During the military academy period, unlike the students who worked hard to study strategy and tactics, Parsifal's spare time was dedicated to the history department and psychology books in the library. So much so that when he graduated, the instructor sighed and wrote in his personal evaluation: "If you use your enthusiasm in a more correct direction, he will definitely become the pillar of the General Staff one day." After that, Parsifal's military career fully proved the instructor's insight, and several battles showed Parsifal's extraordinary ability, and his strategic and tactical vision was enough to rank among the general staff.

A first-rate commander talks about logistics, a second-rate commander talks about strategy, and a third-rate commander spends all day soaking in tactical dogma and can't get out -- such a statement may be suspected of being partial and comprehensive, but on the whole there is some truth to it. Throughout the history of warfare, people who talk about war and have sophisticated tactics all day long may be able to win a battle, or even a battle. But few can win a war. Especially in the wars after industrialization, those countries that think they are proficient in the art of war, no matter how many wonderful battles and campaigns they fight, the final outcome is to be crushed by the industrial powers that they "don't know how to fight" with massive resources. It can be said that the outcome of the war is decided not on the battlefield, but in the production workshop. The influence of industrial strength and efficient logistics on the outcome of a war has exceeded the personal ability of military generals.

With a strong emphasis on the full mobilization of resources in general warfare, and with his experience in the logistics department, Parsifal has his own unique strategic outlook.

When it comes to combat, others will first look at the enemy's briefing, such as the establishment, personnel, weapon allocation, troop deployment, and so on. Parsifal's habit is to open the map, first find the location of the enemy and the enemy, and then look for supply points and supply lines.

Whether it was an occupational disease or the pathetic habits of the staff officers of the station, Parsifal could not imagine a battle without logistical supplies. During his work in the Principality, a large number of first-hand sources have shown that stable and efficient logistics is not only a multiplier of the combat effectiveness of the troops, but also an important guarantee for stabilizing the morale of the troops. Just imagine, troops stationed in well-equipped fortifications drinking hot soup and coffee; troops with no food, no warm clothing, and a serious shortage of ammunition in the ice and snow; which side has higher morale? (The Volunteers during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea were exceptions) As long as it is not His Excellency Guntaguchi Ryoya, a ghost animal general who is convinced that "the Japanese are a herbivorous people," any commander who is responsible for his subordinates and superiors should regard "securing supplies" as the second most important task in the combat mission, second only to "achieving goals," and even the highest priority.

But Charlemagne's royal army ...... What should I say? It is not that they do not see the importance of supply, otherwise they would not have come up with the idea of "sending a small force to infiltrate and coordinate with the resistance groups to force the defense forces into a dilemma where they cannot take care of each other" -- such a combat plan that would take the attack on logistical supply as the starting point.

But that's where their shrewdness ends.

How to identify and establish contact with resistance groups, how to stealthily transport infiltration troops across the battle line to the designated location, how to conduct guerrilla warfare under the careful surveillance system of the enemy's military and police, how to obtain supplies and maintain contact with the other end of the line, how to mobilize the population...... Judging by the actions of Charlemagne's army and various intelligence so far, it is clear that they have not considered these problems, let alone countermeasures and solutions, they have only sent one unit after another to their deaths - nothing more.

There is no logic at all in this kind of behavior, and it doesn't even make any sense, what is Charlemagne thinking, why is he sending so many soldiers to their deaths?

The hand holding the teacup stopped in mid-air, Parsifal frowned slightly, and his index finger on the teacup grip tapped rhythmically.

War is, after all, a continuation of politics.

If certain acts cannot be explained at the level of military operations, then it is necessary to explore their motives and meanings at the political level.

In order to clear his mind, Parsifal began to mentally list Charlemagne's various forces.

First, the crown prince;

Yalfheim did not have a high opinion of this nobleman, in addition to the need for wartime propaganda to scandalize the enemy, the crown prince's astonishing actions were also important reasons. Growing up in a pampered environment in the deep palace has created a highly self-centered personality for the heir to the kingdom. The experience of repeated setbacks under the consortium during the rebellious period planted the seeds of inferiority and arrogance in his heart, making his personality very extreme, and he could do anything for power. If it weren't for the fact that he and the late second prince deliberately destroyed Charlemagne's original delicate political structure of checks and balances in order to compete for power, and released the devil of militarism and ultra-nationalism out of the bottle, Charlemagne might not have come to this point.

Such a profit-hungry, unscrupulous and extremely intelligent person will be a time bomb anywhere. Until he finally broke into the catastrophe and involved himself and everyone else, he would do everything in his power to grab more power.

second, the peace faction;

Many people classify it as the faction of Minerva, the third king, and some see it as a new faction inspired by the "Holy Maiden", but in fact, both explanations are only one-sided. This faction should be regarded as a hodgepodge of interests and ideas that have come together, and its members are diverse and mixed. Frustrated politicians, political brokers, down-and-out literati, naval factions, remnants of the old king's henchmen, and spy agents under the former prime minister...... It's an amazing feat to be able to bring together such a messy group of conflicting guys wherever they are. It is also thanks to the two ladies who united these guys who were fighting each other with their prestige, merits, and abilities, and once even overshadowed the crown prince's line. But after all, this faction has too shallow foundations, insufficient internal cohesion, and lacks sufficient military strength to influence the country's movements. It's okay to contain the crown prince for a short time, but once a third party intervenes, the problem of insufficient background will be immediately exposed. As long as there are signs that the wind is not in the right direction, how to bridge the internal contradictions and ensure that the organization does not fall apart due to cannibalism is enough for the two ladies to be busy, and other things are even more difficult to take care of.

third, Charlemagne's Royal Army;

It is ridiculous to say that, based on the general principle of "no military personnel shall interfere in politics", the first two factions did not have much intersection with Parsifal or even the entire defense force. It is the job of Stasi and the Foreign Office and the Council to deal with them. Charlemagne's army is their opponent head-on, but the most difficult to grasp is this group of red deer.

It's not that their strategy and tactics are subtle, but that this army is not bound by the government and often acts on its own. It is not troublesome to deal with such opponents, but Parsifal is not sure whether they carry out the orders of their superiors, how they carry them out, how they carry them out, and so on. This makes it a lot more variable to predict their behavior patterns.

The only thing that is certain is that all the actions of this group of "loyal and patriotic" guys are based on their own interests. Based on this, it is not difficult to predict the general direction of its actions.

fourth, international forces;

Alfheim's independence was not necessarily welcomed by the nations. Against the backdrop of the rise of imperialism and colonialism, no one likes to suddenly have a new player with strong competitiveness to get a piece of the pie. If Charlemagne hadn't acted recklessly, violated the fundamental interests of the nations, and used a series of surprise attacks at the beginning of the war to disarm the long-range military projection capabilities of all sides, and excluded the powers of the countries from the center of the continent. Those nations were happy to bring Charlemagne and Alfheim to a mutually end, and when there were signs of a total victory for one side, they were even willing to personally come out and help the weaker side to win back. Instead of suffering from a lack of military strength as we are now, we can only watch from the sidelines of this major war that may determine the direction of the world in a century.

Charlemagne's threat increases by supporting Alfheim, who in turn will support Charlemagne in suppressing Alfheim. The mentality and actions of these spectators from the other side of the river are not difficult to understand. As long as we grasp the situation and completely solve Charlemagne before the countries regain the ability to intervene, all that remains is the work at hand.

In general, at least for the time being, international forces are not in viplace.

Parsifal paused to think about it, and went through the list that he had made in his head, and it seemed that something was missing. After a little thought, Captain Black Tea added another one.

fifth, the people;