As the air force commander of the Principality of Idar and the head of the Griffin Knights, Major General Rolf Hawthorne's presence can be regarded as the smallest among the three major military branches of Idar.
Even in many cases, the main task of the Griffin Knights is not to patrol the air, but to serve as a guard of honor for receiving foreign guests.
Especially after the remote communication device linked by spiritual power was officially put into use, even the responsibility of delivering messages has become a thing of the past for the Griffin Knights.
But it is precisely because of this...
When Rolf Hawthorne heard that Idar CIA Director Krell and Idar Defense Minister Sara Coren asked him to go to the Alhambra Palace in Idar city to hold an emergency meeting...
His whole body felt extremely excited.
no way,
Although the name of Idar Air Force sounds very impressive, and the daily training missions are not delayed at all, the opportunities to participate in actual combat are too rare!
There are only two armies under the name of Idar Air Force - the Griffin Knights and the Hot Air Balloon Reconnaissance Battalion.
And among this,
In addition to the occasional reconnaissance missions that the hot air balloon reconnaissance battalion can receive, the members of the Griffin Knights have long been impatient to look forward to going to the battlefield and serving their country loyally.
so……
When Krell handed a top-secret military action plan to Rolf Hawthorne... the young air force major general almost immediately patted his chest and promised to complete the mission.
"The Duke means to destroy the [Colossus] located near the holy city of Bethlehem, but what needs to be considered is that it would be too risky to send ground troops deep into the heart of the church, and it may also expose the secrets previously laid by the Idar CIA.
Hidden thread.”
"Therefore... after much thought, we felt that this job should still be handed over to the Idar Air Force, which will destroy the established targets on the ground through bombing from the air."
"Don't worry, the Air Force will definitely be able to complete this task! Because this is also the most important training subject of the Idar Air Force on weekdays."
Hearing this, Rolf Hawthorne promised firmly.
"only……"
Although he had heard Rolf Hawthorne's promise, Krell still had a doubt in his mind: "In a sense, the Air Force is indeed more qualified to take over this task than the Idar Army, but
…”
"If you have any concerns, just ask!"
Krell said in a deep voice: "It's the hot air balloon's problem!"
"Huh?"
"If you want to destroy the Colossus on the ground in the air, you must carry a sufficient number of magic crystal bombs. What I said should be correct, right?"
Rolf Hawthorne nodded: "Exactly."
"So... this mission cannot be completed through the Griffin Knight."
"Although the air force's hot air balloons can allow the Idar Air Force to complete such a sneak attack, after completing the sneak attack... can these hot air balloons and the Idar soldiers carried on the hot air balloons return smoothly?" Krell hesitated.
This is not because Krell is overthinking, but because the distance between the holy city of Bethlehem and the mainland of Idar Principality is really not short.
Even if it sets off from the Conte Territory west of the Almis Mountains, the fuel that the hot air balloon can store may not be able to allow the airmen on the mission to return smoothly.
You know,
Neither Krell nor Minister of Defense Sara Coren, nor Duke Idar himself, who set the goal of this operation, could just watch the Idar soldiers fall into the tiger's mouth in order to complete the mission.
indeed,
Destroying the Colossus is important, but the lives of Idar soldiers are equally important!
Don’t abandon! Don’t give up!
This is the basic principle that the Idar Army has always adhered to since its establishment!
Hearing the words,
Rolf Hawthorne suddenly understood, but he just smiled and said: "Actually, you don't have to worry about this, because the Idar Air Force has never thought of using a hot air balloon to complete this mission!"
"No hot air balloon?"
Even though he is not a member of the Air Force, Krell is very clear that the bombing accuracy of the Idar Air Force now depends entirely on luck.
And if you want to completely destroy the statue of the god located outside the holy city of Bethlehem, you will inevitably have to carry a large number of magic crystal bombs.
