Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 3283 Looking for opportunities

 Some people are only willing to suffer a loss once.

 Some people will 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 headed towards Cao Jun's Zhongshan direction.

Although Huonu was injured and could not fight directly, there was still no problem in deploying soldiers, especially when he pretended to be suspicious 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. County, organize on-site repair of fortifications...

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 could not help but feel worried, and followed half of Sima Yi’s horse. “With just a few of us, are we really going to attack Cao’s army at Zhongtiao Mountain?” 』

This time, Sima Yi led fewer people than the last time he attacked Cao's army'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 Colonel 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, I'm afraid we 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 the guards of the Sima family a little worried.

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

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 have 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 and pause, "He had a habit when he was young, 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 a moment of silence.

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

　　　　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? 』

Sima Yi shook his head and said, "If the food team encounters them, of course they will rob 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 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 turned around and looked 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".

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

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

 This is something Sima Yi, who is half a Hedong nobleman, knows best.

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 them again and again, and the Hedong nobles cried louder each time, were they really 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 gentry and 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 east of the Hedong River, the common 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 watched the guards who had somewhat understood retreat again, 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, this guard also represented the thoughts of some of Sima Yi's soldiers.

 After all, it was Sima Yi who failed last time...

People are so strange.

 If you can succeed all the time, 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.

 Although Sima Yi was very resolute regarding this action, 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 had just commanded a small number of troops, and that was all. The general of the Hussars had to be even more cautious when commanding so many generals and soldiers!

　　　There is a saying in the art of war that the one with more temples will win, but 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 it! Kill kill kill!

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

 It is the same not only for Sima Yi, but also for Fei Qian and Cao Cao.

Although it is extremely safe to defend the Emei Mountains, doing so cannot restore 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. Break the situation and establish the possibility of prestige...

 …

 …

 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 influence of the dry climate in Hedong.

 He felt very thirsty, but he was still very thirsty after drinking a lot of water. He couldn't drink a water bag a day before, 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's thirst is because his mouth and nasal cavity are not adapted to the loess soil of Hedong. The climate is dry, so it's just the mouth and nose that are thirsty, not the actual body. However, the large amount of water Guo Jia drank actually increased the burden on his body, especially his kidneys.

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

Because some soldiers came to report, they said that there were Hedong squires from Puban Zhangyangchi area who came to cry and complain, 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.

 There is something wrong with this.

Guo Jia couldn't help but frown.

　　　『Are you sure it’s Cao Jun? Who leads it? 』

“I reported back to the military advisor and 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 people to prepare for the attack on Emei Mountain..."

　　　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's army is already considered to have 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 and 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 the Xiahou family and Cao family, if they were unfortunately defeated, they would always yell and curse in public, and then with a righteous look, let the swordsman and axe-hand push them out for questioning, and then Xun Yuguo Jia or other civil servants and generals must immediately come forward and say, "Save someone under the sword..."

 The swordsman and axe-hand are both very skilled in walking fast and slowly. Who in the family knows that?

So, in such a situation, military discipline means that you should not deal with those below or with others, so it is also a normal reaction for Xie Xuan to find an opportunity to come back and improve his record after his previous defeat. How strange.

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

Cao Cao led his army to press forward in order to draw the hussars out for a decisive battle. However, Xie Xuan's actions may cause something in advance, or make Cao Cao's rear unstable...

Cao Cao kept Guo Jia in the rear, partly to take care of Guo Jia's health, and partly because he needed someone to guard the rear. Now that there was a problem in the rear, Guo Jia naturally couldn't ignore it.

However, Guo Jia couldn't tell the Hedong squire that "Xie Xun" was merciful. After all, he only robbed money and food, and did not engage in three consecutive moves of killing people, burning houses and silence, so he was already quite polite.

You must know that Cao Jun has caused some terrible things in other places.

 The most critical point is the grain and grass reserves hidden by these squires, and Guo Jia also knows it...

 Because Guo Jia still has to consider Lao Cao’s retreat!

