The night gradually fell, and Zhang Xiaolin's First Cavalry Division had dinner in advance before the evening, probably because everyone realized that this night would be an unquiet night of fierce fighting, and most of the officers and soldiers had prepared rations for the evening. The troops also entered a state of readiness in the evening, and Zhang Xiaolin and his guard company came to the northernmost part of the position, that is, the closest place to the American army, at night.

"This is the latest report from the reconnaissance company, and signs of US military activity have been found in several places." The company commander of the reconnaissance company marked several locations on the map, "The main force of the US army has not been found for the time being, and it probably has not appeared yet." ”

"It can't be, the U.S. military has already reached Armidale and is very close to us." Zhang Xiaolin looked at the map for a while, "Send out other reconnaissance units, focus on searching the direction of Amidale, and you will definitely find the US army." ”

"The last reconnaissance detachments had already set off half an hour ago, and no more news had been delivered."

"Then come and let me know as soon as you have the news."

Zhang Xiaolin didn't delay much time in the reconnaissance company, he looked towards the forest to the north, and was very puzzled. Judging by the messages sent by the daytime fleet, Bradley's armored forces must have reached Armidale, but the bombers were not able to find the target. Some of the bombers also bombed the forests near Armidale during the day, but with poor results. Where exactly are the armored units of the US army hidden?

At this time, Gu Xunlei in the rear was also thinking about this problem. He received information from several sources that American reinforcements had reached Armidale, and that the bombers of the fleet had not been able to find the American armored units in the town of Armidale. When Gu Xunlei's gaze fell on the forest near Armidale, he hesitated for a moment. It is impossible for the US troops to withdraw. It is also impossible to move westward, that is to leave the battlefield. It was impossible for the Americans to bypass the 1st Cavalry Division's line and head south to Port Macquarie unless Bradley was prepared to be cut off, an option that the most stupid commander would not make. It was also impossible to cross the line of infantry and the 2nd Cavalry Division to the south, let alone to cross the bridge guarded by infantry. After all the impossibility has been ruled out, what remains is the truth, even if it is no longer credible.

"Contact Zhang Xiaolin now." Gu Xunlei didn't hesitate any longer, "It is very likely that the armored forces of the US army are hiding in the forest in the north, so he will strengthen his vigilance." ”

"In the forest?" The staff officer thought he had misheard.

"Yes. Go quickly, don't delay the time, let Zhang Xiaolin prepare to meet the enemy as soon as possible. Gu Xunlei glanced at the staff officer, "The American troops must be in the forest, otherwise they would not have escaped the daytime bombardment, and it would not have been possible for us to not find out until now." Tell Zhang Xiaolin. Immediately after contact with the enemy, a report is sent back. In addition......"

The staff officer quickly recorded the commander's orders, and the atmosphere was already tense.

"Let's go deliver the order first."

The order was quickly transmitted, and now the army has been equipped with radio-walkie-talkies on a large scale, and the units can communicate directly within a range of tens of kilometers, which has accelerated the speed of the command link and allowed the rear commanders to have a clearer grasp of the battle situation on the front line.

Gu Xunlei was also a little unbelievable, on the battlefield on the mainland, the forest must be a forbidden area for armored troops. Especially when the enemy is heavily armed, the armored units must avoid entering the forest. In the forest, a well-qualified infantry unit can quite rely on favorable terrain against powerful armored forces. On the Russian battlefield. Gu Xunlei has suffered losses several times. Therefore, Gu Xunlei, a group of army generals of the Tang Empire, was a little taboo about the forest. Aside from actively ambushing the enemy and accompanying him with a large number of infantry units, he would never easily let the armored troops into the forest, which was no different from throwing himself into the woods. Even if the enemy is hiding in the forest, try to lure or force the enemy to fight on the plains outside, which is where the power of the armored forces can be used.

"General, the order has been issued, and Colonel Zhang Xiaolin has arranged for the reconnaissance troops to enter the forest."

Gu Xunlei nodded, he hesitated. There was no rush to transfer Weng Yu's Second Cavalry Division, maybe Bradley had other plans. It is also a good choice to keep the 2nd Cavalry Division as a reserve.

