Munitions Empire

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In fact, for Qian Jinhang, waiting did not necessarily mean sitting ducks; just like commanders of armies that had been surrounded throughout history, being encircled did not necessarily mean waiting to die.

Didn't the famed General Zhang, under the principal's command, prepare a grand play at Meng Lianggu, where they encircled the enemy on all sides and struck from the center?

I don't break out, but aren't there rescue forces on the outside actively moving towards me? For Qian Jinhang, waiting a bit more for Ding Hong from South Wind Pass to come to his rescue was also a strategy, right?

Unfortunately, at this moment, Ding Hong at South Wind Pass had no intention of recapturing Li Family Village or breaking through the encirclement.

Different from Qian Jinhang, who was waiting for news in Xicong, Ding Hong at South Wind Pass was like an ant on a hot pot at this very moment, not knowing what to do.

The situation he faced was different from Qian Jinhang's; he needed to solve a very real problem: Without reinforcements, how could he defend South Wind Pass?

This was a very real problem, because the Tang Army's next target would definitely be his South Wind Pass!

Although the capture of Li Family Village had already resulted in a complete encirclement of the Dahua forces near Xicong, and the Tang Army's 2nd Armored Division stationed near Li Family Village could receive supplies from both the south and north sides from within the Tang Country,

this supply route was somewhat troublesome, but supplies didn't have to come through South Wind Pass, so not taking it was not an impossibility.

However, whoever controlled South Wind Pass decided another issue: as the Tang Army continued to advance southwest to capture the crucial southern oil field areas, South Wind Pass was a must-fight-over location and a strategic bridgehead!

So, whether it was surrounding the Dahua forces at Xicong or attacking South Wind Pass, they were all about the Tang Army going after the oil fields.

Given this big picture, the Tang Army's attack on South Wind Pass was inevitable, and it would be foolish to engage in a war of attrition with the Dahua forces at Xicong, relying merely on the defense lines of Li Family Village.

The best option for the Tang Army now was to strike here and occupy it while the Dahua forces were too slow to reinforce South Wind Pass, completely sealing the opening in the encirclement around Xicong, and seizing the essential route south to the southern oil fields.

"What to do, what to do?" Ding Hong, a bit at a loss, paced back and forth in his office, completely out of ideas.

What he had relied on was the quickly approaching two hundred thousand troops to defend; with such supplies, defending a city could last at least a fortnight.

By that time, other reinforcements from Dahua would have arrived long ago, and the Tang Army, struggling for so long under the city walls and running low on supplies, would have to retreat.

But the current situation was that the Tang Army had defeated the closest Dahua reinforcements, and South Wind Pass had become a lonely city in a short period of time.

Tens of thousands of troops might seem numerous, but in practice, they were insufficient for a battle: once the Tang Army's reinforcements arrived and the siege began, Ding Hong might very well have to either survive or perish with South Wind Pass...

"My lord, we still have fifty thousand troops here..." a general frowned and reminded his commander not to panic.

In his view, South Wind Pass could still hold on and wait a few days to see how things unfolded: they had fifty thousand people here! The Tang Army had diverted part of its forces to occupy Li Family Village, and the remaining forces outside the city might not even be ten thousand.

In the past, Dahua's temperament would have meant the fifty thousand defenders inside the city might have sallied forth and fought the ten thousand enemies outside, to see who was to be feared.

Now, fifty thousand troops hunkering down within the city, being surrounded by a little over ten thousand, would be embarrassing enough to talk about, and yet the defending commander was being frightened into such disarray by the enemy—it was simply a disgrace!

"You don't understand a damn thing! The Tang Army has already surrounded South Wind Pass on three sides! With such a passive situation, what can fifty thousand troops do?" Ding Hong cut off his words sharply and reprimanded loudly.

After Han Zhiyuan's death, he had been in charge of commanding the Dahua military forces in the southeast region, gathering stragglers and arranging defense lines and actually possessed a certain capability.

However, despite all his maneuvers, he had a very clear understanding of the combat effectiveness of the Tang Army. He knew exactly how formidable the Tang Army was, better than anyone else.

Those generals who thought they could engage in a war of attrition with the Tang Army using the complex urban terrain had never seen the real Tang Army. Would the Tang Army not fight street battles? What a joke.

The Tang Army was actually very proficient at urban warfare, you know? Those who said the Tang Army couldn't handle street fights were simply intimidated by the Tang Army's armored corps!

In fact, when the Tang Army was first established and had no tanks, they trained for street fighting and jungle warfare. The Tang Army's experience in complex terrain warfare, that's the Ancestor of all military forces in the world!

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It was simply because the Tang Army's armored corps and air force, combined in dazzling blitzkrieg operations, overshadowed the Tang Army's infantry, who were adept in urban combat and mountain warfare.

