Three Kingdoms

Before the real hot summer comes, the rainy season arrives.

The raindrops hit the coir raincoat and the bamboo hat, making a crackling sound, dense and dull.

Just when Fei Qian in Guanzhong was idle and ready to stir up trouble, Yuan Shao on the front line really encountered trouble.

Yuan Shao tightened his raincoat and jumped off the blue-white horse. The blue-white war horse should have been relatively majestic originally, but now the rain has wet its mane, and strands of it are sticking to its head and neck, making it very uncomfortable. It snorts and shakes from time to time. When he moved his neck, he looked like someone who was caught hiding private money and was caught red-handed. He looked embarrassed and embarrassed.

Following Yuan Shao were Wen Chou and Guo Tu. The mud, water, and rain stained these people's bodies, and they looked equally embarrassed, no matter their clothes or expressions.

This place is three miles away from the military camp. There is no village in front and no store in the back. There is a solitary camp surrounded by a simple fence and covered with sheds with sparse grass and leaves.

On the other side of the camp, there is another group of soldiers guarding it, and there is a huge earth pit about four to five feet in diameter and more than two feet deep.

The rain rolled up the smell of earth, as if everyone had been buried in the earth.

There are no decent roads here at all. There are puddles on the east and one on the west, cutting the entire area into pieces, and there is not even a suitable place to stay.

Yuan Shao walked to a stone in front of the slope with a deep kick and a shallow kick. His face was gloomy under the bamboo hat.

Guo Tu rolled his eyes and saw a lot of mud on Yuan Shao's boots, so he quickly asked his followers to come forward and wipe them off for Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao had a stern look on his face and pushed away the follower who came forward, looking at the scene in front of him with a livid face.

Standing on the stone and looking at it, you can roughly see what it looks like in the pit without getting close.

Dozens of corpses lay scattered at the bottom of the pit, their hands and feet intertwined with each other. The washing and soaking of the overnight rain made the originally bloodless skin of these dead people even whiter and translucent, like polished silver. They were all piled up there, looking particularly dazzling against the gray-black soil.

"When did it happen!" Yuan Shao asked in a deep voice, "Why don't you tell me quickly!"

Guo Tu quickly shrank his head, wishing that he could immediately use a shrinking technique or some kind of invisibility technique to distract Yuan Shao's attention from him.

Wen Chou had no choice but to take a step forward, cupped his hands and said: "Yesterday afternoon, there was heavy rain, and some soldiers felt uncomfortable. After nightfall, there were casualties."

What Yuan Shao had been worrying about these past few days finally happened before his eyes. What is said here is the wounded camp, but it is actually an epidemic camp where sick soldiers and civilians are gathered. Yuan Shao originally hoped that it was just a misunderstanding and a false alarm, but the naked and cruel reality in front of him gave Yuan Shao a heavy blow.

Yuan Shao stared at the pit expressionlessly for a long time, finally closed his eyes and waved his hand to Wen Chou. Wen Chou understood and quickly ordered the soldiers to start filling the land. As shovelfuls of loess fell into the pit, the corpses in the pit gradually looked like wrongly written words, being scratched and erased to erase the traces of their existence.

"How many people are there in the camp?!" Yuan Shao turned to glare at Guo Tu and roared in a low voice. He could no longer suppress the anger and regret in his heart, "Where did this epidemic come from?!"

"This is my lord," Guo Tu had no choice but to bend down and report, "There are more than 3,000 people in the camp, and all of them have diarrhea. At first, I thought it was because the soldiers were infected with cold, but when I saw the large number of people, I I don't know why this epidemic is happening. According to my speculation, it must be that the transportation of military rations was inconvenient before, so they ate it in the wild, and there were many raw and cold things. These days, it rained continuously, so wind evil entered the body and gave birth to this epidemic. disease"

"The army has its own laws! Even if there is an occasional cold infection, how can there be such a large number of people!" Yuan Shao's face was ashen and he pointed towards the pit, "Today there are dozens of dead, what about tomorrow?! That's today, in the camp. More than ten people were found to be vomiting and having diarrhea! The camp is ringing with wind, and the soldiers have no intention of fighting. If this continues, there will be no need for Cao Cao's thieves to attack, and we will be defeated soon!"

Guo Tu hurriedly said: "I have ordered to patrol day and night. If there are any sick people, they will be transferred here immediately. If there is anyone who hides and refuses to report, he will be punished with the crime of sitting together. The filth in the camp will be cleaned up, and saltpeter will be sprinkled everywhere to eliminate the trouble. , it should be able to control the epidemic and prevent it from spreading.”

I don't know if it was because of Guo Tu's report or because the cold wind and rain fell on Yuan Shao's face, but Yuan Shao's anger was somewhat reduced.

Wen Chou, the commander of the camp, and Guo Tu, who was in charge of government affairs, were both responsible for the occurrence of the epidemic, but it cannot be said that they were entirely responsible. After all, they did not want to see or happen the epidemic. of.

