There is not much work, the military attaches of various ministries are coming one after another, everyone is wearing a court uniform, there is no war at this time, even if it is a general who leads the troops, no one wears the hundred or ten catties of armor every day.

When he came to the chamber, everyone sat down, Wang Lanping sat at the top, he glanced around at everyone, and almost all of them were present.

According to the military attache under the Military and Political Department of the Prime Minister's Office, the six battalions of Jingwei and Yulinwei and the Nanjing garrison battalion are all under the jurisdiction of the Military and Political Division, in other words, these people and horses are all Wang Lanping's personal in a sense, but each battalion commander has added the rank of military department, as if this is connected with the imperial court, and this is just Wang Lanping's name to solve the military salary, he has no time to raise money to raise such a large army, and the title of the military department is justified in finding the imperial court to reach out.

In addition, before Wang Lanping appointed himself as prime minister, he was the governor of the Ming Dynasty's five military governors appointed by Emperor Hongguang, regardless of whether the soldiers and horses in the world listened to him or not, legally and nominally he was the governor of the world's soldiers and horses, and had the right to mobilize the garrisons of various provinces.

The people who came today were Cao Dingjiao, the commander of the Jingwei Dingyuan Battalion, Zhang Bingzhen, the commander of the Zhenyuan Battalion, Wang Zhiren, the commander of the Weiyuan Battalion, Yang Wencong, the commander of the Pingyuan Battalion, Song Xian, the commander of the Yulin Left Guard, Li Dingguo, the commander of the Nanjing Garrison Battalion, Zheng Hongkui, the commander of the Zhenjiang Water Division, Zheng Sen, the Governor of the Left Division of the Military and Political Division, Huang Duanbo, the deputy counselor of the Right Military and Political Division (Counselor Governor), and the director of the Staff Department of the Ministry of War (Counselor Zhang Huangyan did not return to the south), Chen Yongji, the director of the Military Department of the Military Department (not a subordinate of the Prime Minister's Office), and Zhang Tongchang, the commander of the Yangtze River Defense Department (the rank of squire of the leading army), Jinyiwei commanded Zhang Mingzhen.

Although Jinyi Wei is different from the rest of the guards of the Ming Dynasty, it is also one of all the guards set up by Emperor Hongwu in that year, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

These people who came today are all military attachés above the fourth grade, but there are still two people who have not been present, that is, Song Dali, the commander of the Yulin Right Guard, Fang Guoan, the commander of the Huaiyuan Battalion, and Chen Wanliang, the commander of the Anyuan Battalion.

The meeting hall was unusually silent, Wang Lanping had a straight face, and everyone was afraid to come out.

After a while, I saw Wang Lanping stand up, and everyone followed suit.

Wang Lanping said, "Why did you call everyone here today, I guess you all know it, right?" ”

Everyone brushed and arched their hands, "Western Expedition"

Wang Lanping nodded slowly, "That's right, two months of beating gongs and drums, it's time to see the main chapter, today is the fourth day of the fifth month, less than a month before the start of the army, how are the battalions prepared?" ”

Everyone played in unison again, "All are ready, only the prime minister orders"

"Okay, Jinyiwei commands Zhang Mingzhen"

"Subordinate in"

"Say, tell you how the situation in Sichuan is at this time"

Zhang Mingzhen left his seat and came to the front of the Sichuan sand table that had been placed for more than two months behind everyone, and pointed to a pass marked 'Jianmen Pass' on it, "Prime Minister Bing, various generals, the Qing soldiers pacified the Hanzhong provinces within 130,000 months, the army gathered in Jianmen Pass, the commander of the Qing army, Hong Chengchou, sat in Hanzhong, and its vanguard was led by Wu Sangui, the former Ming general, and his more than 70,000 Guanning iron cavalry, according to the report received the day before yesterday, Wu Sangui has been fighting hard under the Jianmen Pass for more than half a month, and has suffered heavy casualties, The Jianmen Pass guard will be the puppet emperor Zhang Xianzhong's love general Sun Kewang, this person is known for his good guards, if there is no accident, I am afraid that Wu Sangui will lose more than half of the troops in front of the Jianmen Pass.

