The general headquarters of the Tang Army's northern front line, a manor built by an old nobleman on the outskirts of Anpu, has radio communication antennas erected everywhere.
The officers were very busy coming and going, and many female secretaries were crowded on the long table, lowering their heads to sort out various materials and intelligence from the front line.
In the huge command hall, a map of Qi was hung. A lady officer wearing a boat cap was stepping on a ladder to modify the positions of the troops of both sides on the map.
"Your Majesty! Our army has basically paralyzed the enemy's airship base and destroyed more than 50 Qi army airships. The opponent's air force should have completely lost its combat effectiveness." The liaison officer from the air force, with his hands behind his back, was reporting to Tang Mo about the front line battle situation.
The Air Force's results are nothing short of amazing. The more than 300 aircraft that went into battle for the first time have already flown 2,000 sorties, destroying almost all important material nodes on the Qi Army's front line and paralyzing the Qi Air Force.
Yesterday, they bombed the King's City of Qi, causing huge damage to the production, replenishment, transshipment and mobilization of Qi's strategic materials.
It can be said that they overfulfilled their mission and provided unimaginably powerful support to the ground troops.
The armored forces were not to be outdone, and Loew immediately reported the situation of the battle: "On the ground, our tank troops had captured Luo Town an hour ago, blocking the Qi Army's Western Front Group's retreat northward. .”
Liu Guozhu's armored unit defeated the Qi army that had arrived in Luozhen early and deployed defenses here. It was said that the 2nd Armored Division and the 4th Armored Division that were attacking Nanye were completely safe.
Of course, now that Luo Zhen has changed hands, the Qi army's logistical support has been completely cut off, especially the third prince, who is now in a very passive situation.
After roughly drawing on the map, Loew said to Tang Mo: "If the enemy wants to retreat north to Nanye, then they must take back Luo Town..."
Tang Mo held his chin and looked at the huge map. Even a military blind person could see that the current battlefield situation was quite favorable to the Tang army.
The attacking Tang army was like a sickle. While blocking the possible eastward reinforcements of the Dahua Empire army, it extended its tentacles and circled behind the Qi army.
The sharpest blade has been pressed against the neck of the Qi army, reaching the location of the 1st Armored Division in Luo Town. Two railways were extended, one to the southwest into the third prince's jurisdiction, and one to the southeast to the eldest prince's area. Jurisdiction.
This place is almost in the middle of the jurisdictions of the two princes, and it is also the only railway lifeline between the two jurisdictions and the hinterland behind them.
After all, Qi's railway mileage is not very long, and it does not have many railway lines to provide more choices.
Therefore, cutting off Luo Town is equivalent to saying that the railway supply line between the eldest prince and the third prince has been completely cut off.
Seeing the lady officer placing the tank logo representing the 1st Battalion of the 1st Armored Division's 1st Tank Regiment in Luo Zhen's position, Loew confidently assured Tang Mo: "Luo Zhen is now a member of the 1st Armored Division. The tank battalion and a grenadier battalion are defending, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
"Luo Town is lost. If Redman captures Nanye again, the prince's troops will have to move." A general from the logistics department also analyzed.
He analyzed this problem entirely from the perspective of logistical supplies: "If the eldest prince sticks to his position, his supplies may be enough to last for a while, but if he wants to retake Luo Town, his supplies will not be able to withstand consumption. "
"So, according to logic, the prince's main force must be mobilized now. If Luo Town is not recaptured, he will start to worry about what his troops will eat in a few days!" Loew continued.
"How can he move?" Tang Mo is an arms dealer. Although he can see that he has an advantage in the first phase of military operations, he is not a professional soldier, so he prefers to consult the professionals around him.
Loew immediately answered: "There are just two choices. The first is to join forces with the third prince, attack Luo Zhen and then kill Nanye. The second is to retreat eastward and bypass the second prince's route. Jurisdiction, go around in a big circle.”
Tang Mo continued to stare at the map, and then asked again: "What do you think he will choose?"
A staff officer expressed his thoughts: "It's risky to go to Nanye. What ability does the Qi army have to penetrate our two lines of defense? So the eldest prince might go around in a circle."
In his opinion, the matter is simple: Is the opponent confident in defeating the Tang Army's defense? Eighty percent of them don’t have this confidence. Since we can't kill through this line of defense, why don't we take a detour and wait for death?
But sometimes things are not that simple. I heard another staff officer express his objection: "But if we capture Nanye, and he does not dare to return reinforcements but retreats eastward, he will not be able to support the royal city in time." ah!"
Loew glanced at his subordinate and agreed: "That's right, we went directly north from Nanye to attack the King's City of Qi. The eldest prince retreated eastward and lost his only chance to rescue the King's City."
