Three Kingdoms.

  Chapter 1582 Moonlight shines on black clothes like water

From Luoyang to Guandu, from Baima to Suanzao, there were many battles and bloodshed. From the moment Dong Zhuo was attacked, Heluo and Yanzhou basically fell into a war period of five or six years, with little peace and tranquility. As a result, all the villages that were originally here fell into ruins. Thousands of residents here were either captured by civilians and died on the battlefield, or migrated from home and died on the road, and the rest were very few.

  The vacant house has become the residence of birds and beasts. The damaged lintel outlines strange and dead lines in the dusk, and the old crow crows from time to time on the dry branch, "Ah...acridine..."

  The wild dog that lost its owner was wandering around with red eyes. I don't know if it was because of blood stains or pustules. The wild dog's hair was dirty and stuck together, drooling.

   Even the wolves, which had not been seen for a long time, seemed to reappear in this uninhabited land.

  In the desert, yellow bones sparkle.

  The weeds on both sides of the official road have spread to the road surface because they have not been cleared for a long time.

  Several fast horses came from a distance, bringing up a puff of smoke. The leading cavalryman had a face full of dust, his nose, eyes and eyebrows were full of dirt, and his sweat washed away traces one after another. It was obvious that he had been galloping for a long time and was extremely tired, but he still gritted his teeth and urged the horses that were also foaming. keep going.

Following the galloping cavalry for a while, a huge barracks appeared at the end of the line of sight. The cavalry was speechless, and could only pat the sweaty neck of the war horse again, pointing to the front .

   This is the unnamed ferry.

  Because it was originally connected to the official road and had a wharf built by the government, it was called Guandu.

   "Boom! Boom! Ha! Wow..." The dull voice was mixed with the sound of water, and staggered along the river.

A group of Cao soldiers spread out along the river, standing on the bank of the river, using sledgehammers, iron axes, or square stones simply tied with ropes, smashing them on the thin ice formed by the river, warping the ice surface. The cracks were opened, and the white water vapor mixed with crushed ice rose up along the river, becoming a daily fixed scene.

  Cao Jun camp, near the ferry.

Although it is said that Yuan Shao's army did not march in Baima, and Yanzhou is not like northern Hebei, where dripping water turns into ice, but since there are signs of freezing here, no one can guarantee that if the ice is left uncleaned, it will be destroyed later. It will not become the basis for Yuan Jun's surprise attack, but it can only be day after day, sending people to dig until the moment when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming.

  Originally, it should not be frozen here...

  Cao Ren led a team of scouts along the river bank, stopped at the ferry, and turned his head to look into the distance.

Weirdly, Yuan Shao's army did not continue to approach. This made Cao Ren and even Cao Cao a little scared. They didn't know what kind of medicine was in Yuan Shao's gourd, but they couldn't say that they gave up the location here and took the initiative to go up. In front of the battle, after all, in terms of strength, Cao Jun is still weak.

   Well, of course, according to the official announcement, the chances of victory are still within reach, and they are stationed here just to be sympathetic to the soldiers, and they don’t want the soldiers to trek and toil in the cold winter...

  The sound of horseshoes came.

  Cao Ren first looked in the direction of Yuan Shao, and after searching for a while, he realized that he was not on that side, so he quickly turned his head and his expression changed slightly.

   "General...General?" Cao Ren's guard asked.

  Cao Ren patted his horse forward, but did not answer. The guards quickly followed and entered Cao Jun's camp.

  In the cold wind, the flags are sweeping, and the soldiers are full of armor.

  Cao Ren got off his horse, threw the reins to the guards, and strode forward. For some reason, after Cao Ren heard the sound of the hoofbeats, his heart beat wildly and his mood was restless, as if he had a premonition that something was going to happen...

   And probably not a good thing.

   "Is Zixiao here?"

Cao Cao was still sitting behind the culprit in the large tent of the Chinese army, reviewing the official documents, and when he saw Cao Ren coming in, he just raised his eyes, then kept his head down and kept his hands on, as usual, as if something happened nothing. "Is there any income from the inspection?"

   "My lord, I haven't seen any movement of Yuan Jun." Cao Ren cupped his hands and said, hesitating for a moment, then added, "Should we send some more elite scouts to Yuan Jun's camp to investigate?"

  Cao Cao did not raise his head, continued to reply in his hands, and then said: "No need. Yuan Benchu's troops and horses did not move...because his son was infected with the cold and was not good at walking..."

