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When the Northeast War was in full swing, the preparations for the decisive battle of the Central Plains by the Imperial Army had also been completed. After breaking through the Yangtze River defense line, the 3rd and 5th armies of the Imperial Army marched north from Hubei to attack Henan. The 4th and 9th armies of the Imperial Army captured the southern Anhui region, bypassed the Dabie Mountains, and marched to the north of Anhui. The 6th and 11th armies of the Imperial Army crossed the Huai River and reached the northern Jiangsu region. 6 armies, lined up in a line, pressed towards the Central Plains. In addition, in the northwest direction, the 7th Army and the 8th Army from Sichuan defeated the Qing army in Hanzhong and Xianyang, destroying tens of thousands of enemies. It also captured Xi'an and cut off the connection between the northwest region and the Central Plains. Subsequently, the 7th Army was stationed in Shaanxi and marched to the northwest, while the 8th Army marched east to threaten the Central Plains.

In addition, the mobile units of the remaining three armies of the Imperial Army also began to enter the battlefield and prepare for a decisive battle with the Manchus. After all, the Manchus suffered considerable losses in the early days of the war. But their main force is still there, and it will be difficult for the Imperial Army to completely defeat them in the decisive battle of the Central Plains. However, the Imperial Army was full of confidence in this battle. As long as the main force of the Qing army was eliminated in this battle, it would not be difficult to destroy the Manchu Qing and unify the whole country. In addition, although the Qing army was strong, the imperial army was not vegetarian. Although it was inferior in terms of troops, the Imperial Army's weaponry and morale were much stronger than those of the Qing Army. The Imperial Army already had absolute superiority.

On October 18, 1846, Emperor Long Yufei listened to a special report by General Niu Meng, Chief of General Staff, and Lieutenant General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations, on the decisive battle in the Central Plains. Until now. The Imperial Army's preparations for a decisive battle were almost complete. Next, it's time to take the initiative to attack. Winter has gradually arrived, and the Imperial Army needs to be before the snow falls in winter. This time the game was set.

"Your Majesty, in this decisive battle of the Central Plains, the Imperial Army has already invested 10 corps, and the reserves of 4 armies have also entered the battlefield. Including the 3rd, 5th, 4th, 9th armies of the Imperial Army. The 6th and 11th armies, as well as the 8th army, which marched from Shaanxi to Henan. Among them, the 3rd Army has already conquered Nanyang. The 5th Army captured Xinyang. The 4th Army was in Fuyang, the 9th Army was in Bengbu, and the 6th and 11th Armies were in Huai'an. The 8th Army was at Sanmenxia. After the battle begins, we will first attack in Henan. Eliminate the Qing army entrenched in Henan. The Qing army was in Henan. In total, there were 4 cavalry corps and 3 infantry corps, with a total strength of 250,000 men. Including the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Cavalry Corps, the 12th, 13th and 14th Infantry Corps. To this end, our army will throw into the 3rd, 5th, 8th armies, as well as the 1st and 2nd armies as reserves. 19th and 20th armies. After annihilating the Qing army in Henan, the army will advance eastward. Cooperate with the imperial army from northern Anhui and northern Jiangsu to annihilate the Qing army in northern Anhui and Shandong. In addition, the 10th Army and the Marines of the Imperial Army, as well as the 23rd and 24th Armies of the Army, will also wait for an opportunity to land on the eastern coast and cut off the retreat of the Qing army. Lieutenant General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations, reported to Long Yufei.

Long Yufei stood in front of the map, and the map used two colors, red and blue, to mark the situation of the two sides. There is no doubt that now the Manchus are on the defensive. However, their intentions can be seen from the fact that they have already gathered the main force in the Central Plains. The Manchus hoped to fight a decisive battle with the Imperial Army in the Central Plains and defeat the Imperial Army, thereby reversing the situation and making a breakthrough. In total, the Manchus had an army of several million. However, after the start of the war, they had already had 4 armies annihilated by the Imperial Army, and several more had been severely damaged. Now the remaining troops of the Manchu Qing Dynasty are only more than 700,000. Compared with the Imperial Army, the Manchus no longer had a decisive advantage in terms of troops. At this time, the Imperial Army has a good chance of winning a decisive battle.

"I won't get too involved in the specific tactical arrangements, just look at the General Staff and handle it. Are there any difficulties? Long Yufei asked. He's just a tech nerd, and he doesn't know much about military affairs. If he is asked to command a battalion, he may be able to make do. But if you want to command a brigade or an army, then there is no way. Let him command the whole army to fight, that is even more indiscriminate piano playing. Therefore, Long Yufei only needs to grasp the general direction, and the specific operation will be taken care of by the following professionals. He only needs to come up with a goal and let the people below take charge of completing it. At least for now, it's a good idea. The talents of professionals were brought into play, and Long Yufei's intentions were realized, and most importantly, the entire empire achieved tremendous development.

