The four hundred and fortieth chapters draw from the bottom of the pot
Chapter 443: Drawing fire from under the cauldron
The defeat of the two main field regiments that went to clear out the war zone and infiltrate the troops gave the Hicks a great shock. Only more than a thousand of the more than 10,000 troops fled back. Adding to the accounts of those deserters,
It even led the commander-in-chief of the Hicks to believe that the Thunder Legion, which was known for its offensive power in the directly-administered war zone, had probably sent a division of troops to bypass its rear, posing a great threat to its logistics and supply channels.
Now that the direct-administered war zone has been launched, the Hicks will inevitably respond. They first reduced their troops, gave up unimportant mountainous areas, and no longer sent out reconnaissance teams to patrol and die. Then they strengthened their control of logistics supply channels.
The protection, using the defensive positions abandoned after the defeat of the Nikancha battalion, formed an important node of the logistics supply channel, and at the same time, the number of troops guarding the logistics material transport convoy was increased.
So Claude found that he had to face a supply protection line like an iron wall. If he really had a division of troops, then he might be able to use his strength advantage to directly attack those logistics material transport convoys and temporarily paralyze Hicks.
Of course, people can also attack important defensive positions through this logistic supply channel, but this will only have a somewhat destructive effect. The Hicks will soon be able to restore the defensive positions.
But the problem is that he currently commands only one Thunder Battalion 131. As for Diavid's Thunder 1303 Regiment, it still remains on General Beach Kerin's second defensive front. The Rock Legion is replacing new rifles.
Before the regiment returns, they need to use the ultra-long range of their new rifles on the defensive position to suppress the Hicks' iron pumpkin throwing attack...
In addition, even if Diavid's 1303th Thunder Regiment arrives, Claude will not take the initiative to attack those defensive positions with difficult terrain. In his opinion, it is an act that outweighs the gains and losses, even if these defensive positions are captured with heavy losses
, unable to defend, had to give up. So the Hicks could occupy these defensive positions again, could they then launch an attack on these defensive positions? I am not sick, so why should I fight with these defensive positions?
A night attack and an ambush battle have almost consumed the 100 rifle bullets carried by the officers and soldiers of the 131st Battalion of Thunder. Most of the soldiers only have three magazines filled with bullets left and need to go back.
Supplies. At the same time, calculating the time, General Albert led the subsequent large forces should have arrived at the front line. Claude decided to go back and discuss with the two generals again the change of strategic plan and how to deal with the attack launched by the Hicks
This colonial war...
"...The Hicks used the defensive positions after the defeat of the Nikancha camp to form the defensive nodes of this hundreds of miles long mountainous logistics supply channel. They also had them on the hills and commanding heights along the way.
There are guard posts and defense facilities. In addition, their logistics material transport convoy is guarded by a regiment of troops. When attacked, they can quickly gather behind the vehicle to resist and wait for rescue...
If it were a plain area, with the Thunder Legion's light cavalry assault capabilities, we could quickly defeat them and eliminate this transport convoy. But this is a mountainous area with rugged terrain, and we cannot devote so many troops to annihilate them at once.
If we want to storm and remove the defensive positions on this logistics supply channel, we will also face the problem of not being able to invest large forces. There is only a small path up the mountain, and it is already the limit to deploy a battalion of troops to storm.
And even if we capture these defensive positions, we cannot send people to garrison them, because once the Hicks reinforcements arrive, they will be surrounded at the foot of the mountain and there is no need to attack at all. The troops staying in the defensive positions on the mountain can only wait to die. The current situation
It is completely different from when Bik arranged for the Nikancha battalion to be stationed. At that time, the entire frontier mountainous area was our territory, and the Hicks had to capture the defensive positions on the hilltops one by one before they could continue to advance.
But now the entire frontier mountainous area is under the control of the Hicks. Even if we capture these hilltop defensive positions, we still have to give up the evacuation. So the Hicks can send troops to garrison again, but we want to attack next time.
This logistics supply channel still has to solve this defensive position first. This will cause us and the Hicks to be entangled in these hilltop defensive positions, but the Hicks will be happy to consume our troops like this...
..
I suspect that the Hicks should have invested a standing army force on this logistics supply channel for defense, otherwise they would not have been able to guard it so carefully and perfectly that we would not be able to take advantage of it. Piccolo, this paragraph
Has the Time Hicks' attack on our defensive front been strengthened or weakened?" Claude put down the slender small wooden stick in his hand and asked General Beachlin.
General Bichlin stroked the beard stubble on his chin and said thoughtfully: "When you say this, I really feel that the current attack and impact of the Hicks on the defensive front has been greatly weakened, and it is becoming more and more similar.
It is a very common tentative attack, rather than the wave-like wave of attacks that started at the beginning.
I always thought that it was the arrival of your follow-up reinforcements that suppressed the Hicks' attack. I didn't think about the enemy at all. It turns out that the Hicks are now riding a tiger and can no longer sustain the ferocious offensive.
.No wonder the Nikanchas on the defensive front can withstand the attack of the Hicks and repel them easily..."
