Chapter 146: Benchwarmer

“You’re half right.” Morin nodded in approval.

“Think about it, what kind of unit is our Instruction Assault Battalion that we are training?”

Morin did not wait for Manstein to answer, but began to analyze on his own.

“We are a direct unit of the General Staff, bearing the title of ‘Imperial Guards,’ and we are a pilot unit that the Crown Prince personally oversaw and strongly supported.”

“Sounds like a grand title, right?”

Manstein subconsciously nodded.

“But what’s the reality?” Morin changed his tone. “We only have the strength of one battalion.”

“For the Second Army Group, which has over two hundred thousand troops, how much weight can one battalion of troops carry? How much of a role can it play?”

“We are like a drop of water in the ocean; right now, we are completely inconspicuous.”

Morin stopped, looking at the brightly lit Army Group Command Post in the distance.

“More importantly, General von Bulow, including the staff officers under him, doesn’t understand us at all.”

“If we were in the unit commanded by the Crown Prince and General Mackensen, we would certainly be heavily utilized…”

“But the officers of the Second Army Group don’t know how effective our new set of equipment and tactics can be in actual combat.”

“In their eyes, we might just be an ‘Experimental Unit’ that hasn’t been tested in real combat.”

“If he rashly throws us into a critical battle, it would be fine if we win, but if we lose or even get severely crippled—do you think he could easily explain that to the General Staff and the Crown Prince?”

Hearing Morin’s analysis, Manstein suddenly understood, and then sighed.

“So, he just left us on the side to see how things develop first?”

“Exactly.” Morin smiled. “General von Bulow, this gentleman, is famous for his caution.”

“For him, the safest way is to use his old, familiar units to fight first.”

“It’s safer to keep us, this ‘unknown piece,’ off the board for now.”

“Besides, didn’t you see? He and his staff officers are currently racking their brains over how the two hundred thousand troops will cross the border and fight tomorrow. How could he have the time and energy to single-handedly formulate any operational plan for a mere battalion-level unit.”

Manstein completely understood, and the confusion and frustration on his face turned into resignation.

Morin could tell that this young operations staff officer was full of enthusiasm for the coming war, eager to make a name for himself on the battlefield like General Mackensen.

“Don’t be discouraged,” Morin consoled. “A true gem will always shine.”

“The war has just begun; this is a long marathon, not a hundred-meter dash. There will be plenty of battles for us to fight~ I’m only afraid that by then, you’ll regret why you didn’t rest more today.”

Although Morin said this, he knew in his heart that their time on the bench would not be too long.

Once the battle reached a stalemate, or when a tough problem arose that conventional troops couldn’t solve, General von Bulow would naturally remember that he still had this ‘Experimental Unit’ in his hands.

That would be the time for the Instruction Assault Battalion to truly shine.

The two returned to the camp and found Kleist leading several officers and soldiers on a patrol of the sentry posts.

Morin briefly told him about the situation at the command post.

Kleist’s reaction was similar to Manstein’s, first disappointment, then helplessness.

“Alright, stop looking glum,” Morin patted both of their shoulders. “An order is an order.”

“Tell everyone to rest well and build up their strength.”

Morin looked at these energetic officers and soldiers, with only one thought in his mind.

This cold water is good—let it cool down your feverish heads.

The facts were just as Morin had guessed.

General von Bulow did indeed temporarily place the Instruction Assault Battalion on standby because he didn’t know how to use them.

For him, dealing with the series of complex issues related to the Second Army Group’s river crossing, advance, and logistics with the help of his staff was the utmost priority right now.

As for that ‘Infantry Battalion’ shoved over by the General Staff, just leave it for now… it won’t ruin the big picture.

August 4th, Dawn.

As the sky just began to brighten, the area outside Vizé town, which had been silent all night, became noisy again.

The vanguard of the Second Army Group began to cross in an orderly fashion over the pontoon bridges laid by the engineers on the Meuse River, formally entering the territory of the Grand Duchy of Flanders.

Infantry, cavalry, and artillery converged into streams of gray torrents, surging toward the opposite bank.

Meanwhile, in the northern sector, the First Army Group commanded by General Mackensen had also completed its border crossing.

