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In the seventh year of Xuanwu, on April 23, the Han army camped in the southwest border.
"See your majesty, long live your majesty and may this man live forever!"
Liu Qi, Wang Zongsi, Qin Han, Qin Wu, and Guo Kan, five Han generals who stood out in the southern expedition to Chu, were the first to perform military salutes when Liu Ce entered the camp.
Now they have all been promoted to military generals and received the rank of captain. Each of them has 10,000 troops. They are also the main force ordered to fight in the southwest this time, with a total of 50,000 troops.
The Shu generals Wang Jian, Zhang Gui, and Guan Ling also each led a total of 30,000 Shu elites to gather on the front line. Zhang Gui, in particular, was known for his bravery.
In this way, including the more than 53,000 soldiers and horses led by Liu Ce, the total military strength has exceeded 130,000, and the momentum can be said to be huge.
"Without courtesy, take me to observe the terrain!"
Liu Ce did not stop too much in the camp, but went directly to survey the terrain of Jinchuan in person.
At this sight, Liu Ce's mood suddenly became heavy.
Just looking up from the foot of Jinchuan Mountain, the densely packed civil structure towers that come into view can be said to be of no use to the cavalry. Even the artillery must conquer the gentle stronghold halfway up the slope in order to truly exert its power. .
"The terrain of Jinchuan is steep, making it difficult for cavalry to use it, and the only way for those large watchtowers has been blocked by the chieftains. If we attack from the front, we will lose a lot of troops and horses."
Wang Jian carefully analyzed the current disadvantages with Liu Ce. After all, he had had more than one physical communication with the local chieftain in Jinchuan, so he naturally knew the horror of the nearly a thousand camps of various sizes in front of him.
"Inside each watchtower, the enemy only needs to stay less than a hundred or ten men to hinder the advance of ten times the force. And with the advantage of the terrain,
Even if they capture a few camps, they will not be able to hurt the Bohe people. They rely on this terrain to constantly deal with our soldiers and civilians in Shu. "
Liu Qi heard this and asked: "General Wang, the land of Jinchuan is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but won't you block the way out and cut off their way to get food?"
Wang Jian shook his head: "To be honest with Liu Xiaowei, Governor Yu also tried it, but with little success. Although Jinchuan is close to the plateau and has a cold climate,
However, this place has been managed by the Bohe people for many years, and the cultivated land they own is enough to sustain their daily life, not to mention receiving aid from the Bohe Empire.
The blockade poses no threat to them at all. "
Wang Zongsi remained silent, lowering his head as if trying to think of a solution.
And Liu Qi continued: "Can these civil barracks withstand the artillery bombardment of our Han army?"
Wang Jian didn't know how to answer for a while. After all, he didn't have a complete idea of the power of artillery, but Liu Ce said: "If artillery wants to exert sufficient power, it must wait for it to occupy a suitable high ground.
If you bombard from the bottom of the mountain upwards, it will be of no use except to waste the shells and listen to the sound. Liu Qi, you are also a general of the army. Don't mess around and say such unrealistic words! "
"Here!" Liu Qi chuckled, "Your Majesty is teaching you a lesson. In this case, would you please allow your Majesty to allow the last general to be the vanguard and capture the stockade at the foot of the mountain first, so that the brothers in the artillery battalion can have enough time to build the fort fortifications?"
Liu Ce did not give him a conclusion immediately, but raised the looking glass and looked at the heights of Jinchuan.
After a long time, he put down the looking glass and shouted: "General Wang, tell me, apart from the terrain and fortifications you can see in front of you, is there any flat terrain in the hinterland of Jinchuan?"
Wang Gui was stunned. He didn't expect that Liu Ce would actually summon him, and hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, there is indeed a plain in the hinterland of Jinchuan, and it is also the only farm in Jinchuan, called Danba.
But to attack that area, we need to pass through three watchtower groups, and Zong Wang, a group of traitors, will never watch us kill our food and clothing under his nose. "
Liu Ce looked expressionless and asked: "If I let you attack Danba Farm now, how many men and horses will you lose?"
"this……"
Zhang Gui frowned, and after thinking carefully, he still didn't dare to answer.
"I'm asking you, are you deaf?"
"Your Majesty, I will forgive you. I will actually calculate the approximate losses. I guess... we need to lose at least 5,000 people."
