Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3104: Grab both hands

If Taihang Mountain is like a dragon, then Wangwu Mountain is a leg stretched out by this dragon, and then Zhongtiao Mountain is a snake caught on this leg. One end is wrapped around Wangwu Mountain, and the other end is inserted into the river, and is connected with Tongguan Mountain. Looking at each other.

It is also the strength of Zhongtiao Mountain that forces the river to turn here.

Unlike Taihang, Qinling and other behemoths, Zhongtiao Mountain and Wangwu Mountain are not so insurmountable. This is also the reason why Wei Yan has never placed the main battlefields on Zhongtiao Mountain and Wangwu Mountain.

His battlefield should be in the Taihang Mountains.

Just when many people thought that Wei Yan would stare at Lao Cao's chrysanthemums in Shaanjin, Wei Yan had already led his people into the Taihang Mountains.

Climbing over mountains and ridges is what Wei Yan and others are good at.

Although Wei Yan and others had never been to the Taihang Mountains, under the leadership of a few old black bandits, they were like tigers returning to the mountains and dragons returning to the sea, and they did not feel strange at all.

That's right, old Black Bandit.

For example, Curly Hair, the commander who belonged to Zhang Yan back then...

Among the leaders of Montenegro, too many people have died, and not many people have survived. Curly Hair is one of the lucky ones. Curly Hair also had a famous name, but when he arrived in the Taihang Mountains, he suddenly felt that he had become the youthful and ignorant young man he once was.

"There used to be a mountain spring here..." Curly Hair pointed to the mountain ridge not far ahead and said with a nostalgic smile on his face, "There was a forest beside the mountain spring... There used to be a lot of mountain rats in the forest. He likes to hide fruits in holes. When we didn’t have food, we went to dig out the mountain rat’s hole... Hehehe, the mountain rat was so anxious that he jumped up and down in the canopy and scolded us..."

Wei Yan laughed and waved his arms, "Let's go!" Let’s go over a few first and find out what goodies those mountain rats have hidden! Take it out to give your brothers something to talk about! 』

Wei Yan's mountain soldiers also laughed, separated into a group of people, and went in the direction pointed by Curly Hair.

When Curly Hair returned to Taihang Mountain, it was like returning home, a little less wretched and a little more indifferent, while the mountain soldiers were like guests who didn't know how to write the word polite, and simply regarded other people's homes as their own. own home...

Some time ago, both Cao Cao and Cao Xiu believed that Wei Yan would definitely be in Shaanjin, because Shaanjin was an important node for Cao Cao's water transportation of grain and grass. As long as Cao Cao's army could not destroy Wei Yan's ships traveling back and forth, then there would be no The threat of possible withdrawal from Shaanxi and Jin.

Cao Cao and Cao Xiu tried to find ways to set up an ambush on the river bank, setting up catapults and other equipment to ambush Wei Yan's warships. They also used grain and grass transport teams to lure Wei Yan to attack, but Wei Yan remained motionless, which made Cao Cao and Cao Xiu, especially Cao Xiu, Somewhat restless, but helpless.

Everything is subject to change...

Cao Xiu was not familiar with Wei Yan. Therefore, Cao Xiu could not make many targeted strategies and could only lay traps based on old intelligence. Because whether it is an ambush of the grain transport team or a preset catapult, they are all at fixed points, and Wei Yan's ships are active or even hidden. If Wei Yan does not show up, then Cao Xiu has no other choice but to directly attack Shaanxi and Jin.

But the problem is that if they really want to attack Shaanxi and Jin, Cao Jun does not have enough warships.

Who would have thought that a warship could be sailed in a broken channel like this big river?

It was obviously too late to build it temporarily, but the bait was laid, Wei Yan did not take the bait, and Cao Xiu felt very uncomfortable now...

What made Cao Xiu even more angry was not that Wei Yan stood still, but that he had spent several days trying but failed to find enough warships. Without enough ships, it would be impossible to ferry a large number of soldiers at the same time, let alone pose a sufficient threat to Wei Yan. Sending hundreds of scattered people to the other side of the river was tantamount to sending these people there to be killed by Wei Yan, and by the way, they also sent these boats that were finally collected.

The lack of large ships became Cao Xiu's biggest headache. Cao Xiu could only watch Wei Yan's warships disappear and appear, and watch as the military stronghold in Shaanjin was increasingly reinforced and raised, as if Shaanjin was going to be built into a huge military fortress.

What Cao Xiu didn't know was that after the beacon signal was raised in Tongguan, Wei Yan had actually escaped from his shell and reached the Taihang Mountains, preparing to teach the people of Jizhou a lesson.

It’s not just cavalry that can break through defenses…

Tigers in the mountains and forests are also deadly.

…

…

The reason why people can run towards the light is because they still have hope in their hearts.

