Chapter 143
Just as Count Rudolf von Fafnir signed the "Lipshutz Accords", events were unfolding in the distant Free Planets Alliance.
This time, the change began with a large parade on Hainan Island, countless people took to the streets to protest and shout slogans "We want peace! No war!" The preliminary estimate is that within one day, tens of millions of people took to the streets to express their "wishes".
Major Lin Qi, who had returned through a prisoner exchange, was quietly thrown into prison.
"Does Reinhard von Lohengramm think we're all political idiots? A military coup?" someone said in the darkness, "But still, we can use this battle's cause and effect to stir up the masses in the direction we hope for..."
The situation developed so rapidly that the parliament was asked to hold a re-election, and the national policy of the past century also needed to be reassessed - this time the tens of millions of casualties finally broke through the limit that the Allied people could bear. Some military personnel put forward the slogan "Stand with the people! The military must take its own responsibility! Guarding democratic politics!"
Under the cover of this slogan, the newly formed Second, Fourth and Sixth Fleets took over the defense of the planet Heinlein's atmosphere, the parliament was dissolved and a temporary military administration was carried out by the bigwigs of the military, promising to hold elections after a period of time to return power to civilian rule, until then the power would be controlled by the "Military Salvation Committee".
"Whether it's a military coup or street demonstrations, at least our goal - the highest power in this country - is now in our hands. Next comes the manipulation of elections. Congratulations to our leader - General Greenhill!"
"Everyone is overpraising me. Next, I will leave the military and participate in future elections as a former soldier. Everyone remembers to give me more support."
Trelanikirt was forced to relinquish power in this movement, but interestingly, he then disappeared. On April 3rd, a portion of the planetary garrison on Nepthis launched an armed rebellion and occupied the planet, declaring independence from the Free Planets Alliance. A chain reaction began, with separatist voices emerging everywhere, although they did not occupy the mainstream. Many star systems saw a surge in demands for an end to martial law and support for the former government, while local garrisons were wavering. Until former Speaker Trelanikirt suddenly appeared in a certain star system, declaring that the current "Military Committee to Save the Nation" was illegal, and the chaos of the Alliance began.
Yang Weili was at a loss, his Izumo-class destroyer squadron had no idea which order to follow. Formally speaking, the previous regime was overthrown by popular movement, but "military control" was real. In Yang Weili's personal opinion, "can't say that military control is democratic government". In the end, he could only wait and see, waiting for the situation to clear up.
Imperial side.
Reinhart, having learned of the planned coup, ordered Bitenfeld to lead 8,000 armed soldiers to occupy the Ministry of War and arrest Minister of War Mikenberg, which also meant taking control of the Imperial Army's command transmission function.
Most of the anti-Reinhardt faction had already left the capital of Oudin, so Bitenfeld encountered almost no resistance, except for a colonel from the Shangshu room who was blocking the door and was shot by Bitenfeld.
The tall and imposing former commander of the Space Fleet, now Minister of War Mückenberger, looked at the approaching Beidelfelt with complete indifference, his calm demeanor bordering on arrogance. How dare you! You ignorant, insolent whelp! Who allowed you to barge in here unannounced? I don't know what you want, but I do know that you have no idea how to follow proper protocol!
A cold smile spread across Bidian Fiert's eyes as he put away his gun and saluted the marshal with utmost respect. "I apologize, Marshal," he said. "I was merely carrying out orders from my superiors! What I demand is that everyone should know that times have changed."
The marshal refused to hand over power and was ordered by Beatty to have soldiers forcibly escort him out of the War Ministry.
Other generals were also assigned important tasks: Ruzd went to occupy the Commander-in-Chief's headquarters, Kampf was responsible for guarding the Marshal's Palace, Kusela went to the Braunshweig Duke's palace, Mura went to the Lichtenstein Prince's palace, Rojental was in charge of protecting the Lichtenstein Prince's government office, Meklingen went to the Neues Palais... Thus, the Commander-in-Chief's headquarters and other important places were also occupied, and the Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Steinheufel, was placed under house arrest.
At this time, the satellite orbit outside Odin's atmospheric circle was completely under the surveillance of Gilfieth's fleet, and the outer cosmic area was responsible for Val's fleet to prepare for battle. However, this is completely useless, those who can run and should have run away long ago, and soon after the establishment of the noble army and received the letter of alliance from Marshal Favniel...
The aristocratic united forces gathered with Baldur as the center. At this time, Reinhard alone held three of the highest positions in the Imperial Army, serving as Fleet Admiral while also holding the posts of Minister of Military Affairs and Chief of the General Staff, giving him complete control over the military dictatorship.
Emperor Elwes II bestowed the title of "Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army" on Reinhard, which was not meant for a six-year-old child but rather for the person who accepted the title.
The Emperor also issued a sacred decree to Reinhard, ordering him to punish the treacherous officials who were gathering privately and plotting against the Emperor, including Brownmuller. On April 6th of the Standard Calendar, news of successive disturbances within the Alliance reached Reinhard's ears.
