Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 3373 A little choice

Xu Chu and others extinguished their torches and relied on their own strength and previous understanding of Cao Jun's camp to quietly walk through the ravines in the plateau and reach the camp gate area where Bao Zhong was.

Of course, Xu Chu would not go through the passages full of traps and fortifications. Instead, he would cross the plateau and pass through the dens of the civilians in Cao Jun's camp.

 Then Xu Chu discovered a question that was very interesting, but also very confusing to him.

 Xu Chu vaguely discovered this when he was at the foot of Anyi City, but he didn't have time to explore more. But at the moment, Xu Chu felt it was very obvious...

 He was unable to incite or even drive away the civilians who were in Cao's camp!

In Xu Chu's original understanding, even if these common people would not rise up and follow Xu Chu and others to resist Cao Jun, they would still be driven by instinct, run around and create a better situation for Xu Chu and others. Fighting chance.

 But, no.

These peasants can only hug each other and tremble. Even if they pass by them, these peasants will not yell, yell or run around.

 It’s like they are all deaf and mute…

 This is very strange.

This surprised Xu Chu and made him more vigilant. He stopped and squinted at the dens of the peasants.

Each of these underground dens, in the dark night, is like a hole dug out of the underworld. However, the civilians who were awakened in the underground dens did not take a step beyond the trap, but just lay there with their eyes open in the darkness. Inside the underground nest, in the dark night, only the eyes reflected the little bits of firelight, which seemed to be alive.

 ‘These guys…’

Xu Chu frowned and looked around, feeling more and more something was wrong.

It is said to be a camp for civilians, but it is actually a gathering place for Diwozi. There are no fences or walls, only pits on the ground, and faces and eyes exposed in the pits, which seem to prove that the people in the pits are humans, or animals that look like humans.

These people, who were kidnapped, driven, and enslaved, watched Xu Chu lead his people away, and then watched Xu Chu lead his people back. They didn't move, didn't run, didn't scream, and kept silent.

Xu Chu waved his hand and said, "Check these dens!" 』

His soldiers immediately rushed into the dens and opened the covers of several dens in succession.

The peasants in the huts with their shed covers lifted off were like prairie dogs whose soil was pried open above their heads. They screamed and hugged each other, but there was no resistance or escape.

　　　　No weapons! 』

　　　　There is no Cao Jun! 』

"No! 』

　　　…

The successive reports did not eliminate Xu Chu's doubts, but made him even more puzzled.

"Strange..." Xu Chu walked to a den with the roof lifted off.

The people in the house hugged each other tightly and huddled in the corner. If it weren't for the trembling from time to time and rolling of his eyelids towards Xu Chu, Xu Chu would probably have thought that these guys were dead.

The stench inside the nest was overwhelming. Even if the roof was lifted, it would not be cleared away for a while.

Xu Chu is very familiar with this stench.

 This is the smell of death, the smell of decay.

 These people…

 Still alive or dead?

In the distant Cao Jun camp, the commotion was still there, with figures swaying in the firelight, running, shouting, and roaring.

 Screams and blood dripping.

 The sound of crying and howling rises and falls.

Those things made Xu Chu feel normal...

These people are very abnormal.

Xu Chu looked around. He was not worried that Cao Hong would be able to find him. After all, it was a large camp with a radius of twenty miles. Although it was not as exaggerated as Liu Huangshu's seventy miles, the fight started in the front, and the people's heads were beaten with dog brains. I just received the message, which is normal. It's night again, whether you use messengers or golden drums and flags to command soldiers, there is a very high delay.

Therefore, even if Cao Hong wants to launch a large-scale counterattack, it will take a certain amount of time. Moreover, the more panicked Cao's soldiers are, the more Xu Chu will feel at ease. However, these civilians in front of him are so "secure and safe", which makes Xu Chu feel more at ease. Feel weird...

　　　　Why don’t you run away? 』

Xu Chu asked.

　　　…

 Silence.

 No one answered him.

All the people in Diwozi were like deaf people or fools, unable to hear or understand what Xu Chu said.

