Three Kingdoms

In the Taihang Valley, Sima Village.

Le Sheng stood under Sima Shanzhai, gritting his teeth.

He had no idea that in the Taihang Mountains, under their surveillance eyes, there would be such a large-scale cottage!

Moreover, this cottage has obviously been built for some time. There is even a large sentry on the mountain ridge in the distance, standing on three sides surrounded by cliffs, providing an additional view of Sima Village.

No wonder the old thief Sima abandoned the Wubao in Hanoi and came here. No matter from any angle, this cottage is obviously more dangerous and more difficult to attack than the Wubao on the plains.

Understanding is understanding, but the problem is that it is very troublesome to attack.

Although Wubao is enough to give ordinary soldiers a headache, compared with the cottage, especially the cottage that has been prepared in advance, it is really nothing. In terms of grandeur, copycats are generally not good-looking, but in terms of attack difficulty, copycats are at least one level higher than Wubao.

No one knows when the Sima family built this cottage in the Taihang Mountain Trail. Because when Shangdang went to Hanoi, basically the caravans traveled along the Taihang Mountain Trail, so the main passage was relatively smooth. But for a branch like this, maybe if it hadn't been for this incident, no one would have discovered that there was such a thing hidden in the branch of the mountain trail.

The cottage is built on a rock on a slope, and there are rocks below the steep slope. It's like a piece of land carved out of the rock. The front route is a climbing gap in the middle of the rock, which is about the width of a car.

Under the rock is a relatively broad slope, not very steep, but not flat either.

“Damn it, how on earth did these guys build this copycat? ’ Le Sheng, who had no idea about cranes and other engineering equipment, had a hard time understanding how the wood and rocks needed for these cottages were transported to the rocks.

Several shield carts were pushed up and headed under the rock. The shield carts were divided into two rows, two in the front and three in the back. There were some aisles in the middle. Because they were pushing up the slope, the prisoners pushing the carts Both the husband and the son-in-law were having a hard time.

They are cannon fodder and always the first to die.

The shield cart was pushed up with a creaking sound. Because it was uphill, everyone pushing the cart used all their strength to push the cart up.

Le Sheng planned to nail the shield car under the rock first, and then build a platform to climb upward. Then he would control the narrow passage and use a ladder or other things to attack. Otherwise, it would be difficult to directly threaten the mountain stronghold above the rock.

When the shield car was about to approach the bottom of the rock, someone in the queue suddenly heard screaming.

Le Sheng looked up and saw a huge rolling stone pushed down from the top of the rock. It jumped and hit the bottom. Fortunately, there seemed to be some problems with his aim. He passed by a shield cart and jumped high into the air. Another bang hit the ground, splashing up a large pile of sand, gravel and mud, and then hit the opposite stone wall...

The shield cart passed by the rolling stone. I don't know if it was because it was frightened and its legs were weak, or because it forgot that it was still on the slope for a moment, it slipped downwards. After a while, it couldn't push it anymore. A prisoner and his son-in-law pushing the shield cart turned around and ran out. They saw the shield cart grunting as it slid down, knocking down several people following behind, and then stopped again at the bottom of the slope.

"Someone is coming!" Anyone who escapes from battle shall be killed! Le Sheng's face turned gloomy.

Immediately, some soldiers rushed forward and held down the criminal prisoners and the husband-in-law who had let go of the shield cart but escaped in front of the formation. They chopped off their heads one by one and displayed them in front.

"forward! Keep moving forward! ” Lesheng’s soldiers urged.

The cannon fodder continued to push the shield cart upwards, and more rolling stones began to be thrown from the rocks.

Another shield cart was hit from the front. The huge stone easily smashed the shield cart open. The potential energy was converted into ferocious kinetic energy, tearing the shield cart apart like a toy. Even a tree trunk as thick as a bowl was blown apart. Unable to withstand the powerful impact, the broken wood was scattered in all directions, and the rolling stone continued to roll. It also hit a prisoner behind him, causing his flesh and blood to fly everywhere. He bounced down the slope and hit a few people behind him, making a miserable howl. Suddenly the sky shook.

The cannon fodder behind the shield truck was in a panic again. Le Sheng's combat supervisors cut down more than a dozen of them in a row before they managed to suppress the front line and allowed the cannon fodder to continue moving forward.

The battlefield was so small that Le Sheng felt extremely aggrieved. He even had the urge to roar, but being small also had its advantages. Anyway, if you fight hard here, you will be done with it if you break through.

As the remaining shield carts in front finally settled under the rocks of the mountain village, the subsequent anemone carts were also pushed up. This kind of cart has two wheels and thick wooden boards with earth and rock bags piled on top. If it encounters When you reach the trench, you can set it up directly on the trench. If you encounter the current situation, you can also set up a relatively flat platform so that the soldiers who follow up the attack can have a foothold.

The cannon fodder pushing the cart struggled to push the cannon fodder forward under the threat of swords and guns from Le Sheng's soldiers. In the process, several of the cannon fodders were hit by rolling stones and rocks. However, the center of gravity of the cannon fodder was more stable than that of the shield cart, and It is thicker, so even if it is hit by a boulder, it may not be scattered like a shield car, and it can still continue to move forward. It's just that the unlucky guy who happened to be hit became rotten flesh and blood under the wheel.

