Codegease: Air and Land Warfare 1946

Page 194

"The full statement is: You can't use an army to slay dragons; it requires either well-coordinated adventurers or madmen... and the army that makes up District 45 is composed of well-coordinated madmen..."

Chapter 244, Section 324: Keep Fighting

"Raise the gun!"

"Aim and prepare!"

"shooting!--"

Not long ago, this live broadcast of the execution, accompanied by Elizabeth's commands, was transmitted to every soldier watching.

The charges were similar to those of the people on the list, but their methods of execution were much more swift and decisive. The lowest-ranking officers were sergeants, the highest-ranking officers were lieutenants, and there were even two colonels. They were chained to gray violin-shaped stakes. If it weren't for their ordinary military uniforms or their fancy special uniforms, they would have looked exactly like the criminals executed on television in Area 11.

Does Elizabeth intend to completely reshuffle the entire 45th District Expeditionary Force? And even single-handedly include the Britannian border, just a door away, in the purge? While everyone rejoices at the elimination of these corrupt officials, they can't help but feel a deep fear of this princess with her long white hair.

Of course, in reality, only those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths are truly terrified by this. Those who are truly focused on the front-line battles have long since used their battlefield intuition and judgment to understand the princess's intentions, regardless of their background.

So now is the time for some people to be proud of themselves.

……

"No need for those trivial formalities, soldier."

After Captain Giger finished changing the dressing on his eye injury for the day, he and his men immediately followed orders and arrived at the Capitol, the headquarters of the expeditionary force. He could vaguely make out the girl with a straight posture in front of him.

"This is an honor I bestow upon your entire team, Captain. Listen carefully, this is what you deserve, from every angle."

After Elizabeth helped Kelly with the execution, she immediately summoned the individuals involved and awarded them medals.

“I…I don’t think I deserve this treatment, Your Highness…” Giger’s bandaged face showed dissatisfaction and guilt. “What I want is dignity…”

The princess did not answer him directly. After methodically putting on everyone's medals, she slowly turned around.

How do you define the word you just mentioned?

"Dignity? As a soldier, I cannot live a life of mediocrity. Although I can still see Your Highness's eyes, I absolutely cannot go to the battlefield again... Staying here is no different from waiting to die. Returning home in glory will only lead to mediocrity. Forgive my bluntness, but I believe that what I just pinned to my chest was not honor, but..." Giger hesitated for a long time before uttering the word, "Discharge order..."

“What you say makes sense, Captain. I think that’s why your men are so determined to get justice.” Elizabeth smiled slightly. “So I need to ask you a second question: As a soldier, what is your duty?”

"Fight, for the honor of Britannia; fight, for the brothers and sisters who shed blood alongside me, um..."

“Let me add one more point,” Elizabeth interrupted the captain’s hesitation. “Dignity. It’s not just you. Everyone who wears this uniform needs to prove their abilities on the stage of District 45, right? Even if it means fighting to the death.”

"Yes……"

“Very good, Captain. Now, if I were to give you a chance, you could stop going to the battlefield, but many more people would be inspired by you and your squad, and more and more people would take you as their role model. Would you be willing to accept that?”

"You don't need to comfort me, Your Highness. What is the point of a soldier who cannot kill the enemy?"

"If you fight hard to kill the enemy so that the people around you can survive, then if more people work hard, even more people around you will survive, right?"

"I don't quite understand what you mean, Your Highness."

“I can give you some time to think and make your choice. Go back to where you were before, and come find me when you’ve made up your mind.” Elizabeth patted the captain on the shoulder and handed him a pass to the command center. “Remember, Captain, I’m saving some people’s lives.”

……

"Good afternoon, everyone. May I interview you?" Just as they stepped out of the Capitol Building, Giger and his group were stopped by a strangely dressed figure. "Let me introduce myself. You can call me Uncle Sam. It's a pleasure to meet you all. May I ask your name?"

