Huo Qubing controlled his temper and looked around at the merchants. "I am only in charge of military affairs. I have no right to answer your questions. As for the compensation, you will have to discuss it with the incoming prefectural magistrate. "
Zhu Jin knew that he would not be able to gain any favor from Huo Qubing, so he smiled and changed the topic. The Feast at Hongmen, which had a hidden edge, was held in a bustling manner.
Huo Qubing was still clear-headed and summoned the generals for a meeting that night.
Today was the deadline for Swordsman City to return the captured soldiers and compensate 800,000 gold coins. Obviously, Swordsman City did not intend to comply.
Shanhai City had no choice but to resort to force.
Back in the tent, the generals felt much more at ease and sobered up.
Huo Qubing sat at the head of the table and said, "Tomorrow morning, the army will break camp and enter Shu. Before that, I would like the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau to introduce the basic situation of Shu. "He gestured to a young man sitting at the head of the table.
According to Shanhai City's military structure, the Military Intelligence Bureau under the General Administration of Military Affairs was headquartered in Shanhai City. Each of the four armies had a military intelligence division under the command of both the Military Intelligence Bureau and the army commander.
The young man nodded and opened a map. It was the map of Shu drawn by the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Shanhai Guards.
"The entire Shu is divided into two large areas, the Western Highlands and the Eastern Plains, with the Qionglai Mountains as the boundary. The Western Highlands are filled with rolling hills and valleys. The valleys are wide and round, and the swamps are more than 4,000 meters above sea level. This area is inhabited by the Qiang people and is known as the Qiang County. To the west of the Western Highlands is the mysterious Tufan Kingdom.
"The Eastern Plains is a huge basin surrounded by mountain ranges. It is the main area of Shu and is densely populated with cities and towns. It is known as the Heavenly Province. Other than the Qiang County, the rest of the five counties are located in the Eastern Plains. Chengdu County is the center of the four counties. To the north of Chengdu County is Hanzhong County, to the east is Badong County, and to the south is Jiangyang County.
"Among the four counties, Hanzhong County is jointly occupied by three feudal lords, forming the Hanzhong Alliance. Chengdu County is occupied by the Shu Han Dynasty, while Badong County and Jiangyang County belong to Swordsman City.
"Chengdu County and Badong County are located in the center of the basin. The terrain is flat and fertile, and they are the essence of Sichuan. Hanzhong County and Jiangyang County were located at the north and south ends of the basin. The territory was densely covered with hills, plains and hills, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. These two counties can also be regarded as the northern and southern gates of Chengdu. "
Hearing this, a general asked, "Does this mean that as long as we take down Jiangyang County, the southern gateway, the entire Shu will be exposed to our army without any barriers?"
"Not bad!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and attack!"
The head of the Military Intelligence Bureau shook his head. "It's not that simple. It was precisely because of the strategic position of Jiangyang County that Swordsman City established its main city at the northern end of the county, guarding the last barrier in the south. The pass where Swordsman City was located was already comparable to the Sword Gate Pass at the junction of Hanzhong County and Chengdu County in the north. This is one of the reasons. "
"Secondly, Swordsman City invested a huge sum of money last year to build more than 40 passes of various sizes in Jiangyang County. Every city is separated by a pass, and they are heavily guarded. "
"Hiss ~ ~ ~"
The generals sucked in a breath of cold air. This kind of defense using the pass as a node was simply terrifying. The only thing that could pose a threat to such a pass was probably the P1 cannon.
However, the mountain roads of Shu were rugged, and some areas did not even have roads. They could only pass through the mountains and the top of the cliffs. It was extremely difficult to transport the cannon that weighed several tons to the designated location.
This was also the reason why Feng Qingyang was so fearless.
The reputation of Shu being 'easy to defend and hard to attack' was not just for show.
"Continue!" Huo Qubing said at this moment.
"Yes, Sir!" The head of the Military Intelligence Bureau nodded and continued, "The closest city to Yongren City in Jiangyang County is called Black Iron City. It got its name because of the huge amount of iron ore it produces. There is only a rugged mountain road between Yongren City and Black Iron City. Both sides are high mountains and dangerous peaks. There is a pass near Black Iron City called Aolong Pass. Previously, Swordsman City stationed 40,000 soldiers in Dongchuan County, but they retreated to Aolong Pass. "
"Apart from the 40,000 soldiers, there is also a city guard division stationed in Black Iron City. Apart from that, there is another 30,000 soldiers on their way to Black Iron City and will arrive in a few days. "
"What is the total military strength of Swordsman City?" Huo Qubing suddenly asked.
"Apart from the imperial guard division and the city guard division, Swordsman City has two field armies. The first army is stationed in Badong County, and the second army is stationed in Jiangyang County."
Generally speaking, a county in the wilderness could only support one field army at most. Including the imperial guard, city guard, and local garrison troops, it was basically reaching its limit.
Take Shanhai City as an example. Before the Battle of Yunnan, there were a total of 13 counties, including Xing Province County. In the army, including the city guard and imperial guards, there were exactly 13 field armies.
