It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 109 Chapter | Shocking Statement
Break one point and shock the whole line!

Previously, Tukhachevsky and his staff had selected two main attack directions and three feint attack directions.

Because of the suddenness of the action, the Hungarians were caught off guard, and both main attack directions successfully broke through the Tisza River defense line.

The landing site at the northern breakthrough point was met with a fierce counterattack by the Hungarian 1st Armored Division. The two sides fought bloody battles for a day and a night. In the end, the 19th Tank Brigade and the 76th Infantry Division of the Russian Empire, which suffered more than a thousand casualties, had to retreat and were driven back to the other side of the river.

In the southern Tauktau region, however, the Hungarian 3rd Independent Armored Regiment launched an equally resolute counterattack, but it ended in disastrous defeat, with the Hungarian army losing as many as 60 tanks alone, and the 201st Armored Regiment suffering heavy losses. Subsequently, Ivan Rus's army, with subsequent reinforcements, successfully crossed the river and began actively expanding the breakthrough, advancing deeper into the defenses.

It can be said that the Russian commander fully demonstrated his talents and made the most of the combat effectiveness of a small number of advanced weapons, making them play a decisive role in the final decision.

This is the art of war!
Shang was greatly shocked by what he saw with his own eyes.

What surprised him most was that the Imperial Russian T-34s weren't as slow to react as they had been historically. They coordinated well with each other. He noticed that most of the T-34s had whip antennas, apparently equipped with radios.

You should know that the radio equipment rate of the Soviet tank troops in the original dimension was very low. It was not until 1943 in the late stage of the war that radio stations were gradually popularized. Before that, the coordination ability was very poor.

Based on the fragmentary intelligence information currently known, he speculated that the Ivan Rus people might have imported the radio from the British.

There was also some uncertain gossip - according to the confessions of prisoners captured by the Varlanders in a counterattack a few days ago, there were many trained female tank soldiers in the Ivan Ross tank unit, and they were given priority to serve as communicators in the co-pilot seat.

Shang Ke suddenly understood.

If we use humans as a superior substitute for machines, give full play to their value, and greatly improve the coordination capabilities of tank units, then everything will make sense.

He quipped, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "It's worthy of being the birthplace of abstract art."

Shang's model of concentrating on using supernatural warriors is to optimize the reaction between reconnaissance and firepower, and he studies the cleverness of strength, while the Ivan Ross people's method of use is really simple and crude.

But it has to be admitted that this method, combined with the epoch-making new tank, is really powerful.

So what should we do next? This is the urgent question that Shang is considering.

The next day.

After gaining a foothold, Ivan Ross's army began to advance in great strides.

A large number of bombers carried out air strikes on the Hungarian army's shallow and deep positions, and then the ground forces launched an attack in coordination with infantry and tanks, advancing without stopping.

"The enemy's attack focuses on the west and northwest!"

"The lower Meize area is also under attack. They are applying pressure all along the line. I'm afraid we'll have to retreat."

As the counterattack failed, the Hungarian army, with its second-line troops depleted, had no spare strength to prevent the enemy from expanding the breakthrough and could only fight and retreat.

At this time, the General Staff of the Royal Hungarian Army in Budapest was in chaos.

No one expected that just a few days after the hard-earned victory, and before the joy of victory had faded, a desperate situation suddenly arrived.

Extreme joy brings sorrow!

The war situation is getting worse and worse!
More than a dozen divisions faced the fatal risk of being cut off, and the northern section of the Tisza River defense line might not be able to hold on any longer and had to be abandoned.

The only thing the General Staff can do now is to deploy troops and delay Ivan Rus's army's momentum of advancing in depth as much as possible, so that the troops can take turns to cover the retreat.

At this time, the office of the Grand Control Federal Military and Technical Advisory Group received a telegram from the front line.

Then the telegram was handed to the head of the group.

After reading it, Major General Zhang turned back and looked at the map carefully, and found the location mentioned in the telegram.

"This kid... is so audacious," he exclaimed in amazement. "What a joke! Absurd!" someone couldn't help but say.

This telegram was sent by Shang Ke.

He suggested opening the Tiszalek Dam to release water, causing the water level in the lower Tisza River to rise sharply, delaying the actions of Ivan Rus's army and buying more time and room for maneuver for the Hungarian army's retreat.

Use water instead of soldiers!

"Wait a minute, the small town of Tisalek is on the east bank of the river. I'm afraid it's already been occupied by the Russians."

"It's hard to say. It's not a key area, so maybe there aren't many troops there."

"What if I can't get it back?"

Hearing this question, Major General Zhang said leisurely, "The guy said in the telegram that if we have to, we can blow it up or use artillery to create a breach."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

"Isn't this inappropriate? The dam exploded less than a year after it was completed?" A lieutenant colonel looked incredulous.

"I didn't realize he was such a ruthless person. I'm afraid the downstream area will become a flood. What will happen to the millions of people in the villages and towns on both sides of the strait?" Someone nearby said while shaking his head.

Despite a host of problems and hassles, it is possible to buy valuable time.

Therefore, the General Staff of the Royal Hungarian Army soon received this proposal and began an urgent discussion.

Although he was given a bad reputation for being cruel and ruthless, Shang himself would never admit it.

He carefully evaluated the benefits and costs of doing so and concluded that it was worth a try.

The Tisza River originates from the Carpathian Mountains, runs from north to south through eastern Hungary and Sweden, and eventually merges into the Danube River. The water level fluctuates greatly. Since there is no lake system along the way to buffer it, the Tisza River floods once a year in spring, summer and autumn.

Ivan Rus's army certainly took this objective issue into consideration.

More than half a month ago, the Tisza River had already flooded, and it was only after that that the Ivan Rus Empire issued an ultimatum to Hunsted.

The flow of the Tisza River is currently stabilizing, but it will take some time before entering the dry season.

The Tisarek Dam and reservoir upstream had stored a large amount of water, acting as a buffer. If the sluice gates were opened to release the water, the water level downstream would inevitably rise sharply, overcoming the pontoon bridge built by Ivan Rus's army.

Shang Ke was worried that it would cause a tragic flood, so he consulted some staff officers and local engineering officers, and the answer he got was that it probably would not happen.

(1) The river flow is currently stable and it is not the flood season, so it will not cause serious floods.

(2) Downstream villages and towns have built flood control dikes along the river, which are sufficient to cope with the general rise in water levels.

"Should?" Shang Ke shook his head. "Such vague terms shouldn't appear in military terms."

After a moment's silence, a lieutenant in the engineering corps said firmly, "Sir, I'm certain there won't be a serious crisis. I've lived on the west bank of the Tisza for over twenty years, and I know it well."

"Okay." Shang Ke pointed at the map and said in a deep voice, "I hope it works. Whether the army can retreat in an orderly manner depends on this..."

Before he finished speaking, the faint sound of an engine came from the sky.

"Enemy aircraft!"

"Take cover!"

(End of this chapter)