Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3283 Looking for opportunities

Some people are only willing to suffer a loss once.

There are also people who keep falling down on the same type of pits.

Sima Yi is undoubtedly a person who is unwilling to suffer losses, and he is even less willing to make mistakes and fall in the same place.

After the handover with Huonu, Sima Yi led the troops down with three hundred cavalry, one person and two horses, bypassing Puban County and heading towards Cao Jun's Zhongshan direction.

Although Huo Nu was injured and could not fight directly, there was still no problem in deploying soldiers, especially when he pretended to be suspicious of soldiers on the Emei Mountains, which naturally frightened Cao Ping and others into not daring to act rashly.

People are like this. When they have nothing, they can often give it a try, but when they hold something in their hands, they most likely won’t be able to let go. After Cao Ping got the empty shell of Puban County, he was like a snail with a shell on its back. His speed immediately slowed down and he no longer had the same vigor as before. He even started to dismantle houses and carry supplies to Puban. The county organized and repaired the fortifications on the spot...

Perhaps in Cao Ping's eyes, if he got such a piece of territory, Sima Yi would definitely bring reinforcements to fight for it, but he didn't expect that Sima Yi had bypassed Pu Ban early and didn't care about the gain or loss of such an empty shell.

"Lang Jun," Sima Yi's guard couldn't help but feel a little worried, and followed half of Sima Yi's horse. "With just a few of us, are we really going to attack Cao Jun's Zhongtiao Mountain?" 』

This time, Sima Yi led fewer people than the last time he attacked Cao Jun's transit camp.

On the one hand, after the last loss, both men and horses suffered considerable losses, and on the other hand, Sima Yi discovered the true purpose of the cavalry...

"Of course you don't need a small number of people like me to attack Cao Jun's camp," Sima Yi said with a smile, "but some things don't require too many people." What's more, we still have Captain Hao, right? 』

During wartime, positions such as generals, partial generals, captains, captains, captains, captains, and army commanders were often granted on a temporary basis. They were not considered formal titles and were not considered popular. They would be lifted naturally after the war and no additional notification was required. They were already in the Han army. a convention.

Sima Yi's guards were still a little worried, "Even if we find Colonel Hao, we probably won't be able to do much harm to Cao Jun's camp!" What if it comes again... I mean..."

The last time he attacked Cao Jun's transit camp, Qianzhao almost killed Sima Yi, which really made these Sima family guards a little worried.

A young man has already died in the Sima family. If another one dies, old Sima may cry and faint in the dressing room.

Bah bah bah!

The guard secretly sighed a few times, worried about his ominous thoughts, but more importantly, he felt that Sima Yi was a little reckless, and was afraid that Sima Yi had lost his mind because of his eagerness for revenge.

"Do you think I've lost my mind and gone crazy?" Sima Yi smiled and said, "Success or failure is not enough to make me feel at a loss and not know how to advance or retreat." Anyway, let me ask you, what does it mean that Cao Jun was heavily guarded in the transit camp and even did not hesitate to transfer cavalry from the front line to defend? 』

"What does it mean?" ” the guard asked subconsciously, and then got stuck for a moment. Something seemed to flash through his head, but he couldn’t grasp the main point.

"My third brother..." Sima Yi said, and then seemed to choke up and pause, "He had a habit when he was a child, like to hide some fun and delicious things... After all, I have many brothers..."

The guard fell silent.

"He always thinks that we don't know where he hides things..." Sima Yi laughed, but the laughter was a little dry and bitter, "Actually, we all know... He can't help but look and guard. That place... the less you want people to discover something, the more something will be exposed..."

There was silence.

After a moment, the guard whispered: "But, Lang Jun, even if it's us... we don't have enough food and grass now, I'm afraid Captain Hao also carries dry food... What should we do now?" 』

"Easy to handle!" Sima Yi opened his mouth, showing a few big teeth, and said one word, "Grab!" 』

"Rob? "The guard didn't understand, "Cao's army concentrated the grain and grass in those camps... Didn't Lang Jun mean to grab the grain transport team? Then if luck comes once every ten and a half days, wouldn’t we all have to...what the hell? 』

Sima Yi shook his head, "If the grain team encounters them, of course they will grab them." However, there are still some places in Hedong where there is food and grass..."

