I Became a Witch and Started an Industrial Revolution

“Besides that, we also needed to continue digging multiple trench lines connected together to form trench fortifications, equipped with machine guns, barbed wire, and heavy iron anti-cavalry barriers, while also excavating underground spaces for soldiers to rest.”

“In this way, troops could be dispersed and stationed across various points. Soldiers could reinforce the frontlines through multiple linear tunnels from the rear, forming layered blocking positions.”

“And when encountering enemies that were difficult to resist or heavy equipment, we could fall back, accumulating more comrades as the defensive line retreated. Once we regained superiority in manpower and weaponry, we could launch a countercharge again. I called this elastic defense.”

Cassius pointed at the Sten-type Submachine Guns held by several guards in the meeting room: “This kind of short-range, high-rate-of-fire weapon has extremely strong combat effectiveness in confined terrain. If I remembered correctly, we had quite a large stockpile.”

Yadov nodded: “We do have a lot, but it doesn’t deal much damage to Mechanical Soldiers, and it places high demands on ammunition supply, so we rarely use it.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about next—the specific excavation standards for trenches.” Cassius wrote several figures on the blackboard.

“Our number of Mechanical Soldiers is insufficient, so we can’t directly clash with the Tsarist army head-on. However, ordinary soldiers also find it difficult to resist Mechanical Soldiers that jump into trenches. Therefore, we must put effort into trench design.”

As he spoke, Cassius wrote the letters “ID” on the board, then marked a vertical width of 1 meter and a depth of 3 meters.

“The ‘I’ represents the frontal wall, while ‘D’ refers to the internal trench structure. A design that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom with an inward arc can maximize the difficulty for Mechanical Soldiers attempting to break into the trench.”

“The D-type support structure should use a large number of wooden pillars. The inward curved space should ideally be around 3 meters, allowing two soldiers to pass side by side in a crouched position. Between the pillars, segmented sections can be allocated for storing supplies.”

“With this trench design, as long as the top can withstand bombardment from standard 75mm field guns, Mechanical Soldiers will find it extremely difficult to break through. Even if they do, they will still be obstructed by the narrow internal passages.”

“Moreover, under the weight of heavy tanks, the wooden supports will naturally collapse, trapping them within narrow tunnels and rendering them combat-ineffective. This can greatly alleviate the pressure from armored assaults.”

“However, this type of D-shaped trench should not be overused. A configuration of two narrow D-type trenches spaced 5 meters apart, combined with one standard trench, will suffice.”

The officers exchanged glances and nodded slightly. This requirement was not difficult to implement—earthworks were practically their specialty, and the material requirements were not high.

A standard trench typically had a longitudinal width of about 2.5 to 3 meters and a depth of 3 meters. The curved trench, however, was only 1 meter wide. Even climbing out using a rope ladder was difficult for soldiers, let alone for attackers jumping in.

In simple terms, Cassius’s trench design philosophy was to minimize the threat posed by enemy Mechanical Soldiers and tanks to their ordinary troops. Their own soldiers would maneuver or attack through tunnels and D-shaped curved passages.

Even if part of the trench collapsed under artillery bombardment before the enemy even attacked, it wouldn’t matter. A 3-meter depth would still create a height difference of about 2 meters after collapse. With current tank power and a weight exceeding 30 tons, climbing over such terrain would be extremely difficult.

As for Mechanical Soldiers, it was even worse. Once they jumped in, they would be surrounded by soil and wooden structures. The tunnel entrances and low transport passages they encountered would not be something a little over 3 meters tall could easily attack.

Moreover, the standard trench behind the two curved trenches was only a little over 10 meters away, allowing it to fully provide normal fire support.

With this setup, the troop requirements on the Rebel Forces’ frontal battlefield could be further reduced, allowing more forces to be redeployed to attempt the plan proposed by Cassius.

From Cassius’s perspective, this was perhaps the best time for the Rebel Forces to adjust their strategy. In the early stages, they had genuinely intended to break through the Capital City or Bernoro Port—their momentum and scale of troop deployment could not be faked.

Thus, the Tsar had ordered other nobles to hold these two major defensive lines at all costs, halting the Rebel Forces’ offensive and dragging them into a war of attrition.

Although the Rebel Forces temporarily had more military strength than the Tsarist Nation, they lacked the ability to sustain prolonged warfare. In a drawn-out conflict, the Tsar could afford to endure.

Furthermore, given the Tsar’s autocratic mindset, frontline commanders likely lacked the flexibility to adjust strategies based on battlefield conditions—they had to wait for direct orders from the Tsar.

Therefore, if the Rebel Forces wanted to gain an advantage, they had to exploit this weakness—avoiding strong points and striking weak ones, using superior numbers locally, maneuvering flexibly, and gradually eroding the enemy.

This line of thinking was also recognized by the other generals. As veterans who had suffered through Trench Warfare, they knew all too well how painful it was to attack such defenses.

Unless absolutely necessary, if there was a better strategy, they preferred defensive counterattacks to shift the balance between offense and defense.

Soon, a strategic plan codenamed 【Operation Whiplash】 was gradually refined.

Each unit would contribute one division, reorganized into two Army Groups and one 75mm Artillery Division. Cassius was promoted three ranks in succession to serve as the Overall Commander, taking full control of battlefield command and implementing his three-step strategy.

Having taken command under critical circumstances, Cassius quickly formulated a detailed deployment plan based on the current positions of each division. The two Army Groups, consisting of seven divisions, were organized into a 3-2-2 structure.

The First Front Army, with the strongest firepower including the artillery division, would ignore everything else and charge directly toward Reza. The Third Front Army, positioned farthest away, would advance along the outer line toward Uyanchi State.

The Second Army in the middle would carry a large amount of logistical supplies and advance normally. According to Cassius’s calculations, the First Front Army would be the fastest and the first to engage in battle, while the Third Front Army would be the second.

Due to carrying logistical supplies, the Second Army would move slower and would be caught up by the Third Army, creating a margin for error. If the Third Army encountered resistance, the Second Army could detach one infantry division to provide flanking support.

If the Third Army advanced smoothly, the Second Army—moving at a standard pace—would be able to catch up with the First Army, either reinforcing them as fresh troops or replenishing their losses.

Once united, they would form a reinforced army and strike toward Mitoten Port. If they could successfully capture Mitoten Port, then the ownership of the supplies sent later by the Alliance would become uncertain~

And because they needed to avoid turning the rapid offensive into an encounter battle with potential forces from Izaven State, while also keeping the Second Army close to the river for support speed, the advance routes of all three armies followed curved trajectories.

Like the arc of a whip cracking through the air.

Thus, the plan was named 【Operation Whiplash】.

As Cassius walked out of the meeting room, a different kind of light flickered in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth almost curved to the back of his head.

‘Mom, I’ve made it! An Army Group Commander!!!’