   "Huh?" Cao Ren was taken aback for a moment. If Yuan Shao was infected with the wind and cold and couldn't send his troops south, Cao Ren could understand that the reason why Yuan Shao didn't take advantage of the opportunity to march was because his son was sick?

  Cao Cao raised his hand, as if he wanted to get something from the information on the side, but he shook, then pushed the top one aside, took out one from the bottom, and asked the guard to pass it to Cao Ren.

  The information did not come from Yuan Shao's camp, but from Yecheng, and then went to Xu County, and then came from Xu County.

  The barracks are heavily guarded, and there are usually roving horses patrolling around. It seems that some letters and information are left on purpose. If there is no prior agreement, who knows to leave it under the bark of the stone in the corner? Even if it is a time and place agreed in advance, if you want to find a suitable excuse, avoid the patrolling cavalry, find a suitable excuse to leave the camp, and put the information in the right place...

   On the contrary, it is passed from the rear, as long as it avoids the line of troops, it is relatively easy.

The information in Yecheng is also very simple. On the one hand, it shows that Yuan Shao is mobilizing troops and rations to organize logistics transportation. This is a normal operation and there is nothing special. Several well-known doctors in Yecheng went south together.

   Then there were rumors that Yuan Shao was ill, and there was an uproar in Jizhou. Immediately, an official came forward and said that it was not Yuan Shao, but Yuan Shang who was ill, and Yuan Shao ordered doctors to be called.

   Even so, the children of Jizhou gentry are still skeptical...

However, the dark line in Yecheng indicated that the latter rumor was more credible, because at the same time there were rumors that Tian Feng was unwilling to accept his proposal because of Yuan Shao, and at the same time, because of Yuan Shang's matter, he stopped moving forward and quarreled again. Yuan Shao was very unhappy.

  Of course, the root cause of the quarrel was not that Yuan Shang was sick and needed to be taken care of, but that Yuan Shao ordered the collection of grain and grass in Jizhou again...

  Cao Ren stroked his beard and exhaled slowly: "Military affairs are such a trifle... Really..."

  Cao Cao did not comment, but said: "Zixiao, this is the right time to train the recruits in the camp again, so as not to cause chaos before the battle."

  Cao Ren answered with hands folded, and saw that Cao Cao had no other orders, so he left. After walking out of the big tent of the Chinese army, Cao Ren frowned slightly, paused for a moment, turned his head to look at the big tent of the Chinese army, pondered for a moment, and finally moved forward.

  Cao Cao read the writings on hand one by one, and approved them one by one. Before he knew it, the sun was setting, and the crisp sound of beating drums came from above the barracks in the barracks.

  Cao Cao’s guard took the time to deliver the candied meat. Cao Cao took it silently and ate it. After eating, he asked the guard to take it away. After sitting silently for a while, he asked the guard to blow out the candle, and turned to lie down to rest silently.

  The night was deep.

  In the large tent, the sound insulation effect of the masonry house is naturally not as good. Cao Cao lay on his side, facing the screen, motionless. He seemed to be asleep, but in fact he opened his eyes and did not fall asleep.

There are soldiers patrolling in the distance, the sound of footsteps trampling on the ground, the deep breathing sound of guards falling into sleep nearby, and the sound of someone whispering and grinding their teeth in the camp, mixed with the pine oil torch from time to time. Amidst the sound of the ground crackling, the night in the army camp was formed.

  Cao Cao thinks he is calm. Even when Luo Yang's subordinates were not many people who were going to rush to rescue the Emperor Han in the palace, he still ate when he should and slept when he should, but Cao Cao couldn't sleep at the moment.

   "..."

  Unknowingly, a slight warmth slipped from the corner of his eyes, and then turned into ice cold in an instant.

  Cao Cao didn't know when it started, and he couldn't fall asleep as smoothly as he did when he was young.

   I don’t know whether I woke up several times in my dream, or dreamed of the camp roar in Yangzhou. In the midst of the explosion, the whole camp was bombed, and I was helpless and helpless in a small suit...

Or dreamed that Lu Boshe was lying down in a pool of blood and staring at him, and Dong Guiren was holding his stomach and staring at him with blood and tears on his face, and Bao Xin, and countless faces were shaking in the sea of ​​blood, Ups and downs, all staring at him...

   Or seeing the flames splattering, the figure swaying, and then the father died under the low wall, half of his body was blood, and half of his body was black mud, just like the black shadow that fell from the eaves when he bid farewell to his father back then...

   This road, Cao Cao walked extremely difficult.

