"... We must reach an agreement with the Nikancha people and set up a deep defense front in the mountains at the junction of them and the Rodkers Bay Colony to deal with the attack by the ten standing legions of the Hicks Kingdom. ... "General Beach Green once again reiterated his view.
General Albert smiled bitterly and said: "I have told you that the Nikancha people will never allow our troops to enter their territory. I have dealt with them many times. These Nikancha people are all stone heads." . After they established an independent country, they feel that their territory is sacred and inviolable. Just tell them that the Hicks attack is imminent. Before they are attacked, they will doubt whether we have bad intentions and are attacking them secretly. Idea..."
"Let Colonel Bokoar come back. Doesn't he have a good relationship with the Nikancha people? The Nikancha people believe him more than the guarantee given by our war zone. Let him tell those Nikancha people that we are here to help them. , rather than trying to invade their territory.”
"It's useless..." General Albert shook his head: "The people of Nikancha believe in Colonel Bokoal, mainly because of the various resources and arms transactions between the two parties. Colonel Bokoal uses integrity. He used trading principles to gain the trust of the Nikancha people, but when it came to the territory and sovereignty of their independent country, the Nikancha people would not believe him.
Especially when we forcibly relocated the Nikancha settlements in the three direct territories of Tiersim, Mormali and Arturas, we also used force to bloodbath the stubborn leaders and elders of the settlements, killing them. It has made many Nikancha people young and strong, which has aroused the resentment of many settlements in the Nikancha country. If they hadn't been unable to find other resources and arms trading targets, the Buffalo Trading Company might have been expelled from their country long ago... "
"Then let's strike first, take the initiative to send troops to capture the northern coastal mountainous area, use the terrain to build well-equipped defensive positions, and let the Hicks Kingdom beat our defensive positions to a bloody head..." Bi General Chickering said fiercely.
"Bik, if you adopt your method, the consequence of this will be that we will have one more enemy and one less ally. Originally, we wanted this Nikancha country to act as a barrier to the north of our overseas directly administered territory. If we send troops to attack Their words will only add a relentless enemy to our war zone. We originally only had to deal with one Kingdom of Hicks, but if we do what you said, we will face two enemies, which will make us already weaker than The enemy's forces are even more tense," General Albert retorted.
General Bechklin laughed: "Can the Nikancha people be considered our enemies? With their little fighting power, we only need to deploy two local garrison regiments to keep them out of the defensive area. It is precisely because our troops are tight that we need to capture the northern coastal mountainous area and rely on the mountainous terrain to set up defensive fronts. If our Rock Army is equipped with new rifles, I am confident that we can resist Hicks with one against ten. The ten standing legions of the Kingdom are attacking our overseas territorial theater."
"Do you think it's enough to place the Rock Army in the northern coastal mountainous area? What about the coastal defense line and the defense of the three seaports in the directly-administered territorial theater? Are you relying on the local garrison to perform garrison tasks? Are you disrupting this? The overall defense layout of the entire war zone makes it easy for the enemy to find opportunities to take advantage of it. The Hicks people are not wild boars. They go all the way. When they find that the appearance of the Rock Legion in the mountainous area, they will naturally associate it with the emptiness of the seaside defense line in the war zone.
In addition, even if we occupy the northern coastal mountainous area, what should we do with the logistical supplies? It is not under our direct jurisdiction and has transportation and road construction extending in all directions. The Nikancha people are used to walking on mountain roads. How should our trucks transport supplies to the front line? If we offend the Nikancha people, it means that our supply lines will be attacked by them at any time. Therefore, our plan to send troops to capture the northern mountainous areas in advance is definitely not feasible."
General Albert seemed a little angry, and his voice began to get louder.
"What are the two of them arguing about?" Claude looked up and turned to ask General Bolognik who was sitting next to him.
"They were arguing about how to resist the ten standing legions of the Kingdom of Hicks." General Bolognik picked up a teapot on the table and found that there was no water. He pulled the bell rope and asked the adjutant who came in from the door to get him a teapot. Water comes. After finishing this, he pointed to the map on the wall and explained to Claude: "The northern coastal mountainous area occupied by the Nikancha people is close to the Rodkers Bay Colony. Bick and Allen think that Xi After the Kingdom of Kes has assembled ten standing legions, they will definitely choose to march south from here.
Because only by occupying this place first can the enemy continue to attack the country of the Nikancha people or the direct jurisdiction of Vibato Port in our theater. Bik's opinion was to unite with the Nikancha people, set up defensive fronts one after another in the northern coastal mountainous areas, and implement a layer-by-layer resistance strategy, allowing the ten standing legions of the Hicks Kingdom to consume their energy and strength in the mountainous areas. Relying on our new rifles to block the enemy outside the territories directly under the theater, even if the war is prolonged, it will not affect the economic development of our eight overseas territories.
