Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3240 The soul of the soldiers is gone and the soul of the country is empty

Cao Jun's scouts, who were more than ten cavalrymen, slowly rode their horses towards the north.

The further north you go, the more obvious the cliff-like Emei Ridge is.

Like a sleeping giant, lying quietly between heaven and earth.

The top of Emei Mountain is different from ordinary mountains. It is flat, or almost flat.

Looking up from the slope, it's like a huge step suddenly appeared on the horizon, and then climbing up this step feels like you can climb into the sky!

The sun shines through the sparse clouds on the hillside, with yellow and green interlaced, forming a mottled picture.

There are also some hills and slopes under the Emei Mountains, but compared with the Emei Mountains, these hills and slopes are like a small witch meeting a big witch, both in size and weight, they are far different.

Because of the characteristics of loess, some ditches were cut and carved out by glaciers in ancient times, so that the place is now crisscrossed with ravines, and the enjoyment of going up and down made Cao Jun's scouts and horses covered in loess.

Because Cao's army came all the way and drove the refugees northward, everything around them was deserted and desolate.

From time to time, you can see some dead bodies lying on the roadside.

It was shriveled, as if some ghost had sucked all the blood away before death.

The villages in the distance have become ruins and become a paradise for scavengers.

Some local dogs and jackals with blood-red eyes were on the edge of the ruins, watching quietly as Cao Jun's scouts passed by, as if they were warning these Cao Jun soldiers, but also as if they were inviting...

"Captain, do you want to go over there and get some water?" 』

A soldier of Cao's army asked, shaking the somewhat empty water bag in his hand.

The captain casually gave the Cao soldier a whip.

Although it was slapped on the soldier's armor, the snap made the soldier shrink back involuntarily, and the water bag almost fell to the ground.

"Ni Ni! Silly? ! ” Captain Cao’s army spat, “How many people died in the water there? ! If you still take water, you will die! 』

Any place that has been cultivated by manpower will degrade obviously once people are removed from it. Just like those cultivated acres in the distance, it was during the budding period. As a result, the farmers who cultivated the land left and were left there. Without anyone's care, weeds quickly grew in the acres. However, it is true that Zhuang Heruan It collapsed and withered, falling to the ground.

The same is true for the water source inside the village ruins.

Perhaps it was a sweet well before, but now after the arrival of Death, it has become a hotbed of decay and disease.

Just like kindness requires constant and careful maintenance, while malice can breed and spread anytime and anywhere.

The yellow sand is endless, only the wild dogs or some hyenas in the distance are making inexplicable howls.

"It's getting late!" ” The scout captain of Cao Jun who led the team looked up at the still bright sky, and said nonsense with his eyes open, “Find a place to shelter from the wind, otherwise you will freeze to death when the sky gets dark!” 』

After many times of pulling and fighting, the scouts on both sides have reached a relatively tacit understanding of each other.

If it exceeds the hills and slopes in front, it will enter the attack range of the hussar scouts and may be attacked at any time. However, if the distance is farther, then the hussar scouts will generally not attack deliberately.

When this group of Cao Jun scouts was about to reach the hills and slopes under the Emei Mountains, it happened to be dark...

Of course, it is definitely not that these Cao Jun scouts are timid and unwilling to advance for detection. It can only be said that the weather is really not giving face, and it is affected by objective factors and cannot be diverted by subjective will, right? Just like playing football, it also depends on whether the sun is strong, whether the wind is strong, whether the rain is slippery, whether the grass is smooth or not. As long as you are careful, excuses...oh, there are ways every year.

Besides, with such poor mountains and rivers, such a desolate scene, and an army of hussars may appear around at any time, with just a few Cao Jun scouts, no matter how careful you are, can't you say it is too much?

Therefore, Cao Jun's scouts immediately stopped and looked for a temporary shelter in the surrounding area to rest. After all, setting up camp and staying is not an easy task. It is really not a big deal if Cao Jun's scout captain made preparations "a little" earlier...

