Three Kingdoms

　　『Report! ” Cao Jun’s scouts came in a hurry, “Report to General! The sentry post high on the tidal flat of the Hussars seems to be deserted! They all ran away! 』

 The sentry posts on the plateau above the tidal flats were relatively close, so feedback was received first.

 Cao Hong stood up immediately, and then he pinched the knuckles of his fingers anxiously, making a clicking sound.

This habit is not good and can easily cause joint aging and damage, but it is obvious that Cao Hong does not understand this. This is just a mark left by his teenage fights. Before the two sides confront each other and prepare to rush out to punch and kick, they will always do some actions. Strengthen your own momentum...

Cao Hong couldn't help but wanted to rush out.

But he still endured the second wave of scout reports that went to Hangu Pass to inquire.

When the second wave of scouts reported that they suspected that Hangu Pass was full of dummies, and the shots would not be bloodless, Cao Hong ordered his troops and horses, and sent people rushing to the river beach to attack the rear of Hangu Pass. He led the way all the way to Hanguguan Pass.

 At the foot of Hangu Pass, corpses were everywhere.

Cao Hong didn't even take a second glance, he just stared closely at the movement of Hangu closing.

In the night, some braziers at Hangu Pass were swaying in the wind, reflecting the silhouettes of the soldiers on the edge of the battlements.

However, the noise of Cao's large-scale attack was not quiet, but the soldiers at Hangu Pass did not move at all...

Cao Hong was almost sure that Zhu Ling had abandoned the pass and escaped, but he still pulled out an arrow and hit a target soldier on the wall with a pop.

 That’s right, a straw target soldier.

 The arrow does not fall, it does not scream, and it does not bleed.

Cao Hong waved his hand, "Ascend the city!" 』

 A group of soldiers carried the ladders and rushed straight to the city. Then they quickly climbed up the city wall. After a while, they shouted to Cao Hong, "General!" The thieves have all run away! They also burned down the warehouse! 』

 Cao Hong slapped his hands and said, "It's time..."

　　　Boom! 』

Before Cao Hong could finish his words, he heard a huge explosion on the plateau near the river beach. Following the explosion was the creepy sound of collapse, and the dull sound of sand friction and impact. , colliding back and forth in the night sky, and constantly collapsing in the hearts of Cao Jun's soldiers, frightening Cao Jun's horses behind Cao Hong into a commotion.

"what happened? ! Hold on! Calm, calm! 』

Chao Hong was shocked and immediately put people on guard left and right, as if facing a powerful enemy. He also grabbed a shield and blocked it in front of him. He only exposed his eyes on the upper edge of the shield and looked around.

The elite troops of Cao Hong's Central Army quickly calmed down, but the surrounding ordinary Cao Jun and the Cao Jun's auxiliary soldiers who were later educated were not able to return to their original state so quickly. There was a buzzing sound for a long time.

 Fortunately, after a while, as the movement on the river bank slowly subsided, Cao Hong's side also slowly returned to calm.

Hangu Pass is still quiet, there is no ambush, and they rush out screaming.

 ‘Hmph, hehe, hahaha...’ Cao Hong put down some of his shields slightly and burst out laughing, ‘I laugh at the incompetence of the defenders! If there is an ambush on the side and attacks at this time, wouldn't it be a complete victory? 』

 The surrounding guards also laughed one after another.

 The funnyness of a joke actually depends on the position of the person telling the joke.

 Especially at the wine table.

Although what Cao Hong said was not funny at the moment, since Cao Hong laughed, the other guards could only laugh along with him, and then more Cao Jun soldiers also laughed inexplicably.

 Laughter made Cao's soldiers calm down quickly, and they no longer paid attention to things on the river bank and tidal flats, but focused their attention on Hangu Pass. But in the dark night, no one could see clearly that although Cao Hong was smiling, his eyes were cold.

Although the soldiers on the other side had not yet had time to report back, Cao Hong could imagine that the hussar soldiers must have buried gunpowder on the plateau, and then when Cao's soldiers passed under the plateau, they ignited the gunpowder...

 Cao Hong had a little joy before, but now it is gone.

The fire in Hangu Pass is gradually getting bigger and bigger at this moment.

 Cao Hong raised his head and sniffed hard.

The air is filled with the smell of blood and rot, and there seems to be something different.

 The smell of smoke.

