Su He looked at the sand table in front of him. The terrain of Sichuan and the situation between ourselves and the enemy were clearly visible.
He gave the Second Division a new mission: "Su Zhuang will lead the Second Division and separate the main forces. You will go north from Jianmen Pass to the Jialing River and go south along the Jialing River waterway.
Along the offensive route of Baoning, Nanchong and Hezhou, directly attack Chongqing.
If Su Xiong moves slower than you, join forces with them and then attack Chongqing Mansion.
After capturing Chongqing, Su Xiong marched eastward to Kuizhou Prefecture according to the original plan.
You go south to Zunyi Prefecture, control Pingyue Prefecture in Guizhou according to the situation, and control the main roads into Guizhou.
There is no need to rush to attack along this route. We need to capture all the cities along the route and eliminate all resistance forces of the Ming army.
When military controls a city, don't intensify conflicts first and wait for civilian officials to take over.
If the troops left behind are not strong enough, you can recruit local surrender troops and, after a grievance campaign, let them cooperate in defending the city."
After hearing the order, Su Zhuang saluted with a military salute.
"Commander Su, please rest assured that our Second Division will definitely be able to complete the mission."
Su Zhuang received the order and took his troops back from Jianmen Pass to the north, along the Jialing River near Guangyuan.
Starting from the waterway and going south, there are ships transporting baggage and troops.
Su Zhuang thought that his arrival at Chongqing Mansion would not be much slower than Su Xiong's.
If you are faster, you can catch up to the end of the Chongqing siege.
Su He left some people to garrison at Jianmen Pass. He led a large force along the Jinniu Road and continued to advance towards Rongcheng.
Wu Jie led the fourth division as the vanguard, responsible for detecting whether there was an ambush by the Ming army near Jinniu Road.
Clear out some small groups of enemies and open the way to the Golden Ox Path.
Suhe and the artillery brigade, as well as the baggage convoy, walked in the center of the group.
There are also many non-combatants in the Chinese Army, such as doctors accompanying the army.
Li Dazhuang led the Guards Division and walked at the end of the team.
Responsible for cutting off the rear and guarding against Ming troops taking small paths over mountains and ridges to outflank the army's retreat.
The Jinniu Mountain Road is wide and narrow, and some places are so wide that cities can be built.
Some places are very narrow, with mountains on both sides, so only four or five people can walk abreast, and only one mule cart can carry one.
Encountering this kind of terrain, the army can only pass through in a long queue, which is suitable for the enemy to ambush.
Wu Jie was extremely careful and would send soldiers to explore every location where a large army could be hidden.
The army marched very slowly.
Su He was sitting in the mule cart, studying the map of Sichuan.
He didn't know whether Su Hu could stop Zhu Xieyuan's Huguang Ming army in Hanyin.
We can only capture Sichuan as quickly as possible, even in the most extreme case, Hanzhong Prefecture is lost.
With Jianmen Pass, he can also defend his territory in Sichuan.
Su He asked Qi Gangyi, where is the army marching now?
Qi Gangyi took out the map and clicked on the map not far below Jianmen Pass.
"Why are you walking so slowly? This is not okay."
Su He observed the marching speed of the team.
He found that the marching speed was slow, much slower than the speed from Guangyuan City to Jianmen Pass.
He got off the mule cart and prepared to go to the Fourth Division to learn about the situation.
Li Fengming, who was studying the sand table on the mule cart next to him, saw Su He getting off the mule cart and preparing to go to the Fourth Division.
He stopped Su He and asked: "Commander Su, you are preparing to go to the Fourth Division for the test. Do you understand the slow marching speed like Wu Jie?"
Su He looked at Li Fengming and responded:
"Yes.
Mr. Li, it's almost night.
It took us a day to walk less than twenty miles, which is not a good speed."
Li Fengming said helplessly: "Commander Su.
I understand the specific reason. It’s not Wu Jie’s fault, it’s that General Zitong was too cunning.
He often deploys his troops in strategic locations to attack us secretly.
There is nothing Wu Jie and the others can do. There are many dangerous places on the Golden Bull Road.
