On a hazy day, heavy clouds limit people's vision to thousands of feet above the ground. To the north of Mason, in the vicinity of the Norman-flown military airport, Norman soldiers looked up from time to time in anti-aircraft gun positions under camouflage nets, lest the dexterous but deadly Union warplanes suddenly emerge from the clouds and attack the airport.

Near the gun emplacement, there were some metal equipment that looked like trumpet flowers, and some Norman soldiers put their ears under the equipment, as if they wanted to predict the movement of enemy aircraft by listening to the sound and identifying the position. There is no difference between sound and mere sound, but there are differences in the performance of the flying ships and combat aircraft used by the two sides, as well as differences in the mechanical noise emitted, and specially trained and experienced soldiers can still make judgments by sound......

In the past six months, the Normans have appointed two military governors of Lorraine. The current name is Victor, a young general who lost his left leg and left eye on the battlefield. On this morning when the clouds were thick, he led a group of officers to wait patiently in the landing area of the airport. Soon, a majestic flying battleship descended from the sky, and the two handsome young men who stepped out of the hatch seemed to have an aura of admiration from those present.

"The two commanders came in person, and the soldiers were invigorated and their fighting spirit doubled." Victor complimented awkwardly.

Two commanders-in-chief, one of whom was the commander of the Western Front, Field Marshal Sedlinz. In recent months, the war situation on the Western Front has deteriorated dramatically, and he is struggling to cope. If it weren't for the old coach Delveson who completely messed up on the northern front, his situation would have been even more tormented.

Accompanying Seidlinz was the Norman flying admiral Mogg. This man was a little older than Sedlinz, and like him, he came from the northern aristocracy of the Norman Empire, and had a reputation as a genius commander. In the last war, he followed his father Mog Sr. and rose to prominence in a series of combat operations. After the war, he made many bright spots in the reorganization and preparation of the aviation force, especially leading the task force to complete the route exploration of the Furious Sea, and commanding Norman officers and soldiers to establish an island scientific research base under harsh conditions, thus gaining fame.

In this war, the Norman Imperial Air Force faced the increasingly powerful Federal Air Force, although it won and lost each other, but the overall performance was very struggling, except for those amazing new tactics in the early days of the war, most of the time failed to show enough performance, which is also an important factor in the Norman Army's delay in achieving a decisive victory, but the Norman Imperial Air Force is not only the responsibility of one person. At least the series of combat operations commanded by Admiral Mog had a high success rate, coupled with his prominent family and outstanding appearance and temperament, he was a very suitable spokesperson for the image of the army, and it was best to encourage young people to join the army and make meritorious achievements.

This promising flying general, who was only a newly promoted lieutenant general at the outbreak of war, quickly accumulated merit and prestige after a series of military operations, and is now the brightest general of the Norman Empire's flying forces.

At Mason's military airport, the two young commanders did not linger in front of the public eye, nor did they cheer on the officers and soldiers as Victor expected, but hurried into the integrated combat headquarters located in the airport.

When they arrived at the headquarters, all the unrelated people here were invited out, leaving only a few Norman generals, including Victor. As the military governor, Victor was only at the end of the room, and the rest were either powerful figures of the Norman Army or Air Force in Lorraine, or senior staff members who followed the two young generals, who were under unspeakable pressure, disappointed by the war situation, but not pessimistic.

It is not surprising that Fries' army was vulnerable. Union forces had largely occupied the entire country and were advancing towards the eastern frontier of the Norman Empire. The general strategy of the Normans at present was to fend off the Union offensive along the eastern frontier, and most Normans believed that this would not be difficult. For hundreds of years, no nation's armies had been able to show their might on their territory – even in the thrilling war thirty years earlier, when the Union and Wessex armies joined forces to march into Norman territory, they were superior in strength and in good shape, but still suffered heavy losses...... Sedlinz opened the scene and led everyone present to reminisce about that period of history.

Most of the people here have lived through the war by age, but the distant memories are from childhood.