There is also the smell of loess.

Maybe it was left over from before, or maybe it floated over from the river tidal flat, which made Cao Hong feel a little uneasy.

Since the hussars buried gunpowder on the tidal flats, what about in Hangu Pass?

　　　First send a group of soldiers into the city to control the fire. " Cao Hong ordered, and then gave a special reminder, "Stay alert and be careful of ambush! 』

Cao Hong does not plan to enter the city now. He plans to wait until at least dawn.

Cao Hong felt that in the surrounding darkness, there seemed to be countless hostility, with the aura of greed and cruelty, entangled around him.

 Cao Hong's caution protected himself, but he could not protect all of Cao's army. The Marquis of Cao Jun who received the order thought that he could get the credit of being the first to climb in, so he excitedly led his people to rush in. Even though the achievement of being the first to climb was somewhat far-fetched, he was the first to enter the letter after all. Isn’t it from Guguan?

So the military lord of Cao’s army was blown to pieces by a buried grenade at the Wengcheng...

 The injured soldiers of Cao's army were crying and howling.

　　　『It’s still okay...』

Chao Hong saw all this through the upper edge of the shield.

 After the explosion, Cao Hong suddenly realized that his caution just now was correct.

 On the battlefield, when facing death, there is not much difference between generals and soldiers.

Most of the time, there is a "pop" sound, like a deflated cowhide water bag, a hole was punctured, and it died.

The soldiers of Cao's army in front of them just died in a different way, and the results were the same.

　　　　人. Cao Hong raised his chin slightly and said, "Those who are seriously injured and die, give them a happy life." The rest of you, search carefully! Say it again! Watch out for kerosene and gunpowder! 』

The soldiers of Cao's army moved forward. They gave relief to those who were seriously injured, and then divided into three or five small teams and began to carefully search every corner of Hangu Pass.

　　　　But how is this done...』

 Cao Hong muttered to himself in confusion.

　　There was indeed no one on the top of the city and in the barbican city before.

If someone is nearby, Cao Jun’s soldiers will definitely be able to find him.

 So it’s a long lead?

 Can the lead wire be so long now?

  And it won’t get wet from dew or anything?

How exactly is it done?

 Cao Hong frowned tightly, not only because his soldiers were damaged for no reason, but also because he felt that the mode of war this time seemed different from all the ones he had experienced before...

—

Tongguan.

"What? ” After receiving the news, Zhu Ling was a little dissatisfied, “Failed to catch a big fish? Just fried a small shrimp? It’s so boring… I put so much thought into it…”

Ma Yue laughed from the side, "It would be nice to have shrimps!" 』

Zhu Lingba smacked his lips, "Tsk...sometimes I wonder if the Cao family and the Xiahou family have some luck, and this is all not calculated?" It's a pity that the gunpowder used in the early stage was too harsh and I couldn't save anything. Otherwise, my city wall would be blown up by him, leaving nothing for them! Of course, Zhu Ling was just talking. After all, the amount of gunpowder required to blow up stone slabs and city walls is not of the same level.

　　　　What a piece of luck! Ma Yue laughed, "This is for the general's caution!" This is not the first time we have used this gunpowder. How could General Cao Jun fall into the trap so easily and put himself in danger without hesitation? 』

It can be said that Yuan Shao suffered a loss for the first time. Before Yuan Shao, no general would be wary of gunpowder.

After Fei Qian used gunpowder to break open the gates and attack the city, almost all the cities in Shandong strengthened their defense structures at the city gates...

　　　　caution? Zhu Ling frowned when he heard this.

Ma Yue also gradually stopped smiling and nodded, "That's right." It was mentioned in Shandong Public Opinion in Jiangwu Hall... Don’t think that we are the only ones fighting, the generals in Shandong are also fighting every year! If the general was not careful and careless, he would have died long ago and would not be alive now. Those who have survived to this day are not easy, so we should not take it lightly..."

Could it be that the clansmen of Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun were only Cao Hong, Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Shang, etc.?

Even if we include all the people from the Cao family and the Xiahou family who can keep their names, there are only seventy or eighty people. And there are only so many people from the Cao family and the Xiahou family? Are these the only people who are responsible for commanding the soldiers under Cao Cao?

Obviously not.

But those who can stay have some ability, but those who have no ability or are unlucky, like Cao Junjun, died without even a name, and no one would take a second look.