"ah? ” The guard reacted, “Lang Jun, are you talking about those country squires? Right! If these guys join the bandit army, they are no longer our people. They should be robbed and killed! 』

Sima Yi laughed loudly, and then said: "There is one thing I said wrong!" It wasn't us who robbed it, it was Cao Jun who robbed it! 』

"Cao...ah?" ”The guard was stunned.

Sima Yi looked back at the flag behind him, "Didn't you notice?" In fact, the armor and flags worn by Cao Jun are very similar to ours? 』

Is Hedong rich?

Compared with Jizhou and Yuzhou, Hedong is not wealthy. After all, Jizhou and Yuzhou are naturally suitable for the development of agriculture. The land is fertile and flat, and there are rivers and lakes. In a dynasty that mainly focuses on farming, Jizhou and Yuzhou are a God-given "feng shui treasure land".

But Hedong has accumulated a lot of wealth through trade in recent years.

The consumption conditions, market varieties, etc. between the Han Dynasty and later generations are incomparable. Therefore, the money earned by the Hedong gentry would habitually be hoarded into money and food.

Sima Yi, who was half a Hedong nobleman, knew this most clearly.

Even a fool knows that in troubled times, money is of little use. Only having food in hand can provide peace of mind. Therefore, it is not surprising that these gentry and gentry in Hedong are cunning. Even though Cao's army captured it again and again, and the Hedong nobles' howling louder every time, was it really completely captured?

Sima Yi smiled and said nothing.

If it is true that Cao Jun has emptied all the warehouses of the gentry and squires in Hedong, will the whole family of these squires in Hedong still stay here? Food is not something that can be created by tampering with the left and right pockets, so Sima Yi concluded that these guys must have food and grass hidden in them!

In the Yuncheng Basin in the east of the Hedong River, ordinary people's villages may have been starved to death, but these gentry and gentry must have grain and grass supplies, which can be used as supplies along the way.

Sima Yi looked at the guard who had understood more or less and retreated again. He glanced sideways and then focused his gaze forward again.

He knew that although his guard did not seem to say anything against it, in fact, the guard also represented the thoughts of some of Sima Yi's soldiers.

After all, Sima Yi failed last time...

People are so strange.

If you can always succeed, then there is nothing to say, but if you fail once, the previous success will be completely overthrown, and then turn to the other extreme.

Regarding this action, although Sima Yi was very determined, his soldiers were somewhat worried. This is also easy to understand. He could have returned to Emei Mountain safely and rested for a while, but now he had to follow Sima Yi in a big circle and break into the territory controlled by Cao Jun. It was inevitable to feel a little worried.

If Sima Yi was victorious before, then they would only listen to what Sima Yi said. Now that Sima Yi has lost once, they will also think that Sima Yi's previous victories were all luck? Sima Yi deliberately took the time to explain to the guards, just to use the guards' words to dispel the worries of these soldiers.

This is a failure.

If Sima Yi fails again this time, then even if Sima Yi can escape and save his life, if he wants to make a decision that "defies all opinions" in order to regain his prestige in the army, I am afraid that most of it will be considered that Sima Yi is blind. It means "willful" and "arbitrary".

Thinking of this, Sima Yi couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He only commanded these few people, and that was already the case. The hussar general had to command so many generals and soldiers, so he needed to be even more cautious!

"As the art of war goes, the one with more temples will win, and the one with fewer temples will not win." 』

There are many people who know this sentence, but how many of them will actually do it like a hussar general?

When your brain gets hot, hit, hit, hit! Kill kill kill!

You must know that the higher the position, the more you have to bear the consequences of victory or defeat.

Not only for Sima Yi, but also for Fei Qian and Cao Cao.

Although it is extremely safe to defend Emei Ridge, it cannot undo the result of Sima Yi's failure. Therefore, Sima Yi must break the common sense of the art of war to find opportunities. He must also have the courage to live towards death and dare to do things that ordinary people dare not do. Only then can he regain his strength. The possibility of breaking the situation and establishing prestige...

