Holy Roman Empire

As the international community was in turmoil, the struggle between France and Austria over Egypt also reached its final stage. It was once again proven that modern warfare could not be won by mere numbers alone.

Looking at the increasing number of distress telegrams on his desk, Governor Jacob had begun to despair. Reinforcements were impossible; since the fall of the port, the French forces in the Egypt Area could only rely on themselves.

Initially, Governor Jacob had planned to use his troops to hold off the Austrian army for a year or even longer to buy time for the decisive battle in Europe. Now, it was less than a month, and the situation had already become untenable.

There was no way around it; from the moment the Austrian Armored Troops came into the fray, all of Governor Jacob's strategic plans had been shattered.

Facing this unfamiliar enemy, Jacob was completely bewildered. The fortifications painstakingly constructed by the French Army in the Egypt Area were easily destroyed in the face of the steel torrent.

What was supposed to merely block the enemy's infantry now faced an enemy consisting of aircraft, airships, ground armored tanks, with infantry merely supporting these heavy machines.

There was no disputing it; flesh and blood could not stand against a torrent of steel, and every field encounter ended tragically for the French Army. The original force of over eight hundred thousand soldiers was now severely depleted.

Even after rallying the fleeing soldiers, Governor Jacob dared not order his troops to assemble, as doing so would only hasten their defeat.

In order to delay as much as possible, Governor Jacob was forced to order his troops to find nearby cities or strategic terrain to avoid direct confrontation with the enemy's steel torrent.

Avoiding the steel torrent did not mean the troubles were over. The French forces that entered cities were in a relatively better situation, as the colonial government had stockpiled supplies and they wouldn't starve immediately. Those dispersed outside, however, faced tragedy, as the strategic terrain limited the enemy's armored units, but they still needed to eat!

The enemy's air force watched them closely, and how to get supplies to these French forces had become a massive problem.

In a sense, this wasn't really a problem at all since Governor Jacob didn't have much in terms of supplies and, without support from the homeland, could sustain at most for a few months.

Now with fewer people, the French forces stationed in cities could last even longer. Ironically, this was also a blessing in disguise.

If only the Egyptian battlefield had collapsed, Governor Jacob wouldn't have been devastated, as that was an expected outcome, and he had mentally prepared for it. Even back home, they only asked him to buy time, with no illusions of defeating the enemy.

What truly devastated Jacob was the loss of hope, not just for the Egyptian battlefield, but also for France itself.

The power of Armored Troops was something Jacob had personally experienced. These iron behemoths were not only effective in massacring infantry in the field, but also showed extraordinary effectiveness in attacking fortresses.

There might be a way to counter them, but it wasn't related to Jacob, who was trapped in Cairo City. As the war had progressed, the French forces in the Egypt Area had lost the ability to fight another battle,

"Have our people reached Ethiopia?"

asked Governor Jacob.

Perhaps out of a sense of duty, or perhaps out of patriotism, Governor Jacob had immediately sent the report back home after encountering the Austrian Armored Troops.

The telegraph network connecting to the outside world had already been cut off by Austria, and if the Austrians wished, they could even sever the telegraph networks between Egyptian cities.

The only way to contact the outside world now was to cross the Austrian blockade lines into British-Ethiopia and use the British channels to send messages.

The African Continent is indeed vast, with dense jungles, and sparsely populated—it is theoretically not impossible for a few cautious individuals to evade the Austrian blockade.

What really limited the spread of messages was the distance; from Cairo to British-Ethiopia was thousands of miles, and the region was in chaos, greatly increasing the likelihood of accidents.

As Jacob's confidant and the executor of this task, Major General Aristide replied, "Based on the time, the messengers we dispatched should have already entered British territory by now.

Just to be safe, I sent over two hundred messengers; even if some encounter mishaps, others will complete the mission.

But Your Excellency the Governor, is this really useful? If the enemy can employ these secret weapons in the Egyptian region, they will surely be deploying even more across the European Continent.

Not to mention whether the messages we report will be taken seriously back home. Even if they are aware of it in advance, it's doubtful they could resolve it anytime soon."

This was the harsh reality; merely identifying a problem did not equate to solving it. If merely identifying Armored Troops could neutralize the threat, then these units wouldn't have had such an impact in their original timeline.

"Ah,"

sighed Governor Jacob helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. This information is too crucial. Back home, they don't realize the power of these iron beasts; our forces in Central and Southern Europe are still seeking a decisive battle with the Austrian forces.

You've experienced it yourself; the shock of suddenly encountering these iron beasts in field combat without any preparation is immense. Discover exclusive tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Now we can only hope that the Austrians aren't ready and that they don't have many Armored Troops deployed across the European Continent. If the homeland takes note of the message we sent seriously,

then this European war might not spell the graveyard of France. If we lose this battle, the great French Empire will become a thing of the past."

