With the progress of the demining team, the huge Yangtze River fleet was activated again. Wu Peifu commanded the work of the whole fleet, while Cao Kun continued to go back to his room to rest.

On this slow journey, the fleet crossed the most dangerous Wu Gorge and was about to enter the shallow Qutang Gorge.

Fengjie County, Cai Yi's temporary headquarters.

"General, according to the stall report, the enemy has passed the Wuxia Gorge safely and is about to enter the Qutang Gorge." Peng Xinmin, who served as the chief of staff of the Southwest New Army, said with a solemn expression.

Cai Yi nodded and said, "Beiyang is Beiyang, and detailed and accurate water pattern information can be obtained in such a short period of time. Although those mines did not work as expected, they did succeed in slowing down the enemy's speed and buying time for our defense. ”

"General, are we really going to sink the ship Qutang Gorge? This will block the waterway of the Yangtze River, and it will be more difficult for merchants from the south of the Yangtze River to come over! Peng Xinmin thought of the rising prices in the southwest and the economic turmoil, and said with a twitch on his face.

"I can't bear the child's trap on the wolf! As long as we let Beiyang abandon the ship and go ashore, we can win, you don't think that our navy can resist the huge Yangtze River fleet! If you can't repel the enemy, the Southwest Governor's Mansion will completely collapse! Cai Yi didn't want to block the Yangtze River waterway, although there was a blockade of the Beiyang, but at night, there were still many merchant ships on the Yangtze River waterway to smuggle the materials needed in the southwest. Although the price of materials is not low, it is always cheaper than the materials transported in a large circle in the northeast. It can barely ease the pressure on the southwest's finances. If the entire lifeline is blocked, the larger merchant ships may not be able to pass for a short time, and the impact on the economy of the southwest will be huge. Although there is a trade route from Ganning to the northeast, because the southwest is too far away from the northeast, the road along the way is not easy to walk, and the commodity prices in the southwest are extremely high. In the face of such asymmetrical trade, the weak finances of the southwest will not be able to support it for long.

"Besides! We're just sinking a few! Wait until the war is over, and then salvage it and resume water transportation on the Yangtze River! Cai Ye assured.

"Yes! Mission completion guaranteed! Peng Xinmin saw that Cai Ye had made up his mind, so he didn't say anything more! Be decisive in carrying out the order.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

A few loud bangs! Shocked the birds on both sides of Qutang Gorge. Four huge wooden boats sat side by side, bound by huge iron cables, and slowly sank into the water. All of a sudden, the water level of the dangerous shoal of Qutang Gorge was raised by two meters. It's just that the water level in this area is shallow, and although all the big ships are sunk, a few tall masts still prove that there is a problem here.

When Wu Peifu's fleet arrived, he only saw four masts rising above the water, as well as the agitated currents around him.

"Damn it!" Wu Peifu slammed his fist hard, Cai Ye is too shameless! In order to force them to get off the boat, the Yangtze River waterway was completely blocked. The four large wooden boats were silent side by side, and except for the small boats that rowed oars, even the gunboats with a very small displacement tonnage could not pass. Cai Ye is also a desperate plan. It is better to be trapped in the southwest than to prevent the Yangtze River Navy from continuing to advance westward.

"Inform Cao Shuai, let's get off the ship!" Wu Peifu gritted his teeth and said.

Within a few minutes, the neatly dressed Cao Dashuai ran over panting.

"Ziyu, what's the matter, why do you want to get off the boat again? Haven't all the mines been cleared? Cao Dashuai asked dissatisfiedly.

"Dashuai, come and see, Cai Ye sank four big wooden boats side by side a hundred meters in front. Blocked the Yangtze River waterway. We can't get through a single ship! Wu Peifu pointed to the mast on the river in front of him and said.

"Damn it! Can you blow it up? Cao Kun asked.

Wu Peifu shook his head! Although a wooden boat can be torpedoed, how many torpedoes does it take to smash all four side-by-side wooden boats? Although they had one ship in their fleet, they did not carry a few torpedoes. It is impossible to open the waterway at all. If we continue on the waterway, the only way is to salvage the four shipwrecks. But Wu Peifu knew that Cai Ye would definitely tie the four wooden ships tightly together with iron cables and then sink. This adds great difficulty to salvage.

"Ziyu, is there really no other way?" Cao Kun asked expectantly. Wu Peifu shook his head.

"Damn it! Always get some tricks to steal chickens and dogs! Isn't there a navy army in the southwest! He, Cai Yi, is not a famous general! Why don't you fight with us in a dignified manner! Cao Kun cursed loudly.

Wu Peifu was speechless. The few broken ships in the southwest can also be called a naval army, with that kind of strength, how can they be the opponent of the Yangtze River fleet, Cai Ye is not a fool, such an obvious act of looking for death will certainly not be done.

Cao Kun just vented, and then his expression returned to solemnity.

"Ziyu, order the fleet to dock! Get ready to disembark! Also, leave an elite army stationed in this Wushan area to ensure the safety of our fleet! Cao Kun decided to use this place as a base for advancement, and then use the Yangtze River waterway to transport military supplies, which is much more convenient than taking the Shu Road.

"Yes! Handsome! Wu Peifu nodded.

"I'll go back and change my clothes! The specific command is up to you! Cao Kun patted Wu Peifu on the shoulder and said.

