Three Kingdoms

"Cao's army wants to capture Fancheng, because the gateway to Xiangyang is indispensable..." Zhuge Liang said slowly, "But this place... for Hussar, what's the use of keeping it?" 』

Before Xu Yu and Liao Hua could react, Zhuge Liang raised his hand and pointed a finger in vain, "Does the hussar want to get this place?" No, we are seeking the people! Now in Fancheng, nine out of ten people have been wiped out, the shops are closed, the nobles have all left, and the warehouses are all empty... You two, why don't you think about it, what's the use of staying here? 』

When Zhuge Liang said "What's the point of staying" for the second time, Xu Yu and Liao Hua gradually recovered from their initial surprise and began to seriously think about the content of Zhuge Liang's words.

Fancheng had already moved once before when Cao Jun and Xiahou and others came. Later, after Cao Hong was defeated, Xu Huang ordered a large number of Fancheng people to move north. For the people in Fancheng, migration is certainly not a pleasant thing, but is it better than being captured on the battlefield?

In the eyes of these ordinary people, although they say they have to leave their hometown, even if they are worried, they still have the promise of the hussar and the hope of living. If they really fall into the war, they may die without a chance of survival! Therefore, most of the people in Fancheng have basically left. Of course, in any era, there are always some people who do not want to leave their homeland no matter what, and most of them are elderly. On the one hand, their bodies are not suitable for migration, and on the other hand, they are not suitable for migration. On the one hand, he did not want to drag down his own young people, so he stayed in Fancheng.

Regarding the people who stayed in Fan City, Zhuge Liang felt a little anxious at first, because he knew that if he really fought with Cao Jun, these people would die sooner or later. But after he communicated with these people, Zhuge Liang actually discovered that these people Far more open-minded than Zhuge Liang himself...

"You are a good official..."

"Don't worry about us..."

"We know, we all know..."

Zhuge Liang was silent.

If these people were placed in later generations, most of them would still be considered to be in their prime of life, and some would even jump around and shout that I am still young. However, in the Han Dynasty, these people in their forties and fifties are already considered to be old. Due to long hours of labor and malnutrition, these men in their forties and fifties inevitably have various chronic diseases or hidden dangers. After these people's children left Fancheng, these people were almost in a state of living a day as long as they could.

If you encounter those keyboard warriors who like to kidnap morals, they will jump out immediately, scold them in full face, and then accuse Qiusi of being irresponsible, inhumane, and just being superficial. If you have the guts, you will let these people May you spend your old age peacefully, enjoy your old age, be happy and healthy, be safe and joyful...

But these pig-headed people don't even think about it. Even future generations will cut pension benefits again and again. But in the early days of a feudal dynasty, can these requirements be met? If we support these people, where will the money come from? Was it brought by the strong wind? It's like seeing someone in the company who has received a bonus that is more than one's own, and they are asking for a treat. If they don't treat them, they are stingy, unsociable, and have no friendship with colleagues, etc. But these pig heads have never thought about it. The bonuses received by others also fell from the sky due to strong winds?

Zhuge Liang is not a keyboard warrior, nor is he a pig-headed man, but he still has a compassionate heart. He wants to help these people survive in Fancheng as much as possible. Although he can't help them, don't do it just because of his own reasons. Harmed these Fancheng people...

After all, if the fighting inside and outside Fan City continues, not only the hussars and soldiers will be damaged, but also the remaining people in the city. Although Zhuge Liang is compassionate, if the war is really serious, can Zhuge Liang jump in front of Xu Yu and Liao Hua and shout that these people cannot be requisitioned to work, and the hussars can only do everything themselves? Taking a step back of 10,000 steps, if Fancheng cannot be defended, with the tyranny of the hussars, it will not be a big problem to break through. Then what about the people left behind in Fancheng? Will Xiahou Dun and other Cao Group treat these people well? Attacking the city caused Cao's army to suffer losses. Once Fancheng was captured, wouldn't these people be the best way to vent their anger?

"Therefore, if we evacuate..." Zhuge Liang sighed slightly and said, "Most of these people can still survive... If we stick to this place, after you and I break through, the people in the city will be almost dead..."

Xu Yu frowned, disapproving of Zhuge Liang's compassion. There were no dead people in the war. The Xiqiang were making such a big fuss back then that corpses littered the fields inside and outside Tianshui City. There was no Han official who would stand up and say that he wanted to protect the people and cherish all living things.

On the other hand, Liao Hua was a little moved. He had never thought that Zhuge Liang was considering the problem from this perspective, or that Zhuge Liang had even considered this aspect...

