"Orlish Putschist rebels launched another frontal punch through the Ludendorf Front for the past few days. Gains had been minimal, with trench lines barely moving a few kilometers. The OAF also reported a 'major victory' north of the Ludendorf Front, as an armored spearhead of multiple Putschist Armored Divisions was halted by elements of the IV Armored Corps near the City of Ruwelt after a nine-kilometer punch from their starting positions. The harrowing reports about the heavy casualties that all sides are taking are still flooding in, with reports already estimating at least forty thousand dead."

- Liberty One Radio

"Her Majesty, Queen Amelie Ludendorf, visits the Ludendorf Front! Already, footage and pictures of the Queen herself being knee deep on the frontline is flooding in, as the Queen reportedly visited 'even frontline dugouts' of the trenches near the Royal Capital to 'inspect the conditions' of her troops."

- ROCN News

+++

Grand Duchy of Ludendorf

Near the City of Ruwelt

November 22, 2024

General Holl placed the map of the current frontlines on the table. They were set up in a random farmhouse close to the frontlines, as the officers gathered for the next briefing. Amelie and William were present too, for today, they would have to make a decision quickly.

"General, how could this have happened?" Amelie asked, just as another distant boom went off. "How could they have advanced this deep?"

She expected that the enemy was now trapped in a grinding duel with them. Both sides were dug in, stuck in static trench lines that didn't budge for many weeks. But now, the Putschists returned to the offensive with a breakthrough that worried Amelie.

In just a day, they punched through her northern sector, and they were now dangerously close to threatening the City of Ruwelt just up ahead of them, a city that defended the coastlines that kept them connected to Rebenslof.

She thought General Holl, Colonel Kleist, and William planned and prepared for it since they already warned her about this possible "northern pincer", but they still broke through. Luckily, they halted them at the gates of Ruwelt…temporarily.

"They are about to play dirty. Well, they already did." General Holl said. "They sent limited chemical attacks on our trench lines before they punched through. Our troops had to abandon it."

A cold chill seeped through Amelie's soul. They…they did what now?! They crossed the line! Her mind shouted internally in revulsion. How could they? Chemical weapons? This was beyond mere brutality, especially against their own countrymen. Amelie's face turned fully red.

"Tell me they didn't do it! Are you serious?!"

"He is," William said, taking a stick and pointing it at the section of the front that they broke through. "Non-persistent chemical agents. Just enough to force our troops to abandon their trenches, and for them to break through. We're still plugging the hole…desperately, might I add."

"Why? Why would they do that? They know we would respond too. This…this is all unnecessary. They're going to cause more deaths."

"It's an inevitability, Your Majesty." General Holl said. "Truthfully, both sides are way too evenly matched. And we are both dug in. They have to increase their offensive advantage somehow to push us back. Chemical weaponry is the only option left."

"Quite frankly, I'm glad," William said, his cynical tone seeping through. "It's better that they used it first. We'll get the moral high ground. That will be nice for a propaganda spin."

"William, for the love of the Goddess, I don't need to hear more of your morbid rationalizations. It's bad. End of the discussion." She looked up to General Holl. "How should we respond?"

"Well, we don't have stockpiles of chemical weaponry available. Not now at least. So we can only really send protective gear for our troops. Gas masks are already there, but not much else." He said, pretty much angry at what happened as well.

Are we really going to seriously use it too soon? She struggled to stop herself from crushing her skull just from imagining it. She signed enough orders that left countless suffering already.

Amelie breathed out. "Do we have enough protective gear then?"

"No."

"I'm not even surprised at this point," Amelie said, already jaded by the situation. "Well, my orders are for our troops to abandon any section of the front that's hit by these chemical attacks. Until we get those gear."

William and General Holl looked at each other, seemingly in a silent discussion.

"So? Are we in agreement?" Amelie asked. "No pointless last stands. Again, we're not holding untenable positions." I'm not risking my troops in a bloody last stand while being gassed. "It's for the best."

"Well, I suppose she does have a point. It's not like our troops will fare well from a chemical attack anyway." William said. "Better to retreat and reestablish the defense line just like what we did yesterday. But again, we can only retreat so much."

"I know. But, if we have to, we have to." She shook her head, looking closely at the map on the table. "But…Ruwelt. Can we hold it?"

"Only for so long." General Holl replied. "Our armored divisions had been depleted in the armored battle. Our infantry is still also re-establishing the next defense line. If we are unlucky, Ruwelt can easily fall."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"And if they use even more chemical weapons?"

"Even easier."

Amelie silently prayed to the Goddess that it would not reach that point. She hoped that it was just a one-time measure, a measure they used just to punch a hole in her lines. But her mind told her that it was not.

"Alright…cancel the planned counter-offensive. General, I want the IV Armored Corps defending Ruwelt and the coastline." Amelie decided. "Unlike Heiflitz, we can't afford to lose Ruwelt. That much is clear."

"We're barely holding them in the Halian sector." William crossed his arms. "But, indeed. Losing Ruwelt and our lines to Rebenslof would be the end of us too."

"Then it's decided then." General Holl said. "I'm redeploying much of IV Armored Corps here. Maybe, we can pinch this pincer and punch them back to their starting positions too."

"If we are lucky," William added.

"I really wouldn't mind some luck." Amelie smiled. "I really wouldn't."