…

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??????55.??????

The person who stayed behind in the Zhongtiao Mountain camp was Guo Jia.

Guo Jia has not been in good health recently, perhaps due to the dry climate in Hedong.

He felt thirsty, but he was still thirsty after drinking a lot of water. Before, he could not drink a water bag a day, but now it has been two or three days. Guo Jia needs to drink at least three water bags a day...

In fact, Guo Jia was thirsty because his mouth and nasal cavity were not adapted to the dry climate of the loess land of Hedong, so it was only his "mouth and nose" that was thirsty, not his actual physical thirst. However, the large amount of water Guo Jia drank, But it was actually increasing the burden on his body, especially his kidneys.

But Guo Jia still couldn't take a good rest.

Because some soldiers came to report, saying that some Hedong squires from Puban Zhangyangchi came to complain bitterly and expressed their grievances, saying that they had been robbed by Cao's army.

Cao Jun's looting is not big news. After all, there are many guys in Cao Jun who even attack "comrades". Looting places is simply a normal thing. But the problem is that sometimes in one day, there are three or four people in succession. A Hedong squire was robbed.

Something is wrong with this.

Guo Jia couldn't help but frown.

"Are you sure it's Cao Jun?" Who leads it? 』

"Reporting to the military advisor, it was said that it was General Xie and Captain Cao... and it is said that General Xie said that he had captured Puban. Now he is raising military supplies and recruiting men to prepare to attack Emei Ridge..."

"What a bastard!" ” Guo Jia suddenly felt a headache, “Without military orders, how can we march without permission? ! 』

The soldier who came to report the news bowed his head and said nothing.

Nowadays, the world is in chaos. Among the princes in Shandong, Cao Cao already has a very good military and political system, otherwise he would not have defeated the two Yuan Dynasties. But even so, Cao Cao is still known for his strict military laws in the military, and he emphasizes military discipline the most.

On the surface it looks like this, but in fact anyone who understands a little bit knows that in general, the more something is lacking, the more emphasis will be placed on it.

Just like people without conscience often emphasize letting others touch their conscience, the most unreasonable people often shout whether they can still be reasonable.

Cao Cao emphasized military discipline, but for generals such as Xiahou and Cao, if they were defeated, he would always scold and curse them in public, and then let the executioners take them out with a righteous look, and then Xun Yu, Guo Jia or other civil and military officials must immediately come forward to say, "Spare their lives..."

The speed of the executioners is very skillful, and who in the family knows it!

So, in such a situation, military discipline is to deal with subordinates, not superiors, and to deal with the outsiders, not the insiders, so it is a normal reaction for Xie Xin to find an opportunity to turn the tables and improve his own record after the previous defeat.

But this kind of thing... is very troublesome.

Cao Cao led the army to press forward in order to lure the cavalry out for a decisive battle, and Xie Xin's doing so might trigger something in advance, or make Cao Cao's rear unstable...

Cao Cao kept Guo Jia in the rear, on the one hand to take care of Guo Jia's health, and on the other hand because he needed someone to sit in the rear line, and now there is a problem in the rear line, Guo Jia naturally can't ignore it.

However, Guo Jia could not tell the Hedong gentry that "Jie Xin" had shown mercy. After all, he only robbed money and food, and did not kill people, burn houses, and silence people. He was already quite polite.

You know, Cao's army has caused some barren land in other places.

The most critical point is the food and grass reserves hidden by these gentry, which Guo Jia also knows...

Because Guo Jia also has to consider the retreat of old Cao!

If the front line is not favorable, then old Cao will always have to bring some food and grass on the road when he retreats, otherwise how can the morale of the army be maintained? So these "pig dogs" are not blind to Guo Jia, but they are left behind intentionally in case of emergency.

Now, if a few of them are killed by "Jie Xin", if they cause panic among the "pig dogs", what should be done if the big plan is ruined?

Guo Jia thought about it and could only say that he would deal with it, and then painted a big cake, and let those crying gentry take the big cake and go back first. After all, what's there to say to a "pig dog"?

