Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 148 Lure the enemy deeper
Whether or not to attack the Fourth Army was not a question that could be answered immediately.

But for the Third Reserve Division, the answer to this question is definitely yes.

The main reason for this situation is that the personnel of the First Reserve Army and the Third Reserve Division of the Eighth Group Army are all former demobilized soldiers.

At least two-thirds of them were veterans and middle-aged people who had participated in or witnessed the last Imperial and Franco-Prussian War, and many of the rest had experience serving or fighting in African colonies.

In the eyes of these soldiers and officers, although the equipment for war is completely different from that of the past, the fundamental principles of combat remain unchanged.

Charge forward, charge forward, and charge forward again.

With the fastest speed and the fiercest firepower, completely tear apart the enemy's known weakest and lowest-morale troops, and let all troops rush into the enemy's defenses through the breach, launching an attack from the inside out.

Based on this, coupled with the newly established General Staff system and the experimentation with railways and mobile warfare, the empire was ultimately able to completely defeat the Kingdom of Farland in just a few months.

During his journey to East Prussia, Renn read and studied extensively about the Imperial and Franco-Imperial Wars, so he had a considerable understanding of the officers and soldiers of these reserve armies and reserve divisions.

But that's where the problem lies.

The battlefield today is different from what it was decades ago.

Rifles have a faster rate of fire, while artillery can complete a volley in just five to six seconds, with a range that can reach a terrifying thirty or even fifty kilometers.

Compared to the past, where the front lines of a battlefield were at most ten kilometers deep and the overall scale was less than thirty kilometers, and wars were more often fought in a tactical, ad-hoc manner, modern warfare is more about surprise and chance.

Inside the command post, Ryan pondered for a long time before finally rejecting the Third Reserve Division's proposal: "This plan is still too dangerous."

He said, "The previous battles must have alerted the Imperial Army. If we continue to fight in the same way as before, it is very likely that the Imperial Army will discover our large-scale troop movements."

Rein sat there, looking at the commander of the 3rd Reserve Division and his staff officers.

"The core of this operation should always be to contain the Imperial First Army Group and stop the enemy from continuing their advance toward Lake Masur and Insterburg."

As he spoke, he placed the chess pieces representing his troops on the sand table and began to demonstrate the battle process:
"An attack on the Fourth Army would likely give the Imperial Army the opportunity to cut off the attacking forces from their rear by allowing the Seventeenth Army to advance."

"The position of the 17th Army is just right to cut off our retreat route forward, and to join forces with the 4th Army to encircle our vanguard."

"You may not know this, but our previous attack on the 27th Army was supported by an entire full-strength 1st Army unit providing cover for our attack and retreat."

"Considering that we currently only have four divisions and one additional reinforced battalion at our disposal, I don't think attacking the Imperial Fourth Army is a good option."

After speaking, Raine stopped and looked at Brinkman beside him: "How is the cavalry unit doing?"

Brinkman immediately stepped forward: "The First, Second, and Third Lancer Regiments are currently carrying out reconnaissance and feint missions at the front lines, while the Mounted Artillery Battalion is currently on standby at the artillery positions and has not taken any action."

"Fifth, the 7th Dragoon Regiment is currently in a rotation period. They lost some men in the previous battle against the Imperial Cavalry Division and urgently need rest."

"Really? Thank you for your hard work."

Rein gestured for her to leave before turning to the commanders of the Third Reserve Division present: "This is the situation we are facing."

"An offensive is definitely necessary, but I don't think we should choose the Fourth Army's position, which is the furthest from us."

"It would take the soldiers a whole day just to get close to them, not to mention that our operation was essentially a large-scale feint attack rather than an infiltration or breakout."

"Based on the above, we should not choose the furthest target, nor should we fantasize that we can defeat the Imperial Army Group with five corps with only four divisions, because that is an unrealistic fantasy."

"Furthermore, the Imperial Fourth Army has already received a considerable amount of supplies. The reason the Twenty-Seventh Army stopped moving earlier was because the Empire was prioritizing supplies for the Fourth Army. However, now that the Twenty-Seventh Army has suffered severe losses, the priority supply recipient has been urgently transferred back."

Several young staff officers stood in front of the sand table and map, adjusting the contents according to the intelligence Rein had provided.

For the third reserve division, this move had an immediate effect.

These experienced officers may not understand the difference between wars in the new century and those of the past, but they are well aware of the impact that a combination of data such as manpower, morale, and supplies can have on ordinary troops.

