Three Kingdoms.

 Chapter 3352 The Reality of Feeling

Jizhou is in chaos, Yecheng is in shock, local counties and counties are not operating smoothly, and they have reported various difficulties. As a result, the entire Jizhou system is like a pile of **** mountain code. As soon as it is run, various errors are reported, and there are bright yellow everywhere. Or a bright red warning, even if it is barely run, you may not be able to get any correct results.

Jizhou was no longer reliable, so the pressure shifted to Yuzhou, which naturally made Yuzhou even more difficult.

One core is in trouble, and eight cores are watching.

The 3.3V power supply on the CPU is almost fried...

For the upper-class rulers, as Xiahou Dun could think of, the instinct is to take care of themselves and the class below them first. As for the people at the bottom, most of the time they just pay lip service to sympathy. .

Therefore, in the face of Cao Cao's order to urge for food and grass again, when it came to the gentry level, the sons of the Shandong gentry fell silent.

The reason for the silence is simple. Xun Yu also turned his back.

Before Cheng Yu took action, the first person to be captured and beheaded was a member of the Xun family, and he was also related to Xun Yu...

So the gentry disciples in Yuzhou quickly sat down to discuss and reached a unified opinion as quickly as possible, "Let the common people suffer a little longer!" 』

The disciples of the Yuzhou gentry left the venue with a sad look on their faces. When they got on the canopy car, they all looked up to the sky and sighed, "In prosperity, the people are suffering, in death, the people are suffering..."

"The people are suffering..."

"It's pitiful..."

"Oh my God..."

As the nobles lamented for the common people, truly tragic events soon began to take place.

From emotion to reality, it is so direct and simple.

The chaotic sounds of people and mules and horses stopped in front of the village, and soon the sound of rapid footsteps came.

"Bang!" 』

The low courtyard door was kicked open violently, and the old door leaf hit the low earthen wall of the courtyard, making an overwhelmed groan.

The farmers in the courtyard hurried to the door, only to see an official in brocade clothes walking in from the courtyard door with several soldiers and government servants.

What?

Breaking into a house privately?

This is for official business!

Why do you want to break in privately?

"Master, Master, what are you doing?" 』

The farmer asked eagerly, trying to block the intruders, but he was quickly pushed away.

For these farmers at the lowest level, all of these people are masters and they are all characters that they cannot afford to offend, even if these people claim to work for the welfare of the people and care about people's livelihood. Now these "masters" have come to "care" about the "people's livelihood" of this farmer.

The leading official in brocade didn't even look at the farmer. He just waved his hand indifferently, and soon some soldiers led the government servants and rushed directly into the earthen house. One of the government servants knew the farmer, and when he passed by the farmer, he gave him a hidden look, as if he was warning the farmer something...

Several people opened the food cabinet in the house and saw that it was empty. However, they did not hesitate at all and started searching other places in the house.

Who would put food in the grain cabinet these days?

In the village, every household counts as one household, and everyone has to shake his or her share of the food cabinet, even if a mouse comes.

The farmer's grain was hidden under the bed.

Because there has been a shortage of food everywhere for this period of time, even simple people will inevitably be driven by hunger and do some not-so-glorious things.

Of course, in the eyes of some gentry children, this kind of behavior is the best explanation of being a low-class untouchable and a born untouchable.

Anyway, the children of the noble clan don't understand why people can disregard their integrity just for a bite to eat?

This year's harvest is not very good, and even the most optimistic farmers do not believe the propaganda that government officials preach every day that there will be an improvement next year.

The government says everything is stable and food prices have not increased. Everyone should have confidence, eat with confidence, and use it boldly!

But only a few people can buy cheap food in official stores, and the prices in free markets far exceed the so-called official prices...

The number of people starving to death has begun to increase, and problems such as theft, robbery, and murder have gradually increased. Therefore, most farmers will hide their food in places where they can easily check and confirm.

Just like this farmer, he would hold the grain in his hands when sleeping, and also put the stick next to the bed. He also beat the little thief who sneaked in through the wall several times, but he often didn't expect to prevent it. You can steal, but you can't prevent robbery.

