OBS Chapter 916 Dragon Legion
Chapter 916 Dragon Legion
Chapter 916 Dragon Legion
Prussia.
William's expression turned somewhat grim after Lothar's army assembled in Danzig.
"Captain, are you planning to lead this army, which seems to have traveled from the Middle Ages, to help us defeat the million-strong Russian army on the Eastern Front?"
William felt he had been fooled.
Admittedly, the Eastern Front was not as brutal as the Western Front. With land cruisers, airships, and airship motherships, an infantry division could be thrown in and wiped out in a single morning.
However, the most basic chainsaw guns, armored infantry, and magic-powered firearms are still plentiful. In addition, the Russian army has built a large number of fortifications and fortresses on the defensive line in recent years. If a strong attack is launched, these troops, who are still in the era of cold weapons, may collapse in one encounter.
That was, after all, a behemoth that once dominated Europe and defeated Napoleon, the recognized fourth great power in the world, not those colonial natives.
Moreover, even the natives of the colonies have now begun to equip themselves with firearms in large quantities.
"Please be patient, Lord Xuan."
Lothar gave William a deep look. As expected of the second William, who was known for his irritability and impulsiveness in his previous life, he was still so impatient even at his age.
Since he was able to help Texas defeat the British Expeditionary Force, he shouldn't think that's all he's capable of.
"William, you're still the same."
There was no hint of disappointment in Viviana's tone—as was always her way.
But William wasn't really a fool; he just instinctively felt disgusted by Lothar, the man who had abducted his sister and disappeared for decades. Even he himself didn't think there was any reason for this disgust.
That was a decision made by my father, and now it has benefited the entire family. If we can really use this to defeat the Russian army on the Eastern Front, we will have the foundation to realize Hohenzollern's great ideal.
What complaints could I possibly have?
He calmed himself down and asked sincerely, "I apologize for my outburst. So, Captain, what trump card do you have that gives you the confidence to help us defeat the Russian forces on the Eastern Front?"
Lothar shook his head and smiled, "Your Highness will know the specifics on the day the attack is launched."
"Let's just assume it's an airborne fleet that has gotten rid of its slow speed and weak anti-air capabilities."
Wilhelm was also a monarch, and Berlin's military industry also produced steam airships. He was well aware of the weaknesses of such large and expensive air force equipment.
"War machines from the future?"
Lothar said noncommittally, "It is indeed a war machine that does not belong to this era."
...
Preparing a large-scale offensive plan is by no means a simple matter.
The most pressing issue was the supply of materials.
Although the Knights Order is ranked among the second strongest, it is adjacent to the Kingdom of De and benefits from its strong support, possessing a good technological and industrial base. Its national strength can be regarded as a large Belgium.
However, despite a decent industrial base, the population, resources, and raw materials are absolutely insufficient due to the limitations of the land area.
In terms of war potential, the Knights Order was simply not qualified to compete with the giant bear that was Tsarist Russia.
But Wilhelm was unaware of what had happened in the Viennese court. Emperor Franz, who had previously been unwilling to support the Eastern Front, unexpectedly dispatched a large number of reinforcements from the Western Front and authorized the Eastern Army Command to take command of all troops on the Eastern Front.
This is an army of nearly two million! In the past, William would never have dared to even dream of such a thing.
Losa, seeing William's surprised expression, wasn't particularly surprised.
Franz was certainly not someone Rudolf could persuade; he simply realized that Losa's will was unchangeable and that he would never turn around and help him fight on the Western Front, and he came to terms with reality.
At this point in the war, it would be good enough to win.
With Lothar's help, the chances of victory on the eastern front are very high. No matter how much he doesn't want to see the Hohenzollern family's plan come true and create a north-south divide in Demacia, he can't afford to hold them back.
It would be better to invest more resources so that the credit for the victory on the Eastern Front is not entirely attributed to the Hohenzollern family.
However, such a large-scale troop and supply mobilization could not be kept secret from the Allied Powers.
Since the outbreak of the war, the intelligence war between the two sides has been raging in secret.
