"So how do we change the battle plan?" Schwartz asked.

Schwartz was now the Minister of War, but because Wagner needed to "act" in Jutland, he had to go out and take charge of the real Second Army himself, for the time being. Fortunately, he has served in the legion for a long time, and he is considered to be familiar with it, and he will be able to get started immediately.

Marin tapped his finger on the table, pointed to the map, and said to the two corps commanders, Schwarz and Stadder:

"According to the original plan, we led the 1st and 2nd Army Corps to the border area of East Friesland and Oldenburg provinces on our own initiative, and fought a head-on battle with the allied forces of the princes of the eight countries. However, defense prevails. ”

Then, 10 Cossack cavalry regiments, led by Steindorff and Alsace, suddenly attacked from the east and charged the enemy's rear. And our two armies in front also took the opportunity to attack, flanking the front and rear, and completely destroying the enemy......"

"However, because of the betrayal of the old nobles of Bremen, it was difficult for the Third Army and the Cossack Cavalry Regiment to reach the battlefield in the stipulated time. So, this plan had to be canceled ......"

"But it won't take long to transport the Third Army and the Cossack cavalry by sea......" Kohler wondered.

"There's no time!" Marin shook his head helplessly and continued:

"The transport fleet is now transporting 5,000 militiamen to Jutland to pretend to be the Second Army, Jutland is hundreds of kilometers from the mainland, and it takes half a month for the fleet to come and go. Then, I went to pick up the Third Army, and it would take half a month to go back and forth. ”

"Moreover, the fleet can transport only 5000 soldiers at a time. Even if the Third Army is transported, it will take two round-trips. And transporting Cossack cavalry is even more troublesome, you know, one Cossack cavalry, at least one person with two horses. Everyone can still squeeze it, but it is impossible to squeeze a war horse. Once some bad-tempered war horses are squeezed together, it is likely to bite each other, resulting in injury to the war horses. So, a ship can carry a lot of people, but a limited number of horses......"

"According to the transport capacity of the professional troop transport fleet, it is estimated that it will take four or five trips to bring back both the Third Army and the Cossack cavalry, and the time is estimated to be two months...... However, the city of Oldenburg was only a few dozen kilometers away from Aurich, and the enemy army marched in two or three days...... So, there's no time......"

Kohler was dumbfounded:

"So how do we adjust now?"

Marin closed his eyes, and after thinking for a long time, he opened his eyes and said:

"What we lack most now is probably time. But now that the autumn harvest has begun, we can't let our opponents harvest their crops. Once the other party participates in the autumn harvest and learns the true yield of grain per acre, our secret will surely spread throughout Europe. When the time comes, the paper won't be able to contain the fire......"

"So, I need a team right now to do something in the Oldenburg area......" Marin said, closing his eyes in pain as if making a difficult decision......

"What for?" Schwartz asked, somewhat curious.

"Set fire to the fields!"

"What?" Several people in the audience were dumbfounded......

It is already mid-to-late September, and the autumn harvest in the four provinces of Oldenburg, East Friesland, North Münster and West Friesland is about to begin.

By this time, the rye straw in the field had withered and yellowed, and the ears of wheat were ripe. At this time, if you set fire to the field, the yellow straw is simply unbearable. Once the wind is set on fire, large areas of ripe rye fields will be lost......

Schwartz and the others didn't know what to say, and it would be a heinous crime to set fire to the crops before the autumn harvest...... How much wheat will be burned, and how great will the property damage be......

Marin's idea was no different from the decision of a madman. Therefore, several people disagreed.

But Marin asked expressionlessly:

"So what do you say? If the princes of the Eight Kingdoms are allowed to send people to harvest the crops, when the time comes, the secrecy of the yield per mu will not be kept! Once the secret spreads, then the 50,000 princes' coalition army, as well as the more than 30,000 princes' coalition army, will know about it. When the time comes, for the sake of secrecy, do you want me to slaughter the more than 80,000 people who know? ”

Several people fell silent for a moment......

