On the 25th of the 1st month of Year 600, the 72 thousand men of Monolith 1st Folk and 2nd Folk of the autonomous region arrived at Whitestag and were warmly welcomed by the court.
However, despite the warm welcome, the soldiers of Firmrock Legion were immediately criticized by the high-ranking officers sent by the Ministry of the Army to greet them.
The reason was simple: Monolith's new uniform wasn't the traditional red of Aueras.
"That uniform is so ugly. It's the colour of shit."
"Hey, look, they're even wearing an iron pot on their heads. It really looks like a tortoise shell."
"Why do I find that uniform to be really pretty?"
"Even though it's a little weird, the soldiers look really sharp."
The crowd of onlookers stared at the soldiers who were disembarking from the long-distance transport ship and making comments.
It was true that after getting used to the colour of the red uniform, most found the brown and grey of Monolith's new uniform to be rather rustic and unremarkable.
A few high-ranking officers of the ministry of the army immediately questioned Bolonik and Birkin.
"General, I'm curious why your region's uniform is so different from ours. Are you trying to stand out from the kingdom, or are you trying to break away from the kingdom?"
Bolonik smiled warmly. "The autonomous region is an autonomous region of Aueras. It's self-governing, not independent.
We still have to serve the kingdom, pay our taxes and fight our enemies together.
The corps of the autonomous region, on the other hand, are only local garrison forces. They can decide on the colour of their uniforms.
"The reason is simple: the kingdom has been unable to send reinforcements to the autonomous region for many years, so we've been lacking the red fabric for our uniforms.
The colonial wars also caused us countless casualties, forcing us to consider replacing the red uniform when we rebuild our corps. In the end, we had no choice but to choose the cheapest and most common brown and grey. "
"Uh …" The few high-ranking officers were at a loss for words.
Bolonik admitted that the region didn't have the right material to make the red uniform and had no choice but to use the ugly brown and grey fabric.
That was a good enough reason. They couldn't let others go into battle naked without the red uniform. It was the kingdom's fault for not sending supplies to the region for so many years.
"Hehe, it's fine. Monolith and Thundercrash are local garrison forces of the region. They have the right to customize their uniforms. There's no need for them to follow the kingdom's rules and regulations." A few high-ranking officers who came to attend the ceremony stepped in to smooth things over, finally getting the officers to back down.
The welcoming ceremony was carried out in an orderly and proper manner, and the atmosphere was lively. Apart from the kingdom's citizens who were excitedly expressing their welcome, the high-ranking officers of both sides who were participating in the ceremony had tense expressions on their faces. They didn't talk to each other much, and at most, they just politely and awkwardly sized each other up.
To the officers of Monolith, they looked down on their allies who only knew how to ask for reinforcements. They viewed themselves as a cut above them.
The high-ranking officers of the ministry of the army, on the other hand, found the arrogance of the country bumpkins to be ridiculous for them to look at them with such disdain.
The welcoming ceremony ended very quickly. It was nothing more than the generals on both sides going on stage to carelessly flatter each other, reaffirming their confidence in the final victory of this resistance war, reinforcing their belief in the inevitable victory of their army, and boosting their morale. Then it was over very quickly.
The disembarked soldiers of Monolith went to the camp they had prepared beforehand. They would rest there for five to six days to recover from the second half of the month before setting off for the frontlines.
Bolonik and Birkin went to Fredrey I's temporary camp the next morning to pay their respects to His Majesty. After that, they got into an argument with the minister of the army during a council meeting.
It started when the minister of the army suggested that Monolith be sent to the second defence line to reinforce the garrison there.
However, Bolonik refused. He wanted to set up a new defence line in Ambruiz to prevent the second defence line from collapsing against the enemy's superior numbers.
At the same time, he questioned why they didn't give up on the five ruined prefectures and insisted on fighting to the death with the weaker forces.
As a result, Bolonik was attacked by the old nobles of the court. They believed that the kingdom's land couldn't be given up so easily and that Monolith's decision to go to Ambruiz was a coward who wanted to hide behind the second defence line to watch the soldiers on the frontlines fight to the death. They had ulterior motives.
Birkin joined the argument and pointed out that if the kingdom's forces were to be buried at the second defence line for the sake of the kingdom's land, there would be no hope for the kingdom to turn the tide of the war.
Monolith's defences in Ambruiz were meant to give the second defence line a chance to retreat.
Once the defence line was set up, the frontlines would be able to retreat to the rear to rest and reorganise. Monolith would face the attacks of the Union on its own.
