Three Kingdoms

  Chapter 2482 Sunset Yuan

   Yuzhou.

  Xu Du.

  Cao Cao stands outside the Chongde Hall.

  Little Huangmen bent over, shrunk on both sides of the palace gate, as if wishing to shrink his torso directly under the shadow of the gatepost.

The conflict between the emperor Liu Xie and Cao Cao is not the first time these little yellow gates have seen it, let alone know it immediately. Although Cao Cao has ascended to the position of prime minister this time, the actual conflict with the emperor Liu Xie deepening.

  Facing the airs put on by the emperor Liu Xie, Cao Cao was both a little disdainful and a little sad.

  Son of Heaven, perhaps it is still unclear what exactly he is facing?

  Sometimes Cao Cao even felt that in some respects the Son of Heaven was still the same as he was when he first saw him, a half-grown child.

  For example, a celebration like this.

   Why did Emperor Liu Xie insist on having such a celebration? In fact, Cao Cao can understand it in his heart. After all, what the emperor Liu Xie wants is to show that he is still the master of this big man. The so-called position of prime minister can be given or taken back...

   But what?

  Emperor Liu Xie really thought that someone would care about this?

  The current situation in Shandong is really ugly.

  However, from the emperor to the gentry Haoyou, they didn't even care about the predicament they were about to face.

  Cao Cao took a breath, and then let it out slowly.

   Time to do it...

   This group of silverfish.

  What makes this group of silverfish think that they can use economic income to threaten a country?

Ok?

  Cao Cao sometimes has difficulty understanding the thinking of these people. Has Dahan's economy never endured a downturn? Or is it that the people at the bottom of the big man can't bear the life of poverty? Or does it mean that if these silverfish are not dealt with, the ordinary people of Dahan will be able to live happily, and everyone will be happy to live and work in peace and contentment?

  Since this is the case, then why do these silverfish talk about taxes all day long and use the income of the court as a shield?

   Really think that these taxes and income are all created by the silverfish themselves?

   Don’t think that Cao Cao doesn’t know that these guys are secretly doing business with Fei Qian in Guanzhong, running a caravan, and doing some tricks under Cao Cao’s nose...

  In order to make money, for the sake of profit, is it regardless of everything?

   It is said that someone actually cut down the original Zhuanghe, so they wanted to plant some fennel and baijiu! It's just because Guanzhong buys a lot of them, and the price is very high!

  Money is indeed a good thing...

  So you can ignore it and leave the country's taxes and people's stability aside?

hehe.

  Xun Wenruo actually wanted to cover up for these people...

  Of course, Wen Ruo's words also have some truths.

   After all, if these silverfish are dealt with, there will inevitably be some chaos on the scene. After all, these silverfish are already deeply entrenched, and it is easy to pull them and all kinds of stickiness will appear. If they can't be dealt with in a short time...

   Maybe there will be some guys who simply fell to Guanzhong because of this!

  However, Cao Cao felt that he had endured it for a long time, and he endured it again and again!

   Almost become a jounin of Sharingan!

General Hussars, um, now he is the Great General of Hussars, and his momentum is getting stronger and stronger. If before, Cao Cao dared to say that he has the power to fight, but now, he can only say that young people don’t talk about martial arts, and they are rats. Tail juice, then step aside to rest and catch your breath.

In the Battle of Qingxu, Cao Cao showed the power of military equipment powerful enough to beat the Jiangdong warship soldiers to pieces. No matter how you look at it, it seems that Cao Cao has the upper hand, but in fact, the problems reflected in Cao Cao's heart are like a mirror. It's not about victory, and it's not about Jiangdong.

Historically, most of Cao Wei's forces were confronting Jiangdong, leaving only a small number of soldiers, about one-third to one-fourth of which were fighting against the Shu Han, but now it is the other way around. The focus is on Guanzhong, as for Jiangdong...

  Well, what about having a baby...

The reason why Cao Cao must use the momentum of the battle of Qingxu to climb up again is not... well, maybe there is a little bit, but the more important thing is that Cao Cao needs to use this behavior to appease or deter his subordinates. Different guys unite the power of Shandong.

