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

Chapter 221 | Surpassing Napoleon's Glory!
"In the bloody European war, the Republic of Marianna suffered a total of 169 million deaths and 426 million injuries, accounting for 4.3% of the total population. The vast majority of them were young people, and almost a generation of young men were lost. The heavy price even directly reshaped the national character of Marianna."

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March of that year should have been a beautiful time of spring with warm weather and blooming flowers, but Veronica felt nothing of it.

In the distant Low Countries, a fierce battle has been raging for a month, with over two million Marianna's troops firmly holding off over three million Ivan Rus's troops.

For the first week, Ivanros's army was able to make some progress through strong attacks, but it soon came to a complete standstill.

The two armies were locked in a stalemate. Subsequently, Marianne's army even launched several counterattacks of varying sizes, defeating seven or eight Imperial Russian infantry divisions.

However, the tenacity of the Imperial Russian forces caused great trouble, and Mariana's army was forced to call off the subsequent counterattack plan due to unexpected losses.

Since the outbreak of the war, Mariana's army has suffered a total of 120,000 to 130,000 casualties, including more than 40,000 killed in action, which shows how intense the fighting was.

Due to growing war-weariness among the troops, the command has temporarily suspended any plans for proactive counterattacks at the campaign level, and is only considering small-scale tactical counterattacks.

However, Ivanros's army on the other side seemed unconcerned about casualties, continuing their relentless reconnaissance, infiltration, raids, and assaults despite the poor exchange ratio...

Neither side was able to break through the other's defenses, and they could only grind each other repeatedly on the front line. The war had evolved into a cruel meat grinder.

Does this scene seem familiar?
Mariana's upper class was deeply worried about this situation, which was exactly the same as it had been twenty years ago. To be honest, both the upper class and the lower class felt a physical aversion to this back-and-forth, agonizing process.

However, Veronica rejected the peace talks proposed by Mariana's side.

To be fair, probably no European monarch could resist the temptation of unifying Europe, and she was no exception.

She believed that as long as this attrition continued, the enemy would be the first to give out, and how could their ability to withstand casualties compare to that of our army, which was full of fighting spirit?
The only problem is insufficient military production capacity, and supplies are running out every day. There are only three weeks left before the ammunition reserves are exhausted.

Furthermore, time is of the essence. Both the United States and the Great Unified Federation are busy rearming and will join the war sooner or later. These two super-industrial powers are something Veronica is very wary of.

The most ridiculous thing is that some hawkish generals and politicians are even more fanatical than she is.

These extreme hegemons, nationalists, chauvinists, and expansionists have even shouted threatening slogans like, "We are prepared to pay the price of ten million lives to bury our enemies."

St. Peter'sburg.

On a warm spring afternoon, Veronica, dressed in palace attire, sat on the balcony of her bedchamber. She was lost in thought for a long time, and by the time Ulyana came to check on her, she had already fallen asleep.

Ulyana knew that she hadn't slept well for many days and couldn't bear to wake her. She hesitated for a full two minutes before waking her up.

"Your Majesty, Lieutenant General Kovalev and Brigadier General Frolov wish to see you. They claim to have discovered a way to break the stalemate in the war."

"Really? Let them come."

Veronica's eyes were bloodshot, which looked rather eerie against her blue eyes.

With the situation on the front lines so dire, the upper echelons of Ivanros have been shrouded in gloom for the past two weeks. Under these circumstances, Brigadier General Frolov of the General Staff, based on accounts from some prisoners of war from Varland, gradually pieced together a seemingly feasible surprise attack plan.

"A surprise attack via the Ardennes Forest?"

“Yes, Your Majesty. The General Staff of Varland has also studied the operational plan for a surprise attack on Sedan Fortress through the Ardennes Forest, and we have found a fragmented copy.”

After hearing Brigadier General Frolov's description, Veronica instinctively felt it was unreliable.

This defies common sense; reason tells her it's a fantasy.

Veronica frowned slightly, pointed her long, slender index finger at the map, and asked, "I know that both Marianne and Belgium have a type of (Ardennes) forest hunter unit, which is light infantry. Perhaps light infantry can quickly cross the Ardennes forest and launch a surprise attack, but how will they attack Sedan Fortress?"

Mariana wasn't stupid either. Although the Maginot Line didn't reach the Ardennes Forest, the area near the Ardennes Forest was a fortified region—Sedan Fortress—and there was also a natural barrier—the Maas River.

Without heavy weapons, how can we attack fortified areas?

Without equipment, how can we cross the river?

"No, Your Majesty, after I realized the possibility of a surprise attack through the Ardennes Forest, I went there myself to investigate. The width of the local dirt roads is sufficient for tanks to pass through." Brigadier General Frolov handed over several photos and said confidently, "Please look at the photos. They are just wide enough for a tank and a motorcycle to pass side by side. This means that our invincible tank force can launch a surprise attack on the Sedan Fortress."

Veronica retorted coldly, "Tanks alone cannot win. Troops need artillery preparation before they attack. Such terrible dirt roads cannot pass any heavy artillery. Don't tell me you didn't consider this."

Brigadier General Frolov quickly explained: "We can use some damaged tank chassis to modify howitzers or cannons and turn them into self-propelled artillery. In addition, our air force and paratroopers can also be deployed to this crucial battle to dismantle the Sedan fortress."

"As far as I know, the Imperial Air Force is at a disadvantage in air combat and has suffered heavy losses."

"That's certainly true in the Low Countries region. The Mariana Islands have concentrated their air force there. As long as our actions are sudden, the Mariana Islands will not have time to react."

The Ivan Ross Airborne Forces were an unparalleled elite force, distinguishing themselves in several battles.

As for the two groups that suffered setbacks in Budapest a few months ago because of some Asian... let's just consider that an accident.

Brigadier General Frolov painted a beautiful picture and tried his best to persuade Veronica.

The latter was clearly tempted and convened a top-level meeting overnight.

With little time remaining and dwindling ammunition reserves of only about twenty days, and considering that there was no better option at the moment, the idea of ​​a surprise attack on Sedan Fortress through the Ardennes Forest became the only hopeful possibility.

They launched a surprise attack on the Sedan fortress, crossed the Maas River, and advanced deep into enemy territory, cutting off the rear of more than two million Marianne's army!

Let's take a gamble! But... how difficult it is to make up our minds?

An atmosphere of anxiety and trepidation filled the conference room. At this moment, the fate of the nation seemed to become a tangible entity, hovering and moving between everyone's fingers.

"Gentlemen, this is a decisive moment, a moment that will determine the fate of the army and the nation." Veronica's voice trembled slightly, whether from excitement or nervousness, it was hard to tell.

She slowly surveyed the assembled military and political officials, and solemnly declared in their slow, deliberate speech: "I demand that the army exert its utmost effort to strive for any possible victory. I believe we will surpass Napoleon's glory. God bless Ivan Ross!"

(End of this chapter)