Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3274 I think everything is right

From the main camp in the south of Pingyang City, the main force of cavalry and infantry directly under Fei Qian set off in formation.

The cavalry was led by Fei Qian himself, while the infantry was handed over to Xu Chu.

The wings of the main cavalry are equipped with medium- and light-armored rangers. Most of these cavalry are not responsible for frontal combat. They are only used to drive away the opponent's scouts and disrupt the enemy's rear line to facilitate the main army's operations.

Behind the cavalry, there are lines of red shirts, like rivers, gathering together. The most eye-catching thing in the infantry phalanx is the heavy artillery. There are also craftsmen around the artillery testing the ground in front of the road, and then allowing subsequent vehicles to pass one by one.

Fei Qian's army was not a single cavalry unit, but a composite legion mixed with cavalry, infantry, engineers, etc.

This kind of deployment of legions extremely tests the general's basic skills.

Xu Chu has been with Fei Qian for a long time. This is the first time he has commanded such a large-scale battle force, and it is also the first time he has walked to the stage. Unlike the image of Xu Chu in history or in the game, Xu Chu does not currently have the title of "Tiger Fool" because he does not need to play the role of an idiot when he is around Fei Qian.

A fighter among garbage is still garbage.

A tiger among idiots is still an idiot.

The name "Tiger Fool" in history sounds pretty cool, but in fact it was still a scolding of Xu Chu. After all, too many people wanted Cao Cao dead at that time, and Xu Chu was undoubtedly the last line of defense in front of Cao Cao, so naturally he was also called upon to do so. People hold grudges.

Fei Qian's infantry array is not used for offense, but for protection, so it is equipped with a large number of large shields.

These shields were placed on vehicles that followed the infantry array and were dragged by horses.

Under Xu Chu, there were also junior officials from the military academy, such as Xue Ping and Wang Dang, who were running around and responsible for the coordination of various small departments. The passing messengers carried high recognition flags and disappeared and appeared in the military formation.

The forwards have already started to move for half an hour, but the backline has not yet taken a step forward.

Although there is no general numerical measurement, if ten thousand troops march forward, the length will be about ten miles.

Because the length of an ancient army is a variable and will be affected by many factors, including soldiers' equipment, terrain, marching speed, etc., even the way the soldiers are formed will affect the length of their march. The vanguard troops have already moved forward one by one, building a temporary lookout on the edge of the official road, and placing road signs on the road as a guide.

Fei Qian followed the army all the way to Fenshui.

Five new pontoon bridges were erected on the Fenshui River, connecting the two original bridges, allowing the army to cross the Fenshui River smoothly and then climb up the Emei Mountains.

Zhang Xiu and several guards stood on the edge of Fen River to greet him. When he saw Fei Qian, he immediately bowed and saluted.

Fei Qian signaled Xu Zhu to take command, then jumped off his horse and walked to the side of the road with Zhang Xiu, "Has the main force of Cao's army passed Anyi?" 』

"The last time the scouts detected, the main force of Cao's army was moving forward, but because Anyi City was besieged, exact information could not be obtained. Zhang Xiu replied, "But judging from the flag, General Cao's flag has already reached the bottom of the slope." Xun Changshi thought that the Cao army at the bottom of the slope might be a bait, and he had already led some of his troops to test it. 』

Fei Qian nodded and said: "It is indeed very likely to be a bait." How is the situation over there in Wenxi? 』

"The day before yesterday, the scouts sent news that a section of Cao's army had passed Gushan, carrying a large number of people, probably people from Yuncheng in the east of the river... and were heading in the direction of Wenxi. The general's flag is the word "路", not Cao's or Xiahou's. ” Zhang Xiu reported.

"road? Fei Qian repeated, and then asked Zhang Xiu, "How do you deal with this Cao army's partial army?" What to do with the people brought by Cao Jun? 』

Fei Qian plans to send Zhang Xiu to fight Wenxi.

Zhang Xiu laughed and was about to show off his pride, but when he saw something was wrong with Fei Qian's expression, he suddenly thought, "Ah, this..."

