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"Excuse me, Your Excellency." Shells were still falling all around, and fighter jets and KMFs were flying low over the road. The reporter was still getting used to this "strange" battlefield and even held the microphone upside down when he handed it to the general.
"You asked me what we're going to do next, right?" Gabriel answered the reporter's question. "We've decided to press our advantage, go along the highways of Congo, and wipe out the entire EU back to the border of Zambia and Tanzania. Congo will be ours, from now on."
"Don't you think you're being too arrogant, General?" The reporter's question was clearly malicious. "After all, expelling the entire EU is no easy task, and with this land in such chaos, shouldn't you consider the feelings of the soldiers?"
“Soldiers? Oh, I do need to apologize.” Gabriel smiled sheepishly. “I’m just a general in charge of planning battles. How many enemies we kill, how far the Britannian flag can advance on the battlefield—these specific things are all thanks to the soldiers. And it seems like I’ve been taking the spotlight on them all along.”
The general and marshal stepped back, waving their hands and exchanging pleasantries with the passing soldiers—who, despite being covered in mud and blood, were in high spirits and beaming with joy, as if they were hunters who had returned from hell and had just finished a satisfying hunt.
“Let’s go, Your Excellency Gabriel,” the marshal said, putting his arm around the general and preparing to slip away. “Let’s see how many medals the EU’s scrap metal can melt down for the soldiers.”
"Hey! General! Marshal! The interview isn't over yet!"
“You should point the camera at those people, ladies!” The two women waved their hands lightly, pointing casually to the side at the ordinary but brave soldiers passing by. “Give the frontline soldiers a few more headlines, and they’ll surely fight their way across the Nile and plant the Empire’s lion and serpent flag on the pyramids!”
……
This unique and novel battlefield interview stood out in the usual news segment about the deteriorating relations between the Chinese Federation and the Empire.
Not only were the 38th Army's achievements tremendous, but Gabriel and Auchindoun's concise praise for the ordinary soldiers was also a rare sight in footage usually dominated by officials and nobles.
"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" The people of the Empire, having only half-understood the Chinese spoken by the people of the Federation, flocked to the Empire's recruitment offices throughout the country, practically flattening the thresholds. The young people who entered the recruitment offices shouting "For His Majesty the Emperor" were gradually replaced by those shouting "Send me to Africa to fight alongside the 38th Army," and fewer and fewer of them did so.
"It's a bit ridiculous, but in this way, the problem of the reserve troops that Brother Schneizel needs due to his falling out with the Federation is solved, right? So my sister and I can also get a share of the spoils?"
Kylier has been sleeping soundly these past few days. Not only did the Marshal and his men bring honor to the expeditionary force, but yesterday Suzaku also brought back an unexpected surprise—the Black Knights' ace pilot, Red Moon Kallen, along with her personal aircraft, the Red Lotus Flying Machine, were captured in the Chinese Federation and brought back to be imprisoned in the central cell of the Tokyo Concession City Hall.
As for how they were captured... it all started when Li Xingke's Divine Tiger ambushed the Black Knights. Before Honglian could even switch energy blocks, Kallen had already set off, only to be tied up by the Divine Tiger and handed over to Avalon.
"Tell me about yourselves, huh? The Black Knights are already weak and outnumbered, yet they're inexplicably overconfident and think they can do whatever they want without considering the consequences." Kelly also came to see Karen in person, along with Gino, a Knight of the Round Table, while news about the 38th Army Group was being broadcast on a loop.
"So look at what you people from Area 11 have done under ZERO's command. What have you learned? What progress have you made? Yes, I can guess that the eunuchs' downfall was partly due to ZERO's schemes, but are we afraid of the Chinese Federation? The African continent will soon be under Father's control. I don't know if ZERO can dominate the Federation, but losing our own ace fighter, ha."
"Stop your pretense, you Britannian dogs!" Karen jumped to her feet in the tempered glass-sealed cell. "The Black Knights are not what they used to be. We will fight ten against one, a hundred against ten, and return to Honshu. Then, for Japan..."
"And then you still fight me in formation?" Kylier's face was full of smugness. Gino, who was listening from the side, also understood that the soldiers of the 45th District Expeditionary Force were extraordinary. "Hey, the 18,000 EU soldiers who died under our guns in Congo are still warm."
