Chapter 878

With the roar of the airplanes, the battle of England that shocked the world officially began.

The first battle was naturally an intense air battle. Below them were their respective naval fleets. There was no way for either side to retreat now.

The airplanes in the sky were fighting fiercely, and the warships below were also engaged in life-and-death battles. The Continental Coalition Fleet and the Royal Navy were already fighting. The battle that would decide the fate of the two factions had begun.

The Chief of Staff of the Holy Roman Empire, Morkes, had already arrived at the frontline to command the coalition forces. Crown Prince Frederick The Great was also the Commander-in-Chief of the coalition forces.

Just by looking at the specifications, one could tell that this was a war where only victory was allowed.

In fact, this kind of personnel appointment was made because they had no other choice. Not everyone could be the Commander-in-Chief of the coalition forces. Ability was secondary. The key was that the person had to have a high enough status or prestige to be able to coordinate the relationship between allies.

Of course, there were people like this in Shinra. However, considering the fact that their achievements were enough to intimidate the Emperor, there were not many choices left.

Theoretically speaking, Franz was naturally the best candidate. With the prestige accumulated over the years, as long as Franz was there, everyone had to be obedient. No one dared to jump out and cause trouble.

Unfortunately, reality did not allow it. During wartime, there were more areas that needed to be coordinated in the country, and the Emperor was indispensable.

Under such circumstances, the position of Commander-in-Chief of the coalition forces naturally fell to Frederick The Great.

After all, the most important job of the Commander-in-Chief of the coalition forces was to coordinate the relationship between countries. Specific military commands were handled by professionals.

If one carefully studied the personnel appointments of the various battlefields in Shinra, one would find that the highest military commanders in Nanyang, Central America, and the Near East were all members of the royal family.

From this perspective, this war was also because the royal family of Shinra was strengthening their control over the army.

There were no problems mainly because of Franz. The deeper reason was that the Emperor was generous enough to buy people's hearts. He even took care of the low-level soldiers.

Now, everyone wanted to win the war as soon as possible so that they could quickly divide the spoils. Those with power or not would not be given land.

This was the general trend. Even if some people had other ideas, they could only suppress them.

The Empire was loyal to the Emperor. The tradition that had lasted for thousands of years could not be destroyed by new ideas in a short period of time. Especially in the Holy Roman Empire where the aristocratic system was still at its peak, the impact was even smaller.

Since the military had no objections, the government had even less to say. In Holy Empire, the separation of government and military wasn't a joke. Any politician who dared to meddle with the military was long dead.

This was his first time commanding an army of a million soldiers in battle. Even though he was only responsible for coordinating the relations between the various parties, Frederick still felt the pressure.

Unlike the last time, they had to do something now. With the armies of more than a dozen countries gathered in one place, it would be extremely difficult to smooth out the relationships among them, let alone fight together.

In terms of pure combat power, 1 + 1 was no longer equal to 2. Being able to achieve 1.6 was already considered good coordination.

Moreover, the more countries that participated in the alliance, the weaker the alliance's combat power would be. In essence, the attack on the British Isles this time was a battle with a bunch of incompetent teammates.

No matter how bad the teammates were, an alliance was still necessary. Even Monaco, a small country, sent a company to make up the numbers.

In addition to the need for cannon fodder on the battlefield, there was a political need.

In the long run, the more countries there were, the greater the power to suppress the backlash in the future. The international system established after the war would be more stable, and the hegemony of the Holy Roman Empire would be more consolidated.

In the command center of the Calais Allied Forces, Frederick, who had a lot of self-control, felt irritated for no reason as he watched the battle staff officers shuttling back and forth and listened to the beeping sound of the telegram.

Waiting anxiously was the most unbearable. It was better to watch the battle in person. However, the concept of "the son of a rich family should not sit under the eaves" had taken root in Frederick The Great's mind, and he could not be willful.

As time passed, the confrontation on the battlefield became more and more intense. The English Channel was shrouded in smoke, and the seawater had changed color.

The sound of gunfire drowned out the sound of the tide, deafening. Planes crashed from time to time, hitting the surface of the sea and stirring up waves.

The fighting on the surface of the sea was even more ferocious. The roaring explosions told of the glory of the cannons and warships, and the rolling waves told of the afterglow of the setting sun.

