Volume 2: Empire Chapter 113 Before the War
Listening to the battle plan formulated by Lady Tasia and the fleet officers, Luke could only sigh in his heart: simple and crude, it is totally a miracle of great strength!
There is no fancy tactical coordination, no sophisticated art of command. They only rely on their own size to push forward, making the opponent's tactics and commands ineffective.
Call it a military adventure... a bit.
But looking at the composition of his own fleet, the advanced ones include the best in the world and the only all-metal warship in service, and the backward ones also include wooden-hulled ships powered purely by sails; there are regular troops, pirates, and private armed forces; there are warship captains who graduated from military academies, pirate captains who are good at sea guerrilla warfare, and captains hired by companies who are good at escort.
Wanting to combine them together in a short period of time to launch an exquisite naval battle... is not unrealistic, but wishful thinking.
On the contrary, the direct "Dragon Riding on the Face" strategy is more suitable for his fleet.
Luke knew that he was a layman in naval warfare, and since he had chosen this group of naval commanders, he had to trust their professional qualities.
Besides, Mrs. Tashia was absolutely right about one thing.
The Leo Navy's understanding of the Unit-01-class battleship only exists on paper. Fighting a conventional port attack and defense battle with them will only allow the other side to understand the advantages and disadvantages of this type of battleship.
By concentrating the Unit-01-class battleships "Lightning Strike", they can unleash the power and psychological deterrence of their own new heavy armored weapons to an effectiveness that exceeds their actual combat effectiveness.
Luke nodded, thinking that it would be more appropriate for him to grow a mustache at this moment.
Next, Mrs. Tashia introduced the strategic arrangements in other directions of the main battlefield.
This included the early harassment of various sea areas in Rio, which prevented the Rio Navy from immediately determining the main attack direction of the Raging Waves City Fleet, tied down Rio troops in other directions, and reduced their support for Port Samuel.
The landing area of the Marines and the offensive objectives of the various units when the main fleet launched an attack on Samuel Harbor.
How supply ships replenish supplies and rescue personnel.
How auxiliary ships defend themselves against underwater and aerial attacks.
Each airship controls the allocation of airspace, and if the onboard magic projection cannon is used, a fleet protection barrier can be constructed, and tactical and campaign magic support can be released.
…
In a world full of magic and supernatural powers, the battlefield is three-dimensional and battles take place in visible and invisible areas. Any shortcoming may result in the failure of a battle.
Fortunately, the crisis-ridden Golden Shield Empire attaches great importance to the training of military personnel, and Luke also attaches great importance to the discovery of outstanding military talents. The City of Raging Tide has money, technology, and appeal, allowing Luke to poach and dig out a very powerful team of officers.
Therefore, although the overall strategy of the entire war was a bit simple, the Nutao City Navy and the Cape District Anti-Smuggling Fleet had made very thorough arrangements in terms of tactical details.
In short, even if the Nutao City is using the power of a city to attack the power of a country, in terms of the configuration of hard power and soft power, the Nutao City fleet still has a huge advantage over the Rio Navy.
The fact that the Rio Navy took up a defensive position at Samuel Harbor also proved that they had seen this clearly.
After the battle plan against the Rio Navy was approved by Luke, the subdivided tasks were assigned to each combat unit. Then the ships surrounding the Brilliant Island weighed anchor and sailed in different directions according to the instructions they received.
Luke boarded the "Tingtao" airship and led a group of airships parked around the island to take off.
Looking down at the sea from the air, white smoke billows from the chimneys of the steam turbines above the blue water, and the main sails of large sailing ships contrast with the clouds in the sky.
The group of airships rose to the cruising airspace and then dispersed to carry out early warning and escort missions for the fleet.
The flagship "Tingtao" airship lowered the large Governor's flag of Nutao City from the inverted flagpole at the bottom of the cabin. At this moment, all the surface ships and airships blew their whistles to salute the Governor of Meteorite who was personally supervising the battle.
The large fleet spread out on the sea and sailed towards Port Samuel.
The sound of the whistle resounding through the sky was transmitted to the "Tingtao" airship surrounded by many airships.
Luke in the pod said to the person sitting opposite him: "If you raise your flag, I think the morale of the entire fleet will be higher."
Sitting across the table from Luke was the eldest princess Agatha. When she knew that the fleet of Raging Waves City was about to launch an attack on the Leo Navy, she put down her work and secretly came to Raging Waves City.
