After a night of time, Robert. Lee's four brigades moved into place, encircling the three formidable infantry regiments of the Union Army from three sides, except for the road to the rear of the cemetery ridge position.

Although the way to retreat was not blocked, the three regiments of the Federal Army were not fools, especially since they had fought fiercely after the Alliance Army before, so they knew that they could not retreat, and once they retreated, in the face of superior forces in three directions, it would easily turn into the previous rout.

Otherwise, although Westerners do not have a saying in the art of war, it does not mean that they do not understand the art of war, but they are limited by geography and culture, and do not emphasize sports warfare.

However, since the advent of Napoleon, Western countries have begun to pay attention to mobile warfare, and all countries have produced a series of military textbooks, in which there are many expositions on mobile warfare, which are actually not much worse than China's so-called art of war.

Therefore, although there is no saying in Western society that there is no shortage of three without one, there is a general conclusion, that is, in the face of a superior enemy, especially when the enemy has a large number of cavalry troops, you must not retreat without authorization, otherwise it will be a disaster.

Edward. Although Colonel Fowler and the others had an average level of skill and tactics, they were all experienced, especially since their troops had been fighting wildly before, and the soldiers were exhausted and faced with the threat of cavalry, so they could only wait for reinforcements.

Their idea was also simple, that is, they were not far from the rear position, and General Mead knew their situation and would definitely come to meet them.

It must be said that they know General Mead well, because it is indeed impossible for General Mead not to save them.

However, due to the greater distance of General Mead's troops from the three regiments, and the problem of messaging, Major General Mead's reaction was a beat slower, and when he organized his army and sent it out to the rescue. It was already dawn, and by this time, Robert. The four brigades sent by Lee had already surrounded the three regiments from three sides.

And most importantly, General Mead sent very few reinforcements, he only sent the remaining troops of the East Iron Brigade to pick them up, in other words, there were only two regiments, the 30th Infantry Regiment of New York State and the 2nd Marksman Regiment equipped with Sharps rifles.

Mead's idea was good, and in his opinion, it was just a response. It doesn't take too many people, and the East Railway Brigade is already close, so this force is sent here.

However, he never imagined that in order to deal with three regiments, more than 3,000 people, Robert . Li actually sent four brigades, which far surpassed the East Railway Brigade in terms of numbers.

Really. As soon as the receiving troops joined up with the three regiments, the seriousness of the problem was immediately discovered, because after the four brigades were in place, they launched an attack without hesitation.

The Union forces did not have radio. It was impossible to communicate in time, but they had pocket watches, and there was a large plain ahead, so just get the approximate time as long as the realization was determined. Attacking at the same time at the specified time can also achieve the effect of attacking at the same time.

Although there are still some deviations in this way of attacking at the same time using pocket watches, the terrain ahead has been discovered in advance. Second, each of their troops had at least one brigade, and all of them outnumbered those three regiments, so the danger was not high.

Therefore, at dawn, when the four brigades launched an attack from three sides at the same time, it was also when the reinforcements of the two regiments of the East Railway Brigade arrived, and in the face of the fact that the two sides had already begun to exchange fire, the entire East Railway Brigade was trapped, and there was no way to retreat safely.

Although it was surrounded on three sides, and the number of the Alliance Army far exceeded itself, and there was no danger to defend, the East Iron Brigade was worthy of being the ace brigade of the Federation Army, and it broke out with super combat effectiveness in an instant.

Although the East Iron Brigade was brave and good at fighting, they did not have heavy weapons or strong defensive positions, but they faced an enemy several times their size, and there was Robert Murphy in the back. Lee's large army, where they are located, is within the bombardment range of the artillery group of the Northern Virginia Legion, so if the Union forces fight with iron heart, this East Iron Brigade will have no chance of survival, or at least more fierce than the current battle.

That's right, this state of constant firefighting between the two sides, but not intense, is Robert. Lee did it on purpose, he wanted to use this reckless force as bait to attract more Union troops.

