Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3053 Difficulties, problems

 This is Cao Cao's first visit to Tongguan.

 In other words, this is the first time he has observed Tongguan at such a close distance.

The situation in front of him made it almost impossible for Cao Cao to find many impressions of Tongguancun when he was young.

Indeed, today’s Tongguan City is larger, more majestic, and more terrifying than the historical one.

Fei Qian widened Hantong Pass, covering almost all of the original pass, and built a huge pass city on the dangerous Linzhi Plateau, which he called Shangtong Pass, and at the corridor below Linzhi Plateau The establishment was called Lower Tongguan, and the connection between Upper and Lower Tongguan was just a mountain road.

Below Niutouyuan, there are countless ravines that are difficult to cross. Looking to the south, you can see the majestic Qinling Mountains, towering into the clouds. Looking to the north, you can see the surging river...

The only road is cut off by Tongguan.

 So, there is no way out.

Before Tongguan, there were several winding trenches on the outermost side. The trenches were not deep, only half a person's height. However, the excavated soil was piled behind the trenches, forming an earthen wall that was low in the east and high in the west. Behind the earth wall, there is a platform, which is much higher than the earth wall.

 On the fortress, troops can be stationed, and ballistas or catapults can also be placed.

There are also some intervals in the trench, but those intervals are like **** mouths, and there are some faint cold flashes around them. I don’t know what murderous intention is hidden...

Cao Cao looked further into the distance and saw that there seemed to be villages and camps on the Fengyi Plateau behind Tongguan. He didn't know how many people were stationed there, and he didn't know how many troops and horses there were up and down Tongguan.

During the Han and Tang Dynasties, due to the erosion and sedimentation of the river, the Linzhi Plateau of Tongguan was cut down, and the destruction of water and soil further reduced the vegetation on the plateau, which led to the possibility of Tongguan being bypassed and forbidden ditches. Twelve pass cities were built on the basis. But now, the forbidden ditch is the forbidden ditch, there is no way around it.

Even if there were no Twelve Passes, just Upper and Lower Tongguan, it would be enough to leave Cao Cao speechless for a long time.

Such terrain and such a defense system make Tongguan far more dangerous than the declining Hanhan Valley. If Hanhan Valley can still be attacked with people stacked up, the current Tongguan City is almost an endless natural abyss. , no matter how many lives are filled in, it seems that it cannot be filled up.

 Although Cao Cao could station a large army on Niutou Plain, that was all. Unless each soldier of Cao's army can grow wings and fly across Yuanwang Valley, they can only sigh in excitement at Wanggou. If you want to attack Tongguan via the mountain road, you must first capture Huangxiang Ban, then Xiaguan City, and then compete with Qin Han Valley. Climb up the mountain road of Guandao and attack Tongguan City, and finally attack the Forbidden Valley and enter Guanzhong...

Cao Cao took a breath.

Such a long distance, especially the section up to Tongguan from the top, requires a lot of energy even if you climb it with bare hands, let alone attacking with heavy armor, and because of the steep slope, it is impossible to climb with a shield car or anything like that. It can't be pushed up, so the archers and crossbowmen defending on the Linzhi Plain can easily kill the attackers in the mountain road one by one.

 In and around Tongguan City, flags were flying.

Someone seemed to have noticed that Cao Cao was observing on the Niutou Plain opposite, and then there were some noisy voices. However, because they were too far apart, it was impossible to hear what those people were shouting, mixed in the cold wind. , woo woo buzz.

 Cao Cao remained silent.

 Dong Zhao looked on, his face a little pale.

 Guo Jia, on the other hand, was holding a wine gourd and sipping it one sip after another.

　　　Let’s set up camp first. 』

 Cao Cao said.

Following Cao Cao's order, the mighty Cao army spread across Niutou Plateau and the plateau east of Tongguan. Each branch set up camp, and flag camps were spread all over the mountains and plains. Countless laborers sweated profusely, digging trenches for the camp and erecting walls for the camp. In a short period of time, a large camp of tens of thousands of people was erected, and there was a steady stream of people arriving on the official road, setting off to camp one after another along the direction of the river.

Before coming to the specific on-site inspection, Cao Cao already knew that it was impossible to capture Tongguan head-on, and now after seeing it, he was even more certain of this.

Tongguan fell once before, just because the original Han Tongguan fell into disrepair for many years. After all, even Chang'an was in dire decline at that time. How could there be any financial and material resources to repair Tongguan?

 But now it’s different.

Tongguan built by Fei Qian makes people feel powerless just by looking at it, let alone actually attacking it.

There are also some platforms on Linzhi Plateau, with some things piled on them and covered with cloth and felt blankets. Although Cao Cao didn't know what those were specifically, he knew they were definitely not decorations for good looks. Even if they can attack Linzhi Plain, they still have to face a city wall that is nearly three feet high. There is no other defense system within the city wall, except that there must be an Wengcheng.

