"It's funny. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info" Standing on the dock of the port of Sirte, looking at this city that had been scorched by the flames of war, the corners of Zhang Cheng's mouth turned slightly, and he couldn't help laughing.

Surprisingly, the German Afrika Korps did not put up a desperate resistance to the very important port of Sirte. After only a symbolic resistance, they quickly withdrew from the port of Sirte under the cover of night, fleeing in the direction of Misrata. And Zhang Cheng still did not find the main force of the German Afrika Korps.

Now the situation is obvious, the desert fox is planning a large-scale operation, as for the specific how, Zhang Cheng does not know for the time being. But it's definitely making a fuss on the logistical supply line.

The terrain of the whole of North Africa dictates that the only means that the two sides can do other than face each other is logistics supply lines. It was similar to when Rommel attacked Tobruk before. Now Zhang Cheng sent troops to attack Tripoli, which also lacked a large port for large-scale replenishment. Zhang Cheng's main logistical supply point was in Benghazi, where it was already a very long way from the front line.

During the Ming colonization of North Africa, the coastal railway from Tunisia to Alexandria was destroyed by the Germans. Although a certain amount of transportation capacity was restored under the emergency repair of the engineering unit, it was still impossible to meet the needs of the huge corps. However, compared with Rommel, who attacked Tobruk before, Zhang Cheng's advantage is that he is very abundant in various materials.

Zhang Cheng has more than 10,000 transport vehicles of various kinds! This was logistical support that Rommel could not have received anyway. The disparity in industrial strength between the two sides determines all this.

The long coastal road from Benghazi to the front line is full of trucks rushing back and forth. This is Zhang Cheng's lifeline, especially when the battle line is getting farther and farther.

Zhang Cheng arranged many military stations on the long supply line. Each station was equipped with an oil depot, a water house, a parking lot, a barracks, and a warehouse. Zhang Cheng used the method of segmented transportation to send their respective materials from one military station to the next little by little, and finally to the hands of the front-line troops. These stations were the most likely targets for the Germans.

The main forces of the German Afrika Korps did not disappear. It is impossible for so many tanks, vehicles and personnel to disappear, they are just hiding and waiting for an opportunity. Zhang Cheng had roughly understood Rommel's intention, which was to lengthen his battle line and lengthen the supply line as much as possible. When the Ming Mediterranean Fleet is not yet able to control the Gulf of Sirte, Zhang Cheng's long supply line will become a deadly Achilles heel.

In the desolate battlefields of North Africa, once hundreds of thousands of troops lose supplies, it can only lead to the annihilation of the whole army. Rommel weighed it carefully, believing that he would not be able to resist Zhang Cheng's attack and hold Libya while the main focus of the German army turned to the Russian battlefield. So he came up with a bold battle plan.

Rommel personally flew to Berlin to sell his plans to the High Command. That is to let go all the way, throw the land that he had won with blood to Zhang Cheng, and then stretch his battle line. The bottom line given by Rommel was to let Zhang Cheng advance to the vicinity of Tripoli. In this case, Zhang Cheng's supply line from Benghazi would be completely open. Then the hidden armored troops slaughtered out of the desert and cut off Zhang Cheng's supply lines one by one. In the case that the Ming Mediterranean Fleet could not control the Gulf of Sirte, the Ming Corps, which was cut off from the supply line, could only become a prisoner of the German army.

Rommel actually proposed this battle plan because he knew very well that the armored force in his hands was no match for the Ming people in any case. He knew this very well at the time of the Battle of Tobruk.

His opponents were armed with newer tanks and were very well armoured. Moreover, Zhang Cheng is the designer and main arms supplier of the new tank, and he is also the director of the armored forces of the Ming Army. The theater of operations that he personally commanded was certainly with the best equipped troops.

If he was facing the Ming armored forces equipped with the No. 4 tank, Rommel would definitely not make such a big regression. But now he had no choice but to use flanking tactics.

The overwhelming majority of the German High Command was opposed. They considered it unfair for Rommel, who had lost the Battle of Tobruk, to be dismissed from his post, and to present this tactic of abandoning large areas of sun-drenched land would simply damage the honor of the German soldiers.

For the Germans, who had never had an overseas colony, every inch of land seized from the Ming Dynasty could not be given up, and it was worth defending with the blood of German soldiers. And Rommel, the hero who not so long ago opened up the territory of the German Empire, has been discredited after losing the Battle of Tobruk, and almost everyone who has been in his eyes is falling into the ground.

At the same time, there are many people who are dissatisfied with the prime minister of Lippo Rommel. They thought that throwing the main German forces into the Russian battlefield to defend the Russians was simply a joke, and that Russia was naturally to be defended by the Russians themselves. With that energy and time, perhaps the Germans would have already seized the vast land and interests from the hands of the Ming Dynasty.

For those envious and jealous fools, the German Chancellor has no idea of dealing with them. What do these idiots do with Da Ming? That's a world empire! Whether it is the economy, industry, agriculture, mineral resources, population, and military, all of them are crushing. Once Russia, which is the main force holding back the Ming Dynasty, fails, who else will be able to resist the next tidal wave of attacks from the Ming Dynasty?

