The artillery fire lasted only 1 day, less than 24 hours to be exact. On the evening of the 12th, the main forces of the Vatican army in Udaipur began to advance towards Deogle.

In fact, during these more than 20 hours, only 300 rounds were fired at each PH-17B.

On average, the interval between each fire was more than an hour.

It's not that there aren't enough ammunition, but there aren't many targets worth hitting with guided rockets, especially stationary targets such as air defense positions and command centers. As for armored targets such as tanks and combat vehicles, the effectiveness of using guided rockets is not good, and the gains often outweigh the losses.

The main thing is that all the guided rockets produced now are equipped with high-explosive warheads, and for the time being there are no anti-armor warheads.

In addition, guided rockets are not cheap, with a unit price of up to 200,000 gold yuan, while the unit price of a 250-kilogram laser-guided bomb is only 40,000 gold dollars, and even the KD-20 long-range cruise missile is only 800,000 gold yuan. The point is that rocket artillery often uses a salvo against surface targets. 30 PH-300Bs fired a salvo, and the value of 360 guided rockets fired was as high as 72 million gold dollars.

Fortunately, after the production increases, the unit price of guided rockets will definitely decrease, and it is expected to drop to less than 100,000 gold yuan eventually.

The shelling was directed mainly at military bases, especially camps.

This is also in line with the purpose of the campaign determined by Ding Zhennan: to kill and injure the living forces of the Vatican army.

Of course, the day-long shelling has already given the Van army a taste of the horrors of long-range rocket artillery.

In a word, it's panic.

According to the information released after the war, just during the day on the 12th, the main force of the Vatican army on the Udaipur side captured and dealt with more than 3,000 deserters.

In the face of an overwhelming barrage of rockets, even the most strong-willed soldiers will feel hopeless.

Obviously, the Eastern Coalition could use the same method to destroy all the nearby military towns and turn the hinterland of the Van Luo Kingdom into a sea of fire.

Theoretically, the coverage of these 30 rocket launchers reached 500,000 square kilometers.

As long as this tactic works, the Eastern Coalition can do the same, capturing the next stronghold with an air assault and then destroying the nearby Vatican stronghold with long-range rocket artillery. Even if the territory of the Van Luo Kingdom is irregular, it only needs to occupy and control more than a dozen firepower strongholds like Dai Ogle, and then cover the entire territory of the Van Luo Kingdom with long-range rocket artillery, and then send the Van Luo Kingdom back to the Stone Age through large-scale shelling.

Not to mention that rockets are too expensive, as long as they can eliminate the immediate threat, even if more expensive cruise missiles are used, the imperial authorities are more than happy.

What's more, this is still a time of war.

From a strategic point of view, the Vatican army really has no choice.

To this end, on the afternoon of the 12th, the Van army launched a round of air counterattack.

First of all, Van Rowe fighters appeared to raid AWACS aircraft patrolling over Balmel in an attempt to distract air defense fighters.

It's a pity that the fighters sent out by the Van Rowe Air Force are simply not enough to see.

During the assault on the AWACS aircraft, these Van Luo fighters were intercepted, and all of them were shot down by air defense fighters from a distance of 300 kilometers.

There is no suspense at all in the air battle.

As a result, when the Van Rowe attack aircraft arrived, there were air defense fighters in front of them.

In the end, 11 Van Rowe fighters with 22 Van Rowe attack aircraft were shot down, while the Imperial fighters on air defense missions did not suffer losses.

Until the end of the battle, the "Sharpshooter" air defense systems deployed in Deogle did not receive a chance to open fire.

In fact, it was the failure of the air counterattack that the Van Rowe military decided to launch a ground offensive.

When the staff officer delivered the news, Ding Zhennan was waiting for a meal in the restaurant.

Probably the last time I went to Rawa Air Base, I showed great interest in the Saori logistics support force, so the day after Ding Zhennan returned to Kara Harbor, the Sagi Royal Air Guard sent a support unit over and took over the officers' cafeteria of the Southwest Front Command.

It must be admitted that in the field of service, the narrow royal guard is indeed impeccable.

Even if it's just a very casual dinner, it's very exquisitely cooked.

Needless to say only for the personal service of the commander.

According to the management, a logistics officer is responsible for the commander's daily life, including the dishes for three meals a day, and the menu is given to the commander a week in advance. After being approved, it will be handed over to a dedicated purchasing staff to arrange the relevant ingredients.

Feelings, this is not to fight at the front at all, but to vacation in a five-star hotel.

In fact, Ding Zhennan didn't pay close attention to the menu sent by the logistics officer of Saji.

