In the Confederation, Lorraine is the second largest country in terms of geographical area, after the federal state of Neuchâtel. If you want to travel on foot, it will take you ten days and half a month to cross Lorraine, and even if you ride a horse, it will take more than five or six days, after all, the terrain here is dominated by mountains and forests, and it is not suitable for horseback riding or driving.

It may be simple or difficult to find out the enemy's secret assembly of lurking flying ships in such an area. If there is an ideal flying vehicle, it will be possible to cover most of Lorraine in a day or two, but unless there is a special vision like Weiss, aerial reconnaissance may not be effective. If there is no suitable flying vehicle, then even if Weiss goes out in person, he will not be able to get it in two weeks.

The military situation was so urgent that Weiss didn't have much choice. He first led small groups of guerrillas to conduct ground reconnaissance of areas where local resistance groups had provided clues, using a combination of motorcycles and foot. It took two days and two nights to screen an area, but only the enemy's ground forces were found to be assembled, and no traces of flying ships were found.

During this reconnaissance, Weiss's companions took the wartime dismantled aircraft parts from a secret supply reserve and assembled them into biplanes. In peacetime, this biplane was a regular equipment of the Lorraine Agriforestry Air Corps and had good low-altitude and low-speed performance.

By the time Weiss returned to the secret camp without stopping, the partisans had already finished assembling the aircraft. The biplane could carry two crew members, and in addition to Weiss, several of them had basic piloting skills. So, he chose a partner with good skills and courage to partner with him. After nightfall, the partisans pushed the plane into the grass outside the woods and watched it rise smoothly into the night sky.

Although its range of activities is still only enough to cover a small half of Lorraine, the field of vision and efficiency of aerial reconnaissance have been improved by dozens of times compared with ground operations. In their first night sky reconnaissance, Weiss discovered the Normans' flying ship assembly area northeast of Lorraine, and their low-altitude reconnaissance did not cause the enemy to counterattack.

After safely returning to the camp, they quickly reported the situation of the target to the command of the federal forces. This time, the Union Army quickly bombed the Norman Army's flying ship assembly area. The Normans also put a lot of thought into concealing and defending these strategic forces. Realizing that the Federalists had found their position, the Norman ships in the concealed assembly area quickly took off, exchanging fire with the Federalist air power while retreating to the rear.

After more than half a day of fierce fighting, the Federation forces completely destroyed this assembly area, damaged more than 20 enemy flying ships, and forced dozens of enemy ships to withdraw to the west of the Monamolin Mountains.

This blow is like stabbing a hornet's nest. While the Normans retaliated against the federal air bases in the surrounding area, they launched a frenzied manhunt in the Lorraine area. Based on the results of radio direction finding, they sent a large number of troops to raid the suspicious area, and these elite Norman soldiers entered the seemingly uninhabited mountains and forests in flying ships.

In guerrilla operations, radio was indispensable in order to relay important information in a timely manner, and the Normans were able to use radio direction finding technology to track the location of the guerrillas, and Weiss suffered no less in the last war. In order to solve this problem, in peacetime, the federal side has mastered radio relay technology, that is, the placement of adapters in the vicinity of radio emission sources. Normally, this kind of relay device can be effective if it is placed within a range of tens of miles, and the accuracy of the other party's radio direction finding is much reduced.

Although the guerrillas and resistance groups in Lorraine had made adequate preparations, in the face of such a large-scale manhunt by the enemy, the whereabouts of the guerrillas and resistance forces were revealed. In this situation, once discovered by the enemy, even if you use the tunnel cave to hide, the chance of successfully escaping is not high.

In the face of this stormy sweep, Weiss and his companions seemed to have once again fallen into the most painful and bleak memories of the first guerrilla war of the previous war. However, the overall environment changed so that this nightmare would not happen again - knowing that the guerrillas and resistance groups were in trouble, the Union Army quickly launched an offensive against the Norman army in Lorraine. Day and night, Union warplanes burst into the skies over Lorraine and attacked the Norman forces far away from the forts and other fortified areas. This kind of scattered air raid without fixed targets has played the role of accumulating small amounts and gathering sand into towers. Over the course of a few days, the Federal Air Force killed and wounded thousands of Norman troops, and destroyed many vehicles and supplies. What's more, this air raid greatly disrupted the plans of the Normans. In many areas, small Norman units sent out were forced to cease operations as a result of air strikes.

In addition, the Federal Army also sent combat units to the areas where the guerrillas were active by means of night airlift and ground infiltration, which quickly and effectively enhanced their combat capability.

