Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 3054 Worry, worry

 In a sense, Wei Yan is not a law-abiding person.

 In other words, be content with the status quo.

If Wei Yan only wanted to lie down, he might still be a small sergeant in Jingxiangnan County now.

There is nothing wrong with being ambitious. In other words, the fault with ambition is not the ambition itself, but the difference in stance.

 The same is true for Le Jin.

If Wei Yan is the person who likes involution the most among the Hussar, then under Cao Cao, Yue Jin is a well-deserved involution maniac.

 At Huguan, gunpowder smoke fills the air.

 On the mountain and below the pass, corpses litter the fields.

 The fishy smell cannot be suppressed even in the cold winter.

The sound of war drums resounded throughout the heaven and earth, and the stone bullets and arrows that came back and forth roared and devoured each other's lives.

 Huguan is like a stubborn iron nail, firmly nailed on Le Jin's involution, making it impossible for Le Jin to move forward even half a step.

 The terrain here is narrow and the troops cannot be deployed.

Le Jin has organized many attacks, and even went into battle himself to charge three or four times. However, except for almost breaking a leg and a few minor bruises and wounds, Le Jin did not How much progress can be made.

Le Jin also changed the direction of the attack several times, but in the end he still placed the attack point in the middle.

Because the mountain defense lines on both sides are very difficult to attack, the height of the mountain itself is relatively high, and there are no roads or platforms on the mountain for Cao's soldiers to organize their queues halfway, and shield chariots cannot be used. The defenders can also quickly pass through the corridor on the top of the mountain. Mobilizing troops for regional defense, especially when Cao Jun is climbing the mountain, he will not only be shot by the defenders above, but also shot by the defenders from above the wall. Often, the losses are already high before they climb up. Almost halfway...

 Gunpowder is not as useful as Le Jin originally thought.

 The first batch of gunpowder transported was not very effective for unknown reasons, and the second batch of gunpowder was delayed in arriving.

The reason is simple. The output of gunpowder is not unlimited. Of course, it needs to be supplied to key areas first, and Lejin is not the most important location.

Therefore, Le Jin can only ask the craftsmen to build catapults as much as possible. However, the damage caused by the simple catapults is extremely limited. Even if it hits the wall, it will only crack. If you want to rely on catapults to hit the bridge, Huguan…

At least it can’t be as fast as the catapult hitting the city in later games.

Although it is said that after the stone hits the soldier, it is still fatal, but if it misses, it is like massaging the loose bones of Huguan. Perhaps continuous knocking at a certain place can expand the cracks somewhere in Huguan. , and then collapse, but it is undoubtedly a fantasy to want a simple catapult to successfully hit the crack area every time.

 Cao Jun once again launched a tentative attack.

 That’s right, tentative.

Although Le Jin has a strong desire for involution, not everyone in Cao Jun is Le Jin.

 After continuous attacks failed to achieve results, the morale of Cao's army gradually collapsed.

 From labor to soldiering, death is fair.

This kind of collapse will directly drop the upper limit. No matter how much Le Jin encourages, what promises he makes, and what happens after the city is broken, he can't save much.

 Too much is said, too little is put into practice, and gradually no one listens.

 Even the stupidest people will have feelings and thoughts...

Although patience is the norm and the soldiers know that they can't change anything, their morale is gradually declining. If he wants them to roar forward, Le Jin can only use the last resort to supervise the team.

 In each wave of attacks, those standing at the back of the array were Le Jin's supervisory team. In addition to killing the soldiers who escaped from the battle, these war supervisors would also patrol with bows and arrows. Each arrow was a light arrow with the cloth head removed, and the cloth head was also stained with red paint that was not easy to remove. There was any Those who hesitated, dilly-dallyed, or were passive in their work, these war supervisors would shoot arrows with cloth tips on these people. After the war, these soldiers with many red paint on their bodies would be pushed to the front of the formation and beheaded. show to the public.

 Simply put, it means the last place is eliminated.

When the civilian laborers were "eliminated" before, Cao's soldiers didn't say a word. Now it's their turn to "eliminate" themselves, and no one will say a word.

　　　　Whoosh! 』

　　　Bang! 』

A stone bullet fell from the Huguan city wall, drawing a not too regular curve in the air, and then bounced on the ground, crossing a low trajectory and splashing a large amount of sand and dust. At the same time, it also brings out a bright red color. People who were seriously injured by stone bullets soon lost their breath. It's not that these unlucky ghosts are not tenacious, but that they are incompatible with the tenacity of these guys. The swords of the commanders in the military ranks were not soaked in the blood of the defenders, but were stained with the blood of their comrades first.

