Chapter 125

  On the twenty-seventh day, after thirty hours of drifting on the outskirts of the Vanfruet star domain, the Grimmelshausen fleet finally received an order to stay in the fourth orbit of the planet. At the officers' meeting, the senior military officers listened to the old general's nonsense, while Colonel Fafnir, who was not qualified to attend, wandered aimlessly in the conference room on the flagship "Ostfriesland", waiting for the next command decided by the officers' meeting.

  Soon after the meeting was dismissed, Colonel Fafnir also received his order book. As soon as he saw it, he began to murmur and prepare to go to Lieutenant General's office to express his views.

  He almost burst into the office of General Grimmelshausen, where he saw the old general in conversation with the blond Major Mühl. As soon as the general had finished speaking, he opened his mouth and said: "General Grimmelshausen, I have a question about my fleet's anchorage. Why is my fleet anchored so far from the supply point?"

  Reinhardt watched in stunned amazement as Colonel Fawkes' words and actions became increasingly brazen. "This flagrant disregard for military protocol! Colonel, you are shameless! Are you even a soldier?!"

  The old general looked at Colonel Fafnir with a good temper, stroked his chin and said: "Baron Fafnir, it seems so too. Alright, as long as you can maintain military discipline, let's put you on this side." He pointed to a place on the electronic map with his hand.

  "No problem, General. You can count on my determination to maintain military discipline!" Colonel Fafnir said with a salute and a cheerful tone. Muger was on the side, holding his breath... He suppressed the lion's anger out of politeness.

  "So, I'll take my leave." The lieutenant general and the senior colonel almost simultaneously bid farewell, exchanged a glance, and saluted before exiting the office.

  Outside the door, Colonel Fafnir greeted Reinhardt and said: "Your Excellency Mugel, it's better to be a little lower-key when being a person... You're already as dazzling as the protagonist of an oil painting, why do you have to be so overbearing and insist on standing out?"

  Reinhardt snorted: "What kind of official are you? You really have no equal! Treating the Imperial Army's orders as something to be haggled over, it's not something I can compare with."

  "Ah, so that's what young people say these days. You're really too impatient, Your Excellency Muguel." Fafnir said with a chuckle, scratching his chin.

  Looking at Reinhard von Müsel's vigilant gaze, he saw the figure of Gilfieth Eisner hastily approaching. Rudolf von Fafnir Colonel smiled again and said: "Müsel's ambition is great, but at your age, it's really unnecessary to be so hasty... Hehehe, do you think I can't see your ambition? How can a burning ambition like this be concealed by an 18-year-old boy? Hahaha..." As Gilfieth Eisner approached, Fafnir smiled and gave a military salute before walking away.

  He didn't bother to see what Reinhard would say to his red-haired adjutant, and directly joined Schenkopp's staff, leaving the flagship "Ostfriesland" and returning to his own command ship "Von Moltke IV". As for whether Reinhard and Kircheis would treat him as an enemy or not in the future, Farenheit (Borbon) didn't care. "If I hadn't liked this work and sworn to role-play seriously without using supernatural powers, Grandfather would have blown you up, you blond brat."

  Like the Vanfruet system, uninhabited star systems often have examples of planets and moons not being given fixed names. For example, Vanfruet 4-2 refers to the second moon of the fourth planet in the Vanfruet system. The Gremmel's Hammer fleet was deployed in orbit around Vanfruet 4-2.

  That is a solid-body celestial body with a diameter of 22,600 kilometers, covered in ice, sulfuric acid hydrates and volcanic rock, adjacent to a gaseous planet with a diameter of 1.2 million kilometers. The gravitational coefficient is 0.25G, which also has little gravity tolerance for spacecraft takeoff and landing. There is a small amount of atmosphere, mainly composed of nitrogen.

  On this lifeless rock, the Imperial GHQ had intended to deploy the veteran Admiral Grümmel's fleet as a valuable reserve force against the Allied Forces. However, Field Marshal Müikenbelger's true intention was nothing more than isolating the old admiral and his fleet, which would only cause interference.

  Nature, the Fawfnir fleet's 900-strong cruiser and destroyer mixed squadron was no exception. His troops were among the most frequent in the chaotic front line of the Grimmelshausen fleet, and as early as the first exchange of fire, his fleet had advanced to the right front and exchanged fire with the Allied fleet. In the subsequent melee, he also made a number of achievements, eliminating more enemy ships than his own fleet, and losing about one-tenth of his own numbers.

  On March 27, the northern hemisphere of the planet Vafner 4-2 was occupied by a fleet of 12,200 ships from the Galactic Empire's military, led by Admiral Grünewald. This account will likely be criticized by future historians as "exaggerated", but in the polar ice cap area, within a radius of 100 kilometers, ships were deployed on the ground, and anti-aircraft defense systems were installed around them. In a large part of the ice cap, incendiary bombs were dropped to melt the ice, creating an artificial lake of over 1,000 square kilometers, allowing about 1,000 ships to anchor there. To prevent rapid evaporation and freezing, a special liquid metal membrane was laid out, and modular ground facilities were set up, including roads, power supply, communication, and water pipes. These facilities were connected by a network of tunnels made of composite materials. The fleet anchored in the lake was led by Colonel Fafner.

