in the name of the queen

Chapter 204 The cold-blooded witch’s decision

Good news: Helenzburg is still holding on.

Bad news: Helenz is still hanging on.

In the Governor's Mansion, in the combat command room, Christine sat in the chair, watching the battle reports from the front line, changing the status of the chess pieces on the sand table according to the latest developments, and then fell into deep thought.

The defense of Helenzburg had exceeded everyone's imagination.

When Helenzburg held out until the fourth day and was invaded into the inner city, Christine was so worried that she could not sleep all night. At that time, the Hanseatic City's pocket array had not been deployed, and the artillery had not entered the ambush position. Mr. Norton's Weapons for decisive battle are also far away.

When Helenzburg held on to the eighth day, Christine was happy. The results of the defensive battle had exceeded her expectations. The pocket array was basically set up, waiting for the enemy to come.

Yet Helenzburg held on.

Fifteen days have passed, and the defenders of Helenzburg have not broken through. The besieging Oden Kingdom army has lost thousands of people and still suffered a bloody blow.

Not only that, the man-made floods have receded long ago, the Fourth Fleet has re-entered the canal, and Helenzburg can even receive a small amount of supplies.

Joseph was extremely powerful and had the means to escape alone. The five hundred temple warriors could go as far as they wanted. If they couldn't escape, they would have to return to the embrace of the goddess of light.

Rescue, hurt the situation.

If it were a war game, the defenders representing Helenzburg would be at most an elite infantry brigade. Under the crazy attacks of tens of thousands of troops and artillery units, they would quickly lose their organization and combat effectiveness, turning into white soldiers with only organization but no combat effectiveness. The chess pieces will even be thrown directly into the discarded chess piece box.

Everyone in the viceroyalty must obey her orders, including Roland and Sif.

The deception and disguise of this decoy operation was so good that the new army of the Governor-General also felt that Helenzburg was not an abandoned son.

Christine is a little confused. The script is perfect, but the supporting characters are too busy. What should I do?
Abandon Helenzburg as planned and have a decisive battle with the Oden Kingdom's army in Hanseatic City?

It was impossible for Christine to tell other officers not to support and to abandon Helenzburg directly. She could think so and do so, but she could never say it.

If she needs Sif to charge personally, it will be Earl Tyrone and the Knight of the White Rose.

At first, she was a little worried that Roland wouldn't understand and Sif wouldn't accept it. Fortunately, they just watched silently and never objected to any of her instructions.

In defensive battles, they are defending their homeland. They have a solid position with no way to retreat from behind. They are very determined to fight and can fight to the last man.

A magical scene just happened.

She knows very well that kind people cannot control the battlefield. As long as she takes over the command, she will become a ruthless killing demon, cold-bloodedly calculating the value of every chess piece.

Normally, she would treat the soldiers gently and try her best to benefit them, but when entering the battlefield, everyone is expendable.

Everyone thought that Christine wanted to defend Helenzburg to the death, but she was the only one who knew that this was an abandonment.

The equipment and morale of the new army are excellent, but they have little combat experience and poor adaptability.

She remembered what military teacher Chushko said: war is not a chessboard art, but a cruel battle of life and death. Everyone in the war has a mind, not the pawns. If you treat war as a chess game, you will eventually be at a loss when faced with lively chess pieces.

In Christine's plan, Helenzburg was the outcast.

Swain VII must pay a heavier price to capture Helenzburg as soon as possible, otherwise conquering the three overseas provinces will become a big joke.

Roland kept his word and never interfered with her command, and even showed an attitude of humbly learning.

Will Helenzburg be saved?
Failure to save them will damage morale.

She sent five hundred temple warriors and high-level Templar Joseph, and sent cavalry troops to harass and support the outside, just to make this abandoned son not look like an abandoned son.

In the past ten days of holding on, the Kingdom of Oden's army had lost thousands of soldiers. Their biggest loss was their spirit and morale.

The frontline troops overfulfilled their mission and beat the enemy to pieces. She should be happy, but she couldn't be happy at all.

Only the Empress was outside her command.

