Chinese Warlord From Joseon - Chapter 445



Only Krnovel

The Covenant 2

Manstein was incapable of falling short in military strategy planning.

His concentration, constantly planning new operations and rolling the dice, left no room for anyone to interfere.

For a long time, I couldn’t take my eyes off Manstein’s war game, and then Guderian whispered behind me.

“It’s getting late, so I’m going to go in now.”

“bye.”

Guderian, a practical man, seemed to be bored with the endless mock battles.

On the other hand, the model was observing the map with some interest, although not as much as Manstein.

Without even noticing that Guderian had disappeared.

Manstein shouted in a shrill voice.

“Another dud! Why does it always collapse right in front of Paris?”

He has already attempted to invade France seven times.

As the simulation progressed, the invasion routes became more and more elaborate, but the French army stood firm and rose again like a grasshopper.

“Manstein, the French army you are moving is far too well trained. They are able to move quickly across space and even march for several days without any problems. The actual French army will not be able to move as nimbly as you think.”

The model who couldn’t stand to watch said something.

“Well, if you’re talking about the level of training, the German army already has a huge advantage. Compare that! The German army, which has been training secretly in the wilderness for 20 years without even being organized into a regular army, and the French army, which has been openly preparing for war with ambitions for world domination!”

“Are you saying that the German army’s mobility has been buffed just as much as the French army’s mobility?”

“Of course! The scenario I wrote only assumes the best. Fifty divisions of elite soldiers armed with a democratic consciousness that will never tire! How can such a group, with all their might, launch an offensive and still not be able to bring down France…”

The model who had been observing the front line stealthily crossed over to me.

“What do you think? Was this an impossible operation from the start?”

In the original history, Hitler’s Nazi army destroyed France in just six weeks.

Now the situation is just the opposite.

Rather, under the dictatorship of Petain, the French army grew in strength, completing hundreds of divisions.

The divided German National Wehrmacht was not only difficult to unify into one unit, but was also severely undermanned.

However, on the front organized by Manstein, the German army numbered 50 divisions and 1 million men.

Regardless of whether or not such a force could actually be organized, Manstein believed that 50 divisions were the minimum force necessary to carry out an invasion of France.

As I said, I’m assuming the best case scenario for Germany.

Despite this, France does not fall.

Vaguely, I thought I knew why.

“The model is right. The French defensive maneuvers are surprisingly agile. Instead of focusing on defending their territory, they follow and mark German armored vehicles without fail.”

I marked a place on the map.

“Look at the Rhine front, for example. After the German attack began, how easily did the French abandon their front? They were surprised and allowed some invasion, and then they moved back to the rear to form a new defensive line by forming army groups. It was quite remarkable.”

Manstein, who had been listening, said as if his heart was in pain.

“What is so remarkable about this? It is something that is only natural for a commander. Are you saying that the French army should have fought to the death in front of the Rhine River, not allowing even an inch of territory to be invaded?”

“Well… that could be possible?”

“What kind of idiot commander in the world would do that?”

Well, from what I know of history, there were a lot of those idiots in France in 1940.

“Because there is no Maginot Line, France’s strategy is not skewed. Is this the paradox of war?”

“Huh? The Maginot Line? What is that?”

“There was a French Minister of War named André Maginot. He argued that in order to prepare for a German invasion, a huge defensive line should be built along the Rhine border.”

“Ah, I remember. There was that issue.”

“At that time, Europe was in a state of peace, so the trench defense plan was left unfinished.”

The Maginot Line is said to be the decisive defensive line that prevented Germany from invading France.

But because the gears of history meshed together, no such large-scale fortresses were built in modern history.

But without the Maginot Line, a German invasion of France should have been much easier.

Ironically, by freeing themselves from the obsession with defending the Maginot Line, the French army actually found itself with much greater freedom in how it deployed its troops.

In the original history, Manstein had carried out an operation similar to a large scythe attack on Paris, making a large detour towards Belgium.

Because of this, 40 French divisions tied to the Maginot Line were instantly surrounded.

Rather, it was France’s decisive defeat to defend the Maginot Line to the end.

With no fortresses to cling to, the French were forced to fight a war of attrition on the central plains.

That was the factor that prevented Manstein from capturing Paris, despite running simulations numerous times.

“Hearing that makes me feel gloomy. If there had been a Maginot Line, the war would have been more difficult. Now, the odds are much more in Germany’s favor… and yet they can’t even get that…”

Manstein is frustrated.

Oh, so it’s not like the attack fails even though there is no Maginot Line.

The attack fails because there is no Maginot Line.

It wasn’t easy to explain the difference in detail.

I tried a little bit of a paradigm shift.

“Then what about the model line?”

“yes?”

“Let’s think about it from the defender’s point of view, not the attacker’s. If we build a model defensive fortress along the Rhine River, will we be able to stop the French offensive?”

Even though the question was sudden, the model answered calmly.

“There is nothing easier than blocking a planned attack. I am particularly good at defense, and with the right amount of money and time, I can build the most powerful fortress on Earth.”

“If you only look at the border with France, then yes. But we should think about a route bypassing Belgium. Given the Renault’s maneuverability in the desert, we may even have to consider the possibility of passing through the Ardennes Forest.”

The model laughed in disbelief.

“Huh… The Ardennes Forest doesn’t even have roads large enough for a small tractor, let alone a tank. You don’t know because you’ve never seen it yourself, Captain.”

Before I even opened my mouth.

Manstein, who had been silent, intervened.

“No, it’s possible.”

“what?”

“It’s a matter of time and concealment. It’s technically possible. If Guderian were here, he’d agree.”

Operation Sickle, which originally made Manstein known in history as the greatest strategist of the 20th century.

Its core was an advance through the dense Ardennes Forest between France and Germany.