Unlike ordinary people who would choose to camp near water sources, scouts usually choose to camp not too close to water sources, and may even intentionally avoid water sources. The reason is simple, because the water source will bring convenience to water, but it will also bring some wild animals and even some other people.

Therefore, scouts often choose a safe and secluded location to camp, with a relatively wide field of vision, no blocked sight around them, and at the same time far away from roads and other places that are easily discovered by the enemy. If conditions permit, sentries will also be placed on some nearby natural obstacles to provide additional warning and cover.

War horses are a scarce resource, so Cao Jun must first solve the demand for war horses.

They found a relatively low-lying place under a slope and checked the ground. There were no poisonous insects, snakes or ants. Then they built a simple tent for the war horses so that the horses could rest inside.

As for people, after dark, they will stay with the horses and use each other's body temperature to warm each other.

After feeding the war horses, it was people's turn to eat.

Bonfires were lit in low-lying areas, and smoke cages were used to disperse the rising smoke so as not to attract the enemy's attention.

"Captain, do you want to set up some more warning traps?" 』

asked the soldier of Cao's army who was whipped by the horse whip before.

Several of Cao Jun's scouts who were chatting and laughing around them suddenly lowered their voices.

The scout captain of Cao Jun looked at the Cao Jun soldier with a half-smile, and then laughed, "Yes!" Just go and set a warning trap! Give him a shovel! 』

"Aha, give you a shovel!" 』

Then someone laughed and threw a small shovel to the Cao soldier.

The shovel was thrown at my feet, making a clanging sound and splashing a lot of dust.

The Cao Jun soldier was stunned for a moment, then silently walked out with the shovel.

"Fool..." Cao Jun's scout captain muttered, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, "I've seen stupid people, but I've never seen such stupid people..."

"Haha, captain, don't be angry, he's just new here... he doesn't understand the rules..."

"You will understand after a while..."

The scout captain of Cao Jun snorted and said nothing more.

In Shandong, there are actually many rules.

There are rules among the nobles, and there are also rules among the military.

Seniors, juniors, old people, newcomers, etc. are actually reflections of class.

Because the entire social class is strict, "rules" are naturally emphasized everywhere.

This is the "root" of Shandong. It cannot be easily changed and no one is allowed to disobey. Even if the suggestion is correct, but it is not put forward in a "legal and compliant" way, then the "rules" are broken.

"What the hell is this place..."

The scout captain of Cao Jun cursed in a low voice, "I don't want to stay an extra day..."

In the land east of Hedong, Cao Jun's scouts were really tired of waiting.

At the beginning of the war, these Cao army scouts who followed Prime Minister Cao did not encounter many strong enemies, nor did they play much role. Anyway, they successfully captured Heluo.

When Hangu Pass was captured, although it took some effort, in the minds of these Cao soldiers, it was still within the normal range and not too surprising. They also secretly calculated that if Tongguan was as good as Hangu Pass, then it would be impossible. Push Guanzhong quickly, and Longxi can be pacified in a blink of an eye...

In the end, no one expected that if Hangu Pass was like a frozen persimmon, then Tongguan would be like a copper pea. Frozen persimmons are still thawed and become soft, while copper peas are really hard, the kind that will break your teeth.

If you can't make it in one go, it will naturally fade away. Nowadays, although Cao Jun's scouts have sharp armor and are equipped with war horses, but if these Cao Jun scouts are to withstand the threat of hussar scouts and invade Emei Mountains for long-range detection at every turn, it is still unnecessary. Come on.

Generally speaking, the standard of treatment for long-range scouts in the military is very high.

During the heyday of the Han Dynasty, the Yulin Guards were the elite scouts of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. They could conduct long-range reconnaissance, and had the authority to recruit local defenders when necessary, transforming them into commanders of a small force at any time. However, with the death of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Yulin Guards gradually fell into disuse. If it were Lao Cao in history, he would still have tiger and leopard cavalry to support the scene, but now, the entrance of the war horses is blocked, and the quality of these Cao army scouts has dropped by more than one level.

