Chapter 726: 726 Lessons from History

Chapter 726: 726 Lessons from History

Chapter 726 726 Lessons from History

“There are too few troops, so we still have to focus on encircling and annihilating Qian Jinhang’s troops.” Tang Mo stared at the map and said to Loew and others standing behind him.

"Although I am an outsider and do not want to interfere with the general's command on the battlefield, attacking Jiange is indeed a desperate move." Tang Mo focused on the city of Jiange and continued to speak.

The Tang Army invested about 40,000 troops in the direction of Jiange, only about two divisions, and these troops had to be dispersed on a fairly wide defensive front.

 Although this defensive front is actually an offensive front now, it is very dangerous to try to control such a vast area with such a small number of troops.

"Although it is more beneficial for us to capture the sword pavilion, this plan actually exceeds the capabilities of the entire army." Tang Mo was also a little reluctant, because capturing the sword pavilion would indeed have many benefits for the Tang State.

From a macro perspective, obtaining a strategic stronghold on the west side of Zangjian Gorge will allow the Tang army to maintain a high-pressure posture in the southeastern region of Greater China, and can use less troops to contain a large number of enemy troops.

This bridgehead can also directly threaten Dahua’s cities west of Zangjian Gorge and shake the foundation of the entire Dahua Empire.

Of course, from a war point of view, as long as the sword pavilion is mastered, the Zangjian Gorge defense line of the Dahua army will be incomplete, and natural danger will no longer be natural danger.

And it is consistent with Dahua's judgment: after capturing Jiange, the Tang army can completely disrupt the Dahua Empire's strategic deployment in the southeast before the Qin troops approach the battlefield. This is definitely a way to solve the Dahua Empire once and for all.

To put it figuratively speaking, taking Jiange is like the Song Dynasty that lost Yan Yun. Strategically, it was in a position of being passively attacked.

 It's a pity that although there are many benefits, Tang Jun really has no way to forcefully eat this delicious-looking fat in his mouth.

It was not that Tang Mo had never thought about this. He even redeployed his troops and tried to squeeze out some troops from other directions to strengthen the attack in the direction of Jiange.

 But after a lot of hard work, only about 40,000 troops were mobilized - which seemed to be quite a lot, but unfortunately it was still a little far from Tang Mo's expectations.

The subsequent 30th Division and 31st Division had no problem filling up the defense line, but they were still a little unable to directly attack Jiange.

These two troops are newly formed second-line infantry garrison troops. It is unrealistic to expect them to run rampant like armored troops, and it is obvious that more than 40,000 troops are needed to capture Jiange.

Jiange is not Wangchun City, which is a large city with a population of more than 500,000. It used to be the transportation hub and commercial core of the Dahua Empire in the southeast region. Nowadays, there are many industrial layouts, and the population is growing rapidly.

This kind of place would have been a big city even in the Tang Dynasty, let alone the Dahua Empire. To capture such a city, it was definitely not enough for the Tang army to invest tens of thousands of people.

Because it is impossible for the 40,000 Tang troops to be reinforced later to devote themselves to street fighting. They also have to consolidate their defense line along the Zangjian Gorge and maintain the safety of the rear supply line... The troops that can be directly used for a strong attack may not even be 20,000. Less than.

In other words, Tang Mo was able to invest a little more than one division of troops in Jiange at full strength. To achieve the strategic goal of capturing and holding Jiange, it could be described as a drop in the bucket.

Therefore, Tang Mo rationally decided not to consider the unrealistic idea of ​​eating the Great China Empire in one go for the time being, and first steadily completed the established strategic goals he set before the war.

"Don't be impatient! You can't eat hot tofu in an impatient manner!" Tang Mo comforted the military generals: "As long as we complete our goals, isn't it a victory?"

“Having said that, it’s still a bit frustrating to not be able to take advantage of the benefits in front of you.” Loew was actually a little reluctant, because many generals in the staff were very optimistic about the decision to attack Jiange.

In the eyes of these staff officers, capturing Jiange and defeating the Great China Empire is the truly great victory! For this victory, we can even temporarily ignore the southern oil fields of the Dahua Empire.

They believe that since there are oil fields in Longdao, Tang’s demand for oil is not that urgent. As long as Jiange is captured, it can be said to be a piece of cake to take back the southern oil fields.

　　This voice from the general staff brought back some unclear but unforgettable memories in Tang Mo: it was a difficult choice about whether to attack Moscow first or the Caucasus first.

In that difficult choice, the man with a mustache on his lips chose the most greedy "I want it all." As a result, he got nothing in the end and lost the entire war.

