207 – Clawless Tiger (4)
Dark vision.
Orlando I was in serious trouble. A room where magic lights are all light sources. It was a waste of time to remain silent because we were at war right now.
Right after he received the telegram on his desk, he couldn’t get his hands on anything.
“This must mean that you are going to hit Polania, right?”
Of course, the king wasn’t the only one in the room.
He was Uk ran’s last hope, and he was the one who ignited the flame that started to burn anew.
Sony Zeppelin, the Great Mage of the Sky.
“I can’t see anything but that.”
“Should I accept it?”
It was a dilemma. Reconciliation with the Reinhardt Empire in a situation where it is not enough to pay attention to the 2nd wave and reorganization of the Soviet Empire that may be swarming right away?
Of course, externally, Uk ran, along with Polania, maintained neutrality between the Free Alliance and the Imperial Alliance, but if you put it on a very sensitive scale, it was closer to the Free Alliance.
In the first place, the main hostile force was not only the Soviet Empire, which was judged to be the leader of the imperial alliance.
The three Walter countries, members of the Freedom Alliance, are making as much technological cooperation as Reinhalt, and they handed over part of the land in the Azov Islands that they recaptured to the Free Democratic State of Fru and even invited a military port.
Though it is the Reinhardt Empire that has the most friendly relationship among the imperial alliances.
Because peace with Uk ran is in the interests of the country, not because we really like Uk ran and maintain cooperative relations.
“It’s too obvious… ….”
Sonny Zeppelin said bitterly. Because it was a really obvious trick.
The Kingdom of Adaliya signed a non-aggression pact with Uk ran and declared war on the Free Democratic Republic of Fru.
The Reinhalt Empire, who was watching that, proposed signing a non-aggression pact behind the scenes?
If you have even a little bit of knowledge in politics—no, even people who are ignorant of politics will be able to understand the true intentions hidden within it without difficulty.
Orlando I and Sonny Zeppelin met each other’s eyes. And at the same time, he uttered a single word.
“This is not something you want to side with.”
It wasn’t purely because the alliance with Reinhalt was against Enoch Levandel’s big picture.
Orlando I did not have much desire for territorial expansion.
The concept of territorial expansion already appealed to some extent while recapturing the Azov Islands.
In addition, by subduing the Lunetsk territory once again, it was possible to cool the heat of expansionism exploding here and there.
It also played a part in establishing a close cooperative relationship with the old nobles who were close to the existing local Toho.
King Orlando I asked those who had nothing in their hands except honor to fill the vacant seat in his last coup, and they actively assisted the new king by mobilizing all the power they had.
Because they couldn’t just be haggling over a country like a windmill.
Now is the time to strengthen internal stability, not territory expansion.
Orlando I judged that.
Sonny Zeppelin was of the same opinion.
We were at war right now, but that doesn’t mean that the future after the war won’t come.
Humans are creatures that can see the future.
Sometimes it was necessary to focus only on reality, but it is undeniable that focusing on that reality is also an action for a better future.
In particular, as a great mage, she was used to looking into the future farther than others.
For what purpose did she contact Count Petrinand of the Reinhardt Empire?
For what purpose did she create a special organization that was different from the existing military organization, and for what purpose did she actively hire Enoch Levandel?
In the end, it was all because I was sure that it would lead Uk ran to a better future.
“If Reinhardt and Sobie attack Polania at the same time, it is certain that even the remaining front line will quickly collapse.”
“Polania must remain. What’s the point of putting ourselves in a gray area where nobody but us is?”
I am already in the same boat.
Polania makes mistakes, but they do not give the Uk ranians a reason to intervene, as they ruin her allies.
In the end, Orlando began to write a letter on the white stationery after much thought.
With proper courtesy towards the emperor of the empire, all kinds of redundant adjectives and useless idioms were attached, but the conclusion was one.
[Uk ran cannot accept this offer.]
Even King Orlando I himself did not dare to be sure whether the future that Uk ran would face due to this phrase would be gold glittering with glory and honor, or blood stained with a terrible fishy smell and the smell of corpses.
***
February, when the sound of gunfire announcing the beginning of war rang out across the Uk ranian territory. March, when tough and tough defenses were fought in Haraneu, Edasa, and Sherkiu.
For a moment, people thought that they would be able to catch their breath, and as soon as April arrived, the world was engulfed in complete chaos.
Wheeyeeeing─.
April 18th.
A large formation of Manfred planes made by Reinhardt with the coat of arms of Adaliya on their tails crossed the sky over the Inland Sea.
At dawn, when people’s vigilance is at its most relaxed.
“The rise and fall of the kingdom lies in this battle, so let each one of you fulfill your responsibilities!”
“Avanti! Avanti! Avanti!”
Two days after the declaration of war, the Adaliya Air Corps struck a military port in the Azov Islands, where the fleet of the Free Democratic Republic of Prü in the Inland Sea was stationed.