I think Cao Hong, Cao Ren and others really have a good life. Before I think they have a long life, don't think about why they have a long life?

 Ma Yue was obviously reminding Zhu Ling with good intentions.

"Well? Zhu Ling was stunned for a moment, "Is there this in the Jiangwu Hall newspaper?" I've read it every time, so why don't I have any impression? 』

"Oh, the latest issue was sent not long ago..." Ma Yue said, "Oh, you may not have received it in Hangu... The Di newspaper is still in my room. I will ask someone to show it to you later..."

Zhu Ling cupped his hands to express his gratitude, and then said with some emotion: "This... Cao Jun is almost in trouble, and the Guanzhong Martial Arts Hall newspaper did not forget to publish it... This is really... Pang Lingjun is really calm... Cao Jun A large-scale attack, with 3,000 regular soldiers in the vanguard, 5,000 auxiliary soldiers, and nearly 10,000 levied laborers. If Hangu hadn’t prepared a large amount of ordnance and supplies beforehand, I wouldn’t have been able to last a few days..."

Ma Yue nodded, with a somewhat worried expression.



 War is bound to involve consumption, and it is not a linear consumption curve. The longer it is dragged on, the greater the consumption.

　　"Main soldiers and auxiliary troops, plus double the labor service..." Ma Yue frowned and sighed, "If it is delayed until the spring of next year, won't Shandong be afraid of leaving farmland unused?" The people of Shandong are suffering too much..."

Zhu Ling nodded, "Yes, but this old thief Cao didn't think of this?" What exactly was his plan? 』

The number of men, horses and soldiers directly used by Cao's army may not seem to be too many when scattered, but adding up, there are 89,000 regular soldiers and auxiliary soldiers, distributed on the entire front from Youzhou in the north to Jingzhou in the south, and Zhengfa The number of labor coolies exceeds 150,000. If you add in the short-distance transportation manpower from the rear, various follow-up manpower supplements, the young men captured in Heluo, etc., the total manpower dispatched must have exceeded 300,000. It is impossible to do this. Good will approach half a million people.

 Therefore, Cao’s army is said to be one million, which is not too far-fetched...

 Number of people is a key factor in war, but it is not an absolute factor. War is not simply a competition of numbers. Otherwise, wouldn't both sides just need to pile up the number of people to determine the outcome?

 When the Qing Dynasty attacked the Ming Dynasty, they must have never imagined that the Eight-Nation Allied Forces would come to attack.

Momentary winning or losing is also not an inevitable condition that determines the final direction of the war. When Dayuan fought against Dayuan, he won almost every time. Well, at least in Dayuan's official propaganda, he won, but in the end he won. If you lose, a big defeat means a complete defeat...

Cao Hong's forward was a little battered, but it was only superficial damage, so Cao's army would inevitably continue to advance. The further Cao's army moved forward, the supply line would be stretched, and the lengthening of the supply line meant that labor had to go farther and take longer. time.

Although Cao Jun in the middle can transport grain and grass through the river, Cao Jun's navy is not strong, at least not in the Jizhou and Yuzhou areas, and Jingzhou's navy cannot jump over the river to this side of the river, so he can only fight against the sky. Can be used for transportation, but cannot be used for offense.

 There is a naval force at Tongguan.

Before, Fei lurked in the Xuanwu Pond in Chang'an to train his navy and build ships, it seems that it was just for today's battle...

Even if Cao Jun captured Hangu Pass, it would be difficult to conquer Tongguan head-on. If he tried to attack Shaanxi and Jin to bypass Tongguan, he would have to fight against Fei Qian's navy and the troops in Shaanxi and Jin.

 So what exactly is Cao Jun going to do? —

 Two days later.

After Cao Jun cleaned up the wreckage of Hangu Pass, Cao Hong moved his camp forward to Hangu Pass.

The "conquering" of Hangu Pass basically brought most of Hongnong County into the big family of Shandong, even if it didn't have much warm embrace...

This can naturally be regarded as Lao Cao's contribution to expanding the territory and regaining the mountains and rivers.

Cao Cao's army also set off from Luoyang and headed straight for Hangu Pass. He did not hesitate and assumed a posture of attacking Tongguan directly, even though he did not obtain any specific information about Tongguan's defense system.

 Only a rough map.

