"Baron Hawking, the problem is that the top leaders of the alliance are unwilling to continue the war. General Suvorov has returned to the alliance, and now he is replaced as the coach of the Western Indies by General Charles Gordon. What kind of person is he? Don’t you know the character? It would be unwise to place hope on him. Otherwise, we may have to hand over both Destin and Maina." Another military attache with a somewhat sarcastic tone was from Baron Kustam of the Principality of Thuringia was quite dissatisfied with the fact that General Suvorov of his country was replaced as commander of the army in the West Indian region by General Gordon of the Principality of Salzburg, and he could not bear to speak. Just keep banging.
"Mr. Kustam, this is not the time for us to comment on political opinions. Now is the time to discuss the attitude of the Tang people. If we have different opinions on the matters decided by the alliance, we can reflect them through normal channels, but not now. Please respect yourself. "Viscount Vladimir comes from the Principality of Wallachia, a small principality bordering Thuringia to the north and Hanover to the south, but he relies on his own abilities to be quite influential in the alliance.
Seeing that the bald man's tone had become colder, the members of the negotiating team all shut their mouths knowingly. It was best not to interfere in such matters that affected the relations between the major powers in the alliance, as long as they were not doing their own business.
"Everyone, please share your opinions. Now the Tang Dynasty has proposed to control the two provinces of Dexin and Fahan. This is of course their sky-high asking price. We cannot agree to it, but it also implies another layer of meaning. They We may hope to get one of the two provinces, which is also our bottom line. I personally think that if we choose one of the two provinces, it may be a condition acceptable to both parties. So what we need to consider now is whether we choose Fahan or Dexin? "
Vladimir is very confident in his guess, and his many years of diplomatic career have given him a keen sense of smell. Although Pauling and others showed great enthusiasm, diplomacy is backed by strength. The Tang Army's performance in Kerman and Dexin was not satisfactory, which limited their diplomatic performance, and more importantly What is surprising is that our own side has received the news that the Luzon people have attacked the Pancha tribe's territory. If the Tang Army continues to confront the Hansen Alliance, it may have to face the difficult situation of fighting on two fronts. This is undoubtedly a huge good news for itself. This is also the main reason why Vladimir is so arrogant.
"If we have to choose one of the two, of course we have to choose Dexin Province. As you can see from the map, Dexin Province goes deep into the hinterland of the Indian Kingdom. If we can station troops here, we will be able to attack the Tang Army. The deployment has played a great role in containing the rebels. There are now groups of rebels in Fahan. The Spartan First Corps has been there for more than a week now, but it still has no obvious effect. Besides, there are not many valuable things in that land. , it’s better to give it to the Tang people.”
"No, Fahan Province is already close to the southern border of our Principality of Hanover. The Tang Dynasty controls it and will pose a great threat to our border. Not to mention the important geographical location of the Thracian Peninsula. We must not give up. As for the Dexin Province Most of them are mountains and hills, and the Alliance does not intend to engage in a full-scale war with the Tang people, so what is the point of occupying them?"
The discussion quickly turned into a debate. Farhan and Dexin each had their own advantages and disadvantages, and their military and economic priorities were also different. Vladimir was also a little unsure about who to make, even though the alliance had authorized it. Deal with all the negotiations with him, but something like this will have a huge impact on the security interests of the entire alliance. He didn't dare to make a sudden decision.
"Everyone, the question now is what is the alliance's positioning for the De'an region in Western India in the future? If we want to stop here, then undoubtedly we should choose the Fahan Province. If we still want to compete with the Tang people for the mastery of this area The Dexin Province must undoubtedly ensure the opportunity for power. Viscount Vladimir, I am afraid that only you understand the meaning of the alliance, and only you can make a judgment." Some pleading voices made others The words stopped for a moment. She had wavy brown curly hair, a high nose, plump lips, and slightly high cheekbones that highlighted the extraordinary beauty of this woman. She was wearing a tight-fitting short dress, which was in line with the popular ladies of the Western Continent. Pretend to be completely different.
Vladimir frowned slightly. Although he did not like this woman's attire, his words hit the point. The future plans of the alliance were the basis for the choice. Vladimir did not receive clear instructions from the upper echelons of the alliance. , but one thing he knows very well is that the alliance will definitely not give up. The reason why it did not go all out to deal with it this time is because the opinions within the alliance have not yet been unified. As a forward-looking diplomat, he must do everything well for the alliance. preparation for this possibility.
