The sun never sets in America

Chapter 360 War Prelude: Land and Naval Battles

Boom boom! ! !

The smoke exploded and scattered around, forming a natural white smoke.

"Your Highness, this is the latest model of our army's 155mm howitzer. Its range is -"

Army Minister Tao Wang was wearing a smart military uniform without any medals. Next to him was Liu Yu who was wearing an ordinary school officer uniform.

Liu Yu nodded noncommittally, and then continued to pick up the telescope hanging on his chest to watch the ongoing exercise.

The exercise field was divided into two different camps: red and blue. Except for the fact that the bullets were blanks and the artillery shells were smoke grenades, the exercises of both sides basically followed the standards of real war.

In Liu Yu's telescope, it can be clearly seen that the red and blue sides are repeatedly fighting for a high ground.

As the screen changes, you can still see the artillery on both sides retreating while firing, trying not to give the other side a chance to discover themselves.

Even someone like Liu Yu, who has never attended a military academy for a day, understands that this is the critical moment of the exercise. Either one side must completely seize the high ground and occupy the terrain, or find an opportunity to eliminate the opponent's artillery and gain firepower advantage.

According to the archives sealed after the Han-Russian War, the entire Han-Russian War cost more than 300 million Chinese yuan.

The Xijing Imperial Palace is as "graceful and luxurious" as ever.

And if the war drags on to the second year, it can be basically concluded that the cost of the war will basically run towards the target of one billion, and it is likely that there will never be any return, for those elders who are worried about money.

From the perspective of the land war faction, as long as they control the above two regions, the remaining southern and central regions are dispensable. After all, from the perspective of the Han Army, these places are essentially providing soldiers and supplies to the United States. of food.

Tao Wang understood what Liu Yu said, so he quickly answered:

"If the empire needs it, our army will be willing to wrap our bodies in horse leather to repay the emperor's favor!!"

Tao Wang on the side saw Liu Yu's thoughts and said quickly: "Your Highness, in the age of firearms, it is this artillery that kills the most people. I think back when I was the battalion commander under Li Shuai, what happened here, the first time I saw it, No less than five hundred times, when we first met, I was still a little bit intolerable. Later, when I thought about it carefully, the enemy wanted our lives, and we wanted their lives. What's the difference between being shot with a knife and someone being blown to pieces by artillery! !”

[Zhao Kuo faction is the nickname given by the Army to those naval forces who talk about winning, mocking them for only talking on paper]

.............................................

When Tao Wang heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then continued:

"Your Highness, the reorganization of our army has been completed. The remaining ones who have not completed the reorganization are some airmen. It has no major impact on the war-"

It is basically certain that the scale of the entire war must be on the scale of millions of people. The consumption required for such a huge war can be imagined.

One of them is consumption.

Of course, the naval war faction will also provide evidence to refute the claims of the land war faction.

Of course, in the eyes of the Marines, these statements are complete nonsense. In their view, the United States has a vast territory. Even if it relies on its navy to conquer the eastern coastal areas, the United States still has the inland Great Lakes industrial areas to rely on. This is not If those so-called "Zhao Kuo faction" conquer New York, Wall Street, or even Washington, the United States will surrender.

Even people who don't understand military matters should understand the "meaning" when they hear the number one million.

A fleet is equivalent to one or several divisions of the army.

Yes, it is consumption. Everyone thinks that naval battles consume the most. After all, a battleship currently costs hundreds of millions. Once a loss occurs, it basically means that a regiment or even a battalion is scrapped.

In ancient times, a country's war potential often referred to its cultivated land and population. In this era, it mainly refers to industry.

Therefore, wars between major powers are often conducted in an upright manner, and so-called "miracles" are rarely seen.

Is it better for the army to fight a fierce battle with millions of American troops from the center, or to kill the US Navy and then directly raid the large cities in the eastern United States, cutting off the United States' financial resources and so-called war potential?

But the real situation is that large-scale and long-term land wars consume more national power.