He kept a low profile and did not appear in any public occasions.
Agatha listened to the sound of whistles coming from the sea. The sound showed how high the morale of the entire fleet was under the encouragement of Governor Meteorite's personal presence on the battlefield.
"You are the protagonist in this battle. The Empire needs a thorough victory right now. The situation in the North is very serious. After the At County Alliance knew that the Queen had entered Snow City, they launched an attack on the Haquin River area on the south side of Snow City. It is only a matter of time before the Empire loses the Haquin River, and Snow City will soon become an isolated city.
Now, spies from the Art County Alliance and liberals have spread many rumors in Saint Lun City that are unfavorable to the empire. The fact that my father has not shown up in such a situation has caused panic in the court.
Without a big, inspiring win, this winter will be tough."
Agatha looked very tired.
She hadn't had a good rest for several days, and was only able to maintain a stable working state by relying on spiritual magic and the stimulation of strong tea.
The importance of this battle to the Leo Navy made her rush here despite the hard work.
Luke took away the strong tea in front of Agatha and asked the servant to replace it with a glass of sleep-inducing wine.
"You also know that this crisis will not be resolved in a short time, so don't tire yourself out. Including the voyage and pre-war arrangements, we will not attack Samuel Port until the evening of two days later.
Take advantage of this rare free time to have a good rest. "
Agatha did not refuse the wine the servant brought her. She took a sip and said, "I feel much more relieved after meeting you... and of course the fleet you have assembled.
I saw the Unit-01 class battleship, a war fortress floating on the sea. The only ship in the world that could stand up to it was still parked in the dock of the shipyard, and it would not be launched until next year at the earliest.
Victory in this war belongs to you and to the empire.
After the war, when can your army go north to support the northern battlefield?"
Luke thought for a moment and replied, “If the attack on Samuel Port goes smoothly, my fleet will disperse to attack Rio’s important ports and coastal cities and strike at important industrial facilities.
Then the fleet returned to Raging Tides City for repairs.
The fastest time to travel north along the coast will definitely be at the end of winter.
The reorganization and equipment receipt of the Fury City Armored Assault Division will not be completed until the summer, and the war fortress built for the Northern Legion will also be delivered in the summer."
The effect of the wine gradually showed up, and Agatha felt a little tired, but she still thought about the timeline and the situation in the North.
No matter what, the North will have to survive this winter alone.
"The Secret Intelligence Bureau's Winter Capital Intelligence Station sent us information that after learning that the Empire had all-metal battleships, the At County Alliance also stepped up their own research and development and construction progress.
Harut Heavy Industries is currently building a battleship of the same type as the Unit-01. If the Raging Waves City fleet heads north after winter ends, it will most likely encounter the full metal battleships of the Art County Alliance, which will be a formidable enemy."
Luke comforted the worried Agatha, "Don't worry, the Raging Fleet back then was not the same as it is now. When the At County Navy encounters my new battleships, they will find that the Unit-01 class is outdated as a main battleship."
Agatha thought of the new battleship that Meteorite had mentioned to her, and the sleepiness that was sweeping over her was somewhat dispelled: "Can a 10,000-ton all-metal battleship really be built?"
Luke replied: "That ship is not only a 10,000-ton all-metal battleship, but also uses a brand-new weapon system. In front of it, Unit-01 is just a little brother who can only take a beating.
There is one more thing I need to tell you in advance. After the naval battle, I will go to the Winter Capital secretly."
Agatha originally wanted to take advantage of her remaining energy to ask more about the new warships, but Luke's last words startled her so much that she lost all her sleepiness.
The name of the winter capital is Great Anbaburg, which is the capital of the Art County Federation. Because Great Anbaburg is located at a high latitude, the winter is very long, so it is also called the winter capital.
Now the Art County Alliance and the Golden Shield Empire are at war. As an important official of the empire, isn't it walking into a trap for Meteorite to run to Winter Capital?
"If there is something important that requires you to go in person, can't you arrange for the spies below to do it?"
Luke replied helplessly, "It is because no one can replace me that I have to go alone. Don't worry about my safety. I am mainly going to the underground steam city in Dongdu this time. People there will not pay attention to my identity.
If all goes well, I'll be back before the end of winter."
Agatha knew that there must be a deeper meaning behind what the meteor decided, so it would be best for her not to interfere casually.