They quickly realized that the Allies were planning a major offensive on the Eastern Front. While intensifying their offensive on the Western Front, they also dispatched a large fleet of transport ships to deliver a large amount of military equipment to the Russian army via the Black Sea route.
France's wealth in this world was truly immense. Not only were its French, Spanish, and North African colonies connected, but they were also connected by the Sahara Railway, enabling it to extract massive amounts of resources from its West African colonies. If the British fleet hadn't blockaded its Atlantic shipping lanes, the German Empire would have inevitably fallen into defeat sooner or later if the conflict had continued.
"Your Excellency Marshal, good news!"
The staff officer strode over holding a telegram. William took it and glanced at it, his pupils dilating in shock: "Good, excellent! Those cowardly and incompetent Ottomans have finally done something worthy of their ancestors' fame!"
The telegram stated that as French transport ships were about to pass through the Bosphorus Strait, Ottoman coastal defenses on both sides of the strait opened fire simultaneously. The two sides fought fiercely all night, ultimately sending most of the French transport ships into the sea.
Although the Ottomans soon suffered a bloody reprisal from the Black Sea Fleet and the French fleet, they had prepared for war for so many years and managed to withstand the pressure, firmly locking down the Bosphorus Strait, this vital waterway.
Just then, the regimental commander rushed into the command post with a telegram in hand.
The uncle and nephew exchanged a glance and said in unison, "The fighter jets have arrived!"
They stood together in front of the sand table: "Captain, we plan to concentrate thousands of light and heavy artillery pieces to bombard the enemy's defenses along the line from Gorlitze to Tarnov. After weakening the enemy's defenses, we will concentrate all our mobile forces to make a key breakthrough, penetrate and encircle them, and try to trap all the Russian troops in the Polish region within the encirclement!"
The Allies had a considerable number of troops on the Eastern Front, but to distribute them across the entire long front, the number of troops that could be drawn, plus the three armored divisions and seven infantry divisions drawn from the Western Front, was only about 300,000.
The Knights of the East possessed a formidable cavalry force. The massive land cruisers did not replace the ancient mobile force of cavalry, although in the application of warfare at this time, cavalrymen had gradually transformed into "mobile infantry."
The designation of lancers only remained as a ceremonial unit, or it was merely a designation that was retained.
This mobile corps has six cavalry divisions, totaling 80,000 men. It is equipped with a large number of light and heavy artillery pieces, a small number of land cruisers, and even many airships for air cover.
In addition, there is a special force called the "Storm Commando," which has as many as 20,000 men. They are all elite troops personally trained by the Grand Commander and equipped with the most advanced weapons and equipment in all of Prussia.
Lothar said thoughtfully, "Focus on key breakthroughs, then weave in and encircle; it's kind of like a blitzkrieg."
A cavalry division, land cruisers are like an armored group, and his dragon legion can reliably seize air superiority. What is this if not a blitzkrieg?
William clapped his hands and laughed, "Blitzkrieg? I like that name. The armies of Germany and Prussia will strike the enemy's heart like lightning!"
"Does the captain have any other suggestions?"
Lothar smiled and shook his head. He was a complete layman when it came to warfare in this era. He only knew the term "blitzkrieg" and didn't have the ability to add anything extra to someone else's battle plan that they had carefully prepared for months.
The commander solemnly declared, "This offensive is not aimed at crushing Tsarist Russia in one fell swoop, but at the very least, it is to take over the enemy forces in the entire Polish region and annihilate a million enemy troops!"
"This is our only chance of victory on the Eastern Front!"
The Kaiser and his advisors and staff always believed that Tsarist Russia was more difficult to defeat than France because Tsarist Russia had a vast territory and the largest population among the great powers after deducting its colonies.
By the standards of trench warfare in that era, one line of enemy defense was defeated, but there were many more lines to follow.
Soldiers retreating from the front lines can regroup and rely on new defensive lines to resist enemy attacks.
On the western front, advancing the front by a few kilometers each time came at a huge cost, but what about on the eastern front?
Even if we advance 100 kilometers, we're still far from Moscow.
This is also what the commander is most worried about. If they fail to break through the enemy's defenses quickly, the offensive will fail again.