Imperial Elite

Chapter 29 Lifting the Ceiling

Refusing a project that has the King's attention, is being promoted by the wartime cabinet, and is currently generating strong reactions at the front is generally considered an act of suicide.

However, as a country with a long-standing constitutional monarchy tradition, it has rich experience in parliamentary struggles and began to introduce a civil government in the last hundred years.

To obtain a position within this system, one must be an official who has undergone rigorous testing and is considered a political elite among the nobility.

So after receiving the report from the dispatched commissioner, and then obtaining the report and design drawings written by Joe, which were forwarded by the wartime cabinet.

The top brass of the Land Warships Committee immediately realized that something terrible had happened; trouble was brewing.

It is certainly painful to fail, but it is even more painful to succeed at the expense of one's peers.

As a group of professional technocrats, they were quite certain that, judging from the current reactions from above, the higher-ups clearly preferred Joe's proposed new tank plan.

Furthermore, after a simple technical evaluation, they also found that, with the same manpower, Joe's design could indeed exert a stronger combat effect.

This might be good news for the Army, but for the members of the Land Warships Committee, it was utterly bad news.

A group of people spent several years working on something, and the first thing they came up with was found to have a lot of flaws when it was put into use on the battlefield. It was not as good as the solution that others developed in just a few days on the front lines.

If this gets out, the entire Land Warship Committee will become a laughing stock, and how will everyone make progress in the future?

At this point, proposing a new plan that surpasses Joe's is no longer feasible, as it would invite questions from above about why they didn't use the better plan earlier, and whether they were disloyal and dishonest to the kingdom.

However, using Joe's plan is also unacceptable. Everyone has worked hard for several years, and even if they haven't made any great contributions, they have still put in a lot of effort and are exhausted. To be used as a stepping stone for a second lieutenant who only earned an elementary school degree is definitely unacceptable.

For ordinary bureaucrats, such a dilemma might cause them to panic.

There's no need to panic. For seasoned bureaucrats who are well-versed in human nature, in this situation, all they need to do is use the "lifting the ceiling" tactic. First, they propose an impossible idea, and then, while the other party is furious, they propose a solution that they had prepared in advance and originally intended to pass. This is how they break the deadlock.

Therefore, in accordance with this plan, the Land Battleship Committee rejected Joe's new tank design proposal without hesitation.

Amid the wartime cabinet's outrage, the Land Battleship Committee immediately submitted a new report.

In this new report, the Land Battleship Committee stated that they have incorporated all battlefield feedback to date and have carefully studied Lieutenant Joe's new vehicle design and report.

Based on this, the improved version of Royal Fist, Royal Fist MK-2, was designed.

At the same time, the Land Battle Committee reminded the wartime cabinet, the military, and His Majesty George, who might be reviewing the report, that it had taken the Land Battle Committee five years to develop the Royal Fist, a revolutionary piece of equipment, since it was formed in 1911 by the former First Lord of the Admiralty.

If we start from scratch now and design and prove a completely new design concept, even if Lieutenant Joe is right, how much time will it take to complete this design, and how much time will it take for the troops on the front lines to receive this equipment?
After reading the report, the wartime cabinet felt that the Land Warships Committee was right. During the war, we were racing against time, and what we could use now was definitely better than what we could use later.

Compared to new tanks that take an unknown amount of time to be put into service, our MK-2 only requires some modifications to the MK-1, and in three months! Just three months! This improved tank can be mass-produced and put into service.

As an island nation, the cabinet ministers during wartime might not know what a tank is, but they definitely understand what a warship is.

More is better, bigger is more beautiful. The Land Battleship Committee's improvement plan was like a deer shot in the butt, hitting the hearts of the wartime cabinet ministers.

At the same time, the promise of production within three months gave the wartime cabinet officials an irresistible reason to refuse.

Of course, although the wartime cabinet accepted the Land Battleship Committee's reasons, as the leaders of Bonitania, the wartime cabinet still had to take a longer-term view.

