Three Kingdoms.

 Chapter 3302 The key is execution

 In the history of war, innovation in tactics and equipment is often the key to victory.

 Perhaps Cao Xiu had not experienced this before, but now, he was deeply impressed.

During the early conquests of the Han Dynasty, in most people's minds, the only question of war was "how much".

There are more people, less money, less money, and less conspiracy, but few people will propose to innovate in tactics and weapons ...

 Strictly speaking, this kind of innovation is not absent in Chinese history, but it is often omitted intentionally or unintentionally. Becoming a certain commander, or a certain king's "inspiration for righteousness", or "leading well", as for these details, it seems that they are not worth worrying about.

After all, if you really think about it, you will find that things are done by the people, and the blood and sweat are also shed by the people. The people play a decisive role in the war, rather than a simple commander or king. If there are no people, just having a commander-in-chief or a king is of no use. But how can such a fact be known to these ignorant people?

 So among the feudal dynasties, the commander was the most important and the king was the greatest. The gentry and squires repeatedly emphasized that everything was attributed to the leaders and the emperor.

 Obviously this statement is beneficial to the gentry and gentry.

 But war cannot rely solely on words.

 Tactics and equipment are undoubtedly very important elements of war.

 Tactics are the strategies and means used by the army on the battlefield. It is like a wise man's chess game. Every move is related to life and death, and every move affects the situation of the battle.

 Equipment is the sharp sword in the hands of soldiers and the material basis for them to defeat the enemy. A handy weapon can often make soldiers even more powerful and invincible.

 Hence, innovation in tactics and equipment is like injecting fresh blood into the army, giving it a stronger combat effectiveness.

 Tactical innovations are undoubtedly powerful. For example, from competing in chariot formations to riding a walking horse alone, such as lower Sis versus Upper Sis, or encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao, etc., these can greatly affect the entire battle situation.

 Similarly, innovation in weapons is also an important factor in winning wars. Ancient weapons range from stone axes and stone knives in the Stone Age, to swords and halberds in the Bronze Age, to steel armor in the Iron Age. Every innovation in weapons is accompanied by changes in the form of warfare.

During the Warring States Period, the Qin State's crossbow manufacturing technology became increasingly sophisticated, which greatly enhanced the Qin Army's long-range attack power; during the Han Dynasty, advances in steel smelting technology made the Han Army's weapons sharper and more durable, thus occupying the battlefield against the Xiongnu. advantages.

Now what Cao Xiu has to face is not only the more advanced hussars in tactics, but also the more sophisticated equipment. This will greatly test Cao Xiu's wisdom and courage.

 What to do, how to fight?

 This is the issue that Cao Xiu considered the most and was the most worried about along the way.

 He did not blame Cao Hong for giving him the most difficult task.

 Obviously, being in the camp or hiding in Gufeng Mountain will undoubtedly make Cao's soldiers feel safer and maintain a certain level of morale and combat effectiveness, while fighting against the hussars in the wild...

In the temporary camp in the dead of night, under the oil lamp in the tent, Cao Xiu's face looked particularly determined.

Hmm, yes, perseverance.

 Because these ordinary soldiers of Cao's army, as well as Cao Xiu's private soldiers, all need to see a "resolute" Cao Xiu.

So Cao Xiu would have a steady gaze and a serious face. He would not smile, gritted his teeth, and made his facial lines more prominent on his cheekbones and chin to form a "resolute" general that fit the hearts of Cao's soldiers.

 But underneath his "firm" appearance, he was actually uneasy in his heart.

We must take on the side, breakthrough, and open the situation to Cao Jun, and may even face the rider in the field of empty land in the wild, which has led to Cao Xiu's Yali Mountain.

 Under this pressure, Cao Xiu thought of a new type of horse-fighting that could rely on baggage carts.

If this new type of horse-resistance can be successfully realized, its unique design can be deployed when enemy cavalry attacks, and together with the baggage vehicles, it can build a stable defensive front to protect Cao's soldiers and resist the impact of hussars, thus allowing Cao's army was able to seize some of the initiative in the battle, and they would not all be led by the flexible hussars.

