Chapter 338 ·The Power of Tens of Billions Subsidy

In ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍the rear underground command center，a clerk stamped a black seal onto Katerina’s file，then placed it beside a towering stack of documents。

“92% ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍of Como City has already been occupied，our warriors are already approaching their limits...”

Looking ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍at the document in the report before him confirming that the first batch of 1000 Snipers had all been killed in action，Cassius took a deep drag of his cigarette：

“Yes，our ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍warriors are almost at their limits。”

“So ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍are our enemies。”

As ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍he spoke he looked toward the marching route of the Alliance reinforcements on the map，and drew a circle around the city behind Como City：“Now it’s our turn to attack。”

‘Huh？’

More than 90% of the area had already been occupied，as long as it was completely taken the main force of the Coalition Forces would be able to break free of the restraints this city placed upon it。

The urging from the rear command center，and the temptation of that final small area，caused the Coalition Forces commander to lose his reason，once again transferring troops from the flanks and concentrating his forces in an attempt to crush Ernesto’s final resistance in one blow。

But the Coalition Forces commander on the Ernesto battlefield experienced the despair of the Demetria Church，more than ten thousand Alliance Airborne Forces had somehow already arrived at the Coalition Forces’ right flank defensive line，piercing through the defensive line with irresistible momentum，and launching a flanking attack from the rear against the central army that had penetrated deep into Como City。

Under normal circumstances，even more than ten thousand Heavy Mecha Soldiers would have been unable to inflict too much damage on the Coalition Forces with a complete organized system，but times were different now，the overwhelming majority of the Coalition Forces’ strength had already become deeply trapped in the meat grinder that was Como City。

The defensive forces on both flanks were merely for show，most of the soldiers had been transferred into Como City for the final advance，so the Alliance Airborne Units encountered little resistance when circling behind them and cutting off the supply line。

At the same time，the final mixed regular army of 50 thousand troops that Cassius had refused to deploy even while allowing the flesh-and-blood millstone to continuously devour everything Ernesto possessed rapidly broke through the Coalition Forces’ defenses from the left flank，and completed the encirclement together with the Alliance Airborne Units。

There were also a comparable number of Coalition Forces soldiers outside the encirclement，but those were all second and third-line logistical troops，completely different from the regular army deep inside Como City。

60 thousand surrounding and blocking 200 thousand，judging from the disparity in numbers such an action seemed to be useless，but in reality once the Coalition Forces learned that they had been encircled they fell into complete chaos。

They had not yet fought their way through Como City to rest and reorganize，the entire Coalition Forces formation was an exhausted army，and its supply of ammunition and materiel had also been cut off。

An exhausted army fighting two fresh forces that had finished reorganizing and were full of energy，the advantage in numbers did not mean very much。

What was more Ernesto was still continuously feeding troops into Como City through the river channels，the enemies they faced numbered far more than 60 thousand。

Adding to that the Alliance’s main reinforcement force was already on the way，as long as they were pinned down for a period of time，what awaited them was the fate of being surrounded and annihilated。

News of the Allied Nations Army suffering defeats in other regions also successively reached the Corps Commander’s ears，he immediately refused to accept the command center’s order to continue the attack，abandoned the temptation of capturing Como City and led his troops in forcibly breaking through the encirclement and retreating。

The Coalition Forces commander reacted far too quickly，the Alliance Airborne Forces whose positions had not yet been fully stabilized did not conduct a fight to the death from their half-finished positions under the requirements of the General Staff，after entangling them for a while they allowed the main body of the Coalition Forces to break through the encirclement and leave。

The Alliance General Staff’s decision not to completely trap the other side to death was also a consensus reached through communication with Marshal Cassius of Ernesto。

There were too many Coalition Forces soldiers inside Como City，if they were pushed too hard，the disadvantages and embarrassing situations that the Coalition Forces had previously suffered against the Ernesto Red Army would instead be imposed upon Ernesto and the Alliance Army。

It was better to leave them a path to survival，and disperse their determination to fight with their backs against the wall。

When an army of hundreds of thousands moved and retreated，differences in marching speed would stretch the formation into a long train-like column from head to tail。

Relying on superior mobile logistical capabilities，more than ten thousand Airborne Forces soldiers stayed on the heels of the Coalition Forces，from time to time swallowing up a small portion of the slower Coalition Forces units。

It was like jackals driving a herd of prey into continuously running and exhausting their own strength，the weaker prey would fall behind the herd and be torn apart by the pack of jackals。

