Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 174 Conspiracy? An Open Scheme!
As she watched several captains enter the office one after another, Lieutenant Commander Catherine did not follow them in.

She is indeed currently Ryan's adjutant, but she is also someone sent by the General Staff to monitor Ryan.

Whether it was her, Rein, or these captains, they were all well aware of this.

Of course, Catherine was quite certain that Raine wouldn't hide anything from her, even though Raine was certainly aware that she would report everything she heard and saw in Ostend back to the homeland.

But she still had to care about those captains.

Rein's unit was a mixed force of air force and army. Even if Rein and the other soldiers, who were in the army, didn't care about this, Catherine still had to consider the feelings of the air force personnel.

Especially now that the Navy and Army are very dissatisfied with the Air Force because of budget issues.

"Then I shall take my leave now."

After saluting the colonels and generals inside from the doorway, Catherine closed the door and left the regimental headquarters with a distinct thud.

inside the house.

Almost all the captains were completely baffled by Catherine's appearance.

General Herringen of the Seventh Army is a very famous veteran in the Empire. The fact that he was able to garrison the regions of Arthas and Lorraine is enough to show how important he is to the Empire.

Thanks to him, everyone present also had some knowledge of the members of the Herlingen family.

Especially Catherine, a staff officer who was very famous throughout the three branches of the armed forces.

"Why is it Lieutenant Colonel Katherine Herlingen...?"

Colonel Schmidt still didn't understand why he would see this young lady in Ostend, but as soon as he said it, he got the answer from the face of Renn beside him.

The other generals and colonels remained silent. Some stood by the window, while others sat on the sofa in the reception area. Their expressions varied, but all conveyed a sense of seriousness.

However, Renn preferred to be upfront about things. He took a sip of tea and said calmly, "The General Staff sent someone over. Ostensibly, it's because Brinkman didn't have time to return to the mainland for training, but actually, they want to see what the frontline bases think about the upcoming war with Farland and the United Kingdom."

"What did Belgreen say?" asked a major general, who was also the captain of a Zeppelin-class ship. "Is it war with Farland, or war with the United Kingdom?"

As an air force general, he remained on standby at the front line in Ostend after his ship was launched.

Logically, this should have been a perfectly normal decision, but the navy had already begun full-scale live-fire exercises not long ago, while the navy could only keep its ships in port and unable to launch attacks. Its only task was to assist the army in training airborne infantry regiments, which was incredibly boring.

Rein's words immediately piqued the interest of him and the other airship captains.

The captain of Z333 immediately replied, "Falland hasn't fully recovered yet. I heard they're considering renewing the contract, but haven't made a final decision."

“That’s all nonsense.” Schmidt shook his head. He and Rein both knew the reason why the Farrans were at war with the Empire, but not many people in the entire Empire knew this, and he himself had been given a gag order, so he could only refute the captain of the third ship’s opinion in this way. “The Farrans can’t even take care of themselves, how could they possibly be fighting them?”

After saying that, Schmidt turned to look at Renn: "But the people in the capital won't agree to resume war against the United Kingdom, will they?"

Renn nodded, briefly considering in his mind what he could and couldn't say before speaking.

"The navy is already eager to fight, and the United Kingdom's plan to mobilize its navy back home is also coming to an end. There will definitely be a battle in the North Sea. I think it's just a matter of time."

"I sent Lieutenant Colonel Herringen to invite several captains here, precisely for this matter."

His calm words were filled with the tension of a major battle, and Rein's simple words immediately made all the captains present stand up straight.

"Should we launch an attack?" The captain of the Zeppelin-class flagship squinted, his gaze passing over the top of his glasses as he looked at Rein.

"Zeppelin is too big a target and is not suitable for the first wave of combat missions."

As he spoke, Raine pinched the bridge of his nose and then took out a map of the North Sea from the drawer.

Several captains immediately gathered at the front and looked at the North Sea map drawn up before the war last year.

Raine didn't make any alterations to it, so the map was very clean, which made several captains feel a little uncomfortable.

They looked through the map, which was filled with straight lines and curves, but they also knew that the fact that Rein would bring out this map meant that this operation was not a formal operation.

"Doesn't the General Staff know yet?" The captain of the Zeppelin II was still not used to Rein's actions.

After all, every sortie is extremely dangerous for the air force, and airships require a great deal of intelligence support.

Operations conducted without intelligence support and approval are highly likely to result in serious accidents, a lesson learned from countless incidents.

Rein glanced at the other person: "I will request intelligence sharing with the Navy later, but it would be better to let them know now."

The officers immediately understood what Ryan meant and changed the subject: "What are the specific tasks?"

Instead of answering immediately, Raine grabbed a pencil and drew circles around Ostend and all the surrounding ports, enough for an army to land on the beaches, connecting them with straight lines to the ports of the United Kingdom.

Then he drew a separate line connecting the United Kingdom's Scapa Flow, the northernmost point of its territory, with the Empire's North Sea naval base and Ostend.

Only after all this was completed did Ryan speak.

"The mission for this operation is to conduct reconnaissance of all known naval ports in the United Kingdom."

Before the words were even finished, everyone present held their breath.

After a long while, Schmidt, who was closest to Rein, finally gasped and said in a cold voice, "This is not a task that some small fry can accomplish."

The United Kingdom possesses industrial capabilities comparable to the Empire, and its ability to develop flying vehicles ranks first in the world.

Unlike the Farrans, who cherish airships and airplanes so much that they are reluctant to use them, the United Kingdom had already begun experimenting with incorporating airships and airplanes into its combat order a decade earlier.

Although the Imperial Air Force still possesses the largest air power, it is ultimately impossible to commit all of one's air power to a single campaign or even a single battlefield.

Just like the operation that Rennes is about to carry out.