Since it was an inland sea in the first place, most of them were anchored by small ships close to destroyers, escort ships, and torpedo boats.
The force that could cause direct damage to the kingdom of Adaliya by wandering through the Inland Sea did not change.
Thus, the Adaliya military decided that the Fru Inland Sea Fleet must be excluded before starting a full-scale war.
As a result, despite the declaration of war, the inland sea fleet of the Free Democratic Republic of Fru, who did not think that it would attack the military port, even while invading the territory of the country that had just signed a non-aggression pact, was destroyed without even a proper counterattack. It happened
The result was disastrous.
A Drake-class battleship, the flagship of the Inland Sea Fleet and one of only five ships in the Free Democratic Republic of Fru, was sunk.
In addition, many armored cruisers, the main combat ships of the fleet, and destroyers and torpedo boats, which are valuable auxiliary strike forces, were sunk or at least medium damaged.
Some ships were even scuttled by commanders who thought they would be captured by the enemy fleet, even though they were not attacked.
As a result, out of twenty-four warships anchored in the Azov military port, only six ships were able to safely leave the port.
Considering that it was a surprise attack, the damage was catastrophic.
Around the time when the Prue Navy, whose Inland Sea Fleet had evaporated in such an instant, was busy grasping the situation, the advance of the Adaliya Fleet, which had been preparing for an attack for a long time, also began.
The 3rd Patrol Fleet, which was performing a surveillance mission near the Adaliya Strait, sank into the sea as a whole.
With this alone, victory at the beginning of the war was already firmly in Adaliya’s hands.
The problem is that the battle did not take place only in the sky and the sea.
As if the Adaliya Army had also waited for this moment, it crossed the Arpis Mountains and began its advance.
The Prue Mountain Division, regarded as the most elite force, was delaying as much as possible, but the head of the Prue Army, who was in an uproar over the destruction of the navy, continued to shovel.
“Great, Mr. President!!”
“How was the war, how was the war!?”
“The Free Democratic Republic of Prüh is being attacked from land, sea and air!”
Until now, the Kingdom of Adaliya used to be evaluated as the weakest in the Free Alliance forces.
However, no matter how weak they were, the kingdom of Adalia was also a great power that proudly acted as a member of the Imperial Alliance.
Even if it’s a beast that looks weak, it’s over the moment it bites the scruff of the neck in a careless state.
The Liberal Democratic Republic of Prüh overlooked that fact, and at the same time as the war broke out, a lot of blood had to be shed in the sea and mountains.
It was the beginning of an irreversible tragedy.
***
The military department of the Republic of Polania did not stop laughing right after the Soviet Front opened.
The troops of the Northern Command, approaching 130,000, crossed the border of the empire all at once, and the imperial army was being pushed helplessly to Sobi, which had at most deployed troops in the border forts.
A series of crazy battles.
Soviet, whose command system was paralyzed amid the ongoing purges, all sorts of problems arose in the Imperial Army.
With every passing day, desertion and strategic misjudgments continued.
“Trenches are dug by cowards! If I was pushed out, wouldn’t it be like giving the enemies an advantage!”
“The 1st Battalion breaks the offensive of those bugs that are no bigger than dog bones from the front!!”
Some crazy strategies were implemented to crush enemy cavalry attacks with infantry units, while others took the form of line infantry, carrying on the old infantry tradition.
Unsurprisingly, all of them were swept away like fallen leaves by powerful machine gun and artillery firepower.
The Soviet army, not even given a chance to rectify its mistakes, had no choice but to continue retreating.
The military was in chaos due to the purge, and it was the aftermath of calling in commanders who had already been retired without training.
“This is the Empire…… ? What we’ve been afraid of so far…… ?”
Then, even Polania’s officers, who had been cautious at first, began to lose sight of the winning streak.
The remaining distance to the city of Mansk, which was the goal, was only 70km away from the 2nd Cavalry Division standing at the vanguard.
“I will approve the final attack on April 24th. Be sure to occupy Mansk and prepare a bridgehead for imperial pressure!”
“Commander! Send us the 8th Division!”
“Get out of the way, Al infantryman! It must be our cavalry division to occupy Minsk, Commander!!”
At first, even the leaders, who were concerned about the invasion operation itself, became frantic to seize it as soon as the target came in front of their eyes.
Even if they concentrated on the battle like that, they couldn’t sell their hats, and the battle between the generals broke the offensive fever of the Polania army, which was raging like crazy.
“Commander Chubro Piutov! It’s a sudden attack from the 2nd Cavalry Division!”
“Did you encounter an enemy counterattack?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“That, that…… It’s not about fighting back!! The offensive division was devastated and is retreating urgently under the command of the division commander!”
“What?”
“I came with a telegram saying that a large enemy armored force is deployed throughout the city!”
Taking advantage of that opportunity, the clawless tiger finally revealed its teeth glistening with the prey’s blood.
The Imperial Alliance began to roar.