　　　This is the new Juma. 』

Cao Xiu pointed to the fresh sketch and said.

What?

Three View?

Do not make jokes.

 Cao Xiu can roughly draw a sketch, which is already very remarkable.

 The descendants of the gentry in Shandong, as well as the vast majority of Shandong bureaucrats, would not leave any chance for their subordinates to write anything in black and white.

These bureaucrats will try their best to avoid putting requirements into written documents to avoid leaving traceable evidence. They are more likely to communicate it verbally or in informal settings.

 In general meetings, they only talk empty talk, and then they raise specific work requirements in private.

So Cao Xiu can give you a sketch. Although this sketch is indeed a bit "rough", it is already valuable.

"This..." The general in charge of the rear camp looked at the "sketch" with different thicknesses of ink lines and was more abstract than concrete. Then he looked at Cao Xiu's serious expression. He swallowed and subconsciously said, "General, I'm afraid this is not good." do it…"

 Is it really difficult to do?

 He can't even understand the sketch. Who knows if it will be done well?

The rear battalion general said this because he was instinctively trying to shift the blame. If any problem really occurred, he could also say that he had told Cao Xiu beforehand that "it would not be easy to do." So if there was any quality problem, then at least The board will be lighter.

Cao Xiu stared at the rear camp general with sharp eyes and a serious tone, "I'm not asking if you can do it well, but if you can do it." 』

Although it was just a rough sketch, Cao Xiu knew that if this new type of horse-rejection could be completed with quality and quantity, it would undoubtedly be a strong shield that could stand on the battlefield for Cao's soldiers.

　　　"The general has an order, and his subordinates will even risk their lives..." The rear battalion staff will quickly straighten their backs and answer in a deep voice according to the standard format.

Shandong, regardless of ability, "execution" is the key.

Those who can "execute" are good subordinates and will be "reused" by their superiors.

This argument that blindly emphasizes that "execution" is the most important thing for officials reflects the extreme implementation of policies, the anomalous behavior of officials, the decline of social culture, the lack of laws and ethics, the ineffective information dissemination and supervision, etc. question.

 Of course, this is understandable given the limitations of the simple and backward official system of the feudal dynasty.

 So, although they were confused by this simple diagram, the rear camp generals did not dare to disobey Cao Xiu's orders.

Under the general principle of "execution is the key", even if he had doubts, he had no choice but to follow the order. He secretly hoped that he and his back-camp craftsmen could understand the structure of the objects reflected in the sketches and create A new type of horse that meets Cao Xiu's requirements.

"What's this? 』

 The old craftsmen in the back camp widened their eyes.

　　　　This is a new style of horse-rejection picture drawn by the general himself! 』

 The rear battalion general also stared blankly.

　　　　Is this a rejection of the horse? 』

 The old craftsman’s eyes widened even more.

　　　It means rejecting the horse. 』

 The rear battalion general was also wide-eyed.

"No..." The old craftsman couldn't laugh or cry, "Sir, you... you have to explain this, what should you do?" 』

 The rear battalion rolled his eyes and said, "This is General Cao's order!" I just ask you whether you should do it or not? ! 』

 The old craftsman frowned, "This, this, must be done, but..."

 ‘It’s up to you to do it,’ the rear battalion general immediately put on a smiling face, ‘I’ll leave this matter to you! I believe you can do well! Just say whatever you need! I can do everything for you! You have to know that General Cao personally wants this new horse, and it must be dealt with as soon as possible! This matter is very important, so do it well and do it with your heart! 』

 The general of the Hou Battalion seems to have said a lot, but seems to have said nothing clearly.

The old craftsman had no choice but to agree, then took the sketch and walked back.

 When the camp commander saw that the craftsman had left, he waved to the guards at the side.

“You, go and keep an eye on that old guy,” the rear battalion general warned, “Don’t get close, don’t talk, just keep an eye on him, and report back immediately if anything happens, do you understand? "The guardian leads the gods," understand, little understanding. Don’t give them an excuse...if it succeeds, it’s yours; if it fails, it’s theirs..."