On the front line, Zhang Xiaolin also thought of this before receiving the order, when he had just left the reconnaissance company, and when he returned to the reconnaissance company and was about to send some more scouts into the forest, Gu Xunlei's order came. Zhang Xiaolin did not have any delay, he immediately arranged the reconnaissance unit out. Perhaps the most unexpected place for them was where the enemy was hiding, and Bradley had to hide his armor in the forest to escape the daytime bombardment. After the reconnaissance team set off, Zhang Xiaolin returned to his temporary division headquarters, and on the way, he asked people to call the regimental and battalion commanders.

"A regiment is deployed to the west." Zhang Xiaolin made a new adjustment to the deployment of the 1st Cavalry Division, "If the American troops are hiding in the forest, then Bradley only has one plan, that is, to dispatch after dark, and then use the cover of night, which is also the opportunity for the fleet's bombers to provide them with support, to attack Volka to the south, and their shortest route is to kill from the west." Pay attention to the deployment location of the three battalions, try to hide as much as possible, the US army should still have a batch of heavy tanks, the report of the reconnaissance aircraft has confirmed this, wait until the enemy approaches before fighting, use high-speed armor-piercing shells against heavy tanks, try to save ammunition, and use ordinary armor-piercing shells against ordinary targets, understand? ”

The lieutenant colonel nodded, he is also a veteran, but before coming to Gu Xunlei, he was just a captain and company commander, and he jumped two levels at once, if it was according to the official establishment, he should be a colonel.

"The three battalions must be deployed in depth, pay attention to bypassing from the north, behind you is the infantry defense line, if you can't beat it, then retreat, but you must try to hold on."

"No problem, I'll back down a little on the front and deploy two battalions on the flanks if the Americans come up. Then we have a chance. ”

Zhang Xiaolin nodded and looked at the other lieutenant colonel. "The 2nd Regiment is deployed in the front of the defensive line, and if the American troops go directly south and attack the right flank of the infantry defensive line, then we must block the advance of the American troops here, and we must not let the American troops threaten the right flank of the infantry defensive line. The three battalions are deployed in a concentrated manner, and they must withstand it for at least two hours, and if the US troops dare to go directly south, then a regiment should be able to arrive within two hours, and when the time comes. Just encircle the U.S. military! ”

The commander of the second regiment immediately nodded, if the American troops were hiding in the forest, then it was quite possible to go directly south. The main thing is that there is no river blocking the north of Volka, the hills are not too high, and the terrain is relatively flat, which is very suitable for a quick assault by armored forces. Therefore, it is very likely that the American armored forces will not take the road line, but will fight from the plains, and after breaking through the defense line of the Imperial infantry, their infantry will attack directly from the road line. Of course, the premise is that the US military must know the deployment of Gu Xunlei, otherwise it is impossible to adopt this tactic.

"Three regiments ......"

Before Zhang Xiaolin's words were finished, a staff officer hurriedly ran in. "Colonel, the reconnaissance company has discovered a new land."

Zhang Xiaolin was taken aback. Immediately turn around.

"U.S. troops are hiding in the forest and are now massing on the west side of the forest, about 30 kilometers away from us. The scale is large, preliminary estimates of at least one tank division. There were probably a lot of tanks, including quite a few medium and heavy tanks. ”

There was a sudden silence in the tent, although the scale was a little smaller than the 1st Cavalry Division, but this was the first American armored corps encountered on the battlefield in Australia.

"Are there any infantry with you?"

"Yes, and there are quite a few of them, but not many vehicles have been found, and the U.S. infantry probably acted in tanks, and their armored vehicles and trucks were destroyed a lot by bombers."

Zhang Xiaolin frowned slightly, and he quickly thought about it. Then he laughed. "It seems that the Yankees are not yet clear about our deployment. They must have come from the west. A regiment was immediately deployed in place, and immediately after confirming that the American forces would attack from the west, it was reported. ”

"Yes!" The head of the regiment immediately left the tent.

"Second Regiment Commander, mobilize your troops. If the U.S. forces go to the defense line of a regiment, then you should immediately go north and attack the U.S. troops from the flank, remember, close the distance and fight, don't waste ammunition! ”

"Understand, I'll go and assemble the troops now, and I will be ready for battle in half an hour!"

