October 3rd

On the third day of the ultimatum, the expeditionary force received a response from the American forces in Chicago, saying that it was seriously considering, but it would take a little more time.

The commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, Marshal Li Xuanzhu, answered very simply; However, at the latest, at 12 o'clock at noon on 8 October at the latest, otherwise the whole front attack will be launched as planned.

Relevant information was not communicated to the troops and was not necessary.

Now that the whole army has been mobilized and adjusted, and the troops are ready to launch an offensive on all fronts at any time, it is easy for the troops to be at a loss when they convey orders with confusing meanings.

Of course, it is easy to surrender, but everything is based on "fighting", and the glory of the imperial expeditionary force is all achieved by fighting with a knife and a gun, and there is no fluke.

The Imperial Expeditionary Force and Allied troops, totaling more than 500,000, surrounded Chicago from three directions, southwest and north, about 50~60 kilometers away from Chicago, forming a semicircular encirclement of hundreds of square kilometers.

The forward troops are about 15~20 kilometers away from the outer first-line defensive positions of the US army.

It was an awkward distance, the expeditionary force controlled the skies of Chicago, reconnaissance planes patrolled the air from the beginning of the sun, and the US military had no secrets at all.

If the U.S. military wants to go out of the city and sneak attack, it must take advantage of the night to walk for 3~4 hours before reaching the forward position of the expeditionary force.

Even if you have a small number of troops, it will be difficult for a large-scale troop movement to go unnoticed.

General Headquarters of the Expeditionary Forces

"Marshal, take a look, this is a sign of abnormal movement of the US military unit discovered by the General Staff according to the statistics of aerial reconnaissance." Admiral Liu Shan walked over, holding a piece of information in his hand and frowning; "According to the statistics of aerial reconnaissance in various time periods, in the past two days, the US military has as many as five regiments of troops at or above the level of the first level, moving from the south and north of the city to the western suburbs of the city, and this abnormal movement is still continuing.

Judgment of the General Staff of the Expeditionary Force;

The U.S. military intends to organize a fairly large-scale counterattack in the near future, and the preliminary assessment of the size of the troop is about 6~100,000 people, and a certain number of armored troops will be put in to cooperate.

Most of the U.S. armored units are stationed in the western suburbs, and it seems that this is their main assault direction!

Dashuai, these Mi Guoyan are not honest again. ”

"Since we've all knocked on the door, aren't we allowed to resist twice??" Marshal Li Zhuzhu has been tempered by war for a long time, and he is not at all surprised by the little tricks of the rice people, so he took it and put it on the table after taking two looks, and commanded;

"The west is the territory that Deputy Commander Duan is responsible for, and if he truthfully conveys the judgment of the General Staff, he will take care of these Mi Guokees.

That's right...... I remember that the 4th and 5th Divisions of Fuso are all in the western suburbs, right?

Tell Deputy Commander Duan to let him push these two Fusang divisions to the front line, and the cannon fodder must have the consciousness of cannon fodder, and some things can only be realized in battle.

We can just know about our Army Air Force, don't spread it around. ”

Marshal Li Xuanzhu said something inexplicable, but Admiral Liu Shan understood it in seconds, and replied with a smile; "Huh...... Then I'll do what you want. ”

"Tell Deputy Commander Duan, I don't want to be taken prisoner in this battle."

"Understood."

Admiral Liu Shan replied, turned around and walked towards the telegraph room, he knew that the Mi Guoyan had succeeded in arousing the anger in the marshal's heart, and this was about to be killed.

After Marshal Li Xuanzhu gave the order, he no longer thought about the current battle in Chicago, but considered the next strategy.

Anyway

In early October, the battle in Chicago was to be settled, and then by taking advantage of this super-shocking victory, the troops were divided into five routes to quickly sweep through the five industrial cities of the Great Lakes region, and complete the total occupation by the end of the year.

The winters here are quite cold, and the snow is heavy, so after this battle, it is basically impossible to launch any major battles until March next year.

During this period

It was necessary to intensify the implementation of the Reich's policy of industrial transfer, dismantling a large number of factories and equipment in the name of war reparations, and transferring them by rail to the states of the Northern Union for resettlement, where new production capacity was formed.

The Great Lakes region is a world-class industrial production center, with a complete range of industries such as steel smelting, shipbuilding, complete industrial equipment manufacturing, chemical fibers, power equipment, petroleum equipment and pharmaceutical products.

There are many industrial categories that are urgently needed by the Northern Federation, and there are many industrial categories that the empire itself lacks or are weak, and they must take this opportunity to make up for it, become stronger and bigger, and realize the re-take-off of industrial strength.

When Li Fushou attained the position of commander-in-chief of the First Army, he had to calculate not only military accounts, but also economic and political accounts, share worries for the saints, and focus on the future situation of national rejuvenation and long-term peace and stability, so that he could be regarded as a qualified commander-in-chief.