"You little clever guy..." the rear battalion general laughed and kicked the guard, "Hurry up and go!" 』

 When the results appear, if the task is successful, the bureaucrat will emphasize that his leadership was good; if it fails, he will shift the responsibility to his subordinates, saying that they failed to understand the instructions correctly or failed to implement them effectively.

If Shandong officials do not understand this trick, they cannot be called qualified officials.

And if it really fails, Shandong officials can also review the process first, look for every possible mistake made by their subordinates, and conduct in-depth self-examination. On the contrary, if you succeed, then the credit is limited to a narrow scope, and all the details of the process are not important, and it is only due to your own wise decision-making or guidance.

 This approach ensures that bureaucrats maximize their own interests while minimizing their liability in any situation.

As for why Cao Xiu couldn't find the craftsmen directly, it was because in the land of Shandong, the ministers' ministers were not the monarch's ministers.

Whether it is reporting something beyond the next level or delegating it to someone else, it is a very big "taboo" in Shandong officialdom.

Although there is no explicit regulation, those who go beyond the level to petition and those who go beyond the level to issue orders will be excluded from the entire officialdom. Therefore, Cao Xiu could only go to the rear camp general, who would then go to the craftsmen under his jurisdiction. Similarly, if the craftsmen had problems, they could only go to the rear camp general, not Cao Xiu directly.

Of course, there are various reasons for formulating such a charter, or unspoken rules, but in the final analysis, the essence of these reasons is to protect the superior leaders, not to solve the problems at the lower level.

As a result, Cao Xiu's army craftsmen encountered another severe challenge in their lives.

Even an old craftsman who is very good at military equipment couldn't help but scratch his head when he saw Cao Xiu's sketch. Although these craftsmen in Shandong during the Han Dynasty had not yet developed a three-view drawing method, and more of them were still simple one-view drawings, they still felt that they had nowhere to start with Cao Xiu's general and simple pattern.

 When several craftsmen met, each had a different opinion.

 Some craftsmen think that they should make a model first and then report it to the final model before making the actual object.

 Some craftsmen said that now that the war is imminent, they must speed up the process. The model is too slow. At least they must prepare the actual object while making the model.

 Some craftsmen are saying that they don’t know how big the new Juma will be. It’s too big to transport, and it’s too small to be of any use.

　　"Like this, like this," the old craftsman was helpless, "First draw a picture, and then I'll ask the general what he said..."

The craftsmen then settled down and started drawing their own pictures.

From a distance, the guards of the rear camp general looked at him, then sneered a few times, turned around and left.

And when the craftsmen in the rear camp had to go to the general of the rear camp after their discussions failed to produce any results, as expected, they were scolded by the general of the rear camp.

“Have I ever told you that this was a sketch drawn by General Cao himself and something that General Cao personally requested? ! Um? ! ” The rear battalion general was furious, “Did I tell you this? Time is tight and the task is heavy. You should work hard to do it?” ! Um? ! 』

 ‘But…’ The old craftsman felt that he was wronged and wanted to defend himself.

　　　But what? ! ” The rear camp general sneered, “But what are you doing? Um? ! A group of people are talking but not taking action! What's this? This is deliberately slacking off on military affairs! This is intentionally disobeying General Cao’s military orders! Are you too courageous to lose your head? Um? ! 』

"But..." The old craftsman held up the new drawings drawn by the craftsmen in his hand, "Sir..."

　　　『If you still recognize me as a superior, then go to work quickly! ” The rear battalion general waved his arms and said, “Look, it’s almost midnight. I gave you so much time, but you couldn’t get anything done!” Is this true? ! Um? ! What's this? The picture you drew? What a fool you are! The painting by General Cao shall prevail! General Cao’s picture! understand? Execution, execution is the key! understand? ! If you don't carry out General Cao's orders properly, you will be blamed when the time comes. Don't blame me for being unkind! I've told you everything, why don't you hurry up and do something? ! How long do you want to linger here? Um? ! 』

 The old craftsman was naturally defeated after the rear battalion general gave him a hmm.

So, when the night passed and Cao Xiu ushered in a new day, he also saw the "New Style Juma" that the craftsmen of Houying had built overnight...

Cao Xiu looked over and felt a faint pain in his eyeballs, as if he had been pricked by something.

