It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 215 | Prevention is better than cure
Is it ever going to end?!
With a face full of black lines, Shang Ke was both amused and annoyed. He put his hands on his hips and said, "Well, Chief of Staff Huang's words have made me realize how powerful I am. Have we had enough of this small talk? If we have, let's get down to business."

He coughed twice, and the atmosphere at the scene immediately froze.

Everyone, stand at attention, look straight ahead, and get into the right posture.

"The results of the drills over the past two days are very obvious. The tactics at the battalion and company levels are all acceptable, which I think is very good."

"Then we need to take it a step further. Lin Zhen, Wu Zhouhua, Shen Tao, get ready. I'm planning to conduct a regimental-level offensive and defensive exercise."

"From the local to the overall, we need to cover all aspects. We'll see if things go smoothly in the middle or late part of next month. If so, we'll report it and find a place to conduct a joint exercise for the entire division."

"Then, the issue of public order is very important. Recently, there have been more than a dozen incidents of disturbing the peace. Those who need to apologize should apologize."

"There's also the issue of men and women in the military. Managing it can't be done with a one-size-fits-all approach. Finding the right balance requires a lot of experience from law enforcement officers, and this is something we need to pay attention to."

After Shang Ke finished speaking, the regimental commanders saluted in unison to receive the instructions.

Song Quan, the head of the military law department, said helplessly, "Commander, if I may be so bold as to disagree with you, dealing with matters between men and women is really troublesome. Perhaps we should be stricter? As of the day before yesterday, there have been four cases of unintended pregnancy in the entire division, and the military medical department has also reported an increase in cases of venereal disease. We really cannot take this lightly."

“If you’re of the same mind and the time is right, it’s perfectly normal for you to get along,” Wu Zhouhua, commander of the 23rd Mechanized Infantry Regiment, said with a smile.

Song Quan was furious. He glared at Wu Zhouhua and said angrily, "Absurd! You don't care about discipline, but I do! Who will be responsible if things get out of control like this? Be careful, or I'll cut off your two ounces of flesh down there."

Shang Ke ignored their conversation and said calmly, "It's better to guide than to block. Don't be too idealistic. This kind of thing can't be completely eradicated."

He added, "Prevention is key. The rapid expansion of the military in the past two years has resulted in many details being overlooked. We must take this seriously, popularize relevant health knowledge, and make examinations mandatory."

Venereal diseases have a very negative impact on the military, causing a large number of non-combat casualties and significantly reducing combat effectiveness.

Gonorrhea patients usually need a month of treatment, while syphilis patients need three to six months of treatment. If someone is unfortunately infected, a well-trained soldier who has been trained with real money will be temporarily 'disabled'.

Historically, after the U.S. military participated in the war, it was soon plagued by venereal disease, with one or two thousand people falling ill and losing their combat effectiveness every month.

By the final year of the war, four or five years later, the number of sick American soldiers in the European theater had surged to 70,000 or 80,000, and the situation was difficult to control.

The German army did the same. A quartermaster recorded that each logistics convoy should be equipped with eight women and four full-time medics, and the women should be 'quickly disinfected' using makeshift bath tubs made from gasoline drums.

Furthermore, the German army developed detailed prevention guidelines, even going so far as to describe how to clean one's private parts. Despite this, tens of thousands of soldiers still lost their fighting ability or even died due to venereal disease.

Similar examples can be traced back thousands of years, because the history of this infectious disease is as long as the history of human warfare.

The thought of the immense harm caused by the rampant spread of venereal diseases gave Shang Ke a terrible headache.

Even before the Great Unified Federation has entered the war, signs of this danger have already emerged. How could he not be alarmed? After the meeting, he immediately ordered the head of the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division's medical department to write a report, which he then signed and submitted to the General Headquarters.

Let's take precautions to prevent problems before they occur!
While Mr. Shang was wholeheartedly preoccupied with building up the army, Europe, thousands of miles away, presented a completely different picture...

Ivan Ross's army formed a completely new operational corps—the 27th Army. These elite troops, which had participated in the defeat of Varland, were far superior to Tukhachevsky's 10th Army.

At Veronica's request, the 10th Army was disgraced by Ivan Ross, so its designation was cancelled, and the remnants of each army and division were all broken up and added to the 27th Army.

With the support of hundreds of thousands of Romanian troops, the newly formed Ivanos army swept through the enemy lines with unstoppable momentum, easily tearing apart the Hunnic army's newly rebuilt defensive line east of Budapest.

Has the enemy become stronger or our side become weaker? Or is it both?
After only a few skirmishes, the Hunnic army realized the strength of the enemy that had attacked again, and could only fight and retreat, gradually withdrawing to the west of the Danube.

The victory in the Battle of Budapest was like a final burst of light before the sun set; the citizens felt that the glimmer of hope had only shone for a very short time before disappearing.

Now, Ivanros's army is once again at the city gates.

This time, the Hunnic leadership unanimously agreed to abandon the city and not defend it, seeing no need to waste their precious manpower.

3月19日上午8时30分，位于杰尔的匈尔瑞战时内阁公开宣布布达珀斯为不设防城市，此时伊凡罗斯军队几支先头部队之中最近的已经距离市区12公里。

Based on the advice of the controlling government, the Hunnic upper class considered both relying on the mountains for a protracted resistance and setting up a government-in-exile and an army-in-exile.

Surrender is out of the question. It's not time to despair yet, because our biggest asset hasn't even been deployed yet.

Sigrid called on the Huns not to give up hope, for the flame of resistance would never be extinguished, and only by fighting to the very end could they survive!
Compared to the readily available Hurricane, the Republic of Marianna was the real thorn in Veronica's side.

Despite strong opposition from the United Kingdom, Veronica brilliantly ignored it.

The fervent public opinion in Ivanros was overwhelming, and hawkish politicians and generals had never been so carefree, as if they had already trampled the world under their feet.

The Britons wanted to back out, but it was too late. They didn't have enough land to stop us. We were confident that we could defeat the Mariannes with our existing war resources. Our chances of victory were one thousand percent!
The General Staff of the Ivanros Empire worked overtime to develop a strategic offensive plan against the Republic of Marianna, even referencing some secret operational plans captured from the General Staff of Varland.

From Emden by the sea to the dense Ardennes Forest, more than four million Ivan Rus's troops were poised for battle, and their more than 2,700 tanks were awe-inspiring.

What infuriated Veronica was that the Italian army suffered two defeats in battles against Mariana's army at the border, and was even driven back more than ten kilometers into the country!
This greatly worried the upper echelons of the Portuguese, who had almost been persuaded by Ivan Ross's secret mission, but now resolutely refused to participate in the war.

Even though Veronica promised the Portuguese more generous rewards in the future, the Portuguese leadership only agreed to send more ground troops to the border as a show of force, and at most tried to deliberately create one or two border conflicts.

(End of this chapter)