Chapter 250 Change of Plan
“Wow! There are reeds all around!”
Lilu shouted in surprise on the watchtower.
Frederick was looking around with a telescope beside her. His eyes were full of green reeds, and from time to time he could see beautiful birds flying by.
At this time, Frederick was a little lucky that he didn't have the brains to agree to transform the swamp. This was not a swamp but a large wetland, covering an area of tens of thousands of square kilometers, with countless tributaries branching off from the Danube River.
So Frederick gave the locals to Dragaces to fool, and it would be interesting to see how many people he could fool.
At this time, Dawn on the deck shouted twice, and Frederick waved to it.
Behind Dawn, two guys were punished with shoveling feces. One of them was Eugene, who had just arrived, and the other was Metzger, who had made many military exploits.
When Eugene was in Buda City, he went shopping with Metzger, who was a trainee staff officer. He saw several men chasing two disheveled women on the street, holding a The dagger was stained with blood, so the two of them stepped forward to save the beauty without saying a word.
It turned out that the two groups were from local gangs, and the two women were killers. They had just killed one of the other party's leaders through seduction.
The two gangs have recently gone into full-scale war due to a territorial dispute. When one party saw someone from the Wesson Army rescuing the person on the opposite side, they concluded that they were colluding with the Wesson Army.
Ever since, Wei Senjun was inexplicably involved in the gang war.
That afternoon, Frederick was wearing a military uniform and went to taste local delicacies with Lilu and Mary. He did not bring any guards, but he was surrounded by more than a dozen gang members.
The other Wesson Army soldiers who disembarked were similar, and many people with weapons and malicious intentions surrounded them.
Then...nothing happened.
The lord of this city is Mary's uncle, and those gangs are his dogs. It's not fun to challenge the royal authority. After figuring out the situation, all the middle and high-level members of the gang who were not killed on the spot by Wesson's army in the afternoon tied up stones and threw them into the Danube River overnight. .
After Frederick figured out the situation, he called Eugene and Metzger and scolded him. Generally, when people use a knife to cut things, the blade is in the direction of the tiger's mouth. When they get a sharp weapon, they will subconsciously hold it like this. When using a dagger, the blade is usually in the direction of the little finger. Do you know that a woman holding a bloody dagger like this is a good woman?
So the job of cleaning the horses and dawn excrement on the ship was contracted by the two of them.
Frederick watched for a while on the observation deck. When the latest intelligence arrived, he returned to his room and began to study the intelligence sent by the staff.
Information goes first before troops are deployed. Frederick sent intelligence personnel to various key points early in the morning to establish radio stations. Through relay transmission, the latest intelligence on the future battlefield was transmitted to the Flying Tulip as quickly as possible. Headquarters above.
The speed of news dissemination in this era was limited. Only the senior officials of the surrounding neighbors knew the destination of Frederick's expedition. Until the entire army boarded the ship and went down the river, many people thought they were going to the Kingdom of Kush in the south, which they had good relations with. Help Lady Sophie in return for her kindness in bringing oriental crops such as Elizabethan potatoes and pumpkins.
There are many similar fake news, and some people believe that the wife of Duke Wesson's master, His Excellency Richard Nall, was bullied, and Master Wesson took people to help his wife regain her position.
It was impossible to distinguish between true and false news. Frederick even sent diplomats to contact ports along the way to purchase supplies. It seemed that they were going all the way to the Kingdom of Kush.
As for Dragaces and his men, their current public identity is a mercenary army.
When the Flying Tulip arrived at the mouth of the Danube River, there was no movement at the place that was about to become a battlefield three to four hundred kilometers away.
It's just that the current weather conditions are very bad. This year's rainy season in the war zone has been heavier than in previous years.
At this time in previous years, the weather had cleared up, and the weather was just right when the army arrived in two days.
But this year is different. The rain shows no sign of stopping. Many bridges have been destroyed and the roads are muddy and difficult to pass.
