Chapter 280 Meat Grinder
"Now all the troops can be reunited. In addition to leaving the basic defensive forces, all the combat capabilities of the 7th Brigade and the 756th Brigade must be devoted to combat operations against Tachilei."
"Jingdong's peaceful solution - peace, peace, damn, peaceful liberation! It's good news. We didn't lose too many troops here, and we can be more calm in subsequent operations."
"But even so, the total number of available troops we have now is only about 3,000. Even taking into account the rebels in the 505th Brigade, the total strength is only about 3,500."
"Zhao Jialiang's current strength is around 2,000, of which 1,000 are highly organized and obedient private soldiers."
"The most troublesome thing is that Zhao Jialiang has made up his mind to fight us in urban street battles. They have already retreated into Tachilek City."
"The rebels' fourth regiment simply can't get in. They have already paid a heavy price and their will to fight has been lost."
"We can't count on them. The only thing we can rely on is the three thousand people we have."
"It's hard to hit it hard, it will definitely turn into a huge meat grinder."
In the Dongfeng Corps villa, Chen Chen sat on the sofa, facing the people in front of him, and said in a serious tone.
After hearing his words, whether it was Bao Xiaomei, He Bupa, or He Bangxiong, they all had solemn expressions on their faces.
They had just won the battle and achieved huge results that they had not even dared to dream of before. They could also be regarded as completing the basic goal of this joint operation.
However, after hearing Chen Chen's words, all of them realized the seriousness of the current problem.
The battle is far from over. If they do not capture most of their forces, judging from the current situation in Southern Shan State, the situation they want to create will always be a "semi-finished product", and the source of this so-called "lifeline" is still It's in other people's hands.
People can cut off your entire transportation line at any time, which means that what they hold in their hands is the supreme bargaining chip.
negotiation?
Zhao Jialiang is impossible to negotiate.
If they could talk, he should have started talking when his own team had problems.
It will definitely not be delayed until now, until the real start of urban street fighting, and it has not shown any intention to talk.
Thinking of this, even Bao Xiaomei, who has always advocated talking and using political means to solve problems, looked embarrassed.
She frowned and thought for a moment, then said:
"If it doesn't work, we will reveal our identities and start a war."
"As long as the Wa State is determined to participate in the war, Zhao Jialiang has absolutely no chance of winning. If the battle continues like this, he will lose. He won't."
"no."
Chen Chen interrupted her and then said:
"If Jingdong cannot be defeated, it is still possible for the Wa State to reveal his identity. But now we are fighting Tachilei. What we need to make up for is the last link of the entire transportation line. You, the Wa State, will show up now. That would be completely superfluous.”
"Not only is it impossible for Zhaojialiang to surrender, but even the confrontation and stalemate we managed with great difficulty with Myanmar will be destroyed in one day, and the entire Pubei will be dragged into an endless vortex of conflict."
"No one benefits. Perhaps the happiest people are only the arms dealers - but here comes the problem. Tachileik controls the hub of the Mekong River, and the 505th Brigade is one of the largest arms dealers."
"In this case, aren't we equivalent to giving him money?"
"The Wa State cannot participate in the war. This is the most basic political consideration."
"If you don't believe it, you can mention it in your negotiations with Lao Burma next time and see how they react."
"Believe me, as long as you mention it, even if it is just a test, it will definitely cause a violent reaction from them."
"Understood"
Bao Xiaomei nodded slowly and approved Chen Chen's judgment.
But after a brief pause, she spoke again:
"Even if the Wa State cannot participate in the war, our best solution to the problem is still to use force to overwhelm others, and not to engage in street fighting with the 505th Brigade, right?"
"Although I have never really participated in actual combat, I also know that street fighting is the most difficult thing to fight."
"Here I will open the sky and make a statement. Once the street fighting starts, even if we win in the end, all 3,000 people from the 7th Brigade and the 756th Brigade will definitely be filled in."
"At that time, our two Brigade Commanders will become polished commanders. Anyone who wants to bully us will be able to do it."
"How to solve this problem? There is no way to solve it!"