Just like there are some words that cannot be said, there are also some calls that are not allowed.

It is obvious that the seriously injured soldiers will not survive. If we don’t just give them a quick treat, will they continue to scream and shake the morale of the army?

 There is of course no problem in handling it this way.

 The people with the problem are all dead.

The rest is no problem of course.

As Cao's soldiers approached, the Huguan defenders began to use ballistas to carry out long-range strikes. Each shield vehicle came to a standstill after being hit, and the line became no longer neat. Amidst the screams, the number of casualties in the labor force increased rapidly, and the screams continued. There were laborers who suffered from mental breakdown or curled up crying, and some screamed and ran away, but they were either killed by the supervising team behind the formation, or by the commander of Cao's army in the queue.

 The route the shield car passed was covered with corpses.

　　　『Don’t look back, keep moving forward! 』

The commander of Cao Jun roared.

　　　『Don’t back down! 』

 Cao Jun supervises the team and roars.

 ‘No retreat! 』

Le Jin was also roaring.

Those who were involved in the involution had no way out, so Le Jin also forced everyone to follow him and not to retreat.

 Le Jin realized more and more clearly that he might not be able to capture Hu Pass.

It’s as if he also knows that he will never be able to raise his class to the same level as the generals of the Cao family and the Xiahou family.

 Even at the beginning, Le Jin knew this.

However, that humble hope still supported Le Jin’s crazy involution.

This meager hope is like buying a lottery ticket. According to the probability, it is indeed possible, and it seems that people win the lottery every day, but I have never really seen it around me. I have only heard about it. Who said, it is like a ghost winning a prize. …

　　　Bang! 』

There was another loud noise, and a stone bullet roared and smashed a shield chariot into pieces. Countless wood chips were mixed among the fragments, flying into the air and falling among the soldiers of Cao's army behind.

 As the wooden structure of the shield cart shattered, the laborers and soldiers behind the shield cart also fell to the ground.

After several laborers were defeated by the shield car, they turned around and ran away in panic, but they were killed in front of the battle with a knife by the soldiers supervising the battle at the rear.

The supervising soldiers at the rear saw someone struggling on the ground for a long time after falling down, so they took a red cloth bow and arrow and put it on the bow. They were about to mark those guys when they suddenly heard a sound of gold. , he hesitated slightly, then glanced at his teammates around him, and silently put down the bow and arrow without shooting.

　　　『Don’t disrupt the queue! 』

 Cao Jun's soldiers turned around and retreated, much faster than when they came, and the formation was barely able to remain neat. A small number of Cao Jun's chiefs and five commanders stepped back half sideways, watching over the remaining laborers and preventing them from leaving their shield carts. Because of the strong walls of Huguan and the clear wilderness, Cao Jun had to climb two mountains to cut qualified timber, which was difficult to make and could not be easily discarded. .

The laborers and soldiers burst out with their potential for survival, pulling the shield chariot and walking very fast, almost twice as fast as during the attack...

Cao Jun's war-weary mood seems to have been made no secret at all.

Le Jin looked at it, his face as dark as water.

Zhao Yan's reinforcements from Hanoi, which should have arrived long ago, have yet to arrive, and there is no news about the Xiahou army that came from Fukouxing to attack Huguan... He is in the Taihang Mountains, and Le Jin, who is talented at Huguan, of course It is impossible to carry a small map with you and use radar to show the location of friendly forces, so every day he actually considers where the friendly forces are now and whether he is alone...

 Death happens every day, and apart from the result of death, when most people die, they don’t know when they will die, in what posture they will die, whether they will be alive whole, or whether their bodies will be in different places.

　　A scar as big as a bowl is no big deal. This is just helpless self-comfort despite knowing that death is coming.

If given a choice, who would like such a big scar?

 Cao Jun's soldiers privately discussed that if they were shot and died by arrows, that would be the best luck. At least the person would still be whole, and they wouldn't have to bother others to count where their bodies are. After all, when they go to count the corpses of others, they don't care too much whether the head and the arm are the same...

Faced with this gradually declining morale, Le Jin could not stop the offensive on the one hand, because he knew that once the momentum of the offensive really stopped, the energy and spirit of the entire army would decline faster, and on the other hand, he could not stop the attack. It's so powerful. Otherwise, if we really become a lone army, we still need some manpower to escape or break out.

