This is true, the Confederacy at that time was basically "the whole country starved", and it was a miracle that Johnston had the ability to feed this 60,000-strong army. It's just that in this way, Guan Zhuofan thinks that Johnston's relationship with the people in his jurisdiction may not be much better.

In any case, an army that is well-fed and loves its own commander cannot be despised by any opponent.

In fact, Confederate President Davis didn't like Johnston, the problem was that he couldn't win the battle that his old man liked, and there was no more senior and prestigious general on the Western Front than Johnston, so he had no choice but to pinch his nose and use him.

The information continued to flow, and finally, the deployment of the Confederate army from Chattanooga to Atlanta was basically clearly displayed on a large military map.

Look at this map. Guan Zhuofan frowned.

The road from Chattanooga to Atlanta has been dug by Johnston.

Since Johnston took over Atlanta's defense, he has been engaged in endless earthwork.

He recruited a large number of black slaves and poor whites, built fortifications, and dug trenches. Johnston's army was now stationed in a place called Dalton, roughly a quarter of the distance from Chattanooga to Atlanta. Starting with Dalton and going all the way to Atlanta, all the strategically important locations along the way were singled out, fortifications were erected, and trenches were dug.

In this way, if the Southern Army is forced to withdraw from one position, and there is another fortification in the rear, it can continue to fight the Northern Army's resistance by drilling into it.

It is said that the fortifications and trenches of the Confederate army are really well repaired, and Johnston is not the only one. Confederate troops were good at this. The Northern Army is ashamed of itself. The reason is also very simple. The pattern of the war is that the northern army will attack and the southern army will defend it, and if you don't dig the trenches a little deeper, how can you hold it?

Before the American Civil War, there was basically no such thing as trenches, and trenches were a major contribution of the Southern Army to the development of Shijie military jishu, and the initiator was Longstreet, who suffered greatly from the Battle of Chattanooga.

In fact, Johnston's trenches were simply "many" in number. In terms of system and complexity, it is not enough to see, Guan Zhuofan has never seen Robert on the Eastern Front? The trench dug by Li is a real spider web, and when Commander-in-Chief Guan sees it, he is afraid that he will touch his chin and still be there.

However, Guan Zhuofan thought: Now that I have the most Haode engineer unit in the United States, I can also dig a trench, as for the attacker, Weishenme also has to dig trenches, and Commander-in-Chief Guan will sell Guanzi first.

Johnston's strategy was obvious: relying on strong fortifications to block the attack, inflicting heavy casualties on the North's onslaught, and by the end of the crossbow in Atlanta. Of course. If you don't get to Atlanta, you're bored, and it's better if you can't walk.

Chattanooga to Atlanta was originally "unsafe". Johnston has created a bunch of "dangers".

The focus of this strategy is to drag out time, and the longer the northern army is dragged on the road, the better, and whether or not the northern army can be dragged down is not the point, the point is, again: drag out time.

How long will it be delayed? Dragged to the presidential elections in the North.

The Southern Army did not have the illusion of truly defeating the Northern Army, but as long as Atlanta was still in the hands of the North and Richmond was not lost in the East, the Democrats-led peace faction of the Federation would have the upper hand in the general election, and if the Democrats came to power, it was very likely that they would negotiate peace with the South, and then no matter what the conditions for peace were, the South would be tantamount to winning the war in disguise.

Kwan had to admit that Old Johnston's strategy was very correct. Along the way, there were deep ditches and high fortifications, and every time the northern army crossed a hurdle, it had to pay a considerable price and spend a considerable amount of time. Atlanta itself is fortified and impregnable, and the time left for the Northern Army is really not enough.

Changing places, Guan Zhuofan can't make more arrangements.

So is it possible to bypass these obstacles?

Impossible, because in other directions, there is no road, there is no railway.

No railroad means there is not enough logistical supplies, and more than 100,000 troops are exhausted, short of ammunition and food, and cantoned under the fortified city of Atlanta. Moreover, the back road was full of enemy troops, and it was impossible to retreat. If you do this, even if you don't completely disperse in Atlanta, you will definitely be copied and dumplings made, which is pure self-destruction.

