Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 706: Bai Qi's Operation Begins
Due to the opening of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, the Ming central government received the news of the Ottoman invasion very quickly. The reason why no reinforcements were sent for four months was that the deployment of troops was a bit stretched.
The Ming army had only 32 divisions in reserve, and 18 of them were stationed in the south. Of the remaining 14, excluding the nearly 3 divisions that Man Gui had concentrated in Lhasa, the Privy Council was also preparing to dispatch 7 divisions to the south. In this way, there were only 4 divisions in the entire Ming inland area.
As the Spanish always controlled the sea, although this possibility was extremely low, it was necessary to guard against the possibility that the Spanish would suddenly change the direction of attack and directly send heavy troops to the Ming mainland by sea. Therefore, the four divisions concentrated in northern Zhili were the court's last mobile forces and could not be withdrawn in any way.
In short, Xinjiang can only rely on reserve forces and militia now. If it wants large-scale regular military support, it has to wait until Man Gui in Lhasa receives the news and sends reinforcements.
However, the road from Xinjiang to the snowy area... The enemy invaded in early March, and it is now the end of June. The messenger should have just arrived in Lhasa.
Therefore, whether it was Wu Sangui or Yuan Chonghuan, their hard days would continue for quite a long time.
While these two were frowning in Xinjiang, on the other side, a group of young people were ready to fight.
"Hey, Li Changsheng, why? We are all lieutenant company commanders and second lieutenant platoon leaders, and you are the only captain. Well, captain is captain, who made you the first in all subjects in the graduation exam. But, in my Ming army, the battalion commander is usually a major. Since when did a captain become a battalion commander?"
"Hmph." Li Dingguo, who had just turned 22, snorted softly, and then said with a joking expression: "What's the matter, Captain Zhang Jinliang, are you dissatisfied with working under this battalion commander? While these reserve divisions have not yet been fully reorganized, you can apply for a transfer order."
"I..." Zhang Huangyan was almost hurt by Li Dingguo's words. For a moment, he really wanted to apply for transfer and be done with it. But, after calming down a little, he knew that this was impossible: being assigned to the same unit with the best classmates in the military academy and being able to take care of each other is something that many people envy. Didn't you see that Zhang Tongchang, Li Laiheng, Mu Tianbo and others were all in different divisions?
As for Zheng Chenggong? He inherited his father's ambition and now boarded Inukai Toji's flagship and became a gunner.
"Ah, I don't know if I can get used to it after successfully boarding the ship. The navy of our Ming Dynasty is really weak to the extreme at the moment."
"Don't worry about him. The navy is waiting for the two giant ships to be commissioned by the end of this year, and then they will launch a counterattack. In other words, there is no possibility that he will be killed in battle, at least within this year."
"Zhang Jinliang, why do you say such unpleasant things? Forget it, have you received your troops? How are they?"
Talking about work, Zhang Huangyan also put away his careless expression and said seriously: "My company is responsible for 300 combat soldiers and 20 auxiliary soldiers. At 11 o'clock last night, all the above personnel were in place. After a brief conversation and test, although all the above 320 personnel are from the armed police and reserve forces, the combat soldiers have at least two live-fire shooting experiences in the past. In the gun crew operating the Jaguar (mortar), there is guaranteed to be a scholar who has attended elementary school and can perform simple ballistic calculations. Among the 20 auxiliary personnel, one of the five medical personnel has participated in the three-month short-term training of the Military Medical Department under Fangshan Medical College, and the remaining four are all from local hospitals. The five mechanics are all from various local workshops. If there are some not-so-complicated problems with guns, mortars, etc., they can repair them. The ten cooks are all from major local restaurants. How could they not have tried their cooking skills? But seeing that they are all big and strong, I think they can carry meals and walk briskly when the war is the most intense."
"That's not necessarily true. What if it's just puffiness? Test it carefully when you have time."
"yes!"
"Our battalion, together with the battalion's mobile unit, has a total of 1,000 combat soldiers and 120 various auxiliary personnel. Now everyone is here. Brother Jinliang, in addition to continuing to serve as the commander of the third company, I would also like you to serve as the deputy battalion commander. Would you be so kind as to do me the honor?"
"Forget it. It's not that I don't want to give you face. But if I become the deputy battalion commander, the other two company commanders who came from the regular army will feel uncomfortable. At this time, unity is the most important thing."
"...Brother, you are right. I was too impatient. Haha, with your ability, even if you only have one company, you will achieve good results sooner or later. In that case, I will treat you tonight. Please help me invite the two company commanders to have a small gathering before departure."