Fei Qian said: "Then do you know why Changshi Xun led the team to test the Cao army camp at Poxia and not you?" 』

Zhang Xiu seemed to have thought of something, and these things seemed a little different from what he originally thought. He followed Fei Qian's gaze and saw artillery and other heavy objects crossing the Fen River.

Different from the pontoon bridge that ordinary soldiers walked on, the artillery and baggage vehicles walked on the stone bridge originally erected on the Fen River. Although it had to go further, it was obvious that no one would let artillery and other equipment go on the pontoon bridge...

Why?

"ah! Zhang Xiu lowered his head and cupped his hands, "I understand." 』

Fei Qian nodded, "Tell me about it." 』

"Because of time, place, people, things. Zhang Xiu said, "It was actually said in the martial arts hall..."

Fei Qian looked at Zhang Xiu and said, "Not bad, but it depends on how well it is done." Not only to look at Cao Bing, but also to keep an eye on Cao Min. If this battle goes well, I will let you go to the Northern Territory. If not, you will have to work hard for several years..."

"Go!" ” Fei Qian waved his hand.

Zhang Xiu knelt on the ground and saluted, "I obey my lord's order!" 』

Immediately, Zhang Xiu stood up, whistled, led several of his own guards, mounted his horse and headed east.

…

…

Just when Fei Qian was leading his troops to Emei Mountains, in Jizhou, a flag of General Cao's family was fluttering high in the wind.

Under the flag is a majestic formation of soldiers. All the soldiers in the queue were wearing armor and neatly dressed. It was obvious at a glance that they must be the elite of the Cao family.

Cao Ying walked in the queue with a sullen face, occasionally glancing sideways at Wei Yan who was following him.

These soldiers and horses under the banner of Cao Jun and wearing armor that are not much different from Cao Jun are naturally Wei Yan and his party.

After sneaking into Jizhou, Wei Yan seemed to have returned to his hometown.

By the way, Wei Yan himself is from Nanyang, so when he speaks fluent Yuzhou dialect, no one will think that he is a "Shanxi native".

Gao Rou walked in front of the queue with some embarrassment.

After Gao Rou led Wei Yan to trick Cao Ying, Wei Yan immediately abandoned Gao Rou like a piece of shit, and even sent Gao Rou as a front-line errand to deal with the Cao army squads they encountered.

Gao Rou didn't dare to run or make any other small moves.

After all, the injury on his leg has not healed yet, so he can pretend to be on horseback, but if he really wants to run...

Of course, the key is not the injury, but Wei Yan said that if Gao Rou did something "irrational", he would kill Cao Ying, but he would ensure that Cao Ying would be treated by Cao Jun.

This is troublesome.

Gao Rou absolutely believed that Cao Ying was not a loyal and honest person, nor was he a broad-minded person. Cao Ying dare not bear grudge against Wei Yan, but he will definitely bear his hatred towards Gao Rou!

It’s hard to say that I’m already holding a grudge now…

When Gao Rou thought about the consequences, she was extremely honest, and even regretted why he didn't fight Wei Yan at that time, but betrayed Cao Ying in fear of death? Who knows why I lost courage at that time? Before meeting Wei Yan, Gao Rou thought that she should be a tough guy.

Hey, if you make a mistake, you will end up like that!

Moreover, Gao Rou's subordinates were now imprisoned in the prison in Liyang County.

Of course Cao Ying gave the order...

Some officials in Liyang City thought that there was a conflict between Gao Rou and Cao Ying.

Anyway, here in Shandong, it is very strange.

No official would ask more about why, and no official would report something beyond his level, because this is very taboo in Shandong official circles.

Anyway, since it was Cao Ying who issued the order, they would execute it.

What I can’t figure out is also the execution.

Cao Ying's current situation is also very troublesome.

He imprisoned Gao Rou's troops and was likely to be considered an accomplice of Wei Yan.

Because none of the officials in Liyang knew what was going on. They were just following Cao Ying's orders. If something were to come out, Cao Ying might not be able to do anything even if he really had two mouths. Make it clear.

Therefore, until Cao Ying and Gao Rou really came up with something to completely solve Wei Yan's trouble, they did not dare to move.