In addition, the Qing army led by the Manchu general Azig from the Xiangfan area had broken through Kuizhou a month ago and forced into Shunqing Mansion, but this was the military report four days ago, and according to the speed of the Qing army's march, it would be estimated that Shunqing had fallen into the hands of Azig

In addition, in order to keep Sichuan, Zhang Xianzhong has given up some of the prefectures in Yunnan and Guizhou that he occupied, and transferred Ai Nengqi to lead his troops east to Shunqing to block Azig, and transferred Liu Wenxiu to lead 60,000 troops into Jiameng Pass to respond to Sun Kewang to hold on to Jianmen Pass, and transferred Bai Wenxuan to hold Yangping Pass with an army of 100,000, especially Yangping Pass all the way, and the Western Army of 100,000 people was divided into Dingjun Mountain, Yangping Pass and Tiandang Mountain, which were each other's horns. This Yangping Pass will become the burial place of Wu Sangui.

Then there are Wushan passes Zhang Xianzhong are heavily guarded, the troops are ominous, the current subordinates have been found to have the pseudo-west guard to guard the Sichuan city defenders, Fengdu City has 8,000 soldiers, the guards will be controlled by Ai Nengqi; There are 10,000 soldiers in Fuling City, which are controlled by Ainengqi; Wushengguan has 6,000 soldiers, and it is controlled by Chengdu; There are 5,000 soldiers in Wulong City, which are controlled by Ainengqi; There are 4,000 soldiers in Jiangjin City, which are controlled by Chengdu; In addition, the western army near Chengdu is too frequent, it is difficult to determine the distribution of troops in various places, there are at least 80,000 soldiers in the city of Chengdu, and the strength of the western army in northern Sichuan is ominous, last month his subordinates received a report from the Muwangfu in Yunnan, saying that the western army in southern Sichuan has been transferred to Hanzhong one after another, and the current strength of the western army in southern Sichuan is empty, but Daba Mountain is really an insurmountable moat."

Zhang Mingzhen didn't pause, and then stepped aside.

Wang Lanping nodded with satisfaction, "Everyone has heard it, Zhang Xianzhong almost requisitioned the people of Sichuan in order to save his life, and it is conservatively estimated that the army is not less than a million people, this time Hong Chengchou will have to work hard, you tell me, where should our army enter Sichuan?" ”

Sichuan since ancient times is more dangerous and deep villages, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and because the terrain is too closed, the people of Sichuan are brave and ruthless, the people are fierce, since ancient times, there is the world has been determined Shu has not been decided, the world has not been chaotic Shu first chaos said, Zhang Xianzhong does not know whether he really has a vision or a mouse's eyes, take there as a nest, Sichuan is easy to keep, but it is not a wise move to want to take Sichuan as the foundation and seek to seize the world, the road is closed, just the matter of grain and grass transfer can never be solved, and the difficulty of Sichuan Road is far from elsewhere, and the messenger back and forth once takes a lot of time, What even Zhuge Liang couldn't do back then, how could Zhang Xianzhong do it.

Cao Dingjiao has been working hard for the western expedition these days, and has never been there to fight, many arms can not adapt to the geographical environment there, and now the western expedition, the Qing army, the western army, and the Ming army are tripartite, and God knows what kind of chaos this battle will become.

But the Western Expedition is a matter that the prime minister and the emperor have long decided, and it must be done, and it is impossible to do it.

Cao Dingjiao said, "Zhang Xianzhong has been entrenched in Sichuan for more than a year, and his tyrannical reputation has long been spread all over the world, presumably the Sichuan people hate him to the bone, but he has recruited so many soldiers at this time, in my opinion, it is just a group of rabble, it is difficult to guarantee that it will not be destroyed by Hong Chengchou, I have seen him when Inspector Hong was still in the Ming Dynasty as the governor of Jiliao, he is a handsome talent, and it is enough to deal with Zhang Xianzhong."

