The sky was getting darker and darker. Reports were sent to the staff office one by one. Acting Chief of Staff Qi Rui started to do more things after he finished reading the documents. He pinched his chin, rubbed his nose, and pressed on his acupuncture point.
As he became more and more anxious, Qi Rui finally stood up and walked out of the command center. In another one or two hours, the sun would fall below the horizon. The sky above St. Paul's city wall was polluted by the smoke from the battlefield so it was still visible.
The commander didn't say anything and the chief of staff didn't say anything either. The command center could only continue with the original plan. Deputy Chief of Staff Zhu Jiyun couldn't understand why Qi Rui was unhappy. Zhu Jiyun took some time and went to find Political Commissar Hu Dakui. Hu Dakui's mood was obviously much better than when the battle had just started. When he saw Zhu Jiyun coming over, he even smiled.
"Little Zhu, can we finish the attack on the train station today?" Hu Dakui asked about the progress of the battle.
"Political Commissar, the staff office doesn't want to fight at night." Zhu Jiyun was the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the 23rd division. He was familiar with Political Commissar Hu Dakui so he didn't hold back when he spoke.
"It's good to be cautious. In this darkness, the Americans are probably more afraid than we are. "Hu Dakui had no objection to the cautious use of troops.
Seeing the Political Commissar like this, Deputy Chief of Staff Zhu Jiyun was unhappy. He was already 40 years old and he had the chance to become the Chief of Staff. In fact, before the battle, Zhu Jiyun was already told that he was going to be promoted to Senior Colonel. In the end, a little kid in his twenties jumped from Captain to Colonel in just a few years after he arrived in North America. He even became the acting Chief of Staff.
Zhu Jiyun wasn't an idiot. It didn't make sense for the acting Chief of Staff to be a Colonel and the Deputy Chief of Staff to be a Senior Colonel. Zhu Jiyun knew that he didn't get promoted to Senior Colonel because of Qi Rui. Zhu Jiyun wasn't happy with this young acting Chief of Staff and he didn't like him.
Of course, Zhu Jiyun had talked to his old acquaintances in North America. If this battle was completed, both Qi Rui and Zhu Jiyun would be promoted to Senior Colonel. Most of the troops in North America would probably be converted into motorized infantry in the next one or two years. As soon as the new troops started, Zhu Jiyun would immediately become the Chief of Staff of the new troops. He had a bright future ahead of him. Even so, Zhu Jiyun still couldn't accept Qi Rui.
However, it was better to know this in his heart. It would be too stupid to say it out loud. All of his promotions were built on the merit of victory. If he lost this battle, Qi Rui would definitely fall into a bottomless abyss. As the deputy chief of staff, Zhu Jiyun's responsibilities were smaller. Power and duty were proportional. This was the rule in the Liberation Army. Zhu Jiyun had no intention of complaining about this system.
Hu Dakui did not consider Zhu Jiyun's feelings. He had his own thoughts. Seeing that Zhu Jiyun did not say anything, Hu Dakui asked, "Little Zhu, I don't think there's any intention in the battle plan to let the Americans have an easy night. I'm sure there will be a lot of battles. "
"The train station won't let the Americans have it easy either. Our plan is to destroy some of the tracks and engage in some harassment operations. The Americans could forget about having a good night. If they don't make it through the night, we'll have a much easier time. " The troops seized the fortifications built by the Americans to defend the railway station, which were naturally fully used by the Liberation Army. As long as the fortifications were not demolished, even if the Americans hit them with a train, they would not be able to break through the heavy roadblocks. The Liberation Army also had a solid base of departure, which was very convenient to harass.
While Zhu Jiyun and the political commissar were talking, Commander Zheng Minglun walked out and stood next to Qi Rui. Handing Qi Rui a cigarette, Zheng Minglun asked, "Qi Rui, you seem very nervous. What's the problem? "
Qi Rui took the cigarette but did not light it. He sighed slightly. "Commander, the intelligence we've received has summarized the current situation in St. Paul City. There is a clear gap between this current situation and the situation outlined in the intelligence before the war. I feel a little flustered, but I really want to use this intelligence to adjust the battle. I'm worried about gains and losses. "
Zheng Minglun did not comment on this. It was normal for military commanders to hope to achieve greater results at a smaller cost. If Qi Rui was really "immune", Zheng Minglun would only think that Qi Rui was abnormal. So Zheng Minglun asked, "Based on the current intelligence, what conclusion have you drawn?"
"From the current intelligence, the United States Federal Army is trash," Qi Rui said firmly.
"Hehe." Zheng Minglun only laughed dryly at this impactful statement, because Zheng Minglun actually had the same opinion. After laughing dryly, Zheng Minglun asked, "Why do you think so?"
"There are a lot of United States Federal Army personnel among the captives. These people mentioned their logistical supplies. A regular army with potatoes as one of their main rations has no combat power. "Qi Rui's train of thought seemed a little strange.
