Realm of Power

"Sir, according to your prediction, how many reinforcements will the other side have?" This time, even Andalin became a little nervous. The long line of refugees and the miserable scene of the army's collapse were still visible to the female adjutant. I can't get rid of it in my mind,

After taking a look at Andalin's beautiful face, Hassan Rimbaud sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know either. This is impossible to predict! From the beginning, we and the northwest rebels have been in unequal combat conditions. Although the opponent's troops are insufficient, they are all elites who have experienced battles, while our troops seem to be Strong, but most of them are local armies with weak combat capabilities. The opponent knows our army's layout very well, but our army is completely blind to the northwest rebels. The opponent's direct attack on Rusty is obviously to cut off the empire from the southwest. of Contact, the number of northwest rebels we are facing now is 150,000. Some time ago, Stanley Spencer's 180,000 crusade army suffered a disastrous defeat in the Sona River. At that time, the number of northwest rebels was 20 Thirty thousand. Later, the northwest rebels invaded the southwest and incorporated hundreds of thousands of the Southwest Army without a fight. Even if only the elite troops were retained and most of the local armies were disbanded, the total number of the northwest rebels should be around 300,000! "

"Three hundred thousand!"

The faces of everyone in the command center changed, and the hesitation in their eyes turned into fear. There was a sound of gasping for air, and the solemn atmosphere was like a mountain. The command center fell into a silent silence.

The number of 300,000 really scared many people, especially the left-wing generals. They had just encountered an unprecedented brutal fortress battle. The two armies had been fighting for half a month. Except for small-scale confrontations of less than 10,000 people, Bruges The fortress is already the largest confrontation of forces between the two sides.

From the beginning, the generals on the left never expected to lose;

The northwest rebels unexpectedly raided the fortress of Bruges, the core of the left wing. The reaction of the left-wing army was also quick. In less than a day, hundreds of thousands of troops rushed towards the Bruges Fortress. The huge disparity in strength between the two armies made all the left-wing infantry commanders believe that the northwest rebels would launch a surprise attack. The Luge Fortress is completely asking for death! These arrogant northwest rebels actually took the initiative with only 50,000 troops to attack the hundreds of thousands of troops on the left.

The strength ratio is close to three to one.

Everyone believed that there was no suspense about the victory of this battle. They could take advantage of the opportunity to hit the northwest rebels in one fell swoop and kill one-third of their troops in the Bruges Fortress. This would end the humiliation of the defeat of the Eighth Army of the Empire. , but no one expected that the counterattack of Bruges Fortress would be so fierce. In just one day of fierce fighting, the number of northwest rebels was only 50,000. Not only did it not show the momentum of defeat, but it defeated dozens of consecutive attacks launched by hundreds of thousands of troops.

The hundreds of thundergods on the Bruges Fortress carried out carpet bombardments below until the barrels turned red. After pouring cold water to cool down, they continued to bombard the rows of Gauls coming up. Heavy ballistae and arrow carriages, these destructive weapons against large corps, were released without scruples at this time.

The Gauls, who were accustomed to fighting in phalanxes, were like weeds covered by the pouring rain, falling piece by piece like scythes. I thoroughly experienced the pinnacle of Ikadiva's army industry. There were countless casualties and rivers of blood. In the area where Thor's bombardment was most intensive, the Gaulish infantry regiments pushed up one by one, and the corpses were piled up layer by layer. , bright red human blood mixed with minced meat spread over the person's ankle, like a nightmare battle, all the Gallic officers involved in the battle were frightened,

There is a wonderful expression in the eyes. It seems that they are trying hard to suppress the shock in their hearts. Their minds are completely filled with the number of 300,000. If it is as predicted by the famous imperial general Hassen Rimbaud, in addition to the 160,000 northwest rebels who have been exposed, there are also There were 140,000 northwest rebels waiting in the dark like poisonous snakes, and everyone's minds suddenly became chaotic. Tuanma, the only thing he could think of was, "Sir, we should evacuate immediately." A left-wing general said in a panic and eagerly, "The northwest rebels have opened the gate of Bruges Fortress. Soon, the northwest rebels' The cavalry will uproot the entire left wing like mercury pouring down the ground. If you continue to guard the left wing, it will be a dead end! "

"Yes, while the opponent has not fully recovered from the victory, we are still..." Several other generals echoed one after another.

