boyutpedia Chapter 272 Southern and Northern Expeditions
Chapter 272 Southern and Northern Expeditions
Because the Northern Theater Command and the Qianyun Base will be fighting together, and given the numerous major battles launched by several bases in the Northern and Eastern Theater Commands over the past year, the number of zombies in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has dwindled, making the fighting relatively easier. General Sun Tianlong optimistically told Li Chenglong yesterday that the two bases, cooperating with the Northern Theater Command forces, should at least recapture Tianjin and most of Hebei Province. Once these areas are taken, the recapture of Yanjing (Beijing) will be within reach.
Yunlan and Wu Gang's 1st Dawn Division, two rocket battalions, five space fighters, and a portion of information support and equipment logistics units are expected to rendezvous with the Qianyun Base forces tonight, commencing operations in the Tianjin area tomorrow. Li Chenglong, meanwhile, will lead the 2nd Division and other units, cooperating with the Feiyun and Qingshui Bases, primarily targeting the zombies in Shanghai and southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Once the zombies in these areas are eliminated, the mission will be essentially complete.
Currently, the main gathering places for Chinese zombies are Fujian Province, Guangxi Province, Guangdong Province, Yunnan Province, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, southern Hunan Province, and southern Jiangxi Province, plus southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces and northern Northeast China. Other areas without zombies along the Chinese border, such as northern Inner Mongolia, western Xinjiang, and southwestern Tibet, are also heavily infested with zombies.
Based on previous research by the China Apocalypse Countermeasures Committee and the Headquarters Military Committee, the total number of zombies in China is estimated to be no less than 400 million. However, the previous census showed that China's total population was less than 70 million, of which less than 3 million were actually capable of fighting.
Faced with such a huge numerical disparity, headquarters proposed a strategy of gradual encroachment, focused strikes, joint operations, and mobile warfare. Gradual encroachment meant developing itself while slowly eroding the area occupied by the zombies; this was the strategy Li Chenglong employed when he took over Linhai City.
The key strike targets important cities occupied by zombies, requiring focused attacks. This often involves multiple bases or even several theater commands working together to recapture militarily or economically vital cities. For example, the recent recapture of Tianjin in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region required the combined efforts of the Northern and Eastern Theater Commands. The Northern Theater Command feigned an attack on Beijing to draw the zombies' attention, while the Eastern Theater Command seized the opportunity to attack Tianjin.
The meanings of joint operations and mobile operations are self-evident. Joint operations involve cooperating with other bases to fight together. Mobile operations, on the other hand, advocate against direct confrontation, because simply engaging in positional warfare, defensive warfare, or siege warfare is certainly insufficient for China's current army of less than three million. Therefore, troops must move around and seek opportunities to annihilate the enemy in motion.
This battle is expected to last 20 days. Li Chenglong doesn't need to worry about the fighting in the north anymore. With the participation of two war zones and the command of the veteran general Sun Tianlong, there shouldn't be any problems. As for Yunlan, with her being a level 10 Awakened and the strongest of the three combat divisions of the Dawn Army, the 1st Division, their overall combat strength is quite formidable.
After a day's journey, Li Chenglong's troops arrived at the Feiyun Base in Suzhou and Hangzhou Province that evening. Xu Limin and Wei Jing, the highest-ranking officers at the Feiyun Base, personally went out of the city to welcome Li Chenglong. Xu Qingming, Wei Huasheng, Xu Fumin, and others also came to accompany him. After the Dawn Army troops were settled, Li Chenglong first held a short meeting with Xu Qingming and others to confirm tomorrow's operations before attending a welcoming banquet with his division-level and deputy division-level officers.
In this blitzkrieg, the Feiyun Base will dispatch an army unit, led by Xu Qingming and Wei Huasheng, to attack Shanghai Stock Exchange alongside the Dawn Army. Meanwhile, the Qingshui Base, located at the border of Shanghai Stock Exchange and Jiangsu-Zhejiang Province, will also launch a simultaneous attack. With this two-pronged attack, the goal is to completely wipe out Shanghai Stock Exchange within a week. Once Shanghai Stock Exchange is cleared, the Qingshui Base will officially move in.
General Chen Guoqiang had previously proposed that, in order to boost the morale of the entire Chinese military and civilians in their fight against the apocalypse, the headquarters of the Anxi base should be moved back to Yanjing after the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is cleared out. He also suggested that the troops in various war zones move their bases to some important military towns or metropolises after they have occupied them, so as to facilitate future development.
Li Chenglong strongly supported the decision because the apocalypse broke out very suddenly and with overwhelming force from the start. Major cities were almost completely overwhelmed by the zombie army within a week. Therefore, many bases were built in mountainous or remote areas. Bases like the Anxi base, which were built in major cities, were only established after several major battles that resulted in significant losses.
If these bases continue to be located in mountainous or remote areas, although they are relatively safe, they lack basic infrastructure and cannot effectively carry out subsequent living and production activities. Timely relocation would also be beneficial for future combat operations against zombies.
After the welcoming banquet, Li Chenglong, along with his key military officers, held a long discussion with Xu Limin and others, and also signed a new trade contract. The Feiyun base was later relocated to a location at the border of Huai'an and Yangzhou cities, a place rich in natural resources and more suitable for their development.
Feiyun Base leverages its advantages to undertake the manufacturing of many primary and intermediate parts for Dawn City, resulting in very frequent trade between them. Except for special periods, convoys transporting various goods travel back and forth every day.
Back at the division headquarters, it was quite late. Li Chenglong told everyone to get some rest, and then he boarded the large all-terrain tactical command vehicle. To better communicate with Shuguang City and transmit communications from various units in real time, Li Chenglong had brought in two members from the Central Computer Office: Lü Xin and He Siyu.
Seeing that they were still adjusting the communication equipment in the command vehicle, Li Chenglong told them to get some rest. He then contacted Yunlan through the Crystal Network. Yunlan informed him that she and Zheng Yong's 1st Division had successfully rendezvoused with the troops at Qianyun Base and would begin their operation by noon tomorrow at the latest.
After finishing their main discussion, the two chatted for a while longer before ending the communication. Li Chenglong was confident about this operation. Firstly, his side's strength had increased significantly compared to when they marched south. He had not only reached level 10, but the number of level 9 ability users among his officers had also increased. Furthermore, the number of crystal beam cannons had increased, and the air force could now participate in combat. He believed that strength was essential for success, and with his own power, he had nothing to fear.
Secondly, there were indeed problems within the zombie ranks, which would definitely be a significant blow to their command system. Although their numbers were much greater than those of the human army, Li Chenglong believed that with the Dawn Army and the Flying Cloud Base troops united and fighting together, their chances of winning were still very high.
Although Li Chenglong and Feng Tian advanced with the army during this operation, they both told Zheng Aiguo that they would only formulate a general strategic plan, and the specific arrangements and tactics would depend on the command capabilities of their 2nd Division. This was also a test for them; only outstanding officers would be promoted, while those who performed poorly would remain stagnant or even be demoted.
This is also a form of incentive. Li Chenglong previously discovered that some people, once they became officers or officials in Dawn City, became complacent and listless, which was highly undesirable for Dawn City and the Dawn Army, who were struggling to survive in the apocalypse. From now on, there will be monthly assessments to see what contributions they have made and what shortcomings they have.