It's not ...... He is planning to give about 40,300 square kilometers of land in the Charlotte and Luray areas of southeastern West Virginia as a congratulatory gift to the in-sibling independent Republic of Virginia, which is an occupation zone anyway.

As for whether it is justified, it is not a question for him to consider.

Once that's done, that's wonderful...... What's the trick?

Virginia was originally the closest southern state to Washington, with Richmond only 170 kilometers from Washington, D.C., and the border line only 77 kilometers from the White House (destroyed).

The Luray region of West Virginia is located directly west of Washington, D.C., and the distance between the two is 70 to 80 kilometers away, which is equivalent to the Republic of Virginia (proposed) semi-surrounding the capital of the United States from the south and west, and the artillery can directly bombard the presidential palace if the range is longer.

This poses a big problem for the Yankees, whether the future capital will still be located in Washington, D.C. ~ the location jointly chosen by the founding fathers of the United States.

If you choose to move the capital, don't talk about it, it means that the United States has since become a second-rate power, even if the economy is developed, it is looked down upon, can the country that can't keep the capital still stand up and speak?

Later, after the defeat of the Second Reich, the capital of West Germany was moved to Bonn, and even though the industrial economy was the world's first-class, it was a political dwarf who had no say in the world.

It was only after the merger of Germany that the capital was moved back to Berlin, and Germany returned to the center of the European political arena and exerted international political influence commensurate with its economic power.

This situation is like the relationship between people, there is a guy who is beaten and he doesn't dare to go back, and he brags everywhere outside saying that whoever wants to change their political system, who wants to improve their livelihood problems, and who violates human rights again, really treat themselves as green onions, but who eats you with dipping sauce?

If you don't move the capital, adhere to the spirit of justice, democracy and freedom of the founding fathers of the United States, and inherit the glorious role of the beacon of democracy, then the problem will follow~ How to solve the security problem?

The distance of more than 70 kilometers is too close, within the range of artillery, how to govern the country with constant fear?

In today's era of large ships and cannons, it is not difficult to develop a cannon with a range of more than 80 kilometers, especially in the face of urban targets, without the pursuit of accuracy and mobility, it is completely possible to develop a "hillside cannon".

The so-called "hillside cannon" is to find a suitable gentle slope of the hills, cut one side into an oblique angle of more than 30 degrees, and then lay a large-caliber barrel, without considering the deformation of the weight of its own barrel, the barrel can be made long enough, 30 meters, 40 meters or even 50 meters.

If the barrel is long enough, and the charge is increased appropriately, then the range of 80 km is not a problem at all.

Such hillside artillery is lined up, and each position can be set up with a dozen or even dozens of guns, which have the ability to throw large-caliber artillery shells up to 80 kilometers away, forming a strategic deterrent effect.

Multiple positions work together to destroy the entire city.

In the face of an existential crisis at all times, the United States cannot harden its policy towards the Republic of Virginia, what an interesting scenario!

Come to think of it

Marshal Li Xuanzhu couldn't help but show a smile on the corner of his mouth, and he was determined to complete this matter against all odds, and gave a big gift package to the Republic of Virginia.

A few days later

At about 1 a.m. on 7 October, in the middle of the night when the cold wind was calling, the US soldiers of the brigade set out from the forward position in the western suburbs and touched the position of the expeditionary force 17 kilometers away.

At such a long distance, it would take 4 hours to march normally.

None of these American soldiers did not care to greet the relatives of the commander, they hooked their heads, shrunk their waists, and followed the team with cold shivering, and the long black shadows could not be seen at a glance, marching in several columns, and swooping in the direction of the western suburbs.

At about three o'clock in the morning, a shining flare rose into the sky and exploded in the thick of the night, conveying a dangerous military message.

Expeditionary Force Front Camp

"Nani, have found out that the big stock has hit?"

The commander of the Fourth Division, Lieutenant General Shinyuki Oji, was woken up in his sleep, and when he heard this startling news, he immediately got up from the bed without sleep, and faintly saw the silhouette of a Caucasian woman where the bed was lifted.

"A rough estimate is that there are about tens of thousands of people, I don't know how many there are, but anyway, there are a lot of them...... That's great. "Lieutenant General Tail Shenxing fought smoothly in the previous battle, and he basically didn't encounter any hard stubble from Washington to Cincinnati, so he naturally had contempt in his heart.

So many U.S. troops came to attack the Imperial Army of Dafuso late at night, and they were discovered, isn't it just door-to-door delivery? That's a lot of credit.

"Your Excellency Division Commander, do you need to quickly report to the headquarters of the expeditionary force and ask for strategic guidance?"

"Nani? No, no, no...... Inform Yamamoto-kun of the 5th Division, and say that all the officers and men of our 4th Division are ready to meet the enemy side by side with the 5th Division, so don't trouble the friendly troops. ”

"This ......"

"Bastard...... Eight grid tooth road, just convey it according to my wishes, and the woman who is not allowed to peek at me again, get out. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency, Division Commander."