"Pinglu Mansion is a very critical position for us. If we take it, we can threaten Anyuan in the west, suppress Tianshui in the south, and eye Heishan in the southeast. It can also become a barrier to protect Qinghe. Even without Pingyao, we can We also have to capture the granary that supplies the two plains." Nick said slowly, his face always seemed to be that pale and almost sickly pale, "More importantly, this is a rare opportunity Chances are, Li Wufeng's power has expanded too much. If we don't suppress his arrogance, I'm afraid he will become even more arrogant, which will be very detrimental to our expansion to the south."
"Sir, I'm afraid the Northwest Army will not let us get what we want easily. They have three divisions in Pinglu, and one of them is a heavy cavalry division. The other two are the elites of the Northwest Army. The Northern Luzon Division The First Division, the pure Gaoyueren heavy infantry division, the Fifth Northwest Division, one of Li Wufeng's starting troops, and 30,000 rangers who can be reinforced from Anyuan at any time. Although we have an absolute advantage, the Northwest Army has the West There are reinforcements from the Nanjie Locke Front and 30,000 rangers stationed in Xikang. Tianshui also has the Northwest First Division, known as the Northwest First Army, stationed there. We are afraid we will pay a heavy price in this battle."
The person who raised the question was Count Gustav, the commander of the Fifth Corps who had just been transferred from Cangzhou. He was a veteran general with a high level of experience in the imperial world. In terms of seniority, he should be at the same time as Nick and Mailley, who were known as the twin pillars of the empire. He is a contemporary figure, and his performance is not much worse than Nick and Mailley. Taking the words of dignitaries in the imperial and political circles, he lacks some political vision, is too close to the northern nobles, and has no relationship with the Prime Minister. They are always in the same position as fire and water, so they can only end up in the position of one regiment leader.
"Lord Gustav has some truth in what he said. If the Northwest Army can fully reinforce Pinglu, even if we win this battle, it will be very difficult. However, this will not happen to us. We have many natural allies. They No one likes to see an overly powerful northwest appear. In addition, too much food in Li Wufeng's hands will bring him a lot of trouble." Nick was not happy because the other party doubted the war development posture he had outlined. I know that my classmate in Imperial School has always been like this, treating things wrongly.
"Does Lord Nick have other plans and arrangements?" Count Gustave raised his eyebrows and asked happily. He is probably the only corps commander who does not call Nick the marshal. Perhaps it is a habit that has been formed for a long time. He has always called the two marshals of the empire, known as the twin pillars of the empire, by their first names, even if they have been promoted to marshals and become themselves After becoming their immediate boss, he just added the word "adult" after their names as a courtesy.
"Haha, everything will be revealed soon. Whether we take Pinglu or not, the result will be known within a day or two. No matter what choice we get in the end, I think a battle is inevitable. But I hope there will be An ending that makes us happy. The Northwest Army is known as the elite of the Tanghe army. Although Hoffman lost a battle in Pinglu, it does not mean anything. A disproportionate duel does not mean anything. I hope that through this Let's take a battle to prove whether our Kaman Army is more powerful or the Northwest Army is more powerful." The thin man in silver armor paused word by word, but the compelling fighting spirit in his words was vivid on his face. .
Lying on his back in the net cradle in the pavilion, with his eyes half closed, the young man let the maid beside him gently push and rock the cradle, seeming to enjoy the comfort quite leisurely. The green shade is like a cover, and the endless green woods cover the flat land near the lake. The lake breeze passes quietly, bringing bursts of coolness. Several small boats are playing on the lake, and laughter like silver bells comes from time to time. It’s a relaxing and leisurely summer vacation from the boat.
The old man in green shirt who had been sitting next to the pavilion fishing on the lake seemed to have turned a blind eye to everything around him. All his attention was focused on the two fishing rods. The fishing line hanging down in the shade was motionless. It seemed that no fish had bitten the hook in the past half afternoon. . However, the old man seemed to prefer to enjoy the feeling of fishing. He would open his narrowed eyes from time to time and seemed not to care too much about whether he could catch a fish.
"Mr. Qiu, you have been fishing all afternoon and not a single fish has bitten the hook. You are still so persistent. How can you really hold your breath?" Putting down the half-volume of thread-bound ancient books in his hands, the young man finally couldn't bear it any longer.
"Your Highness, you can catch big fish only by casting a long line. If you don't even have this little patience, how can you catch big fish?" The old man in green shirt replied unhurriedly.
"Well, Mr. Qiu, there seems to be something in your words." The young man seemed to feel something and turned over and sat up.
"Your Highness, the more patience you have, the more hope and assurance you have. The people of the Taiping Sect are ready to move, but they cannot hide it from others. I think it is not just us who are watching, the Kaman people are also watching. Although Li Wufeng has a big gap in Kansai, Qian Don’t forget that the nomadic cavalry under the control of Li Wufeng are the most mobile troops. It is not difficult for them to travel thousands of miles in a few days." The old man in green shirt did not look back, still staring at the water wholeheartedly, and answered calmly road.
