Episode 941: Ijei (以夷制夷) – Regional appraisal. (1)
The Spanish army, which entered the territory of the Republic of Genoa using the coastal road of the Duchy of Savoy, was soon bombarded by the imperial navy.
At first, the bombardment was not very serious and the Spanishmanders came to optimistic conclusions.
“This is worth taking. Rather, use the wide and t coastal road to strike Genoa as quickly as possible!”
However, this was a trap for the imperial army.
As the Spanish army advanced to a point where no good detour was possible, the Imperial Navy began pounding the Spanish army in earnest.
It was an imperial navy that steadily used what it had learned in the previous war against the Ming Dynasty.
-Therger the enemy, the more limited the number of movement paths you can choose.
-Once you pass a certain point, not only does retreat be impossible, but it also bes difficult to find a suitable detour for therge army to move.
-If attacked in this situation, the enemy has only two choices.
-Move forward as quickly as possible to reduce the time you take damage. Or, split the troops into smaller pieces and move them using several detours.
-If you choose the first choice, it will be very delicious food, and if you choose the second, it will also be very delicious food.
“…If possible, it would be better to choose the second option.”
Yu Eung-bu, who exined the strategy to Hyang, ended with the above words.
Hyang nodded at Yu Eung-bu’s words, which were a mixture of jokes and seriousness.
‘In a situation where there is no proper means ofmunication, splitting the unit into small pieces and moving around is the worst way to kill oneself.’
Even in the 21st century, where people use not only walkie-talkies but also satellitemunications using cell phones, such distributed movement was an adventurous operation.
At a time when messengers and messengers moving on foot or on horseback were the best option, dispersed movement was a viable option only in the worst case scenario.
“How will you respond if the Spanish military takes the second option?”
Yu Eung-bu answered Hyang’s question without hesitation.
“First, we will use mountain warfare to harass them as much as possible.”
“Mountain warfare is not easy. Is it possible?”
Yu Eung-bu smiled even brighter at Hyang’s point out.
“All we have to do is mobilize the Imperial Army and Swiss Army from our home country among the troops deployed in Genoa.”
“Oh, there they were.”
For the Swiss who lived in the Alps, and for the imperial troops from the maind, where mountains were right in front of them as soon as they opened the front door, a considerable amount of mountain warfare was possible.
Hyang thought that Yu Eung-bu’s n was reasonable and nodded.
“I think Dowonsu’s military strategy is sound. “I will trust you and entrust everything to you.”
“I will do my best!”
Yu Eung-bu, who received full support from the vige, proceeded with his operation confidently.
As a result, the Spanish army, which had crossed the ‘point of no retreat’, was beaten by the imperial navy.
After seeing serious damage that far exceeded expectations, the Spanish militarymand was forced to make a choice.
As expected, the Spanish militarymand had two options.
“The alternative is, ‘Move as quickly as possible to reduce the time it takes you to avoid the inevitable rain shower.’ Or, ‘Split it like firewood and then fall into a side street.’ I don’t like either of them….”
“There’s also ‘just pack your bags and go back.’”
“That may be the best answer, but wouldn’t impeachment in Toledo be the problem?”
“Toledo’s impeachment is a problem, but having to look at the French brats is also a problem.”
Due to limitations inmunication means,munication between the Spanish and French armies was limited. Even though they became allies, there was no proper exchange of information due to past resentments and issues of their own national interests.
Thanks to this, the Spanish militarymand, which did not know the situation in France and Italy properly, had to find the best option with limited information.
After a long and fierce war of words, the Spanish military leadership came to an agreement.
“Let’s give up going straight to Genoa.”
“I agree. “Under the current circumstances, we will be wiped out before we even get there.”
“Instead, let us take the fortress of Alexandria. That will be the starting point.”
The fortress of Alexandria was built in 1168 and named after Pope Alexander III.
“Alexandria…”
The Spanish militarymander, who was looking at the map, all nodded.
“It’s okay.”
Alexandria was a transportation hub. If I could get my hands on this ce, I could control all the transportation routes between Turin, Mn and Genoa.
Thanks to this, when it was first built in 1168, there was only a fortress, but now it has be a fairly prosperous city.
If the Spanish army were able to take control of Alexandria, they could not only cut off the imperial army’s supply route between Mn and Genoa, but also show off to the French armying from Turin.
“If you hope for a little more luck, you can move along the Apennine Mountains and take Bologna. Of course, we’ll have to move along with those arrogant French bastards.”
“Let’s think about that after we take control of Alexandria.”
After reaching an agreement, the Spanish militarymand soon began splitting up and redeploying its units.
“I think I’m splitting it into too many pieces…”
When one of themanders pointed out with a worried face, the othermanders insisted that there was nothing they could do.
“I can’t help it. Unless they were idiots, they wouldn’t have left Alexandria empty. In that case, we must secure numerical superiority by moving as many troops as possible in the shortest amount of time.”
