Faced with the aggressive advance of the Continental coalition forces, the British colonial government in Indochina was completely stunned. Having lost control of the seas, the peninsula was like a house riddled with holes, unable to withstand even a strong wind, let alone a storm. Even if one ignored the gap in combat effectiveness between the two sides, Indochina alone could not muster a force of one million men. Worse still, the enemy possessed both air and naval superiority, allowing them to strike from all directions. Emergency telegrams were sent to London, then forwarded on to India. After the Battle of Malacca, the Far Eastern sea routes had been severed. Even if reinforcements were dispatched from the homeland immediately, they would have to detour through India. On the battlefield, time waits for no one. With the Continental coalition armies already closing in, the only force capable of supporting British Indochina now was India itself. After the outbreak of the war for hegemony, the Indian colonial army had expanded rapidly, with its total strength surpassing four million troops. On paper, the numbers were undeniably impressive. Even if the Holy Roman Empire’s army, navy, and air force were combined, their total strength was still under three million. But this was the age of industrial warfare. Human-wave tactics could still play a role, but that role was steadily diminishing. Those closest to the situation understood it best. Governor Robert Jervis knew perfectly well what kind of force those four million colonial troops really were. Command structure, equipment, training, morale. Not a single aspect met proper standards. One could easily imagine their actual combat effectiveness. If they truly had real fighting power, there would be no need to worry about being attacked from both the Russian and Austrian directions. Instead, they would already be on the offensive, actively seeking trouble for those two powers. Staring at the plea-for-help telegram in his hands, Robert felt utterly overwhelmed. To the north were Russian forces advancing southward. To the west were Holy Roman troops pushing east. And now, to the east, a million-strong colonial allied army had suddenly appeared. Facing the world’s two strongest land powers simultaneously, fighting a three-front war, was enough to make anyone’s scalp go numb. Yet no matter how difficult it was, Indochina had to be saved. Otherwise, once the enemy pushed through unopposed, India would be the one to suffer in the end. Even if they could not defeat the enemy outright, they at least had to pin them down in Indochina and buy time for a breakthrough elsewhere. After hesitating for quite some time, Governor Robert finally spoke, “Order the Seventh Army and the Eighth Army to move south at once to reinforce Indochina. Notify the heads of all departments to attend a meeting tonight. We need to discuss further military expansion.” Despite commanding a force of four million troops, he still felt desperately short of manpower. The thought itself seemed absurd, yet reality told Robert that if India was to be held, the army would have to expand even further. Hearing this shocking decision, his aide hurriedly tried to dissuade him: “Your Excellency, the army has already expanded to its limit. If we continue recruiting now, I fear—” “There’s no room for ‘fear’,” Robert cut him off. “The enemy is advancing aggressively, and our deployable forces are insufficient. If we don’t expand the army, what are we supposed to use to stop them? “If we lack junior officers, then train them immediately or promote veterans directly. If we lack weapons and equipment, requisition them from the civilian population. I don’t care what kind of weapons they are so long as they can kill the enemy. Besides, the homeland is giving us strong support. Didn’t two divisions’ worth of equipment arrive just yesterday? Once we get through this immediate crisis, things will improve.” It wasn’t that Robert enjoyed sophistry or twisting logic. The situation was simply too grim. As governor, he had to project confidence. Two divisions’ worth of equipment was no small amount but compared to the millions of colonial troops under his command, it was little more than a drop in the bucket. To ensure that every man at least had a firearm, even flintlock muskets from the previous century had reappeared in the ranks. Some of the artillery pieces were older than Governor Robert himself. No matter how unreliable such weapons were, having them was still better than having nothing at all. They were useless for field battles, perhaps, but in defensive fortifications they could at least serve some purpose. There was simply no alternative. And it wasn’t only the Indian colonial army suffering from chaotic equipment. Even units stationed in the British Isles could not guarantee standardized armaments. This wasn’t because the British government was incompetent, it was due to structural limitations. As a maritime power, Britain’s army had long followed a “small but elite” doctrine. In the capitalist world, “market orders determine industrial scale.” With few army orders, the supporting industrial chain naturally remained small. Anyone even slightly familiar with Britain’s military-industrial complex knew that the army’s arms industry was largely subordinate to naval production. Relying solely on army orders, the industrial chain might not even survive. After all, in this era, high–value-added equipment was still rare, and rifles, machine guns, and conventional artillery had long since passed their age of excessive profit. In a certain sense, the emergence of armored forces also rescued the army’s military industrial sector. Unfortunately, this kind of weapon was of little practical use to the British. In normal times, there was no need for such a weapon of mass