"Your Majesty, it's about to enter late October, and the weather is getting colder day by day. It is expected that by November, winter will come in the north. Our soldiers, mainly southerners, will probably not get used to the northern winter. Therefore, we need to eliminate the main force of the Qing army by the end of November to lay the foundation for victory. Wait until after the beginning of spring, and then launch the final blow against the Manchus. So as to completely destroy the Manchu Qing and unify the whole country! General Niu Meng, Chief of the General Staff, said.

Long Yufei nodded, he also took this problem into account, so he asked the logistics department to prepare so many cotton clothes. But even that is not enough. Even if the southerners wear warm cotton clothes, it is very difficult to adapt to the cold of the north. When the time comes, the combat effectiveness of the troops will be greatly reduced. Therefore, the elimination of the main forces of the Manchus before the fall of winter became the most urgent matter.

"Your Majesty, in addition, as the battle continues to move northward, our supply lines in the later stage are getting longer and longer. In order to ensure the logistics supply line, we need to mobilize more reserves and civilians to transport logistics materials. Although because of the construction of the railway line, we can transport logistics materials to the Yangtze River. However, after crossing the Yangtze River, it is necessary to use horse-drawn carriages to transport it. Lieutenant General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations, said. It is precisely because of logistical supplies that the preparations for the decisive battle have been carried out for so long. Not to mention anything else, weapons and ammunition always have to be transported to the front line, otherwise, there will not even be enough ammunition, how can we fight?

"It's a problem, the General Staff first mobilized some reserves, so that they could have the remnants of the transportation of logistical supplies to the front. In addition, I will consult with the government and ask for the mobilization of private forces to carry out the transportation of logistics materials. Long Yufei said. In the early days, during the War of Liberation, wasn't the reason why our party's heroic army was able to defeat the enemy army was because of the support of the broad masses of the people? Long Yufei believed that with his prestige in the empire and the support of the broad masses of the people for the empire, this problem would not be difficult to solve.

"Your Majesty, those reserve soldiers, you'd better give them guns. The Manchu-controlled districts north of the Yangtze River were not like the empire's territory, where law and order were good. In the north, there are quite a few bandits and robbers. Even if it is the military supplies of the Empire, they dare to make up their minds. If you don't take good precautions, I'm afraid there will be a lot of unnecessary losses. In addition, the Manchus had a lot of cavalry, and they could also rely on their speed advantage to cross our battle line and attack our logistics supply lines. Lieutenant General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations, continued.

"You can just look at this kind of thing." Long Yufei said. Most of the soldiers in the reserve are retired veterans. They are no strangers to the use of weapons, and it can be said that if they are armed and trained a little, they can be sent to the battlefield. If it is used to escort logistics supplies, there will be no problem.

After the start of the war, the major arsenals of the empire had begun to work in three shifts, and a lot of guns and ammunition were produced every day. Arm some reserves, and there will be no problem at all.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" General Niu Meng, chief of the General Staff, and Lieutenant General Sun Hao, chief of operations, both replied that with Long Yufei's authorization, their work would be much easier.

Later, after Long Yufei returned to the palace, he summoned Prime Minister Li Decheng and Minister of Civil Affairs Zhou Yuan, and proposed to mobilize ordinary people to join the logistics supply convoy. In this regard, Prime Minister Li Decheng and Minister of Home Affairs Zhou Yuan both raised their hands in favor.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the cabinet will definitely handle this matter. The war against the Manchus has a bearing on the interests of the people of the whole country, and I think that the broad masses of the people will certainly support us! Li Decheng said.

"Your Majesty, what kind of treatment should we give to these people who support the front line?" Minister of Civil Affairs Zhou Yuan asked.

"In this way, all the people who support the front line, when the war is over, they will be able to receive a certificate of honor from the imperial government, which is a spiritual reward, as for the material reward, forget it! On the one hand, our people will not be so materialistic, and on the other hand, the empire has already spent a lot of money on this war, and when it comes to unifying the country, it will need to invest huge sums of money to restore production in the north, and there will be no extra money. For those who participate in the support of the front-line transport teams, the three meals are taken care of by the Empire. In addition, the formation of support frontline transport teams is mainly on a voluntary basis and not compulsory. Long Yufei said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Li Decheng and Minister of Home Affairs Zhou Yuan both nodded. They can also understand Long Yufei's 'stinginess' in this regard. After all, at the beginning of the war, spending money was like running water. The so-called cannon sounded 10,000 taels of gold. Otherwise, if the empire had been prepared, it would not be able to support this war at all. In addition, they also believe that the consciousness of the people of the empire will not be so low. (To be continued......)