If the specific situation is not ascertained, if there is an ambush by enemy troops there, the consequences will be disastrous.
Once the soldiers come into contact with the Ming army, the army must stop and wait until the battle is over before marching."
Li Fengming himself somewhat admired General Zitong, who used various methods to continuously delay their march.
The Ming army was generally afraid of the enemy and timid, and generally hid in the city.
But there are also outstanding people who are good at leading troops in battle, and now they finally meet one.
The army cannot take risks and must ensure the safety of the army.
"The guard general Zitong of the Ming Dynasty must have been replaced.
This method cannot be carried out by ordinary Ming armies.
Check the road conditions carefully, this is a very correct approach.
I mean Wu Jie is too rigid-minded.
It was not possible to detect the enemy in advance and resolve the battle in advance.
I'll go over and take a look tomorrow and help them solve the problem.
It's already dark now. Tell the troops to come to a wide area and not to move forward.
Set up camp and prepare to rest.
Arrange the rotation of troops on duty, and don't let up at night."
When Su He issued an order, he asked Li Fengming to send staff to convey the order.
The army walked forward for a few more miles and came across a suitable location for camping.
The army stopped to rest, and the cooking team began to make rice.
Ordinary soldiers sat on the ground, and some lay directly on the ground to rest.
The transport troops immediately parked their vehicles, took off the reins of the mules and donkeys, and let them eat some fodder, soybean meal and other concentrated feed.
Su He, Li Fengming, Su Ying, Qi Gangyi, Zhang Yuliang and others gathered together, eating the food cooked by the cooking team.
"Everyone, eat quickly. It's a big mule. I'll ask the cooking team to make extra meals."
Stewed mule meat with sweet potato vermicelli.
The meat of the old mule is too bad, but it is good to have meat at this time, and it is also a delicacy."
Su He looked at a large pot of vegetables on the big rock in front of him and asked everyone to start eating.
When everyone saw Su He finishing his first bite, they started to use their chopsticks.
"Everyone is more casual, but our relationship has become a little distant now that we have a higher status.
This is totally unnecessary, you don’t have to be afraid of your great achievements and shocking your master.”
Su He now has the confidence to say so, and the construction of the military system is basically completed.
Especially the introduction of Master Zhu allowed him to directly grasp the thoughts of the soldiers at the bottom.
The military order system is also responsible for the staff officers.
The army cannot be mobilized simply by relying on orders from high-level military officers.
Soldiers at the grassroots level have military pay fields every year. The more senior soldiers are, the more military pay fields they have, and they will not rebel on their own.
Silver coins for meritorious service and other rewards are issued through the banking system and do not pass through the hands of military officers.
The army is composed of people, and most of the officers are trained by Su He through military academies.
In this era, the relationship between teachers and students is very important.
Senior officers are subject to various checks and balances, making it difficult for them to become warlords and regard the army as their own private army.
Ordinary soldiers have their homes divided into land. They live a very good life and have more and more hope.
If you believe in Yanhuang, understand history, and have popular writing in the military, you will not be easily fooled by military officers.
The army was built by Su He single-handedly, and no one has as much prestige as Su He. He is not afraid of the general's superior performance to shock the leader.
Su He could remove anyone from his post with just one word, and they would never dare to resist.
When everyone heard Su He's words, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
Zhang Yuliang said with a smile: "The next three important towns are Zitong, Mianzhou and Deyang.
We can finally wait until our artillery brigade can show its strength.
Even if there are only 110 medium-sized artillery pieces, our artillery brigade can directly smash the city wall with its huge number of cannons.
In the battle of Jianmen Pass, the artillery brigade did not play any role, and I felt really aggrieved."
Su He smiled and comforted: "Due to the terrain of Jianmen Pass, the cannon cannot be transported up there. No matter how powerful it is, there is nothing we can do.
In the next city, there is room for your artillery brigade to play.
Whether we can capture Chenggong still depends on the performance of the artillery brigade."
Zhang Yuliang said confidently: "Commander Su, please rest assured that our artillery brigade will never collapse.
