afterglow

Chapter 472: Changes in strategy towards Australia; changes in Guadalcanal

Different from the series of hearty victories achieved in the 39th year of Zhichang, the two victories this year are no longer as sharp as before.

Some keen and rational dignitaries have realized this, and they know that what they will face in the future is the real contest and test.

This grand war that spans the world has only now officially entered the most exciting part. Before, it was just a prelude.

This is consistent with the view of an editorial published by the Yangtze River Minbao last year.

Excluding the special existence of Deshe, the war between the Ming Dynasty and a group of vassal states against the British Commonwealth and the United States was on the surface a competition for interests, but in essence it was a competition for dominance of the world order.

The initial stage of this war will be very smooth, because the Nanyang lands are inextricably linked to the past dynasties of China, and Western colonial rule is not popular, and because of the short distance, the logistics supply of the army is relatively easy.

However, as the situation progresses and the war extends to a wider ocean, Ming's previous advantages will continue to decrease. Correspondingly, the enemy's advantages will continue to increase. The war will enter a stalemate stage after one or several decisive battles. .

The war in the stalemate stage will take the form of tug-of-war. Both sides will fight back and forth in the process, seeking to seize key strategic nodes. Both sides will continuously lose troops and generals. This is also the period that most tests the comprehensive national strength.

This editorial pointed out that the Ming Dynasty needed to complete mobilization as thoroughly as possible, give full play to its war potential in a total war state, make every effort to consolidate the Nanyang lands under its control, and build the Japanese islands into a solid outpost. In this way, China It can be said that victory is certain.

"Your Majesty, from a tactical point of view, the Battle of Cairns was not a success. In the first half of the tug-of-war, the enemy and we suffered similar losses."

"Will this be the norm in the future?"

"If we review the situation, we will find that both the enemy and our generals made no major omissions. We can use this battle as a reference for the future. If our army attacks, it should be similar to this time."

"I see."

After returning to Beijing, Zhou Changfeng took a short rest, collected some battle reports from the front line, and then went to the palace to report on his duties.

The Battle of Cairns can be said to be a sign. As the battlefield arrives on Australian soil, the exchange ratio between the two sides is gradually leveling out.

The total casualties of the Ming Army and the Australian Army were roughly the same, but the ratio of killed in action was three to four, and the ratio of wounded was 11 to 10. The Ming Army's ground troops had the support of field hospitals and medical ships, so the ratio of casualties due to injuries was Much lower.

However, the Australian army was under great pressure because it had to withstand the Ming army's naval and air fire attacks. It often happened that injured soldiers were unable to withdraw from the firing line in time to receive treatment. Logistics supplies were also relatively tight. Overall, the Australian army suffered a higher proportion of deaths.

Zhu Lingjing walked to the huge hanging map, pointed at Keynes and drew downwards, "Just one small city is not enough. We must go south to capture Tangcheng and push the battle line to the 20th parallel of south latitude."

"The Australian Corps' ammunition consumption is one-third more than expected. The squadron has no ammunition. It will have to wait at least a month before launching another offensive." Zhou Changfeng replied.

"Let the governor decide whether to pursue the victory or rest and fight again. In order to gain a long-term foothold, the battlefield cannot be too close to Cairns."

"Yes."

The earliest idea was to seize Cairns and Townsville. Cairns served as a stable rear base for transferring shipping supplies and resting troops; Townsville served as a forward fortress and the fulcrum to maintain the front.

The emperors and ministers of the Ming Dynasty abandoned the illusion of solving Australia in a short time. The current focus is to concentrate resources to defeat the United States and at the same time consolidate their power in Sumatra, Java, the Philippines and other places.

The strategy towards Australia has changed to long-term consumption. Now with the Gilbert Islands in hand, the connection between the United States and Australia has been basically cut off. The Australians do not receive blood transfusion assistance from the Americans and can only rely on themselves.

However, Australia has a limited population and weak industrial capabilities. The limit for large-scale recruitment of young and middle-aged men into the army is 800,000. Considering the mobilization of women, it is only about one million. If this number exceeds this number, it will affect industrial and agricultural production and fall into a vicious cycle.

Both the Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of War agree on the strategy of weakening the country through long-term consumption. This is not a fantasy, but a completely achievable goal.

The military planned to find suitable terrain south of Townsville after capturing it, establish several lines of defense, and switch to a defensive position.

As long as the Australian army can't hold back and tries to attack, it will be beaten to death. During this period, the Ming army can also suddenly launch a counterattack, which will significantly consume its effective strength.

