Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3383 Soldiers

The sky gradually brightened, and it was a new day.

Sometimes, the days passed like years, and sometimes, a year seemed like a day.

The battle of Anyi in Hedong, those days of unpredictable battles, are now gradually becoming clear.

The winner of this battle is undoubtedly Fei Qian.

The first autumn rain did not fall, but the autumn wind whistled and rolled up the dust all over the sky. As human beings' damage to the water and soil of the Loess Plateau became more and more serious, the wind and sand naturally became stronger. This whistling wind stirred the yellow dragon to roll around. Even if you stand on a high place and look around, you can't see the situation in the distance clearly.

This kind of weather is not suitable for fighting, but it is very suitable for escaping.

So Cao Hong did not encounter the cavalry who came to pursue him, but encountered Qian Zhao who was escorting the grain transport team.

Cao Hong and others were overjoyed, almost like starving ghosts reincarnated, rushing forward, and as soon as they moved the grain and grass, they couldn't wait to grab a handful and stuff it into their mouths...

The ordinary Cao army soldiers and civilians who were transporting grain looked at it, and while they felt ridiculous, they gradually felt cold in their hearts...

These were the generals who had their eyes in the sky before!

Now they have become like this...

After being forced away by Cao Ping, Qian Zhao returned to Cao Cao's account. Cao Cao comforted him and reprimanded Cao Ping in front of everyone for being rude to Qian Zhao, arrogant and ignorant, and said that he would demote him and investigate, but after that, there was no follow-up. Qian Zhao could understand this.

After all, the Cao army had many affairs, and in Shandong, everything had to go through a process, especially for a case like Qian Zhao, who had no minor injuries and no property losses, but was just scolded a few times and beaten twice, there was really no reason to punish him severely and quickly.

『Have you seen the lord? '

After eating a decent meal, Cao Hong felt like he was alive again. He sat down and asked Qian Zhao while asking his guards to change the medicine for his wounds.

'The Prime Minister is in the Zhongtiaoshan camp.'

Qian Zhao replied.

Qian Zhao saw Cao Hong's miserable defeat, but he was neither very surprised nor showed any contempt. He replied calmly when Cao Hong asked. However, Qian Zhao did not expect that his ordinary reply would cause a storm in Cao Hong's heart!

Yesterday, just last night, Bao Zhong also called Cao Cao like this!

Cao Hong's face changed, but he soon laughed and covered it up, and did not ask anything else...

Qian Zhao did not think there was anything wrong. Seeing that Cao Hong had no problem, he stood up to inspect and arrange things. Since the Anyi camp had been lost, he did not need to continue to go north, but to turn back.

Qian Zhao sent a fast horse to report back in advance, and delivered the news that he had met Cao Hong and the defeat of Anyi Camp.

As for other things, to be honest, Qian Zhao didn't care much.

Just do your job well...

The wind was whistling, and the yellow sand was flying. In a blink of an eye, there was an extra layer of sand on their heads and bodies, as if they were dyed with some gray and yellow color, and it was as if this piece of land was slowly assimilating them.

...

...

In fact, Cao Cao had just arrived at Zhongtiao Mountain Camp not long ago. After he arrived at Zhongtiao Mountain Camp, the first thing he did was to urge the grain transport team to send it to Anyi Camp, and he also specially appeased Qian Zhao, asking Qian Zhao to escort the grain with 300 cavalry and 2,000 infantry, and incidentally replenish the troops of Anyi Camp.

Cao Cao naturally didn't expect that Anyi Camp would collapse so quickly! It was as if he left with one foot and the other foot collapsed!

While he was still trying his best to plan...

At this moment, Cao Cao was sitting alone in the big tent, looking somewhat depressed.

He was not young anymore. If calculated according to the average life expectancy of the Han people, he was already above the average. Every day he was working tirelessly to improve the average life expectancy of the Han people!

What kind of spirit is this?

Although Cao Cao had not yet reached the point where he could raise the average income of the entire group by several dozen percentage points by himself, he was at least working hard and diligently.