The farmer hurriedly knelt down in front of the humble official and kowtowed, "Master, please do well!" There is not much food left in the little family. If the master takes it away, the little family will have no way to survive! 』

The young official in brocade clothes stood coldly, with his head raised and his nostrils turned up, as if saying one more word to this despicable farmer would be an insult to his family background.

A woman's cry came from the house, followed immediately by the soldiers' angry shouts.

The farmer quickly ran into the house and saw that the grain hidden under the bed had been easily found and was being held in the hands of a government servant.

The farmer's wife was clutching the grain bag tightly, crying and refusing to let go.

"Damn it!" Let go! Let go! 』

When the farmer saw that the soldier's hand was already on the handle of the knife, he quickly stepped forward, covering the direction in which the soldier was approaching, while trying to pull away his wife's hand that was holding the grain bag.

The farmer's wife held her hands tightly, with tears on her face, "My child, my child will die without food, he will die!" 』

"Relax, let go." ” the farmer said softly.

The farmer's wife was still shaking her head, with a bit of despair in her eyes.

One of their children has died.

In the early years, there was a lack of food and we starved to death.

Now we are short of food again...

The grain harvest wasn't much last year, and it doesn't look like there will be much this year either. After paying the taxes, there won't be much left. Originally, they said that they could barely survive with wheat bran and other omnivorous foods, and that they would wait until this autumn harvest to take a breather, and if that didn't work, they would borrow some loan sharks. But who would have thought that the government would requisition grain again and again!

"Let go, I...these people are really good at doing things!" If we die, what will happen to the baby? ’ said the farmer in a low voice.

The farmer's wife was startled and looked back into the house. On the dirt bed, a skinny three-inch boy was sucking his thumb, drooling and looking at the adults blankly.

Taking advantage of the moment when his wife turned around and relaxed, the farmer opened his wife's fingers.

The yamen servant quickly put the grain bag on his shoulder, turned around and left the house.

The farmer's wife finally reacted and wanted to rush out, but the farmer held her back, "It's useless, it's useless..."

During the previous food requisition, Wang Lao San refused to pay, but he was beaten to death. Then no one complained for Wang Lao San, and everyone in the village remained silent. So this time, if they don't hand over the food and are beaten to death, will anyone speak up?

But this is still not over.

The grain was taken to the courtyard and weighed.

"This is not enough. ” The young official in Jinyi took a look at the scale and said, “Each mouth is thirty kilograms, so three people in your family will have to pay a total of ninety kilograms! You are only over fifty kilograms. Sir, I have mercy on you. Even if it is sixty kilograms, you are still thirty kilograms short! 』

The farmer came forward and kowtowed, "Master, have mercy, have mercy, can you...can you owe me first?" It’s almost time to harvest the autumn grains. When the autumn grains come down, I’ll pay double the amount for the small ones! 』

"Autumn food is what the emperor wants!" This food requisition is what the Prime Minister wants! Everyone has to pay. If you don’t pay in full, you will be punished. If we don’t collect in full, we will be punished! If I am beheaded, can you die for me? ” The young official in Jinyi snorted coldly. He has seen many such dishonest people. "I'll give you three days. We'll come back in three days. We're still thirty kilograms short!" If you can't make it up by then, huh, don't blame us for being rude! 』

The young official in Jinyi obviously didn't bother to talk to the farmer, so he just went directly to the next house with him.

The farmer sat on his knees in pain and confusion.

Cun Zheng was the last one to leave, and seemed to nod towards the farmer as he left. This gave the farmer a little more hope. Maybe Muramasa can help him? There are still two months to go until the grain harvest. As long as we can get through it, there may be hope!

The sound of crying soon sounded in the yard next door.

I don't know why, but when the farmer heard the miserable cries in the yard next door, he suddenly felt that the heaviness in his chest seemed to be lessened. Only then did he come back to his senses from his daze and quickly entered the house. The wife inside the house was holding her child and crying.

The farmer wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to speak. He just sat on the ground slumped.

After an unknown amount of time, Muramasa's voice sounded again in the courtyard, and the farmer quickly got up and ran out.

"Mumura, Muramasa..."

The farmer looked at Muramasa expectantly.

Muramasa coughed and said in a low voice: "This is the food that the higher-ups are demanding, and there is nothing we can do..."