"explain! Answer general! 』

 A hussar soldier shook his blood-stained sword.

When they saw the blood-stained sword, someone whispered: "You can't run...if you run away, you will die..."

Xu Chu was stunned.

 What is the reason for this?

Wouldn’t he die if he didn’t run?

　　　『General, I didn’t find Cao Jun’s ambush...』

After a round of inspection, a hussar soldier came to report.

Xu Chu was still puzzled, but he didn't think about it any more, "Drive these people out and let them run!" Burn these sheds and let them run out! 』

Since there are no weapons or ambushes, just let these people escape on their own.

The hussars responded in unison, and then immediately lit torches and threw them on the shed covers of these dens, pointing out the direction to the civilians, "Let's all go in that direction!" Quick, quick, quick! 』

In the understanding of Xu Chu and the hussar soldiers, these are innocent people. Although they have no time to take them out of Cao's camp now, they can just point out a way and let them run out on their own.

What Xu Chu never expected was that these civilians were indeed driven out by the hussar soldiers at first and dispersed. However, as soon as Xu Chu and others left and turned around the plateau, Xu Chu turned around and saw these civilians. Back to the same place again...

"This..." Xu Chu frowned.

 What is going on?

But at this moment, Xu Chu had no time to look back and pay attention. He could only go around the plateau and touch the back of Bao Zhong's butt.

It’s not that Xu Chu likes chrysanthemums, but he is cautious.

 …

 …

 In the central camp of Cao's army.

 The most critical thing in a night battle is the effective transmission of information, and Cao Jun obviously had a big problem in this aspect.

In Cao Jun's camp, large and small camps are scattered at random, but the central camp where Cao Hong is located not only has higher fences and walls, but also deeper trenches. Just open the door and there are four places. High platforms, watchtowers and arrow towers are densely packed among them.

In other camps, it is enough to set up one or two sentry towers at the camp gate, but in the central camp of Cao Jun, there are not only defensive towers for archers, but also weapons towers for erecting ballistas.

If you just look at the ballistas on the high platform, staring at the fire and blood in other places with their cold light, they seem to be calm and unmoved. But if you look below and close to the ground, you will find that in the camp, soldiers who are rushing to and fro are sweating profusely and running back and forth. They are exhausted and sink into the night to convey orders...

So, is this a motionless mountain or a frightened bird?

Looking at the fire burning inside the camp, the blood splattering, and hearing the sounds of fighting and screams everywhere, Cao Hong's face was as dark as water.

　　　　thief! Damn it! ” Cao Hong scolded angrily, “Everyone should punish these people who betray their ancestors and forget their ancestors!” 』

Before Bao Zhong rebelled, Cao Hong wished that Bao Zhong would shout loyalty every day, thank him for his blessings every night, volunteer to work overtime until he died suddenly, and contribute his last drop of bone marrow to the Cao Group Co., Ltd. of the Han Dynasty. Even though Cao Hong had noticed that there were complaints, complaints, or even anger at the lower level, he still didn't take it seriously. He would even point out from above, "I don't know what's wrong with this person now. How could he be there?" So much anger? 』

 Do you really not know?

 Still pretending not to know?

Now, Bao Zhong rebelled, and Cao Hong was furious again, saying that Bao Zhong, a rebellious person, I had expected him to be like this!

The company gave him such a good platform, such a good opportunity for display, and an environment for growth. I didn’t expect Bao Zhong to be so ungrateful, vulgar and despicable!

Then I felt strange again, why was the military academy that I arranged to monitor Bao Zhong been eliminated so easily?

 Finally came to the conclusion, what a bunch of rubbish!

However, Cao Hong also made some arrangements and mobilized some central guards to block Bao Zhong's front and rear positions as a precaution. It seems to have worked now, blocking Bao Zhong's movement. scope.

 Now, for Cao Hong, it is even more important to determine the next move of Hussar...

 This way he can make some more targeted arrangements.

　　　　　　　　lord! The Hussars seem to be heading east! They burned down the civilian camp! 』

 The soldiers on the tower shouted.

