Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 711 The Europeans Retreat
"God, they actually have such vicious ideas. These Chinese are so barbaric. Don't they care about the lives of civilians?"
"Your Majesty, although this plan is unprecedentedly vicious, in the eyes of our staff, it should be true. The Chinese use loudspeakers on the front line of the position every day to make announcements in Chinese, Spanish, and Thai, asking residents in the delta to pack up their belongings and take refuge in high places as soon as possible. They even let in some Siamese civilians who have relatives in our controlled area to pass on the message, asking ordinary people here to quickly find high places to prepare for refuge... In addition, the scouts we sent out are now very safe along the Chao Phraya River North. The Chinese deliberately set up their dam construction site for us to see. However, this kind of viewing is still limited in distance. When our scouts are one or two kilometers away from the construction site, the enemy scouts will come out to interfere."
"Crazy, really a bunch of crazy. No, they are not crazy, they are a group of cunning yellow monkeys. They don't really want to launch a water attack to destroy the delta. They just want to scare us away."
"Yes, Your Majesty. The best option for the Chinese is to scare me away. But I believe that if we insist on not leaving, the Chinese will certainly dare to pour an overwhelming flood on us."
"Your Majesty, I must remind you. Due to the propaganda offensive launched by the Chinese on the front line, not to mention the ordinary people in our controlled area, even our soldiers are in a panic. According to the reports submitted by the commanders of the divisions below, our soldiers are also looking for high ground near their bases. In particular, more than a dozen divisions stationed close to the Chao Phraya River have all submitted applications for rotation..."
The two-meter-tall giant sat down helplessly. Gustav held his head in his hands and pondered for a long time, then looked up at Major General Garcia, the liaison officer assigned by the Navy to the General Staff Headquarters: "Sir, if the Army wants the Navy to help with the transfer, how many soldiers can the Navy transport away at a time? How long will it take to turn around again?"
"Your Majesty, it depends on where you need the navy to transport you. Currently, we can only quickly dispatch more than 200 transport ships within half a month... If you want to go back to India, then the navy can only transport a maximum of 150,000 troops at a time, and the fastest round trip will take a month. And I must remind you that to transport 150,000 troops, the navy can no longer carry guns, ammunition and other things. Even food can only be carried on board the ship in a one-way amount. If there are more, we will have to reduce the number of people on board."
"No, we still have 420,000 troops. If we have 150,000 troops per round and one round per month, it will take us three full months. Although I know that the Chinese don't want to destroy the Chao Phraya Delta through a naval attack, I am sure that the Chinese will not give us that much time."
"Then..." After looking at the sea chart for a long time, Garcia said, "Then I suggest this. The navy will send you to Chumphon first. It only takes five days to go from here to Chumphon. In other words, in 40 days at most, we can transport all the troops, equipment and a large amount of food to Chumphon. That place is the narrowest section of the Malay Peninsula. Although there is a mountain range, it is very narrow. It is not difficult for the army to cross it. After the navy transports you there, it will sail through the Strait of Malacca empty, then pick you up on the ship on the west side of the Malay Peninsula, and then go to India."
"...I think this is a good plan, Mr. Wallenstein?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, we will follow Mr. Garcia's advice."
In mid-August 1641, after the Ming Privy Council released a new "Jia Xu" battle plan, Cao Wenzhao and others, who had been prepared for a long time, acted quickly.
The army used part of its own military rations and recruited a large number of Siamese people to start building the Chao Phraya River embankment. And through various means, they spread the news that they were going to launch a water attack on the downstream Bangkok area.
In Siam, where rice is harvested three times a year, the people of this place have not known famine for more than 30 years or nearly two generations since the rise of Raja Buddha. So some time ago, the EU coalition forces passed through the border like locusts and looted all the food along the way. The Siamese people in these places suddenly fell into great panic: there were not many old people who had experienced famine, and this famine suddenly appeared, and the people everywhere had no idea how to save themselves.
At this time, the military of the Ming Dynasty stood up and told everyone that we have food, but in order to get the food, you have to work for us - all of a sudden, followers gathered: they don’t ask to eat well, they just want to be full!
During the construction, people vaguely heard that they were going to build a dam to drown the European whites who occupied the Chao Phraya River estuary? Hey! It should have been done long ago. These whites stole our food and deserved to be washed into the sea and drowned. As for the fact that such a water attack might also cause disasters to our compatriots downstream? Humph, although we Siamese people don’t know the saying that it’s better to die than to die, but when it comes to the option of either dying myself or dying, we still know how to choose.
