Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 6 Your Majesty, this is a slap in your face!
Saxon Empire, Potsdam, Sanssouci Palace.

This Rococo palace, known as the 'Versailles of Saxony,' appears serene and solemn under the night sky.

However, this tranquility was soon broken by a series of hurried footsteps.

An encrypted telegram from the front lines of the Kingdom of Aragon, after two hours of transmission and translation, finally reached the study of Emperor Albert II of Saxony.

Along with the telegram arrived Helmut Ludwig von Moltke, the Reich Chief of the General Staff, and Theobald von Bertmann Holweg, the Reich Chancellor.

Moltke's uncle was none other than Moltke the Elder, a legendary military strategist of the Saxon Empire.

Although Moltke the Younger was relatively weak-willed, from the time he became Albert II’s aide-de-camp, he surpassed many more capable people in every aspect, and eventually rose to the position of Chief of the General Staff of the Saxon Army.

Inside the study, the fire in the fireplace burned quietly, illuminating the emperor's slightly weary face.

Albert II took the telegram handed to him by his attendant and quickly glanced at it.

When his gaze swept over the first half of the telegram, the empire's supreme ruler's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and the fingers gripping the telegram turned slightly white from the force.

But as he continued reading, the tense lines on his face gradually relaxed, and the attendant standing by his side could even hear the emperor's relieved whisper.

"It's good that they're saved, it's good that they're saved."

Albert II placed the telegram on the table, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh.

An Imperial Army lieutenant general was captured by hostile forces in a foreign land.
This is not just a military setback, but will also be a terrible diplomatic disaster and a media storm.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario did not occur.

"Your Majesty, the Britannians' actions are a blatant trampling on the dignity of the Empire!"

Moltke's voice broke the brief silence in the study. Although he was not tall, his crisp gray military uniform made him look imposing.

"To ambush our military observer mission without a declaration of war is not only an insult to the Saxon army, but also a challenge to your authority as the Emperor!"

Moltke stepped forward, his voice filled with undisguised anger:

“We must make them pay the price! The Kingdom of Aragon is key to our southward expansion of influence and must not fall into the hands of the Britannians! Once their 'Kingdom Army' wins, the Britannians' sphere of influence will be pushed right to the Empire's doorstep!”

The Imperial Chancellor, Holwig, who had been silent all along, spoke at the opportune moment. His tone was calmer than Moltke's, but his words carried no less weight.

"Your Majesty, the Chief of the General Staff is right. From a political perspective, Crown Prince Alfonso studied in the Empire and advocates learning from the Empire's industrial development model. He is our ideal ally. More importantly..."

Holvig paused for a moment, then dropped a bombshell.

"The latest exploration report shows that a vein of brilliance crystals, possibly the largest in the entire continent of Europe, has been discovered in the southern mountains of the Kingdom of Aragon. Therefore, the nature of the civil war in the Kingdom of Aragon has actually been completely changed."

Pyroxene!
Albert II's eyes sharpened instantly; he understood, of course, what this meant.

The Saxon Empire's key to competing with Brittany and Gaul was its crystalline technology route, which relied on this ore.

One of the largest mineral veins in Europe is enough to completely change the balance of power across the entire continent.

Moreover, he was well aware that it was precisely because of the existence of this mine that the Britannians intervened in the civil war of the Kingdom of Aragon.
In fact, if the Gauls weren't currently busy quelling the large-scale uprising that recently broke out in their colonies, this country, which also borders the Kingdom of Aragon, would definitely have been caught up in it too!
As for why two countries that follow the path of magical technology would suddenly start coveting the Brilliant Crystal mine?

The reason is also very simple.

Once the mine is mined, the mine will be empty.
This is especially true of the magic crystal mines that fell to this planet as meteorites from outer space.

Its reserves are already far less than those of the native minerals on this planet.

After so many years of unrestricted mining by the Britannians and Gauls, the reserves of magic crystal ore have long since dropped to near the red line.

Therefore, these two great magical technology nations had long wanted to adjust their technological development path, and the mineral vein discovered by the Kingdom of Aragon was like a pillow delivered to them when they were sleepy.
Albert II frowned, then temporarily pulled himself back from those thoughts and turned his gaze to his Chief of the General Staff.

"Helmut, if I let you do it, how confident are you? And another thing. If we launch an attack, wouldn't that be considered a declaration of war against Brittany?"

