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There were a total of three reasons why the Imperial Army suddenly decided to launch an offensive against the French Republic.

First, the offensive of the Savoyard Two Sicilies Kingdom forces on the Italian front had come to an end.

Even in 1915, when disregard for human life was rampant, the number of casualties in a single battle began to exceed 400,000, and it gradually became a burden.

And the second reason was that the Balkan and Eastern fronts had become calm, albeit briefly.

The Royal Yugoslavian Army and the Tsardom of Rus’ Army were utterly defeated in battles against the Imperial Army. In effect, they lost the ability to launch offensives against the Empire. The shortening of the front lines was ‘halfway’ accomplished.

And finally, the British Army began to land on the Western Front.

Although their numbers were only in the tens of thousands right now, considering the number of troops they would conscript from their colonies outside the mainland in the future… they could not be ignored.

The upper echelons of the Imperial Army wanted to erase the Western Front before the British Army began to land on this land in earnest.

Of course, I wouldn’t make such unreasonable demands.

“Secure as much depth as possible between the Imperial Burgundy region and the French Republic.”

In other words, seize as much land as possible from the French Republic.

Of course, the reason I gave this order was not simply out of greed for land. Although our Empire’s trench lines, the Roman Wall, seem impregnable right now… there is no such thing as an impregnable fortress in this world.

Historically, Rhodes Island was like that, Osaka Castle was like that, and even Constantinople, the Second Rome, was like that.

The Roman Wall will surely be breached someday. If the Roman Wall is breached, what lies behind it is the Empire’s mainland. It is obvious that if the mainland is attacked, the morale of the Imperial people will plummet.

That’s why I intend to secure as much depth as possible through a surprise offensive at this moment, when the enemy has the least leeway and we have the most. And incidentally, grind down the French forces attacking the occupied territories.

‘Of course, I have no intention of simply and stubbornly breaking through that long trench line.’

The French army isn’t stupid either. They were able to feel the power of the trench lines firsthand through the offensives that took place at the beginning of this war.

Therefore, they followed the Imperial Army’s ‘excellent example’ and began to dig wide and long trench lines across all fronts.

As a result, a ‘real trench war’ where rats, sewers, machine guns, and shell craters coexisted began much earlier than in my previous life.

And the Imperial Army’s War Ministry realized just how difficult it was to break through those trenches, as they tirelessly ground down the enemy.

Breaking through trench lines in the usual way is an incredibly foolish thing to do. To win this war, we need some kind of ‘trick.’

Of course, knowing the original history, I could easily come up with that trick.

“Dr. Franz Haber. No. Should I call you Baron Franz Haber now? Heh. Anyway, I’ve been waiting.”

“Your Majesty.”

He bowed his head to me.

His name is Franz Haber. A genius who created bread using air. And in my previous life, he was the first in the world to lead the mass production and deployment of poison gas in actual combat.

Here, some people may be wondering how I could use him. Well, the method was simple.

Through the previous iterations, I knew that he had a strong desire for honor. Then, all I had to do was touch that desire, right?

So, I ordered him to develop poison gas in exchange for the title of baron. He seemed very excited.

“How do you feel about receiving the title of baron? Baron Franz Haber.”

“Ah, it’s too good. Yes. I can’t think of any other words. I am overwhelmed by Your Majesty’s grace.”

Hmm… I didn’t expect him to be this happy. It seems his desire for honor was beyond my imagination.

“I wonder what kind of reaction you would show if you were granted a territory…”

“Oh, no, it’s okay. It has always been said that something terrible will happen if you receive something from your lord without accomplishing anything. Haha!”

Hoo. So, that means he has accomplished something or is about to accomplish something? He seemed to be aware of my gaze and cleared his throat once.

“The mass production of mustard gas is ready. If you give the order, we can supply more than 100 tons of mustard gas to the front lines within a week.”

“Heh heh. Good. Very good. I will grant you a territory in the Burgundy region after the war. As a wine lover, I’m jealous. Burgundy wine is famous, isn’t it?”