The Peninsular Campaign started almost at the same time as the Indian War, although it was slightly later in terms of time. But in terms of preliminary preparations, the Eighth Army and the Fourth Army of the Empire have already entered a state of combat readiness until the time is right to break out.
Mulige's Fourth Army crossed the border and entered the Soketu Principality without encountering almost any resistance. Except for some so-called elites who fled abroad and made some clamor through the media to criticize the hegemonism of the Tang Empire. Down below, from the nobles to the people, the situation seemed very peaceful from beginning to end.
Harati, the Grand Duke of Soktu, should be said to be a man who is quite aware of current affairs. Although he had previously fantasized about saving his country's independence through alliances with Nan'an City-State, Western Samoa and Sikkim, it was obviously unrealistic. In front of the Tang army, the fantasy became as unreachable as the moon in the water. The Tang army reached the Soktu city of Soktu principality with overwhelming force. Harati immediately issued a declaration of belonging to the Tang Dynasty, and Harati soon He was awarded the title of Duke Taixiang, the first duke conferred by the Tang Empire since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The Battle of Soketu even made Mulige himself feel a little depressed. There was no substantive battle in the entire campaign. Except for the rugged and difficult roads, it can be said that he did not encounter any armed resistance. Fortunately, there are still two opponents in the south, so that the Fourth Army will not be too boring. After taking control of Soketu, the Fourth Army prepared to press from north to south against the Nan'an City State and the Western Samoa City Republic.
Compared with the ease of the Fourth Army, the Eighth Army's expedition seemed much more interesting. At least the Nan'an City-State was not overwhelmed by the momentum of the Tang Army. After receiving all-round support from the City Republic of Sikkim and Western Samoa, the Nan'an City-State The army started a fierce battle with the Imperial Eighth Army from the border area.
The terrain of Nan'an City-State is not suitable for large-scale army operations. This is also an important factor for Nan'an City-State to dare to compete with the Tang Army. Although the Tang Army has fully considered this in the early preparations, it was only after the actual battle that Cheng Dayou actually entered the war. Realizing that fighting across a border for the first time was not going to be easy.
Although Nan'an City-state is a city-state in name, in fact, apart from Nan'an City, there is still a considerable area of land in the countryside, even larger than the Soketu Principality. These hilly terrains have become the main obstacle to the Tang army's advance. There are many obstacles, and the only channel is the southern trade route of the Middle East mainland, known as the main artery of the southern trade route. Although the straight-line distance from Eastern Samoa to Nan'an City is only one hundred and sixty miles, due to terrain restrictions, this road is in good condition. The actual distance of the road is 220 miles. The Nan'an people have deployed a total of 50,000 people on the first fortress on this trade road, the Kuruk Fortress, of which 30,000 are experienced and very capable. The strong mercenary army obviously wanted to defend the enemy from the country and block the Tang army from the Nan'an city-state.
Cheng Dayou did not rush for success just because it was his first expedition. After launching two tentative attacks on the Kuruk Fortress, he knew that if he tried to take the fortress forcefully, he would probably bring consequences to himself. It was a considerable loss. He didn't want to exchange the soldiers' unnecessary sacrifices for his own glory. Moreover, according to the intelligence he had, the army guarding Kuruk Fortress was considered the most elite force in Nan'an City State. Even if he attacked with all his strength, In this situation where the terrain is not very favorable, it may not be possible to achieve satisfactory results, so he had consciously avoided this situation before.
The rapid progress of the Fourth Army in the Principality of Soktu seemed to be a bit irritating to his subordinates, but Cheng Dayou didn't care. It didn't make much sense to compete with the Fourth Army for credit. It can be said that the main credit for Soktu came from intelligence. Departments and diplomatic departments, military operations are just auxiliary means, but the actions of the Fourth Army can indeed bring some benefits to the actions of their own army, at least to a large extent attract the attention of the Nan'an people.
"Legion Commander, the news from the Military Intelligence Agency has come back." A figure suddenly came in, sweating profusely, but his expression was mixed. Although it is April, the climate at the southern end of the peninsula is already a bit sultry. It will be the hottest period in the area within a month or two of landing, and it will be even more troublesome to use troops at that time.
"Well, it's time for news. Are you clear about the layout of the Nan'an people in the seaside area? Has there been any change?" Cheng Dayou raised his head. Maybe he was not used to the climate here, but his originally moderate figure He seemed to have lost a lot of weight, but also looked more capable. The slightly opened inner armor was already stained with sweat, and his body looked a little sloppy.