Three Kingdoms

The grassland in spring is beautiful.

But now Cao Chun is not in the mood to appreciate it.

It can even be said that there is some anxiety.

People who cannot adapt to life on horseback are gradually eliminated from the ranks of speed and cannot serve as cavalry. People who cannot adapt to the grassland and desert gradually become the targets of hunting in the desert. , or die, or escape. Similarly, those who cannot adapt to war, or are slightly worse in war, will also face the fate of being eliminated.

So, who will face elimination?

In the original plan, Cao Chun himself was a hunter, a hunter hiding in the shadows, waiting for gifts to be baited, but now...

The hussars and horses were cruising back and forth in Baishan, neither marching eastward nor returning, as if they were just staying in Baishan, waiting for Zhao Yun's large army to converge, which made Cao Chun and Kirby very embarrassed.

Ambush is the most commonly used method in war, but it is like the formula in Go. Although many people can memorize it and follow it, whether it can be used well is another matter.

Originally, it didn't matter. Cao Chun could still afford to wait. He originally thought that he should be more patient than Kirby. If Kirby could afford to wait, then he could afford to wait even more. Anyway, it was Kirby who could be eager. It is Cao Chun who wants to restore the leadership status of the grassland desert, not Cao Chun himself.

At worst, I can just go back to Yuyang and wait for the next opportunity.

Originally, Cao Chun thought that if it was a matter of patience, Cao Chun would be more patient than Kirby.

This patience comes from his own strength, but everything seems to have gradually changed, and this change was not originally expected by Cao Chun.

Generally speaking, if the word accident has anything to do with it, it is most likely not a good thing. This time it was the same. Soldiers from Cao's army rushed to report that some unidentified people were found around Yuyang. people...

At first, Cao Chun thought they were Wuhuan people and didn't pay much attention to them, because the Wuhuan people were actually like a group of jackals. When they gathered together, they looked like a very large team, but in fact they were not very effective in fighting and were a little more difficult. They couldn't even chew their bones, and the Wuhuan people didn't have any good means of attacking the city. At most, they could just loot the surrounding areas.

Moreover, they had just defeated the coalition forces of Liu He and the Wuhuan people, which forced the Wuhuan people to flee far away. Even if the Wuhuan people wanted to regroup now, it would not be that easy, not to mention that if the Wuhuan people knew about Zhao Yun When others advance, they will definitely wait for Zhao Yun to confirm the victory situation before rushing madly. On the contrary, if they see Zhao Yun and others being ambushed and defeated, they will give the Wuhuan people a hundred courage, and they will at most stay on the periphery. Baring his teeth, he didn't dare to really pounce.

So I didn't pay much attention to it at first, but later I realized something was wrong. The latest soldier reported that after detection, it was found that these unidentified people were not Wuhuan people...

Then Cao Chun speculated that it might be Ding Ling.

Because there are powerful people nearby who threaten Yuyang, Ding Ling is the only one left.

But the question is how did the Ding Ling people bypass the cordon in the north?

Why didn't the scouts in the north report?

If one or two scouts were unable to report back, that would be normal. After all, when the scouts from both sides fought, there would be winners and losers. If the loser died, it would be impossible to report back information. However, none of the scouts sent by Cao Jun could escape. , so that there is no return, that is obviously impossible.

Therefore, on the whole, the possibility that the Ding Ling people would not destroy the cordon of the scouts and at the same time have a large force cross the cordon and go south to threaten Yuyang was almost zero.

Then the question becomes, who are these unidentified people who unexpectedly appeared near Yuyang?

this is a big problem.

It is also a very troublesome problem.

This accident was not part of Cao Chun's plan, otherwise Cao Chun would not have just arranged for two thousand people to defend the city in Yuyang. Although two thousand people are not a small number to garrison a city, but because he has no idea who the opponent is and how many people the opponent has, and then determines the specific strategy, Cao Chun has to imagine facing the worst possible situation.

