Chapter 1 Chi Lei Leads Troops to Attack

News of Chi Lei leading his troops to attack behind enemy lines traveled all the way from the northwestern part of the Northern Grasslands to the forward base in the south, and then to Benlang Plain, catching up with Ye Tao, who had already begun his journey back to Yejia Fort. Because the Northern Grasslands did not yet have a complete communication system, flying eagle transmissions covered long distances, not to mention hoping for telegraphs or other convenient things that everyone was used to. The news was delayed for several days before it arrived. After the situation in the Northern Grasslands was largely settled, Tan Weiran, preparing to take a total of 50,000 elite soldiers to finally pressure the Kuerka tribe into surrender, immediately marched north. Because tribes such as Gasa and Kyrgyz friendly expressed their willingness to provide basic food and horse feed along the way, Tan Weiran's speed of march was astonishingly high this time. The logistics battalion also allocated some of the originally stockpiled materials that were prepared to stabilize the Northern Grasslands, sending part of it to the front-line camp that was confronting the sand bandits, and part to the Gasa and Kyrgyz tribes as compensation for their active assistance to Chi Lei's army and for providing supplies and various other conveniences to Tan Weiran's army. Under the swift response system of Yunzhou, the materials temporarily requisitioned by the logistics battalion could be quickly replenished. However, there were some problems in escorting the supplies. Because Tan Weiran's army was moving too fast, it was impossible for the logistics battalion to keep up, and the transported materials could not be lost. As a result, two veteran battalions that had just gathered and trained nearby, and had not yet been fully regularized, were mobilized to take charge of this matter. This was the first time that the veteran battalions had performed battlefield service as regular troops, and the luxuriously equipped soldiers were extremely excited.

This meant that Yunzhou had nearly 70,000 more troops entering the territory, and the Northern Grassland tribes, already frightened, kept silent, providing many conveniences along the way, and even many "recreational activities" in addition to supplies. However, at this time, they saw the iron discipline and the combination of relaxation and tension in the Yunzhou armies.

Tan Weiran was, after all, from the East Peace royal family and was very effective and measured in handling interpersonal relations. He refused all arrangements that were not good for the army without making a sound, but he did not offend those tribes. Instead of using a tough and reckless approach, he won over many more reinforcements. By the time Tan Weiran forcefully intervened in the already intense front line, consuming the stockpile of various shells to only one-third of the original amount, he had nearly 100,000 troops under his command.

Because the Gasa and Kyrgyz tribes were very obedient to the main officer of the troops left behind by Chi Lei, the battalion commander of the Heavy Ordnance Battalion, Zhu Jin, after coordination among the three parties, and with the excellent performance of the Heavy Ordnance Battalion and the Infantry Battalion, although they faced batches of enemy troops with at least the same number as their own, and in most cases more, they had already won several battles in a row, and the ratio of losses was still acceptable. At least it was much less than the Gasa and Kyrgyz tribes had imagined. And cooperating with the Yunzhou troops was really refreshing and delightful. When the armies joined forces, and seeing that victory was about to come, the morale of the army was even more invigorated. Indeed, nothing could enhance mutual understanding and cultivate feelings more than fighting side by side against the enemy. If the armies of the two tribes obeyed the leadership of the Yunzhou military because they did not want to bring trouble to their tribes, now, in front of Tan Weiran, they were truly convinced.

Tan Weiran was different from Chi Lei. When Chi Lei led his troops out, although he had a good grasp of the situation, impulsiveness was still the main emotion. Tan Weiran was also so young, and when he got impulsive, he was not much more calm than Chi Lei, but having seen all kinds of things, and having spent more time with his sister Tan Weixin and his brother-in-law Ye Tao, who seemed not to care even if the sky fell, Tan Weiran was still calm in front of these strange tribes, but the questions he asked were very critical.

"How many sand bandits have been annihilated so far? Is there any certainty of organizing a long-distance march to meet Chi Lei's troops? How long can the logistics support last, and how big a battle can be fought? So far, has there been any plan to retaliate against the sand bandits' active attacks?..."

"Reporting, Your Highness, we have a preliminary plan here. We have been fighting fiercely these days, and the staff department has also been involved in the first-line rotation, so there has been no time to do detailed work," an inconspicuous officer said seriously and respectfully.

This guy was named Xu Chao, a battalion commander of the Light Infantry Battalion, and he was the busiest these days. He was in charge of the defense of the entire camp, the coordination and negotiation with the two tribes, and the collection and organization of various internal intelligence and materials. In particular, he was responsible for the rotation of officers and soldiers. Under the enemy's tight attacks, the three parties had been investing just the right amount of troops, always allowing some soldiers to rest, which ensured that the entire army did not collapse after so many days. And Xu Chao, this previously unknown guy, had also won the admiration of the leaders of the two tribes... Yunzhou actually had such an officer who could only lead a battalion. Although Xu Chao never interfered with combat decisions, the coordination and organizational skills he displayed far exceeded the number of troops he commanded.

