If you have to say, the pre-war preparations went well.

Two more consultations followed, before the main issues were finalized. To put it simply, first of all, in accordance with the operational plan that had been determined before, the Fifth Marine Division would fight a battle in the southern part of the southwest battlefield to destroy the living forces of the Van army and contain the main forces of the Van army in the west and south. The duration of the battle is tentatively set at 5 days, with a maximum of 7 days. After the airlift was completed, the 17th Panzer Division would set out from Sukkur to attack Jaipur and, with the assistance of the 5th Marine Division, encircle and annihilate the main forces of the Central Army in Jaipur.

Although it is not mentioned in the battle plan, let alone explained in detail, everyone knows that the siege of Jaipur is also a tentative plan and may not be carried out. As for the encirclement and annihilation of the main force of the Central Army near Jaipur, it is not something that two divisions can do.

As for the issue of troop strength, Ding Zhennan gave a detailed explanation when drawing up the plan.

Don't look at the two divisions with 100,000 troops, but the total number of combat personnel charging into battle is less than 40,000.

To put it simply, after the 17th Armored Division was strengthened by the 177th Infantry Brigade, it had a total of 5 combat brigades, 2 support brigades, and functional battalions directly under each division, with a total of just over 20,000 combat personnel. Because of the greater emphasis on independent combat capability and the larger scale of support units, the Fifth Marine Division has only four combat brigades, and the number of combat personnel is slightly smaller than that of the 17th Armored Division, with a total of only 19,000 men.

It can be seen that in total there were only 9 combat brigades in both divisions.

Crucially, these nine combat brigades have to deal with combat operations in two directions.

To the south of the Southwestern Theater, that is, in the direction of the "main attack" of the Fifth Marine Division, at least one combat brigade is needed, and one additional brigade must be prepared.

In addition, it is necessary to leave at least 1 brigade as a campaign reserve.

Then, there are only 6 combat brigades that can be used to besiege Jaipur, and there are 2 artillery brigades among them, and the combat units are actually only 4 brigades.

Even if the combat units in the support brigade are counted, it is only equivalent to the strength of two brigades.

In general, the total number of ground forces attacking Jaipur will not exceed 6 brigades, with a total strength of about 30,000.

In contrast, there were more than 500,000 Vatican troops stationed in Jaipur, and the total strength must have exceeded 1 million, including the reserve and militia units mobilized after the war.

That's a real army of millions.

The key is that the Central Army, that is, the combat unit of the Northwest faction, has at least 15 divisions and more than 200,000 troops.

Among them, there are 3 armored divisions and 5 mechanized infantry divisions that are ace troops, and even the other 7 infantry divisions are also Class A units of the Vatican Army.

The contrast in strength is so great, and the comparison in equipment is even more disparity.

Even if it is strengthened, the main battle tanks in the 17th Armored Division and the 5th Marine Division are less than 1,500 in total, and one-third of them are ZT-80DGs that were stored and used after the war, so the total number of ZT-99 series main battle tanks with advanced performance is only 1,000.

The main force of the Van army, only 3 armored divisions and 5 mechanized infantry divisions, has 2,500 main battle tanks, at least 2,000 of which are T-72 and M1A1. Even if you exclude those main battle tanks that are lagging behind, the Vatican army has a clear advantage in the absolute number of tanks.

If anything, the key is those M1A1s.

If the combat effectiveness reaches the level that the Nuland Republic boasts, then only the ZT-99 can compete with it, and it is the ZT-99B and ZT-99AL. As for the ZT-99A, which is equipped with an old tank gun, even with the latest armor-piercing shells, it may not be able to penetrate the frontal armor of the M1A1 at a regular engagement distance. As for the ZT-80DG, it faced the same problem because it was a tank gun from the ZT-99A.

Obviously, in the case of a small difference in equipment performance, the side with a numerical advantage has a better chance of winning.

As for other main battle equipment, such as infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled guns, the quantitative comparison is the same, and the Vatican army still has a clear advantage.

It is precisely because of this that Fu Weimin repeatedly emphasized that when the Fifth Marine Division moved south, it would focus on bombing Jaipur.

In addition, it is still dominated by battlefield blocking.

To put it simply, it is to dispatch attack aircraft to concentrate on striking the enemy's ground forces, especially the main battle equipment.

During the Poshawan War, the coalition forces crushed the main Iraqi army through air strikes, laying the foundation for the subsequent victory in the ground war.

Ding Zhennan did not refuse Fu Weimin's request, but he did not agree.

The reason is this: during the time period mentioned by Fu Weimin, the aviation force will definitely have the power to support the Fifth Marine Division and deal with the counterattacking enemy.

