Xu Fei, the commander-in-chief of the Swedish army, was in high spirits and met with Mao Changkong, commander of the First Mechanical Division.
The First Mechanic is a demonstration army built by Switzerland by imitating the empire's mechanized troops.
This army is the most powerful army in Switzerland.
There is only one division, but the division commander Mao Changkong has a very special status and has great autonomy.
If commander-in-chief Xu Fei wants to mobilize the first mechanic, he needs to reach a consensus with Mao Changkong.
Mao Changkong looks to be about thirty years old. Even among the extremely young Rui Army, he belongs to the young and strong faction.
He sat in front of Commander Xu Fei and said confidently: "Leave the next battle to our first mechanic, there is no problem at all.
The area north of Jishan Town is full of great plains, which is conducive to our mechanized army operations.
Jishan Town guarded the main transportation road and had to be occupied at a huge cost.
There is no need to occupy the vast plain areas when encountering certain fortifications and cities.
These fortifications and cities are located on vast plains, and there is no way they can threaten our army's logistical supplies.
For these places, we only need to send out a partial army and slowly deal with them."
Commander Xu Fei was not used to Commander Mao Changkong's eagerness to fight, which was not in line with his character.
But after a moment's thought, he understood that Commander Mao Changkong also had to do this.
They, ordinary troops, had always been looked down upon by mechanics before.
Now they defeated the Shu army and achieved commendable results.
When mechanics see this situation, they must also come up with better results.
Otherwise, the mechanics will not have the confidence to share more military expenditures.
Mao Changkong didn't want the military expenditures for mechanics to be reduced next year. He had to show the value of mechanics on the battlefield.
Commander Xu Fei noticed this situation and knew that the mechanics were eager to fight.
He also didn't know how to handle mechanics. As the commander-in-chief of the entire army, he had to work hard for the victory of the war.
If something went wrong in the war due to personal reasons, he would be guilty of a heinous crime.
Commander Xu Fei immediately smiled and said: "Commander Mao, our entire army is looking forward to the arrival of the mechanics.
The Shu army fled in panic. Because of the existence of the railway, our army could not catch up with the remnants of the Shu army.
If there were mechanics in Jishan Town, how could the Shu army escape?"
Commander Xu Fei showed his welcome, and Commander Mao Changkong immediately smiled.
He stood up and saluted with a standard military salute: "The mechanic is willing to accept the command of Commander Xu Fei."
Both of them achieved their goals and smiled.
Commander Xu Fei brought Commander Mao Changkong to the war room.
During the battle, many generals were observing the sand table in the Hongshanling area.
The southern end of the Hongshanling area has been occupied by the red flag.
Especially in Jishan Town, a huge red flag is planted.
Representing the blue flag of the Shu army, most of them were concentrated in Iron Mine County.
A damaged railway is highlighted on the sand table.
Commander Xu Fei said with some pity: "The Shu army was obviously frightened by us. They did not dare to stay in the plain area at all, but went to the location of the Hongshanling Iron Mine.
Hongshanling Iron Mine is not a mountainous area, it is a large-scale open-pit iron mine.
But in order to protect the iron mine, the Shu army built a large number of fortifications around the iron mine.
The Shu army obviously felt that the iron mine was safer.
They have withdrawn all their troops from the area between Jishan Town and Iron Mine County.
In order to prevent our army from using the railway to pursue, they also chose to blow up the railway.
Before the railway was built, how could we two-legged people catch up with the Shu army?
We even don’t know whether the Shu army ambushed them wherever they must pass.
Fortunately, the first mechanic arrived in time, and the mechanized army marched very quickly.
The First Mechanic's high mobility allowed him to evacuate from the battlefield in time even if he was ambushed by the Shu army.
We must not sit idly by and watch the Shu army safely deploy a defensive line in Iron Mine County.
The first mechanic's task is to continuously harass the defenders.
If there is a chance, then capture the Shu army. If there is no chance, we cannot let the Shu army live in peace."
Commander Mao Changkong heard the military order issued by Commander Xu Fei. It was a military order with a somewhat vague mission.
This should be because he was unsure of the mechanic's true strength and allowed the mechanic to perform freely on the battlefield.
Mao Changkong respectfully accepted the order and said: "The First Mechanic will definitely be able to capture Iron Mine County and then seize the entire Hongshanling area.
The military order is urgent, I will lead the first mechanic to pursue the Shu army."
