"The big operation? You guessed it, I do have a new plan for the future. Li Yongji smiled, "But before I tell me about the new plan, I want to ask you first, how have you studied recently?" I mean, my current dream army, do you have the confidence to command it? ”

"It should be fine." Shi Dakai said, "In Weichen's opinion, this so-called motorized unit is well-equipped, has good communications, high morale, and strict discipline, and it is much easier to command such a unit than to command other troops, so if you really let Weichen command, Weichen will certainly have confidence." ”

"It's good to have self-confidence." Li Yongji nodded, "But the modern army looks easy, but it's actually not simple, you can tell me, where is the most difficult part of commanding the Dream Division?" ”

"The hardest part?" Shi Dakai thought for a while, "The firepower and mobility of this army far exceed that of conventional troops, coupled with the convenience of communication, purely in terms of combat, except for mountain warfare, if it is slightly worse, on the plains and hills, there is really no shortcoming." If I have to say that the most difficult part should be the logistics. ”

After a pause, Shi Dakai continued: "This army is powerful, but the demand for logistics is too great, and it is completely piled up by weapons. However, most of these people use rapid-fire weapons, and their demand for ammunition is more than ten times that of ordinary troops, so if we talk about the most difficult part, Weichen thinks that it is how to ensure the smooth flow of logistics and transportation lines. Suffice it to say, as long as the logistics can be guaranteed, no one can defeat the Dream Master head-on. ”

"It's nice to see that." Li Yongji said. "Modern warfare is about logistics, and it's not bad to be able to see this. However, do you really think that this force only needs to be able to guarantee logistics. Isn't there a shortcoming? ”

"Shortcoming? Of course there are, and there are a lot of them. Shi Da Kaidao, "First of all, this army is most suitable for exerting its power in the plains, and hills can also be used, if it is a mountain, tidal flats and the like, it will greatly limit the mobility of the troops. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid fighting in places such as mountainous tidal flats.

In addition, the reason why this force is strong. The key lies in the two points of strong firepower and strong mobility. The firepower is strong, it can fight opponents who are far outnumbered by itself, and it has great mobility, so it can escape in time when you can't win the battle. Avoid losses, and after defeating the opponent, you can pursue in time and expand the results.

However, these benefits are basically the greatest effect during the day, and if the weather is bad, especially at night, our firepower advantage cannot be fully utilized, so I think our army is most afraid of night fighting. ”

"You're saying that the Dream Master's ability to fight at night is not good?" Li Yongji asked.

"It's not that it can't be." Shi Dakai shook his head. "As far as Wei Chen is concerned, the Dream Division's night combat ability can also be deservedly called the first, and no army of the same number can match them in night combat. Merely. Compared to the power of the day, the strength of the Dream Division in the night battle will be greatly reduced, and if the enemy is willing to pay a great sacrifice and launch a night attack on us with more than five times the number of troops, it is still very threatening, at least it will cause us a lot of losses. ”

"You can think of that. Prove that you really mean it. Li Yongji nodded, "Then." How do you avoid heavy losses in a night raid? ”

"It depends on what our specific tactical objectives are." Shi Da said, "If we stick to the stronghold and can't move the place, then in the face of the enemy's night attack, we can only add more dark posts, more torches, and more flares, and be careful to guard against this road."

However, I think this method is too silly for the Dream Master, because we have stronger mobility, so if we want to avoid being fought at night, there is only one way, to grasp the initiative on the battlefield at all times, so that the opponent cannot launch a night attack on us. ”

"Can't launch a night attack on us?" Li Yongji's eyes lit up, "What do you say?" ”

"It's simple." Shi Da smiled, "Our mobility is stronger than that of cavalry, and our firepower is even stronger enough to fight against ten times the enemy, in that case, why should we play confrontation and defense with the other party?"

To put it bluntly, since all motorized units have been turned into vehicles, they are not inherently not defensive materials, but should not stop attacking, attacking, and attacking again.

