Three Kingdoms

Liao Hua is waiting.

Liao Hua has no shortage of patience.

The key to defeating Cao's army lies in the ships that originally belonged to Jingzhou. These ships provided Cao's army with mobility that they should not have had. Especially along the Han River, Cao's army could be transported and transferred relatively safely with less physical exertion, thus giving Cao's army an advantage along the Han River.

If you want to fight Cao Jun's ships from the front, that is, in the Han River, there is no chance of winning. Even Zhuge Liang can't cook without rice, so the only way is to lure Cao Jun ashore, and then burn Cao Jun in one fell swoop. As long as these ships are burned, Cao Jun will inevitably fall into the same embarrassing situation as before, and it will be difficult to compete with the cavalry in terms of mobility.

On the other hand, burning these ships will also have a very big blow to the morale of Cao's army, and it will also have a very important impact on the battle situation.

Hidden in the mountains, Liao Hua has enough experience. When he followed the refugees from Jingxiang to Guanzhong, Liao Hua had already walked this road. The conditions were not as good as they are now, and there were no dried meats and salted cakes, so what is left now Dry food can last at least half a month, so there is no need to worry about food problems.

The most critical thing now is whether Xiahou Dun will disembark at the predetermined location as Zhuge Liang expected...

Xu Yu in Fancheng was also a little worried about this issue. After patrolling the city, he came to the government office hall in the city and saw Zhuge Liang whittling a puppet with a knife.

Although Zhuge Liang seems to be calm on the surface now, in fact Zhuge Liang is also a little nervous, but Zhuge Liang can control this nervousness and even enjoy it a little. This feeling is very wonderful.

Zhuge Liang felt a little emotional in his heart. He originally thought that after he experienced the Xuzhou Rebellion, he would be tired of wars and hate killing. However, he did not expect that when he became active on the battlefield as a commander, he would not feel sick or bored. On the contrary...

Zhuge Liang saw Xu Yu walking in and put down the knife and puppet in his hand.

Xu Yu was also nervous. Although the banner with the word "Xu" still hangs on the city, this "Xu" is different from the previous "Xu". Although he and Liao Hua both agree with Zhuge Liang's strategy, whether it can succeed or not will be the same as the previous one. As Zhuge Liang expected, he hasn't counted yet.

"This is..." Xu Yu asked.

"Hehe Mingming." Wang Mingqingshi, Nanzhong Grand Ancestor, Master Royal Father. Organize our six divisions to build up our army. With both respect and caution, it will benefit the Southern Kingdom..." Zhuge Liang slowly placed the wood on the table, then smiled and said, "This is the wood of the Southern Kingdom..."

The hussar general Fei Qian is located in the north of Chang'an, and Jingzhou is naturally in the south, so it is of course self-evident where the so-called "Southern Kingdom" refers. As for the "wood of the south" in Zhuge Liang's hand, there is actually no specific tree designated as the so-called "wood of the south". It is just beech. Because beech trees mostly grow in the south, Zhuge Liang said it is the "wood of the south". ’ That’s not wrong either.

Xu Yu looked at the puppets carved by Zhuge Liang. Although the details of their appearance were far from those of some later wood carvings, they still had a vague sense of elegance. Xu Yu couldn't help but shook his head and said with a smile: "Kong Ming is quite leisurely!" 』

Zhuge Liang laughed and said, "It's not about leisure and elegance, it's just to relieve the worries in my heart!" 』

Xu Yu was stunned for a moment and said: "I thought Kong Ming..." Halfway through his words, Xu Yu swallowed his words back, then glanced at Zhuge Liang, his expression somewhat strange.

Zhuge Liang glanced at Xu Yu and guessed Xu Yu's thoughts, "Xu Xiaowei thinks that since someone is worried, how can he make a plan?" 』

Xu Yu nodded subconsciously, then waved his hand, "No...no..."

Zhuge Liang didn't take it seriously, "Xu Xiaowei knows that a certain person once served as a counselor under the hussar in Chang'an. He received the guidance of the hussar and knew the strategies of the world. There is only one plan that is most difficult to prevent..."

