Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

"I need visual, now!" I shout, putting down my half-finished cup of coffee on a random table. Stepping forward to a holotable, I frown as I highlight the Bulson area that was held by the Loyalist X Corps. The Bulson ridge holds immense strategic value, acting as a perfect artillery firebase for whoever holds it. Hell, Bulson artillery can even hit all the way to Sedan. For them to straight up abandon it... They're either planning something or are just straight-up stupid.

They can't be that stupid... Right?

When I see live feeds from our UAVs, however, I can only facepalm. All around Bulson ridge are abandoned bunkers, trenches, and even heavy artillery pieces. The ultra-high definition of our drones provides me with clear images of perfectly intact heavy guns, at least externally. However, it will be prudent to send a task force up to Bulson to survey the site, and it must be quick as well. That said, seeing them leaving behind their heavy weaponry like this gives some credence to the fact that this is not a trap. When the drones pan out and start scanning farther behind enemy lines and around Bulson, I am convinced that the Loyalists are truly incompetent.

They really gave up Bulson in a mere five hours.

"Do we have any word from our field operatives about this matter?" I ask an ONI officer, the very one who reported the abandonment of Bulson to me.

The woman just shakes her head. "I'm afraid it's not much, Marshal. For they too are confused as to why the X Corps just retreated without as much as a warning. The people we planted inside the Loyalist leadership are also scratching their heads. Their communication system failed to relay this massive development properly. Perhaps it's only now that the Loyalists will be able to muster a shaky response."

"... They really are fucking incompetence." I massage my temple before crossing my arms. To be fair, I did play dirty by straight-up banning them from using radios. The delay of information on a battlefield is what's killing them the most right now. "Fine, they better not blame me for taking advantage of their mistake."

I scan the holotable. "Even with Bulson abandoned, we still have Loyalist elements hunkering down around here, here, and here..." I highlight the points on the holographic map. "Maisoncelle-et-Villers hosts several anti-tank units in the wooded area. As the only thing left standing between us and Bulson, I do not doubt that the X Corps will be reinforcing it soon. There's even a high likelihood of them racing back toward Bulson, with proper armor support this time. The ridge is too damn important for them not to recapture."

I stop for two seconds before continuing. "Then there are the Pont-Maugis and Connage axes. Pont-Maugis has pockets of resistance that need to go before we can push a sizeable force to Bulson. Something that is not hard to do. However, the Connage sector is much different. Chéhéry, Connage, and Chemery form the three-town axis that flanked the river Bar. They're also a strategically important logistic route that will help make or break a Loyalist counterattack on Sedan. As such, they're heavily defended, with armor in the three towns and an entire defensive line in the forested area on the other side of the river Bar. That defensive line is manned by enough troops and artillery, sporting good fields of fire against any attack on the three towns by the river. Even with our technological advantage, being shot at directly by a howitzer is not an advisable course of action."

Brigadier General Alexa comments. "Yes, it won't be wise for us to advance without some external support. The forests they're hiding in will limit the effectiveness of our artillery. Not to mention that we will be advancing through all three towns while being shot at from the side constantly."

"And since we will be pushing into the towns, it will be a door-to-door fight. The situation will be chaotic if the Loyalists can just attack our supply line while we're busied with CQC." Another officer says.

I add. "We have airstrikes at our beck and call, may as well put them through their pace once more. Yes, standard artillery may be somewhat nullified by the dense canopy of green. However, we have incendiary bombs, Napalm that can burn the entire forest down if we need. Light the forest on fire, and we can safely advance and attack frontally the Connage axis. Simultaneously, we will clear out Pont-Maugis, all the way to Raucourt-et-Flaba. Our ultimate objective is to form a new frontline on the Chemery-Maisoncelle-Raucourt axis, thus directly threatening the existence of the X Corps. The majority of X Corps' fighting strength is in the Artaise region, with their Corps HQ setting up in the Stonne plateau. If we can keep the X Corps occupied and constantly under pressure, we can mask our intention of directly thrusting for the Erusean Channel. I have half a mind for the 10th Panzer Division to uphold this future duty alongside additional reinforcement."

