Chapter 542: 542 clumsy dispatch
Chapter 542 542 Clumsy dispatch
The third prince is assembling his troops. Due to the disjointed command and dispatch and the chaos in the war zone, his troops are gathering very slowly.
No one dared to assemble troops on a large scale under the attack of the Tang Air Force, but without assembling the troops there was no way to mobilize, which almost put the Qi army into an infinite loop.
The grassroots troops relied entirely on communications troops to send messages, so their efficiency was naturally not comparable to that of the Tang Army, which had radio equipment.
The backward army command system forced the Qi Army's commanders to dare not let their troops leave the camp in small groups.
If they do this, then the Qi army will not have to fight the Tang army at all, and they will fall into a state of collapse.
Therefore, more than two hours after the order was issued, the third prince found that most of the troops in his hands were still lingering in place without any sign of movement.
At this rate, he could not expect these troops to leave the camp by tonight.
Most of the time, many troops still hope to have a peaceful sleep in the camp or position, and then consider actions early the next morning.
"They are disobeying me! They are harming me!" The third prince was already furious in his headquarters.
Originally, what he thought was that he would retreat quickly, lead his troops northward, and assume a posture of returning to defend Nanye. At least he could stabilize his flank and get closer to the royal city.
But the delay in mobilizing troops made him collapse. Calculated by time, the Tang army was almost close to Nanye at this time. If he didn't hurry up and something went wrong in Nanye, he would really be stuck in Luo Town. .
"Your Highness! The 3rd Army is already moving north. With them here, we still have hope." Seeing the third prince throwing a teacup on the ground in frustration, Qian Qian, the general who assisted him, comforted him.
"After all, there are still capable ministers." When the third prince heard that the most elite 3rd Army in his hands had perfectly executed his orders, his face looked a little better and he praised it.
He is very anxious now, because the battle situation in front of him is completely different from what he expected before, which makes him very insecure.
The previous strategic plan was that the Tang Army would try to seek breakthroughs along the entire front. No matter where the Tang Army chose to attack, it would be held back by the defensive positions, and then the Qi Army could calmly wait for reinforcements.
The middle war zone where the eldest prince is stationed is most likely to be attacked, but the western front where the third prince is stationed is actually the safest!
Because this place is close to the Dahua Empire, if the Tang army cannot attack for a long time, reinforcements from the Dahua Empire will arrive in time. When the two armies merge into one place, the Tang army will immediately fall into passivity.
But this seemingly perfect defense plan was completely disrupted the day after the battle broke out. The Tang army broke through the defense line of the Third Prince, and then cut off the connection between Dahua and Qi from the side.
What's even more frightening is that the Tang army that invaded the hinterland of Qi State is so powerful that it has disrupted all the deployment of the Qi army. It seems that I want to fight quickly.
"Don't worry, Your Highness! The 3rd Army is here. We will base ourselves in Luozhen and move north towards Nanye. Once we get there, we will be in an invincible position." The general continued to console him.
Looking again at the subordinate who had given him a lot of good ideas, the third prince meaningfully repeated what he had just said: "After all, there are still capable ministers."
After he finished sighing, before he could say anything more, an officer rushed in anxiously. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted loudly: "A call from the Royal City! Your Majesty's order! The 3rd Army is required to go north immediately and guard Luo Town."
"It seems that our father and we are going together." The third prince was overjoyed and laughed loudly: "With the order from our father, we can change our name."
"Congratulations, Your Highness! It seems that Your Majesty has also seen the danger of Luo Town and asked the 3rd Army to go over and stabilize the situation..." The general was obviously relieved and hurriedly flattered him.
The third prince was in a good mood. He looked like he was strategizing on his own and had a better vision than his father. He made strategic arrangements in advance. He shook his head and said: "Call your father back and tell me that I have ordered the 3rd Army to go north and stationed in Luo. Town."
"Yes!" The officer immediately went to call back after hearing the order.
Not two minutes after the officer left, another officer rushed into the headquarters with a pale face, shouting mournfully: "Your Highness! Oh no, Your Highness! Luo Town, Luo Town is lost!"
The third prince was shocked when he heard this, and the general beside him was also startled. He immediately asked sharply: "What nonsense are you talking about? Luo Zhen, how could Luo Zhen be lost?"
At this moment, the third prince also reacted. He had sent his armored troops to support Luo Town in advance. How could it be lost so easily?