They will even have doubts, can His Majesty the King do it?

Facing the miracles created by the frontline warriors with their lives, Christine couldn't laugh or cry.

In war, human lives are just numbers, and a commander must be as ruthless as a butcher.

If she decides like this, Roland and Sif will not object because she is the commander-in-chief.

But this is not a war game.

The miracle that dozens of chess pieces did not capture a single chess piece just happened.

At that time, she didn't take the teacher's words too seriously, but now she finally understands the teacher.

She successfully deceived King Sven VII, preventing King Oden from thinking that this was an abandoned son, and made them pay a heavy price for taking Helenzburg.

More than ten days ago, Roland appointed her as the commander-in-chief of the campaign, responsible for the entire campaign.

If Helenzburg always holds on, the Kingdom of Oden cannot attack for a long time and directly retreats, allowing the Governor's New Army to pursue across the border. It is the Governor's New Army that will face logistical supply difficulties.

This is Christine's philosophy of war.

Swein VII, who promised to take over the three Hanseatic provinces in a short period of time, suffered a bloody blow in the small Helenzburg and was unable to move forward. The soldiers under his command will definitely doubt their life.

Abandon the child, exchange the child, and kill.

However, too successful a disguise may not always be a good thing.

Christine thought that Roland kept his promise and hired people without suspicion, but she didn't know that Roland was just self-aware and learned from the bottom of his heart.

In the pursuit battle, their combat effectiveness can only be used at half.

She stared blankly at the sand table, suddenly feeling guilty.

Kristine bit her lip, took a deep breath, suppressed the guilt in her heart, and prepared to give cold-blooded and correct orders.

For some reason, her fingertips were trembling slightly.

She commanded major battles.

Three years ago, during the War of Succession to the Wende Empire, she commanded the suppression of the rebels. She ruthlessly used 5,000 Imperial Guards as bait to annihilate the rebels in the Oder River Plain.

Replacing the rebel army's main force of 70,000 to 80,000 with 5,000 men is a perfect battle template that can be recorded in military textbooks.

She was also known as the cold-blooded witch because of this victory.

In the Hanseatic province, she wanted to repeat the successful battle, but she did not expect to run into trouble.

The trouble did not come from the enemy, but from herself, which made her a little confused.

Roland looked at Christine's profile in awe.

She is worthy of being a cold-blooded witch, facing such a critical battle situation she can still respond calmly and without any expression on her face.

There is an old saying in my hometown: He who has thunder in his chest and face like a flat lake can be a general!
Christine clearly has such potential.

She is only less than 20 years old, and there is still a lot of room for improvement.

It's a pity that such a military genius was poisoned by religion and had to become a saint.

I really hope she fails in the saint selection, then he will recruit her with the best treatment.

If you know how to fight, why should you recite sutras? Wouldn't it be better to establish meritorious deeds, obtain titles, and leave wealth to future generations?
Roland complained silently.

Looking at Christine's profile, Sif also felt a little more admiration.

A ruthless character worthy of being called a cold-blooded witch, she actually blocked the main force of the Kingdom of Oden and bought time for the defense of Hanseatic City.

I just don’t know how she can be sure to defend Helenzburg?
Gotta learn a little bit.

Sif sat up straight and waited for Teacher Christine to perform.

Just as Roland and Sif were pretending to be students, Teacher Christine could not make up her mind after all.

She paid attention to the morale of the army and was interested in the private discussions of the soldiers. She knew that the brave men who defended Helenzburg had been given more meaning.

They became a symbol in the hearts of other New Army soldiers, a symbol of bravery, fearlessness and victory.

It’s okay to treat ordinary troops as outcasts, but treating heroic troops as outcasts will cause turmoil in the entire army.

She hesitated again and again and decided to return the problem to Roland and Sif.

These two bastards are the Queen and the Governor of the Empire. They don’t make their own decisions and let her decide everything. Are they really going to sit there and listen to lectures like students?
Christine cleared her throat and asked softly: "Roland, Sif, what do you think Helenzburg should do next?"

"We listen to you!" X2
Roland and Sif answered at the same time.

