area51novel Page 92
Page 92
After studying all the feasible options, Schneizel finally made the decision.
"Gentlemen, we don't need to stick to any particular plan. Since the enemy has many options in their assessment, we can choose all of them, but only one should be our main objective."
"Your Highness, do you mean we should take simultaneous action in the Mediterranean, the European Union, and the west coast of Africa?"
"On such a long battlefront, even a million troops wouldn't be enough. A fleet can't be as fast as an airplane."
"Wait, speaking of airplanes, don't we have airships now? We can do something with them."
"Save your breath. The most powerful weapons on the airships right now are heavy rockets and 105mm railguns, which are not enough to effectively kill heavily armored targets on the ground. As for bombing overhead, the airships have a maximum speed of 400 kilometers per hour and a maximum flight altitude of 5,000 meters. Their maneuverability is only comparable to airships. If their coastal defense guns raise their guns and fire a shell from their 12-inch main guns, it will be enough to shatter the airships' hard energy shields. The European Union has already seen our airships and they can't be unprepared in this regard. If they are, we will die even faster."
“That’s right.” Schneizel stood up and said, “So this battle isn’t just a direct confrontation on the battlefield; it requires a surprise attack. Although the risks of using surprise tactics are high, we have no other choice now. Therefore, the next part of the meeting will discuss the possibility of operating multiple plans in parallel.”
The Europa League is indeed under immense pressure, but the empire is in a similar predicament.
Actually, there was another option to land in Ireland or the British Isles, but Schneizel and the other British generals subconsciously ignored this option.
Don't forget how the British royal family fled back then. After the local people expelled the British emperor, their hatred for the royal family was at its peak, to the point of wanting to eat flesh and drink blood. If they landed on the British Isles, the locals would definitely fight to the death. Not only would they not have a stable rear, but they would also have to land on the European continent again. Apart from the United States, no other country in the world has made any achievements in the field of strategic bombers.
Their transport aircraft are indeed very advanced, but before launching strategic bombing raids on major powers, it would be best to disable that country's air defenses, at least half of them, otherwise the bombers would experience the terror of a barrage of anti-aircraft artillery.
During World War II, many American B-17s were shot down by German anti-aircraft guns. And that was during World War II. If we were to face real-world anti-aircraft missiles, even supersonic speed wouldn't help. It's quite difficult for a manned aircraft to outrun a missile at supersonic speed. The MiG-25 was an exception, but NATO didn't have any air-to-air missiles that fast.
Such a large-scale military mobilization could not be kept secret, and Britain did not intend to hide it either. In other words, Schneizel's plan desperately needed the Empire's various grand gestures to cover it up, so as to avoid people guessing what they were up to as soon as they made their move.
This is a series of tactical deceptions, through which the Europa League's reaction is analyzed, and then the specific actions that determine the strategic outcome are taken. It must be said that this second prince is quite capable. In the anime, he is an opponent that Lelouch fears, and in reality, he is also a prince with a strong right hand.
However, the real-life Lelouch didn't have the protagonist's fate. Being young was a good thing; he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow—and passed away peacefully.
But he wasn't lonely, because his sister came along on the journey, so in a sense, it was a family reunion.
"What a beautiful day today."
At this time, Qin Shan was vacationing in the South China Sea of World Six. Given his status, naturally no one dared to harm him.
Watching your ship girls happily playing on the beach, and being able to throw a party anytime you want, balancing work and daily life perfectly – that's what a fulfilling life is all about.
"Aren't you worried that the people in the Forbidden City will cause trouble?" CC, wearing a white swimsuit, asked.
Now, she has the title of a sinecure official and can enter and leave the palace, but only to locations designated by Qin Shan. He doesn't...
As for letting CC look around freely, it's already good enough to treat these people who haven't clearly pledged allegiance to any faction as friendly; expecting more is unacceptable.
It's absolutely impossible to get permission.
CC had no objections to this; on the contrary, she was very satisfied with her current life and even offered to be Qin Shan's bodyguard.
Although they are also licensed bodyguards, CC's combat capabilities are not weak.
The stereotype in the anime portrays C.C. as an immortal witch with average combat abilities.
But in reality, it's obvious that this is impossible. Immortals lack a sense of security and are afraid of what might happen if they are exposed.