The French army, which relied solely on natural defenses and did not even set up a single artillery battery, was thoroughly trampled by the German army that passed through the Ardennes.

“I agree. That’s why the Model Line should guard the border with France thoroughly, but not concentrate its forces too much. It should always keep the Belgian route in mind and build a flexible defensive line.”

The model was not a stubborn person.

The model’s strength was that he was quick to admit and correct his shortcomings.

“I guess I was ignorant about the development of tank technology. I will take note of it when establishing a defensive strategy. But… why did you suddenly change the topic from discussing the French advance to defense?”

“Yes! Tell me?”

This time, Manstein intervened before I could even open my mouth.

He seemed anxious about not being able to show off his shining talents.

Even when I was in China, I always heard from my fellow officers that I was unlucky.

Even after becoming a general, his temperament remained the same.

The model said with an expression as if to ask if it was the beginning again.

“What is it?”

“It gives the French a reason to invade, doesn’t it, Captain?”

“Don’t change the subject. Ask me why.”

“Because we are going to attack Italy.”

It was accurate.

Manstein was speaking as if he had entered my head.

“Our army’s attack on France is actually more of a preventive invasion. If things continue this way, all of Europe will be swept up in the Axis wave. There’s no way to prevent a idiot like Hitler from appearing again.”

Hitler, who had ambitiously attempted to invade Berlin, was completely defeated and was imprisoned.

Never again will your name be written on the pages of history.

“It is a well-known fact that France is the leader of the Axis Alliance. That is why I initially chose France as a point of attack. However, it is not enough. France’s size is too great for our weakened military to shake.”

It would be a different story if Germany had had years to prepare for war.

Manstein’s operation was planned to be carried out in just over six months.

“But it’s okay if it’s hard to cut off his life in one breath. Why did the captain ask for help in the first place? We’re allies with the same goal, right?”

“then···.”

“The goal is to land Chinese troops on the European continent. We are bringing the strongest terror corps in Asia, which we once belonged to, to Europe.”

“So, you’re saying we should secure Italy?”

“That’s right. If we transport troops from Tripoli and Alexandria to Italy, 100 Chinese infantry divisions could march on Paris within a month.”

Since Manstein took care of everything by himself from beginning to end, I had nothing more to say.

“What do you think, Captain? Is there anything wrong?”

“I wonder if it’s there.”

“The only worry is that Italy is not an easy country. The Italian army, which has inherited the spirit of ancient Rome, excels in mountain warfare. If you deal with them wrongly, you may suffer a painful defeat.”

Finally, there was something to point out to Manstein.

“Let’s leave that aside. Although they are called one of the Axis powers, the actual strength of the Italian army is far below what is shown. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that Spain is the number two power of the Axis.”

“Yes…? That’s not true. Mussolini’s mercenary tactics are well known even among the commanders, and if you look at the training plan announced every year, it’s impossible for the army to be anything other than strong.”

It cannot be said that Manstein’s judgment was simply influenced by Mussolini’s media manipulation.

What if even Mussolini didn’t know?

Mussolini truly believed that his Italy was a great power, comparable to Germany or France, and he made his absurd military plans based on that belief.

While the magpie struggled to follow the stork, the Italian army was reborn as a scarecrow riddled with holes.

The country’s economy was driven into a state of ruin with no exit.

“You’ll know when you get to the front lines. However, here’s what I want to advise you to the end. The important part of the invasion of Italy is not taking Rome, but defending Berlin. Attacking Italy won’t be that difficult, but if we can’t stop the French attack and Berlin falls, it’ll be a big problem. We have to prevent that.”

Manstein still seemed confused.

“Hmm… I guess we shouldn’t underestimate Mussolini…”

“Also, operations always require the worst-case scenario. If the Soviets move, Germany will have difficulty surviving no matter how hard it fights.”

“Well, the Red Army? Is that going to happen? Stalin’s invasion of Europe?”

I chuckled.

“Look at us. Germany and China are planning a war, so how can you guarantee that Petain and Stalin won’t join forces and attack you?”

“Poland will not cooperate with the Soviet Union. If the Red Army wants to invade Germany, it must do so through Poland.”

“Well, it’ll just pass. It’s not that difficult.”

How could the Polish army block the path of Soviet tanks?

“···If the worst case scenario really does happen, frankly, Germany has no answer.”

“So, right now we’re trying to prepare countermeasures by assuming the worst.”

“What is that countermeasure?”

“Stalin is too busy covering for himself to pay attention to Europe.”

Naturally, Manstein noticed immediately.

“This is the second war of the Republican War.”

“There are many countries in Central Asia waiting for liberation. There are plenty of excuses for war.”

“If war between China and the Soviet Union breaks out again, the scale of the war is unimaginable. In some ways, the war in Europe might seem secondary.”

“A lot of people will die.”

My job is to minimize that number.

“It is decided, Captain. Weimar will fight alongside China to preserve the meaning of the Republic.”

“Thank you.”

“So, I have some preliminary work to do.”

Manstein speaks with difficulty.

I know everything. You don’t have to stutter like that.

“The League of Nations is completely gone anyway. No one will bother to tackle it whether it keeps its treaties or not, but it must do what it has to do.”

Amid the rush of withdrawals, China was left alone in the permanent council of the League of Nations.

However, thanks to this, he was able to nullify any international agreement at will with a unanimous vote.

“By the time I get to Berlin I’ll have a telegram informing me that the Treaty of Versailles is invalid.”

For a moment Manstein stopped moving and stood frozen.

I thought he might shed tears of joy.

What flowed out instead of tears was an intense fighting spirit that I had never felt before.

Here comes a unified Germany.

The real devil’s army may not be the Chinese army, but these soldiers.