Chapter 120
Central Cluster Army Group Headquarters, temporary airfield.
The senior officers of the army group were all gathered in the waiting area beside the airfield, chatting in hushed voices.
"This time they're probably urging us to turn south again." General Heinz Wilhelm von Moltke, commander of the Second Armored Cluster and director of the Prossenian tank crews, said to Marshal von Boger, commander of the army group beside him, "But we're already very close to the capital of Ant! To complete the southern encirclement, we need to advance 500 kilometers! But taking the capital only requires 300 kilometers!"
Marshal Boger reassured him: "You're not going to fight those 500 kilometers alone. General Ewald von Steiermark of the First Armored Cluster will also attack from the south*it's a pincer attack! Besides, the south is all vast plains, perfect for tank maneuvering right now."
"But if you attack eastward, you'll face forests, rivers, and enemy fortifications."
General Moltke: "There are rivers in the south too!"
"But most are in the dry season*your tanks can ford them." Marshal Boger paused, then added, "Most of them."
General Moltke: "Fine, maybe there's no major tactical issue with attacking south. But strategically, the timeline for attacking the enemy capital will be significantly delayed! I believe that's a strategic mistake!"
Marshal Boger reassured him: "Calm down. His Majesty is here at the front, so you can present your arguments to him. If you convince him, once your troops are fully resupplied, you can continue advancing toward Saint Yekaterinburg."
General Moltke pursed his lips.
At that moment, a Junkers Tri-engine plane bearing the royal eagle insignia descended from the sky and softly landed on the airfield.
The plane gradually decelerated, then turned and taxied toward the generals.
Ground crew pushed a boarding ladder toward the plane.
The plane stopped right in front of the boarding ladder, its cabin door directly facing it.
General Moltke muttered, "Such pointless formalism!"
Marshal Boger: "Even someone as trusted by His Majesty as you shouldn't say things like that out loud."
General Moltke: "I believe His Majesty has the magnanimity to accept it! That's why I respect him!"
Marshal Boger fell silent*for he couldn't very well say His Majesty lacked such magnanimity.
Just then, the cabin door opened, and Emperor Reinhardt von Hohenzollern of Prossen disembarked with great enthusiasm.
"Ah, my brave generals!" he exclaimed before even reaching them.
The generals all stood at attention and saluted.
The emperor simply waved his hand in response, then began hugging the officers in order of rank.
Once the hugs were done, the emperor began: "I've come this time to consult you! Because I've discovered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity right before us!"
"If we seize this opportunity, it will decisively prove that we Prossen people are the most excellent nation!"
"We'll discuss this opportunity in a more suitable place! Lead the way, Marshal Boger!"
The marshal immediately bowed, and the car that had been prepared nearby drove up.
The marshal personally opened the car door for the emperor, playing the role of attendant without complaint.
No one saw anything wrong with that.
After the emperor got in the car, the others quickly followed, and the motorcade drove straight to the Central Cluster Army Group's headquarters.
Another ten minutes later, the generals were already seated in the headquarters' conference room.
The emperor paced in front of the large map: "You've likely heard*I plan to have General Moltke's armored cluster head south and coordinate with the First Armored Cluster to launch a pincer offensive on the capital of the Kosalia Kingdom*Agsukov!"
General Moltke stood up: "Your Majesty! I'm only 300 kilometers from Saint Yekaterinburg! Give me one more month and I'll be at the city gates!"
The emperor frowned, clearly displeased: "You may know military affairs, but you don't understand economics or politics!"
"We need Agsukov. We need Kosalia's coal, steel, and grain. We need their beef and milk!"
"Also, once the encirclement is complete, a million enemy troops will be destroyed. The Ante Empire will have no troops or morale left to fight us! By then, Saint Yekaterinburg will be nothing but a grape waiting to be plucked!"
As soon as he finished speaking, an attendant brought in freshly washed grapes.
The emperor saw the grapes and was overjoyed. He walked over, plucked one, and said, "See! Grapes! Just like this*pop them right in your mouth! But some of you don't fully grasp the importance of eliminating the enemy's living forces!"
"As things stand, the Ant resistance will last five to six months at most! But destroying their heavy troop cluster at Agsukov will significantly shorten that time!"
"But," General Moltke interjected, "the Ante Empire has always been known for its steamroller tactics. Manpower has never been a problem for them."
The emperor sharply turned around, his golden hair flying from the motion: "That was then! The times have changed! Back then, even the Tsar's gray beasts could be armed with a gun*or even without one!"
"But now, infantry without technical equipment is just garbage*easily wiped out! Poorly trained infantry too!"
"And now, the enemy's heavy troop group at Agsukov has a lot of advanced equipment, including many reports of new tanks!"