So when he heard Rolf Hawthorne's words, Krell couldn't help but be slightly startled:
"Then what's for? It's impossible for the Griffin Knights to carry enough ammunition!"
"Use an airship!"
For people of this era, airships are undoubtedly an extremely unfamiliar concept.
But this landmark flying vehicle has left a profound mark on the earth.
At the beginning of the 20th century, rigid airships represented by Zeppelins were not only more capable than aircraft of the same period, but could also carry large cargoes of considerable weight.
Especially the Zeppelin airships in the 1930s even showed extremely brilliant results on the transatlantic route!
What’s even more exaggerated is,
An airship from Yingjiang even set a world record of 264.2 hours of continuous flight, with a total flight mileage of 15,200 kilometers!
And compared to the hot air balloons of the Idar Air Force, the airship can fly as usual under more complex weather conditions!
Even if the weather is bad, you can continue flying as long as the wind speed does not exceed 30 knots.
At the same time, because the Idar people learned the lessons from the crash of the Hindenburg airship, they were naturally unable to repeat the same mistakes in the selection of gases, and prioritized the elimination of flammable and explosive safety hazards, greatly improving the safety of the airship.
In addition, the gas used is helium, so even if the airship is hit by a bullet during flight, there is no need to worry.
If the bullet hole is not large, then there is almost no need to deal with it; even if the bullet hole is large, due to the extremely slow leakage speed of helium, the airship will have enough time to return.
It is precisely because of the many advantages mentioned above that airships have undoubtedly become the best choice to replace hot air balloons in bombing missions!
…
Almis Air Force Base is located in the northeast of the foothills of Almis, not far from the Hanging Gardens, the temporary official residence of Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar.
Because Bruno will use the hanging garden as his residence for most of the year.
Therefore, Almis Air Force Base not only houses a large number of troops, but is also the headquarters of the Idar Air Force and has the largest new weapons testing ground in Idar.
And the new weapons testing ground located in the Almis Air Force Base is an important military site with the same security level as the Venice Armory.
As for the airship mentioned by Rolf Hawthorne, it was naturally parked in this military base.
Although Krell is the director of the CIA in Idar, he is mainly responsible for intelligence activities against other forces, so he does not actually understand this new type of equipment of the Air Force.
so……
When Major General Rolf Hawthorne first proposed the new weapon "airship" in front of him, Krell naturally wanted to come over to find out in person.
Because he had only seen what an airship was with his own eyes, Krell worked with the staff of the Idar Defense Department to formulate a more reliable action plan.
after all……
It would be easy if it was just bombing.
However, the Idar military still needs to consider the safety of the airmen and the possible retaliatory actions launched by the Illuminati Church.
As a result, a convoy of Benedict cars set off from the Alhambra Palace, carrying a number of senior officials of the Idar army, including Krell, Sarah Coren and Rolf Hawthorne.
Slowly drove into Almis Air Force Base.
However……
The moment I saw the actual airship,
Except for Air Force Major General Rolf Hawthorne, everyone present was spartan.
The airship docked at Almis Air Force Base is named "Solenberg".
It was a behemoth built by military equipment researchers from the Public University of Idar, using the rigid airship provided by Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar, as a template!
Especially with a length of about 200 meters and a height of more than five stories, it can reduce the conventional hot air balloons of the Idar Air Force to crumbs in seconds almost as soon as it appears!
"This big guy...is an airship?"
"With such a sharp weapon... the success rate of this operation will probably be doubled!"
Although Sarah Coren, the Minister of Defense, had long known that the Idar Air Force had obtained a new type of equipment called an airship, and that this equipment was personally ordered to be built by Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar.
However, due to the dispensable presence of the Idar Air Force during this period, this was actually the first time that Sarah Coren saw the "Solenberg" airship docked at the air force base.
no doubt,
This airship has extremely beautiful lines and unimaginable huge size. If it can really soar in the sky... it will definitely be a shocking aerial beast!
