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Chapter 431: Slap in the face
Sometimes when you talk too much, the slap in the face comes quickly. Claude had just finished saying that he was glad that he had not loyal to Prince Hansbach and become a traitor, but he saw General Bolognik, General Skerry, General Albert Lund and General Bichklin all looking at him with strange expressions. Then General Skerry found another newspaper from the pile of newspapers on the table and handed it to Claude: "You'd better read the report here first..."
It was a newspaper from the Nasseri Kingdom, the sworn enemy of the Overas Kingdom, and was called the Herald Tribune. It was also published more than three months ago. It must have been bought by a certain captain or someone, brought to the ship to read, and then thrown on the ship. Colonel Bockal purchased various newspapers at high prices, so this long-expired newspaper was also brought over.
The above report is very interesting. The title is Cheering for the arrival of peace. The content is to celebrate that the Kingdom of Ovelas has returned from its lost ways, changed its ways, turned confrontation into cooperation, and created a new chapter of peace with the Kingdom of Nasseri. There was a reason for their cheers, because Stirling XI, Prince Wedelek, sent an envoy to sign a treaty with the Kingdom of Nasseri, bringing together the counties of Cafilezte, Ruston Keren and Berta. Arnia County, as well as Woodnisia County captured during the five-year war in the eastern region, were returned to the Kingdom of Nasseri...
During the reign of Sterling IX and Sterling X, the previous kings of the Kingdom of Ovelas, there were three wars with the Kingdom of Nasseri. The Kingdom of Ovelas came to the capital of the Kingdom of Nasseri twice. . Kafirezte County, Ruston Keren County and Berta Alnia County were originally the territories of the Kingdom of Nasseri. During the third war between the two countries, the Kingdom of Nasseri sued for peace and was unable to afford war compensation. The result was These three counties were forcibly annexed by the Kingdom of Overas.
This is also the reason why the Kingdom of Nasseri has become the mortal enemy of the Kingdom of Ovilas. During the five-year war in the eastern region, the Red Dragon Legion of the Kingdom of Ovilas once again occupied the Woodnisia County of the Kingdom of Nasseri. After the war, it never returned. If it is returned to the Nasseri Kingdom, no one can pay the ransom and can only use the territory to pay off the debt. However, these four counties have always been difficult to manage on the border. It is easy for the residents to start a rebellion against the Kingdom of Ovilas under the secret instigation of the Kingdom of Nasseri...
Fortunately, there was analysis of current affairs below this report, which allowed Claude to understand why Prince Wedelek did what he did. It's very simple. In order to get rid of the burden, and at the same time to avoid fighting on two fronts, give up all the territories that can't bring you any profits or even invest money to maintain local order, and concentrate all the elite forces to calm down the domestic prince Hansback first. rebel and eliminate his rivals for the throne.
In late May of this year, the troops of Prince Hansback and Prince Wedelek finally had a large-scale confrontation, with both sides attacking and defending each other. This is not the traditional battle mode on the continent of Farea where troops are gathered and marched in line to be shot to determine the outcome, but a trench position where both sides build defensive fronts and attack each other in an attempt to attack one point and force the entire defensive front to collapse. battle mode.
The fighting was extremely fierce. The positions of both sides were intertwined like canine teeth. Projectiles were flying all over the sky. Hand-to-hand fighting lasted from morning to night. Dead bodies and mutilated limbs were everywhere on the position. It's just that the positions of both sides have good in-depth protection. Even if the first line of defense fails, the following lines of defense can withstand the enemy's assault. The fighting lasted for more than a month, and both sides suffered heavy casualties, with each side suffering between 100 and 200,000 casualties. In the end, even ammunition could not be supplied, and they had to cease the war to recover...
In terms of combat effectiveness, the troops under the command of Prince Hansback were much stronger than those of Prince Wedelek. Even Prince Hansback's commanding ability gave the troops a lot of combat power bonus. But the problem is as Marshal Michelich said, the current war is about logistics. Prince Wedelek's troops, supported by the military industry of an established aristocratic family, had much more supplies than the enemy. If the enemy threw a grenade, they would throw three or four to fight back.
Prince Hansback's troops are invincible in hand-to-hand combat. As long as they charge into the position, the position will soon change hands. But Prince Wiederek's troops also had experience. As soon as a certain position fell, they would immediately organize a grenade team to throw hundreds of grenades at that position. As a result, it was Prince Hansback who suffered heavy casualties. My troops...
This positional offensive and defensive battle, known as the "June Bloody Battle", seemed to have no winner or loser between the two sides, but the actual situation was not very good for Prince Hansback. Whether it was the recruitment of soldiers or the supply of ammunition, He couldn't even compare to Prince Wedelek. After the war, he had to voluntarily abandon the four local counties on the defensive front and shrink his troops to Bailu City. He relied on the danger to defend himself, hoping to rely on the strategic location to block the troops sent by Prince Wedelek to pursue him in the mountains. Between the mountains, he could buy time for his side to recover.