“Ah… hello…” Giger shook hands with him awkwardly. “Let me introduce my subordinates: my adjutant Lieutenant Torres, this infantry fighting vehicle squad leader Sergeant Sindra, and this is the infantry squad leader Sergeant Kan Hu… to him, he is Chinese.”

"I heard that you were commended by Her Highness the Princess for a brilliant ambush? And I also heard that your voluntary accusation against that knight has received a lot of support, is that true?"

“Yes, yes, yes, our brothers and sisters have long resented those from wealthy families who live a life of luxury on the battlefield,” Kan Hu said bluntly. “Although this has changed somewhat from the beginning, we feel that it would be best to add fuel to the fire. Besides…”

"Besides what?" Clark, bearing the name Uncle Sam, revealed a subtle smile.

“Besides, the one who messed with us this time is supposedly the ace pilot of the Knights of Agincourt, but he doesn’t seem like it at all,” Syndra continued. “He hasn’t shown anything outstanding, but the girls under his command are already quite famous. You might see them a few times on the mainland, but in a place as realistic as District 45, for such an ace to still be alive, I wonder if he stole Kan Hu’s talisman.”

"Huh?" Clark became interested. He had heard that the Chinese people back home sought divination and burned incense for good luck, but he didn't expect it to be the same here.

“Kan Hu used to have a jade pendant with the words ‘Ruian Jixiang’ (meaning ‘Good Fortune and Prosperity’) written on it,” Torres began to explain. “I don’t know if he had a falling out with the gods of District 45, but for a while, the casualty rate among the sergeants and junior officers around him was particularly high. Veterans and key personnel basically couldn’t stay by his side for long, but he was almost immune to injury. Later, I had a conflict with him, and while we were fighting, the Soviet army started their attack. After the battle ended, he discovered that the jade pendant was missing, and he never found it again.”

"After that, Kan Hu would get injured a few times, but the war went better and better. He could happily take a group photo with the other officers and sergeants after capturing a city." Giger smiled for once. "Well, speaking of this, Kan Hu used to teach us to write Chinese characters. He started by writing these four characters on his jade pendant. For a while, Torres probably flipped through the Chinese-English dictionary and kept writing '祥' as '翔'."

“Xiang? It seems to mean flying, right?” Clark chuckled. “Maybe the jade pendant has become sentient from the overuse of the character ‘Xiang’ and is flying to the Hall of Heroes to bring peace to everyone.”

"It seems you know a bit about Chinese culture, sir?" Kan Hu became interested. "Captain, I suggest you take this gentleman on a tour of Berlin during your rest time."

“A tour? Sure, let’s see if you can memorize the streets of Berlin or I can. I have a map of Berlin from south to north and from left to right, and I know the 3.3 kilometers from the Victory Column to Museum Island all too well.”

"Great!" Giger's team perked up. "Let me test you: what's the name of the first north-south street east of the Brandenburg Gate?"

“William Street. I also know what number 77 William Street is.” Clark smiled subtly. “It was the core of Nazi Germany’s rule, not this palace behind you, and there’s no bunker where their leader was hiding right here.”

“Wow, not bad, a 'Sector 45 expert'.” Syndra flicked her earring. “Looks like we have a lot to talk about, sir.”

"Oh, madam, I'm just a bookish scholar who enjoys memorizing maps. I spent four months doing medicine business in District 11, and it also took four months for the expeditionary force to expand into District 45. It's a coincidence, and also a matter of fate."

“You’re nothing like that damn marquess who just walked into the Capitol.” Giger hooked his arm around Clark’s. “Would you mind talking about my topic?”

“I’m just a businessman; I only know about capital and profit.” Clark glanced at the medals on his chest. “But the same principle applies to soldiers, doesn’t it? Now that you have new capital, I suppose your next goal is to get Her Highness the Princess to give you even more capital, right?”

“That’s not all, sir.” As Syndra spoke, a squad of KMFs sped past the group. Judging by their swift speed and the faintly visible insignia, they were likely Vincent of the Knights of Agincourt.

"One day we will stand on equal footing with them and win the supreme honor that belongs to us."

