December 14, 4337 (AD 1640).
Qihou Sushan rushed to Tengchong, Yunnan, where the Dahua Royal Army camp was located.
He took a train from Hanzhong south to Chengchong, where he changed to a carriage and dared to go to Tengchong, Yunnan.
The current railway network has not yet been completed, especially in areas with difficult roads such as Northwest China, Wusizang, Mobei, and Yunnan-Guizhou.
It will be the last area where railways will be built.
Hanzhong, the land of dragon prosperity, and Sichuan, the land of abundance.
These two places enjoy special treatment. Even if the same roads are difficult to travel, they are also the first places to build railways.
There are no railways in places like Yunnan and Guizhou, but the imperial court has built asphalt roads and all counties are connected by roads.
In order to reach Tengchong as soon as possible, Qihou Sushan had six carriages break down.
The Third Army and the Sixth Army issued orders via telegraph via the Metropolitan Governor's Office.
The battle in the southwest was planned first, and before the commander-in-chief was decided, the Governor-General ordered the troops to assemble.
The first batch of soldiers arrived in Tengchong more than a month ago.
Waiting for the arrival of Qihou Sushan, he officially launched an attack on Myanmar.
Su Pengfei, commander of the Sixth Army, received the news of Su Shan's arrival, and he immediately went out of camp to greet him.
Su Pengfei looked at Su Shan, who was tired from traveling and looked a little haggard.
He said worriedly: "Old leader, your health is not very good, why are you so anxious to leave?
A few days earlier and a few days later will not affect the outcome of the war.
Our opponents, the Burmese Army, can defeat them even without rifles.
We have also taught a lesson to the Burmese army who crossed the border to provoke.
The combat effectiveness of these armies was worrisome, and the general never took them seriously. "
Qihou Sushan said bitterly: "I'm afraid it will delay you for a few more years.
Many generals of the Sixth Army have been waiting for this opportunity for too long, and I don't want to let them down. "
When Su Pengfei heard this, he was a hard-blooded man and couldn't help but shed tears.
Their Sixth Army has an outstanding reputation within the entire Dahua Royal Army system. It is not a good reputation.
During the founding of the People's Republic of China, Qihou Sushan miscalculated the future situation of the imperial court.
Su Shan also has a relatively stable personality and is not good at fighting for military glory.
If a soldier doesn't fight, it's hard to get a good assignment.
As a result, the Sixth Army never fought another war after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
It is basically impossible for soldiers without military exploits to compete with those who have military exploits.
Basically all generals have not been promoted.
The Second Army, who were almost connected by fate, Tao Guifan occupied Wusizang, giving the Second Army a new way out.
The Dahua Dynasty now has nineteen armies, and a brigade commander in the First Army can be promoted to army commander because of military merit.
The vast majority of the Sixth Army had no resentment in their hearts when they were surpassed by people who were far inferior to them before.
How is it possible to say that they are not envious?
Su Pengfei knew that Qihou Sushan knew the Sixth Army so well that he didn't want to waste any time and came to the camp as quickly as possible.
Qihou Sushan patted Su Pengfei on the shoulder and said happily: "I have won a good opportunity for you this time.
This war is rare. If you want to participate in larger-scale wars in the future, you will have to pay more.
You must display the momentum of the Sixth Army. "
Su Pengfei burst into tears and immediately nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, Mr. Qihou, the Sixth Army will never hold you back.
The enemy you designated, all soldiers of the Sixth Army are not afraid of sacrifice and must destroy this enemy. "
Su Shan and Su Pengfei walked towards the camp.
Su Shan asked curiously: "Chai Jin, commander of the Second Army, isn't he in the camp?"
He was very curious. Chai Jin, the commander-in-chief, did not come to greet him on his first day at the camp. This was very abnormal.
It is a mature etiquette in the military that subordinates must cleanse themselves of their superiors.
This also shows that subordinates are willing to obey military orders.
Even if it was to compete for military glory, Chai Jin would not miss this opportunity.
The Sixth Army was originally a direct descendant of Qihou Sushan.
If Chai Jin didn't come, he wouldn't worry that the Second Army wouldn't get a good mission.
In such an important war, the opponent is the Burmese army, which has very weak combat effectiveness.
In order to prevent accidents, His Majesty the Emperor sent two armies to attack Burma.
As long as Qihou Sushan is determined and does not care about the casualties of the Sixth Army, he can completely arrange the Second Army in the rear.
When Su Pengfei heard Su Shan's inquiry, his face was slightly nervous.
He remembered what happened when he first arrived at the camp more than a month ago.
The Sixth Army took a train from Xiangyang, Wuchang, Changsha and other places to Rongcheng, and then transferred to a carriage to reach Tengchong.
