"Your Excellency!" Lu Zhiyuan's brows were tightly furrowed, and his eyes were full of hope as he looked at Zhang Cheng, "We lack time, we shouldn't give up the original plan at this time!" ”

"I know what you're saying. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info" After a moment of silence, Zhang Cheng raised his gaze to look at the edge of the road, with a hint of unquestionable determination in his tone, "However, I still want to order you to continue to carry out my orders." ”

“...... Why? Lu Zhiyuan's eyes showed a complicated look, and he didn't understand why Zhang Cheng was so persistent. Is it to maintain his majesty? Zhang Cheng doesn't look like this kind of person.

"All the things you just said are just objective reasons, and in short, there are only two words." Zhang Cheng hooked the corners of his mouth and smiled, "Difficult." ”

Readjusting his sitting position, Zhang Cheng said loudly, "Whether it's time or redeployment. Whether it's the resistance of enemy forces or the weather in winter and the muddy roads in spring. All this is for objective reasons, it is all a matter of tactics. But I don't think about the tactical side of things. Because the position I'm sitting in now requires me to think about the strategic side of things. As for these difficulties, those are things that you, the front-line commanders, should solve, instead of complaining to me, understand? ”

“...... Be. ”

"If you don't have enough time, strike as soon as possible and try your best to save time. If the enemy resists, then crush their resistance mercilessly! Who says you can't fight in winter? Who said you can't march if the ground is muddy? Zhang Cheng raised his chin and said in a deep voice, "There is no problem in this world that cannot be solved." If there is a problem, solve it, not complain! As the chief of staff of Army Group Center, it is normal for you to think about things from the perspective of Army Group Center. So I gave you an explanation. Now, I command you to go and carry out my orders as soon as possible! ”

"Yes!" Lu Zhiyuan snuffed out his cigarette, stood up and gave a military salute to Zhang Cheng, and then quickly left Zhang Cheng's office.

After Lu Zhiyuan left, Zhang Cheng slowly lowered his eyelids and fell into deep thought. The situation he faces now is very similar to the choice that the Führer has faced in modern history. The same main forces attacked Moscow, and the same huge warplanes appeared in the south. It's just that one is from west to east, and the other is from east to west. It's just that the Führer's final outcome is not very good. At that time, the huge battle played a very important role in it.

Zhang Cheng was hesitant at first, and he also knew that changing the established battle plan at the last minute, especially with so many troops participating, would bring huge trouble to the front-line troops. He also once wondered if he would follow in the footsteps of the Führer? However, in the end, Zhang Cheng still chose to stick to his judgment and divide his troops at this critical juncture. After all, the temptation of large-scale annihilation of the living forces of the enemy army was too great for him. This would significantly reduce the time to end the war.

Zhang Cheng believed in the power in his hands, and also believed in the strength of the Ming Empire and the Ming army. Unlike the head of state, who lacks stamina, Da Ming still hasn't exploded his full strength until this moment! There is no shortage of troops in Zhang Cheng's hands!

Zhang Cheng needed time, and he had to end the fighting on the Russian battlefield as soon as possible, so that he could quickly sweep across Europe with his troops and advance the front to the shores of the Atlantic. Only then will it be possible for Zhang Cheng to launch a war against the Americas as soon as possible.

He did not dare to bet on when the real appearance of the Americans' nuclear weapons would be. Therefore, Zhang Cheng could only give full play to the strength of the Ming army at this time to speed up the process of the war. Even if it costs a lot of casualties! This is also the only reason why the Ming army's operational thinking began to change.

Zhang Cheng didn't tell Lu Zhiyuan what he really thought in his heart. When he moved his troops south to attack the Caucasus, he was actually thinking about continuing to attack Moscow at the same time!

Zhang Cheng never thought of giving up his plan to attack Moscow. None of his generals thought of two large-scale operations at the strategic level at the same time. After all, the strategic plan to attack Moscow alone had already mobilized more than three million troops, and to attack the Caucasus again would require the mobilization of not only the troops of Army Group Center, but also the troops of Army Group South. The sheer scale has already made the world's largest general staff, the Ming Army Staff Staff, busy exploding. Under these circumstances, almost everyone believed that the Ming army's attack on Moscow would inevitably stop. Because at this time, the supply capacity that the Ming logistics and transportation troops can provide for the front-line troops has reached the limit.

However, Zhang Cheng never wanted to stop the pace of the army. For Zhang Cheng, he would not consider everything that the generals were concerned about, because it was not something that he needed to think about. What Zhang Cheng needs to do is to formulate strategic goals and then hand them over to his subordinates to implement. If you do it, you will continue to do it, and you will be promoted and rewarded. If you can't do it, then leave and give up your position.

