Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 973 08.972: "Fight for a Good Journey"

"General, I am not good at political decision-making, but from a purely military perspective, I have a few thoughts on this."

Brigadier General Jean Lannes spoke slowly and deliberately, his eyes devoid of the deliberations common in imperial politics, revealing only the profound thinking of a pure battlefield commander from a practical combat perspective.

"First of all, from the perspective of planetary invasion and planetary defense, this troop ratio is relatively appropriate."

I support Lord Cochrane's view, and even believe that adding a certain percentage would not be excessive.

Secondly, the approach of dividing the troops into lightly armed airborne battalions, medium-armored mobile battalions, and heavily armed garrison battalions is also very clear and reasonable.

Suddenly, Brigadier General Rana raised his voice.

"But Lord Cochrane, have you considered how these three battalions with such different functions can conduct effective coordinated operations?"

"To be honest, the combat styles of these three units are indeed very different."

My initial idea is to enable the three forces to complement each other and assist one another.

But how exactly to coordinate, how to establish a stable combat formation, and how to build a larger-scale command and control system, um…

He smiled bitterly, saying, "This is precisely the purpose of my trip, and the fundamental reason why the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Imperial Navy require us to cooperate with the Star Force to form this unit."

When it comes to land warfare, the Astragalus are undoubtedly experts. Whether in command structure or tactical planning, I believe the Astragalus's experience in land combat is undeniably superior to that of the Imperial Navy.

“Then you might as well take my advice.” Brigadier General Rana picked up a quill pen and quickly sketched on the parchment in front of him. “We can organize these three types of troops into independent battalion-level units.”

"Three battalions can be combined to form a 'demi-brigade', and two demi-brigades can be combined to form a complete brigade-level combat unit."

This organizational structure perfectly avoids the restrictions in military law on the navy possessing 'regiment'-level marine combat units, while also allowing them to exert their due combat effectiveness.

Under this concept, the different battalions carried on each warship can be flexibly assembled into different half brigades according to the actual battle situation.

For example, when a rapid mobile assault is needed, a rapid reaction assault half-brigade can be formed by two medium-armored mobile battalions and one light-armored air assault battalion.

When a specific area requires focused defense, a defensive half-brigade can be formed, consisting of two heavily armored garrison battalions and one medium-armored mobile battalion, to conduct fortified defense and flexible defense operations.

"At the same time, the commander can also decide whether to conduct operations in half-brigade units, brigade-level units, or even division-level combat groups composed of multiple brigades, based on the width and depth of the battlefield."

It's like a stack of building blocks. You can use your limited forces to create a brand new unit that is best suited for the current mission, depending on the war zone and the situation, to deal with any enemy's different tactics.

Breaking free from the constraints of traditional regimental-level organization and using flexible combinations of battalions and semi-brigades, I believe this will maximize the tactical effect described in your proposal: "swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as fire, immovable as a mountain."

His sister, Colonel Jadwiga, sat upright beside him, listening attentively and recording every word of each speaker at the meeting on slate.

It's clear that this still somewhat inexperienced leader is diligently learning valuable command experience from these experienced superiors.

[What does "plucked-up brigade" mean in the literal sense?! No, it's a combined arms brigade!]
After listening to Brigadier General Rana's explanation, Horatio couldn't help but silently criticize it in his heart.

But despite his complaints, after repeatedly pondering the plan, he discovered that it contained amazing ingenuity.

That's brilliant! If it really works as Rana said, then the tactical flexibility of this combined arms brigade will reach an unprecedented level.

After all, a fleet does not necessarily consist entirely of warships of the same type, and different warships will inevitably have different numbers and types of landing troops they can carry.

If a stable combat formation cannot be established, but a flexible and coordinated tactical effect is desired, then it is only necessary to establish three standardized battalions with different combat styles, and then combine them accordingly based on the number of battalions available.

As long as these three types of battalions are trained and established in accordance with standardized regulations, then regardless of whether the 112th Medium Armored Mobile Battalion or the 116th Medium Armored Mobile Battalion is merged with the 1st Air Assault Battalion to form a semi-brigade today, as long as the nature of the mission performed by the semi-brigade does not change, theoretically it will not have a significant impact on combat effectiveness.

“I have a question, Brigadier General Rana.” Horatio suddenly remembered something and looked up at the man opposite him. “Please speak, sir.”

"You were able to articulate such a detailed plan so fluently, without even thinking or organizing your thoughts before you began. You must have been conceiving this combination pattern a long time ago, right?"

Brigadier General Rana chuckled and replied frankly, "That's right, High Commander Cochrane. There are no conservatives from Sintira here, so I might as well be frank with you. This is the direction of military reform that we Sintira military reformers have always pursued."

"This is also the unique secret that conservatives try to imitate but can never learn."

They lacked flexible commanders who knew how to adapt, and naively believed that by loosely piecing together some troops, they could exert a power that the previous flintlock regiments could not achieve.

But they were wrong.

Standardized military training, high standards of professionalism, and unified equipment allocation are all indispensable. "Yadwiga continued his brother's words with a sharp critique."

“But that’s not enough.” General Nansuti, who had been silent all along, spoke coldly. “First, you need to solve the problem of manpower. It’s extremely difficult to recruit soldiers from the Sintira homeland now, otherwise we wouldn’t have chosen to recruit troops from a border world like Polaberia.”

"What do you mean, General?" Horatio moved forward, hoping to glean more insights from the veteran general.

"Although Sintila experienced a revolution that broke out from the bottom up among the common people, it achieved a 'republic' on the surface."

However, many of the common people in Sintira were property owners.

Having eaten and drunk their fill and living a carefree life, they had no intention of leaving the bright lights and bustling city of Cintira to fight on an alien planet.

What they want is for others to protect them. They're willing to pay any price for that, except to personally take up arms.

[Hmm, sounds like an old Parisian after the French Revolution.]
"Although some destitute people might be willing to join the army to give it a try, it will probably not be easy to motivate those property-owning civilians."

Because the vast majority of them are cowardly, weak, and irresponsible.

unless……"

A smug and proud smile suddenly appeared on the old general's face: "Unless you can awaken the fire of dedication deep within the hearts of those of noble birth."

Like my Royal Guards, they are all young men from prominent families in the various hives of Sintira.

They were fantastic! You won't find soldiers in Sintira with a greater sense of honor and mission!

The old general proudly stroked his sideburns and said:

"In their hearts, a burning passion for the Empire surges! What they pursue is an ideal and goal far more sublime than pleasure! They are willing to die to seize the enemy's banner and gain unparalleled glory! They are willing to give everything for the great cause of the Divine Emperor, including their hearts!"

General Nansutti's gaze was fixed intently on Horatio's eyes, his eyes seeming to interrogate Horatio's inner thoughts:

"You still want to recruit elite soldiers from the common people? Hah, can you do it? Supreme Commander. Can you awaken in a coward the noble courage to fight for the God-Emperor and humanity?"

The smug old nobleman general thought he would make this arrogant young man back down, but Horatio returned the favor with an incredibly ardent gaze.

"Yes, General, yes!"

"Hmm?" The aged cavalry commander frowned in surprise; he could not see the hypocrisy in the young man's eyes.

“I believe I can do it!” he answered resolutely. “By harnessing the deep-seated desires of people from different classes, and their willingness to pay the price, even shed blood, for it, I can do it.”

(End of this chapter)