In the meeting room, Tang Mo looked at Nangong Hong, Luff, and Redman and Tagg who had already returned from the front line. The intelligence department was also ordered to attend this meeting; the bartender and Li’ao sat at the conference table, looking at Tang Mo at the lead position.
These important ministers were his confidants and also the heroes who had helped win the war against Qi Country. However, they were not sitting here to discuss rewards; instead, they were discussing how to conquer Chu Country.
"Oil is a very important production resource, so capturing the oil wells of Chu Country is our next expansion plan," Tang Mo began, stating the topic of this meeting.
"But the problem we need to solve now is that the Dahua Empire has become very wary of us, Zhao Kai’s patience is limited, and if we continue to risk attacking Chu Country, it’s very likely we will face enemies on both fronts, getting stuck in a protracted two-front struggle," he concluded and walked to the front of the map, pointing his finger at the long western border.
That part of the border was once shared by Zheng Country and the Dahua Empire, and another part by Qi Country and the Dahua Empire.
Now, these borders all belong to Tang Country and the Dahua Empire. If a war were to break out, all these places could potentially become battlefields.
"It’s not realistic to build a defensive line; for such a long national boundary, if it all becomes a fortified area, the expenditure would truly be astonishing," Tang Mo rejected Luff’s suggestion: "Hence, the Staff Department suggests that building a defensive line of thousands of kilometers in length is utterly impractical."
Tang Mo had no intention of becoming like France; the Maginot Line was so solid, so impregnable, yet in the end, wasn’t it just an artefact?
The best defense is to attack; Tang Mo would rather expand by five more Armored Divisions and fight it out with the Dahua Empire than play turtle in its shell.
"Concrete has always been a strategic material, and it is still in short supply. Dozens of cities are under construction, and the population is continuously growing; if the housing supply is inadequate, it will affect the development of our Great Tang’s civil welfare," Roger, as Prime Minister, voiced his opinion from the perspective of civil welfare.
Concrete and steel reinforcement are hugely in demand for construction; diverting them to build defensive lines would definitely affect the economic development of the country.
Tang Mo didn’t want to pay a significant price to build a long and ultimately useless defensive line in the west, so he did not agree with Chief of Staff Luff’s defensive line plan.
"The Dahua Empire can’t keep tolerating us, so if we rashly start a war, Zhao Kai will definitely declare war on us this time," Nangong Hong, as an expert, spoke his mind.
He was of Chinese descent and very familiar with Dahua Empire’s behavioral logic. If Tang Country continued to provoke the dignity of the Dahua Empire, then the Dahua Empire would certainly seek a reckoning.
"Even without building a defensive line, relying on the flexible defense of the troops in the field, using air force reconnaissance to provide intelligence, and counterattacking in the areas where the enemy forces attack, we can actually hold the line," Redman, who had recently been studying the use of Armored Corps, had already enlightened himself with many insights.
His tactics had become very similar to the defensive theories in World War II, roughly standard for Armored Corps to act as firefighters on the battlefield, plugging the gaps.
The German Army had been using this tactic throughout the latter part of World War II, especially when the situation on the Eastern Front was crumbling; if used well, it was possible to fight while retreating and endure for a year or half a year.
"This approach is too risky; if we also struggle in the ravines of Chu Country, it’s equivalent to miring ourselves in the quagmire of war," Tagg shook his head and said, "We should think of a more secure method."
"Indeed, such a gambit is too unsuitable for us; if anything goes wrong, the entire situation could collapse," Roger nodded his head, agreeing with Tagg’s opinion.
"We can’t build a defensive line on the western front; it’s too long," Roger as Prime Minister emphasized again, not having enough surplus concrete to waste on such an extensive border defensive line.
Tang Mo was also deeply worried about the current situation: he indeed needed the oil from Chu Country, but how to get it... needed careful consideration.
The dilemma lay before them; if they did not solve it, they would never be able to find a solution to their oil shortage issue.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
The meeting room was very quiet, as everyone attending the meeting was thinking, trying to figure out a way to avoid a two-front war and make the situation more favorable for Tang Country.
But after much contemplation, no one had a good solution. So everyone was silent, quietly looking at the somewhat disorganized maps and documents.
Tang Mo stood in front of the map, suddenly had a revelation as he looked at the upside-down map. An idea flashed in his mind: if he reversed the current plan, it seemed to be more feasible!
He quickly stepped up to the map and organized his thoughts once again. Then next second, he chuckled, and his laughter sent a shiver down the spine of his confidants in attendance.
"Hahaha! Hahaha! Good! Good! This way seems not bad at all! Not bad!" Tang Mo held the map upside down as if he had discovered a whole new continent.