Cao Cao took off his crown.

It was a flat crown.

It was not a Jinxian crown, nor a Tongtian crown.

These clothes and ribbons were all certified by the organization...

Cao Cao, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, was appointed after many studies, decisions, and awards by the Han Dynasty court and relevant organizations. He was not a special product of the Yuan family.

Cao Cao still remembered the flattering words in the emperor's edict when he was the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.

At that time, the emperor fully affirmed Cao Cao's infrastructure work in Shandong over the years, pointed out the good achievements Cao Cao had made since he started his army, and made remarkable achievements in the stable progress of the Central Plains of the Han Dynasty. The emperor was very pleased and said that Cao Cao was a beautiful business card among the princes of Shandong in the Han Dynasty, and the development of Yingchuan also reflected the good future of the recovery of people's livelihood and healthy and orderly economy in the whole country and Yuzhou.

The emperor highly summarized Cao Cao's work since he took office as the governor of Yanzhou, the governor of Yuzhou, etc., saying that since Cao Cao took office, he has been able to deeply implement the instructions and requirements of the emperor of the Han Dynasty for the construction of basic people's livelihood, unite and lead the people of Yingchuan to actively explore, boldly innovate a new Han Dynasty road, strengthen communication and coordination with the rural elders and local crosstalk, and promote the development of the Han government agencies' rural governance work...

(10,000 words omitted below.)

At that time, Cao Cao was quite proud and worshipped this edict, but soon he found that there was actually no real emotion in this edict. Even if Cao Cao's name was replaced with someone else, such as Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu, it seemed that there was nothing wrong!

At most, Yingchuan was replaced with Jizhou, or Nanyang, etc.

In other words, it is "the iron Han Dynasty, the three ministers are changing"!

The prime minister is just a three minister with a different name!

Neither the emperor nor the local gentry took Cao Cao seriously!

Just like this time when Cao Cao was defeated, were they nervous or felt the danger?

No!

They were still drinking, singing and laughing!

『Feng Xiao...』

In front of Cao Cao, there was a lacquer box. He stroked it gently.

『These people deserve to be killed! Deserve to be killed!』 Cao Cao sighed softly, 『You usually dislike Wen Ruoyi's pursuit of perfection, but in fact you are kind-hearted and can't bear to see him fail...』

There was nothing wrong with what Cao Cao said. Xun Yu certainly wanted to strive for a balance among many intertwined interests, but Guo Jia had been mocking Xun Yu, but he really didn't do anything to hinder or destroy Xun Yu.

Otherwise, with Guo Jia's strategy...

Now, Guo Jia is dead, and those Shandong people, how can they live freely and comfortably? !

『Report!』

A soldier ran out of the big tent and slapped his head on the ground, 『Prime Minister! General Qian sent someone to report that he met General Cao Zilian on the road! Anyi, Anyi... Anyi camp has been defeated! '

After the soldiers shouted, they crawled on the ground and dared not move.

There was a sudden silence inside the big tent, as quiet as death.

The curtain of the big tent was lifted, and Cao Cao walked out. He didn't have time to wear a crown, and his hair was messy. Standing in the autumn wind, he seemed to be trembling a little. I don't know if it was because of the cold or because of anger.

Cao Hong!

Surprisingly...

Cao Cao knew that Cao Hong would definitely lose, but he didn't expect him to lose so quickly!

Originally, the initiative of this war was still in Cao Cao's hands. He took the initiative to launch the attack and chose the battlefield. He was holding the people and wealth of Heluo and Hedong. As long as everything went well, he could not only obtain Guanzhong, but also the whole world. It seemed to be in front of him.

But now, in a blink of an eye, all the initiative has been lost!

I don't know when it started, he was like being entangled in a spider web. At first, he didn't feel anything, but it became more and more difficult, and he got deeper and deeper. Now it is extremely difficult to get out!

Cao Cao had no expression on his face, but everyone felt that it was like a dark cloud, and thunder would fall at any time.

'General Zi Lian, how are you now? '

After a moment, Cao Cao spoke slowly.

