Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 717: Chapter 55 The Watchman Plan

Faced with the Marshal’s roar, the Colonel was silent for a few seconds before he answered, “And after that? You should know what the Asgard Knights, Constitutional Guards, and the Imperial Ministry did in Orachi, right?

“These people massacred the Anteans to cover up the truth. Just imagine what they would do when their military collapses!”

Marshal Geron’s expression froze.

The Colonel continued, “Our people are spread throughout the entire war mobilization department, so we know that once the situation worsens further, they will continue to establish People’s Charge Teams and haul even children and the elderly into the barracks!”

“This hasn’t happened yet!” Marshal Geron interrupted the Colonel, “The situation hasn’t become that desperate yet; the front line is still within Antean territory, more than seven hundred kilometers away from the Empire’s border! I’m talking about the Southern Front.”

The Northern Front was too muddy, all forests and marshes, so the Pulosen Forces hadn’t penetrated far into Antean territory.

The Southern Front saw the greatest progress by Prosen, primarily because the vast grasslands were well-suited for the maneuvers of Armored Troops.

The Colonel said, “But Kazarlia is a plain, virtually indefensible. We could swallow up all of Kazarlia in six months, and then the Anteans could fight back!

“After all, we’ve built highways! When we attacked, Antean ‘highways’ were just mud paths, which in more developed areas of Europa would only be considered village roads! But now, there are high-standard expressways all over the plains of Kazarlia!”

Marshal Geron responded, “Don’t pick faults with that. Without these highways, we wouldn’t have been able to maintain such a large force on the Southern Front. Without these roads, Rocossov’s troop advantage would be even greater, and we would lose even more terribly!”

After the intense exchange of views, the Marshal sighed, “Don’t try to persuade me anymore, my war is already over.”

The Colonel asked, “Don’t you want to save Prosen?”

“What can I do? When I reach the Eagle’s Nest, I will be stripped of my military power, and then I’ll just be an ordinary old man. You might as well go find a few armies stationed near the Eagle’s Nest, stir them up, and have them surround the Eagle’s Nest!”

The Colonel replied, “The corps commanders of those armies are all your students or old subordinates!”

“Ha!” Marshal Geron laughed loudly, “That’s why you’re seeking me out! Unfortunately, my students will not betray the Empire just because of a word from their teacher. No, they won’t. Your plot is doomed to fail.”

The Colonel asked, “What about the Empire then?”

After a brief silence, Marshal Geron said, “We started the war, and now that we’ve failed, we can’t blame anyone else, can we?”

After another pause, the Colonel said, “You can no longer ensure your own safety. After we’re exposed, they’ll definitely trace it back to you, as everyone on this plane is ours, and even the Imperial Ministry, as incompetent as they are, will come investigating!”

“What?” Marshal Geron exclaimed in shock, “You are plotting against me!”@@novelbin@@

The Colonel replied, “We had no choice. I personally believe in your character, but there are many among us who do not know you well.”

Marshal Geron leaned back in his chair and pondered for a moment, then said, “Thirty-three kilometers west of the Eagle’s Nest, the Fifth Infantry Training Brigade is stationed. Its commander is a die-hard dissenter who’s been sidelined for a long time. It took me a lot of effort to keep him from being dismissed.

“He might be willing to join your operation. One training brigade should be enough to overpower the guards at the Eagle’s Nest.”

The Colonel mentioned, “But the nearby armored training division…”

“The Armored Troops are under the control of the Armored Corps Director. They are a new technological military branch, beyond the influence of us old Junkers. Do you think His Majesty isn’t guarding against you? Of course, he is!” Marshal Geron looked at the Colonel, “You’ve dragged me into your chariot, but unfortunately, that still won’t save Prosen. A coup detaining the Emperor and making peace with the Allied Forces doesn’t look promising.”

The Colonel fell completely silent.

Marshal Geron watched him for a few seconds and said, “There’s a less than perfect plan: you could assassinate His Majesty and then kill off all his close propagandists. Perhaps afterward, someone in control of the military might assess the situation and join you.”

The Colonel said, “We don’t have an assassination plan.”

“Don’t you? Or are you worried I’ll betray you to the Emperor to clear my own name and don’t want to tell me?” Marshal Geron countered.

The Colonel asked, “Do you think betraying us will clear your suspicion?”

The Marshal didn’t speak, only turning to look out at the sea of clouds through the window.

Silence fell in the cabin, leaving only the noise of the engines.

—-

In the Capital of the United Kingdom, in the Prime Minister’s office,

Prime Minister Leonard Spencer asked the returning representative of Ante in a stern voice, “Do you mean to say that the Anteans might reclaim Kazarlia this winter?”

“Yes, when I left, the Prosens had already abandoned their position and were retreating to Shepetovka. Given the current situation of the Prosen troops, it would be difficult to hold Shepetovka. Rocossov’s heavy troops could strike the Orachi line at any time and cut off their retreat route.