Although Liao Hua followed the refugees all the way to Guanzhong and suffered a lot, even so, he still did not include the lives and deaths of these ordinary people into the consideration of the war. The arrangement of battle formations, deployment of soldiers, operation of equipment, consideration of terrain, adjustment of morale, and arrangement of generals are already cumbersome and troublesome issues, but Zhuge Liang actually has the time to think about these things left behind in Fancheng. people!

For a moment, Liao Hua didn't know what to say.

"Abandon Fancheng..." Xu Yu was silent for a while and said slowly, "But what General Zhenjun said before...this...isn't it appropriate?" 』

Zhuge Liang had obviously thought about it, and he nodded when he heard this, and said, "The General of the Zhenjun has entrusted us to garrison Fancheng and build the Yangtze Line, not only in Fancheng..."

Xu Yu was about to say something, but Zhuge Liang stretched out his hand to indicate, "Xu Xiaowei's concerns, which Liang also knows, are nothing more than two. One is that the city built in Yang is simple and not as strong as Fan City; the other is that the time to garrison Fan City is short." , I might not be able to support it for more than a month..."

Xu Yu thought for a moment, nodded and said, "That's true." 』

On the whole, Xu Yu did not oppose for the sake of opposition, nor did he insist on dragging the people of Fancheng to defend together, but in terms of war, if abandoning Fancheng would have more benefits, it would be possible to suppress the army. Xu Yu was of course willing to accept Zhuge Liang's suggestion according to the general's request.

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and said something else, which made Xu Yu and Liao Hua frown and think...

……(*^__^*)……

The three people in Fancheng could still arrange various matters calmly, but for Xiahou Dun, there was no way to be calm. Even if he wanted to appear as calm as possible, he inevitably showed some anxiety.

This anxiety may have been born from the fire rising in the Nanying camp, or from seeing Cao Zhen's injury, or from seeing He Yan's vain and incompetent face...

No matter what, He Yan's mother was still Cao Cao's concubine, so even though Xiahou Dun was full of anger, he could only postpone He Yan's problem until Cao Cao could deal with it. That's right, even though Cao Cao's big head hurts here and there, his little head can still feel good here and there. After all, she is the general's wife...

Even if He Yan's problem is put aside, there are still many other problems. Obviously, after the rear camp was burned, the desire to attack Fancheng not only did not decrease, but became more urgent. Because whether it was Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, or some other well-versed generals of Cao's army, they all understood the fact that if they just returned to Xiangyang, the so-called regrouping might really just be "regrouping" in the end.

Although a lot of baggage was lost in the fire, especially the ships, which were more than ten and twenty-three, and the damage was heavy, but for ordinary soldiers, they did not know this. Most of the soldiers of Cao's army in the North Camp just knew that the South Camp was destroyed. There was a sneak attack and Cao Zhen was injured. I don't know much about the specific situation.

If they really retreat, then these Cao soldiers who originally didn't know much about the situation will immediately know the seriousness of the problem. If they want to restore their morale, it is unknown when they can make a comeback.

Therefore, Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren agreed that they must take advantage of the fact that the baggage load is not too tight now. On the one hand, they must quickly send the remaining ships down the river to Xiangyang to replenish a batch of supplies. On the other hand, they must capture Fancheng as soon as possible. They cannot No more delay. This time, Xiahou Dun even wanted to go into battle himself and attack the city.

But just when Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren were discussing and preparing to launch a new round of attack at dawn the next day, an accident happened again...

As for why not on the same day? Xiahou Dun also thought about it, but the problem was that there was turmoil in the southern camp last night. Even the gods had to control it first, restore order and take inventory of supplies before they could continue fighting? The missing soldiers need to be adjusted, and the injured soldiers need to be resettled. This is not a video game. Even if the entire queue dies to the last one, as long as you press a few numbers, the combat effectiveness will not be weakened at all after the soldiers are replenished.

Just the night before Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren were about to launch an attack, Fancheng moved, and as soon as it moved, the whole city mobilized to attack. Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren were so frightened that they immediately climbed up and climbed to the high platform to look around.

There were some flickering lights in the night, but they were not enough to give Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren enough light to see everything around them clearly. They could only rely on the various sounds coming from the night wind to assist their judgment.

The military prince in charge of scouting in the camp was also sweating profusely, because the soldiers sent out to investigate were attacked by the hussar scouts. Because the light in the camp behind Cao Jun's scouts was stronger, while facing Fancheng was darker, Cao Jun's scouts were He suffered a big loss, but the problem couldn't make Xiahou Dun order to extinguish all the camp torches, so he had to bite the bullet and dispatch, but the loss rate was really a headache...