  In Satellite Van Frett 4 = 2, the people who claim squatter's rights have already settled in, but their location is in the southern hemisphere across the equator.

  A rear base of the Free Planets Alliance military had been built more than 100 days ago.

  "Why would the Imperial Army come to a place like this? Didn't we choose this location as our rear base because it's far from the front lines?"

  Base Commander General Singularity Sherebryadze paced back and forth in front of the table six times, his mouth twitching with a nearly wolf-like unease.

  Shinguria Sherebrye, a rear admiral in his mid-40s, has more experience with logistics than actual combat command. He will be assigned to the Van'Fleet 4=2 and is also responsible for responding to the demands of the General Headquarters by sending necessary troops and supplies to necessary sectors when needed. This task of commanding and adjusting is his mission in this battle. Given Sherebrye's ability to handle tasks, this is not a difficult mission, but he has no confidence in his tactical adaptability. If an enemy fleet were to enter within 1,000 kilometers, he would lose the calmness with which he handles tasks.

  Moreover, the intentions of the Imperial Army were not clear. The calculating and administrative mind often lacked imagination. The door to thinking that led to the unreasonable conclusion that "its commander was sent to a remote area due to concerns from headquarters" had long been closed. The conclusion derived from the numerical formula's thinking route was as follows: This rear base was considered an important existence by the Imperial Army, after all, they had dispatched a fleet, and they probably planned to launch a large-scale attack to occupy or destroy this base, and build a permanent base for the Imperial Army. Although this speculation had many loopholes, Major General believed it deeply.

  "Call Colonel Van Sief."

  Fifteen minutes later, the Rose Knights squad moved out to probe the Imperial Army.

  The distance between the Imperial Army's garrison and the Alliance Army's temporary base is 2420 kilometers in a straight line. It would take around 30 or 40 hours to reach by armored ground vehicle. If using the Vargar or Spartan, it would take less than 30 minutes. Even the slow landing craft, known as sluggish, can reach within about two hours.

  At 22:00 on March 29th, both the Imperial Army and the Federation Army were still unaware of this fact.

  The Allied Forces were unaware of the correct distance between themselves and the enemy forces, while the Imperial Forces did not even know of the enemy's existence - with the exception of Colonel Fafnir who had insight into the plot. The first to notice this possibility was Major General Reinhard von Müsel. As he set up the navigation route for the Greenshau fleet to land on the satellite, after analyzing the direction of the enemy's communication waves, he found that there was a high probability that the Allied Forces' base of operations existed on the back side of the small satellite, i.e., in the Southern Hemisphere.

  At a later meeting of the generals, Reinhardt reported on this matter. Grimmelshausen spoke up after due consideration.

  "In short, are you saying there's an enemy on the ground, Major Mujer?"

  "This possibility is quite large. Commander, according to my consideration, first dispatch an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to conduct a preliminary survey of the enemy, what do you think?"

  The old admiral deliberately avoided Reinhard's gaze and asked his staff.

  "What do you think of General Mu Jie's opinion? I think it's quite acceptable... The lieutenant colonels looked at each other, and an unfavorable atmosphere formed a vortex that rose. After about 2000 seconds, the vortex turned into sound."

  Even if Major General Mj?llnir's speculation is correct, a careless reconnaissance may alert the enemy to our presence. Moreover, if the enemy's forces are weaker than ours, it would not be too late to counterattack after being attacked. The order from Headquarters is to wait and see. If we act rashly and take unnecessary actions, it will have a bad influence on the entire battle situation, and may even produce results that benefit the enemy. We subordinates think this is worth worrying about.

  This was the decision reached by the discussion among the officers, but there were also voices that completely lacked shame: "I'm not good at fighting. It's better to wait for the rebels to come crawling over on their own." This was said by Colonel Fafnir, who was the only one left on the ground.

  "That's right, we're professionals at delivering heads. Let the enemy come to us and let General Oberesh consider such matters." His chief of staff, Colonel Shuttker, also shamelessly chimed in.

  "If we're not going to dare to recon for a hypothetical danger, then I'll take that task upon myself. Please permit me to go out beyond the anti-air defense system, sir." said Reinhardt.

  "Haha, Mu Jie is really a brave person..."

  "How great it is to be young!" Two voices with similar smooth and thick tones echoed.

  "General Muger, don't be impatient, absolutely don't rush. Your predecessors all said so unanimously. Let's just observe the enemy's situation here for now. If there really is an enemy..." The old general still smoothed things over like this.

