"Gongbao, now that the two tigers in the southwest are fighting each other, it is really gratifying and congratulatory for Gongbao to reap the benefits of the fishermen!" Yang Shiqi was congratulating Yuan Shikai, but now it is time for Lao Yuan to congratulate him. Nanjing has agreed to him in
Beijing was sworn in, and soon Lao Yuan got his wish and ascended to the throne of president, reaching the pinnacle of his life.
Especially the current situation is even more beneficial than in history. Thanks to Qiao Yu's efforts, Tao Chengzhang was not stabbed to death. Instead, during this period, the United Party's momentum became more and more powerful, and it was already in the limelight.
Overshadowing the Tongmenghui, a large number of Tongmenghui members began to join the United Party, and some even began to openly support Tao Chengzhang to become prime minister and assist Yuan Shikai.
With the rise of Tao Chengzhang, the South was actually divided. Tao Chengzhang also communicated with Qiao Yu many times by telegram to discuss the policy issues of the unified party. In the end, Tao Chengzhang decided on a strategy and advocated supporting Yuan Shikai in ending the state of separatism in various places.
, unify the military, political and financial affairs, rectify the administration of officials, reduce the burden on the people, clean up the finances nationwide, and develop education.
Lao Yuan is quite pleased with Tao Chengzhang's proposition. It is a good thing that the leader of the Restoration Society is willing to listen to his orders. With his assistance, Lao Yuan's influence can easily penetrate into the south, and his old rival Sun
Wen was also marginalized, and half of the serious problem in the South was eliminated.
The strength of the Beiyang line is very strong, but it can only reach the Yangtze River line, and its influence on the southwest is even weaker. Now that the problems in the south of the Yangtze River are no longer serious, Lao Yuan naturally sets his sights on the three southwest provinces. To be honest
Lao Yuan was still quite afraid of the two young governors, Qiao Yu and Cai E.
Cai E is known as one of the three outstanding non-commissioned officers and has a powerful Yunnan army. The sky is high and the emperor is far away. Although Qiao Yu is not outstanding in military affairs, his vision and methods are amazing, especially since he has won the support of all walks of life in Sichuan.
, making Qiao Yu's foundation particularly strong, Lao Yuan has never thought of a good way to deal with these two people.
Now that there is another large-scale conflict in Sichuan and Yunnan, Lao Yuan is completely relieved. As long as the two people completely fall out, he will have to rely on himself to mediate the solution. In this way, the two little monkeys will not be able to escape from his grasp.
"Xingcheng, you are right, but after all, they are just the governor of a province. They openly send troops into neighboring provinces, which is already shaking the authority of the central government. Shouldn't I reprimand them?"
Yang Shiqi smiled slightly: "Gong Bao is a smart person, but he was confused for a while. Haven't you officially taken office yet, and Sun Wen has not officially resigned. I think we should delay it for a few days until the Sichuan-Yunnan War is revealed. You
Before taking action, neither Cai E nor Qiao Yu have to listen to you!"
When Lao Yuan heard this, a happy smile appeared on his face, and he had already made a calculation in his heart.
At this time, Cai E's army had passed through the Zhaotong area and was approaching southern Sichuan, seizing Xingzhang and Qixian counties. The army was approaching Changning and Jiang'an. These two places were backed by the Yangtze River and had dangerous terrain. They were the key defensive areas for Qiao Yuchuan's army.
In the south of Jiang'an, there is a hilly road, which is like a barrier, blocking the advance path of the Yunnan army. General Wang Huai set up the former enemy headquarters in the Tianhuang Temple, the highest peak, and took personal command.
From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, the Sichuan Army has deployed tight defenses. A full regiment of soldiers is guarding the area, with sufficient machine guns and artillery deployed, just like a hedgehog.
Cai E personally held up a telescope to observe the Sichuan Army's defense situation. Cai E's brows also frowned. He had always looked down on the Sichuan Army. Even after being defeated by the Sichuan Army last time, Cai E just thought that his subordinates underestimated the enemy and were arrogant.
After seeing the Sichuan Army's ambush, the Yunnan Army would definitely be able to defeat the Sichuan Army if they fought with real swords and guns. However, seeing the Sichuan Army's defensive posture, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy in my heart. It seemed that the Sichuan Army was not that easy to deal with...
