artillery arc

Chapter 386 Cavalry Attacks
In fact, at eight o'clock in the morning on the 17th, the cavalry corps of the two nominal armies had arrived.

More than 400 herdsmen also came with them.

So Wang Zhong planned to gather together the herdsmen’s representatives and officers above the company level in the cavalry army to talk about the precautions in combat.

He originally wanted to gather after the enemy's artillery bombardment in the morning, but by eight o'clock the enemy had not started the bombardment yet.

Waiting any longer was not a solution, so Wang Zhong simply changed the gathering place to the grassland outside the city. In case of artillery bombardment or enemy air raids, they could all break up and hide in the grass.

So at half past eight that day, the company commanders and above of the two cavalry armies (nominally), as well as representatives of the herdsmen, gathered on the grass outside the city.

Wang Zhong got a jeep as a podium and climbed up.

"Everyone!" he began, "This time I will give the heavy responsibility of the attack to the cavalry, to you! It is said that the cavalry has been eliminated, but I believe that there is no useless type of soldier. As long as the battlefield conditions are suitable, the cavalry can play a huge role!"

In fact, on Earth, the Russians later discovered that cavalry could play a huge role in certain places, so they reorganized the cavalry army and used a large number of cavalry during the southern counterattack.

At that time, after the Battle of Kursk, Sandezi's armored forces had suffered so many losses that some divisions had less than ten tanks left in combat readiness.

The tanks were in this situation, and other technical equipment also suffered huge losses, so a large number of Sandezi's infantry and mountain hunters had to retreat on foot, and were then chased and attacked by cavalry.

It can be said that was the cavalry unit’s true last glory.

Later, cavalry was also used to cross the Carpathian Mountains, but it was not very useful that time because after crossing the Carpathian Mountains, they entered the more densely populated East European plains, and the Russians also received additional technical equipment, so the Russian cavalry suffered a great loss.

This also indirectly reflects that cavalry is indeed very limited and can only play a huge role under special conditions.

Wang Zhong naturally absorbed all the lessons learned from the Russians, and he would never use cavalry in densely populated areas.

But now, this vast grassland is perfect for horse racing!
In the game series "Hearts of Iron", there is a way of playing called "Horse Running", which means taking advantage of the high mobility and low logistics dependence of cavalry units, using a skeleton force composed of only a small number of cavalry units to run around the map, taking the enemy's regular troops with them, and finally occupying enough victory points in the chaos to win the battle.

Originally, this tactic only took advantage of the loopholes in the game mechanism and the stupidity of the AI, but now Wang Zhong suddenly found that this word was very suitable to describe the battle that was about to take place.

Wang Zhong once again glanced at the cavalry officers present and decided to flatter them: "In the era of flintlock rifles, cavalry was the type of soldier that needed to fight independently the most!"

This is actually true. In the era of line infantry and flintlock rifles, cavalry needed to be brave and have a sense of independence - or to be ruthless or even bandit-like. Therefore, cavalry units often allowed soldiers to drink and rob in order to maintain this momentum.

Wang Zhong: “When fighting the conqueror, the Cossacks often broke away from the command of the generals and detoured and attacked the enemy’s baggage trains at their own will.

"I now ask you to carry out this tradition! You set out today during the day, pass through the enemy's lines at night, and then rob the enemy's baggage train at will!

"My request to you is very simple. If you encounter the enemy's armored units and other units that are determined to resist and have combat effectiveness, bypass them and only bully the enemy's transport convoys!

"You must completely destroy the enemy's logistics!"

At this time, one of the cavalry officers shouted: "We have incendiary bombs that can be used against the enemy's tanks!"

"I know you can handle it." Wang Zhong paused, "I know you have enough courage and skills to destroy the enemy's tanks, but this is not your mission this time. We have plenty of means to deal with the enemy's tanks, but only you can destroy the enemy's logistics!"

Then Wang Zhong pointed at the herdsmen waiting nearby and said, "I require you to fill your saddles with dry food and fight behind enemy lines without supplies for about a week! When the enemy's logistics collapse in a week, we will launch a counterattack and completely destroy the enemy!
"During this week, you must fight independently except for occasional support from the air force. These fellow villagers will become your guides, and each company will be assigned at least one fellow villager.

“They all have extensive experience surviving on the grasslands and will help you get through this week.”

After Wang Zhong finished speaking, one of the herdsmen representatives stood up and said, "I was Petliura's adjutant during the civil war. After the war, I spent five years in a labor camp. The lives of herdsmen have been getting better and better in the past ten years. Go to Petliura, I will fight with you!"

Wang Zhong looked at the herdsman in surprise, thinking that the fact that you are still alive today shows that the church is still relatively merciful.

However, this guy has made a contribution this time, and he probably won't be held accountable in the future.

Wang Zhong regained the initiative of the meeting: "Let's start assigning guides now, Vasily!"

Vasily climbed into the jeep with the documents in hand. In the light of the rising sun, he read the list in his hand: "Abonashenko, go to the first company of the first battalion of the first regiment of the 20rd Division of the 33th Army..."

Wang Zhong jumped out of the jeep and gave the stage to Vasily.

At this time, the commander of the 20th Cavalry Corps, Rodionovich, came to him and said, "I never thought that the Cavalry Corps would be entrusted with an important task one day."