In other words, the four brigades of the Northern Virginia Regiment were a pocket, deliberately exposing a flaw so that the defenders of the cemetery ridge could send reinforcements along the way, in the hope that the defenders of the cemetery ridge would be able to send reinforcements along the way. Where Li Zhong's army is the main force, it would be better to eliminate more Federation troops, and if possible, the defenders of the entire cemetery ridge.

The reason for this arrangement is that Robert. In addition to Lee's strong ability to adapt to changes, it is also related to previous casualties.

You know, before that, Robert. Li concentrated almost all the artillery of the entire army and sent heavy troops, hoping to break through the high ground of the cemetery ridge in the center as soon as possible, but the result was unsatisfactory, especially the number of casualties was too large and the price paid was too much.

In just over a day, in the face of the cemetery ridge, including the casualties of the previous attack and the subsequent rout, the Union army paid more than 6,000 casualties, which was already a heavy defeat for the Northern Virginia Legion.

So, because the casualties were too heavy, and Jackson had already laid the cemetery ridge, the original Robert . Lee wanted to change places, and didn't want to continue to fight the hard bones of the cemetery ridge, who knew that the reckless pursuit of the enemy gave Robert. Li had a chance to allow him to counter-encircle the other party in time.

In this way, the host and guest were displaced, and although the Confederate army was still the attacker, the defenders who rushed out of the cemetery ridge no longer had a geographical advantage. Lee has more tactical options.

On top of that, Robert. Li also has a cavalry division at hand, so with this cavalry division as a deterrent, the other party cannot retreat, since this is the case, then it is equivalent to giving the other party a choice, either watching himself eat this brigade, or sending reinforcements, but in that case, Robert. Lee will also increase his troops, and the result will only be worse.

It's like a bet between the two sides, Robert. Lee has already dealt a good deck of cards and doesn't mind being seen by the opponent if the opponent doesn't want to lose the chips in front of him. You can only continue to raise the bet, hoping that the new cards will be turned over so that the bet can be made. Bo goes on.

General Mead is not a fool, and after getting the information from the front, he quickly understood that Robert. Li's purpose, but the problem is that he had to rescue the previous three regiments, and now that he has more troops trapped in it, a whole brigade, there is no reason not to rescue.

But here's the thing. General Mead has only one column, and the troops of the two armies, at best, are 20,000 people, and even if they are all thrown in, it will not be enough for people to eat, after all, the status of the two sides is not equal. Li Ke was the commander of the legion, and he controlled many more people than himself.

Actually, by this time. If according to General Mead's original intention, he hoped to abandon this brigade, anyway, his own strength was quite sufficient, as long as he held his position tightly. Even if Robert. Li took all the troops to attack, and he was not afraid, after all, the terrain of the cemetery ridge was limited, and it was impossible to deploy too many troops at one time. This gave him a place to use in his stepped defensive and trenched positions.

However, Mead was not a legion commander after all, and this kind of thing could not be decided on his own. So he just sent an additional brigade to the first trench position and made it appear to be ready to support, but instead of providing direct support, he sent someone to inform the commander of the Potomac Corps, Joseph. Hook, ask him to get an idea.

Of course, Mead wasn't exactly what Joseph did. Hook took the idea, and the people he sent out also brought his own letters, which contained Mead's Jianyì, and these Jianyì, of course, did not mean to abandon the brigade, but asked the other side to take this opportunity to carry out a larger encirclement.

In other words, in Mead's view, if he insists on saving him, it can only be a large-scale mobilization of troops and a decisive battle with the other side. Now Robert. Lee's main force had already fallen here, and if the Potomac corps could take the initiative and use their numerical superiority to surround it, the situation would have improved significantly.

Mead's tactic was simple, that is, to take advantage of the fact that his brigade was surrounded by the other side, and mobilize large forces to carry out a larger encirclement. In this way, Robert. Lee's troops had to face not only the troops in their own encirclement at the same time, but also the outer encirclement, coupled with the geographical advantage of the cemetery ridge, the artillery range here was longer, so once the artillery position was set up here, using the brigade being defended, plus the large forces on the periphery to besiege it, then Robert . Lee was bound to be defeated.