Xu Yu's Adam's apple grunted, and then he asked with some expectancy: "I don't know... uh, if this is inconvenient, Kong Ming won't tell me..." Most people in the Han Dynasty valued knowledge very highly, and sometimes they didn't even have it. With the permission of the original owner, it will not be granted privately to others. Xu Yu was obviously worried that the Cavalry General Fei Qian had taught Zhuge Liang some secret, and then he asked greedily, which made him embarrassed, so he deliberately changed the second half of the sentence.

Zhuge Liang shook his head and said with a smile: "The Husband's strategy is not a secret... The Husband once said that the world's strategies can also be divided into Yin and Yang. The Yin ones are deceitful. If the secrets are leaked, it will be a narrow escape. The Yang ones are for Righteous, even if the enemy knows it, he has to do it..."

Xu Yu frowned and pondered. After a moment, he suddenly realized that he looked at Zhuge Liang with a little expectancy and said, "Could it be that Kong Ming's current strategy is this... the strategy of the hussar's conspiracy?" 』

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and looked at the wooden carving on the table, "The plan is just like carving wood. If you follow its rules and its quality, it will be beautiful. Even if there are marks from the axe, it is natural..."

Xu Yu couldn't help but cast his eyes on the wood carvings on the table.

it's time……

The deal is gone, please open the card.

After Xiahou Dun received the news from Cao Hong, it was as if a window had been opened. New news came from afar, some good and some bad. Before Xiahou Dun set off, he received another piece of bad news. , Taishi Ci's troops roaming near Heluo had defeated Le Jin and others who had marched from Hanoi as a partial army intrusion, once again proving that on the frontal battlefield in the field, it was difficult for Cao's infantry to resist the hussars.

This news was forwarded from Xu County, but it also proved Taishi Ci's combat power and put Xu County and others under great pressure. They are mobilizing all their soldiers to defend in Yangcheng to protect Xu County safety.

Taishi Ci, the shadow of a famous tree. Ever since the battle of Taishi Ciye City, it has basically become a nightmare for the people of Jizhou, and their expressions are almost certain to change...

Therefore, the Hussar's purpose of deliberately placing Taishi Ci on the center line is also very obvious, which is to disrupt Cao Cao's layout and also have a threatening effect. This is almost what is on the table, even if Cao Cao tries his best to control Taishi Ci. The impact of the enemy has little effect unless it can be defeated. On the battlefield of Heluo, if you want to defeat a wandering cavalry with infantry, Le Jin has once again verified the difficulty with his failure.

The hardest time is coming.

If Xiahou Dun could not make corresponding corrections and improvements to the entire war situation, then the northern line of Jingzhou would not be able to support the Heluo area, and there would be no way to defend Yuzhou from the flanks. If Taishi Ci were to advance from Heluo at full speed, It only takes three days, and Xiahou Dun and others will definitely not be able to return from northern Jingzhou to the vicinity of Xu County in three days, nor can they provide any support. Therefore, only by putting a certain amount of pressure on the Hussars under Wuguan will they be able to General Fei Qian did not dare to send Tai Shici to the front line in Yuzhou...

War is mutual restriction, trade-off, replacement and consumption. Just like chess pieces on a chessboard, they are always being exchanged to see if they can build an advantage and then expand it into a victory. Now, Xiahou Dun felt that he needed to seize the opportunity of Xu Huang leading the army to support Wancheng and expand his position in Jingbei. The advantages at each location lay the foundation for overall victory.

"Tsk..." Cao Zhen held on to the parapet of the warship and looked at Fancheng not far away, then turned to look at Cao Jun who was busy preparing to build a temporary camp on the south bank of the Han River, "Aren't you going to attack today?" Didn't Uncle Xiahou say that soldiers are valuable and quick? 』

Cao Ren glanced at Cao Zhen and didn't say anything. He probably just gave him a look that you can understand by yourself.

Cao Xiu was closer in age to Cao Zhen. He pulled Cao Zhen and said, "The attack on Fancheng will not take place overnight. If there is no camp, is it possible that Zi Dan wants to sleep in the cabin?" 』

Although Cao Jun also took a boat, it was just a pure boat ride. As for seasickness, not all people will get seasick. Some people will be severely dizzy. They will feel stiff when they get on the boat and feel soft when they get off the boat, but most people can still do it. Accepting the vibration of the ship does not mean that you like it. Cao's soldiers still prefer the feeling of standing on the ground, so building an advance camp before attacking is naturally indispensable.

