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

Chapter 238 | Is it abnormal for a woman to take an inch and then a mile?
On one side, war raged across half the world, leaving the land shattered and the winds blowing through the air.

While some people are still living in peace and contentment, many others are still indulging in extravagant and decadent pleasures.

I don't know if it's good or bad...

The saying goes, "There is no harm without comparison." The contrast was so strong that Shang Ke felt an indescribable sense of absurdity.

To be honest, Shang Ke could openly admit that he is a pleasure-seeking person with an enjoyment-oriented personality, but when he thinks about how he has been working tirelessly and diligently during this period, while some other people are still indulging in extravagance and debauchery, he suddenly feels unbalanced.

"What's going on? Why are you asking me for help? Do I look like someone who has nothing better to do?" Shang Ke said, annoyed.

Before Marianne's defeat, he and Moreau had exchanged two letters, but they have been out of contact for more than three months now.

As for Sigrid, the two communicated more frequently, but they had been out of contact for a long time.

Damn it! The girl I'm even thinking about has disappeared! I don't have time to worry about other girls right now!
Shang Ke complained irritably, "Don't I have enough to do every day? You just keep causing me trouble."

Zhang Anyuan said helplessly, "Commander, what we're saying is, that girl is so beautiful, wouldn't it be good to help her out when she's in trouble?"

“Old Zhang, you haven’t been around women enough, and you’re trying to play the hero. Actually, these kinds of people who come to you for help are the hardest to please,” Shang Ke said earnestly. “And what’s the source of this information? How did an actress get involved with the military? Don’t tell me you don’t even have basic secrecy and counter-espionage awareness.”

"Her agent contacted the National Defense Forces office in Taizhou, then found the complaint box at our division headquarters, and waited there for the people from the division's political propaganda department." Looking rather embarrassed, Zhang Anyuan scratched his head and asked, "So what do we do? Reject her?"

“Lowest priority.” Shang Ke glanced at the calendar and said casually, “I’m flying to Xi’an for a meeting tomorrow. I’ll finish the important things first. Tell her to wait. The day after tomorrow, I’ll tell her to wait.”

Although Shang Ke thought this was a bit outrageous, upon further reflection, he figured it was harmless to just watch the drama unfold and have some fun.

The 8th Mechanized Infantry Division has now fully formed its combat capability. In addition to consolidating its capabilities, the most important training task at present is to catch up on lessons and strive for excellence, especially in the subject that performed poorly in the assessment—chemical protection.

Shang Ke recalled that he was eager to return to China at the time, but since returning, he has been an extremely busy person. On average, he has to fly to Xi'an for meetings two or three times a month, and he also has to take time to go home to accompany his wife.

As it turns out, while rising to the top may seem glamorous and extraordinary on the surface, it is also incredibly tiring!

A small, twin-engine business jet belonging to the military once again took him to Xi'an, landing at the hottest time of day, midday.

He had already learned about the meeting agenda on the plane during the flight, and then prepared an outline of his views, which he hastily wrote on a notepad.

He complained a bit about how the meeting was scheduled for the afternoon, leaving no time to rest, and then took a car directly to the General Staff Headquarters.

Because the safety of America is also closely linked to that of the country, the ruling government attaches great importance to it and has given the military a one-day deadline to provide a contingency plan.

Both large conference rooms in the General Staff Headquarters were equipped with air conditioners, which were quite expensive for that era. However, many of the generals attending the meeting were quite old and couldn't stand the chill from the air conditioning. Everyone was sweating profusely during the meeting, and the electric fans had little effect; perhaps only the whirring sound provided a slight, symbolic psychological comfort.

"...I don't understand. Such a military adventure is basically equivalent to gambling with the fate of the nation. Veronica has already conquered all of Europe and she's still not satisfied?" someone complained in public.

"Isn't it normal for women to take an inch and then a mile? I saw through her insatiable nature a long time ago."

"Quiet, the most urgent task now is to clarify the form and scale of this war. Formally, it seems to be a pure attempt to conquer the entire Americas?"

"pretty close."

Everyone chatted away until Chief of the General Staff Cheng Yun spoke, which brought them to a quiet and allowed them to begin the first topic of discussion.

Cheng Yun asked, "The Navy should first clarify the estimated projection capabilities of the United Kingdom."

A slightly overweight naval captain immediately replied: "It seems that this war is currently seeking a short-term end. In terms of existing stock, the United Kingdom and its vassal states have a total of more than 22 million tons of merchant ships, ranking first in the world. Most of these merchant ships are used for trade, and no more than one-fifth, or more than 4 million tons, can be requisitioned for military purposes."

He continued, "Of course, it's impossible to coordinate in a short time, so next month we can deploy a maximum of 120,000 to 150,000 people, which is eight to ten divisions along with corresponding heavy weapons. This speed will increase as time goes on."

Cheng Yun then asked, "What about the support capabilities?"

The portly colonel, his throat dry from talking, swallowed hard and said, “The upper limit is very high. If there were no bottlenecks in port unloading, under ideal circumstances, it would be enough to maintain a force of three to four million troops, with one-third engaged in combat, one-third in rest and reorganization, and one-third on the march. Of course, considering the damage caused by US air raids on ports, and the fact that manual coordination and dispatch cannot be perfect and error-free, this estimate can be reduced by 40%.”

The attendees listened attentively, seemingly unconcerned even as they were drenched in sweat.

The efficiency of maritime transport is terrifying. A 10,000-ton cargo ship can usually carry five or six thousand tons of supplies, and a single ship can sustain an army group for a long time.

The famous Liberty ship has a displacement of 7000 tons and can carry 5500 tons of cargo, and if overloaded, it can even carry as much as 9000 tons.

An infantry division—for example, a three-unit German infantry division in history—required 170-200 tons of supplies per day, up to 300 tons during intense fighting, but only a few dozen tons during periods of rest and recuperation. Soviet infantry divisions, being smaller, consumed even less; in fact, many Soviet infantry divisions received only 70-80 tons of supplies per day.

According to Shank, the Navy's estimates are a bit too conservative, perhaps because they take into account the bottlenecks in sea transport.
On paper, large ships certainly have great carrying capacity, but they also have drawbacks.

Because there are no container ships or roll-on/roll-off ships nowadays, although the total amount of bulk cargo carried by ships is large, the loading and unloading work is slow and troublesome, making them very vulnerable and susceptible to heavy losses from air raids.

According to the Navy's estimates, the British and Ivanos forces can deploy up to eight or nine division-level combat units ashore in batches in the upcoming August.

If it's only this size, it doesn't seem so scary. Even the most elite troops aren't invincible. The American army has at least a million soldiers.

(End of this chapter)