Perhaps Birkin's words shocked the nobles of the court. While they doubted Monolith's might, they weren't willing to give up on the chance to make Monolith suffer a huge loss.
After a private discussion, they agreed to Bolonik and Birkin's suggestion to have Monolith set up defences in Ambruiz and get the populace to help them set up the defences.
However, they made Bolonik and Birkin promise that if Monolith couldn't hold Ambruiz, the court would strip the region of their right to command and fight independently.
The region's fleet docked at Whitestag for five days before unloading all their supplies. They immediately set sail for Nubissia.
After that, the 120 thousand men of Thundercrash's three folks would sail to Port Floric in Rimodra for Operation Crescent Moon to deal a fatal blow to the Union.
The round trip would take another month and a half.
On the 16th of the 2nd month of Year 600, Thundercrash's three folks boarded the ships at Port Cobius in Tyrrsim. The council members and military families who came to send them off filled the docks and waved their yellow handkerchiefs as they sent the soldiers off.
The docks were filled with people and a few bands were playing cheerful tunes. The sound of drums and gongs filled the air.
"It's too noisy," Claude said.
Sitting opposite him was Skri, his mother, Kefnie, his two sons, as well as the maidservant holding his one-year-old daughter.
Listen to what they're yelling. Father, Mother, don't worry. I'll definitely bring you a daughter-in-law, "Skri said with a smile," The joke you told about going on a blind date has spread throughout the army. Many of the soldiers do have the intention of finding themselves a wife. You have to pay attention to that and don't fail miserably. Also, you have to emphasize discipline and don't go overboard. "
Claude smiled. "I'll be careful. I'll leave this place to you.
Anyway, it's time for me to board the ship. "
After kissing his mother, wife and three children goodbye, Claude was the last to board.
There was a trumpeter standing on each of the prows of over two hundred long-distance transport ships. They blew their horns together, and the sound of the horns echoed in the harbor. One after another, the ships pulled up their anchors, raised their sails, and set sail.
In the meantime, the twenty iron armored warships that served as the guards of the fleet also started their steam engines. Black smoke popped up from the chimneys, and they began to sail on the surface of the ocean in low rumbling noises.
Claude was naturally on the new flagship of Ironclad, Bald Eagle. It was the region's second improved ironclad cruiser. After its sea trials, it was immediately designated as Admiral Moriad's personal ship. It was also the new flagship of Ironclad.
Compared to the first 'Golden Claw Sea Hawk', the 'White-Headed Sea Condor' was more livable. The steam engine at the bottom of the ship's cabin was not as loud when it was started.
Fourteen days later, they arrived at Storm Strait, only a day and a half away from Whitestag.
"Should we dock at Whitestag to let the soldiers rest for a few days?" Moriad asked Claude, who was admiring the scenery.
"There's no need for that.
Claude shook his head. "If we dock at Whitestag, our whereabouts might be exposed when we set sail.
Let's just turn here and hold on for another ten days before we reach Port Floric. We'll rest then.
Now, the soldiers on the ships are undergoing training. We can't be soft-footed prawns that can't stand straight the moment we dock.
We're going to end this as quickly as possible. We'll have to keep fighting until Operation Crescent Moon is complete. "
Moriad sighed. "I'm starting to regret my decision to take charge of this fleet.
As a soldier, exterminating an enemy nation and conquering their capital is the glory of a lifetime.
But now that I'm in the navy, I can't follow Boss on land and I feel rather regretful.
Berklin and Dyavid have been showing off in front of me lately. I really want to give them a good beating sometimes. What's there to be cocky about? "
Claude laughed out loud. "Sieging and exterminating enemy nations is indeed the glory of the army. But it's the navy's style to spread its might across the four seas.
You have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders for Operation Crescent Moon. Not only do you have to escort us to our destination, you also have to exterminate Seaking, seal off Northbay in Canas, exterminate the Nasrian and Canasian flotillas and capture the enemy's transport ships.
"To be honest, I've been worried that Ironclad has too few warships. We only have 22 now, not even enough for a flotilla of the enemy. Seaking alone has more than a hundred sail warships.
Even though I believe Ironclad will emerge victorious, I don't want to suffer too many losses that would affect the rest of the plan.
You should know that the rest of the plan is the crux of the whole operation. The moment Thundercrash runs out of ammunition, we'll be in deep trouble. "
"Don't worry, Boss," Moriad confidently said.
"Didn't we run into pirates when we escorted a transport fleet to the western coast at the end of last year?
In the end, the two ironclad destroyers we were escorting attacked and sank seven pirate ships and captured 15.