Sometimes, how the frontline commander makes decisions is not entirely based on the battlefield situation. He also needs to consider higher-level strategic intentions and orders.
For example, sometimes, a warrant dropped from a plane can disrupt all the tactical arrangements made by the generals on the battlefield, and even directly determine the life or death of hundreds of thousands of troops.
"So, whether the eldest prince leaves Nanye depends on how King Qi Jiangxian orders his eldest son." Tang Mo also thought of this, so he nodded and said with some mockery.
Hearing what Tang Mo said, Le Fu also agreed and said: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true. For the sake of the foundation of Qi State, Jiang Xian will probably order the three princes to support Nanye at all costs..."
"We are not sure yet whether the princes dare to pull out all the troops in their hands to fight here." Tang Mo stared at the map and looked at the Qi army in the hands of the eldest prince who was almost motionless. The main force said.
Loew immediately said: "Then let's see if we in Luo Town can beat them to pain and fear, so that they don't dare to take a step further!"
Tang Mo nodded, then looked at Loew: "Order the commander of the 1st Armored Division to defend Luo Town at all costs! Give them maximum support and don't give the Qi army any chance!"
"Yes!" Everyone present stood at attention and saluted.
…
In the hidden manor on the outskirts of King Qi City, King Jiang Xian of Qi was also looking at the map in front of him. The advisor from Cyric introduced the current battle situation with an ugly expression.
He had just received news that the Qi army's air force had been completely destroyed. The 70 airships aided by Cyric, as well as Qi's own family, had almost been wiped out on the front line.
The Tang Army's fighter jets came and went like the wind, and their combat effectiveness was obviously higher. In the eyes of enemy aircraft, the airship was no different from a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
The few remaining airship troops now dare not send them to the front line. That is no different than forcing their precious airship commanders to die.
The opponent's new air defense weapons and the defense network formed by aircraft did not leave any room for the airship troops to perform, and the plan to bomb Anpu had to be shelved indefinitely.
In fact, even if there are warriors willing to continue the airship bombing mission, the Qi army will not have a front-line airship base to use...
"The Tang Army has approached Luo Town. We have telegraphed the third prince, asking him to defend Luo Town at all costs and ensure the safety of the transportation lines." A general stared at Luo Town and introduced Jiang Xian.
"The Point Guard Is Here"
Seeing Jiang Xian staring at Luo Zhen on the map without taking his eyes away, the general quickly added: "The third prince called back before and said that he had sent an additional regiment of soldiers to Luo Zhen and also handed over all the soldiers he had. All the tanks have been sent to Luo Town..."
"Originally one regiment...now there are two regiments and less than twenty tanks?" Jiang Xian frowned and subconsciously confirmed.
The third prince had an army of 150,000, but one-third of them were cut off by the rampage of the Tang army. Some of the remaining troops were stationed at the original border defense positions.
Therefore, the number of troops that can be mobilized from the Western Front is only about 30,000. Putting 3,000 people in Luo Town, which is not a frontline defense area, and strengthening tanks and artillery, it seems that they are already willing to spend money.
But as a monarch, Jiang Xian still instinctively felt a hint of danger. So he raised his head, looked at the surrounding ministers and Cyric's military advisor and said, "It involves the supply and mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops, and the garrison must be strengthened!"
"Your Majesty, should I ask the third prince to continue to increase troops in Luo Zhen?" the general suggested cautiously.
"Let the eldest prince send the 1st Army over! In addition, let the 3rd Army, the most elite in the hands of the third prince, move to Luo Town! Station it there!" Jiang Xian was still worried and personally issued the order to mobilize the troops.
Although the most reasonable counterattack direction at the moment should be to counterattack along the border defense line, cut off the supplies of all Tang army troops invading Qi, encircle these troops and annihilate the opponent.
But Jiang Xian knew that the idea of relying on the less elite troops in the hands of the third prince was basically impossible to realize. At this time, if we mobilize the elite of the prince, it will probably take three or even four days to arrive in the war zone.
He looked at the direction of the Tang army's attack reported yesterday on the map. It was obviously heading towards Luo Town and Nanye.
Now, he has ordered the imperial guards stationed in the royal city to go south to reinforce Nanye. It is obviously imperative to strengthen the defense of Luo Town.
Because of communication constraints and lag in thinking, although Jiang Xian realized that Luo Zhen and Nanye might be in danger, he never expected that the day after the battle broke out, his hinterland would be turned upside down by the Tang army.
The King of Qi completely did not expect that Luo Zhen, which he planned to send troops to defend, had been lost. He also did not realize that the hundreds of thousands of troops he deployed on the border had now been cut off from most of their supplies and were at risk of being surrounded.
"Yes! I'm going to send a telegram now..." After the officer heard his king's order, he turned around and ran to the telegraph room.