　　　What's the situation at the ferry? 』

 Cao Cao asked in a deep voice.

 Cao Cao asked about Tongguandu.

Tongguandu is independent from Tongguan.

Cao Xiu said from the side: "My lord, build a platform at the Tongguan crossing. There are also several layers of earth walls in front of the platform, which are at the angles of the military stronghold on the mountain to guard the ferry." The tidal flats at the ferry crossing are very thick. If we do not conquer the fort and the military stronghold, we will inevitably be attacked from two sides... Moreover, if we attack Tongguan Crossing by force, even if the soldiers in Tongguan cannot return to the rescue, there will be soldiers and horses from Fengyiyuan to come to rescue at any time, not to mention Shaanxi. The county navy turned around...』

Shaanjin is to the west of Sanmenxia in later generations, and it is also the last crossing of the rapid river. Once you enter the Sanmenxia area, let alone crossing the river, even sailing requires trackers to drag it, and there is a risk of capsizing at any time. The so-called Sanmen, There are three gates of heaven, man and ghost. If you accidentally enter the gate of ghosts, it will really be like entering the gate of ghosts.

Therefore, from the upper reaches of the river to counterattack the upper reaches, even if Cao Cao had a fleet, it would be difficult for him to pass through the dangerous place of Sanmenxia. Although Wei Yan's fleet was not large and was not worth mentioning compared to Jiangdong's navy, but it was stuck at Sanmenxia. It was like another Tongguan stuck on the water, so Cao Cao's transportation team could only take the land route in advance, and it was impossible to reach Tongguan directly by water in one go.

 Everyone's face looked a little ugly.

This Tongguan is obviously difficult to attack, but I didn't expect that Tongguandu was also prepared, and according to Cao Xiu's wishes, he was not very optimistic about attacking Tongguandu.

Only Yang Xiu was expressionless, neither sad nor happy, just like a sculpture.

Yang Xiu even felt a little gloating about his misfortune. It was like looking at the pretty lady next door, whom Yang Xiu couldn't covet, and then seeing Cao Cao who was better off than himself, he felt the same way.

　　　Dezu...Dezu! "Cao Cao stared at Yang Xiu, "Dezu is thoughtful, can he gain anything? 』

"Uh..." Yang Xiu Surong said, "Prime Minister, if we can cross the river, I know a mountain road that can bypass Fenglingdu Army Stronghold... There is no need to attack Fenglingdu Military Stronghold... It's just Tongguandu... If we can't defeat it. , I’m afraid...』

Tongguan Ferry is in the south and Fengling Ferry is in the north.

There is a Tongguan military camp at Tongguandu and a Fengling military camp at Fenglingdu.

 Almost armed to the teeth…

If Tongguandu is not captured, even if a pontoon bridge is built and Fenglingdu is forcibly captured, it may be cut off at any time.

Dong Zhao frowned and said, "It was your plan to march to the east of Hedong and attack Tongguan. But now it is said that there are troops blocking the way of Hedong, and there are many difficulties. Could it be that you are playing tricks on my lord?" 』

Yang Xiu glanced at Dong Zhao, but said he didn't dare, and then did not continue to defend.

　　　『Haha, hahaha...』Although Cao Cao was in a dilemma, he still showed his magnanimity. He did not scold Yang Xiu for offering advice, but smiled, squinted, and waved his hand, "You don't have to be like this, Gongren!" Everyone has their own strategies and opinions on military matters. This is a common thing. How can we discuss responsibility? Since Dezu has a plan, he should have a response, so he might as well speak freely! Speak out without guilt! 』

Yang Xiu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister." Cultivation is stupid...but that's all. If we can enter the land east of Hedong, Wei Wenchang will come back to rescue us. If we can break it..."

 Cao Cao pondered.

Dong Zhao sneered, "What do you think you have to say?" If it can be broken, how? 』

Yang Xiu lowered his head and said nothing again.

 Cao Cao waved his hand.

Previously, Cao Cao lured Wei Yan to attack and wanted to set up an ambush in Shaanjin, Shaanxi County to ambush Wei Yan, but Wei Yan was not fooled, so Cao Cao could only set up defenses in Shaanxi County, and then moved his troops to Tongguan. Now Tongguan is obviously Unable to defeat it with manpower in a short period of time, the strategy of entering Hedong and fighting in Guanzhong was once again put on the table for discussion.

Cao Hong stood aside and said in a deep voice: "According to the habits of the hussars, there can't be any destructive tricks at Tongguan crossing the military stronghold... iron caltrops, horse pits, sharp wooden stakes... and crossbows throwing stone and kerosene bombs... now We also need to add gunpowder...ah, how difficult it is..."

