Munitions Empire-Chapter 583 - : 542 Clumsy Dispatch

Chapter 583: 542 Clumsy Dispatch

The Third Prince was in the process of mobilizing his troops, but due to disconnection in command and the chaos of the war zone, his troop mobilization was extremely slow.

No one dared to mobilize a large force under the harassment of Tang Country’s Air Force, yet without grouping, there was no way to deploy and move the troops, essentially trapping the Qi Army in a vicious cycle.

Relying entirely on messengers for communication, their efficiency couldn’t possibly compete with that of the Tang Army, which was equipped with radios.

The outdated command system of the army forced Qi commanders not to let their troops leave the camp in small groups.

If they did so, then the Qi Army wouldn’t even need to fight the Tang Army; they would collapse on their own.

Therefore, two hours after the order was issued, the Third Prince found that most of his troops were still dawdling on the spot with not the slightest sign of moving.

With the way things were going, he couldn’t expect these troops to leave their positions and camps by tonight.

Most likely, many units were hoping to have a good night’s sleep in the safety of their camps or positions, and then to consider any action the next morning.

“They are defying orders! They’re sabotaging me!” The Third Prince fumed inside his command post as he furiously threw a teacup to the ground.

He had intended to retreat quickly, lead his troops northward, and adopt the posture of returning to defend Nanye, which, at the very least, could stabilize the flank near King City.

But the delay in troop mobilization was driving him to the edge of panic. Judging by the time, the Tang Army would have almost reached Nanye by now, and if he didn’t move fast, should any issues arise in Nanye, he would really get trapped in Luo Town.

“Your Highness! The 3rd Army is already moving northward. With them, we still have hope,” said a general, attempting to console the Third Prince as he saw him throw the teacup on the ground.

“Finally, there are competent men.” The Third Prince felt slightly better upon hearing that his elite 3rd Army had perfectly executed his orders and praised them.

He was very anxious now because the situation he faced was completely different from what he had envisioned, making him feel very insecure.

The previous tactical plan had been that the Tang Army would seek to break through along the entire front. No matter where the Tang Army attacked, they would be bogged down by defensive positions, which would then allow the Qi Army to hold their ground and await reinforcements comfortably.

The most likely target for attack was the central war zone guarded by the First Prince. In actuality, the western front where the Third Prince was located was the safest!

Because this area bordered the Dahua Empire, if the Tang Army couldn’t break through after a prolonged siege, reinforcements from the Dahua Empire would arrive in time. Then, when the two forces combined, the Tang Army would immediately find themselves at a disadvantage.

However, this seemingly perfect defensive plan was utterly disrupted on the second day of battle when the Tang Army breached the Third Prince’s defense line and then cut off the connection between Dahua and Qi Country from the side.

What was even worse was that the Tang Army surging into the heartland of Qi Country was unstoppable. It seemed increasingly apparent that they had upset all the Qi Army’s arrangements and were set on a rapid resolution.

“Rest easy, Your Highness! With the 3rd Army here, we have a foothold in Luo Town. By moving up to Nanye, we will soon be on invincible ground,” the general continued to reassure him.

Glancing at his subordinate who had given him plenty of good advice, the Third Prince meaningfully repeated his earlier words, “Finally, there are competent men indeed.”

After expressing his feelings, and before he could say anything more, an officer rushed into the command post, anxiously calling out, “Urgent message from King City! His Majesty’s orders! The 3rd Army must move north immediately and hold Luo Town.”

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

“It seems my father and I are on the same page,” the Third Prince exclaimed with delight, laughing heartily, “With my father’s order, our actions are even more justified.”

“Congratulations, Your Highness! It seems that His Majesty has also recognized the peril of Luo Town, dispatching the 3rd Army there to stabilize the situation…” The general clearly felt relieved as well and promptly offered his flattery.

The Third Prince’s mood lifted considerably, proud as though he had orchestrated the strategy and outdone his father’s foresight by making the tactical deployment in advance. He haughtily declared, “Send word back to Father, tell him I had already ordered the 3rd Army to head north and station themselves at Luo Town.”

“Yes, sir!” The officer immediately went to send the message after receiving the order.

No more than two minutes had passed since the officer left when another officer burst into the command post, his face ashen, crying out, “Your Highness! Bad news! Luo Town, Luo Town has fallen!”

The words shocked the Third Prince, and the general by his side was startled too, asking in a high-pitched voice, “What nonsense are you spouting? How could Luo Town, Luo Town possibly be lost?”

At that moment, the Third Prince also came to his senses. He had preemptively sent his Armored Corps to support Luo Town; it couldn’t possibly have fallen so easily.

So he also raised his voice and demanded, “Reporting false military intelligence! Shaking the morale of our troops! How could Luo Town be lost! There, there are two regiments of soldiers!”

