Tachino knew that the Fourth Army had more than a dozen divisions, and if they were all deployed, they would certainly have a numerical advantage.
Although he had said that the Yan Kingdom had hundreds of thousands of troops when he escaped from the Macedonian military factory, that was just a lie. If he hadn't described the Yan Kingdom's troop strength as even greater, how could these people have chosen to evacuate with him under pressure?
According to Tachino, after the battle with the reinforcements from Brulo Port, the Yan Kingdom forces attacked the Macedonian military factory. Although they won both battles, their casualties were certainly not small.
If a force has a significant advantage in manpower, it can more or less make up for the difference in weaponry. However, the premise is that the forces must be concentrated for combat. If the entire army group cannot be mobilized and instead is divided into multiple forces to fight against the Yan people, then they will definitely suffer a crushing defeat.
Considering that they had only sent three divisions to provide support, Tachino felt extremely frustrated. Even if the Macedonian munitions factory had not fallen and had held out until these three divisions arrived, it seemed to have little effect. Was General Brewster too careless? Or were the other divisions in the army group not all currently in Heinrichburg?
But regardless, the immediate priority was to get to Heinrichburg as quickly as possible, so he added:
"We can't go any further. The military factory fell on the night of the 3rd. The Yan people set it on fire, and everything was probably burned to the ground. The Yan army might be on their way now."
Maud nodded helplessly: "Yes, sir."
He looked at the large group of dejected soldiers behind Tachino, his brow furrowing slightly, and said, "Sir, you only have..."
Before he could finish speaking, Tachino sighed, "The Yan people launched a fierce attack. They braved our artillery fire and rushed to the bunker to plant explosives. After the bunker collapsed, we could no longer hold it."
"The military factory had more than 90,000 people, most of whom died at the hands of the Yan people. However, it was precisely because of their resistance that I was able to evacuate with the 19,000 people you see now."
"However, this is only a tactical retreat. Once I bring these men and rejoin the Fourth Army, we will take back what we have lost!"
“And those damned Yan people will definitely pay the price for this!” Tachino said viciously.
Maud's expression was grave, but he still said, "We will achieve final victory."
Then he changed the subject: "Sir, as you said, the military factory has now been captured by the Yan people, and they may be on their way. I wonder if you have set up roadblocks to intercept them? Or cut off the roads to prevent them from advancing further?"
Upon hearing this, Tacino's expression changed, and he immediately said coldly, "Is this all the troops we have? How can we possibly intercept them?"
"If we could intercept them, why would we need to withdraw from the military factory?!"
Maud sensed the anger in Tachino's words and quickly said, "Sir, that's not what I meant. It's just that once the Yan people spread out, the surrounding towns centered around the military factory will all fall victim to their cruelty, and those civilians..."
Before he could finish speaking, Tacino interrupted him coldly, saying, "With our current troop strength, we can't do anything. The retreat was too hasty; we didn't even have time to bring out heavy weapons. Setting up roadblocks is tantamount to sending these soldiers to their deaths."
"What's the point of pointless sacrifices? What we should do is preserve our strength and annihilate the Yan people in the next battle!"
“But…” Maud looked worried.
“I don’t need you to teach me! I’ve already led these soldiers to fight the Yan people with all my might! If the military base had sent reinforcements sooner, the military factory wouldn’t have fallen!” Tachino said coldly.
“This…the journey is too far, there’s nothing we can do…” Mord was about to explain when Tacino interrupted again, “Then what’s the problem? If you can’t do it, what can I do?!”
"We can't possibly have our small force both intercepting the Yan people and defending those towns, can we?"
"What we need to do now is to quickly organize our forces and defeat the Yan Kingdom as soon as possible, so that we can reclaim those occupied territories!"
Hearing this, Maud felt a surge of anger and muttered:
"Okay, I understand."
"Sir, do you have specific information about the strength and composition of the Yan Kingdom's troops?"
Upon hearing this, Tachino rolled his eyes. The battle that night was exceptionally fierce; there was no time to even escape, let alone assess the strength of the Yan Kingdom's forces.
But he couldn't answer that directly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't know the exact number, but they have at least 100,000 troops, mainly cavalry. In addition, they possess many cannons, at least three or four hundred. The range and power of those cannonballs..."
Hearing this, Maud sighed inwardly. This was as good as saying nothing, and might even be wrong information.
He interrupted, "Sir, I've already heard General Harris explain the Yan Army's weapons in detail."
Could you provide some more precise information?
Tachino was taken aback, but after thinking for a moment, he realized that there really wasn't much detailed information to share. So he shrugged and said, "We're trapped in the military factory by the Yan people and can't even get out. How could we possibly know anything about them?"
Maud gave Tachino a deep look and said:
"Alright, sir, I will bring back the news of the military factory's fall as soon as possible."
Having said that, Mord said no more and prepared to leave with his messengers.
Seeing that he was leaving immediately, Tachino's heart tightened and he hurriedly called out, "Wait a minute!"
"What is it, sir? We need to bring back the message as soon as possible; we can't afford to waste time," Modra said, stopping his horse and turning his head.
Tacino asked:
"Where are your troops now? Who is their commander?"
Maud was taken aback, but still said, "The commander-in-chief is Lieutenant General Carter, but I don't know where the army is now, because I set off first. However, if we don't encounter bad weather, the army can travel forty kilometers a day. If we follow the original plan, we should arrive at the military factory around the 12th."
Tachino nodded: "Today is the 7th, so there are only four or five days left of the journey."
Maud hummed in agreement, not understanding why he would say that. After all, the military factory had already fallen, and coming here now would be of no use, so the plan would definitely have to be changed.
Tacino then stammered, "Since it's only a few days' journey, I think you could pass on a message for me when you go back to report."
"What did you say?" Maud asked, puzzled.
Tachino glanced back at the soldiers, then turned to Mord and said, "Come and meet us."
"The enemy might catch up, and if they do, we'll be in trouble."
"Yes, sir, I will pass on your message." Morde replied, his face grim as he led the messengers away on horseback.
·
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