While urging the Land Battleship Committee to expedite the production of the MK-2 tank, the wartime cabinet instructed the expeditionary force to use tanks cautiously and to minimize the loss of experienced tank crews, as subsequent tank units would need to rely on these experienced crew members for expansion.

The wartime cabinet planned to expand the tank force by at least two more tank regiments in the coming months, bringing the total number of tanks to over two hundred.

Although the Battle of the Somme was still ongoing, the wartime cabinet had already begun planning another large-scale offensive a few months later in 1917.

At this time, the Gauls held off the Teutonics' fierce offensive at Verdun, while the Lucia's recently concluded Alexius offensive dealt a heavy blow to the Teutons and their allies.

Although the Somme campaign has yielded limited results so far, it has also significantly depleted the Teutonic forces, especially after the Jutland naval battle a few months earlier.

The Grand Fleet thwarted the Teutonic Navy's attempt to break through the Imperial Navy's blockade during the Teutonic Wars. Although the navy lost many warships, the Teutons were also in trouble and could only hide in their home port to repair their ships.

In the Near East, the Arabs, with the support of the kingdom, also launched an uprising, which began to disintegrate the rule of the Sultanate, the sick man of the Old World.

While the Gauls were being soundly defeated by the Teutons, on other fronts, the Teutons and their allies were being surrounded and kicked around by the Bunitania and their comrades.

This advantage led to a pleasant surprise for the diplomats of Bonitania, who discovered that the United States of America, which had previously maintained strict neutrality in the New World, was now also considering joining the war.

This delighted the wartime cabinet. From the very beginning of the war, both the Bunitas and the Teutons wanted to bring the large, living United States of America across the ocean into their camp.

However, in response to this invitation, the United States of America only stated that we are a peace-loving country, so we remain neutral. Of course, if you need any supplies, you can buy them from me.

The wartime cabinet officials in London, across the ocean, could hear clearly what the United States was up to.

What about loving peace and neutrality? Isn't it just a matter of preparing to help whoever wins?

The current strategic advantage has clearly led some members of Congress in the United States to believe that the time is right and they should start placing their bets. If they wait too long, they might not get much after the war.

Seeing that the United States was beginning to prepare for battle, the wartime cabinet officials felt that although the United States was weak and incapable of fighting, it could still fill some gaps in the front lines, allowing them to gather their best men and launch an offensive.

Next year, together with the rested Lucias, they will advance from the east and west, putting the Teutons on the defensive. Then, just as they defeated the Gallo-Great centuries ago, they will be able to march into Germania!
If nothing unexpected happens, the war should end before Christmas 1917.

To accomplish this plan, the wartime cabinet had to prepare forces for the massive offensive in 1917, and the previously passed compulsory military service was only part of the plan. Joe, who was then attempting to command the HMS Lucky Bella to break through the Teutonic defenses, was unaware that the gentlemen of London believed the war would end in a year.

If he knew, Joe would probably share this new, but not entirely new, joke with his best buddy tonight as he went to sleep, if he still remembered it then.

At that moment, Joe was inside the tank, cursing and ordering the machine gunner and gunner to attack any suspicious spots. Meanwhile, amidst the crew's 'Are you fucking crazy?!' stares, he opened the hatch, poked his head out of the tank, and yelled at the infantrymen huddled around it.

"Spread out! Don't crowd around the tanks! If this continues, we'll all die!"

A dozen minutes earlier, Joe had instructed Herbert to park the tank by the trench. As before, he came down from the trench and entered it to ask the infantrymen inside what the Teutons were up to, while also observing the battlefield more closely.

It seems to be due to the engine burning out last time. Even after the engine was repaired, Joe felt that the Lucky Bella's power had decreased significantly after restarting it.

Poor power means the car is more likely to get stuck in the mud.

It was now October, and in addition to the drop in temperature and the increased likelihood of dense fog in the mornings and evenings, the continuous torrential rains had made the land, which had been repeatedly bombarded, soft and sticky.

Faced with this environment, Joe, who didn't want to get his vehicle stuck again, could only observe the battlefield environment a little longer.