Anyway, it's all delicious, and it's the same whether you look at it or not.

Of course, Ding Zhennan also had feelings about this set of the narrow royal guards.

Not to mention anything else, the soldiers of the three armies of the empire all regarded the dispatch to the Sayi Imperial State as a beautiful difference.

For this matter, the imperial military also specially engaged in a set of systems. That is, joint training sites were built at major military bases such as the port of Hahama, and in the name of joint training, troops from other theaters were allowed to take turns to be stationed in the Imperial State of Sagi for a period of time, so as not to be gossiped about. Up to now, this has become a special benefit for elite troops, and it is called "public tourism" by grassroots officers and soldiers.

Ding Zhennan was stationed three times in the name of rotation training, and stayed for a total of nine months.

The experience during the stationing gave Ding Zhennan a deeper understanding of the Sayi Royal Guard, or the Sayi soldiers.

To put it bluntly, in addition to not sending "Liang envoys", the Narrow-Yi Imperial State copied the history of more than 1,000 years ago and learned from the Liangxia Empire in an all-round way. In order to learn the essence of the Liangxia Empire, the Narrows did not hesitate to use the most humble means to curry favor with the Liangxia Empire.

It is precisely in this way that even the most basic soldiers can enjoy privileges in the Narrow Imperial State.

As for the officers, it is even more needless to say.

The last time Ding Zhennan went to the Imperial Kingdom was three years ago, and he was already a major in the Imperial Army and a senior staff officer in the Northwest Theater. As a result, he was always accompanied by two major officers of the Royal Marine Guard to carry out orders given by him and to comply with any requests made by him. Not to mention those legitimate requests, in those three months, Ding Zhennan did not wash his underwear and socks, and those narrow-minded officers would dry the cleaned underwear and socks every morning, spray them with perfume, and put them on the bedside table.

It's just that Ding Zhennan also knows that hidden under the humble surface is great ambition and the sense of shame generated by defeat.

Even under the strong pressure of the Empire, the Narrows have long since dispelled the idea of revenge.

But the problem is that after the economy develops, especially the other member states whose economic aggregate exceeds that of the Eastern Bloc and becomes the second leader within the Eastern Bloc after the Liangxia Empire, the Narrow Yi Imperial State will definitely not be satisfied with its subordinate position, and will hope to gain more room for development by getting rid of the shackles of the "defeated country", such as being valued by the Liangxia Empire and more effectively safeguarding the core interests of the country.

Of course, how much of a threat this ambition of the Narrow Imperial State is actually determined by the strength of the empire itself.

As long as the empire is strong enough, then the Narrow Empire will always be a subordinate of the empire.

The reason is also very simple: the means of the empire to control the narrow imperial state are not just tens of thousands of officers and soldiers stationed, but something much deeper. For example, almost all of the Imperial Empire's imports, especially oil, came from the Empire's allies or oil-producing areas controlled by the Empire. For example, almost all of the narrow-minded enterprises that relied on reconstruction and development after the war were related to the Imperial Financial Group or large enterprises. Even for the high-tech enterprises that the people of Sayi are proud of, the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain are closely related to the empire.

In fact, this is the main reason why the empire dares to continue to reduce the size of the occupation force.

In the current situation, Ding Zhennan also enjoys the services provided by the logistics support unit of the Sagi Royal Air Guard.

After all, eating well is the only way to maintain combat effectiveness.

If anything, the battle reports from the front line also do not have much substance.

The combat operation is going according to plan, the main force of the Vatican army has already begun to move north, and the hundreds of kilometers of mountain road from Udaipur to Deogle will become the point of no return for hundreds of thousands of Vatican officers and soldiers. Because it posed a threat to Jaipur, no matter how big the losses were, the Vatican army would not give up. Even if there is no way to recapture Deogle, it is necessary to contain the main forces of the Eastern Coalition and mitigate the threat from other directions.

In other words, if the Vatican counterattack is abandoned halfway, dozens of long-range rocket launchers deployed in Deogle will be aimed at Jaipur.

It can be seen that by this time, the counterattack of the Eastern Bloc was back on track.

It was in this way that after eating a dinner elaborately prepared by a senior chef, Ding Zhennan sent a telegram to Liu Zunshan, who was still fighting on the front line.

Having stabilized the situation in Deogle, he immediately returned to Balmel.

Not to go back to preside over the overall situation, but to organize and launch a ground offensive.

Aerial assault is indispensable.

The key is that there is no way to get more "Y-15A", and the existing 60 aircraft have to continue to deliver main battle equipment to Deory Ogle.

