Three Kingdoms

An unchanging life may make people lazy, or it may make people feel bored.

Cao Cao hates an unchanging life. If he liked this way of life back then, wouldn't it be great to just become a second-rate high-ranking yamen who is the best at eating, drinking, having sex and playing with women?

But when endless challenges come to face, even Cao Cao will inevitably feel a little tired.

The Cao Mansion in Yecheng, well, it was originally within the Yuan Mansion, but now it belongs to the Cao family.

In the future...

Who knows?

Cao Cao smiled and looked up, the spring flowers all over the mountain were blooming. Did Brother Benchu ​​see the mountains full of flowers when he was here?

"Filial piety..."

Cao Cao called softly.

"Lord. 』

Guo Jia took half a step forward and stood behind Cao Cao.

"This time, was it right...or was it wrong? ” Cao Cao asked softly.

Guo Jia looked up at Cao Cao in slight surprise, "...My lord is wise." 』

"Um? Um. ” Cao Cao understood and nodded.

After a while.

"Filial piety." ” Cao Cao called.

"I am here." ” Guo Jia responded.

"very good. ” Cao Cao sighed, “It’s a pity that there is only one Fengxiao in the world. 』

Guo Jia cupped his hands and said, "Only in this way can I enjoy the favor of my lord." 』

"Haha..." Cao Cao laughed, then nodded and shouted, "Send Cui Jigui to come!" 』

The men responded and left in a hurry.

Cao Cao looked at it and sighed, "There are too many smart people in this world... The Qiaoqi side wants to make more people smart... This is really..."

Guo Jia was silent for a moment and said: "There are more smart people, and there are more rules." 』

"Rules..." Cao Cao nodded, "Yes, rules." 』

Not long after, there were attendants singing in the distance, "Cui Bie has arrived..."

"pass! ” Cao Cao shook his sleeves, turned around, sat down, and then motioned for Guo Jia to sit down too.

Cui Yan walked forward unhurriedly and said, "Greetings to Duke Ming..."

Cao Cao nodded, "Without courtesy, come and sit down." 』

Cao Cao is the master, so he naturally sits on his head.

Guo Jia sat at the bottom, and Cui Yan naturally sat opposite Guo Jia. After Cui Yan sat down, he nodded slightly to Guo Jia, and Guo Jia returned the gesture.

One person sits in one position.

Cao Cao looked at it, his eyelids drooped slightly, and then he said slowly: "I summoned Ji Gui today because I have to report urgently... Yuyang is in danger..."

Cui Yan was stunned.

Since learning that Cao Cao was coming to Yecheng, Cui Yan had prepared a lot, such as the personnel arrangements in Jizhou, the conditions of spring plowing in various places, the mood changes of large households, Zhuang He's sowing and growth, etc., but he did not expect what he had prepared. Cao Cao didn't ask any questions, but just threw Yuyang out.

Cui Yan had heard a little bit about Yuyang, but Cui Yan felt that it was a wolf that had come to Youzhou before. It was hard to say what the situation was now. Moreover, the most important thing in Jizhou at the moment was Yuyang, who was far away in Youzhou. It is obviously important and self-evident, so Cui Yan feels that Cao Cao will definitely solve the affairs in Jizhou first, and then solve the military affairs in Yuyang...

Could it be that Yuyang's corruption has become more serious than Jizhou's right now?

Cao Cao squinted his eyes, seemed to be smiling but not smiling, turned around and ordered: "Get the map!" 』

The attendant on the side quickly fetched the map and hung it high.

The land of Yuyang Fangwan is curled up on the map, surrounded by large and small red and black arrows and various signs. Even those who don't know how to read military maps will intuitively sense the danger within it.

"Yuyang..." Cui Yan's eyes widened, and then he quickly returned to his original expression, cupping his hands and saying, "I wonder what your orders are, Duke Ming?" 』

"Command?" Haha, let’s not worry about it for the moment... Come on, Fengxiao... Let’s talk about Yuyang’s military situation first..." Cao Cao looked at Cui Yan, then turned to look at Guo Jia and signaled.