This was the most glorious era of the cannons and warships, and it was also the beginning of the decline of the cannons and warships. The appearance of aircraft carriers had changed the pattern of naval warfare.

The wind and waves of the Atlantic Ocean could only prolong the life of the cannons and warships. The battle of the English Channel was destined to be the swan song of the cannons and warships.

There were more than four hundred warships on both sides. They directly set up a battle formation and fired at each other, like two knights in a duel.

No matter how tired they were, no matter how injured they were, for the glory of the knights, both sides fought to the death.

In the fierce battle, the fleets on both sides lost their formation. It was child's play to be hit by the cannons. At this point in the battle, it was almost impossible to find a warship that was unscathed.

Some unlucky destroyers and cruisers were accidentally involved in the battle between the battleships. The scene was tragic. Even warships that were possessed by the God of Misfortune were directly cut in half.

In the blood and fire, both sides were in a killing frenzy. Everyone's thoughts were stagnant, and there was only one goal in their minds — to kill the enemy.

Some of the hot-tempered ones, after their warships were seriously damaged, even directly drove their warships to crash into the enemy. The scene was extremely tragic.

As time passed, the number of warships sunk on both sides continued to increase. It was a true story of "a general succeeds, and a hundred ships sink."

This was an evenly matched battle. Although the Royal Navy was the most educated and had more warships, the number of dreadnoughts was less than that of the allied forces.

In the era of cannons and warships, whoever had a bigger warship and sharper cannons would have the advantage.

In order to entangle the additional dreadnoughts of the Shinra Navy, the Royal Navy could only use three to five ordinary battleships and risk being sunk.

With their skillful tactical cooperation, the two sides also fought brilliantly. The mainland allied forces' advantage of the number of dreadnoughts did not really play out.

There was no other way. They pulled the navies of various countries to the battlefield together. The number of warships increased, but the tactical cooperation was difficult to continue.

It seemed that they were working together, but in fact, everyone was still fighting for themselves. The coordination of their own fleets was fine, but once they joined forces with their allies, it became very clumsy.

Judging from the confrontation on the sea alone, the overall situation was evenly matched. No one could tell at a glance which side would be the final winner of this battle.

Compared to the anxiety on the sea, the battle in the air was much clearer. Judging from the number of warships that fell, everyone knew who had the upper hand.

The gap was always a gap. It could not be made up with a few slogans and a few words of persuasion.

However, compared to the previous aerial battle in London, the current British Air Force was obviously much more mature. The battle had just started, and they almost used the sudden advantage in numbers to push back the Shinra Air Force.

Unfortunately, they were still a little short. With the arrival of the following warships, this advantage was quickly reversed.

The initial advantage that they had obtained was quickly worn away. At the end of the battle, they could only rely on their hot-bloodedness to desperately restrain the enemy.

Dumplings were being placed in the sea. There were airplane fillings, warship fillings, and many other different flavors, which made the ocean's appetite very good.

The sky gradually darkened, and it was difficult to clearly lock onto the target on the battlefield. Both sides had to sound the gong to retreat.

At the moment, the sea was already a mess. The night had saved both sides. However, no one knew what would happen tomorrow.

After the ceasefire, both sides sent out search and rescue ships with searchlights to rescue the soldiers who fell into the sea. Regardless of friend or foe, as long as they were alive, they would fish them up.

At the moment, no one was in the mood to fight. Even if they met, they would pretend not to see them and walk away.

Of course, the most important thing was that the search and rescue ships were not armed. They could not possibly collide with them, right?

At midnight, the Crown Prince Frederick The Great, who was still waiting in the command center, finally received the battle report during the day.

They did not lose the naval battle. For the Continental Alliance, this was definitely exciting news. That's right, everyone's expectations were that high.

For the Continental Alliance, it did not matter whether they won the naval battle or not. As long as they did not lose too badly, it would be a strategic victory.

However, after reading the battle report, Frederick The Great could not bring himself to be happy.

It was good news that both sides suffered losses. The Continental Alliance's industrial strength was stronger, and their warships could be replenished faster. There would definitely be no problem in a war of attrition.

However, their allies were wiped out, and it was not just one of them.

In the battle during the day, the navies of Montenegro, Sardinia, the Two Sicilies, and Belgium were all wiped out. The Greek Navy only had one destroyer left, and the Nordic Federation Navy had suffered more than half of their casualties.