……

“Okay, sisters, we’re back in the blue sky. Captain and Lilizia aren’t here, so I’ll have to lead the team again.” Angeli nervously led her squad through the air. “First, let’s go over the mission: the ground forces are being ambushed by Soviet troops on the highway from Yamlitz to Guben. We need to help them eliminate the ground targets. Ipel will be in charge, with Julie providing cover. At the same time, watch out for approaching Soviet aircraft. Shishian and I will be on guard.”

“Understood! Also…” Xixi’an replied, “Congratulations on your promotion to lieutenant.”

"Hey, you can't use rank as a weapon... Are everyone's weapons and equipment alright?"

Well, they did attract some attention when they flew over the Brandenburg Gate, because such a heavily modified squad is rare in any knightly order—they were all dressed in the original Vincent outfits, while some elite squads of knightly orders only had time to use the emasculated Vincent Ward.

Angelie's blue-green aircraft was armed with two machine guns. The MVS sword and scabbard on her back had been removed and replaced with a pair of retractable multi-missile launchers—supposedly to solve the problem of machine guns being unable to deal with tanks and her own lack of skill in using recoilless rifles. She also understood that dealing with fighter jets was somewhat of a matter of luck.

Shishian's sky-blue Vincent was no different from the others, with all melee weapons removed and replaced by a pair of machine guns—according to the engineers, the ammunition was compatible with infantry fighting vehicles. Juliet's dark green vehicle was even more ordinary, with a shield and machine gun; one might mistake it for a police vehicle, although the shield had a strange appearance, constantly emitting a bluish-green glow.

Well, before the real fighting started, the Ypel was probably the most eye-catching and flamboyant weapon. To put it simply: it was a recoilless gun with an extended barrel and a rotary magazine, with a pair of machine guns connected in parallel to the front of the barrel, and of course, a dazzling hadron cannon launching device and its power supply system.

"So, can Ypel's hadron cannon win against Her Highness Princess Lancelot?" Shisian suddenly thought of this question.

"Of course not, let me show you."

Flying to the top of a secluded jungle, unlike the princess's long spear that swept across the sky, the chaotic clumps that landed beneath Ypel resembled water-filled balloons, slowly falling and exploding into clusters of dark chrysanthemums.

“The cost of an unconverged hadron cannon is much lower, but its range, trajectory, and initial velocity mean it's no longer effective against air targets.” Ipel chuckled. “Well, call me when you need indirect fire or encounter a Minotaur, hehe.”

As they spoke, the radios of the four men suddenly began to roar.

"Lieutenant Angelie, please be aware that we are currently engaged in dogfights with Soviet aircraft, and several of them are heading in your direction. Please be careful!"

"Received, you too..." Before the words were finished, a gust of air, like a blade, passed through the four of them. If Angeli hadn't rolled in time, the flight wing would have been cut off by the machine gun ammunition belt.

"Is everyone alright? Enemy planes are... oh my god..." The four looked in the direction of the phantoms flying across the sky and spotted a familiar figure.

With its pristine white paint, dense red dots under the cockpit, and three Soviet Hero Medals, a rather large black-and-white photograph is pasted between the red five-pointed star and the number "27" on the rear half of the fuselage. Upon closer inspection, it is none other than the Tristan that was frequently dodging this La-7 fighter jet in the lens of the camera gun. It has returned!

"All air squadrons, Level One Alert! Attention! Silver Dove is in the sky! Repeat! Silver Dove in the sky!"

Chapter 245, Section 325: So Wet and Salty

Silver Dove is an eagle; when he soars through the sky, the shadow he casts on the ground is terrifying.

Silver Pigeon is also a hunter. While you challenge and chase him in the air, he hides himself in the forest of white clouds, looking for an opportunity to hunt.

His challengers either died by gunfire or returned empty-handed, repeating the same thing day after day.

"Corporal Ypel, are you alright? We are approaching you from the west."

"No, it's okay."

Ypel and Juliet's plane slowly emerged from the woods, glancing meaningfully back and forth between the ground troops who had come to meet them and the sky.