And even if Prince Wedelek regained four local counties, his life would not be easy. You must know that he has now relied on loans to raise military expenses. From the map, Prince Hansback occupies the newly occupied territory in the northeastern part of the kingdom and the three counties in the southwest, while Prince Wedelek occupies the middle territory of the kingdom. Although the middle territory is the essence of the Kingdom of Overas, a "June Bloody War" has injured these local counties involved in the war. It is far away to restore their vitality. Now it is no longer possible to provide Prince Wedelek. What a help.
Prince Wedelek was not stupid. He knew very well that he could not give Prince Hansback time to recover and should pursue him fiercely to force him to leave the three southwest counties. However, the Great Prince Hansback is currently entrenched in White Deer City, which is the place where the former King Sterling IX was resurrected. Prince Wedelek is absolutely unwilling to let the Great Prince Hansback become the second Sterling IX.
However, the mountains and roads in Bailu City are high and dangerous. When the Imperial Guards are not dispatched and the half-disabled Red Dragon Legion needs to rest and recuperate, sending the local second-line army to attack would be to kill Prince Hansback. The best fighting force in the Mountain Warfare Kingdom is the Griffin Legion. However, the Griffin Legion is deployed in the Odin Mountains to block the attack of the two standing legions in the newly occupied territory, and there is no time to deploy it to attack White Deer City.
It was at this moment that Prince Wedelek decided to return the territory of the four counties of his mortal enemy the Kingdom of Nasseri, because not only were these four border counties unproductive, but the kingdom also needed to invest a large amount of military expenditures every year to maintain local security and suppress riots. . Just like the Red Dragon Legion, they have been stationed in Berta Arnia County on the border to prevent and pressure the Kingdom of Nasseri.
Another important reason is that the four border counties of the Nasseri Kingdom have been returned, so that the Griffin Legion stationed in the Odin Mountains can withdraw boldly with confidence. Even if the two standing legions left by Prince Hansback in the newly occupied territory occupied the Odin Mountains, they would not pose a threat to the kingdom. Because the Cafilezite County in front of them has become the territory of the Kingdom of Nasseri, unless they want to go to war with the Kingdom of Nasseri, they will no longer be able to attack the kingdom's mainland by land... .
This is a good thing that kills three birds with one stone for Prince Wedelek. First, he has lost his burden and will no longer need to invest military expenditures and suppression funds in the four border counties in the future. The second is to mobilize the Griffin Legion back, so that they can continue to attack White Deer City where Prince Hansback is entrenched. The third is to eliminate the danger of the kingdom being attacked from both sides. Even if Prince Hansback escapes from White Deer City and returns to the newly occupied territory, he will find that the newly occupied territory is no longer connected to the kingdom's mainland. He must first occupy the Kafirezt County that has belonged to the Kingdom of Nasseri before he can pose a threat to the kingdom...
Of course, this matter also has great disadvantages, because it is equivalent to Prince Wedelek throwing away all the fruits of war victory obtained by the previous kings Sterling IX and Sterling X. He will become the history of the kingdom. The famous prodigal king. However, Prince Wedelek never cared about whether he was infamous. What he cared about was driving away or eliminating Prince Hansback from the kingdom so that he could secure the throne.
The Herald Tribune's report and analysis are very detailed and the arguments and arguments are beyond doubt. It can be seen that the person who wrote this analysis report has a very good vision and level.
Claude put down the newspaper and was silent. He only felt the burning pain on his face. This slap in the face was so hard. Prince Hansback only released about 300,000 Hicks prisoners, but Prince Wedelek, who was regarded as king by the generals in the war zone, sent four border counties to the sworn enemy Kingdom of Nasseri in one fell swoop. . Although I don’t know if there is any inside story about this treaty, I think it is nothing more than an amount of compensation...
The question is, can these territories be compensated with a sum of money? In the eyes of the kingdom's orthodox soldiers, Prince Wedelek's move is to throw away all the sacrifices and blood that the kings have paid for these territories over the years. He is not only wasting his fortune, but trampling under his feet all the national war honors that the Kingdom of Ovelas has gained since Sterling IX, and throwing away the glory and splendor of nearly a million heroes who died on the battlefield... . ...
Among other things, when the kingdom's mainland and the newly occupied territory are no longer connected by land, it means that Prince Wedelek has legally given up his right to rule the newly occupied territory. At the cost of more than 600,000 military casualties and more than 20 years of national financial accumulation, the Kingdom of Ovelas fought a five-year war with the five anti-Austrian countries in the eastern part of the Farea continent, wiping out three principalities. The new territory we just occupied...
Now all the territories of these three principalities have been lost to Prince Hansback by Prince Wedelek. He does not care whether Prince Hansback establishes a new country on the newly occupied territory or treats the newly occupied territory as a new country. It is the base for counterattack on the kingdom's homeland. Prince Wedelek only asked that Prince Hansback be driven out of the kingdom as soon as possible so that he could close the door and become his king comfortably. As for the strong objections and protests from the kings, he completely ignored them.
