Chapter 22 Officially declares war and starts a self-defense counterattack

The conference room of the Chinese General Staff was filled with a tense and serious atmosphere, because this was a major decision related to the security and future of the entire China.

"For this incident in Haocheng, Mao Xiong Country must pay the price. Let's talk about how to deal with it."

Shi Dakai broke the silence of the conference room.

"The Mao Xiong Country has a population of more than 100 million. In an emergency, it is estimated that the number of troops that can be mobilized is close to 10 million. We must be cautious in launching a war now. It is recommended to increase troops to the west and stop the war after regaining Haocheng. We will wait until we are stronger later. Let’s fight another war.”

Zuo Zongtang looked at Shi Dakai with a serious face.

"We need more intelligence to understand the country's troop distribution, terrain, supply locations, weapon advancedness and other factors in order to launch this war. I suggest fighting on two fronts, the western front to regain Haocheng, and the eastern front to attack the Mao Xiong Kingdom. In the Far East, as long as we don’t attack the capital, it won’t turn into a horrific war.”

Zeng Guofan pointed to the sand table in the conference room and said.

"I suggest sending two armies to recover Haocheng first, and then transporting 10 legions of troops to central Asia. This will make the Mao Xiong Kingdom alert and mobilize troops from various places, and then use a coordinated sea and land approach to attack the Mao Xiong Country. of the Far East.”

Zhang Zhidong said.

Shi Dakai nodded after listening and signaled the remaining generals to continue expressing their opinions.

"I suggest that after guarding Haocheng, we send 20 legions north from Mongolia to cut the Mao Xiong Kingdom into two parts: east and west, and then encircle and annihilate the Mao Xiong National Army in the Far East."

"If the army cuts off the Woolly Bear Country from northern Mongolia, it will easily be surrounded by the east and west sides of the Woolly Bear Country. We still don't know the quality of the Woolly Bear Country's army in the border areas, so the risk is very high!"

…

In the heated discussion, the specific steps of the attack were discussed in depth, and each general expressed his own opinions and suggestions. Everyone fully expressed their opinions and conducted in-depth discussions to ensure the correctness and effectiveness of the decision-making.

"Let me sum up, if we don't hurt the Bear Country this time, it will be difficult to stabilize the border in the future. Peace must be achieved through fighting."

Shi Dakai pointed at the territory of Mao Xiong Country on the map and said.

"If we don't fight this battle now, we will have to fight it sooner or later!"

"Zuo Zongtang commanded 10 armies to regain Haocheng, and then continued the attack in the direction of Mocheng, the capital of the Mao Xiong Kingdom. He carried out agrarian revolution along the way, retreated when encountering strong resistance, and destroyed all infrastructure when retreating."

"Zhu Yi ordered five troops to set off from Mongolia to ambush the reinforcements coming from the east. Don't be reluctant to fight. Stop at the point and run away after the fight."

"Peng Dashun led five armies to attack the Far East of the Mao Xiong Kingdom until they reached Lehe."

"Zhang Zhidong and Ding Ruchang commanded the Pacific Fleet to do a good job in maritime defense during the war. Once we have a major war, the Mizi Kingdom and the Gaul Kingdom are likely to take the opportunity to make a sneak attack."

"The surprise attack must be fast, the ambush must be stable, and the retreat must be uniform. Each army must arrive at the designated position after three days and wait for orders from the Central Staff before starting operations."

Suddenly, there was a sound of approval in the conference room.

This will be the largest war since the 19th century, with the total number of troops invested by both sides exceeding 5 million.

The northwest granary built by Shi Dakai is now in use and can provide a steady stream of supplies to the troops in central Central Continent.

Blue Star On July 30, 1863, Shi Dakai notified the whole country and the royal family of the Mao Xiong Kingdom: Anyone who offends China will be punished no matter how far away they are. China officially declared war on the Mao Xiong Kingdom.

However, the royal family of the Mao Xiong Kingdom didn't take it seriously at all, thinking that China was just talking. After all, it was normal for minor conflicts to occur on the border between the two countries, so they had no plans to withdraw their troops.

China's trains have basically connected major cities, and a large number of soldiers and materials have been transported to central China using developed transportation lines.

At this time, all Chinese armies have arrived at the designated border line and are on standby.

The Mao Xiong Kingdom may never have dreamed of it. It originally wanted to take a few pieces of territory. It had often fought for territory with the Mi Zi Kingdom and the Gaul Kingdom before. This was the first time they encountered such a strong force. A million troops came directly to do it. , this looks like a posture to destroy the country.

Blue Star On August 1, 1863, all armies received a telegram from the Chinese General Staff, which contained only two words: War.