Alas, perhaps his weapon was indeed too conspicuous; maybe there was a second photo of Ypel's aircraft in the cockpit of the Silver Dove. He and his two wingmen forced the corporal to abandon his flight wing and hide in the woods, too afraid to come out. Juliet also stayed close to her, keeping an eye on the sound of the Silver Dove's engine from the shelter of the tree canopy.

It's not her fault; this gear wasn't designed for aerial combat. This put Angelie and Xixi'an in a difficult position, as being outnumbered two to three put them at a disadvantage. Silver Dove also stopped engaging them and flew towards the Soviet-occupied zone on the east bank of the Oder River. If Angelie hadn't used up most of her missiles to shoot down a wingman, Silver Dove's challenge list would have had another blank spot.

……

"Huh, not bad."

"What do you mean, Major?"

"Although Lieutenant Angelie and her team failed to capture the Silver Dove, they did manage to shoot down their wingman without suffering any real losses themselves. Of course, this might be thanks to their new aircraft, the Vincent. Even with the Vincent Ward, which has a slightly inferior engine, it would be difficult to replicate what just happened."

Major Mayer and Lieutenant Mayer, chatting idly, were patrolling the skies near the Baltic Sea with other KMF units. They had just finished watching combat footage sent by other units and couldn't help but frown at it.

"Do you mean those knightly orders, or the usual ones?"

“Others might be, but these four definitely aren’t… This confrontation will be remembered by everyone, and Silver Dove will no longer be a thorn in the side of the heavens.” The major paused. “Alright, discussion over. Let’s continue with our duties.”

Major Maier's squadron of soldiers flew more than 50 kilometers northeast of Rostock, presenting two contrasting scenes: one below and one in the distance.

Rügen Island, about 40 kilometers to the east, has once again become a battlefield, but peace will soon return. The arrival of reinforcements not only solves the problem of the expeditionary force's inability to withstand the offensive of the United States, the Soviet Union and Great Britain, but also makes its operations in Germany much easier. Now, the road from Szczecin to Berlin is completely blocked, and the Soviet troops stationed on Rügen Island are left with only the options of holding out or fleeing.

With the silver dove in the air, compared to Rügen Island in the Baltic Sea, the landing and capture of this island was already a certainty, and the hammer and sickle flag would soon be swept away from the northern seas.

On the one hand, the island's firing positions have been largely eliminated, while on the other hand, the Soviet Baltic Fleet's firing positions, which are still at sea, remain intact, so we must prepare to strike them again.

This is what's happening right under their noses. The destroyers Ritzia and Annacelle, which were previously unable to continue sailing on the dangerous ocean due to the mines scattered around the port, are still lying on the shore where they were forced to run aground, with ropes tied around their bodies. They are being slowly towed back into the sea by their own soldiers using small boats and engineering vehicles. Major Maier and his team are responsible for guarding the airspace to ensure the safety of the two destroyers.

Perhaps due to the Emperor's favor, or perhaps because the enemy's aircraft were also stretched thin, only the stern flight deck and hangar of the HMS Ritsia were left in ruins, while the HMS Anna Seiler was hit by a single shell amidships. During the time the two destroyers were stranded and exposed to the sun, they were only approached once and twice by small squadrons of light and medium bombers from the Royal Air Force and the Soviet Air Force, respectively, using level bombing.

Thanks to being stranded in Britannia's occupied territory, there was time to transfer all the ammunition and equipment from the ships. At the same time, after the air attack, the land-based logistics team, which was specially hidden nearby, would rush out to put out the fires on the two warships. The two destroyers miraculously survived and did not suffer irreparable damage.

Now that the mines in Rostock harbor have been detonated and the port's reconstruction, which has been fraught with difficulties, is nearing completion, they not only want to bring the abandoned children back but also expand their maritime family. So they acquired two new destroyers, the Cassrow and the Ezogon, to survey the seas and prepare to tow the stranded sisters back into the waves.

"So, Major, do you know what those captains are planning to do next?"

