Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1118: Chapter 132, Plan Fine-Tuning
 

War had indeed broken out, but the initial reaction it brought to everyone was not shock, but rather a deep sigh of relief.

There was no helping it. Topics surrounding the war for hegemony had been hyped up in the newspapers for several months.

As if before an approaching storm, the air was saturated with an oppressive atmosphere. Europe’s citizens had spent the last few months living under a cloud of tension, their nerves on edge.

Now that war had actually broken out, the taut nerves of the populace finally loosened.

While the nerves of the people relaxed, the governments of various countries became highly tense. Especially for France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, which had to bet on luck, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down for even a moment.

A calamity for the city gates often extends to the fish in the moat. This had happened far too often in history, and politics in this day and age was truly unfriendly to small countries.

Though France was not a minor country, conflicts between the top powers could inadvertently lead to the misfortune of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth… This wasn’t just something that occurred in the business world but was also commonplace in international competition.

Exhausted and weary, France had yet to emerge from the shadow of war; it simply couldn’t afford any more turmoil.

Regrettably, the forward airfields of the Shinra Air Force were mostly located in France’s northern regions, with the advanced command post set up in Calais.

It was just a few dozen kilometers from the historically renowned Dunkirk, and the closest point to The British Isles was even less than 70 kilometers in a straight line.

Carlos, who had managed to secure his position as King of France without being deposed, was obviously not a mediocre individual.

Perhaps he lacked outstanding visionary talent or exceptional domestic governing skills, but he certainly didn’t lack basic strategic insight.

In recent years, the Holy Roman Empire had been continually constructing military airfields along the French coast, quite clearly targeting the British.

Carlos had long been clear about Shinra Air Force’s plans to bomb The British Isles or, more specifically, the strategy to bomb London.

If it were merely a case of lending land or needing to provide logistical support, that would have been tolerable. But once Shinra Air Force’s strategic bombing commenced, the British were bound to retaliate.

Carlos didn’t know if the British Air Force could drop bombs on Shinra’s homeland, but dropping them on French territory was without any pressure.

Considering the bombing accuracy of planes at that time, even without malicious intent, just aiming to damage the coastal airfields would still cost France dearly.

“Thirty years a piece for East River, thirty years for West River.”

The French government had now lost its voice in the international community. The choices left for them were twofold: they could gladly accept the reality or be forced to accept it with a gun pressed against their necks.

In the Palace of Versailles, an aged Carlos asked, “How’s the communication going? Has the Vienna Government agreed to increase our anti-air firepower?”

Being a king was not easy, especially the King of France. It seemed as if cursed, ever since the time of the great revolution, every regime in France was short-lived.

In the span of less than a hundred years, the Bonaparte Dynasty, Orleans Dynasty, and Bourbon Dynasty had each taken their turn.

Having only just successfully restored his administration, Carlos naturally did not wish to be deposed again. To consolidate his rule, he had been striving for it ever since his ascension.

Apart from sorting out domestic affairs and cleaning up the nation’s messes, he had also made significant breakthroughs in diplomacy.

Although he had yet not freed himself from the restrictions of the Vienna Peace Conference, he had alleviated relations with other European countries, especially with the Vienna Government.

Foreign Minister Pietro: “No, we’ve been rejected again, but they’re loosening up a bit.

The Vienna Government stated that the Allied Forces would ensure our safety. They don’t think the British Army will venture deep inland. It’s sufficient to fortify the coastal areas; there’s absolutely no need to increase anti-air firepower in the inland cities.”

Without a doubt, this was clearly not an issue of air defense firepower. “Every debt has its debtor, every wrong has its perpetrator.” The main actors in this hegemonic war were the Holy Roman Empire, with France merely tagging along, not warranting any targeted effort.

Under the pretext of ensuring the safety of the public, the call for increased air defense firepower was not only out of genuine concern but also a probing attempt at the Vienna System.

Completely shedding the shackles was unrealistic. Any hint of such ambition would spell disaster for fragile France.

Yet, actions still needed to be taken. If France wanted to start on the path to healthy development, it first had to rejoin the ranks of normal nations.

Regrettably, the Vienna Government was unwilling to budge, and as for the beneficiary nations of the Anti-French Alliance, there was even less hope.

After some thought, Carlos sighed, “Forget it, now doesn’t seem like the time to talk about this. We’ll wait for the animosity to subside and then look for an opportunity.”

“How is the communication going on the British side, is there any possibility…”

Seeing that the Foreign Minister’s expression was somber, Carlos knew the outlook wasn’t promising, and naturally, he couldn’t continue the conversation.

It made sense, considering the “traditional friendship” of stabbing each other in the back that England and France had honed over centuries.

Relying on the face of the French government to prevent British aircraft from attacking French soil seemed improbable in any light.

…

December 29, 1904, Weather: Clear, Wind Force 2-3, Heavy fog in London…

Looking at the data sent by the meteorological department, Marwin Antonio Chavez, an Air Force admiral, was wearing a grim expression.

Another good day weather-wise, indeed, but sadly, only for the “Calais region”. London was still plagued by its ghostly foggy weather.

In an area where the visibility was less than fifty meters, accurately hitting a target was nearly impossible.

Other than the low hit rate, the more significant issue was the safety of the planes themselves. It wasn’t just easy to get lost, but collisions were also a possibility.

Time waits for no one, and war had already broken out. No matter how great the difficulties faced, the fight had to ensue.

Admiral Marwin: “The core military ports of the British Isles are London, Liverpool, and Aberdeen, where the main forces of the Royal Navy’s domestic fleet also commonly dock.

Our bombing targets are the aforementioned three ports. However, London’s recent weather has been too severe, with very low visibility, making it unsuitable for Air Force operations.

Considering the reality, the domestic decision was to first target Liverpool and Aberdeen. As for London, a symbolic bombardment will suffice, there’s no need to take the risk and go deep.

The related information was distributed to each one of you three days ago. We now begin to formulate a detailed operational plan, striving to…”

Forcing an attack was impossible; London’s foggy weather provided protection. Bombing London was easy, but causing effective damage was extremely difficult.

When a hit rate could not be guaranteed, numbers were the only substitute, but even that wasn’t feasible at the time.

Personnel and aircraft were not something the Shinra Air Force lacked. The issue lay in safety, high-altitude bombing was relatively unaffected by smog; however, once at low altitude, it was tragic – potentially facing total destruction and loss of life at any moment.

It wasn’t wise to engage in a losing trade, and under such circumstances, it was completely justified to shift the bombing target to other British port cities.

The military ports were naturally the first to suffer. The opportunity to take a hit at the Royal Navy presented no reason for refusal.