Karen's words seemed to bring something back to mind. Hadn't the Black Knight's higher-ups been trying to figure out what the Britannian often-mentioned District 45 was? What they were currently certain of was that a royal brother and sister were in charge of District 45. Could it be this unruly little brother in front of them?
"You want to hear about District 45? Looks like that idiot Suzaku didn't tell you. Have you two completely disgraced the 'Japanese'?" Kelly recalled what Nanali had learned about Japan from the American soldiers. "I don't even want to mention that they dared to fight armored vehicles with their bare hands while wearing the Japanese flag on their heads. You Japanese have been conquered for eight years, and you still haven't committed seppuku? You're ashamed before your 'eight million gods'!"
"Fine, I won't beat around the bush. You can't escape anyway." The prince still adopted a serious demeanor and began to explain to Karen, "That's right, District 45 is another world, another world purely transformed from war and death. We have the blood of millions of soldiers spilled on that land. In the face of fleeting lives, they swallowed fear and tears, and held onto courage and wisdom. The 38th Army is one such example, surviving on such a battlefield where there are no inhuman laws."
"Really? Then Britannia is really going to be a place where people's lives are treated like dirt." Karen said, then remembered something else, "Well, we encountered a very troublesome Vincent before, who should have also 'advanced' from District 45, right?"
Kelly and Gino exchanged a glance and asked a few questions. The latter, a Knight of the Round Table, seemed to remember that he had indeed given a handwritten medal to a girl with short white hair who drove a black KMF.
"I want to know, is she still alive?"
“I’m sorry, I can’t give you an answer.” Kelly stood up, but her tone wasn’t one of evasion.
"District 45 is not a Hall of Heroes for those who have been promoted to heroism. There, regardless of one's background or honor, one can die like a dog for no reason. As commanders of a million soldiers, my sister and I can only do our best to ensure that more soldiers return home, or try our best to collect the belongings of each soldier and return them to the countless families who have lost their children."
Listening to the various corpses of Imperial soldiers described by Kelly, Karen and Gino could hardly imagine what a tragedy it would have been if that girl had died nameless and faceless in District 45.
“A tragedy?” Kelly sighed and left. “When such tragedies are repeated countless times, all we, exhausted, can do is record a page of cold numbers.”
Chapter 319, Section 408: Facing Challenges Head-on is the Principle of the British Empire.
"We have received interviews and reports from war correspondents on the European front, including those from the British Empire and the United States."
"Currently, the Britannian Empire, this invader from outer space, has concentrated at least 30 troops in northern Germany, intending to seize the lower Elbe River and the Baltic coast, the land defended by the Northern Union ground forces."
"According to the personal account of the Supreme Commander of the Northern Union, U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the British troops currently stationed in northern Germany are in a rather dangerous situation."
"In the direction of Hamburg, several American divisions have decided to fight to the death, and have committed all their forces to defend the southern part of the city, while the northern part of Hamburg, located on the north bank of the lower Elbe River, has been handed over to the British Army for defense."
"Through a long period of meticulous and detailed investigation, it has been found that the British forces defending the northern city now only have the 2nd Infantry Division and the 11th Armoured Division with intact combat capability. Most of the other troops have either been lost in the fall of Lübeck or have been transferred to the Kiel line and are unable to move towards Hamburg."
"The British Army is currently in a dire situation. Countless tanks and vehicles have been damaged or abandoned, and many soldiers are still fighting on the front lines with minor injuries, their hands bandaged, resisting the extraterrestrial invaders. The Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy are also facing shortages of manpower and resources, simply because since the declaration of war against the Britannian Empire, there have been no plans within the Labour Party to allocate large amounts of military funds or organize a large-scale recruitment of new soldiers."
"General Eisenhower made it clear that if London could not deploy sufficient forces to defend Hamburg and its surrounding cities before the main U.S. Army forces arrived in Europe from across the ocean, the defenses of northern Germany and even the whole of Northern Europe would collapse, the nightmare of Nazi fascism's iron heel would descend upon Western Europe again, just as it had six years ago, and the North Atlantic Strategic Defense Alliance's plan to spare no effort to protect post-World War II peace in Europe would be completely wasted."
……
Newspapers are highly flammable, whether analyzed from a chemical or human perspective.
