Chapter 910: Solid Weakness

Generally speaking, any unit that can withstand a 30% casualty rate without collapsing can be considered an elite force. Unless it is an iron army, they would have run away long ago if the casualty rate was over 60%.

The only reason why Zang San was able to hold out with a casualty rate of over 65% was because he didn’t run away.

Both the attacking force and the reserve force were wiped out before they even had time to escape. The attacking force was even worse off, as they were charged interest again during their escape.

But Zang San's commander didn't know, and he was even surprised.

"More than 65%? That's impossible! The losses of the attacking forces can't be that great. We have just begun the attack."

His algorithm was very simple. The reserve troops would not suffer any losses, so the 65% loss could only come from one place - the attacking force.

The combined casualty rate for the attack and reserve forces was over 65%, which meant one thing: the attacking force was almost completely wiped out, which was impossible.

The fighting had only started for a few dozen minutes. Even if Lord Dong came up with guns and lined up to shoot his own troops, it would be impossible for him to kill them all in such a short time.

It has to be admitted that he did have some basic military qualities, and it was indeed unlikely, but he did not expect one thing.

"Commander, the ones with the highest loss rate are not our offensive forces, but our reserve forces. They encountered accurate bombing in the assembly area. Many reserve forces were almost wiped out, and the rest also suffered heavy casualties. There are not many people left."

"What about the losses of the University of Tokyo? Did we succeed in inflicting heavy casualties on them?" For him, this was the last straw.

"Our soldiers barely even saw Master Dong."

This news instantly stunned the supreme commander of the Eastern Front of Zangsan Plateau, who had only superficial military knowledge. This was unscientific and this was not what was written in the book.

Mr. Dong said it well, if we kill one thousand enemies, we will lose eight hundred of our own. Seeing that more than 2000 and nearly 3000 of my people have been killed, we can at least consume more than 1600 of the enemy, right?
Shannan West Line Travel more than ten days ago: Do ​​you miss peach?

The enemy sat down dejectedly.

Even the reserve troops were wiped out, so the attack was basically over.

The army had 1 men, minus the artillery brigade, leaving three battalions with less than 1 men. More than half of the 9000 men were killed in one attack.

Although theoretically there are still more than 6000 people left, some of these 6000 people have to deploy for defense, and in fact there are not many who can be used for offensive operations.

The loss of more than 2000 people almost completely destroyed Zang San's offensive force, and the remaining mobile forces could no longer do anything.

Our commander: Have you never fought a mobile war? Why do we have to deploy so many troops to defend?

"Let the troops retreat! Retreat completely to our positions!"

For him, he should not consider difficult actions such as mobile warfare for the time being. The water is too deep and he has no control over it.

The most urgent task is to stabilize your position first and not let the other party take advantage of your unstable and panicked position to attack you.

In fact, there is one thing that the armies of most countries in the world cannot do, and those that can do it can be considered to be somewhat capable.

——Don’t let the retreat turn into a defeat.

Although this requirement seems simple, in fact, the troops of most countries cannot do it. It sounds outrageous, but it is true.

It is difficult for most armies to retreat in an orderly manner, to provide alternating cover, to block the enemy when necessary and to retreat when necessary, and not to be overwhelmed by the emotions and pressure of a temporary defeat.

For example, Gallic Rooster and John Bull often failed to do this, at least in S2. If Hans hadn't stopped the armored troops out of his wits, the probability of Dunkirk's "Operation Dynamo" turning into "Operation Crazy Machine" would have been very high.

Don't think too much about the problem of the Hansel Armored Corps being tired after a long battle. At that time, the Gauls and John Bull's troops were not only tired, but also fearful and desperate, with low morale and reduced combat effectiveness. If the last straw really hit the camel's back, the situation would be very bleak.

Back to Zang San, the biggest problem they have to consider now is how to retreat.

But this question was beyond the scope of the exam for the lieutenant general here. He could think of a hundred specific micro-managements for a certain unit, but he couldn't make a deployment at the battle level. Apart from a general order, he didn't give any orders.

Fortunately, his staff officers were more or less capable and made some deployments. What the enemy commanders did not know was that just as our artillery fire began to counterattack on our frontal positions, our "heart-piercing fist" was launched in the southern hinterland of the enemy formation.

A large infiltration force had moved to the "soft spot" pointed out by the army leaders in the capital, and launched an attack on the place that seemed to be the most stable but was actually the weakest point on the battlefield.

