Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 680 The old thief’s good plan
"After more than a month of fighting, the navy has basically gained control of the sea in the Indian Ocean. A few days ago, the Chinese navy discovered and attacked Socotra Island. However, the six heavy cruisers stationed there fought hard with the enemy and successfully repelled the enemy. Although one of our heavy cruisers was sunk and two were severely damaged in that naval battle, the enemy's fleet also suffered heavy losses. Therefore, in the short term, the threat of the enemy's navy in the Indian Ocean to our transport fleet will be greatly reduced.
Because of this, we expect the third batch of troops to land ahead of schedule. Now, thanks to the restoration of the infrastructure at the Port of Goa, the speed of unloading has been significantly accelerated. Therefore, the Navy expects to transport the last batch of 200,000 troops and their equipment to the Port of Goa before July 20, and unload them within five days.
The next plan of the navy is: 1. The first fleet with the Barcelo as the core is mainly responsible for the safety of the transport route from Egypt to Socotra and then to Goa. 2. The second fleet with the Marquis and the Duke as the core continues to patrol the east side of the Bay of Bengal to prevent the Chinese transport fleet from supporting their troops in India. 3. Collect a large number of local Indian ships and organize local Indians to clear the minefields in the Ceylon Strait for us. The navy will strive to bombard the port of Colombo and land there within September. At that time, the support of the army will be needed. "
After Count Alfonso finished speaking, everyone at the meeting nodded: Before this expedition, His Majesty Philip had already said that the entire Ceylon Island would be the fief of the navy soldiers in the future. After more than a month of fighting, although the army was advancing triumphantly, the most important thing was that the navy had control of the sea. Therefore, when the navy really wanted to land in Ceylon, the army would definitely help.
"Your Excellency, there is no problem. As long as the navy can ensure the safety of the Ceylon Strait, the army will dispatch at least three divisions to help you conquer Ceylon."
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty Gustav. I have nothing more to report."
"Okay, then, Major General Constantine, what about you?"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty Gustav, everyone. Of the 300,000 army soldiers and 60,000 logistics support personnel who landed in the first two batches, more than 100,000 have caught a cold or heat stroke. And because our hospital ship was sunk by the damn Chinese on the way to Goa, countless medical supplies and a large number of skilled doctors and nurses accompanied the Princess Isabella to the bottom of the sea. So in the face of such a large-scale epidemic, we lack medical staff and medicines... Now, the situation summarized to me is that every day, we have at least 200 seriously ill people dying in great pain..."
"Damn it! After more than a month of landing, so many battles, and so many stubborn opponents, our casualties on the battlefield did not exceed 40,000! This damn weather actually knocked down 100,000 people in one go!"
"We can't go on like this." Gustav stood up and knocked on the table vigorously. "Everyone, we can't let our brave soldiers fall to humble bacteria and viruses instead of the enemy's guns. Mr. Alfonso, please ask the navy to coordinate with the rear as soon as possible and ask them to send another batch of military doctors, nurses and medicines."
"As you command, Your Majesty. Once the rear has gathered all the personnel and supplies, I will personally escort them."
"Sir Constantine , I suggest you consult a local Indian doctor. Indians have lived in this hot and humid environment for a long time, so they must have some corresponding ways to deal with it."
"Your Majesty, I have recruited a large number of local Indian doctors to work in our military medical department. They generally say that this is due to our bodies' own inability to adapt..."
"Well, in short, we need to recover as many soldiers as possible. Every soldier is a valuable asset to His Majesty Philip and the European Union!"
"I will do my best, Your Majesty."
"Well, then the remaining 160,000 or 70,000 soldiers of ours shouldn't be a big problem now, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The local Indian doctors said that there has been no illness for more than a month, and the body should have adapted. They cannot guarantee that none of the more than 100,000 soldiers will get sick, but at least there will not be a large-scale outbreak like the previous batch of soldiers."
"That's good. Then, let's start discussing the next battle plan. Oh, by the way, before that, I would like to inform you of the Chinese troop deployment in northern India that we just got... In short, the current Chinese troop deployment is very simple: more than 60,000 miscellaneous troops are stationed at the mouth of the Indus River, and these miscellaneous troops are currently retreating inland. However, no matter where they retreat to, it is the Ottomans' job to eliminate them, and it has nothing to do with us. The five Chinese divisions that have come from their homeland are all concentrated in Kanpur in the middle reaches of the Ganges. Well, this is indeed a fatal transportation route, and we must take it. However, the enemy is gathered together, which also allows us to concentrate our forces together. 150,000 to 75,000, we have a troop advantage."
"…Your Majesty, are our scouts so powerful? They were able to obtain such detailed information about the enemy's troop deployment from such a far distance?"
"Hahaha..." After taking a quick look at the meeting place, Gustav said in a deep voice: "Everyone present here is a senior officer of the coalition forces, so I will reveal a little information. We have recruited a spy from within the enemy army. This matter is very important for the coalition forces to obtain intelligence in the next step, so please be sure to keep it confidential!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
…
At the same time, 30 kilometers south of Agra, beside a beautiful river, two men wearing traditional Indian saris but with Chinese hair buns were leisurely fishing, being served by a large group of dark-skinned servants who were obviously of low caste.
"The news from the south has come back. They have agreed to my request. They also agreed to do as my idea suggests. So, Geng'er, you can leave later."
"...Yes, father. But your son is wondering, do you really think that the Ming Dynasty is failing?"
"I don't know whether Daming will do it or not, but I know that if I don't take this step, our Li family will really be in trouble."