To put it bluntly, Mead's tactics, which are internal and external flowering tactics, are not unusual, but they are highly feasible.

In addition, if you do this, because the command system of both sides is not good, it is easy to get into a melee, and once the melee begins, the advantage in numbers will be brought into play, which is beneficial to the defending side with poor weapons and training.

After seeing General Mead's letter, Joseph. Hook immediately began to groan, for he felt that what Mead had said was not unreasonable.

However, since the height of the station is not the same, the responsibility is not the same, so Joseph. Hook thinks more than Mead.

Indeed, if you invest a large force and carry out a larger-scale encirclement battle centered on the cemetery ridge, there is a certain chance of success, but this kind of initiative also exposes its flaws. Lee gave up besieging that brigade and concentrated his main forces to find a gap and strike in one direction, then the situation would have been different.

You know, the Potomac Corps is currently on the defensive, fighting on the inside, and they have a better mobility advantage over the attacker. But if the defense is the offense, then Robert. Lee's Northern Virginia Legion would then become the defender of the interior battle, with a stronger mobile advantage than his own.

Moreover, as soon as the defensive position is abandoned and the initiative is attacked, then the geographical advantage of the defensive position will be lost, which is also a disadvantage for oneself.

If the Potomac Regiment is still the same as before, and the soldiers are still the well-trained guys, then Joseph. Hook may not hesitate to put in the main force and fight the other side in a decisive battle, but the problem is that he knows very well that the current Potomac Legion is just a façade, with few elite troops, and most of them are improvised militiamen.

If you put these militia in the position to play defense, it's okay to play with the other party, but if you take the initiative to attack, it will not be very reliable.

Besides, Jackson, who is called the Stone Wall, has taken Cemetery Ridge, which is equivalent to giving the other party an additional strategic high ground, although it is just a peripheral position, but with this high ground, the other party is not much worse than himself in terms of battlefield intelligence control.

So, once they mobilized large forces for a larger siege. Suddenness no longer exists, it can only be hard-hitting, but there are too many variables in this.

Come to think of it, Joseph. Hook felt that Mead's tactics were too risky, and Joseph. Hook didn't dare to take any risks right now, because he couldn't afford to lose, or at least a draw with his opponent.

That is, Joseph. Hook also thinks that in terms of overall strategy. It would have been more appropriate to abandon the aggressive brigade, but he also understood that if he did, even if he had won, he would have to be court-martialed afterwards.

After all, watching his men under siege and doing nothing is something that the United States will never tolerate.

George. Gordon. Mead was just the commander of a column, and he could still shirk it, like now, and report to himself. And put forward the rationalization of the rescue, but he is the supreme commander, there is no shirk, and he must be responsible for any decision he makes.

"This cunning George!" General Hook, who understood it, rubbed his brow. He looked at the letter in his hand again and shook his head.

Indeed, Hook faced a dilemma.

On the one hand, if you want to rescue the defended East Rail Brigade. He's going to launch a larger offensive, but it's too dangerous to do so. Li took the opportunity to break them one by one.

On the other hand. If you don't save the East Railway Brigade and let this brigade be eaten, this is an indelible stain, and you will be judged after the war, and once you let this brigade be eaten but don't go to the rescue, it will also be a big blow to the morale of your own troops. Originally, the morale of the Potomac regiment was not high, and if it withstood such a blow again, how could it be defended?

After walking back and forth with his hands behind his back, Hook suddenly frowned and thought of a new idea.

Indeed, it is too dangerous to launch a large-scale encirclement offensive, and it is not appropriate not to save it, so is it possible to carry out a limited rescue?

As soon as he thought of limited rescue, Hook immediately had more ideas, and after continuing to walk a few more steps, the idea of the so-called limited rescue became clearer.