Because the resources of war horses are limited, when Cao Jun allocates war horses, they must first divide them according to distance and distance.

What?

Why not according to personal ability?

Are you kidding me? If they were really divided according to personal ability, would there still be a situation where the middle leader, the middle guard, etc. have low status and weight?

This leads to the fact that among Cao Jun's scouts, those who are truly capable may not be assigned good equipment, and those who are assigned good equipment may not be truly capable.

As a result, those without good equipment are often more likely to die in conflicts, while those without skills but with good equipment often hide behind and are less likely to die...

Of course, the most direct soldiers of Cao's army are still within the Zhongling Army and Zhonghu Army.

This is not only the case among the scout troops, but also among the central leaders and central guards.

After the death of the brave generation and those warriors of the Cao clan and Xiahou clan who dared to fight and kill, the rest were basically incompetent people. Therefore, in history, when the old thief Sima yelled, he was scared to death He took off his pants, knelt down and sold all of Lao Cao's property.

Now, these Cao Jun scouts also feel that those direct descendants are enjoying themselves in the rear, but they are still living in this poor place in Hedong, and there is still the risk of encountering the hussar scouts at some point. It is simply full of worry. of resentment...

"If I had known earlier, I would have stayed in Heluo. Oh, it's really..."

After being stationed, I would regret it habitually, or start again with hindsight.

"No! It’s really beautiful in Heluo! There are plenty of women too! Ouch...tsk! 』

"Aha!" I still remember bringing a few pancakes, so I would knock on the door in the alley in the city and pass the pancakes, hehe... One pancake at a time, hehehe..."

Regarding Cao Cao, these Cao Jun scouts did not dare to complain too much. After all, they also carried Cao Cao's bowl of rice to eat, but where they ate it was naturally different.

Sleeping in the open air and eating black pancakes with sand is one way to eat. Drinking flower wine in the back and even knocking on the widow's door with pancakes in your hand are also the same way to eat.

The scout team was originally far away from the military camp, and the relationship within the team was very deep. The relationship between them was closer than the ordinary comrades-in-arms, so when I said this, I didn’t have any scruples, laughing and joking, half-seriously. Everyone didn't care about the half-false complaints.

Wasn't it just to gain more military merit when we followed him to the front line?

As a result, he could not gain much military merit, but there was still the threat of death. Naturally, he felt that it would be better to stay in the rear.

Of course, they didn't dare to blame Cao Cao, but they were not very polite to Cao Hong. They said a few words and said that they were ridiculing Cao Hong for making money and that his work was too rough and not useful. Obviously Cao Cao gave Cao Hong a chance and tried his best to cover it. But now, not only did he fail to capture Puban County, but he also surrendered and lost a lot of food and supplies, leading to the current situation...

For Cao Cao's soldiers at the grassroots level, they don't know how the situation will change and when they will fight. After encountering setbacks, most people will easily fall into a state of laziness and exhaustion, complaining about this and that. For Cao Cao The overall strategy is far from tenacious and cooperative.

The reason why these Cao Jun scouts still led the team here was mostly because they were just taking things one day at a time. As for any lofty goals, the future of the country, or the prosperity of the nation, etc., they really didn't have any ambition at all.

It's just that the land of Shandong doesn't care what these low-level soldiers think, so they complement each other.

Although they are both from Shandong, it is like living in two worlds.

The upper-class nobles shouted for the people, but what they did was try every means to harvest more wealth from the people. The lower-class people would also say yes when asked whether the big man was good, but if you asked whether the officials were good or bad, Then he immediately revealed an intriguing smile...

While several people were laughing softly, they suddenly heard the soldiers on duty not far away hissing, "Did you hear anything?" 』

Everyone seemed to freeze for an instant, standing still, their ears pricked up, and their eyes rolling around.

The curved ditches around it are like giant pythons, snaking and lurking.

The dark mountain shadows also look like fierce beasts, lurking underground.

The grass swayed and the shadows of the trees swayed.

After a while, there was no movement...

