Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 627: The Boy Who Knows When to Advance and When to Retreat
"Commander, the enemy has launched another attack. The Japanese division defending the southwest wing currently has only about 2,300 combat soldiers left, and is unable to defend the long line of defense. The commander of the Japanese division, Yukimasa Sanada, requests tactical guidance from the commander."
"…Tell Commander Sanada not to retreat even a single step and to defend the line. I will send the guard battalion to support him."
"yes!"
After the messenger withdrew, Mao Wenlong took a deep breath and said, "All the staff officers under the age of 40 in the headquarters should stop their work, go to the quartermaster's office to choose the weapons they like, and then support the Japanese division together with the guard battalion."
As soon as he gave this order, the headquarters, which was bustling and lively, suddenly became quiet. Then the young staff officers put down their work one after another, tidied their clothes, came to Mao Wenlong one by one, saluted, and finally left here quickly.
"I say." Zhang Hong, who was standing beside him, watched the solemn scene in the headquarters without saying a word at first. After the young staff officers, even several staff officers in their forties, saluted and left, he spoke up, "At least two regiments of my division have arrived. How about I let them go first?"
"No." Mao Wenlong shook his head slowly. "It's only been twelve days. My original plan was to hold out for fifteen days. What if there are more dangerous moments in the next three days?"
"That's right. Hey, it's been twelve days. I wonder where the reinforcements are?"
"It's hard to say. Cheng Dou went east, which might be a better option. I sent him to the west to convey the message to the two generals. What if he was intercepted and killed? After all, we are fighting in the heart of the enemy country."
"Yeah." Zhang Hong nodded heavily. "Even if they weren't intercepted and the message was successfully delivered , it would take a long time for the reinforcements to return after a round trip of thousands of kilometers. When we entered North Korea to drive out the Japanese, the distance from the Yalu River to Busan was only a little over a thousand kilometers, right? This is the difference between a big country and a small country. The strategic depth is really too great."
"Yes." Mao Wenlong also sighed: " When I was studying at the Military Academy, the emperor told us that for a big country, it is never afraid of being swallowed up, but the most feared is cannibalization. But now we have penetrated more than a thousand kilometers into the enemy's territory starting from Calcutta. Isn't this a swallowing up?"
"Brother Zhennan, what do you mean by this? Are you questioning the emperor's inconsistency between his words and deeds?"
"How dare I? As a general of the country, if I can survive this battle, I will report to the emperor and remind him that the Mughal country is not as easy to deal with as Japan and Siam we encountered before."
"I am from Fangshan, and I totally disagree with what you just said, Brother Zhennan. But..." Zhang Hong emphasized, "The command of this battle is now in your hands, and I will resolutely obey your command. So, as long as you think the time is right, please give me an order, and I will execute your order without compromise."
"Thank you!"
The conversation could not go on any further. Zhang Hong bowed slightly to Mao Wenlong and left.
"Hey, these guys from Fangshan are loyal, but they are foolishly loyal. As generals of the country, of course they must obey the emperor's will unconditionally. But when the emperor's will is obviously wrong, shouldn't they bravely stand up and make suggestions to the emperor?"
Shaking his head, Mao Wenlong suppressed his worries as much as possible, and then called together the seven or eight middle-aged staff officers left in the headquarters: "Everyone, I will now give you a task, to formulate a counterattack plan."
"Fight back?"
"Yes, the enemy has been attacking our defense line for twelve days. We are working hard, but the enemy is working even harder. I think the enemy is also exhausted, and the soldiers are very tired of war. Therefore, I suggest that we formulate a counterattack plan with the two regiments of Major General Zhang Hong's Marine Division as the core."
"I see, I understand!"
"That's right. The worst thing about defense is to keep quiet. Now it's time for us to counterattack!"
…
Seven or eight kilometers south of Patna city, late at night on March 29, the camp of Aurangzeb's army was still brightly lit and crowded with people.
"Your Highness, as of the end of the last attack this afternoon, our army has now lost more than 7,360 men, more than 9,800 men are seriously injured and can no longer fight, and 10,360 men are slightly injured and need time to recover."