"If we don't eliminate this heavy group and instead focus only on attacking Saint Yekaterinburg, then once they recover from our overwhelming assault, they'll be a serious threat! To eliminate that threat, we must destroy them*no exceptions!"
General Moltke hesitated, as if wanting to speak but stopping himself.
The emperor stared at him for a while, then nodded in satisfaction: "Looks like you've realized this now. Defeating the Ante Empire was never difficult*we knew from the beginning that we would defeat them!"
"When we made the offensive plan last December, we knew the war would end within a year*we were clear on that!"
"But victory alone isn't enough! What's important is that we crush them gloriously! Wiping out a million-strong heavy troop cluster in one blow will deeply shock our enemies*make the resisting United Kingdom and the watching United Alliance tremble before us!"
The entire room fell silent.
Someone shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and everyone joined in: "Long live the Emperor!"
Hohenzollern raised his hand slightly to quiet the cheers, then looked again at General Moltke: "What is the current status of the Second Armored Cluster?"
General Moltke immediately replied: "All of our armored divisions ceased combat operations yesterday and entered rest. Before flying here, I received a report that our combat-ready tank count has decreased by 230 vehicles compared to the start of the offensive on June 22."
"230 tanks!" the emperor raised his voice*clearly surprised by the number.
General Moltke quickly explained: "Of those, 110 can be repaired by field teams, and another 50 can be fixed in factories. My young men have already marked the positions of those tanks."
"But of our ten mobile repair regiments, only two have reached the front. The tank repair factory also hasn't reached its designated location. We originally planned to set the tank maintenance center in Cheharovsky, where there's supposed to be a large frontline repair facility that could fix heavily damaged tanks."
"But there's nothing there now."
The emperor frowned: "What's the reason for such slow progress?"
Before General Moltke could answer, Marshal Boger interjected: "The road conditions were far worse than expected. The railways are also in poor shape. We originally planned our logistics based on our domestic railway standards, but the Ante Empire's railway system can only handle 30% of our expected capacity."
"Currently, there are ammo and fuel shortages across the front, so we've had to slow down and wait for resupplies."
The emperor said, "High Command told me it was traffic jams!"
"That's true too," Marshal Boger nodded, "The surface issue is traffic jams, but the deeper reason is poor road conditions. High Command didn't tell you that, probably because they were afraid you'd think they were shirking responsibility."
The emperor's mouth twitched: "Those damned Junker nobles!"
In fact, most of those present were Junker nobles*but they all pretended not to hear.
The emperor asked General Moltke again: "So when can you begin heading south?"
General Moltke: "Currently we're repairing at a rate of ten tanks per day. By August 5, we expect to restore our armored forces to peak readiness. Ammo and fuel will be replenished by then too, and the soldiers will be fully rested and ready to attack again."
The emperor shook his head: "No, no, that's too slow. The enemy's heavy troop group could realize our intentions at any moment. In fact, their current deployments already show signs*they've positioned three tank corps to your south*all brand new."
"Those three corps are clearly meant to delay you. Maybe*maybe they even plan to annihilate your entire cluster and cut off our offensive spearhead!"
General Moltke said confidently: "They won't succeed. Most of Ant's tanks are inferior products. While there are a few noteworthy new tanks, most of them were destroyed before ever engaging us. We're absolutely ahead in armored technology."
The emperor: "Then you should launch the offensive earlier. I believe you must begin by August 2. Your cluster forms the outer ring of the encirclement. The inner ring is the 11th Army's infantry*they'll cross the river and attack here."
"The Southern Army Group will cross the Tiber River here and loop around from the south of Agsukov."
General Moltke: "If we start the attack on the 2nd, some of our divisions will have major tank shortages. After all, our tank losses weren't evenly spread across all divisions!"
"You don't need to worry about that!" The emperor waved his finger back and forth, "I'll reinforce you with the Asgard Knights' Amplar Armored Division and the Asgard Knights' Imperial Guard Division. These are elite units newly formed and destined to become the backbone of our divine kingdom of Asgard!"
Even though everyone present was a soldier, those words still stirred murmurs-after all, rumors had long circulated that the emperor intended to establish a force independent of the Imperial Defense Forces, and this was the first time the rumor had materialized.
The emperor proudly declared: "These units are incredibly elite, commanded by my most trusted Siegfried. They're made up of carefully selected veterans and equipped with the newest weapons. They will crush our enemies!"
As he said this, the emperor clenched both fists to convey his emotion.
General Moltke: "Understood. We'll launch the attack on August 2*no earlier."
"Fine." The emperor agreed readily. "The Battle of Agsukov will end within twenty to thirty days, and then we'll charge toward Saint Yekaterinburg!"
(End of Chapter)