Themander’s point in iming force majeure was as follows.
-As we have experienced on our way here, the firepower of the imperial army is very powerful.
-But if there is a weakness, it is that there are few numbers.
-The number of detours confirmed so far is five. If you find an easy route to travel, it will be reduced to three.
-If you only use these three passages, your troops will be stretched out longer than necessary.
-In the worst case, you may make the mistake of sending troops one after another in the process of upying Alexandria.
-In that case, split the troops into smaller pieces and use all five detours. If you do this, you can mobilize as many troops as possible to the upation war in the shortest possible time.
“That’s true, but…”
After hearing the exnation, themander was convinced, but could not erase his worries.
‘In order for such split-up movement to work, smoothmunication and a clear chain ofmand must be secured…’
But he eventually kept quiet.
This was because he had no good strategy other than the current one.
Also, the problem was that he kept giving a bad impression to his colleagues by constantly asking questions.
Even if something was sessful, he would be ridiculed as a ‘coward’, and if something went wrong, there was a possibility that he would be framed as a scapegoat.
‘It’s best to stop at an appropriate time and then bury it quietly.’
The Spanish army, thus divided, soon took a detour.
* * *
The detours chosen by the Spanish army were where the Alps and the Apennines meet.
Although it was a ce where the ends of two mountain ranges met, the mountain paths were quite rough.
Passing these mountain passes was not an easy task.
In order to move the heavy artillery, which was the core of the force, in addition to the war horses already assigned, the cavalry’s spare horses had to be returned to the artillery unit.
Nevertheless, it was not easy for the heavy artillery to pass through the mountain path, and in the end, even the artillerymen had to stick together and push and pull the heavy artillery.
Despite all this hardship, there was no speed, and the Spanishmanders overtook the infantry that followed.
Of course, a guard unit was left behind in case of an unexpected ambush, but as these incidents were repeated, the units that were already broken up into small pieces were split even more.
And at some point, there were people who smiled in remorse as they saw the Spanish army advancing in such a fierce battle.
They were imperial and Swiss army scouts who were ambushed in the thick forests on the left and right of the passage.
The scouts, who recorded the movements of the Spanish army on the map they had taken out of their pockets, quietly began to retreat.
The scouts who escaped like that quickly returned to their base.
“How is it?”
The scouts responded to themander’s question with a wry smile.
“A flock of plump sheep areing, carrying everything, including firewood and pots.”
The scouts responded with meaningful words, took out maps from their arms, and reported them to themander.
“The Spanish are moving along these passages and corridors here. “The scale is…”
After receiving the scout’s report, themander looked at the map hanging on the tent wall. The paper hanging on the wall disyed the areas assigned to him and the areas assigned to other units.
* * *
While nning the mountain interception battle, the response team used two ‘sure’ tricks.
One was ‘clear territorial division’ and the other was ‘clear autonomy’.
-Be sure to clearly distinguish between the area assigned to you and the area assigned to other units. Avoiding ‘mistaken engagement’ is most important.
-From the moment an operation begins, the unitmander exercises full authority. From deciding to fight to moving and retreating, everything is decided by the fieldmander.
The reason Yu Eung-bu made this decision, like the Spanish army, was because of the ck of a reliable means ofmunication.’
“Sanguns do not carelessly enter the territory of other mountainlords. The same goes for you, too. “Please keep this in mind.”
“ancient!”
“And I will clearly guarantee in writing that once the operation begins, all decision-making authority rests with you. Instead, do not be unnecessarily excessively greedy. “I will be held responsible for this first.”
“I’ll keep that in mind!”
* * *
Themander stroked his chin as he studied the map, remembering the assurances and warnings Yu Eung-bu had given.
“Hmm… Let’s see… The Spanish vanguard has already passed a long time ago, and the main camp has already passed about halfway, right? All that remains now are the artillery and supply units… Hmm….”
Themander, who thought for a moment, looked back at the scouts and grinned.
“Would it be worth fighting if there were no cannons and nothing to eat?”
The scout immediately answered themander’s question.
“Not at all!”
“Then move. “Call the kids together.”
“yep!”
After a while, the Imperial Army’s mountain guerri force departed from the ambush position.
* * *
Hee hee!
“Hey! Hey!”
“Push! “Push!”
A small mountain road near Asti.
The horses and soldiers were sweating and having a hard time dragging the carriages loaded with heavy artillery up the hill.
What was normally pulled by 4 war horses was pulled by 8 horses, with even soldiers clinging to it, but going up the ramp was a difficult task.
The Spanish militarymander, who was surveying the situation on horseback on one side of the road, let out a long sigh.
“This is it… Is this how we can make it on time? “It’s frustrating.”
To relieve his frustration, themander reached for the canteen attached to the saddle.
Right at that moment.
“Tsk!”
Taaaaaang.
Themander fell from his horse as a hole opened in his breastte. And the gunfire echoed for a long time.
“It’s a sniper!”
“It’s a surprise attack!”