But even going to the underground steam city in Winter Capital is extremely dangerous.
"Do you need me to notify the Secret Service's Winter City Station and ask them to cooperate with your work?"
"Don't tell them for now. If you need help, I know how to find them. And Qingkong will go to the Winter Capital Magic Steam Academy for academic exchanges on esoteric arts as the head of the Oulu Academy's esoteric arts department, so his safety can be guaranteed."
Agatha expected Qingkong to go with her , but she did not expect Qingkong to go publicly.
However, since she was going to the Winter Capital Magic Steam Academy for academic exchanges, Qingkong's official identity in the Golden Shield Empire would not cause her any trouble. Moreover, she was the queen of the Moonlight Court, an existence on the same level as the World Tree.
" Well, since you are going to the Winter Capital in person, there must be something you have to do. I will lend you this glass of wine to wish you and Miss Qingkong a smooth trip to the Winter Capital."
Agatha drank the rest of the wine in the glass in one gulp. She wanted to chat with Luke again, but she soon became too sleepy to hold on: "I'm going to rest..."
After Agatha left, Luke asked all the servants in the cabin to leave, and soon he was the only one left in the single room.
"Tyrant, your voyeurism is a very bad habit. If you don't change this habit, I will send you back to Miss Qingkong and let her change your sentence for you."
The tyrant appeared in the room. He was not surprised to be discovered. Instead, he defended himself and said, "Dear Governor, I am carrying out the sentence of Her Majesty the Queen. I am always here to protect your safety and wait for your orders."
The tyrant bowed to Luke in a proper manner, with the half-broken horn on his left side very conspicuous.
Luke knew that the tyrant was not as submissive as he appeared to be. He was observing him and trying to find out the secret of the clear sky. Therefore, Luke did not need to be polite with him: "I am going to declare war on the Leo Navy. You and your demons have come at the perfect time.
When the war begins, the Rio Navy will definitely send out powerful elite fighters to carry out special operations. Your mission is to kill them and protect the fleet's normal attack on Samuel Port."
Qingkong was able to subdue the tyrant in an instant, but that didn't mean the tyrant was weak. As a demon who had participated in an ancient war and survived, although the tyrant's strength had been greatly reduced due to the loss of his artifact, he was still the strongest in this era.
The war against the Rio Navy is not just a conventional war, the confrontation of high-level forces is also an important part of the battlefield.
The Raging Waves City Fleet has its own elite warrior units and the top-level military force guarantee of the Boiling Beautiful Girls Squad, which is enough to ensure that it will not lose out in high-end confrontations.
If another powerful top warrior like Tyrant joins the battle, it can greatly reduce the losses of our own people and make victory come faster.
When the Tyrant came to Raging Waves City to report to Meteorite, he knew that he would definitely go to the battlefield to defend the front line, so he readily accepted the mission and asked, "Governor, you are going to the underground steam city in Winter City. Do you know that there is an entrance to hell there?"
Luke looked at the tyrant and smiled, "Of course I know! The Winter City Underground Steam City has a huge underground thermal energy storage capacity due to the influence of the entrance to Hell. The thermal energy is converted into steam, providing a cheap heat source and power for the entire underground city and Winter City.
Therefore, there are many Hell Tribes hidden in the dungeons of Winter Capital, and the boss behind these Hell Tribes is also a demon. Do you want me to introduce you to them?"
"No need!" The tyrant refused decisively: "Except during the ancient wars, demons are hostile to each other. If I go to the underground steam city in Winter Capital, it will probably be regarded as an infringement of territory."
Luke said, "The underground steam city of Winter Capital is not the territory of Hell. The demons who are doing well in the human world don't have such stubborn and conservative ideas as you. You should have learned from your juniors how to adapt to the new era. Look at you now... You are doing so badly!"
Luke's sarcasm poked at the tyrant's self-esteem. He was excluded from hell and had to run to the human world, so he really wasn't doing well.
"Are you trying to provoke me into fighting that demon for you? If I don't rely on the number of demon descendants, none of those young demons can be my opponent."
The tyrant's nostrils were spurting fire; he was indeed somewhat enraged.
Luke smiled and said, "I didn't want you to deal with him. I just thought... bringing an ancient demon with me as a follower would make him feel close to me when I communicate with that guy."
The tyrant said with a straight face: "I don't think he can feel the intimacy at all!"