Because most caravans from Shandong are not allowed to go to Shangtongguan City, let alone the military area of ​​​​Tongguan Inner City, the goods can only be transported by crane to the plateau in Lower Tongguan City, and then transported by Chang'an horse teams. To get to the pass, you can also take a boat from Tongguan and go retrograde via Fenglingdu to the pass. Therefore, even if Cao Cao sent spies to explore the defense system inside Tongguan, it was because of the isolation layout of military and commercial affairs that it was impossible to obtain detailed information about Tongguan.

In the midst of intensive preparations for the attack on Tongguan, after Cao Cao's army moved forward, the strength became abundant, and he also tentatively attacked Shaanxi and Jin, Shaanxi County.

Wei Yan gave up the first line of defense in Shaanxian County, also set fire to the remaining defense fortifications, and then faced off with Cao Jun on the second line of defense for three days. After consuming part of Cao Jun's effective strength, Wei Yan marched from Shaanxian County. They evacuated in the middle, crossed the pontoon bridge, returned to the north bank of Shaanxi and Jin, burned the pontoon bridge on the river, and controlled the Shaanxi and Jin ferry.

 Cao Jun built a shield cart and pushed it to the shore to block the firing of Wei Yan's navy and the archers on the north bank of Shaanxi and Jin. They also built earthen walls to cover the archers and Wei Yan from firing, and tried to build a pontoon bridge.

 Both sides' bows and arrows caused some damage, but it was not enough to determine the decisive direction of the battle.

Unlike on land in Shaanxian County, Wei Yan, who retreated to Shaanxi and Jin, had an absolute advantage and repelled many attacks by Cao's army. Cao Cao divided several forces to contain Wei Yan with heavy troops. At the same time, he sent some soldiers to move upstream and downstream of Shaanxi and Tianjin. It seemed that he was trying to find a suitable place to build a pontoon bridge. However, Wei Yan also dispatched flexible mountain troop detachments. , followed Cao Jun's soldiers upstream and downstream, and cooperated with the navy ships to prevent Cao Jun's plan to build a pontoon bridge...

The initial contact battle between the two sides was not fierce, and there were not many casualties. Many times, when Cao Jun saw that he could not achieve the expected results, he simply retreated directly. Although it was somewhat futile, Cao Jun had a large number of soldiers, and there was actually no loss after taking turns. How much physical strength, and Wei Yan had relatively few soldiers in his hands, so he could only rely on geographical advantages and naval forces to even out the gap.

 Overall, Cao Cao lost some of his soldiers' lives, and Wei Yan lost some of his soldiers' physical strength.

 But Cao Cao wanted to make Wei Yan suffer more losses, so Cao Cao put on a coquettish posture...

 Come and make it!

But when Cao Xiu yawned and walked listlessly out of the ambush the next day, he could not see Wei Yan.

 Is it because you are not coquettish enough?

Can’t it be considered a **** figure?

 Cao Cao looked across the river and fell into thinking.

　　　　　Fengxiao, didn’t Wei Yan, the chief minister of the Wei Dynasty, say that he likes to use surprise attacks and prefers night attacks? 』

 Cao Cao asked.

"Ming Gong, this Wei Wen grew up in Sichuan, Shu and Hanzhong, and won many times with surprise attacks..." Guo Jia replied with some embarrassment, because he agreed with the strategy of luring the enemy, and in his opinion, the success rate was at least 7%. Eighty percent, but now...

In previous battles, Wei Yan really liked to make surprise attacks, use small to gain strength, defeat the strong with the weak, and especially liked to rush into dangerous places, but for some reason, Wei Yan did not come this time.

 Perhaps I didn’t catch up?

 Perhaps he went somewhere else?

Cao Cao did not mean to blame Guo Jia, because no one can guarantee that all strategies will be 100% successful.

Guo Jia is very smart, but Guo Jia is not a god.

“Let’s lure the enemy one more time…” Cao Cao made the decision, “First send people to scold and call the formation…”

As a result, Cao Jun's soldiers with loud voices stood on the south bank of the Heda River and attacked the north bank. When they got there, they simply took off their pants and exposed their buttocks to insult Wei Yan. They yelled and ridiculed, but soon Cao Jun's soldiers stopped. Did this...

Well, yes, it’s too cold.

The cold wind is like a knife, and the pain of exposing your skin in winter is not something ordinary people can endure.

So, can Wei Yan endure it now?