What will happen if Yuyang is lost? This is almost a no-brainer to think of, and this result is unacceptable to Cao Chun no matter what. Therefore, the question that needs to be considered now is, if Yuyang is really in danger, how should we deal with it!

That's right, from Shanggu to Yuyang, if the cavalry rushes to the rescue, it won't take much time, but rushing to the rescue of Yuyang is equivalent to giving up the ambush. It is easy to give up, but it also means that all the previous efforts will be in vain.

Is it worth it?

But if you insist on staying here, once there is some danger in Yuyang, the consequences will undoubtedly be the most serious and terrifying. Cao's cavalry has lost its foundation and its morale has collapsed. Let alone attack, even if it retreats, it will collapse. bad.

Yuyang is the foundation of Cao Chun and the support point of Cao's entire Youzhou family, so there is no room for loss.

There was even an even more terrifying idea that gradually emerged in Cao Chun's mind. What if the ambush in front of him was not Qiusi but him?

What if Cao Chun thought he was a hunter, but that's what he thought?

Cao Chun felt a chill behind his back, as if something was staring at him coldly...

……(⊙o⊙)……

Juzhang...it's dawn...

ah? What? Oh... Jushou was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that he had stayed up all night again without realizing it.

In the lobby of Yuyang Mansion, Jushou slowly straightened up, only to find that his back was stiff and sore from bending and lying down for a long time, and he groaned in pain.

The night passed and day came.

But the next dark night is approaching.

How many dark nights can you survive in Yuyang?

There was a bad premonition rising in Jushou's heart, which made him stay up all night arranging troops and simulating battle situations.

But……

Jushou staggered.

The guard soldiers hurriedly stepped forward, helped Jushou to stand up, moved slowly, massaged and massaged the muscles on Jushou's loosened back, and then signaled the servants to come forward to clear the table, blow out the candles, and provide toiletries. .

Jushu took the face towel and covered his face.

Ah……

Jushou closed his eyes hard, his eyes stung, and he shed some tears. After looking at the map all night, his eyes were now dry, as if someone had thrown a handful of sand into his eyelids.

Under the warm facecloth, Jushou's pain caused by staying up late was slowly relieved, but the worry in his heart did not decrease by half.

Discovering this was actually an accident.

After defeating the biggest threat around Yuyang, the Wuhuan people fled, and then Cao Chun and Kirby Neng joined forces to fight against the Ding Ling people. It can be said that the Youzhou area has ushered in an unprecedented period of safety, and Jushou, who had been under the pressure of Zhongda both physically and mentally, could feel a little breather, so Jushou took some people to the surrounding areas for an outing...

Spring, of course, the grassland in Youbei has beautiful scenery. If you hunt some prey, then sit under the peach blossom tree, eat barbecue and drink wine, the hard work of these hours will not be in vain, it can be regarded as something you have given to yourself. A little reward.

But during such a simple outing, Jushou and his party, who were just preparing to kill some small prey, ended up encountering a big prey!

Jushou suddenly encountered an attack and was almost killed by an arrow on the spot!

Fortunately, Jushou happened to turn around and talk to others at that time, and escaped the disaster, which also exposed the whereabouts of these unknown people who were originally hiding around Yuyang.

Afterwards, Jushou naturally had no intention of continuing the outing and hurriedly returned to Yuyang City. He sent out scout troops to detect the surrounding area. He discovered that these people were not just a small group of people, but there were also some traces that had not yet been eliminated in the surrounding area. And judging from these traces, these are not the ranger assassins that Jushou originally suspected, but soldiers with obvious military traces!

But Jushou has not been able to find out whose troops and horses it is...

It's a pity that it would have been better if the reaction had been sharper and some survivors had been left alive.

Jushou sighed slightly under his face towel.

General... Has the general not replied yet? Jushou closed his eyes and covered himself with a towel, and asked vaguely, "What new discoveries did the scout make?"

The guard was silent for a moment and reported back... No, none...

Jushou's hand covering his face paused, and after a moment, he put down his hand and towel together, took a long breath, and heard that the three elders in the city were coming...