“Um… was wine famous in Burgundy?”

Ah. I misspoke. In general, Imperial people think of Burgundy as the lowlands, including the Netherlands.

“Let me correct that. ‘Bourgogne’ wine, I mean.”

Meanwhile, this large-scale movement of the Imperial Army did not escape the eyes of the French Army.

It was only natural. Hundreds of thousands of Imperial soldiers were withdrawing from the Eastern, Balkan, and Italian fronts and concentrating on the Western and Alpine fronts. It would have been stranger if they hadn’t noticed.

Of course, the French army was complacent.

Of course, they conducted war games in preparation for the Imperial Army’s attack and increased the number of machine guns deployed in the trench lines.

But frankly, there was a sense of complacency hidden in the corner of their minds. A complacency that they could stop the Imperial Army with just the trench lines.

And that complacency came back in the worst possible form.

Bang! Thump, bang!

Tens, hundreds, no, millions of shells were fired at once over the heads of the French Republic Army.

They hurriedly hid in the bunkers, just like the Imperial Army had done. But then they noticed something strange.

The air felt more stuffy than usual. (Of course, that doesn’t mean the air was usually good, but anyone who says they like this damn gunpowder smell must have a twisted brain structure or a twisted sense of smell.)

That was indeed the case.

The Imperial Army launched poison gas into the French army’s positions along with the shelling. If you ask if this is a violation of international law, surprisingly, it is not a violation of international law.

The only thing regulated by international law is gas shells, that is, shells containing gas. As long as it wasn’t that, gas could be used in any form. Of course, the ancestors who first created international law would never have wanted this…

What can you do? Laws are made not to be kept, but to be avoided.

Even if the French soldiers’ eyes melted from the mustard gas, they felt their lungs burning every time they inhaled, and grown men cried for their mothers like newborn babies and died in agony,

It was legal because international law did not stipulate it.

“Los! Los! Los!”

Immediately after the short and intense pre-bombardment that lasted for about 5 hours, the soldiers of the Imperial Army charged into the French army’s trench lines with the sound of a whistle ringing out.

One difference from the French army’s attack is… that all the French soldiers who should have been defending the trench lines were already dead?

Thanks to this, the Imperial Army did not have to put in much effort to break through the first line of defense.

And the fact that the first line of defense was easily torn apart like paper also reached the ears of the French army’s high command.

“What?! Our proud French army’s defense line has been breached?!”

General Joseph Joffre, the commander-in-chief of the French army, trembled as he received the report.

“Those cowardly Imperial bastards… using poison gas!”

France, knowing this, was furious and exposed this fact, protesting to the Empire through neutral countries. But. The Empire’s response to this was absurd.

“You guys used tear gas first. Isn’t tear gas also poison gas?”

Joffre felt like he was about to faint for the first time in his life.

Regardless, the Imperial Army’s attack continued relentlessly and intensely. Here, the Imperial Army’s trick appeared. After successfully breaking through, they handed off the baton to the units following them from the rear, continuing to advance at a rapid pace. The Yulia Tactics were revealed.

“I, insane?!”

The speed of the Imperial Army using the Yulia Tactics far exceeded the expectations of the officers who were so eager for mobile warfare.

When the first shovel was struck to dig a trench to stop the Imperial Army’s attack, it was common for the Imperial Army, the target to be stopped, to appear. There were even cases where the advancing Imperial Army surpassed the speed of the retreating French army.

Thanks to this, the Imperial Army captured the border cities of Nancy and Lille in just one day, and on the 7th day, they reached Arras in the north and the fortress city of Verdun in the south.

They had traveled more than 45km in just 7 days! Even in trench warfare, which boasts an incredibly impenetrable front line!

“Deploy the reserves! We must stop the enemy!”

But the French army’s high command also regained their composure and began to move to intercept the Imperial Army’s attack.

The curtain rose on a desperate, ‘real trench war,’ to the point where people would say that the trench warfare that had been going on until now was a joke.