“If you can guarantee confidentiality, Lieutenant,” Mayer smiled faintly, “go back and prepare a bookshelf; you might need a few more dictionaries.”

……

Three days later, a military telegram was delivered to the Swedish Royal Navy's Karlsruhe naval base and placed on the Minister of the Navy's desk.

"Your Excellency Vice Admiral Helge Strombeck."

"While on patrol about 20 nautical miles south of Fort Trelleborg, we encountered a fishing vessel named Yuna anchored on the sea. According to the report from the sailors who went aboard in a small boat, there were no people on board and no signs of a struggle. However, we found an unexploded bomb in the cargo hold, as well as some trampling marks resembling those of a large animal and puncture marks that caused slight water seepage into the hull. The ship's nautical charts were also missing."

"Before we arrived at the fishing boat, the observer reported seeing an anomaly in the direction of the fishing boat. The initial assessment was that an aircraft hovered vertically above the fishing boat before quickly leaving. We have contacted our Danish allied personnel and confirmed that in the early hours of this morning, their patrol boats spotted a Britannian Empire warship in international waters, along with aircraft taking off from above and dropping objects into the sea."

"Based on our summary of information, we can preliminarily conclude that the fishermen on board were likely taken hostage. As for the footprints and piercing marks left on the fishing boat, they are very likely left by the amphibious humanoid weapon 'KMF' and its grappling hook that the Soviet army warned us about in early February. This is in reference to the fact that a fishing boat also went missing in Danish waters under the jurisdiction of the Western Allies two days ago."

"To this day, this country from another world has caused considerable damage to Germany and the US and Soviet troops stationed there. Considering its actions in the Baltic Sea over the past three days, it cannot be ruled out that Britannia has ambitions to advance into Scandinavia. It is recommended that naval forces be deployed in a timely manner and civilian shipping lanes be restricted to ensure the safety of the Swedish coastal areas and its people."

"—The Swedish Royal Navy Coastal Fleet destroyer Visby is sending a message."

Chapter 246, Section 326: Arm Wrestling Time

A Britannian armed transport plane crashed into this hill, its broken fuselage and shattered wings lying there like jagged rocks, the embers still burning and billowing acrid black smoke that engulfed the dawn.

Only a rustling sound like a mouse could be heard, followed by the sound of the cockpit door closing to the ground with the thud of the high-pressure valve, and Anton jumped out with his SVT40 rifle on his back.

"The inspection is complete, Captain."

"Okay, take your things and let's keep going."

A group of dozens of Soviet soldiers crawled out of the monstrous carcass, carrying some supplies they had scavenged from the plane, and followed the captain south. They had not come here specifically because they had no means of transport; on the contrary, most of their comrades were focused on the large number of wounded soldiers accompanying the army.

Everything that had happened before was clearly written in their wounds and the charcoal black on their faces; they were just a defeated company with no one to rely on.

If one had to use some words to describe it, then the Britannian Empire, which challenged the Soviet Red Army two or three months ago, was like a hyena barking at a pack of wolves. Now, facing the hammer and sickle flag, it's like two entire colonies of irreconcilable ants fighting each other.

"Almost," "Just a little bit," "Just a tiny bit short"—these phrases appeared many times in Anton's diary. For the past few months, the great Soviet Red Army had always been just one step away from victory. Perhaps it was the cautiousness in their hearts that was at play, or perhaps they had indeed underestimated the invaders who had come from afar. One defeat after another followed the increasing mystery and tenacity of their opponents.

“We are standing on the land we conquered in 1945, yet we are experiencing the hardships our motherland endured in 1942.” At dawn, Anton wrote these words in his diary, expressing his feelings.

He was just a company commander, a captain; he wouldn't be the one to decide the course of the battle. Infantry lacking heavy weapons were no match for the enemy's overwhelming numbers of humanoid weapons and tank units—it was a drop in the ocean. His responsibility was to call for fire on his defensive position, then, draped in the red flag, safely lead the remaining comrades back to the rear.

……

"Is it still usable?" Anton turned around and walked backwards, asking urgently the question the comrades were holding.