"News has come. The Nan'an people really couldn't stand the pressure from the north and have mobilized, but it doesn't seem to be as good as we thought." The man who got into the tent was his chief of staff Chang Hechun. Cheng Dayou had always hoped Chang Hechun can be promoted to deputy army commander, but he knows that this may be difficult. It is not that the emperor does not trust him, but according to the practice passed down in Western Xinjiang, if he wants to be promoted, he usually needs to change his position, although it is not absolutely , but for an army like the Eighth Army that was almost created by itself, this practice seems to be necessary to stick to.
"Oh? Tell me about the situation." Cheng Dayou put away his somewhat scattered thoughts and focused on the current military affairs.
"Due to geographical reasons, the Nan'an people also stationed 50,000 heavy troops in the coastal area, and they can also receive sea reinforcements from Sikkim at any time. It should be said that it is not easy to break through. However, five days ago, the Nan'an people's deployment changed. There were 20,000 people. According to our judgment, the progress made by the Fourth Army on the Soktu side made the Nan'an people nervous, because most of the mountains in the north run north-south, and the Fourth Army can enter from the north more easily. , so they have to strengthen their defense in the north, and the Western Samoa army seems not to be ready yet, so the Nan'an people have to rely on their own strength for the time being, which also creates opportunities for us. "Chang He Chun's oily face was a little red from the harsh sun in the peninsula, and he was sweating profusely, but his words were still full of energy.
"Well, so they still have 30,000 people on the defense line in the Binhai area? Are these 30,000 mercenaries or their city defense troops?" Cheng Dayou attaches great importance to the affiliation of the troops stationed in Binhai.
"It's the city defense army, but the commander of the army, 30,000 people is not too few, especially the climate and terrain here are quite favorable conditions for them. If we choose to attack from the coast, maybe fighting is not a problem, the problem is It depends on whether the soldiers can adapt to the climate there. Now the soldiers are a little bit overwhelmed. I have arranged for military medical officers to strictly prevent the epidemic, but this climate will become more troublesome as time goes by. We have to find a way to solve this problem."
"There is no way to cure this problem. Climate adaptation cannot be achieved in a day or two. We can only defeat the Nan'an people in the shortest time. That is the best way to solve this problem." Cheng Dayou shook his head and said to himself Most of the soldiers of the Eighth Army came from the north and were not well adapted to the opponent's climate. However, Cheng Dayou knew that if he wanted to win this battle, he had to overcome this problem. Fortunately, the logistics department had already prepared quite sufficient preparations before coming to the peninsula. Various drugs.
So far, no epidemic outbreak has been detected, but as Chang Hechun said, as the temperature continues to rise, the probability of epidemic outbreaks will become greater and greater.
"What does the legion commander mean?" Chang Hechun had already heard something. Looking at the cold and firm look in the other person's eyes, he knew that his superior's opinion had already been determined.
"We have no time to wait any longer. The Fourth Army has created an opportunity for us. If we cannot seize it, once the Western Samoa army catches up, our situation will be more difficult. And the Nan'an people probably have not thought of it now. We will choose their part to attack, which is the easiest place to get reinforcements from the Sikkimese. So we have some advantages at this point. Time waits for no time, so I leave it to you, Binhai County. I will lead two divisions to see the arrogance. What is the capital of the Nan'an people who dare to compete with the imperial army?" Cheng Dayou waved his hand to stop the chief of staff who wanted to say more, and said flatly that this was what he had always wanted to do personally, and he did not want to give this opportunity to others.
The coastal area of Nan'an City-State can be said to be the most dangerous area in Nan'an City-State. Swamps are criss-crossed, and even people who are familiar with the terrain dare not cross them easily, because almost every year, heavy rains in this area during the rainy season will change the area of these swamps. Maybe a passage that was feasible last year will become a fatal trap this year. Because no one has walked through it for a long time, leaves, dead branches and animal carcasses in many areas have accumulated over the years and gradually formed a thick covering. Repeatedly soaked by rainwater, eventually forming a deadly miasma. This is also the main reason why coastal areas are intimidating.
Cheng Dayou had already understood the difficulty of this route before sending troops. Although the Ministry of Culture, Education, and the Logistics Department of the Privy Council had already developed targeted drugs to prevent and treat miasma under Wu Feng's arrangement, the conditions in this area were uncertain. The swamp area is still a huge obstacle, but compared to the tough battle at Kuruk Fortress, Cheng Dayou still feels that this route is more worth the risk. After all, this is a natural obstacle. As long as he can find a way to overcome it and cross this area, There are only 30,000 Nan'an defense troops in front of the folding knife defense line. Although the Sikkim people have increased their efforts to assist the Nan'an city-state, they are obviously full of confidence in this natural defense line and will send more reinforcements to the north. The Fourth Army It put too much pressure on them, causing them to ignore that there might be a greater murderous intention hidden here.