"Attack!" To test the reality! "Since we don't know the specific situation around Fancheng and the scouts are ineffective, the best way is to use force to detect."

A military commander of Cao's army held his shield high while leading his soldiers to rush out of the camp gate.

"Ten steps forward!" 』

Although there were some scattered voices coming from the left and right, nothing happened. The military prince looked back at the camp, and then ordered again: "Twenty steps forward!" 』

The military line advanced unsteadily. Cao Jun's soldiers controlled themselves as much as possible, stretched out their swords and guns towards the gray and black people in front of them, maintained their formation, and moved forward slowly.

Another twenty steps, here we are.

Cao Jun's soldiers had just stopped and before they could breathe a sigh of relief, they suddenly heard a harsh and familiar sound!

"Boom boom!" 』

"Whizzing! 』

The commander of Cao Jun's army roared heartbreakingly: "Raise your shield!" 』

Almost instinctively, when the familiar sound of arrows flying sounded in the air, Cao's soldiers raised their shields one after another to form a shield wall. If ordinary arrows are basically enough for defense, the problem is that there seems to be a powerful crossbow on the opposite side!

The sound of the strong crossbow was dull and heavy, like a heavy hammer hitting a drum. Immediately, Cao's soldiers were hit by the crossbow bolts, fell to the ground in pain, and screamed.

"shooting! Archer! fight back! 』

Cao Ren stood on the wall of the stronghold, commanding Cao's soldiers to fight back in the direction of the arrows. Flocks of arrows flew across the night sky, as dense as locusts, but because they were fired blindly, the effect of intimidation and deterrence was greater than the killing.

Normally, after a long-range attack, there would be a wave of charges, and then the Cao army's line would be defeated in melee combat. Cao's army's arrows were intended to intercept the charge of the opponent's melee soldiers.

But the strange thing is that the opponent doesn't seem to have any intention of engaging in melee combat. There was neither an attack on the military line nor continued shooting. If it weren't for the undulating screams in the Cao army's military line, one would inevitably wonder whether the attack just now was an illusion...

"Could it be that..." Cao Ren rolled his eyes a few times, "The other side is just being restrained by archers?" No other arms? "Cao Ren has never been so eager for the sky to be bright as he is now, eager for the sun to rise in the next moment, and then illuminate the battlefield clearly.

"forward……"

"Boom boom!" 』

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

The familiar and terrifying sound came again. Cao Junjun immediately swallowed the order just now and shrank his head behind the shield. If you can't push it up, let's leave it at that. Whoever wants to push it up, I will hide behind the shield!

Step forward quietly? Don’t you want to be open-minded? Sorry, there is no such item in the training subjects of Cao Jun's soldiers, and there are no corresponding instructions. Perhaps Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren and other elite private troops have practiced this kind of demanding combat skills, but ordinary Cao Jun soldiers are basically in the type of "everyone roar forward, don't you roar", "yell", no Don't move until you yell, otherwise how can you call it "orders and prohibitions"?

In the night outside the gate of Fancheng, arrows were flying around one after another. The Cao soldiers in the middle wanted to scold their mothers but did not dare to speak. After all, the archers in the rear may not all be very accurate. Cao Junjun saw at least two unlucky guys with arrows stuck in their butts...

"Uncle Zixiao, how about..." Cao Xiu took a step forward, ready to ask for help, but was stopped by Cao Ren.

"Forget it, let's collect our troops and come back first. ” Cao Ren glanced at Cao Xiu and shook his head, “What if the thorns are planted again? How to resist? 』

A group of soldiers were sent forward. Although they were attacked, the sword and shield bearers themselves had stronger defense against bows and arrows, so the damage was relatively small. In addition, it was also proved that there were indeed hussars soldiers in the night. Judging from the density of arrows, their number could not be less than a thousand. Although it was impossible to determine the specific location of these soldiers, it was difficult to deal with the enemy in the dark and the enemy clearly. But as soon as the sky breaks out, doesn't it mean that the situation is immediately reversed?

Moreover, what if it is a tired strategy again? Or is it a seduction ploy? Anyway, now that it has been proven that there are indeed hussars outside the camp, it is safest to stick to the camp and wait for destiny. At present, Cao's army should not take risks if they can. They will wait until the sky becomes bright before launching an attack. In this way, Cao's army can wait for work in the camp. On the other hand, it can also take advantage of the coordination of its troops. It will not be like now, with shadows in the dark night, unable to catch or fight in vain...

