Chapter 281：

Paul comforted Derrick first, asked someone to take him to rest, and then called the leaders for a meeting.

Hansel shook his head: "The situation is not optimistic. If we don't work hard, the previous investment will be in vain."

Paul asked: "What is the situation in Arda and Bairdine?"

"My lord, I think the current situation in the territory is stable and can support large-scale troop operations."

"Yes, after uncovering those sixteen gangs, there should be no new conspiracy gangs. Even if there are, they won't be too big. Relying on the internal guards and the police is enough to suppress them."

Intelligence Director Cecil and Public Safety Director Hayes confirmed this to Paul.

Paul turned to Schroeder: "So we send troops to Bidowburg now?"

"No, Mr. Grayman."

Before Schroeder could answer, Hansel raised objections first, and everyone turned their puzzled eyes to him.

"I suggest not to send troops directly to Bidowburg, but to continue the previously shelved plan and send troops to land on the upper reaches of the Weiss River."

He went on to explain the reasons for doing so: "Now the attention of the usurper's army is on Bidowburg, and the upper reaches of the Weiss River-their rear-is an excellent place to attack. If the hinterland is attacked, the enemy will definitely attack from the front. If the army is mobilized back to help, the threat of Biduobao will naturally disappear—at least the pressure will be greatly reduced. The previous siege of Biduobao by the coalition forces can prove that it is not easy to take down that place. Give them some military assistance. Should last until we land up the Weiss."

Schroeder nodded: "It makes sense. Our navy will not encounter any effective resistance on the Weiss River. It can be said to be unimpeded."

Paul hesitated a bit: "But will this cause dissatisfaction among allies? It feels like leaving them alone."

Hansel shook his head: "My lord, didn't I suggest that you support them with a batch of armaments? Ah, yes, just transport the weapons and armor that have not yet been loaded in Port Flanders to Bidoburg."

After the establishment of "Northwest Industry", with the sufficient supply of a large number of iron ingots in Arda, the blacksmith workshops in various territories continued to forge weapons and armors day and night.

What puzzled Paul was that the lords would rather sell these high-quality weapons and armor to the south for money than equip them for their soldiers, otherwise they would not have suffered such a miserable defeat under the attack of the longbow up.

"This...is this suitable? After all, it is used by big guys to make money?"

"At this very moment, is victory more important than money?"

Hansel stared into Paul's eyes, and said word by word: "The key point is, Mr. Greiman, are you willing to share the newly occupied land with others? If Bidolberg is the starting point, it will take another round of investigation at that time." Talk about it."

Immediately, there was no hesitation in Paul's eyes, and he turned to Schroeder and said, "Perfect the previous plan and land on the upper reaches of the Weiss River."

He also ordered Hansel: "It's up to you to explain to Derrick the reason why we did this. I hope I won't make a bad impression on my allies."

Schroeder and Hansel replied in unison: "Yes, my lord."

"As for the upcoming landing operation..."

Paul stood up and said with a serious expression: "Obviously, this is the second battlefield opened up against the usurper Maltz Kent. It has special and great significance, so this operation needs to have a match with its significance." Title, I decided to name it—"

"Operation Overlord!"

…

In the previous plan, the attack on the upper reaches of the Weiss River was more of harassment, but now it is a real attack and occupation.

During this period, the navy's warships will play an important role. They will be responsible for transporting troops and supplies. In view of the shortage of manpower, sailors may have to go ashore to fight.

Austin, Quick, Yarman, Tirpitz and other senior naval officers were quickly summoned to Huxin Town to discuss a new offensive plan.

Everyone planned in detail in the staff department, and it was finally determined that Chief of Staff Schroeder would personally command the operation—the old knight was very familiar with the geography of the upper reaches of the Weiss River, and the troops participating in "Operation Overlord" included the Second Battalion of Crow's Infantry, Andrew's 4th Infantry Battalion, Yarman's 2nd Fleet, and Tirpitz's 3rd Fleet.

Quick was strongly dissatisfied. He felt that his First Fleet should participate in this operation no matter in terms of army number or combat experience. The cadets were allowed to participate in this operation to hone their military skills.

Both infantry battalions had to be dispatched, which meant that Arda and Bairdin could only rely on the internal guards and police to guard, but fortunately there were also Bryce's 1st infantry battalion and Joyce's infantry battalion north of Emden. The third battalion of the infantry, they can prevent unexpected situations to a certain extent In addition, there are a large number of militias—the militias under the new reserve system are much more reliable than the so-called "militia" in other territories.

…

Derrick, who came to ask for help, was a little depressed when he learned that Huxin Town did not intend to directly rescue Biduobao, but was going to attack the Kent family's rear.

Paul felt a little guilty, and immediately winked at Hansel.

Hansel immediately instilled in Derrick a "big picture view" that he had already prepared.

"Our earl said that if you want to untie a knot made of messy threads, you can't pull it with brute force. To resolve the struggle between the two sides, you can't participate in the fight yourself. To solve the crisis, you must grasp the key points and take advantage of the situation. The constraints imposed by the coalition forces to be separated naturally."

"Now the elite soldiers of the Kent family are coming out. If we attack their rear directly, then the troops in the front must return to rescue, so that the threat of Pidtburg will disappear. Bless the Lord of Light, there is a Wes River that leads directly to the enemy rear, and they don't have any decent water power, it's a godsend."

"Viscount Heller, please believe in the speed of our warship. Here, the ship on the lake is our new type of warship. Look at the sails hanging on it, it is much faster than a galley rowed by hand."

…

In Hansel's extravagant explanation, Derrick finally opened up the knot in his heart, and what made him even more ecstatic was that Huxin Town planned to support them with a batch of firearms.

The firearms include dozens of boxes of improved grenades, as well as the so-called "Small Cannon" - a type of artillery that is said to be quick to reload, making it ideal for the defenders who are facing a large number of enemies swarming up.

Paul said: "Please tell the lords that we have no other requirements. We only need the coalition forces to hold for three weeks—no, half a month is enough. After that, everything will improve."