Allen believes that the Nikancha people will not believe our warning. Even if they find out that the Hicks Kingdom is going to attack them, they will never let our troops enter their territory to assist them in their defense. If the Nikancha people are unwilling to let us help them resist the attack of the Hicks Kingdom, then we cannot set up a defensive front in the northern coastal mountainous area in advance. Once the Kingdom of Hicks occupies the northern coastal mountainous area, the next step to Vibato Port will be a flat plain. We must be prepared for a hard fight and clearing the country.
If the enemy has only two or three standing legions, we can ignore the terrain of the northern coastal mountainous area or who occupies this area. But the Kingdom of Hicks has prepared ten standing legions this time, with a strength of more than 600,000. We have only two legions in the theater and eighteen local garrison regiments. The enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. Without the favorable geographical location, it is difficult for us to withstand the enemy's attack regardless of casualties. If we are entangled by the enemy, we will easily fall into a tight siege, and it will be difficult to escape by then. "
Claude immediately understood the implication of General Bolognik's words. The disparity in military strength was too great. Although there were Thunder Legion and Rock Legion in the war zone, as well as eighteen local garrison regiments, the total strength was close to more than 200,000 troops. However, the area of the eight overseas territories directly under the jurisdiction of the theater is too large, and this small amount of troops needs to be stationed in various strategic locations. Just like the Rock Army, there are two subordinate divisions, and the four main field regiments of one division need to be stationed in the three seaport cities of Vibato Port, Patres Port and Copicius Port, as well as Dolinibara. River defense line.
Therefore, the real mobile force that the Panshi Legion can mobilize is only about 20,000 people per division. Even if the troops directly under the legion are added, it is nothing more than the strength of one more regiment. But Claude's Thunder Legion is an offensive light cavalry field legion, and it has a lot of talent and little use when it comes to positional defense.
If the ten standing legions assembled by the Hicks Kingdom with more than 600,000 troops hit them like a hammer, then even if the strength of one division of the Rock Legion, plus the Thunder Legion, and several local garrison regiments were mobilized, these ten It is indeed difficult for tens of thousands of troops to withstand the enemy's fierce attack in a flat geographical environment, and there is even the possibility of being surrounded and annihilated by the enemy's heavy troops...
The enemy's forces can be gathered together to carry out focused attacks. However, the troops on the defensive front need to be deployed separately on this line. The enemy is already strong and we are weak, and if they are dispersed on the defensive front, the disparity in strength will become even more apparent. As long as the enemy attacks one point of the defensive front regardless of casualties, once the garrison forces on the position are exhausted and occupied by the enemy, the entire defensive front will lose its effectiveness and may even be pursued by the enemy... .
It was with this in mind that Generals Beechlin and Albert were arguing over the northern coastal mountainous terrain. If you want to defend the enemy outside the directly-administered territory, this is indeed the most favorable terrain for defensive operations, but you only need the support and assistance of the Nikancha people.
General Albert, who was sitting in Vibato Port and had many interactions with the Nikancha people, knew very well the character of the Nikancha people. If they were not willing, all requests made by the war zone would be rejected by them. Even if you have good intentions and want to help them, they will doubt your intentions. From this point of view, Colonel Bokoal was the only one in the war zone who really understood the temper of the Nikancha people. He had his own way of dealing with the Nikancha people.
Just like when Claude wanted to relocate the Nikancha people from the three direct jurisdictions, in the hands of Colonel Bokoal, it became a slogan to save the compatriots who were oppressed and exploited by the immigrants from the Kingdom of Ovilas. For this reason, the elders of the Nikancha country generously allocated mineral resources and gold and silver reserves worth millions of gold crowns as relocation expenses to rescue these suffering compatriots.
So Claude commanded the troops to go on a killing spree and forcibly sent those Nikancha settlements that did not want to move to transport ships. When they arrived in the country of the Nikancha people, the bloody and tearful accusations of these forcibly relocated Nikancha people made the elders who advocated relocating the Nikancha compatriots back to their country feel complacent. It was their foresight that freed their compatriots from He was oppressed and killed in the direct administration. Therefore, Colonel Bokoal, who helped them reach the relocation agreement, also had the honorable title of friend of the Nikancha people.
General Albert's idea is to vigorously help the Nikancha country reorganize its military and combat readiness, and half-sell and half-give away all the unused gadgets in the warehouse to the Nikancha people to strengthen their armed combat capabilities. Then when the Hicks Kingdom launches an attack, the Nikancha armed forces can be on the front line and consume the Hicks Kingdom's troops. When they really can't hold on, the war zone will intervene again. In this way, the Nikancha people will be grateful to the war zone and willingly unite with the war zone to fight against the Hicks Kingdom's attack.