Putting away his smile, Zheng Minglun said seriously, "It's not strange that potatoes are easy to preserve. When I first joined the army, the food wasn't that good either. "
"Commander, I don't think the food is good and has anything to do with combat power." Qi Rui's expression had been gloomy. Hearing that Zheng Minglun did not support his opinion, his voice regained a lot of vigor. "When the Liberation Army was first established, what was the state of China's food supply? I heard from my parents that at that time, those who could eat white rice every day were very rich in Guangdong and Jiangnan. In our army, we let them eat grains because it's good for nutrition and health. Grains and grains are balanced and nutritious. Since the army bears a heavy responsibility, although the salary is not high, the social status is high, and the food treatment is much better than that of ordinary people. Our army also carries out all kinds of night combat training, requiring everyone to continue fighting by digging wild vegetables. That's not to abuse everyone, but to adapt to the war. "
Zheng Minglun's expression was calm as he slowly smoked and listened to Qi Rui's opinion. After Qi Rui analyzed the treatment of the Liberation Army at the beginning, he asked, "Then what does it mean for the US Army to eat potatoes?"
"It means that the US Army is not respected. Their social status is very low. " Qi Rui answered cleanly, "In the United States, their main force is the National Guard, the militia. Not the federal army under the federal government. In the federal army, the only thing that is valued is probably the navy, which the federal government has invested a lot of money in. Their army's status is actually not high. It's not that I didn't read the information in the past, but I can't get rid of the mentality of equating the regular army with the Liberation Army. So my judgment of them is relatively inaccurate. "
"Then what are you going to do?" Zheng Minglun still did not express his opinion.
"If I'm not wrong, the US Army lacks the initiative of the Liberation Army, and in reality, there is no opportunity for them to take the initiative. As long as they don't get the full support of the local government, no matter how well equipped this army is, their actions will be greatly restricted. Originally, our main goal was to attack the US Army with all our strength. I think in the city battle, we need to adjust our thinking, monitor the federal army, and attack the local government of the United States with all our strength. We have been fighting in the United States for the past few months, and the biggest damage to us is actually the local power. " Qi Rui said his new idea in one breath. After he finished speaking, he could not help but frown.
Zheng Minglun looked at Qi Rui's expression and could completely understand the young man's dilemma. Seeing that things were different from what one had imagined, self-denial often took a long time. Not to mention, it was a big deal to have a new understanding of the US Army. Even if the US Army's status was not high, they were still a huge armed force with millions of people. In terms of equipment alone, the equipment of this army was not much worse than China's.
"After the battle plan is set, we can't change it randomly. We have to test it out first. If the US Army doesn't take the initiative, how do you think we should launch some more influential attacks against their weakness? "Zheng Minglun put forward his opinion.
Qi Rui did not expect to get Zheng Minglun's support, and he felt a sense of relief. "Commander, we might as well target a few key points that have little impact on the actual battle, but are very symbolic. For example, the Minnesota State Legislature, the Minnesota State Government Office Building, and the City Council and City Government Office Building in St. Paul. From the map, although these places are in the city center, they are not strategically important. If there is no good cooperation between the US Army and the US militia, the security of these places will not be very tight. Once we take them down, the US Army and the local government will fall into a state of wrangling. Once they are wrangling, we can use their wrangling to break them one by one. "
Zheng Minglun listened to this suggestion and could not help but frown. He actually did not have any concept of this. In the system of the Min dynasty, the party, the government, and the military were almost a trinity. Although there was no relationship between the military and the government, when needed, both sides had to cooperate closely under the leadership of the Restoration Party. If there was a foreign invasion, there would be a situation where the cooperation between the two sides was not smooth, but there would definitely be no wrangling based on opposing sides. Zheng Minglun was very familiar with how to cooperate with the local government, and the basis of Qi Rui's suggestion was a little hard for Zheng Minglun to understand.
But since he had decided to support Qi Rui, Zheng Minglun did not ask too much about it. He simply asked, "How many troops do you think we need to mobilize? Do you have a battle plan? "
"From the map, about two or three battalions are needed. We don't have a battle plan yet, so we can only let the troops fight on their own. " Qi Rui also answered very straightforwardly. If there was no plan, then there was no plan. If he really made up a plan, then it was not a problem of ability, but a basic moral problem.
"Okay, go back and see the latest situation. That's what we'll do. "Zheng Minglun threw the cigarette butt and led the way into the headquarters.
So the political commissar, the commander, the acting chief of staff, and the deputy chief of staff returned to the headquarters at the same time. Zheng Minglun immediately proposed a new battle order. Hearing that they wanted to take down such a representative place, the political commissar was also very supportive. Deputy chief of staff Zhu Jiyun could not find any objections. Soon, the troops belonging to Company Commander Shi Qian and Company Commander Wei Jianjun received orders from their superiors because of their outstanding performance during the day. "Launch the attack in the evening."
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