In some senses, waging a war is like running a large business group.

As a commander-in-chief, Sean is deeply aware of his lack of military literacy, although his subordinates adore him.

Running a large business group is nothing more than setting goals, formulating plans, selecting the right people and supporting them with resources, and at the same time carrying out the necessary inspections and supervision.

The process of waging and participating in a war is not fundamentally different from this kind of commercial activity, except that the former is more complex and sophisticated, with a greater emphasis on determination and courage.

Sean struggled to avoid directing a battle himself, and his past war record showed that he was always a winner, often by the way of the dominant victory, giving everyone the impression that he had "natural commanding qualities".

But this impression is actually not wrong, because Sean is better at planning and knowing people well, fully trusting his subordinates, and has the advantage of correcting mistakes as soon as they are found.

These are all good qualities that a commander should have.

The slight defeat of the Nationalists at the city of Yam caused Sean to immediately withdraw the 3rd Army without unnecessary sacrifice, and he replaced the troops of the more defensive General Dalhou, who had been impressively defending the town of Tudela that year.

The 4th Army Corps, which had replaced the friendly forces, was intensively preparing for a military defense, not only building bunkers along the ridge facing the enemy side, but also building hiding holes and storage depots for large quantities of military supplies in places behind them that the enemy could not attack—they had done the same thing the enemy had done, and with great care, and they looked ready to stay there for a long time.

Daniel Davis's 401st Regiment was located directly south of the city of Yarmsey, with the defensive positions of the 402nd Regiment to the west, the enemy long-operated high ground to the east, and the canal farther away.

As a result, the 401st Regiment could face enemy attacks from both the east and north directions, even though they were supposed to be the attackers. The 4th Legion was given the order to defend in place, and even if it would attack in the future, it would only be to attract the attention of the defenders of Yam.

The National Army was armed with a number of small-caliber howitzers, which, in contrast to cannons, had a ballistic curve that, if calculated accurately, could also bombard targets blocked by shelter, but were still affected by the terrain.

The mountain here is no more than 800 meters above sea level, but it is so steep that artillery cannot be transported to the top of the mountain.

Each side occupied several hills, and due to the high terrain of the enemy's position and the terrain constraints, it was difficult for the Nationalist Army to exert its artillery strength, which was one of the biggest reasons for the setback of the 3rd Army in the early stage.

War is inseparable from propaganda.

The public only knew that the National Army had suffered a small setback, but the flaws were not concealed, and the public received the news that the National Army had won another victory, or was on the way to victory.

As for the journalists, they are all their own people in military uniforms, civilian soldiers attached to the General Staff, and their articles are censored and sent to the major newspapers in the South. It is forbidden for ordinary officers to submit letters to institutions other than the military.

Criticism or self-criticism is also necessary as part of the propaganda.

For example, they will complain on behalf of their soldiers about the taste of military cans, that military boots are not strong and durable, and that communication with family members is too long.

If necessary, they will exaggerate the strength and numbers of their enemies to highlight the hard-won victories of their own soldiers.

At the moment, Commander Daniel Davis is personally accompanying several military reporters to the forefront of the 401st Regiment.

"As you can see, we need a lightweight, flexible artillery that, in my vision, would be ballistic and curved for two or three people, could be disassembled, and could be transferred and assembled on the battlefield at any time. "It's easy to operate, it doesn't need to be too long, and it should be equipped with a company as an infantry support force, especially on the battlefield of this terrain, which is more conducive to its firepower." ”

"Honorable regimental commander, but the enemy doesn't seem to have any artillery. A reporter questioned.

"No, they do. Davis leaned on the top of the hill and handed the binoculars to the reporters, "Halfway up the hill opposite, to the left, is their artillery position, and it is said that the enemy has tortured almost 20,000 local residents to death in order to build these fortifications." ”

As if echoing the words of Commander Davis, with a sharp whistling sound, a shell fell not far away, and a violent explosion occurred. In a panic, the reporters, guided by the officers of the 401st Regiment, left the hill and hid behind the ridge.

"The enemy's artillery positions were built with great care, only firing points on our side, and the improvised roads were built only halfway up the hill, so that even if we occupied them, we would not be able to use this position to point to the back. ”

"When the firepower can't outwit the opponent, all we can rely on is courage and determination. All the officers and men of the 401st Regiment are determined to defend their positions to the death, and we have made full preparations for this. ”

Someone heard his subtext, which was that the 4th Army was not ready to take the initiative to attack.

As long as the attack and defense are exchanged, the enemy's superiority in artillery is immediately weakened, or even useless, because the enemy's attack can only rely on the infantry to attack from the back, which will cost them ten times more than the loss.

Due to the limitations of the terrain, without artillery support, the 4th Army may not have enough offensive capabilities, but it is sufficient for defense.

The enemy's artillery also stopped after only three shots, as if to vent anger or provoke the Nationalist army to attack.

But from the forward commander, Regiment Commander Davis, to General Dalho in the rear, the 4th Army strictly adhered to the orders of the High Command:

It is forbidden to attack on the initiative without need, but it is not allowed to lose an inch of one's own position.

This is a major strategic change in the command headed by Sean.

The defenders were obviously also caught off guard, and the battlefield was strangely quiet for three days, and they could not wait for the attack of the national army for a long time before they realized that the offensive and defensive posture had changed.

For the defenders, they were faced with three options, one was to remain silent, the other was to take the initiative to attack in order to regain some of the broken lines, or to break out. The latter two options were not in the interests of the defenders, so they remained silent for the time being.

In that case, Sean took his eyes off the city of Yam, where he was not prepared to fight the enemy to the death.

You keep yours, and I will fight mine.

Sean ordered the 1st and 2nd Corps to attack north along the east and west sides of the canal, with the 5th, 6th, and 7th Corps as their backing, while the 3rd Corps, which was in a resting state, served as the general reserve.

This made it very uncomfortable for the Holy City, who had failed to use the city of Yam as a bait, and the national army did not care about the gains and losses of a heroic city.