The Tang Army, then known as the Great Tang's Security Forces, got their start in Vicious Forest by engaging bandits in rough terrain, which cultivated their tough foundation. Later, the officers who trained daily in urban combat at the Great Tang Military Academy were all trained by the Tang Princess Yulin, one shot at a time.

It's true to say that the Tang Army took casualties into account during urban combat, but to say that the Tang Army didn't know how to fight in cities would be a joke.

To put it bluntly, the Dahua military was actually less adept at urban warfare! When the Tang Army really got tough, how long did Han Zhiyuan's troops last in Wangchun City? Sorry, but they couldn't even hold out for a day before being decimated by the Tang Army's urban assault team!

Although he had successfully halted the advance of the Tang Army on the outskirts just over a day ago, the loss report kept him awake with irritability through the night.

His troops had been in the rain for a day, and upon their return, some had fevers and others caught colds. Along with the soldiers who died, he had lost over 2,000 men in the small village outside the city in one go.

Although this number might not seem large at a glance, it was actually quite significant: Most of the Dahua troops stationed at South Wind Pass were assembled from local forces on short notice, and few were battle-worthy. Thus, the loss of 2,000 capable troops was particularly painful for Ding Hong.

"This general is not talented! I'm willing to relieve you of your worries, General!" the somewhat simple-looking officer bowed his head and volunteered a plan, "I'm willing to lead an elite force of 5,000 to the east for a counter-attack and recapture Li Family Village, thereby restoring contact with General Qian Jinhang!"

In his view, at this very moment, there must be very few Tang Army soldiers in Li Family Village, and if he led 5,000 elites there, it would be akin to achieving victory the moment they arrived, as easy as flipping one's hand over.

Once he rescued Qian Jinhang and led his troops back to South Wind Pass, wouldn't he become a national hero, a famous general of his time? At the thought, this obscure junior officer couldn't help but feel smug.

Hearing the other party wanted 5,000 men, Ding Hong almost swung his arm around to slap this idiot. The forces at South Wind Pass were already stretched thin, and if you were to take away another 5,000, what would I even have left to defend?

However, just as he was about to raise his hand, he immediately restrained himself: If the other party could indeed find triumph amidst chaos and recapture Li Family Village... wouldn't that truly turn the tide of the war?

In war, isn't it all about probing for weaknesses? Who could ensure that the Tang Army was really seeking fortune amidst danger and had only sent a few troops to Li Family Village as a bluff?

If he really managed to recapture Li Family Village, wouldn't Qian Jinhang's large forces be revived? At that thought, Ding Hong... Hmm, the position of Great General seemed to be within reach once again.

With this in mind, Ding Hong's expression changed, and he turned to the junior officer, squeezing out a smile, "Excellent! With such courage, I am reassured! For the Empire, for His Majesty the Emperor! I will give you 5,000 elite troops, and order you to recapture Li Family Village and reestablish contact between our military and General Qian Jinhang!"

Upon hearing Ding Hong say this, the officer was overjoyed and immediately promised, "Please rest assured, General! I will definitely recapture Li Family Village. If I fail, I will present my head to you!"

Once the officer left Ding Hong's command post with an entire division of troops, Ding Hong immediately summoned his confidant.

He needed a backup plan. Sending the officer to attack Li Family Village was partly because Ding Hong harbored the thought of taking a risk, and partly to send out the uncontrollable main fighters and troops from the city.

What remained were some nearby stragglers and Ding Hong's own direct division, who were easy to talk to.

After whispering a few words to his confidant, Ding Hong's confidant left South Wind Pass with his orders. Approaching Redman's camp under a white flag, he relayed Ding Hong's willingness to negotiate a surrender and hand over South Wind Pass to Redman.

As a result, that day brought clear weather, and Tang Army reconnaissance planes and patrol fighters could be seen all around South Wind Pass.

The 5,000 troops sent to stealthily attack Li Family Village from South Wind Pass were bombed by the Tang Country's air force en route. When they reached Li Family Village, they were met by more than 100 Tang Army tanks and over 2,000 grenadiers.

The combat strength of the two sides was not at all on the same level, and in just over an hour, this force was completely annihilated within the encirclement to the west of Li Family Village, their losses substantial.

The Dahua officer, who had been confident he could retake Li Family Village, ultimately fulfilled half his promise: indeed, he no longer had a head, but certainly couldn't bring it back to see Ding Hong.

That night, Ding Hong learned that the 5,000-strong force had been entirely wiped out at Li Family Village. At this point, he had less than 42,000 troops left in his hands.

Of these troops, aside from the 5,000 he brought with him and another 5,000 pulled from Tengyun who were combat-worthy, the rest were hastily assembled second-tier forces.

After a night of contemplation, or rather a night spent wrestling with his thoughts, Ding Hong gave the order early the next morning to lay down arms, surrender to the Tang Army, and hand over South Wind Pass.

Then, under the complex gazes of the Dahua soldiers, the Tang Army began to enter South Wind Pass.