Le Sheng pushed the cannon fodder forward without hesitation. Just like these criminals and their sons-in-law, they were as cheap as dirt and rocks. If they could use wooden carts, dirt, and the flesh and blood of these cannon fodders under the cliff passage, It's all worth it to create an offensive platform.

In the mountain stronghold on the rock, some private soldiers of the Sima family began to shoot down. Bows, arrows and crossbows were missing and flying in all directions. From time to time, cannon fodder or relatively unprepared Lesheng soldiers were shot and fell to the ground, howling loudly. .

If you are directly shot in a vital part and die, it is a good thing to a certain extent. After all, in such an environment, being shot but not receiving treatment during a battle is basically the same death, and you have to watch helplessly. Watching myself continue to bleed and suffer tremendous pain...

Sima Fang, who was on the mountain stronghold, was leaning on a walking stick, stretched out his head and glanced down, then retracted, "Don't be anxious, don't throw all the rolling stones and logs in one breath, save some..." …』

"Master, why is this damn Le Jin staring at us?" We have all given up on Wubao, why are we still unwilling to give up? "A disciple of the Sima family asked at the side.

"Why? Sima Fang sneered, "When have you ever seen a hunter let go of a prey when it is weak and flinching?" 』

The Sima disciple was silent for a moment, and then he said with some hesitation: "Then... our... this cottage..."

"Are you worried that you won't be able to hold on?" ” Sima Fang raised his eyelids slightly, “Are you afraid that you won’t be able to run away if you are attacked? 』

"This..." The Sima family disciples were a little embarrassed.

"Do not worry! The Hussar people will be here soon..." Sima Fang said with a smile, "What's more, since we are such a large group of people and we are going to the Hussar place, shouldn't we prepare some meeting gifts? So what other greeting gift would be more appropriate than the head of the fool below? Our cottage has no way to retreat, which means these guys also have no way to retreat! Remember, the prey can also become the hunter... As long as we endure these days, we will surely win! 』

Sima Fang didn't seem to be affected by the noise below the village at all, but looked in the direction of Huguan with some confidence.

The people who were sent to ask for help in advance should be arriving by now, right?

Of course, Sima Fang would never admit that it was because of his poor legs and feet that he couldn't run fast even if he ran away. It was better to live here and die!

……(;￢＿￢)……

Outside the Hu Pass.

Taihang Mountain Trail.

A group of people is on their way.

Although the Taihang Mountain Trail narrows in the Huguan area, there are still countless paths crisscrossing the mountain.

Some of these paths are dead ends, some are circuitous, some are tolerable, and some are rugged and dangerous. If you are not a local, you will definitely not be familiar with them.

Zhang Ji separated the scouts far and wide. From time to time, he would see scouts waving green flags on distant hills or mountain ridges, which represented safety.

Mountain roads like this are the most vulnerable to ambushes and must be guarded against.

Scouts are dispatched in advance as the vanguard to conduct key inspections in key areas, especially those places where it is easy to be ambushed. It is necessary to check in advance to ensure safety before large troops can pass.

If it were only a few years ago, Zhang Ji would definitely not understand this.

After all, when I was under Dong Zhuo, I didn't care about the art of war, and that was all. But when I was under the Hussars, if I didn't understand the art of war, even if others didn't tell me, I would feel that something was missing.

The improvement of the martial arts hall is multifaceted.

If you only know how to go into battle to kill the enemy, and how to wield a spear and a knife, then you can be a military prince at most, or a captain at most. If you want to go further, you don't know the art of war, you can't read a map, and you don't know how. When arranging soldiers, if you cannot predict risks in advance and avoid them, you will not be promoted. Even if you get promoted, you will be eliminated.

Zhang Ji didn't want to be eliminated, so he could only study and study hard. Even though he was older, he still couldn't stop learning.

This time is the time to test Zhang Ji's learning results.

Sima Fang sent people to ask for help. Before Zhang Ji set off, Jia Qu discussed with him and said that most of this matter was true, but there was also a small part that might be a trap, so he still had to be careful.

It is still necessary to send troops to rescue. After all, this is not only the Sima family, but also represents the attitude of the Hussar towards the local power in Hanoi. If it is true that the Sima family was attacked, and Jia Qu and Zhang Ji clearly received the message asking for help, but did not make any response, which ultimately led to some problems in the Sima family, let alone the two officials. When Sima Yi lowered his head and looked up, even the other family members would probably have some thoughts in their minds.

Therefore, after Jia Qu hesitated for a while, he immediately asked Zhang Ji to lead his troops to rescue Sima Village.

This risk must be taken.

Fortunately, due to long-term detection and sorting of the Taihang Mountain Trail, Zhang Ji and others are more familiar with the Taihang Mountain Trail than ordinary generals.

The road Zhang Ji chose at the moment was different from the ordinary road. It took a slight detour to avoid the Bailu Valley, which was the easiest place to be ambushed, and he could also take the opportunity to go around to the back of the Bailu Valley to take a look...