It can be seen that even if you want to strike at the main force of the Vatican army near Jaipur, you must do so after this.

In fact, this is also the crux of the problem.

Don't forget that only 5 to 7 days are set aside.

In other words, when the 5th Marine Division gained a foothold in Deogle and defeated the counterattacking Van army, it was time for the 17th Panzer Division to attack.

At this time, the dispatch of air power to attack the main force of the Vatican army is tantamount to making up for the dead.

If the main forces of the Van army are not able to be severely damaged by air strikes, then there are only two options, one is to slow down the advance of the ground forces, and the other is to fight a real armored battle with the Van army. Considering that Ding Zhennan has always been unwilling to give up combat operations on the east coast, it is definitely necessary to give priority to ensuring the advance speed of the ground forces, so the final result is likely to be for the 17th Armored Division to meet the main force of the Van army.

Fu Weimin is not lacking in confidence, but he just feels that there is no such need.

He had a similar performance in Posha Bay.

It was precisely because of this, Ding Zhennan did not say anything to death, but only said that he would focus on taking care of the 17th Armored Division to ensure that the siege of Jaipur could be carried out smoothly.

In addition, it was guaranteed that after the capture of Jaipur, at least after the destruction of the main force of the Vatican army, an attack would be launched on the east coast.

It's just that this doesn't solve the problem of insufficient troops.

To this end, Ding Zhennan went to Ibar on the last day of October.

Instead of going to the commander of the Pakistani army, he went to Major General Tang Bohui of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division and asked if the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division could participate in the battle.

Ding Zhennan didn't have much hope, and the actual situation was similar to what he expected.

The day before Ding Zhennan's arrival, the last batch of main battle equipment replenished to the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division was delivered to Peshawar, and it was assigned to the regular establishment. As for the main battle equipment provided to the reinforced combat brigades, even if it is smooth sailing, it will not be fully in place until next year.

That is, only 3 standing combat brigades of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division reached operational status.

Actually, this is not the fault of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division.

Don't forget that the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division is part of the Southern Theater, and the other combat units in the Southern Theater are deployed in the southeastern region and Austria.

It can be seen that in the Southern Theater, the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division is basically in a situation where grandma does not love and grandma does not hurt.

Affected by this, the full strength rate of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division in peacetime was only 70 percent, and the establishment rate of main battle equipment was less than 60 percent, both of which were at the bottom of the first-class troops. As for the frequency of replacement of the main battle equipment, not to mention, it is not as good as some B-level troops.

Interestingly, the Imperial Army never felt that this was a problem.

The reason is also very simple: Pakistan Railway has a large amount of stored equipment, which can be supplied to the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division in wartime, and there is no problem of insufficient equipment.

As for personnel, mobilization and transportation are not difficult in wartime.

There is nothing wrong with this arrangement.

However, there is one precondition that must be met.

After the outbreak of the war, the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division took charge of itself, and in the direction of the southern subcontinent, it temporarily focused on strategic defense.

It was because of this that the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division was stationed in Kara Harbor instead of Iborg.

There is also a more objective factor that leads to this phenomenon.

The Northwest Railroad was opened.

In the year 148 of the new calendar, that is, the year before the opening of the Northwest Railway, the Army Command and the Southern Theater Command drew up a plan related to the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division, preparing to send the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division to Iborg to ensure that it could assist the Pakistani army in defending Iborg after the outbreak of war.

Unfortunately, after the opening of the Northwest Railroad, the plan was shelved.

The reason is that if we can increase troops to the northern part of the Pakistan Railway through the Northwest Railway, there is no need to let the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division go north.

It was precisely because of this that after the 17th Panzer Division and the 5th Marine Division were stationed in Kara Harbor, the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division went north, and all previous ideas and preparations became empty talk.

What's even worse is that the Northwest Railway has to meet the needs of the Pakistani side first.

In order to stabilize the Pakistani railway authorities, especially before the defeat of the Vatican army besieging Lahwa, the Northwest Railway mainly transported war materials to the Vatican army.

In fact, most of them are daily necessities.

According to the report obtained by Ding Zhennan, in October alone, 1 million tons of grain and 500,000 tons of cloth and other daily necessities were transported to Pakistan Railway through the Northwest Railway. Among them, there are 100,000 tons of daily chemical products such as soap alone, and Iborg's annual consumption is less than 100,000 tons.

Of course, the massive amount of materials provided by the empire has become a fixed needle to help Pakistan and Railway maintain the stability of the domestic situation.

In addition, the Pakistani railway authorities have made full use of the Empire's aid, such as the distribution of food stamps and other material vouchers, which are used to recruit new soldiers. In Ibau alone, Pakistan Railways recruited 300,000 recruits in October by handing out supply vouchers.

