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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The south of Ukraine, bordering the small inland sea, was truly a land blessed by God. Abundant fishing grounds, vast plains, and fertile land.
This was the reason why Ukraine, despite its significantly lower economic and industrial power compared to other nations, could proudly stand as a ‘Duchy’ in the international community.
Ukraine’s annual food exports accounted for a staggering 60% of the country’s total exports.
Especially for the neighboring three Baltic states and the Soviet Empire, where cultivation was difficult due to the rugged terrain, it was a very important food supply source.
But that was precisely why the Ukrainian region had long been a center of conflict.
During the time of the Russian Tsarist Empire, the predecessor of the Soviet Empire, the then-unclaimed Ukraine was forcibly annexed. And before the era of peace, three countries had fiercely fought over the effective control of the Ukrainian region.
However, in the present, where diplomatic relations between countries were established and wars could not be easily started, it was an ethnic minority, not another country, that coveted the land of Ukraine.
Azov.
The residents of an archipelago of small islands in the Borsunas Sea, which bordered Ukraine.
Although the islands were barely within Ukraine’s territorial waters, they were actually the descendants of those who had crossed over from the southern continent along the strait.
It was not easy for two ethnic groups with different cultures, races, and languages to mix into one country simply because they lived in adjacent places.
Therefore, Azov had completely broken away from the control of the Ukrainian Duchy and remained as a kind of armed struggle group based in the archipelago. Under the name of the Azov Autonomy.
That much was somewhat understandable, but the problem was that they would raid the southern coast to procure food when winter was imminent.
Sometimes it was just looting merchant ships or occupying ports, but sometimes they would launch a large-scale invasion like the Quornen War that had happened over a decade ago, occupying cities and parts of the southern region.
And today, that history was repeating itself once again.
“Fire, fire!! Keep firing so they can’t get close!”
“Commander! Most of the cannons are inoperable! They’re old cannons, not howitzers, so they’re useless against their ironclads!”
“How did those island bastards get ironclads!”
“I don’t know!”
The southern part of Ukraine, the coastal trading city of Maniopolis in the Quornen region. Before dawn, dozens of cannonballs rained down on the city. The city was instantly thrown into chaos.
The coast guard and city guard immediately declared a state of emergency and responded, but the equipment, which had been almost neglected since the end of the Quornen War, was not working properly.
The coastal cannons, which were full of soot from lack of maintenance, did not even fire properly.
BOOM—!! CRASH!!
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!!
Cannonballs flew in from the sea without cease. Soaring flames and the ringing of bells ordering the evacuation of residents. Maniopolis fell into chaos.
“What about the coast guard forces to prevent a landing?”
“We’ve lost contact! There seems to be a fierce battle going on at the front!”
“Damn it…!”
The Maniopolis Coast Guard commander felt his mind go blank. Although he had responded somehow, he knew that the city’s guard force was too weak.
They didn’t have proper equipment, and there was a lack of personnel to command the troops on the front lines. And most importantly, he knew what the Azov invaders had done to the prisoners they had captured during the previous Quornen War.
All sorts of heinous war crimes, such as beheading, decapitation, burning at the stake, and skinning alive. The men died writhing in terrible torture, and the women couldn’t die even if they wanted to
. There were even rumors that if they were taken to the islands, they would be raised as human livestock.
In the end, the Maniopolis Coast Guard commander had to make a decision. Whether to stay here and continue a desperate resistance, or to retreat with the remaining forces as much as possible.
The conclusion reached after a short period of deliberation was obvious.
“I-It’s a strategic retreat. Relay to all troops! We’re retreating outside the city to join the forces of the Ukrainian Southern Army Corps!”
“But commander, if we do that, the residents…!!”
“If we lose, the residents will meet a terrible end anyway. We have to save the remaining people so we can plan for the future!”
The commander of Maniopolis said in a trembling voice. He was clearly afraid. The soldier in front of him knew it, but he didn’t argue. He was just as scared as the commander.
“Everyone!! Retreat!! Abandon the city!!”
As soon as the order was given, the Ukrainian guard abandoned the city they were supposed to protect. And in just five hours after the invasion from the Azov Islands began, Maniopolis fell.
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“The southern coastal city of Maniopolis, and another coastal city near it, Portmork, have completely fallen into their hands.”
“What happened to the local guard?”
“Those bastards wouldn’t have chosen a fight to the death. The last information I heard was that they moved north of each city and joined an infantry division of the Southern Army Corps.”