"Yes, yes..." the farmer nodded, "But now our family has no food, and there are still two months left, what should we do?" 』

"In a while, you come to my house..." Muramasa whispered, "I have some secretly hidden there. I'll give you three to five kilograms, so you can hold on for a while..."

"Three to five pounds?" ’ The farmer’s heart suddenly became cold. He is still thirty pounds short.

"I really don't have any more... Look at the one next door..." Muramasa sighed, "If you get some wild vegetables or something, you can deal with it for a while. It will be fine when the autumn grain comes down..."

"But I'm still thirty pounds short..." the farmer said blankly. Muramasa said nonchalantly: "You've already paid sixty, haven't you? That's enough for the two older ones. The younger one...the younger one can't care about it, so forget it...these days, if you can keep the older one, That's good... Only when the big ones live can there be small ones... Let's do this for now, wait, and come back at night when it's dark and no one is around..."

Muramasa left.

The farmer turned around and saw his wife leaning against the door of the house, her eyes dull.

The farmer moved his lips a few times, but didn't say anything. He just sighed.

His wife leaned against the door of the house and slowly slid down. It was unclear what emotion was in her eyes, perhaps just despair.

The children in the room seemed to notice something, and started crying loudly.

It's getting dark.

Perhaps it has never lit up, and even if it does light up, it is short-lived.

The farmer stood up, looked back at his wife, who was sitting blankly at the door of the room in the darkness, and the outline of the child who was tired of crying and fell asleep. He swallowed a sip of saliva and went out to the village. Went home.

After about a quarter of an hour, the farmer came back.

As soon as he arrived in the courtyard, he quickly closed the broken courtyard door and used a wooden stick to push it up. Then he carefully carried a small bag of food as if carrying a life-saving treasure and entered the house. Mom, we have food..."

On the earthen bed in the house, only his child was staring weakly, but his wife's voice was not heard.

The farmer raised his gaze slightly, and a pair of dangling feet appeared in front of him.

Slowly, gently, shaking.

The smile on the farmer's face froze in an instant, and soon a heart-rending wail rang out in the quiet courtyard.

Just like he didn't pay attention to the wailing in the yard next door during the day, although the farmer's wailing is even more miserable at night, the surrounding courtyards are still lifeless, and no one comes...

…

…

You can't get something truly precious by pleading and begging.

War is not just a matter of two people, or a few generals, or one or two regions.

Once war breaks out, destruction is inevitable.

The sun is high in the sky and the sky is clear.

For humans, the sun may always rise again, but for some people, they may not be able to see the sun the next day.

Fei Qian was wearing a well-made armor with shiny patterns, riding a horse and standing on the slope.

Under the slope, his men and horses were surging and flowing forward.

There were not many slogans, Fei Qian just stood on horseback, and every soldier who walked past would look up at Fei Qian when passing by the slope, and sincerely felt the hussar general. His majestic appearance and awe-inspiring momentum...

Little did they know that Fei was already sweating profusely under the shining armor pocket, and his hair was sticking to his scalp, which was itchy and stuffy.

They are all airtight.

The exquisite armor has carved patterns on it, is decorated with gold and silver threads, and is paired with a bright red cloak. It is a powerful tool for showing off. It's a pity that this armor was made the year before last. Now, it's a little worn out.

When actually fighting, Fei Qian would never wear such a shining armor. Generally speaking, this thing is like a dress. Before the battle, he wore the uniform to show to his soldiers.

Cao Cao's Anyi camp is right in front of him, and it is also Cao Cao's most important support point in the Yuncheng Basin in Hedong.

Both sides have fought, tested, and played games before, and then they also suffered losses and gains.

If Fei Qian cannot attack the Anyi camp, then Cao Jun can calmly deploy his troops and horses, or attack to the west of the river, or turn around and return to the army, or just waste time in Anyi and Fei Qian, all of which are useful. possible. To put it simply, Anyi Camp is like a nail. If Fei Qian is unable to remove the nail, he will have to touch a nail to see whether it is a **** head or injured legs and feet.

Fei Qian watched the troops passing by slowly, flags fluttering, but his mind went to other places. He received the latest news from Xu Chu yesterday, saying that there was indeed someone inside Cao Jun's camp who acted as an internal agent and provided some information that neither Fei Qian nor Xu Chu knew.