However, upon entering the trenches, Joe discovered that the infantrymen stationed there were not in very good condition.

There were already few places to rest in the trenches. Usually, the only places to rest were small holes that the soldiers had dug out of the trench walls with shovels.

Only the long-established trenches of the Teutons had basement-like rest areas, where there might even be a few actual beds.

This trench, which looks like it was just dug recently, obviously wouldn't have such luxurious facilities; there were no caves to shelter from the rain, and then there were the torrential rains for days.

The infantrymen in the trenches looked pale, their uniforms covered in mud making them appear as if they had just been dug out of the ground.

This zombie-like mental and physical state is clearly not suitable for launching an attack.

But the orders had already been given, and Joe had no choice but to comply.

As before, Joe learned about the Teutonic infantry's situation and the current state of the no man's land from these poor infantrymen. Then, as always, Joe instructed the infantrymen to hide near his tanks after the attack began, while he led the main assault and they were responsible for preventing the Teutonic infantry from making desperate moves.

Joe then communicated with the commanders of the other two tanks about their attack routes.

As a formidable figure personally awarded a medal by a marshal, even though Joe's rank wasn't very high, the commanders of the other two tanks were willing to obey Joe's orders.

After a brief exchange, they decided that the three tanks would separate slightly, bypass the stickiest mud pits in the no man's land, and launch an attack on the Teutonic trenches.

Since the infantrymen were certain that the Teutons on the other side of the trench did not have artillery, Joe and the commanders of the other two tanks felt that since they didn't have artillery, they didn't need to worry about anything else. They just needed to watch the road carefully to avoid getting their tanks stuck and push them up.

Then, the Lucky Bella took the lead, and three tanks crossed the trenches and began to attack the Teutonics. The poor infantrymen also left the trenches at the sound of whistles and began to follow the tanks toward the Teutonic trenches.

Then Joe noticed that things seemed to have changed, and the Teutonic trenches were spewing out a fierce barrage of bullets as if a volcano had erupted.

However, this barrage of bullets did not target the tanks as it had in the past when tanks appeared. Instead, it was aimed at the infantry surrounding the tanks, driving the poor infantrymen closer to the tanks.

Although Joe sensed something was amiss, he didn't dwell on it. He simply ordered the machine gunners on the vehicle to suppress the Teutonic trenches with fire and instructed the gunners to target the exposed Teutonic firing positions one by one.

Just as Joe gave the order, he suddenly saw a light appear behind the Teutonic trenches, and then a crimson ball of light struck the tank on Joe's right flank like lightning.

The tank stopped abruptly as if it had crashed into a wall, and then a fireball erupted from the illegal observation tower on top of the tank, spraying all sorts of strange things into the sky.

Now that tank really looks like a volcano.

"Bombardment!!!"

The screams of the gunner and Herbert, who witnessed everything, echoed through the carriage.

"parking!"

Joe, who had also witnessed the Teutonic bombardment, immediately ordered Herbert to stop the car.

"One o'clock! Behind that rock! Fire!"

With three cannon shots, a fireball rose from behind the rock, clearly indicating that the counterattack had hit the Teutonic artillery position.

"Forward! We can't stop here..."

Before Joe could finish speaking, another loud explosion rang out on the battlefield. Joe rushed to the side of the tank and looked through the observation window in the direction where the explosion had just occurred.

The other tank had also been reduced to a burning pile of rubble. Next to it were several burning figures running around, whether they were infantrymen caught in the blast or crew members who hadn't managed to escape.

More than those unfortunate fellows, Joe was worried about where the remaining Teutonic artillery crew was during the recent shelling.

Meanwhile, the infantry, who were being attacked by Teutonic machine guns, were crowding around the Lucky Bella, preventing Herbert from maneuvering the ship.

Joe rushed to the hatch, opened it, and stuck his head out of the tank, shouting at the infantrymen huddled around it.

"Spread out! Don't crowd around the tanks! If this continues, we'll all die!"

(End of this chapter)