It was not the staff officer of the General Staff who came to pick up Pei Chengyi at the airport, but Xiang Ning's thug

Pei Chengyi is not surprised, before the battle in Bhopal is over, Xiang Linghui summoned him back, which can prove two things: one is that Xiang Linghui has been paying attention to the battle in Bhopal and knows that there will be no big trouble next, whether Pei Chengyi is in command on the front line. 【】kind; Second, there must have been disagreements at the top level of the central authorities on the next step of the war, and Xiang Linghui could not handle it alone, and he needed the commander-in-chief of the front line, who knew the progress of the war best, to come back and help.

After leaving the airport, Xiang Linghui lit a cigarette for Pei Chengyi.

"Mr. Xiang, is there any trouble?"

"yes, why else would I call you?" Xiang Linghui smiled, lit a cigarette, and said. "You kid does have some real skills, and when you say it, Yuan has praised you several times. When did the fighting in Bhopal end? ”

"Within two days." Pei Chengyi replied very simply.

Xiang Linghui nodded and said, "In other words, the next round of attacks will start in three days?" ”

"If all goes well, try to move a new attack on the five; If the preparation is not in place, it can only be delayed until the sixth. ”

"Is the plan ready?"

Pei Chengyi frowned slightly and glanced at Xiang Linghui.

"You should know that this time I called you back. Although it will let you go home for a few days, it is not for you to go home and make love with your wife and children, but there are more important things. Xiang Linghui took two puffs of his cigarette. "The successful capture of Bhopal gave us the opportunity to end a large-scale military operation early. In the past few days, Yuan has talked to me several times, although it is not explicitly mentioned, but Yuan's meaning is very clear, if you can withdraw your troops before the Spring Festival next year, as you said last time you came back, the war pressure of the Republic can be reduced by more than half. Yuan talked with the chairman, the prime minister, and the deputy prime minister, and everyone thought that it would be best to end the large-scale combat operation half a year ahead of schedule, but everyone, including Yuan, believed that it was unlikely, and at least they could not completely bet their hopes on Bhopal. ”

Pei Chengyi pondered for a moment and said, "What do you think? ”

"Me?" Xiang Linghui smiled and said, "There is no doubt about it, of course I trust your judgment. Support your claims as well. ”

"That is, we have to convince them of the meta."

Xiang Linghui nodded and said, "This is the purpose of calling you back." Although according to common sense. You should be allowed to go home first, but time is of the essence, and if there is a new attack in three days' time, we will have to hurry up and make new plans so that we can start preparing as soon as possible. ”

"No problem, it's the same if you get home later."

"Have you figured out what to say?"

Pei Chengyi glanced at Xiang Linghui, nodded, and didn't say anything more.

When the two of them arrived at the Yuan Mansion, Gu Weimin, Yan Jingyu, Ye Zhisheng and others had already arrived. He was discussing matters related to the war with Wang Yuanqing.

Because it's time for dinner. So Wang Yuanqing invited everyone to the restaurant and talked while eating.

Seeing the dishes served, Pei Chengyi knew that this was specially prepared for him, because except for Xiangzi chicken soup, other meat dishes are mainly pork-based, and vegetarian dishes are mainly Shixin. Probably considering that he wanted to talk about business, Wang Yuanqing did not prepare wine, and only asked the secretary to prepare soybean milk and freshly squeezed inserts

Juice.

Pei Chengyi was not polite and ate quickly. One is that he can't eat such a delicious meal in Pakistan, and the other is that he hasn't eaten for several hours on the plane, and he is indeed hungry.

I saw Pei Chengyi put down his chopsticks and picked up a napkin. Wang Yuanqingcai said: "General Pei, let you come back this time, I won't let you return to the front line immediately, and you will have the opportunity to eat a few more delicious meals." Time is precious, so let's get down to business. Mr. Xiang personally picked you up at the airport, you should know the general situation, right? ”

Pei Chengyi nodded and wiped the grease stains off his mouth.