"Don't worry, after the situation is confirmed by the first regiment, it will not be too late for you to arrange for the troops to leave." Zhang Xiaolin stopped the lieutenant colonel officer who was a little impulsive, "In addition, send out all your regimental reconnaissance platoons to monitor the movements of the US troops, and if there is a new discovery, send it to me directly, do you know my tank communication channel?" ”

The lieutenant colonel officer nodded, and Zhang Xiaolin let him leave.

"Colonel, what is the mission of our three regiments?" At this time, the commander of the third regiment who was not assigned to the task became anxious.

"Three regiments?" Zhang Xiaolin smiled and patted the other party's shoulder, "I am acting with the three regiments, and we have a more important mission." ”

The commander of the third regiment nodded, he also knew that the division commander would not treat the three regiments badly.

"Judging from the deployment of the U.S. military, Bradley should not be clear about the deployment of our defensive line, and his main infantry force must advance along the road line, as well as the baggage troops, all have to take the road, and on the plains, the trucks can't run. Therefore, it is very likely that Bradley's armored forces will directly attack the line of defense of the 1st Infantry Division, and General Gu Xunlei's deployment is completely correct. "Zhang Xiaolin drew several lines of different colors on the map, representing the defense line of the Imperial Army and the offensive line of the American Army." In this way, the American troops will not threaten the right flank of the infantry line, so there is no need for us to stay here. Now the first regiment is blocking the attack of the American army in the front, and the second regiment is attacking the American army on the flank, and our task is to bypass it, quickly maneuver to the rear of the American army, and prevent the American army from escaping back! ”

"Then I'll organize the troops to set off now."

"Don't worry, this is just our speculation and judgment, as for how the US military will fight, it is not completely certain yet." Zhang Xiaolin looked at the lieutenant colonel officer who was so anxious that he almost jumped up, "However, let the troops prepare for departure first, and then set off with me." ”

The 1st Cavalry Division was quickly mobilized, and Zhang Xiaolin transferred some units that did not participate in combat operations to the rear of the infantry defense line, and also deployed the division's artillery units to the rear of the infantry defense line, and handed them over to the direct command of the 1st Infantry Division. In night battles, it is very difficult for tank units to get support from other units, and in fact, tank units are also very complicated in fighting at night, which is exactly what Zhang Xiaolin is afraid of.

Gu Xunlei soon received the relevant reconnaissance report, and Zhang Xiaolin also reported his new deployment to Gu Xunlei. Gu Xunlei did not intervene in the combat operations of the 1st Cavalry Division, which was a basic principle of his command, that is, the front-line commanders were more aware of the situation on the battlefield and were therefore able to make more accurate judgments. Of course, the prerequisite is that Zhang Xiaolin's actions did not deviate from the overall direction, would not have an impact on the entire combat operation, and would not put other units in an unfavorable situation because of the change in the deployment of the 1st Cavalry Division. And this problem does not exist now, if the First Cavalry Division fights well, maybe there is no need for the Second Cavalry Division and other troops to participate in the battle, Zhang Xiaolin alone can solve the problem.

At this time, Gu Xunlei was also very puzzled, especially when the staff officer marked the actions of the US military on the map, he was even more puzzled. Bradley can give orders in danger, it should not be a mediocre general, but judging from the actions of the US military, Bradley actually did not find the fatal flaw in the defense line of Gu Xunlei. In other words, Bradley's preliminary reconnaissance work was very inadequate, and he did not know the deployment of the opponent. This is understandable, the reconnaissance aircraft of the US army can hardly move during the day, and the scouts of the US army have difficulty penetrating the rear of the infantry line. Bradley may not know how much weight Gu Xunlei has in his hands, so he doesn't dare to take risks easily, so he can only rely on his armor to break through from the front, and this is definitely the most direct attack, and it is also the result that Gu Xunlei is hoping for.

Thinking of this, Gu Xunlei probably knew it in his heart, and he was also a little impatient, thinking of going to the front line to personally command the battle, at least to command his guard battalion to fight. But this idea was quickly shattered, the US army has not yet attacked, and no one can be sure what will happen on the battlefield, and only by staying in the headquarters can we more effectively command the troops to fight, and it is not too late to wait until the battle starts!