Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 68 Pritwitz is a pig
The border of the Saxon Empire, the Caliban train station.

A military train bearing the black eagle insignia of the Saxon Empire slowly pulled into the platform, its heavy steam locomotive emitting a final puff of white smoke and a long, drawn-out whine.

The doors in the middle of the military train opened, and the sprightly General August von Mackensen stepped off the train, surrounded by his staff.

On the platform, some officers who had been waiting for a long time immediately came forward to greet them.

"Welcome back, General."

"You've worked hard, General."

Mackensen nodded expressionlessly to everyone, then asked:

"How is Pritwitz's counterattack going?"

When Madrid fell, this general, who was like a 'living fossil' of the Imperial Army, originally intended to stay behind to command the subsequent battles.

But due to Pritwitz's insistence and the persuasion of other officers, he ultimately had no choice but to obey the Emperor and the General Staff's orders to return home first.
The makeshift military train he was traveling in did not have a radio transceiver car, so Mackensen had no idea how the fighting was going on in the Kingdom of Aragon.

Upon hearing his question, a staff officer who had been waiting on the platform approached him with a grave expression and handed him an urgent telegram that he had just received.

"General, an urgent telegram from the front lines in Aragon."

Mackensen nervously took the telegram, and then his expression froze.

When he saw the words "Cuenca and Valencia have fallen", "The expeditionary force has been surrounded", and "The supply lines on the road have been cut off", the veteran general, who had been through many battles, felt his vision go black, his body swayed, and he almost fainted on the spot.

"General!" The adjutant beside him reacted quickly and helped him up.

"I'm fine"

Mackensen waved his hand, took a few deep breaths, and barely managed to calm himself down.

His face turned ashen, and his hand gripping the telegram trembled slightly from the force.

When Mackensen left the expeditionary force headquarters and handed over command to Lieutenant General Pritwitz, who succeeded him, he repeatedly emphasized to his successor that the upcoming battles must not be fought too conservatively!

We can't always be thinking about playing a safe defensive counter-attack!

After all, the Nationalist Army and the International Brigades, as friendly forces, have limited combat capabilities. We cannot expect them to withstand the high-pressure environment for too long until the time for a defensive counterattack arrives.
But now it seems that that damned Pritwitz clearly didn't listen to a single word!
Seeing the unfavorable situation, the latter actually ordered all units of the expeditionary force to retreat voluntarily, wanting to consolidate their forces and preserve their strength, and then launch his textbook defensive counterattack after the enemy's offensive had weakened.

This decision is absolutely stupid!
The withdrawal of the Saxon expeditionary force directly exposed the flanks of friendly lines, causing the entire defensive system to collapse instantly.

The entire coalition's forces were severely dispersed, and the Kingdom's army and the Britannians eventually seized the opportunity to defeat them one by one!

"Idiot! Pritwitz is a complete and utter idiot!"

Unable to contain his anger any longer, Mackensen launched into a tirade of profanities in front of all the military officers and dignitaries on the platform.

His roar echoed across the empty platform, silencing everyone around him.

"And the General Staff! Who approved this appointment? Who proposed handing command over to such a short-sighted idiot who only knows how to read from the book?!"

No one dared to answer his question.

Mackensen paced back and forth on the platform several times in a fit of rage, his chest heaving violently.

He knew that getting angry wouldn't solve anything; the most important thing was to find a way to retake Cuenca and Valencia and restore contact with the main force of the expeditionary force.

Mackensen abruptly stopped and said to the officer who handed him the telegram, "Prepare the telegraph machine immediately! I need to send a message to the General Staff!"

"Yes, General!"

A few minutes later, in the station’s makeshift communications room, Mackensen dictated a telegram to the General Staff as quickly as possible.

The telegram was simple, but every word conveyed the old general's anxiety and determination to fight.

He strongly requested authorization from the General Staff and His Majesty the Emperor to personally command and immediately mobilize the twelve infantry divisions that had already assembled and were ready for battle in the border region.

They crossed the border into the Kingdom of Aragon, sparing no effort to rescue the trapped expeditionary force!
Meanwhile, at the General Staff of the Saxon Empire, in front of a tense battle map, the Imperial Army Chief of Staff, Moltke the Younger, and a group of officers from the General Staff were intently staring at the situation in the Aragon region.

The red attack arrows surrounded the units representing the Saxon Expeditionary Force and other friendly forces.

Everyone is stupid.

None of them expected that this military operation, which was initially predicted to have few problems, would take such a dramatic turn in just a few days and evolve into what it is now.

Just then, a staff officer hurried into the operations room and handed a telegram to Moltke the Younger.

"Chief, a telegram from General Mackensen."

Moltke took the telegram and quickly scanned it. When he saw Mackensen's request, his furrowed brow did not relax at all.

He knew that Mackensen's plan was the only and fastest way to resolve the crisis facing the expeditionary force.

But he also knew what that meant.
This means that the Saxon Empire will completely drop its pretense and shift from 'limited intervention' to 'full involvement,' which is almost tantamount to declaring war on the Holy Britannian Empire.

After thinking for a moment, Moltke made a decision immediately.

"Prepare the carriage; I must go see His Majesty the Emperor immediately."

In any case, this decision must be made by the emperor himself.

Dresden, a palace of the Saxon royal family.

Inside the magnificent audience chamber, Emperor Albert II of the Saxon Empire listened to the report from Chief of the General Staff Moltke the Younger with a bewildered expression.

"What did you say? The expeditionary force is surrounded?!"

Albert II's voice trembled with shock; he even wondered if he had misheard.

Just two days ago, the report he received from the General Staff was that "the war is going smoothly and the most important strategic objective of this operation, Seville, is already firmly under the control of the expeditionary force."
How did things suddenly change from "everything is going smoothly" to "the entire army is in imminent danger"?
What exactly happened in between?
"Yes, Your Majesty."

Moltke lowered his head and answered in a heavy tone:

"Due to a major error in command and decision-making by Lieutenant General Pritwitz, our forces became disconnected from our allies, allowing the enemy to seize the opportunity and cut off our retreat."

Albert II slumped into the chair behind his enormous oak desk, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him.

He did not immediately lose his temper because he knew very well that now was not the time to hold Pritwitz accountable.

The most urgent task is to find a way to resolve the difficulties facing the Kingdom of Aragon.

"Does your General Staff have any contingency plans?"

Albert II forced himself to calm down and looked at Moltke the Younger and asked.

After hearing the Emperor's question, Moltke the Younger also timely relayed General Mackensen's request:

"Your Majesty, General Mackensen requests that he personally command the twelve divisions that have already assembled at the border to immediately enter Aragon and launch an attack to relieve the Expeditionary Force. The General Staff believes that this is indeed the fastest and most effective method at present."

"General Mackensen."

Albert II murmured the name, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

He certainly knew Mackensen's capabilities; the veteran was one of the most aggressive generals in the Imperial Army. With him in charge of this mission, the chances of success were high.

But
Albert II expressed his concern: "Wouldn't this cause the military action in Aragon to escalate into a full-scale war between us and the Brittany?"

Moltke was silent for a moment, then raised his head, looked directly into the emperor's eyes, and said, word by word:

"Your Majesty, there is indeed such a risk. However, if we do not find a way to rescue the expeditionary force now, we will be in an even more passive position in the upcoming situation!"

"At that time, even if we don't want to fight, the Brittanyans probably won't let go of this opportunity to press their advantage."

(End of this chapter)