Everyone could see that Rein intended for the airship force to launch attacks in single or double formations, fly over the target location, make a flurry of activity, and then return. However, this would severely restrict the airships' altitude and speed to a critical range.

The captain of Z334 immediately spoke up: "The reconnaissance mission is not the problem, the problem is the situation! Colonel Friege, you should know that if we carry out this mission, even the most rudimentary fighter jets can easily shoot us down."

Although the Wave-class airship is a new type of airship with an aluminum alloy corrugated plate hull, combined with a buoyancy unit and internal airbags, it is not an unsinkable warship.

Whether the airbags are punctured or the hull is severely damaged, an airship worth millions of Imperial Marks could be reduced to a pile of scrap metal.

Perhaps the loss of one or two airships is nothing to the Empire.

However, the lost airships will inevitably fall into the hands of the United Kingdom, and the resulting intangible losses are beyond what the Empire can afford to pay.

All captains and senior officers of the Empire's Wave-class and Zeppelin-class airships are aware that, because the Empire cannot enjoy a military advantage in naval strength, it is currently trying to shift its advantage from the navy and army to the air, under the impetus of Raine.

However, the Empire has not yet established air superiority.

If the United Kingdom discovers this too early, even if it's just that the Empire is attempting to use airships to attack the ground, it would be enough to plunge the Empire into an irrecoverable predicament.

However, the captain of the fourth ship couldn't directly express his concerns, so he had no choice but to raise them indirectly.

“I understand what you mean, Colonel.”

However, Raine had already considered this point. He glanced at the captain and said, "Airships do indeed face the predicament of being chased by fighter jets at low altitudes, but have you considered that this also means we will be able to obtain intelligence on the size and base locations of the United Kingdom's air force fighter jets and airship units along its coastal areas?"

With just a few simple words, the captain of the fourth ship immediately fell silent.

Renn didn't try to hide anything and continued speaking.

"Once Belgreen decides to go to war with the United Kingdom, both navies will inevitably mobilize their full forces to compete in the North Sea."

"However, the Empire will certainly not be able to gain the same troop advantage as before the campaign to advance to the sea in this operation."

"The United Kingdom has 1.5 times the number of our naval vessels. If we want to win, we must have an absolute advantage in intelligence."

"Based on my speculation, and considering Marshal Tirpitz's personality, this operation will inevitably see our Imperial Navy fire the first shot."

"The problem is that only the marshal and the captain who gives the order to fire know when the navy will open fire."

"The reason they are not firing now is simply because the officials in the capital still want to maintain the current situation, and the United Kingdom is unwilling to commit its entire navy for the sake of Falland."

"Furthermore, as you have seen, the General Staff has sent Lieutenant Colonel Herlingen."

"You mean...?" Schmidt frowned, realizing things were getting complicated...

“At the latest, a month; at the earliest, a week,” Renn said, pointing towards the port of Ostend. “If we act too slowly, all that awaits us will be cannonballs from the United Kingdom’s warships outside the port.”

The people present remained silent, their gazes meeting in tacit agreement with Renn's view.

Seeing that they had no objections, Ryan continued.

“But we can’t wait that long,” Renn said bluntly. “If I could, I would want this fight to begin today, but that’s obviously impossible.”

"Furthermore, while the Empire may be the first to fire, we cannot be the first to fire."

The captain of the Zeppelin I was puzzled: "What do you mean?"

"literal meaning."

Raine tossed the pen back into the drawer and turned to look at the gray sky outside the window: "If the Empire really fires first, even if we win, we will still be at a disadvantage in terms of international public opinion."

"The capital is currently working with the Ottomans to try to win over the Empire through a Mediterranean alliance in order to resolve the stalemate on the eastern front."

"If we are the first to fire, even if we defeat the United Kingdom, it will still irritate the fragile nerves of the Empire."

“We wiped out two army groups of them a few months ago and captured hundreds of thousands of people. Now is the time for the two countries to sign a treaty. If war really breaks out, it will not be a good thing for the Ottomans, the Empire, or the Mediterranean Union.”

Schmidt immediately understood what Renn meant: "You mean..."

"They think the Empire will disregard the alliance treaty?" the captain of Zeppelin II asked, his voice quickening. "Is it because we haven't formally dissolved the non-aggression pact with the United Kingdom?"

Renn nodded: "That's how it is in terms of international public opinion."

"The Mediterranean Union is ultimately a non-aggression pact. What the Empire would willingly sign is the right to use a safe outlet to the sea. But if the Empire breaks the pact, then for the Empire, it makes no difference whether it fights or not."

The captain of the Zeppelin I pondered: "Is it better to take advantage of the Empire's involvement in the war and inability to attend to the Eastern Front, rather than be ambushed by the Empire, and launch a preemptive strike?"

"almost."

Ryan shook his head, steer the conversation back on track: "So our actions become crucial."

"We need to use proactive reconnaissance to provoke the United Kingdom."

"We operate during the day, taking advantage of the Wave-class's small size, high speed, and maneuverability to openly fly along the border of the United Kingdom and photograph its ports."

"In that case, the United Kingdom will inevitably become nervous and begin to deploy their airship and fighter forces to counter us."

"We will be able to obtain intelligence on the United Kingdom's various naval bases along the coast at minimal cost, as well as intelligence on their air force deployments along the coast."

As he spoke, Ryan tapped his fingers on the location of Scapa Flow.

"Once the people of the United Kingdom have been forced to keep their airships constantly in the air by our efforts, the Zeppelin-class airships will set off directly towards Scapa Flow."

"We don't need to actually go to Scapa Flow; we just need to make it look like we're going."

"In this case, the United Kingdom will inevitably choose to send a large fleet to exert deterrence in order to save face."

(End of this chapter)