Chapter 183
A person who has spent over a decade growing up, expending countless efforts to hone their skills and acquire knowledge, and being loved by their family, may find all their past hardships and efforts vanish in the blink of an eye on the battlefield—a stray bullet, a bomb, a pull of the trigger, or a press of a button.
This is the most spectacular competition that humankind can enjoy.
It will ruthlessly select the excellent, discarding the mediocre, or even the unlucky. Everyone is afraid in battle. A coward is someone who lets fear overcome their sense of duty.
Vera was the one who wanted to maximize their sense of responsibility, give them a sense of honor, and ensure their well-being after they passed away.
Just like the cacophony from the front-line loudspeakers and the airborne communication channels—
The battle cries were mixed with the high-speed movement of the repeating channels and the noise of the weapons firing. Although the sound quality was greatly reduced by the time the rumbling cannons reached Vera's ears, she could still hear them clearly.
Vera.
He smiled suddenly.
Press down on the headset, beep beep, Commander-in-Chief takes over all military radio access.
Instantly, the entire communications channel fell silent, and a highly recognizable, clear voice echoed throughout the army, "All Hail Britannia!!"
Whoosh—
Having done all this, Vera paid little attention to the cheers of the troops. She turned and walked down the gangway into the central control room inside the land-based mothership.
Just as its name suggests, and its nickname is accurate, entering the interior is like stepping into the bridge of a large aircraft carrier. Huge tactical information displays and a multitude of advanced instruments, dashboards, tactical sand tables, sensors... no, "like" is no longer an appropriate description. Because this is an aircraft carrier.
It's just that it's not an aircraft carrier at sea, but a land-based ship.
Viewed on a holographic screen monitoring the ship's status in real time, the anatomical structure of the entire land-based vessel resembles a giant spider crawling on the ground. Capable of simultaneously providing shelter, maintenance, and readiness services for dozens of Knightmare aircraft, it is one of Britannia's military symbols, a mobile fortress, and a recreation of a land-based vessel.
Although Vera felt this was a bit like putting too much food on a thin veneer, and that she was being made into an iron-clad meat, as long as she unlocked the [Electromagnetic Armor], [Blaze Luminous], and [Absolute Guardian Domain System], it wouldn't be a big problem.
It could even continue to develop in the direction of being higher, bigger, and thicker!
Currently, the research and development results of the first two technologies have been applied to the dedicated command ship under Vera's feet.
Tap, tap.
The finely crafted deerskin boots jingled crisply in the temperature-controlled control room. As the staff officers and analysts bowed, Vera gestured with her hand to indicate that they were not obliged to stand on ceremony. She then ascended the steps and sat down at the head of the command seat, which resembled a throne room. With her back to the national emblem, Vera leaned against the armrest with one hand and rested her chin on the other, crossing her legs and tilting her body slightly to the side.
She brought up the polarized projection interface of the armrest tactical display, her indigo pupils sometimes staring at the massive readings and information summarized in real time, and sometimes looking at the progress of the battle displayed on the central control interface in front of her.
On the split-screen secondary display interface, there are also live combat videos with constantly changing perspectives.
The battle situation data is constantly being updated.
In accordance with the operational objectives set by Vera and the General Staff, the staff officers monitored the battlefield situation in real time, constantly issuing instructions to coordinate the cooperation between various branches of the armed forces to prevent friendly fire and bombing, while also conducting real-time communication and intelligence sharing on the dynamics of enemy forces deep in the region and even the EU joint forces in the Baltic region, including their naval, land, and air forces.
Just over a week ago, as Vera returned to Saint Petersburg, a new offensive by European Britannia was already being prepared.
The replenishment of qualified recruits who completed their enlistment training last autumn, the return of veterans after recovery, the national stockpiling of military equipment and supplies, the training for the deployment of new weapons, counterintelligence, intelligence gathering, reconnaissance warfare, strategic deception... these are all basic operations that have been carried out long ago.
Due to years of war, Britannia's system in this area is quite mature.
Perhaps because it lacks the fertile black soil of Ukraine, agriculture and light industry in European Britannia, are relatively weak compared to heavy industry, military industry, and high-tech industries. However, Vera has more than just resources available in Eastern Europe and North Asia; she also has the support of the Americas.
The map is a JPG screenshot taken from the animation.
Of course, the fact that the three major army groups in the north, central and south are all making significant moves does not mean that Vera will devise an extravagant plan.
For example, advancing over 1,500 kilometers along a front in Eastern Europe like a steamroller...
Britannia and the EU have been bitter enemies for many years. They know each other inside and out, and they can tell what the other is up to as soon as you step in. They are always on guard against each other, so there is no possibility of signing a non-aggression pact before launching a sneak attack.
The EU is well aware of European Britannia's Achilles' heel, which is why Southern Army Group has had such a difficult time in Ukraine in the past. The EU coalition forces have the most powerful troop group on the eastern front in the southern countries.
Getting back to the main point, the changes brought about by Vera are mainly in technological innovation, as well as changes in some combat units and development strategies.