Air Force Major General Rolf Hawthorne naturally had a panoramic view of everyone's expressions. Seeing this situation, the pride on his face could hardly be concealed.
This is the Air Force!
This is the confidence of the Idar Air Force!
at this moment,
He seemed to have seen the Sauronborg soaring into the sky, as if he had imagined the high-horsepower aviation engine behind the airship making a unique buzzing sound while pushing this behemoth across the sky!
Rolf Hawthorne finally said with great satisfaction:
"This is the Solonborg airship! The latest equipment of the Idar Air Force! It has an ultra-long cruising range and a terrifying load! It is enough to carry dozens of Idar Air Force soldiers and several tons of magic crystal bombs!
"
"Not to mention flying from the Principality of Idar to the Holy City of Bethlehem, even if you fly directly to the Kingdom of Cecil, that's absolutely no problem!"
At this moment, even the well-informed Krell could not help but be stunned after witnessing the "Solenberg" airship.
Defense Minister Sara Coren was still mentally prepared for the fact that the Idar Air Force had recently acquired a big guy.
But Claire was not prepared at all!
It wasn't until he heard Rolf Hawthorne's words lingering in his ears that Creel suddenly woke up.
Claire didn't hear any other introductions.
But he keenly captured one word - tons!
Tons of magic crystal bombs!
An explosion of this magnitude, not to mention bombing the Colossus outside the holy city of Bethlehem, seems like... it can also bomb the Holy City adjacent to the Colossus, right?
then,
Almost immediately, Krell stared at the air force commander in front of him with fiery eyes and said with some trembling:
"We in the Principality of Idar have several such airships!"
Hearing the words,
Major General Rolf Hawthorne couldn't help showing a look of regret: "This is the only one currently in service, but..."
"But what?"
"But there are still two airships under construction!"
Krell then asked: "When will those two airships be officially put into service?"
Don’t forget Krell’s origins!
Since being entrusted with the important task by the Duke of Idar, the young Director of the CIA of Idar has commanded and participated in the special operations of the Principality of Idar several times!
At that time, he played the role of the Idar bandit who blocked the road and robbed the caravan, and also personally took command of the "Basel Scalpel" plan. In addition, he also participated in many intelligence and sneak attack operations behind enemy lines.
With sufficient combat experience, Krell knew clearly that the first sneak attack would definitely achieve the greatest results.
so……
If time permits, Krell naturally hopes that as many airships can participate in this bombing plan as possible!
Major General Rolf Hawthorne was seen pondering for a moment, and then said:
"About...it will take half a month? I'm afraid it will have to wait until the end of December."
Hearing this, a look of joy immediately appeared on Claire's face:
"It seems like... there's enough time!"
"Huh?"
Krell and Sarah Coren looked at each other, and then said:
"The most core task of the Principality of Idar at present is to prepare for the independence of the Principality of Idar and the enthronement ceremony of the Duke!"
"So...according to our original plan, we planned to wait until the Principality of Idar officially declares its independence in early January of the coming year, and then bomb the colossus standing outside the holy city of Bethlehem! It can also be regarded as dedicated to the people of Idar.
A gift!"
"At that time, the three airships will set off together! We must let the Church of Light feel the power of Idar's army!"
Yes!
Just in November of this year,
The members of the lower house of Idar unanimously approved the "Outline of Recommendations on Requesting the Official Independence of the Principality of Idar" and, together with the nobles of the upper house of Idar, placed the proposal on the table of the Idar Government Affairs Office
.
then……
With the permission of Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar, and the approval of the Idar Government Office, it was drafted that the Principality of Idar will officially declare independence on January 1, 540 in the new calendar!
Hearing the words,
Rolf Hawthorne couldn't help but a flash of excitement flashed in his eyes:
"Don't worry, everyone! The Idar Air Force will certainly live up to its trust!"
"For the Principality of Idar... no, for the establishment of the empire, I offer you the first gift of the new year!"