Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 3295 The inevitable accident

There are not many roads in Zhongtiao Mountain. There is only one serious road in Dahan.

Of course, Cao Jun's camp was built on the road and blocked the road tightly.

 Cao Jun is not short of manpower, so camping on the road is inevitable. At the same time, camping on the road has some additional benefits, that is, it will be more convenient to collect water and transport.

This official road in Zhongtiao Mountain was not built in the Han Dynasty, but was the Qin Chi Road back then.

After Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, he ordered the construction of Chidao with Xianyang as the center to connect various places.

Since it is called a "horse road", it naturally must not only be able to run horses, but also pass vehicles, and the size of the vehicles depends to some extent on the size of the horse's buttocks. If the car is too big, it will be loose and loose, and if it is too small, the horse will feel uncomfortable and prone to rollover. Therefore, in fact, the road standard of Qinchi Road is determined by the horse's butt. Perhaps it is another kind of **** that determines the head.

Of course, after so many years of exchanges, especially after Fei Qian opened up the Yinshan Mountains, the trade between the south and the north of the Hebei River has made this almost abandoned Chi Road not only repaired, but also expanded, but Fei Qian only It is to expand such a main road, and there is no intention to build a second passage in Zhongtiao Mountain. On the one hand, Yitongtong is enough, and on the other hand, with the current technical level, if you want to open this kind of official road, the amount of manpower and material resources consumed is not ordinary...

Sima Yi and Hao Zhao, of course, cannot take this path.

 So is there only one road on Zhongtiao Mountain?

 No, Zhongtiao Mountain also has some "irregular" trails and medicine-gathering roads.

Zhongtiao Mountain is a flat mountain range that extends from the southwest river to the northeast and is not too high in altitude.

Sima Yi, Hao Zhao, and the hussar soldiers they led did not have any fear of such a high mountain at first. However, after they actually walked in, they found that it was not as easy as they thought.

 Dense vegetation, woods filled with singing birds and fragrant flowers, and beautiful natural scenery lurk hidden dangers.

 There is no positioning instrument, and there is no so-called detailed map. All we can rely on is the general sense of direction brought by the sun and stars...

 Fortunately Sima Yi brought the Qiang people with him.

The Qiang people of indigenous origin performed better than the average hussar soldiers in this environment. They were the first to discover a medicine-gathering road.

 Herb-collecting road is just a general term, and it is not really only used by herbal collectors.

 The difference between a small road and a medicine-gathering road is that the outline of a road can still be seen on a small road, while the so-called medicine-gathering road is basically covered by weeds and vegetation, and only people who are familiar with the terrain will know it.

 The herb-collecting trail is basically a straight line, so some climbing is unavoidable.

The people are fine, but it is a bit difficult to move the horses.

 In many places, it is like lying on a cliff and moving. People can cross, but it is difficult for horses to move. In order to ensure a certain degree of mobility, the horses cannot be completely left behind. So Sima Yi and Hao Zhao had to divide their troops again, leaving some horses and soldiers in the mountains, carrying only common items and dry food, as well as those stronger horses that obeyed orders, and continued to advance.

That's right, Hao Zhao and Sima Yi, who were slowly groping forward, were planning to bypass Zhongtiao Mountain's defense system on the northern line through the medicinal road, and attack Cao Jun's Zhongtiao Mountain camp from the south, giving Cao Jun a surprise.

Sometimes they had to take a detour. In order to avoid being seen by Cao Jun's sentries who were watching from high places, Sima Yi and Hao Zhao always had to be more cautious and more cautious every time they wanted to pass through the sunny side of the mountain, and sent scouts to detect them. After making sure there was no danger, he moved forward quietly.

They walked relatively slowly, but they also avoided Cao Jun's surveillance checkpoint. After they entered Zhongtiao Mountain, the lookout posts set up by Cao Jun near the Zhongtiao Mountain camp found it difficult to detect them due to the restriction of their field of vision.

Even so, Sima Yi and Hao Zhao still seek stability rather than speed. In some areas where the rocks are sharp and there are a lot of debris, people lead the horses carefully, lest the sharp stones cut the horses' feet.

