Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 3408 Going completely opposite directions

early morning.

Ji County.

Yuyang and Jixian are almost inseparable.

In the Jixian government office, the lights stayed on all night long.

Xia Houheng was sitting at the top, his face a little pale.

At the end of last year, he was transferred from Yecheng to Ren Youzhou to serve as the logistics director of the Youzhou front, replacing the original Xia Houshang's position. As soon as he took office, Xia Houheng felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere in Youzhou.

Something is very wrong.

In the past few years, dozens of battles, large and small, have been fought in Youzhou, not to mention the number of dead and wounded soldiers, and countless innocent people implicated.

In addition, this area is colder than other areas of the Han Dynasty, so many capable people in Youzhou are trying their best to move to the Central Plains or other places. Some even fled to Liaodong!

This made Xia Houheng, who originally wanted to come to Youzhou to show off his talents and show his ability in logistics and civil affairs management, no doubt that it was difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.

This is a very vexing problem.

There will be fewer people eating, but fewer people producing food.

what to do?

Of course Xia Houheng knows the importance of recuperation, but the current war does not allow him to do anything to recuperate, so he can only make the people of Youzhou continue to suffer!

Is it possible that the nobles who have come all the way here to serve as officials should suffer?

But this approach creates a more serious vicious circle.

Even if troops are transferred from Jizhou or Yuzhou, the population coming to Youzhou is still a huge problem. No one likes to come to this place of ice and snow, and no one likes to go to an area where a **** battle may occur at any time.

The country will be destroyed, people's livelihood will be in ruins, lives will be in ruins, etc. All negative words can be used on Youzhou.

Xia Houheng finally survived the winter and the spring. When the autumn harvest season came, he originally thought he could breathe a little easier and let his performance have some traces of glory, but Zhao Yun came!

The Hussar Northern Territory Army broke through Gubeikou. Youzhou's defense system was like paper. The control of Cao Jun in Youzhou was crumbling. Before Xia Houheng could recover from this shocking news, Yuyang was besieged. The news has arrived!

what to do?

To save or not to save?

Although there are plans and agreements between Xia Houheng and Cao Chun, the situation is changing too fast now!

Can the original plan agreement still be valid?

It is obviously inappropriate not to save.

Not to mention how destructive it would be to Cao Jun, especially to the emotional connection between the Cao family and the Xiahou clan, once something like "failure to save one's life" happens. It's just the cavalry in Yuyang City, but what's left of Cao Jun's army? There are not many field cavalry left. If they are lost in Yuyang like this, then when the Hussar army goes south to Jizhou in the future, what will they use to stop it?

In the previous battle, Youzhou's army suffered a lot of damage, especially the horses.

This kind of delicate odd-numbered hooves, in addition to being able to run, requires vision but no vision, no sense of smell, the only powerful attack move is the kick, the skin is not rough, the flesh is not thick, the leg bones are easy to break, and even the blood circulation and cooling system They are all fake and inferior products. Without the help of humans to raise and reproduce, there is absolutely no way to form a super large scale in nature...

In order to replenish his war horses, Cao Chun had taken advantage of the Hu people. Unexpectedly, the Hu people were also taking advantage of Cao Chun. In the end, Beiyu took advantage of him.

Xia Houheng convened everyone to discuss, and everyone obviously had no good solution.

In the end, Xia Houheng was forced to do nothing, so someone said that they could try to recruit some warriors—

Use heavy gold.

After all, no matter what time, money can always have some effect. People die for money and birds die for food.

But the problem was that Xia Houheng was short of money. He told everyone bluntly that the country was currently in danger and the Han Dynasty was about to overthrow. Since he was a subject of the Han Dynasty, he should take it as his own duty to save the country!

Since you can sacrifice your life for the country, why do you need money? !

When the war is decided, Youzhou will be stable in the future, the country will be stable, and everyone will have money...

Everyone took a breath of cool air and contributed to making Youzhou warmer and more pleasant.

Yuyang wants to be rescued, but he cannot send out all the troops in Jixian County. The safety of Jixian County itself must also be considered. So Xia Houheng decided to send half of his soldiers to rescue Yuyang.