The time for battle has matured, and Reinhard will leave the pacification of the border star domain to Gillfiess's full responsibility. He himself will lead the main force to the Eagle's Nest where the nobles' united army is gathering. The two men shake hands and bid each other farewell for now. Gillfiess will take Kampf and Rutz, two senior generals, and lead a large army that makes up one-third of the entire military, organized as a mobile corps, into action. They are to face Fleet Admiral Fahrenheit's fleet, which is currently not stationed at Eagle's Nest but has been active in the vicinity of the Cygnus X-1 star system.
At this moment, the alliance on that side is still in a mess, with supporters of independence, former governments, and current military regimes fighting each other in various places. The exiles of the former government and the current government are also issuing orders to the surrounding troops in the name of orthodox government, regarding each other as wanted criminals. There have been no large-scale battles, but small-scale battles have already occurred in some star systems with economic and trade frictions. Yang Weili's fleet had to be dispatched to quell part of the rear.
Fafnir Marshal did not rush to lead the fleet to Bald Eagle City. The first thing he did was to make a surprise attack on the semi-independent territories of the southern nobles, under the name of "war friend" in the alliance treaty, and carried out large-scale conscription and some small-scale military service and factory activities. Relying on the advantage of 40,000 troops, Fafnir was conducting military rectification work in the southern galaxy at a rapid pace. "Colonel Dio, quickly design and produce a super-large warp engine." Fafnir called over his subordinate who focused on technical development - Colonel Dio Strom. The colonel was an alcoholic, but he came from a family of scholars, with several generations serving in the research department of the Imperial military, personally having many ingenious ideas, but being suppressed by his superiors and not able to stand out... Many years ago, he was considered a waste and a weirdo, thrown into Fafnir's fleet as a technical officer. Now, the marshal called him over and made his request.
"Marshal, may I ask? What size of object is this Vapur engine intended to propel?"
"Based on 100 billion tons, multiple configurations. Alright, go quickly. Don't ask too many questions later."
"Yes! Sir."
The war council of the aristocratic coalition was also often influenced by the likes and dislikes of the nobles.
Duke Browning had come up with a strategy. He wanted to set up nine military strongholds from the imperial capital of Oudin all the way to the fortress "Bald Eagle Castle", each stronghold would be heavily garrisoned, and when Reinhardt attacked these places one by one, his troops and ships would surely be gradually depleted, at which point our army would launch a counterattack from Bald Eagle Castle and wipe him out in one fell swoop.
For this strategy, Melquartz was quite skeptical. Because if Rheinhardt could attack these strongholds one by one as they expected, that would be the best. But if he didn't do so, instead destroying the supply lines and communication networks of each stronghold first, rendering them useless, and then marching straight to Eagle Castle, this strategy would be completely useless. And if heavy troops were stationed at these nine strongholds, it would actually weaken the forces for Eagle Castle.
General Wuttrich proposed another strategy: "We can form a large-scale special operations team, lure that blond boy to approach the Bald Eagle Castle, and then attack the capital Odin, which is not heavily guarded. Then His Majesty the Emperor will become our puppet. Even if he rushes back to the capital to rescue him, it's already too late!"; Hmm... The situation would be completely reversed. This blond young man would immediately become a homeless orphan in the universe!
Young Count Alfred von Lanckenbeck was called out. He looked quite excited and innocently praised Stutyn's plan of battle, considering it a positive, great, perfect proposal. "But who is to command this special task force? This position not only has high prestige but also carries considerable responsibility."
The room suddenly fell silent again.
As soon as Count Lan Zhi Bei uttered these words, the people and air around him immediately became heavy, as if they had fallen into a quagmire.
If someone can successfully attack the capital of Oudin, capture the young emperor, then he will be the greatest contributor in this civil war. The achievement of luring Reinhardt into the trap in the Bald Eagle Castle is not as great as that. The former is like the brilliance of a fixed star, while the latter is like a small planet, which loses its color in front of the fixed star.
When dealing with post-war issues, the person who made the greatest contribution should have the most say. In fact, as long as one can control the Son of Heaven and command the vassals, even if it is a formal monarch-subject relationship, they can still manipulate the supreme position at will.
Thus with just one "edict", it would be easy to monopolize the position and power.
This is the commander of the Special Action Squad.
A stepping stone to gaining ultimate power.
In the eyes of Brown and Lieutenant Hemm, a strange light flickered. They were both thinking that such an important position could not be handed over to someone else. In fact, the crux of the problem had long since departed from strategy and tactics, evolving into the realm of politics. However, these people did not think so. They were like foolish hunters who, having just seen a forest, were eager to calculate the value of the black fox fur hidden within. In reality, they might not even be able to hunt down those black foxes! Melkaz had long thought of this method. From a purely military strategic point of view, it was indeed worth trying, but Melkaz abandoned this plan without hesitation. The reason was simple: this combat method required highly coordinated cooperation among the army's organizational units in order to succeed. Commanders of various armies needed to be able to rely on and cooperate with each other.