Zhang Cheng knew everything that the generals were worried about, and it could be summed up in two words, attrition. Whether it is the loss of personnel or equipment and materials, it will be an astronomical amount in a battle of this scale. The generals may not really care about the lives of the officers and soldiers, and the numbers are not empty talk. They are just worried about weakening the power in their hands. And the enemy is strong, and no one wants to take a huge risk of defeat. For the officers, defeat meant the loss of everything.

The Ming army was strong, but their opponents were not weak at all. Army Group Center mobilized more than 3.5 million troops and tens of thousands of equipment of all kinds to attack Moscow. In less than a month, the forward forces were approaching the Ryazan region south of Moscow. Along the way, more than a million Allied troops were killed and wounded, and thousands of weapons of all kinds were captured and destroyed, but the main force of the Allied forces still existed.

The Ming Dynasty was at war with dozens of countries at the same time, although none of these countries were the opponents of the Ming Dynasty, but their energy in all aspects was still very strong after they joined forces. At this time, a large number of Allied troops and equipment were gathered near Moscow, and it was roughly estimated that the number of troops and equipment was no less than that of Army Group Center. Now that the Ming army is moving troops from Army Group Center to the south of the Volga and Caucasus theaters, it is already at a disadvantage in terms of strength and equipment.

During the period when the Ming Central Army Group was rushing towards Moscow, the troops of the allied countries were not idle. The number of troops mobilized from all over the world to the vicinity of Moscow has reached a million, and the number is increasing rapidly. At the same time, the Allies also mobilized a large number of technical and tactical equipment, ready to be used against the Ming army's armored torrent.

In the past month, the Ming army has lost more than 100,000 soldiers, and they have lost a lot of various equipment, such as ammunition and other materials. Moreover, Moscow is a huge city, and it is necessary to pay huge losses to occupy it. However, Zhang Cheng is now no longer seeking to reduce losses, but to pursue time.

Nuclear weapons were like a huge shadow hanging over Zhang Cheng's head. He didn't know how far Wang Yan and Xiao Hongbao could go, and it was impossible for him to pin his hopes on the secret agents. Rather than end up falling short on the shores of the Atlantic, it is better to unleash all your forces now and give it a full fight. Trade temporary sacrifices for future glory.

On July 1, 1942, the two armored armies and two infantry armies under the central army group of the Ming Dynasty were separated from the sequence of the central army group, forming a southward corps and began to turn southward. This large force marched south from the area of Saransk and Penza to the banks of the Volga, and in only three days reached the line of Saratov, an important town on the banks of the Volga. The massive Caucasian campaign officially began to move towards high. Tide.

The senior Allied commanders were keenly aware of the change in the direction of the Ming army's main attack. As soon as the front-line units of the Ming Army Group Center stopped near Ryazan, the Allied command immediately readjusted its deployment to meet the Ming attack.

The intention of the Ming Dynasty was obvious, that is, to move south along the Volga and Don rivers, and cooperate with the heavy army group in the southern Caucasus to encircle and annihilate the Allied forces in the area south of the river. After intense debate and coordination with envoys who traveled back and forth to the capitals, the Allies finally decided to hold the Caucasus with heavy forces and engage in a strategic decisive battle with the Ming army. After all, let's not say that retreating at this time will cost a huge price, even if it is after retreating, won't there still be a decisive battle? It's better to play early than to play late.

After the analysis of the general staff of various countries and the confirmation of the formulation of the battle plan, the Allies finally decided that the troops in the southern Caucasus would continue to fight with the Ming Army Group South. The key point of the battle was placed in Tsaritsyn, an important transportation hub city at the confluence of the Volga and Don rivers.

Tsaritsyn is a node. Because now the entire front line of railways is almost unusable under the constant destruction of both sides. And Russia's terrible road system could not support a campaign of this magnitude. Therefore, whether it was the Ming army or the Allied army, its main logistical supply lines had to rely on the Volga and Don rivers. After all, the transport capacity of ships is very powerful.

Tsaritsyn, where the Volga and Don rivers meet, was the node of this battle. If the Ming army can take Tsaritsyn, it will be able to sweep and fight along the Don River, thus dividing the Caucasus into a huge encirclement. In that case, the southern front of the allies on the Russian battlefield would collapse completely.

And as soon as the Allies were able to resist the southward offensive of the Ming Army Group Center near Tsaritsyn, he would only need to drag the time until winter. When the Volga River froze, the Ming army, which had been cut off from supplies, either had no choice but to retreat, or waited in the ice and snow to be annihilated by a counterattack!

Tsaritsyn is the node of this battle. (To be continued.) )