Frederick prepared the map, turned on the radio on the table, and called Helmut in another cabin, as well as Dragaces and Little Franz on other ships. After confirming that everyone had received the weather information, Frederick said: "I suggest activating option two, revealing to Phocas that we will land directly at the port of Constantbul to attack the city, and let him shrink his troops. Around the city ”
"The road is now difficult to travel, and the same is true for the enemy, so let them make one more trip."
"I have an idea. If the waterway is smooth, after capturing the river mouth, part of the army will take boats to go upstream. And go up to capture the key points along the river. "
This battle is not just to recapture Constantbul. There is no food growing in the city. If they cannot control the surrounding land and only occupy one city, they will starve to death sooner or later.
There is a lowland in the Mahe River Valley more than two hundred kilometers northwest of Constantbul. It is nearly two hundred kilometers long from east to west and about one hundred kilometers wide from north to south. The Laoshan Mountains in the north separate it from the lower Danube plain. Open, there is a mountainous area to the south.
In the valley lowlands, countless small rivers flowing from the north and south mountains merge into the Ma River, and the land is flat and fertile.
This is the only granary of the Dong Pulan Empire, and the land was entrusted to his closest confidants by Phocas.
The Ma River flows into the inland sea from west to east. There is a port city called Majiapu City next to the mouth of the sea, which is the first target of this battle.
According to the plan, Frederick and the others quickly divided their forces after occupying Majiapu City, and went upstream along both sides of the Majia River to eliminate Phocas’s true henchmen in the shortest possible time. The other part of the troops blocked the south. The reinforced enemy finally marched eastward and fought all the way to the city of Constantbul.
This battle not only has military accounts to settle, but also economic and political accounts to settle.
First of all, take the Mahe River Basin area. On the one hand, we will eliminate the followers of the pseudo-emperor Phocas one by one. On the other hand, we will take the summer harvest food into our own hands and create pressure on him in terms of food. The third aspect is Those loyal ministers who are still following Dragaces also need land to reward them.
According to the plan, occupying this granary is the primary goal. It doesn't matter if Constantbul is delayed by a year or two. It can gradually encroach on the surrounding land and turn this city into an isolated city.
Shortly afterwards, little Franz said on the radio: "The Ministry of Military Affairs asked Hayredin that small ships can go upstream, but if the river is too high, the mast of the ship will hit the bridge."
Then Helmut also said: "The staff believes that it is necessary to send people to monitor the water level of the bridges on the river in real time, so as to adjust the personnel transportation plan."
Then it was Dela's turn. Garces: "In Constantbulul, we have someone who can pass the information to the puppet emperor as a traitor, but this will take time."
After hearing this, Frederick thought for a moment and said: "In terms of information, , I can arrange for Richard Nar to move around Constantbul or even in the city, creating the illusion that he is attacking the city gate or the palace.”
"Staff, arrange for the black cat to stay near the main bridge. When the weather is good, I will conduct aerial reconnaissance."
At this time, Dragaces said: "I suggest that Sir Richard Nall can go for a sneak attack The Griffin Knights station in the east of Constantinople makes the enemy more confident that we will attack Constantinople."
"It will take time for the enemy to be fooled. We need to go ashore and wait."
Little Franz said after a moment: "The Ministry of Military Affairs agrees, and at the same time, it is recommended to use the opportunity of waiting at Haven No. 3 to organize a landing exercise."
Frederick immediately agreed: "I agree in principle with the Ministry of Military Affairs In response to this suggestion, the staff asked about the local weather and calculated material losses. ”
Although the sea route is not long, the staff still selected several safe havens along the way. No one can tell what the weather will be like at sea.
The No. 3 safe haven is located not far to the north of Laoshan. If necessary, you can go south along the seaside and walk overland through the Laoshan Mountains to the lowlands of the Mahe Valley. It is planned that the army will land here after long-distance shipping. Rest for three to five days.
After a discussion, the four of them decided to conduct a landing exercise at Haven No. 3, and then set up camp, waiting for the enemy to be fooled or for the weather to improve.
(End of this chapter)