Hook's idea is worthless, and it's actually the so-called refueling tactic.

According to Hook's idea, his biggest advantage is two, one is that he has enough people, and the second is that he is on the defensive side, not only with fortifications, but also with the advantage of maneuverability in interior combat.

Then, perhaps instead of attacking the Northern Virginia Legion on a larger scale, it was only necessary to send one column after another to support the cemetery ridge, and then from the cemetery ridge line to support the East Iron Brigade.

Hook believed that the encircled brigade was still very capable of fighting, and the besieged place was not far from the cemetery ridge position, and the reason why it could not come back was only because the enemy was outnumbered by himself and did not dare to act rashly.

However, if the tactics of refueling are used to continuously support the besieged troops, so that the besieged troops are not a brigade, but an army, or even a column, then the situation will be different.

In this era, once the number of troops exceeds 10,000, it is not easy to rely on encirclement tactics to eat it all, so as long as the number of besieged troops is large enough, so many people can rely on the number of people to connect with the cemetery ridge position in the rear and connect it together, which is equivalent to pushing the defensive position forward.

In this way, the besieged troops do not need to retreat, they can defend on the spot, and once they are not supported, it is easy to retreat slowly if there are enough people.

Plus, George. Mead was right, the cemetery ridge was a good high ground, and if a large number of artillery pieces were placed on it, it would form a powerful deterrent to the enemy.

In the past, Hook put the main forces in the rear to increase the thickness of the defense, but now it seems that he has enough troops to mobilize a part of the main force to go to the cemetery ridge, so that a heavy army group will be formed in the central part and directly threaten Robert. Lee's workhorse, which will take the pressure off the rest of himself.

Anyway, there are a lot of people and I'm not afraid of consumption, Robert. If Li insists on eating the troops in the encirclement, then he can send a steady stream of reinforcements over to consume him.

Conversely, if Robert. If Li doesn't eat the troops in the encirclement, it means that the encirclement is lifted, and he can take the troops back smoothly.

Thinking of this, Hook's eyes lit up, and he suddenly realized that this was actually a good opportunity, a good opportunity to defeat Robert. Lee's chance.

Yes, I have a lot of people, and I am not afraid of consumption, Robert. Lee is different. His number is small and he does not dare to confront himself, so although the refueling tactic may make his losses greater, as long as the opponent can't bear it first, it is his own victory.

Anyway, this place is close to Washington, and Lincoln also said that he will fully support him, and in case the troops are insufficient, he can continue to ask for people with him. Lee didn't have that condition.

After figuring it out. Hook immediately called the herald and began drafting a new order.

In this way, Hook sent two additional columns and transferred them from the rear to the cemetery ridge to increase the guard of the cemetery ridge, and at the same time ordered General Mead to send a column of troops from the direction of the cemetery ridge to rescue the encircled East Iron Brigade.

At the same time, Hook sent two additional columns, totaling 40,000 men. arrived at the foot of Cemetery Ridge Mountain, and asked them to launch a counterattack on Cemetery Ridge, even if they couldn't defeat it, at least they had to contain that Jackson. This force cannot be allowed to do whatever it wants.

Although Hook gave an urgent order, it still took time for the two columns of more than 40,000 troops to assemble, plus the time of marching, so it took nearly a day's effort. This supporting column reached the cemetery ridge.

When these two columns arrived, they were all under the control of George. General Mead was temperate, while George. Mead complied, too. A column of troops was sent to reinforce the encircled East Iron Brigade, but instead of sending them together, he divided them into two armies, and sent them before and after.

In this way, in the evening of this day, the besieged East Iron Brigade had been supported by more than 10,000 men of a corps, and the strength of the troops was thickened at once, and in the rear of this encircled army, that is, the junction between them and the position on the ridge of the cemetery, there was also a corps to defend, which made the besieged army of the entire salient connected with the rear position.

Because of the speed of the march, the support army did not carry many guns, and most of them were six-pounder guns, but instead they carried a lot of shovels.