Hassen Rimbaud was silent for a while, his eyes swept over the hesitant faces of everyone, looking very helpless. He took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay, you must gather all the troops immediately and take everything you can take away. You can't What was taken away was burned immediately, and the army retreated lightly to the right flank."

"Also...take him away too!" Hassan Rambo glanced at Gleda in the corner. Anyway, Gleda was fighting as hard as she could!

"Sir, do you need to arrange a rear guard? In case you encounter the northwest rebels..." A left-wing general asked cautiously. Many people immediately showed nervous expressions. The cavalry of the northwest rebels was extremely fierce. , once encountered, the main force of the army may be able to escape, but few of the troops responsible for the rear will survive.

"No need, the northwest rebels shouldn't be marching that fast yet!"

Hassan Rambo glanced at the pale faces of the generals, shook his head decisively, and said slowly, "When I came just now, there were large numbers of migrating refugees along the road. I believe that at this moment, the northwest rebels are also being blocked by these refugees. , there is currently no way to completely block the road to the right wing."

"Your Excellency, you are so considerate!" In the air, a low voice of relief could be heard faintly. The left-wing generals who were so nervous just now actually showed a smile.

"This is the so-called military morale has been lost and can no longer fight!" Looking at the expressions of all the officers, Hassan Rimbaud's face looked ugly.

It was already clear that everyone had chosen to abandon the left wing. Although they had already made such a plan, thinking about the battle for half a month, first the Eighth Army collapsed, and then the left wing collapsed. In just one month, the empire was already pulling in. Nearly 200,000 were lost in the Sti area The strength of the troops and the blood of countless Gallic soldiers have infected this land. For the empire that is increasingly lacking in national power, it is nothing more than worsening the situation. I really don’t know that when such news is returned to Kyoto, His Majesty the Emperor, who is holding a luxurious celebration, will use What a feeling to face,

"Three hundred years of ups and downs in the empire. There has never been such an embarrassment as it is today! May God bless me in Gaul!" On the way back to the right wing, Hassan Rimbaud stopped his horse on a hill. The vast land in front of him was covered with autumn yellow. , showing a bit of unspeakable desolation

Three days later, tens of thousands of Falcon troops opened the door to the left wing and advanced very slowly from Bruges Fortress to the left wing area with almost no obstacles. All the left wing areas chose to surrender. The reputation of the northwest rebels is really terrible. , the local residents tremblingly welcomed the new owner of this land. The situation of refugees has basically disappeared on the left. Most of the refugees have turned to the right in the first three days. The local residents can't even raise their hearts to resist. In the areas where the refugees originally gathered, except for those who couldn't walk, they were mixed with the original. Of the 15,000 Central Army troops who entered, hundreds of thousands of refugees fled to the left. The Falcon Army completely ignored the refugees fleeing to the right wing, even if they encountered them accidentally. Pretend you haven't seen anything

The black armor of the Falcon Infantry Corps and the red armor cloaks of the Guards Cavalry quickly filled the land on the left wing within one day. The Falcon Army peacefully took over the left wing without any bloodshed, and the rebellion of the left-wing refugees was quietly put down.

The autumn wind blew across the long flat land, and the withered grass blades were instantly trampled back into the mud by flying horse hooves. The numerous falcon flags rustled in the wind,

"Your Majesty, why did our army have to wait for three days before marching on the right wing?" Hu Keqili rode on the war horse. He asked the fat man curiously. According to his understanding of the fat man, His Majesty Falcon has always believed in the importance of military strength and speed, and his advance was as unstoppable as a blazing fire. The original battle with Luo De was because His Majesty Falcon led his army to Luo De, thousands of miles away. In Kyoto, the main force of the German army rushed back for reinforcements, which eventually led to a complete defeat. In just a few months, they conquered the Kingdom of Rode, which the Ruidian people had not conquered for hundreds of years.