The method adopted by Cheng Dayou was actually very simple. He led the First Division to serve as the main force in this battle. He quietly sneaked into Nan'an from Eastern Samoa and walked through the dense forest not far from the coast under the leadership of a guide during the day. , if you encounter a swamp area that you can't get around, just stop and wait until dark to quietly walk out of the dense forest and quickly pass along the beach. This is a bit risky, because the navies of Sikkim and Nan'an have tightly blocked this sea area. Once it is blocked, The enemy's reconnaissance ship discovered this situation. What awaited Cheng Dayou's division was a dead end, not even a way out.
In order to ensure the success of his plan, Cheng Dayou had to turn to the Nanyang Navy, which had not yet formed an army. Although Lei Cangpu was reluctant in every possible way, he still knew the overall situation. The use of troops against Nan'an was an important step determined by the empire. It is also extremely important for the future development of the navy. Even though he knows that his navy cannot stand the trouble, he can only bite the bullet and personally steer the ship to attract the attention of the Sikkim and Nan'an navies.
In order to ensure the success of the attraction plan, Lei Cangpu used all the naval power in his hands, and also recruited a large number of civilian ships to coordinate with the navy, posing as if he was ready to land and attack Sikkim at any time, and the intelligence department They also consciously circulated the news in Sikkim that Datang would send landing troops to land on Sikkim Island. This indeed achieved very good results. Sikkim senior officials who had never dealt with the Tang army immediately increased their precautions in the waters near Sikkim Island. , the Nan'an city-state navy also focused its main attention on the Sikkim Strait area to prevent the Tang Dynasty navy from attacking from the Sikkim Strait.
For the first time, Cheng Dayou experienced the pain of marching in the southern region. The heat was not an insurmountable problem, but the sultry smell did make the soldiers from the north feel unbearable. Fortunately, there was no shortage of water in this area. Drink a lot of water, sweat a lot, and use this method to excrete the accumulated heat in the body. There is really no other better way to solve this problem.
Mosquito bites also plagued the entire army, especially when marching in this dense forest. Not only was the speed extremely slow, but the endless emergence of mosquitoes and small insects has simply become a landscape for this team. Although it has been since the last time it traveled through Myanmar County and the Peninsula, After the dense forest area between them, Xijiang has already begun to study and prepare for the march in the tropical areas to prepare for the imperial army's operations in the southern tropical areas. It has also achieved quite obvious results. The Ministry of Culture, Education and the Ministry of Education has prepared various preparations. We have developed anti-insect drugs and developed breathable insect-proof clothing suitable for marching in tropical dense forests. This kind of clothing made of special wood is especially suitable for marching in tropical areas. It can effectively prevent snake and insect attacks and is quite breathable. However, the actual situation is ever-changing, and there are still many soldiers suffering from malaria. The bark of the cinchona tree is the only specific medicine and is a must-have for almost everyone. However, the side effects are also obvious. Soldiers died from chewing this bark. It led to vomiting, loss of appetite, and a great loss of physical strength. Many soldiers had to stay and withdraw from the march.
Marching into the beach area at night has simply become a supreme enjoyment. Almost every soldier, including Cheng Dayou, is eager for the night to fall. The scouts and intelligence personnel of the Tang Army have already mastered the movements of Nan'an naval patrol ships in this area. According to the patrol rules, they only have one patrol at night, and most of them are in the early morning. So every time it gets dark, the officers and soldiers of the First Division rush out of the dense forest area and run wildly on the beach and beach under the cover of night, like people escaping from a cage. It was as if the prisoners had been liberated. Even Cheng Dayou felt that he had never felt such enjoyment during a night march.
The three-day march made the Tang army feel like they were wandering on the edge of heaven and hell. Cheng Dayou led the first division of the Eighth Army to stay in hiding during the day and go out at night. During the day, they marched less than twenty miles a day, but they were able to run ten miles in and out at night. This kind of life is really unbearable. The hot and humid climate has caused many soldiers to suffer from eczema and skin diseases. Their ulcerated skin is stuck together with their clothes. A large piece of it will come off when you pull it, and a large piece will rot when you scratch it. It's really scary to watch. Fortunately, this kind of day did not last long, otherwise Cheng Dayou really didn't know how to deal with the Nan'an city defense army of 30,000 people. His only advantage was probably the opportunity to make a surprise attack. It's not that I don't know what the Nan'an City Defense Force's emergency response capabilities are. Whether they can fight with one blow will determine the outcome of this surprise attack.