Wang Lanping said, "Commander Cao means that we should plan it as soon as possible?" ”

Cao Dingjiao said, "Zhang Xianzhong can't hold Sichuan, if Hong Chengchou is allowed to take the lead, then, Prime Minister, it will be meaningless for me to go west."

Wang Lanping nodded, "It makes sense, you can also talk about it."

Zheng Sen arched his hand to everyone and said, "Prime Minister, generals, I think that Zhang Xianzhong can raise an army of one million in a short period of time, whether it is true or not, it shows that he has something extraordinary.

This is a unique opinion, Wang Lanping still appreciates this uncle who is about to become himself, so he said, "What is Zheng Dudu's opinion?" ”

Zheng Sen pointed to the sand table, "The Qing army has exhausted the troops of Hanzhong, and the Qing army in the Xiangfan area has also been transferred to Sichuan, it is estimated that it will not be able to withdraw for a while and a half, if our army can suddenly attack Xi'an, then Hanzhong will be shaken, Hong Chengchou will inevitably return to the division to rescue, and then the prime minister can be heavily defended in Xi'an City, if Zhang Xianzhong is smart, he will go out of the Jianmen Pass to attack Hong Chengchou's back road, at that time, he will be difficult to care about, and there is no other way to defeat him"

I still think that Zheng Sen has any high opinions, listen to your set or be loyal to the Ming family, the Qing army can't tear his face now, Sichuan is uncertain, how can I Wang Lanping be the emperor, the world is such a big hero, no matter how you choose, you won't pick the Manchu Qing Dynasty first, that's a game of life.

Wang Lanping only nodded again, "What Governor Zheng said is also a trick, who else wants to talk about it?"

Li Dingguo has been staring at the sand table, but he has never had the experience of commanding troops on the battlefield, and he is the worst of all the generals present in terms of qualifications, but he has a strength that others do not have, that is, he is a native of Sichuan, he is too familiar with the terrain of Sichuan, and he also knows the customs and customs there.

Wang Lanping saw his thoughtful look, so he asked, "Marquis Zhongyi, you are from Sichuan, tell me, how can the imperial court pacify Sichuan?" ”

This is also like saying it to Zheng Sen, remember, you must first settle inside when you go outside, this is the national policy set by Lao Tzu.

Li Dingguo glanced at everyone, it was the first time for him to participate in such an important military discussion, and he had no experience in commanding troops, so it seemed that he did not dare to say anything.

Wang Lanping said with a smile, "Say whatever you want, express your own opinions, I don't blame you for saying wrong, and I won't necessarily adopt it if you say it right.

Only then did Li Dingguo show his face, puffing out his mouth, as if he had made up his mind, "Prime Minister, to take Sichuan, according to the current situation, there is only one way"

As soon as he said this, it was tantamount to saying that he was absolutely avoided, there was no way, he didn't know much about the rules of this kind of discussion, that is, modesty, no matter how perfect the military plan he thought of, it could only be a deduction, and there was no absolute, war was always changing rapidly.

Wang Lanping didn't speak, waiting for his next step.

Li Dingguo suddenly pointed to the Jianmen Pass on the sand table, "Jianmen Pass, the only entrance to Sichuan is here, after the Jianmen Pass is the plain of Pingchuan, there is no danger to defend, our army can only take the Jianmen Pass, Sichuan is established"

But he didn't expect that as soon as he said this, everyone laughed, and even Zheng Sen shook his head a little embarrassed, but Wang Lan did not change his color.

Everyone smiled like this, Li Dingguo was a little uncomfortable, and his face turned red.