There is indeed a secret hidden within the Anyi camp.

Cao Cao almost fully demonstrated his experience in wars over the years and the advantages of Shandong's cheap labor force.

One of the things that made Fei Qian quite vigilant was that in the latest information, the person said that he saw a lot of kerosene and smelled some saltpeter...

Water and fire are always two forces that humans want to surrender but cannot completely control.

The upper reaches of the river are controlled by Fei Qian, so Cao Cao can't do anything with "water", but it is obvious that this time Cao Cao wants to play some tricks with "fire".

Fei Qian thought about it, and couldn't help but feel an indescribable sense of historical coincidence...

Is it possible that now he has become Cao Cao's side in history, while Cao's army has become the Chibi Allied Forces preparing to set fire to history?

This is really...

Kerosene has relatively large restrictions on people and horses, and saltpeter must be gunpowder.

Things like war artifacts depend on people's use and luck.

When Zhou Yu got the kerosene, it could set Cao Cao's beard on fire, but when it got into Zhuge Liang's hands, it was extinguished by a heavy rain...

Fei Qian's troops are strong, but their number is small, only about one-third of Cao's army, or even a little less.

Cao Cao had many soldiers, but his overall combat effectiveness was poor.

Because the composition of Cao's army is complicated. According to the intelligence collected by Xu Chu and the accounts of those who surrendered, Cao's army was roughly divided into three parts. The core was the central leading army and the central guarding army, the auxiliary generals with mixed surnames and soldiers from local counties and counties, and a certain number of civilian craftsmen.

There were more civilians in Cao Jun's camp before, but now...

There are many people, there are advantages to many people, but there are also troubles to many people.

Killing all these people is obviously unrealistic.

But it is also very troublesome to accept these prisoners.

What's more, Cao Cao has built Anyi into a fortress. If he can't use one point to lead the way, rolling up Cao Jun's camp, biting it bit by bit, and starting a tug-of-war is also not a good plan.

Cao Cao's strength has indeed weakened a lot.

Xiahou Yuan died, and Xiahou Dun was captured. He almost lost an arm and was severely damaged.

But even so, Cao Cao still refused to retreat!

Of course, it can be understood that Cao Cao has no way to retreat, but if Cao Cao turns back to the army now, he can still survive for a while, and he may not die suddenly immediately. After all, in history, after Cao Cao failed in the Chibi War, he could still become the overlord of the north, but he just had to make more compromises in some aspects.

Fei Qian believes that Cao Cao also understands this, so Cao Cao's attitude at this stage seems very subtle.

Fei Qian felt that besides kerosene and gunpowder, Cao Cao must have some other cards that he didn't play...

Because this card is still in Cao Cao's hand, Cao Cao feels that he has no chance of making a complete comeback.

Things like kerosene and gunpowder are actually not difficult to guard against.

So the key is to see how it is used and who is using it!

Why did Fei Qian come so slowly instead of rushing to fight Cao Jun at the turn of spring and summer?

Of course it's because Fei Qian also has to prepare his own cards.

Artillery can only be regarded as a bright card now. If you really use the bright card to fight, you will definitely suffer a loss.

Fei Qian suddenly thought of Pang Tong's report that Zhu Ling had developed a rocket on his own...

Maybe this is some kind of coincidence?

Gunpowder, and its derivatives, from the day it was born, should be the master of the battlefield, not just used for the fun of dignitaries.

In order for gunpowder to exert sufficient power, a dry climate is very important.

If he really had a battle with Cao Cao's army at the turn of spring and summer, wouldn't Cao Cao be laughing so hard that he couldn't even see his eyes?

At the turn of spring and summer, who knew that there would be rain in those clouds at that time?

Now it is late summer and early autumn, when the climate is dry, the ground is hard, and there is little rain and clouds. It is the best time to transport or use gunpowder and gunpowder derivatives.

While Fei Qian was posing and thinking, he suddenly saw a small group of messenger cavalry in the distance running towards him with a flag on his back.

"Lord!" Cao Jun sent an envoy with a letter of war to see his lord! 』

(End of chapter)