People without hope can only go to darkness.

Home is perhaps the most ordinary and most extraordinary place of hope.

Yecheng was once the "home" of the Yuan family, but now it has become the "home" of the Cao family.

Nowadays, Ye City is heavily guarded.

The howling north wind seemed to be carrying blades, cutting into the city wall and tearing the flags, as if it was trying to cut and tear the flags of the Cao family or the Han Dynasty from the city wall, and then throw them into the dust below the city. .

The soldiers of Cao's army who were on duty on the city wall had heavy expressions on their faces, completely losing their usual arrogance. I don't know whether it was because of the cold weather and the wind, or some other reasons. Anyway, they all had straight faces, as if they were It's like being owed tens of millions.

It is not easy for a person to get a position in Yecheng, even if he is a small soldier. Just like the hereditary township chiefs and block chiefs of later generations of Emperor Mi, they couldn't sit still without some Taoism. Although on the surface, Cao's army seemed to be very strong in conquering the city, but in fact, the transport civilians and disabled soldiers who returned from Tongguan brought another aspect of news...

Prime Minister Cao had a large army, but he could not advance even an inch under Tongguan.

This is not good news.

Big man, there has been no good news for too long.

In the early years, when the Xiqiang rebelled, Xiliang was lost, and people in Shandong didn't care too much.

Later, the Xianbei Xiongnu harassed and plundered the Northland again. The Northland also became useless and was thrown away. The people of Shandong did not feel too sorry.

Later, problems arose in Heluo and Dong Zhuo was in turmoil. He even moved the people of Heluo to Chang'an. People in Shandong were also watching. Anyway, it was the people of Heluo who suffered. What does it matter to me, Shandong?

Then suddenly, I suddenly discovered that Shandong was the only one left in Shandong. The tall men in Jizhou, Yuzhou and other places stretched their heads to take a look and found that all they had left was their heads and stomachs, and all their arms and legs were gone!

Yongzhou, Liangzhou, Bingzhou, Beidi, as well as the more distant Sichuan, Shu and Western Regions have all lost control. The Han Dynasty now only has the Central Plains region left, like a ball or a piece of meat.

The arms and legs of the big man were now holding the knife and the stick, about to stab...

Or there's a banquet.

For Shandong people in Hebei and other places who claim to be the first class of Han people, this is unacceptable but bad news that they have to face.

Especially when it was discovered that Cao Cao had assembled such a force and was unable to quickly clear away the hidden dangers and eliminate the bad news, this uneasiness and panic naturally spread out and could not be stopped.

The Han Dynasty belongs to everyone in the Han Dynasty, and the country of Han Dynasty belongs to the rulers of the Han Dynasty. Originally, the rulers of the Han Dynasty only wanted the sweetness of the Han Dynasty and did not want the bitterness of the Han Dynasty. Now they find that their sweetness is about to end!

what to do?

Cao Pi, neatly dressed, sat under the canopy.

He displayed half the ceremonial guard of a prime minister.

This is clearly an overstep.

But the people around him, whether it was Cui Yan or Chen Qun, could not see anything strange in their expressions. It seemed that it was normal to do this, and Cao Pi seemed to already have enough titles.

Of course, this can also be regarded as a preview in advance, or a display of confidence. After all, if Cao Cao wins this battle, then as Cao Cao, he is already close to the top of the courtiers and has no title, so it would be logical to reward Cao Pi.

From a certain point of view, if Cao Cao can win this time, then further conferring the king will become a well-known and popular thing, so there seems to be no problem with Cao Pi's use of ceremonial guards now.

Cao Pi also looked at Cui Yan and Chen Qun sitting on the left and right as calmly as possible, and asked with some special calmness: "What do you two have in mind?" 』

As an important successor who stayed behind, Cao Pi did have some authority in his hands.

Although he can't directly mobilize large troops or anything, there are some things that he can endorse to determine their effectiveness. Now that he has come to Yecheng, it is naturally because Jizhou is unstable and he needs to be in charge.

Although it was said before that Shandong had temporarily formed a unified front to jointly fight against Fei Qian, the word "temporary" can actually be long or short, hard or soft, and its uses are endless...

Shandong people advocate loyalty, justice and benevolence. If the Han Dynasty needs it, Shandong people are willing to abandon everything and give everything, even if they have to go up the mountain of swords and the sea of ​​fire. This is the self-promotion and self-promotion of the Shandong people.

But now when Shandong people need to make more efforts, Shandong people are hesitant, because winter is coming, spring is coming, and Cao Cao has not yet determined the victory. What will happen next for spring plowing? There is no such thing as "everything" in Shandong people's hands, and they can't see "Mountain of Swords" and "Sea of ​​Fire" in their daily lives, so of course Shandong people don't need to give everything away. They really have to climb the Mountain of Swords and go under the sea of ​​fire. There are acres of land, there are tenant farmers, and the New Year is coming, Zhuang He can't delay...