The brutal persecution forced CC to learn many self-defense techniques, including martial arts and military combat, which, combined with her immortality, enabled her to fight...
On the field, he was practically a cheat code player, easily crushing a small team. His driving talent was beyond question; he could drive anything that flew or ran on the ground. I wouldn't say he was an expert, but he could definitely drive anything. If he couldn't land, he'd just crash into a mountain.
In Japanese anime, it's standard for the protagonist to have a loyal but not overshadowing female character by his side. But in reality, who would care about the feelings of a Japanese protagonist? Who doesn't want powerful strength and a sense of security? You have to have it all in your own hands. If CC were placed in the world of a fighting manga, she would at least be a Guo Haihuang.
This is the real CC. Apparently, she was adopted by a nun before, so is she considered a battle nun?
Wow, reality is always more exciting than imagination.
But Qin Shan didn't need CC's protection, and CC knew that Qin Shan didn't need her protection either. She was just a figurehead, and she was quite happy with her carefree life of eating, drinking, and living without worries. Qin Shan took a sip of juice, looked at the voluptuous Mrs. Lie in the distance, and replied with a smile, "Sure, if someone takes the opportunity to rebel, I'll be very happy. It will free up some space for new talent."
Qin Shan has been involved in many similar entrapment operations recently.
Throughout history, those who seize power through coups have never dared to stray too far from the puppet emperor, or even leave the capital, lest the world descend into turmoil. But Qin Shan doesn't care about any of that. He just wants to go out and have fun, rebel, whatever. I've overthrown the previous Central Alliance court to take power. If you have that ability, I'll be very pleased.
After all, rebellion requires capital and, more importantly, people to carry it out. To put it bluntly, the struggle for legitimacy across the country ultimately comes down to winning the hearts and minds of the people, and right now, the greatest source of public support for the Central Alliance is in Qin Shan's hands.
Many fools were directly "annihilated" by the local police station. People with even a little power knew what to do at this time. Occasionally, those who were not clear-headed would be arrested by their colleagues and presented as evidence. With the economic prosperity, many people who had opposed Qin Shan fell silent. Many even switched sides to Qin Shan's side and exposed others.
On the land of China, there are still more people who hope for prosperity and strength. As long as you can demonstrate the strength to make this country flourish, these people will follow in your footsteps without hesitation. More than 10,000 years of accumulated civilization still has value. Its subtle influence is buried deep in the soul of every Chinese son and daughter.
“A person like you is truly a rare find in history,” CC commented.
"I know you've lived a long time, but I've also lived a long time, so I know what you're saying is true." Qin Shan wasn't bragging; in this life plus his previous life, Qin Shan was definitely a living god.
"Language can deceive, but mindset and behavior cannot. So I'm very curious, how did you, who are not a coder, live so long and still stay true to your original intentions? Is it just because you come from another world?" "Is it possible that I am also a very rare exception? Putting aside everything else, just living a long time is a challenge that can tear the soul apart for most people."
"I have no objection to that."
Just as the two old men were chatting, Lexington ran over, bent down, and extended an invitation to Qin Shan.
"Admiral, let's go to sea."
"okay!"
Section 196: Will we win?
The enemy never gives you a heads-up when they launch an attack.
The European Union had indeed received news of the Holy British Empire's troop buildup, but the real pressure would only be felt when the Empire took action.
It must be admitted that the Empire is 1,000 percent serious this time.
Schneizel personally went to the front lines, a large number of the Empire's elite troops were mobilized, and all the advanced weapons available for the battlefield were on the scene. All the Knights of the Round Table of the Empire entered the battle line to launch an attack on the European Union. Time stretched from the west coast of Africa to the west coast of Europe, and the Empire's army was everywhere. The two sides waged a war in all directions, from the sky to the land, from the land to the sea.
This is the posture that should be adopted in a decisive battle between major powers; even a million-strong army appears insignificant and insufficient under this strategic layout.
But there will only be a few final attack points, after all, there are only so many passable areas on the map. Germany's armored carnage was also based on Europe's developed road system. If it were the Soviet Union, they would be completely helpless. Who would have thought that backward infrastructure would have such a strategic buff? This joke is quite hellish.