The Han people are naturally good at infrastructure construction. Although most of the workers on the construction site are Siamese, the entire Chao Phraya River embankment construction process was quickly started under the command of the Ming army's engineering and technical personnel. The huge construction scene frightened the Ming army's EU scouts who were watching closely, and also forced Gustav and others to quickly make up their minds to move.
To move, it comes down to where to move. In this regard, Gustav actually has few choices.
Going north, there is no need to think about it, because there are 600,000 troops pressing on their heads. After so many battles between China and Europe, both sides are very clear about each other's combat effectiveness: basically, if the troops are equal and the level of the commanders of both sides is not much different, if a fair field battle is carried out, the casualties of both sides will be similar. Therefore, 400,000 against 600,000, relying on fortifications for defense is possible, but the attack is really no match for our side.
Go south to occupy the large islands such as the later Indonesia? That is meaningless. Because in this plane, on the one hand, there are not enough people on these islands and there is no industrial base at all. On the other hand, those places are marginal areas. Even if they are occupied, they cannot achieve the strategic goal of disintegrating the Chinese tribute system.
Besides, Gustav's soldiers had been on expeditions for many years, starting with the expedition to India. Although these guys had gained a lot of wealth, the more wealth they gained, the more they cherished their lives: if they died here, their wives would marry another man with the money they earned with their lives, and the picture would be sour.
Therefore, it is necessary to retreat to India, recuperate there, and then re-land in Burma: India is very close to Burma, and the logistics support of the navy will become sufficient and safe. Next to Burma is Siam - as long as these two places are occupied, and the navy gallops in the South China Sea, China's vassal system will sooner or later collapse. In this way, His Majesty Philip's strategic goal has been achieved in the first step.
Therefore, at the end of August, after Major General Garcia arrived in Bangkok with a large number of transport ships, Gustav led the main force to retreat without hesitation.
Of course, when the main force retreats, it must leave behind a rear guard force, and this rear guard force may never return.
Such an important task was naturally given to Durenne, who had already shown his potential as a famous general.
"Henry, I will give you ten divisions this time. Please don't force yourself. Once the main force has boarded the ship, you will lead the remaining troops to retreat quickly."
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will be the last one to board the ship."
"No, no, no, Henry. You are the future commander of the alliance's army. We cannot lose you. What I mean is that if necessary, we can give up these ten divisions, but you must withdraw."
"Your Majesty, I, Durrenni, am not the kind of person who would abandon my soldiers and flee first. Yes, I don't know how many of these 150,000 men will die in this battle. But I assure you that I will be the last survivor to board the ship."
"I have always admired your noble character, and you know that I have always supported your chivalry. But this time it is really not possible. You must ensure that you can safely board the retreating ship. As for the safety of your rear guard troops, it is a secondary matter. Dear Henry, Lord Wallenstein and I are both old. In the future, the European army will need you, Montecuccoli and Conde to command. Lord Wallenstein and I agree that you are the most outstanding of the three young men. Therefore, you must retire alive."
"Your Majesty, why do I feel something is wrong? Could it be that we have a special operation in another place? Such an action would greatly anger the Chinese and make them no longer treat our prisoners with favor?"
"Hey, so this is why I am optimistic about you." Gustav put his arm around Durreny's shoulders and said in the lowest voice, "The navy has quietly told me that the assassination team sent by His Majesty Philip has successfully landed in Songjiang Prefecture in mainland China and is lurking under the cover of local merchants. It doesn't matter if there is no opportunity for assassination. If there is an assassination attempt, whether it succeeds or fails, the angry Chinese will definitely kill the prisoners. So, Henry, don't try to be a hero this time. I will let Major General Garcia personally lead the fastest destroyer to wait for you in the Gulf of Bangkok."
"…Your Majesty, His Majesty Philip did this, didn't he…"
"Are you trying to say that it's ungraceful to do this? Haha, Henry, you're really too young. Don't you understand this grand war until now? One of us, the European Union and China, must fall before this war can end. And to defeat China?" The two-meter-tall giant shook his head: "Pure military means are unlikely to work. On the contrary, according to the advice of General Li Yongfang, assassinating the emperor and letting the top Chinese people mess up is the most labor-saving way. Henry, if the assassination is successful, we Europeans will successfully reach the top of the world. The territories and wealth acquired in India and various colonies will naturally be preserved. And the young people in Europe don't have to fall in this damn hot and humid rainforest... In short, you know, I also liked knight duels when I was young, but now..."
"I understand. I will complete the rearguard mission well. And while ensuring my own safety, I will bring as many rearguard troops on board as possible."