As one of Britain's leading newspapers, The Daily Telegraph's publication of such an article, coupled with war correspondents' photos of the British Army's dire situation and the support of various radio stations, undoubtedly ignited the passion of every Briton.
In May 1946, London, the heart of the British Empire, erupted under such catalysis.
Londoners stormed into the streets, waving handkerchiefs and banners, blocking the Thames from police on both banks, and stood in front of Downing Street to protest against number 10, the "resident" of the street.
Big Ben stands beside the Palace of Westminster, witnessing the people beneath it who had originally supported the Labour Party's rise to power, chanting slogans such as, "Is the postwar peace you promised us just about keeping ourselves and us living comfortably on the island while leaving our children to fend for themselves on the European continent?" and a series of other statements expressing utter disappointment with the Labour Party.
Yes, the world war was over, but Mr. Churchill and his Conservative Party were not used to the turbulent postwar British Empire. No one could have imagined that less than six months later, another bloody storm would descend upon Europe.
"Victory, at all costs, for without victory there is no survival, and without victory there is no rebuilding of our homeland." Churchill's words from a few years ago pierce the brows of Labour politicians today and sting every sincere patriotic heart.
Amidst the surging crowd, there was a small group huddled together, their distinctive clothing visible from afar.
They turned photos of the Battle of Britain in 1940 and posters from the massive recruitment drive for pilots into flags, waving them amidst the throngs of people, with the words "You have failed the heroes of Britain!" prominently displayed.
Some even held up photos of General Hugh Dowding—the former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force Fighter Force, a hero who defended the skies of the British Isles, whose famous quote became a popular slogan.
"Chicago gangsters can ride in cars with bulletproof glass, but my pilots can't sit in cockpits protected by bulletproof glass?"
Gradually, the citizens began to lose control, constantly throwing stones onto the streets of Downing Street. The Westminster district, filled with official residences, became a sea of discontent and despair.
……
With a formidable enemy at the gates and concerns about the rear, Eisenhower and Doolittle sat in the North Union headquarters in Hamburg, finally receiving a letter from London.
It is said that the Labour Party is now planning to cancel a large number of local reform proposals and instead urgently formulate wartime plans, but this is indeed too late to mend the fence after the sheep have escaped. The public outcry has not stopped, and the Labour Party's support continues to plummet like a stone rolling down a hill, unstoppable.
Churchill also wrote a letter, saying, "Although this high fever makes the bulldog look less than it used to be, it must be of great benefit to its health."
"If you think it's beneficial, then you're doing well, haha." Ike smiled with satisfaction as he talked to himself. Looking at the plan that Doolittle had put together, he figured the Royal Air Force's resurgence wouldn't be too far off.
"Then let the air force get moving quickly." Ike used to referring to the Army Air Forces directly as the Air Force, since this war might actually become a driving force after the nuclear test went wrong. "The Britannian skyships have already come out once or twice. We need to figure out their weaknesses quickly. The soldiers are counting on the sight of these sky behemoths running away in panic to boost morale."
Just then, Montgomery burst in, waving a sheet of paper in his hand.
“Great news, Ike, Jimmy! My army gentlemen are finally getting a huge reinforcement. If all goes well, then…”
Before Montgomery could finish listing the rest of the list, he saw the two American generals exchange a glance and try to suppress their laughter.
"What's wrong with you, Ike? The British Army has more resources in Europe now, isn't that a good thing?"
"It's nothing, nothing. You, cough, go tell the children on the front lines the good news first." Eisenhower coughed, trying to suppress his joy and remain calm. "Well, our plan remains unchanged: we must ensure that Hamburg is under our control for the next seven days."
"Then I'll just take care of the British troops north of Hamburg, my lads? Did the 7th Armored Division help?"
"We'll allow you to write an IOU to the division commander, Marshal. The brand-new M4 tanks that have arrived in Wilhelmshaven will be urgently supplied to you. As for whether the British 7th Armoured Division will fill the northern or southern front, we'll be flexible in our arrangements, is that alright?"
"Excellent! That's exactly what I wanted – for the Stars and Stripes to help ease the pressure on me in the south!" Montgomery was about to leave when he turned back and, as usual, added, "Hey, I don't care whether your American troops cross the Elbe during the counterattack, but the leader definitely can't be that old bastard Patton!"