“The summer campaign has progressed to this point, and Ante has suffered heavy casualties, but the losses on the Prosen side are also significant. We all know that one of the characteristics of the Prosen troops is that their new soldiers require lengthy training times, and the replenishment is slow.

“This is due to their military tradition, which isn’t quite suited for modern total war. Of course, tradition grants the Prosens higher individual soldier quality, but with the current situation on the Eastern Front, the significance of individual soldier quality is diminishing.”

Prime Minister Leonard took his pipe and drew deeply twice, saying, “So, we need to open up a second front as soon as possible.”

The army general sitting opposite immediately responded, “But the Empire of Prosen’s troops in North Africa have not been completely defeated. They still might advance to Mamluk and cut off the canal!”

Leonard responded, “Come on! Actually, after we drove the ‘Desert Fox’ away from beside the canal, we all knew that North Africa was just an excuse to delay Ante.

“Once we land in the Apennines, the Prosen troops in North Africa will lose all their supplies. We just don’t want to threaten the Prosen mainland too soon.”

The commander of the Aegean Fleet nodded, “In fact, we have already cut off the Desert Fox’s supply lines. The Prosens have invested in anti-ship missiles and remote-controlled bombs, but these new weapons have low reliability and haven’t helped them regain naval supremacy.

“Now, the Prosen troops in North Africa should be worried about how they will return to their homeland.”

Leonard said, “I have served as the Minister of the Navy, Sir Cunningham, I know the situation there.”

“My apologies for speaking out of turn.”

Leonard pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and then said, “I think it’s time to land in Sicily. The island, separated by the sea from the mainland of Europa, diminishes the capabilities of the Prosens. Additionally, this island can draw Prosen attention, causing them to deploy more troops on the peninsula.

“This way, we can silence the Anteans by saying that if we do not land in Sicily, even more Prosen troops will be moved to the Eastern Front, increasing their pressure.”

The army general asked, “Don’t we need to inform the Federation? General George of the Federation is still contending with the Desert Fox.”

“Who cares! I’ll personally call Teddy (nickname for the Federation’s president), and he will agree!”

————

July 16, The heart of the Empire of Prosen, Eagle’s Nest.

As soon as Marshal Geron entered the war room, he subconsciously looked for unfamiliar faces.

Because it could be an assassin sent by the Valkyrie Club.

He sincerely hoped that when the assassination occurred, the blood wouldn’t splatter on him.

As for His Majesty, considering what His Majesty might do after escaping an assassination attempt, Marshal Geron genuinely hoped His Majesty would die, preferably taking the scoundrels from the Valkyrie Club with him, significantly increasing the chances his own family would survive the war.

“Marshal Geron!” His Majesty stood up, “Congratulations on withdrawing most of the troops from the encirclement at Rocossov.”

Marshal Geron was surprised, and after a moment’s thought, decided to blame himself: “I apologize, about 150,000 troops didn’t make it out. Additionally, the loss of technical equipment is significant. Some armored divisions are down to just ten tanks.”

Emperor waved his hand dismissively: “No, no, I underestimated the enemy’s strength. It’s too risky for Anteans to attack now. The good news is that we can still inflict heavy damage on them in defensive battles!

“I plan to withdraw all the troops from Shepetovka to west of the Dibo River, and use the river for defense. I am naming this operation ‘Watch of the Dibo River!’

“In order to pull this off, we need to deceive Rocossov. Let Celtic Marshal explain to you!”

Celtic Marshal nodded: “We estimate that withdrawing all troops and auxiliary personnel from Shepetovka will take 20 days. During the withdrawal, the enemy’s pursuit will cause us immense losses.

“So we need to create the appearance of holding Shepetovka firmly, as part of the entire deception plan. The propaganda has already begun to depict Shepetovka as the ‘City that Never Falls’…”

“Am I hearing this right?” Marshal Geron interrupted the Celtic Marshal, “We are deceiving the enemy?”

“Yes,” Emperor nodded, “We are indeed deceiving the enemy. In fact, we often deceive the enemy. For example, in the Melania Campaign, we sent a visiting fleet, creating the illusion of peace and deceiving the top echelons of Melania. During the Carolingian Battle, we also pretended to breakthrough the Maginot Line head-on, but in reality, the main force passed through the Ardennes Forest.”

Emperor stood up, pacing before the map, “The Prosens are the most intelligent people. The enemy will deceive, and naturally, we will too! We will prove it!”

Marshal Geron hesitated, “But… my armored divisions, on average, only have ten tanks each, ready for combat. If Rocossov encircles Shepetovka, we simply don’t have the armored troops to counter them.”

“He doesn’t have armored troops either,” Emperor said confidently. “In fact, Rocossov’s armored troops are too depleted to launch an encirclement, he can only use cavalry. Can’t you even beat cavalry?”

Marshal Geron fell silent.”