The decision to rescue was very difficult.

Because no matter who it is, no one is willing to face the Hussars now.

Everyone has an account in their heart.

If it had arrived a few years earlier, now everyone increasingly feels that the General Hussar has the qualifications to dominate the world, so basically everyone is secretly studying Fei Qian and speculating whether Fei Qian is good or bad? After Fei Qian really takes power, will he still be the hero of the Han Dynasty as he was in the past? Or will it bring disaster to the country and the people like Dong Zhuo?

No one knows the answer.

The sources of information in Shandong are very confusing. With wars raging and roads blocked, ordinary people can rarely get any effective information.

Big guy?

Emperor?

Nowadays, basically not many people really care. Many people are satisfied with being alive, or being able to settle down and have food to eat. However, in the land of Shandong, there are still many people who believe that Fei Qian will be as harmful as Dong Zhuo. After all, wasn't Dong Zhuo also a hero of the Han Dynasty?

To be honest, Fei Qian was also domineering. After all, he also forced troops to cross Xu County and wrested the military and political power in Guanzhong and Beidi from the emperor and the imperial court. And since that time, Fei Qian has always been outside the Han Dynasty, very similar to Dong Zhuo back then. What if Fei Qian now creates checks and balances, trying to carve up the country and separate one side from another. He will do more harm to the country in the future. If this kind of person is not a traitor of the Han Dynasty, who is?

Therefore, many people in Shandong, including Youzhou, are confused and can only follow others and do whatever others do. They are ignorant and have difficulty distinguishing right from wrong.

Just when Jixian County was preparing manpower urgently and preparing to go to Yuyang to rescue Cao Chun, a scout ran into Jixian County in panic, his body covered with dirt and sweat, his face extremely pale: "This is bad!" Yi Jing fell! 』

Xia Houheng and everyone were shocked and stood up.

Xia Houheng pointed his finger at the scout and asked sternly: "Is the news accurate?" 』

"Little man, this little man saw it with his own eyes..." the scout hurriedly described.

The scouts were originally just going to Yijing for daily communication. Unexpectedly, before they arrived at Yijing, they saw the fireworks soaring into the sky in Yijing city. So they quietly got closer and found Piao who had appeared out of nowhere. The cavalry attacked Yi Jing!

Yi Jing actually fell!

Xia Houheng and several of his subordinates looked at each other in shock.

Youzhou is in danger.

Cao Chun is also in danger!

"Long history!" General Cao is still confronting the Hussars in Yuyang! "The person at the bottom said, "Now that Yi Jing is lost, most of Youzhou's retreat will be cut off! If... if..."

Although the two words are not spoken out loud, everyone can understand the meaning.

Yijing is an important connection point between Youzhou and Jizhou. If it is captured by the Hussars now, it means that Youzhou has been cut off!

Cao Chun, Xia Houheng, and everyone else in Youzhou all mean that they will be surrounded by hussars!

What surprised Xia Houheng and others even more was that Yi Jing was located relatively far back, and there were pass guards nearby. Logically speaking, it was relatively safe, but he was unexpectedly attacked by the hussars!

Suddenly, awe and fear of the Hussars surged in everyone's hearts.

It seemed like the Hussars would appear anywhere at the next moment...

Wei Yan, who made a big fuss in Jizhou last time, was also so unbelievable.

Xia Houheng managed to calm down his emotions, hid his shaking hands in his sleeves, and then asked the scout a few more questions.

From where and from which direction did the hussars appear?

Approximately how many people were there in the hussars that attacked Yi Jing?

How many cavalry and how many infantry?

Have you seen any follow-up people?

Did Jizhou discover the fall of Yijing?

And so on.

There are some questions that the scouts can answer, and there are also some questions that the scouts can't answer at all.

The scout was extremely frightened at the time, and it was remarkable that he could get a close look. After all, if he was discovered by the Hussars' scouts, he would definitely not be able to come back alive.

what to do?

A new situation has arisen. Can Yuyang be saved?

The escape route was blocked, even if Yuyang was saved, but after losing the support of Jizhou, the countdown to Youzhou's defeat had already entered.