The soldier on duty let out a slightly embarrassed sigh, "Ah, maybe I heard wrong." 』

"What a hammer!" 』

"Fuck!" 』

"Grandma!" It scared me to death! 』

There was a scolding immediately.

The soldier on duty turned his head and smiled: "Me too..."

Before he finished speaking, a roaring sound came through the air, and with a pop, it pierced the head of the soldier on duty. Blood immediately mixed with the brain and spurted out several feet!

The smile on the face of the soldier on duty was still there, and he seemed to be a little confused, but he fell straight down with an arrow...

Until this moment, everyone seemed to have been pricked by a needle at the same time, jumping up with a cry, "Enemy attack!" 』

There was a loud noise in the sky, and seven or eight feather arrows were already shooting with strong wind!

Before the words could be fully finished, there were two more screams, but two Cao Jun scouts were hit by arrows and rolled to the ground.

"over there! "The scout captain of Cao Jun shouted according to the direction of the arrow, "Fight back! fight back! 』

After all, Cao Jun's scouts were elite. After judging the direction of the attack, they immediately opened their bows and returned a few arrows in an awkward posture. Obviously, this rapid-fire arrow is not intended to hit the opponent, but just to interrupt the opponent's rhythm and prevent the opponent from attacking so comfortably.

The remaining scouts of Cao's army lay on the ground, squirming and retreating with the help of limited cover.

They did not have the confidence to face the hussar scouts head-on, because in most cases it was their anal fissure, so they just wanted to retreat into the ditch where they placed their horses, and then escape from here.

"team leader! help me! help me! ! 』

A soldier of Cao's army with an injured leg held the bow and arrow in his hand tightly and stared at the scout captain of Cao's army who was moving back.

When they joined the army, didn't they all loudly declare that they should trust their teammates and help each other?

Didn’t you make an oath? !

Why are they all doing their own thing now?

"Save the mud..."

Dry!

It's the new guy!

The scout captain of Cao's army was about to subconsciously reply to save him, but when he met the eyes of the soldier of Cao's army who had injured his legs and feet, and saw the coldly flashing arrow, his heart skipped a beat, and he immediately changed his words and said, "Okay." ! Give me your hand and I'll pull you over! 』

The soldier of Cao's army whose legs and feet were injured breathed a sigh of relief, let go of his bow and arrow, and stretched out his hand.

The bloody hand stretched forward, as if reaching for hope.

At the next moment, what awaits you is not the warm help from your comrades, but the ruthless cold light!

"What a shame!" Still want to yin me? ! ” The scout captain of Cao Jun pulled out his short blade and cut off a few fingers of Cao Jun’s soldiers who were injured in their legs and feet. “You’re playing this trick with me!” Wait for death! 』

Immediately, the scout captain of Cao Jun squirmed twice quickly on the ground, slipped into the ditch, and threw the Cao Jun soldiers with injured hands and feet on the slope.

"Ahhhh..." Cao's soldiers, whose hands and feet were injured, lay down on the slope and howled miserably. It was not clear whether it was because of the pain of their injuries or for some other reason.

I don’t know how long it took, maybe it was just a moment, maybe it was like a lifetime, several shadows appeared next to Cao Jun soldiers who were injured in their hands and feet, covering the faces of Cao Jun soldiers.

"Kill me!" "The soldiers of Cao's army gave up resistance and everything. They collapsed and muttered, "Come on, give me a knife... Hurry up..."

A face smeared with black ash came up to Cao Jun's soldiers and looked him up and down.

After a while, someone climbed up from the slope, "Three escaped!"

"Are there any survivors?" someone asked.

"..." It seemed that some eyes fell on the Cao army soldiers.

"Give me some water..." The Cao army soldier smacked his lips, "What do you want to know? After I finish speaking... can you give me a quick death?"

After a short silence, someone lifted up the Cao army soldier's head and put a cowhide bag to his mouth.

"Your injury... won't kill you!" A hoarse voice sounded, "Wrap his wound first!"