Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3258 What are you looking for?

There is a map of the Emei Mountains on the desk, with the ravines and passes marked in detail.

Xun Chen placed chess pieces representing soldiers, manpower, camps and other symbols on the map, and there seemed to be some fire dancing in his eyes.

Xun Chen and others were on the slope, while Cao Jun was at the bottom.

Xun Chen's left wing was composed of Liu Fu and Cheng Yun, Li Er and other conscripts who mainly patrolled Hedong, his right wing was Sima Yi who extended to Puban County under the slope, and in the rear was General Fei Qian, the hussar general of the Linfen base camp.

Cao Jun chose the strategy of "camp step by step". Everywhere he went, he built a hard camp as a support. This was undoubtedly the most reliable tactic for infantry to deal with cavalry. Cao Cao's own military ability is very strong, so there is no problem with such tactics.

But its main problem is not tactical...

"Report!" 』

A soldier arrived at the big tent and reported to Xun Chen the news that Wang Meng was dead.

Xun Chen was a little surprised and asked about relevant matters. Then he was silent for a long time and sighed, "A righteous man." 』

"Someone is coming!" Xun Chen raised his voice and said, "Send a letter to help me." 』

Not long after, the secretary arrived. Xun Chen nodded and said, "Today, Cao's thieves sent guests to the slope to assassinate. They saw that the hussar officers were so kind to the people living on the east side of the river. They couldn't bear it. They surrendered and said that they were disobedient." Loyalty, it is unkind to assassinate the people, it is unjust to accuse someone, and to kill oneself on the spot after saying one's words is to sacrifice one's life for the sake of loyalty. The knight was very sorry and said, "There is a righteous man in Shandong, Wang Meng. He knows that the world is loyal and righteous. He should live for the people, but he died for a thief, so he regrets it." Special order to book his name in history. 』

The bookkeeper was busy with his writing skills. He had a meal that was easy to remember, and then he looked up at Xun Chen.

Xun Chen waved his hand and said, "Send to the Lord." 』

Shu Zuo bowed his hands and stepped back.

While he was talking, Zhang Xiu came in with a bag under his arm, pulled a piece of mat and sat down, "I heard that Shandong boy committed suicide?" 』

Xun Chen nodded, but did not continue to say anything on this topic. Instead, he clicked on the map and said: "The main force of the front of Cao's army should be here..."

Zhang Xiu stood up, stretched his head and took a look, frowned and said, "Here?" No way? 』

Xun Chen nodded slowly, "It must be this way!" 』

…

…

If we comprehensively analyze the war between Fei Qian and Cao Cao, all the situations were unfavorable to Fei Qian at the beginning.

The chaos in the Western Regions has not yet been settled, the intrigues among the three auxiliaries of Chang'an, the Yuncheng Basin in Hedong and the Linfen area are separated, Shangdang and Taiyuan are also fighting on their own, the mountains and mountains of Sichuan, Shu and Han are far away, and the northern region of the desert hangs alone. It seems that every one of them is bleeding. The wounds are enough to cause Fei Qian's seemingly huge structure to bleed profusely and eventually collapse.

However, all these disadvantages were unknowingly transformed into favorable political factors by Fei Qian and Fei Qian's generals and advisers.

During the chaos in the Western Regions, the Shanshan Kingdom was split into two in the blink of an eye, and a time-honored Shanshan Kingdom Treaty was signed.

Chang'an Sanfu's intrigues took advantage of the chaos to clear up the scum. A Webster fell down, and many people who were crawling with melons and vines would be cleaned up.

Linfen and Yuncheng in the land east of Hedong are at least the remaining problems from the time of Emperor Huanling. Now that Cao Jun has messed with it, Yuncheng is ruined and the nobles are in decline. When Fei Qian comes back, the situation will be invisible. Those old resistances are gone...

Of course, the most important thing is "victory".

In other words, it was the "victory" that Cao Jun wanted to hear and see.

As long as you can win, it seems you can move on.

Even though there were still wounds on his body, he was still dripping with blood.

Not everyone can analyze the entire battlefield situation so clearly. More people will be confused by certain emotions and situations, and then feel that what is in front of them is the most important...

Although Pei Jun failed to capture Anyi City, the surrender effect he brought made Cao Cao really relaxed these days.

After all, Pei Jun was also the subordinate of Qiusi Feiqian back then, and represented the communication and operation of Qiusi in the Hedong area. Now that Pei Jun has joined Cao Cao, some Hedong nobles who do not have a long-term vision regard it as some kind of signal.