 Because it was at night, I couldn’t see very clearly.

 But the cries and the light of fire will reveal some information to a certain extent.

　　　　Going east? Going to Anyi City again? ”Cao Hong was stunned for a moment. "Did you look carefully? ! 』

　　　Look carefully! It was indeed the civilian camp to the east that caught fire! ” The soldiers reported back.

 ‘This…’ Cao Hong was confused.

 Having been working on it for a long time, is it for Anyi City?

 Isn’t it for yourself?

What does hussar mean?

Cao Hong has an injury on his leg now and cannot climb to a high platform. He can only stretch his neck as far as possible and look into the distance.

Cao Jun's camp occupies a very wide area, and there are small camps connected vertically and horizontally within the camp.

In the flickering firelight, you can just see a lot of shadows shaking among the camps, wooden piles, and fortifications, but you can't see clearly what they are...

Cao Hong gritted his teeth and asked, "Have the hussars outside the camp moved?" 』

The soldiers of Cao's army on the watchtower tried their best to stare into the darkness in the distance, and then judged whether there was the sound of horse hooves in the air. After a moment, they lowered their heads and shouted, "General, I didn't find any movement!" 』

The guard said from the side: "General, could it be that... the cavalry was not dispatched?" 』

 Cao Hong was silent for a while, then shook his head, "Impossible!" This hussar has always been cautious, how could he just use some infantry? Definitely impossible! These cavalrymen might as well have covered their horseshoes! 』

　　　『But…』The guard said two words and stopped talking because there was no need.

 As long as you are not a fool, you can understand the current situation.

The riots continue.

 At night, there is something more terrifying than the enemy, and that is marketing...

 Oh, wrong, Yingxiao!

 In fact, marketing and Yingxiao seem to have a lot in common. They both rely on personal will, fall into inexplicable fanaticism, and lose their reason...

If the commotion continues at night, even if the hussars and rebels are wiped out or driven back, it will cause considerable losses, and may even make it impossible to end the next day.

 So there are only two choices before Cao Hong. One is to quell the riot as soon as possible, and the other is...

 Cao Hong looked up.

The stars in the sky are still so pure and gorgeous, not stained by the blood and dirt of the world at all.

  If the main force of the hussar is unknown, he cannot act rashly...

 But the consequences of not moving are even worse!

 Because if the commotion continues at night, I'm afraid the losses may be greater than the enemy's attack on the camp!

 If you hold on any longer, you don’t have to wait for Fei Qian to come. Cao Hong may collapse first!

Dilemma, another dilemma!

 A familiar feeling surged into Cao Hong's heart again.

"The hussar is such a good opponent..." Cao Hong subconsciously wanted to go up to the watchtower, but staggered slightly because of the injury on his foot. But he quickly pushed away the guard's supporting hand and looked to the north, "What a good opponent." ! 』

 This is how it is on the battlefield, no matter how difficult it is, you have to choose!

Cao Cao's tactics are already so clever and versatile that they cannot be calculated based on common sense. However, Cao Hong did not expect that the corresponding tactics of the Hussars would be so beyond the norm...

 General generals often only arrange tactics based on basic or habitual cognition. For example, it is often said that if you want to set up a formation, it should be "cavalry on both wings, and long-range troops such as heavy armored infantry and crossbows in the middle." Of course this understanding cannot be said to be wrong, but in fact it is not a rule or a law, and this arrangement is not something that cannot be broken.

Since the arrival of Fei Qian, Cao Hong has been struggling to cope with the changes in basic tactics, not to mention the momentum of the entire hussar army.

 At the beginning, everything seemed normal.

It's like the formation Fei Qian first laid out.

For this reason, Cao Hong was proud for a moment, feeling that the hussar could only do this.

 But unexpectedly, his pride could not last long.

 Failed to maintain even half, no, even one-third of the original estimate.

 When did this change occur?

The camp was still noisy, and it seemed that Cao Hong was being urged to make a decision as soon as possible every moment!

 Yes, that’s it!

 It is like this every time, every time it is urgent!

