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Chapter 1387 New Plan

"Gentlemen, now is not the time to celebrate, or even to be happy. If we don't take the port, all our previous efforts will have been in vain, and all our soldiers will have died in vain."

Not everyone was all smiles. At the banquet hosted aboard the Allied flagship, the New World, the Allied Commander-in-Chief, Marshal Bernhard of France, the hero who led the capture of Enniu, showed far less smile than worry. When he was forced to stand up and speak, his first words were a bucket of cold water, drenching everyone in the face.

"Your Excellency Marshal, under your command, given the fighting strength demonstrated by the Allied Forces, as long as the pressure is sustained, the port area will be breached sooner or later."

The biggest problem now is landing. I have more than 4000 brave Flanders soldiers here, all of them battle-hardened elites, but they can't get close to the port and can only rust in the hold.

If we can get them ashore, launching an attack from any direction will greatly divert the Ming army's attention and contribute to ultimately breaking through their defenses!

General Francisco de Mello from Spain had a different opinion on the Marshal's public pessimistic remarks, or one could say he was eager to try it himself.

His Flemish army arrived earlier than Bernhard's and had been drifting at sea waiting for an opportunity. When they finally began their landing operation, they suffered a series of defeats on the south side of the cape. After five days of fierce attacks, they lost not only men but also a single meter of beach.

Unfortunately, at that very moment, Bernhard's main French force captured Ennio from the north. Although no one deliberately compared the French army with the Spanish army, Melo himself felt humiliated.

He was born in Portugal, the eldest son of the illustrious Merlot family, whose father was a member of the Portuguese Council of State. During the reign of the Spanish-Portuguese monarchy, the Merlot family, including himself, clearly chose to pledge allegiance to the Spanish Habsburg family, and were direct descendants of the Duke of Olivares, a favorite of King Felipe IV.

Previously, he had been leading the Flemish Legion in fighting against the United Provinces Republic in the Netherlands. This army, which was not very large, was Spain's most elite and experienced main force. As the main initiator of the European coalition, it was natural for Spain to bring out its best.

"Regarding the landing, I think it's time to change our approach. The Ming army has ample defensive strength on the capes and in the port areas, making a forced landing extremely difficult."

Now that the Marshal has captured Enbird City, the army has a solid base. The navy should not devote too much force to the cape, except to continuing to besiege the port area. Instead, it should look for opportunities at the river mouth to the east.

I've sent ships to probe the area several times these past few days, and the Ming army's defenses there are much lax. Although the water isn't deep enough for large ships to dock, small boats can still be sent to transport soldiers ashore.

"If we can first establish a foothold on the east bank of the river and then seize an opportunity to cross and attack, it will be far more effective than being used as target practice by artillery hidden on the hillside in the shallow waters of the cape every day!"

General Merlot's words immediately drew a response from a burly, red-haired man across the table. His uniform was similar to that of the French army, but the orange sash draped diagonally across his chest indicated his origin.

This is General Marton Harpertzson Tropp, Commander-in-Chief of the Enbird Port Naval Area and Commander of the United Provinces Republic Navy.

Under his command, the allied fleet effectively offset the Ming navy's naval gun superiority with its numerical advantage, isolating the garrison at Enbird Port from the port at minimal cost, thus creating favorable conditions for subsequent landing operations.

However, during the amphibious landing operation, Tropp had significant disagreements with Melo, the commander of the main landing force and the Spanish Flanders Army. Tropp argued that the Flanders Army should not have sought landing points near the port, as this would have placed the landing forces within range of Ming Dynasty coastal defenses, resulting in heavy casualties and low efficiency.

It would be better to go to a more distant, relatively flat shore and send the troops there first, then approach the port area on foot to look for opportunities to strike.

However, General Melo disagreed with the plan. The Flanders army was carrying a lot of heavy weapons. If the landing point was chosen on a distant beach, the danger would be reduced temporarily, but the transportation of heavy weapons would become a big problem, as they would get stuck in the soft sand and be difficult to drag.

A few years ago, the Anglo-Spanish allied forces attacked Enbird Harbour, only to be routed by the fortifications and bunkers. Without the support of heavy weapons, the soldiers of the Flanders Legion would once again have to charge into the enemy's pre-prepared defenses with their bare hands, which would be tantamount to suicide.

This reason is indeed based on the actual situation. As a naval commander, Tropp could not interfere too much with the army's operational deployment, so he simply accompanied Melo in a strong attack on the south side of the cape for several days.

Aside from identifying dozens of gun emplacements and fortresses located in different parts of the mountain, the results were essentially zero. Not only did the army lose hundreds of soldiers, but the navy also lost two two-masted gunboats and more than ten small boats.

With the great victory at Enniu City, the battlefield situation has changed significantly, and Tropp believes it's time for a change. There's no need to put pressure on the port defenders to coordinate with Bernhard's offensive; they can choose a safe location to land, calmly deploy their troops, and strive to create a pincer attack.

"Lieutenant, please bring me the map!"

Regarding the conflict between the two main deputies, Bernhard did not try to smooth things over or draw any conclusions easily. Instead, he wanted to have a virtual discussion to see whose advice would be more beneficial for future operations.

"Is it this river? I sailed around its east bank to get closer to the sea. The Ming army didn't really have many men deployed in this direction. It seems their forces are somewhat insufficient, unable to deploy a full defense, and can only focus on key areas."

If General Melo's Flanders army can land here, I can provide several hundred enslaved people to help drag the cannons. Actually, some distance from the beach, the ground is quite firm, and the cannons can pass through with just some simple leveling.

The real trouble lies with this river. Based on the on-site reconnaissance, its current is quite swift, requiring the construction of a bridge to cross. Timber isn't scarce; there's plenty within the city. However, the construction process might be vulnerable to Ming artillery fire, resulting in significant losses.

The map was quickly laid out on the table, and Bernhard took the initiative to pick up a riding crop and began to demonstrate, explaining to the many Allied officers present what the markings meant. This map had been discovered with the lives of Allied soldiers; every circle and frame was stained with blood.

“Building the bridge is not difficult; I have a way to avoid most of the Ming army’s artillery fire.”

After Bernhard finished speaking, Tropp offered his opinion again. His reason for advocating landing on the east bank of the river was not only to avoid Ming army artillery fire, but also to find a way to cross the river quickly.

(End of this chapter)