Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3168 Thinking you have a choice but actually you don’t have a choice

Xiaopingjin and Mengjin are both very important crossings of the river.

At this moment, countless civilians are working hard, rushing back and forth on the ferry in the wind and snow, busy.

The Yellow River is different from the Yangtze River.

The Yellow River has never been able to become an obstacle to military operations like the Yangtze River.

On the one hand, this is because many sections of the Yellow River tend to freeze in winter, and you can walk across it. On the other hand, because the water in the Yellow River often floods and changes its course, the river bed of the Yellow River is uncertain, and the depth and flow rate may change. .

In ancient times, it was basically unheard of to say how long the Yellow River could hold back an army. After all, the enemy would eventually find a way to break through.

For example, Cao Jun now.

Groups of Cao Jun soldiers were lining up on the pontoon bridge to cross the river.

After the upper reaches of the river froze, the water level of the river dropped a lot. The originally wide river surface not only shrank, but also exposed mud in the center of the river, which quickly hardened under the wind and snow.

This gave Cao Jun the convenience to quickly set up a pontoon bridge.

As long as human lives and wood can be spared.

The surrounding hills are filled with Cao Jun's troops.

Farther away, there are rows of baggage cars circled in a formation, ready to set off at any time.

On Cao Cao's side, it was finally time for Tu Qiong to meet...

Unable to quickly conquer Guanzhong, especially Tongguan, Cao Cao finally adopted Guo Jia's strategy and moved to Hedong.

On the line from Fenglingdu to Shaanjin, Xiaopingjin, and Mengjin, it is more difficult to cross the river directly when the water level of the river is high, but it is different now...

Fenglingdu began to have a lot of drifting ice, and the ice on the shore gradually extended toward the center of the river.

Although we don’t know whether it will eventually freeze, and we don’t know whether the ice at Fenglingdu will be able to support trampling by people and horses even if it freezes, but one thing is certain that the Longmendu in the east of Hedong and the surrounding rivers will definitely be frozen. .

Therefore, if we can capture Hedong, it will undoubtedly open up a broader channel.

So if that's the case, why didn't we attack Hedong in an all-out way before?

Isn't this question very simple?

It's not winter yet, how can we fight?

"Go quickly!" 』

Cao Xiu was on the side of the road, urging the soldiers to move forward.

After crossing the river, Cao Cao's order came to Cao Xiu. He must capture Zhiguan as soon as possible and open up this important channel from the various crossings of the river to the east of the river through Zhongtiao Mountain.

Cao Xiu's heart sank.

Because it was Xia Houyuan who originally carried out this order.

But now...

Since Cao Cao handed over the order to him, it means that Cao Cao himself probably understood that Xia Houyuan might be in trouble.

Although everyone who goes to the battlefield knows that their head is hanging on the waistband and can be dropped at any time, no matter who it is, they will always think about whether they can survive for a few more days, months, or more. Years, decades...

No one wants to die.

Cao Xiu put aside these complicated emotions and focused on the current task.

He is a pioneer officer.

We must first clear Zhiguan, and then capture the entire Zhiguan Road.

Then occupy a favorable position in Wangwu Mountain and cooperate with Cao Hong's actions.

In order to ensure the speed of action, Cao Jun not only prepared a large amount of baggage, food, grass, and warm clothing, but also equipped each Cao Jun soldier with an extra laborer, just to allow Cao Jun soldiers to maximize their effectiveness during battle. Strength comes.

Additional rations represent additional expectations and naturally come with additional pressure.

From time to time on the road, sentry riders returned from the front, and Cao Xiu no longer hid his whereabouts.

They must rush to the combat zone quickly and strive to open the Zhiguan Road as soon as possible to prepare for the capture of Hedong and the next attack on Guanzhong. In order to cooperate with this military operation, Cao Cao strictly ordered almost all the people in Hanoi and Heluo to be mobilized to provide convenience for Cao Xiu and other Cao troops to cross the river.

