Holy Roman Empire

Having defeated the French, the high ranks of the Rebel Army showed no joy, except for a group of British generals led by General Jeret, who seemed in good spirits, while the rest glared at Mahidi with anger.

A bearded officer drew his sidearm and slammed it on the table, demanding, "Mahidi, what is going on? Why did you destroy the dam without notifying us? Do you realize that because..."

Before he could finish, Mahidi hurriedly explained, "Retings, it’s not that I didn’t want to inform you, it’s just that there wasn’t enough time.

Our main forces at the front had failed in the decisive battle; the only way for the Rebel Army to defeat the French was to destroy the Aswan Dam.

It turned out our decision was not wrong. The French Army was heavily damaged, and they are now fleeing in panic."

Retings scoffed with a cold laugh and mocked, "I think it’s not a matter of time, but that you never planned to inform us at all.

After all, it was our people who suffered the losses; your Direct Line Sixth Division and the First Division were completely unharmed, naturally, you wouldn’t feel the pain."

From the expressions of everyone present, perhaps this was the real reason for their anger.

The battlefield had already seen failure; turning defeat into victory by destroying the dam had no issues militarily. Doing so for the greater good was barely justifiable.

But the problem was that it was their own troops who suffered the losses, while Mahidi’s Direct Line forces had all escaped disaster, creating a feeling of imbalance among the group.

Seeing that calm persuasion was ineffective, Mahidi became angry and retorted sharply, "Do you not know the condition of the First and Sixth Divisions?

Don’t say I preserved strength; remember the previous ambush battles, my troops were the first to fight. If not for the severe losses, they wouldn’t have withdrawn to rest."

As the situation threatened to spiral out of control, General Jeret spoke, "Gentlemen, no one wants this kind of thing to happen.

War requires sacrifices. The soldiers involved in the frontline defeat couldn’t escape the French’s pursuit either. Being able to drag the French down with them, they too died a worthy death.

Rather than blaming each other here, it would be better to think about how to restore strength. We can simply recruit more people to compensate for the heavy losses in our army.

The French are severely weakened, and in the short term, they won’t be able to organize a second military encirclement in the Egypt Area. Now, you have complete freedom to act.

Considering the heavy losses everyone suffered, Britannia is willing to provide another 30,000 rifles and some ammunition to help everyone overthrow the French rule."

The wheel of fortune turns; the French once assisted the Americans, causing the British to lose their base of power in North America. Now it was the British’s turn to step in.

However, in comparison to Louis XVI’s generous donations, even personally entering the fray, the British seemed quite petty.

Merely 30,000 rifles, without even cannons or machine guns, and typical of John Bull’s integrity, these were likely just worn weapons discarded by the British Army.

In Britannia, thirty thousand decommissioned rifles definitely wouldn’t sell for 30,000 British Pounds, not even finding a buyer at 10,000 pounds on the European Continent.

But for the Rebel Army, this was already an astronomical figure, far exceeding the total aid previously provided by the Anglo-Austrian countries.

Upon hearing the news of the 30,000 rifle aid, everyone’s temper seemed to cool down. The Rebel Army was a motley crew; there might have been those who cared deeply for their soldiers, but they were definitely in the minority.

For most of the high-ranking members, the army was merely a tool for achieving power and wealth, considered expendable.

After all, as many rifles as they had, that’s how many troops they could have. If soldiers were lost, they would simply recruit more.

The British had supplied a batch of weapons, and most likely the Austrians would supply another batch, along with leftovers from the battlefield, so restoring strength was not at all a problem.

Retings quickly seized the opportunity and said, "Out of respect for General’s presence, let’s let this matter go. However, the Second Division suffered heavy losses; I need 10,000 rifles for replenishment."

Mahidi objected, "No! Everyone’s losses are heavy. The Second Division actually fared quite well; they at least retained a regiment. I can only supply you with 5,500 rifles at most."

It was essential to suppress Retings, who was the second strongest in the Rebel Army after Mahidi. The conflicts between them over power were more than just single instances.

Finally, using the opportunity provided by the battlefield to heavily damage the Second Division, Mahidi would never allow him to easily recover his strength.

Retings slammed the table furiously, cursing, "Mahidi, don’t push it too far.

If this is how it’s going to be, we might as well disband now; no one wants to stay here and take your nonsense."

...

A conflict within the Rebel Army was precisely what General Jeret was pleased to see. If the Rebel Army were unified, how could he demonstrate his importance as the British envoy?

Take this instance, for example; everyone knew the order to blow up the dam was actually issued by General Jeret, yet everyone pretended to be oblivious, forcing Mahidi to take the blame.

This was still the outcome after Hutile and others had left; otherwise, the situation here would have been even more lively. The losers in the power struggle would most likely seek support from the Austrians, stepping forward to challenge Mahidi, who was supported by the British.

As the continuous arguing raged on, turning headquarters into a mess and nearly leading to blows, General Jeret picked up a baton and struck it hard on the table.

He scolded directly, "Sit down, all of you, and look at what you’ve become?"

"Don’t forget, your current status is that of a national leader, not some street thug.

To quarrel endlessly over such trivial matters, aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock if word gets out?"

Seeing everyone returning to their seats, General Jeret nodded in satisfaction.

He was aware that it wasn’t because of his revered stature that they showed respect but rather because he held all the weapons and equipment. No one present could afford to offend him.