In China, as long as someone takes the lead, some things seem to fall into place.

Now that Cao Cao is attacking, these Hedong gentry are not even gentry, they are just local tyrants. The local squires expressed their respect for Prime Minister Cao. Suddenly, Xia County, Yi County, Zuolin, Pi County, etc. They all bowed their heads in front of Cao Jun's soldiers.

If you don't bow your head, you risk ruining your family. So you don't have to shave your head, you just change the flag. What's the problem?

No problem at all.

Therefore, Lao Cao did not waste any effort or go out of his way to conquer certain counties. Within a few days, the Han Prime Minister sat firmly in his tent and received one piece of good news after another.

Zhang Fang, a powerful man from Hedong, surrendered.

The Guo family of Pi County surrendered.

…

Things seemed great.

"Report!" Report to the Prime Minister that the Liu family in Yi County persuaded the Gushan Cheng family to surrender, and Rong County has surrendered! 』

"Congratulations, Prime Minister! The Cheng family is the head clan of Gushan. As soon as this person surrenders, this place will be in the hands of the prime minister! Dong Zhao came out to congratulate him and said, "In this way, we can defeat Wenxi and march to Linfen, just around the corner!" 』

After hearing the news, Cao Cao's eyes fell on the map.

To the north of Yuncheng Basin, there is Gufeng Mountain.

It was like a wart that suddenly appeared on Yuncheng's forehead, big and black.

To the south of Gufeng Mountain is Anyi.

Gufeng Mountain was "acquired" by Cao Cao, which meant that Anyi was now surrounded. It was only a matter of time before the city fell.

Heading east from Gufeng Mountain and bypassing the twisted loess mountain ridge fold area, you will arrive at Wenxi.

Once Wenxi is cleared, Cao Jun will have a second road to Linfen.

"Let Pei Feng go with the army first to hear the news!" ” Cao Cao said in a deep voice, preparing the waste for final use, and then inspected the generals under his tent, “Who is willing to lead the army to break this news?” 』

Lu Zhao came out proudly, "I wish to go there!" 』

Before Cao Cao could give his approval, at this moment, soldiers from a distance shouted, "Prime Minister!" Urgent report! 』

Cao Cao turned his head and squinted his eyes, as if he was planning to hear some good news.

The soldiers prostrated themselves in front, sweating profusely.

"Sima from other departments has an urgent report!" ” The soldiers fell to the ground.

Cao Cao's heart sank slightly, but the expression on his face remained unchanged, "Speak!" 』

The soldier almost put his head on the ground, "An urgent report from Sima... The enemy Sima clan forged a message and deceived Captain Gao to go to Changpo... As a result, as a result... Lieutenant Gao was ambushed by the bandits... Return defeated..."

"A big defeat?" ” Two words popped out from between Cao Cao’s teeth.

The soldiers were trembling and did not dare to answer.

"How is Captain Gao doing now?" ”Cao Cao asked again in a deep voice.

"Severe injury. 』

"Ha, ha ha..." Cao Cao suddenly laughed, "What a Sima Zhongda!" 』

…

…

When two armies are fighting, military strength is very important, but intelligence is also very important.

The great river gave birth to the Chinese nation, but similarly, the great river also brought considerable threats and disasters to the people on both sides of the strait over a long period of time.

When the ice melts every year, the ice blocks coming down from the upper reaches will destroy all the boats and wooden bridges on the river. When a huge ice floe hits a piece of wood, it will crack and shatter like a piece of paper.

Therefore, when Sima Yi discovered that a large amount of ice floes began to flow downwards in Pubanjin, he knew that his mission in Pubanjin could come to an end for the time being.

During the current melting period of the Han Dynasty, no one or ship can pass through the river.

Therefore, during this period of time, there is no need to guard Pubanjin until all the ice cubes melt.

The moon in the sky is crescent and the stars are bright.

Hao Zhao led the horse and walked carefully through the loess ditch.

Hao Zhao is from Taiyuan. He joined the army when he was young and is now serving under Sima Yi.

When Huo Nu was injured, Sima Yi discovered that Pu Banjin's guard, Hao Zhao, was quite brave and intelligent, so he promoted him to his subordinates.

Although Hao Zhao was young, he cherished such an opportunity. After attacking Cao Jun's branch Xie Xuan, he tried to infiltrate Cao Jun's interior.