Tang Mo decided to learn from experience and lessons and not waver in strategic goals, so he decided to strictly implement the plan according to the plan, not allowing the troops to complete tasks beyond their capabilities, and to steadily take the safest share. "There is nothing to be depressed about! Order the troops to stop attacking at Zangjian Gorge! The main force continues to go south, block Qian Jinhang, eat him, and cannot let him retreat!" Tang Mo made a firm decision.

 In fact, things were not as simple as the staff thought: once the Tang army focused on the sword pavilion, it would also trigger a series of variables.

The biggest problem is that Qian Jinhang may lead his troops to retreat to Nanfengkou, where there are strong fortifications built by the Great China Empire and a large amount of strategic materials are also stored there.

As long as Qian Jinhang stayed at the mouth of the south wind, backed by the southern oil fields of the Dahua Empire, and could obtain supplies from the direction of Chu, it was equivalent to revitalizing the entire southern region at once.

At that time, it became unknown whether the Tang army could successfully occupy the previous strategic target, which was the southern oil fields of the Dahua Empire, under such complicated circumstances.

Therefore, Tang Mo believes that by occupying Nanfengkou as quickly as possible and blocking the nearly 800,000 Dahua troops in the wilderness and destroying them, the southern oil fields will become fish on the chopping block, and Datang will be able to take whatever they want from them. .

 The reason why the General Staff made the judgment that both Jiange and the Oilfield had a chance to be captured was entirely because the frontline troops fought so well. Soldiers gave commanders too much confidence, which led to some strategic misjudgments among decision makers.

"Don't think too highly of yourself, and don't think too low of your opponents... Loew, victory will make people unable to see the road ahead. The main reason why I set up the staff department is that we need a group of people to correct each other's mistakes, and You're not looking for a group of people to be stupid together!" Tang Mo walked to Loew's side and patted his shoulder to remind him.

Fortunately, in the world before he came here, the mustache who almost conquered the whole of Europe had made similar mistakes. At that time, the powerful Third Reich believed that its opponent was a shabby house, and it would be destroyed with just one kick. Collapsed.

It is a pity that history proves that the dilapidated house did not collapse after being kicked, and a group of sturdy men came out...

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, we were slacking off." Loew lowered his head and admitted his mistake with some shame.

"It doesn't matter, the telegram orders Redman to continue attacking southward! Give the supplies to the troops in the south!" Tang Mo directly ordered: "I was also confused by the excellent performance of the 1st Armored Division before, until a few hours later. I realized before that our snake is not capable of swallowing an elephant, at least...not yet.”

A few minutes later, a telegram was sent to Redman, who had already arrived at Wangchun City. He had just chosen his headquarters when an officer sent a telegram from Chang'an.

"Your Majesty ordered us to capture Nanfengkou according to the planned plan..." Redman handed the message to his chief of staff: "The supplies of the logistics force must also be given priority to the troops attacking from the south."

"Your Majesty is still cautious." The chief of staff took the message and breathed a sigh of relief: "General, after receiving this message, you can finally take a rest, right?"

“I can’t sleep.” Redman rubbed his sour eyes and groaned tiredly: “My stomach also started to feel uncomfortable yesterday...”

"You eat too irregularly, and you are too confused by always eating dry bread." The chief of staff reminded Redman to pay attention to his health: "You should pay attention to it."

"Are you still talking about me? Haven't we been eating together recently?" Redman twisted his neck and then exhaled: "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go lie down. If anything happens, I'll call you immediately." Wake me up...don't delay anything!"

"I understand! I will keep an eye on the 1st Armored Division. If something goes wrong, of course I know the seriousness and will definitely wake you up." The chief of staff has actually not slept properly for two days and two nights, but compared to As for Redman, his condition is somewhat better.

 They all occasionally close their eyes for a while on a bumpy car, and when eating, they usually swallow a few mouthfuls in the car or on the side of the road.

There is no way, the troops are always advancing, and Redman prefers to advance with the troops so that he can be closer to the front line - this is a habit developed by old commanders, and the same is true for Tiger.

They don’t trust communication equipment very much, and they always feel that there is a gap between the reports of their subordinates and the facts, so they are always used to seeing things in person. This is a good habit, but of course it is also a bad habit.

Hearing what his chief of staff said, Redman walked into the bedroom nearby. He didn't even have time to take off his military uniform, so he lay down on the bed and snored.

The chief of staff smiled and helped his commander close the door, then walked to the place where he had just talked on the phone and grabbed the receiver: "Draw up an encrypted document and send a telegram to the 1st Armored Division, ordering them to only Can advance to Zangjian Gorge!"

 (End of this chapter)