𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎𝟑: 𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 (1)
Having suffered a crushing defeat at Pamplona and forced back to the city of Donostia by the Northern Army Group, the Republic was forced into a general retreat.
A new defensive line was established around Seville, centered on the Warp Gate connected to the Sahara Empire, while in Lisbon, the westernmost territory of the Republic, ships were being loaded with refugees destined for the occupied territories of the New Continent.
Originally due to be handed over to the Elondil Empire, the Balearic Islands were instead to be retained after the Imperial Empire, now in complete control of western Titan, decided that the burden was too great.
Fortunately, work was progressing rapidly on the construction of a new Warp Gate connecting Elondil to the Kingdom of Britannia.
A small Warp Gate had existed in the Kingdom of Britannia, through which engineers had passed to construct one of the same size in the port city of Edinburgh, in the northern part of the Kingdom of Britannia, as the gate in the Republic’s capital, Madrid.
The Imperial Navy had already attacked the British mainland several times, only to be defeated by the Royal British Navy. Of course, a new fleet was being built in the Black Sea, but no one knew for sure when it would be ready to reach the waters of the Kingdom of Britannia.
Meanwhile, the Republican Foreign Ministry had sent a special envoy to request the participation of the Sahara Empire, but. . . Unlike the Elondil Empire, they had a negative view of the war itself.
They had also been closely monitoring the situation in western Titan through various channels, and had witnessed the near-instantaneous annihilation of four nations in the west of the continent, which had been annexed by the Imperial Empire.
Now, only the Republic and the Kingdom of Britannia were holding out, and the Republic was on the verge of collapse.
“Even if we participate now, we’ll only end up bearing the yoke of the defeated nation. What do we gain by participating? It’s better to just observe as neutrals, rather than waste money on something useless.”
Furthermore, rumors were circulating that the Empire was already demanding huge war reparations.
Even if the CID intervened, the Imperial Empire would not back down on the issue of reparations. . . and even Elondil could not guarantee victory against them, whose military strength had recently become overwhelming. In the worst case, they could face the humiliation of an invasion of their homeland.
“Moreover, it is said that the Orion Empire and the Human Union are also preparing to send envoys. . . Just give up and go back.”
In the end, the Saharan Emperor Malesis’s edict forced the Republican Foreign Ministry’s special envoy to return to Seville. The Sahara Empire subsequently closed the Warp Gate in Seville completely, and the Warp Gate would not be operational unless the Sahara Empire reopened it.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Empire sent an additional 1 million reinforcements to replenish and replace the forces of the Northern and Western Army Groups. They also recalled the Central Knights, who had been temporarily assigned to the Sigmund Unit, and recruited new members for the Sigmund Unit. The Sigmund Unit was made up of military priests who were also commissioned officers.
The ‘Sigmund’ unit consisted of a total of 300 Gigant riders.
It was said that most of the production lines in Maesterium had been converted to Gigant mass production facilities, and Gigants were being churned out. As a result, the price of magic stones had skyrocketed.
Of course, other equipment was also being produced. . . but since Maesterium was prioritizing Gigants, it was decided to increase deliveries through the Winchester Principality. Thanks to Maesterium’s decision, the Winchester Principality, which was raking in money, was establishing itself as the de facto overlord of the east.
Meanwhile, Maesterium was also producing Gigants for knights, wizards, and low-cost general infantry.
In particular, general infantry Gigants were being redesigned to run on petroleum as well as magic stones, and were being prepared for production with a new type of rifle based on the Os rifle and two low-caliber main guns mounted on the back, over the shoulders.
Because of this, there were recent talks in the Imperial Senate about the need to annex the desert regions. This was because the largest oil reserves were located in the desert regions.
In addition, significant oil fields were being discovered around the former Kingdom of Holland and near the Dragon Mountains. Moreover, recent rumors suggested that the oil reserves in the desert regions were dozens of times greater than the oil produced in the rest of western Titan, excluding the desert regions.
As a result, the Senate was seriously considering annexing the desert regions. Previously, such wastelands would not have been worth considering. . . but now they needed the oil resources that came from there. Moreover, there were recent rumors that the Eastern Continent was planning an expedition to the desert regions. . .
In the end, the Senate placed the annexation of the desert regions on the agenda, and a vote was scheduled for a month later.
“Sigmund Unit, prepare for deployment.”
Oswald read the order that had come down from above and prepared the Sigmund Unit for deployment.
“Our target is the Republican government building in Lisbon. We will be accompanied by a squadron of the Air Force, and after landing in Lisbon by air assault, we will attack the building and eliminate everyone inside.”
With the elimination of the key figures in the government building, the Republic would be unable to lead its people, and would inevitably collapse. In short, it was a strategy to seize the king and win the war.
Of course, the forces of the Northern and Western Army Groups would be advancing to draw the attention of the enemy. The Sigmund Unit under Oswald’s command was currently preparing to depart from Barcelona in the south.
“Gilgamesh?”
“I will be joining you this time.”
Gilgamesh joined Oswald’s unit, showing him an artifact from the subspace in the form of a bracelet.
“I heard that a Gigant for masters was released this time. . . Did you receive it?”
“Yes.”
“How is it?”
“The core is too weak to hold the aura of a Grandmaster.”
“Hmm. . .”
“In the case of a Grandmaster, it seems that riding in a Gigant actually makes them weaker.”
“That is an issue for the Imperial Maesterium to resolve.”
Or perhaps the requests he had made to the Dwarf City of Karaz City in the Dragon Mountains would be considered.
‘𝘐𝘧 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘻𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘭-𝘯𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘧𝘴. . . 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦.’