Xie Xuan was falsely informed by Sima Yi and deceived some of his troops to come out and then fell into an ambush. This would inevitably cause him to become very nervous and the battle line would shrink. This would also cause a relatively large gap to appear among Cao Jun's scouts who were originally cruising around. There is a gap, and this gap is the best opportunity to spy on Cao Jun's military layout.

Sima Yi thought so, and it was Hao Zhao who performed the penetration and tongue grabbing.

A cool breeze blows from time to time, and when walking, the sound of the soles of the feet rubbing against the sand is heard.

Walking in the shadow at the bottom of the ravine, your feet are soft and unstable. Sometimes you will step on sand and gravel, and sometimes you will step on floating soil. If you are not careful, you may lose your center of gravity and fall to the ground...

But none of this affected Hao Zhao.

He was cautious, and even walking in the shadows did not make him timid or scared. From time to time, he would scan over some suspicious places to observe the changes on both sides and above the ravine. At the same time, he would raise his ears and listen to the slight sounds around him.

Following Hao Zhao were hundreds of people and their horses.

Both men and horses hold coins in their titles.

None of them said a word, but just followed one after the other, taking care not to move too much, so as not to make a loud noise.

Like Hao Zhao, when moving forward, these hussars also scanned the surroundings vigilantly to detect any movement.

Like a tiger and leopard walking only in the shadows.

Quiet, but full of powerful deterrence.

Hao Zhao would sometimes stop and raise his fist to signal.

Then the others would stop, and even the horses would remain docile and tactful.

After confirming that there was no danger around, everyone started moving slowly again.

They had already passed through the defense line where Cao Jun's scouts were supposed to be, and were now digging into Cao Jun's belly.

The further you go inside Cao Jun's army, the more likely you are to encounter Cao Jun's roving scouts.

After walking and walking, and passing through the predicted cordon of Cao Jun, Hao Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they have entered Cao Jun's sphere of influence, as long as they do not encounter Cao Jun's patrol soldiers, the risk index will drop a lot.

However, Hao Zhao is still very careful. He understands that danger often comes when he is most lax, and he does not want to cause any accidents or dramas that lead to tragedy due to his negligence.

And the key point is that sooner or later, Hao Zhao will encounter Cao Jun's soldiers to obtain the core information within Cao Jun, focusing on information such as troop deployment, and ordinary Cao Jun soldiers may not know this information. Only Cao Jun's elite, that is, Only those who lead the army and protect the army are likely to know more.

Once handed over, the alarm will inevitably be triggered, and it will be a problem to go back with the information.

It’s definitely not easy to leave with a living mouth, but if you don’t have a living mouth, you’re afraid that your questions won’t be detailed or you’ll remember something wrong…

Anyway, this is a high-risk behavior, but Hao Zhao thinks it's worth giving it a try.

After all, without intelligence and just talking on paper on the map, you will often fall into passivity.

For example, where is Cao Cao's position now?

In the era without satellite positioning, it was not easy to determine the location of the enemy's core troops.

Even though he thought he had a good sense of direction and there were stars and moon in the sky, Hao Zhao still had to stop and go, and still needed to determine the direction based on the stars in the sky. The hussar horse following him also walked cautiously. No one knows if there are hidden sentries of Cao Jun's scouts in this area, so even if they pass the blockade, they should be as careful as possible and avoid being exposed if possible.

Moreover, the land under your feet is not completely flat. It still has some ups and downs as the loess slope changes. Everyone must keep a stable center of gravity to avoid accidentally falling and sliding down the slope. Before the battle begins, they will lose their feet. alright.

After walking for a while, Hao Zhao suddenly raised his fist again, and everyone stopped and looked around cautiously.

"Some smell..."

Hao Zhao whispered.

A veteran following Hao Zhao raised his head slightly, sniffed the night breeze carefully, and then said in a low voice, "Ha, someone is baking something..."

Cao Jun's scouts are also humans, so they also need to eat.

That’s no problem, but baking something…

Of course, Cao Jun's scouts knew how to sneak some food and drink in sheltered areas, and they also knew how to avoid the limelight. However, Cao Jun's soldiers were not familiar with the terrain in this area after all. They didn't know that although the lower part of the loess slope gully could indeed block the firelight, it was indeed not upwind. There are ravines criss-crossing the place, and some smells are more or less brought out along the ravines.

Hao Zhao and the old soldier loosened the reins of their horses, then quietly moved forward and quickly disappeared into the shadows.

