In some senses, waging a war is like running a large business conglomerate.
As a commander-in-chief, Sean was deeply aware of his shortcomings in military literacy, even though his subordinates admired him very much.
Running a large business group is nothing more than establishing goals, formulating plans, selecting the right people and providing them with resource support, and conducting necessary inspections and supervision.
The process of launching and participating in a war is not fundamentally different from this kind of commercial activity, except that the former is more complex and sophisticated, and emphasizes determination and courage.
Sean tried hard to avoid directly commanding a certain battle. Past war records showed that he had always been the winner, often with overwhelming victory, thus giving everyone the impression that he had "natural commanding talents."
But this impression is actually correct, because Sean is better at coordinating and knowing people well, fully trusts his subordinates, and has the advantage of correcting mistakes immediately when he discovers them.
These are all excellent qualities that a commander should possess.
The small setback of the National Army in Yam City caused Sean to immediately withdraw the 3rd Army. Without making unnecessary sacrifices, he let the troops of General Dalhao, who was more adept at defense, take over the former. The latter was in the town of Tudela that year.
The outstanding defense is impressive.
The 4th Army Corps, which had replaced the friendly forces, was intensively preparing for military defense. They not only built bunkers along the ridge facing the enemy side, but also built troop hiding caves and stored large amounts of military supplies behind them in places where the enemy forces could not attack.
Reserves - they did what the enemy had done before, and they did it very carefully. They seemed to be prepared to stay there for a long time.
Daniel Davis's 401st Regiment is located directly south of the city of Yamsi. To the west of the regiment is the defensive position of the 402nd Regiment, to the east is the high ground that has been operated by the enemy for a long time, and further away is the canal.
Therefore, the 401st Regiment may face enemy attacks from the east and north, although they were originally supposed to be the attackers. The 4th Army was ordered to defend in place. Even if it launches an attack in the future, it will only be to attract Yam.
The attention of the city defenders.
The Nationalist Army is equipped with many small-caliber howitzers. Compared with cannons, the trajectory of this gun is curved. If the calculation is accurate, it can also bombard targets blocked by shelters, but it is still affected by the terrain.
The mountain here is no more than 800 meters above sea level, but it is very steep and artillery cannot be transported to the top of the mountain.
Both sides occupied several hills each. Due to the enemy's higher position and terrain restrictions, it was difficult for the National Army to exert its own artillery strength. This was one of the biggest reasons for the setbacks of the 3rd Army in the early stage.
War is always inseparable from propaganda.
The public only knows that the National Army has encountered a small setback, but the flaws cannot be concealed. The public has received news that the National Army has won another victory, or is on the road to victory.
As for reporters, they are all civilian soldiers in military uniforms and attached to the staff. After their articles are reviewed, they will be sent to major newspapers in the south. Ordinary officers are prohibited from writing to institutions outside the military.
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As part of propaganda, criticism or self-criticism is also necessary.
For example, they will complain about the taste of military cans for soldiers, they will complain that military boots are not strong and wear-resistant, and they will complain that the communication interval with their families is too long.
If necessary, they will exaggerate the enemy's combat strength and numbers to highlight the hard-won victory of their own soldiers.
Right now, Commander Daniel Davis is personally accompanying several military reporters to the forefront of the 401st Regiment.
"As you can see, we need an artillery that is light in weight and flexible in deployment. In my vision, this kind of ballistically curved artillery can be operated by 2 to 3 people, can be disassembled, and can be moved on the battlefield at any time.
and assembly." Captain Davis said, "It is easy to operate and the range does not need to be too far. It should be equipped to the company as an infantry support force, especially on battlefields with this kind of terrain, which is more conducive to exerting its firepower."
"Dear commander, it seems the enemy doesn't have artillery either." A reporter questioned.
"No, they do." Davis lay on the top of the mountain and handed the binoculars to the reporters. "On the opposite side of the mountain, to the left, is their artillery position. It is said that the enemy soldiers were almost tortured to death in order to build these fortifications.
Twenty thousand local residents.”
As if echoing the words of Commander Davis, with a sharp whistling sound, a shell fell not far away and exploded violently. The reporters hurriedly left the hilltop and hid on the ridge under the guidance of the officers of the 401st Regiment.
later.
"The enemy's artillery positions were built with great care. They only built firepower points on the side rushing towards us, and the simple road on the winding mountain was only built halfway up the mountain. Therefore, even if we occupied them, we would not be able to use this position to point to the back."
"When the firepower cannot defeat the opponent, all we can rely on is courage and determination. All officers and soldiers of the 401st Regiment are determined to defend their positions to the death, and we are fully prepared for this."
Someone heard his subtext, that is, the 4th Army was not prepared to take the initiative to attack.
As long as offense and defense are exchanged, the enemy's advantage in artillery will be immediately weakened and even useless, because the enemy's attack can only rely on infantry to attack from above, which will make them pay tens of times the price, and the gain outweighs the loss.
Due to terrain restrictions and without artillery support, the 4th Army may not have enough offensive capabilities, but it is sufficient for defense.
The enemy's artillery fired only three shots and then stopped, as if to vent their anger or provoke the National Army to attack.
But from the forward commander Commander Davis to General Dalhou in the rear, the 4th Army strictly abided by the orders of the headquarters:
It is forbidden to take unnecessary initiative to attack, but it is not allowed to lose an inch of one's own position.
This is a major change in the strategic deployment of the headquarters headed by Sean.
The defenders were obviously caught off guard. The battlefield was strangely quiet for three days. They couldn't wait for the National Army's attack before they realized that the offensive and defensive situation had changed.
For the defenders, they face three options, one is to remain silent, one is to take the initiative to attack to regain the somewhat incomplete defense line, and the other is to break out. The latter two options are not in the interests of the defenders.
So they remain silent for now.
In this case, Sean turned his attention away from Yam City. He was not prepared to fight the enemy here.
You keep yours, I'll fight mine.
Sean ordered the 1st and 2nd Corps to attack north along the east and west sides of the canal, with the 5th, 6th, and 7th Corps as their backing. The 3rd Corps, which was in a state of rest, served as the general reserve.
This made the Holy City very uncomfortable. Their plan to use Yam City as a bait failed. The National Army did not care about the gain or loss of a great city.