Of course, Shanhai City was a special case. Its foundation was much deeper than the other territories, and its main city was already a third-class county. Therefore, it was able to establish a large-scale Nanyang Navy in addition to the army.
Even so, the financial pressure on Shanhai City was immense.
The Five Great Fleets of the Nanyang Navy would not be expanding or forming new fleets for a period of time. If there were any changes, it would be the remodeling of the Five Great Fleets, as well as the upgrading of warships and weapons.
Apart from the warmongers, very few lords would cross this red line. Correspondingly, a province in the wilderness could at most accommodate a full five corps of a combined army.
The only special one was the capital city. China's nine capital cities could support an army of nearly a million with just one county. It was because of Gaia's cheat, or else it would be unimaginable.
Similarly, the number of players in the capital city was also the same.
A capital city could accommodate tens of millions of players without collapsing. It was unimaginable in ancient times. Without Gaia's special settings, how could it be achieved?!
Shanhai City, which had the highest level among the territory's main cities, was still struggling to reach the population limit of two million.
For Swordsman City to be able to form two field corps in addition to the Imperial Guard Division and the City Guard Division was already an impressive achievement. After all, Swordsman City was not known for managing territories.
When Huo Qubing heard this, he raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "In other words, Swordsman City has put the entire military force of Jiangyang County into battle with us?"
"That seems to be the case for now."
"They're too confident. Do they think they can stop us with just one corps?" Ma Chao said indignantly.
Huo Qubing shook his head and said, "The enemy has the geographical advantage, and they're mainly defending. Furthermore, they're fighting on their home ground. You must not underestimate them."
The Imperial Guard Division was mainly composed of cavalry, so they were not good at mountain warfare and siege warfare. The only offensive troops they could bring out were the two Mountain Barbarian Heavy Infantry Divisions.
It would not be easy to take down Black Iron City.
The key was still time.
In Lingxi City, the Emperor had clearly instructed that if Swordsman City was unwilling to submit, they had to end the war before New Year's Eve. They could not let this local war drag on until after New Year's Eve.
Calculating the time, it would be less than half a month at most.
In other words, this war had to be efficient and painful for Swordsman City.
The Emperor had given the Imperial Guard a difficult problem.
However, no matter how difficult it was, Huo Qubing had to complete it beautifully. This concerned the honor of the Imperial Guard Division.
"Is there any other way to enter Black Iron City other than the mountain roads?" Huo Qubing asked the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau.
The head of the Military Intelligence Bureau nodded and said, "Yes. There's a large river called the Jinsha River 80 miles east of Yongren City. If you follow the river upstream, you can directly reach Black Iron City. Moreover, it's dry season right now, so the water flow is calm and not as turbulent as during flood season. "
"Is there any difficulty?" Huo Qubing asked.
"Yes. When Swordsman City's army retreated from Dongchuan County, they burned all the large ships in the county in advance. It's difficult for us to transport the army by water in such a short time. "
"…"
Huo Qubing was speechless for a while. At this moment, he missed the territory's navy. However, the five major fleets were all stationed along the coast, and none of them were active inland. He really wanted to help, but could not.
Even if he asked for help now, it would be too late.
"Can we gather civilian boats?" Someone suggested.
Huo Qubing shook his head. Not only were the boats limited, but they were also very unsafe. If they were not careful, the boats would be destroyed and the people would die. Moreover, how many boats would be needed to transport an army of hundreds of thousands? It would probably fill up the entire Jinsha River.
Apart from transporting the soldiers, they also had to transport rations and supplies, which was even more difficult.
The only way was to transport a surprise army of a few thousand people by water. The Imperial Guard Division was equipped with military rations, which were more than enough to support a few thousand troops for a few days.
"Are there any spies in Black Iron City?" Huo Qubing asked the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau.
"Yes. As long as the army is at the city gates, the spies are confident that they can even open the city gates. "
During the battle of Yongren City, the three major intelligence agencies were scolded by the Emperor for their intelligence errors. Since then, they naturally became courageous and prepared to atone for their mistakes.
The three major intelligence agencies simultaneously strengthened their infiltration of Shu, and Black Iron City was naturally the first to bear the brunt. Moreover, Black Iron City's main livelihood was mining. The population was messy, and the management was chaotic, making it easier for spies to infiltrate.
Huo Qubing's eyes flashed. He looked at Shi Hu and said, "I'll give you five thousand elites. Are you confident that you can launch a surprise attack on Black Iron City?" It was more convenient for infantry to travel by water. Warhorses could not be transported by small boats.
Five thousand elite soldiers was the limit that small boats could transport.
Shi Hu did not even think about it. He immediately stood up and replied, "No problem."
To the mountain barbarians, this was a great honor.
Huo Qubing nodded and began to arrange a detailed battle plan. The generals listened attentively. If they wanted a surprise attack to succeed, they had to formulate a series of coordinated measures.
It was not until late at night that the generals left.
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