"That's great."
It was already July 1641, and the various Ming troops were beginning to gather in the south. Thanks to the opening of the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway (railway ferries were still needed near Wuchang), this large-scale deployment of troops was completed in just a few months.
July 3, Guangxi, Guilin, Governor’s Office.
A huge three-dimensional topographic map was placed in the center of the hall, and surrounding this three-dimensional topographic map was a circle of twinkling generals' stars.
"General Cao Wenzhao has arrived!"
After a uniform standing at attention, all the generals saluted in high spirits: "We greet the general."
"Generals, please be polite and take a seat."
After everyone sat down, Cao Wenzhao glanced around the venue and said, "Everyone knows what we are doing here. This is the first time that the Ming Dynasty has gathered such a large army since the Yongle Dynasty. It can be said that this is an unprecedented large-scale battle.
Of course! This time, the enemy we face is also stronger than ever before. But I firmly believe that we will definitely win this battle. "
"The Ming Dynasty will win!"
"Let's begin the discussion of Bai Qi's battle plan. First, please ask General Liu Zhaosun's special representative, Lieutenant General Luo Xiong, to explain the current situation in Indochina."
"I obey your orders." Luo Xiong, who was born in Fangshan, stood up, took the baton, took a deep breath and said, "Everyone, our headquarters initially had 15 divisions, with 225,000 fully equipped soldiers. After many battles in the past six months, the number of casualties has exceeded 50,000, and the number of lightly and seriously wounded soldiers who cannot go to the battlefield in a short time has also exceeded 50,000. Therefore, our Central South Corps now actually has only about 120,000 combat soldiers. General Liu has reorganized these troops into eight divisions. According to the instructions of the Privy Council, they resisted one by one and retreated slowly. As of June 20th before I went north, my Central South Corps had retreated to Chiang Mai, east of the Nujiang River and west of the Chao Phraya River. And it is planned to continue retreating in the near future until Takeng Prefecture, east of the Chao Phraya River.
As for the enemy, our army has been fighting with the Western bandits for nearly half a year. Conservative estimates show that the Western bandits have suffered no less than 100,000 casualties. Unfortunately, the past six months have been the dry season in Indochina, so there are not many cases of disease among the Western bandits. But now it is early July, and the rainy season has begun in the peninsula . I think there should be more patients among the Western bandits.
As for the fighting power of the Western Bandits, everyone, I am not here to brag about them. But the fighting power of the Western Bandits is really good, the soldiers are brave, and the commander's strategy is also very good. In the past six months, we have also had battles with similar forces, but it was difficult for us to gain an advantage. Therefore, in the subsequent battles, I implore you not to underestimate the enemy... General, I have finished my report. "
"Okay." After nodding slightly, Cao Wenzhao turned to Ma Shilong beside him and said, "Lieutenant General Ma Shilong is the chief of staff for this battle. Now he will explain Bai Qi's battle plan to everyone."
After saluting everyone, Ma Shilong raised his baton: "For this battle, in addition to General Liu Zhaosun's Central South Corps and Lieutenant General Huang Degong's three divisions stationed in Guangxi, our Ming Dynasty has also drawn seven regular army divisions, three marine divisions, and newly formed 19 divisions. These newly formed 19 divisions are all composed of armed police forces and reserve forces. Although the combat power is slightly worse than that of the regular army, the difference is only in the coordination of infantry and artillery, and the adaptability of low-level officers in chaotic battles. In terms of equipment, morale, and individual skills, it is not far behind the regular army... In short, to sum up, even if the 100,000 people who have been lost in the Central South Corps are deducted. We still have a full 600,000 combat soldiers participating in this battle. Compared with the less than 400,000 troops of the Western bandits, it is almost 50% more.
According to Bai Qi's battle plan formulated by the Privy Council and submitted to the emperor for approval, the first thing to do is to divide such a large force into four clusters. The first cluster is naturally General Liu Zhaosun's Central and Southern Corps. The mission of this corps is to resist step by step and slowly attract the enemy to the central plains of Siam. After the enemy enters the central plains of Siam, its logistics support is much easier than in the Rakhine Mountains and the Shan Plateau . Because the enemy now has control of the sea, their navy can directly escort the transport ships to land in Bangkok, and then go deep into the heart of Siam through the Chao Phraya River to supply its army. Moreover, the central plains of Siam have abundant food production, and some Siamese have already surrendered to the Western thieves in private. With all these things, there is no need to worry about the Western thieves not coming.
