194 Seeking War
"It seems that the British still wanted to carry out the plan of separating New England from the rest of the colonies by the Richelieu-Champlain-George-Hudson. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info" Liu Fangwu concluded. Generally speaking, only four of the Thirteen Colonies in the Northeast were called New England, namely Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The area is also one of the most noisy, and Massachusetts is basically as much a home base for patriots as Pennsylvania.
Washington has known about this strategy for a long time, and it was first proposed by the Tang Military Advisory Group, but he didn't know that the Tang people read it from the history book.
"Although we can continue to harass the British army, the militia still dare not provoke the British troops above the company, and if New England is really cut off from the rest of the colonies, it will still be quite disadvantageous to us, whether it is in the transmission of intelligence or mutual support." Washington said.
Liu Fangwu nodded, but he felt that in this plane, because of the existence of the Tang Navy, the strategy of cutting off the Thirteen Colonies was very ineffective, and the British could not control the coastal waters of the Thirteen Colonies, and under the protection of the Tang Navy, the Continental Army could use ships to convert materials and troops between Philadelphia and Boston, and it was impossible to talk about the British cutting off. Liu Fangwu believes that another key reason why the British will continue on this path is probably the hope of being able to contact Henry, who has been trapped in New York through the Hudson River. Clinton. At least to prevent Clinton's army from being slowly eaten up by the Continental Army.
"Actually, even if the British did capture Albany. Taking control of the Hudson River line is not a heavy blow to us either. On the contrary, if the British army needed to guard the line from Montreal to New York for more than 500 kilometers, that is, more than 300 miles in depth. Then for us, there are opportunities almost everywhere, and the Continental armies of the north and south can cut the British army into sections like cutting a snake. Liu Fangwu analyzed.
So he concluded: "So, fundamentally, in a period when the Continental Army was relatively strong and the confidence of the people of the colonies was relatively firm. Such a strategy, which sought to cut New England off from the rest of the colonies, was incredibly stupid in itself, not to mention the low success rate of its realization. ”
Both Washington and his officers laughed. They were apparently infected by the revolutionary optimism of General Liu, who usually looked like a suave Confucian general, a gentleman in Western parlance, but when discussing the question of combat. He was filled with a confidence that was hard to look at.
Washington said: "With the words of General Liu. We were relieved. ”
At the beginning of June, Burgoyne led the main force of 8,000 British troops from Quebec, along with about 2,000 British troops from two routes, to advance from other directions at the same time, aiming at Albany, an important town in the colony of New York, just as Liu Fangwu had predicted at that time.
At this time, the commander of the Continental Army in New York was Horatio. Gates, since the Continental Army has been doing well for some time. So counting the militia, Gates has a force of close to twenty-five thousand men. Among them were two "fast gun regiments" that had been recognized as the strongest units of the Continental Army. Even with this comparison, it can be seen that Burgoyne's forces are not superior.
After Chu Bai brought a large amount of military supplies before, Yue Zhenfu and Guo Xin came up with the idea to help the Continental Army retain a large number of men, and Washington and his colleagues reorganized the Continental Army. The strength of the Continental Army has reached 42 full-fledged infantry regiments, and the Continental Army has followed the proposal of the Tang military advisers and incorporated artillery into the combat unit, rather than being concentrated for technical purposes. At present, the Continental Army has a total of six quick-gun regiments, each regiment has undergone at least a month of training, and is the core force of the Continental Army, two in Upper New York State Gates, one was escorted to the Massachusetts colony by the Tang Navy, and three are on the main side of the Continental Army in Washington's hands, including the fast-gun regiment that followed him in the Battle of New York.
In order to support Gates in New York, Liu Fangwu sent Xu Daorun with an infantry battalion, while the main force of the Tang Expeditionary Force, the 3rd Infantry Battalion and the Artillery Battalion, plus two cavalry battalions, were stationed in Trenton, Pennsylvania, together with the main force of the Continental Army.
Liu Fangwu believes that joining Washington will not make any huge mistakes, properly use the six quick-gun regiments in his hands, and deal with the current British army, there should be a high chance of six or seven percent of victory. After all, by now, the numerical superiority of the colonies had emerged, and in the case that it was difficult for the British army to continue to replenish the British forces in North America, the Continental Army would have won without making low-level mistakes.
In fact, Washington has a vague premonition, but he is also very soberly aware that the help of the Tang people is inseparable from the help of the Tang people behind the situation that he can get to where he is today. The three most critical aspects: the devastating blow of the Datang Navy to the British Royal Navy, the excellent staff and strategy of the Datang Military Advisory Group, and the large amount of military supplies and weapons and ammunition sent by Datang. Without these things, the Continental Army probably couldn't win.
Now that even the Tang Army has arrived, Washington believes that by 1778 at the latest, the Continental Army will be able to inflict heavy losses on the British army and finally win the war.
Liu Fangwu didn't seem to have the heart to stay in the Thirteen Colonies for several years, and a quick victory was also his choice. Therefore, General Liu suggested that in the direction of New York, facing Burgoyne's British army, adopt a more serious tactic, wait for Burgoyne to take the initiative to make a mistake, and avoid Burgoyne's three-way army from joining forces. On the battlefield from Philadelphia to New York, Liu Fangwu suggested gathering 20,000 soldiers of the Continental Army and 1,000 soldiers of the main force of the Tang Expeditionary Force, under the cover of the navy, to recapture New York and completely uproot the largest stronghold of the British army in the Thirteen Colonies.
I have to say that Liu Fangwu's suggestion is still a bit bold, and some of the Continental Army are a little hesitant to come, but now Washington seems to have absolute trust in the words of the Tang soldiers, and he has been training and preparing the Continental Army these days, although he thinks that the time is indeed a bit early, but he can also fight a battle to test it.
In fact, Washington is also very curious about what kind of strength the Datang Army has, and whether it will be as dazzling and powerful as the Datang Navy. Liu Fangwu and the soldiers he led were full of a kind of self-confidence, which was a kind of condescending self-confidence that was incomprehensible to Washington, and it seemed that in the eyes of the Tang army, all enemies were not worth it. Washington is desperate to see the power of this friendly force on the battlefield. (To be continued.) )