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.
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.
The third category is the rebels' controlled areas, mostly rural and far from our strongholds, challenging to control. These are the rebels' strongholds. In these areas, the rebels can operate openly, while our sympathizers are forced to operate underground if they enter. I call this the non-security zone.
Gentlemen, our tasks are different in these different zones. In the security zones, our main task is to root out spies and make the rebels blind.
We need to establish a strict system of secrecy to avoid leaks while strengthening security and eliminating spies. We must enforce a strict system of identification and residence registration. Everyone in the city must carry identity documents, which we can call 'Citizen's Pass.' Irish citizens holding this 'Citizen's Pass' must have sponsors, allowing them to vouch for each other. If anyone is a spy or has connections to spies, all their sponsors will be prosecuted together.
Additionally, we should organize Irish sympathizers in these areas, granting them some authority and benefits to help us deal with Irish spies, even utilizing them in semi-security and non-security zones to aid our operations.
Gentlemen, our forces are limited, and we have many areas to control. The United Kingdom needs to contend with France and expand overseas while suppressing this rebellion. If the United Kingdom has to deploy a massive army to crush the rebellion, even if we win, the strategic cost could be too high.
So, don't dream of mobilizing thirty or fifty thousand troops from home to suppress the rebellion. While not entirely impossible, if it comes to that, the United Kingdom will pay a higher price elsewhere. If it comes to that, all of us, including me, will become a laughingstock in the entire United Kingdom due to our incompetence. Utilizing the Irish against the Irish is the most economical and rational approach. I hope you all understand that.
In semi-security zones, we need to gradually reinforce our presence, establish more strongholds, expand our control, protect those who support us, and strongly combat those leaning toward the rebels.
In these areas, we need to construct a robust fortress in every village and station troops. Between several small strongholds, establish a large one to quickly support the others. Build roads for easy mutual support between these strongholds. Additionally, create blockades and ditches to impede enemy mobility.
Ultimately, we need to make the people in this area look up and see our watchtowers, look down and see our blockades. Our streets should be our own, and they should encounter our reconnaissance teams shortly after stepping out. Only then can we consolidate these areas and transform semi-security zones into security zones.
As for non-security zones, our primary focus will be on military action.
Gentlemen, the rebels are incapable of confronting our forces head-on. In non-security zones, we must maintain large military groups and avoid dispersing our forces. Our objective is not just the rebels themselves but the foundation of their existence. The rebels can survive because the local Irish support them. These Irish people support the rebels because they believe it is beneficial to them.
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.