"On the 7th of the month, the 10th Fighting Force, along the mountain road on which the Turkish army had moved south against the Kurdistan Workers' Party guerrillas in the mountains of northern Iraq, entered the province of Shernak and marched towards the town of Silopi, which was also the military stronghold of the Turkish army in the border area, about a kilometre away. 【Reading.com】

There was no difficulty in attacking the war cattle of Silopi, and "the four or so Turkish troops surrendered almost without resistance.

The vanguard of the 10th Combat Unit did not stop its advance, and after handing over the reception of prisoners of war to the support units that followed, the vanguard reached the largest city in Sjernak province and the only city in the southeastern border region of Turkey, on the outskirts of Guizre, two hours after the start of the offensive. To the disbelief of the Turkish officers and men guarding Gizre, the vanguard of the 10th Combat Corps did not attack at all, but bypassed the city and instead marched to Schernak to the northeast. Wait until the Turkish army reacts. When preparing to cut off the rear supply line of the vanguard of the 10th combat unit. The main force of the 10th Combat Unit, the combat battalions of the two support brigades following the vanguard to be precise, had reached the outskirts of Guizre and had deployed defensive positions. In the face of the republican ** team, which was armed to the teeth, the commander of the Turkish army chose to retreat very wisely, so that the long-range artillery that had been prepared for a long time lost the opportunity to threaten. If the Turkish army wants to take the opportunity to teach the troops of the support brigade. It was not the self-defense weapons of the infantry that greeted them first. Rather, it is an electromagnetic gun system deployed in northern Iraq.

Of course, the Turkish commander did not forget the most important thing, which was to report the engagement to the coalition command with communications equipment provided by the American army.

It was only by this time that Duchway knew that the 10th Combat Unit had attacked.

The reason why the US forces failed to show up in advance for the 10th Combat Unit was not because there were fewer reconnaissance means, but because Du Qiwei did not accurately judge the direction of the 10th Combat Unit's attack.

In his opinion, Pei Chengyi will definitely not be easily fooled, and he will not respond too clearly to Blucher's breakthrough action. In fact, when Blücher was ready to break through, Du Qiwei knew that this little trick could not deceive Pei Chengyi. The problem is that Pei Chengyi can't do nothing, he must take into account the possibility of fake play, so he has to adjust his actions. The most direct way is to have the 10th combat unit go directly north from the province of Dehuk and enter the province of Hakkari, force Buchancher to return to the defensive position, and then attack the west as quickly as possible, blocking the passage of Blucher's breakthrough, so as to prevent Blucher from breaking through. Based on this judgment, the July thugs were in the middle of the night. Duchway asked the reconnaissance unit to focus on monitoring several major roads leading from the southern part of Hakkari province to Dahuk province, and dispatched large unmanned reconnaissance planes to circle over the southern part of Hakkari province.

Because Duchway did not focus on the direction of Shernak Province, he was unable to meet the 10th battle in time.

The problem is that after receiving the report from the Turkish army, Duchway did not immediately believe it. In previous battles, many of the rank and file officers of the Turkish army, in order to avoid responsibility, deliberately exaggerated the enemy's strength when reporting on the engagement. In Duchway's view, it is likely that the attack on Guizreh will be a small force, and that the single main force of the 10th battle is in the territory of Dahuk province, south of Hakkari province, and may move north at any time.

The only thing that doesn't make sense is why the single vanguard of the tenth battle wants to bypass Guizre.

If it was just a feint, the 10th combat unit should have played with momentum instead of sneaking around. While it was possible for the Turkish commanders to lie about the situation in order to convince people that the main force of the 10th Combat Unit was on their side and to provide a reason to abandon Quizre, Duchway had reason to believe that the intelligence of the junior officers of the Turkish army had not yet reached the point where they could concoct such a perfect course of battle.

In order to find out the situation, Duchway asked the staff officers to adjust the flight route of the large unmanned reconnaissance plane, and asked the large strategic reconnaissance plane, which had been hovering over the Black Sea, to aim the synthetic aperture radar at the area between Guizret and Schernak, focusing on the search for the highway line.

Because the flight degree of the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft is not fast, the strategic reconnaissance aircraft is the first to report.

As with the reported engagement of the Turkish army, there was indeed a unit with various types of main battle equipment about Jintai that was assaulting Shernak.

The problem is that the reports of strategic reconnaissance aircraft are not detailed.

Because synthetic aperture radar can only distinguish the metal shell of the vehicle, it cannot determine the true identity of the vehicle, so it is impossible to conclude that it is the armored unit that is speeding towards Schellnak. Or a feint force converted from ordinary vehicles. To find out the identity of this force. We have to wait for the photos taken by the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.

This time. Dudgway already felt threatened.