After a brief pause to soften his tone, he said, "The French main forces have collapsed. Now is the time to expand our gains. If you keep arguing like this, you’ll miss the chance in battle."

"We are all soldiers here, so let’s decide things by military rules. Whoever earns the most merit in wartime should take the larger share."

"Now I’m making the decision for you. Chase the retreating French Soldiers. Whoever seizes the most heads and captures the most prisoners, gets the larger share."

"Those who just muddle along and wait to die, don’t waste resources. Do not say that I am being unfair. Although the frontline troops have suffered heavy losses, you are closest to the French."

"Even if you are incapable of continuing the chase, the French Soldiers who come to your doorstep won’t be few in number."

Undoubtedly, this allocation scheme was most advantageous to Mahidi. General Jeret spoke lightly, but in reality, after being struck by a great flood, the frontline Rebel Army was not much better off than the French.

Capture retreating French Soldiers?

Actually, they were a group of retreating soldiers themselves. Their only advantage was that they had barely won, and after the water receded, they could regroup on the spot.

The morale of the troops was gone, and these units could not fight any battles for a short period. As General Jeret had said, they could capture isolated French retreating soldiers, but that was all they could do.

...

Outside Ugsur City, Hutile was observing the siege with a telescope. Siege machinery was non-existent; the Rebel Army neither knew how to make it nor did they need such contraptions.

For urban development, the French had long demolished the city walls of Ugsur. As an inland key city, the French never considered the possibility of foreign threats.

Bunkers and fortresses were also non-existent; the battle immediately turned into urban warfare.

Exploiting the lack of artillery in the Rebel Army, the French used buildings as support to obstruct the Rebel Army from entering the city.

Watching his troops rushing in disarray, being blown apart, Hutile’s brow furrowed deeply.

After all, they were his troops, and he still felt some affection for them. If possible, he hoped that these soldiers could survive.

Beside him, Fa Jinhan seemed much calmer, seemingly unaffected by the atmosphere of the battlefield, and commented with interest, "The defending forces are firing randomly; they don’t seem like regular troops.

Now that the main force of the French Army is not in the city, if we do not spare costs, the success rate of taking Ugsur is very high."

Hutile shook his head, "Vienna is not yet prepared to turn against the French. Even if we capture Ugsur, we cannot retain it.

Giving it to the Rebel Army, they couldn’t keep it either. Making a feint attack to scare off the French inside the city is enough.

Rather than deplete our precious troops here, it’s better to take the troops on a tour around Egypt. That would cause much greater disturbance to the French."

At that moment, a thrilled Schtausenburg came from behind, cheerfully saying, "Colonel, order a halt to the attack. Next, we can make a big move."

Hutile boldly guessed, "Oh, could it be that the main force of the French Army was devastated by a flood attack and now the Egypt Area is defenseless, just waiting for us to pluck the fruits of victory?" Find adventures on empire

Schtausenburg nodded slightly and then shook his head, "Although not entirely annihilated, it’s almost the same.

According to intelligence gathered by the scouts, Rebel Headquarters used their main forces as bait. During the decisive battle, they suddenly destroyed the Aswan Dam, causing the flood to rush directly to the troops engaged in combat.

Both sides suffered heavy losses, and now Adolf’s Rebellion Suppression Army has become desperate dogs, fleeing in panic.

It might not be long before we encounter them. Hitting them again, it’s likely that this Rebellion Suppression Army of the French can be disbanded."

Ambushing the defeated French Army would be more cost-effective than attacking Ugsur. If lucky, keeping Adolf’s Rebellion Suppression Army here might even allow a parade in Cairo.

Fa Jinhan countered, "Major, you’re too optimistic. If the French run back in disarray, indeed, we can hold them here.

But if Adolf has any sense, he would reorganize his troops halfway and continue to retreat.

Not many are needed, just gathering the strength of one battalion would be enough to defeat the Eighth Division.

Even if the morale of the French Army is greatly reduced, doubling the troop strength to two battalions would suffice.

If Adolf is bold enough, he doesn’t even need to retreat. The frontline troops are severely damaged, and Rebel Headquarters has only two and a half depleted infantry divisions left; just five thousand French soldiers could make a breakthrough."

Undoubtedly, the final inference is based on an ideal state. Even if Adolf has the courage to stake everything, the French Soldiers must be willing to fight a desperate battle.

The renowned combat strength of the French Army is built on morale and military spirit. Without the desire to fight, the combat strength that could be brought out by the French Army might not be much stronger than the Rebel Army.

Schtausenburg smiled slightly, "You overestimate the French too much. Most of those participating in this battle are Colonial Troops, not the core elite of the French Army.

After the flood attack, the surviving retreating soldiers’ will to fight is at its lowest; the combat strength they can display is very limited."

Of course, these are not the crux of the problem. The real key to our victory is that the French Army has lost almost all of their logistical supplies and heavy firepower.

The small cities and colonial outposts along the way can only provide them with partial food supplies; the lost weapons and equipment are irreplaceable.

As the French Army was struck by the flood during combat, this means the ammunition used by the French Soldiers in combat was not replenished before their hasty escape. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

As long as the French run out of their last rounds of ammunition, we win this war."

After hesitating for a moment, Hutile made a decision, "Send orders down: all units are to stop attacking immediately.

Notify officers of battalion rank and above that an urgent military meeting will be held this afternoon."

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