……
Dust from the artillery fire lingered like a sandstorm in the northern suburbs of Hamburg, and the railway line leading to Denmark was now scattered in craters.
The British lads of the 11th Armoured Division were doing their best to protect all the remaining Comet tanks they had left—touching up the paint, scraping off the mud, making do with their own bandages, wiping the blood off the tanks, and throwing them on the ground along with tea powder packets.
"Damn it." Upon hearing that Britannia's armored vanguard was advancing on the railway into the city, everyone quickly climbed onto the tank, made the sign of the cross to "Iron Duke" written on the side of the turret, and then crawled into the hatch.
"Calling! Calling the 11th Armored Division! Calling the 2nd Infantry Division! Respond if you hear me!" A joyful radio wave came from inside the stuffy, uneasy tank.
At that very moment, a large group of dark figures, bearing the St. George flag, appeared at the mouth of the Elbe River, on the sea dozens of kilometers west of Hamburg.
A fleet, centered around a familiar aircraft carrier, arrived here—the HMS Victory, whose name had appeared more than once during the height of World War II on the Northern Sea Route connecting the Soviet Union and the Allies.
This time, the reorganization was completed upon their return from the Far East. As the Seafire fighters once again took off from the deck and headed to the Hamburg front, their wings swept across the surging ocean waves, casting the brilliance of the British Emblem of the British Empire upon every landing craft that was moving at full speed.
Union Jacks fluttered atop the landing craft, seawater lapped against the hulls of the landing craft and amphibious vehicles, and drops of damp, salty dew fell on the heads of berets.
"I hope the Sky Knights of the Victory can give us a safe beachhead. At the very least, I want to ensure that every tank and cannon can land on the beach and see the flags of the British Empire and the Northern Union!"
A brigadier general was also on a landing craft, looking through binoculars at the war-torn city of Hamburg, accompanied by a radio that was transmitting the good news to the mainland first.
"11th Armoured Division! 2nd Infantry Division! This is the 1st Royal Marines Assault Brigade. We are landing from the western sea and are responsible for the flank defense of your unit. Please provide us with guidance and cover!"
Chapter 320, Section 409: The Achilles' Heel
What does it mean that the pressure on the northern front has suddenly increased?
With the 18th Army of the Earl of Hohenzollern as the main force, the Britannian army penetrated from the south of the Jutland Peninsula, isolating Hamburg from Kiel and Lübeck. The remaining tens of thousands of British soldiers were struggling in the fierce attack of the former, regardless of casualties.
"North Hamburg will soon fall, and the Elbe Estuary will become our new forward position," the Count thought with anticipation. Elizabeth in Berlin was also waiting for good news soon—until a new hat, unlike anything she had ever seen before, appeared under the Union Jack banner of that other world.
Green beret-wearing soldiers, riding landing craft and driving tanks, have arrived ashore from the sea under the cover of the fleet? This could mean that the British army is going all out to relieve the battle of Hamburg, and even that more American troops may be rushing to the city's aid.
“It seems the Northern Alliance is really desperate.” As the commander of the expeditionary force, Elizabeth seemed to have realized a good opportunity to annihilate the enemy. “Allocate air power. I need to know how many enemy ships are in the sea west of Hamburg. Also, pass on my order that the Sky Fleet continue to attack northward. I will not allow those ‘imposters’ to not only sneak ashore by boat, but also dare to wade through the canal in front of us.”
……
This refers to the Kiel Canal—a silver ribbon stretching nearly 100 kilometers across the Jutland Peninsula, which cannot be found on EU geographical maps.
It was on the agenda of the expeditionary generals, and would later have many uses: connecting the waterways of Kiel and Hamburg, ensuring the passage of destroyers and transport ships, breaking the blockade on the Baltic Sea, and so on.
At present, it is a blockade. The British army destroyed most of the bridges on the canal, blocked part of the shipping routes, and formed a line of fortifications radiating westward from Kiel on the north bank of the canal.
The siege of Hamburg was influenced by this, and the strategy of heading north to Denmark also regarded it as a major geographical advantage. It is no exaggeration to say that the use of the air fleet was necessary.
The aircraft that were feigning an attack on the British fleet and the battle groups of the Sky Fleet merged into a sky torrent that swept in from East Germany, grazed the edge of Hamburg's heavily fortified city center, and then parted ways.
In fact, the captain of the Robles had a somewhat subtle feeling the moment the ship set sail.
