Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 1174 Preparation before the war

Military conference room of the General Staff Headquarters.

The atmosphere in the huge conference room was solemn and serious. A huge battle map covered the entire wall, with various military deployments densely marked on it.

President Su Zhengyang sat in the main seat, with Chief of General Staff Guderan, Army Commander-in-Chief Stein, and Air Force Commander Goering on his left and right. Chief of General Staff Liu Gangding and other senior military officials also sat neatly on both sides of the long table.

"Everyone," Su Zhengyang said, his eyes sweeping over everyone present, "Although Tsarist Russia has made a series of military deployments in the Far East, this polar bear is actually a weakling. "

He stood up and walked to the battle map: "Look at their situation on the Western Front. The armored forces of the Bird Empire have advanced to the Polish plains, and the entire Eastern European battlefield is in danger. Under such circumstances, they simply cannot mobilize too many troops to the Far East."

Gudean nodded in agreement: "Indeed. According to the analysis of the intelligence department, the Tsarist Russia has deployed at least 34% of its main forces on the Western Front. Their troop movements in the Far East are more of a bluff."

"Besides," Stein added, "their logistics are a big problem. The Trans-Siberian Railway is their only supply line. Once the war starts, we only need to cut off this railway, and their troops in the Far East will be in trouble."

Air Force Commander Goering also expressed his opinion: "Our air force is far stronger than their air force deployment in the Far East. Just give me three days and I can completely control the air supremacy in the Far East."

"That's right," Su Zhengyang nodded with satisfaction, "Now is the best time to take back the Far East. Tsarist Russia is in a mess on the Western Front, and countries like the United States and Britain have also stated that they will not intervene. We must seize this opportunity."

"President," Gudean took out a battle plan, "We have already formulated a detailed military action plan. The Northern Division will be the main force and launch attacks from three directions at the same time."

Stein pointed to several arrows on the map: "The first route is to advance from the direction of Mozhou and go straight to Vladivostok; the second route is to start from the direction of Linzhou and aim at Khabarovsk; the third route is to advance from the direction of Mengzhou and cut off the Siberian Railway."

Chief of Staff Liu Gangding added: "According to our analysis of our forces, this three-pronged attack can maximize our advantages and make the Russian army lose sight of one thing while focusing on another."

"Very good," Su Zhengyang looked around the map, "When is the time?"

"According to the weather forecast," Goering replied, "next week will be a rare sunny day. I suggest launching the attack at that time, so as to give full play to our air superiority."

Su Zhengyang pondered for a moment and finally made a decision: "It's settled. Everyone, get ready to take action. Let's take back this land that has been lost for nearly a hundred years!"

"Yes!" All the generals responded in unison, their voices loud and full of confidence in victory.

Military conference room of the General Staff Headquarters.

"The supply issue is extremely important," Su Zhengyang turned to Liu Kangding, "This operation is huge, and we must ensure that the front line is adequately supplied with materials."

Liu Kangding immediately unfolded a detailed supply route map: "President, we have established large military warehouses in Mozhou, Linzhou and Mengzhou. At the same time, our railway troops have completed the expansion and reinforcement of the northern railway network."

"What's the exact number?" Su Zhengyang asked.

"Currently, the three warehouses have enough ammunition, fuel and food to support the army for three months. In addition," Liu Kangding pointed to several red lines on the map, "we have planned three main supply lines and two backup supply lines to ensure that even if one of the lines is cut off, it will not affect the supply to the front line."

Su Zhengyang nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the Chief of General Staff and asked, "Gudean, how is the preparation for the deployment of the Mountain Eagle Division going?"

"It's already underway," Gudean replied, "The Mountain Eagle Division will withdraw from Hokkaido Island within three days and replace the Northern Division to complete the mission of heading north from Mengzhou. The experience they have accumulated in island warfare will be very helpful in dealing with the Russian fortress group."

Stein interrupted and said, "Regarding the plan to attack five important cities, I think we should adopt a blitzkrieg tactic. Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, and Nerchinsk are the military strongholds of the Tsarist Russia in the Far East."

