Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 142 is comparable to smuggling into Yinping.
The meeting at 10 Downing Street ended, but the Britannians ultimately decided to proceed with the Dardanelles landings.

They had given the Lusa people the necessary warnings, and the Lusa people believed them, but they didn't feel much of a threat. The Britannian intelligence department had done more than enough.

However, the Bretonnia's preparations for the Dardanelles campaign were not yet complete. The issue of accountability for the losses caused by the Battle of Dover was not yet fully resolved.

Although the Royal Navy has finished investigating and holding those responsible accountable, it can't bear the entire burden of such a huge loss alone. If they could implicate their allies and make them share some of the responsibility and the losses, that would be ideal.

The external responsibility for the Battle of Dover is actually easy to shirk, since the responsible party is right there: the Franks—Calais is Frankish territory!
Back in April, if the Franks hadn't fallen into a trap, mistakenly believing Lelouch was on the Western Front and that the Demanians would concentrate numerous assault battalions to launch a full-scale attack on Calais, the Frankish army, already partially encircled, would have simply used its own warships and transport ships to break out of the encirclement, handing over cities, fortresses, and ports to the Demanians.

If the Franks hadn't been so cowardly back then, handing over aid to the enemy and ignoring the advice of their ally Britannia to hold out to the end, would things be like this today?
Now, the Demanians are using the Frankish lands abandoned by the Frankish army to bombard the Britannian Straits Fleet across the sea, so the Franks should bear at least half the responsibility for this!

Ultimately, after consulting with the Prime Minister, the Burgundian Navy Minister, Walton, in turn requested the Prime Minister to instruct the Foreign Minister, Count Balfour, to negotiate with the Franks. The request was for the Franks to organize a counter-offensive and launch a strong attack on Calais to eliminate the threat to the Straits.

The Franks knew they were in the wrong, and they were already organizing the Champagne and Artois campaigns this year, two major counter-offensives that had been going on for a long time and had resulted in a lot of deaths.

It is estimated that over the course of the year, at least 30 French soldiers will die in each of the two battlefields of Champagne and Artois.

It wouldn't hurt to open another pit now, test the waters at Calais, and then launch a strong attack to retake it. Anyway, we probably can't take Champagne and Artois, so we can just take a few troops from each side to make a show of force.

This mere transfer and pretense resulted in the French army suffering an additional permanent loss of at least 100,000 to 200,000 combat personnel by the end of the year.

After the French counterattack on Calais failed to capture it for a long time, the Britannians proposed to establish a joint fleet for joint operations between the two navies in order to prevent the Demanian navy from breaking out.

They hoped the Franks would incorporate their four Courbet-class battleships into the Combined Grand Fleet to block the High Seas Fleet.

At the same time, the Franks were also instructed to detach several pre-dreadnoughts to be incorporated into the subsequent attack fleet on the Dardanelles. Because Bretonnia had suffered significant losses of its own pre-dreadnoughts, fresh blood was urgently needed to replenish their forces; otherwise, their operational strength would be severely depleted.

The Franks also argued for a long time, going over the details and making various disputes. In the end, they incorporated all but the six newest Danton-class pre-dreadnoughts, along with four other miscellaneous pre-dreadnoughts (Freedom-class and Charles Martel-class), into the Britannia Mediterranean Fleet for joint operations.

After the Frankish Navy agreed to this condition, the Frankish Army subsequently abandoned its plan to counterattack Calais, because the Archduke of Württemberg of the German 4th Army held out too firmly.

The Western Front in this era was inherently characterized by a strong defense and a weak offense, putting the attacking side at a significant disadvantage.

When the Demanians attacked the French fortified positions, the fighting was at best even, or they were slightly at a disadvantage. Conversely, when the French launched a strong attack on the German positions, their combat power was simply overwhelming, and a casualty exchange ratio of more than five times was inevitable.

When the Franks launched a full-scale attack, they suffered an average of 5 casualties, which might not have been enough to offset the 1 casualties suffered by the Demanians who held their positions in the stronghold. Moreover, the Demanians now possess their own proprietary sulfonamide drugs, meaning that at least 1 to 2 of those 3 could be saved with better medical care.