If that's a feint force, it's not a big deal. The question is. If that were a main attacking force, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Shernak is a small town with a small population, and the military force stationed in the area is only a strong police force with only about one force, except for the infantry battalion of the Turkish army, which is less than a small number of thugs. Obviously, with such a small number of troops, it is simply impossible for an armored force with all kinds of tanks and a strength of more than a man. Not to mention defensive, it's nice to be able to put up an effective resistance before surrendering or being wiped out.

Losing Schernak will make the battlefield situation

Blücher, who was stationed in Hakkari, had only to lick the direction of the breakout, one to the north to Gülpernar, the town west of Bashkale, and the other to the west to Schernak. Because Bashkale has fallen. The 1st Combat Unit is advancing to the west. The armored units of the Iranian army also began to advance towards Koran between Hakari and Bashkale after they were well prepared, so breaking through to the north, even if they were able to avoid the sharpness of the Iranian armored forces, they were likely to run headlong into the iron wall of the first combat unit. If Duchway really wanted to let Blücher break through, he would have to let him break west, that is, reach Schellnak as soon as possible.

From Du Qiwei's standpoint, he can only believe that Pei Chengyi not only saw through his tricks. And easily dismantled his attempts.

If the vanguard of the 10th Combat Unit could quickly capture Shernak, Pei Chengyi would not have to worry about the boiled duck flying away. At that time, Blucher would not be able to fly even if he put on his wings unless he ordered all the heavy equipment to be discarded and let more than 10,000 American GIs enter the mountains to disperse and break through.

The question is not whether Blucher can break through.

Fundamentally, Duchway didn't really think about letting Blücher break through.

The point is, in the unlikely event that Buchancher broke through. Pei Chengyi has no reason to waste too many troops in the southeast direction. At most, let the 10th combat unit hold Shernak with the strength of the support brigade like the 1st combat unit. The main forces continued to assault to the west. Since Shernak was most likely the single logistical and material transit center for the 10th Battle, leaving a few thousand officers and soldiers here would not have any impact on his combat operations. Under these circumstances, not only did Blucher's stay in Hakkari become meaningless, but it was impossible for American reinforcements to reach Siirt and take control of this vital city before the 10th Battle Unit.

The loss of Siirt meant not only the loss of Blucher, but also the loss of the war on the Northern Front.

At this point, Dudgway has no choice.

At about 3 o'clock in Ankara time, that is, about a minute after receiving information from a strategic reconnaissance plane, a large unmanned reconnaissance plane returned reconnaissance photos.

Duchway's fears were confirmed, and it was indeed a single armored unit of the 10th Battle.

The appearance of an armored combat vehicle can be faked, but like the wake of a ship, the dust raised by an armored combat vehicle when driving high on the road cannot be faked. Or that it can be faked. It's just very easy to identify.

By this time, Blucher's armored forces would not be able to take control of Schernak before the 10th battle unit in any case.

In fact, even if Blucher had been allowed to lead a breakthrough at the time of receiving the report from the Turkish army, it would have been impossible for the American armored units to reach Schellnak before the individual vanguard of the 10th battle.

The harsh reality in front of Duchway was that he had to fake it and make Blücher break through.

At this point, Du Qiwei can only choose the lesser of two evils.

If Blucher does not break through. At most, it can only contain a few Iranian divisions, and Pei Chengyi will not waste a single soldier. If Blucher is allowed to break through, it is very likely that Pei Chengyi will put part of the forces of the 10th battle unit in Schellnak, and let the 1st battle unit move the front line to the south when attacking, which will have a negative impact on the offensive actions of the republican ** team. Of course. In order to achieve this goal, a precondition must be met, that is, the US armored forces in Blucher's hands must leave Hakkari province before the Iranian army completes the encirclement, spread out in the eastern part of Shernak province, and advance towards Shernak as quickly as possible. In other words, don't get entangled with the Iranian army, otherwise you can only fight with the Iranian army. For the rest of the battle. No matter how many Iranian troops are spelled out, there is no real value.

Of course, this is the first thing that must be done.

After giving Blücher the order to break out, Dudgway had an official from the State Department contact Madame Loeblin.

"Madam Secretary, you are too optimistic about this war. It must be admitted. The man who was fighting with us was the most talented military strategist on the planet, Dudgway, straightened his attitude and said. "I just received information that the fourth combat unit of the Chinese Army has arrived on the battlefield. And invaded the territory of Turkey. To make matters worse, in order to avoid tens of thousands of American soldiers becoming prisoners of war, I had to allow General Blucher to break west from Hakkari Province

Mrs. Loebling's face immediately darkened, but there was no hint of shock.

"In any case, until now, we have not been able to take the initiative.

Under the control of our opponents, we can only face the war in a very passive way, so as to lose the war step by step. ”

"General, you mean that we must regain the initiative

Dudgway nodded, indicating that this was what he meant.

"So, how do we take back the initiative?" Madame Loeblin was a very pragmatic politician and did not dwell on the minutiae of Duchway.