That is, because the military force is sufficient, and the social situation in the country remains stable and stable, the Pakistani railway authorities did not continue to put pressure on the imperial authorities.

What makes Ding Zhennan a little ridiculous is that training recruits has also become the main task of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division!

In the words of Major General Tang Bohui, because the main force was all sent to the front line, and the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division was the general reserve of the coalition army, shouldering the heavy responsibility of defending Iborg, so when there was no combat mission for the time being, it could only train new recruits for the Pakistani army.

To this end, Tang Bohui specially set up an officer training group.

It is not a regimental combat unit, but the name "regiment" is used.

In addition, a training course for officers was held at the division headquarters to provide skills and language training for grassroots officers in Pakistan and Railways to improve their ability to fight together.

Of course, this did not surprise Ding Zhennan, because as early as a few years ago, Ding Zhennan had proposed to help the Allied forces cultivate qualified military talents through training and other means, so as to ensure that in wartime, they could cooperate more effectively with the imperial army and reduce the combat burden of the imperial army.

Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, the Imperial military has not been very enthusiastic about this proposal.

It's a little late, but it's better than doing nothing.

After all, when the trained Pakistani Railway officers return to their posts, their units will be able to participate more effectively in combat operations.

However, this also means that the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division will not be able to participate in the next combat operations.

Of the three combat brigades, at least one brigade would need to be left to guard the military base in Peshawar, and the other brigade would have to be deployed on the outskirts of Iboar. The 3rd Brigade is the general reserve of the coalition forces in the Northwest Theater, and it cannot be mobilized unless one brigade can be sent to replace it.

Crucially, the commander-in-chief of the Northwest Battlefield is the chief of staff of the three armed services of Pakistan and Railway.

Even Ding Zhennan has no right to dictate the combat troops in the northwest battlefield.

Obviously, it is almost impossible to obtain the consent of the chief of staff of the Iron Army.

Among other things, just a few days ago, the Vatican army attacked Iborg with tactical ballistic missiles, killing hundreds of civilians and causing serious panic. In order to appease the anger of the Pakistani railway authorities, the Imperial Air Force has promised to provide three "sharpshooter" systems, which are also specially designed to protect Iborg.

If the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division could be allowed to fight south, Zhou Yongtao would have issued the first auxiliary order a long time ago, and Ding Zhennan would not need to come forward at all.

It's just that Ding Zhennan was looking for Tang Bohui, not to transfer the combat brigade of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division.

He was eyeing those fighters who had already been arranged, but because the combat equipment had not yet been delivered, they had not been included in the battle sequence.

In any case, the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division is the main force of Class A, and the full strength is comparable to that of other main forces.

Because it is dominated by mechanized infantry units, the total number of troops is somewhat more than that of armored divisions, which can reach a maximum of 54,000, and under normal circumstances, it also exceeds 50,000.

That is to say, after deducting the 3 combat brigades, as well as the 2 support brigades and battalions directly under the division in peacetime, the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division still has at least 25,000 officers and men.

The key point is that because they have not formed combat effectiveness, the units to which these officers and men belong are temporarily excluded from the operational establishment.

In Ding Zhennan's words, it is not subject to the control of the Northwest Battlefield Front Command, so the transfer of these officers and soldiers does not need to obtain the permission of the chief of staff of the three armies of Pakistan and Railway.

In that case, what's the harm in seconding some to the Southwest Battlefield?

Of course, there is main battle equipment on the side of Kara Harbor, and there is no problem of insufficient equipment.

This made Tang Bohui speechless, but it was true.

The key is that Ding Zhennan made a condition that Tang Bohui couldn't refuse.

After the battle in the southwest theater ended, these fighters returned to the northwest battlefield with full main battle equipment and reclassified under the name of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division.

In other words, the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division will be able to reach full strength at the end of November at the earliest, and at the end of the year at the latest.

This is equivalent to being able to enter the war months in advance.

For Tang Bohui, the allure of this condition is really irresistible.

As a result, after less than one hour of talks, Tang Bohui promised to send about 17,000 officers and men of the three additional combat brigades to Kara Harbor within five days, and even said that during the operation in the southwest battlefield, officers appointed by Ding Zhennan could serve as the interim commanders of these three brigades.

Of course, Ding Zhennan felt that there was no need for this.

As long as the unified command is obeyed, it makes no difference who will be the commander of the front.

Besides, there is no suspicion in employing people, and there is no need to use suspicious people.

Since it is necessary to rely on the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division, the officers and men of this unit should be fully trusted.