"New style Juma" is large and small, with different shapes. Does it look like the sketch drawn by Cao Xiu? If you want to say it is different, it is somewhat similar, but if you say it is the same, it is basically insulting your IQ.

Cao Xiu now feels that his own intelligence has been insulted...

"What's this? Cao Xiu suppressed his anger and pointed at the "new-style horse" of different sizes.

For example, the largest "New Style Juma" is placed at the front. It is majestic, like two siege ladders combined together. People can stand within the frame of the Juma, and archers can be stationed at the top. !

Cao Xiu looked at this huge "New Style Juma" and tried to find the shadow of the sketch he had drawn in the appearance and frame. As a result, he found that except for the appearance of Juma on the frame, nothing else resembled it.

Are you sure this thing can be pushed?

It's good to use it as a fixed defense fortification, but Cao Xiu wants to fight in the wild. Carrying a baggage cart is already slow. Now that he brings such a thing with him, it's not as fast as a turtle!

 There are also small Juma.

However, the small Juma in front of Cao Xiu was convenient for transportation. However, Cao Xiu saw that his legs could even cross the low bar of this small Juma, and he was speechless for a while...

Are you sure this thing is not a toy?

There is also a Juma that is of a suitable size, but the crossbar of the Juma seems to have been finely processed, with specially carved patterns and cut out to create an undulating effect of varying thicknesses.

　　　Why is this pole like this? ! 』

Cao Xiu patted the crossbar that held the horse back, and felt his left eyeball and brain throbbing with pain.

"General Qi, these are all made according to your sketch." The craftsman who was kneeling on the ground did not dare to raise his head. "They are made exactly according to the changes in the thickness of the crossbar in your sketch. It is guaranteed to be exactly the same..."

Cao Xiu grabbed the sketch he had drawn with his hand, and then saw that the horizontal bars on his sketch did indeed change in thickness, and the waves undulated...

 Cao Xiu shook the sketch and said angrily, "Open your dog eyes and see clearly!" this! Is this so? ! This is my pen...ahhhhhh! 』

 Obviously, sketching with a brush is something that if you are not a professional, please do not try it.

But Cao Xiu never expected that there were craftsmen who also copied the thickness changes of the lines drawn by his brush...

 Due to the inaccuracy of the sketch, the craftsmen had to use their own discretion in the structural design. All the finished products had different shapes, which were quite different from Cao Xiu's original vision.

 Cao Xiu realized that due to poor communication and errors in understanding, his innovative attempts not only failed to achieve what he hoped for, but also caused a lot of chaos.

Looking at the chaotic "New Style Juma", Cao Xiu suddenly realized the huge gap between Shandong and Guanzhong. This gap is not in these woods and stones, or in mountains and rivers, but in people's hearts.

He suddenly figured out why Shandong could not catch up with Guanzhong...

 There is gunpowder in Guanzhong, but doesn’t it exist in Shandong?

 As a result, the gunpowder in Guanzhong can be derived from artillery, while the gunpowder in Shandong is still a firework.

How long has the Huangshi ruler in Guanzhong been implemented?

 But because the land in Shandong is on the Guanzhong scale, there are still many local counties and counties that are unwilling to use it, or even refuse it completely...

There are also those metallurgy and forging workshops, as well as the craftsmen in front of you...

 Cao Xiu sighed longly as he looked at the "New Style Juma" of various sizes and shapes.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the rear camp general immediately pointed at the old craftsman and cursed, "Old guy, why didn't you follow the general's instructions and the general's sketch?" ! I gave you trust, gave you time, and gave you the tools you needed, but this is what you came up with to repay the general? ! Um? ! Let me tell you, all the blame this time is..."

"okay! ” Cao Xiu roared angrily and interrupted his general.

 Now, we can only do it again.

 But the time wasted, the energy and physical energy wasted, and various non-renewable materials...

The general quickly shrank the angry look on his face and replaced it with a flattering smile, "General, these **** are disobedient..."

　　　‘Cut the nonsense. ” Cao Xiu waved his hand and summoned the craftsmen who were kneeling on the ground. He did not blame them, but pointed at the sketch he had drawn again and said, “Come, come here, that’s what I thought...”