Once the situation had stabilized, Elena reached behind her and took down a huge map.
The map was laid flat on the table, its lines crisscrossing, with black lines marking Ai Zijun's marching movements.
"Look at this, Ai Zijun has 100,000 men concentrated on such flat terrain. The elite cavalry is the main force in the middle. Although we won't lose in a head-on confrontation, the casualties will definitely be huge."
Upon hearing this, everyone stepped forward, with several generals standing at the very front, heads bowed, carefully examining the map.
After a while, a general suddenly spoke up: "The formation is so sharp. As long as we avoid these cavalry and then use our cavalry to charge their flanks, we will surely achieve a great victory!"
Elena nodded slightly: "This method can indeed win. I had thought of it before, but it would inevitably result in huge casualties. Don't forget, although their cavalry only number 10,000, their fighting strength is extremely formidable. You have fought against them before, so you should know that."
Another general stepped forward and drew a huge circle on the map.
“General Elena, look, the Far East is such a vast area, and Ai Zijun’s Northeast Army only has 100,000 men. We can divide them up neatly, making it difficult for him to find a target to attack, stretching out our battle lines, and gradually nibbling away at Kurokawa.”
Upon hearing this, Elena sighed and slowly shook her head: "Our previous plan was indeed like this, but those Japanese devils are really useless. They were almost wiped out by Chen Zhennan's three thousand men. Now that Chen Zhennan has come to the Far East, we must take Kurokawa before he mobilizes more troops."
Another idea was rejected, and the remaining people all looked troubled.
Just then, Sergei Vasilyevich Romanov slowly stepped forward.
"In this light, the best course of action now is to disperse. Although our numbers are insufficient to surround Ai Zijun's 100,000 troops, we can still stretch out the battle lines, cut off Ai Zijun's retreat, cut off his supplies, and wear them down."
After hearing this, Elena gave a long "hmm." An army marches on its stomach; supplies must come before it can move. This is an essential preparation for military campaigns.
Moreover, cutting off Ai Zijun's food supply would weaken the fighting power and morale of their 100,000-strong army, which would indeed reduce a large number of casualties.
"Sergei, although I agree with this method, I'm afraid we won't be able to capture Ai Zijun within a month. Marshal Ivanov has only given us one month."
Sergei frowned slightly. Time was indeed tight, but there were still ways.
"Elena, there are only two ways to defeat Ai Zijun within a month. The first is to have a final battle with Ai Zijun, but too many casualties are not what we want, so there is only the second way."
Elena's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she hurriedly asked, "What method?"
"Take a risk and use the speed of the cavalry to cut off the Northeast Army's retreat."
Elena frowned slightly; this method was indeed too risky.
The cavalry were fast, but if they ventured deep into Kurokawa, they could easily be gone forever.
"Let me think. Our cavalry at the front only number eight thousand, and their warhorses are not as good as Ai Zijun's cavalry. The advantages and disadvantages of going so deep into Kurokawa are still unknown."
Sergei smiled, slowly straightened up, and looked at Elena with tenderness on his face.
"Alright, think it over carefully. If you're sure, I'll personally lead the cavalry to Kurokawa."
Elena hummed in agreement. She knew perfectly well what Sergei was thinking, but unfortunately, Sergei wasn't her type.
...
At the Kurokawa front, Chen Zhennan sat in his tent, looking at the map on the table.
"Brother Ai, do you know where the Slavic granaries are?"
Ai Zijun moved closer and pointed to a spot that was almost directly in the right direction.
"Here is Marshal Ivanov of the Slavic Principality. He is personally guarding the granary, but his forces are not large, probably less than five thousand men."
Chen Zhennan hummed in agreement and looked at the spot Ai Zijun was pointing to.
"Novgorod, let me see..."
As he spoke, Chen Zhennan followed Novgorod to the Serga River, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Novgorod is less than eighty miles from the Serga River, Brother Ai, I have a new idea."
Ai Zijun gave a strange "oh," and suddenly became interested.
"What new idea?"
Chen Zhennan slightly curled the corners of his mouth and explained with a smile, "It's a tactical base swap. Don't they want a buffer zone? Fine, Kurokawa will be their buffer zone, and I'll use the entire Far East as our buffer zone."
Upon hearing this, Ai Zijun grunted in surprise, somewhat confused.
"Tactical base trade? What does that mean?"
Chen Zhennan pointed to Novgorod.
“The territory in the Far East is much larger than Kurokawa. My special forces have already gone in. Didn’t you say that Novgorod only has less than 5,000 defenders? I’ll take this place first and then stuff all 100,000 of your troops in.”
After hearing Chen Zhennan say that, Ai Zijun finally understood what he meant.
“I understand what you mean, but doing this means letting Elena’s people in, 250,000 people, this…”
Chen Zhennan gave a soft hum and slowly closed the map.
"It's alright, I'll give the order right away to transfer the troops from the Thirteenth Week of Customs. Then we can attack from both sides, and Elena's 250,000 men will be easy prey for us."
Ai Zijun nodded slightly, but another question popped into her mind.
"What if Elena realizes what's happening and joins forces with the Slavic army to surround us?"
Chen Zhennan waved his hand and smiled confidently.
"If things really develop according to your plan, then I'll show you how I almost wiped out the Japanese with just three thousand men."
When Chen Zhennan brought this up, Ai Zijun became even more interested. He really wanted to see if the combat effectiveness of his special forces team was as formidable as the legends suggested.
"Brother Ai, immediately issue an order for all civilians in Kurokawa to retreat. This area is about to become a battle zone, so as not to harm innocent people."
Since it's a tactical exchange, Kurokawa has to concede first. Both saving lives and losing territory are possible, and this principle remains unchanged throughout history.
After waiting for a while, Chen Zhennan noticed that Ai Zijun was standing in place with a troubled expression on her face, and did not give any orders.
"What's wrong? Is there something troubling you?"
Ai Zijun nodded slightly and slowly explained, "Brother Chen, my brothers in the Northeast Army are all locals. It won't be easy to get them to leave Heichuan."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan pursed his lips. This was indeed difficult; it was truly cruel to make these people leave the homes they had lived in their entire lives.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Zhennan's gaze suddenly became firm.
“Tell the people that I will make sure they can go home before spring planting, and I, Chen Zhennan, will be responsible for all the losses in Kurokawa.”
Ai Zijun gave a heavy "hmm" and nodded slightly: "Okay, but I'll still take charge. In Kurokawa, they trust me more."
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