The Bordeaux pirates, who were rather famous in the Nubari Islands, were completely wiped out. The leaders of the heinous pirates were hanged at the pier of Port Vebator, while the remaining four to five hundred pirates were sent to the Loki Mountains to work in the mines.
"Even though Seaking has a lot of warships, they're all old sail warships.
Now that we're armed with white phosphorus shells, they won't be able to put out the fire even if they want to, let alone escape. All they can do is watch as their warships burn to ashes.
"Our ships, on the other hand, are all ironclad warships. Their old cannons can barely scratch an itch for us.
Don't worry, Chief, we'll definitely send Seaking to the bottom of the sea.
Even if we don't hit them, we'll definitely be able to knock them to the bottom of the sea. "
Moriad wasn't wrong. For example, the two ironclad destroyers that encountered the Bordo Pirates only had a few hundred small dents on their hull despite being hit by countless solid shells.
Of the seven pirate ships they sunk, only three were truly sunk by the cannons. The other four were knocked to the bottom of the sea by the sharp horns of the pirate ships.
That was why Moriad was rather confident that Seaking's hundred plus ships wouldn't be able to pose much of a threat to Ironclad.
In the past two years, four batches of ironclad warships were built in Port Patres, with each batch having four to six ships. Now, they had 14 ironclad destroyers, two ironclad cruisers and six ironclad transport ships. Each batch was improved upon and by the time the last batch was completed, they were ready to be finalized.
On the 14th day of the 3rd month of Year 600, the patrol fleet and ironclad fleet escorted 248 transport ships to Port Floric in Rimodra's waters.
The ironclad warships seized all the fishing and cargo ships in the area. Then, the disguised Wolfang Clan led by Major Bloweyk snuck into the port in the middle of the night and secretly took control of the messenger eagle station, the city lord's manor, the garrison camp, the constables, the city gates and the checkpoints outside the city.
With the wave of torches at the docks, the large-scale landing began.
By the time dawn broke, the citizens of Port Floric realised that the city had been taken over by the enemy. Even if they wanted to leave the city to send word, they couldn't do so.
"I will seal the city for three days to prevent news of us taking over the port from spreading," Claude said immediately.
"But I'll only give you one day's rest. Berklin will be the main force of the attack. Lead 1st Folk to Polyvisia. Don't use the kingdom's flag. Use the region's. Don't tell anyone where you're going apart from collecting supplies. Say it's a secret operation. Don't let the enemy know what you're doing."
The reason he said that was because after the occupation of Port Floric, the citizens of the city would often mistake Thundercrash for the new forces of the Union of Eastern Freia.
As Thundercrash's soldiers wore grey uniforms and steel helmets, nobody believed them to be the Aueran army.
Even if some of the soldiers told the citizens that they were Auerans and were there to reclaim their lost land, they wouldn't believe them.
But the citizens still thought it was a joke.
It was common knowledge that the Aueran soldiers wore red shirts and black trousers, red military caps, black boots and black leather belts. It was obvious that they wouldn't be wearing such a grey uniform.
So, the citizens laughed and said they understood. They were just trying to keep it a secret, weren't they?
When Myjack told Claude about the reactions of the citizens, Claude fell into deep thought. He then ordered for the Union's official documents to be forged and sent to the frontlines as reinforcements from the enemy's newly formed corps.
After that, he handed the forged documents to Berklin and had him lead 1st Folk to attack Polyvisia. The forged documents allowed him to collect supplies from the towns along the way.
"You don't have to worry about the towns you left behind and Efenasburg, the capital of Sidins. Leave them to our reinforcements.
Your only goal is to get to the capital of Polyvisia as quickly as you can, occupy it, and hold it there until we arrive.
Do you understand? "Claude asked.
"Understood, General. I won't let you down." Berklin stood up and saluted.
"Myjack, your mission is to lead 3rd Folk to sweep Askilin's former territory and reclaim the enclave Shiks took.
The most important thing is to maintain the military industry in the three southern prefectures and reorganize it as soon as possible.
Build a factory that can produce the shells and bullets we need.
If the supply of ammunition from the sea is interrupted, we will have to rely on the ammunition here to fight. "
Myjack stood up. "General, I will complete the mission."
"Colonel Anders."
Claude turned to his former adjutant and said, "Your Line 1304 will be stationed here and maintain order. Wait for the fleet to send us more ammunition and supplies.
Do you understand your duty? "
"Yes, General. As long as the city is here, I will never let Port Floric fall into my hands!" Colonel Anders stood up and saluted as he roared.
"Alright, let's adjourn and get ready for battle. We'll set off in three days," Claude said.