Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 30 Modular Fortification Construction System

In response to Brian's praise, Ryan's mood could only be described in three words.

[I fuck...]

But he still couldn't curse.

Letting out a breath, Ryan threw all the regrets in his mind aside.

It’s no use saying this now. Instead of regretting that I made an extremely unwise choice, I might as well focus on how to garrison the Alsace war zone.

Of course, the so-called garrison does not mean just rushing forward with a team of soldiers to dig trenches.

As the owner of the Blue Star Max Medal, Ryan clearly remembered that when he was in the imperial capital, he heard a big man wearing a lieutenant general's uniform say that the significance of Blue Star Max was that the owner's requests would be unconditionally trusted.

In modern warfare, the meaning of unconditional trust is more useful than the golden medal of immunity from death and the imperial sword for the military, where any materials and combat operations must be reported and approved at all levels.

"Your Excellency, the Commodore."

Without hesitation, Ryan looked at Brian almost immediately, and his previously relaxed posture became standing at attention.

"I have an unwelcome request."

"Speak." Brian blinked his eyes behind the monocle, as if trying to guess what Ryan meant.

Ryan didn't give him time to think and said directly, "As the holder of the Blue Star Max Medal, I would like to know one thing: the maximum number of troops I can mobilize, and the specific extent of my authority to request and control logistical supplies."

As soon as these words were spoken, almost everyone in the huge church put down their work and looked towards where Ryan was.

Ryan even felt that the temperature of the air around him had dropped a lot, but he was not afraid.

Now that he has chosen to go to the forefront of the future, Ryan needs to ensure all his power and strength.

This is not cowardice, but a way to accumulate valuable strength for yourself to fight the enemy.

Obviously, Brian also saw what Ryan was thinking.

The tip of his signature beard trembled slightly, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily pulled up.

He thought to himself that this young man was braver and more far-sighted than any officer he had ever met.

It was a real bargain to have him captured from the military academy in the capital.

But Brian didn't show these thoughts on his face.

Instead, he coughed lightly before speaking.

"Since you are currently only a captain, even if you receive the Blue Star Max Medal, we can only allocate you two battalions of troops at most. This is what we have said before."

Two battalions, this is not a small number.

Ryan recalled the organization of the Imperial Army, from top to bottom: Army, Division, Regiment, Battalion, Company, Platoon, and Squad.

The battalion-level unit is the fourth largest unit in the army. A normal infantry battalion will have at least 880 people, and if there are two infantry battalions, that would be 1760 people.

Although these 1760 people are not many for an empire that is currently in an environment very similar to the First World War on Earth, as long as they are used properly, the power that these people can exert will definitely far exceed the imagination of people in this world.

Ryan clenched his lowered hands into fists and continued to confirm Brain's words.

Brian:
"Regarding equipment requirements, the Empire's basic equipment configuration cannot be changed, but the Imperial Army can provide your troops with more ammunition. Without affecting the operations of other units, we can also provide your troops with more light and heavy machine guns, as well as several small-caliber artillery pieces."

That's really good.

Ryan said to himself.

Machine guns and artillery are indeed the most important things in combat. Machine guns can clear out the attacking enemies, while artillery can disrupt the enemy's offensive rhythm.

Imperial infantry battalions were not equipped with artillery, and no country had developed weapons such as mortars or grenade launchers at that time. Therefore, most infantry units attacked and defended like in the movies - infantry rushed out of the trenches and charged forward with their bolt-action rifles.

And now, Brigadier General Brian tacitly agreed to equip himself with artillery, which directly made things different.

Ryan could imagine with his toes the expressions of the Farlans when they finally crossed the artillery's coverage area and found themselves facing a head-on collision with the flat-fire artillery.

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency, Brigadier General!"

He immediately raised his hand and saluted Brian.

Brian thought Ryan had gotten the answer he wanted, so he prepared to raise his hand in return, but before he could raise his hand, he heard Ryan's voice again.

"But, Your Excellency, this is not the only thing I want to confirm!" Ryan said.

Brigadier General Brian was stunned: No, you have another request?
Ryan said.

"I volunteer to go to the front lines in Alsace. I have no objection to the equipment and supplies specially approved by His Excellency the Brigadier General."

"However, I have an unwelcome request. This request concerns the construction of positions and the battle plan for the counterattack against the enemy. I hope Your Excellency the Brigadier General will acquiesce."

Ryan's words really made Brian dumbfounded.

He didn't expect that Ryan would make such a request at this critical juncture, and it was related to position construction and counterattack plan?

Interesting, he thought, I'd like to see what else this kid can come up with.

"Speak!" Brian nodded.

"Yes!"

Ryan said immediately.

"I hope that His Excellency the Brigadier General will acquiesce in my ability to construct the frontline defense positions on my own. To this end, I hope to directly communicate with the theater's logistics support department to ensure the efficiency of the position's construction."

"You mean, you want to build your own position?"

Brian immediately regretted it.

It’s not that he doesn’t trust Ryan, but telling him to build his own position at this time?
This is obviously impossible.

The Empire had already begun building field fortifications in the Alsace region after the war broke out, so the troops only needed to be stationed there. Moreover, there was not much time left for Ryan to command the troops to dig trenches.

He immediately wanted to refuse, but Ryan said something that Brian found unbelievable.

He said, "While in the Imperial Capital, I heard about a new type of position construction plan. If feasible, it would provide a huge help in maintaining and building the battle line. However, due to a lack of funds and equipment, I have never had the opportunity to test it."

"Oh?"

Brian's frown immediately relaxed.

I thought to myself: This kid is planning this for me?

He said, "Tell me, if it's feasible, I can secure some funds and resources for you within my authority."

Seeing this, Ryan was also unambiguous.

He looked around for a while, then took a piece of paper from the table next to the sandbox, casually folded it into a small square paper box with the opening facing upwards, and placed it on the table.

"That's it, Your Excellency the Commodore."

Ryan said:
"I call it the Rapid Fortification Construction System."

　Let our good brothers in World War I see what the power of industry is.JPG
　　
　
(End of this chapter)