In Yunzhou, this was indeed the case. Because the quality of the troops was generally high, the requirements for officers were also rising. Unlike the first batch of battalion commanders who were selected according to their previous experience, almost all of the second and third batches of appointed battalion commanders had to have some special skills. It was completely impossible to rely on seniority. If they could not come up with some unique skills in the internal selection to convince their colleagues, it would be almost impossible to smoothly become a battalion commander-level position. And after becoming a battalion commander, all kinds of training would follow. If, after half a year of being a battalion commander, they did not master the ability to command several times the strength of a battalion, and did not have a large-scale combat vision, then they would probably be transferred to a clerical position in the battalion commander position after one year, or transferred to other departments of the Yunzhou Command. People like Xu Chao, who could do the internal work of a large army to the point of perfection, were not unique in Yunzhou. But the fact that Xu Chao could steadily and comprehensively demonstrate this ability at a critical moment of the war and achieve good results meant that promotion was not far from him.

"Okay, it's good to have a preliminary plan," Tan Weiran said lightly. He had already used launching a large-scale attack as a statement of his arrival at the front line. At least the enemy on the opposite side dared not launch further attacks for two days. In fact, they would never have the opportunity to launch attacks again. Tan Weiran calmly ordered, "You have worked hard, rest for a day. Two days later, we will prepare to meet Chi Lei."

"Your Highness!" Everyone burst out with a cry of shock.

"You know that I am Your Highness, but the problem is that Chi Lei is also my brother. Don't think that I can't take risks," Tan Weiran smiled and said, "Or do you think that the son of the current Grand Commandant can be abandoned at a necessary moment? I'm telling you, no way. Chi Lei is the number one scout commander in the world, and he still has to work for East Peace. Not to mention Chi Lei, even if something happens to some of our brothers, I don't mind turning over the entire Gobi Desert and killing them all. Brother-in-law told me to make my own decisions, and Yunzhou will give full support. The simple road from the forward camp to here is already under construction, as well as telegraph lines and eagle stations. The first batch of supplies will arrive here in five days, and after that, it depends on how many more supplies are needed here. Not only materials, but also time. If it takes a year, then use a year, if it takes three or five years, then three or five years. I can only stay here for two months, and in these two months, I want to see Chi Lei, and I want to see preliminary results. I need you to prepare for a big battle as soon as possible. Aren't you afraid that the sand bandits will kill you? How long are you prepared to stay in the grassland? Aren't you going to play in the south?"

Tan Weiran didn't seem to care about confidentiality at all, because everyone present was completely trustworthy. They could understand what he meant, because the command had already sent documents to each battalion to solicit everyone's opinions. Half of Yunzhou's mature main battle battalions would go to Iron City, and then conduct three months of training along the canal. In name, this was a joint exercise with the Blood Kirin Army, exchanging ideas and practical experience in various aspects of military construction, and providing opinions for the general army adjustment, training, and re-equipment of East Peace. But in fact, the top-secret document had already stated that the time for the southern training was mainly to familiarize themselves with the operation of the army in the humid zone... So many years in advance, East Peace had already begun to lay out these details for Spring South. It was not to say that East Peace really wanted to use the army of the Northern Frontier Pacification Command to conquer Spring South, but before the army completed its training, could a large number of reference opinions be provided solely by the unparalleled Blood Kirin Army? That was really unreliable.

After two days of preparation, Tan Weiran left approximately 10,000 people in place and led the entire army into the Gobi Desert. The Yunzhou armies' transition from stationing to combat was really too fast. They defeated two groups of sand bandits in one morning and advanced to Sweetwater Continent that night. Subsequently, the army was divided into three routes and began a series of operations in the Gobi Desert in a sweeping posture. In the eastern part of the Gobi Desert, at least in the places they advanced to, there was not so much water shortage. In terms of other supplies, Yunzhou did indeed provide them with a lot of assistance quickly. First, a huge airship fleet shuttled back and forth to supply them with medicines and other items. Then, when the first batch of supplies arrived, the army found that Yunzhou's determination to solve the Gobi Desert problem was indeed quite terrifying. The high cost of quickly transporting these supplies itself made the grassland tribes, who were used to living a poor life, tongue-tied. But Yunzhou still resolutely did it, transporting everything from arrows, medicines, fire oil bombs, and so on all the way over. Only grain was purchased locally, and then the insufficient part was transported in moderation.

However, when Tan Weiran led the army into the Gobi Desert, he found that Chi Lei didn't seem to be in any danger, but the place he was going was very interesting. And after Chi Lei finally contacted Tan Weiran, he found that Uncle Toermu's plan now seemed a bit redundant, but he still carried out part of it, the part about provoking the relationship between the sand bandits. As for the tomb of the King of the Grasslands, although the excavation work had already begun, with the support of the army, and with the enemies in the east completely cleared, Chi Lei also felt that it was not necessary. After all, excavating this tomb would risk offending Yilan, such a big figure who was indeed not very powerful now, but who would definitely manage the grasslands for quite some time in the future.