Jacob was able to stand out from many competitors and become a highly influential governor, not only because of his personal abilities but mainly due to the trust of Napoleon IV.

Being a confidant wasn't easy, which meant his personal fate and his family's destiny were tied to the Bonaparte Dynasty.

Even though France's defeat in this war on the European Continent might not result in the end of the nation, the Bonaparte Dynasty was definitely doomed. As a staunch supporter of the Bonaparte Dynasty, Jacob naturally wouldn't come out of this unscathed.

If not for the deeply intertwined interests, Governor Jacob would not have chosen to resist stubbornly after the situation in Egypt Area was beyond salvage, since one only has one life.

"Wooooo..."

The air raid alarm sounded again, further sinking the spirits of everyone at the headquarters. Air defense was almost non-existent; even the main forces in Europe were short of anti-aircraft guns, let alone the step-child that was the Colonial Troops.

The anti-aircraft weapons allocated to the Egyptian combat zone were primarily anti-aircraft rifles. Although domestic arms dealers touted these rifles impressively, their actual value was less than even a chicken's ribs.

Besides the long range and the ability to fire directly at the air, all other aspects were disadvantages, such as low accuracy, high recoil, and the propensity for barrel explosions...

The air raid alarm sounded, but the anticipated heavy bombing did not occur. The familiar sound of explosions wasn't heard, yet a wave of anxiety spread throughout the headquarters.

Time seemed to come to a standstill; no one spoke, and the atmosphere inside was exceptionally tense, almost to the point of breaking everyone down.

"Governor, this is a leaflet dropped by the enemy outside, please take a look," said the Guard.

The silence was broken by the Guard's voice; Governor Jacob glanced at the leaflet and his wide eyes and shocked expression betrayed his inner thoughts.

After a long moment, the wearied Governor Jacob said bitterly, "The enemy has begun to tempt and threaten us. They have started to openly set prices here.

"Ordinary soldiers who surrender before the battle will each be rewarded with one Divine Shield; officers who surrender with their units in an organized manner will get an increase of twenty percent for a platoon, thirty percent for a company, forty percent for a battalion...

"The additional rewards will be distributed by the officers at their discretion, and the personal property of the surrendering soldiers and officers will be preserved. All who surrender will enjoy the corresponding treatment of prisoners of war.

"If we stubbornly resist and war breaks out, we will no longer accept prisoners. There is only one chance: live or die."

Without a doubt, this leaflet was designed to dismantle the last bits of morale and spirit of the French Army, forcing them to surrender.

No one wanted to die, and martyrdom to the bitter end was not popular in Europe. If there was still a chance of victory, Jacob could motivate everyone to fight tooth and nail.

Now, trapped and isolated without any reinforcement, hope was nonexistent, and rallying everyone to fight desperately was difficult.

Hearing this bad news, the expressions of the staff at the headquarters varied, but they soon returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Major General Aristide proposed anxiously, "Governor, we must immediately order the confiscation of the leaflets. If the news spreads, it will put us in a very passive position."

There was no way around it. Everyone present was certain that even if war broke out, the Austrian army would still take prisoners; otherwise, it would force people to fight to the death. But the lower-ranking officers and soldiers wouldn't necessarily think the same.

The feeling of defeat had already spread among the French Army, and many no longer wanted to continue this hopeless war.

According to the tradition of the European Continent, nobility surrendering would definitely be treated favorably, but it was different for low-ranking officers and soldiers. Hard labor and hunger were routine, and one might even be executed on the spot.

Even if the Austrians would later accept prisoners, would provoking the enemy lead to good outcomes?

Killing someone doesn't always require a blade; endless hard labor can also wear a person to death.

The morale of the French Army was already low, and at this time, the leaflet from the Austrians could very well be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The situation was already decided anyway; surrender was inevitable sooner or later. Rather than fighting meaninglessly, why not surrender early and collect a payout? Wouldn't that be better?

Jacob shook his head, "It's too late. We have already received the leaflet, and the soldiers outside would have received it even earlier.

"By now, the news has already spread. Trying to confiscate the leaflets would only exacerbate the conflict and serve no other purpose.

"The enemy's promises are very deceptive. We won't be fooled, but that doesn't mean the lower-ranking officers and soldiers won't be deceived. Our urgent task now is to find a way to stabilize the morale of the troops."

"Deceived," "fooled," even Jacob himself did not believe these words when he said them. The enemy indeed made tempting offers, but the problem was the offers were not undervalued.

At the very most, the French Army in the Egypt Area counted four to five hundred thousand men. Even if they all surrendered collectively, the so-called bribes would only amount to around one hundred and eighty million Divine Shields, an amount hardly worth breaching a contract for the Austrians.

Moreover, prisoners of war were not taken for free but could simply be factored into the ransom. Ultimately, all expenses would still be paid by the French government.