Li Guang returned to Madagascar. The first thing he had to deal with turned out not to be the most urgent form of the Ceylon war. Instead, it is necessary to understand why Yang Weiwu has not completely defeated the French army by leading more than half of the military strength of the Naval Resistance Army.

Although Bao Gang's telegram on 1 July made Li Guang feel a little reassured, Yang Weiwu could not spare troops on his side, and it was impossible for Tanggang to completely break the siege. Even if the troops of the Naval Resistance Army in Tanggang could withstand the pressure of the Japanese army, it was unlikely that they would want to counterattack. It can be said that the only advantage of the Naval Resistance Army in Tanggang is the abundance of materials and ammunition. But the question of how long these supplies and ammunition can last is still a question. According to Li Guang's estimate, there will definitely be no problem in three months, but what if it is played in the first half of the year?

There is another point, Li Guang does not dare to infinitely the power of the mythical spirit, if the war drags on for too long, the blow to morale will become more and more serious.

Li Guang needs answers. It is necessary to find out the reason for the slow progress of Yang Weiwu's forces.

You must know that the troops under Yang Weiwu's current command are no longer the seven or eight thousand troops at the beginning. Rather, more than 13,000 army troops. Together with two thousand recruits, the total strength is more than fifteen thousand.

Bao Gang is in Tanggang and Su Qing is in Burma, and the total number of troops led by the two together is not as large as Yang Weiwu.

Yang Weiwu's troops not only consisted of tens of thousands of infantry, but also armored battalions, artillery battalions, air force units with dozens of warplanes, as well as a navy and a battalion of amphibious troops. It can be said that the arms are complete, and the combat effectiveness must not be considered weak.

The armored battalions and artillery battalions of the Maritime Resistance Force are very different from the same level of the armies of other countries.

Just one armored battalion, now there are more than a hundred tanks. Although there is not a single Tiger tank of the Naval Resistance Army, it is all Polish small tanks and British light tanks or French B1 heavy tanks. Although the quality is a little worse, the quantity is equivalent to an armored division in a European country.

The artillery battalion is equipped with hundreds of artillery pieces. The equipment is also powerful enough.

If we say, the armored battalions and artillery battalions on the Malagasy side did not remain in the elite of the armored forces and artillery units in the port of Don. It's also true. After all, most of the troops transferred to Madagascar are newly reorganized. But the air force here in Madagascar not only has more fighters, but also more pilots. There are also a considerable number of elite pilots.

Not only that, but the navy led by Zheng Xuechang also worked part-time every once in a while.

However, with such a strong force, they were not able to take Madagascar after five months of fighting, which really puzzled Li Guang.

At the same time, what made Li Guang dissatisfied was that Yang Weiwu's every battle report was a victory, never defeated, and there was not even a setback. The battle report is not hundreds of enemies annihilated each time. It is a crowd of captives, and the brilliant cannot be more brilliant. And if you look at the casualties of the Naval Resistance Army, the total number of casualties has not exceeded 500 after several months of fighting. In ancient times, the famous generals who won a hundred battles were afraid that it was nothing more than that.

Isn't it strange to win battles all day long, but still not completely defeat the French army?

Li Guang returned to Madagascar. I didn't care about anything, and I got into the staff headquarters.

Yang Weiwu also commanded operations on the front line. Chief of Staff of the Air Force Yuan Yin. Chief of Intelligence Staff Lin Lili. Hu Bofeng, a special logistician, and other staff officers explained to Li Guang bit by bit all the progress of the Madagascar side in front of the sand table.

In one night, Li Guang's eyes were red, and he finally figured it out: the battle process was indeed consistent with Yang Weiwu's battle report, and Yang Weiwu did not cheat.

The reason was also found.

The direct reason is that the French army is constantly increasing its troops.

Madagascar was reinforced not only by the French Army, but also by French submarines and French warships on several occasions.

So where did these French troops come from?

Let's take a look at Yang Weiwu's results: Madagascar was in the early days of the war. There were only more than three thousand French troops. But after a few months of fighting, Yang Weiwu had captured more than 3,000 French prisoners and more than 40,000 black prisoners. The French army that was wiped out was about 3,000. As for the black servant army that was eliminated, Yang Weiwu thought that it was not worth calling it a result at all. Therefore, there is no specific number.

