"Haha, Claudia, I haven't seen you for a few days, so I'm impressed. I'm very happy that you can have such an opinion. No issue is absolute and needs to be viewed in two. This is certainly the case with the Boyin barbarians. Li Wufeng Same thing. Li Wufeng's current army can be described as tyrannical in the Tanghe Empire. Although Situ Tai has the first and second legions, according to my observation, in addition to his northwest legion, Li Wufeng's northern Luzon legion and southern Jieluoke legion have the same combat effectiveness. Not weak, and the Tengger Corps, which has not yet been fully replenished, is estimated to have good combat effectiveness, as can be seen from the third heavy cavalry division. The four legions have exceeded 400,000 troops, plus his two close The Guards Regiment, as well as the newly formed Indian Army Corps, as well as the servant army - nomadic cavalry, are about 200,000 people. The number of his regular troops has exceeded 750,000. Of course, this is in terms of establishment, the specific amount It should be around 700,000."
"In terms of quantity and quality, Li Wufeng's military power has far surpassed any party in the Tanghe Empire. Even compared to us, I estimate that it should be between equals. But Li Wufeng is not an iron-clad king. He also has his own Weaknesses. First of all, he lacks a justifiable reason to integrate the power of the entire Tanghe Empire. The Tanghe Empire represented by the Situ family has been based in the Eastern Continent for hundreds of years, and their orthodox status is deeply rooted in the minds of the Tang people. If he wants to unravel this It is not an easy task, and the Tang people are very particular about orthodoxy. If the name is not correct, the words will not go smoothly, and everything will be done with half the effort. Second, as you said, Li Wufeng chose to base himself in the northwest. Although he got the opportunity to train his army, it is weak. The economy and the numerous enemies around him put him under pressure from all aspects. If he wanted to support more than 700,000 troops, it was simply impossible with his current economic strength alone, so he could only choose to expand outwards, but expansion would Attracting more enemies, these enemies are watching from the side either openly or covertly, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. This will become a vicious cycle. Li Wufeng can only continue to strengthen his military strength to prevent it. Every action must be forward-looking and backward-looking. A slight inadvertence will lead to a domino reaction, which is also a normal reaction to his over-expansion. But given time, with his methods, it is very likely that these two disadvantages will be eliminated. The factors are reduced and resolved one by one, but for now, he still has to keep his tail between his legs for a while." Nick knew that the other party wanted to know what he thought of Li Wufeng, the opponent who had gradually become the Kaman people's biggest enemy, so he just Don't hesitate to give advice.
Nodding thoughtfully, Claudia looked like she had been taught something. Jiang was the old one. Nick acknowledged the opponent's strong military strength while also pointing out the opponent's weaknesses. This made the leader of the Royal Guards shocked. He was impressed. Although he could vaguely see some of it, he was not as thorough as the other party in analyzing it.
"Then since Li Wufeng can't compete with us in the short term, why is Commander Ni so unhappy? Does Commander Ni think that the central army of the Tanghe Empire will cause us trouble?" Claudia then frowned and asked.
"No, I'm not worried about this problem, I'm thinking about our logistics problems. There are many times when the enemy cannot defeat us, but we ourselves will be defeated by ourselves." Nick replied calmly, "This year's drought seems to It came so violently that no part of the entire Eastern Continent seemed to be unaffected. I was very worried about whether there was a problem with our domestic reserves. The Prime Minister had already written a letter asking us to find ways to raise food and grass on our own. This was the first time. If we raise food and grass by ourselves, wouldn't that mean we go to the occupied areas to collect food and grass in disguise? This will inevitably worsen the situation in the occupied areas, and the relationship between us and the people in the occupied areas will become tense and even lead to riots. The Prime Minister will not think of this. The question is, how can we rule this region in the future? Once the relationship is damaged, it will be very difficult to make up for it, especially as a new conqueror and a foreigner."
Anyone who knows a little bit about the military knows the importance of logistics problems, and Claudia naturally understands it better. Especially in the case of a large army expedition, this problem becomes even more serious. The coach's words have already hinted at domestic logistics support. There is a problem, and now the occupying forces need to find a way to solve it. This is a very rare thing for the Kaman army. As the prime minister, Gomez has always hoped to gradually conquer the Tanghe people and their land through a combination of kindness and power. , but now using self-collection to solve it is undoubtedly contrary to the original intention of the Prime Minister. This can only explain one problem. In addition to big problems, logistical support is also a very serious problem.
Without asking what the problem was in the country, Claudia asked directly to the core of the problem: "Nishuai plans to collect grain and grass in Longquan and Montenegro?"