Cao Zhen touched his head and laughed twice.

"Let's go, you and I will go and inspect the soldiers building the camp..." After Cao Xiu finished speaking, he walked in front, with Cao Zhen following behind. The two of them got off the boat and inspected the construction of the camp.

Although the armored cavalry achieved great results in Dangyang this time, it was also because of the fierce battle that both cavalry and war horses needed a certain amount of recovery time. In addition, Fancheng was a siege. The effectiveness of the armored cavalry was not great, so they were not brought out. Instead, they were temporarily repaired in Xiangyang. After Xiahou Dun and others went to battle, they could be regarded as a force that shocked the various noble clans in Xiangyang City.

Xiahou Dun looked at Cao Zhen who was getting off the boat and was thinking a little.

Cao Ren laughed and said, "This Zidan is pretty good, but he just doesn't like to use his brain..."

Xiahou Dun nodded, shook his head, and said, "I remember... Bonan once said that his son was smart and could read scriptures when he was young..."

Bonan is Qin Shao's character.

Cao Ren was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned his head to look at Cao Zhen in the distance, then frowned and turned around and said to Xiahou Dun: "What Yuan Rang means...is this kid pretending to be stupid?" 』

Xiahou Dun looked at Cao Zhen's figure in the distance, then shook his head slightly, "I don't know yet..."

Cao Ren also looked back at Cao Zhen, silent and speechless.

Cao Zhen was an adopted son. Although the Han Dynasty also recognized adopted sons, some families with few descendants may even have the status of an heir. There are also brothers who see each other having no children for a long time and give each other children, just like Zhuge Liang. The first child is not my own...

But after all, there are some differences between adopted children and parent-child. Just like Liu Feng often cried and fainted in the toilet after Liu Chan was born. In a sense, raising a son who is too capable may not be a good thing. Therefore, Cao Zhen may not have the intention of protecting himself by showing others humility.

It's just that Cao Zhen is really clumsy, or he's just pretending, and it still needs to be observed...

Now, this issue is not very important. The important thing is to first consider how to defeat the defenders of Fancheng and recover Fancheng.

Xiahou Dun was very cautious. He was worried that he would be killed by hussars and cavalry, so he attacked Fancheng across both sides of the Han River. The northern camp on the Fancheng side mainly stationed soldiers, while the camp south of the Han River was where grain and grass were placed. Baggage, and then all have water gates to communicate with each other, making full use of the strengths of the ships.

Xiahou Dun also specially considered the possibility of being attacked by Fancheng, especially the destruction of ships, so Xiahou Dun placed all the ships in an inlet in the south camp, and there were also soldiers to guard them full-time. If he wanted to cause trouble, he had to pass through the north camp first. The blockade, and then passing through the water bay, it can be said to be foolproof...

It can be said that if we attack from the front, let alone the two or three thousand men in Fancheng, even if it is doubled or tripled and ten thousand people come to sneak attack and burn the ships, it is impossible to achieve what we want. Once the main force of Cao's army in Beiying is fully capable With the ability to rely on the camp to resist the invading enemy, the Hussars had no ships, and even if they broke through the interception of the Beiying camp, they would still have to wait and see.

The attack on Fancheng began quickly.

At dawn in the morning, Xiahou Dun ordered an attack and organized three attacks east of Fancheng. About 3,000 soldiers were invested in each attack, but no major breakthrough was achieved and they all failed.

In terms of siege, whether it is forming formations, charging, crossing trenches, filling trenches, etc., it is basically quite satisfactory, and there are no major problems. However, once you enter the city wall and start to officially climb the city wall, you often The rolling stones and wood thrown from the city caused Cao's soldiers to scatter in formation, and their arms and legs were broken...

When this thing fell from a high place, it was more powerful than ordinary bows and arrows, and it also destroyed most of the rams and ladders that Cao Jun had finally built. Without the siege equipment, most of Cao's soldiers could only shout outside the city and flee in confusion. Then, it took a long time to sort out the soldiers and reorganize the array. At the end of the day, more than half of the time was spent on sorting out. The queue prepared to attack, but the actual attack time was not long.

