With this piece of information in hand, Ling Tian felt heavy in his heart. The Kaman people finally took action. They thought it would be a fight in Jeroke, but they didn't expect that this old guy like Maili would evade the situation and sneak into the northwest. This move still failed. He was so sinister. He raised his head and looked at his boss, who seemed to be untouched. Ling Tianfang was a little puzzled as to why His Highness Prince Qin seemed to have nothing to do with it. He was sipping tea leisurely and contentedly, feeling relaxed. But Er can't pretend.
"Your Highness, you don't seem to take this matter seriously. Intelligence has confirmed that the Kamans of Beijerok did dispatch 40,000 cavalry, as well as a large number of mules and horses, and headed straight for Yinchuan and Qingyang. But Brother Jin Chen's main cavalry force has all been invested in the battlefields of the three prefectures in the east, and it is impossible to call them back for a while. He has already written a letter asking His Highness to mobilize the 3rd Cavalry Regiment from Xikang and the 2nd and 4th Cavalry Regiments from Wulanji to rush for reinforcements. "Ling Tianfang had to bite the bullet and ask for instructions: "My subordinates thought that the Third Cavalry Regiment could be mobilized to rush to the northwest to help. Wulanji is far away. It is estimated that it is too late in time and it is not of much value."
"Well, let's do it according to your opinion." Wu Feng said calmly: "Tian Fang, don't make it so tense. Isn't it just Maili's desperate move? This can only prove that the Kaman people are in trouble. If the logistics of his own army cannot be guaranteed, then Gomez may really have to step down. But I am thinking that Gomez cannot be so simple. Maybe this will cause him temporary embarrassment, but with his ability, he should be able to carry it out. After passing this level, not to mention the potential of the Kaman Empire is not small. If it is stimulated a little, it cannot be underestimated."
"Your Highness, if there is a war in the northwest, Western Xinjiang will be shaken. It will have a great negative impact on you and the entire Western Xinjiang region, and it will also shake the people's confidence in us." Ling Tianfang looked worried. He really couldn't understand why the boss in front of him looked at the situation in front of him so lightly. The Kaman people had always been tough, Yinchuan only had one division to defend, and Qingyang only had a newly formed division in charge. Once there was a If something goes wrong, wouldn't it make the world laugh
"Tian Fang, don't worry. The purpose of the Kaman people's raid in the northwest is of course to seize food. Qingyang and Yinchuan both have sufficient food. How much can the Kaman people carry with them? It's not so much that they are here to seize food. It would be more accurate to say that it is to attack our momentum. Attacking Qingyang can certainly show our prestige, but the risk is also huge. If they are caught up by the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, they will pay a greater price. The Kaman people are not stupid, they should consider it. This point. Besides, I placed Fielding in the northwest because of his ability in both military and political affairs. I believe that he will naturally have the ability to deal with it. Yinchuan Jin Zecheng is not a fuel-efficient lamp. I am very optimistic about the two of them. , if the Kaman people want to take advantage of them, they have to put some thought into it, haha."
Li Wufeng finally put down the volume in his hand and answered the other party quietly. What he was holding in his hand was a comprehensive introduction and review of the outstanding graduates of this year by teachers from the Northwest Military Academy and Northwest University. This is an important channel for selecting officials in Xijiang. Although Northwest University and Northwest Military Academy recruit students The scale is expanding every year, but due to the rapid expansion of Wufeng's control area, and the proportion of officials in various places who meet the dual assessment of the Government Affairs Department and the Legal Affairs Department is too small, a considerable number of officials are in the Supervision Department almost every month The power and ability of the Inspectorate were fully demonstrated when the eyes fell, and the substitute officials who needed to be replaced were almost vacant. As soon as a suitable substitute official was available, he took up his post immediately, with almost no time interval in between. Talent has become the biggest bottleneck restricting the development of Xijiang, especially some comprehensive talents. This is the conclusion Li Wufeng himself came to. If there is no way to solve this problem, Xijiang will face more problems in the next step, especially in the When his territory had extended to the southern peninsula.
Seeing that his military director was still hesitant, Wu Feng closed the volume and said calmly: "Tian Fang, we were indeed a little careless in the northwest this time, but this does not affect the overall situation, even if the Kaman cavalry broke into Qingyang and Yinchuan , their target is the grain depot, and they will not cause much harassment to the people. After all, they do not have much time to harass the local area. Although this will have some impact on our prestige, it also has a good side, that is, it will give us people in the mainland also Tighten the strings and let them know that the world is not yet peaceful. If you want to enjoy a peaceful life, you must first contribute to national defense. As for Bo Jinchen, since I have authorized him, I believe he should give me a satisfactory Let me tell you, he is not to blame for what happened in the northwest. The responsibility should also be the responsibility of you and me. But if nearly 200,000 troops cannot be accomplished in his hands, I believe it will be difficult for him to meet you and me. .”