Jushou is not from Yuyang. Although Guangping is not too far from Youzhou, the terrain around Yuyang is naturally more familiar to the local indigenous people, such as the three elders of Yuyang.

Not long after, the three elders of Yuyang came.

The three elders are not three people, but one person, whose job title is the three elders.

Excuse me... Please take a seat... Jushou stared at the three elders of Yuyang, was silent for a moment, and asked in a deep voice, is there only one tunnel for travelers from Yuyang to Liaodong?

The three elders of Yuyang couldn't help being startled and looked up at Jushou's face.

Jushou had asked the three elders of Yuyang this question last time, but at that time the three elders of Yuyang said that there was only this way. After all, this road was naturally the most convenient for the army to move, and other places were not suitable for the army.

But this time Jushou asked again, and it was obvious that there were some new changes. If you persisted at this time, what if...

The third elder of Yuyang swallowed his saliva, hesitated for a moment, and then reported back, this... road is not only one, but that one... is quite difficult...

Jushou signaled, take the picture...point it out!

The three elders of Yuyang stepped forward and drew on the map. To the northwest of Changli, there is a water called Laoqin Water, and then it winds along the waterway to the south... However, this road is rugged and difficult, and there are long detours. The army should It's impassable...

It’s not up to you to decide whether you should or not! Jushou frowned, then glared at Yuyang Sanlao, why didn't you say something earlier? !

This...this...Yuyang Sanlao lowered his head. He didn't think of it before...I was asked about it today, and he suddenly remembered...

snort! Jushou waved his hand and stepped back!

The three elders of Yuyang bowed their hands and were about to leave. I don't know if they really thought about it again or if they wanted to make up for their previous mistakes. They stopped and added: "If you want to do something, if you tell me the way, Well, there is actually another way... that can be taken by water...

waterway? Jushou's eyes widened, his heart skipped a beat, and he repeated, "Waterway!"

……(⊙﹏⊙b)……

Jushou's guess was correct this time. He was indeed from Liaodong, and he also took the waterway. After all, the waterway is smoother...

Naturally, there are not so many ships in Liaodong, and the ships belong to Soochow.

Well, it can't be called Soochow yet, but it should be called a gift from Sun Shiwan, the grandson of Jiangdong.

After his grandson, Sun Quan is very excited now. He sits in the hall and looks around, his eyebrows filled with uncontrollable pride, as if he is shouting, come on, come and praise me, come and praise me quickly!

From a certain perspective, Sun Quan's move was indeed a good one.

Most people really can’t think of it.

Sun Quan hooked up with the people from Liaodong, and they made peace across the vast sea, one in the south and the other in the north!

Ah ha ha ha ha... Sun Quan was beaming and gesticulating at the map. Now that Cao Cao's thieves are in chaos in Youzhou to the north, they must send soldiers north, and they need to guard against the hussars in the west. Plus... Hehehe, then the southern front will definitely be empty! At that time, they only need to send their troops to the north. Cao Cao's thieves cannot take care of both the north and the south, and cannot have both the east and the west. They will inevitably fall apart and lose everything!

Sun Quan really said the word "all defeated" with gritted teeth and determination, his voice shook the beams and pillars, and his voice lingered.

Zhou Yu was also a little surprised. He did not expect that Sun Quan really did such a thing and did it on such a big scale, taking into account everything from east to west, north and south. Zhou Yu originally thought that Sun Quan was just using Xuzhou's trade route to assassinate Cao Cao and provoke a fight between Cao Cao and Fei Qian. Unexpectedly, Sun Quan actually had a hidden agenda. Not only did he contact Zang Ba through business, but he also directly went to Zang Ba. Bei contacted Gongsun!

The strategy of making friends from far away and attacking closely.

I have to say that this hand is indeed beautiful.

But, is this too far?

It's so far away that you can hook up once a year, just like a long-distance relationship. Well, it's worse than a long-distance relationship. If the sea is rougher and the waves are bigger, that guy will be in vain...