If we can't attack for the time being, we must use our mobility to distance ourselves from the enemy in time, so that the enemy cannot catch up with us and reach a distance that can launch a night attack on us.

In other words, we have to keep our distance from the enemy, creating a situation where only we can fight them, but they can't hit us, we can fight when we want, we can go when we want, and they can only react passively. ”

"You mean to keep the posture of fighting sports warfare at all times?" Li Yongji said with a smile.

"That's right, it's a sports war." Shi Dakai nodded, "With strong firepower, more powerful mobility and communication ability, if you don't play sports warfare, it is purely a waste of the talent of this army and a waste of this army." ”

"Hehe, you're saying that I'm letting this force stick to Memphis now, in fact, is restricting the ability of this force?" Li Yongji asked.

"Don't dare." Shi Dakai hurriedly shook his head, "Your Majesty's consideration is naturally far-sighted, and it must be considered from the whole, not comparable to the small path of Weichen."

In fact, what Weichen said before is only from a tactical point of view, if it is from a strategic point of view, it is different.

After all, this art of war is ever-changing, the so-called impermanence of soldiers, impermanence of water, although the division of dreams is more suitable for sports combat, so as to give full play to his mobility and firepower, but if necessary, it is also right to let them stick to one place.

Besides, it is only strategic for the Dream Division to hold on to Memphis now, and if it really starts, when did His Majesty not take the initiative to attack and annihilate the enemy in the movement? Therefore, there must be a reason for Majesty to stand still in Memphis, and Weichen can't see through it now, but it's just not as thoughtful as Majesty. ”

"Well, you don't have to be so careful." Li Yongji smiled and shook his head, "You're right, a motorized unit like the Dream Division is born to attack, and it is born to take the initiative to fight others. You can't wait for someone else to fight, so it's an offensive mobile unit, not a defensive one.

But. The reason why I kept the Dream Army in Memphis was because I wanted not only to strengthen the city of Memphis, but also to avoid putting too much pressure on the United States, lest they should focus on us and cause us trouble.

But now it's okay, the British and the French take Boston. The focus of the whole of America is focused on there, and I'm afraid that Americans want to do what they want to do the most right now. It's how to get Boston back, and correspondingly, the Western Front, which we are here will be less focused. ”

Speaking of which. Li Yongji paused, took another sip of tea from the cup, moistened his throat, and then continued: "Ahem, well, where did you just go?" ”

"Hui Majesty." Shi Dakai said, "Speaking of Americans, the attention of the Americans to us here will be weaker. ”

"Well, yes, the attention will be weaker." Li Yongji nodded. The mind is reinvigorated, "If the attention to us is weak, then there is less power to invest." This gives us an opportunity to take advantage of.

To be honest, I used to leave the Dream Master here without moving, not because we didn't have enough logistics, it was just that I simply didn't want to consume too much.

After all, the combat effectiveness of our troops is stronger, but the consumption of a battle is also greater than that of ordinary troops. After fighting a battle, not to mention the consumption of ammunition is five or six times that of other troops. If you add in the consumption of fuel and other aspects, it is more than ten times.

This war is nothing else. To take into account all aspects, the return ratio is also a very important place, if you have fought a battle, spent countless money, but can not get enough returns, it is a loss-making business.

Of course, the military is different from trading, sometimes even if you know that it is a loss-making war, you have to do it, but it seems that it is not cost-effective in the short term, but it is to obtain long-term value, and it is a long-term transaction.

So in the final analysis, whether to fight or not to fight, the key is to see how much benefit we can get after removing the attrition of the war. If there are enough benefits, then you can fight, and if there is no benefit, you will not fight, this is the so-called sharp word first.