Of course, in such a case, servitude is not an asset that must be preserved.

Anyway, these labors can only be a waste of food, so it is better to use them to waste the arrows and stone bullets of the Huguan defenders.

 …

 …

 Xu County.

 In the Chongde Hall.

The sounds that came and went seemed to fill Chongde Hall with overflowing enthusiasm and joy.

"Your Majesty, the battle is becoming more and more intense now. The Prime Minister has led 300,000 troops to Tongguan in person, and another 100,000 troops are in Shangdang Taiyuan. There are also 100,000 troops in Youbei. In addition, there are no less than 30 troops in Jingzhou and Badong. With thousands of people, the time for a great victory over the thieves is approaching..."

　　　It has been ten months since the siege of Huguan, with arrows and stones raining down like rain. Le Wenqian was full of fighting spirit and was not afraid of powerful enemies, killing and wounding thousands of thieves! Huguan is just around the corner! 』

　　　『Xiahou Miaocai led his army to conquer Gaoping. The rebels were frightened when they heard the news. Wherever the king's troops went, they all poured out pots of slurry to welcome them! 』

　　　『Cao Zi from Youbei and the murderers of thousands of Bian Hu thieves captured three thousand war horses, which shocked the desert. The Hu people, Su Limo, Hu Ba and others, were all frightened and surrendered to the Han Dynasty. They did not dare to disobey the power of heaven! 』

　　　However, the army was victorious one after another, and its daily losses were also heavy. Ren Zhonglang please allocate 5,000 additional soldiers, 100 trebuchets, and catapults, as well as military pay, grain, gunpowder, and some iron materials. Please also recruit 20,000 people for labor for transportation..."

In the Chongde Hall, Liu Xie was listening to the reports of his ministers, his expression neither sad nor happy.

 Since the establishment of the Ten Constant Attendants, the eunuchs have been in such a state of decline that they no longer even deserve names.

However, the emperor lived deep in the palace, what he saw was only within the high walls, and what he heard was only the words of a few people. The eunuchs were the emperor's tentacles, ears and eyes innately, and the power of the weak eunuchs after the Shichangshi was undoubtedly equivalent to Emperor Liu Xie's ability to control the government and the public is declining, even to zero.

 After Cao Cao attacked Guanzhong, good news came like snowflakes.

 Truth is true and false is false, false is true and false is true.

A Huangmen **** said very excitedly: "Your Majesty, if the Prime Minister captures Guanzhong, the hearts of our people will be greatly boosted. By then the world will be unified, and China's revival is expected!" 』

All the eunuchs also said in unison: "Congratulations, Your Majesty!" ZTE is in sight! 』

Liu Xie laughed twice, but there didn't seem to be much joy in the laughter, it was more like he was coping with the problem.

However, Liu Xie quickly noticed this problem, so he covered it up and said: "I...I don't want to see such a loss of life...the people are suffering..."

All the eunuchs looked at each other and quickly fell to the ground: "Your Majesty, you are merciful!" The people will definitely be grateful! 』

 Can the eunuchs represent the people, let alone crying? As long as the people do not say that they are crying in pain, they can regard it as tears of happiness.

 Do people have channels to speak out?

 Then it must be happy.

　　　What is the military strength in Guanzhong? "Liu Xie looked around and asked, "I heard that the Guanzhong cavalry was marching in Mobei, driving away Xianbei like a flip of the palm... If the hussars turn around, the Prime Minister may be... I wonder if the Prime Minister has a way to deal with it? 』

"This..." All the eunuchs suddenly looked at each other.

Shouldn’t we ask Cao Cao about this question?

 Why are you asking about us?

However, there were also a few eunuchs who seemed to understand what the emperor meant, and they bowed their heads deeply...

The emperor is not asking if the Prime Minister has any way to deal with it, but the other way around, he is asking if there is any way to deal with the Prime Minister!

None of the eunuchs answered. After Liu Xie waited for a moment, he waved his hand and said, "No problem." Just step back! 』

　　　『Servant, please retire...』

The eunuchs stuck their butts out and slowly retreated.

 Chongde Hall became cold and quiet again, as if the hustle and bustle just now was like a dream.

Liu Xie now understands that the emperor without military power is just a decoration.

 The soldiers and horses in Guanzhong began with Feiqian.

Then the soldiers in Shandong were naturally built after Cao Cao.

 Compared to Guanzhong, which is relatively far away, Liu Xie is relatively familiar with the military situation under Cao Cao in Shandong...