The Fourth Army had previously been in dire straits due to insufficient supplies, but they had now received enough supplies. Even though the quality of their soldiers was inferior to that of the Empire, the extreme numerical disparity and the morale boosted by the supplies were not to be underestimated.

At the same time, because the morale of the Imperial 27th Army was damaged by the large-scale attack launched by the Empire, most of the Imperial Army units have raised their combat readiness level. The artillery units, which were previously reluctant to advance, have begun to try to deploy at their maximum artillery range to guard against attacks from the Empire.

In general, the current situation is absolutely unsuitable for the Empire to launch an attack.

However, if the offensive were to cease, the Empire's First Army would react with lightning speed and begin deploying its forces towards the Empire to launch an offensive. Therefore, neither outcome is acceptable to the current Empire.

Inside the command post, Ryan and the generals and officers from the 3rd Reserve Division fell silent.

Meanwhile, Renn quietly opened the system map to check the current situation on the front lines.

As with most battlefields, although neither side has launched an offensive and there have been no skirmishes at the platoon level or above, the battle lines are actually changing rapidly.

Specifically, the Imperial Kingdom's front line is still advancing at a significant pace, with the troops that were previously in the rear now pushing forward, trying to get into the front-line trenches.

The 27th Army currently has about three regiments of soldiers in the position, which accounts for a quarter of their total strength. However, based on previous battle losses, their available strength is estimated to be only about two-thirds.

However, the lack of manpower did not slow down the advance of the 27th Army. Ryan was able to confirm that at least thirty engineering companies were trying to dig new trenches forward.

Based on the current speed, their daily digging speed is at least 200 meters per day.

In other words, the trenches of the Empire and the Kingdom would be connected in just three to four days at most.

Of course, the Empire's troops in Insterburg only need to hold out for three to four days, but that's reality, not a strategic game.

After defeating the Second Army, the main force of the Eighth Army Group would need at least a day to regroup its troops and several more days to get them into their designated positions before it could engage the First Army Group in battle.

To put it bluntly, once the Empire connects the trenches of the Empire and the Empire, even if Ludendorff and his troops wipe out the entire Second Army, Insterburg will not be able to hold out.

But what's even more critical is that what Rennes sees on the current map is completely different from what he could see when the First Army was still around.

The Imperial Army, with a total strength of only 30,000 to 40,000, was like a handful of grains of rice scattered on the ground, while the Imperial Army's position, just a few hundred meters away, was filled with soldiers equivalent to more than five times the total strength of the Empire.

It was another typical battle where the outnumbered fought against the superior enemy.

The only difference is that this time, the Empire's troops are far inferior to the Imperial Kingdom's troops in both quality and firepower.

Should we retreat?

Suddenly, as if possessed, Renn uttered these words.

Everyone around him immediately fixed their gaze on him, and several colonels even slammed their fists on the table and roared, "No! The Imperial Army will never retreat!"

"I think you've been spending too much time with those guys in the Navy. You should know your shame!"

Ryan stared coldly at the colonels, not wanting to pay them any attention.

But their voices grew louder and louder, and there was even a trend of them escalating.

The commander of the 3rd Reserve Division, who was standing nearby, had obviously noticed this as well, but he knew very well that Rein was in charge of frontline affairs. Neither the First Army nor the General Headquarters had ever suggested skipping Rein's designated plan, so he wouldn't do the same.

"Quiet!"

Von Morgan coughed lightly, which immediately silenced the still-clamoring commanders. He looked at Rein and asked, "What is the Colonel's opinion?"

Ryan didn't look at Morgan; his gaze remained fixed on the sand table in front of him.

The mouth speaks.

"The Imperial Army will inevitably continue its advance. Rather than risking our troops by attacking forward, it would be better to lure them into attacking us."

He stood up, walked to the sand table, marked the center of the empire's current defensive line, and then moved the main force to the rear, forming a huge encirclement around the marked point.

"The specific content is divided into two parts."

"In the first part, we will have our troops launch continuous harassment attacks to lure Imperial forces toward our main force in the center of the front while ensuring the stability of the surrounding front lines. The purpose of this operation is to extend the Imperial Army's supply lines and make their supply speed unable to keep up with the speed of the advance at the front."

"Then comes the second part."

Rein took the cavalry division's chess piece from the side and placed it at the northernmost end of the Imperial battle line: "At the same time, our army dispatched mobile forces to try to cut off the Imperial supply lines and render the Imperial forces incapable of fighting as quickly as possible."

(End of this chapter)