But Wei Yan was still looking for trouble.

Even Jizhou's current troubles are increasing and getting more serious.

Because of the drought, everything in Jizhou has undergone many changes.

Nowadays, the main attention of the local gentry is focused on the fields. No one has the intention to cooperate with Cao Pi and Chen Qun to take care of the hussars wandering around. As long as Wei Yan does not cause trouble for them, they don't want to pay attention to anything except the fields. of anything.

The afterglow of dusk shines on the earth.

The flying dust seemed to be grinning in the air.

The once fertile land is now cracked into countless tiny fragments, dry and powerless.

There has been no rain for days, causing this land in China that gave birth to countless creatures to lose its former vitality.

The crops in the field lowered their heads, and their withered bodies seemed to silently tell the hardships of life.

Apparently, groundwater levels are also falling because of the drought, causing some wells to dry up.

Farmers had to go further afield to find water. The water in the river channels is gradually becoming turbid, and the water volume is obviously decreasing.

Every time we collect water, it is like a farmer fighting an arduous game with nature.

Pedestrians on the road were also dejected, as if aware of their impending fate.

In the face of such a disaster, the government's organizational capabilities are naturally the most important.

But unfortunately, Wei Yan did not see any officials organizing any self-rescue activities along the way.

This may be the tradition in Shandong. The court's disaster relief officials always seem to be late in arriving. Even if they do come, the food and water they bring are only a drop in the bucket. The villagers waited in despair, hoping for a rain of rain to come and rescue them from the dire straits. Anyway, only when the worst happens and the people are about to rebel or have already rebelled, will someone exclaim, "Save them!" 』

It's like these people just woke up to learn a foreign language and suddenly found that the tuition fee was not enough.

Under such circumstances, death has become the norm, and people leave this world every day due to hunger, thirst and disease.

The grief of the living and the silence of the dead are intertwined to form a tragic picture.

But classic images seem to like to appear repeatedly.

Wei Yan could still see the gentry's disciples in bright clothes, angry horses and eagles and lackeys. They were outing in groups admiring the scenery and singing in the wind.

On the avenue.

Well-dressed nobles riding famous horses galloped to the right.

A ragged man in ragged clothes pushed the waterwheel to the left with difficulty.

"Haha, Shandong! Wei Yan stared at Cao Ying and smiled, "Shandong!" have a look! Really, outstanding people and wonderful places! 』

Cao Yingqiang smiled, "This... is ridiculous, ridiculous." 』

"Well..." Wei Yan was silent for a while, "Aren't you ashamed of this matter...?" You have been in power in Shandong for so many years, and you just messed up like this? Pretend you didn't see it? 』

"How do you say this?" ” Cao Ying sighed and said, “It’s not us who caused this drought... It’s not us who caused the fields to have no water... This, this is really not my fault...”

"It has nothing to do with you directly, so you are right?" "Wei Yan said with a smile, but there was a cold flash in his eyes, "You know, these people think... forget it, I'm afraid you don't understand..."

Cao Ying laughed twice.

He walked on the road well, harming no one, and did no harm to anyone, so what was wrong with him?

Of course, Cao Ying couldn't understand what a nobleman who enjoyed more social resources should do and what he shouldn't do.

The order of the Han Dynasty now has big problems. The nobles who once led the Han Dynasty's ideological culture and political system have gradually become a stumbling block hindering the progress of the Han Dynasty. The most critical problem is that just like Cao Ying's immediate reaction, they still think they are not wrong, or they are stubborn and will never admit their mistakes.

If you don’t admit your mistakes, you will naturally be right...

During the war between Yuan and Cao, Jizhou did not suffer any serious damage. Only some areas were damaged. However, Cao Cao quickly accepted the surrender of Jizhou guys, which naturally allowed Jizhou to quickly resume production. . It can be said that Jizhou will be even better under Cao Cao than under Yuan Shao. After all, Yuan Shao wanted to attack Gongsun from above, and Cao Cao from below.

Until this war between Cao Cao and Fei Qian, the Jizhou guy really bled "hardly".

It was probably like hemorrhoids suddenly bursting, and the whole crotch was red.