"Shouldn't we directly eliminate the X Corps, Marshal?" A member of my staff asks a reasonable question.

"We can, but it will risk extending the frontline far too much when we don't need it to. It will be ineffective in both manpower and resources since our goal has been the elimination of the Erusean Expeditionary Force first and foremost. At this point, inflicting casualties on the Loyalists is just a tertiary objective." I give a short answer.

"I understand Marshal, I reckon we also do not want enemy saboteurs to infiltrate our rear, no matter how ineffective they are."

"That's right, we fight and win with minimal effort, not fighting all out to achieve subpar results." I say before continuing. "For now, the immediate plan is to have the 1st Panzer Division attacking the Connage axis with heavy air support. The 2nd will be clearing out Pont-Maugis and to Raucourt. Lastly, my Brigade will secure Bulson before attacking Maisoncelle with aid from the 10th. Once this new frontline is established, we can finally start the push for the Channel. Are we all agreeing on these points?"

"Yes, Marshal!" Exclaims my staff.

"Good." I stop before thinking of something. Turning to Brigadier Alexa, I say. "Get the 2nd ABCT rolling, I need at least two companies to sneak into Bulson and assess the site, pronto."

"It will be done, Marshal!" Alexa salutes before sending out commands to the Brigade in my stead. Task delegation is nice.

I then turn to a comms officer. "Get me a direct link to Princess Bonaparte"

"Yes, Marshal!" A few seconds later, the man says. "You're patched through, ma'am."

A video feed appears to my right and on a corner of the holotable. It's Rosa, alright, though she has tied up her long blonde hair in a bun and her blue eyes show signs of slight fatigue and excitement. Discarding her usual dress, Rosa opts for a white and blue dress uniform. Curiously, it looks similar in design to mine, yet taking the color scheme of Bryn's usual color scheme. Anyway, Rosa looks to be the part of a battlefield princess like I am. Nice.

"Yuki, is there anything I can help you?" Rosa asks with a spirited smile.

"I guess you can see it that way, though it's more around the line of more cooperation opportunity between our military forces." I smile back.

Rosa raises an interested eyebrow. "Oh, do tell, do tell. Since we're making good progress down here, I am curious about what's needed to be done over there."

I smirk before sending over the data feeds from our UAVs to Rosa's holotable, operated by our technicians. "You see, something stupid happened earlier today. The Loyalists left behind some gifts for us as a show of hospitality, so I figure why not accept them?"

I see Rosa averts her eyes to her lower left, taking a look at what I see. I nearly chuckle when I see Rosa widen her eyes in mild shock.

"Wait, aren't those the 155mm GPF!? There are even four 220 L!? Why the Hell are they leaving them empty!? And where is this even!? That's a lot of firepower they left behind as gifts!?"

I shrug with an amused glance. "Let's just say that they were scared and then some. Literally vacating Bulson in mere hours."

Rosa facepalms. "Did they seriously run away immediately?"

"And without even seeing us, yeah." I add, laughing when Rosa curses in her language, saying something about bravely running away.

Sighing, Rosa says. "Right, that happened... I guess you will be needing some of my men to seize the artillery pieces? I can see enough guns to fit four full batteries."

"Yup." I emphasize the 'p.' "My Brigade will secure the town so that we can airlift your artillery crews over. If they're deemed operable by your men, we can see if you can use them for yourself in the South."

"It will be nice to have those batteries... More firepower is always welcome." Rosa ponders with a finger beneath her chin. "Alright, sure. I will notify one of my units for immediate transfer. Thanks for giving me the chance, Yuki."

"Don't sweat it, your Army will be needing them more than mine. As a bonus, I will see if I can secure an additional munition supply for these new guns if they really are still operable. If everything goes well, you will have some heavier firepower for breaking fortifications."

"Fingers crossed." Rosa motions with a smile.

I return the gesture. "Fingers crossed."