Let the Ming army see our strength with our powerful performance."
Su He looked at Qi Gangyi again and warned: "I found that the guard regiment Flying Tigers is a little arrogant now after their victory.
They are somewhat separated from the rest of the Guard Corps.
This kind of situation should not happen. We should tell the soldiers that they can be happy if they perform meritorious service. This is a very proud thing.
But you can’t belittle other people.”
"Commander Su, I also discovered that the Guard Corps has this tendency.
During the night break, I disrupted the team.
Let the various battalions of the security corps live together. As long as the understanding is enhanced, I think the barriers will be quickly eliminated."
Qi Gangyi thought for a moment and then expressed his plan.
"That's okay. We are all comrades in arms, so we should be as close as brothers.
There is a gap, but we just don’t understand enough.”
Su He agreed with Qi Gangyi's plan.
Su Ying silently cooked while they were chatting.
When he was full, he asked Su He: "Commander Su, why did you ask Su Zhuang to divide the troops?
We concentrate our forces to capture Chengdu, this is not a plan that was decided before."
Su He looked at Li Fengming and said, "Let Mr. Li give you the answer. This is an improved plan that he and I discussed together."
Li Fengming swallowed the food in his mouth and explained: "The situation before was different from now.
Our main goal before was to capture Chengdu and then the entire Sichuan.
This is the most basic goal we have set, and I leave enough margin to prevent unexpected situations.
For example, if we cannot attack Jianmen Pass for a long time, or if Hanzhong Guard falls, we will face a two-front battle.
We now only need a dozen days to capture Jianmen Pass.
After taking Jianmen Pass, Zitong, Mianzhou, Deyang and other cities will definitely not be able to defend it.
The Ming army in Sichuan could only choose to defend Rongcheng.
Even if Rongcheng is fortified, they have no reinforcements.
Zhu Xieyuan's army is in Huguang and will not be able to return in a short time.
Qin Liangyu went to the capital to serve the king. The most elite white-pole soldiers of the Sichuan Army of the Ming Dynasty are still near the capital.
If we directly encircle them, and as time goes by, we can break through Rongcheng.
Now that we have more chips in our hands, I will get greater benefits.
Commander Hou Su of Baoxian County followed the Jialing River to attack Chongqing Prefecture.
He will capture the cities along the Jialing River, and then move south from Bazhou to Suxiong.
The entire northeastern Sichuan region is under our control.
After capturing Chongqing Prefecture, let Fengxiang Marquis and Baoxian Marquis attack Kuizhou Prefecture and Zunyi Prefecture respectively.
As long as we occupy these two prefectures, we will maintain a suppressive posture against Huguang and Guizhou.
You can send troops at any time to capture Huguang and Guizhou.
If these two places are controlled by the Ming army, and they are supported by Huguang and Guizhou, then we will be in great trouble.
Now Zhu Xieyuan and I are fighting for time.
The competition is to see whose troops are more organized and more effective.
If Zhu Xieyuan breaks Hanyin first, or takes Kuizhou Prefecture and Zunyi Prefecture, he can send troops to attack at any time and seize the initiative.
By taking these two prefectures, we also have the initiative. These two places are easy to defend but difficult to attack.
As long as we build complete concrete bunkers and forts locally, we can maintain the stability of Sichuan.
Having a stable backing can provide continuous support for our future expansion.”
After everyone listened, he understood the purpose of dividing the troops.
They were still focusing on the gains and losses in Sichuan, after Su He and the Chief of Staff had already considered taking over Sichuan.
How to deal with the Ming court's counterattack and expand better after stabilization.
……………………
As the night gradually deepened, the guard regiment was stationed.
Qin Shanshui is setting up a sleeping tent.
They usually live in one camp in one class.
I don't know what the higher ups arranged today, but Qin Shanshui took five soldiers from his class and stayed at the firearms camp.
Master Zhu took the remaining five soldiers to the Flying Tigers' camp.
Five people from the Flying Tigers also came to pitch the tent with them.
After setting up the tent, everyone went into the tent to rest.