 This is the fundamental reason why it was difficult for ancient marchers to leave the main channel. It was too difficult to walk. Especially for large troops, if baggage vehicles are added to it, it will be a nightmare...

Deng Ai was forced to have no other choice, so he gritted his teeth and gave it a try. But if there was a second option, he would not go to Yinping.

 Sima Yi and Hao Zhao, from a certain perspective, were also forced.

 Forced by Guo Jia.

 Obviously, it is obviously impossible to penetrate from the north of Zhongtiao Mountain and shoot near the Zhongtiao Mountain camp.

Cao Jun built several tight lines of defense, with patrolling troops, and guard towers that kept watch from high altitudes twelve hours a day. They also had the ability to identify friend or foe that Hao Zhao and Sima Yi couldn't figure out at first. , so much so that they couldn't get through even if they tried to pretend to be Cao Jun.

Later, Sima Yi designed a small trap and caught two or three tongues, and then he finally understood the mechanism of identifying friends and foes at the Zhongtiao Mountain Camp...

 But the problem is that even if Sima Yi finally understood Guo Jia's recognition pattern, he still couldn't crack it.

 It is indeed quite simple to say, one is a Yin symbol and the other is a password.

Because the two core elements are random, Sima Yi has no way of knowing in advance, unless Sima Yi and others have a way to figure out what the two elements are at the same time within one day, and they also have to seize the "Yin Talisman" from a certain team. ”, and then you can sneak in without alerting the other party.

This is simply an impossible task.

The word "Yin Talisman" sounds very awesome, but it is actually a marked and broken arrow, a piece of wood, or a branch, because every "Yin Talisman" is broken randomly. Yes, the texture is broken randomly. In this era of big men, if it is not the original match, it will definitely not match.

When Cao Jun's team leaves the camp, the guard at the gate of Cao Jun's camp will randomly take out a stick of something from the bag, and then make a few random lines on it with pen and ink, then fold it in half with a click, keeping half for himself and giving the other half to the camp team. as a voucher.

 Plus the passwords that change every day…

Whenever something goes wrong, the archers on both sides of the camp entrance will immediately fire thousands of arrows!

 Guo Jia's arrangement was such that even if Sima Yi figured it out, he still couldn't get in.

 So Sima Yi and Hao Zhao could only try to sneak attack from the south.

 After all, if the defense in the north is so tight, then the south side of Zhongtiao Mountain will be somewhat lax.

Originally, Hao Zhao wanted Sima Yi to show off on the northern front, and then Hao Zhao led his men to invade the camp south of Zhongtiao Mountain for a sneak attack, but Sima Yi disagreed. He felt it would be safer to follow him.

Facts proved that Sima Yi was right to follow him, because Hao Zhao and his troops had just crossed the mountain when Sima Yi discovered that the side of Zhongtiao Mountain was as difficult to hit as the chrysanthemum.

Guo Jia set up many warning watchtowers on the peaks around the camp in Zhongtiao Mountain.

Although there are not many in number, they cover the entire flanks and chrysanthemums of Zhongtiao Mountain, and they can be seen carefully...

It’s also difficult to get in.

Hao Zhao couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He even wanted to attack the lookout posts, but was stopped by Sima Yi. He thought that a guy with such a tight defense would inevitably set up traps. If he was not careful, there might be big problems, so it was better to continue south. Go straight to Cao Jun's Tongguan camp to see if you can find some new opportunities there.

 According to Sima Yi, since everyone has come...

 So they continued southward.

On this day, Hao Zhao was sitting on a large rock. Although there was a tree shade above his head to block the increasingly hot summer sun, there was no wind, and he was wearing a heavy armor and battle robe, so he was still dripping with sweat.

 In this kind of weather, the most critical issue is to replenish water sources.

Hao Zhao and others finally found a mountain spring area, where they stopped to rest and replenish the water they consumed.

 Don’t even think about cleaning and bathing. Not only that, the dust and mud collected along the way plus sweat mixed with fermentation, the smell...

The temperature at noon gradually increased, and the mountains were still billowing with heat. Fine beads of sweat flowed from Hao Zhao's forehead, crawling along his eyebrows and onto his cheeks. There was some itching, but Hao Zhao did not scratch it distractedly. He concentrated on the map of Cao Jun's camp that the scouts gradually produced.