After Mao Changkong received the military order, he immediately led the First Mechanic Division northward.
When many generals during the battle saw Mao Changkong leaving, they talked a lot.
"The mechanics are so crazy. They not only want to capture Tieshan County, but also the rest of Hongshanling."
"They don't take the Shu army seriously either.
It can be said that in our fight with the Shu army this time, both sides suffered losses.
The Shu army is not as weak as he thought."
"The mechanics should be bullying the Shu army for not having mechanized troops.
It's like ancient cavalry fighting infantry.
Similar to Liao and Song, even if Song won many times in the war between the two countries, it could not change China's strategic decline.
If the cavalry makes a mistake, it can retreat quickly.
Once you defeat the infantry on the opposite side, you can immediately expand your victory.
The infantry defeated the cavalry, but because they could not catch up, they were unable to expand the victory.
It is precisely because of the different opportunities for trial and error that the strategic postures of the two countries are completely different.
A mechanized army requires massive investment and long-term training.
The mechanics are just bullying the Shu army for not having a mechanized army.
The Shu army can buy weapons from the empire, but they cannot buy soldiers from the empire.
In war, weapons are very important, and the people who use them are even more important.
Give the black Africans a cannon, but they still think the cannon is too heavy and prefer steel knives.
The mechanic is so confident that he is eager to gain military glory."
Commander Xu Fei listened to these sour words from his men.
He also had some envy in his heart, but he could not let this emotion spread quickly among the army.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "If you have this skill of talking, you might as well cultivate it well.
The mechanics are marching too fast, and we still need to occupy the places where they were defeated.
Military achievements need to be accumulated little by little, and there is no use envying other people."
Mao Changkong didn't stay in the camp for long. He didn't need to guess what the generals in the camp would say.
Since the establishment of mechanics, the military has criticized the high investment in mechanics.
He must seize the opportunity and let the entire army realize that the court's investment is completely worth it.
The first mechanic had already been prepared. After receiving Mao Changkong's order, they set off immediately.
At the forefront are armed vehicles. These flexible vehicles are used to detect the enemy situation ahead.
Followed closely by a large number of tanks and self-propelled artillery.
Chariots are used to attack enemy positions, and self-propelled artillery is used to destroy enemy fortifications.
At the rear of the team are trucks transporting oil tankers and ammunition supplies.
There are armed cars surrounding the logistics vehicles for security purposes.
The first mechanic is like a long dragon, winding its way on the vast plain.
…
Tan Zhengyang, the commander-in-chief of the Shu army, led the generals of the Shu army and waited for the arrival of the mercenaries at the train station.
The generals of the Shu army already knew about the existence of mercenaries, but they were not convinced by the mercenaries.
"Commander Tan, why did the imperial court do this?
Our army has indeed failed, does the imperial court look down on us because of this?"
"These mercenaries can get ten taels of silver coins for killing an enemy, and two hundred taels of silver coins for destroying a chariot.
This reward from the imperial court is too much. If the imperial court gives this reward to us, which soldier will not sacrifice his life?"
"Those who can be mercenaries must abandon all desperadoes.
Let these desperadoes cooperate with our army to fight.
Can we adapt, can these outlaws adapt.
Reality is not about doing math problems, one plus one may not equal two.”
Commander Tan Zhengyang was not surprised at all when he heard the complaints of these generals.
Just because they lost the war and their morale was in a low state, they were in a psychologically sensitive period.
The imperial court's choice of mercenaries made these people feel more distrustful.
Commander Tan Zhengyang knows what he is saying now? These people can't listen.
Only allowing mercenaries to win on the battlefield will change the views of these people.
The mercenaries led the Shu army to victory. For the Shu army, this was just gaining military merit on the battlefield.
Part of their profits will be given to the mercenaries, and the resistance caused by this will disappear.
Commander Tan Zhengyang said in a stern tone: "Please be quiet, the issues you mentioned will naturally be considered by the imperial court.
If you don't want mercenaries to come, then fight hard for me, win the battle, and show off the momentum of the Shu army.
If we are defeated all the way to the location of the iron mine, the court will definitely be anxious.
The imperial court chose mercenaries, which was not a bad path.
We are soldiers. I suppress all my complaints and prove myself on the battlefield.
As long as you can win the battle, others will humbly accept whatever you say.
If you can't win the battle, what you say won't be heard by others."
Commander Tan Zhengyang became angry, and these generals immediately fell silent.
