In Huang Li's heart, there are two enemies that he fears the most, one is Wu Sangui, and the other is Ganshan Green Camp.

If he could borrow the power of chieftains in Guizhou to contain Wu Sangui, he would be free to go north along the Jialing River, advance into Hanzhong, and attack the Gansu and Shaanxi Green Camps.

To put it bluntly, Hanzhong is still Huang Li's top priority. Whether he is stubborn or stubborn, it is still a good strategy when there is no better choice.

"Over at the Governor's Office, the work is becoming increasingly heavy. After this war is over, Duke Lin will have to return to Chongqing. Most of the work will be shared by Duke Wan and others."

Huang Li pointed at the map and said: "The time is ripe to advance into western Sichuan. Troops need to be stationed there, and generals are needed to take charge. I intend to dispatch them from the Governor's Mansion. Does Duke Linguo have any interest?"

"Western Sichuan——" Li Laiheng looked at the map and said, "Is it necessary to station troops in Jiange to prevent the Qing army from Gansu, Shaanxi and Shaanxi from entering Shu?"

Huang Li smiled lightly and said: "Not only Jiange, but also Guangyuan and Chaotianguan, the gateway to northern Sichuan, our army now has enough troops to garrison."

Li Laiheng pondered for a moment and said: "Your Highness, if you have any orders, all generals will obey them."

It didn't sound very positive, so Huang Li didn't ask any more questions about the matter and left it to the Governor's Office for discussion and resolution.

"Occupying western Sichuan, the Chengdu Plain is a land of abundance, and large-scale immigration and farming can basically solve the food problem. Ya'an, an important town in western Sichuan, is also an important place on the Sichuan-Tibet Tea Horse Road."

"Ya'an Tibetan tea is famous both at home and abroad, and Guizhou tea can also be imported into Sichuan, which happens to be a tea-horse trade with the snowy area. Whether it is the plowing horses, cattle, or war horses, they are indispensable for the development of the base area."
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Huang Li stared at the map, his thoughts flying, and he had already formulated a general development plan for western Sichuan.

From the topographic point of view, Gansu and Shaanxi are condescending and have become the cover for the Ming army in Sichuan. This has always been what Huang Li was worried about, and it is also the reason why he has always wanted to develop northward.

Of course, specific actions will depend on the actual situation. If there is an opportunity to occupy Guizhou or even advance into Yunnan, he will not let it go.

That may be another development path, which will take Guangxi as a key target and strive to open the seaport as soon as possible. It may be a situation with brighter future.

………………

The Naba Bridge is located in the upper reaches of the Ena River and is the throat of the ancient post road leading to Zhijin.

Back then, when Shexiang opened Longchang Jiuyi and built the Shuixi Shi Bridge, she built this stone bridge in her hometown. Today, the stone bridge is littered with corpses and covered in blood.

Wu's army's food route was cut off and they had no choice but to open it up desperately. Otherwise, the fate waiting for them was to be completely annihilated or starve to death without food.

Ma Bao and other generals led their troops to continuously attack the Naba Bridge and Enaba Bridge, known as the Shuixi Shuangqiao Bridge. The Ming army of local soldiers tried their best to block it. The enemy and we fought fiercely and the battle was tragic.

The sound of artillery boomed, and the artillery set up by the Wu army on the other side of the river began to bombard. The artillery shells continued to fall on the position, raising clouds of soil debris.

Liu Xiang held up the telescope, observed and directed, with a calm and collected expression.

At the bridgehead, the Ming army and local soldiers dug blocking trenches and built semi-circular trench breastworks, similar to those used when Yiling and Wushan surrounded the city gates.

After Wu Jun rushed across the stone bridge, there was no room to spread out, so he was attacked by fire from three sides.

Wooden cannons, muskets, blunderbuss, crossbows, spears, and several trebuchets protected by artillery forts, the three-dimensional fire strike caused heavy casualties to the Wu army.

"Wu Jun has suffered thousands of casualties, and he is still so desperate!" Zhang Yaoer came to Liu Xiang's side at some point and whispered in a low voice.

Liu Xiang pursed his lips slightly, without putting down the telescope, and said calmly: "This is Wu Jun's only way to survive, how can he not fight hard? Otherwise, he will just sit back and wait for death."

"They can wait for reinforcements!" Zhang Yaoer asked with some confusion: "With more than 10,000 troops holding the camp, it will be difficult for our army to attack and win."

Liu Xiang put down the telescope and patiently explained: "If the food and grass were not burned, Wu Sangui would not adopt such a heavy-casualty approach. Now, they have begun to slaughter the horses, and it is obvious that they cannot last a few days."

The food consumption of more than 10,000 people is huge. What is left after burning can survive for a few days by lying down and drinking porridge, but when the war starts, there will soon be very little left.

Zhang Yao'er nodded, her big eyes suddenly opened and said: "So, as long as we continue to besiege the Wu army without fighting, we can starve them all to death?"

Liu Xiang frowned slightly and said: "This is exactly what I am worried about. Wu Jun is difficult to support, but we can't predict when its reinforcements will arrive. If we wait for Wu Jun to die without food, I'm afraid it will be a long night and many dreams."<

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I don’t know when Liu Xiang no longer resisted talking to Zhang Yaoer. When someone asked questions, he answered them fluently, which also showed that he had a wide range of knowledge.

Before Zhang Yaoer could say anything more, Liu Xiang had already urged her to leave. The horns and golden drums on the other side sounded loudly, and Wu Jun was about to attack again.

"Come forward, and whoever breaks the formation will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver!" Ma Bao howled loudly, waving his sword, urging Wu Jun to step onto the stone bridge again.

The soldiers of the Wu army shouted to embolden themselves, stepping on the corpses and blood stains on the bridge, either wearing heavy armor or holding shields, and rushed forward to kill.