Cao Cao also understands that he cannot be defeated. Once he fails, the undercurrents in Shandong that seem to be stable for the time being will gush out. , is already excellent.

  Now Shandong has no advantage.

   Large-scale military research has been carried out in Guanzhong Feiqian. After the advancement of science and technology, whether it is trebuchets or kerosene gunpowder, they have greatly threatened traditional military strategies and changed the pattern of the battlefield.

However, if we can obtain those important military technologies under Fei Qian, or let the emperor come forward, recruit some great craftsmen, and strengthen Cao Cao's military technical strength in this aspect, it may not be impossible to continue to compete with Fei Qian .

   Technological change.

   Cao Cao realized the importance of this for the first time.

  Compared with technology, those scriptures that Shandong gentry are proud of are nothing?

  Industry can rejuvenate the country.

   A group of guys who just have a mouth, often have this opinion, that idea, but none of it is actually true. What kind of benefits do such so-called people who pass on classics and knowledge to the country benefit the country? Losing a title is nothing more than defrauding money, no different from those rangers and libertines in the market who make a living by deceiving.

  Cao Cao looked up at the hall.

  The main hall was built very majestic and solid.

  Cao Cao and Liu Bei also came here hand in hand back then, but it was still an empty factory at that time.

  Liu Bei finally chose to escape and did not stay. Could it be that at that time, Liu Bei had already realized that these guys in Shandong were just lip service? Is it empty of scriptures and empty of facts?

  『Prime Minister…』 A little yellow door hurried out from the hall, “Please, Your Majesty…”

  Prime Minister Cao stepped forward.

  Seeing that Cao Cao’s figure had completely entered the hall at the two small yellow gates outside the main hall, it was as if he had lifted the invisible burden on his body, and the whole person seemed to be alive again, and took a breath.

  『The minister sees Your Majesty! 』Cao Cao cupped his hands slightly.

   According to the Eight Classics, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty does not need to meet when he goes to the palace, and he has quite a lot of privileges, but Cao Cao feels that these are not the key points to be discussed now, nor are they the key issues in Shandong at the moment. Is it possible that after Cao Cao obtained the so-called seeing and not worshiping, he could change the unfavorable situation in Shandong?

  『Stay flat, give me a seat. 』Liu Xie's voice seemed to be still steady.

  Cao Cao thanked him, then sat down and adjusted his red and black court clothes.

   Liu Xie looked at Cao Cao. In fact, the distance between the two is not very far, but for some reason, Liu Xie feels that he and Cao Cao are constantly moving away, as if there seems to be countless spaces between him and Cao Cao, pushing the two of them closer and closer. The more open the same.

  Liu Xie was silent for a while, then asked, "What's the matter with Aiqing?" 』

  Cao Cao pondered slightly, and then said: "Your Majesty, do you know... what is gunpowder?" 』

  『Gunpowder? 』Liu Xie was taken aback.

  Although most of Liu Xie is closed, but occasionally through the speeches of some ministers and eunuchs sent to the market to learn and listen to some information, and among these information, "gunpowder" appears very rarely...

  So after a while, Liu Xie nodded slightly hesitantly, and said, "I heard a little... why did Aiqing talk about this?" 』

"Gunpowder is made by mixing saltpeter with sulfur charcoal..." Cao Cao said slowly, "During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was Fan Shaobo who used this material to defeat the soldiers of Wu, and it was passed down in secret... Until the early Han Dynasty, the immortals passed down the law as "the solstice of summer." And the Yellow River flows, and the stone essence comes out", that is, it is what it is...』

  Liu Xie nodded half understanding. After a while, he asked again, "Could it be that this thing is so important?" 』

  Cao Cao nodded slightly, "Your Majesty is talented and intelligent, and he must know the way of military formation." If you want to take a city, but don't want to lose more soldiers, and attack by clinging, what should you do? 』

  Although Liu Xie didn't know why Cao Cao asked such a question, he thought about it and replied: "If there are too many soldiers, surround them; if there are few soldiers, lure them." 』

  『Exactly. Cao Cao nodded, but sighed again, "After having "gunpowder", this strategy... the power of gunpowder can open mountains and rocks, shake the world, destroy city gates, break hinges... With the benefits of this thing, every strong city in the world can be destroyed ! Your Majesty, do you know what will happen if this thing is widely used in the world? 』

   Liu Xie became somewhat unhappy, and frowned slightly. Cao Cao didn't say anything serious when he came up, he just asked one question after another, and he really regarded himself as the father of the country or the emperor's teacher?

