Empire Conquest

Chapter 520 - 516: Move Out Ahead of Schedule

The discussion lasted all night, and two simple war games simulations were conducted during the period.

The results forced Zhou Yongtao to admit that the risk exceeded the controllable range, and the two Special Mixed Fleets might suffer heavy losses, even total annihilation.

If it’s just about risk, that alone is enough to veto the proposal to sneak attack on Treasure Harbor.

Consequently, the topic was brought up again.

Without attacking Treasure Harbor, how could one possibly occupy Transfer Island within just over a month?

Discussing back and forth, there really was no clever method available.

In Zhou Yongtao’s words, if there had been a way to take Transfer Island within just over two months, it would have been considered when formulating the battle plan.

The only way to accelerate progress was to increase troop deployment.

Don’t forget, the Marine Corps mobilized four Marine Divisions.

According to the plan, at most only two Marine Divisions were to be deployed to attack Transfer Island, and they were to take turns because the area of Transfer Island is less than one square kilometer. Having too many troops simply wouldn’t work, as they couldn’t be properly deployed which not only prevents the strength advantage from being utilized but also increases the logistical burden.

To put it bluntly, deploying two more Marine Divisions was actually to advance further after capturing Transfer Island and occupy some island to the east.

It was, in essence, a double jump.

The Air Forces stationed on the two islands would provide mutual support and cover, forming a complete defense line, thus engaging in fierce battles with the Newland Army on the islands in the eastern part of the archipelago.

Actually, this was also part of the overall plan.

If everything went smoothly, especially if the fleet wasn’t heavily damaged and the main battleships could continue to fight, there would be no breathing room given to the Newland Army, and a second round of attacks would be immediately launched.

Only by securing a foothold on Transfer Island could they make Transfer Island a stepping stone for attacking the Howay Islands.

According to the staff officer’s suggestion, the main forces of the other two Marine Divisions should be brought in, and the number of Armored Forces and Artillery deployed should be increased.

If possible, a second landing site would be opened up on the southwest of Transfer Island.

Since the landing was already successful and Artillery equipped with large-caliber mortars was deployed on the beach positions, opening a second landing site wasn’t very difficult.

Truly, what would be tested was the logistical support capability.

However, that wasn’t actually a concern.

The logistical support relied entirely on marine transport, and what the Empire Navy now had in abundance was all kinds of transport ships.

Regarding the staff officer’s suggestion, which was to deploy the Jinrui Force earlier, Bai Zhizhan even personally sought the opinions of several Marine Corps generals and received affirmative responses.

This pertains to the organization of the Marine Corps.

Before the war, the Empire’s Marine Corps was not large in scale, totaling only four Regular Divisions and four with only headquarters on paper, nominally eight divisions but actually having a force size of 150,000, including over 80,000 civilian personnel in headquarter and logistical departments.

As a result, at the beginning of the war, the Marine Corps could only use 70,000 officers and soldiers, plus a batch of urgently conscripted reservists, to form eight divisions.

It was indeed so that the Marine Corps adopted a small organization for the initial year and more.

After completing the mobilization, or rather recruiting enough new recruits and completing basic training, they gradually restored a larger organization.

However, this brought about a severe problem.

Almost all of the Marine Divisions lacked enough veterans.

This problem became very apparent in the battles to capture Sai Island.

Although just a few experiences on the battlefield, surviving the trials of war could turn new recruits into veterans, veterans still held irreplaceable value at many times.

Sending new recruits who had just completed basic training to a bloody battlefield resulted in a frighteningly low survival rate.

On the battlefield of Sai Island, the Marine Corps’ recruits suffered greatly.

To point out, the high casualty rate in the attack on Sai Island, and the total number of casualties exceeding the Newland Army, had much to do with the excessive number of new recruits.

Moreover, the Marine Corps’ priority for acquiring heavy equipment was after the Army.

"Don’t talk about the past, even now, the tanks and armored vehicles of the Marine Corps are almost all second-hand goods picked up from the Army!"

"The Marine Corps is subordinate to the Navy, and when it comes to the priority of equipment procurement, it is definitely behind the Fleet and the Air Force."

"If it weren’t for the outbreak of a major war, and the intervention of the Grand Secretary, the Marine Corps might not even be able to use the second-hand equipment eliminated by the Army."

"As a result, during the attack on Sai Island, several Marine Divisions formed elite units."

"On the battlefield, these elite forces focused on assault missions, while other units were responsible for mopping up and occupation."

"Of course, the elite units consisted almost entirely of veterans and were equipped with a sufficient number of armored weapons."

"According to the response from several Marine Corps generals, deploying two elite armored regiments should speed up the conquest of Transfer Island."

"Of course, the right tactics must be employed."

"Based on the experience from the attack on Sai Island, the most effective weapon against the enemy’s underground fortifications wasn’t tanks, but the heavy bulldozers of the Engineer Soldiers."

"In addition, there was concrete."

"If that still didn’t work, incendiary agents used to make Incendiary Bombs had to be employed."

"Of course, manpower was key."

"As long as there were enough troops, everything else could be negotiated."

"With a firm answer from the Marine Corps generals, Bai Zhizhan didn’t delay any further and immediately issued the order to have the Landing Fleet transport two more elite Marine Divisions."

"In addition, it was time to immediately adjust the battle plan."

"The first thing to determine was whether to develop a second landing site in the Southwest of Transfer Island."

"By this time, it was already noon on the 18th."

"However, Bai Zhizhan did not get the chance to go back and rest."

"While he was making arrangements, the Communication Advisor brought him a newly received intelligence report."

"From the Sixth Bureau, forwarded by the Navy headquarter, the content was very simple, just one sentence."

"The ’Fenjin’ had left the Navy Shipyard in New City at dawn on the 17th, and the ’Lek’ was expected to depart soon."

"Those two Fleet carriers had been repaired!?"

"Bai Zhizhan dared not delay and immediately instructed the Communication Advisor to send a message to the Navy headquarter."

"The reply came back around 3 p.m."

"The Sixth Bureau could only confirm that the ’Fenjin’ had left the port, and the ’Lek’ had also been fired up, preparing for departure, but there was no intelligence related to the repair status of both carriers."

"Of course, the fact that both carriers could leave port meant they had regained their navigational capabilities."

"If we were to discuss, other damages could be repaired en route."

"If not, they could continue repairs once they reached Treasure Harbor."

"If considering only aerial combat, as long as they could sail, with the flight decks and hangars intact, and the elevators functioning properly, that would be sufficient."

"Strictly speaking, a carrier serves merely as a platform for operating and deploying ship-borne aircraft, essentially a large transport ship enabling aircraft to take off and land."

"Compared to Battleships, carriers were not originally like warships at all."

"Don’t forget, the Imperial Navy had once urgently dispatched the ’Heng River’ to participate in the battle to encircle the Permanent Fleet, thereby creating a modest miracle."

"Given the current situation, it wasn’t impossible for the Newland Navy to bring back two Fleet carriers ahead of schedule."

"In the evening, the Navy headquarter sent definitive news."

"The ’Lek’ had also left New City port, more than ten hours earlier than expected."

"Moreover, these two Fleet carriers could theoretically arrive at Treasure Harbor in early August and participate in the combat operations on Transfer Island in early August."

"Now, no one could think about sleeping."