The navies of the countries mentioned above did not have many ships to begin with. Even if they were wiped out, it would not have a big impact on the military, but it would have a big impact on politics.

As the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, Frederick The Great needed to give the victims a reasonable explanation.

It was fine for the Greek and Nordic Federation Navy to suffer heavy losses. On the battlefield, cannonballs had no eyes, and they could only blame their own bad luck. At most, when they split the spoils after the battle, they could just give a few more warships as compensation.

However, for the countries that had been wiped out, they could not be so perfunctory. It was hard for the allies not to think too much about the annihilation of their armies without losing the battle.

If they wanted everyone to accept the reality, they had to at least prove that they were not used as cannon fodder in the battle during the day. It was normal for them to be wiped out.

Unfortunately, this thing could not be explained at all. Even if there were survivors and navies of other countries that could prove it, the victims would selectively ignore it.

Politics was often similar to children. Most of the time, the crying child would get milk, and the good child who did not cry or make trouble was often the target of neglect.

Now that there was such a good opportunity, if they did not act pitifully and ask for compensation, it would be a waste of the sacrifices made by the Navy.

If there were no accidents, this was just the beginning. In the following battles, there would be more and more similar troubles.

For example, Monaco, which sent a company of troops, and Montenegro, which sent a battalion of troops, could be wiped out in minutes on the battlefield.

In fact, the land battle was not a big deal. At most, they could be put in the back as logistics, or sent to maintain order in the occupied areas.

In the past years, the Government of Vienna had also formed teams to clear dungeons many times, and they had never been wiped out, so they had rich experience in dealing with it.

This time, the situation was different. The land force could be put in the back, but the warships could not be hidden.

In a naval battle, one more ship meant one more hope of winning. Even if it was only a thousand-ton destroyer, it could be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

If the Navy continued to maintain a tie, and the Air Force gradually gained the upper hand, the landing operations would be fully launched, and the enemy would definitely attack the troop carriers.

The number of troops sent by small countries was limited, and one ship could be taken care of. If they were unlucky and happened to be attacked by the enemy, it was very likely that they would be directly thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

This was something that could not be helped. To maintain an alliance, at least on the surface, a bowl of water must be a bowl of water, and there was a limit to the care given to small countries.

No matter how many troops were sent, in the end, they would inevitably go to the battlefield. Otherwise, not only would other allies have objections, but even their own soldiers would also have objections.

It was their duty, and they had to do it no matter how troublesome it was. In addition to these problems, the logistical supply of the troops of various countries, the cooperation during the war, the provision of firepower support at critical moments, and so on, all needed to be coordinated.

The commander-in-chief of the coalition forces was actually a comprehensive position that was in charge of politics, military, and diplomacy.

Because of the special reasons of the war, the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces was given the power to make arbitrary decisions.

There was never a good position with high power. This was only the beginning of the trouble, and it was far from the peak.

Closing the battle report, Frederick The Great's brows furrowed even tighter, and he asked hesitantly, "Sir, in the battle during the day, our army suffered such heavy losses, what are the results?"

The losses were really great. According to incomplete statistics, in the battle during the day, 37 warships had sunk, including three conventional battleships. Almost all the warships had suffered varying degrees of damage.

Fortunately, the super battleships had thick skin, and the worst was only paralysis. They did not sink directly, and could still be salvaged.

318 fighter jets had been shot down by the enemy, and thousands of fighter jets had been damaged. Almost all the participating planes needed major repairs, and the losses of the air force were the highest since the start of the war.

As for the specific losses, too many countries were involved, and it was impossible to summarize in a short time. The preliminary estimate of the number of casualties was no less than 10,000, and the number of injured was no less than 15,000.

Mokes waved his hand and said, "The statistics haven't been done yet, but it's definitely not small. From the analysis of the situation on the battlefield, it can be confirmed that the enemy had crashed more fighter jets and sunk more warships.

However, this can't be generalized. We have the advantage in the air force, and we should have gained an advantage.

It's hard to say for the navy. After all, we have more new battleships, and the enemy used old warships to fight, so it's normal for more warships to sink.

Overall, it's still unknown who has the advantage in the short term, and the current navy's combat power. "