"That's right," Goering added, "My suggestion is that the Air Force first conducts precision strikes on military facilities in these five cities, especially their air defense systems and command centers."

"As for preventing the Russians from counterattacking," Gudean pointed to several key points on the map, "we need to quickly build a defense line after occupying the area. The most important thing is to control these mountain passes and narrow roads, so that even if the Russians send reinforcements from Siberia, they will be limited by the terrain."

Liu Gangding added: "Intelligence shows that although the Russian garrisons in these five cities are well-equipped, their morale is low. If we can deal a heavy blow to them in the early stages of the war, they are likely to collapse quickly."

"The security of the supply lines is also key," Stein said. "I suggest that reserves be deployed along the main supply lines to prevent Russian raids and sabotage."

After listening to everyone's speeches, Su Zhengyang paced in front of the map and thought: "Very good, we must make a quick decision this time. Once the war starts, we must control these five cities in the shortest possible time, cut off the Siberian Railway, and not give Tsarist Russia a chance to breathe."

"Yes!" the generals responded in unison.

"One more thing," Su Zhengyang added, "Once we occupy these cities, we must immediately restore local social order to avoid chaos. We are going to recover lost territory, not to plunder."

The meeting lasted until late at night. Every detail was repeatedly scrutinized and every possible accident was carefully considered. This would be a war that would change the Far East and there would be no room for negligence.

Presidential Palace, Su Zhengyang's office.

It was late at night, but Su Zhengyang's office was still brightly lit. Yan Shuangying stood in front of his desk, holding the latest intelligence briefing and began to report.

"President, the situation on the Western Front has changed significantly," Yan Shuangying said straight to the point, "The offensive of the Bird Alliance is becoming more and more fierce."

Su Zhengyang put down the pen in his hand: "Be specific."

"Yes." Yan Shuangying flipped through the documents, "Hitler's armored forces have broken through the Polish defense line and are advancing towards Minsk. Tsarist Russia lost at least three armies on this front, with more than 34 casualties."

&34;What about France?&34;

"The Maginot Line is now in danger," Yan Shuangying continued, "The Bird Empire's 'blitzkrieg' tactics were amazing. They bypassed the main body of the Maginot Line and broke through from the Belgian direction, causing the French army to retreat step by step."

Su Zhengyang narrowed his eyes: "Where's Yinggeli?"

"Although England is doing its best to reinforce France, it has achieved little success. Their expeditionary force was severely damaged in Dunkirk and had to start retreating. More importantly," Yan Shuangying's tone became serious, "the Air Force of the Bird Empire has begun bombing London."

&34;What is America's attitude?&34;

"At present, the United States remains neutral," Yan Shuangying replied, "Although they are providing material assistance to the anti-Bird alliance, the anti-war sentiment in the country is very strong, and they will not directly participate in the war in the short term."

Su Zhengyang stood up and walked to the window: "This is very beneficial to us. Tsarist Russia is already busy on the Western Front, and the United States is unwilling to intervene..."

"Yes, President." Yan Shuangying nodded, "And according to our intelligence, Hitler is already planning a general offensive against Tsarist Russia, codenamed 'Barbarossa'. Once this plan is implemented, Tsarist Russia will have to transfer its troops from the Far East back to the European battlefield."

"The time is ripe," Su Zhengyang said softly, "This fire in Europe just gave us the opportunity to take back the Far East."

"But there is one thing we need to pay attention to," Yan Shuangying added, "The Bird Empire's ambassador to China has been active recently, and seems to want to find out our attitude."

Su Zhengyang sneered: "Let them guess. China only cares about its own interests and will not get involved in their fight. What we have to do is to take back the land that belongs to us at the right time."

"Understood, President." Yan Shuangying nodded solemnly, "I will continue to pay close attention to the developments on the Western Front."

"Very good," Su Zhengyang said, "Now, go and have a rest. The next few days will be very busy."

Yan Shuangying saluted and left, leaving Su Zhengyang standing alone in front of the window, looking at the stars in the night sky. The war in Europe was about to bring China a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.