Their goal was to strike a head-on blow against the main force of the Grand Duchy of Flanders’ army, forcing it to retreat northward, thereby clearing the flank obstacles for the main right-wing force’s ‘Revolving Door’ operation.

Before this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Saxonia Empire had repeatedly issued an ‘ultimatum’ to the Grand Duchy of Flanders, hoping to ‘borrow a path’ through its territory to attack Gaul.

As a sovereign nation, the Grand Duchy of Flanders naturally gave a stern refusal when faced with such a demand that completely disregarded national sovereignty.

War formally and comprehensively broke out within the borders of this small Western Europa country.

Morin stood on a high ground outside the camp, observing the magnificent river crossing scene in the distance through his binoculars.

He saw that the soldiers of the Second Army Group mostly wore expressions of excitement and confidence.

They had been informed by their superior officers that this war would be an easy armed parade.

They would hold a victory parade on the Champs-Élysées in Paris before the autumn leaves fell.

Only Morin knew that, barring any accidents… they would be facing a bloody massacre that would last for many years and devour an entire generation of Europa youth.

As the vanguard of the Second Army Group crossed the Meuse River, three consecutive messages simultaneously appeared in the [Intelligence] tab.

[The Grand Duchy of Flanders declares war on the Saxonia Empire]

[The Holy Britannian Empire declares war on the Saxonia Empire]

[The Gallic Republic declares war on the Saxonia Empire]

Seeing these three messages, Morin realized that Britannia and Gaul had only mobilized before, but had not directly declared war.

Now it seems that they were waiting for such a reason—‘to resist the shameless invasion of another country by the Saxonia Empire’…

“Sir, when are we departing?”

Just as Morin was watching the main force cross the river, Manstein came to his side and asked softly.

“No need to rush.”

Morin lowered his binoculars and said:

“Wait until the main forces have all passed, and then we will follow. We are the Benchwarmers right now, so don’t be anxious.”

Manstein didn’t understand what a ‘Benchwarmer’ was, but he still nodded and asked no further questions.

He merely cast his gaze toward the distance, that land about to be engulfed by the flames of war, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

After a while, as Morin took the opportunity before the troops marched out to chat with some border residents, the [Information] panel also timely refreshed with detailed intelligence about the Grand Duchy of Flanders.

This nation was formed in this world by merging the ‘Lowland Three Kingdoms’ of Netherland, Belgium, and Luxembourg from Morin’s memory.

The process of the merger was quite dramatic.

The former Netherland royal family successfully obtained the ancient and honorable title of ‘Count of Flanders’ by intermarrying with the last bloodline of the ancient County of Flanders—a last bloodline that was merely a ‘claimant.’

To showcase the historical legitimacy of their rule, which was far more ancient than newcomers like Gaul and Saxonia, the newly formed United Kingdom decided not to use geographically colored names like “Netherland” or “Lowland.”

They chose “Flanders,” an old title traceable back to the Middle Ages, to name their country.

In Morin’s view, this was purely an act of ‘climbing to the ancestors.’

It was an attempt to use older legal principles to mask and override the national identity that had gradually formed in modern times.

However, this approach did indeed win them some ephemeral respect in the Europa aristocratic circles of the time.

Due to its unique geographical location, this country had long been an extension of Britannia’s influence on the Europa continent—it was fair to call it Britannia’s ‘foster son’ on the Europa continent.

Even historically, it had been conquered and re-established several times by Britannia after being destroyed by Gaul or Saxonia’s predecessors.

It is fair to say that without the protection of the Holy Britannian Empire, this country could not have existed independently until now.

And after the ‘Sago War’ of 1870-1871, facing the rapidly advancing and aggressive Saxonia Empire, the Grand Duchy of Flanders wisely chose to form a defensive and offensive alliance with the Gallic Republic.

This diplomatic strategy of playing both sides and constantly flipping between the great powers allowed them to gain all the advantages during peacetime.

But when war truly came, they had to pay the price for their choice.

The high command of the Grand Duchy of Flanders was also very clear that by their own strength alone, they could never withstand the overwhelming ‘Steel Flood’ of the Saxonia Empire.

All their hope was placed on the timely assistance of their allies, Gaul and Britannia.

Therefore, when the Saxonia First and Second Army Groups crossed the border, the few Flanders infantry brigades deployed on the border line quickly disengaged and retreated after a brief exchange of fire.