  As Major Mjolnir stormed out, the old general ended a meeting that had produced nothing constructive. However, at the end, General Grimmelshausen did agree to let Major Mjolnir build an anti-ground defense system, with Colonel Fafnir's assistance. The old general emitted a bored laugh as he watched Colonel Fafnir being ordered around like a fool.

  "We are about to serve under Your Excellency. Please give us your orders," said Colonel Fafnir, while Lieutenant-Colonel Shuttker nodded in agreement.

  "How...how can they be so shameless? They can completely forget the malicious words from before in the blink of an eye. Don't these two men have any sense of shame?" Reinhardt was also shocked, and unintentionally voiced out his latter half thoughts.

  "Thank you, sir, for your cultivation! What is this thing called shame and integrity? I don't know, sir." Still the same tone, but the speaker was completely serious and solemn.

  "Never mind, as long as you can follow my orders....." In the eighteen years of Reinhardt's life, he had never seen such a person, and in the end, he could only helplessly wave his hand and give the order.

  Misfortunes never come singly, General Hermann von Lünenburg also made a proposal similar to that of Reinhardt, but General Hermann von Lünenburg was an expert in ground warfare, and his opinion was naturally far more important than Reinhardt's. Therefore, it was very reasonable for General Lünenburg to take the initiative from Reinhardt's hands.

  Herman von Luneberg, Imperial Army Major General, was a Colonel in the Free Planets Alliance three years ago, and is the 11th generation "Rose Knights" squadron commander. He is thirty-five years old this year. A tall man with an imperial noble appearance from birth, his silver hair and unpleasant blue-gray eyes are impressive.

  Three years after his exile, he only rose to the next rank, which was not smooth in terms of his talent. During this period, he married the daughter of an imperial nobleman, and it is said that because she was a beauty recognized by everyone, she also brought resentment. In any case, he was in a situation where he did not want to be, and just being assigned to General Grimme's command could prove this.

  This Lieutenant General Luneville objected to Rheinhardt's plan for a ground reconnaissance, and in Rheinhardt's presence, made his proposal to Major General Grimmelshausen.

  "Müller may be a genius in space combat command, but on the ground, I have one day's seniority over him. As for this matter, please leave it to me."

  It seems that he was not eager for fame, and did not slander Reinhardt either. The calm self-confidence with the strength of steel surrounded Lorraine Meirsschaut, and the old admiral seemed to be affected by that spiritual magnetic field immediately, and changed his policy.

  "Also, that would be better. General Muzhiev, this matter should still be left to Lyunevulk to handle. I know what you're thinking, but after all, Lyunevulk is an expert in ground warfare."

  The seventy-six-year-old old admiral did not have a commanding tone, but rather seemed to be persuading the young man as he spoke. Although reluctant, if it were an order, Reinhardt would still have room for resistance. But when his superior spoke in this tone, if he refused, Reinhardt would be considered extremely disrespectful and narrow-minded.

  "As you wish, sir."

  It was still quite impolite for a superior, but Reinhardt couldn't completely hide his frustration at having to give up his proposal. Perhaps it's easy for an 18-year-old to let their arrogance slip through the cracks of etiquette. In any case, control had shifted into Luneburg's hands.

  "That blond kid should be furious now! Hehehe, young people need to suffer a bit for their own good." Colonel Fafnir said with a completely shameless tone.

  "Yes, I really want to see that face." Schutek said, pinching his fingers as if he was pinching Jel's beautiful face.

  "I'm telling you, you two shouldn't be so optimistic," said Karl von Dick, the rotten gambler and ground commander of the trio. "Runebalg is far more seasoned than those young whippersnappers, don't worry that he'll drag his feet and waste your time."

  "What the heck, I'm a viscount! Gustav is a baron! And you, at least have an earl's pseudonym. He's just a small imperial knight from Rheinburg, and he's still on the run, so what if he's a lieutenant general?"

  Luneville Burk is not incompetent, as the former commander of the Rose Knights Corps, his ground combat capabilities are naturally excellent. Although Favniel and others were not working hard, the lieutenant general still successfully ambushed the reconnaissance troops of the opposing alliance, and should have killed a high-ranking officer on the other side.

  "Rudolf, how's that Lunenburg fellow doing? Can he hack it?" Captain Dick asked after watching Lieutenant General Lunenburg's combat video.

  "Hah! Rudolf only needs 2 seconds to send that love saint straight to hell! The only question is, how long will it take for him to beat Ovfreisha?! " said Shuttk?mpfer, who had fought alongside Hauptmann Favniel for many years - mainly as a fellow brawler.

  "Alright, haven't you guys seen that there are some pretty good opponents on the other side? Since we're here, I reckon in a few days we can go find some fun." Fafnir said languidly.

  "I'll start the bidding! Rudolf can chop a few!" Dick immediately ran off with renewed energy to calculate the odds.