It is said to be the most stable because there are several commanding heights here that are firmly controlled by the enemy, and the terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The enemy once used it as a headquarters and core position for a very long time. And thanks to the transportation conditions here, it is relatively close to the enemy's Northeast Plain, and the fortifications are numerous and strong.

However, this time, the enemy's troops in the western section of Weinan, having learned the lessons of having their headquarters directly destroyed by our infiltrated troops in the first phase, and being beheaded in the eastern section of Weinan as soon as the battle started, deployed their headquarters at the farthest end of the entire formation from us, and hid it very secretly, not in this fortress area.

To be honest, no matter who or which army you replace, no one would dare to use this place as a breakthrough point and would regard it as a soft persimmon.

——I don’t have that ability, you know?

But in fact, once this place is broken through and occupied, the communication between the enemy's troops and the supply of the troops will be completely cut off. From the map it seems as if their formation is still connected, but in fact the road has been cut off, and our artillery and reconnaissance forces can almost control the core area of ​​the battle zone to make it difficult for the enemy to move.

Although the range of the 82 mortar is not very far, a few kilometers is enough here.

"Reporting to the headquarters, our troops are about to launch an attack. Please ask the air force to carry out air strikes on the enemy as planned."

Just before the commander of this infiltration force initiated this call, several of our battalions had quietly moved towards their respective targets, carrying 82 guns and a large amount of "heavy firepower". For our current light infantry, the Red Sword-61, 61 fire, and 61-type grenades that can be carried with them can indeed be regarded as heavy firepower.

Except for a small number of engineering troops, they hardly carry traditional blasting tubes and explosive packs. They would greet the enemy from a distance if possible, while only fools would rush forward to fight.

The most important thing is to seize the best commanding point in this mountainous area, Position No. 5.

This position controls almost the entire hinterland of the enemy. Firing mortars from here can extend the range by several hundred meters because of its height.

"Pay attention to the two places along the ridge of Position 5, which are called Position 6 and Position 7. The enemy has deployed forces to defend there. Be sure to pay attention to the enemy attacking us from above and below at the same time."

The battalion commander in charge of this direction gave instructions to the commander of the spearhead company responsible for occupying position No. 5.

The reason why we did not directly occupy positions No. 6 and No. 7 was because position No. 5 was the only way to reach these two positions.

In the original history, these two enemy positions were the ones that caused us the most trouble. Even Position No. 7 was not taken down until the enemy was completely defeated. Of course, they had no way to cooperate with and reinforce the enemy below, and were completely blocked on the mountain by our comrades at Position No. 6.

Moreover, the biggest purpose of our occupation of Position No. 5 is because this place is very advantageous for controlling the entire core area. Positions No. 6 and No. 7, due to terrain reasons, only pose a threat to Position No. 5, but their control over the entire core area is far inferior to Position No. 5.

If position No. 5 is the focus of the enemy's center of gravity, then positions No. 6 and 7 are just isolated corners. Without the cooperation of position No. 5, their impact on the entire battle situation will be useless.

"Understood. Once I capture position 5, I will split my forces and move upwards, striking the enemy at the bottom of the mountain while taking positions 6 and 7."

Thanks to the use of aerial reconnaissance, our understanding of positions 5, 6, and 7 is different from what Gao Zhendong knew in his previous life. Due to the terrain and the fact that we came from afar and could not conduct advance reconnaissance, we knew nothing about the enemy situation at position 5, and almost didn't know about positions 6 and 7, which were higher on the mountain and completely invisible from our direction. Instead, we have a deeper understanding of these places.

The good news is that the enemy has no defense at position No. 5, not even any fortifications.

In other words, the enemy did not realize the importance of this position to the defense of the entire area. Instead, they deployed personnel at positions No. 6 and No. 7, which were higher but could not see the entire area. This was magical.

Now, our comrades finally know that there is really no way they can do an open-book exam.

So when the spearhead company arrived there, the first two things they had to do were to build fortifications to defend against possible enemies from below, and to divide their forces to eliminate and occupy the enemies in positions 6 and 7.

This company and the company that cooperated with him did not go as Gao Zhendong knew in his previous life. The cooperating troops took the wrong road and circled for a long time without catching up, which led to this sharp knife force to bite the enemy hard with insufficient manpower. After all, the map in their hands was much better than the original map with a scale of only 1:20 and incomplete.

When our spearhead company quietly reached position No. 5, it was just as the comrades in the sky had said, there was no one there at all!

Good news, no enemies.

Bad news, no work.

But the good news in the end was that we had brought shovels, pickaxes, steel chisels and other tools for building fortifications.

(End of this chapter)