Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 309 Reinforcements! Responding to All Changes with Unchanging Stance
In the Battle of Tongshankou Fortress, Ximentang once again achieved a great victory.

Ma Nanshan's elite troops, including the last 5,000 reinforcements, were almost entirely defeated by Ximentang.

In addition, Sun Zhong's elite troops also suffered more than two thousand casualties.

The rebel general Ma Nanshan was killed by Chen Jie.

Simultaneously,

More than three thousand people were captured in this battle.

However, Chen Jie was not satisfied with the outcome of this battle.

Because there were casualties in Ximentang.

362 were killed and 556 were wounded.
The casualty ratio wasn't high, but Chen Jie found it hard to accept the result.

This was not a tactical mistake, but rather an underestimation of the rebels' firepower.

Chen Jie had not anticipated that Sun Zhong's elite troops were equipped with a large number of Japanese weapons.

It not only had Japanese field artillery and heavy machine guns, but also a large number of Japanese firearms.

in addition,

The rebel army's fighting strength in this battle was on a completely different level compared to the army under Zhang Datong that they encountered when they captured Xianning Prefecture.

Sun Zhong was a key figure under Li Ben, the Prince of Han, and an elite among his troops!

not to mention,
Sun Zhong's heavily armored cavalry charge drew Ximentang's firepower, resulting in Ximentang suffering heavy losses.

However, after this battle, the morale of Sun Zhong's rebel army was completely destroyed.

in addition,

Most of the Japanese weapons they were equipped with were also taken away by Ximentang.

Chen Jie ordered Lin Rui and Meng Ying's troops to clean up the battlefield.

He summoned the key members of the Ximen Hall and held an impromptu meeting to prepare for the upcoming battle.

The losses in this battle were considerable, and we must thoroughly analyze the situation.

Chen Jie looked at the elite core members of Ximen Hall, remained silent for a moment, and then looked up and said:

"The situation has changed this time in the suppression of the rebellion!"

"According to the information provided by the undercover unit, the Japanese landed in the southern Fujian region, and more than 30,000 Kwantung Army troops entered the Hanzhong region."

"The fact that Sun Zhong's forces used a large number of Japanese weapons this time shows that they have already begun to cooperate."

"I have already transferred 20,000 troops from Shandong, and they will arrive in Xianning Prefecture within ten days."

"However, we must completely crush Sun Zhong's remaining troops next."

"What do you all think? How should we proceed?"

According to Chen Jie's original plan, he would personally lead an army of 10,000 and a supply corps of 5,000, with ample ammunition, enough to annihilate Prince Li Ben of Han.

but,

Plans can't keep up with changes.

He did not expect that Prince Li Ben of Han would acquire a large amount of Japanese weapons and equipment.

The casualties in this battle show that this suppression of the rebellion is not so simple.

The elite troops under Li Ben, the King of Han, numbered 200,000.

Sun Zhong only had 50,000 elite troops. After the battle of Tongshankou Fortress, Ximentang suffered heavy losses, but only managed to annihilate more than 10,000 rebel troops.

The rest were just recruited auxiliary soldiers and cannon fodder.

That is,

The elite troops under Li Ben, the Prince of Han, did not suffer many losses.

It is simply unrealistic to rely on the army of the Daqian Ministry of War to contain Li Ben's elite troops.

Especially with Han King Li Ben cooperating with the Japanese, Li Qiong's troops and weaponry were no match for them.

Liu Ergou, the captain of the elite first squad of the special operations regiment, spoke first with great confidence:
"Young Master, Sun Zhong's elite troops are far more powerful than Zhang Datong's troops!"

"But compared to our Ximentang Special Operations Regiment's elite squadron, their combat effectiveness is far inferior."

"The reason for the heavy losses this time is that they used heavily armored warhorses as human shields to block our heavy machine gun fire."

"With the strength of our special operations regiment, we are enough to hold off 30,000 rebels. If we were defending Xianning Prefecture, our advantage would be even more obvious!"

"I am very confident in annihilating the elite troops of Prince Li Ben of Han!"

Zhu Feng, the company commander of the reconnaissance company, spoke with a solemn expression:
"If Li Ben, the Prince of Han, were to retreat and then counter-encircle us, it would be very dangerous!"

"Of course, these are nothing compared to what I think we need to be most wary of: the Japanese!"

The atmosphere around them suddenly became heavy.

indeed,

Although Ximentang's fighting strength is very strong, both in terms of weaponry and the quality of its soldiers, it is much stronger than the soldiers of the Daqian Dynasty.

but,

After all, Ximen Hall only had a combat force of 10,000 men for this rebellion.

Even if the entire supply train is included, there are only 15,000 people.

The army under the command of Prince Li Ben of Han numbered 500,000. Even with an additional 20,000 troops, Ximen Tang would find it difficult to completely wipe out Prince Li Ben of Han, relying solely on his existing manpower.

The 100,000-strong army of the Daqian Ministry of War is of questionable combat effectiveness.

If Ximentang is isolated and surrounded, it is likely to suffer heavy losses.

Moreover, the Japanese Kwantung Army had infiltrated the Hanzhong region.

This rebellion is a disaster; any oversight could lead to utter ruin.

After listening, Chen Jie nodded slightly.

He was very satisfied with Zhu Feng's performance during this period.

This reconnaissance company commander has lived up to his own training and already possesses the overall perspective of a military commander.

In fact, when Chen Jie saw the Japanese weapons and equipment appearing in the army under the command of Prince Li Ben of Han, he was shocked.

He already understood that this campaign to quell the rebellion in Hanzhong would definitely not be easy. Of course,

Chen Jie had another purpose in transferring troops from Shandong.