Of course, this does not mean that Shandong people are dishonest and lie, but that Shandong people have one thing to say and seek truth from facts, right?

Chen Qun's eyebrows were as still as a mountain. Facing Cao Pi's news, his voice was neither urgent nor slow, "Your Majesty, Guanzhong is condescending and bears the brunt of Jizhou and Yuzhou. You must not fall into the hands of others." If we can regain Longyou and gain land to raise horses, the Han Dynasty will be able to move north, south, east and west... Ni Fei is occupying Guanzhong and has a glimpse of the Central Plains. His disobedience is clear. We have an alliance with Jiangdong, so we should work together. Try to seize Guanzhong and annex Longyou... The lord is now in Tongguan, only one step away from Guanzhong... Moreover, Jingxiang has newly acquired Wancheng, and its morale is strong. It can advance into Wuguan and capture Lantian... Therefore, it is not necessary to die. Swinging on the heel, one after another, don't let the achievements of a thousand years be ruined overnight..."

Cui Yan's eyebrows moved slightly but he didn't say a word.

Cao Pi nodded.

Of course, Chen Qun's words were what Cao Pi wanted to hear, so Cao Pi asked: "What the long article said is true... but is there any good strategy to implement it?" 』

Chen Qun bowed slightly and said, "Now that we are allied with Jiangdong, we can send an envoy to Jiangdong to encourage the Sun family to go up the river to attack Sichuan and Shu. This will make it difficult for the hussars to go north and south, and it will help our army to advance westward." 』

Cao Pi laughed and said, "This strategy is too slow." 』

Chen Qun still bowed his head and said, "My lord, taking Guanzhong is a plan for the world. He is anxious for the great Han Dynasty. Therefore, he is blocked in Guanzhong and fighting on multiple fronts. With the current standing force, it is inevitable that it will be stretched." We can only recruit more troops to deal with emergencies. 』

Cao Pi nodded and said, "What the long article said is true." However, the water in the East China Sea is difficult to save, and it will take some time to recruit troops. Sitting around waiting to be dispatched is not what I want. Is there any way to help the soldiers on the front line? 』

"That's true..." Chen Qun glanced at Cui Yan slightly, "The New Year is here, and our soldiers will inevitably feel homesick. If we can requisition some grain and grass utensils from our hometown at this time to work in the army, it will naturally boost morale. Inspire the generals..."

"good! Cao Pi said, stroking his palms, "This matter will require a long article!" 』

Chen Qun lowered his head and accepted the order, "Wei." 』

Cao Pi then turned towards Cui Yan and said, "Ji Gui, what are your opinions on the war in Guanzhong?" 』

"Don't dare. I am stupid. But since the prince has inquired, I must be sincere..." Cui Yan slightly cupped his hands and said, "Today Fei is in Guanzhong, just like the great ancestor did in the past, but he has gone against the grain and has to get rid of it. However, the land of Jiyu is also the foundation of our great Han Dynasty, and we cannot lose it for a moment. I have some short-sightedness, but I would like to see the prince learn from it..."

Cao Pi hummed.

He invited Cui Yan to come because he originally didn't want to listen to Cui Yan's "simple opinions". After all, Jizhou was unstable, which was obviously because Cui Yan was not doing things well, or Cui Yan's influence on Jizhou was insufficient. Now the next strategy is very clear, which is to support Cao Cao in the fight. On the one hand, he sends an envoy to Jiangdong and asks Jiangdong to march into Sichuan and Sichuan to contain the Hussars. On the other hand, he recruits soldiers again and adds them to the front line.

At the same time, Chen Qun's so-called "labor force" is also a supplementary emergency plan to weaken the strength of Jizhou's large households and ensure the stability of the front line...

Cui Yan said that he had ideas, and obviously did not agree with Chen Qun's strategy.

So to listen or not to listen?

If you listen, the previous arrangement may have to be overturned and redone, but if you don't listen, this guy is the local snake who knows Jizhou best. Who else has more say in Jizhou than him?

Cao Pi quickly weighed the pros and cons, nodded and said, "Please speak frankly." 』

"Thank you, Your Majesty. 』

Cui Yan raised his hand and looked at Cao Pi with bright eyes. This made Cao Pi frown slightly and felt unhappy, but he also felt that Cui Yan did have some ideas that could help the entire battle, otherwise he would not behave like this. Have confidence……

"Your Majesty, there are dangerous mountains and rivers at Tongguan, and there are heavy troops stationed there. We can't go down until the first ten days of the month." There is no need to dwell on this matter. ” Cui Yan’s voice was clear and clear, “Moreover, the Guanzhong and Hedong are all under the influence of Fei thieves, so they are naturally stable, and it is difficult to directly conquer the Tongguan Pass. I believe that Wuguan should be taken first instead of Tongguan! 』

Cao Pi frowned.