destruction. When it was finally needed, the enemy would already have landed on the British Isles, and the situation would be beyond recovery. … When peace can no longer hold the world in check, the devils are unleashed, and the entire globe plunges into bloodshed and terror. From Africa to Europe, from Europe to the Near East, the Far East, and Southeast Asia, the whole Old World was engulfed in fire and blood. Yet this was only the beginning. The American continent, isolated across the seas, also failed to remain untouched. After secret negotiations collapsed, the Oceanic Alliance launched attacks on the Holy Roman Empire’s colonies in the Americas. Overnight, Latin America, South America, and the Caribbean all became battlefields, and the scope of the world war expanded once again. Austrian Central America was in excellent condition. The Holy Roman Empire had managed the region for several decades. Its population had already exceeded ten million, and its territory covered as much as one million square kilometers. With full mobilization, it could field an army of one million men. Even when facing enemy offensives from both the north and the south, it did not fall behind. On the contrary, it even carried the war deep into the interiors of Mexico and Colombia. Austrian South America was barely adequate. Although the local population had only just surpassed one million, it possessed the natural advantage of the Andes Mountains. Holding off enemy attacks was still not a serious problem. Moreover, the Holy Roman Empire was not without allies in the Americas. Even if they did not openly take sides, it was not difficult for them to obstruct the Oceanic Alliance. By this stage of the war, aside from the fall of Alaska in North America, the Holy Roman Empire had not lost any large swathes of territory. When one could not defeat the strongest opponent, it was natural to pick on the weaker ones. Thus Spain met its misfortune. The Americans, who had long coveted Cuba, could no longer restrain their ambitions and stretched out a demonic hand toward the Caribbean. However, the United States was unlucky. After suppressing the rebellion, the Spanish did not immediately disband the French mercenary forces. Instead, they converted them into long term hires. With the timing altered, the Spanish-American War over Cuba naturally took on a very different character. Unlike the one sided outcome of the original timeline, the war became deadlocked from the moment it began. Facts proved that American soldiers of this era were simply not suited for war. Even with an overwhelming numerical advantage, they were still pinned down and beaten by mercenaries. If it were not for the limited numbers of the French mercenaries, and their unwillingness to risk their lives for the Continental Alliance, the American forces that landed might well have been wiped out outright. With all three major theaters grinding to a halt, the situation became deeply embarrassing. As the chief planner of this operation, Theodore Roosevelt felt immense pressure. Deep down, a voice kept reminding him to push harder. Otherwise, he would end up keeping company with the unfortunate Lincoln, tied as the worst president since the founding of the United States. Although Roosevelt had taken the lead, the decision by various countries to send troops at this moment was in reality forced upon them. After private contacts with the Holy Roman government yielded nothing, everyone understood that if they did not act soon, then once the British went down with their sinking ship, all of them would be dragged down together. By this stage of the war, Britain, the so-called hegemon, had been struggling badly and was being beaten on all fronts. Launching an expedition to the European continent to help Britain win the war was never a realistic option. Everyone was well aware of their own limits. Even combined, the Oceanic Alliance would still not be enough to face the Holy Roman Empire on its own soil. Since going on the offensive was impossible, President Roosevelt seized the opportunity to put forward the idea of “the Americas for the Americans,” attempting to secure safety by relying on the oceans. To achieve this, it was not enough to possess a powerful navy. More importantly, it was necessary to pull out the nails close at hand and leave the enemy no foothold. Unfortunately, plans never kept pace with events. The nails left behind by the enemy were too deeply embedded, and their methods for removing them were far too clumsy. Not only did they fail to pull out the enemy’s nails, they even ended up injuring their own hands. As frontline reports arrived one after another, Theodore Roosevelt’s temper grew worse by the day. “A bunch of useless trash!” “Useless trash!” “The United States is being ruined by…” … In the face of the president’s incessant tirade, the military representatives all lowered their once proud heads. There was no helping it. After a defeat, no amount of argument carried any weight. For this operation, all members of the Oceanic Alliance except Britain and Japan had committed what they claimed were their most elite units. It was a ‘Grandmaster’ start with ‘Bronze’ results.. The coalition, which appeared to enjoy overwhelming advantages on paper, was utterly outplayed on the battlefield in every conceivable way. Heavy losses were one thing. The real problem was that the entire strategic plan had collapsed. If they failed to drive the enemy out of the American continent, then when the reckoning came later, they would not be able to withstand the consequences. The principle of sparing the many did not apply in every situation. In a high-risk game like a world war, the rule had always been to punish even at the risk of punishing the innocent, never to let anyone off lightly. If other countries surrendered, they might still