Even so, the infrastructure development during the Soviet era was the best period of infrastructure development in Russian history.
However, this certainly does not include Russia under Qin Shan's command. No matter how big the Siberian problem is, it is still their own land and must be developed properly. "Guards, release all the prisoners in the jail and send them to Siberia for labor re-education. If they unfortunately die from overwork, it means they deserve to be executed. If they survive after the work is done, it means they do not deserve to die."
Currently, in World Six alone, there are over three million prisoners working the land in Siberia. Many of them are people of extraordinary status, even relatives of the emperor (really, relatives of the emperor!). But as long as they violate the law, Qin Shan treats them all equally. Anyway, the construction in Siberia is in dire need of manpower. If you are willing to contribute your strength, I have to give you this precious opportunity.
The current bureaucratic system of China Railway Corporation (CRCC) has effectively implemented Qin Shan's will, and within three years, the entire Eurasian Railway was completed. Moreover, it uses the most advanced electromagnetic track technology, and the transport capacity of the maglev trains is already comparable to that of 100,000-ton freighters. These railways have become the lifeblood of CRCC to the European Union, and at the same time, they have also driven the development of the eastern region of the European Union, that is, Eastern Europe has begun to flourish and thrive.
Western Europe, engulfed in war, began to decline rapidly. Capital reacted quickly; upon learning of the impending empire's attack, they immediately realized through various channels that Western Europe was no longer safe. Even if their industries could not immediately withdraw from Western Europe, large sums of money would begin to shift to Eastern Europe. At the same time, the European Union also needed to transfer some of its production capacity to Eastern Europe to avoid the worst-case scenario where Western Europe was completely wiped out by the empire.
If that were to happen, the European Union could then consider how to sign the surrender document with dignity.
It must be admitted that in a country at war, the core decision-makers are still quite intelligent. After all, the enemy's weapons don't respect political correctness; they treat everything the same, regardless of color.
A state of war can also resolve many issues that are inconvenient to address during peacetime, and strengthen national cohesion.
Yes, yes, nationalism is indeed very harmful, especially incited nationalism, as history has proven. But between immediate death and striving for victory, anyone who wants to live knows which choice to make.
With the pressure from the Empire at its peak, the European Union naturally wouldn't sit idly by. Large amounts of gold and silver that had already been transported to Eastern Europe were immediately shipped to the Central Union in exchange for more food, ammunition, and various medical supplies. As many companies began to serve the military industry, the civilian market was forced to vacate. The Central Union's terrifying industrial capacity instantly flooded the European Union's civilian market, moving so fast it seemed like overnight, with containers full of Central Union-made goods.
That's true. It only takes one night to get the goods delivered. Then something amazing happened: while the war was raging in Western Europe, the people of Eastern Europe didn't feel the pressure of the war at all, and the prices of goods even dropped significantly.
Of course, the closer a city is to the front lines, the more expensive all kinds of daily necessities become. This was Hayek's decision. Let us shout "Long live the great Hayek!" and quickly hand over your little money!
At this time, the price of bread in Eastern Europe and Western Europe had become nearly ten times different.
This was only the result of the Empire's first attack, which merely touched the Atlantic Wall of the European Union. Note that they hadn't even broken through yet, but the market fluctuations in the European Union had already begun to resemble FM radio.
Large numbers of Western Europeans with relatives in Eastern Europe began to flee to Eastern Europe with their families, while factories across Western Europe began to operate at full capacity to produce all kinds of weapons, continuously strengthening the defenses of the Atlantic Wall with an almost insane level of armor stacking.
The number of landmines planted alone exceeds 300 million, two-thirds of which were imported from China United.
Because the quantity of goods supplied by China United is so large and plentiful, the European Union's reliance on China United's various weapons and equipment, especially smart weapons and equipment, is becoming increasingly exaggerated. After all, China United's smart equipment is completely immune to full-frequency interference, which is a significant advantage on the battlefield. In any case, the European Union's army is already equipped with China United equipment.
"We've arrived. This is Warsaw."
"Is this Warsaw!? This...?"
"Why, is it strange?"
"Has it really developed to this point?!"
These people are nominally citizens of the European Union, with identity cards, but in reality, they are spies infiltrated into the European Union by the Empire.