If we calculate that after we finish a battle, in addition to all kinds of losses, we can get more benefits, not a loss-making deal, then this battle is worth fighting, otherwise, this battle is not worth fighting, even if we retreat because of this, we will not hesitate, do you understand what I mean? ”

"This ......," Shi Dakai paused, "Your Majesty means that if we don't fight in the future, we must first weigh whether it is beneficial?" If there are benefits, or the benefits are greater than the consumption, you can fight, and if you don't fight otherwise? ”

"Well, that's pretty much what it means." Li Yongji smiled, "Of course, the sharp word I said is only suitable for situations like the current situation of foreign intervention wars, not for our own defensive operations. If it is a local defensive operation, then it is a different matter, and it cannot be simply seen whether it is beneficial or not. ”

"I see." Shi Dakai nodded, "Weichen kind of understood. As long as it is not a war involving our national body, but a war with a foreign country, then we will choose whether to do it or not to do it based on the amount of benefits, isn't that what it means? ”

"Yes." Li Yongji nodded.

"Then we are holding our troops in Memphis because there is no benefit, or rather, the benefit is not enough?"

"Yes." Li Yongji said, "Many people wonder why we didn't take the opportunity to take Nashville when we took Memphis and defeated the main force of the U.S. army from Nashville outside Memphis, thinking that it was a missed opportunity, which led to all kinds of speculation, such as our lack of stamina."

Hehe, it's ridiculous, as soon as my army came out, it was machine guns and shelling, and this bullet and shell also had fuel and the like, which one didn't cost money? Add to that the combat allowance for the soldiers, and the money will be too much.

Memphis is an important transportation hub on the Mississippi River, and it will be enough for me to take this place, if I go to Nashville again...... Anyway, that city is not a strategic location, and there is no oil and water, can I afford to stumble over there? What's more, a large number of trenches and fortifications have been built there, and it will be very difficult to take them, so they simply leave it alone and let them toss around. ”

Speaking of this, Li Yongji picked up a wooden command pole and pointed to the place in Nashville on the map: "You see, this is Nashville, although this place is located in central Tennessee and is the capital of Tennessee, but that's all. We have few people, and we are not here to grab territory, so there is no need to disperse our forces and waste resources. To seize this city that has little real value to us.

On the contrary, leaving this Nashville can also allow the Union Army to find some work to do. Let them find a way to reclaim this place, and don't always think about how much land we have taken from them or something.

Anyway, we are here, and everything is not all right on the western front, and they are not allowed to be the shopkeepers, and we must understand that we are here to reap the benefits of the United States. Not as a gun, in this Civil War. They are the protagonists, we are just here to help, this measure, we must be clear. ”

"That's what Your Majesty said." Shi Dakai nodded hurriedly, "But." I heard that a lot of reinforcements have come to Nashville recently, and their total strength has exceeded 150,000, and there are signs of continuing to increase the number of troops...... With all due respect, Nashville is very close to our Memphis, and having such a large force around us is also a threat to us.

So from a tactical point of view, if we don't want Nashville, we have to at least repel the defenders of the city. Or rather, we don't occupy. It can be occupied by the coalition forces, so that it can at least serve as a barrier for us. ”

"You're right, that's why I'm here today." Li Yongji nodded. "Nashville is very close to Memphis, and in the past they had only twenty or thirty thousand miscellaneous militias, which was not a cause for concern, but now the Mississippi Regiment and the Ohcian Russian Regiment of the United States have begun to rush over, and now there are 150,000 of them. If this continues, I am afraid that it will eventually exceed 200,000. Even 300,000 people, at that time, will indeed pose a threat to us, which is not something I am happy to see, so I must unplug this threat in advance. ”

"So, does His Majesty mean that he wants to attack in advance and defeat Nashville before the other side continues to increase his troops?" Shi Da asked.

"No, no, no, I'm fine, why do you want to fight Nashville?" Li Yongji shook his head, "It's become a big construction site, there are trenches and traps everywhere, and there are so many people, I'm so panicked that I will take the initiative to attack that broken place?" Even if I can beat it, how much more will it cost me? ”

"Then what do you mean ......"

"If you want to remove the threat from the direction of Nashville, you can't just take the initiative to attack Nashville." Li Yongji smiled and slid the teaching rod, "Look, here, as long as we can take this place, then Nashville is a castle in the sky, no matter how many people there are, it is useless." No, it should be said that the more he numers, the worse the defeat! ”

"What is that place?" Obviously, although Shi Dakai saw that place, he didn't know English.