In this way the main body of the Coalition Forces was chased all the way back to the Imperial border and received support from the border defense troops，of an army of nearly 300 thousand only a little over 100 thousand returned to the safe area，two-thirds were lost along the road of retreat。

The Allied Nations Joint Command was furious at the Corps Commander for disobeying orders and breaking out at the critical moment，removing him from his post and placing him under investigation overnight，then replacing him with another veteran Noble to take over this defeated Corps。

But everything was already too late，the main force of the Allied Nations Army was encircled and the Moseladel Line was broken，the speed at which the war deteriorated far exceeded the upper limit that the Allied Nations’ replenishment capability could endure。

From the initial all-out offensive，to defensive counterattacks in the various major regions，to finally desperately defending their homeland，the total span of time combined had not even amounted to several years，and this surviving Corps was soon also submerged beneath the Ernesto Flood。

Sadrichis State，was the final fortress defensive line outside the Imperial Capital of Glax capable of resisting external enemies。

Once Sadrichis was crossed，the area beyond entered the Great Plains Region，where the heartland of the Britian Empire was located，and it was precisely this uniquely advantageous and enormously expansive Great Plain that had given Britian the foundation to rise on the Main Continent。

But now its existence also caused Britian to face its most severe challenge，it had no natural defenses to hold，and the Great Plain meant that it was equally an ideal battlefield。

After exchanging a few words with the transport truck driver Ponomareva drove her light tank down from the transport truck trailer，picked up a bucket containing melted snow beside her and began wiping the tank’s filthy turret。

Her hands red from the cold did not affect Ponomareva’s movements in the slightest，they were as gentle as if she were wiping the body of her own child。

She was the driver，and also the mechanic，this tank truly could be called her child，at least that was how she saw it。

Ponomareva often wondered，if her child were still alive，whether he would have let out a delighted cheer at the enormous size of this ‘younger brother’。

He probably would have

Because with its existence，Ponomareva could avenge her husband，her child。It was an indispensable member of the family。

The Battle of Sadrichis soon erupted，Britian defended resolutely，they had constructed a solid group of defensive fortresses here，and as the war developed its defensive line had also continuously been upgraded and optimized，by now the main fortifications were already capable of withstanding bombardment from artillery below 200 millimeters。

Ernesto’s artillery units and Mosquito Bomber formations found this hard bone extremely difficult to chew through，but apart from this Britian possessed no advantages whatsoever。

Ernesto’s previous hardship had been built upon the Alliance’s transportation capacity reaching its limit，even if it possessed materiel there was no way to deliver it through limited means into Ernesto’s hands ten thousand miles away。

To give an example，in the Alliance General Staff’s early planning concept for this war，around 4 million troops would be deployed to the Main Continent。

What kind of concept was that，at the time the Alliance’s largest Super Cruise Ship had a passenger capacity of 2000 people，to transport those 4 million people to the front lines of the Main Continent，at least a hundred cruise ships of that specification would have to run day and night for an entire year。

And doing that was obviously impossible，because under the Alliance soldiers’ oversized armament system，the transportation requirement for 4 million people accounted for only a small portion of the total transportation demand。

The largest share came from the continuous investment of materiel and equipment into the various nations，as well as the ammunition and fuel supplies required for large-scale artillery bombardments，large-scale bombing，large-scale Armored Group assaults，and the transport of all kinds of armored tanks and fighting vehicles，these were what placed the greatest pressure on the Alliance’s transportation capacity。

After the Seris Alliance completed its wartime transformation，the Alliance Central Government allocated 3 billion Alliance Currency to the shipping industry，and the entire shipbuilding industry immediately went into a frenzy。

Within a single year it completed a massive leap，in just the second half of the first year of the war，Alliance Shipyards had already produced as much as the entire world，starting from the second year production rose exponentially，and on Alliance Founding Day at the end of the year，100 ships were launched。

And the Alliance’s Tens of Billions Subsidy was also an enormous windfall for other fields。

Equipment production also doubled exponentially，annual Military Truck production reached one million，complete aircraft production reached 150 thousand，daily Aircraft Engine deliveries reached 2000 units，and around 500 tanks of various types rolled off the production lines every day。

When this vast quantity of equipment was delivered into the hands of the Allied Nations through the liberated transportation capacity，even the most distant Ernesto had enough resources to unleash an Armored Flood。

The Tank Division Ponomareva belonged to did not have Tiger Tanks，but it had more than 500 light and medium tanks，a proper Overstrengthened Tank Division。

So even when facing Ernesto which it once could have easily crushed to death，all the Britian Empire could do now was desperately hold on，there was nothing else it could do。

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