Yuan Shao took a deep breath and said: "I have once again ordered the mobilization of military rations, and the high school master will personally escort them. They will arrive in a few days. They should be able to solve the urgent need. This epidemic is sudden and extremely dangerous. You two must not take it lightly!" You have been given three orders and five orders: Do not eat raw or cold food. Anyone who disobeys the order will be severely punished!"

Wen Chou and Guo Tu quickly accepted their orders.

Among Yuan Shao's limited hygiene knowledge, not eating raw or cold food is considered to be Yuan Shao's biggest preventive measure against epidemic diseases. In fact, some diseases are not entirely transmitted through food.

Yuan Shao glanced at the pit and then at the simple camp. He was silent for a long time. He didn't know whether it was his inner feeling or the fact that he was in the wind and rain. He suddenly felt a little chilly and shivered. In the end, he didn't have the courage to walk in. In this camp, which seemed to be shrouded by the god of death, he turned around and unloaded the stones, mounted his horse and returned to the camp.

This is the dividing line with grinning teeth.

Night fell, and a bonfire was lit in Cao Cao's tent. On the one hand, it dissipated the dampness and coldness of the rainy weather, and on the other hand, it also provided light. Above the bonfire, there was a small copper cauldron. In the copper cauldron, some porridge and soup were tumbling, exuding an alluring aroma of food in the cold night.

Cao Pi sat in front of the bonfire, smelling the smell of food in the copper cauldron, and couldn't help but take a deep breath, with a somewhat intoxicated look on his face.

Cao Hong was also on the side, and took it upon himself to put the collected branches into a wooden basin on the side. There were five small fish that had been peeled and washed cleanly and whose internal organs had been eviscerated. This was the harvest of his guards today, and then he put them in a wooden basin. Slowly smoked and roasted beside the bonfire, and then sprinkled some chopped wild vegetables into the copper cauldron, allowing the wild vegetables and gruel to tumble and blend together.

The small fish was roasted by the flames of the bonfire, and soon it made a thin sound, exuding the sweet smell of fish meat, which attracted all Cao Pi's attention.

Cao Pi stared at the small fish, which was only a finger long, without blinking and swallowing his saliva.

"Some time ago, there were some big fish in the river. At that time, they were as big as an arm, and one fish was enough to eat a meal." Cao Hong looked at the fire and turned the branch with the fish in it, "But now, These are already considered big ones.”

The fire was dancing and the grilled fish was sizzling.

Cao Pi's stomach suddenly made a "gurgling" sound, and he quickly covered it with his hands in embarrassment, but he couldn't cover it, and there was another "gurgling" sound, and it was even louder than before.

Cao Hong laughed loudly and said immediately: "It's okay, it's okay. You can eat it when Sikong comes back. It doesn't matter. When I was your age, I could eat better! I had to eat a lot in one meal. My father at that time, every time I ate all the time”

Just when Cao Hong was about to tell Cao Pi about his childhood, the curtain of the big tent opened and Cao Cao walked in.

"Brother!"

"Father!"

Cao Hong and Cao Pi quickly greeted each other.

Cao Cao smiled, stretched his head to look at the copper cauldron, and saw a few grilled fish. He couldn't help but laugh, "Yes, today I am lucky enough to eat and work hard."

Cao Hong smiled and said: "Brother worked tirelessly, patrolling the barracks is just a simple task for me, it doesn't count."

Cao Cao took off his cloak and handed it to the guard on the side. He turned to Cao Pi and said, "Pier, how about I leave all this to you? Your Uncle Zilian and I have a few words to say."

"Ah? Okay!" Cao Pi happily took over Cao Hong's work, and then looked at the copper cauldron intently, and more importantly, watched the grilled fish begin.

Cao Cao signaled and walked to a corner of the tent with Cao Hong.

The light of the bonfire was shining, trying to drive away the coldness and darkness in this corner, and it also illuminated the figures of the two people, which grew and shrank and changed erratically.

"It has been raining for days, and many of the soldiers' robes are wet. It is not appropriate to continue like this." Cao Cao pondered and said slowly, "There are still some variegated cloths in the rear camp. I am going to distribute them to the soldiers. There are some." A robe replacement"

Cao Hong was stunned for a moment and said: "Motley cloth? Brother, this is what we big men always use."

"I know this." Cao Cao interrupted Cao Hong and continued, "If we follow the rules, it is indeed not good. But where can we raise a large amount of crimson cloth to make military robes now? If we don't distribute it, most of these soldiers will They only have one robe, and the weather is rainy all day long and cold at night.”

"This" Cao Hong thought for a moment, nodded and said, "what the elder brother said is true."

"In addition," Cao Cao turned to look at Cao Pi, then lowered his voice and said, "The army is running out of food and grass, so Zi Lian needs to prepare some soldiers to hunt rats for meat to use as military supplies."

"Rat?!" Cao Hong's brows couldn't help but stand up, and the muscles in the corners of his eyes couldn't help but beat twice.