Hearing his words, Chen Chen's face showed a look of approval.
Over the past year or so, as she has dealt with more and more "big things" and dealt with more and more complex relationships, Bao Xiaomei has finally made great progress and begun to truly learn to "manage everything vertically and horizontally" instead of just being "all-round" with a petty attitude. .
Being able to take the initiative to expose this problem at this point in time is equivalent to taking the initiative to use the identity of the Wa State to bear the cause and effect. Even if there is no suitable solution in the end, at least the discussion process does not require too much intrigue.
After hearing her words, He Bangxiong and He Bupa also had "relieved" looks on their faces.
They have indeed wanted to say this issue for a long time, but given their status, it is inappropriate for anyone to raise this point.
"Ms. Bao was very considerate and said with conscience that we all share this concern."
"You can fight with great strength, and you must fight, but what happens after the fight is over?"
"We are soldiers to begin with, and the territory we have was created with the barrel of a gun. If the people are gone and the gun is gone, wouldn't it be all over?"
The speaker was He Bangxiong. Compared to He Bupa, the problems he faced were actually more serious.
Because the 7th Brigade's territory is relatively close to the Wa State, it can still receive protection from the Wa State to a certain extent. In addition, with the Dongfeng Corps, the Dinghai Shenzhen, He Bupa still has a chance to regain his strength even if he is killed. developed.
But what about him?
Fighting alone, if it is gone, there is really no way to save it.
This is a very difficult problem, and even Chen Chen has no way to do it.
What can be done to keep a warlord with no soldiers alive?
The difficulty of this problem is probably much higher than "how to capture Tachilei" itself.
After all, the coalition forces have nothing to talk to Zhao Jialiang, but He Bangxiong can still talk to Zhao Jialiang.
Chen Chen frowned, and after a long time, he asked:
"On this transportation line, what other civilian armed forces will benefit?"
"I mean, except for the ethnic minority groups in Wa State."
"The Eastern Shan State Army is on Lin Mingxian's side, but he doesn't have to participate because the impact is relatively small."
After Bao Xiaomei thought for a moment, she continued:
"There is a Mofa camp with a small number of people. It is essentially a bandit camp with more than 200 people. It is sandwiched between the Wa State and the 7th Brigade."
"Other than that, the only other mercenary groups that can benefit and take out their guns are the other mercenary groups. But they fight for money. I guess it will be difficult to persuade them to do this kind of life-threatening business."
"That means there is no more."
Chen Chen sighed, turned to He Bangxiong again and said seriously:
"Commander He, we have no other choice."
"You can only take the lead, and you can only bear the consequences that we must bear."
"Your 756th Brigade is likely to be defeated, and it is likely to face difficulties for a period of time. However, I can assure you that the Dongfeng Corps will do its best to ensure that you are not swallowed up."
"If you believe me, then we will fight."
"If you don't believe me, tell the truth. I have no other choice but to let the Wa State take over."
"But if you get to that point, you also know that after fighting so many battles before, you are basically fighting in vain."
From the perspective of an uninformed third party, Chen Chen's words contained a threatening meaning.
But He Bangxiong participated in the entire operation from beginning to end, so from his perspective, Chen Chen's words were the most sincere "showdown."
That's right, no one here has any choice.
There is no room for bargaining or haggling.
There are only two choices before everyone.
Believe it or not.
If you believe it, then go all the way to the dark side and fight to the end, betting that the Wa State will take action and the Dongfeng Corps will take action, so as to preserve the results gained after heavy sacrifice.
If you don't believe it, then stop here and break up. In the end, no one can get too much benefit.
He Bupa and He Bangxiong don't know what the prisoner's dilemma is, and they are even less likely to know how to calculate expected returns and find Nash equilibrium. But almost everyone who can reach their level is a human being, as long as there is no major event. question, it is basically impossible to make a misjudgment.
Therefore, after Chen Chen's words, He Bangxiong made his statement almost without hesitation.
"Brother, this is what I've been waiting for!"
"Now that we have fought, it is meaningless to think about the consequences, talk about checks and balances, and be hesitant to move forward and backward."