Recently, the Empire's infiltration of the Central Alliance has repeatedly failed. Although some intelligence personnel have managed to infiltrate, they are mostly tourists and ordinary people, and they haven't even managed to get in touch with any low-level officials.
Such a severe lack of intelligence work was unacceptable, so the only option was to look for opportunities in the European Union. Eastern Europe, which was directly connected to the European Union by rail, became a major target for imperial spies.
It's impossible for these people to cause trouble, because there are many Central Alliance employees in the area, or rather, instructors disguised as employees. But even if the Empire knew this, it couldn't do anything to the Central Alliance now. If the Central Alliance were really angered, a few nuclear bombs would send the Empire into a countdown to disintegration. When it comes to matters of life and death, the Empire's top leadership is still clear-headed.
Moreover, for some unknown reason, the Empire's most prized GEASS power has recently become ineffective in the Central United region, causing many Imperial agents who relied on GEASS to lose their lives inexplicably. Upon realizing this, the Empire immediately halted related work and instead turned to infiltrating the European Union.
The European Union region, which could be influenced by GEASS, became a paradise for imperial infiltration.
However, the Empire soon discovered a new problem: the GEASS ability would become ineffective if the GEASS user got too close to the Central Alliance.
Damn! These Zhonglian people are all human GEASS jammers, aren't they?!
The answer is a mobile phone.
Modern people may not carry their ID cards when they go out, but they definitely carry their mobile phones. With just a small additional device, they can bypass GEASS.
The range of influence of this ability has expanded to a radius of five meters. Any GEASS that enters this range will be nullified. Try it if you dare.
For ZTE phones, which already use super batteries, energy consumption is not a problem at all.
The only problem is that the power system in the European Union is at least three generations behind that of China, so the charging speed is really slow, like an old ox pulling a cart.
The Imperial agents who arrived in the Warsaw region could hardly believe they were in Eastern Europe, because of the many modern facilities that had been added. Warsaw's infrastructure was at least ten years more advanced than that of Western Europe.
The reason for this is very simple: it is the mysterious power of Lao Tzu's ancient Eastern wisdom.
Before Qin Shan came to power, the United Nations' control over Central Asia and the Middle East was weakening, and local development naturally lagged behind the leading countries. Some oil tycoons even wanted to go it alone.
However, after Qin Shan came to power, these unstable factors were completely wiped out by nuclear bombs. The extermination of millions of people was carried out at every turn. Even Afghanistan was bombed into a barren wasteland, and many mountainous areas were physically transformed into plains (the effect of antimatter bombs, an enhanced version of the planetary terrain modifier from World Three). Relying on the ability to clean up every inch of land with nuclear bombs, the separatist forces within the Central Alliance quickly split apart on their own.
Subsequently, a large number of immigrants from the Central Plains settled in these areas, rapidly changing the local population structure. In any case, Qin Shan was generous in rewarding those who were loyal to the Central Alliance, but he did not mind using harsh methods to quickly eliminate disloyal traitors.
Once these destabilizing factors disappear, everyone from the grassroots to the top will be his own people. They will certainly not dare to discount or arbitrarily increase the severity of Qin Shan's orders. For the Regent, if I say 1, then it is 1, and the execution below must also be 1. If you dare to come up with 2, it is an increase in severity, which is another form of oppressive rule. If you are not punished, then who will be punished?
Of course, the main reason why Qin Shan dared to do this was that information from all aspects of the country's core means of production could be reported to him with minimal error. Furthermore, Qin Shan could go anywhere at any time to conduct on-site investigations, and he also had ship girls who would never cover up the truth for anyone. In contrast, for real-world national decision-makers to see the actual situation clearly and collect truly reliable information, it was a high-cost task.
Therefore, public oversight is necessary, or rather, the public's struggle against illegal activities is a crucial part of state regulation. If people themselves don't resist, what can be expected of them? Did the idea that the people are more important than the ruler fall from the sky?
It is only when the people truly have the ability to resist or even overthrow the monarch, resulting in a lose-lose situation for the entire society, that the powerful are forced to seriously study how to establish a new balance of exploitation.
This is a world where you can't survive without struggle; don't forget that.
