Three Kingdoms

The autumn wind is bleak.

As the sun shone down, Cao Jun's camp outside Jiangxia City was quiet, as if no one was there.

The breath of approaching winter also blew into Jiangdong, Jingzhou, and the coldness invaded the skin slightly, stirring up fine pimples.

Sun Quan looked at Zhou Yu, looking at Zhou Yu who was as calm as water, looking at that beautiful face, but his heart became more and more lustful... well, anger rose.

"Zhou Gongjin!" What do you think? ! 』

"Lord. ” Zhou Yu cupped his hands and said, “The art of war is as follows: don’t cover up when you return to the army, and don’t pursue the poor enemy. 』

"Ah haha, what if I insist on chasing after you?" 』

"If you pursue him, you will lose." 』

Sun Quan couldn't help but trembled with anger, "Cao's thieves have fallen into a certain trick, cutting off the food route, the army's morale is in chaos, and they retreat in a hurry. If we let it go easily, when will we get such a good opportunity?" ! Wait until Thief Cao stabilizes the morale of the army...someone...you..."

Sun Quan was indeed in a hurry, and even spoke awkwardly.

Zhou Yu still had a calm demeanor, glanced at Sun Quan, and said: "Last night's beacon fire message was sent. Although there must be changes, it may not be as the lord thinks." Cao Cao's thieves were treacherous and set up many beacons along the river, so how could they not be prepared for a surprise attack by the lord's navy? I'm afraid Cao Cao's thieves are defeated this time because they want to trap the Lord. 』

Sun Quan was furious and said, "How did you know that Cao Cao's thief was defeated by fraud?" 』

Zhou Yu sighed slightly. My lord, you didn’t listen to what I just said, or did you just not want to hear it? "The thief Cao secretly set up a beacon, obviously he was well prepared..."

"No..." Sun Quan waved his hand and said, "It's different from Gong Jin's expectation. It was the thief Cao who set up a beacon, so he was careless!" 』

"The thief Cao has always been cunning and cunning, how can he be negligent?" 』

"Even if it is dense, there is still some sparseness!" 』

Zhou Yu looked at Sun Quan.

Sun Quan glared at Zhou Yu.

The atmosphere suddenly became weird. The surrounding soldiers and guards were silent, minimizing the projected area of ​​their bodies as much as possible to prevent them from being affected by the invisible and colorless flames of war. They were like children who saw adults quarreling in an ordinary family.

You feel.

I think.

Fire and water have always been incompatible.

Zhou Yu lowered his eyes and said: "In this case, if the lord insists on pursuing the pursuit, I will let someone do it for me..."

"No! Sun Quan blurted out subconsciously, then took a breath and softened his tone, "I didn't have any other intention, but the arrangement was already made. It's inappropriate to suddenly change it..."

Zhou Yu's expression remained unchanged, he raised his hands and said, "I will obey my lord's order." I’m going to check the ordnance first..."

Sun Quan took a breath, nodded and said, "Good!" 』

Zhou Yu silently walked down the city wall, then turned around the corridor, and met Lu Su head-on. "Zijing..."

"Gong Jin..." Lu Su cupped his hands and said, "Gong Jin, don't blame Yu..."

Zhou Yu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

"Gong Jin..." Lu Su took a few steps forward, followed Zhou Yu, and then said in a low voice, "Since Gong Jin knows that the master does not accept advice, why bother to do this and just make him unhappy?" 』

Zhou Yu raised his head and looked at the sky, "I just have to do my best..."

Lu Su also followed Zhou Yu's perspective and looked up at the sky. He felt that Zhou Yu's words seemed to be responding to him, but also seemed to be addressed to someone.

Slapping the leader in the face in public is certainly a pleasure, but after the pleasure is over, there will inevitably be a small shoe handed to him. Zhou Yu is not a fool, and he can naturally understand Sun Quan's thoughts, but understanding does not mean he agrees. What's more, Zhou Yu's original opinion this time is to accept it while it's good, even if it leaves some aftertaste and is taken away by the opponent a few times, as long as It's not a bad idea to still be generally dominant.

However, Sun Quan felt that a piece of land he had not agreed to acquire was being invaded by Cao Cao. How could he bear this? Naturally, he wanted to twist off Cao Cao's chess pieces on the spot, cut off all the tentacles extended by Cao Cao and swallow them to get rid of his bad breath.

