Slane, Wallens, Somsonas...... For three nights in a row, the "Lorraine guerrillas" launched air raids on three of the Norman army's main towns in the Lorraine mountains. Although only one or two planes were dispatched at a time, causing very limited damage and damage, the sudden appearance of this surprise force succeeded in distracting the Norman army. Norman ships appeared more and more frequently in the mountains of Lorraine, and the 1st Marine Division not only did not leave, but continued to send battalion and regimental units to carry out organized sweeps in the mountains and forests between towns and villages.

Under the stimulation of the war, the Norman military machine has long been at full power, and the lack of the 1st Marine Division will not affect the overall strategic deployment, but without this spearhead, the tactics and strength of attacking and penetrating the defense will definitely be affected.

Adhering to the tactical principle of "the enemy advances and we retreat", after the Norman army raised its vigilance and strengthened patrols, Weiss resolutely adopted a strategy of concealment, the planes did not move, and the reconnaissance activities were also transferred to "silent mode", and even the production of secret camps was correspondingly reduced in intensity, so as not to attract the enemy's detection by smoke and dust or noise. Taking advantage of this period of recuperation, he personally led the technical forces of the resistance to intensify the tackling of key problems. With ready-made technical drawings and technicians, aircraft manufacturing is undoubtedly more effective with less effort, but it is still not easy to produce standard aircraft components using the production equipment of the Clumber-Haysen plant and the Lawrence Automotive manufacturing plant. They need to modify the machine, make the mold, and refine the process...... What's more troublesome is that due to the particularity of the external environment, they can't test as they want, so they have to improve the reliability of the production parts through repeated ground inspections and calculations.

The retreat tactics lasted for a week, and the Normans' precautions were relaxed, and both expatriate scouts and secret eyeliners discovered that the troops of the 1st Marine Division were systematically closing in various strongholds, as if they were planning to pack up and go to the front. After much discussion with Captain Paddy, Weiss decided to sacrifice the air ambush tactics he had envisioned for a long time, so that the Normans could see that there was still a strong resistance in the mountains of Lorraine. In this case, even if the Norman 1st Marine Division cannot be retained, it is necessary to contain as many air and land forces as possible of the Normans, and relieve the pressure on the federal army on the frontal battlefield - this seems to be a glorious and proud thing, but the guerrilla war of the Lorraine people will enter the most cruel and difficult stage from now on, there will be many sacrifices, there will be many tragedies and tragedies, and perhaps only the most determined people will be able to hold out to the end......

This remarkable air ambush was led by an E-bomber attacking the mountain city of Slien at night, luring the Norman corvette to pursue it. The Norman army seemed to be fully prepared for a single night attack on the federal side, not only did Slane's ground forces organize anti-aircraft fire in time, but also three patrol ships launched an encirclement and interception from different directions. These Norman cruisers have their searchlights on, like octopuses wagging their tentacles, chasing after their weaker prey, and their cannonballs are constantly blooming like fireworks. As the Norman ships were chasing near the city of Somsonas, nine E-bombers suddenly dived down from a high altitude. This time, instead of a light aerial bomb that relied on numbers, it was a 550-pound aerial bomb made by the secret Clumberg-Haysen factory, which was close to the power of large-caliber naval guns, and could severely damage or even sink Norman light ships with a single shot.

9 E-type bombers, except for Weiss and other three people who have actual combat experience, the rest of the bombardiers are newcomers, day after day training is not enough to replace the battlefield edification and training, they are far from professional veterans in terms of sight and ability to grasp the opportunity, fortunately, the pilots who fly the planes are all good hands who have undergone rigorous training and actual combat training, and most of them participated in the Jedi counterattack of the Battle of Françon, with steely faith and strong self-confidence. Under their control, the nine bombers were like a flock of fierce nighthawks, covering each other and cooperating tacitly. They focused their fire on the leading enemy ship, dropping bombs one after another, and the Norman ship was engulfed in an instant by a violent explosion.

This was the first flying battleship they lost in Lorraine since the Norman army occupied the federal state of Lorraine!

Witnessing the sinking of friendly ships, the Normans on the other two cruisers did not retreat decisively, let alone raise the white flag. In the night sky, they couldn't figure out how many Federation fighters were attacking them, but they felt that there were constantly enemy planes whizzing by, and the naval guns fired indiscriminately, but they never shot down a single one. Therefore, they adopted the conventional tactic of descending to the effective range of ground forces, and organizing a dense network of anti-aircraft fire through air-ground cooperation, making it difficult for enemy fighters to attack calmly. On a frontal battlefield, this proved to be an effective tool, but at night, with insufficient communication in the early stages, it turned out to be self-defeating. Seeing that their own warships were approaching, the Norman troops on the ground were obviously loaded with guns, but they did not dare to shoot easily, and finally watched another of their warships being besieged by enemy planes, and it was shot one after another, and its weak armor could not withstand the impact of high-intensity explosions, and it was torn apart before it could make a forced landing......

