Strategic Deployment
In the summer of Konoha Year 47, the Konoha army, poised for battle, officially entered the Land of Land of Rivers.
Since the area around Kikyo Castle had been cleared, most ninjas could reach the Land of Rivers from Aoba City in just a few hours with their speed, so the entire force's advance could be completed within half a day.
Shuichi's squad was among the first to set off, their destination being a mountain about 30 kilometers away from Kikyo Castle. This was the frontline base that Konoha had chosen after thoroughly understanding the terrain.
He arrived at this place without any obstacles along the way and found that the mountain was located at the highest point within a radius of dozens of kilometers.
In the middle of the hillside, there is a spacious platform, which is very suitable for setting up camp. It offers a wide view, is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and can easily accommodate at least several thousand people.
"There's another base not far from here, on that plain a few kilometers away," Shuichi said to his two teammates, pointing to the map. "These two strongholds, one on high ground and one at low ground, can see each other and also support each other. Let's check the surrounding area again to make sure no enemies are making any moves here."
Before long, as they patrolled the main base, they encountered more and more Konoha teams.
By afternoon, the new base had been established. Once the first batch of supplies arrived from Aoba City, Konoha would engage in battle with Sunagakure on the battlefield of the Land of Rivers.
As evening fell, a dim yellow candlelight shone from the large tent in the Konoha command camp, and several figures could be faintly seen residing within.
When Shuichi lifted the curtain, he found all the top experts of the Hokage lineage gathered together; he was the last to arrive.
"Sorry I'm late," Shuichi greeted politely.
"Kid, you're really making waves these days." Jiraiya, had returned to the front-line camp. "I heard about your mission; you did a great job!"
"Haha, you flatter me. If it weren't for Senior Minato's exceptional strength, we might have had to run away when we encountered that Sunagakure Squad."
"Don't say that, Shuichi-kun." Namikaze Minato a little embarrassedly, "Everyone performed perfectly. Without your cooperation, I couldn't have done anything by myself."
"Alright, enough with the pleasantries." Orochimaru, seeing everyone was present, got straight to the point. "Although we've killed a high-ranking official from Sunagakure, the war has only just begun. This is an order from the village; please take a look."
The Scroll was spread out on the table, and everyone gathered around. They needed to have a clear idea of how to proceed.
"Why the rush? Don't those old guys know that this will result in heavy casualties?" Tsunade frowned after reading the Tsunade. "The Medical Unit isn't short-staffed for now, but each Medical Ninja has limited chakra, and it takes time to transport the medicine and supplies. What are they thinking?!"
After reading the village's order, Shuichi also fell into deep thought. The higher-ups required them to find an opportunity to strike at Sunagakure's forces as soon as possible, which meant that Konoha would soon have to take the initiative and could not afford to engage in a prolonged Sunagakure.
"Tsunade, don't say that," Jiraiya said. "The situation in the Land of Rain is quite complicated. Although Iwagakure hasn't officially invaded, the situation is already escalating. I alone have encountered three squads."
Jiraiya was arguably the Konoha Ninja most familiar with the Land of Rain, so when Shuichi and others were active in the Land of Rivers, he, as the captain-in-chief of the Land of Rain front, faced considerable pressure. He had to engage in multi-faceted battles with Sunagakure, Amegakure, and Iwagakure, while also taking care of the situation in the Land of Grass.
Once Iwagakure officially invades, Jiraiya will take over as commander of that front. At that time, he probably won't be able to participate in the Sunagakure front anymore. Now is actually when Konoha's elite ninjas are most concentrated and their strength is at its peak.
"The overall strategic requirements have been finalized." Orochimaru revealed some other information. "The Daimyo of the Land of Rivers has entrusted the Land of Fire with a large sum of money, and the village has accepted. Moreover, preventing the Sunagakure from seizing large amounts of territory was planned long ago; we need to achieve some results in the next few months."
"So how exactly should we fight?" Shuichi asked, believing that there was nothing wrong with the decision made by the Konoha High Command.
The course of the war will be determined by the village's several thousand elite troops, most of whom are now gathered on the front line of the Land of Rivers, giving them an absolute advantage in fighting against Sunagakure.
If we wait until we have multiple fronts to fight, a large number of captain-level Jonin and Chunin will definitely be transferred to other fronts, and then a new batch of Chunin and Jonin will be promoted from the lower ranks.
On the surface, it seems like there are still many squads available, but their actual combat strength has declined significantly. Their war experience is certainly not as good as those veteran captains, and the casualty rate will definitely soar. The battle will then turn into a bloody war of attrition.
"Gentlemen, we have reached a preliminary decision." Nara Shikaku, acting as the strategist, began to explain the strategic plan.
Unfolding the latest topographical map of the Land of Rivers, "Based on our preliminary reconnaissance, we can preliminarily determine the area occupied by the Sunagakure."
He pointed to two red lines on the map, "One is in the north-central part, and the other is in the southern part. More detailed information is still unknown, especially regarding their troop distribution."
"I remember the northwest and southern regions are both resource-rich areas," Shuichi frowned. "If Sunagakure plays it safe, wouldn't we be the ones launching a full-scale attack on their defensive zones?"
Nara Shikaku's expression was somewhat serious. "That's true, and it's highly likely. Sunagakure will definitely heavily defend these two key points, but we have to attack them."
"Alright!" Shuichi quickly realized that this was the only way Konoha could do.
If Sunagakure were to completely occupy this area, not only would their strength increase significantly, but they would also shorten the distance between the two countries' borders from over 600 kilometers to about 200 kilometers.
Given the speed at which ninjas march, the Sunagakure departing from these two locations could easily enter the Land of Fire in a flash. How could Konoha tolerate such a thorn in their side?
"Therefore, our tactical plan is divided into three phases: first, to advance and pressure the Sunagakure's operational area; second, to ascertain the troop distribution in these two areas; and finally, to choose one location to launch a general offensive..."
As Shuichi looked at the map, he was also assessing the strategic situation of both sides in his mind.
Simply put, the invasion of Sunagakure is like biting open the long pancake of the Land of Rivers, making it impossible to defend without splitting the forces in two.
Konoha's current base is roughly distributed in a triangle with these two areas. Therefore, to attack Sunagakure, we must first compress the opponent's control range so that Sunagakure cannot predict which side Konoha will attack.
If Sunagakure obtains too much intelligence, it can continuously move troops between the two locations while also gaining a geographical advantage. If Konoha attempts a direct assault, it will have to pay a heavy price.
"The enemy understands this too; they can't hold out by simply defending, and they'll definitely send a large number of troops to operate in the central region of the Land of Rivers." Nara Shikaku explained the situation very clearly. "Of course, we can't let them have their way, so large-scale skirmishes should occur in the northern part of the Southern Sichuan Ridge, the central mountain range, and the southern Toba Basin."
The others nearby understood that both sides were vying for control of the map in the center of the Land of Rivers, and this place would become a true battlefield meat grinder.