"The guards...are all arranged?" Zhou Yu asked.

Lu Su nodded.

Zhou Yu sighed slightly. "That's it, send someone to inform Governor Cheng to prepare to withdraw the troops..."

Lu Su hesitated for a moment and said, "Do you want to wait..."

Zhou Yu shook his head and said, "No." If we wait for the dust to settle, we may be unable to retreat. 』

"Well..." Lu Su sighed and said, "Wei. 』

Zhou Yu clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the sky.

The autumn wind blew Zhou Yu's hair at the temples, seeming to comfort him and telling him something.

……（=`ェ′=）……

On September 11, Sun Quan sent Zhou Tai to lead the Dongwu navy to launch a surprise attack on Xiaoyaojin, but to no avail. The beacon fire spread to Jiangxia overnight.

On September 12, at noon, Sun Quan sent Jiang Qin and Chen Wu to attack Cao's army camp in Jiangxia and defeated it. Cao's army was defeated. Zhou Yu persuaded Sun Quan, but Sun Quan insisted on hunting down Cao Cao.

On September 13th, Sun Quan ordered his troops to personally suppress the central army. They divided their forces and pursued Cao's army along the way, intending to regain the entire Jiangxia territory and eradicate Xiaoyaojin.

On September 15th, when Jiang Qin pursued him to Niutou Mountain, he was ambushed by Cao's army. Chen Wu came to his aid, but was ambushed by Cao Ren and trapped in the mountain. Sun Quan came to the rescue again, but was also flanked by Cao Chun's cavalry. The three of them could not advance or retreat, and at night At that time, Fang broke out under the guard Sa Sheng.

On September 16th, Cao Cao led his troops to cover up the attack, intending to encircle and annihilate Sun Quan and others.

On September 17, Zhou Yu gave way to Sun Quan, but surrounded Cao Ren, the forward of Cao's army. After a fierce battle, Cao Ren was wounded and left. Cao Cao was shocked and suspected that it was Zhou Yu's plan to lure troops. He hurriedly closed his line and stopped pursuing.

From September 18th to 20th, Cao Cao's and Sun Quan's troops began to disengage and both sides retreated.

On September 21st, Xia Houyuan led his troops to Jiangling. The Wu soldiers under Jiangling City had already retreated, so no gains were made.

Around September 30th, Sun Quan took away Jiangxia's gold, silver and other valuables and returned to Jiangdong. Cao Cao plundered the remaining population of Jiangxia and moved them to Hefei. At this point, the county of Jiangxia was uninhabited and there were piles of corpses in the fields...

...The previous paragraph is not watery...

Although winter is approaching, the temperature at noon is not very cold yet, and the dead people rot quickly, attracting many scavenging animals.

It’s very interesting that there seems to be some audiences for stinky tofu, stinky mandarin fish, and even some foods of later generations, such as soybean juice, natto, durian, herring, etc., and many people think that they are special. The smell is actually fragrant, but almost no one likes or accepts the smell of human corpses.

Corpse odor is like a naturally sticky gas. Once it is contaminated, even if you clean it repeatedly, it is difficult to remove the disgusting odor.

And what stinks even more than the rotting corpses are the refugees.

In Jiangxia, the entire county was ruined.

Originally, this month was supposed to be when the harvest was finished, and each household might have more or less, but they still got some rations, and the family could finally eat some decent meals, but now...

Cao's army couldn't wait long and could not gather the population, so they set fire to the village and left.

The people who hid in the mountains and swamps saw the soldiers retreat and came out again, only to see that their houses and villages had all turned into ashes...

what to do?

Just run away.

Hide.

What else could the unarmed people do in the face of vicious soldiers?

In the three to four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, they had been taught to be "filial", to "respect the emperor", and to "observe the rules". They were not allowed to do this or that. They all listened and did it. Farm the fields honestly and pay taxes accordingly, but why?

Why?

Those officials who usually collect tax money, taxes and accounts, stretched out their hands to collect the house tax when they just put up the beams of the house. When they caught a net of fish, they stared at the fish tax, even if it was When they pick up some dry wood in the mountains, they also have to pay a tax on the harvest. They have to collect money and taxes to eat a mouthful of food and drink a mouthful of water...

But when they were suffering, their houses were burned, and their food was robbed, when they needed some support and some comfort, none of these officials could see them...

Why?

No one will give them answers.

