Chapter 1452 Logistics Arrangements
The generals like Hou Jin who fought on horseback had a limited understanding of war and could only rely on their limited combat experience to make judgments. They were unable to study ancient and modern battle cases like their opponents, and there were a large number of them. Books and documents summarizing war experience are available for reference. Their vision can only be limited to the Northeast Asian continent, and they cannot stand on the same level as Haihan to understand his tactical thoughts and strategic intentions, just like they cannot find a way to deal with Haihan's guns on the battlefield.
After all, there is a gap of hundreds of years in experience and accumulation. This gap in soft power cannot be bridged by courage and military strength. Azig's judgment is that Haihan is probably still unwilling to stop there, but it is difficult to have a clear understanding of his true strategic intentions. Apart from sending more detective horses to pay attention to the movements of the Haihan Army, he had no better way to deal with it for the time being. Although the defense of Jinzhou City is stronger than the thin defense line of Jinzhou Isthmus, he is not very sure that he can rely on this city to stop Haihan's Northern Expedition.
However, what Azig could not have imagined was that after the Battle of Jinzhou Isthmus, his opponents' evaluation of Hou Jin was lowered by another level, because Hou Jin's army was only good at fighting but not good at planning. An army with only blood and courage, but far from being powerful.
Of course, if Hou Jin could have the determination to mobilize the elite troops of the Eight Banners to Jinzhou to deal with Haihan with a strength advantage of ten to twenty times, the attitude of Haihan's generals might change. But compared to Haihan, the opponent that Hou Jin pays more attention to at this stage is the Ming Dynasty in the south. After all, there is no benefit to fighting Haihan to death, but the Ming Dynasty is different. There is a lot of wealth and population waiting for them there. If you go south to plunder, it is naturally more cost-effective to invest your troops in the south.
After General Haihan finalized the next action plan, they began to carry out their tasks separately. Although they do not have a high opinion of the Houjin Army, they will not underestimate their opponents too much at the specific tactical level, and preparations must be done in place.
This time Qian Tiandun did not come to the front line to command in person, not even Chen Yixin went there. Instead, he handed over the command of the special operations battalion to Gao Qiaonan. In Qian Tiandun's words, in the future, more and more territories will be conquered, and you can't always do everything by yourself. The generals only need to sit in the central army camp, and the front-line command will eventually be handed over to the naturalized officers who were born in this time and space. play. There are a group of experienced and outstanding officers in the special operations camp such as Takahashi Minami, Amakusa Shiro, and Sun Zhen. Qian Tiandun hopes that they can all take charge of their own affairs as soon as possible, so that he and Chen Yixin can free themselves from the level of tactical command and devote their minds and energy to Use it more for strategic planning.
When he doesn't have to be on the front line to command, Qian Tiandun has more free time. When Chen Yixin came to him for instructions on troop mobilization arrangements, Qian Tiandun was reading a book "Supply War: A History of Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton" published by Cambridge University Press in 1977. This book was written by Dr. Martin Van Kreveld, an Israeli. It analyzes and studies the logistics support of several major wars from the seventeenth century to the twentieth century, and explores the impact of logistics on strategy and operations. This book originally had a Chinese translation, but Morgan specially lent the original version from his collection to Qian Tiandun to read.
Qian Tiandun still had a little difficulty reading this book, and he needed to read the dictionary from time to time to help understand the expressions in the book. However, he still enjoyed it, and it was regarded as a diversion from the boring life in the battlefield.
Chen Yixin had become accustomed to this and joked upon seeing this: "Commander Qian, are you preparing to switch from the front line to logistics?"
Qian Tiandun put down the book and responded: "With the current scale of our troops, logistics problems have not yet fully emerged. But if we wait until a few years later, when tens of thousands of troops are invested in our military operations, the problem will come to an end." It’s too late to think about solving logistical problems.”
Chen Yixin said: "Doesn't the General Logistics Department have a dedicated person responsible for research in this area?"
Qian Tiandun shook his head and said: "As a general who leads troops to fight, even if he doesn't have to do it himself, he must at least understand the operating principles of logistics. This book analyzes many battle cases, and there is still a lot to gain from reading it. I There is also a Chinese translation of "Theoretical Logistics" by Cyrus Thorpe, which analyzes examples from the Franco-Russian War, the American Civil War, and the Franco-Prussian War. Take it back and read it when you have time."