Upon hearing Albert II's question, Moltke pondered for a moment, then answered earnestly:
"Your Majesty, please have faith in the training, courage, and discipline of the Imperial soldiers! As for declaring war, since the Britannians have chosen to wage war without a declaration, why should we be bound by such a hypocritical formality?"

Albert II did not have much objection to this.

Over the years, the empire's colonies in Africa have been embroiled in constant conflict with Britannia and Gaul over resources and land, with bloody armed clashes becoming commonplace. If war had to be declared every time, the whole of Europe would probably have been reduced to a chaotic mess long ago.

"go on."

"Yes, Your Majesty. If we do launch an attack, the troops dispatched to the Kingdom of Aragon will also conduct operations in coordination with the National Army and the International Brigades!"

When the term 'International Brigades' was mentioned, Moltke's lips twitched involuntarily.

"International Brigade."

A complex look flashed in Albert II's eyes when he mentioned the team.

"I remember you just told me a while ago that the eleventh batch of International Brigades volunteers had already entered the Kingdom of Aragon by land after completing their assembly?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, the International Brigades within the Kingdom of Aragon currently number seven brigades."

Moltke the Younger nodded; his feelings at that moment were just as complex as those of Albert II.

These volunteers from all over the world, responding to the slogan "Break the monopoly of hegemony and share the progress of civilization," were not professional soldiers, but their fighting spirit and fearless attitude earned Moltke's respect and a touch of fear.

Although this 'international brigade' was formed by the Saxon Empire, it almost monopolized the needs for basic armament, logistical supplies, and transportation.

In a sense, the two sides are close 'allies'.

But he had also wondered more than once whether, one day in the future, these workers, farmers, teachers and other so-called 'progressives' would, for some reason, also turn their guns on the Saxon Empire?
Imperial Chancellor Holwig also stepped forward at this moment.
"Your Majesty, recently, due to the publicity of the International Brigades in major newspapers, the Social Democrats who are in charge of this matter have become increasingly flamboyant, and have even organized several large-scale demonstrations in some cities! I feel it is necessary to remind you that these leftists are always a time bomb for the Empire."

“I know that, of course, but for now we still need these ‘international volunteers’ to maintain the situation in the Kingdom of Aragon.”

Albert II sighed. As the successor to the Saxewetin dynasty, he was well aware of the threat posed by these left-wing forces within the country.

"Let those Social Democrats keep jumping around for a while longer. We must focus our energy on the war in the Kingdom of Aragon."

At this point, Albert II finally made up his mind. He stood up from his chair, walked to the huge map of Europe, and focused his gaze on the border between the Kingdom of Aragon and the Saxon Empire.

"I authorize the troops already in the Kingdom of Aragon to cooperate with our allies and launch the necessary military operations! Let's teach the Britannians a lesson!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Little Maoqi suddenly stood at attention, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"but."

Albert II then changed the subject, tapping lightly on the map at Seville.

“I regret sending General Mackensen to command the battle in the Kingdom of Aragon. I and the General Staff will jointly draft a transfer order to send him home to recuperate.”

Moltke was taken aback by what he heard. He didn't understand why the emperor would call back the capable and skilled Mackensen at this time.

After all, changing generals on the eve of battle is a major taboo in the military.

Before Moltke could ask why, Albert II continued:
"Lieutenant General Mackenson is not merely an Imperial general; he is the Empire's most valuable 'living fossil'! He should be used in a true total war, not a localized conflict."

The emperor's voice was calm and clear.

"Moreover, we cannot afford to lose such a general in the Kingdom of Aragon. As a small-scale local war, what is needed there is not a frenzied offensive, but a more prudent approach to prevent the situation from deteriorating further!"

Albert II turned to look at Moltke the Younger: "My Chief of Staff, what candidates do you recommend for the new commander of the Aragonese expeditionary force?"

After a moment's thought, Moltke the Younger quickly gave his answer: "General Maximilian von Pritwitz, Your Majesty."

Are you sure he's capable of doing the job?

"Yes, although he is not as outstanding as General Mackensen, his command style is calm and steady, and he is good at defensive counterattacks. It should be foolproof to have him in charge of the war in Aragon!"

Pritwitz

Albert II muttered the name repeatedly before finally nodding.

"It's him! Immediately issue him an appointment and have him head to the front lines of the Kingdom of Aragon to replace General Mackenson!"

(End of this chapter)