With Austria shifting its strategic focus, the previously murky situation on the Central European front suddenly became clear. The coalition forces, which had once been eager to launch a counterattack, now fully transitioned into defense. It was as if they had been bogged down by the refugee crisis. No matter how the French army provoked them, they held their positions and refused to move. In the skies were airplanes and airships. On the ground were trenches, reinforced steel, barbed wire, and machine guns. Faced with such an enemy, the French army was also left frustrated. Launching an offensive would come at an enormous cost, and the chances of achieving satisfactory results were slim. After all, trenches required no advanced technology. Even if one line were breached, there would always be another waiting behind it. Trying to force a breakthrough by throwing in wave after wave of infantry was nothing short of reckless disregard for the soldiers’ lives. Of course, as long as the war could be won, any amount of casualties would be deemed worthwhile. But the problem was that the Battle of the Rhine was only a microcosm of the broader continental war. If France lost this battle, it would be the end for them. If they won, there would still be another battle to fight. A simple glance at the map made it obvious. If France wanted to win the war, it would have to fight three or five major battles at the very least. Without that, it could forget about making the anti-French coalition yield. If France exhausted all its resources here, how would it fight the rest of the war? Any competent commander understood that winning early meant nothing. Only the final victor could be considered the true winner. On one side was a frontline that refused to yield. On the other was a rising daily death toll. Within the command headquarters, Marshal Patrice de MacMahon felt an immense weight bearing down on him. “Have the anti-air weapons arrived yet?” The coalition was holding the line with its ground forces, but it still maintained absolute superiority in the air. Every day, their air force would show up unpredictably. Whether it was bombs dropped from above or bullets flying through the air, it all posed serious problems for the French army. Individually, the results of a single airship or airplane might seem insignificant. But once that unit was scaled up a hundredfold, the situation changed entirely. Even if the results of a single aircraft sortie amounted to only one casualty, for the French army that still meant several hundred wounded or killed every day. Accumulated over time, that was by no means a small number. The blow to morale was especially severe and difficult to recover from. In order to escape from this predicament as quickly as possible, Marshal Patrice de MacMahon immediately requested anti-air weapons from the homeland. Although airships had been introduced into military use earlier, and countries had begun developing anti-aircraft weapons in advance, the truth was that such weapons in this era were still very limited in effectiveness. Aside from anti-air artillery, which had some practical use, most other anti-aircraft weapons had been comedic from the moment they were invented. Take, for example, the famously legendary anti-air rifle. In theory, this specially designed rifle had a maximum range of over a thousand meters and was capable of threatening enemies in the sky. As for its actual performance in combat, the results were disappointing. Since the outbreak of the continental war, the French army had not managed to shoot down even a single airplane or airship with it. Perhaps they had scored hits, but the targets simply did not fall. The problem was that bullets of this era lacked power. Just because they could fly a thousand meters did not mean they had any real lethality at that distance. Unless the enemy was flying low, the weapon was practically useless. The anti-air machine guns widely known in later generations were little more than fantasy in this time period. The Maxim gun was still a new addition to the battlefield. One could hardly expect soldiers to point Gatling guns at the sky. Compared to these laughable experimental weapons, artillery was far more effective. Even though the hit rate was pitiful, as long as a shot landed, it usually produced results. “The anti-air weapons have arrived, Marshal, but with only a few hundred guns…” There was no way around it. Two million French troops could not possibly have their airspace protected by only a few hundred anti-aircraft guns. No matter how they were distributed, it simply could not be done. The scramble over who would receive these guns had nearly caused fights to break out within the French army. Lieutenant General Amédée, who was in charge of logistics, was having a major headache because of it. Patrice de MacMahon nodded thoughtfully and then said, “Since we don’t have enough anti-aircraft guns, don’t distribute them to the units for now. Concentrate them and let them operate with the artillery. The enemy is in the sky, and there’s no need to draw strict lines. When the time comes, just fire alongside the other guns and scare them off. As long as the enemy avoids low-altitude bombing, the damage they cause will still be within an acceptable range. Remember, deploying the air force is not cheap. The results they get from high-altitude harassment probably don’t even cover their fuel costs. Didn’t they say back home that fighter planes have already entered production? The issue should be resolved soon. For now, we should speed things up and try to create more refugees before the international community steps in. That will increase the enemy’s logistical burden.” That was the reality. From a purely economic standpoint, high-altitude bombing had a very low cost-performance ratio. Dropping over a hundred tons of bombs daily, burning another hundred tons of fuel, and requiring a massive maintenance budget, only to kill one or two hundred enemy soldiers, was an outright loss. War is a game of money. If there are no significant results, nobody can afford to keep going at that pace forever. The frequency of bombing missions naturally declines over time. To be precise, it was the Austrians whose bombing frequency had already decreased. Most of the time, only fighter planes went up for harassment runs, while airship deployments became less frequent. The reason was, of course, logistics. The outbreak of the refugee crisis had forced the Austrian army to conserve ammunition and reduce logistical consumption wherever possible. Airship units, originally used for bombing French positions, were now primarily responsible for transporting supplies. Hundreds of airships traveled back and forth daily to ensure that the frontlines had everything they needed. As for the international intervention that Patrice de MacMahon feared, the truth was he was overthinking it. The French government was simply scaring itself. Countries that had the ability to intervene in the continental war had no interest in doing so. They were still busy with their own “friendly matches” and had no intention of stopping any time soon. Those who did want to intervene lacked the necessary strength. Aside from making some noise and shouting a few slogans, they had no real ability to influence the situation. … With the Central