"only! My lord, stay away..." Guo Jia raised his hands, saluted Cao Cao and Cui Yan respectively, and then said, "There are only less than two thousand soldiers in Yuyang... General Cao was blocked by Gongsun's army... In addition to Gongsun's soldiers, there are more than 10,000 Wuhuan people and more than 10,000 Xianbei people in Yuyang... There are also more than 10,000 Dingling people... According to what General Cao sent before, General Pingbei under Hussar He also led nearly 10,000 troops and sent troops to Changshan..."

"Once Yuyang is lost, there will be no screen in northern Hebei." "Cao Cao still squinted his eyes and looked at Cui Yan, "I wonder if there is any good strategy? 』

Cui Yan's heart sank.

The so-called good policy is naturally a "food" policy.

But the problem is that now everyone in Jizhou is very dissatisfied with Cao Cao's previous share of the cake. Coupled with a series of previous incidents, Jizhou is holding back its energy and wants to have a good argument with Lao Cao, argue the difference, and decide the difference. He made a right or wrong decision, but he didn't expect Cao Cao to throw out such a thing, and he was suddenly a little passive.

Youzhou is the barrier to the north of Jizhou. Because of the existence of Youzhou, Jizhou has always been relatively safe and has not received much intrusion from the barbarians. This is also the reason why Jizhou and Yuzhou have been prosperous and peaceful since Guangwu of the Han Dynasty.

However.

The people of Jizhou, especially the wealthy gentry in Jizhou, do not think so.

Youzhou? Is it none of my business?

Cui Yan pondered for a long time, and then said: "This matter is important, why doesn't Ming Gong gather all the wise men to discuss it together?" Cui Yan did not dare to talk about the issue of sending troops, because to send troops, of course, he needed food and grass, and the food and grass issue had always been the focus of the conflict with Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was still smiling, "Ji Gui might as well tell me, who else needs to discuss it together?" 』

"Master Mingjian!" Cui Yan stepped forward and prostrated himself on the ground, "Yan is not talented and was promoted by his lord from a low position. He should repay his kindness with death. If he loses his family and property, he can solve Yuyang's difficulties. I have nothing to say!" However, the current chaos in Youbei cannot be settled in a short time, so we should gather the power of Jiyou to jointly control it! 』

Cao Cao nodded slightly, "Well... what Ji Gui said... is very reasonable... So, Ji Gui will call the meeting first, and after three days, the main meeting will be held..."

"My lord, take your orders!" Cui Yan kowtowed, then peeked at Cao Cao and said, "I'm leaving..."

"Um. ”Cao Cao waved his hand.

Cui Yan left.

Cao Cao squinted his eyes and looked all the way, then turned to Guo Jia and said calmly: "As expected." 』

Guo Jia shook his head slightly and sighed.

……(╯︵╰)……

"What? 』

"Is Yuyang so corrupt? 』

"Everyone, everyone! Youbei is in danger, does Mr. Cao definitely need our help to survive this disaster? ! 』

"Ah, yes!" So to say……"

"Oh, hahaha!" 』

"What a shame! Mr. Cao, how could Mr. Cao be so embarrassed? ! 』

"I have said it before, regardless of whether it is Mr. Yuan or Mr. Cao, it is impossible to leave us!" 』

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" 』

"..."

Cui Yan frowned and sat above, listening to the noisy sounds below. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a little palpitated, but he didn't know where this feeling came from.

Yuyang is in a hurry.

So Cao Cao needs to raise troops to rescue.

To send an army, you need food and grass, and now Cao Cao doesn't have much food and grass, so he can only surrender to the big gentry in Jizhou in exchange for the support of the big gentry in Jizhou for his military actions, just like when Liu Xiu wanted to march into Guanzhong and unify The world must rely on them.

Is this inference very smooth?

But Cui Yan just felt like something was wrong, but what exactly was wrong?

Wait, think about it again.

Does Cao Cao want to dominate the world?

Yes.

So does fighting for hegemony require soldiers and food?

That's right.

So where did the soldiers' money and food come from?

tax.

Who pays the taxes?

Naturally, he is a big gentry family, especially a big gentry family in Jizhou and Yuzhou.