Taking a deep breath, Li Yongfang threw the fishing rod aside. "My father was born in Liaodong as a military household. Compared with a playboy like Mao Wenlong, his family background is clean. In the past in Kuandian, my father served Xiong Tingbi in all kinds of ways, while Mao Wenlong only knew how to train soldiers foolishly all day long. In the Battle of Sarhu, Mao Wenlong commanded the musketeers to hide behind the barricades and fire safely, while my father had to lead the cavalry to fight the Jiannu in close combat... Such a difference, my father is not a matter of not doing worse than Mao Wenlong, but much better than him! But how did the court treat me after the war? Over the past 20 years, Mao Wenlong has been promoted all the way and has become one of the few generals in the Ming Army. But what about my father? Deputy Chief Instructor of the Reserve Force! His military rank is only a major general! Even the scoundrels like Luo Xiong and Zhang Hong have higher military ranks than my father! Humph, the Ming Emperor has been unable to judge people, and it has not been a day or two."
Glancing at his eldest son who remained silent, Li Yongfang casually lit a cigarette, took a few deep puffs and said, "The emperor forbade generals to adopt servants, and later implemented the military household reform. Humph, adopting servants and controlling military households have been the rules for hundreds of years. He said he would change it? On the surface, he increased the salaries of soldiers, but for a large number of officers, this little increase in salary is far less than the salary that could support tens of thousands of military households in the past! In the past, he was strong, and Japan and Siam were too weak, so no one dared to attack. But now, the Europeans are here, and it is said that the Ottomans are coming too. Under the pressure of such a strong opponent, there will naturally be more people with different thoughts in their hearts. By then, you will find that it is not just your father who is dissatisfied with the emperor!"
"Father, that's you. But since I joined the army, I have never seen any servants or military households."
"Hahaha, Li Yangeng, you are also 46 this year, right? May I ask what your military rank is? Lieutenant Colonel, and you were promoted to this rank after coming to India. Otherwise, if you haven't reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the age of 45, you would have to retire to the local area. Look at Cao Wenzhao, he is 47 years old and already a general!"
"...Father is absolutely right. The emperor is not fair in employing people."
"In addition to this, you have to see that after we came to India, in just three years, we have ruled over a million acres of land and have tens of thousands of slaves. If we all withdraw to the mainland of the Ming Dynasty, then this family business will be ruined! Considering the habit of the Ming Emperor who has been so unkind to our family over the years, even if our whole family returns, the most we can get is a resettlement fee! What's more, Mao Wenlong actually committed suicide. Hey, it's a good thing that I desperately saved him at that time... Well, the Indian Army has no deputy commander. Once he dies, I will become the highest living military commander. Who knows, I will be arrested and tried in a military court! If things go wrong, my family will be destroyed! I'm stupid to go back! As a human being, loyalty to the emperor and patriotism are all empty. The right thing to do is to pass down your family from generation to generation and make it more and more prosperous!"
"Then why does father want me to continue staying in Daming?"
"This is also part of the deal between me and the King of Sweden in the south. I am old, and if I cannot be promoted to lieutenant general, I will have to retire in two years. Do you think I can be promoted to lieutenant general again after the defeat in the Deccan? So, if I go back, I will retire early if I am lucky. If I am unlucky, I will go to jail. No matter what the outcome is, I will completely withdraw from the military of the Ming Dynasty. In this way, I will not be able to continue to provide intelligence to the Europeans. For an old man who has lost his usefulness, why should others protect your manor from any infringement, and continue to expand your manor to ensure the interests of the Li family?
But you are different. You saved Mao Wenlong's life in the Deccan Campaign, although the old man committed suicide later. But for this alone, Mao Chengdou is very grateful to you. Mao Wenlong is a general after all, and he has a lot of disciples in the army. As long as Mao Chengdou supports you, it will be easy for you to be promoted again. At that time, you can continuously provide intelligence to the Europeans. In this way, the interests of my Li family in India will be protected. "
"But father, it's useless for me to go back alone. Even if I commit suicide out of shame, it's useless. I still have a lot of brothers and sisters."
"Who said you were going to avenge your father who committed suicide out of shame? Our Li family has such a large estate, what does it mean that the Europeans did not harm anyone? Do you think the Jinyiwei are vegetarians? When you returned, you should have reported directly to Huang Degong and Wen Tiren and said that your father had betrayed you. And because you were loyal to the Ming Dynasty, you severed all ties with the old villain Li Yongfang and returned to the Ming Dynasty alone."
"But father, if this happens, my son will definitely be under close surveillance in the short term. What's this information?"
"You are stupid. This is a long-term undercover mission. As long as you are still in the military in Ming Dynasty, the Europeans will protect our Li family. So, it doesn't matter if we can't send back the information in the short term. Besides, what if Ming Dynasty really fights back? At that time, your father will definitely commit suicide early to avoid humiliation, and at that time, you can stand up and protect the Li family!"
Glancing at his son who still didn't quite understand, Li Yongfang threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and patted his son's shoulder heavily: "You are also in your forties, and you studied in Fangshan in your early years. You should know that for us Han people, the first thing we value is the survival of the family, and then other things. In the late Han Dynasty, the Xun family bet on Cao Cao and Yuan Shao respectively, and the Zhuge family bet on the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu. And not only us Han people, but also Japanese, look at the Sanada family, they bet on both Tokugawa and Toyotomi in the past. Doing this can ensure that no matter which side wins, the family name can be guaranteed to survive. In order to achieve this goal, your father will not hesitate to bear the infamy of a traitor, and you must also dare to face all possible dangers."
"Yes, father, I understand."