The Second Army is stationed in Chongqing, Rongcheng, and Kunming.
The Second Army is closer to Tengchong.
When the Sixth Army came to Tengchong one after another, they found that the Second Army had arrived in Tengchong for many days.
The Second Army arrived in Tengchong without establishing a military camp for training.
Instead, he took all the soldiers to the border area to clear mountains and cut trees, hoping to open a road for the army to pass.
Su Pengfei went to understand the situation.
Chai Jin pointed out that there are dense tropical rainforests on the China-Myanmar border and there are no accessible roads at all.
They should open a road to Burma before waiting for the arrival of the commander-in-chief.
Otherwise, nearly 100,000 troops would approach the tropical rainforest unprepared.
It would at least bring thousands of casualties to the army and delay the passage of the army.
Many generals in the army can see that it is a very impressive achievement to be able to do this well.
Su Pengfei also coveted this task. The Second Army had already taken the lead, but he couldn't compete.
We cannot break up with the Second Army just because we are competing for military glory.
At that time, many people thought that the commander-in-chief of the army this time would be Song Guogong Su Zhuang.
The Second Army is a direct descendant of Song Guogong. Although Su Pengfei and Emperor Su He have a kinship relationship that goes beyond the fifth server.
But he didn't want to offend Song Guogong Su Zhuang for this reason.
If the commander-in-chief is dissatisfied with an army, there are many ways to correct it.
Su Pengfei was afraid that because of this incident, he would lose Xigua, who commanded the battle.
He and Chai Jin divided the work and cooperated.
Chai Jin was responsible for clearing mountains and opening up the road from Dahua to Myanmar.
Su Pengfei stayed at the camp, training the troops and assisting the logistics department in mobilizing supplies.
He briefly told Qihou Sushan about the relevant matters.
Su Shan looked at Su Pengfei and said with a tone of hatred: "This is a good idea.
You reacted too slowly and lost this opportunity.
It’s not your fault, after all, the Second Army’s defense area is too close to Tengchong.
Chai Jin is also a smart man, and the idea he came up with is very good.
I thought on the way that the road is the most difficult part of this trip to Myanmar.
Myanmar is mountainous, rainy and forested, which requires the army to get used to fighting in the rainforest.
But at the beginning of the war, we must not let the Burmese army block our army in the tropical rainforest.
Chai Jin can think of this, which is very good. "
When Su Shan heard Su Pengfei's story, he realized that he had forgotten about it.
Fortunately, Chai Jin did not let the army clear the road in advance. Fortunately, Chai Jin took this into consideration.
Su Shan came to the camp and began to review the army and check the situation of supplies in the camp.
He was about to attack Burma, and he had to conduct a detailed survey of the army's situation.
As a commander-in-chief, if you don’t understand your own side’s situation.
How can we know ourselves and our enemies and win the war?
After Su Shan inspected the camp, he was preparing to send the army off to the border not far away.
He heard the staff report that Chai Jin, commander of the Second Army, had returned to the camp and reported to him the relevant situation.
Su Shan summoned Chai Jin in the commander's tent.
When Chai Jin returned to the camp, he felt a little uneasy.
This time he had a sudden idea to win a military award for himself before everyone else could.
He was most afraid that if the road was not opened, Qihou Sushan would choose to force a replacement, thus making wedding clothes for others.
Chai Jin himself thought that the old leader Su Zhuang would become the commander-in-chief of this war.
Whether it is in terms of seniority or the adaptability of the direct army, Song Guogong Su Zhuang is the first choice.
Who knew that God would bring unexpected events, but Su Zhuang, the Duke of Song Dynasty, was unable to lead the troops in battle due to physical reasons.
This directly led to the collapse of most of Chai Jin's plans.
He had previously looked down upon the Sixth Army.
The Sixth Army is among the entire army, and it is a famous useless army.
The Second Army was also in the southwest, but their Second Army came out of Tao Guifan and recovered the vast Usizang area.
There is also the celebrity Qu Tian, who is already the deputy chief of staff of the Metropolitan Governor's Office.
Now the tide has turned, and their Second Army has become the weak side. After all, the county magistrate is not as good as the current one.
Chai Jin's expression was very respectful. He reported to Qihou Sushan in detail about the situation of cutting down mountains and opening roads.
After Su Shan heard the relevant information, he was very satisfied.
With only five kilometers to go, they would have penetrated the entire tropical rainforest.
Su Shan smiled and said: "The Second Army handled this matter very well.
I will take credit from your Second Army this time.
Now that the road is basically open, the main force of the army should also head to the border area.
After opening the road, with the Second Army as the vanguard, they immediately launched an attack on Burma. "
Chai Jin's eyes changed slightly when he looked at Su Shan.
This commander is trustworthy, and at least he will not rob his subordinates of their military glory.