The situation quickly stabilized, but in the most dangerous days, Weiss and his companions reluctantly dismantled the biplane. In order to continue reconnaissance of the central and southern regions of Lorraine, he again sent an application to the Federal Army for technical equipment, which was immediately answered positively. Early the next morning, two new reconnaissance planes arrived at the guerrillas' secret camp and landed safely on grass less than 500 feet long and uneven ground.

This kind of reconnaissance aircraft, with the electric drive star source stone as auxiliary power, thus obtains a structure and efficiency beyond the constraints of aerodynamics, but also because of the weight of the floating structure, it cannot maneuver at high speed like a fighter, but only has the ability to fly in a straight line at high speed, which is enough for reconnaissance aircraft.

For the purpose of aerial reconnaissance, this reconnaissance aircraft adopts a tandem cockpit and can carry four crew members, one of whom is responsible for radio direction finding equipment -- it can search for the location of the enemy's radio emission source according to the enemy's telegram during the flight, and carry out real-time detection.

Both new reconnaissance planes were "fully loaded", and in addition to the pilot and radio crew, there were also staff officers and intelligence officers. Sweeping his gaze over the faces of these people, Weiss froze: Ze Klumber Hasen actually wore his uniform and returned to Lorraine with them!

Before the withdrawal of the Union troops from Lorraine, Weiss had made a special report to the higher-ups, giving them a special explanation of Ze's situation and asking Ze to reunite with the members of the Clumber-Haysen family who had withdrawn to the rear. Due to Ze's special identity and experience, the federal military restricted his activities and closely monitored him, and as for what happened later, Weiss, who fought guerrilla warfare in Lorraine, did not know.

Seeing Ze's calm face, Weiss asked him: "You decided to be yourself again, to be the self you once lost?" ”

"Yes." Ze replied affirmatively, "If I hadn't left the Federation, I might have been wearing this military uniform now, but the military rank would definitely not be what it is now." As for the classes, it's hard to say, maybe I'm a natural intelligence officer. ”

"You didn't have to." Weiss sighed, "The battlefield is full of uncertainties. You've finally returned from hell to earth, and you should have enjoyed a peaceful life with Kemp Jr. Even if you don't participate in this war, victory has already ushered in the dawn. ”

Ze shrugged his shoulders: "If it weren't for Kemp Jr., I would indeed stay away from the battlefield as you said." However, he has been with you for too long, and regards people like you as idols, and my secretive and hesitant character cannot establish a good father image in front of him. I thought that instead of living a life of failure, it would be better to be brave enough to find yourself. ”

After listening to Ze's narration, Weiss scratched his head and muttered in his heart: Do you blame me for this?

After talking to the intelligence officer who led the team, Weiss learned that they had sent Ze to Lorraine for the Norman offensive. They believed that Ze's intimate knowledge of the Norman way of thinking and military habits allowed him to come here and find the enemy's assembly points in a better timely and accurate manner than the partisans.

With this kind of analysis, Weiss feels that there is no hard flaw, but all along, there is still an unsteadiness in his heart - the Normans are too good at deception, and Ze has been in the Normans' camp for more than ten years, and many habits of thought have gradually assimilated. If the Normans coerced him into such a deception, for example, by seizing his wife and daughter, or if he had simply concealed his true thoughts and concealed his intentions deep and deep in order to perform miracles. In any case, Weiss could not completely eliminate these hidden dangers.

Perhaps, this is not a hidden danger at all, but Weiss's own knot. He feared that Ze's arrival was hiding a conspiracy, and he feared that he would be brought to Sedlinz again, to be degraded and ridiculed by this Norman nobleman as a loser. After going through all those storms and waves, his will is strong enough, his heart is strong enough, he is not afraid of failure, he is not afraid of humiliation, because he knows that sooner or later the light will come. He is not afraid of his brothers turning against him, and his family affection is lost, because his soul still floats in the boundless sky......

Now that he is back in Lorraine, Ze hopes to join Weiss in the next aerial reconnaissance operation. After consulting with the intelligence officer, Weiss agreed to his request. This was the first time that the brothers participated in a military operation in the same camp, and they should have been a little excited, but Weiss's demons were not removed, and he still felt a trace of apprehension and vigilance about Ze by his side.

The reconnaissance plane took off at night and flew over Lorraine at a speed far exceeding that of an ordinary fighter. Ze brought a map with him, and constantly used a special flashlight to check the map to confirm the direction during the flight, and the accompanying radio crew, in addition to using the equipment for reconnaissance, was also able to calculate the approximate position at this time through the radio base stations on the periphery of the federal army, so as to achieve the effect of guiding the flight at night.