So these people could only whimper, like a dog that had been beaten and lame. They twisted and turned around every step, combining their confused, sad, and frightened expressions with the cries of children, as well as hunger and fear. Tired, all mixed together, leaving their former hometown, their stable home.

They walked into the wilderness, walked through swamps, climbed over bald mountains, and passed through barren fields.

They are just ants, eating grass, tree bark, and soil. If they can't bear it anymore, they eat themselves.

He was walking like a zombie, and then there was a commotion in front of him, as if bait was dropped in the fish pond, and it suddenly started churning.

The government sent people to give porridge in front.

Not the court, but the local government.

People rushed over to get the gruel that was probably just better than water.

The porridge had just been boiled and was very hot, but everyone was frightened by hunger. Those who received the porridge hurriedly sipped and drank, their eyes bulging but they still stared at the porridge shed, staring at the big mouthfuls in the porridge shed. Pot, looking forward to finishing this bowl and adding another bowl.

Someone was shouting: "Who wants to join the army?" Those who want to surrender to the army stand up! There are pancakes! There are big pancakes to eat! "There are two black "big pancakes" in his hand, about half the size of a palm, shaking in the air, seducing, causing a group of people's heads to follow the black pancakes, from left to right, and then from left to right. Swing right to left.

Of course, according to the usual practice, only young and strong people are recruited.

Some people were so tempted that they wanted to sell their lives for two pieces of black cake at a low price, but they were dragged by their wives and children, and ended up sitting on the ground hugging each other and wailing. Because everyone knows that once the young man in the family leaves, the family will be gone. If the wife and children are good, they may still be able to survive, but if they are not good, they may become the victims of others. Eat.

Some of them gritted their teeth and shook it off, surrendered to the army and took the pancakes. Some were ruthless and just wanted to eat for themselves, but there were also some who gave them to their wives and children. After a long silence, they said, "Eat quickly, eat them all, Qian." Don’t leave any leftovers…

My wife knew that she couldn't hold on to the food even if it was left over. She bit and gnawed it with all her strength. She only had a few bites, but she couldn't eat it with tears in her eyes. The children on the side also shed tears at first, but as they ate, they stopped crying and concentrated on eating the black pancakes.

The man smiled, laughed, and cried when he turned around and left.

To be separated now is to say farewell to death.

There are also some old people with a little knowledge who try to persuade them, "Don't join the army. If you go there, you won't be able to come back... If we walk a little further, the imperial court will not ignore us... The imperial court will accommodate us..."

The fleeing team stretches endlessly, sometimes with more people than sometimes with fewer people. Most people don't even have a clear purpose, they just follow the flow of people. It seems that only in this way can they prove that they are still a human being.

The chaotic team stretched on and on, and it seemed that there was no end or end in sight, and it seemed that it could not reach the edge. Compared with the chaos in the Jianghuai area in previous years, or compared with the situation of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in previous years, It's like two worlds already. Sometimes, some people will lament in the team, thinking about the past few years, everything they have seen, and thinking about what they did wrong or what they did not do to become like this. the point.

Jiangling is also in chaos, but what about Xiangyang?

Would it be better?

I heard that Liu Jingzhou is seriously ill again...

There is another autumn rain, but there is no one falling. It has no meaning of the continuous spring rain. It only brings a bleak and cold chaos that is unspeakable, shrouding everything and spreading between everything.

……_(:з　∠)_……

Xiangyang City.

The autumn rain is like a knife, cutting down the grass, cutting off the leaves, and making people panic.

"I want to watch the autumn rain..." Cai Mao stood in front of the gate of the back garden and said in a deep voice, "You are waiting here, don't come and make any noise!" 』

"Master, it's raining..." the steward said cautiously from behind, "How about I let you hold an umbrella for the master?" 』

"no! A certain sword, gun, sword, and rain are regarded as nothing, but are you afraid that these Xu Qiuyu will not succeed? ” Cai Hao waved his hand, “I’m just feeling agitated and want to be alone to meditate... I don’t need you to wait on me, just wait outside!” 』

"only! " Seeing Cai Mao's insistence, the steward said nothing more and led others to wait outside the back garden door.

Cai Hao walked into the back garden with his hands behind his back, then turned into the back room, took out his poncho and bamboo hat, put them on, and quietly came to the corner door of the backyard, opened it, looked back for a moment, and walked into the rain.