Therefore, there is only this road, and so many bones on the road can only be gnawed one by one.

Sherman's Right Army had boarded a train from Memphis to Chattanooga, and on the Eastern Front, Grant was about to launch a campaign against Robert? Lee's offense.

In the past, the northern army of the Eastern Front went south, with Richmond as its strategic goal, but it always failed to succeed. Grant saw very clearly that it was impossible for Richmond to take Richmond without substantially weakening and striking a substantial blow to the Northern Virginia Legion, the main force of the Southern Army's Eastern Front. And the commander of the Northern Virginia Legion was the commander of the Confederate Army, Robert? Plum. That is, not to cross Robert? Li, this big mountain, can't pick a peach in Richmond.

So this time, the goal of the Northern Army, for the first time, was set as the Northern Virginia Regiment itself.

Robert before? Li, both in reality and psychologically, is an insurmountable obstacle for the generals of the Northern Army.

The Northern Army was defeated again and again by General Lee, and the generals of the Northern Army on the Eastern Front inevitably suffered from "Phobia of Li". When Li played against him, he imagined that he was a soldier, and the result was either that he was in chaos, or he was cautious, cautious, and cautious, and his actions were as slow as a snail.

After the Battle of Gettysburg, the whole Northern Army thought that they had won by luck, and the main Potomac Corps lost its fighting spirit and voluntarily abandoned the pursuit. After the defeat of the army, Lee had the spare strength to send Longstreet to support the Western Front. This is also one of the wonders of the American Civil War.

However, the understanding of the Northern Army was not completely unreasonable, and during the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee suddenly fell ill, which greatly affected his command judgment.

There is one point, Guan Zhuofan and later historians have the same opinion: the north has always taken the south with absolute manpower and material resources, Robert? Lee was the most important factor, a gifted soldier who, by his own power, greatly slowed down the course of the war.

Now, Grant wants to completely sweep away this tragic fate of the Northern Army.

Grant started with training and logistics, reorganizing the tired and slackening "victorious army" of the Potomac Corps, and clearing the way for hearing "Robert? Lee's "generals, who had their legs and stomachs, were replaced by cronies he brought from the Western Front. The Potomac Corps had a new look, and Grant gathered 120,000 troops and 350 artillery pieces and prepared to go south.

Robert? Li Zhengzhong thought that this was a good opportunity to gather and annihilate the main force of the Northern Army. Although his strength is only a little more than half that of Grant, Robert? Lee is the best at using terrain to defend counterattacks and movement operations, and after repeated pulling, he tore apart the originally well-laid enemy forces. When the Northern Army enters its own territory, it can show its strengths.

The land of America is covered with war clouds, and an army totaling 37 to 80,000 will fight in the east and west directions at the same time.

Xuanjun kicked out.

Chattanooga is the general logistics base, but not all the troops going south start from Chattanooga at the same time, the number of troops is too large, Chattanooga is too small, the load capacity of railways and roads is limited, and it must be set out by separate roads and in batches, and then converge at Dalton, the first line of defense of the Southern Army.

The Memphis Regiment of the Right Army set out from Memphis, and the Ohio Russian Regiment was originally stationed in Nashville in northwestern Tennessee, and went directly south from Nashville; The Songjiang Corps and the Kumbran Corps, which were originally stationed in Chattanooga, had to set out before the two legions reached Chattanooga to vacate the railways and roads in Chattanooga to the right army behind.

After leaving Chattanooga, one left and one right, they didn't interfere with each other.

At dawn, the weather in Meng Chun was sunny and warm. Countless camp tents were packed up and pulled out together, people and horses neighed, battle flags fluttered, cheerful military music came from all directions, and all regiments, brigades, and divisions marched in formation and embarked on the journey.

Guan Zhuofan, escorted by the guards, galloped up a small hill, surrounded by the staff officers of the headquarters.

*(To be continued......)