After the planes dropped their bombs, Weiss did not hesitate to fight, and used the flare gun to fire the green signal flares that collected the troops and returned. The 10 warhawks, including the decoy planes, quickly withdrew from the battle, which lasted only about ten minutes, and split up to five pre-arranged concealment locations. Once they are on the ground, the Resistance will dismantle them on the spot and hide them in pieces in a safer and secluded location, such as a forest cellar or an abandoned mine.

In the air battle of Somsonas, two of the three cruisers of the Norman army were killed, and they were pressed and rubbed by several Federation fighters, both in the course of the battle and the result, which was unacceptable to the Norman leadership. With no Federal warplanes to be found in the occupied zone east of Lorraine that night, and no enemy planes in the fully alerted engagement zone, the Normans could finally be sure that these ghostly aerial raiders were hiding in the occupied zone. It was like stabbing a hornet's nest as the Norman army launched an unprecedented dragnet sweep in Lorraine and the surrounding area. In the sky, there were as many warships as carp crossing the river, and transports were constantly dropping murderous marine and infantry units into the mountains and forests, while mechanized troops and cavalry units were also coming and going on various roads, and the dust was billowing and busy.

Under such a strict sweep, many secret camps hidden in the depths of the mountains and forests were "dug out" by the Normans, and various abandoned mines and natural caves also became the focus of the Normans' inventory, and a large number of equipment and materials were seized by the Normans. Despite the material damage, thanks to Weiss's thorough and thorough preparations, the human losses were negligible – the Resistance members and the people who supported the Resistance were relocated in advance to hidden tunnels in the woods. These tunnels, located ten feet below the ground, formed a huge artificial nest that stretched for dozens of miles, and although it was narrow and damp, it was not suitable for long-term habitation, but it was an ideal place to escape the frenzied sweep of the Normans.

For this almost blind spot of the occupation area sweeping operations, the Norman army invested dozens of flying ships and tens of thousands of Norman troops, the daily consumption of supplies is a considerable number, not to mention the Wessex army counterattack in the north, the Ulster Free Federation army in the east this year, the Normans while controlling the vast occupation area, while digging out the hollow to defeat the remnants of the enemy as soon as possible, it is impossible to send such a large force in the barren Lorraine Mountains for a long time, but they are not willing to "cut the grass without roots, the spring breeze blows and grows" , so they used both hard and soft measures to try to use external pressure and internal inducements to disintegrate the resistance organization.

On the 10th day of the Norman sweep, Weiss sat on the top of a large tree deep in the woods and watched with great interest the bounty and advice thrown by the Normans. Under the Ulster Order, any resident who provided information about the Resistance's whereabouts was rewarded with 100 gold crowns, while a staggering 2,000 gold crowns were awarded for helping the Norman army capture the Resistance backbone or Union pilots, and 6,000 gold crowns for the Resistance leaders.

Due to the devastation of the economy, ordinary krona banknotes have become waste paper in the occupied areas, and the value of the ordinary krona has also depreciated sharply in the areas controlled by the federal army, making the gold krona, which was originally withdrawn from circulation, "popular". In terms of purchasing power, a gold kronor is equivalent to 200-500 kroner notes before the war, and for the average family, 6,000 gold kronor is a huge amount of money, and its great allure is self-evident.

"Hey, Captain, look at the Normans' offer for me, 6,000 gold crowns!" Weiss said to Captain Paddy under the tree.

"How much?" The captain asked, looking back.

There was no hostility around, and Weiss said loudly: "6000, Golden Kronor!" ”

"Hah!" Captain Paddy smiled, "It seems that the successful guerrilla warfare during this period has made you a hundred times worth!" ”

"Don't want to make a windfall?" Weiss quipped.

"Come on!" Paddy replied, "What's the point of having more wealth if you become a slave to the country?" ”

The great truth of life is actually so simple, but not everyone can really understand it.

Weiss crumpled the bounty and then looked carefully at the Normans' exhortations. The preceding paragraph is nothing more than a literal and rhetorical glorification of the military occupation of the Norman Empire, and it is stated that after the conclusion of the armistice, the Norman army will gradually withdraw from the occupied area and hand over the governance of the area to the locals. Below, there are the rewards for defectors of different positions: ordinary members of resistance groups can receive 500 gold kroner for defection, holding public office in the local government department or obtaining business tax exemption status; The mid-level backbone of the Resistance was awarded 2,000 gold crowns for defection, senior positions in the local government, and Norman citizenship; The leader of the resistance group will not only allow his subordinates to enjoy the above treatment, but will also receive the title of Norman Empire and serve in the military of the local security forces in preparation.

If the Alster-Wessex coalition ultimately fails to turn the tide of battle, accepting the Normans' "recruitment" seems to be a matter of knowing the times, and Weiss will spurn it, but he will also be on guard. Who can guarantee that every member of the Resistance will remain unwavering in the face of the enemy's coercion and temptation?