There were not many pedestrians in the alley streets. Even one or two people were holding umbrellas or wearing ponchos and hurried by.

Cai Hao braved the rain and turned into an alley, then opened a courtyard door, passed through the corridor, took off his poncho outside the hall, and then entered the hall.

Ever since she was fucked by Liu Biao that time, Cai Mao was like a peaceful little daughter-in-law. She seemed to do it silently, think quietly, say nothing, and express nothing.

After Sun Quan withdrew his troops, Cao Cao did not completely evacuate Jingzhou, but stayed in the Xinye area for one reason or another. Wancheng and Runan also seemed to disappear in the memories of Liu Biao and Cao Cao.

In terms of restoring production and order, there is no doubt that the Qiaoqi troops are very experienced and powerful. Within three or four months, they have restored 50% to 60% of most areas bordering Wuguan. How much? It already looked like an orderly town, instead of a den of thieves filled with death and chaos.

Of course, everyone knows how difficult it is to do such a thing well.

Cai Mao also wants to get things done. After the previous lesson, Cai Hao finally knew that he and his family, or just himself, might not be able to control Jingzhou...

Not long after, another person came into the courtyard, wearing a poncho, his face hidden under the bamboo hat. When I entered the courtyard directly, I took off my hat and poncho, and the wooden boards under the hall were covered with water stains.

"Brother Yuanchang, please..." Cai Mao stood in front of the hall and held hands.

The autumn rain fell on the rockery in the courtyard, stirring up little bits of white smoke, and among the rugged hills, there seemed to be faint hints of swords and guns. There seemed to be a marching army, braving the rain, along the Walking along the rugged mountain road above the rockery, winding towards the front.

"Brother Cai..." Zhong Yao sat down slowly and said calmly, "This autumn is so bleak..."

Cai Hao did not respond, but first invited Zhong Yao to drink tea.

Jiangxia was almost divided between Cao Cao and Sun Quan, which has become the consensus of people in Jingzhou. Under this consensus, Liu Biao's incompetence became more and more obvious. The courage of riding alone into Xiangyang back then has gradually faded in his memory, and what remains is his aging appearance and his weakness in facing outsiders.

"Good tea..." Zhong Yao said with a smile, "Could this be the so-called "fresh tea" produced by Qiusi?" 』

Cai Hao nodded slightly and said, "Exactly." I wonder if I can comply with Brother Yuanchang’s wishes? 』

Zhong Yao laughed twice, "As for wine, I think the wine from Changshe is the best. After all, the water and soil of my hometown are the most pleasant. As for this tea, I don't know much about it, so I can't comment..."

"Why not?" Who would be willing to stay away from their homeland if not forced? ” Cai Mao nodded and said.

The tea is full of aroma.

The sound of rain dripping.

After a while, Cai Mao couldn't help but said, "What do you mean by Sikong Zhi?" 』

Zhong Yao smiled: "The key is Brother Cai's intention... Sikong, it's okay..."

"really? 』

"nature. 』

"good. ” Cai Mao nodded, pointed slightly outside the hall, and said, “Thanks to Brother Yuanchang’s great efforts, I will definitely remember it in my heart... Although this place is simple, it can still accommodate guests, so I asked Brother Yuanchang to stay temporarily. It is convenient for me. At home..."

Zhong Yao nodded and smiled: "I know how to take care of myself. If Brother Cai has something important, you might as well do it yourself..."

Cai Hao stood up, saluted and said goodbye to Zhong Yao, then put on the poncho and bamboo hat placed outside the house, and slowly walked out of the yard, walking slowly in the rain.

The rain fell on the hats and ponchos, making a crackling sound.

Cai Hao walked slowly, turned around the street, walked forward for a while, pushed open a half-open corner door in the alley, and entered the backyard. Then he took off his poncho and bamboo hat, put his hands behind his back, and walked out. The back garden.

In the backyard, there are stewards and servants standing with hands hanging down.

Cai Mao calmly ordered: "Prepare soup, I want to take a bath..."

"Only..." The steward waved his hand quickly, and a servant left in a hurry. Immediately, the servants became busy. Some were preparing clothes, some were getting tea, and some were changing turbans for Cai Mao...

Someone's eyes fell on Cai Mao's wet robe and clogs stained with mud. But on a rainy day, walking in the back garden, isn't it normal for some rain and cement to be stained?

In the courtyard, the autumn rain is dripping, cutting like a knife.