Australian Storm 1876

   Chapter 1056 Expedition

   After the official declaration of war

  The economy of the Ocean Empire was transformed into a wartime system. Ordinary people did not feel much. The war that spread across Europe, Asia and Africa did not affect Australia and overseas states. The streets were still bustling and lively, but there were more soldiers in military uniforms.

  The first war mobilization is mainly reflected in the expansion of the conscription training plan, which will be expanded from 1 million to 1.85 million troops, and the recruitment of new recruits will be implemented on a quarterly basis.

Excluding the early recruitment of 300,000 recruits in June, another 300,000 and 250,000 will be recruited in September and December, scattered in dozens of training bases in the empire, and will undergo rigorous military training for up to 6 months, thus completing the first war mobilization plan.

   Follow this mobilization plan

   The expeditionary forces that arrived in Europe after the mobilization of the first war will land in France in batches after the first quarter of 2017 and join the battle sequence against the German army.

   The main Allied countries of Britain, France and Russia were obviously dissatisfied with this speed of mobilization and hoped to double or even triple it on this basis. They needed stronger support.

   "Don't pay attention to them, and arm the soldiers according to our established steps. In this regard, the empire adopts the strategy of elite soldiers, not the number of people." Li Fushou and the recruited Marshal Li Shuanzhu are discussing the matter of participating in the war.

He turned over some letters on the imperial case, picked out a few and pushed them forward, saying, "Look, these are all requests for you to command the campaign, including the French General Xavier, the Italians and the Russians. ."

"Forget about the Italians and the Russians, I can't command their troops. If I don't solve the logistics and fighting will, I guess it's useless if the immortals come. Don't look at the brutality of the battle on the Western Front, but the problem is simpler." Marshal Li Shuanzhu said. After saying "forgiveness", he took over these letters and read them, and said after a little thought;

   "Holy Lord, if the Imperial Expeditionary Force wants to achieve glory, prestige, and dazzling records, the army must be under unified command and have independent decision-making power over certain battle directions.

  Whether it is invested in Verdun or the Somme region, even if you cannot dominate the entire campaign, it is especially important to get the real decision-making power over part of the combat direction.

  Military spirit, morale, and fighting spirit, these invisible and intangible things, often play an important role in the most difficult times of confrontation, affecting the victory or defeat of the battle.

  The World War has been going on for three years now. The British, French, German and other armies on the European battlefield can be said to be tired and dragged on, and all those who can survive are old fritters.

  The battle experience is rich, but the edges and corners are worn away by the brutal gunfire and smoke, and there is less of a spirit.

  We form an independent army, instead of being scattered and assigned to the main forces of the British and French Allied forces like pepper, this is the key to the success of the Imperial Expeditionary Force.

in this regard

  We respectfully invite the Holy Master to insist on fighting independently and forming an independent army, instead of dismantling our expeditionary army, which will be lost to the public! "

   "Yes." Li Fushou nodded and agreed without hesitation.

  The general direction of the policy is determined by the heads of countries. For example, the British and French allied forces fought against the Germans on the western front, and the Russians led Serbia, Romania, Greece and other countries on the eastern front to fight against the combined forces of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

The    Verdun Front was mainly French manpower against the German attack, assisted by the British Expeditionary Force.

The    Somme Front was dominated by the 3rd and 4th armies of the British Expeditionary Force, and the French 6th Army assisted in the attack.

   The Ocean Empire Expeditionary Force went to Europe to participate in the war. It must have an accurate positioning and independently carry out the battle in one direction. This requires the heads of the Allied countries to agree in advance.

   "So, do you intend to put the expeditionary force on the Western Front?"

"Yes, both the eastern and western fronts of Europe are plain battlefields, and there is no difference in essence. However, the imperial army is highly mechanized and armored, and requires stronger logistical support to be able to exert its full combat effectiveness. This is almost impossible to achieve on the Eastern Front."

   "That makes sense, then Somme or Verdun, which one do you choose?"

   "When the Imperial Expeditionary Force goes to battle, it is necessary to fight the toughest battles to show the might of our imperial army. Weichen is inclined to the Battle of the Somme. From here, we will be the first to break the deadlock, which will be able to shock the audience."

   "Well, the Somme is called "the battlefield of hell", this hard bone is not easy to chew!"

"Reporting to the Lord, the Imperial Army has made perfect preparations for this, developed trench vehicles, armored transport vehicles, the Army Air Corps is equipped with the latest bombers, light mortars are equipped with infantry platoons, and the German Somme Front Even if it is made of steel, we have the confidence to smash him into pieces."

   "Well said, the Empire will respond positively to the request of the Allied forces in the near future to fully reflect the demands of the military, so you can rest assured." Li Fushou said slowly.

   Decades

  The expansion of the imperial army is invincible, forging a royal army with a strong sense of honor. The morale of the troops is high and the military heart is available.

The    campaign in Europe is the most important appearance of the imperial army on the world stage. It is not only a military war, but also a political war, an economic war and a propaganda war. It is an important battle to establish the image of the empire.