The comings and goings of the palace maids and the chirping concubines made up the tone of the whole summer.

For such a sensitive topic, Liu Yu knew very well that it could not be too vague or too clear, so he directly stated:

The American industry is divided into two parts. One part is the old industrial areas headed by New York and Washington, which have the best technology and finance in the United States.

The navy's "quick war" won their hearts even more. After all, it was "not easy" for big men to get their money.

In the view of the land war faction, in order to truly end the war, the war potential of the United States must first be destroyed.

With one exception, that is Chengtian Palace, where Liu Peng likes to stay more and more. It is so quiet that you can even hear the friction of footsteps.

Liu Yu said a lot of good things to praise the Army, which made Tao Wang completely let go of the huge stone in his heart that worried that the Navy currently had the upper hand and the Army would lose ground in the future.

In fact, as the Han Dynasty's wave of shipbuilding intensified, the question of whether the navy or the army would win was "cold rice" again and again, and the most talked about was the so-called basics of fighting the United States. strategy.

The main reason is that the nature of the Sino-American War is exactly the same as the Sino-Russian War in previous years.

Liu Yu followed up and said with the same emotion: "Since the establishment of the empire, the army has opened up territories for the country. Every time there is a war, the army soldiers have also worked tirelessly and devoted themselves to the country. As the prince, I naturally feel the same way -"

"On the tank side, although there are some difficulties with the engine, according to their own report, it can be completed early next year -"

All in all, war is when the dominant party attacks the disadvantaged party to win. There are many cases of the weak defeating the strong, but most of them occur in weak and small countries. If a truly big country hopes to rely on the weak to defeat the strong, To achieve victory is no less than a gamble.

If the Sino-Russian war was an "exercise", then the Sino-American war was a "life and death struggle."

This is also the current contradiction between the navy and the army. Even if Liu Peng has tried his best to favor the army in the allocation of military expenditures, money is always the first difficulty in war.

After Tao Wang said so much, Liu Yu heard the two words "seeking war".

Liu Yu relaxed his mood, then put down the telescope in his hand, turned around, and replied with a smile: "I am not the kind of rotten scholar who refuses to change. I still know what is right and what is wrong."

"Now that Europe is in turmoil, we still have to wait and wait for things to happen in Europe."

The other part is the Great Lakes Industrial Zone that has gradually emerged in the past ten years, mainly around the Great Lakes, that is, near the central area.

According to Han's own internal statistics, assuming that the Han-American war can be resolved within a year, the cost will not be less than 400 million Chinese dollars, or even higher.

If the Ottomans and the British hadn't helped pay for this money, the finances during the domestic construction period of the Han Dynasty at that time would certainly not have lasted for such a long time.

The telescope in Liu Yu's hand trembled obviously when artillery fire covered a certain position. Even though he knew it was all smoke bombs, he could already imagine how cruel it would be if it were true.

Although it is a bit exaggerated, this is the majesty of an emperor.

There are emperors in ancient and modern times who have established their authority by power and tactics, and there are also those who have established their authority by killing people. However, like Liu Peng, there have only been three or five emperors in the past and present who have established their authority through merit.

"Your Majesty, the prince wants to see you!!"

Liu Peng paused slightly while looking at the painting, and then said: "Let him come in."

Then there was a sound of agreement and the sound of the door being pushed.

"Father Emperor!!"

After Liu Yu saw Liu Peng, he first shouted and then fell to his knees.

"Get up!!"

"Thank you, Father!!"

After completing this "etiquette" that everyone in the palace had to do, Liu Yu took the initiative to speak:

"Father, I went to the army this morning to watch a military exercise. I feel that our army is quite good. In recent years, there is no such thing as the wasted troops and horses...the lax military preparations that those civil servants said!!"

"Humph, those civil servants are just saying this to express their sense of existence. Just listen to it. It has happened in all dynasties. Don't pay attention to it."

"If the armaments are really slack, I think we have to let a few people with pens go to the battlefield and squat in the trenches to see if they can still scream."