The current situation is to either open the road as soon as possible and regain Yijing, or to quickly inform Cao Chun not to stay in Yuyang anymore, withdraw the troops as soon as possible, and escape Youzhou!

Moreover, Xia Houheng felt that the Hussars' silent appearance in Yijing must have been supported by some people, either from Youzhou or Jizhou...

Otherwise, it would be impossible to capture a city like Yijing without any movement in advance.

Now, Youzhou is being attacked from two sides...

No, attack from three sides!

There are also these thieves from within!

Xia Houheng's eyes swept around the people around him, trying to see who had the word "treason" written on their face, but it was obvious that he couldn't.

Youzhou's failure is a foregone conclusion.

Even if he went to support Cao Chun, it seemed to be a drop in the bucket and of no avail. Even if Xia Houheng fought bravely and died on the battlefield, he could not change the entire Youzhou war situation.

This situation is despairing.

Xia Houheng let out a long sigh. Both Dong Zhuo and Fei Qian seemed to be so powerful and invincible to the people of Shandong, but both of them were rebels who brought trouble to the country. Could it be that the Han Dynasty was really going to be completely defeated?

"Long history!" Taking advantage of the fact that the Hussars are not yet firmly established, they should quickly contact General Cao and retreat! 』

"Now we have to retreat, otherwise if we are surrounded, we will all be alone!" "Youzhou is just a small place. It wouldn't be a pity to lose it, but Jizhou must not be lost!" 』

"If all the troops and horses are lost in Youzhou, what will happen to Jizhou?" 』

"Long history!" Make up your mind! 』

"The overall situation is the most important thing!" 』

Listening to the persuasion from the left and the right, the sweat rolled down Xia Houheng's face.

…

…

"quick! Speed ​​it up! 』

Liu Ye was sitting in the car. Although he was shaken by the uneven road and could only hold on to the railings of the vehicle to stabilize his body, he still shouted to his men to speed up.

The scepter, representing the emperor, was swinging in front of the vehicle.

Vehicles, canopy.

Scepter, angel.

These things that were supposed to represent the majesty of the Han Dynasty are now like this official road, in disrepair and full of potholes.

The gorgeous patterns on the vehicle have now faded. Even the clamps used to fix the staff are loose, as if they will break at any time. Liu Ye has to hold on tightly while holding the vehicle against the railing. Hold the scepter in your arms.

Like a drowning man, holding on to the last piece of driftwood.

"What happened in front?" ! Liu Ye suddenly saw something unusual ahead.

The group of people was moving forward quickly when they suddenly saw smoke and dust rising on the official road in the distance, but it was relatively scattered and did not look like an army, let alone the towering dust of the cavalry.

"Looks like... a pedestrian..."

When he said the word "pedestrian", the guard stuttered a little.

Because everyone knows that now, how can there be any ordinary "pedestrians" on the road leading north to Youzhou?

Sure enough, after walking for a while, I found that these people shuffling along the road were a group of refugees, or refugees, in ragged clothes and some tired looks.

Liu Ye looked at it, and his heart thumped.

"Go and ask!" From there! 』

Liu Ye ordered.

The guard responded, stepped forward to ask, and then quickly turned back.

"They were driven here..." the guard reported back, "Those people are from the Jizhou border because they want to..."

"Strong walls and clear fields?" Liu Ye gritted his teeth and asked, "Who gave the order?" ! 』

It’s not that I haven’t seen the tactic of building a strong wall and clearing the country, and it’s not that it can’t be used. But now the emperor has just issued an edict. As a result, we have to build a strong wall to clear the country and move the people on the border inward. What does this mean?

What's more, the problem now is Youzhou!

What Jizhou needs to do is to find ways to support Youzhou, instead of rushing to cut ties with Youzhou first!

The guard asked around, but couldn't find out anything.

The result obtained is the "order from above".

Then, there was nothing...

There is no specific person who issued it, and I don’t know where the order came from. Anyway, that’s it. The meaning of “above”, the order of “above”, and the wording of “superior”, but there is no actual object, and I don’t know. Who gave the order?