"Captain, I don't think the Sichuan army is anything special. I am willing to personally lead the team without taking down Tianhuang Temple. I'm here to see you!" The person who asked to fight was Luo Peijin. This man was a powerful general under Cai E. He was in the important position.
During the Nine Uprisings, it was Luo Peijin who led his troops to capture the armory, which enabled the Yunnan Army to succeed in the revolution. After the uprising, Luo Peijin has always been Cai E's confidant.
When Cai E saw that he was the one asking for a fight, he nodded, "Rongxuan, don't underestimate the enemy!"
Luo Peijin nodded in agreement. The Yunnan Army also took out all their property this time. More than twenty mountain cannons were aimed at the top of the mountain. Luo Peijin gave an order, the cannons roared, and the running bombs hit the heads of the Sichuan Army like hailstones.
, dust was flying all over the position, and several screams were heard from time to time, and broken limbs were also thrown into the sky.
"The artillery fire of these idiots of the Yunnan Army is very accurate!" Two artillery shells were also hit near Wang Huai's command post, but they did not explode and there were no casualties.
"Lao Shi, our artillery cannot be underestimated. Take aim and hit according to the artillery positions of the Yunnan Army. I don't believe that we can't defeat the Yunnan Army even though we are condescending!" Shi Yi hurriedly gave the order to the Sichuan Army's artillery.
The camouflage was also removed from the position, and the black muzzles were pointed directly at the Yunnan Army's artillery position.
"At three o'clock, fire quickly!" With the command, the mountain cannons of the Sichuan Army also began to fire, and tongues of flames rushed towards the Yunnan Army. The mountain cannons of the Sichuan and Yunnan armies were all 75mm mountain cannons, with a range of
They were almost the same, but the Sichuan Army occupied a favorable location at this time and was condescending. The artillery positions of the Yunnan Army were given special attention. Soon, four artillery pieces were beaten into parts, and dozens of artillerymen were killed.
When Luo Peijin saw this scene, he was furious and hurriedly called on his soldiers to speed up the attack and capture Tianhuang Temple as soon as possible. The Yunnan soldiers bent forward quickly and went straight to the Sichuan army's position to kill them. At this time, they were desperate.
When the attack came, the Sichuan troops were not hesitant. They each raised their rifles and began to fight back.
In front of the small Tenhuji Temple, the Sichuan and Yunnan armies began to fight desperately. The Sichuan and Yunnan armies seemed to be a pair of enemies. They were very desperate from the beginning. The battlefield was extremely fierce. Soldiers fell every moment, and the blood had covered the earth.
The reason why the fight was so fierce was actually a problem between the leaders of the two parties.
Cai E knew very well that if he could win this battle, then the throne of the Southwest King would fall on his head. With the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, plus the advantage of the terrain, Lao Yuan would have to think carefully if he wanted to deal with him.
After coming to Cai E, he truly became a big figure who could influence China's political situation, and he was able to display his ambitions, so he fought extremely hard.
Although Qiao Yu clearly sees the direction of history and even wants to hide his clumsiness in front of Cai E and deliberately lose a move, Cai E's reputation is not in vain, and the strength of the Yunnan Army is not empty talk. Qiao Yu may not be able to do it even if he tries his best.
If you are sure of victory, why would you dare to be careless? You must also be very careful.
The battle started in the afternoon, and the two sides had been fighting for more than three hours on a front of more than 20 miles centered on Tianhuangji Temple. Although the Yunnan Army broke into the Sichuan Army's defensive positions several times, they were beaten back by the Sichuan Army, and the battle line fell into a stalemate.
among.
Luo Peijin personally came to the front line to command at this time, with sweat on his face. He knew that although the Yunnan Army looked powerful, one of its biggest problems was logistics. The Sichuan Army had its back on the Yangtze River and could rely on water transportation to continuously obtain supplies.
However, the Yunnan Army was facing rugged roads and tight logistics. If they could not break through quickly, they would be killed alive. Therefore, Luo Peijin personally selected 60 of the most elite soldiers to form a death squad, each with two pieces of equipment.
He also carried a machete on his back, preparing to storm the Emperor Temple at night.