Just a few days after Commander Tan Zhengyang arrived, he had already established prestige in the army.
They continued to wait, and when they heard the unique sound of the train, everyone turned their eyes to the railway.
A train soon entered the station. When the train stopped, more than 200 people got off the train.
They wore the military uniforms of the Shu army, but there were no medals on their chests to indicate their identity, and no armbands on their right arms indicating their military branch.
Commander Tan Zhengyang stepped forward and led everyone to salute these people with a military salute.
These people immediately stood up straight and returned the greetings to Tan Zhengyang and others.
"I am Tan Zhengyang, the commander-in-chief of this army. Welcome the mercenaries."
The general leading the mercenary army immediately stepped forward and replied: "Hello, General Tan. I am Lei Shi, the general manager of the mercenary army. I would like to ask General Tan to arrange the mission."
Tan Zhengyang made a surprised expression and asked politely: "Manager Lei, don't your mercenaries need a rest?"
Lei Shi chuckled: "General Tan, you're welcome. When we were in the Royal Army, the requirement was that we should immediately go into battle after carrying a load of twenty kilometers.
Coming by train all the way, there was no difficulty at all and no need for rest.
We are in such a good state that we can go to the battlefield immediately."
Commander Tan Zhengyang was very anxious when he saw the mercenaries going to the battlefield.
He also has some understanding of these people's choices.
As the name suggests, mercenaries go to the battlefield for profit.
They want to find a battlefield for a day and earn their own profits, which is understandable.
Commander Tan Zhengyang invited them to the Shu army camp.
He was riding in a car with Lei Shi, the mercenary chief.
Commander Tan Zhengyang asked: "General Manager Lei, you guys seem to have extraordinary temperament. What are you good at?"
Lei Shi said proudly: "Most of these brothers of mine retired from the mechanized forces first established by the empire.
I myself also participated in the imperial conquest of Persia.
These brothers of mine can be used as all-rounders in the army.
Let them go to the headquarters infantry, which can also bring out the strength of the infantry.
But of course what these brothers of mine are best at is commanding mechanized armies, especially tanks.
All of them can serve as chariot commanders.
I believe that your Shu army, after long-term training, can drive chariots on the battlefield and let the chariot cannon hit the target.
There is no problem at all with this kind of basic training.
But it is difficult for your tanks to cooperate on the battlefield in a short period of time.
This is the lack of experienced tank commanders.
There are also some brothers who are artillery staff officers.
They can calculate the location of enemy artillery positions based on the trajectory of artillery shells flying on the battlefield.
These artillery brothers of mine are better at mobile warfare than fixed artillery batteries."
Commander Tan Zhengyang said happily: "When I was studying in the Empire, I always heard that the Imperial Mechanized Forces are the elite of the Imperial Royal Army.
I hope you people can show your due strength, and the imperial court will never be stingy with the rewards you receive."
Lei Shi responded with a smile: "As a mercenary force, of course we hope to get a good start the first time we do business.
But when it comes to war, the final outcome is completely unpredictable.
Even if you are fully prepared, something may happen unexpectedly.
Of course, we will have the greatest chance of victory.
We also don’t want to destroy our good reputation.”
On his way to the Shu army camp, Commander Tan Zhengyang had already figured out the origins and attitudes of these mercenaries.
The Metropolitan Governor's Office has issued a notice to put Commander Tan Zhengyang in charge of the control of mercenaries.
He had already arranged the soldiers to cooperate with the mercenaries before they arrived.
The candidates selected by Commander-in-Chief Tan Zhengyang are all good family members who are loyal to the emperor and patriotic.
When these people share common goals and interests with the mercenaries, they will cooperate with the mercenaries.
Once they find out that the mercenaries may turn their guns and attack the Shu army, they will never follow the mercenaries.
The imperial court cannot control the officers, so it must tighten its control over the soldiers in order to maintain a short-term balance.
For mercenaries, the imperial court chose to hire only officers.
The soldiers they command are still the original soldiers of the Shu army.
In this way, there is no need to worry about the mercenaries having problems and causing serious losses to the Shu army.
Commander Tan Zhengyang soon arrived at the Shu army camp.
The mercenaries opened the car door and observed the status of the Shu army.
They were not surprised at all that the Shu army looked a little green.
But when they turned around, they saw a large number of Imperial battle tanks and self-propelled artillery parked in the school grounds.
The faces of the mercenary members showed expressions of excitement and relief.