Su He convened the cabinet and senior officials of the Governor's Office at Lingyun Palace to learn about the preparations for the war.
Cabinet Minister Li Zhisheng reported: "Your Majesty, the autumn harvest work has been completed.
Autumn grains from all provinces have been put into warehouses. Due to the extensive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, grain production has increased again."
Su He listened to Li Zhisheng's report that the autumn harvest had been completed and the Qin army should act according to the plan.
"The Qin army will carry out a unified war according to the plan.
The cabinet is responsible for all government affairs, and the governor's office is responsible for all military affairs.
The cabinet is headed by Prime Minister Wang Zhongce, and the Governor's Office is headed by Deputy Governor and Chief of Staff Li Fengming.
I will personally conquer the Ming Dynasty."
After Su He finished speaking, Wang Zhongce immediately stood up and tried to dissuade him: "Your Majesty, the generals of the Qin army have been trained, and you don't need to conquer them yourself.
The battlefield is too dangerous, especially in the age of firearms, where a stray bullet can kill someone."
Su He said firmly: "I have made up my mind, I will go to conquer the Ming Dynasty personally this time.
I am not a rash person. Among the large army, no stray bullet can hit me.
If I am in danger, the Qin army has collapsed.
If the Qin army collapses, no place will be safe."
Su He had made up his mind that no general could bear such a huge military achievement as destroying the Ming Dynasty except himself.
This will also be his last time on the battlefield, and he must start and finish without leaving any regrets.
Wang Zhongce saw that King Su He of Qin had a firm attitude, so he did not persuade him anymore, but reported the preparations of the cabinet.
"Your Majesty, the cabinet has reduced various expenditures, and together with the military expenditures accumulated previously, it has now raised an additional two thousand taels of silver coins for military expenditures.
After the war started, we also issued war bonds with an interest rate of 5% to the people.
Through this method, a large amount of funds can be raised.
After the autumn grain harvest, 500,000 tons of grain have been raised to provide food for the army and to relieve the suffering people of the Ming Dynasty.
Major private grain companies, as well as rural people, still have a large amount of grain in stock.
In times of emergency, more food can be collected."
Su He was very satisfied when he heard the amount of RMB and grain.
In the past few years, I have accumulated a lot of food and accumulated a rich family fortune.
People nowadays eat very little fat and meat.
A strong laborer who wants to maintain high-intensity physical work needs to eat three kilograms of rice every day.
Soldiers fighting need to eat more food.
Now that we have saved so much grain, if Sichuan, the main grain-producing area, encounters a natural disaster and reduces production, it will not affect frontline operations.
Su He also listened to Jiang Zhiyu and others and reported on various preparations.
For example, the recruitment of young people for logistics and transportation, the storage of weapons and ammunition, and the production efficiency of factories such as arsenals.
The specific data are higher than the previous requirements raised by Su He.
Su He was very satisfied with the work of these people, and the Qin army was ready for war.
"You have done a very good job. The war is ready. Then wait for the opportunity to officially fight the Ming Dynasty."
After Su He finished speaking, the small court meeting in Lingyun Palace ended.
He left Li Fengming behind.
"Feng Ming, let's study the strategy of attacking the Ming Dynasty this time."
Su He and Li Fengming were standing next to the large sand table in the study room.
Li Fengming held several small yellow flags in his hands and stated the strategic plan they had already discussed.
He placed two smaller yellow flags.
A small yellow flag was inserted into the cavalry division's victory over the Horqin tribe and the establishment of a new city.
This city named Tongliao is the temporary base of the cavalry division.
A small yellow flag was planted in the Guangdong and Guangxi areas.
"Your Majesty, we have two partial divisions. They do not undertake the main attack mission and serve to contain the enemy.
Three cavalry divisions, in the newly built town of Tongliao, continued to attack the surrounding Mongolian tribes and slaves.
The Eight Banners soldiers in Liaodong did not dare to move lightly.
The large armies in the Guangdong and Guangxi areas are hiding and not showing up, so the Ming army in the southern Zhili area does not dare to all march north to King Qin."
Su He looked at the two partial divisions and ordered: "The cavalry division can only play a diversionary role, don't rush into a decisive battle.
The troops in Guangdong and Guangxi still need to move, but not now.
Wait until our first phase strategic goals are achieved.
The Southeast Governor's Office advanced by sea and land, and the army cooperated with the navy to capture the Fujian region.
The army moved north to capture the Jiangxi area.
The first stage strategic goal failed, and the First Army and the Eighth Army were transferred north to Huguang.
And removed a large number of security forces and entered the Henan area."
While Li Fengming listened to Su He's speech, he quickly took out a piece of paper and took notes.
Su He received a letter from Su Xiong, saying that they had captured Qiongzhou Prefecture.
The Navy has proven through actual combat that battleships are very powerful.
The Qin Army has completed the first phase of its strategic objectives, and the navy's second batch of battleships will also be launched.
The navy has enough strength to join forces with the army to capture Fujian.