And now, Yang Weiwu estimates that there are still 6,000 or 7,000 French troops and 670,000 black troops.

In other words, in the past five months, Yang Weiwu has faced a total of about 10,000 French troops and about 150,000 black servants.

Don't look at the army's combat effectiveness is not very good, but there are more ants that bite and kill elephants. Yang Weiwu fought with a force of one to ten, which was not easy.

The next question is, where did the French army come from?

First of all, a large number of French civilians in Madagascar joined the French army, numbering about 4,000.

In addition, Madagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean, but the fighting in Madagascar is not isolated. Li Guang never imagined that the opponents faced by the Naval Resistance Army were so complicated, and they were no longer only facing a few thousand troops in the French colonies. The French army in Madagascar came mainly from the Indian Ocean and Africa.

Madagascar is surrounded by several French colonial islands, and there are many French colonies in Africa. What's more, all of Africa was a colony of white Europeans.

Some of these armed forces belonged to Vichy France, and some belonged to De Gaulle's own France. But more of them turned out to be self-organized troops, and these forces turned out to be not entirely French.

The French, whose backbone was broken by the Germans, actually exploded into combat power in the face of the Orientals. Ignoring the fact that the French woman in Paris was in the arms of the German army, she played the banner of Joan of Arc and traveled across the ocean to fight against the naval resistance.

In front of the Germans, the French could not find a single bit of confidence in victory. Now some Napoleonic battalions, Paris battalions and other chaotic troops with many banners have been organized. The French may think that losing to the Germans is not a shame, but losing to the Chinese is.

As a time-traveling person, Li Guangke really didn't expect that the French in this era could still make up such a group of freaks. However, it was these freaks who caused Yang Weiwu quite a lot of trouble.

On the overall results of the naval resistance army, we must also count some achievements of the naval force. The naval strength of the French is not very strong, some are even wooden sailboats, and the combat effectiveness is hardly worth mentioning, as long as it is discovered, the naval resistance army will definitely win. There were countless small boats captured by the Maritime Resistance Army, one or two hundred, and more than 100 were sunk. The number of captives was also around 10,000 whites and blacks.

The results are great.

But the Maritime Resistance Forces have only a few destroyers in the Indian Ocean, such as the battleship Atlantic and the seaplane carrier PJP. Facing the 580,000 square kilometers of Madagascar Island, the coastline of more than 3,000 kilometers is also difficult to maintain.

You must know that these warships have a complex task, defending Vladivostok, escorting ships, assisting the army in landing operations, supporting Tang Port, and sneaking up on the Japanese army. Just such a little power has been exerted to the extreme by Zheng Xuechang. Zheng Xuechang himself in a few months' time. It is not an exaggeration to describe the high level of hard work at sea almost every day.

Even so, it was still difficult to stop the French reinforcements that arrived. There is also the practical conundrum that the Mozambique Channel is a busy international shipping route. Quite a few European merchant ships. Including American ships will provide protection for French reinforcements. In the midst of these merchant fleets, a French support ship with a changed flag will inadvertently appear. The Naval Resistance Army simply can't screen them one by one. It is even more impossible to sink a ship when it sees it.

This is the main problem facing Yang Weiwu.

The composition of the French army was very complex. The reinforcements from the neighboring colonies were considered regular troops, while those from the African continent were relatively mixed.

To say that these rabbles in France, Yang Weiwu's troops definitely have the strength to defeat them. In fact, Yang Weiwu is also sure to win every battle, interspersed behind enemy lines. Tactics such as roundabout landings have been almost reduced to art.

However, Madagascar's nearly 600,000 square kilometers of land are like a sponge that sucks Yang Weiwu's troops clean.

Count it carefully, Yang Weiwu's task. It will be found that there is indeed a serious shortage of troops.

First of all, there are now about 350,000 Chinese immigrants to Madagascar. Yang Weiwu must ensure the safety of these people.