Ling Tianxin was shocked. It seemed that although his boss said he didn't care much about the Kaman invasion of the northwest, he had set the task on Bo Jinchen. He only hoped that Bo Jinchen could defeat Jieluoke and Beiyuan Sanfu. Excellent performance in the battle.
"Okay, let's not discuss the affairs in the north anymore, let's discuss the war in the south. Haven't the engineers opened the passage to the dense forest yet? How much time will it take?"
"Your Highness, don't worry. It will take three to five days at most to break through the passage in the dense forest area. Now the third division led by Shan Yao has deployed defenses along the southern edge of the dense forest area. As long as the third division can survive these few days, the third division will be able to break through." The four legions will be able to join him, and then all problems will be solved."
When Ferdinand accepted the task assigned by his coach, his heart was filled with excitement and nervousness. After all, 40,000 cavalrymen, accompanied by more than 30,000 mules and horses, carried out such a long-distance attack, which was originally a huge undertaking. Taking risks, or more accurately, gambling.
But as soon as he set out on the road, he immediately felt that this battle would not be easy. This long-distance march required traveling hundreds of miles from Jiama westward. In addition to tens of thousands of cavalry and tens of thousands of mules and horses, there were as many as two thousand vehicles. convoy, but the poor road conditions were revealed before leaving the Jiama area. Just starting from Jiama and traveling less than sixty miles westward, the rotten roads caused more than thirty vehicles to be damaged and unable to go on the road. Either the shafts of the vehicles were damaged or the crankshafts were damaged, forcing the entire convoy to slow down greatly. Not only did the team's march speed be greatly delayed, but once they entered Taixuan territory to the east, since they were marching along the southern foothills of the Zagros Mountains and the Hindu Kush Mountains, the road became more rugged and difficult, and the chance of vehicle damage was greater. , according to the efficiency of the current marching speed, once the reinforcements of the Western Xinjiang Army's cavalry arrive quickly enough, it is very likely that this army will be overtaken by those nomadic cavalry.
Although Ferdinand did not care about life and death at this time, with such a large team of Marshal Maili in his hands, and such an important task to be completed, Ferdinand had to think more carefully. Without much hesitation, Ferdinand decisively abandoned more than a thousand vehicles and asked all the packhorses to be uniformly controlled by the servants. This decision immediately won the unanimous support of all the impatient cavalry officers.
After getting rid of the drag of vehicles, the entire team's traveling speed has been greatly accelerated, and the requirements for walking terrain are not limited to roads. They can jump over many areas that were previously inaccessible to carriages, from the Jiama border to the Jiayuguan Pass. It only took more than a day to feel that after a little rest and replenishment at Jiayuguan Pass, the entire team headed west non-stop. However, Ferdinand soon received the second piece of bad news after he took over the mission. The Caizhai grain depot in Qingyang Prefecture was also one of the main targets of this operation. People who had been mobilized by Qingyang Prefecture would be along the way The roads were completely destroyed and several large trenches were dug around the grain depots. These large trenches not only prevented vehicles from entering, but even mules and horses could not cross.
This sudden blow stunned all the senior officers, including Ferdinand. Even if he and his team could break through various blockades, they would face such a desperate fight from the other side, especially when there was another When the division is responsible for the defense, if you fail to do so, your own side will lose more than the gain is worth.
This series of blows cast a psychological shadow on Ferdinand and a group of senior officers about the raid. The northwest intelligence system was so keenly aware of its own movements and made a decision in such a short period of time. Ferdinand was also surprised by the quick response. He had previously thought that the raid would be unexpected by the people of Xijiang and would be effective as a sneak attack. From this point of view, not only did the raid need to select the right target, but it also had to be on guard. The pursuit of nomadic cavalry in Western Xinjiang.
But now that it has come to this step, Ferdinand can only hold on to the idea of failure or success. Qingyang is prepared, and Yinchuan should also be prepared. However, the tip came that Yinchuan is stepping up shipments. , did not seem to be aware of the arrival of his own side. This news made Ferdinand worried and happy. The worry was whether there would be any conspiracy in Western Xinjiang, but the joy was that no matter what conspiracy the other side had, the enemy's military strength was No one there can pose much of a threat to their own side. With the armed forces in their hands, they can completely respond to any provocation from the other side. Especially Yinchuan's geographical location is more suitable for launching this operation. Even if the assault is unfavorable, they can easily get rid of it. The pursuers from Western Xinjiang fled into the territory of Xisluo, escaping the encirclement and interception from Western Xinjiang.
Having made up his mind, Ferdinand did not hesitate to order the entire army to march eastward in parallel and speed up the 20,000 light cavalry to first provide favorable conditions for the follow-up troops to sweep the periphery.