When Li Fengming saw that Qin King Su He stopped giving orders, he took out three slightly larger yellow flags.
They were inserted in Fengjie, Sichuan Province and Baihe County, Hanzhong County.
"Your Majesty, we are mainly opening up two battlefields, the northern battlefield centered on the Yellow River and the southern battlefield centered on the Yangtze River.
In the southern battlefield, the Su Zhuang Department of the Second Army and the Su Shan Department of the Sixth Army of the Southwest Dudu Prefecture were the main forces, crossing the Three Gorges from Fengjie and directly attacking Jingzhou Prefecture in Huguang.
After they captured Jingzhou Prefecture, the Second Army attacked eastward along the Yangtze River, and the Sixth Army went south to occupy the southern part of Huguang.
The Su Li Division of the Fifth Army attacked Xunyang Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture and Hanyang Prefecture from the Han River.
After joining forces with the Second Army, he joined forces to attack Wuchang Prefecture.
Take Wuchang Prefecture and Huguang is established.
After the Second Army and the Fifth Army have repaired, they will continue to attack westward along the Yangtze River."
Su He looked at the arrangement of the southern battlefield. The general strategy was like this. The frontline troops would adjust their combat plans according to the enemy's situation.
"There is no fixed commander in the southern battlefield.
After the armies join forces, the commander of the joint operations will be determined based on military rank and title.
In the early stage, Su Zhuang will be the commander. If Su Xiong joins forces with them, Su Xiong will be the commander.
Make a backup plan, and once the commander is in charge, others will take over in order."
The southern battlefield is a secondary battlefield, mainly because it is not difficult to fight.
They took the Yangtze River as their core, and the Qin army controlled the powerful Yangtze River navy.
If the safety of waterway logistics supplies can be guaranteed, the Qin army will be in an invincible position.
All important cities in the provinces along the Yangtze River are near the Yangtze River.
As long as they control the Yangtze River, the Qin army will undoubtedly win strategically. As long as the frontline troops fight steadily, they will win sooner or later.
Li Fengming took out three more flags and planted them at Tongguan.
"Su Hu's Department of the Third Army, Wu Jie's Department of the Fourth Army, and Li Dazhuang's Department of the Seventh Army were all assembled at Tongguan.
Waiting for the right opportunity, he followed the Yellow River and invaded Henan.
Is Your Majesty planning to go to Tongguan? Will the strategic objectives of the first phase be changed?"
"Yes, I am going to take the Imperial Guard and the Guard Regiment to Tongguan.
I will take command of the northern battlefield, and the strategic objectives of the first phase remain unchanged.
After the official start at Tongguan, I will send a messenger to inform Hanzhong, and then let the southern battlefield launch the attack.
We have been preparing for such a long time just to lure you into the urn, so we must not scare the snake away."
After hearing this, Li Fengming took a black flag and two red flags and planted them on this small town in Mengjin County, Henan.
"The king's strategy is very clever. Lu Xiangsheng's tribe and Sun Chuanting's tribe are the two strongest armies of the Ming army.
Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Chuanting wanted to unite to encircle and suppress Li Zicheng.
We will wait for Sun Chuanting to officially arrive in Henan and launch an attack on Li Zicheng.
With these two armies being held back by Li Zicheng, we can take the opportunity to surround the Ming Army and eliminate the two most powerful firearms armies of the Ming Army.
Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Chuanting have been eliminated, and the Ming Dynasty will have no available troops to resist us.
The first phase of the strategy is successful and it is only a matter of time before we capture the Ming Dynasty."
Su He smiled and said: "No one can win the war 100%, just do your best and listen to fate.
Try our best, prepare, prepare and prepare again.
Try to take into account all the details of the war.
In one go, he destroyed the Ming Dynasty directly.
If you are not prepared enough and it becomes the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it will not be beautiful."
Su He picked up the largest yellow flag and planted it directly on the capital.
"This strategy does not need to be changed, just implement it according to this strategy."
Su He determined the strategy, and he discussed some war details with Li Fengming.
…………………………
In the back hall of Prince Qin's palace, Su He called all his wives.
"This time it will be a battle between us and Ming Dynasty that will determine the outcome, and I will personally conquer Ming Dynasty.
We have a strategic advantage and a great chance of winning."
Wang Wenjun touched her belly. She was about to give birth and her husband was not around.
"Husband, please be safe. You are the backbone of everyone. Don't risk going into battle."
Li Huixin looked at Su He and said: "Husband, I will order Qin Shanshui, Ding Degui and others to protect your safety.
If you really want to go to a dangerous area on the battlefield, I will tell them to stop you."
Qu Qingyi handed over a peace charm.
"Husband, this is the peace charm I made."
Naren looked at Su He and said with admiration: "Husband, a real man, is about to lead the troops into battle to kill the enemy. I am waiting for the news of your husband's victory."
Su He communicated well with his wives, and he hugged each child again.
He went to his mother's palace again to say goodbye to Su's mother.
In her early years, the old lady was extremely physically exhausted in order to support her family.