 It is indeed difficult.

 But what is not difficult?

Even if you lie down in the future, not everyone can lie down if they want. They also need to have a certain amount of savings and family conditions to allow it, otherwise... I'm afraid it will start after a few months. A new round of involution…

Yang Xiu whispered, "That's true...but what if Wei Wenchang comes to attack?" 』

 Cao Cao frowned slightly.

Dong Zhao looked a little angry and said in a deep voice: "Does Yang Dezu want to lead troops as bait?" 』

Yang Xiu smiled shyly, "I am just a weak scholar, and I have no ability to lead an army... This bait, of course, must be difficult to eat..."

As he spoke, Yang Xiu glanced slightly towards Cao Hong and Cao Xiu.

Cao Hong raised his head and stroked his beard, as if he didn't care.

Cao Xiu reacted and immediately glared at Yang Xiuheng. "Well..." Cao Cao waved his hand, "This matter... is inappropriate." Does Dezu have any other ideas? 』

Seeing that the suggestion was not accepted, Yang Xiu was not in a hurry and said calmly: "If we can farm grain in Shaanxi County, it can still be used as bait..."

　　　『How can we stockpile grain when the city defenses in Shaanxi County are dilapidated? Dong Zhao said, "If there is a real loss, where will the millions of troops have food and clothing?" 』

Yang Xiu smiled slightly, then lowered his head and stopped talking.

Cao Cao's eyes were extremely sharp. He had already reached Tongguan. It was impossible for him to leave without fighting anyway, and he had brought almost all the troops of the country to get here. If he turned around and went back, everyone in Shandong must know that Cao Cao was afraid. In order to face Fei Qian, the reputation of the Hussars will be rooted in the hearts of Shandong people. If the morale of this kind of army drops, even if they encounter the hussars again in the future, no one will dare to fight.

So Cao Cao would rather die some people, or even take some risks, to maintain this momentum and not let it weaken...

Cao Cao thought, and then said in a deep voice: "Pass the order!" If you get the head of a hussar soldier, you will be rewarded with an acre of land and a hundred gold! Those who obtain the third level will receive five acres of land and five hundred gold! If you get the head of a hussar general, you will get thousands of acres of land and tens of thousands of gold! 』

The order was issued immediately, and bursts of cheers suddenly sounded in Cao Jun’s camp.

 The somewhat low morale due to facing the fortified city of Tongguan was revived, but Cao Cao understood that this was only temporary. If some gains could not be achieved, the next time would be even more difficult.

 …

 …

 The cold wind howled.

Wei Yan dug the end of the scabbard into the ground and frowned slightly as he watched the yellow dust dried into powder flying in the wind.

 Hedong has been too dry this year.

 The land has lost its original moisture, and the cultivated land has cracked into pieces in many places.

If Fei Qian hadn't rebuilt the water conservancy project in Hedong a few years ago, it would be impossible to say that Hedong would suffer from drought and reduced production this year...

Of course, what Wei Yan was thinking about was not Zhuanghe, but the river course.

 Thirty years to the east of the river, thirty years to the west of the river. In fact, it was not about luck changing at first, but the river was causing destruction. Because the river is full and dry, and the water level is high and low, the river course from Longmendu down to Pujindu often changes. Maybe it flowed in the west of Hexi thirty years ago, and in the east of Hedong thirty years later. This change in the river course has also resulted in the area from Longmendu to Pujindu being tidal flats, swamps and low-lying land all year round, and has been encroached by the river into strips, making it difficult to travel.

 Therefore, there have been two ferries in the north-south direction from Hedong to Guanzhong since ancient times, one is Longmen Ferry and the other is Pujin Ferry.

Once the drought continues and the water level drops, it means that whether it is crossing from Longmen or Pujin, it will be much easier to cross the river...

 And Wei Yan cannot control this weather change.

 In fact, there is another problem. Wei Yan failed to realize that when the water level of the river dropped, the exposed river beds were the best breeding places for locusts.

There is no vegetation in these riverbeds, and there are no people or livestock to stir them up, so the eggs are safe. As long as they survive the winter, when spring comes, locusts will rise all over the sky!

 The military campaign has accelerated the destruction of surrounding trees, which in turn has brought more water and soil erosion and intensified drought...

 The fate of next year is already being written quietly.

There has not yet been a large-scale mobilization of troops in Guanzhong. They have only mobilized some previously retired soldiers in Chang'an Sanfu to strengthen alert and duty.

Although Pang Tong said that Wei Yan didn't have to worry too much, Wei Yan always felt that the big gentry families in Guanzhong and Hedong would cause some trouble sooner or later. If he didn't deal with it properly...