"It's just taking advantage of the situation!" The fat man rode on a horse and slowly walked past a wheat field that had just been harvested. He raised the whip in his hand. "The terrain on the left wing is spacious and suitable for large army attacks. As long as the node is occupied, it can sweep across

"But the terrain on the right wing is long and narrow, and it is a contiguous mountainous city, which is enough to form a natural barrier to drag our army into a bloody battle. Once we enter rashly, we will be surrounded by enemies on all sides in the city. What we will face is not just a one-line battle." Fatty The voice stopped, and his eyes scanned the mountains in front of him.

"The commander of Gaul was also decisive. When he discovered that the left wing collapsed, he quickly gave up and withdrew all the left-wing troops to the right wing. Guarding the right wing was the Gallic Sixth Army, known as the Gallic Tiger Army, with a strength of 140,000. They are well-equipped and have rich combat experience. They are not comparable to the local corps we encountered on the left wing. If our army follows closely behind, it will inevitably be dragged into the most unfavorable situation by the other party. In the brutal battle for one city and one land, the other side was waiting for work. However, our army had just experienced two battles in Bruges Fortress. The soldiers were in high spirits, but their physical strength was exhausted. It was too reluctant to force the right wing and delayed the attack on the right wing for three days. On the one hand, it allowed the army to attack the right wing. The soldiers can rest and recuperate. On the other hand, the real battle is second. The main thing is to delay the time and let more refugees flow into the right wing!"

"Refugees flow into the right wing? That's it!" Hu Keqili was stunned for a moment, with a hint of surprise on his face, and said in his heart, "His Majesty is still interested in making arrangements to let the refugees flow into the right wing. That's a city. The population is denser than that of the left wing, and it is not an area that can produce food like the left wing. , there is a shortage of food in the Rusty area, and it has been very difficult for the Gauls to support the front until now. It has already caused riots on the left wing, but because the terrain on the left wing is open, the impact it can have is not great, but if the population is It’s another thing if large-scale riots break out in dense right-wing urban areas!”

"In fact, the left wing has fallen into the hands of our army, and the initiative in the battle has changed hands. It is entirely up to us to decide when to attack the right wing, instead of being prepared for the other side to take the initiative to attack at any time and force our army to fight decisively. At this time, whether we can win The lower right wing is no longer important to the overall situation! "

The fat man smiled. Although he was not handsome, he was full of masculinity and energetic. Under his thick eyebrows, a pair of black eyes were sharp and sharp, like a sword that could pierce the sky.

Hu Keqili heard something vague and asked carefully, "What does His Majesty Falcon mean when he said that the right wing is no longer important?"

"It is already late autumn in August, and it will be September in one month. Winter is coming soon! I have experienced the severe cold in Obaro!" The fat man's eyes were deep, and he touched the lines on the riding crop with his hand, and spoke solemnly. said

"In two months, our army fought for thousands of miles. First, we defeated the 180,000 Gallic expeditionary army at the Battle of the Sone River, and then marched east to the southwest. Then we fought in Rusty, annihilating the 300,000 Gallic army, and severely damaged the Gauls. , forcing it to change from strategic initiative to passive defense. Although the record is brilliant and the military morale has reached its peak, in fact, it is not a tired army. If we forcefully march again, even if we penetrate the right-wing urban area, our army will be nothing more than a miserable victory"

"A tragic victory? No way! Our army's losses are completely out of proportion to the opponent's!" Hu Keqili said with a strange expression, "And the domestic reinforcements have arrived in Dahai City. They will be put into battle soon, and our army will be in an advantageous position!"

"A dominant position?"

The fat man's face was slightly cold, and he snorted in a heavy tone, saying, "As the commander of an army, you shouldn't be so short-sighted! Do you still remember the battle of Palaven between you and Dorok's old commander Antuo! Now our The situation is just like that of Antuo's army, which had already approached Palavon less than fifty miles away.