General Bolognik let out a long sigh, breaking the silence and awkwardness in the conference room. He said with a wry smile: "The two brothers fought for the throne and fought to the death. The late King Sterling X vigorously developed the overseas territory of Nubisia Continent, and now it has such a scale. It also used more than 20 years of treasury Accumulated, eliminated three principalities, occupied a large area of new territory, and established the eternal foundation for the kingdom to dominate the eastern part of the continent.
As a result, the two princes were more ruined than the other. Prince Hansback asked us to transfer our overseas direct jurisdiction to the Kingdom of Hicks. Prince Wedelek even gave four border counties to our kingdom’s mortal enemy, the Nasseri Kingdom, and also gave up his authority to rule over the newly occupied territories. The achievements of the kingdom's foreign expansion in the past hundred years have been completely thrown away by these two brothers.
As a soldier of the kingdom, it is our sorrow to encounter such two masters, but this is not a reason for us to give up our duties. As long as we still wear this military uniform, we will protect our overseas territories from being invaded by the enemy. Regardless of whether the Kingdom of Hicks has assembled ten standing legions this time, we must do our best to defeat them.
The situation is now obvious, and you also understand the current situation in the kingdom. I believe that even if Prince Wedelek wins in the end, we will not be able to get any support or help from him. He may even send a special envoy from Overseas territories collected money for him. Therefore, we should not place our hopes on this prince. We should find a way to rely on our own strength... "
General Skerry nodded: "The only thing our overseas territorial theater can rely on now is ourselves. Almost all newspapers in the West Coast colonies are not optimistic about the final victory of our theater. After all, the Kingdom of Hicks has assembled ten people this time. There are a standing legion of more than 600,000 troops, five of which are made up of veteran captives who are ready to come to avenge humiliation. There are also five standing legions that Mechid III used after assessing the rebellion of the nobles in the country. The private army is composed of young men from noble territories, and they all have a certain fighting capacity.
For some countries, these more than 600,000 troops are already capable of destroying the country. The Hicks Kingdom is preparing to devote all of them to the next colonial war. It should also be considered that they suffered disastrous defeats in the first three colonial wars. lesson. Therefore, leasing the Fox Islands United Kingdom's Rodex Bay Colony, gathering all their forces and relying on strong combat power to push southward is their best tactic. The Kingdom of Hicks knows very well where the weaknesses of our directly-administered war zone lie. We cannot get support from the Kingdom itself and can only use the strength of two legions to resist their attack. They can wear us down even with a war of attrition. All... "
"So we must first occupy the northern coastal mountainous area, build a solid defensive front based on the terrain, and rely on depth and advanced weapons to block the attack of the enemy's ten standing legions. If the Nikancha people are ignorant, I don't mind destroying this Nikancha first. "Protect the country" General Beachlin repeated his old tune again.
However, this time it was not General Albert's turn to refute. Claude looked at General Beachlin coldly: "Why are you so sure that the ten standing legions of the Hicks Kingdom will come from the north?" Move south from the coastal mountainous area. If you occupy the northern coastal mountainous area, build a defensive line, and deploy troops to prepare for defensive position battles, but the Hicks bypass your defense line and do not move south from the northern coastal mountainous area. Then what should you do? You have offended the Nikancha people for this and added a mortal enemy to our war zone. Do you dislike us for not dying fast enough?"
"Yes, but if the Hicks don't come south from the northern coastal mountainous area, how can they still fly over from the sea?" General Beachlin murmured in retort, but he knew that Claude had a stronger strategic vision than him. , you must have seen something wrong to criticize yourself like this.
Claude stood up and walked to the large map on the wall, and knocked on the mountainous area on the eastern border of Rodex Bay Colony with his fist: "Don't forget that most of the inland colonies of the Hicks Kingdom are in this direction, damn Nikan The Chariots have not yet completely conquered this inland colony. If the Kingdom of Hicks gathers its troops to march, it must first rescue their immigrants and mineral developers who are besieged in the inland colony. Commercial Bank Base...
In addition, they are also mortal enemies with the Nikancha people. For the Hicks Kingdom, the Nikancha people are slaves of their rebellion. The Nikancha people occupying their colonies and establishing an independent country is a humiliation to the Hicks Kingdom. So I think they will leave our war zone aside, eliminate this Nikancha country first, teach these Nikancha slaves, and regaining the entire inland colony is the first priority. "
Claude looked at General Beachlin again: "If you occupy the northern coastal mountainous area and build a defensive front, the Hicks can completely ignore this area. They can get a breakthrough from the eastern mountainous area, as long as they occupy After conquering the Nikancha people's country and regaining the inland colonies, they can choose another route to enter our direct territorial war zone... "