Chapter 147: Reconnaissance |
It is worth explaining that the scout airships of this era were entirely different from modern reconnaissance aircraft. They lacked the powerful radar and advanced detection systems of the modern age.
Their appearance did not resemble that of an aerial battleship, but rather that of a literal blimp. After all, the primary objective of a scout airship was high-altitude surveillance, though its utility remained quite limited.
As previously mentioned, these airships carried very little high-tech gear. Their equipment was minimal: a single camera and three large ground-observing telescopes positioned at the front, middle, and rear of the craft. Their appearance was somewhat similar to a submarine's periscope, except that a submarine's periscope extended upward, while the airship's telescopes pointed downward.
Simply put, the primary function of a scout airship was to photograph the entire battlefield from a high altitude, giving the command post a clear understanding of the terrain and identifying the locations of specific structures. Following that, a more detailed second round of investigation would be conducted using the scouting telescopes. It was considered a great success if they could confirm the positions of vital targets or buildings through this method.
Consequently, while scout airships were quite useful in open plains or naval warfare, their effectiveness dropped significantly when facing mountainous terrain with dense vegetation.
This was exactly one of the problems causing General Howe a headache. Therefore, when he learned of Levi's request through Henry, General Howe quickly summoned Levi to meet with him.
"You have a way to scout the rebels' positions in this kind of environment?"
"I have my methods."
Levi certainly had a method. He just needed to use his cheat. It was no big deal.
Hearing Levi's response, General Howe fell into deep thought. In fact, not long ago, he had received a severe scolding over the phone from the Cabinet. While the Cabinet had indeed granted General Howe the authority to hold peace talks, their stipulation was that he could only negotiate with the Merisians who submitted to the Empire, not with the rebels. Therefore, the Cabinet demanded that General Howe eliminate the rebels immediately, regardless of the cost!
General Howe thoroughly disliked hearing that phrase, "regardless of the cost."
Just as Henry had analyzed, it would not be difficult for the Imperial Army to win this battle, but doing so without sustaining heavy losses was impossible. That was where the difficulty lay.
It was like playing a video game where you control a character to fight a boss. The mission required you to defeat the boss, which was not hard.
But if the mission required you to defeat the boss while maintaining your HP above 90% the entire time, the difficulty skyrocketed by more than just a single tier.
General Howe was no fool. Even though the Cabinet claimed to spare no expense right now, if he were actually stupid enough to take them literally, those old masters in the Cabinet would later question why, given the strength of the Imperial Army, they had suffered such heavy casualties against a group of rebels armed only with muskets. When that time came, he would be the one to take the blame.
There was no helping it. For the soldiers at the bottom, winning was all that mattered. But as a commander, General Howe had to consider far more.
However, if Levi could truly locate the rebels hidden in the forest...
"Tell you what, I can give you one chance." General Howe made his decision. "I want you to go to Mount Klunt right now to investigate the deployment of troops there. Any problem?"
Mount Klunt was where a portion of the Imperial Army's ground forces was currently stationed. General Howe had deployed troops there to blockade the southern rebel forces. The conditions there were similar to Braze Mountain, except the forces hidden within were the Imperial Army, not the rebels. Although he did not know what capabilities this detective possessed, if he could truly locate all the Imperial troops in the Mount Klunt area... then it was worth taking a gamble.
"No problem."
Levi nodded and turned to leave. Watching Levi depart, General Howe frowned and looked toward Henry, who was standing nearby.
"Is he always this confident? You should have told him that high-altitude reconnaissance is incredibly difficult."
For ordinary soldiers, high-altitude scouting was not only difficult but also carried immense pressure. If they made a wrong judgment, they would be the ones scapegoated. They might even face a military tribunal because of it. Although Levi was not a regular soldier and would not face a military tribunal, General Howe was absolutely certain that if this handsome man was all talk, he had plenty of ways to deal with him.
"I don't know what Mr. Levi is thinking either."
Henry could only shrug in response. He did not understand Levi's thoughts, but as a soldier, he did not care about the process as long as the results were delivered.
Three hours later, Levi reappeared before General Howe. This time, he brought nothing but a single map.
"Alright, it's done."
Just looking at the map, General Howe was certain that Levi was a complete amateur when it came to high-altitude scouting. Normal high-altitude reconnaissance required a vast number of photographs as evidence, along with a comprehensive analysis of the battlefield. Yet Levi had come to report with nothing but a map. Did he honestly think high-altitude scouting was merely about drawing a terrain map?
Still, it would not be too late to scold him after looking at it. General Howe silently took the map and began to examine it.
Then, he froze completely.
What on earth was this?
Indeed, what lay before General Howe was a map of Mount Klunt. The issue, however, was what Levi had marked on it!
He certainly did not provide a formal reconnaissance report. In fact, Levi had simply drawn some circles on the map, some larger and some smaller. He had then labeled them with numbers of personnel, such as five hundred men here, two hundred men there, and about thirty men over here... It was highly unprofessional, to the point of being entirely amateurish.