If the front line is unfavorable, then once Lao Cao retreats, he must always bring some food and grass on the way. Otherwise, how can the military morale be maintained? Therefore, these "porpoise dogs" were not blinded by Guo Jia, but they were intentionally left behind in case of emergencies.

 It’s fine now. I’ve been killed by “Xie Xuan” a few times. What if it triggers a panic among the “Porpoise Dogs” and ruins the plan?

After much thought, Guo Jia could only say that he would handle it, and then drew a big pie and asked the crying squires to go back first with the painted pie. After all, what's there to say about "Porpoise Dog"?

Soon, Guo Jia hurriedly dispatched troops and horses, and gave orders for Xie Xuan and Cao Ping to garrison at Puban and not to move rashly!

As for the issue of looting, Guo Jia did not say anything, 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 made his attention turn to other directions.

 …

 …

To the northeast of Zhangyang Chi Zedi, there is Sushui River.

 There is a river valley in Shushui.

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

 This is a relatively secluded 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 up some of the traces of Sima Yi and others. Even if Cao Jun wants to follow the horse's hooves to trace it, he may not be able to find it. 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 the east of the river know such a place...

 That's right, some of Sima Yi's three hundred people were Baishi Qiang people.

Except for being poor in combat skills, these Qiang people are good in other aspects, especially in identifying terrain and identifying directions. They don't even need a map.

Of course, even if you give the Qiang people a map, they won’t be able to understand it.

Originally, the Qiang people were not very interested in the conflicts between the Han people, but Lao Cao's subordinates were not strong enough. Seeing the Qiang people was like a bear seeing honey, which caused great harm to many scattered tribes of the Qiang people. Family has caused Bai Shiqiang to gnash his teeth and hate whenever he mentions Cao Jun.

 After all, Cao’s army is short of horses...

Sima Yi has now gradually approached Cao Jun's Zhongtiao Mountain Camp, but if he really wants to threaten Cao Jun's Zhongtiao Mountain Camp, he still needs an opportunity, an opportunity that allows him to get close enough to the Zhongtiao Mountain 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 old classmate Cao was very cunning. Cao Cao had divided up three grain transport routes, one of which was Yu near Sushui. Township, the middle one is from Yi County, and the other one is from the other side of Yanchi...

Unless Sima Yi arranges people on all three routes, he will have to rely on luck to cut off Lao Cao's food supply.

　　　"This old thief..."

Sima Yi muttered, very dissatisfied.

 So if we really want to attack the transit camps, we must knock out three camps on the three routes in one go. Otherwise, it will only be painful for Cao Cao, but not fatal.

And Sima Yi only had so many men. Even if he gathered Hao Zhao, it would only be doubled. Moreover, the dry food carried by Hao Zhao was almost used up. If he and Sima Yi hadn't pretended to be Cao Jun and plundered some food and grass, they would probably have some supplies now. Difficulties, we have to retreat.

 The night was dark, and Hao Zhao returned after checking around.

　　　　The Zhongtiao Mountain camp is heavily guarded. Hao Zhao said in a low voice, "I led people to test it out. Even if I pretend to be Cao Jun, I can't get through. They have a special way of identification... I don't know what it is, but it must be there." 』

Sima Yi nodded, he believed what Hao Zhao said.

Hao Zhaoneng has been wandering around the Zhongtiao Mountain camp for so many days without making any big mistakes. He really has two brushes.

Historically, Sima Yi's brilliance is undoubtedly many times greater than that of Hao Zhao. After all, Hao Zhao finally stopped at Chen Cang's highlight moment and left sadly to collect his lunch box, without any chance to display his own abilities. You must know that Hao Zhao had only a few soldiers at that time. Although he had a terrain advantage, his opponent at the time was Zhuge Liang. In the end, Hao Zhaoying resisted Zhuge Liang and used a thousand soldiers and horses to resist the attack of tens of thousands. It dragged on for more than 20 days until the reinforcements arrived...

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

At the beginning, Sima Yi just wanted to unify the two minds and facilitate the next battle. However, Sima Yi did not expect that Hao Zhao really came up with a brilliant plan in the past few days to make Sima Yi I can't help but admire...

 (End of this chapter)