"Please rest assured, Ziyu will definitely be cautious."

Cao Kun nodded with satisfaction, he is indeed inferior to Wu Peifu in terms of military command ability, in the army, he only needs to regularly declare the existence of his marshal, and he still does not interfere in other specific military deployments. Wu Peifu will handle it very well. The incompetent boss has a powerful subordinate and cannot but be said to be a kind of happiness. At the same time, on the other hand, capable people can also take advantage of the situation when they meet big people who can appreciate themselves. It's a win-win situation for both sides, and it's not about who takes advantage of whom.

Fengjie County.

"General! The Beiyang Army disembarked! What shall we do? Is it to attack them now? Peng Xinmin said excitedly. Attacking halfway is the best time to attack as explained in the book of war. In the history of China, there were many battles in which the enemy won more with less, and it was when the enemy was halfway through. Now the Beiyang Army is disembarking and sorting out military supplies, the scene must be chaotic, and if it is raided, it will definitely inflict heavy losses on the enemy.

"No, order the troops to retreat! Temporarily disengage from contact with the enemy! Cai Yi shook his head and said. Wu Peifu is not an ordinary general, he must understand the truth of attacking half-crossing, in this case, he will definitely not let the troops get off the ship in a daze, but will first send a group of elite soldiers to get off the ship to guard, and then expand the search area, and only move the troops after it is sure that it is safe.

"General?" Peng Xinmin asked suspiciously, "Execute the order!" Cai's face sank like water. Now it is only to force the soldiers and horses of the North Ocean off the ship, and the real war has just begun.

Compared with Cao Kun's frequent troubles along the way, the troops entering Sichuan on the other two roads are much stronger!

The northernmost route was led by Li Chun, a direct general of Beiyang, from Hubei to northern Sichuan through Ankang, Shaanxi, and never encountered any resistance along the way, and the county town also surrendered when he heard the wind, which made Li Chun very excited, thinking that Cai Ye in the southwest would definitely mobilize the army to deal with the central two armies, and he just fished in troubled waters and made great contributions. So the troops were ordered to move forward lightly and quickly, and even the range of scouts was very small.

As soon as Xu Shuzheng's troops on the middle of Hunan Road entered the territory of Guizhou, they encountered great trouble, and a small unit of the Southwest New Army appeared out of nowhere, constantly sneaking attacks, ambushes, and harassment. Let the troops of tens of thousands advance like snails. Because they are all small troops with little strength, the terrain of Guizhou at home is too complicated, which makes them like a fish in water. The small units of the new army often put a few shots on the side of this large army and then drilled into the mountains, and no matter how much Beiyang sent out the army searched all over the field, they could not find it. Because of this harassment, although the troops did not suffer much loss, the impact on the morale of the troops was too great. The troops had to stop and go, and the scope of scout reconnaissance was repeatedly expanded. This made Xu Shuzheng very aggrieved. I have the intention of letting the army search all over the mountains and fields to get out this group of rats and eliminate them all, but I am worried that this is a conspiracy by Cai Ye to let him divide his troops. Xu Shuzheng also attaches great importance to Cai Yi, although he has not fought with Cai Yi on the battlefield, but when Cai Ye was in Beijing, the two of them had several encounters, although Cai Ye deliberately covered it up, but the ability he inadvertently showed still made Xu Shuzheng value it very much. So, the more the enemy harasses, the more cautious he becomes.

Mountain Gran, a hill in the Wushan Mountains. It is the most inconspicuous of the majestic Wushan Mountains, but today it is destined to be famous.

The 1st Brigade and 1st Regiment of the 3rd Division of the Southwest New Army set up defensive positions here and fired the first shots in the southwest and Beiyang.

Beiyang's response was extremely fast, and the elite Beiyang Second Town, the First Standard and the First Association, launched a charge against the new army's position. Gunshots rang out throughout the Wushan Mountains. Beiyang's attack is very sharp, and the combat effectiveness of Wu Peifu's soldiers can also be seen from here. It didn't take long for the battle to see that the enemy had attacked two positions, and although the new forces fought back to push the enemy back, some of them changed hands. The two sides are more entangled around these positions.

This was the first battle of the Beiyang and Southwest New Army, and both sides attached great importance to it, because it was a beginning, a beginning to test the combat effectiveness of both sides. If Beiyang wins the first battle, it can undoubtedly greatly improve the morale of Beiyang, and the Beiyang generals will be full of confidence in continuing to advance, if they fail, it may affect the morale of Beiyang and lead to the failure of the entire offensive plan. After all, at this time, the soldiers of both the Beiyang and the Southwest New Army were illiterate and illiterate. They were superstitious about the outcome of the first war, so both sides sent their best fighters. Want to win your first match.

"Bring the artillery regiment up!" Wu Peifu said calmly.

He had been listening to it for a long time, although the firepower of the new army was not weak, but it did not hear the sound of heavy artillery, and according to the intelligence they had gathered, there were very few artillery in the new army in the southwest, especially the new howitzers. After all, that thing is in short supply in the Western battlefield, and even if it is available in the Eastern arms market, the quantity is pitiful, and the price is even more amazing. Of course, the weak economy in the southwest of Cai Yi can't afford it. Wu Peifu knew this precisely because he used heavy artillery at the most critical time of the war, wanting to crush the southwest's will to resist in one fell swoop.

(To be continued)