"I think the Hicks troops are a little short of strength." Claude's words made General Beachlin and General Albert feel a little unbelievable.
"Impossible, they have three standing legions, with a total of 180,000 troops. And there are two standing legions staying in the northern coastal mountainous area and the border of Rodex Bay Colony to rest. How could they be short of
Troops?" General Beachlin retorted.
Claude laughed: "Let's ignore the two standing armies at the northern mountainous border. Let's first talk about the three standing armies of the Kingdom of Hicks that launched the attack in the eastern mountainous area. From the first point they captured us
From the attack on our second defensive front from the first defensive front to now, how many casualties do you think they suffered?"
General Bichklin became a little excited: "When our first defensive line fell, our army lost a regiment of troops, and the Nikanchas also suffered more than 20,000 casualties. I estimated the casualties of the Hicks
If it's less, they should have lost three regiments of troops.
Next, the Hicks launched an attack on our second defensive line. We had long been prepared for their throwers and iron pumpkins, and then they suffered a big loss. It was our defensive side that always had the advantage.
We got more than 6,000 epaulets from the Hicks veterans who were killed by us before clearing up the position. There were also many corpses that we didn't get because they were closer to their own troops.
I think the casualties of the Hicks since the beginning of the war have exceeded one division. The number of more than 30,000 troops in the five regiments should be a more accurate estimate. In the next ten days, the attacks they launched were all small and small.
No, I always thought that the Hicks were testing the weaknesses of our defensive front and preparing to launch a key attack..."
"No, they are just short of troops." Claude shook his head and then picked up a small wooden stick and pointed at the eastern frontier mountainous area occupied by the Hicks on the sand table: "They only have three standing legions. To maintain this
The rear supply channel used a standing army force. And you estimate that they lost five regiments of troops in the attack on the defensive front. I also killed two of their regiments with more than 10,000 troops in night attacks and ambushes in the mountainous areas in front.
people.
The main combat force of the Hicks Kingdom's standing legions is only about 50,000 people in nine regiments. The remaining two to three thousand are logistics and civilian officials. In total, their three standing legions have lost more than 40,000 people. It can be said that they
One of our standing corps has been crippled and has lost its combat capability. Except for the standing corps that maintains logistics supply channels, I think the Hicks who want to confront us in front of the defensive front can only have the strength of one standing corps at most.
....”
"Wait, I still can't figure it out..." General Albert said: "If what you said is correct, then there will only be one Hicks in front of our second defensive line.
With more troops in the standing corps, it is obvious that this number of troops cannot conquer our defensive front, and even prevent us from turning defense into offense. But why do the Hicks still launch futile attacks on our defensive front every day?
The scale is small and the casualties are small, but it is also a huge loss to their soldiers and morale?"
Claude laughed: "This is the sophistication of the commander-in-chief of the Hicks. He wants to maintain the stability of the current battle situation. To be honest, I don't think he wants to capture our defensive front now.
, and did not want to give up the forward mountainous area already occupied by them. He just wanted to drag us here and wait until their follow-up reinforcements arrived.
Now he launches tentative attacks on our defensive front every day, and retreats after dozens of casualties. The main purpose is to make us misunderstand that they are looking for weaknesses in our defensive front, so as to maintain a high degree of alert and not draw large numbers from the front line.
force to disrupt his rear. In fact, in my opinion, the three standing legions of the Hicks in the eastern mountainous area have become a dead snake, trapped in the current battle situation and unable to move.
One standing corps defends the first defensive front in the eastern mountainous area to prevent our counterattack, one standing corps maintains the safety of the logistics supply channels in the rear mountainous areas, and another standing corps has been crippled by us and has lost its combat effectiveness. So they have to
The main reason for launching small-scale exploratory attacks against our second line of defense every day is to confuse us, and also to seize the initiative on the battlefield so that we do not dare to easily launch a counterattack.
For the Hicks, the biggest key to getting out of this predicament lies in the arrival of follow-up reinforcements. Don’t forget that the Hicks still have five standing legions that have not been transported to Rodex Bay Colony. As long as they can survive longer
In more than a month, the third batch of Hicks standing legions will be transported by their fleet. At that time, the Hicks only need to let the newly arrived troops replace the two troops stationed on the northern mountainous border.
With a standing army, their eastern front will once again have hundreds of thousands of fully rested and fresh troops, and they will be able to attack us again."
General Beachlin suddenly realized: "Then what are we waiting for? I will immediately organize troops to prepare for a counterattack against the Hicks. We will drive them back no matter how they came."
"Oh, no!" It was General Albert who said this.
"No, we can't launch a counterattack..." Claude also said almost at the same time.
General Buechlin was a little confused: "Why, why can't we launch a counterattack?"
Claude looked at General Albert: "You speak first."
General Albert immediately pointed to the sand table and said: "Now the Hicks have tied their own hands and feet. Just like Claude said, they have become a dead snake, entrenched in the frontier mountains to us.
The second line of defense cannot move until the second line of defense.
If you command the troops to carry out counterattack, you are helping the enemy out of trouble. The further we drive them away, the more they can recover their combat effectiveness and mobility. On the contrary, the further we chase them, the longer the battle line will be.
