Empire Conquest
Chapter 206 - 202 Relieved

Chapter 206: Chapter 202 Relieved

Lian Xusheng was indeed a straight shooter, he not only revealed the Army’s combat plans on the Ice Storm Peninsula to Bai Zhizhan but also ended up betraying Li Yunxiang in the process.

Inadvertently, he mentioned that Li Yunxiang was planning to transfer to the Land Air Force and also brought up that Li Yunxiang’s former superior in the Land Air Force had become the Land Air Commander and was short of a few capable and experienced officers like Li Yunxiang. He had been eyeing Li Yunxiang for some time.

Clearly, it wasn’t a slip of the tongue; he did it on purpose.

Li Yunxiang had anticipated this, so on the way over, he revealed everything to Bai Zhizhan as a precaution.

This was just a minor episode.

The situation in the battle of Ice Storm Peninsula differed greatly from what Bai Zhizhan had previously speculated.

Although the initial surprise attack indeed played a crucial role, such as catching the enemy off guard and preventing them from organizing a resistance, it only lasted a few hours. When the Armored Forces advanced into the depths of the defensive line, the enemy had already reacted.

The main reason the battle was so one-sided was actually that the enemy lacked effective anti-armor means and believed in extremely outdated tactical thoughts.

For instance, the most commonly used anti-tank weapons in the Saiyi Army were anti-tank rifles, which were shockingly manufactured under a production license purchased from the Locke Republic in their own armories.

The anti-tank guns, which were already widely equipped by both the Luosha Army and the Tiaoman Army in the Liangxia forces, were extremely rare in the Saiyi Army.

To use Lian Xusheng’s words, for the duration of the conflict, he could count the number of anti-tank guns they encountered on the fingers of one hand.

Relatively speaking, the impact of backward military thought was even more fatal!

On the 38th Degree Defense Line, known as the "Eastern Maginot," the entirety of the Saiyi Army’s defensive arrangements, shockingly, followed the blueprint of the last great war!

To give a simple example, the barbed wire set up in front of the trenches was less than a person tall and not reinforced; it could only fend off infantry at best and couldn’t stop tanks. The Saiyi Army did not set up tank traps, nor did they broaden or deepen the trenches. The machine gun firing points were still positioned on the flanks, with heavy machine guns placed in the rear, emphasizing enfilade fire, but this was powerless against a frontal assault protected by tanks.

Furthermore, the Saiyi Army’s defensive troops were deployed on the frontline instead of further back, not to mention not reinforcing the defense depth.

These issues were all reasons for the rapid collapse of the Saiyi Army.

The Saiyi Army might not have recognized these problems, so even if they had time, they might not necessarily make adjustments.

The key question was, how to adjust?

Up until now, the Saiyi Army hadn’t even figured out which way was north, so how could they know how to counter the advance of the Armored Forces?

In one battle outside Gaozhou city, thousands of Saiyi infantry, clutching rifles with gleaming bayonets, launched a charge at the Imperial Guard Army tanks. It seemed that in the eyes of these Saiyi infantrymen, as long as they had the fearless spirit of a warrior, they could pierce the armor of a tank with the bayonets in their hands.

Even if their tactics were right, what about the weapons and equipment?

Unless they had a magician with the power to conjure something out of nothing, where could they find hundreds of anti-tank guns?

And they had to be the best anti-tank guns!

The Imperial Guard Army was already the elite force of the Empire’s Army, and the Armored Division within the Imperial Guard Army was the elite of the elite, armed to the teeth.

Moreover, the Empire’s Army had access to the best tanks of the day, at least among the best.

According to Lian Xusheng, the tanks equipped by the Imperial Guard Armored Division outperformed, or at least were on par with, the Tiaoman Empire’s Type Four tanks in every aspect. Furthermore, there were hundreds of them already deployed on the frontline. The Tiaoman Empire’s Type Four tanks had just completed acceptance and would not be mass-produced for at least another half year.

These facts all pointed to one conclusion.