This made Jizhou guys very dissatisfied.

Moreover, ever since Cao Cao failed to advance his army, the hemorrhoids have not gotten better and the blood has been flowing non-stop.

Although the flesh was cut with a small knife every time, it would be very painful for these Jizhou guys if they cut too much. In addition, the drought this time is obviously so serious, all the local squires in Jizhou are trying every means to preserve their own food. As a result, the supply on Cao Cao's front line became even more tense.

Fortunately, Cao Cao built a large-scale grain and grass transit camp in Jizhou, Yuzhou, and Yanzhou very early, and stored a lot of grain and grass...

And now, Wei Yan is also eyeing these places.

After all, Jizhou is so big, this kind of grain and grass transit camp will not be so loud that everyone in the world knows about it. Only certain people must have the information...

That's right, the person who knows the information about these places is Cao Ying, who visited various places before and was well received.

But even though Cao Ying was greedy and fearful of death, he also knew the importance of these grains and grass to Cao Cao.

So the closer he got to the food transit camp, the more conflicted Cao Ying became, and his expression became more and more nervous.

Wei Yan watched coldly and suddenly thought of Cao Ying's words just now, and said to Cao Ying: "Don't be nervous!" this is not your fault! 』

Cao Ying was stunned for a moment, then turned around, "Ah?" This, how do you say this? 』

Wei Yan sighed and pointed to the surrounding dry acres and the farmers who were working hard to irrigate the land, "Look, what can war bring?" Death, still death. Even if the Prime Minister wins on the front line, can death here be avoided? After such a drought, at least tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people will die! right? 』

"Ah, ah, yes, yes. ” Cao Ying was still a little confused.

"Now if we send all the laborers on the front line back, can we save these crops, alleviate some droughts, and reduce some losses from disasters?" ” Wei Yan said again.

"That's natural. ” Cao Ying nodded.

If there are more people working and more hands, of course more things can be done. Now that the disaster relief is ineffective, Cao Ying will never think that it is because the government organization is not in place and the gentry is unwilling to provide money and food, but because the ordinary people and tenant farmers are not working hard enough and not doing enough.

Wei Yan suddenly sighed again, "But now this war may not end so soon!" One year, two years, several years later, if the fight continues like this, who will benefit? How many years did it take to conquer Xiqiang? I'm not slandering Prime Minister Cao. Think about it for yourselves. How many people can he stand up to? At that time, the Han Dynasty had not been divided into such pieces, and it was supported by a rich and prosperous place like Heluo. How many years had it been fighting? what's the result? How many more years will it take to fight now? To tell you the truth, how sure are you of defeating the Cavalry? 』

If when Cao Cao set out, Cao Ying would probably still be confident that he could win, but now that it has been delayed for so long, the original eighty-nine percent confidence is now only half, not even half.

Wei Yan said with a smile: "Since you can't win, why not... In this way, I have another way, let's make money together..."

"Well? ! ” Cao Ying seemed to be choking on his own saliva and coughed repeatedly.

He was frightened by Wei Yan's amazing turn.

A general from Hussar came here to talk about making money with the officials under Cao Cao. What kind of spirit is this?

Wei Yan smiled very happily.

"Let me ask you, if the drought is really out of control..." Wei Yan pointed to the dry land around him, "These crops will definitely not be saved, so there will be a big shortage of food... right? Then in this case... what is the most valuable? You can't think of it, right? Hmm? '

Wei Yan's voice was like the temptation of the devil, low but full of bewitching meaning.

Cao Ying swallowed his saliva, he thought of a possibility, but he felt that this possibility was too ridiculous!

However, what if...

What if it can really be done?

Then not only can all his previous problems be solved to a certain extent, but even Cao Ying himself can make a fortune!

"Opportunities are rare and will never come again!" Wei Yan patted Cao Ying's shoulder, "After all, we didn't do anything wrong, why should we bear the blame? Why can't everyone be happy and make money together? '

"This, this, this, this..."

Cao Ying didn't know what to say, he just licked his lips subconsciously, and then licked his teeth again.

Like a greedy jackal.