The German Prime Minister firmly supported Rommel's battle plan. Because he knows that going head-to-head can only lead to failure. Rommel's plan is unlikely to succeed, but it is the only good chance to deal a heavy blow to the Ming military forces in North Africa. He had to support.

"Sir, I always feel like something is wrong. The Germans are not so vulnerable. Lu Zhiyuan, who had a puzzled look, came to Zhang Cheng's side and asked softly.

Zhang Cheng raised his hand and pressed his military hat, and nodded to the German prisoners in the distance who were lined up with their hands raised and marched to the prisoner of war camp under the escort of the Ming soldiers, "Aren't they defeated by us?" What are you suspecting? ”

"Sir, judging by the situation in the battle of Tobruk. Now the Germans are behaving at two extremes altogether, and their armored forces are nowhere to be seen. Even the port of Sirte, which was as important as the port, had less than 10,000 defenders. I always felt like it wasn't that simple. Lu Zhiyuan expressed his worries in confusion.

"Hmm." Zhang Cheng turned to look at Lu Zhiyuan and nodded slightly, "Your feeling is right." The cunning fox is playing tricks with us to lure the enemy deeper. ”

"Lure the enemy deeper?" Lu Zhiyuan was slightly stunned, and then a sudden look appeared on his face, "He wants to stretch our supply line and then attack our back road?" ”

"That's a good idea." Zhang Cheng narrowed his eyes, turned his gaze to the vast sea on the other side, and said coldly, "I just don't know if he has such a big appetite!" ”

......

The Ming armoured forces were very strong, especially after being equipped with the new Tiger and Leopard tanks. However, in fact, the air power of the Ming Dynasty was much stronger than the armored power. In the heart of Zhang Cheng, who comes from modern time and space, what can really decide the fate of the battlefield is still in the sky.

Zhang Cheng attaches more importance to warplanes than warships, and also exceeds armored forces. In just a few years, Zhang Cheng provided the Ming army with tens of thousands of fighters of various types. This number is even enough to compare with all the enemies of the Great Ming.

The Albatross is a roadbed reconnaissance aircraft designed specifically for long-range reconnaissance. This large two-engine, four-seat reconnaissance plane has a range of up to 2,000 kilometers and can fly at an altitude of 9,000 meters. The fuselage is very large, equipped with powerful self-defense weapons, and has reserved a place for the installation of detection radars.

Under Zhang Cheng's personal order, all 12 such long-range reconnaissance planes equipped with the Third Air Army's reconnaissance group took off and conducted a carpet search in the vast desert of Libya. Their goal was clear, the armored forces of the German African Army Group.

Zhang Cheng already had a general idea of Rommel's intentions, but he needed to first determine the main offensive force of the Germans, the location of their armored forces. In the vast desert of Libya, pure infantry is not capable of large-scale mobile warfare. Especially this kind of thing of running thousands of miles to the rear supply lines. Only armored forces are capable of such things.

Zhang Cheng wants to find them, even in the vast sea of sand. The only thing that can do this is the Air Force's reconnaissance aircraft unit.

At this time, an albatross was roaming the sky near the Jufra Oasis, where they were scouting.

"Give me the eye drops." The co-pilot raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, turning his head to ask the telegraph operator behind him for eye drops.

"Damn it, there's nothing but sand here." The pilot who was piloting the plane opened his mouth and yawned, complaining helplessly.

They had been flying in the sky for hours, and there was nothing but sand and sand as far as they could see. The golden sea of sand has been viewed for a long time, enough to make people's eyes stinging and drowsy.

"We've run a long way, and it's so hot and so desolate down there. If the Germans were really here, they would have been roasted to jerky long ago. The co-pilot, who was in the driver's seat, threw his head back and gave himself eye drops, complaining.

"If only that were the case." The pilot, who was also the captain of the plane with the rank of lieutenant, picked up his thermos cup and drank a sip of water: "The Germans are very capable of fighting." My brother served in the 11th Panzer Division, and the last time we met in Benghazi for a drink, he said that the Germans fought very bravely and tenaciously, and many times the whole army was able to fight to the last man. The 11th Panzer Division had suffered considerable losses in the Battle of Tobruk, and many of its tanks had been blown up by brave German soldiers holding anti-tank mines. ”

"How did these Europeans become so fierce?" The telegrapher, who had not spoken much, continued, "I went to Europe before the war, and the people there were poor, short and thin, and they were very afraid of us Chinese. Who knows how they became so ruthless on the battlefield? ”

"Yes." After dropping eye drops, the co-pilot turned his head to look at the vast sea of sand below the reconnaissance plane, "A group of barbarians, except for ...... What is that?! ”

December 23, 1939, the traditional Christmas Eve day in the West. A long-range reconnaissance aircraft of the 3rd Air Army spotted traces of German armored forces in the Jufra Oasis. Rommel's claws were finally revealed. (To be continued.) )