The second group, commanded by Lieutenant General Huang Degong, has six regular army divisions and nine newly formed divisions. The total force is 225,000. The task of this group is to use Vientiane, the capital of the Nanzhang Xuanwei Division, as a base to ensure logistics through the Mekong River and the Central and Southern Railway. After the enemy enters the central plain of Siam, the group will attack the enemy from the north side of the plain. At the same time, General Liu Zhaosun's Central and Southern Corps will also launch an attack from the south of the plain. Well, with a total of 340,000 to 350,000 troops, it would be best if they can repel the enemy, but if they fail to repel it, it doesn't matter. But one thing that must be paid attention to is to keep in touch with the enemy and know where the enemy is at any time and what new arrangements are made.
The Third Group, commanded by Lieutenant General Lu Xiangsheng, had four regular army divisions and ten newly formed divisions. The total force was 210,000. The mission of this group was to start from Yunnan, pass through the Shan Plateau, reoccupy Chiang Mai, block the enemy's land retreat route, and launch an attack on the enemy from the northwest of the central plains.
The Fourth Group, commanded by Lieutenant General Zhang Hong, had three Marine Corps divisions with a total of 45,000 troops. In the first phase of the campaign, this group followed Huang Degong's group. But after it was clear that Lu Xiangsheng's group was in place, it was necessary to quickly move south to the lower reaches of the Chao Phraya River to cut off the enemy's sea retreat route.
The above is the overall deployment of Bai Qi’s battle plan this time.”
After Ma Shilong finished his explanation, Cao Wenzhao stood up and said, "Everyone, after the chief of staff's explanation, everyone should have understood it. To put it simply, this operation is to lure the enemy out of the plateau and mountains and into the plains by feigning defeat. Then our army will counterattack from the northwest, northeast, and southeast. If our ancestors bless us and the armies progress smoothly, we will eventually encircle and annihilate the 400,000 invading troops of the Western bandits in the central plains of Siam.
Of course, the combined attack has the potential to lead to an annihilation war, and can also make full use of the rivers in Indochina to effectively relieve the logistical pressure of our army. However, after the division of forces, the strength of each of our troops is inferior to the total strength of the enemy. Therefore, there is also the possibility of being defeated by the enemy one by one. To avoid this situation, each army must pay attention to four points:
First, you must strictly abide by the time specified in the battle plan. If you are told to arrive at a certain place at a certain time, you must arrive at the destination before that time. If you are told to launch an attack at a certain time, no matter how powerful the enemy ahead is or what bad weather you encounter, you must launch the attack. In short, if you lag behind along the way and let the enemy escape, it is a small matter, but if you cause the annihilation of the friendly forces, it is a big matter.
Second, the commanders of each group must control their troops and strictly prohibit greed for merit and reckless advance. Again, the attack must be well coordinated among all the routes. If you rush forward and scare away the enemy, it will be a light punishment. If the enemy defeats you first... Humph, I will make it clear first, because those who are greedy for merit and reckless advance and die in battle will not be allowed to enter the Martyrs' Shrine after death.
Third, if the friendly forces fail to reach the battle position in time due to various reasons and the headquarters is besieged by the enemy, then there is no doubt that they must hold on and wait for help. They are not allowed to retreat on their own!
Fourth, everyone, although the emperor has visited the battlefield many times since Sarhu, he rarely directly participates in the formulation of combat plans. In this combat plan, the emperor played a role in it, not just giving this operation a name. In Sarhu, the emperor directly rejected the former Sima Yang's plan of attacking in a combined force. But this time, the emperor took the initiative to propose an attack in a combined force. The reason for this is that in addition to trusting our combat effectiveness and execution ability. Fangshan Academy of Sciences provides the biggest support for the success of this operation - wired telegraph. I have invited more than a thousand top students from Fangshan to serve as telegraph operators for this operation. Wherever your troops go, set up the wired telegraph. In this way, the battle situation of the four clusters can be quickly summarized to the headquarters, and the headquarters can also quickly feedback the situation of friendly forces to you. It can be said that this is the biggest evidence that the emperor is determined to implement Bai Qi's plan!
Everyone, is everything clear now? "
"Reporting to the General, I have understood everything."
"Well, generals, think back to nearly two thousand years ago, when Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an, annihilated 400,000 elite troops of the State of Zhao in one fell swoop in Changping. From then on, Qin's momentum to unify the world could no longer be stopped. I only hope that we will not let our predecessors take all the credit, and fight a brilliant annihilation battle here, right here on the Siam Plain!"