Although Cao Cao disrupted Yuan Shao's food route, it does not mean that the food and grass in Yuan Shao's territory can grow wings and fly directly to Cao Cao's camp. The pressure on food and grass in Cao Cao's camp has not been relieved much, and because It has been raining for days and the roads are inconvenient. The food and grass that were originally planned to be transported are also stuck on the way. Therefore, the food and grass in the military camp are about to bottom out. If we don't prepare in advance, I'm afraid there will be chaos.

Cao Cao glared at Cao Hong, his eyes as sharp as a flash of light in the darkness!

Cao Hong's heart skipped a beat, he blinked, sighed slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Only Hong obeys the order."

Cao Cao's expression calmed down, he patted Cao Hong on the shoulder and said, "Zilian, it's only been the past few days. It is expected that Yuan Benchu ​​won't be able to hold on any longer. The victory or defeat is in front of us. Don't lose big because of small things."

"Brother" Cao Hong nodded and said, "Hong Li will understand."

Cao Cao remembered something again and said, "Under the rain, dry firewood is hard to find, but we still have to instruct the soldiers and generals that all food must be steamed. In addition, if someone sees that there are still some defecation items in the camp, he should step up inspections and severely punish him." Not in danger"

Cao Hong nodded helplessly and said, "I will send more patrols. Are these bastards too lazy to take a few more steps?"

Cao Cao is undoubtedly a person who is very good at learning.

Although Cao Cao was not entirely able to understand the purpose of some of the military regulations he learned from Fei Qian, it did not prevent him from quickly applying them, such as strictly prohibiting excretion anywhere, strictly prohibiting the use of raw water, and regularly driving away and cleaning mosquitoes. Cao Cao learned more or less the complicated regulations on rat lice and so on. Not as good as those like Fei Qian, but compared to before, it can be considered an improvement.

Fei Qian could not have imagined this.

For the sake of the overall order and safety of the mission, Fei Qian also sent some veterans with Heluo household registration and other Shandong household registrations, probably less than 500 people, as the core force to prevent half of the mission. , these soldiers changed their jobs and became bandits.

At the same time, it is equivalent to asking these veterans with Shandong registered residence to retire and return home, and most of these veterans are also willing. However, what Fei Qian didn't expect was that after these soldiers were in Cao Cao's hands, Cao Cao felt as if he had obtained a treasure. He sent people to kneel and lick them every day. From these veterans, he also got some regulations and orders that Fei Qian's soldiers abided by.

Cao Cao started using them almost without saying a word. In Cao Cao's view, since Fei Qian's soldiers can be so elite, these regulations and laws must have their own reason. It doesn't matter if you don't think about it now, let's use it first.

As a result, the sanitary conditions and daily habits of Cao Cao's camp have undergone a huge change. However, even Cao Hong was not used to this change at the beginning. It was only at Cao Cao's request. Done.

"Father, Uncle Zilian," Cao Pi greeted, holding up the grilled fish, "It's done! The fish should be done!"

"Oh? Okay, let's see how Pi'er's craftsmanship is?" Cao Cao smiled and walked back to the bonfire with Cao Hong.

Cao Pi offered the grilled fish in his hand as if he were offering a treasure.

"Well, the grilling is good! Not bad!" Although two or three grilled fish were a little burnt by Cao Pi, Cao Cao still praised, "Pi'er did a good job! Remember, a gentleman stays away from the kitchen to seek benevolence. Don't indulge in food and drink. If you are not a gentleman, you will not work in the kitchen." Although these cooking tasks can be done by guards or other followers, it is not a disadvantage for Cao Pi to have some knowledge.

Cao Pi happily answered yes, and immediately the three of them began to share the food.

A fish the size of a finger naturally doesn't have much weight. After Cao Pi ate it in three bites, he looked at the empty branches, licked his lips again, and couldn't help but ask: "Father, just now Pi'er heard What rat meat are you talking about? Is this rat meat delicious?"

Cao Cao's hand holding the wooden bowl paused, and his eyes immediately turned cold: "How much have you heard?"

Cao Pi was startled, and quickly said with a serious face: "My child, my child didn't hear anything. I just heard Uncle Zilian say the word rat meat."

Cao Hong rolled his eyes and said quickly: "The rat meat doesn't taste good because the fish hasn't eaten enough. Come on, I'll give you this one from Uncle Zilian."

Cao Pi looked at Cao Cao timidly, not daring to answer.

Cao Cao frowned slightly and said, "I still haven't thanked Uncle Zilian!"

Cao Pi quickly thanked Cao Hong and took the grilled fish from Cao Hong.

"Eat your fish well." Cao Cao finally lowered his eyelids, no longer looking at Cao Pi, and continued to drink wild vegetable porridge, "Since Long is at peace, why hope for Shu?"

Cao Cao originally just wanted to tell Cao Pi not to be too greedy, but after he said it, he realized that there was indeed a guy who could win both Long and Shu. He couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then sighed slightly after a while. , shook his head and drank the porridge silently