"The soldiers are all in high spirits; they feel that just standing guard is quite boring and would rather take the initiative to strike at night." The battalion commander stood behind Redman, opening with a suggestion.
It's important to note that night is the home ground of the Great Tang Group's security forces' Rangers; these soldiers are all trained under the starlight of the Vicious Forest, surpassing the night-fighting level of the entire era.
If these Rangers took the initiative to strike, it's estimated that Shireck's side would have to pay the price of at least 300 men just to make it through the night.
So when the battalion commander made the suggestion, Redman was also somewhat tempted. He looked towards Tang Mo, full of anticipation, and asked, "We're idle anyway, so should we... stir things up?"
"Ha!" Tang Mo shook his head, "Human lives for dog lives? What a joke! Even if we lost ten men and killed Gis, I'd be at a loss!"
"But..." Redman wanted to persuade him further.
"There are no 'buts'!" Tang Mo interrupted, "Don't worry! I'd rather reveal my trump card, the C80, than risk my soldiers' lives! It's a matter of principle!"
"Do you know how much effort, time, and Gold Coins I spent to train all of you? What a joke! To use you for a sneak attack?" Tang Mo hadn't even considered such a tactic.
Night raid? Flanking? Sure. But wait till I have night vision! Wait till I can ensure no talent is lost, then we'll talk!
In an era where talent is urgently needed and there are gaps everywhere, to trade soldiers' lives for victory? I, Tang Mo, can't afford that!
In the future, every soldier here might be dispersed to become a general of a country! Every commander here might be a famous general of the age.
Use them sparingly. Each person here in the future is an antenna for Tang Mo to control the whole world, and he would be insane to use his precious forces for a fool from Shireck.
In this age, where everyone values and even regards as divine the C80 field gun, Tang Mo sees it as real trash.
After silently complaining to himself, Tang Mo didn't know that his words had already deeply moved everyone in the command center.
A master who is unwilling to risk the lives of his subordinates in such a situation is a rare breed nowadays. Following such a master, one's life is worthwhile!
"7 battalion flags, 3 regimental flags... they're all here." A company commander crawled over at this time, presenting all the flags found on the battlefield to Tang Mo.
These flags were stained with blood and some had bullet-riddled holes, but their colorful designs were still evident, crafted with effort.
Tang Mo couldn't care less about such things; he sold the sabers and flags he had captured from Tucci to Fisheo, so he had little interest in these flags.
He glanced at them briefly and instructed all present, "From now on, don't bother picking up such flags, command knives, gun nameplates, and the like. It's not worth the risk."
As everyone was once again moved, Tang Mo continued, "How's the situation on the battlefield?"
On this map, in addition to marking the location of their own positions, it also marked the approximate location of the enemy troops.
Since the map had been surveyed in advance, Tang Mo's "staff officers" had long identified the sections where the enemy might choose to encamp.
Especially with the enemy's large forces, it was impossible for them to avoid these convenient encampment locations and preemptively defend against Tang Mo's attacks.
After all, these were good campsite choices, and according to conventional wisdom, it was not likely that they could be covered by artillery fire.
But... who could know that Tang Mo had 120mm caliber breech-loading field guns that could strike targets over 5 kilometers away?
This was no joke; their firing range exceeded the era's understanding and knowledge of artillery.
Tang Mo had yet to deploy these big guns on the battlefield for the sole purpose of giving Shireck a surprise, letting the enemy truly understand the power of the god of the battlefield!
Tomorrow morning, Tang Mo planned to bombard the enemy's troop concentration point directly under the correction of the observation post, breaking the enemy's remaining legions in one fell swoop and completely disabling their combat capability.
By then, if Leite VII and that old Prime Minister didn't make a move behind Gis, Tang Mo would have to have a serious talk with them.
Once Leite VII made his move, Shireck would be surrounded on all sides, and Gis's troops would become the sacrificial offering for Leite VII to clear Shireck's influence.
Everything would naturally fall into place, and Northern Ridge could smoothly annex and divide Shireck's mines and manor lands, distributing another round of spoils.
In summary, what followed was a spectacular scene of everyone sharing the cake, with Shireck being the huge cake that was devoured!
With 15 field guns of 75mm caliber and 10 field guns of 120mm caliber... plus real shells, Tang Mo felt it was more than enough to give Xiuyi Gis a taste.
Both men were calculating against each other, both believing themselves to be the hunter. It was just a matter of who would have the last laugh.
Over an hour later, as the sky gradually darkened and before it was completely black, Tang Mo had the 10 field guns of 75mm caliber that had already been fired shoot a salvo to harass the enemy.
Or rather, to mislead Shireck's commanders: this round of firing purposefully gave the false impression of insufficient range.
The purpose was to make the enemy complacent, believing that their ammunition storage and troop encampments were outside the coverage of the Great Tang Group's firepower.
"Since ancient times, true feelings couldn't hold fast; it's always the tricks that win hearts." Tang Mo said with a tone of compassion for the world, looking at Shireck's encampment filled with tents and wagons in the distance, commenting softly.
"What did you say?" Wes, who was following behind Tang Mo, didn't catch the muttered sentence.
"Nothing important." Tang Mo grinned and said, "Just saying goodbye to our dear Mr. Gis."