The final permanent loss ratio is at least 7 times. Even if the Demacians replaced the Lusa prisoners of war with them to fill the gaps, they could still achieve a casualty exchange ratio of 2 to 3 times.

It's inevitable that the attacking side will suffer losses; the only difference is how much.

……

While dealing with various messy disputes on the western front and the impact of continuous bombing and artillery fire from across the sea.

On the Black Sea front in the east, the three-day air raids have ended, and the ground and sea offensives are gradually unfolding.

According to the initial plan Lelouch devised for Duke Rupprecht and Admiral Spee, the landing operation should have commenced on the 29th, with the frontal assault also to be carried out simultaneously.

However, based on the actual effects of the air raid, it was ultimately decided to postpone the landing plan to August 1st, in order to allow more time for mine clearance and weakening of the enemy surface fleet.

However, the rest of the Demanian forces on the eastern front were not idle during those two days between July 29 and August 1.

The only thing that was postponed was the amphibious assault, not the ground offensive.

鲁普雷希特公爵在7月29日便下令，于当日清晨4点半，从巴里亚第2军、第3军的出击阵地、博尔赫拉德城，向东北方2~12公里范围内的敌纵深阵地开始炮击火力准备。

More than 700 light and heavy artillery pieces were mobilized and bombarded the enemy positions for 90 minutes—this is roughly the total firepower of more than a dozen division artillery regiments and their corresponding army-level artillery.

Subsequently, at 6:00 a.m. that morning, the soldiers of the 2nd and 3rd Armies of Baria launched a ground offensive.

Because the eastern front was much wider than the western front, the troop deployments of both sides were relatively sparse, so breaking through the first line of defense did not require much effort. In just one day, the Demanian army advanced 12 kilometers northeast from Borkelad, basically occupying the area covered by their own artillery fire during the early morning preparations.

This result would be very impressive on the western front. Even with ample firepower preparation, advancing 4 kilometers on the first day would be considered a major victory on the western front. But on the eastern front, advancing 12 kilometers on the first day is only considered a regular victory.

Within the initial 12-kilometer defense zone, the Lussa only left some surveillance troops. If the enemy's attack was too fierce, they would simply collapse or retreat. Basically, they would only organize a serious defensive line when the enemy was allowed to enter within 30 kilometers. In the meantime, they would also stretch the attacker's supply lines and use the 30-kilometer area of ​​land ravaged by artillery bombardment to wear down the enemy.

所以30日、31日，巴里亚第2军和第3军，依然有稳步推进，30日推进了9公里，31日推进了7公里。3天加起来累计往前推了28公里。

The straight-line distance to Odessa is 154 kilometers, and to the Dniester River is 120 kilometers. The land ahead is still flat, but there is a rich network of small rivers and some marshes interspersed throughout.

As long as the problems of mud and river crossing can be overcome, the troops will have no difficulty in marching and resupplying on the plains.

The Demanians' three-day ground offensive further convinced Lusa's army that the enemy intended to wage a traditional ground offensive campaign, with the route of attack being an infiltration along the Black Sea coastline to the northeast.

The reason the Demanians launched the air raids on the naval port and destroyed several warships of the Lusa Black Sea Fleet with airships was certainly to provide the Deman Black Sea Fleet (which was also the Ottoman Black Sea Fleet) with a better escort and resupply environment.

The Demacians were certainly hoping to control the small ports and fishing villages along the way to supply their army with food and ammunition as they advanced along the coastline, so they wouldn't have to worry about the muddy, rotten terrain hindering their logistics.

Having made this assessment, the Russa Black Sea Fleet wasn't overly worried. They believed that even if the Demacians weakened their Black Sea Fleet, they wouldn't be able to rely on sea supply lines.

The waterways leading to and from all the docks in this area have long been heavily mined by the Lusa Black Sea Fleet! Any ship that dares to trespass will be blown to smithereens by the mines!

Of course, this kind of professional judgment could only be made by the naval commanders of Lusa at the beginning, while the army commanders were unaware of it.

Just to be on the safe side, on July 30, General Alexei Evert, commander of the Romanian Front, made a phone call to the person in charge of the navy, General Andrei Eberhard, commander of the Black Sea Fleet.