Cao Hong suddenly grinned and said, "Haha!" What a hussar! 』

　　　　　　　　　　lord? 』

 The guard didn't understand.

 ‘Horses, steeds! 』

Cao Hong sighed with emotion while nodding his head.

Fei Qian never sticks to fixed tactics. Sometimes he deploys traditional tactical formations just to confuse his opponents. Just like Cao Hong, after discovering Fei Qian's division of troops, he felt that he had a chance to raid Xu Chu's troops and use more I was beaten less, but it turned out that the boat capsized...

At the moment, the whole situation was like a snowball, getting more and more out of Cao Hong's control. When Cao Hong thought about it carefully, he didn't find out what he had done wrong!

This is not to say that Cao Hong is stubborn and unrepentant, but that Cao Hong discovered that even if he returns to those choices, he will still choose his previous choice!

When the Hussars first arrived, Cao Hong chose to stay in the camp instead of going out to fight immediately. Judging from the current results, perhaps a direct massacre of the whole army at that time may have different results, but in fact, the morale of Cao Cao's army was scattered, and after Cao Cao secretly transferred part of his troops, he no longer had the conditions to fight Fei Qian head-on. Instead, Relying on camp fortifications to kill consumption is the rational choice and the best strategy.

Did Cao Hong make the wrong choice here?

 There is nothing wrong with that.

However, Cao Hong couldn't hold back and abandoned the original plan of relying on the camp to consume, violated Cao Cao's instructions to him, and led the army to attack!

The reason Cao Hong couldn't hold back was that the hussar showed a "flaw"!

How can you miss this great opportunity?

Cao Hong felt at that time that he could seize the opportunity and change the situation of the war...

 Is he wrong?

There's nothing wrong with that, it's just like the moment, things are urgent!

The situation on the battlefield was constantly changing, and Fei Qian's formation became weak as soon as he divided his troops, and at that time he also sent a division of troops to attack the Anyi camp!

　　It’s simply…

Fei Qian's apparent military strength is relatively small. According to common sense, he should concentrate his forces, but he just divided them! This counter-intuitive move made Cao Hong unable to sit still.

But now if Cao Hong is asked to choose again, Cao Hong will at most think about whether he should attack Feiqian's army directly at that time instead of sitting back and watching Anyi.

So what if Cao Hong endured it?

Although it may not necessarily fail immediately, morale will suffer a further heavy blow!

The Cavalry Army gathered in one place, and it can be said that the other party's army was strong, but Fei Qian was divided into troops. What should I say? And Fei Qian didn't dare to come out at one point and three points, so if he hits one point and five points again, will he go out or not? If Cao's army is defeated and Cao's army is defeated, what will he think?

The morale of Cao's army is not high. Faced with this situation, of course Cao Hong can only choose to send out troops, either to rescue the Anyi camp, or to directly "encircle Wei and rescue Zhao"!

Cao Hong did not choose to attack Fei Qian's center formation at that time because Cao Hong felt that the cavalry on Fei Qian's flanks would outflank and come back at any time, so Cao Hong chose to pounce on a flanking cavalry first, and then tried to kill Xu Chu after removing a certain threat. , but Cao Hong did not arrive first and defeated the hussars on the flank, but capsized in front of Xu Chu's infantry.

 Finally, the current situation was formed.

 And now…

 Cao Hong faced a choice again.

Should we choose to chase down the Hussars heading east, or go to the camp gate to annihilate Bao Zhong's traitors?

The horsemen and horses headed towards Anyi. Although some things were confusing to Cao Hong, it made sense after thinking about it. After all, only a small number of people were rescued in the Anyi battle before, and now those who escaped wanted to rescue more relatives. It's just human nature.

So is it more important to intercept and kill the people in Anyi, or is it safer to hang Bao Zhong first?

Anyi City has already taken out some people, and its importance has been greatly reduced, so now...

Cao Hong gritted his teeth and said, "In that case, it's better to kill Bao Zhong and the traitor first, and then go back and deal with the hussars and thieves!" 』