From the perspective of Kiel, even listening to the soldiers on the ground, it's clear that the British army no longer has the strength to launch an attack. Kiel, which has not yet recovered from World War II, has only the half-dead Hipper in the harbor worth a look.
"It hasn't moved an inch in the harbor since we discovered it." Even its main guns are powerless to return fire; how could the British possibly launch it into the sky?
So before the three Skyships could even line up in formation, Roblus, Glass, and Archivy fired a few more shots toward the banks of the canal, and in jest, the "real target" arrived.
It was coming from the south again, another large squadron of American Mustang and Thunder fighter jets, carrying rockets just like last time, trying to tear apart the escorting airships and throwing fireworks at their hull shields—like fish in a pond chasing a few huge emerald floats.
……
Just like last time, Easy, who was still feeling sleepy, and his squad were still part of this massive attack wave.
The astonishing scene of clusters of 127mm HVARs hitting the Skyship's shields without any effect last time truly surprised him and the other pilots. So much so that he always dreamed of a transparent green glass whale in the sky and sea, responding to him with a slightly mocking nasal tone.
This attack was even worse than the last one. Before the attack wave even reached the back of the Skyships, it got into a chaotic mess with the Aerial KMFs. Many Mustangs and Raiden were forced to launch rockets to reduce their weight in order to facilitate maneuverability.
The powerful punches that made up the attack wave gradually became less taut in this aerial duel. Easy realized that these were not the same pilots who had been beaten up last time. Compared to those carrier-based pilots who still habitually formed stationary squares around the ship, today the veterans of the expeditionary force had come to settle the "White Star Insect Plague" in their eyes.
The Skyships continued to fly slowly in formation ahead, bombarding both banks of the Kiel Canal. However, the American warplanes could not maintain the concentration of their attack formations. As everyone gave up, only a few people who wanted to try their luck threw their remaining rockets in vain at the Skyships' impenetrable walls.
"What do we do next, sir?"
"protect yourself!"
Easy's squad managed to fight their way out of the aerial melee, but the KMFs chasing behind had no intention of resting. They maintained their distance and 6 o'clock position, fighting to the death with his flying cowboys, not letting them get a single step closer to the skyship.
"I've been hit, sir!" exclaimed Donald, the team's best recruit who had survived since the Schönebeck incident. "I can't control the plane! Repeat! Out of control!"
"Scatter! Scatter! All of you, listen up! Scatter and dive!" Easy and the rest of the Mustangs rolled and flew to the side and downwards in unison. Only Donald struggled in terror on the radio, desperately climbing upwards like a shoot out of thin air—his tail fin had been shattered by the KMF's machine gun and he could no longer control his vertical angle of flight.
……
On the Robles at the stern of the Sky Fleet, the captain was exceptionally pleased with everything in the sky behind him.
"How about we discuss with Her Highness Elizabeth that in the future, the Sky Fleet's carrier-based aircraft will not need to be selected separately, but can be selected directly from the pilots?"
"Thank you for your praise, sir," came the response from the KMF escort leader. "We will not allow any enemy aircraft to fly in formation over your heads. I'm sure the anti-aircraft guns on the ground will surrender soon."
The meaning is clear: as long as the air crew deploys the shields at the rear of the ship and provides full-power protection for the rear compartments and the anti-gravity launchers, they only need to plan how to deal with the anti-aircraft gun positions on the ground.
The escorting KMFs were so skilled that they even knew exactly how Donald's plane would die as it "soared into the sky"—as the speed gradually decreased, the plane would nosedive and stare dead at the ground, leaving the pilot with nothing to do but open the cabin door and parachute out before he was completely exhausted.
Yes, it's like giving Donald a way out—we don't want to be indiscriminate killers; whether you live or die is entirely up to you and fate.
Seeing that they were heading further and further north, the Sky Fleet made a bold decision to slow down and turn towards Kiel, in an attempt to completely destroy the large warship in the harbor.
Then, amidst a sense of relief and confidence, a sharp cutting sound slid down from above the bridge of the Robles.
……
"What the hell is going on, boss?"
The thunderclap was incredibly loud and dazzling even in the lively sky. Easy had just survived a near-death experience when she saw the Robust in the distance suddenly billowing black smoke from its belly and debris flying everywhere.