"It's called Smithland, it'...... Well, you might not understand that, let me put it this way. Li Yongji nodded to the place on the map, "This city is the confluence of the Ohio River and the Cumberon River, and at least for now, it has a very important strategic location.

Why do you say that, because the current railway capacity is limited, and it is very easy to destroy, and it cannot fully afford the function of long-distance transportation, so the traditional river transportation is very important.

You see, the Camberon River, which is close to Nashville, is also the city's main river for foreign exchange.

The Camberon River, on the other hand, flows north through a place called Smithland and joins the Ohio River.

And then there's the Ohio River, which is one of the most important first canals in the United States, because it leads to Pittsburgh in the eastern part of the United States, well, this is it.

Pittsburgh was the main U.S. arms production base, and Nashville's arms supplies were mainly produced from Pittsburgh.

In short, most of the arms supplies and soldiers were transported along the Ohio River to Smithland, and from that place into the Cumberon River, all the way to Nashville, so I don't need to say more about the importance of Smithland, right? ”

"Understood." After looking at the map and listening to Li Yongji's explanation, Shi Dakai nodded, "Smithland is Nashville's logistics transit station, and if you take this place, you can block Nashville's logistics supplies, isn't that so?" ”

"Almost." Li Yongji nodded, "Although there is still a railway in Nashville, the capacity of that railway is limited, and the number of people is small, but if there are many people, it is simply not enough to rely on the railway, not to mention that I will send people to infiltrate it, find a way to ambush near the railway line, and choose the opportunity to blow up the locomotive that transports military supplies." ”

"Fried locomotive?" Shi Dakai was stunned, "Why don't you just blow up the railway?" ”

"You don't understand." Li Yongji shook his head. "It is not difficult for the United States to repair the railroad, but it is a locomotive, and it is very difficult to build one. It takes a long number of man-hours. Most of the locomotives of the United States are accumulated in the past, and at this time, they are all working hard to make munitions, and I am afraid that there are not many resources to build any more locomotives.

Therefore, it is much more cost-effective to fry a locomotive than to blow up a railroad track. Just blow up their five locomotives, and the United States will no longer dare to use the railroad to transport munitions to Nashville. ”

"I see." Shi Dakai nodded. "So, Your Majesty, you want me to lead my troops to this Smithland place, control it here, and prevent them from supplying Nashville by river?"

"That's right!" Li Yongji nodded. "Nashville itself doesn't have many resources, at least for the time being. All munitions, food, coal and other supplies need to be transported from the rear. If we can cut off their river and rail transportation, then the city will be an isolated city, and when the time comes, we will either be trapped or jump out of his big construction site and attack us. Whatever the case may be, it's good for us. ”

After a pause, Li Yongji continued: "However. Smithland is a small place, nothing more than a meeting place, although the geographical location is important, but it is not a problem, the biggest problem here is to take Smithland. This city called Cairo must be taken first. ”

After Li Yongji finished speaking, he took the command pole and pointed to another place on the map: "Look." This is the city of Cairo.

This city, where the Mississippi River meets the Ohio River, is even more important in its location than that Smithland.

Why? Because the city of Cairo is equivalent to Vicksburg in the Confederate States, you can see by looking at the map that the eastern city of the United States is connected to the west by passing through the Ohio River and entering the Mississippi River, and if we control this place and cut off the transportation hub of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River, then it is equivalent to cutting off the east and west of the United States on a certain distance, which is a very fatal blow to the United States.

Therefore, because of the importance of this place, after the loss of Memphis, the United States immediately transferred the Mississippi River Corps to station here, just to prevent us from attacking this strategic hub. ”

"If that's the case, then if we lay down here, the Americans will definitely touch a nerve." Shi Da asked.