  So Liu Xie said: "Then what should I do if I love you?" 』

   You speak, less beeps.

Cao Cao twitched his eyebrows, "According to the detailed investigation by the subordinates, the Hussars used gunpowder to open up the Qinling Mountains and pass through the mountain roads in Hanzhong and Guanzhong... It is said that there are stones in the mountains that lie across the road. They weigh ten thousand catties, and no one can shake them. If you ignite it with gunpowder, it can be broken like a powder...May the Qinling Mountains have several roads, the mountains and rocks are rugged, and it is extremely difficult to pass. Now it is almost smooth, all thanks to the gunpowder. 』

  Smooth path, of course, is an exaggeration, but at least it is no longer a dangerous path.

"what? What? 』Liu Xie couldn't believe it.

Cao Cao ignored Liu Xie's surprise, and continued after a moment of silence: "Today's Jizhou and Yuzhou are all flat. There are no narrow passes and no strong rivers. The only thing you can rely on is high cities and deep ditches... If you met in the past Bandit soldiers, it's just a matter of closing the door and leaving the strong wall to clear the wilderness. Everything you rely on in the art of war is harmful...」

  Cao Cao is a master of the art of war. When many people have not noticed any problems, he has already seen the danger approaching from Fei Qian's technical updates and improvements.

Some Shandong scholars, when they heard that Feiqian used gunpowder to open mountains, or used gunpowder to break through the gates of the military stronghold, most of them focused on the victory or defeat of the battle, or the generals , especially the generals of the Cao family and Xiahou family criticized and accused Cao Cao or others of the "gunpowder" and other reasons as shirking responsibility, changing the topic, and trying to cover up the generals of the Cao family and Xiahou family. inability…

   Not many of these Shandong children would really pay attention to what gunpowder is and what changes it will bring to the military!

After that guy, grandson, took the lead in using his **** during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, the originally polite battlefield was full of intrigue, and then the military methods became more and more low-key. Deception became the norm, and deceit became meritorious service. , Fortifying the walls and clearing the fields and plundering each other have also become a conventional way of fighting. Those countries that cannot keep up with the changes of the times, or the princes who insist on obeying the war of gentlemen, have finally become warlords under the loess. bones.

  Cao Cao believes that the gunpowder is the grandson's second teasing leg...

  Cao Cao slowly explained to Liu Xie.

  The emperor can understand, it is best, if he doesn't understand, he has fulfilled his duty as a courtier.

The existence of the original city makes the attacker often need more preparations, otherwise, once the surprise attack fails to attack the city, it will have to face the risk of a long-term battle, and the improvement of the city's defense weapons makes the attack and ant-attachment and other methods, which will make the attack more difficult. The side needs to pay a higher price. In many cases, the attacker is unwilling to bear such a price, and often chooses to besiege.

  But the siege will cause exhaustion and slack in the soldiers, which is extremely difficult to avoid.

Once the soldiers on the attacking side affect the morale of the overall battle due to exhaustion and slackness, it will invisibly make the defender gain a greater advantage. On the other hand, the delay caused by the siege of a certain city also gives the defender time to gather Reinforcement, then the attacker must bear more pressure.

In addition, there is another potential impact. The attacker besieges a city, which is often doubled, which means that the efficiency is low, and the increase in expenditure will make the attacker bear greater economic pressure. After all, there must be So much labor to transfer food and grass means that so much manpower must be allocated in the country. Over time, it will inevitably affect subsequent production.

  These factors will affect the entire battle, and even the victory or defeat of the battle.

  But the emergence of gunpowder overthrew everything again.