Guo Jia immediately dispatched troops and horses, and ordered Jie Xin and Cao Ping to garrison in Puban and not to move rashly!

As for the looting issue, Guo Jia didn't say it, and there was no need to say it at this point in time. After all, the most important thing now is to ensure the needs of Lao Cao on the front line.

However, Guo Jia seemed to feel that this matter was somewhat strange, but the messy rear camp affairs quickly turned his attention to other directions.

…

…

To the northeast of Zhangyang Lake, there is the Sushui River.

In the Sushui River, there is a river valley.

Now that the weather has been dry for a period of time and the water level has dropped, Sima Yi took three hundred pairs of horse archers and hid here.

This is a relatively hidden place.

There is water and grass, which can alleviate some of the pressure on food and grass. The key is that after walking along the river bank for a while, the river water will cover some traces for Sima Yi and others. Even if Cao Jun wants to follow the horses to track them down, they may not be able to find the hiding place of Sima Yi and his party.

Sima Yi is not familiar with this kind of place. Only the Qiang people who run around and are very familiar with the water and grass in Hedong know such a place...

Yes, among Sima Yi's 300 people, some are Baishi Qiang people.

These Qiang people are good in other aspects except for their poor combat skills, especially in identifying terrain and directions, and they don't even need maps.

Of course, if you give the Qiang people a map, they can't understand it.

Originally, the Qiang people were not very interested in the struggle between the Han people, but Lao Cao's men were not strong enough. Seeing the Qiang people was like a bear seeing honey, which caused a lot of trouble to many scattered tribal families of the Qiang people. As a result, when Baishi Qiang mentioned the Cao army, they gnashed their teeth and hated it.

After all, Cao's army lacks horses...

Sima Yi is now gradually approaching Cao's Zhongtiaoshan camp, but if he really wants to threaten Cao's Zhongtiaoshan camp, he still needs an opportunity, an opportunity that allows him to get close enough to the Zhongtiaoshan camp.

At the beginning, Sima Yi wanted to keep an eye on Cao Cao's grain transport team to do something, but Sima Yi found that Cao Cao was very cunning. Cao Cao divided a total of three grain transport routes, one is Yuxiang near Sushui, the middle one is Yixian, and the other is on the other side of the salt pond...

Unless Sima Yi arranges people on all three routes, otherwise if he wants to cut off Cao Cao's grain route, he can only rely on luck.

"This old thief..."

Sima Yi muttered, very dissatisfied.

So if you really want to attack the transit camp, you have to knock down the three camps on the three routes in one go, otherwise it will only be painful for Cao Cao, but not fatal.

Sima Yi only had so many troops, even if Hao Zhao was included, it would only double the number, and the dry food Hao Zhao brought was almost used up. If he had not pretended to be Cao's army with Sima Yi to rob some food, he would probably have some supply difficulties and had to retreat.

It was dark at night, and Hao Zhao came back after investigating the surroundings.

"The Zhongtiaoshan camp is heavily guarded." Hao Zhao whispered, "I took people to try it, even if they pretended to be Cao's army, they couldn't get away. They have a special way of identification... I don't know what it is, but there must be one. '

Sima Yi nodded, he believed what Hao Zhao said.

Hao Zhao was able to hang around the Zhongtiaoshan camp for so many days without making any major mistakes. He was really capable.

In history, Sima Yi was undoubtedly more brilliant than Hao Zhao. After all, Hao Zhao only stopped at Chencang and left the scene sadly. He had no chance to display his abilities. You should know that Hao Zhao had only a few soldiers at that time. Although he had the advantage of terrain, his opponent at that time was Zhuge Liang. As a result, Hao Zhao resisted Zhuge Liang, resisting the attack of tens of thousands with only one thousand soldiers, and dragged on for more than 20 days until the arrival of reinforcements...

At this moment, Hao Zhao gradually proved his ability in this battle. After he joined Sima Yi, Sima Yi was willing to listen to Hao Zhao's suggestions.

At the beginning, Sima Yi just wanted to unify the two's thoughts and facilitate the next step of the battle, but Sima Yi did not expect that Hao Zhao really came up with a wonderful plan in these few days, which made Sima Yi admire...

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