"Oh? Mr. Qiu means you don't want us to take Jincheng?" The young man's face changed slightly.
"The question is how long can we keep Jincheng after we get it? Unless Li Wufeng is really defeated by the Kaman and Taiping forces, or the Maci Khans from the south invade Tiannan in one go, I don't think it's a good idea to take Jincheng. A good idea. Of course, if we can occupy Jincheng to obtain the food there and then generously return Jincheng to Li Wufeng, I won't object." There was no emotion in the words of the old man in green shirt, and he was just talking about the matter.
The young man was stunned for a moment, silently thinking about the meaning of the other person's words. It seems that the other party hopes to seize Jincheng's food to alleviate Huanggang's current embarrassment, but he does not advocate breaking up with Li Wufeng. Of course, temporarily occupying Jincheng can prevent the Taiping Army from conquering Tianshui and then going south to attack Jincheng. However, he is not sure how sure the Taiping Army can attack Tianshui. Although Li Wufeng only has one division stationed in Tianshui, that is Li Wufeng's trump card, even if the Taiping Army's combat power is twice or even three times that of the opponent, he may not be able to achieve success. This bet is really not a casual bet as Qiu Lao said.
"Your Highness, don't rush to express your attitude. Whether it's the Taiping Army, the Kaman people, or the Sanjiang war situation in the south, I believe that clues will soon emerge. Li Wufeng is also at a critical moment at this time. The Kaman people are probably now They also discovered that the vicious expansion of Li Wufeng's power had exceeded their acceptance level. It turned out that they hoped that Li Wufeng's expansion would accelerate the destruction of the empire so that they could get a piece of the pie. I believe that the Machihan people thought the same way, so they would let it go Li Wufeng wantonly annexed, but now Li Wufeng not only has not become the overthrower of the empire, but has also become a pillar supporting the empire. The entire western part of the empire has been slowly unified by him. If he is given enough time to digest such strength, , I believe it will become a nightmare for the Kaman and Machikhan people, so from this point of view, it is impossible for the Kaman and Machikhan people to wait any longer, and the situation forces them to have a showdown with Li Wufeng."
Taking a deep breath, the old man in green shirt put down the fishing rod in his hand for the first time, turned around, and said with a solemn expression: "Your Highness, if the Kaman and Machi Khans win this battle, we will still have a chance. , if the Kamans and Machikhans are defeated, then we will have no power to recover, and at most we will just become rich men under Li Wufeng."
Unexpectedly, the other party would elevate the upcoming melee to such an important position. The young man could not completely understand it for a while. After a long while, he said at a loss, "Then Mr. Qiu, who do you predict will win?" Woolen cloth?"
"This is not easy to predict. If we want to talk about the advantage at the strategic level, the Anti-Lee Alliance will naturally have the upper hand. Even without the Taiping Army, the combined strength of the Kamans and Machikhans is already indestructible. In terms of one-on-one combat strength, the armies of both sides should be said to be similar. However, the Machikhans dispatched 400,000 troops this time, and the Kamans were roughly the same. The number of troops that Li Wufeng could deploy on the battlefields of Kansai and Sanjiang was no more than 100,000. That's three to four hundred thousand, and they have to deal with two fronts of the battlefield respectively. If the Taiping Army is also involved, the situation can be said to be extremely unfavorable to Li Wufeng." The old man in green shirt looked deeply at the lake in the distance, "However, Li Wufeng is a great hero and has many capable men and generals under his command. Moreover, he has considerable strategic depth and great potential. I am afraid he has also seen this. How he will respond, I cannot say, but what is certain is that It will not be easy for the Kamans and Machikhans to win this battle."
The young man was already a little confused by the words of his main adviser. He thought for a long time before saying: "Mr. Qiu, can you give a rough estimate of how they will end up after this battle?"
"I wildly predict that the two sides will fall into a state of no-win battle. Even if the Taiping people get involved, it is unlikely to play a decisive role. But if the Luzon people, Luo Bei people and even the Hesi Luo people behind Li Wufeng are all If he suddenly attacks, I'm afraid Li Wufeng will not be able to escape his misfortune." The old man in green shirt obviously felt that his inference contained too many assumptions, and quickly added: "Of course, the Luzon and Luo Bei people were both defeated by Li Wufeng, and they will definitely not. Will take action easily unless it is certain that Li Wufeng's defeat is certain. As for the Heathrow people, their current strategy seems to have changed dramatically. If Li Wufeng is smart, he can completely resolve this threat. Of course, this depends on the card. The Manmen and Li Wufeng were wrestling on the battlefield and in diplomacy."