It was completely dark now, and the tent was lit with oil lamps.
Qin Shanshui saw the leader of the Flying Tigers coming in. He was a fat man who looked friendly.
Looking at my lean body, it is not easy to meet a fat man in this era.
It is simply impossible for an average family to keep themselves fat.
"I am Ding Degui, from the 1st Battalion, 3rd Company, 2nd Platoon, 3rd Squadron."
The first battalion of the Guard Regiment is known externally as the Flying Tigers.
"I'm Qin Shanshui, leader of the second squadron of the first company and platoon of the second battalion."
After they introduced each other, Qin Shanshui said with envy: "You Flying Tigers have made great achievements this time.
You should be rewarded with ten taels of silver coins, which is a lot of money.
I joined the army just for ten taels of silver."
Ding Degui said proudly: "For such a great contribution, I should have fifty taels of silver coins after the war.
You don’t have to be envious, there are still many battles to come.
You always have a chance to make meritorious deeds."
They sat in the tent, introduced themselves to each other, and chatted.
After getting to know a few people.
Qin Shanshui asked curiously: "Master Ding Zhu, looking at your size, your family is not short of money, why did you join the army?"
When Ding Degui heard this question, he showed a frustrated look on his face.
"I'm not bragging to you, our family is a grain merchant, and we have endless food at home.
But who makes me the second child? There is no way for the second child to inherit the family business.
I'm from Hanzhong Prefecture, and the Commander-in-Chief's Prefecture has just started recruiting troops, but my father hasn't been tempted yet.
But when I took the recruitment examination, I didn’t pass the first level.
Dad directly asked me to join the army recruitment.
At that time, I said nothing and my father whipped me directly.
I couldn't stand it anymore, so I joined the army.
My father said he wouldn't let me go home unless I made great achievements.
Just treat my son as dead.
I then asked people around my house about it.
My father directly told me that I was going to study abroad, without telling anyone that I was going to join the army."
After Qin Shanshui listened, he lamented that living in a wealthy family also has its own sorrows.
Ding Degui quickly returned to his smiling appearance.
"Brother Qin, judging by your accent, you are from northern Shaanxi, which is different from the accent in Guanzhong Plain.
You should not be a veteran who joined the army very early."
Qin Shanshui nodded: "I am a new soldier who has just joined the army and a refugee who escaped from northern Shaanxi.
As soon as he left the new barracks, he was recruited by the guard regiment.
I didn’t know anything at that time, and the Guard Corps usually had the highest stipend, so I chose this place.”
Ding Degui lamented that a refugee recruit could join the guard regiment.
He must be very outstanding, far superior to others.
A person who feels complacent about his own achievements just doesn't have a chance.
From his experience, he is even more capable than himself.
"Brother Qin, you don't have to worry about not being able to make meritorious deeds.
Our Third Battalion of the Guard Regiment is a pure guard, responsible for protecting the superiors and guarding important government offices.
The first battalion is the Flying Tigers, responsible for studying tactics such as hot air balloons.
The second battalion is the firearms battalion, responsible for testing firearms in experiments.
I heard that you are now equipped with rifled guns. Commander Su bluntly said in the army that rifled guns are the future.
I heard from friends that the arsenal has not solved the problem of rifling processing.
It takes one hundred rifled guns to be processed to produce a qualified rifled gun."
Qin Shanshui heard Ding Degui talking about rifled guns.
He looked proud.
It was because he was able to quickly master the musket in the recruit camp that he had the best marksmanship.
He was shooting at the target with a flintlock gun a hundred meters away, and the bullet almost hit the target.
He was then recruited into the Guard Corps.
Qin Shanshui was in the firearms camp, and he was also the one with the most outstanding marksmanship.
With a rifled gun and Mini bullets, he could hit anywhere within three hundred meters.
When Commander Su saw him, he praised him for his sniper talent and that he was a natural sharpshooter.
The most important role he uses rifled guns is to hunt down important enemy targets.
Usually they are enemy generals, or high-value targets such as cavalry and artillery.
Qin Shanshui touched the rifled gun next to him that was longer than the other guns.