"That's right, they're definitely going to touch a nerve." Li Yongji smiled, "Once the city of Cairo is taken and we have the confluence between the Ohio River and the Mississippi River, the Americans will definitely attack here." So, in order to reduce the losses, I need a little more cannon fodder. ”

"Cannon fodder, does Majesty mean those people from the Union States?"

"Yes." Li Yongji nodded and smiled, "According to reliable information, the day after tomorrow at the latest, the newly reorganized Tennessee Army of the Confederate States will rush over to join us."

You know, although we took this Memphis from the United States, because it was originally the territory of the Confederate States, if they rush over, it will inevitably cause friction with us, especially when the total number of Tennessee legions reaches 80,000.

Therefore, in order to avoid friction between the two armies in the same place, I decided to send two regiments of troops, plus the task force, and cooperate with the Tennessee Army of the Union Army to attack the city of Cairo.

The focus of our trip was not to help the Confederates fight outside Cairo, but to use our powerful fleet to go directly to Guò Cairo and around Smithland behind, and completely cut off the lines of communication on the Ohio River.

Once Smithland is taken, the supply lines to Cairo and Nashville can be cut off at the same time, not to mention Nashville, and the defenders of Cairo will also become a lone army, and they can be slowly cleaned up when the time comes, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone. Because of the particularity of this tactic, I call this tactic the leapfrog tactic, what do you think? ”

"Jumping behind enemy lines and cutting off their supply lines directly looks pretty good." Shi Dakai stared at the map and nodded, "But in this way, we are also alone, and it seems that something is wrong...... Of course, with the power of motorized troops, even if they go deep alone, it is nothing, as long as they move, no one can do anything to us. However, jumping behind enemy lines to fight will cause a lot of pressure on our logistics, can our logistics support it? ”

"Logistics, you don't need to worry about this, I have my own way." Li Yongji smiled.

"Understood." Shi Dakai nodded, "Since His Majesty has this intention, then Weichen will definitely go to the soup and fight the fire, take down that Smithland with all his might, and cut off the supply line of the Federation Army." ”

"Huh? Who said you were going to fight Smithland? Li Yongji said.

"Isn't that what you just said?" Shi Dakai said strangely.

"I just told you about the importance of this battle, I didn't say that you should fight." Li Yongji shook his head, "Let's be honest, I plan to personally lead troops to attack Smithland. ”

"No!" Shi Dakai hurriedly objected, "Your Majesty is high and powerful, how can you take risks lightly?" ”

"Needless to say." Li Yongji sighed, "There are some things you don't understand, especially the supply issue...... Forget it, in short, I have made up my mind, and you don't have to persuade you to send troops.

You have to remember that during the period when I lead the troops, you will replace me as the acting commander of Memphis City, and use the two motorized regiments I left behind, plus the troops you brought over to make a big splash in Japan, as well as some of the Union forces, be optimistic about Memphis, don't lose Memphis while I lead the troops! ”

"Your Majesty, Weichen ......" Shi Dakai opened his mouth, "How can Weichen be virtuous, how can he be responsible for this?" It's still your majesty sitting here, I'll go fight. ”

"Okay, don't talk about it, you don't even know where Smithland is, what to fight." Li Yongji waved his hand, "As for you to be the acting commander here, there is no more suitable person except for you." You know, when you are the commander of a place, the key to all aspects is the ability to coordinate the overall situation, and in this regard, at least in this Memphis, no one else can do better than you.

Originally, I was worried that you were not used to commanding motorized troops, but after listening to your opinions before, I was relieved, because it is obvious that you will not rigidly take the motorized troops that I have worked so hard to build as ordinary troops to defend the city, and you will not waste the real strength of this army.

In short, the British and the French have just fought a good battle, and the weakness of the United States has been exposed, and I have a hunch that if this continues, the United States will not be able to support it for long, and it is very likely that it will sue for peace in advance.

Therefore, for the sake of the post-war interests, we must not continue to sit idly by, but must move and continue to obtain greater results.

Maybe after this battle, we can speed up the end of this war in advance. (To be continued) R466