"The last time you came back, you mentioned that you would be able to end the large-scale military operation before the Spring Festival next year." Wang Yuanqing glanced at Gu Weimin and the others who were sitting next to him, "In the past few days, I have talked with Lao Gu, Premier Yan, and Vice Premier Ye several times. Although everyone wants to be like what you say. But everyone has a question, that is, how can we end a large-scale military operation half a year ahead of schedule, as you said? ”

"The assault on Bhopal is just the beginning, not the end." Pei Chengyi paused a little and said, "It can be said that we can successfully defeat Bhopal." In addition to the courage and skill of our army and the courage of officers and men to strive for the first, luck played a great role. ”

"Luck?" Gu Weimin immediately frowned.

"No one can deny the role of luck in war, although many times luck is self-created." Xiang Linghui added a sentence for Pei Chengyi.

Pei Chengyi nodded and said: "Indeed, as Mr. Xiang said, luck is created by oneself in many cases, of course, the combat effectiveness of the Indian army is much worse than our estimate, and it can be regarded as the enemy providing us with luck." In general, at the stage of war planning, we did not think about attacking Bhopal, and we did not even consider the westward advance as the main task of the decisive battle on the Eastern Front.

I have to admit that change is always faster than planned. Then perfect the war to defeat the enemy at the cost of a thug. Attack Bhopal. It is a direct result of adjusting the plan. ”

"Why didn't you choose to attack

"Zhen Bi? As soon as Yan Jingyu opened his mouth, he asked a very sharp question.

Pei Chengyi thought for a moment and said: "Choosing Bhopal and giving up New Delhi is mainly in two aspects, one is the actual situation on the battlefield. The second is the strategic purpose of this war. Although our army has already occupied the western part of the city, which is only 400 kilometers away from New Delhi, and with the surprise attack of our armored forces, it will be able to reach New Delhi within a few days, but after the occupation of the western part of the country, our army has become the last of a strong crossbow, and the resistance to continuing to advance westward is very great. What's more, Jhansi is nearly 2,000 kilometers away from the port of Canning, and the nearest Nepalese city is also 1,000 kilometers away, making it very difficult to supply logistically. In order to deploy the Umno Army to fight against Bhopal, we had to devote all our transport forces, which is enough to prove the logistical problems. Without sufficient logistics, no matter how many troops are invested, it is useless. This is also the main reason why only the Umno army was committed in Bhopal, and no more ground troops were invested. If it is so difficult to attack Bhopal, how easy is it to attack New Delhi? Of course, we still have three main armies on the Western Front, but the combat materials on the Western Front are not sufficient, and the three armies are not ready, and even if they participate in the operation to attack New Delhi, they will not play much role. ”

"It's not easy to attack New Delhi, so isn't there a logistical problem with advancing west from Bhopal?"

Wang Yuanqing glanced at Ye Zhisheng, then nodded at Pei Chengyi, and motioned for Pei Chengyi to continue with what he had started.

Noticing Yuan's expression, Ye Zhisheng closed his mouth and didn't ask any more questions.

"Strategically, attacking New Delhi is important, but attacking Bhopal is even more important. The MIA has received accurate enough information that India is preparing to move its capital and intends to hold on to New Delhi. While I am confident that the Indian forces remaining in New Delhi will not last long after the Indian government flees to Hyderabara, we must be clear about India's intentions and the serious consequences that could arise from a bitter battle in New Delhi. To put it simply, the harder we fight in New Delhi. The easier it is to stir up the resistance of the Indians. By this time the war had been fought, we had not had much trouble in the occupied territories, and there was a lot to do with the non-resistance of the Indians. Imagine this. If all India is a soldier, will we still be able to win this war? Even if it's 10,000 steps back. Able to take New Delhi without blood. Nor could the war end immediately, and the Indian government, which had fled to Hyderabad, would certainly persist in the war of resistance. The only way to bring the war to an end as soon as possible is for the government to despair. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to turn south as soon as possible and occupy the great rear of India. When the time comes, if we go back to attack New Delhi, or occupy New Delhi in the meantime, whether the Indian government moves its capital or not, whether it continues to resist or not, the war will end, or at least ours, soon. ”

Wang Yuanqing nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with Pei Chengyi's answer.