"Your Highness, our army currently has less than 3,000 howitzer shells. There are less than 1,000 mortar shells. For submachine gun bullets, on average, all soldiers who can go to the front line now only have 16 magazines."
"According to the information from the outer security forces on the west side, the enemy in the direction of Kanpur has sent a force of no less than 30,000 troops along the Ganges River. It will take at most a day and a half to reach our army."
"Our secret sentries on the north bank of the Ganges have sent word that since about 5,000 enemy troops crossed the river and entered Patna three days ago, no new enemy troops have entered the city from the north bank."
Aurangzeb now led four divisions, not to mention the fully-formed Ottoman division, and the other three divisions were also built completely according to the EU or Ottoman division structure. Above the four divisions, there was also a complete headquarters staff.
Listening to the information collected by his staff from all sides, the fifteen-year-old boy frowned and looked reluctant.
It has been twelve days since we besieged Patna, an important logistics hub for the Chinese. We have all the advantages, but we just can't take it!
Those damn Zhendan people seem to have some kind of magical power. They are always able to persist in fighting in the most difficult circumstances until the last bit of their strength is exhausted.
Is it necessary to do this? You are not defending your own country. You are invaders!
However, the enemy's first batch of reinforcements had already entered the city three days ago. The second batch of reinforcements was also on the way. If he did not take Patna in the next one or two days, his army, whose actual combat power had been reduced by half, would not be able to stop the enemy's new reinforcements!
What a pity! If we can really take Patna, the enemy army will not be able to connect the front and rear, and the logistics transportation will be threatened, which will definitely cause chaos. Then we will definitely be able to win a brilliant victory!
Unfortunately, the Chinese on the other side seemed to be on the verge of collapse every day, giving people the feeling that they only needed to be attacked once more. However, after each attack, our side still could not completely defeat them.
After all, the troops I brought this time were a little too few. If I could be given three to five years, I would be able to fully restore the production capacity of all the factories in Andhra Pradesh. I would be able to use all the weapons and ammunition sent to me by the EU and the Ottoman Empire to train and build an army of 200,000. If...
Alas, the Chinese emperor is really powerful. He really won't give me more time to grow. However, I won't let you get what you want easily.
"Order."
As soon as the voice came out, all the officers in the tent stopped their work and waited respectfully for Aurangzeb's order: during this period of time, everyone was impressed by the talent, courage and magnanimity of this young man. No one looked down on him because of his age.
"The General Staff will immediately implement the pre-made retreat plan. Our troops must evacuate the battlefield by tomorrow night at the latest!"
"Your Highness?"
"Your Highness, did I hear you wrong?"
"Yes, Your Highness, we are about to win."
"Your Highness, even if the enemy's reinforcements are about to arrive, we still have time. Tomorrow, tomorrow I promise, we will capture Patna."
"No." After letting the officers below shout for a while, Aurangzeb smiled and shook his head: "We have no time, the danger is getting closer! Besides, we have suffered such a heavy loss now. Even if we sacrifice 5,000 or 6,000 brothers tomorrow and take Patna, what will happen? Facing the enemy's reinforcements, can we hold on?"
Looking at the officers who had quieted down, Aurangzeb said leisurely, "It is said that a saint in Zhendan once said, 'If you save the land and lose the people, you lose both the land and the people; if you save the people and lose the land, both the people and the land will be saved.' This time, we have done our best for the security of this country. Through these tragic battles, we have trained our new army and gained a large number of loyal and reliable officers and soldiers who have experienced the test of blood and fire. How to bring such an army, including its wounded soldiers, back to Andhra safely is our biggest task at present. Ladies and gentlemen, we should take a long-term view and not care about the gains and losses of a fixed goal. I firmly believe that with you and the unique land like Andhra, when we return there and train the troops well, I firmly believe that the final victory will definitely be ours."
"...I will obey your orders, Your Highness!"
"Your wisdom is no less than that of our country's Grand Vizier. We firmly believe that you will create a glory in the Eastern Kingdom of Stars and Moon that is no less than that of our country's Grand Vizier."
"Thank you for your support. Then, please mobilize everyone. We will retreat in an orderly manner by tomorrow night at the latest!"
