Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 148 The troops march in danger
There are two roads to get from Yong'an to Nanning.

One way is to take the land route, first go north to Lipu, then turn west and enter Liuzhou Prefecture, then go south, pass Gulou Pass and Kunlun Pass, and go straight to Nanning.

The second way is to take the water route, going downstream along the Mengjiang River, passing Wutunsuo, then going up the Yujiang River, passing Xunzhou Prefecture, you can reach Hengzhou, and then passing Yongchun, you can reach Nanning.

Both routes have their pros and cons.

The advantage of taking the land route is that the journey is shorter and it can directly approach Nanning, forcing Xu Biao to fight a decisive battle, but the disadvantages are also very obvious. First, it is extremely difficult to transport baggage by land. Even if the Zhaoyong Army has established auxiliary troops, it is difficult to transport all the baggage to the front line by land. Secondly, Kunlun Pass is the northern barrier of Nanning and a famous pass in Guangxi. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If Kunlun Pass cannot be captured, the Zhaoyong Army will be at a loss and will fall into a very passive situation.

The advantages of taking the water route are obvious. Even if the Mengjiang River can only be used by small boats, the cargo capacity of a small boat is more than ten times that of a large cart, and going downstream along the river saves countless manpower. When arriving at the Yujiang River, the navigation conditions are good, and people and horses can also board the boat. Even if it is upstream, hard sails and oars are used when the water is slow, and towing is used when the water is fast. The transportation efficiency is still more than ten times higher than that of land transportation. The disadvantages are mainly that the journey becomes longer and the speed is slower when going upstream; when encountering the enemy, it is necessary to fight for the enemy's cities one by one, and it is impossible to go straight to Nanning like the former.

Danchu decided to divide his troops into two routes according to the situation at that time and the place. The Eastern Route Army was the regular army, led by the Right Assistant General Fang Yizhi, mainly composed of the First Infantry Battalion and the Auxiliary Infantry Battalion, with a total strength of about 5,000 people, and would take the water route. The Western Route Army was a surprise force, and would take a risky move. It was led by Danchu himself, and consisted of the personal infantry battalion, with about 2,000 people, all cavalry, and would take a detour through Liuzhou and take the land route.

A military officer is a military advisor. The right military officer Fang Yizhi followed the army as usual, while Yu Houji stayed in Yong'an.

On November 20, the three battalions of the Zhaoyong Army participating in the southern expedition successively moved out of camp. Danchu followed the right-wing army, with the cavalry battalion as the vanguard, the personal soldier battalion and the training team as the center, and the firearms battalion and the baggage battalion as the rear guard.

"General, you once said that the key to deploying troops is to concentrate them. Why did you split the troops into two groups to attack Nanning this time? And why did you split them so far apart that it is difficult for them to coordinate with each other?"

The person who was asking the question was named Cen Yong, Danchu's cousin, who had been promoted to the position of personal guard captain. With his status and military achievements, he would have a bright future in the Zhaoyong Army.

Danchu also intended to help this cousin. Brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons fight in battle. No matter what, relatives are always more reliable than outsiders.

"As for the art of war, the key to its application lies in one's heart, and there is no fixed pattern. It is crucial to concentrate the troops to kill the enemy in battle, but we must also be realistic. Water routes are certainly convenient for marching, but the Meng River is shallow and can only carry small boats. If all 7,000 troops take the water route, it will stretch for at least dozens of miles, making it easy for the enemy to spy on them."

Having said this, Danchu paused and decided to test the young officers around him.

"We can still ride horses when we travel by land. If there is an emergency, we can respond on horseback. Although water transportation is labor-saving, it is difficult for the troops to maintain their organization and the response will be poor. What do you think we should do in this situation?"

Everyone started talking at once:
"The signals should be agreed upon in advance, and different flags should be raised when circumstances arise."

