Chapter 1655: Chapter 1572: Finally Some Good News
Upon hearing the news that the Air Force was no longer able to launch another counterattack, Moss sighed with some regret, "Without air cover, ground troop operations will be quite passive."
"The enemy has destroyed much of our field airports, and most of the planes have been crippled on the ground... Even if we fly out planes from farther away, we don’t have many planes available for combat anymore," the operations staff officer explained.
After the Dwarves suddenly deployed hundreds of planes to join the battle, the Tang Army learned from the experience and focused on clearing the previously ignored Dwarf field airports during their counterattack.
After several rounds of fierce raids, these previously usable airports have now been incapacitated, and the planes deployed at these airports have been unable to take off for combat.
Yesterday’s statistics showed that the Ice Cold Empire had lost over 190 planes on the front lines, which is not a small number. At this rate of loss, the total number of planes in the entire Ice Cold Empire would only last for twenty days.
Afterwards, the staff officer added, "The previous counterattack caused us to lose over 200 pilots... A substantial number of advanced aircraft were shot down... Under these circumstances, it’s already very difficult for the Air Force to deploy several planes to participate in the battle over these two days."
Understanding that the Air Force could no longer be relied upon, Moss shifted his focus back to the ground and asked his chief of staff, "What is the reinforcement situation for the 1st Corps?"
The chief of staff immediately replied, "They have already arrived, but the new recruits are still unable to immediately restore the 1st Corps’ combat capability, as their losses are too significant, especially in heavy weaponry."
This can be considered good news because the Tang Army was busy destroying airports and eliminating Dwarven planes, so the transport situation has been relatively good over the past two days.
They supplemented the 1st Corps with some ammunition and sent over about 10,000 replacement troops. Although this still couldn’t restore the 1st Corps’ combat capability, it greatly relieved the pressure on General Haralick.
However, as the chief of staff noted, personnel and ammunition replenishment went relatively smoothly, but the supplies of tanks and trucks were not as adequate. The 1st Corps recently only received 50 replacement trucks, although they had lost at least 300 trucks and over 250 tanks.
Indeed, there were no tanks; the Dwarven 1st Corps hadn’t received a single tank replacement, so they nearly exhausted the tanks they had on hand.
Fully aware of the importance of the 1st Corps’ defensive area, Moss once again stressed, "Tell Haralick he must hold the defense area! If we retreat another step, Eternal Winter City will be in danger! For the Empire! He must hold out to the last soldier!"
The chief of staff nodded in agreement, "Yes! General! I believe General Haralick knows what he’s doing. He is constructing new defense lines, but due to the lack of air support, the 1st Corps is having a hard time."
All units are fighting very hard, and Moss didn’t have any better ideas. Most of his focus is now on the defense of Eternal Winter City, so the 1st Corps can only be left in the care of the chief of staff.
While Moss was frowned in worry, the chief of staff spoke up, delivering some encouraging news, "The 4th Group Army is gathering and heading to the front line, so the situation will improve soon... There’s also good news from the Elves; they are willing to provide us with assistance, and the 6th Group Army we deployed on the southern border has begun to move north. At least we’re not caught under pressure from all sides this time."
The Elves have indeed made some concessions, withdrawing their troops from the border. Meanwhile, they’re willing to first provide supplies like food to support the Dwarves in the war against the Tang people.
Since both sides had been at war for a year, it’s obviously not realistic for Elf Race forces to immediately enter the Ice Cold Empire for combat. This mutual withdrawal of some border forces is already the most appropriate action.
The Dwarves have thus been freed up a Corps’ worth of forces, and more could potentially be liberated in the future. If necessary, the Elves could even dispatch a force into the Ice Cold Empire to participate in the battle, although this would require more time.
"Finally, some good news. Let’s hope our Air Force... can recover immediately," hearing that the Elves had finally chosen a side, Moss was significantly relieved.
By siding with the Dwarves, even if the Elves haven’t immediately provided support, they can offer much convenience. At least the northbound railroads through Elf Territory are readily available for use.
The Laines Empire, the Empire of Nanla, and the more southern Dorne Empire can continuously ship supplies north through Elf land, which is already fantastic news.
The chief of staff also nodded in agreement, "Better than the worst case scenario, at least the Elves and the Laines Empire have provided some planes, and there are Elven pilots, too. Although the Dorne side is very unhappy about us losing a large number of planes, they also promised to continue supplying planes and pilots to help us repel the Tang people’s offensive."
The Air Force is ultimately a branch capable of providing rapid reinforcement, and as long as there are airports, planes can transit. This era’s aircraft systems are not as complex, so support deployments can be accomplished with minimal preparation.
Of course, actual operations aren’t that simple. For instance, the reinforcements from Dorne came along with ground crew and engineers.
Upon learning about the imminent significant reinforcements, Moss was immediately ignited with fighting spirit; he had begun planning a comprehensive counterattack: "We cannot allow the Tang people to continue occupying the Steel Rampart... Once we’re sufficiently prepared, we will counterattack! Despite knowing how tough this will be, we must take action... Remaining entrenched within our fortifications is not a solution, as the Tang people’s assault capabilities are much higher than we initially estimated."
He planned to reclaim part of the defensive positions within the Steel Rampart and once again compress the Tang Army to the vicinity of their landing zones, which should further deplete the Tang people’s valuable logistical supplies.
Pausing briefly, the frontline commander continued, "Additionally, the defenses of Eternal Winter City must not halt! Construction must proceed! We cannot allow this port to fall into Tang hands, under no circumstances!"
Despite slow progress, the Dwarves are indeed perfecting the defensive works of Eternal Winter City. They’ve built several layers of defenses around the city and deployed the bulk of the distant 4th Group Army here. According to Moss’s plans, even if the Tang Army were to besiege the city, it could hold out for at least six months.