Intelligence and reconnaissance warfare is the area where the increase of this new type of military unit brings the most direct changes.
In short, reconnaissance warfare involves spying on each other and eliminating enemy scouts.
In the past, high-altitude observation balloons, early warning aircraft/airships, radar stations, military satellites, wiretapping, or even physical reconnaissance and espionage were the main reconnaissance methods used by both sides.
Britannia has a slight edge.
There's not much Vera can do right now. Aside from indirectly or directly promoting advancements in existing technologies and optimizing information integration structures, she's just 'developed' some gadgets and deployed them to the troops.
Drones are one of them.
This thing is really useful for reconnaissance!
The effect is undoubtedly a qualitative change!
Reconnaissance by amphibious special forces along the Baltic coast: reconnaissance soldiers, aided by small drones specially equipped with sensors and reconnaissance equipment, conduct infiltration reconnaissance.
In less than a week, the Britannian Army had gained intelligence on most of the Baltic region, including the EU Estonian theater, key operational nodes, and even armories, fuel depots, and field command posts.
In war, besides logistics, it's all about intelligence.
How to obtain more information for one's own side and cut off the enemy's information sources is a complex subject.
Vera's approach to the latter was to capture and expel the opposing scouts.
General purpose for drones.
Encryption and iteration of our own communication system are carried out simultaneously.
They deployed more advanced electronic eavesdropping equipment and jammers to track and interfere with enemy communication networks.
At the border, recovered and returned cybernetic veterans were selected to form a special hunter unit to be stationed at the border. With the surplus of production capacity, more fifth-generation fighter jets [Sutherland Kai] were deployed for patrols. The first-generation armed robots and anti-personnel disguise robots produced, regardless of their crudeness, were deployed in large numbers.
In major cities where espionage is rampant, she has set up a meticulously crafted internal affairs force, and she even personally supervises the work, bringing her superb counterintelligence experience from Cyberpunk in the Arasaka to Britannia.
Although it is still difficult to completely cover the battlefield, because Eastern Europe is a vast region, there will always be those who slip through the net and send back messages, we should try our best to compress their range of activities, making them deaf and blind for a longer period of time and to a greater extent. The intelligence they send back will also be incomplete, mixed with both true and false information. All of this will increase our initiative.
After firmly seizing the initiative, Vera's first military order was to command the Southern Army Group, led by the Fifth Knight Moltke, to launch a routine offensive against the Sumy -Khartawa war zone in central Ukraine.
In the north, they deployed their forces, using intermittent artillery fire for a week to cover their reconnaissance operations.
Take it slow, employ the tactic of patiently building up the eagle's strength.
First, let them get used to the frequency and rhythm of the shelling, as well as sudden small-scale firefights.
Half a month might not be enough to make the elite EU forces lower their guard, but it should keep them on edge and exhausted. It's just icing on the cake, so the exact effect doesn't matter.
A penchant for killing two birds with one stone, a multi-pronged approach to tasks? A tactic of weakening the enemy to strengthen oneself? An effort to minimize casualties at all costs? Well, that's what Vera did.
After gathering a relatively complete set of intelligence, Vera intended to proceed according to the original plan, but she suddenly recalled the countless lessons learned from the past—the loss of opportunities caused by waiting too long for one's own strength to increase.
We can't wait any longer!
The EU military isn't stupid. No matter how decadent and inefficient Paris may be, the exaggerated casualty rates of frontline reconnaissance units and foreign intelligence agencies would eventually raise suspicions. With drones conducting such large-scale reconnaissance for over a week, there must have been a significant backlog of eyewitnesses and intelligence reports...
We cannot let the EU straighten out.
Without hesitation, Vera launched her offensive, taking into account that neither they nor we were prepared.
As for the results, hard work pays off. The first wave of over-the-horizon artillery fire destroyed the EU army's field warehouse in Kiviel, which was much better than Vera had expected.
Indeed, some EU forces sensed the danger and began to move ammunition and fuel and drive away the discovered drones, but many more EU army units were still slow to react and intelligence was not shared in a timely manner.
Along the more than 500-kilometer-long Northern Army Group front from Estonia to Latvia, at Vera's command, deafening gunfire ripped through the sky, instantly setting off alarms at all EU military installations along the Baltic coast.
Vera nodded in satisfaction as she gazed at the Britannia pieces advancing relentlessly on the tactical sand table.
The staff officers in front of the dashboard couldn't help but nod to each other.
The performance of the Imperial Princess Royal Guard, the elite Order of Saint Michael who bear the names of the four archangels), the Standing Knights of the Northern Army Group, and the Britannian Army was within their expectations.
So the Eleven European Expeditionary Corps's performance was definitely that of a dark horse!
Especially that platinum mech with the serial number Z-01, it's simply unmatched. It's even more exaggerated than the aces of the Order of Saint Michael.