The upper echelons of the Ming army, especially the army, were not willing to continue the offensive against Australia. They had already been resistant before, and now they are even more opposed after the Battle of Cairns, believing that the offensive target should be in the previously proposed direction of India and India.

The reasons given by the Army are somewhat convincing, and now more and more people agree with this view.

The results of Australia's war cannot be realized quickly. Although the mineral resources are rich, it must be considered in the long term. Now that it is a war, we should find ways to weaken the enemy and supplement ourselves, so as to achieve the purpose of supporting war with war.

The same delivery costs and losses will definitely pay off in the South Asian subcontinent, and it will also weaken the British side. This is much more cost-effective than simply fighting in Australia.

It can be said that the Ming emperors and ministers were overly optimistic before the war and seriously underestimated the cohesion and mobilization capabilities of the nation-state in the face of invasion. They did not expect that the Australian resistance would be so strong.

Zhou Changfeng simply underestimated the difficulty of ocean delivery. He initially hoped to replicate the successful example of the Malayan Campaign - forming an assault group with armored troops and motorized troops, quickly moving south along the east coast, and trying to advance as much as possible before the end of the crossbow. First line to Brisbane.

However, the Navy stated that it was unable to deliver the minimum required troops in a short period of time.

Take the 1st Tank Brigade as an example. It has a full complement of more than 5,300 men, but its standard shipping capacity reaches 130,000 tons, while an ordinary infantry division only has 160,000 tons. The 1st Marine Brigade has even more It is only 110,000 tons.

More importantly, tanks are very troublesome to transport. Many requisitioned merchant ships do not have the ability to lift medium tanks.

A typical Ming Dynasty civilian cargo ship uses a 15-ton crane, which can hoist Type light tanks, but cannot hoist Type medium tanks or heavy tanks. Only a few large cargo ships and landing ships are equipped with heavy cranes.

It was naturally impossible for Zhou Changfeng to agree to let light tanks carry out the task of charging into the battle. The price would be too high.

In addition, the staff office of the Metropolitan Government also had doubts about the plan of the assault group to move south quickly. Senior advisers were worried that its ammunition and fuel consumption would be unsustainable. Once the railway was interrupted by an air raid, this elite force would be in crisis.

As the Ming Army lost interest in Australia, the plan was shelved, and the drafted plan documents were shelved.

"We don't expect a quick victory in Australia. We'll wait for a year and a half first." Zhu Lingjing said calmly.

After finishing speaking, she crossed her arms and raised her head slightly, stared at Hawaii on the map and asked: "The focus right now is Hawaii, and there has been endless quarrels these days. What do you think?"

"Well..." Zhou Changfeng muttered: "Your Majesty, since we have won the naval battle, we must seize the time and do it as quickly as possible."

"The Ministry of War said that this might be rushed and difficult."

"We are difficult, but the enemy is even more difficult."

After the naval battle, the A-180 special agent fleet was in urgent need of repairs. One can imagine the difficulty of coordinating the maintenance and repair of hundreds of ships of various types.

Then we have to prepare to transport a force of tens of thousands of people across half of the Pacific to Hawaii and maintain its combat capability, which is even more daunting.

Those who support attacking Hawaii as soon as possible view these troubles as nothing to worry about and can all be overcome. Now that the Americans only have two aircraft carriers available, they can only choose to avoid the edge temporarily when the army is approaching. In this way, the Ming Navy can provide support with peace of mind, which is an excellent time to seize Oahu.

If delays continue, the Hornet will be completed and put into service, and the British may also lease the aircraft carrier to the Americans, which will make it even more difficult to deal with it.

Therefore, we must seize the current opportunity. After passing this village, there will be no such store.

The most radical argument was just as scary as it sounded - the A-180 special agent fleet gave up its rest and recuperation, and now took the Second Marine Brigade and headed straight to Hawaii. The tankers in the fleet had just enough heavy oil left.

However, the mainstream view is quite normal, and it is planned to complete the preparations within two months and launch an expedition to Hawaii.

"In such a hurry... what's the worst case scenario?" Zhu Lingjing suddenly asked with a thoughtful look on her face.

Zhou Changfeng was stunned for a moment, "We just can't defeat them. The initiative lies with us."

"The imperial meeting will discuss this matter the day after tomorrow. The agenda will be out tomorrow at the latest. You must be ready."

"Yes."

Zhu Lingjing increasingly felt that she was a bit like a mascot. All decisions on military and state affairs were only effective after Zhu Shiyan's approval.

It was not obvious before, because the decision-making in the Nanyang Campaign was relatively simple and direct, with no options, and both father and daughter had the same judgment.

But now as the situation changes, the two have more and more differences, but Zhu Lingjing's opinions don't count, which highlights the fact that she has no power.