Of course, thanks to Cao Cao's move, the harvests in Hanoi and Heluo next year, oh, no, this year's harvest will definitely be very "good-looking"...

The scouts in the front rushed back to report that the garrison at Zhiguan Pass was probably more than 800 people, not more than 1,000. But he suspected that there might be reinforcements. If Cao Jun did not act quickly, he might face more than a thousand troops.

Cao Xiu nodded, indicating that he understood.

Just like Cao Jun's scouts continued to grow in the confrontation with the hussar scouts, Cao Xiu also became a more cautious general during the war.

In history, when Cao Xiu faced the famous Zhang Sanye on the battlefield, not only was he not afraid, but he seized on Zhang Sanye's flaw and pinched the third master's balls in one fell swoop. If Boss Liu hadn't personally gone into battle, then Zhang Laosan became the stepping stone for Cao Xiu's reputation. It can be regarded as a highlight almost as soon as he appears, and he can be regarded as the best among the second generation of Cao family, Ruotou. However, a person's starting point is high, which may not be a good thing. Cao Xiu behaved more headstrong in the later period, and finally died of arrogance.

And now, Cao Xiu is being taught and given practical guidance by Fei Qian's generals in turn. For this originally smart general of the Cao family, it is undoubtedly a practice on the edge of the knife and learning with life. How could he not grow?

Cao Xiu actually liked this battle strategy very much.

Because there is no need to wait anymore, no need to cover up, and no messy things to worry about. All you need to do is attack and fight wholeheartedly.

Simple and straightforward.

Life, or death.

The same is true for Cao's soldiers.

They had suffered in the land of Heluo for too long, and felt powerless and painful under Tongguan. Now they have found a way again. The soldiers of Cao's army did not understand those complicated strategies. They just followed orders, so for these soldiers of Cao's army, the simpler the orders, the less likely they would make mistakes.

Among the Han Dynasty, not all local princes have the same leisure as Fei Qian, allowing ordinary soldiers to study, become illiterate, and even improve themselves...

Cao's army quickly crossed the river and headed towards Zhiguan.

This road was originally driven by Xia Houyuan, so there were basically no attacks from hussar soldiers along the way. However, Cao Xiu suspected that there might be hussar scouts around, but these hussar scouts did not show up and were just observing from a distance. , and then pass the information back.

Cao Xiu was now a little numb to some of the "magical" abilities of the hussar scouts. Therefore, Cao Xiu basically made arrangements based on the assumption that his actions would be discovered by the hussar scouts.

It takes time to discover, pass on, and then deploy soldiers, and it also takes time for Cao's army to march. Now it's up to the two sides to see who can be one step faster in terms of time.

Cao Xiu understood the importance of speed very well. He constantly urged the marching troops, and at the same time, based on his own experience, he arranged walking and resting times for the soldiers to avoid excessive physical exertion and waste of haste.

Even so, there are always unexpected situations during the march.

Cao Xiu suddenly noticed that there was a sudden congestion in front of him, so he hurried forward and saw that a vehicle carrying supplies was tilted to the side because of damaged wheel spokes. The axle under the vehicle was also disconnected. Several soldiers were busy making emergency repairs.

It's like a road with traffic flowing through it. Suddenly there is an accident in one of the lanes. Then it is clear that the other lanes can still travel smoothly, but there will be congestion.

"Abandon the vehicle!" 』

Cao Xiu held back his anger. He knew that under normal circumstances, it was normal for vehicles to be damaged, and Cao Jun's soldiers were right to repair the vehicles, but this time, it was different. He must speed up, and any behavior that delays the march is prohibited. Although this ban was issued repeatedly before Cao Xiu set out, it was obvious that Cao's soldiers might not understand it.

Cao Xiu pointed at the car and said, "Here, push the car to the side of the road!" Send the order, don't let anything delay the march! 』

The road soon returned to normal.

Vehicles that could have been "rescued" were abandoned.

Cao Jun's soldiers walked past the vehicle.

On this road, perhaps there are more things that will be abandoned...

Maybe actively, or passively.