Therefore, Cao Cao ultimately sought help from the wealthy noble families, so even if he was disobedient for a moment, he still had to kneel down and call dad when he had no money, right? Although Cui Yan didn't know all the terms of later generations, the ideas were similar. Therefore, he felt that the only way for Cao Cao now, spring plowing, was not the best expression. No matter how you jump, when it comes to money and food, you have to fall to the ground, that is, you must surrender and succumb to their skirts.

"Everyone..." Cui Yan spoke slowly and looked around, "Now that Yuyang is in danger, you should cooperate sincerely, unite as one, and fight the national crisis together..."

"Um? Don't drive...it makes sense..."

"Yes, that makes sense. 』

"It makes sense. 』

Everyone here is not a fool. Hearing the sound of strings means knowing the elegant meaning, and they all agreed. No matter what, the face is still upright, just like the announcement issued by some big companies.

Cui Yan nodded, then stood up and left. Cui Yan was very cautious, so he didn't say much. And did he say anything wrong? Is there anything wrong with his words?

None, in some ways, not at all.

But the key to something is often not how you say it, but how you do it!

……(*`ェ′*)……

Yuyang is near.

Now that spring is getting darker, it has entered the best season in the desert.

But now, the season that was supposed to be used for reproduction and raising cattle and horses has turned into a time for killing.

This had never happened before the Han Dynasty, and it was even rare in the entire battle between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu.

Raise troops in autumn and withdraw them in winter, and fight only once a year.

But now, it seems that many rules have been broken...

The breeze blows slowly, blowing the knee-deep green grass, like a sea of ​​green, but in the sea of ​​green, there are also some variegated colors.

The charred ground, chopped grass roots, broken arrows buried deep in the ground, and the bloodstains and corpses left behind showed that a war had just ended here.

Gongsun Du knew that as long as he defeated Cao Chun, Yuyang would be at his fingertips, so he had been trying to block Cao Chun's movements with men and horses, trying to confine Cao Chun to a certain area, and then continuously compress and surround him. It was eventually annihilated, but Cao Chun did not let Gongsun get his wish. Instead, he broke through his interception and lingered in the periphery.

This made Gongsun very unhappy.

In this war, Gongsundu believed that he had the right time, place, and people. Not only did he have both water and land routes to advance, but he even had Xianbei people to help him. It was almost certain that he would win Yuyang.

Sun Quan's support made Gongsun Du even more overjoyed, and through previous trade, he was even more eager to obtain Yuyang's salt and iron, obtain property, obtain larger land and more people. This desire comes from the soul. Deep down, it comes from an instinct.

The instinct of greed.

Speaking of which, I still blame the hussar.

If the hussar generals had not engaged in all kinds of tricks, and had not engaged in caravan trade, Gongsundu would not have felt that he was far away from the top culture of the Han Dynasty when he was sitting in Liaodong in front of the local overlord.

However, as time went by, as more and more things poured into Liaodong, Liaodong's original resources became obviously in short supply, especially when he knew that everything had been enhanced under Cao Cao's rule. There was this middleman named Cao who was increasing the price. The anger burning in his chest was the source of motivation that made him muster all his energy to win over Yuyang!

Down with the damn middlemen!

Then I added the invitation from Xianbei Kirby Neng...

Gongsundu and Kirby were even able to carefully divide the territory of Youzhou. Gongsundu wants Yuyang and the east side, and Kirby Neng wants the north and west sides. In this way, Gongsundu is mainly responsible for defending Cao Cao, while Kirby Neng is responsible for resisting the hussars in case of an attack. .

Both parties were very serious and sincere when negotiating terms, and even made an alliance through blood.

Therefore, pursuing Cao Chun now naturally falls within Gongsundu's business scope.

Xianbei people also have things that Xianbei people have to do.

But this task that Gongsun Du originally thought was relatively simple now seems a bit tricky.

The smell of embers floats on the post-war grasslands, a smell that veterans are very familiar with. It is slightly burnt and slightly smelly. This is the smell of burnt human flesh. Even recruits who have never smelled this smell will instinctively reject it, as if their organs know that this smell is the smell of burning human fat, and then they will show some disgust.

Logically speaking, perhaps more than 90% of human meat and the meat of other animals are the same, the same meat fiber, the same hemoglobin, but it is this subtle difference that makes human meat different from the meat of other animals. Different smells send a special signal.