Only tactical transport aircraft can be used, and only tactical air assault operations can be launched.

In addition, it is also about the overall situation of the war.

The time for the 5th Marine Division to attack in the south was only 5 days, and at most 7 days, so on the 17th, even if the battle on Deogle's side was not over, the 17th Panzer Division would attack as planned. It was necessary to put the main forces of the 5th Marine Division on the field before that.

It was precisely because of this that Ding Zhennan planned the southward combat operation codenamed "Muahai".

As you can see from the code name of the operation, the main task of this combat operation is to go south to attack Guji Bang and open up a second front in the southwest battlefield.

If you can, you have to make a detour back to the south of Udaipur from here and encircle and annihilate the Vatican army on Udaipur's side.

The key, if anything, is the road south from Balmer, across the Looney River, and west of the Aravalli Ridge into Gugibang.

This was the only offensive route that would be able to bypass the Aravalli Ridge and enter Gugibang without setting foot on the Malwa Plateau.

Although on the opposite side of the border, south of Hydebara, there is a road to the east to Trad and Rattenpur, but this road needs to pass through the Kutch marsh, which is very fragile and cannot be used by tens of tons of main battle tanks, and can be easily blocked.

After the outbreak of the war, the Vatican army deployed minefields in several narrow sections.

Because the road is lined with swamps, there is no room for manoeuvre at all. Dispatching engineering troops to clear mines not only takes a lot of time, but is also vulnerable to strikes.

In addition, the offense is sure to get tougher after the tactical intent is revealed.

Unless an amphibious landing is launched, it can only go south from Balmer.

According to Ding Zhennan's deployment, the Fifth Marine Division will use all the main forces in this direction, and Hou Chensheng will personally command it.

Liu Zunshan returned to his true colors and commanded the assault troops in front.

The key is whether the vanguard can rush more than 200 kilometers south before the Van army can react, reach Trad in the north of Gugibang, and occupy this important military town west of the Kutch marshland and south of the Van Luo Desert, thus opening the northern gate of Gujibang.

As long as you can take Trad, then everything is easy to say.

To the south from Trad is a flat river!

Heading south along the road, after capturing Rattenbull, the railroad could be used to transport war supplies, and continuing to the southwest, a few cities north of Kutch Bay. Although there is no natural harbour in Kutch Bay, you can build a pier pier when you get to the beach.

Advance east from Trad and go all the way south after taking Balampur.

In addition, the capital of Gugibang is just south of Palampur.

Crucially, Palampur guards the main transportation route to the west of the Aravalli Ridge, and to the south of it is Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujibang, just south of Udaipur, which is the rear of Udaipur, and bears the heavy responsibility of providing logistical support for Udaipur.

In other words, taking Gandhinagar will complete the strategic encirclement of Udaipur!

Of course, this series of combat operations will definitely require the investment of sufficient troops.

The reason is simple: Guji Bang is the most populous state on the west coast of Van Ra, with more than a dozen large cities with a population of more than 1 million.

In addition, Guji Bang is the most important food producing area in the region.

Not to mention in wartime, even in peacetime, the state's militia is numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

In Ding Zhennan's words, if it is not done well, Gujibang will evolve into a quagmire that will swallow the Fifth Marine Division.

It is precisely because of this that Ding Zhennan set a very clear purpose for the operation.

Unless it was necessary to encircle Udaipur, the Fifth Marine Division would have to move south at full speed after attacking Guji Bang, not for the purpose of occupying the town, let alone slow down the advance in order to occupy the town, and the main task was to crush the Van army in the area and destroy the living force of the Vatican army. The key is to advance to the coastal area as quickly as possible, seize and control the port, or build a temporary dock for transport ships to dock.

Obviously, as long as you fight in the coastal area, you will be able to control the situation of the battle.

More importantly, only when it reached the coastal area and obtained a port or dock could the 5th Marine Division be able to withdraw from this side.

Otherwise, it will take a lot of time to return to Cala Port by land.

It can be seen that the Fifth Marine Division's southward sweep of Guji Bang is of great importance, and it is necessary not only to advance with great vigor but also to control the scope of the operation.

To put it bluntly, you can't be lazy and slack, and you can't use too much force.

Fundamentally, the assault on Gujibang is also a feint.

It is precisely because of this that Ding Zhennan let Liu Zunshan play as a striker.

If Hou Chensheng was to be put in charge, he would definitely turn the feint attack into the main attack, and make Ding Zhennan give up the battle plan to go to the east coast by creating a fait accompli.

If this is the case, even if Hou Chensheng is dealt with according to military law, there is no way to make up for the losses incurred.