…

…

In Zhiguan Road, there were also soldiers coming and going.

However, these soldiers are not soldiers of Cao's army, nor are they elite hussars, but only soldiers from Hedong County.

On Zhiguan Road, people come and go, and new people are constantly arriving here, and then under the orders, they begin to repair the earth.

The originally good passage was soon riddled with holes.

Being able to quickly dig gullies in the frozen land was due to the large number of shovels and pickaxes provided by Pingyang.

The frozen ground was as hard as stone.

But it's just an image, not a real stone.

What's more, the hardness of steel is far greater than that of ordinary stone, so these "stone-like" frozen soil can only cause some trouble.

Only with steel technology and large-scale assembly line production can we provide more tools to deal with stones.

This is the objective law of this world.

As for some magical countries that obviously do not have a lot of iron technology, but can smash stones with stones and then build a huge and magnificent stone building, then it can only be called "magic", or "alien" "Technology", as to whether you believe it or not, that is a matter of opinion...

Hedong Liu Fu is the main person in charge of this civil engineering project.

During this Hedong purge, more than half of Liu's people died, but Liu Fu didn't have much resentment. In other words, even if there is a little resentment, they dare not show it. After all, Mrs. Liu brought more of the blame on herself, especially after Mrs. Cui was hung up and framed on the wall, Mrs. Liu's so-called "merits" or "fame" are even less worth mentioning.

If you want to gain status, you have to do things honestly.

Two long trenches soon appeared on the ground, and on the other side of the trench was a low wall built of excavated soil. These Hedong County soldiers who came from farmers had no problem doing this kind of work, and they did not find this work boring.

Everything is afraid of comparison.

Whether they were willing to face repairing the earth, which was not very dangerous, or facing repairing Cao's army, which was more dangerous, these Hedong County soldiers chose the first option very wisely.

Until the two trenches and the low wall were repaired, people were still making repairs to allow Cao's army to attack. Well, strictly speaking, it would be more troublesome when marching.

They won't be here long.

Their task was to dig holes in the Zhiguan Road.

And these dug ditches will become extremely hard after freezing again, and then after the soil softens in spring, there will not be much obstacle to road repair...

Liu Fu arranged his manpower, mobilized the physical strength of these county soldiers and civilians, and controlled the progress of the project.

This is something he's good at.

If Liu Fu were allowed to go into battle and fight Cao Jun, Liu Fu would naturally be afraid, timid, and at a loss. However, as long as he did not come into contact with Cao Jun, even if he knew that Cao Jun was coming here, he would not be afraid.

If he had more manpower, he could not only dig trenches, but also add some spikes buried in the trenches, and even try to make some traps...

But his suggestion was rejected.

The Bachelor of Engineering in charge of engineering drawings and acceptance said that Liu Fu's suggestions were good, but they would consume extra time. They only needed to hinder Cao Jun's soldiers, and did not need to pursue how many Cao Jun soldiers were killed.

The Bachelor of Engineering also said that after this battle with Cao Jun, the Hussars intended to set up a special military camp in the army to be responsible for similar projects.

Different from the ordinary military jobs such as infantry or part-time labor, the hussar means that a dedicated person is required to do such a thing full-time.

After all, not everyone has the courage to face the bloody and brutal battles on the battlefield. Some people have good physical fitness but little courage. Such soldiers often die in vain the first time they go into battle, or their timid character changes after being tempered by blood and fire.

However, nine out of ten such people will die, and only one to two percent will be lucky enough to survive.

Therefore, the purpose of the hussar is to give these timid soldiers with good physique and endurance, who are not suitable for fighting in battle, an extra way out.

In fact, isn't this just like the auxiliary soldiers?

Liu Fu murmured in his heart, but he would not say it out loud. Of course, he did not realize that not only the Han Dynasty, but the entire human world, the development process must be an increasingly detailed and specialized division of labor, and the general approach will sooner or later be understood by humans themselves. disuse.

…

…

On the other side of the river east of Xijin, Cao Hong also led a team of people to build a pontoon bridge and prepare to cross the river.

