Interlude World 2 Chapter 124

  On March 20, Admiral von Mackensen held a war council on the flagship "Wilhelmina" without the small Colonel Favre, and his Grimmelshausen's fleet also held a meeting with the commanders of each squadron and the captains of the landing troops after the old general returned.

  In the fleet command meeting before the war, Reinhardt was isolated. He had grown accustomed to isolation. Isolation filled with hostility and prejudice, which he had experienced countless times in his eighteen-year life. Regardless of the changing seasons and transfers, isolation was a pungent medicinal flavor added to Reinhardt's life.

  However, in the midst of Greinmeier's fleet, Reinhard's isolation had a rather peculiar flavor. It was as if he were drinking alone on a warm late spring evening with no one to share it with.

  "The absolute number of guns is insufficient, but, Your Excellency, this can be compensated for by mobility. By placing the ships in a pivotal position and moving them after ten hours..."

  "Ah, ah, good idea."

  With an expression that would have made his grandfather proud, General Grimmelshausen nodded slightly at Leinhart's words, but did not take them to heart. On the other hand, most of the colonels and captains in attendance wore serious and solemn expressions, with only two individuals looking completely un-serious and un-somber: Colonel Fafnir and Lieutenant-Colonel Schuttkal, who were whispering to each other while continuously making various low, lewd chuckles. General Grimmelshausen was an old man, and he tended to be lenient with his subordinates, especially those two officers - the reason for which seemed to be that they had been involved in some wild adventures with the general and the emperor back in their youth. However, apart from corrupting military discipline and violating various minor regulations, these two individuals did not seem to have committed any serious offenses that would require strict disciplinary action.

  But Reinhardt couldn't stand these two officers at all, the young blond lion looked at them with a gaze that was like looking at maggots in a dung heap, yet trying to control himself and not show it as they whispered to each other.

  "Huh? The blond-haired kid seems to think we're two maggots or something? What a look! Does he really think we can't see that?" Fafnir whispered to his bespectacled friend.

  "That's because you're actually a maggot! What else can you do besides being a housekeeper?" Colonel Schtukov, who had known Fafnir for over ten years, was not afraid of his intimidating gaze and replied.

  "Gustav von Shuttekhaufen! You'll definitely die from that stinky mouth of yours! Next time I'm absolutely going to hit your black gun! Alright, the blonde brat seems to be trying his best, but why bother? Isn't it good enough to just get by safely until the end of the battle? Why do you have to stick out and try to be like this or that?"

  The old general approved Major General Mj?llnir's proposal and then presented his own "experienced" tactical plan. Colonel Fafner and Lieutenant Colonel Shuttkamp immediately applauded loudly after the proposal, flattering the old general's tactics to death. So much so that Reinhard glanced at these two bootlickers with a sidelong glance.

  After the old general left, the blond youth ignored Colonel Fahvern and Lieutenant Colonel Shuttker who were still lingering in the conference room and complained to his red-haired friend: "Girufaisu, the current emperor is playing a quartet of incompetence, ignorance, and decadence. The reason why we haven't suffered a crushing defeat yet is that our enemies are on the same level as us. If there was someone among the enemy forces with even one-tenth of my brain cells, what's left of Iselrun Fortress would have fallen into their hands long ago! And those bootlickers and corrupt officials over there should be used to discipline the army, which would definitely improve our morale and discipline beyond standards!"

  One hand slammed the report down on the desk as Reinhardt said so.

  "Ah, it's true, if I were the Commander-in-Chief, if I were the commander of the space fleet, this kind of foolish thing would never happen again."

  "Will you not reconsider and listen to your subordinate's words of wisdom, Lord Reinhardt?"

  Reinhardt lifted his face smoothly, so that the luxurious golden bangs faced the ceiling, forming a shiny small waterfall. A word from Gilfieth neutralized his anger.

  "Jie fēi āi sī!" translates to "Give me a kiss!"

  "Ah, Lord Reinhardt."

  "I hate it when others preach."

  "I'm extremely sorry."

  "Huh? Why should I apologize, Gilfeather. You're advising me, not lecturing me."

  After speaking in a mischievous tone, Reinhardt's pale and beautiful face flashed with a look of regret, and he corrected his own words in a more serious tone.

  "I was just kidding, Jill Firthies."