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Chen Yixin responded, but did not take Qian Tiandun's request seriously.
Qian Tiandun saw some clues from his face and continued: "...after reading it, write down your thoughts after watching it, three to five thousand words, something more profound."
Chen Yixin opened his mouth slightly, not knowing how to respond. When he participated in the time travel, he was only a high school student, and he was the kind who had no interest in learning. He had been working hard in the military for these years and had no cultural literacy. How much improvement. It was only after I came to Shandong to marry Ma Yuling that I really calmed down and started reading some books and manuscripts. But for him to read such a dull military book, he also has to write a profound impression after reading it, which is a bit troublesome. The most important thing is that although he admires Qian Tiandun very much, he does not want to go in the direction of a Confucian general like his opponent. Being able to kill enemies in battle and scold Fang Qiu on the battlefield is what he enjoys most in military life.
"Not enough? I still have some books here, why don't you choose them yourself?" Qian Tiandun deliberately teased.
Chen Yixin waved his hands repeatedly and responded: "That's enough, that's enough. I'll read the book you mentioned first, and we'll talk about the others later."
After chatting for a while, Chen Yixin got down to business, which was actually related to logistics. Most of the troops currently stationed in Liaodong are concentrated on the front line of the Jinzhou Isthmus, and the main material supply channel is from Shandong to Dalian Bay by sea. There were no obvious omissions in the plan drawn up by the Navy and the Ministry of Shipping, but some problems inevitably occurred in its execution.
The main problem still lies in the logistics connection between various places, because many combat materials are produced in Sanya and then transported all the way from the South China Sea to the Yellow Sea. For such a long route, except for a few ships of the Navy that choose to complete the entire route, private merchant ships that carry combat supplies generally transport them in sections, so they need to be transferred several times along the way, which also increases the shipping schedule. Lots of uncertainty. If a ship is delayed in Hong Kong for a day or two due to weather or scheduling reasons, it may take three or four days for the goods it transports to be transported to Penghu for transshipment, and then pass through Zhejiang and Shandong. In this way, it is possible that the final shipping date will be delayed by ten days and a half month than expected if it is transported all the way to Liaodong.
No matter how thorough the shipping plan is by the Ministry of Shipping, even if allowances have been made for possible delays, the impact of this force majeure is still unavoidable. The series of follow-up military actions originally planned by Haihan were also affected to a certain extent by the supply of materials, and some local adjustments had to be made.
After Qian Tiandun dealt with the problem brought by Chen Yixin, he asked by the way: "You and Sha Xi are relatively familiar, right?" Chen Yixin didn't know what he meant, but he still responded honestly: "We worked together when we were stationed in Hong Kong. For a while, this person was a bit talkative, but he was still very capable at work.”
Qian Tiandun said: "From now on, Sha Xi will be in charge of civil affairs in Liaodong. You also know this arrangement. Since you are familiar with him, I think you should contact him for logistics matters. It is convenient for you to be old acquaintances." A little.”
After Sha Xi arrived in Shandong with the fleet going north, he stayed on Zhifu Island for a while. At that time, an epidemic broke out in Lushun, so Sha Xi was not in a hurry to go north to Liaodong. It was not until Morgan brought the epidemic under control with a group of medical staff that Shaxi took a boat to Lushun. However, the spring offensive was about to begin at this time, and almost all military generals had rushed to the front line, leaving only Sha Xi in Lushun to take charge of logistics work and local infrastructure development. To be serious, after Sha Xi arrived in Liaodong, he had not met with the military on a formal occasion. Many work communications were only conducted through letters or telegrams.
Of course, this was not intentional avoidance by the military generals. Who could take the time to return to Lushun during the war? Qian Tiandun and others never explained this. Sha Xi was a smart man and did not express any dissatisfaction about this. But now that the combat operation has come to an end, although there will be a war with Hou Jin in the future, the pressure is definitely not as great as before. Qian Tiandun also wanted to take advantage of this time to sort out the logistical matters, and Sha Xi, who was currently in Lushun, was definitely someone he had to contact. Qian Tiandun had to sit in command and couldn't leave, so this task was handed over to Chen Yixin, who had worked with Sha Xi.