This is quite depressing. How can people who have tasted the sweetness of great power be satisfied with other small powers?

"My father felt that he would send troops when he was fully prepared, that is, he would wait until the middle of the year, and he still wanted to send people to make peace with the British. This was a useless effort." Zhu Lingjing complained with some displeasure.

"Talking for peace? Real or fake?" Zhou Changfeng was a little surprised.

"Of course it's a lie." Zhu Lingjing explained calmly: "He wanted to use this to divide the British people and delay time, but this obviously has no effect, and it would be bad if it spread."

Of course, the British upper class was not monolithic. Only some people completely and firmly supported Winston. In fact, there were quite a few people who agreed to make peace with the Ming Dynasty.

Their bottom line is Indu, the jewel of the British Empire. In addition, other interests in Asia can be given up. Only in this way can they concentrate on dealing with Deshe.

The wily Zhu Shiyan wanted to put pressure on the British side by launching a small-scale offensive against India and India, thereby widening the internal differences among the British upper class.

However, Zhu Lingjing did not agree with her father's idea. She believed that the sentiment of revenge in Britain was relatively high nowadays, and it was of little significance to proactively propose peace. On the contrary, it would only inflate other people's ambitions and destroy her own prestige.

Zhou Changfeng, who couldn't laugh or cry, said: "Your Majesty, with all due respect, I think you are seeking recognition."

He couldn't give up his hand, so he used the breast-stroking ceremony instead.

"..." Zhu Lingjing rolled her eyes and said angrily: "If Zhou Kexingyi can't speak, just shut up! I'm afraid I'll be pissed to death these days."

Okay, this woman is here to vent her emotions.

Zhou Changfengxin said that no wonder she felt that she was not in a good mood when she first came in. He was depressed recently.

However, the following topic was a bit sensitive for a country like the Ming Dynasty with a dualist monarchy and constitution. Zhu Lingjing complained a lot, and finally concluded that "her father's ideas are not applicable to the current situation."

Zhou Changfeng was unwilling to accept this, "This...it's hard for me to say, I'm resigning."

Hearing this, Zhu Lingjing glared at him, "Why retreat? Keep it!"

Feeling helpless, Zhou Changfeng could only stop. He thought about it quickly and said very sincerely: "Why should your Majesty be upset about this? I don't think the peace negotiation will have much effect, but we should seize the time to attack Hawaii. Can’t delay.”

"There's no need for you to hang around here, you..." Zhu Lingjing's face turned pale and she hesitated to speak.

It is not appropriate to talk about topics involving the power of the monarch, especially Zhou, who should not be allowed to express his position. This is simply putting him on the fire, which is too difficult to be a human being.

Zhu Lingjing realized that she was on top, she breathed softly and waved her hand, "That's alright, please step back."

Su Yiyi, who was holding a dinner plate next to the imperial cabinet, witnessed all this, and her nervousness finally relaxed.

Zhou Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been pardoned, and after resigning, he fled Zhaoren Palace as fast as he could.

To be fair, what happened just now was just as scary as when the Ziwei Zuoyuan was hit by a heavy bomb a few days ago.

Zhou Changfeng suddenly had a profound understanding of the ancient saying "accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger", not to mention that he was fighting a tigress, and her power seemed to be real but not real.

After arriving at his usual office, Luo Fu, who was strolling in the courtyard, was surprised when he saw him: "Zhou Kexing, have you been shot?"

"No, I was climbing the stairs when the Ziwei Zuoyuan was bombed, and I fell straight down and cracked my hand."

"Is everything okay elsewhere?"

"A little bump, it's nothing." Zhou Changfeng casually picked up one of the two mung bean cakes from Luo Fu's table and said vaguely: "Is there anything I don't know about these days? By the way, the one on Guadalcanal How are the US troops doing?"

"There's nothing worth talking about." Luo Fu saw that he still wanted to reach out, so he quickly grabbed the remaining piece of mung bean cake, "There is a group of reinforcements coming ashore on Guadalcanal."

"Reinforcements?"

"Yes, they were transported from New Caledonia (New Caledonia). There are now several thousand people on the island, but we don't know the exact number yet."

Zhou Changfeng, who was thoughtful, imagined the situation on Guadalcanal in his mind and asked, "Is there a reconnaissance report?"

"Look for it on the third floor on the right-hand shelf." Luo Fu pointed, "As we estimated before, we are preparing to repair the airport this time. The aerial photos captured several bulldozers."

　Laughing to death, after careful consideration, I deleted several hundred words of content and dragged it to now...

　　

　

(End of this chapter)