…………………………
December 23, 4337 (AD 1640).
Qihou Sushan, accompanied by the generals of the Second Army and the Sixth Army, visited the road opened by the Second Army.
They came out of the camp. Qihou Sushan was in the carriage and asked Chai Jin:
"The Second Army moved very quickly. It only took a few months to open this road."
Su Shan admired him very much. He had also commanded the army to build roads. Under normal circumstances, roads were difficult to build and took a long time.
Chai Jin immediately replied: "Master Qihou, we are not busy, we have conducted careful inspections in the early stage.
This road is an expansion of the original ancient road, not a new road built in the mountains.
We used ancient roads and built them in sections to expand this path, which can only be barely traveled by people, so that it can carry heavy vehicles. "
They passed a mountain pass first.
Chai Jin explained at the side: "This is a mountain pass that is too narrow for carriages to pass.
We drilled holes on both sides of the mountain and used explosives to blow up the mountain.
The gravel from the blast is a good material for paving roads. "
Su Shan looked at the road and could make two carriages run side by side.
This is a dirt road paved with gravel.
The convoy had not been walking for long, and the roads here were not even paved with gravel.
On both sides of the road are dense virgin forests.
Su Shan could see that there were traces of fire in many places.
He asked: "Commander Chai, are you setting fire to the mountain?"
Chai Jin shook his head and said: "Qi Hou, how could you set fire to the mountain?
If a forest fire really breaks out, it may not be possible to put it out in a month, let alone a year.
How can we attack Burma, with these traces of fire?
A small number of tribes here harassed us, firing cannons and setting the forest on fire.
It caused several small wildfires, which we have extinguished.
Most of the regular traces are the fires we set.
Before setting the fire, an isolation strip dozens of meters wide had been dug to prevent the fire from spreading.
Most of the woodlands set on fire are areas frequented by venomous snakes and beasts.
For the safety of the army, these dangerous places can only be burned down with fire. "
Su Shan nodded and watched the carriage driving on the mountain road.
The mountain road was undulating, and he also saw the newly built iron chain bridge.
The simple bridge built with iron cables cannot allow heavy artillery and baggage to pass, but the army can pass quickly.
The carriage stopped by the chain bridge, and they walked on the chain bridge.
Su Shan looked at the high canyon and the raging river below.
Chai Jin introduced: "Qihou, soldiers can quickly go to the other side through this iron cable bridge.
The cable bridge we built can withstand a weight of more than 2,000 kilograms.
The amount of cargo loaded in a wheelbarrow can easily pass through the chain bridge.
If we take the path below, baggage vehicles will not be able to pass, and we will waste five more hours.
Heavy artillery and other items that are too heavy require engineers from the Logistics Department to build the mountain road on the left.
Even if the mountain road is repaired and the marching route remains unchanged, it will still take five hours more to travel. "
Su Shan smiled and said: "To deal with tribal armed forces like the Burmese Army, we can easily defeat them using only light weapons."
He asked curiously: "How did you throw the steel rope thicker than your thumb across the other side?"
Chai Jin said: "Qi Hou, this is very simple. Just remove the fuse of the rocket, use the rocket to pull the steel cable, and hit the steel cable directly to the opposite side."
They walked across the cable bridge, and the unladen carriage also crossed the cable bridge carefully.
They continued to walk south along the road, and it was getting dark.
Su Shan was in the carriage and heard the sound of the steam engine.
They soon arrived at a large lumberyard.
Five soldiers cooperated with each other to push the steam felling machine and cut down the trees quickly.
The high-speed rotating chain saw, driven by the steam engine, only takes three or four seconds.
It can directly cut off trees as thick as one person.
Qihou Sushan looked at the speed of these machines driving through the mountain.
He could understand that more than 40,000 people, working with these machines, could indeed open up this mountain road in more than a month through multi-section road construction.
Su Shan came here just to watch this road be completely opened.
The time has been calculated, today is the time for the road to be completely opened.
He waited until the sun had completely set, and the cheers of soldiers could be heard from ahead.
"We succeeded and the road was completely opened."
Seeing this situation, Su Shan smiled and issued an order: "The road is completely opened, and I will give the Second Army three days to reorganize the army.
With the Second Army as the vanguard, they formally attacked Burma.
We are going to celebrate the New Year in a big city in Myanmar.
Commander Chai, do you have confidence? "
Chai Jin immediately saluted the military and replied: "Don't worry, Marquis Qi, the general will not let the army celebrate the New Year in the wild.
With the strength of our army, we will definitely be able to break the Burmese army's defense line. "
On February 26, Qihou Sushan issued an order.
One hundred thousand Royal Chinese Army broke out of the tropical rainforest on the border and launched an attack on Myanmar.
(End of chapter)
