Chapter 171: Strengthening Security (2)
Before setting foot in Ireland, the Duke of Norfolk had done some careful preparations. He studied previous battles between the rebels and the British forces and identified a significant weakness in the rebels' strategy. They lacked the capability to assault and hold fortified positions, a vulnerability the Duke believed the British could exploit.
Furthermore, the British had learned some hard lessons from previous engagements, primarily stemming from their dispersed forces and falling into ambushes. However, these encounters also revealed the rebels' inferior combat capabilities. Their attacks mainly relied on hit-and-run tactics and the use of landmines, hardly ever resulting in a full annihilation of British forces, even against a single platoon.
Of course, the Duke also recognized the rebels' advantages. Most Irish people supported the rebels, at least in spirit, and even some who still served the United Kingdom in various capacities sympathized with the cause.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience
The Irish might be unreliable, but in many areas, the British had to make use of them. This gave the rebel sympathizers an edge, particularly in gathering intelligence.
"Ladies and gentlemen, looking back at our previous battles, when we strike, if our forces remain concentrated, we can't locate those rebels. However, once we disperse our troops, we fall victim to superior rebel ambushes. If we can't address this issue, our efforts might be in vain," the Duke of Norfolk addressed his officers in a pre-deployment military meeting.
"In fact, the Irish problem is not primarily a military one; at least, not the main problem. The main issue is political. To solve the Irish rebellion problem, we need a combination of political and military means. In fact, it's seven parts political and three parts military.
What are these seven parts of politics? Firstly, we need to eliminate enemy spies. If every move we make is under their watchful eyes, while we remain blind to their actions, we become both blind and deaf. A blind and deaf person, no matter how strong, cannot win against anyone. So, our first step is to blind them. Then, we need to find a way to enlist those among them who are willing to cooperate with us, to act as our eyes. That's how we can achieve real victory.
Secondly, our actions must be cautious, and we must avoid falling into the enemy's traps. Look at this map, I've divided the whole of Ireland into three categories.
The first category is the areas under our complete control, like where we are now. I call these areas security zones, marked in green on the map. In these zones, the enemy mainly operates underground, and their main method of sabotage is stealing various secrets.
The second category includes areas where both our forces and the rebels' can penetrate deeply, such as the outskirts of the cities we control. These areas are close to us, and our response time is short. While the enemy has some presence in these areas, their actions are limited in scope. I call these semi-security zones, marked in orange.
Therefore, our actions aim to persuade them, make them realize that the rebels cannot protect them and will only bring them suffering. Once they no longer support the rebels, the rebels will be helpless. So, gentlemen, our guiding principle in non-security zones is to make the Irish people there fearful and miserable.
In simple terms, it means..."
At this point, the Duke of Norfolk stood up, leaned forward, and placed his hands on the table, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"Kill anything we see that moves, whether it's a man, woman, or child. Burn down every structure we encounter, whether it's a mansion or a hut. Take everything valuable we can carry, be it money, goods, or even a single chicken.
Gentlemen, this is a necessary political action, it's our policy! You must strictly enforce this policy, without hesitation or so-called compassion. Any wavering or knightly spirit is treason against His Majesty the King and the United Kingdom, understood?"
All the officers stood up simultaneously, replying loudly, "Understood!"
"Very well," the Duke of Norfolk said. "Please be seated. Now, let me explain the objectives of our operation. The goal of this operation is to instill tremendous fear in the non-security zones, weakening the rebels' strength and allowing us to consolidate security zones and buy time for the semi-security zones.
Gentlemen, the more you kill, burn, and loot in the non-security zones, the easier it will be for us to consolidate the security and semi-security zones. We've named this operation 'Noose.' Now, let General Anderson lay out the specific battle arrangements..."
Following this meeting, a swift deployment of 40,000 British troops began, dividing into eight teams departing from Dublin to sweep eastward. According to their operational plan, they would first encircle a vast rural area to the east of Dublin, tightening the noose progressively, much like a strangulation. British forces would destroy everything in the areas they passed through.
The Duke of Norfolk believed that if this operation succeeded, it would deliver a severe blow to the Irish, potentially reversing the entire situation.
Regarding the operation, he felt that his chances of success were relatively high. Firstly, only a limited number of senior officers were aware of the entire plan, minimizing the risk of leaks. Secondly, even if the rebels somehow discovered the plan's purpose, he didn't believe they could relocate so many rural inhabitants in such a short time. Now, the Duke felt he could simply await the good news at the Governor's Mansion.