The problem of the large gentry households in Hedong, well, or in other words, this is a problem in all places of the Han Dynasty. After three or four hundred years of accumulation, the local problems of the Han Dynasty are already very terrible, but they are usually covered up by the taxes paid on time. Once the central control is insufficient, many strange things will happen. question.

This malady was passed down from generation to generation and penetrated into the marrow of the Chinese feudal dynasty.

Fei Qian wanted to take another path to isolate himself from this evil, but Cao Cao came over and said, no. There are many of us, and if we disagree, the minority must obey the majority, so you have to follow me.

 Wei Yan didn’t understand this, but he understood that the current position was given to him by Hussar, so he must be loyal to Hussar.

Jia Hong, the military counselor, came out of the camp and found Wei Yan. When he saw Wei Yan staring at Cao Jun's camp on the other side of the river, he couldn't help but said: "General, Pang Lingjun has an order. Regardless of whether there is a flaw in Cao Jun's army, the general is not allowed to cross the river!" 』

Wei Yan didn’t even turn his head and responded angrily, “I know! Just take a look! 』

Jia Hong still had some inertia in his words. Even if Wei Yan said he understood, he still had to mutter a few words.

Wei Yan listened with his left ear and flew out with his right ear.

Wei Yan doesn’t like Jia Hong very much because Jia Hong has an old and rigid character. Perhaps it was because of his personality that he was sent to Wei Yan as a military counselor, which was also Wei Yan's chief logistics officer.

Except for being a bit nagging because of his age, Jia Hong did everything well. He was neither greedy for money nor bending the law. He handled things in an orderly, fair and reasonable manner, which allowed Wei Yan to focus on the war without worrying about the soldiers. A series of trivial matters such as eating, drinking, and diarrhea were left to Jia Hong.

 No one will be liked by everyone in the world from birth, not even the emperor.

Thinking of the Emperor, Wei Yan thought of the Prince Hussar, and then suddenly thought of whether this was Pang Tong’s intention to give the Prince...

"Forget it..." Wei Yan shook his head. These political things are really too troublesome, and they are not as simple as the military.

Jia Hong was standing aside, thinking that Wei Yan was talking to him, and couldn't help but be stunned, "Forget it?" How did this happen? 』

Wei Yan reacted, "What did you just say?" 』

Jia Hong raised his eyelids and looked at Wei Yan.

Wei Yan chuckled, "I was just thinking about Cao Jun..."

“General, it’s like this. The grain and grass that was supposed to be delivered from Anyi, Hedong, has been delayed for ten days. Jia Hong said, "Originally, this should be punished with twenty military sticks according to law, but..."

"but what? ” Wei Yan asked.

"But this military ration was not caused by the grain transport officer's delay in traveling. Instead, it was delayed when he was picking up grain and grass in Anyi. The grain transport officer also accelerated his journey on the way..." Jia Hong said sternly, "If we talk about punishment transportation, Grain officer, so the responsibility is not entirely his, which is somewhat unfair. But if the grain transport officer is not punished, then where does the law go? 』

　　　『What did Anyi say? ” Wei Yan asked.

Jia Hong said: "Of course there are their reasons, but military law is military law, and if it is postponed, it will be postponed." 』

Wei Yan pondered for a while, "Are we sure we are adjusting Changpingcang, not Mincang?" 』

Jia Hong was stunned for a moment, then frowned, "What does the general mean..."

"snort. ” Wei Yan waved his hand, “It’s like this again... let’s not deal with the punishment now, just write it down and calculate it together after the war! 』

　　‘Write it all down? Jia Hong asked.

Wei Yan nodded.

"good. Jia Hong didn't have any other opinions. When he saw Wei Yan turning his head to stare at Shaanxian County on the other side of the river, he couldn't help but say, "General... Pang Lingjun has an order..."

"knew! knew! Wei Yan waved his hand, "I can't cross the river!" 』

Jia Hong didn’t say any more, just handed over his hand and left.

 Wei Yan endured it until Cao Cao could do nothing. He could not continue to delay in Shaanxi County, so he could only leave some men to defend Wei Yan, and then move the army forward.

Cao Cao left, and now Wei Yan saw that Cao Jun had blatantly transferred grain and grass to Shaanxi County. Even though Wei Yan knew that this might be another trap, he couldn't help but feel a little itchy...

 Different from the game, soldiers need to eat no matter where they are. In most wars, the battle locations are far away from the city's supply areas, so over time, food and grass must be transported. The reason why Shaanxi County is said to be a trap is that the journey from Hangu Pass to Tongguan is not too far. It can be set up, but there is no need to say that a transfer station is needed...

 So, there is probably a ghost behind this.

It's a pity that the fat black man seemed to have foreseen this situation and asked Jia Hong, a staid old man, to recite the tightening curse.

 Disobey?

  Not so much.

 But being unable to cross the river and having to cause trouble is indeed a problem.

 (End of this chapter)