Considering the tanks that had been sent over, it was as if the area around Luo Town had deployed nearly a division’s strength. With so many men holding a small town, how could it possibly fall within just one day!

“3,000 infantry, relying on the town’s structures, and the enemy attacking head-on, how could they not hold out for even a few hours? Huh?” A general standing next to the Third Prince also joined in the questioning.

“Your Highness, this… this… I really don’t know,” in a rush of anxiety, the military officer started to stutter, “The message from the telegraph station in Luo Town, I’m just the one delivering the telegram!”

As a transportation hub and an important rear supply town, Luo Town did have a telegraph station.

However, even without enough time to call for reinforcements, the Qi Army stationed at Luo Town was defeated by the Tang Army. The radio station in Luo Town could only send a telegram to the Third Prince when the Qi Army was collapsing to report the fact that Luo Town had been lost.

“Get out! Get out of here!” The Third Prince waved his hand forcefully, as if he was unwilling to accept reality, he shouted. The military officer, as if pardoned, quickly left the command center.

“What should we… what to do?” The Third Prince, out of ideas, turned to the generals by his side, asking them in despair for a plan.

The general was also somewhat panicked, but he still forced himself to calm down. He thought for a few seconds, then spoke, “We have no choice, Your Highness! We must take back Luo Town! Otherwise, this army of a hundred thousand… is finished.”

In fact, the number of troops they could muster at the moment was far from a hundred thousand; scraping together seventy or eighty thousand was already the limit. But it had to be put that way; who would willingly accept the cruel reality of having lost more than half their strength?

“Can we… can we take it back?” the Third Prince asked with some doubt in his voice—although the 3rd Army was his elite force, the combat prowess of the Tang Army had truly frightened His Highness the Third Prince.

“Your Highness, if we cannot clear the line between Luo Town and Nanye, we can only wait for death,” the general explained, “Losing Luo Town, the First Prince will also lose rail support, and he will surely need to solve his own supply problems.”

“…” The Third Prince did not speak; he looked at the other party, waiting for them to make things clearer.

The general did not keep him in suspense and continued to explain, “The only retreat route that can provide supplies for the army along the way is now the rail line under the Second Prince.”

He pointed on the map, “This railway line, the Second Prince needs it to take his troops back to King City, the First Prince also needs it for his return, but when will it be our turn?”

The Third Prince suddenly realized that if he wanted to flee, according to the order of distance, he could only be the one to cover their retreat! What it meant to be the last to run was clear even to a fool.

Never mind whether his two brothers would let him run, whether the Tang Army would even give him a chance was questionable by then.

Having grasped this crucial point, the Third Prince gritted his teeth and decided to bet his fate on recapturing Luo Town—after all, there was no escaping now. If they fought here, perhaps they might win.

“Order the 3rd Army to continue marching north! At all costs! Retake Luo Town!” The Third Prince commanded hysterically, betting everything he had, “As soon as the follow-up troops are ready, march out! Launch a fierce attack on Luo Town! Whoever retakes Luo Town, will be my lifesaver!”

“I shall head to the front now to supervise the battle! If Luo Town is not retaken, I shall die there in battle!” The Qi Country general donned his military cap and promised the Third Prince.

“You go first, I will follow soon! Hope when next we meet, it will be in Luo Town!” The Third Prince, also spurred by a surge of ferocity, declared sternly.

When the Third Prince ordered his loyal 3rd Army to march north, the First Prince also began mobilizing the 1st Army as soon as he received orders from Jiang Xian.

At the same time, he reinforced the 1st Army with 100 of the Shireck Model 1 tanks that Shireck had supported him with. The purpose was to ensure that his elite 1st Army would have the capability to break through enemy lines upon arriving at Luo Town.

Meanwhile, in Luo Town, the Tang Army was also busy preparing for defense, as the 1st Armored Division was ordered to hold Luo Town at all costs.

The grenadier units were reinforcing the defense positions built by the Qi Army within the town, and they were also constructing new defensive works on the outskirts of the town.

Besides increasing the machine gun fire support on both flanks, the Tang Army also deployed artillery behind the town. In addition to the 105mm caliber self-propelled guns that accompanied the tanks in the attack, there were also newly arrived 155mm caliber howitzers that could be towed by trucks.

For the Tang Army, these were the largest caliber support artillery they had: long-ranged and powerful, and could be towed by trucks.

On another front, to support the ground troops, the Tang Country Air Force also stopped aiding the Tang Army attacking towards Nanye, and instead focused their attention on the 1st Armored Division.

Hundreds of airplanes were loaded with bombs, waiting for takeoff, and for a while, everyone’s attention seemed to converge on Luo Town.

COMMENT

0 comment

Vote

3 left

SEND GIFT