Liu Peng's expression was indifferent, as if he was talking about "insignificant" things, so the flattering words Liu Yu originally planned to say could only be modified or reduced.

"Father, in the battle between the navy and the army, although in the past few years, you approved that the military expenditure of the army is higher than that of the navy, there are always a group of people in the government and the public who hope to replace the land with sea. Father..."

Before Liu Yu could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Liu Peng's look, and Liu Peng spoke:

"As a young man, I joined the army and fought in the war. I have never left this American land in my life. I know what war is like better than they do."

"Those people who ask for credit and reward, it is pleasant to listen to their words at ordinary times, but if you really believe them at critical times, they will harm the country and the people."

After hearing this, Liu Yu quickly said:

"What my father said is reasonable, and my son also believes that the war in America should be based on the army and the navy as a supplement."

After hearing this, Liu Peng shook his head, leaving Liu Yu confused as to what his "wise" father had in mind.

Liu Peng then spoke:

"The United States has strong national strength, but relying on its army alone may not necessarily lead to complete victory. Only by marching its troops northward and sending its fleet eastward to level the national foundation of the United States in one fell swoop can we ensure that this war is resolved as quickly as possible. The longer it is delayed, the worse it will be for us. The worse it is." Liu Peng took out a document from the case and threw it to Liu Yu opposite.

As soon as Liu Yu picked it up, he exclaimed:

“British-American alliance!!”

Liu Yu then looked at it carefully, and when he put down the secret letter in his hand, his face became very heavy.

The last thing he wanted to see was an alliance between Britain and the United States, which would be a disaster for Han's American strategy.

It is impossible for Han to deal with the United States and at the same time face the most powerful country in the world. From the perspective of military common sense and economic perspective, it is an unachievable goal.

That's why Liu Yu was so surprised when he saw the words "British-American alliance".

Liu Peng looked at the surprised Liu Yu, pretended to be unhappy and said:

"Why, you're scared!!"

"No, I'm not scared, but I think that the world has changed drastically and the alliance between the United States and Britain is not good for us as a big man, so I made the gaffe just now..."

Liu Yu cupped his hands and bent down, as if admitting his mistake.

"Okay, I don't understand your little thoughts."

Liu Peng had a thorough understanding of Liu Yu's thoughts.

"My father is so wise that my sons and ministers are too ashamed to match him."

Liu Yu lowered his head and said.

Liu Peng nodded secretly. Liu Yu's ability to soften in an instant proved that he was at least not a headstrong person.

"This secret report is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many things we don't know below."

As Liu Peng spoke, his expression became more and more solid.

Liu Yu also nodded along. As a prince, he basically knew the current situation of the empire except that he could not contact the core intelligence bureau.

The Han Empire could hardly afford a two-front war.

Especially when facing two enemies of the same magnitude, especially one with a obviously thicker "blood tank".

In the palace, the candles were erratic, just like the situation in the Han Dynasty at this time. A strong wind blew by and extinguished two fiery red dragon-painting candles boiled with whale oil.

These two sticks were used by Liu Peng to worship the late emperor Liu Yan, which was regarded as Liu Peng's filial piety.

Liu Yu looked at the direction of the memorial tablet and saw the two extinguished candles. He became nervous and did not dare to take a breath.

I saw Liu Peng's expression becoming more and more serious, and finally turned into "majesty", and said:

"The arrow is on the string and must be fired!!"

"The British thought that forming an alliance with the United States would stop me, so that they could concentrate on European affairs. It's a joke. I have been fighting since I was young, beating drums in the city of Los Angeles to boost the morale of the army. I have never been afraid!!"

"If you were afraid, in the four years of Longwu, you would not risk being dragged to death by the United States and block the United States' westward expansion!!"

Liu Peng's words cheered up Liu Yu, and then he said:

"Father, then..."

Liu Peng turned around, looked in the direction of the candle, and narrowed his eyes:

"Don't the French and Russians always want us to stir up trouble first? I want to see who stirs up trouble first!!"