For the sake of secrecy, 80,000 people were slaughtered. If this reputation spreads...... The title of a demon can't run away properly......

Therefore, Marin's seemingly crazy idea is more reliable......

"Well, I agree to set fire to the fields. But who is going to go? Now, on the Oldenburg side, but under the control of the enemy......" Schwartz said helplessly.

Ma Lin said lightly:

"Nominally, the Oldenburg region is under the control of the allied forces of the Eight-Nation Princes, but, don't forget, the stewards of those estates are ours......"

"You mean, send someone to inform the manor stewards and ask them to arrange for the fields to be set on fire?" Kohler immediately understood.

Most of the estates in the Oldenburg area are under the administration of the Hoffmann family. Only a small portion of the land was given to the nobility. Moreover, many of the manor stewards are actually intelligence officers under Kohler, helping Kohler spy on the people. Even if they are not official intelligence officers, many manor stewards are "informants" of the intelligence bureau and are more obedient to orders.

Of course, Marin was also afraid that some of the manor stewards would disobey orders because they were reluctant. So, he commanded:

"Send someone to inform the estates that the order to burn the crops must be strictly enforced. If it is not carried out, then put to death! ”

"Who will you send? Now the province of Oldenburg is under the control of the enemy......"

"Send the cavalry to inform the various estates in Oldenburg and force the burning of the fields!"

"What if the enemy cavalry stops us?"

"Then send the lancers of the First Legion over to attract the enemy's cavalry to surround and intercept them. Other cavalry, including scout cavalry, were fully responsible for informing the setting of fire to the fields! Don't let the enemy know the real grain production! Marin said resolutely.

"Is the whole province of Oldenburg going to burn? And what about East Friesland? Kohler asked, "It's all money......

"It looks like the Oldenburg area has to be burned, and it's basically under the control of the enemy. If you don't do anything, the enemy will send someone to harvest. As for East Friesland...... So let's take two corps and move into the eastern border of East Friesland as originally planned. In this way, not only can the enemy army be attracted, but it will not dare to divide the army to harvest the grain. At the same time, it can also save the local grain fields of East Friesland......"

After all, Marin was reluctant to burn the grain fields of East Friesland, because East Friesland, as the core area of the North Sea State, has the most grain fields. If he really ordered a large-scale burning of fields, the damage would be immeasurable......

As for the Oldenburg area...... If we can keep the grain in East Friesland this year, we can still subsidize the estates there......

……

Soon, more than 3,000 hussars from East Friesland were on horseback, including the mounted policemen in the countryside (there were no police cars in those days, and the policemen had to ride horses to go to the countryside to handle cases. Of course, it was also Marin Chando who gave these police officers in charge of rural law enforcement so many horses), divided into several groups, and quietly infiltrated several estates in Oldenburg Province, and secretly ordered them to set fire to the grain fields that were about to be harvested in the autumn.

Moreover, they are not only responsible for notification, but also for supervision. If there are disobedient people, they will also be responsible for killing them on the spot......

At the same time, two regiments of 1,000 lancers were also dispatched to the Oldenburg area, responsible for provoking and luring the cavalry of the coalition forces.

In order to make it easier for the lancers to march, Marin had them replace their heavy plate armor and wear all light rhinoceros leather armor to facilitate their long-term maneuvering (otherwise the horses would not be able to bear it). At the same time, Marin's most elite 500 scout cavalry, who were good at using muskets, also followed the two spear regiments.

If the opponent sends light cavalry to chase after them, then hand them over to the lancers to kill. If the opponent sends an opponent with too much protection, such as the Plate Knight...... Then, leave it to the scout cavalry with muskets to "kite" and "point kill" one by one......

In short, this mixed cavalry team of 1,500 people was to hold back the cavalry strength of the allied forces of the princes of the Eight Kingdoms and prevent the other side from sending cavalry to obstruct the action of setting fire to the fields......

Genius one second to remember the address of this site:. Mobile version reading URL: m.