"I will let my enemies know what fear is."
Qin Shanshui and Ding Degui chatted until the lights went out.
He discovered that the people in the Flying Tigers were also ordinary people.
There's no such thing as looking down on people as spread among the military.
They just want to prove to others the strength of the Guard Corps.
They are a guard regiment, the bodyguard of Commander Su, and they must not bring discredit to Commander Su.
……………………
Early the next morning, the army began to set off.
Su He saw that the speed of the march ahead remained unchanged.
He led the guard regiment to the headquarters of the Fourth Division.
Wu Jie already knew Su He's purpose of coming, and after seeing Su He.
He complained directly: "Commander Su, we did not deliberately slow down the march.
Guard General Zitong is really powerful. He sent out very few troops and made me miserable.
He sent troops and horses to constantly harass us, but did not engage in battle with us.
Cut down trees and throw them on the road. See us coming and set them on fire.
Or someone is waiting at the top of the mountain, and after seeing us, they directly push the rocks off the top of the mountain.
Not only did they hit the soldiers, they also blocked the mountain path with huge rocks.
We need to clear the road and pay attention to whether there are ambushes on both sides of the road.
Zitong is just a small city and he doesn't have enough troops.
Otherwise, I guess he would dare to ambush us directly."
Su He nodded and said: "I think the Zitong defenders used this method to delay time.
The Ming army in Sichuan, especially the Ming army in Rongcheng, heard that we had conquered Jianmen Pass.
They will definitely send out their entire army and rely on the city to stop us."
While they were talking, they saw fire appearing in front of them.
Su He looked at the fires and knew that someone had cut down trees and piled them on the road.
Even if you pour kerosene on the wood, it would be impossible to burn it so quickly just by burning the wood.
Fortunately, this is the Golden Bull Road. There are stones on the road and there are no patches of vegetation and forests on the road.
Otherwise, if there is a fire, their troops will be gone.
Su He pointed to the guard group behind him and the hot air balloon they were carrying and said:
"I'm here just to solve the problem.
Qi Gangyi asked the Flying Tigers to take off with telescopes to observe the surrounding situation.
The hot air balloon flies very high and you can see the ambush far away.
This time, there is no need to carry heavy fire oil and other supplies. Five soldiers are sent in one hot air balloon.
One is responsible for delivering the message, and the other four are responsible for observing the four directions."
Wu Jie asked with a confused look on his face: "Commander Su, the Flying Tigers took a hot air balloon, and he flew away directly from the sky. I don't know where he went."
Qi Gangyi laughed when he heard what Wu Jie said.
"Mr. Wu Jie, you don't need to worry about this.
We can tie a hemp rope to the hot air balloon and tie a heavy object to the other end.
During training, we were all tied to stakes buried in the ground.
Now we can only find a large truck to transport baggage.
In this way, being towed by the vehicle, the hot air balloon can always follow the troops forward."
After hearing this, Wu Jie looked surprised.
"It turns out that this method is really feasible."
Wu Jie called for a large mule cart used by the army to transport food.
At this time, the Flying Tigers also operated a hot air balloon to take off.
The soldiers below were tugging at arm-thick hemp ropes.
Dozens of soldiers were holding on to the hemp rope tightly, and some soldiers were dragged and skidded on the ground.
When they saw the mule cart arriving, they immediately tied the hemp rope to the mule cart.
Wu Jie stared at the hot air balloon floating in the sky.
He could no longer see the figure on the hot air balloon.
But the two huge flags, one red and one green, on the hot air balloon can still be clearly seen.
They waited for a while, and the green flag on the hot air balloon wavered a few times.
Qi Gangyi introduced to Wu Jie: "Soldiers convey messages through these two flags.
They were at high altitude and could not convey messages through the flags commonly used in the military.
It can only convey simple enemy situations.
Waving the green flag represents safety ahead.
Waving the red flag in a certain direction means that traces of the enemy have been found in that direction."
There is a hot air balloon above the team to observe the surrounding enemies.
Wu Jie also sent out scouts to investigate the situation ahead of Jinniu Road.