Wang Zhong: "It was only after I came here to investigate the situation that I realized that cavalry is the most suitable type of soldier. I originally wanted to use the United States jeeps to complete the mission, but unfortunately, the conditions here are too bad, so cavalry is necessary."

Rodionovich: "You think the grasslands of Nanant are the grasslands of your hometown, right?"

"Yeah, I didn't expect the gap to be so huge."

As Wang Zhong spoke, he turned his head to look towards the sun. The grassland was swaying gently in the sunlight.

He thought of the grasslands of Khazaria. Judging from the appearance alone, they were indeed very similar.

At this time, Vasily jumped off the jeep and saluted Wang Zhong: "General, all 400 herdsmen have been distributed."

Wang Zhong nodded and said to Rodionovich, "Soldiers, get your cigarettes and alcohol and set off. The longer you gather here, the greater the possibility of being bombarded and attacked by the enemy. Try to break up into smaller groups and don't get caught by enemy planes."

Rodionovich saluted Wang Zhong, then turned and ran to his horse. Wang Zhong climbed onto the jeep again.

A few minutes later, the cavalry battalion and company commanders rode their fat horses past Wang Zhong in rows and rushed towards the troops scattered on the grassland.

When each row passed in front of Wang Zhong, they all saluted him with their eyes.

Wang Zhong had always thought that the Russians’ salute was a little funny, and his chin almost popped up in the air.

But now that he has become the one being noticed, he suddenly feels that this posture of his chin pointing to the sky is quite imposing.

Wang Zhong stood on the jeep and watched the officers move forward.

"Return victorious!" he couldn't help but shout.

The officers responded with an overwhelming "Ura".

----

An hour later, Wang Zhong returned to the warehouse where the army headquarters was located.

Popov was still playing chess by himself. When he saw Wang Zhong come in, he said, "The sound of Ura can be heard here. The last person in Ante whose voice could be heard everywhere was Kutuzov."

Wang Zhong: “I thought it was Peter the Great.”

"That's impossible." Popov shook his head. "There's Ekaterina in the middle."

Pavlov: "Is it appropriate for the military bishop to make fun of such things?"

Popov shrugged and said, "Don't worry. The noise outside just now has already disturbed many people's sleep. My jokes are harmless."

Wang Zhong turned the topic back to the military situation: "Did anything happen when I left to mobilize the cavalry?"

"What could have happened? The Prosens were very quiet. There was no bombardment or attack. Some reconnaissance troops tried to infiltrate, but they quickly retreated after exchanging fire with our patrol troops."

Wang Zhong: "They're not really having logistical problems, are they?"

----

"Our logistics efficiency is worse than we estimated yesterday." The Chief of Staff of the Tenth Army reported to Admiral Bock with a serious face, "Because the enemy's twin-engine bombers attacked Shepetovka."

He turned to the map beside him and pointed to the location of the Western Front Headquarters with a map stick. "It should be the Western Front Air Force. The bombing seemed to be guided by the guerrillas on the ground, which detonated a large amount of ammunition. In addition, the fire caused by the oil has not been extinguished yet."

Admiral Poker pursed his lips and was silent for several seconds before asking, "Is the report finished?"

"Yes."

Admiral Polk: "So our fuel and ammunition were destroyed by the enemy bombers?"

"Yes, we estimate that it will take until the 20th to complete the repair. The good news is that while waiting for fuel and ammunition, we can repair the damaged tanks. By the 20th, our tanks in combat readiness will increase by %."

Admiral Pok cursed: "But the enemy's cavalry will soon launch an attack! Rokossov will not wait on the steppe, because the longer he waits, the greater the possibility of air raids and artillery bombardment! His cavalry will sweep across the steppe!"

Chief of Staff: "How about splitting the Panzergrenadier Division into many parts and setting up defenses at key supply nodes?"

"It's too late." Admiral Poke shook his head. "We photographed so many cavalrymen yesterday. Today they should come over to disrupt our supply. An excellent commander will definitely seize the fleeting opportunity. What kind of commander do you think Rokossov is? Is he a mediocrity?"

"Uh..." The Chief of Staff hesitated.

Admiral Poker answered himself: "No! Obviously not! Otherwise, wouldn't the general of our army who was defeated by him be worse than a mediocre person? He will seize this opportunity!"

Admiral Poker said as he paced back and forth in the headquarters tent.

Chief of Staff: "Perhaps, we can let the Air Force strafe the cavalry on the ground as much as possible?"

"The air force worked. We have landed in the United Kingdom."

Admiral Poke stood in front of the map and said, "There is only one way to reduce casualties now, which is to withdraw the supply team and shrink it to the vicinity of the military station with strong defenses."

"The enemy's cavalry also needs supplies. They will roam around in our controlled area for five to eight days at most. Let the troops stay where they are and tighten their belts until they have eaten up all the supplies they carry and then retreat on their own!"

Chief of Staff: “Isn’t this… too negative?”

Admiral Poke stamped his feet vigorously: "Then what other methods do you have to deal with these cavalry? If we hide and wait for them to retreat, we can immediately restore supplies! If the enemy burns a lot of trucks, it will be really bad! Hiding and defending, this is the most appropriate response now!"

Admiral Poker stared at the map for a few seconds and repeated, "Most suitable!"

(End of this chapter)