Their actions almost perfectly matched the pre-war maneuvers anticipated by the Saxonia General Staff.

A portion of the troops retreated to the vicinity of the Liège Fortress in the south.

They joined forces with the original garrison of the fortress and other reinforcing units, forming the ‘Liège Battle Group’ of about thirty-six thousand men, intending to hold the line by relying on the twelve sturdy fortress complexes surrounding Liège.

Another portion of the troops retreated northward, establishing a new line of defense along the Rosendaal – Breda – ‘s-Hertogenbosch – Nijmegen line.

Their mission was to stop Mackensen’s First Army Group from continuing north and threatening the core northern regions of the United Kingdom.

This act of dividing their forces seemed utterly incomprehensible to Morin…

When facing an enemy that held an absolute advantage in both quantity and quality, concentrating forces and relying on key points for defense was the only correct choice.

Even a complete army retreat to ‘preserve people while losing land’ would have been acceptable!

However, the commander of the Grand Duchy of Flanders did the opposite, splitting their already limited forces in two, which was tantamount to a death wish.

But after thoroughly reading the internal situation of the country in the [Information] panel, Morin suddenly realized and found the reason for their foolish decision.

This United Kingdom had long suffered from severe North-South contradictions.

The Netherland people in the North considered themselves the dominators of the United Kingdom, the ‘old nobles’ of superior bloodline.

They controlled the nation’s navy, global trade, and vast colonies.

Their merchant class mostly followed Protestantism, like the Holy Britannian Empire, and lived a frugal lifestyle, looking down upon the ‘extravagant’ traditions of the Catholic South and the ‘squandering’ habits of the Southern merchant class.

The Southern region, on the other hand, was the country’s economic engine.

It possessed magic crystal and iron ore resources in Liège, Charleroi, and other places, a developed military industry, and Luxembourg, which was known as the ‘Financial Center of the Europa Continent.’

The Southerners generally considered the North’s agricultural economy to be ‘fossils living in the past’ and were strongly dissatisfied with the current situation where the capital, Brussels, was long dominated by Northern bureaucrats.

This deep-seated regional conflict and cultural clash directly led to the North and South, when facing a foreign invasion, not only failing to unite and fight together but instead choosing to look after their own interests.

The Southern army protected the industrial heavy town of Liège in the South.

The Northern army protected the economic center and ports in the North.

This division was undoubtedly great news for the Saxonia Empire.

From the strategic plan of the General Staff, the northern region of the Grand Duchy of Flanders was not the main target of this attack at all.

Mackensen’s First Army Group only needed to make a strong offensive posture, repel the Northern Flanders forces, and ensure they wouldn’t threaten the main right-wing force’s rear flank.

The real key lay in the Liège Fortress in the South.

This fortress was the most important hub connecting the railway networks of the Gallic Republic, the Grand Duchy of Flanders, and the Saxonia Empire.

If the Saxonia Army wanted to successfully complete the reinforced version of the ‘Schlieffen Plan,’ they had to capture this place in the shortest possible time.

Only by taking Liège could they use this hub to continuously transport subsequent troops and massive logistical supplies into Gaul via railway.

It could be said that the gain or loss of Liège would directly relate to the success or failure of the entire Western Front campaign.

Furthermore, the General Staff had a time table, precise to the day, for the advance of the right-wing main force; once the attacking force was stalled at the Liège Fortress, it would trigger a series of chain reactions.

Morin closed the [Information] panel, having gained a clear judgment on the direction of the entire war.

The next focus, just like in the other world, would still be concentrated on the solid fortress cluster of Liège.

If the preceding troops did not attack smoothly, he and his Instruction Assault Battalion, as part of the Second Army Group, would eventually be drawn into this cruel siege warfare.

It was only a matter of time.

As the glorious ‘Benchwarmers,’ the Instruction Assault Battalion crossed the Meuse River following the last batch of the Second Army Group.

By the time Morin led his soldiers onto the land of the Grand Duchy of Flanders, it was already the afternoon of August 4th.

He could see on the map that the vanguard of the Second Army Group had already begun to split their forces and launch a strong assault toward the Liège Fortress cluster in the southeast.

(End of this Chapter)