I only listened to Cao Dingjiao, "Master Hou, you, as far as I know, the Sword Pavilion Ancient Road has never been broken for more than 2,000 years, do you know that Cao Wei destroyed Shu back then?" The Wei army's 500,000 soldiers entered Jianmen Pass, and were pressed by the Shu general Jiang Wei to be able to move an inch, until the Wei army's strange soldiers smuggled across Yinping Road, and the surprise attack on Chengdu was, Liu Houzhu's Shu army at Jianmen Pass still had the upper hand when he surrendered in Chengdu, let's just say it now, Wu Sangui's Guan Ning army is also elite, what can he do in the face of Jianmen Pass, Wangguan sighs, that has never been suitable for soldiers, not to mention the fierce general Sun Kewang to defend, even a fool can defend it"

Li Dingguo's face turned blue and white for a while, but he said again, "General Cao, then you can talk about it again, why does Hong Chengchou, who is like a god with soldiers, put so many roads into Sichuan and does not take the road to Sichuan, does he have to die at the Sword Gate, is he crazy?" ”

These words made everyone's faces freeze, yes, Hong Chengchou has fought for half his life, knowing that it is impossible to fight the Sword Gate, but he wants to go his own way, why?

Seeing that everyone was silent, Wang Lanping opened his mouth, "Wang Yongji, you were once a governor, you must have a more comprehensive idea of the battle situation, why don't you talk about it, is it feasible for the Marquis of Zhongyi to say this?" ”

Wang Yongji is nearly fifty years old, and his temples are mixed with a little silver thread, but he is full of energy, his eyes are bright, and he is a capable person at first glance.

"Prime Minister, whether it works or not, the Qing army is fighting hard at Jianmen Pass at the moment, besides, if I take Jianmen Pass directly, I must pass through Yangping Pass, otherwise I can only go around Hanzhong, in that case, it is not as simple as taking Xi'an directly according to what Zheng Sen said."

Li Dingguo hurriedly said, "The Qing army will be defeated by the Sword Gate"

Wang Lan said with a straight face, "How can you see it?" ”

Wang Lanping himself is not sure that he can take the Jianmen Pass, where he has been there when he traveled the world a few years ago, not to mention the 100,000 troops before the pass, 5,000 people and horses can not be used, and more importantly, the trail near the pass is intricate, and the heavy ordnance can not be transported at all, just by climbing the city wall, this stupid method is undoubtedly a suicidal attack, there are countless bright and dark villages built outside the Jianmen Pass, and the entry path is only guarded by a few soldiers, and hundreds of people have to die in the past, which is too difficult.

Li Dingguo pointed to Jianmen Pass very affirmatively, "Zhang Xianzhong was running Jianmen Pass as early as a year ago, he told me back then, but he didn't know that the Qing army would enter Sichuan at that time, and the purpose of his preparation for Jianmen Pass was to guard against Li Zicheng, he said that Jianmen Pass was going to eat Li Zicheng's 200,000 army, maybe he was exaggerating, but his general Ai Nengqi also said something similar, and also told me that the defense line of Jianmen Pass that the enemy saw was only the tip of the iceberg of the entire Sword Pavilion Road defense line, and the Zonghe City Pass was broken, and the Qing army could not pass the Sword Pavilion Road."

These words attracted Wang Lanping's attention, yes, this kid once served as Zhang Xianzhong's godson for a few days.

"Then you mean you know all the defenses of the Western Army in Sword Pavilion Road?" Wang Lanping asked.

But I didn't expect Li Dingguo to say, "I don't know, this is top secret"

Wang Lanping frowned, I don't know what you said.

Li Dingguo continued, "But there is one person who knows, and I can let this person serve as prime minister."

"Who?"

"Ai Nengqi, the pseudo-king of the north of Xiding, Zhang Xianzhong's righteous son Xingsan"

Only then did everyone understand that Li Dingguo meant to let Ai Nengqi return to the Ming Dynasty, and then he could break through the Sword Gate Pass one by one step in a step-by-step manner.

Wang Lanping had to look at Li Dingguo with admiration, but after thinking about it carefully, Ai Nengqi is Zhang Xianzhong's favorite general, will he surrender? This is no less difficult than attacking the Sword Gate. (To be continued.) )