Seeing that others did not immediately ask questions, Pei Chengyi said to Ye Zhisheng: "Vice Premier Ye's question is very critical, and there are indeed serious logistical support problems in advancing westward. To this end, the westward movement will be divided into two phases, the first of which will be to advance along the Narmoda River, aiming to reach Kempard Bay in half a month and seize a certain port city. In order to obtain combat supplies as soon as possible, the fleet will simultaneously go to the Arabian Sea, and the convoy will follow the fleet. As long as it can gain a foothold in the Arabian Sea coastal area. Logistics is not a problem. ”

"What's next?" Gu Weimin asked.

"Depending on the situation, I can't say for sure what it will look like." Pei Chengyi smiled slightly and said, "Of course, I can make a bold prediction."

After reaching the Arabian Sea coast, our army has strategically cut off India and achieved a strategic cut. Regardless of whether India moves its capital or not, a force is to be deployed to sweep the Arabian Sea coast, just as it did before the Bay of Bengal coast. After the assault force had moved south to a certain extent, it then advanced inland to join up with the assault force in the direction of the Bay of Bengal. As for where to turn, it will have to be determined by the situation on the battlefield. At the same time, we still have to two pounds. direction. First, to cooperate with the Pakistani army on the battlefield on the Western Front, whether or not to attack New Delhi still has to be decided by the battlefield situation. The second is to quickly sweep the area south of the Narmoda and Mohanadi rivers. Advance in the direction of Hyderabad and, if necessary, coordinate operations with assault forces in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal. As long as victory is achieved on these three fronts, there is 100 percent certainty that the large-scale military operation will be concluded before the Spring Festival next year. ”

"If you fight like this, how many troops will need to be invested. It won't be less than a million, right? ”

Hearing Yan Jingyu's words, Pei Chengyi frowned slightly. Just as he was about to speak, Pei Chengyi saw Xiang Linghui's eyes, and then closed his mouth.

"Strength is really an issue." Wang Yuanqing sighed, extinguished the cigarette butt, and said to Pei Chengyi, "This is also the problem we are most worried about. What we want to know is whether there is a way to end this war smoothly, as you said at the beginning, without increasing the investment of troops. ”

Pei Chengyi hesitated for a moment and said, "If you don't increase the investment of troops, you have to do two things. ”

Wang Yuanqing nodded and motioned for Pei Chengyi to continue.

"One is to get the allies to send more troops. Maintain order in the occupied territories. Of course. This is not the main approach. Pei Chengyi took two puffs and said, "The second is to establish a new government in India, at least before our army crosses the Narmoda River and the Mehanaraman River, and then arm a military force, or a paramilitary force, and then hand over part of the occupied areas."

Wang Yuanqing frowned slightly, and did not rush to speak.

Gu Weimin let out a long sigh and said: "These two methods can be considered, but you can't make a rash decision, after all, it is not a trivial matter related to allies, and it is not a trivial matter to establish a new regime in India."

"If you want to form a new regime, you have to take New Delhi." Ye Zhisheng muttered.

Wang Yuanqing glanced at Ye Zhisheng again. Changing the topic, he said: "In addition to the number of troops, there is another question, that is, how much will the war investment increase? ”

"In the short term, it will definitely increase a lot, but in the long run, not only will it not increase, but it will decrease." Pei Chengyi replied very simply, "If the large-scale military operation ends half a year ahead of schedule, the cost of equipment, materials, transportation, and personnel can be reduced by at least one-third, and the combat casualties can also be reduced a lot."

While other benefits are difficult to measure in money, the more things that cannot be measured in money. The more attention should be paid to it. ”

Wang Yuanqing smiled slightly, and heard the meaning of Pei Chengyi's words.