The soldiers and guards around him breathed a sigh of relief.

'Reporting to the Prime Minister, General Zi Lian was injured, but his life should not be in danger...' The soldier reported back.

Cao Cao nodded, pondered for a moment, and said: 'Beat the drum to gather the generals! '

He looked up at the sky.

The strong wind carried the yellow sand, rolling everywhere.

Lu Chang and Dong Zhao came quickly, and they were shocked when they heard the news.

'Prepare... speed up! '

Cao Cao whispered and glanced at Dong Zhao.

Dong Zhao lowered his head, 'My lord, don't worry, I will go now, working day and night! '

Lu Chang turned his head to look at the wind and sand outside the big tent, 'My lord, in this weather... even if the cavalry comes, it won't be that fast, right? '

'No, no! '

Cao Cao smiled, but his eyes flashed with coldness, 'Based on my understanding of the cavalry...if you don't move, you'll be fine, but if you move, you'll be as fast as a rabbit! Do you think that if Cao Zilian didn't get chased on the road, the cavalry hasn't arrived yet? But I think that the cavalry of the front army of the cavalry has probably already approached the camp here with the cover of wind and sand! '

'What? ! 'Lv Chang was shocked.

……

……

The land of Youyan, the city of Yuyang.

Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, Yuyang was once glorious, but just like many glorious things will eventually decline, Yuyang is now in decline.

Even in the middle of the day, there are still not many ordinary pedestrians on the main streets in the city.

Although Cao Chun showed his bravery as a Han Chinese at the end of the last war, and somewhat restored the dignity of the Cao family, the entire Youzhou has been hollowed out. Even though Cao Chun repeatedly emphasized the need for stable development, encouraging agriculture and sericulture, developing the economy, and stimulating consumption, the actual effect is very general.

This can be seen from the shops open on the street and the pedestrians shopping.

This was originally the main street of Yuyang. As long as the market was open, there were people coming and going in the past. Every shop was full of people, carrying large and small bags, carrying them on their shoulders, and carrying them back to the village on donkey carts.

But now, it is very good to have three or five shops open on a street.

Several shop assistants stood at the door of the shop bored.

Business is bad now, and we can’t even afford to hire a female recruiter. So the recruiters have to do the job of soliciting customers. But even if the recruiters do it, and save the salary of the female recruiter, there is no customer flow on the whole street, and the remaining money is not useful...

Suddenly, a sound of horse hooves came, and several shop assistants who were still open were cheered up!

You know, those who can still ride horses at this time are big customers!

But soon, an older old man’s face changed. Not only did he not solicit customers at the door of the store, he even ran into the store in a hurry...

‘What is this old guy doing? ’

Another shop assistant not far away was still wondering, but soon he understood why...

On the long street, the one running with the sound of horse hooves was not a big customer buying goods, but a fast horse carrying a flag of recognition!

The few pedestrians who were originally there avoided it.

The fast horse passed through the long street like a whirlwind.

The shop assistants and pedestrians looked at each other, and saw a bit of panic in each other's eyes!

How long has it been peaceful? !

Is the war going to start again?

Can people still live in Youzhou...

Pedestrians stopped shopping and hurried home.

And the few remaining shops on the long street soon began to install door panels and close their doors as if they were infected with each other!

For a while, the atmosphere of tension and panic spread in Yuyang City!

"General, General! Military situation is urgent! !"

Seeing that it was an urgent report, the guards on duty in Yuyang General's Mansion did not dare to neglect it, and walked straight into the express soldier who ran so hard that his lower limbs were blocked and he could not walk steadily.

The word "military situation" was like a sledgehammer, smashing the illusion of stability that Yuyang had finally built!

"Bring it in! '

In the hall, Cao Chun shouted.

Cao Chun was not wearing armor, but a battle robe tied with a belt. His figure was not much different from before, but if you look closely at his face, you can see that he is much more haggard, especially the dark circles under his eyes, just like a tiger pioneer who stayed up all night for six hours.