Kristine's face turned pale slightly, and she clenched her fists subconsciously. There was a tightness in her chest, and she was so angry at these two bastards.

She said coldly: "I'm asking you!"

Before Sif could speak, Roland wrote a line of small words on her palm.

"Quiz in class."

Sif suddenly realized.

It turns out that Teacher Christine, like Roland, attaches great importance to interaction in teaching.

Thinking that Roland would definitely be able to give a high-scoring answer, in order to prevent herself from being made to look like a fool, Sif hurriedly answered the question first.

"I think the objectives of the Helenzburg Blockade have been achieved, okay."

Sif suddenly stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Wait, this definitely won't work.

Although these warriors joined the new army of the Governor-General for promotion and wealth, they were also somewhat loyal to her. Even if nine percent of it is for profit, who dares to say that there is no loyalty at all?
We cannot chill their hearts.

"Well, General Christine, you don't want to throw them away as abandoned children, do you?"

Christine stared at Sif expressionlessly, "I'm asking you, Count Sif."

"Ok."

Sif shrugged, with a smile on her lips, not paying attention to Christine's somewhat stiff attitude.

Teacher, you should be stricter.

She didn't care when Teacher Walder taught her in a more stern manner.

Sif's brain was working rapidly, and when she was about to speak, she suddenly remembered that Roland had reminded her.

War is bloodless politics, and war is the continuation of politics.

Therefore, the rules of war must also comply with political principles and must adhere to the principle of advantage.

There are three options now.

Abandon Helenzburg and fight decisively in Hanseatic City.

Rescue Helenzburg and move the decisive battle location forward.

Rescue Helenzburg and cover the defenders' breakout. The decisive battle location is still Hanseatic City.

The first option is the optimal military solution, but it may not be the optimal solution comprehensively.

The second option is the worst military solution. Even if there are other bonus points, it may not be better than the first option.

The third option seems to be a separate option, but is actually similar to the first option.

The outer city of Helenzburg was completely occupied, and supplies from the canal were limited. To save face and frighten his enemies, Sweyn VII might raze Helenzburg to the ground and kill everyone.

In doing so, Helenzburg is essentially still an abandoned child, but it is packaged better.

Sif thought about it and finally decided to choose three.

It sounds very bad to directly abandon the warriors who fought bloody battles. Not only must they be saved, but they must be saved with all their strength.

Sif was about to answer but stopped abruptly.

She held Roland's hand with some guilt and quickly wrote words on his palm with her fingertips.

"How much of a blow to morale would it be to abandon the beleaguered friendly forces?"

Roland was stunned for a few seconds, remembering that some friendly forces were in trouble and could not move like mountains, and slowly wrote "" on Sif's palm.

Watching Sif and Roland exchange glances with their fingertips, Christine felt a little disgusted.

This is the headquarters, not a place for romance!
She turned her face away and stared at the solidified sand table of the battle, silently in a daze.

Seeing the question mark written by Roland, Sif stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.

She has the answer.

"General Christine, if I were the commander, I would do my best to rescue Helenzburg and create an opportunity for the defenders to break through."

"How to rescue? How sure are we of breaking out?" Christine raised her head suddenly, her tone a bit aggressive.

"Select elite troops, led by General Jess, to carry out full rescue operations. At the same time, we dispatch the river gunboats of the Fourth Fleet for fire support."

Kristine hummed softly and pointed towards the sand table with her slender fingers.

Her meaning is very clear, stop talking on paper and come SOLO.

Sif looked back at Roland, her confidence quickly swelled in the encouraging gaze, and she stood opposite Christine with her head held high.

She picked up the chess piece representing the light cavalry unit, placed it on the upper reaches of the canal, and said softly:

"Cross the river at night!"

At this time, there is a river gunboat on the blue paper belt representing the canal, which can provide fire support. The water flow in the canal is gentle, and it is indeed not difficult to cross the river.

Christine ignored this force and directly pointed the muzzle of the highland fort at the river gunboat.

"Suppressive fire!"

Sif's face changed slightly.