  Because of this, Li Fushou attached great importance to it.

  There are two marshals in the Imperial Army system, Li Shuanzhu and Mo Rufeng, and only one is needed to send them to the European battlefield.

   In the "Wool War", due to the burning of Salt Lake City, Duke Li Zhuzhu, who won the prestigious "Devil Marshal", became very famous in Europe and became the coach who was invited by all the Allies in the Entente.

   The battle in which Marshal Mo Rufeng took the limelight was still during the Australian Civil War in 1890. Since then, there has been no outstanding record, and the halo behind him seems to be much bleaker.

   After consulting Marshal Mo Rufeng, who is based in North America, Li Fushou finally decided that at the request of the allies, the Royal Army selected Marshal Li Shuanzhu to fight and command the expedition to Europe.

  The Royal Navy formed a squadron from the Atlantic Fleet in the Azores to be responsible for the **** of the Atlantic route. This fleet was named the Azores Fleet, and the young Vice Admiral He Jiaben served as the fleet commander.

  Due to the absolute superiority of the naval forces of the Allies, the Azores fleet is a mixed fleet mainly composed of new aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers, equipped with two battleships, mainly responsible for the route between the east coast of North America and the Azores.

   Continue eastward from the Azores to the European coast, contracted by the British, French and Italian navies, each responsible for the established maritime patrol and **** tasks.

   Relatively speaking, the Royal Navy's combat tasks and pressures are not large, and it is a standard supporting role.

Naval air forces attacking the Azores, Wallis and Futuna Islands, St. Helena and Hampton Airport on the east coast of the United States can basically cover 90% of the Atlantic routes and implement non-stop air patrols. .

   This greatly shared the pressure of daily patrol tasks of the Ashur Fleet, and the new "Dinghai" aircraft carrier incorporated into the Fleet could have the opportunity to perform power-up training and gradually improve its combat effectiveness in low-intensity naval battles.

   discussed for a while

   Li Fushou asked, "In the middle and late October, the first batch of expeditionary troops to go to Europe to fight in the war will land in the UK.

   There are still more than three months before the end of the year. At that time, the formation of the first expedition army will be completed, and it will soon go to the battlefield on the western front of France.

Marshal    will also go to Europe to preside over the overall situation in the near future. Do you have any other requirements before leaving? "

"We have nothing else to ask for, but only hope to fully guarantee the supply of ammunition and fuel to the front line. Our army has a high degree of armor mechanization, strong striking power, and its mobility and combat capability all depend on its strong material supply capability, which restricts our army's combat effectiveness. decisive factor.”

   Marshal Li Shuanzhu’s worries are not unreasonable. The biggest problem in multinational joint operations is logistical confusion, robbing friendly forces of tanks, artillery, fuel and ammunition supplies. This has happened many times in the British and French coalition forces on the Western Front, and it has been repeatedly banned.

   On the Eastern Front, it was even more chaotic. From food, clothing to weapons and ammunition, the Tsarist Russian army robbed almost everything. The Romanian, Serbian and Greek troops who fought together were complaining, but there was nothing they could do.

   "You said this batch of supplies was yours, but Lao Tzu said it was ours. What nonsense, it's mine in my hands..."

   "I don't care whose material it is? Brothers who are born and die on the front line can't even drink hot soup. I will borrow yours first."

   "It's all beating Germans, what's yours and mine... Don't be so clear about it."

  There are countless unreasonable claims, and the lawsuit was brought to the headquarters of the Allied Forces.

  For these soldiers with their heads hanging on their belts, strong pressure is absolutely not enough. The Russian army on the Eastern Front has had more than one collective mutiny, and even pointed guns at their own people.

   Can you say that this is not a big problem?

  Li Fushou thought about it for a while, and said in a cautious tone; "This matter needs to be coordinated with the allies, try to arrange a separate logistics port for us in southwestern France, and a special train for the transportation of arms and materials, I believe it will be resolved.

  The chess is in the middle game, and the winner will be decided soon.

  As the commander of the army, you must have determination and properly resolve the conflicts of all parties, as I said;

The appearance of the   Imperial Expeditionary Force on the central stage of Europe this time will surely go down in history forever, and its significance is extraordinary.

   Marshal Shuanzhu, do not disappoint me. "

   hear here

Marshal Li Shuanzhu could no longer sit down, so he stood up and replied solemnly; "The Royal Army will live up to the great trust of the Holy One, and the power of the country will be beyond the waves of thousands of miles. Shuanzhu is not talented, and he has been deeply gracious to the country in this life, and he does not dare to be humiliated. The mission, this time to Europe is to add glory to the Holy One and show the glory of the empire.”

   "If you have such confidence, I will be relieved. I wish the general every success in his battles, and he will soon lead his army back home."

   "Wei Chen, on behalf of the million soldiers of the Royal Army, thank you for the grace."

   "Hahaha...Okay, I'm waiting for you to return with honor. The ruler and ministers toast together to congratulate." Li Fushou laughed, full of confidence in the victory.

   (end of this chapter)