"Is this the Black Sea Fleet Command in Sevastopol? This is the Romanian Front Command in Odessa," Admiral Alexei Evert greeted them first, and only after confirming that the operator had found the right person did he begin to make his request:

"General Eberhardt, I have a question that I must confirm—starting yesterday, the German 6th Army's 2nd and 3rd Corps of Balia launched a sustained attack on our deep positions from the city of Borkelad, and has now penetrated more than 20 kilometers into our territory."

Three corps of my 6th Army are currently engaged in a stalemate with the enemy on the Borkelad front, employing a flexible defense. However, our army must ensure that the Demanians cannot use the ports along the Black Sea coast for supplies after entering the country; otherwise, our attempt to lure the enemy deeper and extend their land supply lines through the muddy and riverine regions will be meaningless. Can the navy guarantee that all ports and anchorages from Sulina to the mouth of the Dniester River will be unusable by the Demanian navy? I heard that the fleet suffered considerable losses in the past two days due to enemy airship attacks? Can naval control still be maintained?

After carefully listening to the army brothers' request, Admiral Andre Eberhard, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, confidently patted his chest and said, "Don't worry! Although the fleet has suffered some losses, with one dreadnought and one pre-dreadnought unable to be deployed, control of the sea in the ports south of Odessa remains in our hands!"
We deployed thousands of mines there early in the war; the Demanians are practically committing suicide by using those small ports to supply their army!

General Evert: "Then I'm relieved. I can continue with my space-for-time tactic, fighting and retreating to deplete the enemy's supplies."

General Evert then hung up the phone and dialed one of his lieutenant generals, who was stationed at the front, saying, "Connect me to Lieutenant General Anton Denikin."

Shortly after, the command post of a certain corps of the 6th Army of the Romanian Front in the front-line city of Alziz was connected.

A lieutenant general in charge of the defense of cities such as Alziz on the front line answered the phone and greeted him. General Evert immediately ordered: "Lieutenant General Denikin, I request that you take the three corps of the 6th Army deployed on the Alziz line and continue to maintain a flexible defense. You are allowed to withdraw in an orderly manner in stages."

Don't worry about letting the enemy in. They'll run out of ammunition and supplies if they advance another 50 or 100 kilometers. But before you retreat, make sure to destroy all roads! Even if it's just a dirt road, dig a large pit every 10 meters!
The Empire's forces in the Romanian region are currently insufficient, given the previous disastrous defeat that annihilated three armies of the Southwestern Front. We now have only two armies left to defend the entire southern region of Kievan Rus'; we cannot afford to waste them in the wilderness southwest of Odessa!

"Yes, Commander! I guarantee to carry out orders! I will take into account both defense and the preservation of manpower during the retreat and defensive battle!" Lieutenant General Denikin replied resolutely.

……

However, what they did not know was that, at the same time, Black Sea Fleet Commander Admiral Andrei Eberhardt and Romanian Front Commander Admiral Alexei Evert were full of confidence in the minefields that the Luftwaffe had laid before the war.

As early as the night of July 29, Colonel Lelouch von Ritter Hunt himself had already boarded Admiral Spee's warship.

Lelouch, together with the admiral, set sail north from Constanta and arrived in the sea area north of Solina and south of the Dniester River estuary to supervise and guide his minesweeping squadron in carrying out the task of clearing moored mines.

If the mine-clearing operation goes smoothly, the subsequent transport fleet will set sail in time, carrying the landing troops to the mouth of the Dniester River to proceed as planned. And a high-level planner like Lelouch, of course, won't need to accompany the first wave of landing troops and directly participate in the most dangerous operations.

In Lelouch's identity, he would only need to hide in the armored command tower of the battlecruiser "Goben," observe the beach landing forces' movements through binoculars and rangefinders, and then issue remote instructions via radio.

That evening, massive, solid iron chains were towed by two old, high-powered armored cruisers, like a large, open net, tightly gripping the seabed of the Black Sea and scraping it forward relentlessly.

If you can't budge it, just have the cruiser stand up and kick it! In short, brute force can work miracles, and sheer power can overcome any obstacle!

These two cruisers, one named "Hamidiye" and the other "Meddiye", were old ships that the Ottoman Navy had purchased from Demania in 1903, with main engine power of approximately 12000 horsepower.