"The sharp increase in investment in the short term will definitely have a great impact on China's economy, society and government support." Yan Jingyu sighed and said, "Not to mention anything else, it is impossible for major military enterprises to increase productivity for such a short period of huge investment, let alone spend huge sums of money to recruit more workers." ”

Pei Chengyi frowned slightly, knowing what Yan Jingyu was going to say.

As prime minister, Yan Jingyu's main task is to provide sufficient combat materials for the troops fighting on the front line, and at the same time minimize the impact of the war on normal social activities. Although Pei Chengyi is a soldier, and the highest-ranking of the republicans who participated in the war, "there is no need to think too much about the impact of the war on the country and society, but he also knows very well that this war has affected every family in the republic." In their letters, the families of some staff officers of the front-line command mentioned that the prices of basic daily necessities in the country are rising, and the increase is very large. Why is the price rising? Pei Chengyi didn't need to understand, he only knew that the war had already made the citizens of the republic feel the pressure. It is precisely because of this that Bae Seungyi is so resolute in his attack on Bhopal. If it is possible to end the war half a year early. It means that the citizens of all republics will be able to live a normal life half a year ahead of schedule, and it means that the country will be able to return to normal order half a year ahead of schedule.

By emphasizing the economic impact of the war, Yan Jingyu is actually emphasizing the impact of the war on the lives of citizens.

"Military supplies are also a problem." Ye Zhisheng only said one sentence and didn't say any more.

Wang Yuanqing let out a long sigh and said: "These are our problems, I don't think there is any need for General Pei to worry about whether there is enough ammunition and enough food in his busy schedule." If we can't even do these basic tasks, how can we make the frontline soldiers fight to be the first? The last question, and the most important one. ”

Pei Chengyi put aside his worries and cheered up.

Glancing at Pei Chengyi, Wang Yuanqing said: "Although we all believe in General Pei's talent, and we also know that General Pei can hand over an excellent answer sheet with practical actions, but as a national leader. We cannot make major strategic decisions that have a bearing on the future of the country on the basis of just a few assurances from General Pei. In other words, we need more sufficient reasons, a more detailed and clear schedule of the war, and a schedule that can stand up to scrutiny and have practical capabilities. ”

Pei Chengyi nodded and said, "The plan is being formulated, and it will take two days to come out." As I have already said, because the situation on the battlefield is unpredictable, just as we did not expect the Indian army to be so vulnerable, it is impossible for us to make an accurate judgment about what will happen next. ”

"General Pei is right, even if it's me. It is also impossible to make any guarantees. Xiang Linghui knew that Pei Chengyi couldn't answer Yuan's question. took the initiative to say, "After the battle plan is baked. The General Staff will conduct a comprehensive review. The war schedule of the Yuan theory will be reflected in the battle plan. After all, the battle in Bhopal is not over yet, and the attack on Bhopal is also a temporary adjustment made according to the battle situation, whether it is the front command or the General Staff, it will take enough time to make a new judgment on the battle situation, and then come up with the next stage of the battle plan. ”

"How much time does it take?" Wang Yuanqing asked directly.

Xiang Linghui hesitated for a moment and turned his gaze to Pei Chengyi.

"Two days at the fastest, three days at the slowest."

Wang Yuanqing nodded slightly and said, "In that case, let's talk about it here today." Two days later, or three days later, wait until General Pei comes up with a specific battle plan, "We will discuss and make a final decision." ”

Yuan gestured to send off the guest. Everyone got up one after another to take their leave.

Leaving the Yuan Mansion, Pei Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief. Although Wang Yuanqing was not a soldier and had not participated in any war, from the beginning, Yuan not only knew about war, but also knew the core issues of war very well. For Pei Chengyi, the next thing is how to come up with a battle plan that is enough to satisfy Yuan and convince several other leaders within three days that he doesn't even have a framework.

Anyway, Pei Chengyi decided to wait until tomorrow to think about it.

I finally came back, and I could stay for a few days, so I had to spend some time going home to accompany my wife and daughter.