"Bang bang bang... open the door... open the door..."
Chengdu was already not at peace when the war clouds came, and the rampant behavior of the Daxi Army made the citizens even worse.
The common people opened the door fearfully, but before they could understand what was going on, soldiers from the Great Western Army rushed in.
"In compliance with the order, each household will contribute one tael of silver and one dou of grain to assist the army in wiping out the rebels in Shandong."
"Master Jun, please spare your life, how can you little people have any money? The food tank at home has long been empty, and the children are about to starve to death."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Just pay for the food. Otherwise, you will be punished."
Chengdu is rich, so even though the National Defense Forces are coming fiercely, Sun Kewang still wants to struggle.
He planned to use the Longquan Mountains east of Chengdu to build a defense line to resist the attack of the National Defense Forces.
All the necessary military supplies were distributed by him to innocent people.
Over the years, the Ming Dynasty's officers and soldiers and bandits have been coming and going, causing serious harm to Sichuan. It is no longer easy for the people here to make a living. How can there be any money or food left?
As a result, under Sun Kewang's persecution, many people lost their families and perished.
Even the wealthy households in the city were exhausted and hated Sun Kewang more and more.
The public dissatisfaction in the city gradually accumulated to the point where it was about to explode.
Sun Kewang didn't care about this.
He has already led his 100,000 troops to line up in the Longquan Mountains, using the terrain to build an iron wall to defeat the National Defense Forces.
"This Sun Kewang has a false reputation. He is really overestimated."
After an on-site inspection of the terrain, the National Defense Forces did not pay much attention to Sun Kewang.
"Who says it's not the case? Although the Longquan Mountains lie across the east side of Chengdu, they are more than 400 miles long from north to south. How can his small number of men and horses cover everything?"
Meng Xiangang, chief of staff of the 10th Division, took the initiative to propose strategies.
"Commander-in-Chief, I suggest that the special forces be mobilized to take a detour from the north and go straight to Chengdu. When there is a fire in the backyard, let's see if Sun Kewang can still sit still?"
Qiao Shuangcheng asked: "How is Chengdu's defense?"
Wei Luan handed him the information.
"The people in the city have been plundered by Sun Kewang, and they have long been like a furnace. As long as our people sneak in and create a little chaos, it will immediately turn into a prairie fire."
Qiao Shuangcheng immediately judged that this strategy would work.
He looked at Yuan Chongsheng and Luo Zhen.
"How about it? Can your special forces accomplish this task alone?"
Yuan Chongsheng and Luo Zhen are already studying the map.
"It's not difficult to attack a city, but it's not easy to defend it."
They both gave precise answers.
The special forces have limited strength. Although each of them can defeat a hundred, they focus on offense and are not good at defense.
It would be easy for them to bypass Sun Kewang's defense line and capture Chengdu, but it would be a bit difficult to hold it when Sun Kewang returned his troops.
Qiao Shuangcheng gave them reassurance.
"The frontal troops will attack the Longquan Mountains and cling to Sun Kewang so hard that he will never want to go back."
Yuan Chongsheng and Luo Zhen were completely relieved.
"Then we promise to complete the mission."
Cui Zhanying, commander of the 10th Division, reminded: "On the south side, we still need to be on guard against Li Dingguo. Although he is at odds with Sun Kewang, he has a sense of the overall situation. Since he has no intention of surrendering yet, we must be careful of him outflanking us."
After studying the map, a group of generals quickly made a decision.
"Then let the 22nd Security Division behind you guard Ziyang, that's enough."
The security divisions of the National Defense Force can compete with the Qing army, so there is no problem in using them to deal with rogue bandits.
After the battle plan was completed, it was immediately submitted to Zuo Rong.
I got a reply quickly and approved the implementation.
The 10th Division quickly deployed, concentrated on a point from the direction of Longquan Town, and launched a fierce attack on Sun Kewang's troops.
Under the fierce artillery fire, Sun Kewang's deployment on the front line was quickly destroyed. The soldiers suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat continuously.
Seeing that the defense line was wavering, Sun Kewang could only mobilize troops from other directions to fill in.
But in this way, the entire line of defense becomes even more porous.
The special forces easily passed through the mountains west of Zhongjiang.
They did not encounter any obstruction in the plain areas that followed. On the contrary, people and businessmen from various places also provided help and information.
Let the special forces reach the city of Chengdu quietly at extremely fast speeds.
The fighting is going on in the mountainous areas to the east, but here in Chengdu city it is just as usual.
The soldiers guarding the city gate were unattended and all of them were very lazy.
Three or five people gathered together and hid in the leeward corner, either sleeping soundly or drinking wine and eating meat.
No one noticed that the special forces climbed up the city wall like ghosts.
Until all these defenders were eliminated, there was still no one in the city.
The city gate opened, and Yuan Chongsheng and Luo Zhen rushed in as easily as if they were traveling.
Sun Kewang never expected that Chengdu, which he regarded as his hometown, would be lost so easily.
At the same time, a Western army was quietly marching in the mountainous area south of Ziyang.
As the National Defense Forces had guessed, Li Dingguo chose to put the overall situation first and sent troops to reinforce Sun Kewang.
He did not rush to join Sun Kewang, but planned to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao.
Ai Nengqi was sent as a vanguard by him, leading two thousand soldiers and horses to clear the way for the entire army and detect the enemy's situation.
Enengqi dispersed the soldiers and horses at hand in various directions, looking for a passable road.
But as a result, his side was extremely weak.
In the lush mountains, some people were sneaking in ambush. They saw Ai Nengqi leading dozens of soldiers towards the foot, and there was a commotion.
"Brother Zheng, can you really build a relationship with the National Defense Force?"
A businessman in the middle was quite proud of himself.
"Didn't I tell you that I had a pleasant chat with His Highness the King of Qi in Wuhu back then. In my business, the King of Qi is involved. After completing this transaction, we will be the heroes of the empire, and we will have endless glory and wealth in the future."
This businessman was Zheng Sangui who originally represented the King of Shu.
That time I met Zuo Hua by chance in Wuhu, and the two parties established contact easily.
Zheng Sangui saw the status of merchants in the empire and was particularly keen on it. He willingly served as the empire's spy in Sichuan.
With this relationship, Zheng Sangui's business grew bigger and bigger, and he gradually became the number one figure in Sichuan. Even the King of Shu relied heavily on him.
Later, Zhang Xianzhong invaded Sichuan and the entire family of the King of Shu was killed. However, Zheng Sangui saved a small life by relying on the reminder from the Imperial Intelligence Department.
Since then, he has been lurking, waiting hard for the arrival of the empire.
This time when he discovered that Li Dingguo was sending troops, Zheng Sangui contacted nearby local snakes, intending to cause trouble for Li Dingguo and delay his advance.
Watching the group of Western troops approaching, one of them was wearing bright armor. Zheng Sangui didn't know that this person was the famous Ai Nengqi.
He quickly called for a dozen archers to sneak out from the dense forest, all aiming at Ainengqi.
The arrows came out of nowhere and were so close that the brave Ai Nengqi didn't react at all and was shot into a hedgehog on the spot.
(Not available today!)
Thanks to Wei Aiqing'er, Jian Jiannan, and Mrs. Xing for their rewards!