River gunboats are different from serious battleships, with poor protection and speed. Although it has decent firepower, its defense capabilities are very poor.

When shooting against shore artillery, inland river gunboats do not have an advantage.

If it is a shore gun that builds a strong fort, it can easily teach small gunboats a lesson.

According to intelligence, the Oden Kingdom's army has occupied the hilly area near Helenzburg and set up artillery on it.

These artillery pieces do little harm to the inner city that has dug tunnels, and are simply a dimensionality-reducing blow to the inland river gunboats that are almost fixed targets.

Sif's expression changed slightly, and she knocked on the inner city, "Breakout."

Christine sneered and clicked on the inner city, "Arson."

Fire and water are merciless. Arson and flooding are very unscrupulous tactics, but the damage is huge.

Most of the inner city of Helenzburg was lost. The enemy could easily set the city on fire as long as they arranged firewood, alcohol and kerosene.

It was almost impossible for the Helenzburg defenders to break through.

Sif's face was numb, and she kept throwing in the troops she could muster.

Eventually, the rescue operation turned into a disaster.

The Oden Kingdom army took the opportunity to cross the Gil Canal and continuously divided and surrounded the Hanseatic New Army.

According to the rules, although the initial morale of the new army was high, it collapsed very quickly under the series of blows.

As the chess pieces representing independent combat units turned white, the rescue turned into a rout.

The defeat of the front line stretched the already poor military strength, which ultimately affected the Hanseatic city defense line.

Christine stopped in time and looked at Sif with a half-smile, her meaning was obvious.

You've already sent it.

Sif's face turned pale, and cold sweat continued to slide down her cheeks.

Could it be that she was wrong? Is it really necessary to abandon the Helenzburg garrison as abandoned children and conceal the truth of this battle?

If she really did this, even if she won the battle, her promise not to abandon anyone would become a joke.

Although monarchs of this era often broke their promises, she didn't want that to happen.

Sif was sweating profusely and almost wanted to turn around and run away.

Fortunately, she only took a step back and came up with a solution.

"Roland, what do you think we should do?"

Roland took a few steps forward, stood next to Sif and said with a smile: "It is absolutely impossible to give up Helenzburg. This will lead to the complete bankruptcy of our political credibility, and the bulls who brag will fall and kill us."

"Since rescue with a small number of troops is not possible, then the decisive battle location will be moved forward."

Christine glared at Roland angrily and snorted, "Our army is inferior in numbers, and its overall combat effectiveness is not as good as the enemy's. Moreover, the enemy has front-line forts. How can we fight a decisive battle?"

Roland smiled and explained: "Our army has at least five major advantages! First, as long as we find a way to destroy the enemy's artillery positions, we have the support of inland gunboats and have superior firepower. Second, in terms of supplies, we have the Gil Canal shipping, and the enemy can only Land transportation and logistics are superior. Third, our army holds Helenzburg and destroys the enemy's offensive. Fourth, our army has excellent commanders and superior command. Fifth, we have absolute trust in the commander and the enemy is driven away. Veteran Goode, you have the advantage of employing people!”

Although Roland wanted to make up ten advantages, he couldn't think of them at the moment, so he could only improvise five.

After talking about the five advantages, he looked at Christine with a smile.

"Please ask the best commander in the world, Christine Saint, to lead us to victory!"

Christine: "."

Forget it, it's useless to ask these two military rookies.

But they are right, the decisive battle ahead of time, which seems to be the worst solution, is actually the best solution.

The new army has the potential to become an ace army, it just needs time.

So what if the Oden Kingdom army cannot be completely wiped out this time, as long as they win a beautiful battle, the situation can be completely reversed.

The new army's combat effectiveness will gradually take shape, while the Kingdom of Oden will only decline after its defeat.

Even though Roland was bragging, she was full of confidence in herself.

Who says she can't be the best commander in the world?
Iron ore needs to be tempered by blood and fire to become the best steel.

So does she.

Christine was full of fighting spirit.

Winning doesn't matter, she wants to fight a beautiful battle of annihilation.

(End of this chapter)