Although Chen Yixin has little interest in logistics and military theory, he has been in charge of civil affairs for a long time when he was in Shandong. He has no shortage of practical experience and is qualified for this job. However, he still had to confirm Qian Tiandun's intentions: "Are you worried that Sha Xi is not doing things properly enough and want me to go back to Lushun to keep an eye on him?"
Qian Tiandun glared at Chen Yixin and said: "We are all our own people, how can there be so many connections? I want you to return to Lushun so that you can maintain good communication with Sha Xi on behalf of the military to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. By the way, Keep an eye on shipping matters and don't let people in the shipping department slow down their work. You also know that the current situation on the front line will have a great impact on our combat plan even if the logistics are delayed for a day and a half. We still have to push them every day to prevent them from having insignificant thoughts.”
Chen Yixin has been with Qian Tiandun for a long time, and he can understand the spirit immediately. Qian Tiandun said that he was maintaining communication, but in fact, he couldn't trust Sha Xi, so he asked Chen Yixin to go back to Lushun to keep an eye on him. Arrangements for logistical supplies. This kind of arrangement is understandable if you think about it carefully. After all, Sha Xi is new here and he is not from the military. Why should he go to great lengths to do things for the military. It is also a reasonable arrangement for the military to leave an official with sufficient weight behind to keep an eye on logistics matters.
Chen Yixin received the order, returned to the camp and took his own guard squad, then went straight out of the camp to the direction of Dalian Bay. At present, the navy has set up a simple dock on the coast at the east end of the defense line. Some supplies and frontline migrant workers are disembarked here, and transportation ships to the rear are also boarded here.
The navy arranges a transport ship every day to depart in opposite directions between Lushun and Dalian Bay to transport wounded soldiers and some valuable materials. With Chen Yixin's identity, he naturally did not have to wait for a fixed time to set off. After he and his men boarded the ship, he asked the sailors to unmoor and raise the sails, and immediately headed south.
Half a day later, Chen Yixin arrived at Lushun Fort and met his former colleague Sha Xi.
Sha Xi didn't show much surprise at Chen Yixin's appearance, as if he had expected his arrival long ago. After Sha Xi invited Chen Yixin to sit down and served hot tea, he took the initiative to ask about Chen Yixin's purpose: "Brother Chen, you slipped back before the battle ahead was over. This shouldn't be your intention. It's Commander Qian." Sent you back?”
Chen Yixin knew that Sha Xi was a smart man and did not deny his guess. He simply asked: "Then what else can you guess?"
Sha Xi responded: "Commander Qian asked you to come back because he was probably not worried about the logistics. He was afraid that I would sit in Lushun and only receive incense and do nothing. It would be better for you to keep an eye on me personally. Am I right?"< br>
Chen Yixin smiled and said: "Brother Sha, you have said all the words by yourself, so I have nothing to explain. If you think this is the case, then so be it. What Commander Qian values is the results. If the logistics goes wrong in Lushun, He will definitely put the blame on you. As for whether it is due to weather or lack of manpower, that is not a problem for our military to consider. "
Sha Xi nodded and said: "Commander Qian is strict in running the army. This is known to everyone. I came to Liaodong to help him, and I was already prepared to be scolded and criticized. But having said that, as long as it is within the scope of my responsibilities, I will definitely try my best to complete it and will not hold you back. If God is really unfavorable and the ship cannot leave the harbor, then there is nothing I can do about it. If Commander Qian is responsible for me, I can only hold back. The neck is recognized.”
Chen Yixin said: "Brother Sha, you don't need to be so harsh, and Commander Qian is not an unreasonable person. The main purpose of my return to Lushun is to communicate with you on behalf of the military, and arrange the transportation of critical supplies as properly as possible, so as not to let the front line The battle plan is affected, that’s all.”
Sha Xi didn't show it on his face whether he believed it or not, but after hearing Chen Yixin's statement, he took the initiative to change the subject and said: "There are a lot of infrastructure projects here in Lushun Fort, and immigrants will be organized to cultivate the land soon. The labor force has been unable to keep up with the sowing of spring wheat and other food crops. In the past two days, the headquarters has sent a message back asking the workers to be transferred to the front line. This is not easy to arrange. "
(End of chapter)