In the end, we will be entangled with them in the forward mountainous areas, consuming each other's forces.
For the Hicks, this is a battle they want. Don’t forget, we only have two legions in the war zone, with a main combat force of 130,000 people. But the enemy still has five standing legions that have not reached Rodex
Colony in the Gulf. Even if their three standing legions die together with one of our legions, it will be a great victory for them..."
"But if we don't carry out a counterattack, wouldn't it also allow the Hicks' plan to succeed? As long as we wait for more than a month, when their follow-up standing army arrives at the colony of Rodex Bay, they can attack us again
An attack has been launched. If you say you won't counterattack, what should we do?" General Beachlin asked.
General Albert scratched his head: "I haven't thought of this yet, I just have an intuition in my heart that we shouldn't counterattack. The enemy's current situation will definitely allow us to find a good opportunity to defeat them..."
Claude could only shake his head. This is perhaps the biggest difference between an offensive general and a defensive general. After hearing his analysis, the defensive General Beachlin's first reaction was to launch a counterattack in a satisfactory manner and drive the enemy back.
Their starting point was to regain all the eastern frontier mountainous areas that had fallen into the hands of the Hicks and restore the war situation to the pre-war situation.
However, General Albert, who has an offensive consciousness, can intuitively feel that it is of great benefit to his side to keep the battle situation as it is. If the enemy is unable to move, he can calmly look for good opportunities to defeat the enemy. As long as he is defeated by
If you find an opportunity, you may be able to defeat the enemy directly, which will be more beneficial to you than launching a counterattack to drive the enemy back.
Claude coughed slightly, attracting the attention of General Buechlin and General Albert: "We will not launch a counterattack, but we can attack here instead."
General Buechlin was stunned: "Attack the two standing armies of the Hicks Kingdom on the northern mountainous border?"
General Albert's eyes lit up: "That's right! Why didn't I expect that. The two standing armies of the Hicks Kingdom are resting and reorganizing. They think that our military strength is tied up by the three standing armies on the Eastern Front.
I never thought we would attack them..."
"Catch them by surprise and attack them unprepared." Claude nodded and said: "The Hicks want to boil this pot of water on the eastern mountain front, so they are strictly guarded and will not let us touch the pot and water. Since we can't touch this pot
and water, then we can lift the firewood under the pot and see how it can boil water. In our opinion, the two standing legions of Hicks on the northern mountainous border are firewood prepared by the enemy, ready to be used to boil water.
Great their firepower.
In fact, the three standing armies of the Hicks on the eastern mountainous front are unable to move if they want to maintain the current war situation. The two standing armies that are resting on the northern mountainous border are already in an isolated and helpless situation. According to sneaking into Rodex
The spies in the Bay Colony reported that the two standing armies in the northern mountainous area were not complete, because they still had a division stationed in the base camp near Rodex Bay City, which was the general logistics base of the Hicks.
.
I want the Hicks to learn this lesson. Using a standing army force to defend the logistics supply channel does not mean that we will not encounter our surprise attack, and the logistics supply transportation can rest easy. We will not attack his logistics.
The material transport convoy can directly attack his general logistics base. After we burn out their reserves of grain, grass and military supplies, I really want to know what else they can use the transport convoy to transport..."
"You mean we directly attack the two Hicks standing armies on the northern mountainous border, and take the opportunity to destroy the enemy's general logistics base camp?" General Albert finally understood why Marshal Michelich praised Clowe before.
Germany's offensive awareness is unparalleled. When he only relies on his own intuition to find opportunities to defeat the enemy, Claude has clearly pointed out where the enemy's weaknesses are...
"We will not attack the two standing armies on the northern mountainous border for now." Claude pointed on the sand table with a small wooden stick: "The troops of the Rock Army led by Piccolo will continue to involve the Hicks on the eastern front on the second line of defense.
Three standing corps. I asked the 131st Thunder Battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jack, to continue to sneak into the eastern frontier mountainous area and use mines to ambush the enemy's logistics transportation lines, making the enemy think that we have no other way but to use this method.
to harass them by making little noises.
I led a division of the Thunder Legion, from the 1301st to 1304th Thunder Regiment, to lurk across the defense lines of the two Hicks standing corps on the northern mountainous border, and first attack Hicks near Rodex Bay City.
The main camp of the Sri Lankan General Logistics Base. Only one enemy division was stationed there, which could not stop our attack. Of course, they did not expect that we would attack there. After we started to set fire to the grass and military supplies, we deployed
The two standing legions on the northern mountainous border will definitely divide their forces to come to the rescue.
At that time, I will ambush these reinforcements on their way to rescue. After defeating them, I will lead the troops to attack the two standing army camps on the northern mountainous border. I will attack from behind. Allen, you lead another division of the Thunder Legion.
Attack from the front and attack from both sides, we should be able to capture the enemy's camp quickly. At that time, we will join forces again, detour back to the eastern mountainous border, and lock the three Hicks' standing legions on the eastern front.
In the mountainous area, without logistical supplies, I believe they will collapse and surrender soon..."