After Zhao Hao made up his mind to try his best to annihilate the Spanish fleet at sea, the focus of discussion shifted to how to achieve this campaign goal.
First, the enemy¡¯s navigation route must be determined. To be precise, it was the Spanish's next route choice after passing through Guam or Saipan.
This is crucial because the coast guard fleet does not yet have the capability to divide its forces. Moreover, according to the "On Sea Power" written by Zhao Gongzi, the principle of "always use the fleet in a concentrated manner" should not be divided. We must invest all our forces in the right direction, launch a strategic decisive battle with the enemy, and achieve success in one battle!
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????:?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? did not do not land and rest before the exhausted divisions and damaged ships that have sailed across the ocean are most vulnerable and most easily defeated.
So guessing the route chosen by the Spaniards is the first step to annihilate them.
So which path will the Spaniards take? After taking a short break in Guam or Saipan, they seemed to have many options in front of them, but not many were actually feasible.
First of all, we can rule out the possibility of them directly attacking the Ming Dynasty mainland or Taiwan.
Because when the Spaniards arrived, it happened to be the season when the north wind prevailed. It was completely unfeasible for Spanish galleons, which could not sail against the wind, to sail northward in this season.
Secondly, the possibility of landing directly on Luzon Island is also slim.
The combat staff unanimously believed that what the Spaniards who came from across the ocean needed most was to rest and recuperate, and it was almost impossible to attack us directly as soon as they arrived in Luzon. Even if their commander decided to take it by surprise, the exhausted soldiers would not agree to it.
Of course, the key to using troops is to take them by surprise. The Spanish commander said he did not want to break the rules and did the opposite to catch them off guard.
But the prerequisite for that is that they get sufficient supplies and rest in Guam or Saipan in advance, and repair the large sailboat that was damaged during the voyage.
This requires them to store a large amount of supplies in advance. Intelligence showed that they did store supplies in Guam, but the amount was far from enough to support the 30,000-strong army needed to directly attack Luzon.
In addition, theoretically, it is also possible for the Spaniards to go straight into the East Gate Strait and head south to Cebu. But how drunk do they have to be to leave the Surigao Strait under their control and insist on passing through the enemy's controlled area?
So this possibility can basically be ruled out.
So we can only make two more realistic choices¡ª¡ª
The first is to enter Leyte Gulf and go from Surigao Strait to Cebu.
The second is to go south and go around the southern tip of Mindanao, passing through the Sulu Sea and stopping in Brunei.
Cebu is the hometown of the Spanish in the Far East that has been operated by the Spaniards for more than 20 years. In the past five years, we have intensified efforts to build high walls and stockpile supplies. This is the natural home port for the expeditionary fleet.
But Brunei Bay is a natural anchorage for the Grand Fleet, and Borneo is rich in products. There are nearly 100,000 indigenous believers in and around Brunei City, so it can also be an option.
And the advantage of the latter is that if you take this route, the sea is wide, there is no necessary throat strait, and it is almost impossible to be ambushed. So it is much safer than the former.
So which one will the Spaniards choose?
In this regard, the combat staff were at loggerheads. One group believed that the tired Spaniards would take the shortest route to their home base of Cebu to rest.
Another group of people believe that the Spaniards will put safety first and go far away to Brunei Bay - maybe they captured Borneo last year just to serve as a forward base for the expedition fleet.
Some people even think that the Spaniards may divide their troops, with some going to Cebu and some to Brunei.
This is the staff officer, who has considered everything and can¡¯t determine anything
Of course, this multiple-choice question should have been answered by Zhao Hao and his generals.
??~~
"First of all, it is impossible to divide the troops."
In the war room, Wang Rulong, who has been on the sickbed in recent years and has almost lost his shape, said flatly:
"The Spaniards must have a general understanding of the strength of our army. Their commanders should understand that if they divide their forces and our army does not, half of the fleet will be destroyed!"
"We don't want to see half of the Spaniards land safely, but the Spaniards cannot afford the destruction of half of the fleet!" Although the King of Hell on the Sea is no longer as domineering as before, his eyes are wiser and deeper than before:
"Since the commander-in-chief of the Spanish fleet, the Marquis of Santa Cruz, who is known as the 'Father of Soldiers', loves his soldiers like his own son and is cautious in combat, he will never make such a stupid mistake. He will concentrate all his forces on One place, so that no matter whether we encounter our army or not, there will be nothing wrong."
?After ten years of persistent implementation, commanders and staff at all levels have now developed the good habit of using war games to evaluate or familiarize themselves with combat plans.
At present, at least issues at the tactical level can be judged through war games.
Whether the battle plan works or not, we will see the real results in the war chess room!
Early the next morning, in the war chess room not far from the war room, the staff had laid out a ten-meter by ten-meter battlefield map overnight and prepared chess pieces for the game.
The map simulates the sea area between the Visayas and Mindanao, including Leyte Gulf, Surigao Strait, Bohol Sea, Bohol Strait and other areas where war may occur, and is strictly restored to a scale of 1:50,000.
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