  "I understand, don't mind it."

  "Major Mugihito, you just said ' bootlickers and those who spread darkness', were you referring to us? I see you're quite close with Lieutenant Gilfeather, did you take any preventive measures?" Colonel Shuttker Hauen jumped out after watching Reinhardt and Gilfeather's conversation coldly.

  "Hey, don't be so sharp, Gustav! Your Excellency Mühlberg, do you want to be a Field Marshal or the Commander of the Imperial Space Fleet? ... It's good that young people have goals... Let's not discourage them, Gustav. We're just two worms, aren't we? Right, Your Excellency?" Favniel chimed in with a sarcastic tone on the side.

  The blond-haired lion's white and beautiful face was suddenly filled with a flush of anger, and he took a step forward as if about to explode. But the red-haired friend stepped forward first and held back the exploding Reinhardt, saying: "Colonel Fafnir! Major Shuttker! Are you two planning to slander your superiors?"

  "Ah, nothing's going on." Favniel pulled Shutke Haogan out of the conference room with a smile.

  "The imperial nobles are nothing but vermin and scum, they must be swept away!" Reinhardt said firmly to his red-haired friend, "These two are the most despicable scoundrels even among the imperial nobles who have no bottom line!"

  For Gilfaeth, the reputation of Reinhardt and Annerose ranked higher in importance than his own existence. When Reinhardt had to stand up for himself, there was no reason for Gilfaeth to stop him. However, when Reinhardt became agitated and spewed fire that would harm himself, handling such situations had always been a crucial task that Gilfaeth shouldered.

  The young blond-haired lion is directly under the command of the old general, and the troops he commands are only 40 cruisers, 130 destroyers, 25 gunboats, and 10 missile ships. In terms of military strength, it is not as good as Fafnir's independent fleet, which is led by Commodore Grimmelshausen. At this moment, Reinhard does not have the ability to suppress Fafnir, but he is only one rank higher than Fafnir in terms of military rank. However, with his age, it is inevitable that people think he is a huge threat, so there are many who look down on Reinhard.

  Attack!

  Reinhardt sealed the words deep within his properly shaped lips. Two hours had passed since the start of the battle, and he still hadn't received permission to join the fight. The icy blue gaze pierced the screen on the bridge, and in order to suppress his high fighting spirit, he could only clench his fists tightly.

  The supreme commander of the Empire, Fleet Admiral Merkatz, seemed to be excluding the Grünewald fleet from his calculations and was preparing for battle against the Alliance. Reinhard had already seen through this. What was even more unpleasant for him was that if he were in Merkatz's position, he would probably do the same thing - such a thought occurred to him.

  Grimmels' fleet was positioned on the far left flank of the Empire. Facing the Federation's protruding formation, the Empire adopted a concave formation, and since there were few changes in the battle line, only the ships at the right front engaged in an exchange of fire with the enemy, causing 80% of the entire fleet to become useless.

  "Why don't we concentrate our firepower on that zero point!"?

  Reinhardt was gritting his teeth. From the visual intelligence gathered from the screens and holographic displays, Reinhardt had a nearly perfect grasp of the overall situation on the battlefield. According to Reinhardt's judgment, advancing the entire fleet six light-seconds (about 1.8 million kilometers) forward and concentrating firepower in the direction of two o'clock would deal a heavy blow to the enemy's right wing.

  "Little guy must be yelling, right?" Fafnir asked his chief of staff standing behind him.

  "Who are you talking about? Reinhardt? Probably. Setting aside the age, the proposal at the meeting was indeed a reasonable and effective one. It's just... a bit too sharp."

  "Oh, so you still dare to provoke this golden dog? Aren't you afraid that he'll rise through the ranks to become a Major General, Lieutenant General, or even General and have you shot as a scum?"

  "It was just a momentary lapse, besides, Captain, you're also capable, it's not necessarily that he'll be promoted faster than you."

  "Others have a good sister... I don't, are you going to use this guy to sell your butt?"

  Two guys were chatting away with inane conversation while issuing orders and exchanging cannon fire with the allied fleet - yes, they were the vanguard squadron engaging enemy forces in a firefight to their right front.

  "Reinhard-sama. Please note the right flank fleet of our forces engaging with the enemy. Their movements and gunfire." Gilfeather reminded Reinhard.