By dusk, the day's attack was over.

Cao Zhen supervised the battle in front of the formation, which was somewhat boring. Because after the day's attack, they didn't go forward at all. They just watched from the outside. Even though some soldiers were injured and killed, there were not many of them. At dusk, the military princes counted and reported that one hundred and sixty people were dead and 160 were injured. There are more than two hundred people.

After the war, when he was returning to the camp to repair, Cao Xiu happened to come out of the camp and asked Cao Zhen with a smile: "How do you feel about supervising the battle today?" 』

Cao Zhen shook his head repeatedly and said frankly that it was boring.

Cao Xiu said with a smile: "The attack on the first day is like this, but it will be tragic later..." Siege battles in this era are basically operated in this way. An attack in the daytime is not even an appetizer. , can only be regarded as a small snack.

"Besides..." Cao Xiu smiled, "General Xiahou's move has profound meaning..."

"A deep meaning?" ” Cao Zhen asked, “What’s the deep meaning? 』

Cao Xiu pointed at Fancheng and said: "The defenders of this city are brave and brave, but they lack experience. Rolling stones and wood are important tools for defending the city. How can they be wasted? Looking at it today, the amount used to attack the city is large. If you don't know how to restrain it, within three to five days It’s just exhausted! How will it hold up then? Haha, okay, I have other important matters, so I won’t accompany Zidan on the camp tour..."

Cao Xiu seemed to glance far away, then cupped his hands and walked away.

Cao Zhen followed Cao Xiu's gaze and turned his head, but saw Cao Ren in the distance who seemed to be looking at the general. He quickly lowered his head to salute, and then saw Cao Ren smiling and waving his hands to show off. Cao Zhen then turned around to arrange the follow-up soldiers. went……

Cao Ren looked at Cao Zhen's back thoughtfully, and then walked into the Chinese army's tent.

Xiahou Dun was looking at the map behind the table in the Chinese army tent. He raised his eyes slightly and glanced at Cao Ren, "Zixiao, are the wounds on your body better?" 』

Cao Ren moved his shoulders and said, "It's much better... Today, Zidan is supervising the battle. Tiaodang, swords, shields, bows and arrows, and weapons are all assigned to each one. It's quite formal and there are no mistakes..."

Xiahou Dun nodded and said, "That's true. ” Then he raised his head and smiled, “What do you think, Zixiao? 』

Cao Ren said in a deep voice: "It is true that there is something hidden...but...it can be used..."

Xiahou Dun touched his beard and pondered. Today's test attack on Fancheng was also used by Xiahou Dun to test Cao Zhen. Generally speaking, an ordinary general can command three thousand soldiers, which is probably the limit. If the number increases again, he will often fall into the dilemma of F2A. Today, Cao Zhen has deployed more than seven thousand troops, and the troops are complex and have different uses. The key is There were three attacks to be organized, formations to be arranged, plans to be adjusted, but Cao Zhen did not appear to be in a hurry, and even seemed to have some time to spare.

Either Cao Zhen is a natural talent, or his rudeness and clumsiness are just an act...

"Hmm..." Xiahou Dun nodded. From a certain perspective, Cao Zhen's usual clumsy behavior can be regarded as a kind of protection. As long as he does not rebel against Cao Cao, he is basically worse than the average Cao family's children. safer.

After all, if an adopted son is smart enough to threaten his heir...

"Forget it, that's it..." Xiahou Dun waved his hand, changed the topic, and pointed to a place on the map, "It's dark and windy at night, and I'm afraid the enemy might want to attack at night... Someone wants to set up an ambush here, but I don't know." What does filial piety mean? 』There is a hilly area northwest of Fancheng. Xiahou Dun wanted to ambush his troops there and waited for Fancheng soldiers to take the bait.

Cao Ren stepped forward, looked down for a moment, and then smiled and said, "This place is wonderful!" If he dares to attack at night, he will never come back! 』

Xiahou Dun nodded and smiled, seeming to have seen the victory scene not far away in the future...