Sure enough, after a while, Xiahou Dun's order spread throughout the camp. Except for the necessary soldiers on duty and the archers on the wall, most of the soldiers asked to wear armor and rest, and then waited for the arrival of dawn. At dawn, They will launch an unreserved attack on Fancheng!

"Well... As expected..." Zhuge Liang smiled, and then said to Xu Yu, "Xu Xiaowei, the matter of the end of the line..."

Xu Yu laughed and said, "Don't worry, Kong Ming!" 』

Zhuge Liang cupped his hands again, nodded, but did not leave, but headed towards the city again.

"Kong Ming, what are you..." Xu Yu shouted.

Zhuge Liang said: "Liang and Fan Chengxiang have a word, and there will be no delay..."

In Fancheng, most of the hussars had already begun to evacuate at night, and now what is left are Xu Yu's cavalry formation and the people who originally lived in Fancheng.

Seeing Zhuge Liang coming, these people in Fancheng stood up and saluted Zhuge.

"Everyone... don't worry, all your letters have been taken out of the city..." Zhuge Liang said. Most of the people in Fancheng could not write. Zhuge Liang asked the military scribes to spend half a day recording some oral messages, which were probably words like "How are you, Erdan Gouzang, I am very good here."

Zhuge Liang looked around and then said: "Remember, at dawn, we set fire to this place..." Zhuge Liang pointed to the Fancheng government office behind him, "Remember, it's not too early, and it's not too late..."

If you want to let these people in Fancheng survive, on the one hand, you need to end the war in Jingbei as soon as possible so that it does not turn into a war of attrition. Naturally, these people will not have to be used as consumables. On the other hand, they will never have to fight again. The old, weak, sick and disabled who have high value can become unretired people with a certain residual value, so naturally Cao Jun will not kill him.

Therefore, withdrawing troops is the first step, and burning the Fancheng government office is the second step.

Taking advantage of the darkness to withdraw the troops, it went smoothly. Cao Jun, who had been beaten by a sneak attack before, was obviously more cautious. He was unwilling to disrupt the battle with the hussars and wanted to take advantage of the number of people to fight after dawn. It can be said that Cao Jun's overall tactical intention It's very clear and reasonable, but it's exactly what Zhuge Liang expected.

So if we burn the Fancheng Government Office at dawn, and the surrounding areas of Fancheng Government Office are basically the residences of the original Fancheng gentry children, they are relatively prosperous, so they must look particularly good when burned...

Of course, what's more important is that the residences of these nobles' neighbors and ordinary people are far apart from each other, one in the north of the city and the other in the south.

Fancheng is worthless to the Hussars, but it is extremely important to the Xiahou of the Cao family, so once Fancheng becomes popular, who will be anxious? On the one hand, they need to pursue, and on the other, they need to put out the fire. For generals such as Xiahou and Cao, can they let their soldiers put out the fire and let the common people like Fancheng chase?

Similarly, the autumn is high and dry, and even if we put out fires, we may not be able to save many neighborhoods in the north of Fancheng. And once the government office area is burned down, it is impossible for the Xiahou family, Cao family, and others to go to the slums in the south of the city. To live in it, repair and reconstruction have become inevitable in the future, and the older people in Fancheng will naturally be conscripted into labor...

The very irony here is that, yes, as laborers, these people are still valuable. They are not paid, but they will also be given some food. Even if many people will die because of their work, it is better than seeing Fan Cheng. Unscathed, Cao Jun looked at them in a blink of an eye. What's the use of keeping these old and weak people? Are they a waste of food and grass? It is better to just let the soldiers slaughter them all. On the one hand, it can vent their anger and calm the grievances of the soldiers. On the other hand, it can put the blame on the hussars, and at the same time, there is no need to bear the rations of these people. Isn't it the best of all three?

Zhuge Liang looked back, checked the fire left behind, then sighed slightly, turned around and walked away. When passing by the gate of Fancheng Mansion Yamen, Zhuge Liang paused slightly and looked at the open vermilion door. An indescribable look flashed in his eyes.

These people are Han people, but they have to rely on burning government offices and destroying the symbols of the Han power to survive. How many Han people are there in the world, and how many symbols of the Han power must be destroyed to survive? When these vermilion gates and government offices of the Han Dynasty are burned down, can we still call ourselves Han in this world?

If it wasn't called the Han Dynasty, what would it be called?

As the night falls, who can see the road ahead clearly?