It's like there are some things that you know how to do even if you don't need to say anything in particular.

This is something engraved in the genes. Perhaps the ancestors can unite with each other to fight against external threats and become partners to fight together, but this kind of thing is like a covenant...

It is wrong for people to kill people, but many people still kill people.

Kill them with knives or other methods.

It is not good for people to eat people, but many people still eat people.

Eat it raw or in other ways.

After all, talking is all about talking, and doing is all about doing.

This has been the case since ancient times.

Under the soil slope not far away, there are some raised stone graves piled up. Various cloth strips are hung on the stone piles. There are also some broken pieces of armor and weapons inserted in front of the graves. With the spring breeze, Dance slowly.

These graves are the graves of Cao's cavalry. Of course, the better standard is to burn and bring back the ashes according to the fire ethics of the big man. But isn’t the black smoke from burning during the escape an act of seeking death?

Because Cao Chun needed constant movement, he was unable to do so, so he could only bury these corpses during a short stay.

After several days of fighting, Gongsun's side was unable to capture any of Cao's troops alive.

Gongsun's soldiers, who were riding horses to clean the battlefield on the grassland, looked at the piles of rocks in the distance and thought about Cao's army's performance on the battlefield, and they couldn't help but feel a little admiration.

Don’t be a prisoner, don’t leave any of your compatriots behind, be born as a Han, and return your soul to the land of the Han. This was originally the iron law of the Han cavalry.

It's just that, after all, there are very few people who actually do this.

At least Gongsun Bingzu knew in his heart that at least they couldn't do it.

When did the Han soldiers become like this?

At that time...

At least when Yuan Shao was fighting against Gongsun Zan, I didn't hear that Yuan Shao's soldiers were like this?

"Where are those guys from Xianbei? ! Gongsun Kang said angrily, "Didn't they say before that they would help us kill these damn Cao Jun cavalry!" We only need to take care of Yuyang! 』

Gongsun Du glanced at his son and said, "Say what you say, do what you do." Xianbei farted, could you possibly take it seriously? 』

"Shameless!" mean! Gongsun Kang waved his arms, "He is the king of Xianbei!" How can you be so dishonest? ! 』

Gongsun Du lowered his head, still looking at the map, and ignored Gongsun Kang's complaints, because complaining was of no use, and from a certain point of view, if it was just because of Cao Chun's cavalry that he needed the support of the Xianbei people, then Xianbei People will definitely have extreme contempt for Gongsun and others because of this, and they will not be willing to cooperate in the future.

Even if there is no subsequent cooperation, Gongsun Du cannot afford to lose this person.

Gongsun Kang is so angry and excited, not because Gongsun Kang really cares about Gongsun Shangxia's victory or defeat, but because he was defeated by Cao Chun last time. If Liu Yi hadn't arrived, he would have been killed by Cao Chun on the spot. , so I particularly hate Cao Chun.

It's just that this kind of hatred, or any other emotion, cannot help the battle situation. So Gongsun Du rushed over, took over Gongsun Kang's original fighting position, and then asked Liu Yi to go back and preside over the siege of Yuyang.

But even so, it is still not easy to catch Cao Chun.

The Gongsun family has cavalry, but their quality is not as strong as that of his elder brother. Moreover, because Gongsun Du’s previous territory was also mountainous and not like the large grasslands in Youbei, Gongsun Du’s family did not It is not mainly cavalry, but more infantry.

Gongsun Du laid several traps, trying to take advantage of Cao Chun's eagerness to rush back to Yuyang, and then surrounded and captured Cao Chun. However, he did not expect that Cao Chun did not fall into the trap. Instead, he seemed not to care about Yuyang. , kept cruising around the periphery, which made Gongsun Du very uncomfortable.

Could it be said that Cao Chun didn't care about Yuyang's gains and losses at all?

Or is it better for Gongsun Du to turn around now, ignore Cao Chun on the periphery, and then attack Yuyang with all his strength?

Or separate the infantry and cavalry, and then use the cavalry to pursue Cao Chun?

Gongsun Du hesitated a little, but he didn't know that some things gradually changed while he hesitated...