  "Indeed, the losses were minor. And the fleet's movements were completely normal and regular, not a single unnecessary action could be found, nor any weaknesses. Who was the commander on that side?"

  "It's the fleet of Colonel Fafnir from earlier who got on the adults' bad side."

  "Is that so... Although it's a gathering of trash, the command ability is above average. Come to think of it, Gilfie As, could they have an excellent staff officer acting as their proxy commander?"

  "Not too clear, I'll go check their fleet officer list."

  Reinhardt waved his hand and didn't express an opinion again.

  At 5:30, the sluggish Grimmelshausen fleet still maintained its usual sluggishness and started moving from its configured position.

  "The Greynville fleet has moved."

  The seventy-six-year-old old admiral, because his surname was too long, was often referred to by even friendly forces with a shortened version of his name, which also reflected the fact that this old man was not highly valued within the military. Upon receiving this report from the General Headquarters operator, Admiral Mikberalga did not rebuke the operator for his impertinence. For he himself held this old man in greater contempt than anyone else. He looked back and forth between the screen and the holographic display with an unkind gaze.

  "That old man reacted too slowly. Now moving is useless, it's just a waste of energy."

  Mikkel Bellgund couldn't help but click his tongue. As for Reinhardt's views, let's not mention them, and from an objective evaluation, Mikkel wasn't so incompetent either. He had never made a fatal mistake, and since he took the position of commander-in-chief of the space fleet, the Empire's sphere of influence hadn't wavered at all.

  Mikkel Bellga just clicked his tongue and was done, while Reinhardt's originally pale face turned bright red as he bit his light-red lips to hold back his clenched teeth. His small combat unit was blocked by friendly forces from advancing quickly, a group of assault landing ships that showed obvious "sluggishness" blocking Reinhardt's way. Why were there assault landing ships in this position? The fleet's overall speed of action lacked unity, and the command and use caused confusion, which explained that Grimmelshausen not only lacked tactical ability but also fundamentally lacked the power to conceive battles.

  However, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armored Grenadiers, Generaloberst Oufreisha also participated in this battle, probably because he judged that there was a high possibility of ground combat.

  Giraffeis wants Reinhart to pay more attention. The name he mentioned is a majestic figure with a height of over 2 meters and a corresponding three-dimensional physique.

  "Hmm, what about Oufreysa?"

  Reinhardt called out the name of a person four ranks higher than himself in an impolite manner. If it weren't for the soundproofing field around the command seat, his voice would have been heard by over a dozen subordinates. Offreisha's bravery was said to be ferocious, and even the allied forces knew this, fearfully calling him "Meat Grinder". Reinhardt's evaluation of him wasn't much different from that either.

  "Gilfaethes, would you win if you fought that meat grinder?"

  "Not very confident."

  Gylfi laughed. As far as Reinhard knew, this red-haired friend also had a rare strength in close combat, and was undefeated in one-on-one battles. Reinhard was the same in that regard, but still lost to Gylfi by a hair's breadth, or so he thought. The red-haired friend's response seemed to have dampened Reinhard's spirits, closing his hard lips and turning his gaze towards the screen.

  The war bogged down into a stalemate, Reinhard was forced to stay in the sluggish fleet, advancing slowly without anyone cooperating. The young lion's fiery temper grew bigger and bigger, but in the end it could only turn into slumped shoulders and a sigh.

  Fahvern's work was done to perfection, neither too aggressive nor too defensive. "Shut up, Kao Yuen. Even if we destroy one more rebel ship, it won't give us an extra Imperial Mark. So let's just take it easy."

  The Fafnir fleet's organization was much larger than a typical upper colonel's division, due to the Imperial Department treating this fleet as a dumping ground for useless people and trash. Since the commander is a piece of trash himself, isn't it great to throw all the troublemakers and nobles who are hard to deal with together? The military department kept throwing problematic personnel into this unit, creating a force that could almost rival an independent vice-admiral's division. Fafnir and his subordinates had no interest in enforcing stricter discipline beyond regular military rules, making behavior prohibited by Imperial law very common in this fleet - for example, the area around their barracks was filled with brothels and casinos banned by Imperial law. Fortunately, Fafnir and his men were very strict about improving the army's combat capabilities, so this unit could still show normal Imperial forces' fighting strength on the battlefield.