European front stabilized, things on the African continent grew increasingly tense. Austria, now going all in, produced results that were nothing short of extraordinary. In just half a month, the Austrian government deployed seventeen divisions of reinforcements to the Egyptian front. This pushed the already struggling French forces into a fully passive position. Staring at the mounting pile of telegrams begging for reinforcements, Governor Jacob didn’t even have time to respond before another wave of bad news arrived. As the Austrian army launched a full-scale offensive across Africa, Algeria, which had previously been in the rear, was now effectively a frontline. The Algerian colonial government withheld the reinforcements that had originally been reserved for the Egyptian front. “That damned fool Anatole. Can’t he use his brain for once? If Egypt falls, we’ll be completely pushed onto the defensive in this war…” Governor Jacob was cursing nonstop, and regardless of faction, everyone present at the meeting was united in shared anger and frustration. According to the original plan, after the French army had completed its strategic withdrawal across the African continent, three hundred thousand reinforcements were to be sent to support the Egyptian theater. While these forces were far from elite and their combat effectiveness was not much stronger than that of native troops, having reinforcements was still better than having none at all. Even if they couldn’t change the tide of battle, they might have helped Egypt hold out for a longer period. For everyone involved, just holding out until the end of the European war would already be a significant victory. Unfortunately, all of that now seemed like a dream. Without reinforcements, the ragged remnants in Egypt stood no chance of lasting long. Lieutenant General Arthur, who was in charge of the Suez defense line, spoke angrily, “Governor, we must lodge a formal complaint to the homeland. If everyone follows the example of the Algerian colonial government, acting recklessly and ignoring the bigger picture, who is left to defend France?” There was no time to delay. The enemy had already crossed the Suez Canal. If it were not for the forts and strongholds, the canal defenses would have collapsed long ago. Anyone with even a bit of military knowledge could see that once the Suez Canal defenses were lost, the wide-open Delta region in the rear would be impossible to defend. Losing Egypt was one thing. The real issue was the complete fall of the Suez Canal into enemy hands. Even if the canal was damaged and would take time to repair, the overall strategic disadvantage had already been created. An Austria that spanned Europe, Asia, and Africa was truly terrifying. Even if France managed to win the war in Europe, it would still be powerless against such a monster. … At the Palace of Versailles, even before the protest telegram from the Governor of Egypt arrived, Napoleon IV was already furious over the Algerian colonial government’s absurd maneuver. If they couldn’t send reinforcements to Egypt, they should have said so earlier. Pulling a stunt like this at such a critical moment, what was that supposed to be? If it weren’t for the fact that Algeria was still under French control, Napoleon IV would have suspected them of defecting to the enemy. Anyone could figure it out without thinking too hard. Troops that were supposed to depart suddenly vanished, and for the Egyptian front already hanging by a thread, this was nothing short of a fatal blow. Europe did not hold to the ideal of fighting to the last man. If no reinforcements came from the homeland and there was no hope of victory in sight, the local interest groups in Egypt might very well surrender to Austria. Loyalty was a fragile thing. No matter how tight France’s control over its colonies was, the people’s sense of belonging could never compare to that of the mainland. “What did that fool Anatole say?” It was obvious that Napoleon IV was truly angry. For him to describe his own appointed governor in such terms meant his patience had reached its limit. Prime Minister Terence Bourquin, face flushed red, scratched his head and replied awkwardly, “Anatole explained that the frontlines were in crisis. The troops originally pulled back from the front were ambushed by the enemy halfway through their withdrawal, and after a fierce battle, suffered heavy losses. More than half of the reinforcements originally promised to the Egyptian front have now been lost. On top of that, the enemy’s advance is already threatening Algerian territory. They no longer have the capacity to support Egypt. To ensure Algeria’s security, Anatole has issued an emergency mobilization order, conscripting all young French men in the colony. At the same time, he has sent a telegram to the homeland requesting reinforcements and supplies. If nothing changes, we are on the verge of losing Africa as a source of raw materials.” Whether anyone wanted to believe it or not, the situation was already a reality. The retreat suffered heavy losses, the strategic withdrawal plan had failed to deliver, and Algeria was now on the brink of becoming a battlefield. In this context, even if the French government were to forcibly order the colonial administration to send reinforcements, it would be of no use. Unlike other colonies, Algeria had always been a key region under French development. The local interest groups there had already established a strong grip on power. In times of crisis, everyone’s first priority was to protect their own interests. When faced with such concerns, the bigger picture had to take a back seat. Suppressing his growing frustration, Napoleon IV asked, “Without these reinforcements, how much longer can the Egyptian front hold out?” Confidence could not withstand endless erosion. If the public’s expectations for the French army had been one hundred points before the war, it was now no more than eighty. A quick and decisive victory, defeating Austria in a short time to win the war, had only been a hopeful vision at the start of the conflict. Now, Napoleon IV had revised his expected timeline for victory from two months to one year. Until France achieved complete strategic dominance, the French government could not afford to let Egypt fall. After much hesitation, Minister of War Luscinia replied uncertainly, “Initial estimates suggest they can hold out for three to six months. However, Austria has recently sent more troops to Egypt. How long the Egyptian front can actually endure will depend on how much the enemy commits.” That answer was no answer at all. Austria’s level of commitment to the Egyptian theater was beyond French control, which meant how long the French forces there could hold out was just as uncertain. “Your Majesty, we must send reinforcements to Egypt. The troops on the front line need to see hope, otherwise…” Terence Bourquin, the Prime Minister, trailed off before finishing the sentence. He simply could not go on. What came next would be far too damaging to morale. As a politician, it was fine to think such things in private, but some words could never be spoken aloud.
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH) Support the translation and read more chapters at https://ko-fi.com/dragonlegion
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