The changes in the Spanish Civil War made Zhou Changfeng think deeply. If there was no foreign aid to join the war, the Republican Army would not be able to defeat the National Army, but if foreign aid is considered, the variables will be huge.
The German army is not just playing house. Even though the daunting tiger and leopard cluster has not yet been born, the combat efficiency of its infantry units is second to none.
At the same time, international columns (brigades) must also be considered. With the help of these foreign aids, the Republican Army can have sufficient time to reorganize and train.
Once the training is completed, the balance of the war will inevitably tilt towards the Republican Army.
However, Tsarist Russia and Italy will definitely support the National Army during this period, and may even send troops to participate in the war.
What's more, if it really comes to that point, Spain may change its color, but Britain and France can still sit still?
Hiss, the war won't start early, right?
In the evening of that day, when Zhou Changfeng left the canteen, Xiao Li ran over excitedly.
He handed over a copy of the "Imperial Chronicle" and said breathlessly: "Battalion Commander! They... printed an extra number..."
Extra numbers are temporarily issued by newspapers to report breaking news.
Zhou Changfeng reached out and took it, and what he saw was a string of large black characters. Is this the Ming Dynasty's official stance on the current situation in Spain?
Translated into spoken words: In the past month, the conflicts between the parties in Spain have suddenly intensified, and the civil war has become fierce. The Ming Dynasty hopes that the two sides will cease fire and start negotiations as soon as possible. Considering that the rebels blatantly slaughter civilians and even cause casualties to Chinese businessmen, the court requires the rebels to The authorities have publicly apologized, paid compensation, and put an end to such behavior...
Let the rebels make a public apology? This looks like a joke.
However, this is just a formality. It is essentially foreshadowing. The official attitude of the Ming Dynasty can already be seen from the wording.
Calling them rebels without giving them the name of the regime, and citing the massacre of civilians as an example, it is clear that the court does not intend to support the National Army.
At present, it seems that the Battle of Uszang is actually over in a sense. The 12th Division, which suffered greater losses, has withdrawn to its station, leaving only the 34th Division and the 3rd Mixed Brigade on the front line to confront the British and Indian troops.
There is no large-scale offensive and defensive war now. On the whole, it is like a replica of the trench warfare of the European War. The two sides have dug a solid, multi-layered trench defense system in the Baima Gang area, and they fire several shots at each other every day. Just a few shots.
After the League of Nations Conference is convened, the Ming and British parties can negotiate again, and this border war can be ended.
Yi Xiaobo participated in a fierce battle. Although he suffered heavy losses, he achieved great results. At the same time, he was able to retreat early for rest and avoided the hardship of squatting in trenches for dozens of days in the Western Frontier. Is it worthwhile? At least it was a bargain for the surviving soldiers.
Although he behaved confidently and calmly, Zhou Changfeng often asked himself in the dead of night—did he make any mistakes in his decision-making and deployment? If you make a mistake, how can you avoid it in the future? If there are no mistakes, is there anything better?
On the 13th and 14th, Zhou Changfeng organized a post-war summary meeting for all battalion officers and ordered the non-commissioned officers of each squad and platoon to organize the soldiers to express their opinions.
What made the officers complain the most was actually the battle deployment. However, the deployment and planning of the battle commander Wei Gaoming were actually no problem. The reason why the British and Indian troops almost took advantage of the loophole was ultimately due to the eagerness of the two division commanders.
Xie Wancheng, who had returned from his wedding, had been feeling a little restless these past two days. He chuckled and said disdainfully: "If the Twelfth Division and the Thirty-fourth Division had not gone deep into the enemy territory, how could the Yingyi have found an opportunity?"
Fan Wenhai sighed: "Hey, after all, we haven't fought in so many years. It's hard to seize the opportunity and stop without even eating a bite of meat. Who can resist it?"
At that time, the British and Indian troops retreated too fast. The Ming army, which was originally preparing to break through the defense line, was like a punch on cotton. The soldiers who were eager to make contributions were unwilling to accept it - if they returned without success, they would definitely be ridiculed by friendly forces in the future. !
Therefore, the 12th Division and the 34th Division unanimously chose to go deep into the enemy territory to continue the pursuit, trying to encircle and annihilate several more groups of British and Indian troops.
"Yes, to compare with others, battalion commander, put yourself in my shoes. If it were you at that time, would you be willing to retreat according to the original plan?" Xue Can said and pointed to his chest.
"Oh, then I will strictly implement military orders." Xie Wancheng continued to be tough.
"That's enough, that's enough," Zhou Changfeng waved his hand, pointed at the map and said, "The battle issues have nothing to do with us. We've called you here to review tactical issues."
So everyone put it all together and let's do a deduction.
After briefly playing with the sand table, Liu Qidong brought a handful of red or blue flags.
In the first round, Xie Wancheng operated the Ming army, the red side, Liu Qidong operated the British-Indian army, the blue side, and Zhou Changfeng and others acted as referees and made judgments based on the Ministry of War's standard tactical deduction manual.
After the troops, combat power, and ammunition are booked, the deduction begins immediately.
Different from Zhou Changfeng's smooth deployment, Xie Wancheng tried a more radical strategy - deploying only a small platoon of diversionary troops on Highland Zero, then laying mines and booby traps, and all the main forces withdrew into Demaji City, in an attempt to fight entirely on the street. to contain the British and Indian troops.
Seeing him shrinking like this, Liu Qidong divided his troops into three groups after taking Highland Zero, encircling three and missing one, and besieged the city from multiple groups.
"This is absolutely not possible. Demaji is just a town. Most of the buildings are made of wood or bricks. There is a lack of sturdy reinforced concrete buildings. In fact, it is not suitable for street fighting." Zhou Changfeng commented.
Whether it is suitable for street fighting depends on many aspects, such as supply stocks, organizational capabilities, morale, weapons, etc., but what is easily overlooked is the local building type.
Usually, urban areas with a certain proportion of solid buildings are suitable for defense through street fighting, such as reinforced concrete buildings or various stone buildings in Europe.
Because even if this kind of building is destroyed by shelling and air strikes, the ruins will still be strong, which can greatly limit the attacker's firepower. The ruins can be used by the defenders to make them even more hidden. Setting up firepower points can surprise the enemy.
But if it is a backward area, a town dominated by adobe houses or wooden houses, it is not suitable to use street fighting for defense, because the buildings are too fragile and can easily be razed to the ground by the attacker. Moreover, it is difficult to use ruins to arrange bunkers. Mud and wood are naturally not as strong as concrete and stone.
On the afternoon of the 14th, after summing up the war, Zhou Changfeng received a call from the Ministry of War, asking him to go to the Navy the day after tomorrow because the Navy had something to do with him.
As for what the specific matter was, the other person on the phone said that the notification was complete without saying anything, leaving Zhou Changfeng confused.
navy? Why would the Navy look for me if nothing happened?
(End of chapter)