That is to occupy a place in the Hanzhong area, so as to facilitate the future connection of Songjiang Prefecture, southern Jiangsu, Hanzhong, Huainan, Shandong and other places into one area.

Respond to all changes with constancy!
Regardless of how the situation in the Great Qian Dynasty develops in the future, Chen Jie must plan ahead and seize more territory.

but,

Currently, he cannot openly express his thoughts, nor can he tell others.

Chen Jie looked around and nodded:
"Zhu Feng is right, although we have temporarily repelled the rebel army under Sun Zhong!"

"But Li Ben, the King of Han, has an army of 500,000, and Japanese have also infiltrated the Hanzhong region."

finished,

He turned to Liu Ergou and said:
"Your Special Operations Regiment's First Sharp Blade Battalion suffered sixteen casualties in this battle. If it weren't for the encirclement by the Second Sharp Blade Battalion, your losses would have been even greater in the face of the rebel counterattack!"

"Although you have killed the most enemies, while gaining merit, you must remember that Ximen Hall's first principle is to ensure a low casualty rate!"

"Everyone must remember one thing: rebels who have acquired weapons and equipment are more difficult to deal with than the Kwantung Army and the Western Allied Army."

"Because they are very familiar with their surroundings, their tactics are more targeted, understand?"

Sun Zhong used heavily armored warhorses as human shields to launch the charge and draw Xi Mentang's firepower.

This shows that the rebels' elite forces are extremely strong.

The rebel generals, in particular, were incredibly skilled in tactical planning.

Liu Ergou nodded obediently and said:
"Your Highness is right. I did indeed neglect the extent of the battle losses."

"Actually, I realized that I had charged two minutes too early when the right flank started."

"I didn't expect the rebels to be equipped with Japanese heavy machine guns; their firepower is too intense!"

"Luckily, we were all wearing bulletproof vests, otherwise the casualties would have been even greater. Next time, I will pay attention to making sure the enemy is incapable of fighting back before launching an attack!"

After a pause,
He continued, "Our elite detachment requests an additional fifty mortars!"

"If we have 150 mortars, we can form a three-stage rotation attack. No matter how many troops the enemy has or how strong their combat power is, we are confident that we can minimize our casualties."

Xu Xiaodao retorted:
"There are quantity requirements for mortars. If we carry too many, our mobility will be limited. What will we do when we need to carry the ammunition?"

"Our elite squad's mission is reconnaissance, not to engage in direct combat with the enemy!"

"If you want more mortars, you might as well apply to join the artillery battalion."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ergou shook his head helplessly and said:

"Okay, I was wrong! Adding fifty more mortars will indeed affect the mobility of the entire spearhead battalion."

Seeing that the meeting was almost over, Chen Jie said in a deep voice:

"No! You're right. The best commander is one who can learn from the gains and losses in every battle and recognize his own shortcomings!"

"Just don't make the same mistake again!"

"From now on, whether we are dealing with the rebels or the Kwantung Army, we must always remember Simon's first principle."

"Battle casualty rate is the primary factor in evaluating military generals; do not engage in direct confrontation with the enemy lightly."

"We must annihilate the enemy with minimal casualties!"

All the core members of Ximen Hall couldn't help but nod.

In fact, Chen Jie knew very well that in order to reduce his own casualties, he had to commit more firepower.

War is really about money!

Just as Chen Jie was about to announce the end of the meeting, a scout from the special operations regiment came to report.

The rebel army under Sun Zhong did not return to Tongshan County.

They retreated to the Ganhe River and set up camp.

Ganhe Nanchuan Lake is located 60 kilometers south of Xianning Prefecture, surrounded by mountains on all sides, and 50 kilometers away from Tongshan County.

After listening to the report, Chen Jie took out the map and studied it carefully for a while.

He addressed everyone:

"Did everyone hear that? After Sun Zhong led the rebel army to escape, he did not return to Tongshan County, but instead set up camp at Ganhe Nanchuan Lake on the way!"

"This is an opportunity to annihilate them. The morale of the rebels is extremely low, and their army is in disarray!"

"If we can press our advantage and reach Ganhe Nanchuan Lake before midnight to launch a surprise attack, we will definitely be able to completely crush Sun Zhong's elite troops."

"If we can destroy Sun Zhong's troops, it will be equivalent to cutting off one of the arms of Prince Li Ben of Han."

Xu Xiaodao pondered for a moment and said:
"Young master, Sun Zhong is a man of great wisdom and resourcefulness, with a wealth of combat experience."

“They will definitely have guards stationed around their encampment, making it extremely difficult for us to launch a surprise attack under the cover of night.”

"Moreover, I am more worried that this is a conspiracy, a deliberate attempt to lure us into an ambush."

Chen Jie nodded, took a deep breath, and said:
"You're right, that's definitely possible!"

"But don't forget, our 'incendiary bombs' and 'range-extended shells' haven't been put into use yet!"

"Let's plan this out, forming a three-pronged attack!"

"Even if they are prepared, we will definitely be able to take them down."

When the core members of Ximentang heard Chen Jie's confident words, none of them said much, let alone raised any objections.

Next,
Chen Jie began assigning tasks.

He himself led 8,000 main force troops, including the artillery battalion, to launch a major attack on Sun Zhong's camp tonight.

Liu Ergou's elite detachment was tasked with flanking and attacking from the left flank.

Xu Xiaodao's elite Second Brigade was responsible for flanking from the right flank.

To increase the power of the artillery, the two spearhead battalions added fifty mortars.

They launched a three-pronged attack, taking advantage of the darkness to launch a surprise attack on Sun Zhong's military camp.

This battle,
We must completely crush Sun Zhong's remaining 60,000 troops.

(End of this chapter)