"Antuo's army!" Hu Keqili blinked, and the danger and reversal of the Palaven battle flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning. Coach Anto's strong attack, but now it seems that victory is in sight, but in fact he is in a killing situation! What left Hu Keqili speechless the most. After the war, His Majesty Falcon once said that even if Hu Keqili did not block Antuo, the old coach Antuo would never dare to enter Palaven.

The fat man glanced at Hu Keqili who was thinking. He said in a condensed voice, "Our army is just like Anto. If we forcefully advance to the right wing, the Gauls will suffer heavy losses. If our army opens the door to the hinterland, we will be at the end of our war effort. If we open the door, it does not mean that we can still survive." Go forward with all your strength! Don't forget that behind us, there is the Gangfei Empire to the southwest. Once the opponent takes this opportunity to advance into the weakly defended southwest, they will cut off the army's retreat in one fell swoop just like I did. The army will disperse and attack various provinces. It will be exhausted and difficult to return in a short time. If the Gauls launch another counterattack, both sides will be killed! Under the attack, the empire's hundreds of thousands of elites will be overthrown by this "

"This..." Hu Keqili's face changed slightly, and a line of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He was really careless.

He really did not think about the other ordinary Confessians in the southwest. Now the main force of the empire is fighting in Rusty, and it can be said that they are making great progress. Once the war starts in the southwest, the main force of the army will happen to be entangled with the Gauls in the hinterland province, and they will be in difficulty. In multi-front operations, it is simply impossible to quickly call back to the southwest thousands of miles away. If the southwest is lost, the situation will probably be worse than that of Gaul, which was completely defeated. At least, the Gauls do not need to consider the problem of being cut off from their logistics. However, the logistics of the Falcon Army are based on the logistics hub of the southwest. Yes, even if the logistics are recruited on the spot, the morale of the army has been dispersed, and it is only a matter of time before they are defeated! "

"Although I don't want to stop here, this is the current situation." The fat man stretched out his hand, patted Hu Keqili who was in a daze, and smiled bitterly. "Hundreds of thousands of troops have been fighting bloody battles for several months, and it is just a good time to take this opportunity to rest. Even the southwest that has just been captured needs a stable period to develop before it can truly become a solid springboard for the empire to march into the hinterland of Gaul. There are dozens of provinces in the hinterland of Gaul. If you are too anxious to swallow them all, you will end up with them. Choking to death.

I have mobilized the Southern Army and the Northwest Army from the country to take over as the main army to maintain strong oppression on Gaul.

The main force was temporarily transferred back to the southwest for rest.

If possible, I hope to form an alliance with the Congolese Empire this winter to completely resolve the worries of the Southwest! The offensive is expected to be launched next spring, and by then, the entire situation will have completely changed! "The fat man narrowed his eyes slightly and said with certainty.

"Next spring!"

Hu Keqili was startled by the fat man's decision. He hesitated for a moment, but still said boldly, "Your Majesty wants to form an alliance with Gangfei? I'm afraid this will be difficult. The Gangfei Empire is bound to win the southwest! And! The southwest is also an important springboard for marching into the hinterland of Gaul. I am afraid that conflicts will inevitably occur."

"It is precisely because it is unavoidable that I have to transfer the main force back. Although it is for rest, I did not say that small-scale conflicts will not occur." The fat man showed a sly smile on his lips and said, "Compared to Lars Di, the southwest is our strategic target for this battle! The southwest is our back! The sea city in the northwest is connected to the empire's local resources and troops, and has a ready-made naval base. It fully meets all the conditions to become a logistics base. The Gangfei people want to devour the southwest, and they also have plans to enter the hinterland of Gaul, so this interest The battle is inevitable, it just depends on how it is fought.

When talking between countries, in addition to interests, sometimes it is also necessary to see whose fist is big enough and both sides are convinced before they can sit down and talk! Only by making the Confederates give up their intention to annex the southwest can we steadily enter the hinterland of the Gallic Empire. I have packed hundreds of thousands of hungry and cold refugees to the right wing. One winter is enough to keep the Gauls busy! Let this festering scar continue on the right-wing defense line until next spring. Our army only needs a light blow to break it! "(To be continued...)