Even without considering damage to the main unit, it is still possible to drag this new type of mine-clearing chain, which is dozens of times heavier than the old mine-clearing chain, by maintaining maximum output and forcibly dragging it.

Directly in front of the cruiser, there will be a protective boom that extends far out, opening a grille about 30 meters wide and seven or eight meters deep into the water, to prevent the minesweeper from hitting mines as it moves forward.

After all, trawls can only cover the area between two minesweepers, but they can't cover whether there are mines directly in front of the minesweepers.

With the minesweeper's forceful pulling, a safe waterway about 2 kilometers wide was actually carved out, and the Rusa Navy was completely unaware of it.

As dawn broke, the Demacians released some large torpedo boats to visually inspect the area that the minesweeping cruisers had just towed.

Mines with broken anchor chains often drift on the sea surface, which is very dangerous and can only be seen by careful observation with binoculars.

The Demacian Navy crews were not taking any chances and searched very carefully. Whenever they spotted a floating mine, they immediately used their fast-firing 88mm guns to aim directly at it and destroy it.

The sound of mines exploding could be heard from time to time. In just one morning, more than 200 dangerous floating mines with broken cables were cleared away.

Airships were also flying low in the air, helping to spot floating mines and reporting their location to friendly forces once they were detected. After all, air units had a better field of vision; as long as they stayed below 300 meters, they could see much farther and more clearly than torpedo boats.

During the mine clearance operation, they unexpectedly found several parachutists from an airship that had been shot down by the enemy during the air raid the previous day.

The airship that was shot down in Odessa port yesterday must have finally given up during its southward retreat and disintegrated into the sea. The crew members who parachuted must have been wearing life jackets before jumping, and it drifted for a whole day.

Fortunately, the Black Sea is a very desolate sea. The reason it is black is because the oxygen content in the deep water is extremely low and there are few living creatures, so there is no need to worry about sharks.

The Black Sea is an almost enclosed sea, connected to the outside world only by the very narrow and shallow Bosphorus Strait. As a result, there is almost no exchange or flow of seawater. Over millions of years, the bottom seawater here has even lost its oxygen, and there is no living creature below 150 meters.

Unfortunately, only 5 airship crew members were recovered in the end. At least 2 airships were lost in this area yesterday, with a full complement of 34 crew members and officers. The rest must have died in the crash or drowned. There was nothing that could be done about it.

"I didn't expect that the new type of bottom-scraping mine-clearing chain you invented would perform just as well in actual combat as it did in testing. I was worried that the sea conditions and seabed topography in the Black Sea were different from those in the Baltic Sea, and that something might go wrong."

Also in the command tower of the battlecruiser "Goben", Admiral Spee repeatedly observed the progress of the minesweeping fleet ahead through his binoculars. Whenever he saw a mine being detonated, he couldn't help but praise Lelouch's method for being so effective.

"What's this... I suddenly have a new idea." Lelouch didn't take credit at all, and instead maintained a very open-minded attitude.

He had just seen the airship helping the torpedo boat on the water to observe the torpedo situation and search for the soldiers who had fallen into the water, and suddenly an idea came to him.

"Oh? You have another idea? Your idea will definitely be very useful." General Spee was completely unpretentious and didn't think the other party was being nosy just because he was only a colonel.

Lelouch put down his binoculars and pointed to the airship: "We should load the airship with bullets and use heavy machine guns to sweep the observed mines, so that the torpedo boats with limited visibility on the surface don't have to run close to clear them."

If machine gun bullets can't penetrate the mine casing, we could try to mount a 37mm anti-tank gun on the airship and fire directly at it. Even if we miss this time, our allies on the Baltic coast might be able to use it later.

General Shi Pei pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "How exactly is your brain structured?"

-

P.S.: Sorry, the Black Sea, North Sea and Baltic Sea advances are on the same timeline, so this is the best I can do. The battlefield is just too vast.

I know that for two days in the middle, the main character could only appear indirectly through flashbacks and lines, offering advice to allies in advance, which definitely affected the pace of the show-off. But there was nothing I could do. Thank you all for your patience in following the updates; we've finally managed to get it back on track.

Another 12,000 words today. I'm relying entirely on this word count to keep up the pace. If I were to update 5,000 words a day, the main character probably wouldn't appear for a week.

(End of this chapter)