The military offensive and defensive sides are actually like spears and shields, the siege is like a spear, and the defense is like a shield. Now the siege has extremely powerful technological progress, but the defenders are just standing still. This naturally makes Cao Cao He couldn't help feeling panic in his heart, especially after he defeated Jiangdong Bing with the semi-finished product he got from Fei Qian, this feeling haunted him like a nightmare.

"... I have heard from my humble minister," Cao Cao said slowly, "The general under the rebel Yuan family has the courage that is unworthy of a man, and he can enter and exit the army three times without any damage. It is useless to break the formation and beheaded in battle...These brave men also died under the gunpowder...There is no whole body...』

   Liu Xie's eyes widened, and he didn't know what to say for a while, and Liu Xie was still a little lost. He didn't know why Cao Cao said these things to himself. After all, Liu Xie can't, and can't go to battle to kill the enemy, let alone face the danger of "gunpowder".

  Cao Cao glanced at Liu Xie and sighed inwardly. The emperor Liu Xie thought that he had grown up and could take on the responsibility of the so-called emperor, but in fact he did not meet the standard. Because Liu Xie still only thinks about problems from his own perspective, and all he thinks about is himself. From this point of view, there is no essential difference between Liu Xie and those rich and powerful families in Shandong.

  "Your Majesty..." Cao Cao emphasized again, "You know, Jizhou, Yuzhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Youzhou..."

  Cao Cao looked at Liu Xie, and said slowly, counting the past one by one, "There are few dangers in these states and counties!" Those who rely on are all the prefectures and counties! Now, with the help of gunpowder, it would have taken many days to besieged before it could be conquered, but now it only takes one day, or a few days... how many days can the hundreds of thousands of cities in the hinterland of the Central Plains be held back? 』

  Liu Xie finally understood, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back!

  In the hall, there was a moment of silence.

  The green gauze and window lintels divide the main hall into blocks of light and dark areas.

  Xiliang…

   Hussars...

   Some not-so-good memories appeared in Liu Xie's mind, like the dust flying in the light in the hall, which could not be cleared away.

   After a while, Liu Xie heard his own voice, which seemed to be a dry moan, "Prime Minister... Where does this plan come from?" 』

  Cao Cao said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please issue an edict to order the hussars to offer gunpowder!" 』

   Liu Xie opened his mouth involuntarily, clicked a bit before saying: "Hussar...will you? 』

  Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, smiled, and said: "If you are a loyal minister of the great man, why don't you want to?" 』

  Liu Xie took a long breath.

   This time, he understood.

Cao Cao didn't care whether the emperor Liu Xie could really get the gunpowder formula from Fei Qian through an edict, he just wanted to let him know that Cao Cao was the only one he could rely on, and other people, even if they kept fighting Fei Qian under the banner of "Loyal Minister of the Great Han" is nothing more than that.

  If the hussars are unwilling to contribute the gunpowder, or if they delay or something, it can prove that the hussars actually have a different heart. The meaning of Cao Cao's suggestion is to let Liu Xie understand that all the "big Han loyal ministers" are left with the prime minister in front of him?

   Liu Xie looked at Cao Cao deeply, nodded slowly, "I see. 』

  Cao Cao bowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty." The minister resigned. 』

   After finishing speaking, Cao Cao didn't stop any longer, and after performing enough etiquette, he retreated slowly.

   Liu Xie watched Cao Cao's figure disappear at the entrance of the hall, and felt as if something was stuffed in his chest by Cao Cao alive, which made his breathing difficult and stuffy.

  Is Cao Cao a loyal minister?

hehe.

   So Fei Qian is a loyal minister?

hehe…

  Who else in the world is loyal to the big man? Be true to yourself? !

   Liu Xie suddenly felt very lonely. He tightly grasped the armrest of the throne, his fingers were so hard that the joints were white and trembling.

  The sun is gradually setting to the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun shines in.

  Liu Xie stared at the somewhat oval orange-red sunset outside the window of the main hall. I don't know if it was stimulated by the sunlight of the setting sun, or for some other reason, and burst into tears all of a sudden...

  He suddenly knew why that Liu Bei often cried.

  (end of this chapter)