In other words, after the reinforcements arrived, they did not cover the retreat, but dug a trench on the spot, and the excavated soil formed a defensive wall outside the trench, and actually built fortifications right under the noses of the enemy.

Since the reinforcements arrived at night, and the time to repair the fortifications was also at night, Robert. Although Li knew that reinforcements were coming and that the fortifications were being urgently excavated, he did not order the troops to attack.

The reason is very simple, the variables of the night attack are too great, usually only the weak do things, plus the number of reinforcements coming is a bit large, although the exact number is not known, but it is estimated that there are at least 10,000 people, and the four brigades can no longer eat, so there is no need for him to make extraneous branches at this time.

So, after a night of rushing to repair the fortifications, by the dawn of the next day, the besieged troops were already connected with the rear positions, and a circle of trenches had been dug around the perimeter, and there was no longer as dangerous to defend as before.

After getting more accurate information, Robert. Li also had a bit of a headache, because although this result was what he wanted, after all, he had wanted to use this besieged army as bait to attract more troops, otherwise he would not have released the water and made this pocket array.

However, he never expected that the other party would be so bold, and he sent 20,000 people over at one time, and at this moment, it became a situation where the fish was too big and the net was too small, and it was difficult for his pocket array to catch this big fish.

Of course, Robert. Li can also continue to send troops, but the problem is that there are 20,000 people in the pocket array, which are surrounded on three sides, and if you want to ensure that everything is safe, you must ensure that there are at least 10,000 people in every place, that is, only one army can do it. Otherwise, if there is a shortage of troops on one side, the other side is likely to take advantage of the advantage of the inner line and concentrate the main force for a surprise attack, and the situation will be complicated.

It is not impossible to send additional troops to besiege it, but in this way, he must invest at least 30,000 men in this direction, and at that time, this place will become a decisive place for heavy troops.

Robert. Li did not reject a large-scale decisive battle, which was a good thing for him, but the problem was that the location of this decisive battle was not good, because behind the surrounded troops was the high ground of the cemetery ridge, and they had a condescending advantage, not to mention intelligence, in case of concentrating artillery, they could also pose a threat to themselves.

In other words, once the decisive battle is here, it becomes a refueling tactic, they can continuously send reinforcements from behind, and then rely on the position to fight against themselves. In this way, although his advantage is slightly larger, his number is not as good as that of the other party, and if he continues to consume it like this, he will not be able to continue to play sports warfare, and he will not be able to bear it.

On the surface, the number of its own artillery is far more than that of the Federal Army, and the artillery performance is also good, and the caliber is mostly more than that of the Federal Army. Lee himself knows his own business, that is, although he has a lot of artillery, he does not have much ammunition.

Most of these artillery pieces are from China, and the price of artillery is okay, but the shells are too expensive, especially flowering. Burst. Explode. Bullets, every time the cannon is fired, Robert. Li had to be careful and hurt a little.

As for the solid bullets, originally he had a lot of solid bullets, but in the previous battle, he hit too hard, and the solid bullets were wasted too much, and when the rear was replenished, there were not many solid bullets, so it caused Robert. Lee: This kind of artillery is a situation where there are a lot of artillery and not enough shells.

Because there were not enough shells, Robert . Li Cai concentrated the artillery, and as soon as he came up, he bombarded indiscriminately, not so much as tactical support, but deterrence or deception, that is, to let the other side know that he had many artillery, so that the other side would not dare to play with him lightly.

However, in the last kind of shelling, he used up half of the artillery reserves, and although he urgently urged the rear to bring ammunition over, for a while, he could no longer play large-scale artillery battles.

After thinking about it and weighing the pros and cons, Robert. Li suddenly clenched his fists and made up his mind.

"Okay, since you want to play like this, then let's have a decisive battle in advance, anyway, I'm surrounded on three sides, and the advantage is mine! Hmph, I'd like to see how many people you can fill in! (To be continued......)