Liu Peng's words reached Liu Yu's ears, as if a "killing spirit" was poured into him, as if he had returned to the founding years of the Han Dynasty, when wars were fought every year, either abroad or to "suppress bandits" at home.

I also seemed to see a handsome young man, holding a sword, pointing out the country and scolding Fang You.

Now, the king is still young, and the power of the dragon is in full swing! !

"Swipe!!"

Somehow, the two candles that had just been extinguished came back to life. After struggling for an unknown amount of time, flames appeared in the inner courtyard of Chengtian Hall.

Liu Peng glanced at it, then turned to look out the window without saying anything.

Liu Yu was "horrified" and wanted to say something, but Liu Peng waved him away.

.........

The Nicaragua Canal has been under construction since the beginning of the 19th century. It has been almost two and a half years now.

Compared with the Suez Canal, which was built earlier and had more disputes, Han's diplomatic strategy was more successful and successfully tied Britain and France to the canal's chariot.

Because of this, countless subsequent troubles are avoided.

The entire Nicaragua Canal project was announced to take at least two years to be completed, but in fact, according to Han's internal plan, the construction period should be shortened to one and a half years, which was the end of the 22nd year of Longwu.

The shortening of the upper sentence is very simple, but the bottom sentence breaks the leg.

In order to complete this "eternal plan", the engineering staff almost broke their heads.

Finally, I came up with a solution, which is the same as in previous dynasties, and that is "human life".

Didn't it take a long time, no problem, just sacrifice your life, if the action is slow, then add more manpower.

The question is, where do people come from? ?

Han's solution to this problem was also very imperial.

The most common thing the colonial powers did during this period was to recruit from the colonies.

Among them, the Philippines, as the only legal colony, has become a huge prison since China separated and was driven to Mindanao.

Without a fully developed Mindanao, it would be difficult to support millions of Filipinos. Therefore, "selling one's body" has become their choice.

The Han Dynasty can also declare with "peace of mind" that we have not done any bad things or forced the colonial people to do anything voluntarily.

So far, it is difficult to end the process, because even the Philippines' own indigenous nobles are accustomed to exchanging people for money that only African "tribal lords" are eligible to enjoy.

As long as a person gets something for nothing for the first time, there will be a second time, even a third or fourth time, and finally countless times.

Although the Han Dynasty's "obscure" practice was criticized by the Times as "a new era of slave trade."

But this cannot conceal the fact that the Nicaragua Canal project has indeed accelerated, from the earliest six to seven years, reduced to the current four years.

But even at this extremely "cost-effective" time, the senior leaders of Han State were actually not very happy.

Because the pace of war is approaching, everyone can smell the smoke of war, but some people choose to remain silent, while others choose to rise up and draw their swords to join the war.

As for Han, it was obvious that he was here to draw his sword.

As the river manager who was just appointed last year, Huo Heng, whose official position is higher than that of a governor, is now worried about the increasingly urgent urging from the court. He often smokes. He smokes all night and looks at the river design drawings on the wall. His whole body is filled with excitement. Lack of energy.

Whenever friends from the DPRK and China came to visit, he would say in a crying tone:

"I thought I was here to collect gong, but I didn't expect that I was here to rush into the killing formation!!"

Although it is a bit exaggerated, it is a fact. If he can do the above requirements well, he will have an unlimited future when he returns to his hometown and can expect to join the cabinet. If he cannot do it or even fails, then he may not only be in trouble. No guarantee, those mad dogs from the Imperial Council will chase him and bite him.

At this time, Huo Heng looked at the river map on the wall. He really couldn't think of any way to speed up the process. The only thing he could do was to send more manpower. Yes, it was to send more manpower. Although this was a dead end, But it's the only way.

But it hurts Tianhe! !

Regarding these moral issues, Huo Heng wrote this sentence in his diary:

“It’s a sin to be successful, and it’s a sin to be defeated, so it’s not as good as sin!!”

(End of this chapter)