Hao Zhao, Sima Yi and others have been hiding in Zhongtiao Mountain for three or four days. No one was allowed to leave the hidden huts and caves where they were hiding, except for the scouts who had to be sent out.

Through the efforts of the scouts, Cao Jun's arrangements along the way were gradually revealed on the map.

On the map, there is not only a part of Cao Jun’s camp in Zhongtiao Mountain, but also Cao Jun’s camp in Tongguan on the other side of the river...

 The convenience of telescopes is fully demonstrated at this time. Without a telescope, Sima Yi might not have come up with the idea of ​​making a double egg yolk.

Hao Zhao was pondering on the map when he suddenly heard the guard beside him whisper, "Sima Zeng is back." 』

Hao Zhao looked up and saw Sima Yi, dressed like a soldier, emerging from behind the rock.

After Sima Yi failed once, he became more and more cautious, especially before making the final decision, he also wanted to go to the front line to take a look in person.

The most important thing for Hao Zhao now is to rest, recover his physical strength, and enter the battle in the fullest state.

They have a clear division of labor. One is responsible for making suggestions, and the other is responsible for turning them into reality.

 They are waiting for an opportunity.

 An opportunity for Cao Jun to relax.

 An opportunity to inflict heavy damage on Cao's army.

After all, the Cao Jun camp at Tongguan on the other side is also heavily defended, and a lot of manpower and material resources were spent on setting up the camp in the early days. If you just use two big yellow crossbows on the outside, it will be like scratching an itch.

 Sima Yi’s patience is very strong.

Even though we have exhausted all the food and grass along the way, if we don't attack and continue to wait, we won't be able to get enough food to go back.

 Fortunately, there are enough salt belts.

People want to eat, and horses want to eat too.

In hot weather like this, without salt replenishment, even if there is water, your hands and feet will become weak.

"Cao's army is preparing to transport grain..." Sima Yi sat under the shade of a tree, took a water bag and took a sip. Even in the shadow, his eyes seemed to glow with excitement, "The opportunity has finally come!" 』

 Military rations are not just grain and grass, various miscellaneous items are also an indispensable part of a large army.

 Especially salt.

Sima Yi discovered that Cao Jun was preparing to transport grain and salt!

In the past two days, Cao's army at the Tongguan camp has been continuously accumulating supplies and moving to the ferry pontoon. Those laborers who don't know where they are are also reinforcing the pontoon on the river beach. All these signs point to a comparison. Large-scale transfers will begin.

Today, Sima Yi personally went to the front line to check carefully, and found that the supplies Cao Jun wanted to transport contained a large amount of salt and salt products, such as salted meat and fish...

These things may have been transported from Yanzhou or further away, and are now concentrated here. If Sima Yi and others do not take any action, these things will be transported across the river within a few days and then transferred to Cao Jun. Go to the front.

 Obviously, the hussar troops in Linfen have put great pressure on Cao Jun. They are mobilizing all their forces to fight against the hussar troops in the best possible posture.

Under the planning of Fei Qian and other advisers, Cao Cao's ancestors' strategy was used to prevent Cao Cao's army from capturing Guanzhong in one go. It also once again destroyed and delayed Cao Jun's attempt to invade Tongguan's rear line through the frozen Pubanjin and Longmendu, and finally forced Cao Jun had to fight with the Qiaoqi in the Yuncheng Basin under three drums...

 But for centipede insects, even if two legs are cut off, it will still not be fatal.

 Cao Jun still has a lot of manpower...

 But similarly, the more people there are, the more consumption there will be.

Sima Yi has been waiting these days because he believes that even if the Zhongtiao Mountain camp has stockpiled grain, grass and miscellaneous materials, it will still consume a lot of food and grass materials, and it is still necessary to transport grain and grass materials from the rear.

 This is the best opportunity right now.

Of course, this is also closely related to Sima Yi's previous defeat of Cao Hong's advance. If Sima Yi had been stupid and really fought with Cao Hong, only knowing **** and kill, then Pubanjin would have been occupied by Cao's army long ago, and the passive one would not be Cao's army but Fei Qian.

Cao Jun was not afraid of the consumption of manpower, but was afraid of the shortage of materials.