During Dong Zhuo's rebellion, Cao Cao "scattered his family wealth and united with righteous soldiers" and organized a private tribe of 3,000 to 5,000 people to participate in the war against Dong Zhuo.

 This was the beginning of Cao's army's centralized military power system.

After Dong Zhuo was killed, Cao Cao took over Yuan Shao and served as the shepherd of Yanzhou. After receiving angel investment from a group of big bosses, in order to expand his strength, he tried his best to recruit powerful local landlords and armed forces. Other members of the Xiahou clan of the Cao family, as well as Lejin, Li Dian, Renjun and others, all either defected to Cao Cao or led their own tribes to join him around this time, becoming Cao Cao's trusted troops and the backbone of the Wei army in the future. .

Soon, Cao Cao discovered that he could not transcend these local powerful forces to command their armed forces. These local powerful tribes are Cao Cao's troops on the surface, but in fact they only obey the command of their leader. As for Cao Cao's orders...

So Cao Cao was unwilling to be ignored, so he targeted, perhaps colluding with Bao Xin, to establish the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Group in Jibei at that time. Cao Cao finally captured this army, "more than 300,000 surrendered soldiers, both men and women With a population of more than one million, the elite were recruited and named Qingzhou Army, and they became the most important cornerstone of the Wei Army's infantry.

 And Bao Xin, who was originally the most qualified to share the benefits of this cornerstone, died in battle at the right time!

 Cao Cao was crying bitterly...

And Cao Cao's cavalry originally came from the Hu people. Historically, after Cao Cao conquered the Wuhuan people, he moved "all the tens of thousands of Wuwans to live in China. He followed his marquis Yuda to fight against the Wuhuan people, and the Wuwans from the three counties became famous in the world." Cao Cao had Qingzhou soldiers with one hand and Wuhuan cavalry with the other. They suppressed the powerful powerful men in Jizhou to the point where they had to hold back their farts until they sounded like silk and bamboo.

 Historically, Cao Cao, who had powerful infantry and cavalry, set his sights on Jingzhou's navy. After Cao Cao took Jingzhou, the three armies were really united to dominate the world. In theory, it can be said that infantry must have infantry, cavalry must have cavalry, and naval forces must have naval forces! As a result, classmate Lao Cao was in trouble. He hadn't even defeated Jiangdong yet. He was just muttering about Zhou Yunfa, the Duke of Zhou, and so on. It was obvious to everyone that Cao Ah was hiding something. As a result, Lao Cao suffered an unprecedented defeat and returned to challenge Dong almost overnight...

Nowadays, Cao Cao's evolution process has been interrupted and suppressed by Fei Qian. He has not evolved into the ultimate body, and can only be barely regarded as a semi-completed body. Historically, Cao Cao's claim to be one million during the Battle of Chibi is naturally an exaggeration. At that time, Cao Cao's army probably numbered about 200,000 on land and water, plus the garrison troops stationed in various places in the Central Plains, the total force was about 300,000. This is This is the ultimate form of Cao Cao in history. Now Cao Cao only has 200,000 troops in the sky, but because the territory has been reduced, the troops distributed in various places are not as many as in history, so the only ones that can be used to attack Fei Qian are hundreds of thousands of troops. .

After calculating Cao Cao's military strength, we can naturally understand where Cao Cao's confidence comes from, and why the wealthy nobles in Yuzhou and Jizhou, as well as the emperor Liu Xie, supported Cao Cao to fight Feiqian on the one hand, but on the other hand Thinking about doing something...

For example, Zhong Yao proposed a strategy to avoid death.

 But even if the theory of avoiding death is successful, it can only be self-protection, and it is the self-protection of local powerful households.

 It is not the emperor’s self-preservation.

Zhong Yao was just using this method. On the one hand, he connected with more powerful people who were worried about being liquidated and forced Cao Cao to compromise and no longer wave his sword to kill people. On the other hand, he also used this method to allow Cao Cao to obtain the expenditures of powerful people and move around. Produce more labor and food to support the continuation of the war.

 This is a very successful strategy, full of compromise.

 It was a mutual compromise between local powerful people, and it had no special benefits for the emperor Liu Xie.

Liu Xie understood this and smelled it, and now the news of the victory on the front line, which was like snowflakes, made him worried. What if Cao Jun really won a great victory and really conquered Guanzhong and defeated it? With Fei Qian, Fei Qian may not be the only one who is unlucky...

 So, shouldn’t it be time to secretly tug on the heels of an old comrade?

 (End of this chapter)