Shi Dakai and the soldiers under his command fled, thinking about the next march route as they fled.
At noon, the army stopped to rest.
Shi Dakai called for Zhang Suimou and Chen Yucheng, and the three of them sat together.
Shi Dakai's face was full of haggard expression, but his eyes were bright, and he said: "We were caught off guard. Now we are facing a very serious problem, which direction to go, to the northwest or to the west?" Or go to the south of Sichuan, I have thought about it, these three places have different characteristics, I will explain in detail for your reference."
Zhang Suimou clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, please speak."
Shi Dakai took out a simple map from his arms and spread it on the ground. He pointed at the map and said: "Now, we are in the area of Chengdu. If we go northwest, the next place we have to pass is northwest of Chengdu. For places such as Pixian County and Chongning County, after breaking through, the place to enter is through Tibet, and the further step is to Xinjiang."
"The farther northwest we go along this road, the more desolate it becomes. There are barren mountains and ridges everywhere. Moreover, these places also have local forces. After we enter, we may be attacked. Of course, when we go to these places, because of their terrain and local forces , I believe that after Li Zhen’s army enters, they will also be violently attacked, and even with a little incitement, the local strength may be used for us.”
Shi Dakai raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand and continued: "For the second road, let's take the west side of Chengdu."
"This way, the direction is probably Dayi County and Qionglai County."
"After taking this road to break through, we will enter the heart of Sichuan. The further we go in, the more difficult the environment becomes. There are barren mountains and forests everywhere, and there is no village or shop in front of us. The disadvantage of this road is that we go inward. Walking is equivalent to getting into a pocket, and you can only keep walking into it, but the advantage is that there are high mountains and mountains everywhere, so it is not easy for Li Zhen to find us."
"Third, we took the southern direction, mainly to Zizhong, Yibin and other places, and then entered Yunnan. In the past, Li Zhen led the soldiers to quell Xi Yinglong's rebellion in Guangxi, and sent Yang Banhou to station in Guangxi. Yang Banhou After establishing a foothold, we quickly took control of Yunnan. When we go to Yunnan, we will definitely encounter Yang Banhou's army."
"At that time, we will face a situation of being attacked from both front and back. The situation is very dangerous. However, once we break through Yang Banhou's defense line in Yunnan and go south into Vietnam, we will meet up with Xi Yinglong who fled to Vietnam. I believe that Xi Yinglong will Although he was once an official, now he will definitely accept us in order to resist Li Zhen."
Shi Dakai said in a deep voice: "Three options, see which one you agree with."
In fact, Shi Da was happy to have made a decision, but he still wanted to hear the opinions of Chen Yucheng and Zhang Suimou.
Zhang Suimou said: "Your Majesty, I think we should go northwest."
Chen Yucheng thought for a moment and said, "I also agree with the decision to go northwest."
The two people reached an agreement.
Shi Dakai raised his eyebrows and said, "Why not choose the south?" In fact, Shi Dakai was thinking of breaking out from the south, because once he broke through the soldiers deployed by Yang Banhou in Yunnan, he would be able to join Xi Yinglong.
Zhang Suimou said: "General Chen will speak first."
Chen Yucheng was not polite and said: "Your Majesty, the third option is indeed good, but the prerequisite is that we can break through and break through the defense line formed by Yang Banhou's army. The question is, can we break through? You also know the soldiers under Li Zhen's command The weapons he holds are very powerful, and similarly, the soldiers under Yang Banhou are also well equipped, and their strength is definitely not weak."
After a pause, Chen Yucheng said: "Perhaps, if we fight Yang Banhou, Yang Banhou may not be able to defeat us, but I believe that if Yang Banhou insists on defending, he will definitely not be able to break through the opponent's defense. For this reason, I I think we should go northwest, control the local forces in Tibet or Xinjiang, and then develop steadily and wait for opportunities to counterattack."
Zhang Suimou said: "What General Chen said is what I want to say. In fact, because of the geographical location of Xi'an Special, we have a great advantage after we go there and gain a firm foothold."
Shi Dakai nodded, and finally nodded in agreement.
The two generals under his command agreed that it was more appropriate to go northwest. He had nothing to insist on. The soldiers in the army ate dry food, rested for an hour, and then continued their journey towards Pixian County.
…
Liu Jintang sent someone to inquire about Shi Dakai's movements. After discovering Shi Dakai's movements, he immediately reported the news.
In the military camp, Li Zhen glanced at everyone, and finally landed on Zhang Zhidong, saying: "Zhang Zhidong, this final battle will be commanded by you, including me. As long as you need it, I will fully cooperate."
The corners of Zeng Guofan's mouth twitched slightly, and there was a trace of dissatisfaction in his heart.
After all, he is the commander of the Third Army.
Now, Li Zhen asked an unknown person to command the army. He was worried. Li Zhen noticed Zeng Guofan's expression and the emotions he showed. He smiled slightly and didn't take it to heart.
Regarding Zeng Guofan, Li Zhen already had other plans in mind.
Zhang Zhidong stepped forward and asked someone to bring the map.
He stood in front of the map and said: "Everyone, Shi Dakai is currently leading his soldiers in the northwest direction. I think this is Shi Dakai who wants to run towards Tibet. Therefore, the road must be blocked now to prevent Shi Dakai from advancing. Commander Zeng , please dispatch two brigades of soldiers to rush to Chongning County and other surrounding areas, arrange defense, only carry out defense and avoid fighting, aiming to block Shi Dakai's advance. As for Pixian County, which is closer to Chengdu, give it to Shi Dakai. Wait. Chongning County will stop us again."
Zeng Guofan nodded calmly, unable to tell what he was thinking.
Zhang Zhidong continued: "To the west of Chengdu, send two more brigades of soldiers to station in Dayi County and Qionglai County respectively to block the way Shi Dakai wanted to escape to the west after escaping from the northwest. Next, we will Send two brigades of soldiers to the area around Meishan southwest of Chengdu to block Shi Da's possibility of breaking through to the southwest of Chengdu."
"In this way, Shi Dakai's escape route was blocked."
"The rest of the army is responsible for chasing Shi Dakai. Among them, Brigadier Liu Jintang leads a brigade of troops as the vanguard army to constantly bite Shi Dakai's army so as not to lose the news about Shi Dakai. Our purpose is to make Shi Dakai hit the wall everywhere and change direction. Go south, and when the time comes, use the troops stationed in Yunnan to block it and attack Shi Dakai."
After Zhang Zhidong finished speaking, he looked at Li Zhen and asked: "Your Majesty, what I want to say has been made clear. What are your opinions?"
Li Zhen said: "The plan is very good. I would like to add that the prerequisite for victory is to be able to stop Shi Dakai from breaking through. Therefore, the brigades sent out must stick to it. Once it fails, the result will be unpredictable."
Zeng Guofan said: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the soldiers in the army will definitely be able to complete the mission."