'Report!' The fast horse rushed to report, 'The cavalry of the Northern Territory, the cavalry of the Northern Territory is coming! '

'What? ! '

Cao Chun slammed the table and stood up.

Although he had a certain estimate in his heart after seeing the fast horse's urgent report, he still couldn't sit still after hearing the news. 'Tell me in detail! '

The fast horse's voice was hoarse, 'General! The cavalry is coming! At the outpost of Gubeikou, we have encountered cavalry scouts! And according to some herdsmen's movements, the cavalry has already been dispatched in large numbers! '

'Shepherds' movements? ' Cao Chun asked.

'General, outside Gubeikou, there are some scattered herdsmen who have traded some salt and iron with us...' Jibao lowered his head.

This is against the rules.

Although everyone knows that guarding the border is very hard, it is also a very common 'unruly' behavior to take the allocated salt and iron and exchange some meat and milk with the herdsmen, which is 'not allowed in principle'.

Moreover, this kind of exchange is not necessarily for food, and sometimes the wives and daughters of herdsmen will become one of the commodities for exchange.

After all, there are few people in the desert, and if you want to avoid inbreeding, you have to think of some ways. It's not that these herdsmen are shameless, but they are forced by their lifestyle and production conditions...

But this is indeed dangerous, because no one knows whether these herdsmen will become spies of the enemy next time after a good transaction this time, or will they bring their opponents to sell all the Cao army's outposts!

Hearing this, Cao Chun frowned slightly, but now is not the time to care about these things, so he can only say in a deep voice: 'Tell me more details! '

Ji Bao hurriedly said that because they had some trading relations, the herdsmen first encountered the scouts of the Hussars, felt bad, and began to evacuate, and also informed their sentries...

'General! The Hussars are really coming! 'Ji Bao kowtowed.

Cao Chun nodded slowly and waved his hand to let Ji Bao go down to rest.

He Cao Chun knew it very well. If the Hussars really came in large numbers, what would it mean!

The last time Youzhou was corrupted, he Cao Chun almost became the biggest joke!

He sent Xiahou Shang, made all kinds of arrangements, and gave Xianbei Wuhuan a lot of benefits and money, but in the end, not only did the Xianbei Wuhuan, a shameless Hu people, betray him, but even Xiahou Shang really joined the Hussars!

All these things are not only slapping Cao Chun in the face, but can even be said to be jumping on his head and shitting!

The scenes of the previous battle reappeared in front of Cao Chun...

Cao Chun admitted that he was not as skilled as his opponent.

Zhao Yun was indeed powerful, and Cao Chun was not sure of winning.

Cao Chun also admitted that he was not as good as his opponent in strategy.

However, he did not have a decent counselor around him, and those who could give some advice were all good-for-nothings, and they could not compare with the Northern Region Army of the Hussars.

But Cao Chun still felt a little dissatisfied in his heart!

Because Cao Chun always felt that if Zhang He had not brought some Semu people to fight for no reason, and Xiahou Shang had not betrayed his plan, he might not have lost so badly last time!

So, the main reason was not him, but because of the "traitor"!

Before, it was an away game, Cao Chun was not familiar with many places in the desert. He thought that even if the Xianbei Wuhuan people could not provide much combat power, they could still provide some vision. However, he did not expect that the Xianbei Wuhuan were scum, which made him careless and lost his vision on the battlefield!

If...

Forget it, there is no if!

Now, the battle that could not be completed before was once again presented in front of Cao Chun.

This time it was a battle on the home ground, and the winners and losers would be decided in one fell swoop!

『All troops should be on alert immediately! All soldiers should return to the team immediately! 』

Cao Chun shouted loudly, 『Three days, no, tomorrow we must prepare the advance food and grass! Go out immediately! Follow me to fight the Hussars! 』

『Tomorrow? General, this... is it too hasty? Didn't you say that you only encountered some scattered Hussars scouts? The Hussars may not come yet...』

『Humph! Cao Chun snorted coldly, "The Hussars...are always very swift and cunning...You thought they haven't arrived yet, but maybe the vanguard has already reached the outside of Gubeikou!"