The Saiyi Army definitely, absolutely could not hold Buju!

Perhaps the slogan Lian Xusheng shouted, "time to go home and drink porridge," was a bit arrogant, but judging by the situation, it seemed likely they could capture Buju before the Spring Festival.

"Brother Bai, we are all our own people, so I’m not going to beat around the bush with you. Before we get down to business, I need to specifically toast you three times. No, no, no..."

Bai Zhizhan was about to raise his glass when Lian Xusheng pressed down on his hand.

"I’ll toast to you!"

Lian Xusheng emphasized his words, and Bai Zhizhan came to understand. This toast was not a common one; Lian Xusheng was expressing his gratitude to Bai Zhizhan, so there was no need for Bai Zhizhan to drink in return.

After downing three glasses in a row, Lian Xusheng finally said, "If we tasted victory in our opening battle, the first person we should thank is you. Not just here, but in front of Commander Situ, in front of all the soldiers across the army, I have said the same. If you had acted like that Liu Xiangzhen, playing it safe and not making several killing forays at West East Ocean, no matter how hard we tried, it would have been useless, at best a minor victory!"

"Brother Lian, you’re overstating things," Li Yunxiang spoke up on behalf of Bai Zhizhan.

Bai Zhizhan kept silent because he truly didn’t know what to say.

So, it turned out that if the Navy had adopted an eastward strategy, it was Bai Zhizhan’s own doing, having nothing to do with the Liu Family.

Was Lian Xusheng drunk?

But listening to his words, so organized, he didn’t seem like he was drunk at all.

Not drunk?

Then his words, so pointed and forceful, were far too shrewd.

This guy was definitely subtle as well as blunt!

"Brother Li, you don’t understand!" Lian Xusheng waved his hand dismissively at Li Yunxiang, looking somewhat tipsy, then turned to Bai Zhizhan and continued, "Young Brother Bai is a clever man, so I’m telling you this; don’t take it to heart. We’re all but mere pawns, front and rear cavalry; to say we’re cannon fodder isn’t wrong either. If given another chance, would you really choose to stay at Flame Sea or slip back to Xu Sea?"

Before Lian Xusheng could finish his words, Bai Zhizhan felt a jolt.

This guy was definitely not drunk. He had said so much, but in fact, it was all insinuation, or rather, a nudge for him to recognize the reality hidden beneath appearances.

Today’s drinking session was definitely arranged in advance, and Li Yunxiang and Lian Xusheng were actually putting on an act.

"Think about it, who are our opponents? No mistake, we prepared so long, endured so much suffering, all for this moment. Alas, heaven doesn’t heed the wishes of mortals. Think about it, of all our opponents, could not one see through our strategic intentions?"

"Brother Lian..."

"Exactly, I knew you were a man of understanding, much smarter than Li. You get it with just a little hint."

Bai Zhizhan smiled bitterly and sighed. He had long thought of what Lian Xusheng was saying, but he had never wanted to acknowledge it, or rather, he felt it was just an unfounded guess.

"Come on, let’s drink another round. No one leaves tonight without getting merry!"

Li Yunxiang suddenly became enthusiastic, even calling the waiter over, he paid out of his own pocket for a few bottles of fine liquor, including a bottle of barley whiskey specifically for Bai Zhizhan.

It was the only foreign liquor in the bar.

No helping it, Army Officers liked their Baijiu most, with few taking an interest in such foreign drinks.

Li Yunxiang got excited, seeing that Bai Zhizhan’s mood had visibly improved.

Among the three of them, Bai Zhizhan was currently the most despondent as he was about to become a commander without a post.

Li Yunxiang had brought him here, actually hoping that Lian Xusheng could give him some encouragement.

As the saying goes, an outsider always has a clearer view; this principle applied to Bai Zhizhan as well.

Now, with Bai Zhizhan coming to terms and relaxing his mood, nothing could be better than that. Why not have a few more drinks, even if it meant getting drunk?

In life, how often does one get the chance to drink without worry?

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