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Chapter 1279: Getting Ready 2
"Got it! Regardless of whether the European coalition forces take the central route or go east through Russia and the Kazakh Khanate, they will eventually have to attack the Western Regions first. Therefore, the General Staff plans to set up layers of defense along the Kunlun Mountains, the western foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, and the eastern bank of the Ob River to block and delay the enemy first.

In addition, two guards were dispatched to each of Kashgar, Aksu, Druzhba, Tacheng, Khabahe and Tomsk as mobile forces to reinforce nearby battlefields at any time.

The main combat method is defensive. As long as we can drag it out until September, when the temperature drops and heavy snow falls, the enemy must withdraw, otherwise the entire army will be frozen or starved to death in the vast snowfield.

The direction of Enniao Port cannot be ignored either. In addition to concentrating more than 20 warships on the navy side, two Marines should be dispatched as soon as possible to deploy in advance. As the second line, the Seychelles Naval Base should also deploy more than 2 warships and at least one Marine, ready to reinforce at any time.

But before the navy can move, the Dutch in Batavia must be dealt with first. The General Staff discussed this matter with the Ministry of Rites and decided to wait for news from Europe. Once the envoys to Europe and the Sun and Moon Bank are expelled, the Dutch East India Company and the Portuguese will be driven out of Asian waters by the same means. "

The two chiefs of staff looked at each other, and the astronaut spoke again, roughly recounting the results of the discussions over the past few days. If the emperor did not make any additions or revisions, they could basically start to call together the army and navy staff to design the specific details.

"Well, you have considered it very comprehensively..." Hong Tao still didn't look back, as if the answer was on the map.

"…Your Majesty, did I miss something? Is it the Danish East India Company? I thought that we still needed to ship goods to Europe after the war. If we drove them all away, it would be difficult to call them back. It would be difficult to identify their capabilities at the last minute.

It would be better to keep them on Hormuz Island and limit their range of activities. When the war is over, we can imitate the Dutch East India Company and immediately become the Ming Dynasty's agent in Europe."

Seeing the emperor's behavior and tone, Tan Mingming knew that the General Staff's plan was not well done and there must be some major omissions. But where exactly is it? He couldn't ask first, he had to think about it himself, otherwise he would have to pay the price, and it was really not cheap to ask the emperor to give an answer.

"Hehe, I didn't expect you guys to have a talent for business. That's great. Many things in the world are actually connected. For example, war and business are actually the same thing, just in different forms.

The Danish East India Company can stay as you wish, and the British East India Company can also stay if they wish. The Danes alone may not be able to control the Dutch in Europe. I just want to ask if your plan only includes the West and not the East?"

Hong Tao finally took his eyes off the map, and just as he raised his right hand, Wang Chengen promptly placed a cigar between his fingers, which was still lit. No one knew how this eunuch chief judged when the emperor wanted to smoke, but he was a model of loving what he did.

"To the east... we have not received any reports of Spanish reinforcements yet. Tao Daxiang's garrison fleet can completely suppress the existing Spanish naval forces."

The astronaut was a little confused by the question. The east naturally referred to the many Spanish-controlled areas on the west coast of America. But apart from a few schooners, there seemed to be no threat there.

The fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor would occasionally go to the west coast of America for a stroll, and would intercept and inspect any ships that were sailing at will, as if they were in an unmanned area. Faced with this situation, the Governor of New Spain and the Governor of Peru had no choice but to sigh in despair, and there was no need to worry at all.

"Take a break, it's almost time for dinner. I'm treating everyone to hotpot today. You two should sit down, have a cigarette and drink some water." Seeing that the astronaut and Tan Mingming both looked puzzled, Hong Tao raised his voice and asked the busy staff to put down their work and sit down at the conference table first.

"Then I'm welcome..."

Astronauts are not big smokers, but Tan Mingming is already addicted. Before his butt even touched the chair, he had already opened the cigar box on the table and took out two cigars. He smoked one now and saved the other for after dinner.

"There is nothing wrong with the plan drawn up by the General Staff, but the main idea is not right. Think about it carefully. If I am willing to be a coward and guard my own little piece of land, is it necessary to recruit soldiers on a large scale?

According to your combat deployment, the existing army and navy are fully capable of dealing with the attack of the European coalition forces. Even if you are not rich, you do not need to resort to war and recruit soldiers nationwide.

Yes, the conscription order had political considerations, and it showed the Europeans an uncompromising attitude. But these 20 troops were also really needed, so where should they be placed? Only for attack would so many troops be needed!

The European coalition army marched eastward, and we defended and waited for them to tire themselves out, which seemed to be an advantage. But I don't intend to take advantage of this, so I will launch a landing war in the New World and let the Europeans wait for them to tire themselves out once, so that both sides will be even. What do you think?"

Tobacco does have the effect of relieving the spirit. Most of the time, as long as the emperor smoked, his mood would be much more stable. Even when he criticized his subordinates for not doing their job well, he did it in a light tone and you wouldn't hear too much blame.

"Ah...!" But these words were like a bolt from the blue to the ears of the astronaut and Tan Mingming. Their mouths were half open and their eyes were wide open. The dozen or so confidential staff officers in the hall had almost the same expression.

Just planning the defensive operations in the west kept the general staff busy for more than a month. And the emperor was not satisfied and wanted to add the expedition to the New World. The workload was almost fatal.

"What kind of expressions are those! If you have something to say, just say it. Don't make a bitter face to gain sympathy." But Hong Tao didn't think the staff officers needed sympathy at all. At this position, one has to rely on the brain to get things done. Whoever feels tired has not enough brains and should be eliminated.

“Your Majesty, most of the Maritime Command and naval transport ships are transporting supplies and personnel to Enniao Port and the Seychelles Base, and cannot travel back and forth between the east and the west in a short period of time.

Once the war breaks out, the Dutch East India Company will certainly not rent any more ships, unless it is allowed to requisition ships from the public. Otherwise, the navy's transport capacity will be seriously insufficient, making it difficult to carry out large-scale landing operations. "

Seeing that the emperor didn't seem to understand what conditions were required for long-distance landing operations, the astronauts had to stand up and speak a fair word for their subordinates. The General Staff was only a decision-making unit and had to formulate combat plans based on existing personnel and materials, and would not create something out of nothing.

(End of this chapter)