Until then, I had always hoped to seize the initiative by working on the battlefield on the Northern Front. Reverse the situation that is very unfavorable to our side and force the opponent to start a war on the southern front, so as to win more international support for us. Dudgway paused slightly. "It's a pity that until now, my efforts have not borne fruit, and it is likely that they will never be effective." Fortunately, this result has long been guessing "Zhen top material?" Otherwise, there is no need to prepare Israel for war in advance. ”

"You mean, let Israel take the initiative?"

"It's not just the offensive that we have to put in the fighting troops

Mrs. Loebling frowned slightly, as if she had not understood what Dudgway meant.

Although the Palestinian-Israeli issue is more important than the Kurdish issue, the Israeli authorities have not recognized it. This is a war against them. That is, the Israeli authorities will not fight for Turkey, at least not unilaterally for Turkey. Dudgway smiled wryly. "This is very clear in our secret agreement with Israel, that Israel will only send troops if we send troops. To be precise, Israel, as an ally, sent troops to assist us in combat operations in the Syrian direction. Other words. We must act first. to ask Israel to follow suit.

So, how many troops do we have to move? ”

The Fighter Marine Division has arrived in Israel and is ready for war, and the 2nd Marine Division will be in Israel within three days and ready for battle

"With two Marine Divisions, you can gain the initiative? .

"Whether we can or not, we have to be proactive. Although China has already sent two fighting armies to Syria individually. One of them is deployed between Damascus and the Golan Heights, but we have reason to believe it. With the cooperation of the Israeli army, the two Marine divisions were able to force the opponent to send more ground forces in this direction. As long as our offense is timely. Prevent the adversary from sending more ground troops to the front in a timely manner. It will allow the opponent to draw combat troops from the northern front, so that we can gain the initiative on the battlefield on the northern front and completely turn the tide of the war

"The question is. This would put us diplomatically on the back foot. And offend all Arab countries

thug "Madam Secretary of State." If you have something to take, you have to give something. It is impossible for us to take advantage of all aspects, we can only choose the biggest one. If the war for Turkey is lost, which leads to the fall of the Turkish regime, or is dismembered by China, for us. The consequences are unimaginable. When the time comes, even if it does not offend the Arab countries. Our influence in the Middle East will also fall below China's, and we will gradually lose our dominance in the region. ”

Dudgway spoke so succinctly that it was impossible for Madame Loeblin not to understand what he meant.

After pondering for a while, Mrs. Loblin spoke: "You're right, we can't let Turkey finish. At least the Turkish regime cannot be brought to an end. The key question is whether Turkey's regime will be doomed if we lose the battle in the north. ”

"With our support, the Turkish regime will not collapse easily, after all, Turkey is a relatively homogeneous people. In countries with a majority ethnic group, Turks make up about eighty percent of the total population. But we must consider the possibility that the Chinese authorities will take this opportunity to attack Ankara. As long as Ankara can be defeated, the Chinese authorities will be able to do the same and establish a pro-Chinese regime in Turkey. Even if the Turkish regime's top officials flee Ankara and their legitimacy is recognized by the international community, Turkey is likely to break out into civil war. There is no doubt that such an outcome would be almost indistinguishable from losing the war. In any case, the Turkish market is not very attractive to the interest groups of the republic

"You mean, the other side is preparing to attack Ankara?"

"There are signs of that. There is not enough evidence yet. But if I were to take command, I would definitely attack Ankara as the main means of victory. ”

Madame Loeblin took a long breath and said, "In this case, we have no other choice

Dudgway nodded. No saliva is wasted on such non-nutritious topics.

Mrs. Loebling pondered for a moment and asked, "General." When do you need an exact answer?

The sooner the better, preferably now

thug "This is obviously impossible, and in any case, it must be approved by the president." ”

Hearing Mrs. Loeblin's words, Dudgway immediately frowned. Obviously, on the question of the war, Landers did not give full power to Mrs. Loeblin, but deliberately wanted to wield it. It's also understandable that if Landers thinks it's a war that the United States is bound to win, he'll use it to make political capital.

"I will reply to you as soon as possible, no later than twenty-four, and you can prepare as you envisioned, but do not take any action until you have my reply. In any case, this is not something that can be decided by us alone

"I'll wait for your call, Dudgway, who has been Secretary of Defense and the President's National Security Adviser, knows very well what Mrs. Loebling means when she says this, so she doesn't say anything wordy.

Mrs. Loebling nodded, and her image vanished.

Dudgway let out a long breath and let his mind return to the battlefield.

At this time, the combat staff officer hurriedly walked in and muttered a few words in his ear.

Before the staff officer could finish speaking, Du Qiwei stood up sharply and threw a completely disbelieving look at the staff officer.

Apparently, while he was on the phone with Mrs. Loeblin, the tide of battle took a major turn.