  In the blurred field of vision, Cao Cao seemed to see his father's hand stretched out towards him, trembling slightly in the air, as if he was still waiting, waiting for this ambitious child to change his mind...

  However, his father didn't wait, and Cao Cao couldn't hold this hand anymore.

   "Father, when I grow up, I want to be a general! Lead thousands of troops and open up territories! I want to be a general!" said the little Cao Cao, holding a small bamboo knife, and raised his neck.

  In the sunlight, Cao Song smiled gently, "Okay, okay, you will be a general from now on..."

   "I am the general, please listen to the order!"

  On the green grass, the little Cao Cao raised his bamboo knife high and rushed towards the opponent in the illusion.

next moment.

"Father, when I grow up, I want to be a general! Bring thousands of troops and open up territories! I want to be a general!" The little Cao Ang, holding a small bamboo knife, was also in the sun, looking up. said the neck.

  Cao Cao laughed, waved forward and said, "Good! My son will be a general from now on..."

   "Ah, ah! Your soldiers and horses are like grass!"

  On the city wall, the little Cao Ang, holding the bamboo knife high, ran yelling.

   The next moment, there was darkness.

  Cao Cao opened his mouth, clenched his fists, trembling slightly.

   Some people, when they are extremely sad, cannot cry.

   His father, died.

  The death is unclear, and even those gossip gentry children, with a slightly sarcastic look, said that his father was too fat to climb over the low wall, and he was on the side of the Hu clan...

   Then they exchanged oh oh oh with clear expressions, and laughed meaningfully.

  He has a bad background, but is it up to him to decide on a bad background?

   Is it true that people from bad backgrounds should always be lowly and never be able to hold power?

  Father Cao Song persuaded him, but Cao Cao didn’t listen. Cao Cao thought he could find a new way, a way that belonged to him...

  However, when I turned around, I couldn't see my father's road, nor my father's figure.

   And now, his son is also dead.

  Die of the old creation, of plots, of the calculations of those who hide under the night and shadows.

  Cao Cao killed Dong Guiren, and Liu Xie uttered evil words, cursing Cao Cao's death. Although Liu Xie was unable to take any practical actions, others did. Of course, these people are not necessarily just to avenge Liu Xie, but more to attack Cao Cao, just to disturb Cao Cao's rhythm and military spirit...

   Walking on this road, Cao Cao, who was overwhelmed by thorns and thorns, looked back, only to find that the figure running behind him gradually faded and disappeared.

   "Ang'er..."

  Cao Cao spat out a few words slightly from his chest and abdomen, mixed in the night wind, and disappeared like light smoke. He can't even say, can't go back, let alone pursue it with great fanfare, to avenge his son, he can only stay in the military tent, like a lone wolf, despite the pain washing over his heart time and time again, the tears in the corners of his eyes never boiled. became icy cold.

  Cao Cao knew that those poisonous snakes curled up in the darkness were licking their fangs excitedly, and they were waiting for Cao Cao to return to Xu County, causing an uproar, and profiting from it...

   Cao Cao needs to be on the front line, otherwise the group army composed of recruits, Qingzhou soldiers, Yanzhou soldiers, and Yuzhou soldiers will have no backbone, and no one can guarantee what will happen in the next moment!

  Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xia Houyuan, Xia Houen, etc., have not yet reached the prestige that can lead the overall situation, and the relationship is not all harmonious. If there is no Cao Cao to mediate between them, it will inevitably be jerky and trouble-free.

  Xu County can't be in chaos either. If there is a change in the back line, it will also affect the morale of the front line. Maybe you don't have to fight, or you will lose in a mess.

  Even those murderers who assassinated Cao Ang can only be tracked secretly temporarily, and they cannot set up a large prison to arrest hundreds of officials, otherwise there will be turmoil in the government and the public, and people will panic.

   Therefore, Cao Cao could only reply four words to Xun Yu, "Secrets will not be mourned"!

   It was declared that Cao Ang was only seriously injured, and everything will be dealt with after the war is over...

  Wars will always kill people, Cao Cao knows this, and countless people will die in the future. Now these sacrificed creatures are just the beginning.

Over the past few years, those who have died on this land include old people, young adults, women and children, as well as his friends and relatives. They all seem to be waiting quietly in a certain place, watching, as if Only Cao Cao stood alone in the world, and his figure spread in all directions, every shadow was full of dead souls...

   Cold winter, no spring.

  The moonlight shines on the black clothes like water.

   "Brother Benchu, you are a good father..."

   "And I, not..."

  (end of this chapter)