In fact, Sun Quan did not have such a grand strategic goal from the beginning, but because Jiangdong was really short of war horses, and Cao Cao was originally blocked by Fei Qian. Can Cao Cao leak out the war horses to Sun Quan? It's like a broken keycap from a certain dealer that hasn't been changed for ten thousand years. It's more expensive than an imported Dawan horse, but the quality is worse than a pony raised in the countryside!

So actually, Sun Quan originally wanted to smuggle some war horses from Liaodong...

After all, if you take the Liaodong route, you can make the difference without a middleman, which is so cool.

Hooking up with the Gongsun family in Liaodong was an unexpected gain. It was indeed not in Sun Quan's plan, but it did not prevent Sun Quan from boasting about this as his own merit.

These days, the aroma of wine is still too deep in the alley, so how can we do it without blowing it?

Bragging, there are still people who support it.

Of course, Sun Quan's direct subordinates praised Sun Quan crazily, but they had heard a lot of what they said, which was the same taste. Therefore, Sun Quan wanted to change his taste. After all, he could get Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao, and people from the four major families in Jiangdong. Bowing one's head is truly as mellow as fine wine, but now, these people, whom Sun Quan expected to be admired and admired, are not very cooperative.

In the past, Duke Mu of Lu sent his princes to serve as officials in Jin and Chu. Now, the lord has married his grandson from thousands of miles away in Liaodong. What a brilliant plan! Yu Fan took the lead and refused to give face. He sneered twice and said, "My lord is really thoughtful, I admire you, I admire you!"

Uh-huh? Sun Quan smacked his tongue and thought, why did this sound like something different? Then he saw someone among the four Jiangdong people sitting down slightly curling his lips and smiling. He immediately reacted and shouted angrily, Yu Zhongxiang! What do you mean? !

Yu Fan cupped his hands and said, "I have little talent and little knowledge. I don't understand your lord's subtle strategies. If you have something unclear, please ask your lord for advice... May I ask my lord, if there is an accident in Liaodong and we are located in Jiangdong, when will we know about it?"

This...Sun Quan couldn't answer.

If Cao Jun knew about this, he was falsely announcing his change. How can I tell the truth, my lord? Yu Fan pursues him closely. Besides, Liaodong is a corner of the country. The land is sparsely populated and the soldiers are short of generals. If you plan to do this with people like this, how can you gain anything?

Be bold!

Sun Quan slapped the table and was about to let someone clean up Yu Fan, but he heard Zhang Zhao on the side raised his hands and said: My Lord, what Zhong Xiang said may be extreme... My Lord, there is no need to care... However, I heard that my Lord sent three thousand The soldiers were sent to Liaodong, and there were also a number of warships with jewels and valuables. I wonder... is it true or false?

Well...it was obviously impossible to hide this matter, so Sun Quan nodded.

So...I wonder what Liaodong gave as a gift? Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and asked in a calm voice.

What else could there be?

Liaodong, the Three Treasures of Liaodong, plus some war horses, and due to long-distance shipping, some war horses have died on the way. Most of the remaining war horses have actually lost fat and cannot be used unless they are raised for a year or two.

Sun Quan hesitated.

Zhang Zhao looked at Sun Quan as if he were looking at his own prodigal son. If you are not a householder, you don’t know that firewood and rice at home are expensive, so if you sell them at such a cheap price, do you really think that you are sitting on a gold mountain, or is Jiangdong already so rich that you can give things to anyone who comes by?

People from the four major families in Jiangdong also looked at Sun Quan, as if they were looking at a fool who lacked care. The people of Jiangdong have always been shrewd and good at calculations. Even with a few hairs on them, they can be smarter than a monkey. If any of the four Jiangdong families were to do such a loss-making business, they would probably be beaten to death on the spot as aliens!

Zhou Yu lowered his head and never looked at Sun Quan from beginning to end.

Sun Quan's face was ashen, he was holding the desk with both hands, and his veins were pulsing...