So he also asked sternly: "Lying about the military situation! Shaking the morale of the army! How could Luo Town be lost! There are two regiments of troops there!" If you count the tanks sent there, it means that there are 10 tanks deployed near Luo Town. With almost a division of troops and so many people defending a small town, how could they not be able to defend it for even a day!
“3,000 infantrymen, relying on the buildings in the town, and the enemy is charging, how can they not be able to withstand it for several hours? Huh?” The general standing next to the third prince also shouted.
"Your Highness, this... this... I really don't know about this." In desperation, the officer stuttered a little: "The news came back from the telegraph station in Luo Town. I'm just here to deliver the message!"
Because it is a transportation hub and an important supply town in the rear, Luo Town has a telegraph station.
However, before they even had time to ask for support, the Qi army stationed in Luo Town was defeated by the Tang army. Therefore, the radio station in Luozhen could only send a telegram to the third prince to report the fact that Luozhen was lost when the Qi army was defeated.
“Get out! Get out!” The third prince waved his hands vigorously, shouting as if he was unwilling to accept the reality. The officer quickly left the command post as if he had been granted amnesty.
"What should we... do?" The third prince, who had no idea, looked at the general beside him and asked desperately.
The general was also a little flustered, but he still forced himself to calm down. He thought for a few seconds and then said: "We have no choice, Your Highness! Take Luo Town back! Otherwise, this 100,000-strong army... will be completely destroyed."
In fact, there are no more than 100,000 troops that they can find now. In total, they can barely scrape together 70,000 to 80,000 troops, which is already the limit. But I still have to say this. Who is willing to accept the cruel reality that he has lost more than half?
"Can I... we... take it back?" the third prince asked with some uncertainty - although the 3rd Army was his elite, the combat effectiveness of the Tang Army really frightened the third prince.
"Your Highness, if the line between Luozhen and Nanye cannot be opened, we will have no choice but to wait for death." The general analyzed: "Without Luozhen, the eldest prince will also have no railway support. He will inevitably solve his own problems." Supply issues.”
"..." The third prince did not speak. He looked at the other party, waiting for the other party to speak more clearly.
The general did not give in and continued to explain: "The only remaining retreat road that can allow the army to obtain supplies along the way is along the railway on the Second Prince's side."
He pointed on the map: "This railway will be used by the second prince when he leads his troops back to the royal city, and by the eldest prince when he leads his troops back to the royal city. It's our turn... when will it be?"
The third prince suddenly realized that if he wanted to run, he could only be the one on the back in order of distance! Even a fool can figure out the consequences of running away in the end.
Not to mention whether his two brothers would let him run away, whether Tang Jun would give him a chance or not was a question.
After thinking about this key point, the third prince gritted his teeth and decided to bet his fate on taking back Luo Town - he couldn't escape anyway, so he would try his best here in case he won.
"Order the 3rd Army to continue going north! No matter the cost! Retake Luo Town!" The third prince, who had everything on his mind, ordered hysterically: "The follow-up troops will set off when they are ready! Launch a fierce attack on Luo Town! Whoever takes back Luo Town!" Zhen, who is my savior!”
"I will go to the front line to supervise the battle! If we don't take back Luo Town, I will die there!" The Qi general put on his military cap and promised the third prince.
"You go there first, and I'll be there soon! I hope that when we meet again, we will be in Luozhen Town!" The third prince was also aroused and said fiercely.
When the third prince ordered the 3rd Army, his direct force, to go north, the eldest prince also immediately began to assemble the 1st Army as soon as he received Jiang Xian's order.
At the same time, he also strengthened the 100 Cyric Type 1 tanks that Cyric supported him to the 1st Army. The purpose is to ensure that after arriving in Luozhen, his elite 1st Army has the ability to break through the enemy's defense line.
At the same time, the Tang Army in Luo Town was also busy. The 1st Armored Division received an order to defend Luo Town at all costs.
Grenadier troops are reinforcing the defensive positions built by the Qi army in the town, and they have also built some new fortifications outside the town.
In addition to increasing machine gun fire support on both wings, the Tang Army also deployed artillery behind the town. In addition to the 105mm self-propelled artillery that attacked with the tanks, there was also the towed 155mm howitzer that had just arrived.
For the Tang Army, this is already the largest caliber support artillery. It has a long range and is powerful, and can be towed by trucks.
On the other hand, in order to support the troops on the ground, the Tang Air Force also stopped supporting the Tang Army's ground troops attacking in the direction of Nanye, and instead focused on the 1st Armored Division.
Hundreds of planes were loaded with bombs and waiting to take off. For a moment, everyone's attention seemed to be focused on Luo Town.
(End of this chapter)