, with no autonomy whatsoever.

The power may have changed hands, but it should be said that it has been dispersed.

This is not what he wanted, but he had no choice in the matter.

It was at this moment, while all of this was happening, that some other people started to move.

The mysterious figure from the Royal Society took the gem necklace containing the power of the seven gods from Hohenzollern III the moment he died.

Then, Count Miller Petrovich, the Empire's Minister of Transport, was kidnapped on his way to the funeral of Hohenzollern III.

That mysterious figure, seemingly walking on unknown levels, simply pointed a finger and made him follow involuntarily.

Then, they went deeper into the palace along its winding roads, passing countless guards along the way, yet they were not hindered at all.

He was not unfrozen until he entered a room shrouded in darkness.

"Who are you? And why have you kidnapped me and brought me here?"

Count Miller assumed a fighting stance, but then a light flickered in the darkness, revealing the silhouette of a figure.

He had horns on his head, a pair of wings spread on his back, and his whole body exuded an aura of the abyss.
Clearly, this is a demon!
However, after seeing that face clearly, Earl Miller was shocked, his expression blank, and he could hardly believe it.

"What, you don't recognize me anymore?"

"Are you Uncle Dorji?"

Count Miller spoke, but for some reason, he felt his mouth was dry, his voice was hoarse, and he could barely make a sound.

"Haha, it's good that you still recognize me. Miller, you've done a great job, the Petrovich family has flourished under your leadership."

However, I have to tell you a harsh truth.

"For example, who killed me?"

"Who?"

"Of course, it's your best friend, the Holy Dragon Knight who has already been addressed as 'Your Majesty'!"

(End of this chapter)