When Sima Yi attacked Cao Hong's base, it was equivalent to abolishing all Cao Hong's subsequent abilities. It was like a magician who cut off the blue bottle. Even if he still had the red bottle, it was of no use.

Now Sima Yi is eyeing classmate Lao Cao's "big blue bottle" again.

Sima Yi and others created this opportunity.

 And Sima Yi also found this opportunity, but whether they can seize this opportunity depends on whether they can successfully attack...

 Once the target of the battle is determined, all battle arrangements are carried out.

Although these hussars led by Sima Yi and Hao Zhao are not specially trained mountain soldiers or special forces, the training of hussars has always been known for their hard work, and there are more beef and mutton than in Shandong. Such as fat and high protein intake, so these soldiers are stronger than ordinary soldiers, and also have higher endurance and combat effectiveness.

 Especially combat effectiveness at night.

Sima Yi led the Qiang and a small number of hussar soldiers to stay on the north bank, while Hao Zhao led most of the hussar soldiers and quietly descended Zhongtiao Mountain under the cover of night and ran towards Cao Jun's pontoon bridge. go.

The Cao army in the Tongguan camp originally had watchtowers up and down the river, one every few miles apart.

It's a pity that such long-term facilities often have a drawback, that is, things are indeed done in accordance with the regulations at the beginning. For example, such-and-such priority service window may be really for better service at first, but it will soon disappear later. It has become a service for the inspection of superior leaders, or for some foreign adults. As for the original priority...

Because Wei Yan had already gone to Jizhou, Cao's army had basically occupied the ferries from Tongguan Ferry to Shaanxi and Jin, so the threat on the water was almost gone, which meant that the superior leaders would not come to check these checkpoints at all. Coupled with the strict defense of Zhongtiao Mountain, the checkpoints here are becoming increasingly lax.

 It’s like some disadvantaged groups. Although they still have so many windows, there are no one left.

Don't ask. If you ask, it means we are off work and we are short of manpower.

 You have to wait for the superior leaders or foreigners to come, and the window that was originally empty will be filled with people in an instant!

 The river surges day and night.

 Cao Jun was actually very careful, but no matter how careful he was, he could not maintain the high standard of caution for more than half a year.

 The key is that Zhongtiao Mountain is blocked by Cao Jun’s camp.

This route from Tongguan Camp to Zhongtiao Mountain Camp should be safe in a sense, as it is "inside" Cao Jun's sphere of influence.

 For Tongguan Daying, what they need to worry about more is the floating bridges.

The ice floe some time ago destroyed many pontoon bridges and they had to be repaired.

At the same time, the defense focus of the Tongguan camp was still in the direction of Tongguan. They were afraid that the defenders inside Tongguan would rush out and attack, especially destroying the few remaining pontoon bridges, so Cao Jun's soldiers focused their defense on the direction of Tongguan. On the ground, heavy troops were deployed for defense.

 There is basically no big problem with Cao Jun's arrangement. The problem lies in Sima Yi and Hao Zhao who did not take the usual path.

 According to normal conditions, if both ends are occupied by our own people and are tightly defended, then there will be no enemy troops in the middle section.

 But it happened that Sima Yi brought some Qiang people...

These Qiang people are more familiar with the mountains and landscapes east of Hedong than the Hussars, because in the early years they traveled around with their cattle and sheep.

Moreover, if Sima Yi and Hao Zhao choose to directly attack the camp at Tongguan or Zhongtiao Mountain, even if Sima Yi and Hao Zhao double the number of soldiers, they will not be able to successfully attack as they wish. After Zhu Ling used the big yellow crossbow to bombard Cao Jun's camp, Cao Jun's camp had already prepared for this sneak attack method, and all flammable and explosive objects were transported to the rear. If it weren't for the purpose of gathering a batch of supplies and transporting them to the other side, they wouldn't have appeared in front of Sima Yi, Hao Zhao and others!

 The accidents that inevitably occur are what make it difficult for everyone to guard against.

 Cao Jun’s attention was focused on the north and south ends, and the defensive force also focused on defending these two ends. Therefore, at this point in the middle, Sima Yi and Hao Zhao were left with an excellent chrysanthemum...