In the absence of troops, all these migrants were resettled near Vladivostok. In order to ensure safety, Yang Weiwu even shrank the defensive line and set up a defensive line more than 100 kilometers north of Madagascar.

You know, this line of defense is not only to cut off the north-south passage of the island, but also to defend along the coastline.

This line of defense, together with the defenders of Vladivostok, occupied more than 3,000 troops of Yang Weiwu at once.

As for why such a stupid way of defending, we will talk about it below.

There is also one of the most troop-intensive areas. Madagascar is densely mountained and jungled, and some vital passes and coastal ports must also be garrisoned. Otherwise, they would not have been able to trap the French army wandering in the mountains. A considerable proportion of the French troops participated in the war spontaneously, and these people did not have a unified command at all, and the landing sites were irregular, and sometimes they took the initiative to collide with the guns of the naval resistance troops.

Although it was easy to eliminate such a chaotic army, the French inadvertently adopted mountain guerrilla warfare, which really occupied Yang Weiwu's troops.

The area of nearly 600,000 square kilometers is not divided into three or two, and it once again occupies six or seven thousand troops.

In early June, the Navy's resistance forces occupied the capital of Madagascar, which was known as Chang'an, the capital of the Haitang Kingdom. Because Chang'an is located in the middle of Madagascar and has an important strategic location, Yang Weiwu had to deploy more than 2,000 people in Chang'an, not only to build an airport here, but also to build an airport here, so that the air power of the Naval Resistance Army can radiate to the whole island. It is also to leave a mobile force, ready for a decisive battle at any time.

In Yang Weiwu's battle plan, he waited for the airport in Chang'an to be repaired before he could launch a full-scale attack. The reason is very simple, due to the road, the artillery and armored units mobilized by Li Guang for Yang Weiwu, although strong, only come in a little use, and are far less effective than the fire support of the air force.

In fact, the total number of front-line combat units led by Yang Weiwu is only more than 1,000 people. The deployment of troops takes time. The General Staff Department believes that it will take half a month at the earliest to adjust the deployment of troops.

In other words, before 15 July, it will be very difficult for the Naval Resistance Army to launch another full-front offensive. You must know that there is still a third of Madagascar in the hands of the French, and even if the battle goes smoothly, it will take at least a month to gather the French army and annihilate it.

As for the complete elimination of the remnants of the French army, I am afraid that it will be the end of the year. And this expectation is still on the premise that the French will not increase their troops.

According to the introduction of the General Staff, Li Guang had a hint of enlightenment. Yang Weiwu's offensive speed is not fast, and the reasons are many. Among them, Premier Li Guang and Premier Yuan Ye still have relatively large responsibilities.

First, the time for the Naval Resistance Army to launch its offensive was the rainy season. In this semi-pristine area, the roads are really difficult to navigate. For a long time, Yang Weiwu was not fighting with the French army, but fighting with the road. Moreover, the rainy days also limited the air power of the Naval Resistance Army. Hence the slow pace of advancement. It became a matter of course. And the longer it takes, the more time the French have to come from all over to join the war. It's a vicious circle. To put it simply, the timing of the war, Professor Yuan and Li Guangxuan's election was too political, and there was no more consideration from a military perspective.

Second, militarily, Li Guang and Professor Yuan also shrank a little. Li Guang did not authorize Yang Weiwu to clear the French colonies on the periphery, and several small islands near Madagascar are now bases for French foreign aid. Objectively, the French were given the convenience of reinforcements.

The reason why he did not occupy those small islands was that Professor Yuan thought that the impact was too large. It would lead to diplomatic passivity. The capture of Madagascar can also be said to have been because the French defenders here supplied Japanese and German submarines, threatening the safety of Allied merchant ships. Li Guang and Professor Yuan's original plan was to make a fortune and wait for the complete occupation of Madagascar to become a fait accompli.

Third, whether it is Li Guang, a traverser. Neither a historian like Professor Yuan could have foreseen the ripple effects of the capture of Madagascar.

There is a more serious problem. There are already signs of it. On the side of the French army. In addition to reinforcements from the French colonial islands. The largest number of reinforcements came from Mozambique, across the sea from Madagascar.