But this idea is also flawed. By the time the Nikancha people can no longer withstand it, Hicks' army may have already reached the border. Even if the war zone sends troops into the northern coastal mountainous area, the mountainous part that can be occupied will only be a very small area. , cannot even form a deep defensive front. If the Hicks Kingdom's army breaks through even a little bit, the whole line will probably collapse.
This is also the reason why General Beach Kerin insists on fully occupying the entire northern coastal mountainous area. The three direct jurisdictions of Vibato Port, Cromwell and Beringana can no longer carry out any countermeasures to strengthen the walls and clear the country. The Vibato Port Direct Territory has the first firearms manufacturing workshop in the war zone, which produces the most advanced new rifles. The two territories of Cromwell and Beringana have more than two million military immigrants who have just settled down. If the war resumes in these three territories, the foundation of the war zone will be severely damaged...
"You two, stop arguing, come over and sit down and discuss it carefully." General Bolognik frowned and summoned General Albert and General Beach Kerin over.
Claude put down the folder in his hand: "I have a question. I remember that in the second half of the year before last, Melchid III had just quelled the rebellion of the nobles in their country. So how could he be in the kingdom in less than two years? It is impossible for the internal military establishment of ten new standing legions to be so fast. In the five-year war in the eastern region, our kingdom has only formed five new main legions as a supplement to the ace field legion. The rest are Compulsory recruitment and expansion of local second-line corps..."
Claude believes that if the ten new standing legions of the Kingdom of Hicks are all formed by recruiting new soldiers, then there is nothing to worry about. In less than two years, farmers who had put down their hoes were used to fill the new legions, and then they were transported thousands of miles to the distant continent of Nubisia to participate in this colonial war. Then one can imagine the morale and combat effectiveness of these new standing legions. Maybe even the Nikancha armed forces can keep them out of the country.
General Skerry silently handed over a newspaper called Today's News: "You should read this report first..."
Claude looked at the news section outlined with red pen, and his face suddenly became extremely ugly. This newspaper was published more than three months ago. The above report also talks about the Hicks Kingdom’s preparations to lease the Rodex Bay Colony of the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands.
However, the paragraph underlined in red mentioned that Prince Hansback rebelled and colluded with the Hicks Kingdom's Sea King Fleet and the United Fleet to annihilate the Ovelas Kingdom's Dreadnought Fleet in February last year. More than 100,000 prisoners of the Hicks Kingdom who were serving hard labor in the original Principality of Modra, Eskiline and Sidings.
Melchid III re-appointed special envoys to reorganize the more than 300,000 captives into five standing legions. He also paid a sum of money to Prince Hansback and rented the best facilities in the original Principality of Modra. The port of Florik serves as a rest and training place for these five standing legions...
According to the report, it is obvious that the Kingdom of Hicks reorganized these more than 300,000 captured soldiers into five standing legions in the hope that they would realize their shame and become brave again. Then go and participate in this colonial war with the Kingdom of Ovelas, wash away the shame of being a prisoner with the blood of the enemy on the battlefield, and use victory to repay King Melchid III for his trust and support in them. Once the Lend-Lease Agreement for the Rodex Bay Colony is reached with the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands, these five standing regiments will be the first troops sent to the colony.
Claude's face was ashen. These more than 300,000 prisoners were all King Hicks captured in the first and second colonial wars, and they had certain combat capabilities. Especially in the Second Colonial War, the five standing legions had nearly 300,000 troops. It was Marshal Michelchi who adopted the strategy of cutting off the enemy's food routes to force them to surrender due to hunger and cold.
But later, the kingdom's emerging business aristocrats coveted the unpaid labor of these more than 300,000 captives, used 100,000 families of forced retired soldiers to immigrate to the war zone, supplemented the conditions for the formation of five reinforced divisions, and reached an agreement with Marshal Michelich. , and then transported more than 300,000 Hicks captives to the Kingdom itself to serve as the main labor force for the development of new occupied territories.
Now, the more than 300,000 Hicks prisoners were re-armed and organized into five standing legions again. They are veterans who are ready to avenge their humiliation in the next colonial war. Their combat effectiveness is much stronger than the legions formed by the new recruits, and they are not such an easy enemy to deal with.
The Rock Legion and Thunder Legion in the war zone have just transferred their veterans into local garrison forces and recruited 100,000 new soldiers. Although they have completed the recruit training, they have never been on the battlefield and have no combat experience...
"That's unreasonable." Claude gritted his teeth and punched the conference table: "I'm glad now that we rejected Prince Hansback's request and didn't follow him, otherwise we would have become real traitors. "