However, the aristocratic coalition army could not do this. Marquis Reinhardt of Rozenkranz was also relieved to see this fact, so he boldly defended the capital with a small and weak military force. However, "How could I forget this! Am I really old?" The eyes of General Melquartz suddenly lit up, and he remembered the real variable! "Fafnir! Fafnir Marshal! His army is not in Bald Eagle Castle, and it's clear that the commander of this fleet is much higher than the aristocratic coalition army! Attacking the imperial capital is very likely to succeed..." But soon, the general became depressed again, "It's still the same problem, this proposal will be rejected for the same reason. However, maybe I can secretly entrust my student with something... After all, neither Brownback nor Liedenhem can give orders to him..."
Merkatz, the First General, sent his own combat plan to Favniel through his own channels after this meeting ended without incident, but there was no response, just like a mud cow entering the water.
From then on, Melkart could only implement his ideas in the two known results of compromise or being ignored - that is, choosing between two bad results. Previously, when he had just taken office as commander-in-chief, young and warlike nobles were quite welcoming to him, but this situation did not last long. Because they are not used to listening to others, it is difficult for them to restrain themselves. Older nobles, even if slightly restrained in action, constantly stirred up the bloodthirsty young people in private to achieve their own purposes.
Merkatz's first experience of compromising with others was to let Strutin, who had an obvious competitive consciousness towards himself, take the lead. The young nobles always advocated for a one-on-one battle in order to probe the enemy's strength.
"It's also necessary for them to have a taste of defeat," Melquiaz thought.
Steln foolishly divided his forces, and the 16,000 warships were split into two parts to bypass the cosmic minefield and encircle the 14,500 warships of Midasemia.
The outcome was already predetermined, and Storin could only lead his own fleet in a retreat exercise. Count Sidhsham perished along with over 10,000 warships in the Yardin star system...
When Strind was defeated by Midas Mayer and then pursued by Reinhardt's army, he desperately retreated to the Fort of Lintenberg in order to preserve his remaining forces. He was exhausted and needed a good rest. The Fort of Lintenberg is the third stronghold established by the noble alliance led by Duke Brownmiller, located on a small planet in the Vryia star system. Although it is not as large as the Iselron Fortress or the Bald Eagle Castle, it can accommodate one million soldiers and more than 10,000 spaceships. Inside, there are various functions such as combat, communication, supply, maintenance, and medical care, making it a strategically important location for the noble alliance.
Reinhardt didn't think much of the existence of Fort Lintenberg, treating it as just a small stone by the roadside. But now he discovered that this fortress was equipped with many reconnaissance satellites, floating radar control centers, faster-than-light communication centers, communication jamming systems, and ship maintenance facilities, etc., and its military strength was much stronger than before the war. If he ignored its existence and continued to pursue the defeated troops, he might be attacked from behind and increase his own danger. In view of this, it's better to get rid of this trouble as soon as possible. Launch a full-scale attack on Fort Lintenberg!
Reinhardt gave the order. He gathered all the admirals together, explained to them the plan and cross-section of the fortifications, and told them the strategy for the battle.
When the military department of the capital Odin was received, a large number of confidential documents fell into Reinhardt's hands, including the plane and section drawings of the Tronbe Lugerk fort. Therefore, Reinhardt can clearly understand the strengths and weaknesses of this fortress, and he knows that it is too late for the enemy to make up for the weakness of the fortress at this time. However, the sixth attack route seems to have a problem. Because the center of the fortress is the nuclear fusion furnace, which is the place where energy is supplied to the entire fortress. The sixth passage is the shortest shortcut from the outside to the nuclear fusion furnace. If you take down the nuclear fusion furnace from here, you can quickly put the fortress to death. However, if you directly use firepower to attack the nuclear fusion furnace, there will be a risk of triggering a nuclear explosion.
At this point, I really don't know how to decide what's good, in order to avoid using heat weapons like beam guns, it seems that the only way is to occupy the sixth channel with close combat.
Three days later, Reinhardt's fleet approached the fortress of Littenberk and began a general assault. The actual commanders of this battle were Rozenberg and Midas Mayer.
Then they found themselves with nothing, not even the remains of the Ticonderoga fort where their fleet was conducting landing operations when a huge explosion occurred, and the entire defeated fleet of Strin and the garrison that should have been defending here had disappeared - including General Overasha who should have been defending this place. It wasn't until they collected the remaining image records from the wreckage that they discovered that Strin's fleet had been disarmed as soon as it arrived at the fort, and then that fleet took away the garrison troops and soldiers, Strin's defeated army...
Fawkes led a small fleet of high-speed cruisers to the fortress of Lian Tianbei, where he easily broke off the crystal axe of General Aufray with his bare hands and then turned General Aufray into a pig head, fulfilling the general's long-held desire to "cross swords" with someone.
The Fawvnel main fleet, which is conducting a "purge" in the border galaxy, will soon face the challenge of the Gilphias fleet.
But before that, Marquis Littnerheim and the Duke had a big argument over command rights after which he left Bald Eagle Castle with 50,000 warships under the pretext of recapturing the Border Star System to prepare for battle against the Gilfieth fleet.
"Excellent, we'll speed up as well and follow the Marquis of Junk. This time there's something good to pick up!" Fafnir returned to the flagship Loki and gave orders to his subordinates.