About an hour and twenty minutes later, Lieutenant General Ludendorff, the Third Princess's military adjutant and First Quartermaster General of European Britannia, bowed and reported to Vera, "Your Highness, the first phase of objectives has been achieved. Our troops' access to Tallinn (the capital) has been opened, and the EU army's transport hub in Estonia, Tapa, is within reach."
"Alright, let's begin, phase two. Notify Alexei, the Intelligent Control Legion we've been hoarding for so long can finally be brought out and shown..."
179
Chapter 179: Incompetent Allied Forces Lead to Loss of City and Territory.
Buzzing...
The sewage seeping from the crater caused slight ripples.
Not far away, the wreckage of an armored vehicle, half-covered in mud, lay overturned on the ground. Through the twisted escape door, only the upper body of a corpse dressed in the gray-blue uniform of the EU coalition forces crawled out. His fatal wound was located in the dark reddish-brown area of his waist and abdomen.
Eastern Europe field mice were squeaking and tearing at the blood-stained plastic objects thrown in front of the corpse, gnawing on something.
That was a bag of unfinished EU individual rations.
Just as it was enjoying its meal and receiving this blessing from Heaven's Gift, an even more violent tremor suddenly struck.
Sensing the approaching danger, the rodent stuffed food into its cheek pouches, instinctively carrying it away for storage. But the enormous creatures, exuding a cold, metallic sheen under the light, arrived too quickly, their size far exceeding that of the rodents themselves.
With a splash, blood turned into dewdrops, the body turned into flesh and mud, merging with the soil.
Rows of highly mobile drive wheels swept past without stopping, kicking up clouds of dust.
The murky water rippled, vaguely reflecting the torrent of steel rushing westward.
The east is advancing, while the west is retreating.
Just like the current situation on the northern front in Eastern Europe.
Call--
The black and red capes fluttered as they moved at high speed. The Gloucester-type mechs, with their Roman-style upright crowns and exquisitely crafted winged shoulder armor, traversed the war-torn Latvia border town, efficiently tearing the stubborn EU soldiers along the way into a bloody mist with the flames and shrapnel of armor-piercing incendiary bombs.
With a beautiful high-speed drift, dodging the EU remnants firing RPGs, the lead armored cavalryman hurled his lance in a perfectly standard throwing motion.
This is a specially designed anti-armor Knightmare melee weapon with a very significant self-sharpening characteristic.
Driven by the surging power of the Sakuragi engine, the electronic muscle power output component and the torque drive drove the lance to pierce the tank with great force, and the ammunition exploded instantly.
Illuminated by the bursting flames, the other members of the group were equally impressive, their massive, multi-ton machines darting across the battlefield with the agility and power of gymnasts.
Multifunctional detectors and communication systems, crew combat intelligence sharing networks, and aircraft operating systems—these seemingly inconspicuous but crucial updates allow these steel giants to easily locate enemies hiding in civilian homes.
Clang!
It crashed down from a building more than five meters high. Its high-strength body structure and shock absorbers, along with the gyro stabilizer to correct its center of gravity, allowed it to aim at the enemy soldiers who were reloading behind the wall with its huge 35mm linear assault rifle, which was specially designed for Knightmare. The trigger was pulled, rat-a-tat-tat!
The rapid-fire, high-caliber bullets pierced through walls, shattered glass, tore through human bodies, and struck inside buildings, creating a continuous cacophony of killing sounds, with rubble scattering across the streets.
Amidst the surging dust, there was a scene of utter bloodshed.
Before long, the remaining EU troops who had retreated into the town surrendered en masse, led by the surviving officers.
To surrender only after fighting to this extent is quite an achievement for the Parisian councilors.
Fuck! I'm in Latvia now, how did the main force of the Britannian Army get here? Are those guys on the border all idiots? And the Estonian theater of operations has collapsed in just two days?!
The entire Baltic coast was thrown into chaos.
Our army was defeated without us even realizing it?
Furthermore, why did Britannia have such a clear understanding of their troop deployments and the locations of their armories and fuel depots? When was the forward command post taken over by enemy infiltrators? Why was their internal military communication network so easily compromised by malware and viruses?
Could it be that the enemy is in Warsaw or Paris?
Suka!
It's not that our army didn't try hard enough; it's that our allies were incompetent, resulting in the loss of cities and territory!
"It's up to you now."
The prisoners' reflections and resentment were insignificant, the lead armored cavalryman said through a loudspeaker to the Britannian Army infantry officer who approached and saluted. Just now, it was the other side that had issued the signal to engage the enemy.
"We don't have time to capture them."
After speaking, the Knightmare team drove out of the town.
They came and went in a hurry.
As the Britannian Army handed over the surrendered EU officer and took his sidearm, he ordered his men to disarm and treat the wounded, while his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the rapidly departing mechs.
The shield-shaped insignia on the cloak signifies the Imperial Princess Royal Guard...
"As expected of the Imperial Guard, their Knightmare is a new model designed to adapt to the new strategic development direction after His Highness's military reform. It is indeed larger, heavier and more powerful."
The officer and his subordinates communicated in this way.