Yet for General Howe, looking at this map sent shivers down his spine! Because he had personally arranged the defenses of Mount Klunt, and the numbers and locations marked on Levi's map were almost identical to his own deployments!
How could this be possible?
General Howe kept his expression neutral, but a tempest raged in his heart. He even wondered if someone had leaked his plans, but that was impossible. Only General Howe knew the overall defensive layout of Mount Klunt; others only knew fragmented details. It was completely impossible to obtain such a complete defensive map!
Although the map Levi brought was utterly useless from the perspective of formal documentation, from a military standpoint, it was practically a priceless treasure!
"How did you do this?" General Howe put down the map and stared at Levi, barely suppressing the agitation in his heart. He could not comprehend how the other man had achieved this.
Although the terrain of Mount Klunt was not as complex as Braze Mountain, the vegetation there was still quite dense. It was completely impossible to see the overall defensive layout from the air. Yet Levi's map had effectively stripped bare all the secrets of Mount Klunt's defenses!
"As a detective, I have a bit of a talent for this sort of thing."
Faced with General Howe's inquiry, what else could Levi say? He could hardly admit that he had activated Soul Sight and seen everything below with absolute clarity. Even if Levi were willing to say it, whether General Howe would believe it was another matter entirely.
"I understand." General Howe stared intently at Levi for a moment before nodding. He did not know how Levi had done it, but he did not need to know. As a commander, General Howe only needed to confirm that Levi had a way to identify the positions of those rebels from within the dense forest. The rest was no longer an issue!
Meanwhile, within Braze Mountain, the rebels remained fully prepared for battle. A soldier swiftly rode a horse into the encampment and handed over a letter.
"Reporting to the General, a letter from Noyock City."
"Mm."
A man stepped out of a tent, took the letter, opened it, and skimmed through the contents.
"What is the situation, George?" Soon, another person spoke up to ask.
"The Imperial Army's stance hasn't changed. They want us to engage in further negotiations with them." The rebel Commander-in-Chief, George Washington, spoke as he tucked the letter away. "It seems they are indeed quite wary of our current deployment."
"But we can't maintain this standoff indefinitely. If the Imperial Army truly moves..."
"Then even if they achieve victory, they will experience just how resolute the Merisian people's will for freedom truly is. As long as we can inflict enough casualties on the Empire here, the Republic of Francis will help us restrain further imperial actions on the international diplomatic stage."
George spoke with an expression full of ambition. Prior to this, he had already sent people to establish private contact with the Republic of Francis. If the Empire chose to attack Noyock City, regardless of the outcome, they would strike a severe blow to the Imperial forces to inflict the heaviest casualties possible. The Republic of Francis would then seize the opportunity to unite with other nations and jointly condemn the Empire internationally.
After all, the Republic of Francis was not the only nation that did not wish to see a resurgence of the Empire. If they could secretly trip up the Empire, it would be beneficial to every nation except the Empire itself.
"Report!" Just then, a scout appeared once more. "A scout airship has appeared!"
"Oh?"
George picked up his telescope and looked toward the sky. Through the gaps in the leaves, he spotted a tiny black dot circling in the sky above Braze Mountain.
"It's just a scout airship; it signifies nothing. We are already prepared for this. Order the other camps to stay alert and do not expose yourselves."
"Yes, sir."
Everyone had long grown accustomed to the Empire's reconnaissance. Furthermore, they had already discovered that against the environment of Braze Mountain, the Empire's scouting was practically useless. Not to mention, George had altered his plans for this very reason, dispersing a large number of troops. If the Imperial Army truly chose to enter Braze Mountain, what awaited them was a widespread guerrilla war across the mountains.
George verified the deployments in various locations once more before returning to the command post. For him, this day seemed no different from any other. Once the night passed, the Empire would likely present demands for mediation and negotiation to the rebels again. Perhaps he should instruct the representatives to make a few concessions to give the other side some hope? Or should he directly abandon the negotiations and force the enemy into Braze Mountain for a decisive battle?
Mulling over these thoughts, George fell into a deep sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, George suddenly jolted awake from his dream amidst a wave of commotion. Before he could fully grasp what was happening, he saw a soldier rush into the tent.
"General! The Empire is moving!"
"What?"
Hearing the soldier's words, George was instantly startled. He hurriedly stepped out of the tent. It was currently the dead of night, and the surroundings were completely shrouded in darkness.
But George heard it. The thunderous roar echoing from the sky—that was precisely the Empire's Cyclops!
What kind of joke was this? It was the middle of the night, and the Empire chose to attack now? George quickly mounted a nearby watchtower, raised his telescope, and peered into the sky. Beneath the illumination of the moonlight, he saw that massive metallic creation slowly advancing toward Braze Mountain.
"General?!"
"Don't panic!" George barked a command, stabilizing the soldiers' emotions. "This is likely just a pressure tactic from the Empire. Do not panic, and do not expose your positions. The Imperial Army has no idea where we are—"
Before he could finish his sentence, George witnessed several streaks of light suddenly erupt around the Cyclops high in the air. Immediately following that, the whistling sound of objects tearing through the air descended from the heavens!