I looked at the map as I listened to Chief of Staff Josef Lewandowski’s explanation. Maniopolis and Portmork. They were the coastal cities closest to the Azov Islands, so how could they have been completely unprepared?
It wasn’t as if it had been peaceful for a long time. The entire Quornen region had been taken by an ‘armed group from the islands’ just 10 years ago.
Unless they were out of their minds, they wouldn’t have neglected their defenses. But Ukraine was out of its mind.
“Were there no watchmen observing the movements of the Azov Islands?”
“They would have been sunk long ago. The army is weak, but the Ukrainian navy is even worse.”
“Damn it, it’s one thing after another.”
I was genuinely annoyed. Perhaps because I hadn’t had much stress for the past few days, my head throbbed.
“Excuse me.”
“You’re free to do as you please.”
I put a cigarette in my mouth. As I lit it and inhaled the smoke, the headache seemed to subside a little.
“What’s the Southern Army Corps doing?”
“The 32nd Division, which was the closest, moved and established a defensive line in a village 3km from Maniopolis.”
“So at least it’s a regular army, not a guard.”
“The Southern Army Corps was never that bad to begin with.”
Should I see this as a sign of hope?
Still, if they had established a defensive line, they might have put out the immediate fire. Although I hadn’t seen the Azov, they were probably just an armed group.
‘…But in the original world, both Afghanistan and Iraq were completely destroyed by those armed groups.’
At that time, they both had the support of the US military, but Ukraine’s situation was different. They had to repel them with only their own military power.
It was a good thing they were based on the coast. If it had been on land, they might have suddenly appeared with cavalry or something. That’s what rebel forces were like in HOI.
I didn’t know where they came from, but as the surrounding countries grew, those damn bastards also grew. Later, a light tank battalion of unknown origin would suddenly appear.
I didn’t know how that would be expressed in the world of HOI where I had fallen, but… it was certain that it wasn’t something to be laughed off as, “Haha, how amazing!”
At the moment, Strigoi, the pseudo-religious group that Bell Meyer had a trauma with, was also a group that Ukraine couldn’t completely eradicate with its own capabilities.
A large-scale pirate group that had grown based on the islands would be more than enough to shake this small and weakest nation.
“Anyway, Brigadier General Sony will have to act as a brigade commander from now on. The command of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Combat Group has been delegated to me.”
“I’ll follow you and trust you, Chief of Staff.”
“Probably… there’s a high chance we’ll be deployed directly to Maniopolis. Unlike the armory or the bandit suppression last time, urban warfare in the city will be the main focus.”
“I suppose so.”
“You’ll be in charge of communication between each unit. I’ll also guarantee you the authority for detailed operational command.”
“Leave it to me.”
Chief of Staff Joseph was skilled at gathering information and establishing strategy and tactics based on it.
If he had obtained information about the mutants in the Night of the Empire operation at the Lymansk Armory, he would have established a more detailed plan. There wouldn’t have been any casualties.
Then, the way for our combat group to utilize its 100% ability now was… to deliver real-time information to the Chief of Staff and receive orders. In short, communication was vital.
“The communication device we brought from the Reinhardt Empire. How many were there in total?”
“If you’re talking about the magic communicators, there are exactly three.”
“One on the flagship Zeppelin, one on the fire support ship Enoch. And you’ll have one.”
“Understood.”
I nodded. Although it was crude compared to modern communicators, and the communication would be cut off if it was more than 1km away in a straight line, it was a necessary piece of equipment to communicate with the airship floating in the air in real time.
“Who was the temporary aviation platoon leader again?”
“Second Lieutenant Roxana Ellim.”
“Give her control of the fire support ship. What’s her proficiency in aerial bombardment support?”
“Above average. And the 57mm howitzer isn’t a difficult weapon to handle in the first place.”
“Likewise, I’ll leave the operation of the medical platoon entirely to you. So you can take them with you to the battlefield. It will be difficult to respond to surprise attacks with only Second Lieutenant Lumia.”
“Understood.”
The newly expanded 8th Assault Magic Infantry Combat Group. The newly acquired Enoch fire support airship. The newly organized support and reserve combat companies. Although they had experienced two real battles, the unit’s combat power had not yet been fully verified.
“We’ll have to wait and see if this will be the second Quornen War or just end as a local conflict.”
Chief of Staff Joseph murmured, looking at the vast grain-producing region beyond the bridge.
“It will be a test in many ways.”
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