It was August 1836, and the National Army dispatched three officer regiments to the front line to observe the war.
Combined with the officers' battlefield reports, Sean had a relatively clear understanding of the real situation on the front line. If there were no unexpected factors, this war would have continued for another two to three years.
The discipline of the Imperial Army was most criticized by the officers of the observation group. The large concentration of troops made the already tight logistics supply even worse. However, waste and corruption abounded. Many officers simply had mixed qualifications and took advantage of the opportunity to make money.
In many units, the relationship between officers and soldiers is tense, and unreasonable corporal punishment and humiliation have demoralized many soldiers. Officers with noble backgrounds treat soldiers as their own slaves and drive them around at will.
As for Marshal Lewis, although he had extremely high prestige and unshakable authority, he could not rectify the army by himself. His energy was occupied by the preparations for the major counterattack that he carefully organized, although he had no control over those who committed crimes.
The officer who made a serious mistake showed no mercy.
Therefore, Sean and his officers were suspicious of the upcoming major counterattack. This may be the reason why onlookers know better.
Marshal Lewis gathered a large amount of ammunition and supplies, including more than a terrifying 800 artillery pieces of various calibers.
The arrow is on the string and must be fired.
Sean also received the order. Marshal Lewis, in the name of the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front, ordered the National Army to cross the river and go north on August 15. They must take over the city of Yobosa on August 20 and ensure the safety of the rear of the main force and the supply line.
Because the battle will start in the early morning of August 15th.
The mighty Longjiang River rushes eastwards.
Sean stood on the north bank and watched several steamboats and more wooden boats rushing back and forth on the river. Just transporting more than 30,000 people and supplies could not be completed in a day.
Sean let the staff officers organize specific matters, and he only issued orders.
In the evening of August 15, Adrian Major hurried over from Daguerre, his face tense and mixed with excitement, anger and fear.
This complex emotion appeared on his face at the same time, causing him to fall down in front of Sean.
"Adrian, you don't want to be the first person injured when our army goes to the battlefield." Sean joked, "If we are unlucky, we may not even see a living Belis."
"Commander, I request to report the new situation to you alone." Major jumped up from the ground, his movements were so agile that people doubted his age.
Sean waved his hand, and Nelson, Yang and others dispersed far away.
Major solemnly handed a handwritten note to Sean. Sean took a look and was shocked.
"Is the information accurate?" Sean asked.
"This is information that Mr. Antonio Blanche personally gave to Captain Alfonso. Captain Alfonso happened to be in the Holy City at the time," Major said.
He didn't know who this mysterious Mr. Blanche was, but at least he knew that Sean trusted this person very much, and that this intelligence chief was also very competent and often delivered accurate information in a timely manner.
Even these messages are sometimes prophetic intelligence, which shows that Mr. Blanche himself has considerable insight and wisdom.
There was a riot in the Holy City five days ago. The reason was that the food distributed by the Military Command to the Guards was moldy. Some low-level officers incited soldiers to rush into the Military Command. People who did not know the truth took advantage of the situation to loot and attack shops and wealthy people.
At this time, Prime Minister Cuarón issued an order that led to a worse situation. He armed the militias in the Holy City. As a result, these militiamen joined the riots, making the situation out of control. They besieged the palace.
At that time, most of the Guards in the Holy City were transferred to the war, a small number became participants in the riots, and the rest were not trusted.
The information on Antonio Blanche, or Percy Robinson, ends here.
Sean tore the note into countless pieces and paced anxiously on the bank of Longjiang River. Among other things, he could predict that there would be a huge rout on the battlefield two hundred kilometers away.
Where to go requires a solid plan.
At seven o'clock in the evening, before it was completely dark, Herbert Wells, Villar Perosa and three division commanders Luca Moura, James Roberts and Liam Lawrence were ordered to rush.
come over.
These confidants showed the same shock at this intelligence. The intelligence described the situation five days ago. God knows what more shocking things will happen in the Holy City in these five days.
"We've called everyone here to unify our minds, which is very important to our army," Sean said.
Major observed the expressions of several senior officers and said:
"There are three roads before us. The first is to continue north to Jobosa according to the established plan, the second is to stop on the north bank and wait and cross the river back to Daguerre at any time, and the third is to return directly to Genoa.
"
Of course, the first way is to put yourself in danger. In five days at most, the news will reach Marshal Lewis's army, and they are currently fighting a fierce battle with the Billis. The second way is to protect yourself wisely. As for the third way,
He simply became a deserter.
Contrary to Major's expectations, the senior military officers chose the first path without even hesitating.
"This is a moment of life and death. The soldiers on the battlefield north of Yobosa are our compatriots and brothers. I would rather die together with them than be a shameful deserter." said Mora, commander of the 1st Division.
"If the intelligence is correct, the Holy City is no longer the Holy City of the past. This is really a moment of life and death for the empire. We must fight with all our strength, even if it is just to save more Western Front soldiers, it is worth it." Roberts, commander of the 2nd Division, said, "
I don’t want to write the war history in the future and say that our National Army fled without fighting.”
"Commander, I also agree to continue heading north." Lawrence, commander of the 3rd Division, said.
Sean's eyes turned to his right-hand man, Corps Deputy Commander Wells and Corps Chief of Staff Perosa.
The opinions of these two professional soldiers, who were much older than Sean, were more valued by Sean than the three young and enthusiastic division commanders.
"The defeat of the Western Front is inevitable. It is necessary for us to think of a way out and not fall into the quagmire of defeat." Wells said solemnly, "This is not because I am afraid of fighting, but because I am careful."
"While we are heading north, we must pay attention to the supply problem. It is necessary to strengthen the construction of military stations along the way north and disperse our supplies along the way. If something goes wrong, we can fight and retreat at the same time. In addition, let Long
The transport ships on the river are parked on the north bank and are on standby." As the chief of staff, Perosa has always been steady and thoughtful.
Sean was very satisfied with the performance of his men.
"This information must be kept secret for the time being. Except for those who are here today, it is strictly forbidden to spread it outside to avoid shaking the morale of the military."