Under Qin Shan's "indulgence," the people of Zhonglian have become increasingly "troublesome." Local officials are easily reported for the slightest mistake, making life unbearable for them. However, officials who are truly dedicated to their work do not care how Qin Shan manipulates the bureaucratic system.
After all, China United is developing very quickly and is about to usher in a new golden age. Isn't this exactly what pragmatists are looking for? When the overall environment is good, their treatment will definitely be good. On the contrary, if the overall environment is not good and they make a fortune, then the whole society will definitely dislike them and unite to try to destroy them.
With a clean and efficient government, even the country's border regions will develop rapidly, and the sheer size of China United International Holdings Limited (CULI) ensures that once it develops, it will have a positive driving effect on neighboring countries.
Eastern Europe has benefited from this, having the money and resources to carry out large-scale construction. In addition, Qinshan has begun to plan ahead for the future development of the large-scale modern engineering teams in China. Therefore, while carrying out large-scale infrastructure construction in its own country, it is inevitable that it will also drive neighboring countries to carry out infrastructure construction together. The European Union is within the radiation range of China's new productive forces.
However, the European Union is not stupid. Faced with advanced technology that they cannot digest at all, even if they covet it, they dare not let the China Railway Corporation replace it entirely for them. Otherwise, if they build a railway track in the future, they will probably have to import it from the China Railway Corporation. If the China Railway Corporation makes any mistake, they can make them feel uncomfortable all over.
Therefore, the China-Europe maglev train only reached Warsaw in Eastern Europe, where it unloaded its cargo and then transferred it to the European Union's own heavy-haul railway. They even used the British standard gauge, which is not even a broad gauge.
Compared to the land-based, boat-like maglev trains of China Unicom, this is nothing.
A single maglev train passing through the Central United area and the loading and unloading operations on the European side create a port atmosphere. If you didn't know better, you'd think this was a seaport, even though Warsaw is a definite inland city.
These findings deeply worried the Empire's intelligence personnel.
Judging from the current situation, even if the Empire does achieve a breakthrough in Western Europe, it will likely be pushed back, since no one knows to what extent the Central Union can support the European Union.
I hope we'll win.
Section 197: Three routes deceive two, guess which one?
In this world, if you don't want to win, then... you're bound to lose.
What are you thinking? Applying the famous saying about black radishes here will only lead to a terrible death. On the battlefield, you must want to win, fight with all your might to win, otherwise you will become a moldy and rotting corpse, and there's little chance anyone will collect your body. If it's smashed, the US military will classify it as missing.
Schneizel's plan began and proceeded very smoothly. After all, the European Union's Atlantic Fleet had become a deep-sea fleet, and now only submarines could harass them. As for the European Union's warships in other regions, it would take time to regroup their forces, and they were not archbishops.
Knowing this, the empire acted quite boldly, launching direct attacks on Gibraltar, Normandy, and Rabat (a Moroccan city in Africa, the home world, and the capital of Morocco).
So why attack Normandy in France? Weren't Spain and Portugal easy targets?
No, that's not the case. Rather, taking this place wouldn't pose much of a threat to the European Union. It's not part of the core region of Western Europe; it's more like a peripheral area. And there's a major problem: the Pyrenees Mountains, the natural dividing line between Spain and France.
Taking down two teeth isn't difficult; the challenge lies in how to attack the European Union's stronghold after taking them, without actually attacking them. These two locations pose almost no threat to the Imperial Fleet, so why bother with something so trivial? Wouldn't it be better to just eat French steak?
This is the European Union. Even though it is much more united than the European Union, the various regions within it still act independently, resulting in a very uneven development. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Western Europe is sucking the life out of the rest of Europe. They don't engage in any targeted poverty alleviation. The bigwigs in Western Europe would rather every region work obediently for them.
Developed regions can simply provide cheap cattle and horses, but developed regions have to consider many other factors.
However, the flow has now changed. Eastern Europe has become a developed region, while Western Europe has declined rapidly due to the impact of war. Judging from the current trade volume between Eastern Europe and the Central European Union, unless there are extremely special unforeseen circumstances, Eastern Europe will become the economically developed region of the European Union for a considerable period of time, thereby completely changing the internal structure of the entire European Union. After all, the economic base determines the superstructure. Since the economic base has moved to Eastern Europe, the superstructure will naturally also tilt towards Eastern Europe.