The marching speed of the team became normal, and they marched quickly in the direction of Zitong.
The mule cart drives on the road, and it drags the hot air balloon in the sky.
The Golden Bull Trail is a relatively straight route with no big turns.
Hot air balloons only need to avoid strong winds and do not need to be operated frequently.
The hot air balloon will come down every half hour to replace the passengers.
The Flying Tigers monitored the surrounding situation intensively and waved flags to give instructions.
Their physical strength is exhausted very quickly.
"Commander, the flag on the hot air balloon has changed."
When Wu Jie heard the guard's reminder, he raised his head and looked upward.
The hot air balloon has turned into a red flag, pointing to the southwest.
Wu Jie immediately ordered the front troops to focus on investigating the southwest direction.
The marching speed of the army was not affected.
After a while, Wu Jie saw a brigade commander, Han Shuliang, walking over with a group of tightly tied Ming soldiers.
Wu Jie said in surprise: "You can do it this time!
He was actually caught alive, and now we can finally ask clearly which Ming army general he was.
He actually takes the initiative and comes up with all kinds of strange ways to interfere with us."
Han Shuliang said happily: "Our brigade master Zhang Chujiu has already interrogated these people.
This is the information after the interrogation."
Wu Jie took the interrogation materials handed over by Han Shuliang and looked very solemn as he looked through them.
"Five miles ahead is Zitong City, and I need to prepare a plan to attack the city.
Take the prisoners to Commander Su and report."
Wu Jie then told Fu Xiucheng, the chief of staff next to him:
"You continue to follow the guidance of the hot air balloon to find the hidden Ming army. Don't let them affect our marching speed."
Han Shuliang brought the interrogation materials and prisoners to the mule cart where Su He was riding.
"Commander Su, we have captured the first batch of prisoners, and the guard of Zitong has been replaced."
Su He looked at the information handed over by Han Shuliang.
He asked Li Fengming to send people to interrogate the prisoners and find out more details.
There is no Zhushi at the highest level in the army. Su He is the only Taizhu in the army and the direct leader of all Zhushi.
Military Zhushi and Ancestral Temple Zhushi are the same profession, but the two systems are completely unrelated and have different focuses.
Li Fengming quickly came back from interrogating the prisoners and handed the information to Su He.
Su He read the information and said:
"I didn't expect it to be this person, Zhang Ling, the general of the Zitong garrison and Ming Dynasty general.
I know all the generals of the Sichuan Ming Army, and Zhang Ling is very good at fighting.
He began to rebel with She Chongming and almost conquered Rongcheng.
They were defeated by the white pole soldiers led by Qin Liangyu.
Zhang Ling saw that the situation was not right and immediately rebelled against She Chongming. He was ordered to peace by Zhu Xieyuan.
Unexpectedly, he was stationed at Zitong. This man had a good way of running the army.
He is a general who ranks at the forefront of Sichuan's military command.
Zhang Ling is Zhu Xieyuan's confidant.
Zhu Xieyuan mobilized Zhang Ling through private messages, but our internal staff did not obtain specific information."
Li Fengming nodded in agreement: "That should be the case. We broke through Jianmen Pass and rushed to Zitong immediately.
In order to prevent Sichuan Governor Zhang Lun from mobilizing the Ming army, he gathered them in several fortified cities that were difficult to break.
The messengers were riding fast horses, starting from our attack on Guangyuan, and running towards Rongcheng.
The best we can do now is to run to Chengdu, and it is impossible to deliver the order back.
Judging from Zhang Ling's movements, he did not have many troops in his hands.
This can also support our speculation.
Zhu Xieyuan did not expect that we could conquer Jianmen Pass so quickly.
He only mobilized Zhang Ling's army."
Su He gave the order:
"This information was obtained very timely. We are still five miles away from Zitong and can arrive in the afternoon.
Let the soldiers of the artillery brigade and the second division responsible for the attack take a rest in the car and eat some dry food now.
When we reach Zitong, we will launch an attack immediately and never give Zhang Ling a chance to breathe."