+++

Near the City of Ruwelt

Z-4 Road

Putschist Frontlines

General Oswald Kluge gave another salute to the troops and parked vehicles on the side of the road. His HMLV passed through them like a breeze, as the roads were cleared earlier by his vanguard units.

He smirked to himself.

"You seem self-satisfied, Uncle." Arthur, his nephew, said. "We only pushed fourteen kilometers. This is hardly anything for our losses."

"Arthur, you should understand. The frontlines already solidified. The fact we punched through is a feat." He nodded to himself. "Our forces did well. We'll do well. Five days, and we'd be looking at the East Coast. At the North Allas!"

"Or five days, and this bulge turns into a trap for our most capable units. It can turn out either way."

"We're preparing for the next advance, Arthur. Your men would do well to prepare for it." His voice turned cold, and Kluge glared at him. "The revolution does not need naysayers. Don't think I'll let you off scott-free all because you're my nephew."

"Respectfully, Uncle, we used chemical weapons."

"I tried my best to argue otherwise, but it was needed. At least, we only used non-persistent chemical agents."

"Still, what kind of a revolution are we really trying, Uncle? A revolution of men where we gas our fellow men for choosing the wrong side?"

General Kluge shook his head.

"Look, every measure that must be taken will be taken when possible. You should know that. We men can't win otherwise."

"This will backfire on us."

"We already factored that in our decision-making. We'll keep the boys ready for their retaliation." He laughed. "But perhaps the Queen would ensure that wouldn't happen. Who knows?"

"We don't know if she'll react harsher. We essentially committed a crime too appalling for her to ignore. Uncle, if we lose…"

"That's a possibility you should not bank on, Arthur. There is no survival if we lose, regardless of our actions. Women will punish us, or we will put them down. There is no in-between."

Arthur parked their HMLV. They were in a town that was near Ruwelt's approaches. There was a small river up ahead of the Z-4 road. They were stopped just a few kilometers from said bridge so that the sounds of tank main guns could be heard. The two walked toward a group of arguing officers, and Kluge greeted them.

"Gentlemen, what seems to be the issue? It appears that my tanks which were supposed to be over that river are still on this side."

"General Kluge," one of the officers replied. "The 4th Armored Regiment had been held up. They have LSS Mechs on a hill that overlooks the bridge. We can't pass through."

He picked up a binocular from the table where they set up a map. With haste, he climbed up on one of the apartments followed by the officer and Arthur. There was no one inside. Not even belongings. Largely, the Grand Duchy's civilian population had been long evacuated.

Kluge took a good look at the distant hill. It was well vegetated, or, well, much of the environment was really filled with trees. But he could see distant flashes and explosions. Up ahead as well, were the pinned-down tanks of the 4th Armored, which were taking potshots at the hill as well. He shook his head.

"That ain't an obstacle. Arthur, give our arty regiments the order to fire on that hill. I want that hill gone." He turned around to face the officer. "Oh, and make sure to advance the 4th to that bridge immediately."

He gave him the binoculars before leaving.

"Carry on."

Arthur turned to the officer.

"Sorry, he's a prick."

"Yeah, I can see that."

+++

Amelie watched as their armored column crossed the bridge near Ruwelt. William was beside her, the both of them lying low on the grass on one of the hills near the road itself. She held the binoculars, keeping them aimed at the Z-4 road as one after another, Löwe tanks, HMLVs, and M3 IFVs crossed the bridge and dispersed.

All while they fired their guns at the tanks on her side.

"When is General Holl going to make his move?" She asked, placing down her binoculars. This was, in every way, the closest she had been to the front lines. Nay, she was now on the front lines. "They're all pouring in way too quickly."

"And they're going to set up some pontoon bridges in a few hours," William added, scanning the locations that seemed fit for its deployment. "Then, they'll try to take Ruwelt."

"Well, he should really move at this point then." Amelie stood up, watching the distant battle with a tired gaze. "How many tanks is he redeploying here?"

"A hundred fifty. Plus some LSS Mechs. Probably two dozen. Around two armored brigades." He pointed at the line being occupied by friendly Royalist troops and vehicles that were still firing at the Putschist armored formations. "They'll hold this perimeter, and prepare for a counter-attack. The rest of the IV Corps will move east of us, thirteen kilometers. Near the base of this bulge. They'll try to attack them from the south, and threaten an encirclement."

Amelie placed her binoculars again to check. She watched as another LSS Mech, which was already backing off, was hit and disabled. Its legs collapsed, leaving it dead on the flat road. She sighed.

"I just saw three people die." She mumbled. "This is insane."

"We should probably head back," William said after a mortar shell slammed just a few hundred meters ahead of them. "It's getting way too hot around here."

"Alright. Let's…let's just leave. Before they accidentally hit us." Amelie said. No point in watching all of it. The two of them descended down the hill. It was a short walk, and they stopped on the road where their SUV awaited. There were already lines of Army soldiers passing through the road in columns, and many of them recognized her, but they carried on forward.

The two of them returned to William's SUV, and Amelie sighed to herself as William placed his seat belt on.

The counter-attack must succeed. She told herself. They won't take Ruwelt from me. Those absolute rascals.

They won't. This…this was a blunder for them. And she'd punish them for that.