Sure enough, Cui Yan overturned Chen Qun's strategy.

Cao Pi pondered for a while, but still nodded and said, "I would like to hear the details." 』

Cui Yan glanced at Chen Qun and said, "This is what I think... He is a hussar with great talent and great strategy. He is a general who stays at Tongguan in Guanzhong. Although his reputation is not good... But I am afraid he is definitely not a good person..."

Cao Pi's brows twitched, as if he thought of something.

"Advance to the west against Fei, and transfer Taishi to control the Western Regions. This is the last resort." The Western Region is vast, and the most important thing is cavalry. Under the hussar, the most powerful people in cavalry fighting are none other than the two Taishis of the Lu family. Therefore, if the Lu family has made mistakes, it is up to the Taishis to make up for them..." Cui Yan talked about it in detail, "The guardian of Tongguan. Although generals, Ma and Zhu are not famous, they are quite capable of using troops. I don’t need to say much about this... There is also Wei Wenchang, who likes sneak attacks the most, but there is no movement in Shaanxi and Tianjin, which is really abnormal. Therefore, I think that we should be on guard against its sneak attacks in the rear and disrupt Jizhou... Chang Wen now wants to allocate troops and materials from Jizhou to provide for the front line... I think that this is a drop in the bucket and not enough to be used. It is better to stay in Jizhou to defend the place. ...』

Cao Pi also glanced at Chen Qun.

The feud between Chen Qun and Cui Yan is nothing new.

Chen Qun's strategy of allocating Jizhou's manpower and material resources was actually discussed by Cao Pi and Chen Qun before they came to Cui Yan.

If Jizhou is unstable and still has the energy to struggle, then just draw blood directly. Once the blood is exhausted, there will be no need to struggle. The blood extracted can also be replenished to the front line, which is obviously a matter of killing two birds with one stone. However, it is obvious that Cui Yan saw through the intention of this strategy and was opposed to it.

Chen Qun smiled and said, "Cui Shijun's intention is that Wei Wenchang will raid Jizhou?" 』

"It's possible. ” Cui Yan cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, the battle that made Wei Wenchang famous was that he ran hundreds of miles into the mountains day and night and fought in the mountains and forests of Sichuan and Shu. He was brave and fearless of life and death... Now our army has heavy troops on the front line. If we deploy them from various places The defenders and local defenses must be empty. If... something goes wrong by then, I'm afraid..."

Chen Qun laughed again, "This thousands-mile attack, it would be fine if it was a cavalry army. After all, Taishi had a precedent, but our troops are blocking Tongguan Pass and guarding the main roads. Even if the cavalry is a good cavalry army, it can't be done." Once it comes out, how can it attack from behind? 』

Cui Yansurong said: "Wei Wenchang is good at infantry!" In Sichuan and Shu, the infantry moved to fight in the mountains and forests... On the side of Jizhou is Taihang, with many mountains and hills, it is difficult to guard against it..."

"Cui Shijun is really..." Chen Qun said with a smile, "My lord has been prepared for this!" In the Taihang Mountains, there is General Le in Shangdang and General Xiahou in Taiyuan. These two generals have not yet been defeated. Where does this "defeat" come from? What's more, from Shaanxi to Jizhou, even if you can walk through the mountains and forests, how can you replenish food and grass? How do you get it in this cold winter? Cui Shijun is a little unfounded..."

Cui Yan was not angry because of Chen Qun's ridicule, but Chen Ken said: "I just have this concern and just discuss the matter. Why use sarcastic words in a long article?" 』

"Ah...I'm sorry..." Chen Qun bowed his hands and said that his mocking of Cui Yanzhi just now was slightly inappropriate, "But this thing about running through mountains and forests and having infantry attack...it's really too much..."

Cui Yan nodded and said: "If we don't care about Wei Wenchang for the moment... then after taking Wancheng, we can send troops to Xiangyang, conquer Wuguan urgently, and capture Lantian. Then the danger of Tongguan can be opened up, and there is no need to waste soldiers in the first place." Life, secondly, you can avoid the seriousness and choose the lighter one, and thirdly, you can quickly secure the pass to prevent the hussar from spinning around and the success will be defeated. Isn't it better than giving some laborers cattle wine? 』

"This..." Cao Pi frowned.

Although he said that he and Chen Qun were discussing to weaken the strength of the Jizhou noble family, he also hoped that his father could defeat Fei Qian faster and win Guanzhong, so Cui Yan's last words also moved Cao Pi.

"That's it...it's a two-pronged approach!" 』

Cao Pi said, I want both, I want to catch them both!

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