"I've calculated ten possible target areas, one of which basically coincides with what you found earlier, and the remaining nine we'll take a turn today to see how it goes." Ze said to Weiss.

In the noisy cabin, they use in-flight communication facilities, which are also headphones and small communication microphones.

Weiss responded, "What are you basing your calculations on?" Suitable geographical terrain or tactical starting point for attack? ”

"The two are one." Ze replied, "Also, the regular habits of thought of our old acquaintances. ”

Some habits are formed over many years, and even if you try to get rid of them, it is difficult to get rid of them. Weiss was aware of this at the end of the last war, and in this war, because he abandoned the army to join politics in peacetime, and his way of thinking changed greatly from the original soldier to a politician, so in this war, his thinking habits were very different from those in the past, and these changes made him more comfortable in the face of the Normans.

This may be an important reason why he has not fallen into an extremely dangerous experience in the past six months.

If...... This time the aerial reconnaissance was really able to discover the hidden location of the enemy's flying ships, and then let the Federal Air Force give them a pot and completely disintegrate their offensive preparations, I should give full trust to this old man of mine, instead of continuing to have prejudices against him! Weiss said to himself in his heart.

After more than ten minutes, Ze said to him through the communicator: "The one ahead is the one with the highest probability I calculated, let's take a good look!" ”

Weiss's eyes narrowed when he heard the sound, and when he looked, he found that there were a large number of enemy troops in the valley ahead. Getting closer, he found dozens of Norman flying ships. With his peculiar way of observation, he could be sure without having to fly closer, so he exclaimed through the communicator: "Yes, the enemy's flying ships are assembled there." Write down the coordinates and send them back to headquarters! There's no need to venture ahead, we can just go around the neighborhood. ”

Just like in the movie, as soon as Weiss's words fell, a string of bright spots suddenly rose on the ground. That's anti-aircraft fire with glow-in-the-dark shells. It is not known where the enemy's guard posts are deployed, but they must have sensed the approach of aircraft by listening to their positions, so they directed anti-aircraft fire on the ground to intercept them. However, since it was a secret stronghold, without a direct threat, it categorically did not turn on all the searchlights around it and let all the artillery spew flames, but let a small number of artillery on the periphery shoot, misleading the pilot's judgment.

With Weiss's clear instructions, the pilot quickly piloted the reconnaissance plane to climb upward, made a half-circle around the vicinity, and then turned around and left this unfathomable valley. The accompanying radioman calculated the approximate position, and Ze checked the map and the time and direction of the flight to determine the approximate coordinates of the target.

They decisively turned the coordinates back to the command headquarters and made a clear note that "this is the assembly point of the enemy's flying units."

Although Ze and the rest of the crew were puzzled by Weiss's assertion, how could they be so resolute without getting close to the target and without getting a glimpse of the target's true face.

As usual, Weiss did not explain, but asked the radioman to confirm with his superiors, and said that he would bear the consequences.

At the same time, far away in the command bunker of the Norman military airport in Mason, the officers hurriedly reported the latest situation to Admiral Mogg, who was stationed there - enemy reconnaissance planes had been spotted near the second concealed assembly point, and the fast-moving signal source was detected by radio, and the enemy had reconnoitred the second assembly area and distributed radios, which, judging by the radio code, were most likely informing the coordinates......

Mog was furious: "How could the enemy find our hidden assembly area? Did our air defense forces fire on the enemy without authorization? ”

There was only a vague answer, and Mogg was even more annoyed, and he asked Marshal Sedlinz for instructions. About half an hour later, Sedlinz called from Mason's temporary residence, and the two exchanged an update on the phone.

"I strongly recommend ......," said Mogg categorically, "to start the operation in advance, there can be no further delay, our troop readiness has not yet caught up with the destruction of the enemy, we must start, otherwise our chances of victory will be lower and lower." ”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while, and the voice of Field Marshal Seidlinz came: "Okay, I agree, let's move ahead." So, what is the exact time? ”

Mog was also silent for a while: "How about five o'clock tomorrow morning?" ”

Seidlinz was silent again, and then said, "Isn't it too hasty?" ”

"I fear that the coming day will see a heavy attack by federal forces on our Assembly Area 2, causing our Assembly Area 2 to be as severely damaged as Assembly Area 1. Rather than that, it is better to attack before they do. We will do our best to win or lose, and the result will be decided by fate. ”

Seidlinz quickly replied: "Okay! I agree that the operation will start promptly at five o'clock tomorrow. ”