"Not right, not right," Danchu shook his head and laughed, "The ship is heavy and slow, so even if it sees the flag, it may not be able to react in time. Besides, no matter it is flags, smoke signals, or drums, the distance they can transmit is very short, and the information they can convey is also very limited."

"We can do both land and water operations. The baggage and auxiliary troops can be loaded onto the boats, while the combat troops can travel light on the road, traveling along the river bank and along both sides of the river." The person who spoke was Yang Fang, Dan Chu's childhood friend, and also served as the chief sentry of the personal guards.

"Well, that's a good answer." Danchu praised: "When marching by water, you must send soldiers to accompany you along the river bank to provide protection. At the same time, just like marching by land, you must send scouts to conduct reconnaissance. The scouts should search along the river on horseback and report any situation in time."

Everyone nodded repeatedly, adding a new piece of knowledge.

Back to the topic of dividing the troops into two routes, Danchu said: "In modern times, any general with a little bit of brains knows that they need to concentrate their forces. But concentrating forces is easier said than done, but it is often difficult to achieve. "For example, in the Battle of Sarhu, everyone said that Yang Hao was just talking about war on paper and dividing the troops into four routes, which was a taboo in military strategy. But Yang Hao had to divide the troops. Two hundred thousand Ming troops were fighting deep in enemy territory, with a lot of baggage. How could they send troops to the front line if they were not divided into four routes?
"There were two real problems in the Battle of Sarhu. First, the Ming army's logistics supply was tight, so they had to rush to attack. Second, the commander lacked prestige, and the various Ming armies lacked coordination, so they were defeated one by one by the Tartars."

Everyone suddenly realized. Even Feng Lin, the deputy commander with a long military experience, had great respect for Dan Chu. The commander-in-chief is the commander-in-chief. He always knows more than others and looks at problems differently from ordinary people. His opinions are insightful and thought-provoking.

"The reason for our division of forces this time is secondary to logistical reasons. The main purpose is to launch a surprise attack on Nanning. Chen Bangfu's core power is in Xunzhou, northeast of Nanning. Xu Biao fought against Chen Bangfu in Yongchun and Hengzhou, but Liuzhou was relatively peaceful.

"Our army can go from Liuzhou to Nanning and catch the enemy by surprise. As long as we can capture Kunlun Pass, we can go straight to the city of Nanning. Xu Biao was born a bandit, his troops are not strong, and they are mainly deployed on the front line in Hengzhou. It is too late for him to go back to rescue Nanning."

This plan was brilliant, and everyone was delighted, and they all agreed:

"Even if Xu Biao wants to go back to rescue Nanning, Brother Wei's First Infantry Battalion will also be in Hengzhou. Xu Biao will be defeated without a doubt if he cannot advance or retreat."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"I'm afraid that Kunlun Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If our army cannot take Kunlun Pass, we will be mobilized." He Guozuo said this, which made everyone quite disappointed.

"Don't say such discouraging words when the army is out."

"If you are right, I will never let you go!"

"War is a very dangerous thing. Although this is unlucky, we still have to be on guard. It is always better to anticipate things and make preparations in advance." He Guozuo was a stubborn person and did not give in.

……

Dan Chu stopped everyone's argument and said, "It is impossible to make perfect preparations for a war, nor is it possible to have a 100% chance of winning. When there is an opportunity, you must seize it decisively. You cannot miss the opportunity, and you cannot hesitate."

Everyone was silent, carefully pondering Danchu's words.

"Fortresses are always conquered from the inside. Kunlun Pass may seem impregnable, but it is actually not worthy of its reputation. Xu Biao is a reckless man with short-sightedness, and he may not be able to manage Kunlun Pass. I am confident that I can conquer Kunlun Pass, so don't doubt me."

Danchu was not completely sure, but in front of his subordinates, the commander could not show the slightest cowardice, so as not to disturb the morale of the troops.

Seeing his firm tone, everyone gained more confidence and was determined to capture Kunlun Pass.

(End of this chapter)