The average width of the Mozambique Channel is 450 kilometres, and Mozambique on the other side of the strait is a Portuguese colony.

In World War II, Portugal hid behind Spain, and Spanish President Franco had good relations with Hitler's Germany, Germany occupied France and did not attack Spain further. As a result, Portugal was spared the war.

When the Naval Resistance Army attacked Madagascar, the Portuguese on the other side of the river showed a strange taste of injustice. Although the government was not directly involved, it not only helped the French to cross the channel, instigated by certain Caucasian supremacists. And there were also a considerable number of Portuguese who went to war in their personal capacity.

Recently, among the prisoners captured by the Naval Resistance Army, there were not only the French, but also the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and even British.

What's even more infuriating is that each of these whites pulls a group of blacks as cannon fodder. These whites came from all over the place, and naturally the blacks were also servants brought from various colonies. Three or five whites could go into battle with hundreds of black servants.

This thing is simply making the Haitang Kingdom and the entire black race enmity. Isn't this to raise the hatred value of the Haitang Kingdom? Li Guang's teeth itched with hatred.

Historically, the British did not have so much trouble conquering Madagascar. When the Naval Resistance Army appeared on this plane, the superiority of the white race began to play in trouble, and now Mozambique has become the main base for supporting Madagascar.

Some of these problems can be solved by military means, and some can be solved by diplomatic means. However, Li Guang was not in Madagascar, Yuan Ye was not in Madagascar, and the Maritime Resistance Army obviously missed the best opportunity to deal with the problem, and the situation was already somewhat out of control at this point.

Don't underestimate this sign, if it is allowed to develop, the battle will get bigger and bigger, and the blood will increase. The hatred will also get deeper and deeper, and one day the whole of Europe will stand on the opposite side of the Haitang Army, and even all the Caucasian people will stand on the opposite side of the Haitang Kingdom, will the Haitang Kingdom still have a future?

Li Guang thought of the fact that Haitang was restricted from purchasing by the United States, as well as some propaganda about Haitang in the United States, and he was a little restless.

Where can I find some domineering energy? Isn't there a perk, isn't there a perk? Anyway, Li Guang found that he really didn't have the superpower to see through the fog at a glance. As a traverser, Li Guang also has a sense of direction now. After 70 years, I don't know what to do now.

It's too complicated.

With a few wails in his heart, Li Guang took the test again.

With Li Guang's insight, he may be able to take advantage of the opportunity of the world war to reap some benefits for China. However, the benefits are so great that the problem of building a country and expanding the living space of 600,000 square kilometers is too great. The big ones are beyond the capabilities of the traversers.

Militarily, Li Guang could discuss with the officers of the General Staff. Li Guang can discuss the people's livelihood economy with the National Development and Reform Commission or the Federation of Industry, Agriculture and Commerce.

Diplomacy, this is no longer simple diplomacy.

Don't look at the fact that the Naval Resistance Force is still weak, but the occupation of Madagascar really involves the pattern of the whole world.

Africa is European. In this era, the white people thought that it was a matter of course, not to mention the flesh and blood of the Allied and Axis forces on the battlefield in North Africa, but it was all about the white race for Africa.

The Indian Ocean is British. Don't look at the fact that the British have lost Ceylon now, but as long as the Indian Ocean is mentioned in the world, it is natural that the British will be branded.

The entry of the Haitang State into Madagascar not only had an impact on the power structure of the whole of Africa, but also posed a threat to Britain's Indian Ocean attributes. The settlement of the Haitang Kingdom in Ceylon was controllable in the eyes of the British, and the presence of the Haitang Army in Ceylon was indeed beneficial to the British. However, the occupation of Madagascar is definitely beyond the bottom line of the British.

The question is too big for Li Guang to think he can't answer, and he doesn't know if Premier Yuan has the level to give an answer.

It is a pity that Premier Yuan is still on the sea, and it will take time to return to Vladivostok. And another one who can barely explore this issue - Yuan Ran. At this time, he was not in Madagascar, but went to London and served as a diplomat of the Haitang Kingdom in the United Kingdom. (To be continued......)