Normally, shipborne artillery was unsuited for land use, being heavy and such.

But the French had an amazing 65mm gun used to shot at torpedo boats and other fast targets, and the Network also provided me with its design schematics.

Sadly, the gun itself was patented, even if I did have samples of the 65mm gun on board the flagship of the navy, the French light cruiser I had bought a year ago and which did lots of training exercises up and down the Danube.

Thus, when several French Generals were asked to visit and advise on our the Dacian Wall, along the Soviet border, they possibly imagined a Maginot Line, not a big ditch with a few pillboxes on top.

"This will barely slow the Soviet Army for a day, maybe not even that." a grumpy General Petain muttered in disgust.

I nodded and waved the rest of his staff into my command tent, and opened a folder to show off the Romanian Hetzer , called Wolf. Sure, using the T-26 drive train and chassis meant that barely 40 mm of frontal armor could be installed before the entire thing collapsed under its own gravity, but giving the front plate an angle of 65 degrees meant that the armor would withstand even the new 47 mm anti-tank weapons getting fielded by France, not to mention the usual 37 mm guns.

"My royal engineers have analyzed the 65 mm guns on the flagship, and want to install the same gun on the Wolf assault tank. They even say it would butcher enemy Soviets with ease, especially if backed up by machine-gun pillboxes." I explained with a careless voice.

The French officers glanced at each other, then looked at their leader. "You want us to approve a license transfer, your Majesty? It is not in our power."

I shrugged. My game menu said their opinion mattered, and I trusted my menu more. "And the same thing for the 155 mm turrets from the cruiser. Sink the turrets into the top of the wall, build a concrete bunker over it to prevent aerial bombing or counter-fire from Soviet artillery."

The big artillery bunkers were not feasible in large numbers, given the expense of an entire ship turret being built, moved and then buried in concrete, but it would work in key places like Cetatea Alba at the Black Sea, the Dniester crossings along the Moldavia's border and Hotin in Bukovina.

General Petain took my idea and ran with it. I knew he was a big fan of static defence, since the horrors of the Great War had imprinted into his mind.

"Expensive, but it would work. How many 155 mm guns would you need to guard the Soviet border, your Majesty?" he asked in a curious voice.

"At least 60, but better make it 100. Cetatea Alba would be exposed to the Soviet Black Sea Navy using their big battleships to shell the fortifications from beyond the horizon. And to counter that, I would need the big 15 inch guns, at least 6 of them in similar bunkers." I offered with a sad smile.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Petain sighed. "I don't see a way to obtain 15 inch guns, your Majesty. They are considered strategic weapons by every Great Power. Perhaps a few 12 inch guns from a scrapped dreadnought? Or perhaps tow the entire thing to Constanta and take off the entire turrets." he proposed in a logical tone.

I smiled inward, as the man basically played himself. "Well, you are correct, mon General. If France ever wants to scrap a dreadnought, I will be happy to buy it at twice the normal price. Even more of them. Constanta itself needs a few coastal forts, and perhaps a few in Southern Dobruja at the border with Bulgaria?" I wondered a bit rhetorical.

Petain measured me, and then the map laid out on the table. "I don't envy your position, your Majesty. We also have a border with Germany, but your Soviet, Bulgarian and Hungarian borders are far too long. If it comes to the same thing like 1917, your country is doomed, again. "

"Then I must make sure I only fight on a single front. Your advice is priceless, mon General. I do hope you will support Romania when the time comes. We are both the scions of Rome, are we not?" I asked with a sad voice, then raised a finger for my butlers to serve more champagne.

I already had the old 12 inch gun plans, including the range finders, munitions and loading lifts. Once the French sold me even one old dreadnought, the Galati steel plant could start churning new guns, enough to equip 100 mega-bunkers on the Soviet border. Spread them out evenly at 10 kilometers range, and 100 such guns could cover the entire front with high-explosive 1 ton shells. Why bother to build bombers, if the enemy had to step inside the gun range to assault our Dacian Wall?

I handed the good General the extra schematics for the Wolf tank destroyer. "It a deal then?" I asked as he rose to his feet.

"I will do my best, King Carol. Your Wolf tank would be quite amazing, if it works. But even if it doesn't please the French Government, I will make sure to build 1000 Wolves for you. Maybe even find some better scopes for long range fire." General Petain allowed as he stashed the priceless plans inside his briefcase.

I shook his hand, then watched the man go, along with his staff. He was quite a tragic person, General Petain. Well-meaning, but misguided and lacking a HOI 4 interface.

Not that you needed an interface to anticipate the Belgian attack, but hey. History is written by the victors.

I raised my hand in salute, and 400 F-17 tanks fired their guns in the air, signalling the training of my first armor division was almost over. Next, the tank crews and the mechanics would travel to Arad City in the West, and take charge of their Ferdinand tanks, and begin training beside the motorized infantry and their trucks.

We couldn't fail the thrust to Budapest, so everything had to go almost perfectly.

Now, where could I find some planes?