have a slim chance of survival. If the United States surrendered, its fate would be dismemberment all over again. The failure of back channel negotiations was the clearest proof. If the Holy Roman government were not prepared to come down hard on the United States, it would never have demanded unconditional surrender outright. Seen from this perspective, the other members of the Oceanic Alliance had in fact been dragged down by the United States. Without this major boss, the smaller states would not even have been worth the Holy Roman Empire’s special attention. Letting them go would have been no great loss. Perhaps Roosevelt’s language had been too harsh, or perhaps it was an attempt to preserve the last shred of dignity for the military. In any case, Secretary of State Melchor spoke up, “Mr. President, what has happened has already happened. Assigning blame now will not help. The most urgent task is to deal with the aftermath as quickly as possible. The strategy of expelling the Holy Roman Empire from the Americas must not be shaken. Our allies cannot be relied upon. We must find a solution ourselves.” Deception was never a sustainable strategy. Foreign governments were not fools, and sooner or later they would see through it. Once it became clear that the Holy Roman government’s real target was only the United States, everyone would know how to choose. Even if those governments reacted slowly, the Holy Roman Empire would remind them at the appropriate moment and guide them toward the correct decision. “If you cannot defeat them, then join them” was not something to be ashamed of. What was truly disgraceful was repeating the same mistake again and again. There was only a single piece of information separating alliance from betrayal. Once it became clear that the British Empire was destined to lose, every country would immediately choose to cut its losses. Withdrawal alone would be acceptable. What was truly dangerous was the possibility that these countries might switch sides and stab the United States in the back. In this regard, the Holy Roman government was highly experienced. It excelled at turning the enemy’s followers into its own. After the topic was shifted, the military representatives still did not dare to respond. Relying on their own strength sounded simple, but the real issue was that they genuinely could not win. The most elite units at home had already been dispatched, yet they had not even taken Spanish Cuba, let alone faced the far more powerful Holy Roman Empire. Of course, this did not mean that the United States was completely incapable of dealing with the Holy Roman colonies. Given enough time, sheer national strength could still grind down the Holy Roman presence in the Americas. The reason everyone was anxious now was precisely because time was not on their side. The struggle for hegemony had reached a critical stage. One misstep, and the British Empire would collapse. Without Britain shielding them at the front, the United States alone simply did not possess the strength to confront the Holy Roman Empire. With Central America as a foothold, even the vast oceans could not prevent the Holy Roman Empire from projecting power overseas. Admittedly, that power projection could never be total, perhaps not even one fifth of its full strength. But the fact remained that the U.S. military simply couldn’t hold their own in a fight. Facing off against even a fraction of the Holy Roman Empire’s military might, they still lacked the nerve to stand their ground. What made matters worse was the enemy’s talent for rallying allies. Even the formidable British Empire had fallen into a situation of being besieged on all sides. If the same were to happen to the United States, the number of countries joining such an encirclement would likely be even greater. Seeing this scene, President Roosevelt’s anger only grew stronger. However, the military’s poor performance was hardly a recent development. No amount of scolding would change anything. The United States’ lack of martial fortune also had historical roots. Many of the immigrants who came to the country had done so precisely to escape the wars of Europe, making them natural opponents of war. After the Civil War, anti-war sentiment became even more deeply entrenched. For the sake of votes, legislators eagerly catered to public opinion and styled themselves as opponents of war. The military power that had risen during wartime was quickly suppressed by politicians. Not only was the size of the armed forces reduced, but members of Congress were so miserly that they were reluctant even to grant general officer ranks. Under such circumstances, the military certainly became obedient, but obedient children were not good at fighting. Even in this war, anti-war voices among the public were louder than ever. Had it not been for the near unanimous support of major domestic capital interests, the United States would never have become involved at all. “Does the military have no plan at all?” Roosevelt asked. Meeting the president’s piercing gaze and realizing that there was no way to avoid answering this time, Brigadier General Matthias steeled himself and replied, “The enemy has operated in Central America for a long time. They even appointed an imperial prince as governor, which shows the level of importance they attach to the region. As is well known, the Holy Roman Empire governs its colonies through the most traditional feudal system. Under this system, the enfeoffed nobles all maintain large private armies. At present, most of these nobles are first generation appointees, hardened commanders who fought their way up on the battlefield. Although they have formally retired, they still hold military positions within the reserve forces…”
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Comments
Post a Comment