"Fire!" Liu Xiang gave the order.

The guns facing the bridge let out roars one after another, billowing out white smoke, and fired five-cent heavy bullets at the enemies on the narrow bridge.

Blood flowers bloomed, and the Wu soldiers within a hundred meters screamed and fell continuously. Dozens of rifles took turns bombarding them, seemingly endlessly, and the sharp lethality made the Wu soldiers frightened.

The Wu soldiers holding shields gritted their teeth, feeling the impact of the lead bullets, their arms numbing from the shock, and the pain as if their bones were about to break.

The closer to the bridge, the more intensive the firepower. A canopy of arrows were thrown from both sides, causing constant damage to the enemy.

The trebuchet also joined the attack. Stones as big as a person's head flew through the air, hitting the bridge, hitting the water, and hitting the enemy's head and body.

Screams and wails came one after another. Although they had failed many times, Wu Jun still could not figure out a way to break the enemy's defense.

Casualties continued to increase, but the soldiers of the Wu army continued to charge forward tenaciously, fighting back with bows and arrows, and finally broke out of the stone bridge. Along the sloping road under the bridge, the Wu army continued to suffer casualties, but finally some people set foot on level ground.<

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Two blocking trenches appeared in front of them. Although they were neither deep nor wide, the soldiers of the Wu army could not pass through them in one step.

When they were slowing down, another wave of fierce counterattacks broke out from the fortifications behind the trench.

Attacks from three sides caused the Wu army to immediately suffer greater casualties. However, their counterattack was very weak, and they felt futile.

The bridge was narrow, so in order to clear the way, under the orders of the officers, corpses and even wounded soldiers were thrown off the bridge and drifted away miserably with the waves.

This ruthless and cruel approach will naturally damage the morale of the army and increase the resentment in the hearts of the soldiers.

Although it is suppressed now, there will always be a time to explode in the future. Or, Wu Jun, who is in desperate situation, has no chance to explode.

Perhaps it was based on this consideration that the Wu army generals had no scruples, just to seize a way out and break out of the enemy's siege.

But they still couldn't break through after all. With complete defenses, firepower from three sides, and even in terms of troop strength, the Ming army and the native soldiers also had an absolute advantage.

Amidst the roar of dozens of wooden cannons, the Wu troops who rushed forward were beaten like dead leaves in the wind.

Taking advantage of the chaos of the Wu army, the brave soldiers held wooden shields, rushed forward a few steps, and threw the spears in their hands across the ditch.

The spear is like a javelin, powerful and heavy, and it is very lethal when thrown at close range.

Amidst the arrows, soldiers kept falling down, but more immediately rushed up and threw more spears.

The screams and wails were endless, and the fire from three sides was as fierce as a storm. Wu Jun's fallen corpse was soon covered with a pillow. Under the scorching heat of the sun, the smell of blood became stronger and stronger, making it nauseating.

The trebuchets were still firing stone bombs and fire bombs at a steady rhythm, bombarding fixed areas on the bridge, blocking Wu Jun's continuous attacks.

The battle was fierce and cruel, but Wu Jun was obviously at a disadvantage. Casualties increased rapidly, and the hope of a breakthrough became increasingly slim.

Ma Bao gritted his teeth, not knowing whether it was because he was angry or because his wounds were hurting.

The opponent's defense system is so cunning and sharp that it is like a monster with its bloody mouth, swallowing up the attacking Wu soldiers.

For Ma Bao, who has been in battle for a long time, this kind of three-dimensional cross-fire equipment also made him feel chills on his back. The most critical thing is the unfavorable terrain, which prevents the Wu army from exerting its strengths at all. The enemy's bravery also makes him feel cold.

It made him feel powerless.

"The enemy did not destroy the bridge, but did it deliberately to kill and weaken our army!" Ma Bao came to his senses, but had no other choice.

There is a lack of food, and even if horses are killed, they will not be able to survive for a few days. Today, only the soldiers who fight have enough to eat, and the others can only eat porridge.

"The only hope is to break through the blockade, or Li Benzhen arrives with reinforcements. But if Li Benzhen didn't come to join us for so long, there must be some accident."

Ma Bao's confidence was losing. He saw the soldiers of the brigade entering the position again. The morale of his opponents who had received reinforcements was greatly boosted, but his own army was showing signs of decline and the impact was becoming increasingly weak.

He wanted to send more troops, but Wu Sangui had already sent an order to withdraw the troops. If he was granted amnesty, not only the Wu army in front, but even Ma Bao breathed a sigh of relief without reason.

The enemy retreated in embarrassment, leaving corpses along the way. The soldiers on the position cheered and shouted in victory.

However, Liu Xiang was very calm. It would be better to carry out such attacks several times. When the enemy's troops are exhausted to a certain extent and the men and horses are exhausted, he can launch a massive counterattack and annihilate the enemy.

Turning around, I saw that Zhang Yaoer and others had arrived at the position and were bandaging and treating the injured officers and soldiers. One of the wounded soldiers was obviously grinning in pain, but he still tried not to make a sound.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. Women are indeed more suitable for medical treatment." Liu Xiang sighed, and his eyes looked at Zhang Yao'er much softer.

I have to say that this woman is very brave. Although she is outspoken and has little experience, she is not stupid either. She has learned all the treatment methods just by watching.

Turning his gaze to the distant mountains and forests, Liu Xiang narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I wonder where His Highness has led his army. Can he contain Wu Sangui's reinforcements?"

"Perhaps, we cannot take it for granted and wait passively. We must rely on our own efforts to win this battle. It does not mean that there are no conditions and opportunities. It only depends on our own ability and ability."

Liu Xiang lowered his eyes, played with the telescope in his hand, and fell into long thoughts.
Chapter completed!