Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 27: Heading to Alsace
Alsace-Lorraine is actually an old problem.

Whether in the history of the empire or in Ryan's original world, the history of disputes surrounding this area is very long.

However, it is undeniable that for the empire, this place is indeed a must-fight place for them.

Of course, if this question is only stated in writing, it is obvious that no one can understand it. However, as long as someone is willing to take a look at the map of the Alsace-Lorraine region (with a three-dimensional map of the terrain), he will immediately understand why the empire wants this land so much.

The first thing to know is that because the Empire had an absolute communication advantage in honor communications during the founding war, the Farlans were almost pushed out of the Alsace-Lorraine region by the Empire.

However, the Empire did not continue to expand its victory, so the Farlanes were able to build an extremely long line of fortresses to defend against the Imperial Army along the border, stretching hundreds of kilometers from Verdun in the north to Belfort in the south...

As for why we need to leave a hole in Thule.

That's because they still wanted to take Lorraine back, so they left a gap for their troops to attack.

The Empire would naturally not be stupid enough to rush into the Farlan Empire from this fortress line measured in hundreds of kilometers, so the Schlieffen Plan came into being.

Of course, these are all things to follow.

It was August 502th, and Ryan had just returned to Stuttgart with the nine men he had rescued from the nd Battalion camp—Brinkman, McIver, Wolf, and six others.

Ryan had passed by Stuttgart before, because the headquarters of the Fifth Military District was not far outside the city of Stuttgart, but now he was caught in a battle with the Farlans and was unable to advance any further than about 50 kilometers to the border.

The bombardment that Ryan heard in the infirmary earlier came from here.

However, that was because the Farlans at the time took the risk of using airships to deploy soldiers into the empire, which did not mean that they had successfully broken into the empire.

At this time, in a small town called Mosingen outside Stuttgart.

The original town has been completely surrounded by four completely circular trenches. A large number of soldiers are either stationed in the town or deployed inside the trenches, preparing for possible battles at any time.

They were all soldiers of the Imperial Seventh Army, but there were still many more on their way to the front from the rear.

The only church in the town has now become the real military district headquarters of the Stuttgart area. Although the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Military District is still stationed in Stuttgart for security reasons, the actual staff, Brigadier General Brian and his men have been completely moved here.

Outside town.

The muddy, roofless sedan stumbled all the way from Stuttgart to the town of Mossingen. Ryan and Brinkmann were shaken so badly by the car that he had no time to appreciate the scenery along the way. He just felt his butt was in terrible pain.

Fortunately, the roads in the town of Mosingen were pretty good - paved with cobblestones and bricks, so he finally had the chance to take a look at the scenery here.

Not very good, he thought.

But thankfully it's over.

When he caught sight of the tall spire and a grayish, gilded statue of a saint, he excitedly said to the driver, "Stop at the church door ahead."

"Okay, my lord." The driver, a middle-aged man, responded immediately. Within two minutes, the car braked with a force that almost threw Ryan out.

The guard who had been waiting at the church door for a long time immediately stepped forward to open the car door and helped Ryan out of the car. Brinkman hurriedly got out of the car and turned around to throw a gold mark into the car.

"Thank you." The driver shook his hat.

"You shouldn't have given it to him. I almost flew out." Ryan looked at Brinkman speechlessly, but immediately saw a shiny pickled cucumber shoulder plate.

"Commodore Brian!"

He immediately saluted the visitor.

"How does the Imperial Capital feel?" Brigadier General Brian first glanced at the Blue Star Max on Ryan's chest, then raised his hand in return: "You can actually buy a cheap one specifically for wearing."

Ryan immediately said, "It's too expensive. I can't bear it. Besides, the cost of living in the capital is a bit too high. The money I spend on a loaf of bread is enough for me to buy two sausages in Stuttgart."

Brian laughed heartily at his words: "No wonder Marshal Schlieffen called to ask the general if he had threatened you to come back."

"They wanted me to join the main force in the attack on the Sun, but I was only a captain and could only command a battalion of troops, so I didn't go." Ryan explained immediately and followed Brian into the militarized church.

All decorations and impractical furniture were removed, and a huge map of the war zone was hung in front of the statue. The projector bulb used for planning tactics emitted a strong smell of smoke, which made Ryan feel a little uncomfortable.

Many officers were lying in front of a small sand table. When they saw Brian and Ryan appear, they immediately saluted and rushed up to shake hands with Ryan.

They were all able to evacuate here alive because of the honorary communications sent by Ryan and Brinkmann - but their troops were basically gone, so they were transferred to the General Staff.

Brian didn't say much. He arranged for his guards to prepare some beer and bread, then sat down at the desk in the corner and looked at Ryan. "So, our hero must have his own ideas when he returns this time, right?"

He turned to look at the huge map hanging nearby and asked Ryan, "Captain Flig, as the holder of the Blue Star Max Medal, you have the authority to freely deploy your troops in this battle. Come on, choose any location within 200 kilometers of Stuttgart, whether it's the frontline battlefield or the safe zone in the back. Pick one."

"Really?" Ryan looked at Brian, his tone doubtful. "Can I really choose anything?"

"Replacement guaranteed."

Brian smiled and said, "The General has specifically instructed me that you can command up to two infantry battalions, along with some heavy equipment. This is a privilege only an officer of your rank can receive."

"And this is the result of His Excellency the Marshal's strong opposition, because your people were transferred from Episode 7."

"Episode 7?" Ryan noticed that something was wrong, but he didn't pay too much attention to it. Instead, he turned his head and looked at the large map hanging on the side.

After a few minutes, he pointed to a river area surrounded by two high grounds.

"Brigadier General Brian, I request to lead the troops to garrison the Linhe River in the Alsace region."

(End of this chapter)