It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 194 | Core Meeting

Having returned to his hometown after a year's absence, Mr. Shang has been quite busy these past few days.

First, he met his parents, then his future in-laws, and then he had to arrange the wedding. He was running around non-stop and extremely busy.

As Lunar New Year's Eve approached, the crackling of fireworks and firecrackers resounded through the sky, their dazzling light almost illuminating the night.

Driving along the bustling highway, the peaceful and celebratory atmosphere should have made people feel relaxed and at ease, but Mr. Shang felt something was amiss, as if he was a little stressed.

He was still showing some symptoms of post-war syndrome... he muttered to himself.

In a moment of inattention, the car in front slowed down, and by the time he reacted and braked, it was too late, resulting in a rear-end collision with a loud bang.

Fortunately, the car was traveling at a very slow speed, and there was no serious injury. Nowadays, cars don't even have airbags, let alone seat belts. If the collision speed is even slightly faster, it is easy to get injured.

The car in front was an affordable brand under the Hozon Group, with minor damage to the rear bumper. Since it's the Lunar New Year, everyone's adopting a "better safe than sorry" mentality, so they're not making a fuss.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Shang Ke pulled out a few large bills, forty or fifty yuan, and quickly settled the unexpected matter.

Car insurance services have existed for a long time, and with the flourishing of private industry and commerce in the unified federal government, there were naturally companies operating in this field. However, in those days, without the internet or mobile phones, it was impossible to record and report the situation on the spot in a timely manner, making it quite troublesome to determine the damage. Therefore, people usually only reported serious damage to their insurance companies, and it was still most convenient to settle minor accidents privately.

Jian Keqiu remained calm throughout, only asking, "Why are you daydreaming?"

"I suddenly thought of something else." Shang Ke was quite stubborn, refusing to mention the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ah! Men's competitive spirit!

The rear-end collision left Shang Ke deeply troubled, prompting him to come up with an idea—to teach people about seatbelt technology when he had some free time, as it was simple and effective.

In between his busy schedule, he might as well play a casual game of chess; months of continuous fighting and killing have already exhausted him.

The three-point seat belt, which can be seen everywhere in later generations, can be said to be a model design of engineering - achieving the highest cost-effectiveness with the lowest cost and simple structure.

Three-point seat belts can reduce the fatality rate in car collisions by half, and even in cases of rollovers, the survival rate can be doubled.

However, seat belts did not become truly widespread until decades later.

Happy Chinese New Year.

In this turbulent winter of global change, even the top leaders of the two countries on the east and west sides of the Pacific are deeply concerned.

Perhaps only the ordinary people of the two countries are truly at ease, untouched by the ravages of war, enjoying the tranquility and peace that comes with the storm outside the window and the serenity inside.

The ruling government had no concept of the Lunar New Year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the most important military and political officials gathered together to discuss countermeasures in response to the increasingly out-of-control situation in Europe.

After the fall of its most valuable provinces and the Ruhr industrial region, the Waldland Empire, despite Kaiser Wilhelm I's refusal to surrender, had objectively lost the ability to confront the enemy head-on. The royal family and government established a wartime capital in Nuremberg, still controlling Bavaria, Württemberg, Hesse, and Thuringia. The complex terrain of southern Waldland, with its hills and mountains, was strategically more advantageous to the defenders.

【Picture】

With a local garrison of several hundred thousand, plus the retreating armies and divisions, the government of Walland-Nuremberg still controlled an armed force of nearly two million people.

However, this million-strong army actually lacked armored vehicles and heavy weapons, and could only rely on the terrain for defense, with no ability to launch a counterattack to recover lost territory.

So what will Ivan Ross do next? Continue the westward offensive?
The Foreign Minister began by outlining the conflict between the United Kingdom and the Ivan Rus' Empire.

"...The British side clearly informed Ivan Ross in a diplomatic memorandum that they did not wish to be enemies with Marianne for a long time, and that since they had defeated Varland, the war should end as soon as possible." He said, "This source is very reliable."

Some optimistically said, "Ivanros's major industries rely heavily on trade with Britain, so it's unlikely they'll fall out and should avoid crossing the line."

"That would be ideal; the war could hopefully end by spring," the Minister of Industry said in a relaxed tone.

Is the out-of-control war showing signs of being 'controllable' again?

The president of the Federal Political Affairs Committee glanced at everyone and pondered, "That's hard to say. Veronica is the kind of person who would do something like that."

“Ivanros relies on imports for a quarter of its special alloy steel, a third of its aluminum, and three-fifths of its high-precision machine tools. The British states are their only source of supply.” The Minister of Industry found this illogical and said matter-of-factly, “If you disagree, those British will turn on you in no time.”

The council chairman retorted, "The impact isn't immediate with just an embargo. If Ivanros continues his westward advance, defeats Marianne, and seduces her in no time, Britain will be powerless to stop him."

“Uh…it’s impossible to defeat Marianne in a short time, isn’t it?” The Minister of Industry found it unbelievable and said, “That’s unrealistic. If it’s prolonged to a month or two, it will be enough for Britain to send troops to intervene.”

He then looked at the military personnel and asked, "What does the military think?"

"There is no definitive conclusion. From a purely military perspective, the guiding principle of Marianna's army is to rely on the Maginot Line to fight a defensive counterattack, which is difficult to deal with." The Chief of the General Staff briefly stated: "Looking back at the various battles in the Battle of Varland, Ivanros's army is good at field battles. They use armored groups to break through the enemy's positions and destroy their overall structure, and then use a large number of artillery and infantry to destroy the enemy in motion."

Everyone present listened attentively. The Chief of the General Staff then pointed out: "This tactic will not work against Mariana's army, which is determined to fight a defensive counterattack."

The chairman of the advisory council asked, "Does Ivanros have a way to break through the Maginot Line in a short time?"

"The methods are divided into weapons and ideas. The Maginot Line is more fortified than ordinary fortified areas. To deal with that place, large-caliber railway guns are the only way, but the Ivanos army does not have them. Their most powerful railway guns are 305 mm, which is far from enough." The Chief of the General Staff added very carefully: "As for 'ideas,' there is no way to say for sure. War is full of luck. Maybe we will find a loophole."

"Then, to play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, the Maginot Line only extends to the Belgian border. Ivanros's army can attack through the Netherlands and Belgium, seeking to annihilate the enemy in open battle."

"This means that Ivanros's army will have to fight in a limited, narrow area, which will be very difficult. Even if they defeat Marianne's army at the beginning, they will have to be wary of their rear, as Britain could turn against them at any time."

The president nodded slightly and said calmly, "Alright, since that's the case, let's look at it optimistically and see if Veronica will back down."

(End of this chapter)