This is also true. The cost of conquering such terrain is very huge. The key is not the wartime casualties, but more likely the non-combat attrition caused by altitude sickness.
You know, the highest altitude of Jinchuan is over 3,500 meters. Although the altitude of Danba area is not high, only about 1,800 meters, it is like a basin, surrounded by towering and dangerous lands on all sides.
Even if Zhang Gui captures Danba, he will definitely be attacked by the remaining defenders of Jinchuan. If he can't defend it, what's the point of taking it down?
In fact, Zhang Gui was very conservative about the number of five thousand casualties. If he wanted to capture Danba and hold the farm, he would have to sacrifice at least 20,000 people.
"Five thousand casualties? Huh..." Liu Ce raised the looking glass and continued to watch, "I'm afraid there are more than 20,000 people!"
Zhang Gui said hurriedly: "Your Majesty is wise, and the general made a conservative estimate because he was afraid that Your Majesty would be worried."
Liu Ce: "You don't need to explain, I understand."
Then he said to the staff behind him: "How is the terrain mapped? In two hours, the general appearance of Jinchuan will be made into a sand table and placed in front of my tent!"
"Here!"
The staff officer immediately began to draw the Jinchuan landform he saw based on geometric principles.
For these carefully selected staff officers, accompanying the emperor on this expedition can also gain rare military honors.
…
Back at the military camp, generals at all levels gathered in Liu Ce's tent and began to lay out tactical plans.
Liu Ce looked at an exquisite hand-drawn strategic map that had just been sent to him, pointed at the two camps at the foot of the mountain and said: "Qin Wu listens to the order!"
"The general is here!"
"Tomorrow is the first attack. You have to remove the two camps at the foot of the mountain. This is the enemy's outpost. Take them out first!"
"Here!"
Later, Liu Ce pointed to the six earthen villages on the second floor: "Qin and Han!"
"The general is here!"
"After Qin Wu captured the outpost camp, your troops immediately launched an offensive against the second enemy line of defense. I don't want to see them still standing there before dark!"
"Here!"
Liu Ce used a pencil to draw a circle on each of the two lines of defense, then pointed to the third line of defense and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
This line of defense has more than 70 camps, and the villages are closely connected with each other. The roads are extremely steep. It is conceivable that the difficulty of attacking it is definitely not comparable to the first two lines of defense.
And this third line of defense is important, as long as it can be removed, the artillery battalion can build fortifications here and launch artillery attacks on the camps behind it.
But who will shoulder this important task?
The altitude here is nearly three thousand meters, which is a great test for the physical fitness of the soldiers.
Liu Qi and Wang Zongsi saw that Liu Ce had not given the order, so they spontaneously stepped out and said: "Your Majesty, the general is willing to lead troops to break through the third line of defense!"
Liu Ce directly rejected their proposal without raising his head: "You two have more important tasks, now is not the time!"
At this moment, the staff officer carried the newly stacked sand table into the tent.
Everyone looked at it, especially the officers and soldiers in Shu, and couldn't help but take a breath.
The topography of Jinchuan is clearly presented to everyone on the sand table, and the military comparison between the enemy and ourselves is also completely clear.
Liu Ce walked to the sand table and thought about it for a while. After thinking for a while, he suddenly shouted: "Guo Kan!"
Guo Kan was stunned for a moment and responded hurriedly: "The general is here!"
"Tomorrow, after the armies of Qin, Han and Qin Wu conquer the first and second lines of defense, you will be responsible for attacking the third line of defense on the third day. I heard that the soldiers trained by your department performed well in the southern expedition. This important task is entrusted to you. Can it be completed?"
Guo Kan said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the general will definitely complete the mission!"
Liu Ce nodded: "Okay, I will ask Sauron's troops to assist you. We must capture the enemy stronghold within two days!"
"Here!"
"Zhang Gui, Wang Jian!"
"The general is here!"
"After the second line of defense is occupied, immediately cooperate with the engineer battalion to build a fort on the spot to prevent the rebels from counterattacking!"
"Here!"
After the preliminary tactical arrangements were completed, Liu Ce added: "The rest of the troops are waiting for instructions in the army and stick to their respective camps. If you don't hear the order, you are not allowed to leave the camp. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed!"
"Here!"