The people around him did not understand what had happened to Tang Mo. They looked at each other, not knowing how to advise Tang Mo to remain calm.
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Fortunately, without any urging from them, Tang Mo reined in his smile and then proposed his revised plan: "If we just reverse our attack and defense directions, wouldn’t that work?"
"Your Majesty, what do you mean?" Luff was somewhat confused and asked Tang Mo with a furrowed brow.
Tang Mo explained with a smile: "If we deploy our troops defensively in the direction of the Dahua Empire, the long battlefront will inevitably lead to weaknesses here and there."
As he spoke, he gestured on the huge map hanging on the wall of the conference room: "So we can set up a defensive line in the southern part of the Kingdom, blocking Chu Country from advancing north to attack us. Wouldn’t that work?"
"This?... Your, Your Majesty!" Several people looked at each other, feeling that Tang Mo’s proposed plan was a bit too crazy.
"Defensive fortifications may not be able to stop Dahua’s troops, but blocking Chu Country’s troops would be easy! They don’t have that many forces; it’s impossible for them to counterattack!" Tang Mo, clenching his fist, pointed out the advantages of this change.
"But, Your Majesty, aren’t we after Chu Country’s oil fields?" Tagg spoke up, puzzled: "Deploying a defensive line in the direction of Chu Country, and then attacking it, wouldn’t that be even more wasteful?"
"No! His Majesty means... attack the Dahua Empire first!" Nangong Hong, as the strategist, was the first to catch on. His eyes widened; although he guessed Tang Mo’s idea, he still found it hard to believe that Tang Mo had such audacity.
"Attack Dahua Empire? The oil fields? Hiss..." Luff also came around and drew a sharp breath.
"Your Majesty, do you mean... we are going to seize the eastern oil fields of the Dahua Empire?" Li’ao, who was in charge of intelligence, of course knew that the Dahua Empire had oil fields in the east, and that they were not small in reserve.
"Exactly! What we want is the oil fields, not Chu Country! As long as we can take over the eastern oil fields of Dahua, the effect is the same!" Tang Mo nodded, very satisfied that his subordinates could keep up with his line of thought.
The Great Tang Kingdom needed oil, so having a new oil field in hand would suffice; it didn’t necessarily have to be Chu Country’s oil field.
Whose oil isn’t oil? As long as it provides a stable supply of oil, Dahua’s oil fields are just as good as Chu Country’s.
After Tang Mo realized certain issues, he said with a light-hearted laugh: "Of course, we don’t really need to build a genuine defensive line at the border with Chu Country! Because with Chu Country’s elite forces, if they dare to come out to the plains to battle us, their losses would be tremendous."
For him, Chu Country was but a second-rate player. The timid King of Chu, even if he knew that Tang Army’s defensive line was a bluff, would not dare to act rashly.
Therefore, Tang Mo became more excited as he talked: "We just need to invest some budget into creating fake fortifications and laying nonexistent mines. Whether or not Chu Country dares to attack is a question mark."
"Using sham projects to deceive Dahua might not work, but it’s more than enough to fool Chu Country..." He drew a line on the border, which was less than a third of the length of the original plan.
After drawing this line, Tang Mo continued to gesture on the map: "By doing this, we can concentrate our superior forces and decide the outcome with Dahua! As long as we defeat the Dahua Empire, we can gain an advantage in one fell swoop."
"With the support from the eastern oil fields, we won’t fear a war of attrition! As long as the war drags on, Dahua will be the first to falter!" He was confident in winning the upcoming war with the backing of the eastern oil fields.
"Staff Department! Based on this idea, draft a more detailed and viable plan for me! I need a plan that can be put into action right away, with each element being as rational as possible!" Tang Mo looked towards Luff.
Luff stood at attention and saluted: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
"The intelligence department also needs to take action. Collect as much intelligence on the Dahua Empire as possible! Maps, customs, population, military numbers, weapons and equipment, generals’ preferences... all of this, we need to get our hands on as quickly as possible!" Tang Mo turned to the butler and Li’ao.
"By your command, Your Majesty!" Both men also rose to their feet and bowed in response.
"Roger! Nangong Hong! You may select some personnel to serve as civil officers, to take control of the eastern oil fields and nearby cities later on." Tang Mo then looked towards the other two men.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Both men also stood up and replied.
"Redman! Tagg! Ibrahim! Get ready! ... Within two years, we will have to decide the outcome with Dahua." Tang Mo spoke with boundless confidence.
"Your subjects are willing to lead the way for Your Majesty!" The three generals stood at attention and saluted, answering in unison. They knew that the opportunity for new achievements was now laid before them.
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