If Cao Xiu wanted to seize Wangwu Mountain, then Cao Hong's goal was to seize Zhongtiao Mountain.

If Zhongtiao Mountains were compared with the Taihang Mountains and Qinling Mountains around him, then Zhongtiao Mountains would be like a younger brother. Slender and long, like a thin soldier in the army, it will never stand out.

But such a slender mountain range has implicated China's thousands of years of war.

Many people think that only certain important towns or passes can be called the key points of the war, but in fact this is not always the case.

Before, Cao Jun could not attack Zhongtiao Mountain. It was not that Zhongtiao Mountain was insurmountable, nor that Zhongtiao Mountain was difficult to conquer, but that to the south of Zhongtiao Mountain, nature carved a deep ditch by the miraculous work of nature.

From the foot of Zhongtiao Mountain, there are ditches stretching all the way to the river. Some ditches are even more than a hundred meters deep. Sometimes they are only a few tens or even ten meters away from each other, but underneath their feet is a deep trench of nearly a hundred meters. In the Han Dynasty, when there was no convenient road and bridge technology, these ditches were insurmountable natural chasms. During the period when Cao Jun was unable to cross the river on a large scale, as long as Cao Jun dared to attack along the ditches in Zhongtiao Mountain or on the plateau, the Hussars would dare to circle back and attack Cao Jun's butt through a ditch.

Therefore, only when the frozen water flow in the upper reaches decreases, the river bed is exposed, and the frozen soil facilitates the rapid construction of pontoon bridges, can Cao Jun have the conditions to cross the river in a large scale and advance along several ditches and plateaus.

Advancing hand in hand requires more tacit cooperation, so those responsible for this task can only be the core generals and soldiers of Cao's army.

So it can be said that this time, Lao Cao really put all his money on the gambling table.

If the losses are heavy, even if he can go back, it may be difficult to continue to suppress the Shandong nobles, even if Cao Cao grows two more arms.

In the land of Shandong, people seem to be talking about benevolence, righteousness and morality, but in fact, without military power, there is no way to make the big families in those places obedient. In other words, let them pretend to be obedient.

But obviously, Cao Cao had to fight.

Cao Hong also knows this, otherwise he would not let his own son...

Ah, my son.

Cao Hong gritted his teeth.

Cao Hong looked back at himself.

It was a neat column of Cao Jun's elite troops.

In the early years, Cao Cao gathered 300,000 Qingzhou soldiers, not really 300,000 soldiers and horses, but a large group with families and families. But the good thing is that because these Qingzhou soldiers have been fighting all year round and survived bloody battles without equipment, they are more or less capable.

And the key point is that the war-weariness threshold of the Qingzhou soldiers is quite high, and can even be said to be comparable to that of the Hussars.

Hussars are soldiers because of their meritorious service, because their military exploits can bring them class improvement, status change, and economic prosperity. For Qingzhou soldiers, war is their life.

Since the time of Huan Ling, Qingzhou has not been peaceful. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, wars have been going on almost every day. Therefore, war is like a part of the life of Qingzhou soldiers. Since it is life, there is no need to talk about disgust or joy. Just life. When they surrendered to Cao Cao, they promised to sell their lives to Cao Cao for the rest of their lives.

This is a contract.

Maybe some people in later generations think that the contract is a fart, but in fact it is because these later generations themselves regard the contract as a fart, and historically, these Qingzhou soldiers did abide by their contract from beginning to end. , it was not until Cao Cao's death that the agreement to work hard was officially ended.

So this time, I really worked hard.

Cao Hong thought, calculated, and according to his usual habits, weighed the costs and benefits since the war began, and then took a deep breath.

This war was indeed a very bad deal.

Losing money so much.

But I had to fight again.

Because if you don’t continue to fight, then the initial investment will be in vain...

But if you continue to invest now, when will you reap the benefits?

Or...

Cao Hong gritted his teeth and looked back at the tallest banner in Cao's camp. Then he turned his head and walked forward without looking back or hesitating.

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