It's just that such a detour will take longer and the road is not very easy to walk. In some places, they had to dismount, dragging their horses up and down the mountain road, and they could not cover two or three miles in an hour.

Zhang Ji led the horse like an ordinary soldier, and in front of Zhang Ji were scouts with more agile hands and feet.

War horses are not necessarily necessary on the Taihang Mountain Trail, but it will definitely be more convenient to have a war horse. Even if some mountain roads are narrow and inconvenient for riding, they can still provide additional carrying capacity, making traveling easier.

On the Taihang Mountain Trail, I watched the morning mist drifting bit by bit on the top of the mountain. The air in the mountains was fresh. Although the air was a bit cold in winter, it was not completely unbearable.

Roads represent human territory. There are ferocious beasts in the Taihang Mountains. There are tigers, leopards, bears, and so on, but those guys generally will not leave their own territory and actively invade human areas.

Only humans can change their territory at any time, enter a new area, invade a new territory, and claim it as their own. This kind of behavior is not a simple division of good and evil, but a characteristic of human beings themselves, like the double edges of a sword.

In the evening, Zhang Ji and his men were doing repairs at a mountain col.

Zhang Ji bit a grass stem in his mouth, sat cross-legged on a higher and drier place, and stared at the sky. The spear was stuck in the soil behind him, and the reins of the war horse were casually wrapped around the gun shaft. Then the war horse stood quietly behind Zhang Ji, lowering his head and nibbling some hay on the ground.

If it were in other seasons, Zhang Ji would definitely let go of the reins and let the war horses find food on their own. But now there are no evergreen trees around, but there are basically no herbaceous shrubs, so the war horses can only eat the fodder they carry.

In other relatively dry areas, Zhang Ji's soldiers were also building temporary shacks.

The shed does not have to stick to a certain shape. It can be built in a rock shelter from the wind or next to evergreen trees. After all, there are fewer insects in winter. As long as you don't look for some nooks and crannies, you don't have to go too far. Worried about insects. Whether it is a blind bear or a long worm, they will always find a relatively secluded place to hibernate, such as these places on both sides of the road. Because there is still some human atmosphere, these animals will be relatively few.

Thanks to the excellent logistics system of the Hussars General, his current experience and experience in long-distance operations have also made many ordinary soldiers more calm and adaptable when facing camping.

Several soldiers are climbing up the mountain, partly to establish an observation point, and partly to collect some remaining snow in the backlight of the mountain.

Winter also has the advantage of winter, which is that after snowfall, you don’t have to take the water route. In other seasons, if you don't take the water source route, you are almost seeking death. However, in winter, as long as the remaining snow on the mountain top has not completely melted away, it is not a big problem to occasionally deviate from the water source route and take a shortcut or something. .

When marching in winter, in addition to water issues, there is also the issue of heat preservation in winter.

After the gradual expansion of cotton cultivation, cheap and warm cotton clothing became the equipment of soldiers, making marching in winter no longer an impossible task. A campfire, combined with a rug and tarp, can also withstand some nights in less severe conditions.

As long as it doesn’t snow...

Zhang Ji is looking at the sky now.

There are clouds in the sky, but not many and not heavy, so it will probably be good weather tomorrow.

Well, relatively good weather.

Zhang Ji took out the map from his arms, unfolded it while there was still some daylight, then looked for his position on the map, and estimated the route and time to arrive at Sima Village.

Sima Village is actually not in the deep mountains of Taihang, but slightly to the east. Therefore, the journey there from Huguan is not short. Well, the straight-line distance is not that long. If you are in a plain area, you can just let go of your horse and run for a day. But the mountain road is different. Sometimes you go up the mountain and go around again, and then you go down the mountain and go around again. After a day, you find that you just climbed It’s just a mountain…

A few years ago, Zhang Ji wouldn't have dared to take people into the mountains like this, because at that time, he couldn't even read a map.

But the maps at that time were indeed difficult to understand.

It's much better now. The paths and rulers on the map are fixed, so how long the road is means how far the distance is. There will never be any tampering with the distance and location for the sake of the beauty of the map. situation.

Zhang Ji stretched out his thumb and used the nail cap of his thumb as a standard for measurement. The width of one of his fingernails is about five miles on the map, and then the width of several fingernails can roughly calculate how far and long it will take.

How long can Sima Village last?

Three days, five days?

"Tomorrow... I'll probably get here..." Zhang Ji gestured while muttering softly, "The day after tomorrow... we'll get here. Well, if we choose this way, it might be faster... But this Canyon...um...here comes Captain Zhang..."

Not long after, Zhang Duwei and Zhang Tian arrived and bowed their hands to greet Zhang Ji.

Zhang Tian can also be regarded as a member of the Zhang family, a twisted relative of Zhang Ji's distant cousin. After learning that Zhang Ji and Zhang Xiu were doing well under the Hussars, he defected to Zhang Ji from Xiliang.

"Tomorrow, take a shortcut from here..." Zhang Ji said without any nonsense, and without asking Zhang Tian if he was willing, he directly ordered, "The focus is on this canyon!" After you arrive here, you must check whether there are any ambushes above the canyon and in the front part of the canyon..."