"Today, our national strength is at the peak of centuries, although our situation at this stage is not ideal, but I always believe in one sentence: the more dangerous the predicament, the more we can find an opportunity to turn around! Ladies and gentlemen, the Union forces are now not doing everything in their power to retake Lorraine, but are attacking our territory through Fries. In their eyes, this is a clever move, a shortcut to victory in the war, but in my eyes, they have to pay a heavy price for their arrogance. If the Union forces are victorious in the eastern part of the empire, and then attack the Kingdom of Basel in the south, cutting off our retreat, we will find ourselves in a predicament like never before. In the same way, if we attack with Lorraine as a pedal and cut off their way to retreat from the Fries, they will also be in a desperate situation. Now it's up to who is more efficient and determined to fight the target. ”

Seidlinz analyzed the current war situation with everyone in a sonorous and powerful tone, and although he was always arrogant, he was generally quite objective. The situation of the Normans now looks a bit bad, and there are indeed concerns about the strategic decision of the Union Army to take a different path, but the Norman army is also a dangerous move to keep a significant part of its forces in Lorraine. If you lose, you are likely to lose the whole game and end up losing the war.

The key is which side can grasp the opponent's flaws faster, more accurately, and more ruthlessly.

"I have come to Lorraine with Admiral Mogg to perform with you the most wonderful and magnificent battles of this war. Before coming, we have met with His Royal Highness the Regent and His Royal Highness the Chief of the General Staff, and received their affirmation and support. Then, for at least three months, we will be able to receive the fullest support – including troops, equipment, and materiel, and our aviation units will also be able to devote themselves to this decisive battle to the fullest. ”

Bringing the topic here, Sedlinz stopped speaking for the time being, and Admiral Mog continued to communicate and arrange with everyone. The young flying admiral did not have the long-winded habit of middle-aged and elderly generals, but went straight to the point with a clear voice:

"In modern warfare, soldiers are fast and fast, and the more efficient they are, the more they can achieve what they want. Now we have to race against time and get a chance faster than the enemy. Everyone also knows that before that, the Federation carried out a long bombing of our industrial facilities with suddenly huge bombers, which dealt no small blow to our armaments. Similarly, we have been subjected to enormous pressure on the prolonged bombing of industrial and military targets in the heart of the Union. In general, in this campaign, we will gather as many fast combat ships and fighter units as possible in Lorraine, use fast ships to launch night raids on targets in the heart of the Federation, and use fighter units to guard the skies over Lorraine and resist the counterattack of the Federal Air Force. ”

"The General Staff promised that during these three months, no matter how bad the situation on the home turf was, no combat forces would be drawn from us. Ladies and gentlemen, this means that the next three months will be very stressful and even casualties for our troops and people on our homeland. Every day is won for us by their blood and will, so our combat operations must race against time. Before the troops are assembled, we must remain calm and conceal our true intentions with the best camouflage possible, especially to guard against the enemy's guerrilla forces. As far as I know, they are very good at raiding and sabotage. We must not only protect the military secrets of the assembled troops, but also avoid unnecessary losses as much as possible before the official start of the campaign. ”

After a pause, Mogg continued, "According to conservative estimates, we will need to use 150 to 180 combat ships this time. Within three months, except for the seriously damaged ships, the rest of the ships were in Lorraine for battlefield repairs and operational replenishment. You should know that such a large flight formation requires considerable personnel and materials for maintenance and replenishment, as well as a large number of combat units to be on alert. According to the operational strategy we have agreed upon, in addition to the first month of the three-month period of aviation operations, the ground forces will also operate into the enemy's hinterland in the next two months, so we need to mobilize all the forces that can be mobilized and plan with sufficient precision. Our flying ships in Lorraine are divided into three areas: the first is in the Barka Valley northeast of Lorraine, and the surrounding villages and towns need to be monitored around the clock; The second, in the valley of the Balde in east-central Lorraine, is to be closely monitored from the towns and villages of Somsonas to Slien to prevent the enemy from spying on our intelligence; The third place is at the airport where we are at the moment, this is a clear card for us, this area needs to be heavily armed, and more than half of the fighter force must be deployed in the perimeter. These three assembly areas, especially the first two covert assembly, need to be deployed in place within ten days, and then the flying ships will be stationed one after another. If all goes well, from the last day of the month we will launch a large-scale air offensive against the enemy. ”

The commanders of the troops who were called here certainly could not show hesitation or hesitation, but most of their troops were withdrawn from the battlefields of Neuchâtel and Clevaux, and the defeat of the battle not only meant the loss of troops, but also the damage or abandonment of many technical equipment, and the morale and confidence of the troops would also be shaken to a certain extent. Some of these unfavorable factors can be improved through timely guidance and adjustment, and some can be "covered up" by strong measures, but obviously not all. In addition, times have changed, and in the face of thousands of federal fighters, more than 100 flying ships and not too many combat planes drawn by the Norman army, it is still a big question mark whether they can maintain relative air supremacy for a long time, and all this casts a dark cloud on the prospects of the campaign that is difficult for the "sun" to penetrate......