In addition to the arrangements for reinforcements and dispatch of troops, we naturally had to prepare all the weapons and supplies immediately. Emperor Jianxing handed over these Emperors to Prince Chun for treatment. As for Prince Zhi, he continued to supervise the construction of firearms and train new troops in Xi'an. After the order was issued, everyone said that the emperor was wise. Emperor Jianxing waved his hand with satisfaction to let them kneel down.

After leaving the palace, Prince Zhi left without saying a word. Zhang Tingyu, who was walking behind, narrowed his eyes and looked at Prince Zhi's leaving figure. He frowned slightly, and he didn't know what he was thinking. After a moment, he headed in another direction.

Two days later, Shaanxi Admiral Fan Shijie led troops to reinforce, and at this time, the war had officially begun on Hangu Pass. As Geng'er guessed, the Ming army transported hundreds of artillery pieces. These new artillery pieces were extremely fierce and bombarded the pass. Their huge momentum made the guards frightened.

In just one day, hundreds of people were killed and killed in the Qing army at Hangu Pass. Although the Qing army also set up artillery to fight against the Ming army, it was not as good as the Qing army in terms of range, power and accuracy. In addition, there were not many artillery artillery in the Qing army. Not long after the Qing army's cannons fired, the Ming army's overwhelming counterattack came, and several consecutive times caused several cannons to be destroyed by the Ming army. The Qing army was so scared that they didn't dare to shoot artillery, so they could only hide behind the city wall and pray that the shells would not fall on their heads.

However, Hangu Pass is indeed a powerful pass in the world, easy to defend but difficult to attack. In addition, the terrain before the pass was dangerous and narrow, and the Ming army did not have much record of attack in a few days, which made the Qing army, who had defended for a few days, gradually relieved. In the days that followed, the Ming army and the Qing army fought back and forth around the pass. One side was bombarded with artillery fire, and the other side could not hold on, which was very lively. But overall, although the Qing army suffered a lot of losses, it could barely stop it.

Just when the battle was in full swing here, Yue Zhongqi had already arrived in Yiling Prefecture, which belonged to Jingzhou Prefecture, which was the location of Yichang in later generations. After the Qing Dynasty entered the pass, Yiling Prefecture was renamed Yiling Prefecture, and now it has been changed back to its original title.

Yiling Prefecture governs Xingshan and Badong counties. Among them, Badong County is connected by the Yangtze River and the intersection of ancient roads, which is the main road entering the middle of Sichuan.

Yue Zhongqi, who once grew up in Sichuan since childhood, and both his father and son served as the Sichuan Admiral, was extremely clear about the main reason why he stationed in Yiling Prefecture. Because he only had to go west from Yiling Prefecture to enter Sichuan, and if he went up the river, he could go directly to Chongqing.

Yue Zhongqi spent so much energy these days, and even quietly mobilized almost all three provinces to garrison the troops without telling her own people. Her real purpose was not Shaanxi but Sichuan.

Sichuan is also easy to defend but difficult to attack. In ancient times, it was said that the road to Sichuan is difficult and difficult to climb to the sky. From this point, we can see the inconvenience of entering Sichuan. If you want to enter Sichuan, there are only a few roads, and these roads are not easy to walk. The reason why you chose to enter Sichuan from Badong was because of the large army's dispatch.

Although the most convenient way to enter Sichuan from Badong to West is to go up the river, it is really dangerous here, and it is really inconvenient to walk against the current. Even ordinary ships can only be pulled by boatmen. However, most people do not know that there is an ancient plank road in the deep mountains from Badong to Sichuan. Although this ancient plank road is not easy to walk, it can barely march, so this is the reason why Yue Zhongqi really chose this.

The key now is the deployment of the Qing army's troops in Sichuan, because even if we enter Sichuan from this ancient plank road, the Ming army would not be able to carry most of the equipment, especially the most elite artillery of the Ming army. Those powerful cannons cannot enter Sichuan through the ancient plank road due to their weight and size. In addition, the ancient plank road is extremely difficult to walk, so the first batch of Ming army's troops entering Sichuan could not have too many troops, and at best, it would not exceed ten thousand people.

Therefore, if the Qing army discovered it in advance when entering Sichuan, it would inevitably cause great trouble to the Ming army's subsequent plans. According to Yue Zhongqi's idea, the Qing army stationed in Chongqing must suddenly come to the city without notice, and then take advantage of its unpreparedness to occupy Chongqing at the fastest speed.

As long as you take down Chongqing and control the Yangtze River Wharf, everything will be much easier to do in the future. Whether it is troops or equipment, it can be transported continuously through the Yangtze River, and then use Chongqing as a base to penetrate deep into the middle of Sichuan, thus completely cutting off the connection between the Qing army and the three southwestern provinces. By then, hundreds of thousands of Qing troops in the southwest will collapse without fighting, and the Ming Dynasty will be able to occupy the entire southwest in one go.

This is the real purpose of Yue Zhongqi's entire plan. To implement this plan, the key is to occupy Chongqing first. To occupy Chongqing, you must first find a way to sneak into Sichuan. If the Qing army wants to enter Sichuan without paying attention, it is necessary to reduce the Qing army garrisons in Sichuan, and even find ways to mobilize the Qing army's troops.

These seem to be foolish, but in fact, this is the purpose of Yue Zhongqi attacking Shaanxi.

Yue Zhongqi knew the arrangement of the Qing Dynasty and the situation of the upper class of the Qing Dynasty. The reason why he chose to send troops at this time was to attract the attention of the Qing army in Shaanxi and force Emperor Jianxing to mobilize troops from Sichuan.

As long as Emperor Jianxing does this, Yue Zhongqi will have a greater grasp of the plan to attack Sichuan. Furthermore, it is not unreasonable for him to choose this season to send troops. Although sending troops in winter has always been a taboo in military strategists, military affairs are inconsistent. For famous generals who are good at using troops, although winter is not the best time to send troops to fight, it is not generalized.

The season actually has the same impact on both sides of the war, and whether it is attack or defense, it will have one or another. And in this season, it is because Yue Zhongqi considers the difficulty of marching in winter, because once the Qing army's troops begin to be mobilized, it will be very difficult for the Qing army to continue to send the mobilized troops back in a short period of time.

Furthermore, when winter is dry, the water level in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River will drop accordingly. Although it is not easy to walk to the ancient road in central Sichuan, it will make the Qing army relax its vigilance in this regard, thus bringing convenience to the Ming army's actions. In addition, this season is not the time to send troops. Since the Ming army has suddenly started war in Shaanxi, the Qing army in Sichuan would not have thought that the Ming army would attack Sichuan at the same time.

So based on these factors, Yue Zhongqi made such a bold plan. Now he is patiently waiting for the news coming from Sichuan. He believes that Emperor Jianxing will not see through his plan at all and will definitely mobilize Sichuan's troops. As long as the Qing army in Sichuan reinforces Guanzhong north, his chance to send troops will come.
Chapter completed!