"Just one sentence, I believe in you. If you can give me this promise, that's enough!"
"Fight, Tachile must fight!"
"Life is a rare fight. I don't know what big thing you and Miss Bao want to accomplish, but I know that if we continue to do this, I will no longer be a warlord!"
"Dude, I did it!"
"I leave the command of the 756th Brigade to you."
"I will no longer participate in the subsequent battle against Tachilei - no, I will definitely still participate, otherwise you may not be able to suppress those soldiers."
"What I mean is, I will fight how you tell me to fight."
"If there are any deviations in the execution of the order, you can directly give me the order and kill whoever should be killed!"
"good!"
Chen Chen slammed the table and said in approval:
"What I want is your courage!"
"Don't worry, after this battle, everything that should be yours will be yours. If anyone dares to grab it, I guarantee that he will be the first to be on the list of the Dongfeng Corps!"
"Then it's settled, where's the 7th Brigade?"
"I'll fight too."
He Bupa nodded calmly and replied:
"I don't have as many worries as the 756th Brigade. I will definitely fight."
"I have a question now: Chief Chen, how many people are we going to die?"
"I have to be prepared and have a plan, otherwise I won't know what to do."
After hearing his words, Chen Chen pondered for a moment, and then said:
"How many people will die in Tachilei? Actually, if you ask me, I don't know."
"Urban street fighting. Once this word is spoken, anyone who knows how to fight will tremble in their hearts."
"And what's even more troublesome is that we have to use three thousand people to attack a big city with a population of 150,000. Needless to say, you can understand this difficulty."
"But the good news is that we are not fighting a war of aggression. At least the people will not side with He Bangxiong."
"But even so, it is not easy for the offensive and defensive sides to achieve less than 2:1 battle losses."
"In other words, those who go there may all die, and that's not even enough."
"Understood."
Hebupa exhaled heavily and then said:
"Then we have no choice but to push in at once and sweep the whole city at once."
Chen Chen's eyes changed.
He did not expect that He Bupa, who he considered to be quite "stable" and even a little too smooth, could actually understand the core true meaning of this combat operation.
That's right, it can only be pushed in once.
Moreover, the attack must be divided into groups.
These three thousand people will be divided into countless squads, each squad is responsible for a combat goal.
Unless necessary, they will not know the movements of other teams or the casualties of other people.
Only in such an environment can Chen Chen ensure that these teams always have the will to fight.
This is a stud battle where "win or lose is decided in one round", and it is also a last-ditch battle where flesh and blood are used to stuff the meat grinder.
There can't be any fancy tactics. When the level of both sides is not high, whoever reduces the number of people below the threshold first will collapse first.
This is cruel.
However, kindness does not command troops.
Chen Chen opened his mouth and replied:
"That's right, it can only be a one-time push. Moreover, during this push, I will not order a retreat unless all the people are eliminated."
"How can we ensure that the teams below follow orders?"
He Bangxiong asked:
"I mean, there is another very core issue. After our people enter, they can immediately pretend to be civilians and surrender as long as they put down their guns and take off their equipment."
"How do we control them until then?"
"Both sides."
"First, we must first advance to the core area of Tachilei with the help of artillery fire and armor cover, and not give them a chance to escape. Only by attacking and penetrating the 505th Brigade can they have a chance to escape."
"We need to proactively dig into the pocket and tear it into pieces."
"Second, we need to mark our own people. Find some fuel for pig quarantine and stamp all their faces and hands in obvious places."
"To them you can say this is an identification mark between friend and foe."
"This is not easy to handle."
Bao Xiaomei shook her head and said:
"They are not that stupid. Once they do something like this, everyone will know that there is something wrong with the next action."
"There has to be a valid reason, but I can't think of any reason that is"
"Menglang Temple."
Chen Chen interrupted Bao Xiaomei and said:
"This is a war, and mobilization can no longer rely solely on money and loot."
"You have to give them some value."
"The best thing is to have faith."
"Inform us, before departure, we will ask the eminent monks of Menglang Temple to pray and give everyone war tattoos!"