Nowadays, every year is getting worse. Even with the treatment of the most elite doctors, no one can solve the disease of physical overdraft.
Su He chatted with his mother about household matters, and after some explanations.
He convened a court meeting attended by senior officers from the six ministries and the governor's office.
Announce the news on a small scale that he is going to fight in person, and let these senior officials know at the same time.
Government affairs are handled by Wang Zhongce, and military affairs are handled by Li Fengming. If anything happens, the person responsible can be found.
"The news of my personal expedition must be kept secret for the time being. Once the war begins, it can be made public."
After Su He finished handling all the affairs, he rode his little black horse, led the guard regiment and the imperial guards, and rushed towards Tongguan.
…………………………
In the Northern Governor's Mansion in Tongguan, Li Dazhuang looked at Su Hu and asked, "Captain Su, we have been in Tongguan for more than a month.
Do you have any news about when the fight will start?
Training here is not as good as training in the Hetao area, where we can still fight a dozen Mongolian tribes.
Now every day of training means constant drills.
There is no certainty, and the soldiers below are all anxious."
Su Hu shook his head and said, "If you ask me, I don't know.
The information given by the King and the General Staff is to prepare us for war.
When will the fight begin? We have to wait for orders."
Wu Jie shook his head and said, "I can see transport carriages constantly transporting large amounts of supplies to Tongguan.
But there are not many boats in the Wei River. Why?
Because winter is coming soon, it is the dry season, and drought has continued in the past few years.
The current flow of the Wei River cannot support large transport ships at all.
The Yellow River is also about to freeze, making it impossible to sail on this golden waterway.
You said that if there was a war, how would you choose this time?
I don’t think I’ll do that, as winter is about to begin.
Our army has issued cotton-padded clothes, but when fighting in winter, the extreme cold also affects the combat effectiveness of soldiers."
Wu Jie believes that they are gathering here just for strategic deterrence.
If you really want to start fighting, it should be after the beginning of spring. The best time is after spring plowing.
There will definitely be a war, everyone can understand this, and there is already a strong smell of gunpowder in the army.
But everyone has their own guess as to the specific time when the war will begin.
Qin Xiangkun approached the Governor's Mansion. He took a few breaths and said, "Captain Su, fellow military commanders.
King Qin, King Qin has arrived at the Tongguan camp."
"What?"
Su Hu immediately stood up.
"The King of Qin has arrived at the Tongguan camp, but he didn't give us any news before."
They all stood up, shocked by the news.
Su Hu and his men immediately rushed to the camp outside Tongguan City.
Su He led the guard group forward lightly.
The imperial guards led by Qi Gangyi, carrying heavy weapons and baggage, walked slowly behind.
Within the jurisdiction of the Qin Palace, Su He will not encounter any danger with the firepower of the guard regiment.
They had just arrived outside Tongguan Camp.
He was stopped by soldiers from the Third Army, and soon a regiment commander came over to negotiate.
Qin Shanshui went to negotiate in person. Bai Yuangui knew Qin Shanshui, but he looked puzzled as to why he led his troops to Tongguan.
"Bai Yuangui, what do you think about it in front of the leader?"
When Bai Yuangui heard a familiar voice, he immediately turned around and saluted with a military salute.
"Bai Yuangui, a fifth-term student of the military academy, meets with the principal."
"Don't be so solemn. Take me to Tongguan Camp."
Bai Yuangui saluted and opened the door to Tongguan Camp.
When performing a mission, a higher-level military order is received. If the two conflict, the higher-level military order is executed.
"Principal, ahead is the station of the Fourth Army. Zhang Chujiu, the commander of the First Division, is giving a lecture."
"It's been a long time since I've been down to the grassroots level. Don't stir up trouble. A few of us will quietly go over and take a look."
Bai Yuangui led them from the front, and the journey was smooth. They arrived at the location of a regiment of the First Division of the Fourth Army.
Zhang Chujiu is doing ideological mobilization for this group.
"Why do we train every day? Everyone knows that we sweat more in peacetime and bleed less in wartime.
Once you train and master a skill, you don't have to be afraid to go to the battlefield.
On the battlefield, the most important thing is to execute orders, disobey military orders, and engage in military law.
The most important thing is that deserters are not allowed.
When encountering a deserter, the officer would immediately kill him upon discovery.
Now he is afraid of going to the battlefield, so he just stands up and I will transfer him to the logistics unit."
After Zhang Chujiu finished speaking, no one wanted to quit.
Zhang Chujiu continued to lecture, and he found that the originally quiet army suddenly made discordant noises.
He saw Su Hu and other senior military officials walking towards them.
"Could it be that our division has a big problem? Why does the commander look solemn?"
He saw these people walking towards the edge of the team.
Suddenly he spotted a familiar figure and immediately opened his mouth.
"I'm surprised to see me. The war is about to begin. Are you ready?"
Su Hu, Wu Jie, and Li Dazhuang saluted together and said loudly: "The Qin army is ready."