After a while, Hao Zhao turned back and whispered: "There are about a dozen Cao Jun scouts over there. There is no need to be alert... Let's cover them up quietly..."

Everyone nodded, showing a bit of excitement.

You must know that Cao Jun’s scouts are all soldiers!

One head is a first-level skill!

The dozen or so Cao Jun scouts were certainly not enough for everyone, but if too many people went up, uncontrollable accidents might occur, causing Cao Jun to be alert, so Hao Zhao only called two chiefs, plus himself With a few men, a total of more than 20 people went out to attack, while the rest stayed in place to repair and take care of the horses.

After receiving the order, the soldiers all became excited, took off their weapons from their horses, and quickly prepared.

Most hussars are all-rounders and are not only good at using long and short weapons, but they are also good at bows and crossbows.

The same goes for Hao Zhao. He not only carries a sword, but also a short hammer on his waist. After all, they are facing Cao Jun's armored men. If the stabbing of the sword is not at the vital part, it may not be able to kill with one blow, but it is different with the short iron hammer. Even if it hits the head through the pocket, it will still be hit one by one. No ambiguity.

The group of people were quickly prepared. Under the moonlight and starlight, their eyes flashed with faint light, as if a group of cats were ready to hunt.

Under Hao Zhao's instructions, the twenty or so people quickly divided into three groups, and each moved forward along the shadow of the ravine.

Soon, Hao Zhao and others tiptoed to the place where Cao Jun's scouts were repairing.

There are some sparse trees on the top of the slope. Because the loess is relatively dry, the trees do not grow particularly well. There are some weeds and shrubs around. Two Cao Jun scouts were on duty hiding behind trees and shrubs, while the remaining Cao Jun scouts raised bonfires and set up smoke cages in recesses down the slope.

Although Cao Jun's scouts took corresponding concealment measures, the smell of barbecue will be greater than that of ordinary fire...

Perhaps it was because they had finally hunted the wild beasts, or perhaps because they were relatively inside and were less vigilant. Although these Cao soldiers were indeed elite Cao soldiers wearing armor, they did not look like such elites in their current state.

The aroma of the barbecue seemed to distract the Cao Jun scouts on duty, and he frequently looked back in the direction of the bonfire.

Hao Zhao moved forward slowly, like a nimble big cat. Only after the front feet were firmly planted, he would take the second step. Although the posture seemed weird, it was very effective.

Suddenly, the scout on duty of Cao Jun seemed to notice something, or perhaps felt that the surroundings were suddenly too quiet. This instinct made him stand up straight and start to look around...

It's a pity it's too late.

Hao Zhao jumped out fiercely, and the short blade was like a claw protruding out, slicing through the throat of Cao Jun's scout.

The sound of blood spurting out was like a whistle in the wind.

Scout Cao Jun covered his neck tightly, as if he wanted to scream, but his trachea was also slashed and he couldn't scream at all. He could only stare and fell down.

Hao Zhao grabbed the Cao Jun scout and gently knocked him down.

In fact, the smell of human blood is very strong. If the smell of barbecue from the campfire hadn't covered up the smell, the experienced Cao Jun scouts would have become alert.

The scouts of Cao Jun who were relieved of their alert sentry status were like prey that had fallen into a trap.

Although when Hao Zhao and others finally appeared in front of them, their reaction speed was not slow. Some grabbed their weapons and some rolled on the spot, but after all, it was a step too late.

Whoosh whoosh!

Arrows and crossbow bolts roared and shot from different directions, leaving Cao Jun's scouts with no room to hide.

Screams rang out one after another, and all the Cao Jun scouts were quickly wounded and killed.

This sneak attack ended in a short time, without causing any major disturbance.

Hao Zhao and others first discovered Cao Jun's scouts and killed Cao Jun's soldiers on duty. The other side was completely unprepared, so victory was natural. However, they did not have time to communicate well beforehand, so they could not leave any effective survivors.

The only two or three Cao Jun scouts who were still alive seemed to know that they would not live long. They cursed Hao Zhao and others viciously, and then died...

However, some information cannot be obtained only through words.

After rummaging through the bodies of Cao Jun's scouts and the items they carried, Hao Zhao discovered something.

Cao Jun’s scouts had very little dry food left...

This may be one of the reasons why they took the risk of barbecue, but it also provided Hao Zhao with a message.

"It seems that we may be looking in the right direction... Cao Jun is not far from the surrounding area, there must be a supply point!" It’s amazing that we can even catch a big fish! 』