『…』

Liu Ye was silent for a moment.

From a certain level, he is also "above", "above", and "superior", but he still doesn't know anything and doesn't know anything clearly. Even if Liu Ye knows that this matter is probably caused by someone in the local area. It was done by officials.

After the people moved away, there was no need for the government office to exist. Those officials could openly express that it was not that they did not want to fight against the Hussars, but that the "superiors" wanted to do so. They were also helpless. They all understood each other and tolerated each other...

Liu Ye holds the emperor's scepter, he can step in to take care of it, but does he have time to take care of it?

Is the "little detail" of these refugees important, or is the "big picture" of the entire war situation important?

Is it okay to ignore small details for the sake of the overall situation?

Liu Ye gritted his teeth and sat back in the car, "Let's go!" Forward forward! Speed ​​up, speed up! 』

Above officialdom.

The old, faded canopy headed north.

People in ragged clothes and numb expressions fled southward.

Neither side looked at the other again.

…

…

early morning,

Yuyang City.

Cao Chun looked tired. He led several equally tired guards to patrol the dilapidated city of Yuyang.

His figure was looming in the morning fog, looking somewhat lonely and cold.

There are many people who are willing to enjoy themselves, but few who are willing to endure hardships.

People in the Cao Xiahou clan also conform to this pattern.

Cao Chun hadn't slept well for two days. He only took a nap somewhere when he was extremely sleepy. At this time, his face turned dark, his feet were weak, and he felt as if he was floating in the clouds. He really wanted to lie down and have a good sleep, but there were more and more wells and chariots outside the city, especially those far below the city that were much larger than the ordinary ones. , making him uneasy and making it difficult for him to sleep.

Zhao Yun's catapult demolished and destroyed Yuyang's defenses to pieces, even breaking several cracks in the city gate.

Cao Chun temporarily asked people to add stone bars and sandbags to prevent the hussars from using gunpowder to directly break through the door. Even at a certain moment, Cao Chun hoped that the Hussars would send people to blow up the city gate, because Cao Chun had arranged some kerosene near the city gate early...

But it is obvious that Zhao Yun does not take the ordinary path.

Such a large well gate seems to be designed to allow war horses to directly ride up the city wall!

Crazy!

Must be crazy!

How could there be a siege engine that could allow war horses to board the city? !

Cao Chun had a vague feeling that Zhao Yun seemed to be "experimenting".

The previous large catapult, as well as the current enlarged manholes and rams, seemed to prove Cao Chun's guess.

Hussars…

Originally, the cavalry was not good at attacking the city, but if the well was large enough, the cavalry could run directly to the city...

Cao Chun couldn't help but tremble.

How many cities in Jizhou and Yuzhou can compare with Yuyang?

If the top of Yuyang City can be climbed, how many other city walls cannot be climbed?

Cao Chun didn't dare to think about it.

In this battle between Cao Cao and Fei Qian, if Fei Qian failed to come back in time, or failed to withstand it in Hedong, then even if Fei Qian finally saved Tongguan and Guanzhong, it would still be like being chopped down. Broken arm!

Shandong will be stabilized as a result, and the Hussars will not dare to invade the desert easily, threaten or even attack Youzhou!

However, everything has changed now.

The sun penetrated the clouds and shone on the dilapidated walls of Yuyang City, as well as on the ranks of the hussars below the city.

Zhao Yun put up a simple formation with the word "pin", with the advancing siege equipment and troops in the front, and the cavalry array divided into two parts in the rear.

Under the three-color flag flying high, Zhao Yun sat on the white horse, looking at Yuyang City in the distance with a stern expression.

Recovering Youzhou and rebuilding the land of Yanzhao has been a wish that has been buried in Zhao Yun's heart for a long time.

When he left the Black Mountain Army and joined Feiqian, Zhao Yun wanted to do something for his hometown. But when he actually set foot on the land of Youzhou and saw the withering situation of Youzhou, this idea became even more intense. It's intense.

But first, we must get rid of these pests that are causing harm to Youzhou!

Zhao Yun raised his hand and then waved it down.

"Dong-dong-dong!" 』

The war drums are roaring and beating!