"Well, we have this plan. Heishan and Longquan have been tortured by the Taiping Cult, but we don't plan to harvest anything, just grain. Therefore, we only need to stay here after the grain harvest in September and collect enough grain. Leave. Although there is also a drought here, there will always be some harvests. In addition, we will find a way to collect some folk surplus food, and then leave. This mess will be left to the people of Tanghe to solve. I am not the prime minister, for the time being. There is no interest yet in ruling this land.”
The tone of Nick's words seemed so plain, but Claudia knew that behind these few words, the fate of nearly two million ordinary people in Montenegro and Longquan Prefecture had actually been decided. They had suffered two consecutive seasons of drought, even though there were some harvests. I'm afraid that it's not enough to make a living on their own. If they are forcibly collected and take most of the grain and grass, how will these people survive in the few months from autumn to next summer's harvest
Seeing a trace of unbearable hesitation flash across Claudia's face, Nick said with a cold expression: "Claudia, sometimes kindness to outsiders is cruelty to oneself. As far as I know, the two houses in Longquan, Montenegro No matter whether we go to collect food or not, the people of Tanghe will not be able to survive this winter. This food may be a life-saving straw for our army, but it is a drop in the bucket for nearly two million people. They can migrate east, south or even west to escape famine. Isn't there the imperial capital of the Tanghe people in the east? Well, or Cangzhou a little further north, and there is also a relatively rich Hehe in the south. Between Jinzhong and the Five Lakes to the south, doesn’t Li Wufeng have enough food and grass to the west? Kangzhuang Avenue is right in front, it depends on whether they will choose it."
Claudia was shocked again. This trick was really vicious. After all the food is harvested from the two prefectures of Longquan and Heishan, we only need to firmly hold the passes to the north. These people who cannot survive can only become refugees. No matter where they go, these millions of refugees will bring huge pressure on survival and security to the local area. , not to mention that the hinterland of the Tanghe Empire is in the midst of famine everywhere. I am afraid that mutiny, war, and riots will soon envelope the Central Plains of the Tanghe people. No matter where this situation occurs, we are happy to see it, but we don't know how many innocent souls and ghosts will be added to the escape.
Licking her lips, Claudia's eyes flickered and her voice suddenly became hoarse: "Nishuai, it's hard to leave your homeland. The people of Tanghe have always had this tradition. I'm afraid it won't be easy to force them to leave their home and go into exile. It might even trigger a civil uprising—"
"Claudia, let me tell you, you are the commander of the Royal Guards of the Kaman Empire, not the public representative of the Tanghe people! You don't need to worry about the fate of these people. Why have you become so indecisive?! Purely! It's a woman's kindness. If you have such thoughts again, I can only suggest that the prime minister change the commander of the Guards!" A trace of anger and disappointment flashed across Qinghui's face, and even his white hair seemed to stand on end. "If the Prime Minister doesn't agree, my opinion is to implement this method in Pinglu and Qinghe, drive the Tanghe people south and east, and let them go dog-eat-dog. The more chaotic the Tanghe people are, the more likely they will be to us. The more advantageous it is, the more we can dream of causing the various forces of the Tanghe people to attack each other. Do you really think that we can peacefully assimilate the Tanghe people in these occupied areas at this time? Even our own food is not enough, we still have Do you care about them?!"
"But Nishuai, the Prime Minister's original intention is to regain the hearts and minds of the people in the Tanghe occupied area. I think it is too short-sighted for us to do this. In this way, we will never be able to win the hearts and minds of the people in Heishan and Longquan, and these two places are exactly where we are. It is a springboard to enter the Central Plains, which is very detrimental to our next plan. I think the Machihan people's methods in the south are more suitable, such as in Baling." Although Claudia stood upright respectfully, she was not moved. Overwhelmed by the other party's words, he protested.
Instead of being angry, he smiled. Nick really liked this unruly guy. Being able to use the Machi Khan's strategy in the south as evidence to prove his point of view was an improvement. At least it showed that this guy didn't Limit your sights to your own country.
"Claudia, what you say makes sense, but you have to remember that Baling is in the south. The folk customs in the south of the Tanghe Empire are relatively weak, and they are rich in food. The food crisis is far more serious in the north. More importantly, Macchi When the Khans were in Baling, the famine had not yet occurred. But now the environment and timing we are in are very different from those of the Machi Khans, so the countermeasures we take must also change. As for the people's hearts, hehe, Heishan Longquanlian If the people are gone, how can they get the support of the people?" Nick said with a sinister smile, a ferocious smile on his face.