Iron Germany

On the outskirts of Königsberg, at the headquarters of the 8th Army Corps of the German Imperial Army, a military conference concerning the upcoming decisive battle is being held.

Qin Tian sat in his seat, listening to the general's report and the arrangements for the upcoming war.

"Gentlemen, according to the exact information we have received, the Russians have formed the Northwest Front Army, including thirty infantry divisions and eight cavalry divisions, with a total strength of more than half a million troops. We only have ten infantry divisions and one The total strength of the armored division is only about 180,000. It can be said that the strength of the Russian army is nearly three times that of ours! Of course, although the strength of the Russians is quite large, I still think that they are just here to die. .I believe that we will be able to get rid of them." Qin Tian said with a smile.

All the generals also laughed.

"His Royal Highness, according to the analysis of the staff department, we plan to implement plan No. 2. That is to lure the enemy into the plan. The Russian army has much more troops than us. If we attack rashly, this will make us fall into the Russian trap. Or surrounded. Conversely, if we are fighting within our borders, we can set up traps and wait for the Russians to attack. In this way, we can gather our superior forces and defeat them in one fell swoop." Major General Ludendorff said.

Qin Tian nodded, he did not interfere with the specific command of the troops, nor did he want to interfere. He believes that those professionals are obviously more professional than his wild way. If you give it to them, there will be no mistakes.

"Colonel Manstein, let me introduce the battle plan to everyone!" Major General Ludendorff said.

"Yes, General." Colonel Manstein took up the position.

Manstein is now the Deputy Chief of Operations of the Eighth Army, an extremely young colonel. At the age of only 27, he was able to become a colonel of the Imperial Army, which was an extraordinary promotion. Of course, there are two young colonels like Manstein in the 8th Army, namely the 26-year-old Colonel Guderian and the 23-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Rommel. Guderian is now the acting division commander of the 8th Armored Division, while Rommel is the deputy division commander and head of the 1st regiment.

Although many people were dissatisfied with them for obtaining such a high military rank at such a young age, no one dared to show it. Because everyone knows that the three of them are Qin Tian's favorite generals. The current Qin Tian's status in the 8th Legion is also increasing day by day, and no one dares to question him anymore.

"His Royal Highness, all generals. From the information we have obtained, we can analyze that the Northwest Front Army of the Russian Army is divided into two armies. That is, the 1st Army led by Admiral Leiningkamp, ​​including 20 infantry divisions and two cavalry. Division, stationed in Werner. The 2nd Army led by General Samsonov, including ten infantry divisions and six cavalry divisions, is stationed in Warsaw. Once the Russian army launches an offensive, the 1st Army will attack from the east , and the 2nd Army will attack from the south and attack East Prussia." Manstein began to introduce.

Hearing that the 500,000 Russian troops were divided into two sides in the southeast to attack East Prussia, most of the generals changed their faces. Although, they all know that the combat effectiveness of the 8th Army has long since changed from what it used to be. However, whether they can withstand the attack of an enemy three times their size, they still have no certainty in their hearts.

"Our specific tactic is that the 17th Army is deployed in the east to block the Russian 1st Army. Through layers of blocking, we constantly lure the enemy to go deep, and retreat to the Masurian Lake area. The river network and swamps there are densely covered. , the traffic remains unchanged. Once the large Russian corps is caught in it, it will be difficult to get out."

"Yes!" Lieutenant General Zeckert, commander of the 17th Army, stood up and replied. Although, it is very difficult for the 17th Army with only 3 infantry divisions and more than 50,000 people to block a Russian 1st Army with 20 infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions and a total strength of more than 300,000 troops. . However, Lieutenant General Zeckert still has the confidence to complete this task. Anyway, it's not that the 17th Army is going to fight the Russian army recklessly, it's just that they are blocking it layer by layer.

"The 11th Army, go to Fort Tannen in the south to deploy defenses. The 8th Armored Division will cooperate with the 11th Army. Build a position there and wait for the Russian army."

"Yes!" Lieutenant General Francois, commander of the 11th Army, and Colonel Guderian, acting commander of the 8th Armored Division, both replied.

"The 20th Army, go south to stop the Russian 2nd Army, lure them to Tannanburg, cooperate with the 11th Army and the 8th Armored Division, and annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

"Yes!" Lieutenant General Mackensen, commander of the 20th Army, replied.

"Generals, our specific combat deployment is to defeat or even encircle the 2nd Russian Army in Tannanburg, and then transport it by rail, turn around and wipe out the Russian 1st Army in Masurian Lake, and wipe out the Russian Army in one fell swoop. The main force of the Northwest Front Army will be eaten!" Brigadier General Hoffman, deputy chief of staff and chief of operations of the 8th Army, also said.

Brigadier General Hoffman is also a very talented person, and in another time and space, he is also famous. Therefore, after Qin Tian took over the 8th Army, he also put a lot of emphasis on Hoffman.

"Do you have any questions about this battle?" Qin Tian asked.

"Your Highness, if we want to lure the enemy to go deep, it will definitely cause some damage to our country. The people must evacuate first. Otherwise, this will bring us unnecessary harm." Lieutenant General Francois reminded.

"Well, the evacuation of the people has already started before. Now, it is almost finished. War is the business of our soldiers, and it is also what we must do to avoid harming civilians as much as possible. As for destroying their Homeland, there is no way around it. Wars are inherently destructive. The only thing we can do is to help them rebuild their homes after the war is over," Qin Tian said.

Lieutenant General Francois nodded and said nothing more. He also knew that this was impossible.

"Everyone, our battle is about to begin. From now on, all troops must be ready for battle. We must win this battle. Otherwise, our land will be ravaged by the Russians. We people will be slaughtered by them," Qin Tian said.

"We must win! The empire must win!" All the generals roared firmly.

After the combat conference, the various departments of the 8th Army began to transfer to the predetermined destination according to the predetermined combat deployment. A large amount of combat materials are also being transported to the front line by railway and road to ensure the consumption of the battle.

The Eighth Army, Qin Tian's meticulously prepared army, has already shown its fangs.