Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3060 may be the same answer for thousands of years

In the past few days, the fierce battle at Huguan was enough for Cao Jun to think it was cruel, but it was only now that he truly understood the ruthlessness and horror of war.

  In other words, it is “reunderstanding”.

People tend to forget easily. How long has passed since Huangfusong beheaded tens of thousands of people and filled the valley with corpses? It seems that after just a few good days, one can forget the tragedy and sorrow of that year, and start to feel again. I can wander.

 He also started not taking human life seriously again.

 The kettle was shut up and down, and the surrounding fields seemed to be choked with the smell of corpses.

 At the beginning, there were still people who tried to bury the corpses, but as time went by, no one moved any more. Unless some corpses interfered with something, it was as if they could not be seen or touched.

In winter, when the temperature is low, corpses don’t rot very quickly, but what should rot will still rot, especially the intestines and stomach inside the human body, which are often the first parts to rot. The bellies of many corpses will bulge day by day, like It was as if both men and women had been made pregnant by the God of Death or his minions.

The blue-gray belly is raised high, and the corpse spots and purple-black blood vessels are like patterns carved by summoning evil gods. A slight touch or a vibration somewhere will cause the belly of these corpses to explode with a bang. , all the ichor was like Slaanesh believers waiting in line in the red light district, eager to pounce on all the prey around them, regardless of age.

Those who were kidnapped or drafted to work, gradually transformed from humans into ghosts like walking corpses.

 Cao Jun himself did not have much food and grass, and coupled with the difficulty in transportation, the supply of food and grass often had to satisfy Cao Jun's soldiers themselves first. At the beginning, Cao Jun's soldiers would occasionally be unable to eat, feel nauseous, vomit, etc. due to the harsh surrounding environment. But later, even if there was a rotting corpse next to him, Cao Jun could sit down next to the corpse and watch. Maggots squirmed in the eyes and mouth of the corpse, while they wolfed down their share of the food.

 During a fierce battle, people often lose their normal sense of hunger, as if they can fight without eating. But as soon as they retreat, the disappeared hunger will return to the body doubled.

 In addition to hunger, another enemy is fatigue.

Many soldiers of Cao's army often took a few bites of the food in their hands, then bowed their heads and fell asleep, regardless of where they were. The food leaked from the hands of these sleeping Cao Jun soldiers quickly fell into the hands of the next person and then disappeared.

The coolies, holding the civilians hostage, were like ghosts wandering around the bonfires where Cao Jun was cooking or in the pits. Whenever there was any leftover food, they would pounce on them like a pack of wild dogs and scratch them. The beaten ones fought to form a ball and swallowed the food mixed with dirt. The winner bleeds and staggers away, while the loser often becomes the next corpse.

The soldiers of Cao's army just looked on with cold eyes, neither laughing nor feeling sad. Just like when people watch ants fighting for food, they don't feel any special emotional ups and downs. Only when they are disturbed will they feebly drive them away, or even use a knife to chop them without saying a word.

 In the era of classical war, there were still sequelae of war, but at this point in time, more people just thought it was madness.

The tired soldiers of Cao's army often had no interest in doing anything else. Unless they were dispatched, they would fall asleep in the tent sheltered from the wind. Even if they woke up, they would sit still and motionless.

 The soldiers on duty were patrolling around, but it seemed as if they didn't know what they were doing and were just moving around based on instinct.

Le Jin was sitting in the central military tent with a thin face. Although his back was still straight as he could, his energy level was obviously not as good as before. At least the dust on the surrounding utensils and tables has not been cleaned for many days. Le Jin didn't care, and his guards had no time to deal with it.

The camp was filled with a war-weary mood, and the guards had to be scattered everywhere like sirens or pacifiers. Where would there be time for Le Jin to clean up the dust of the utensils in the tent?

 Le Jin had already ordered all the wounded to be sent to the rear.

Although many people, including Le Jin, know that these wounded may not live long, and even if they are lightly wounded, they want to climb over the Yangchang Slope Road and return to Jizhou... but at least it will make the camp a little less frustrating. moan.

How many more days will it last?

How many more days will it take?

What should I do if reinforcements still fail to come?

 If it really comes to this, should you run away or die here?

 Huguan…

 Hey, Huguan.

Le Jin never wanted to rely on himself alone...well, maybe there was still a little extravagant hope, but it soon disappeared in the sound of farts, so his goal naturally changed to attack with all his strength to attract Fei to attack. The troop strength in the party area was soon lowered again, leaving only those waiting for reinforcements...

 Should we lower the target again, as long as we can survive?

Jia Qu defended his position too firmly.

 What Le Jin is most afraid of is actually people like this.

If he is impulsive, there will be a flaw. Le Jin will pounce on it like a mad dog, bite and pull, turning the original flaw into a huge wound, but Jia Qu will not move at all, just hold on.

No matter what tactics Le Jin adopts, he responds in a precise manner. Even Le Jin can guess what Jia Qu will do next without even thinking too much...

The same is true for the soldiers of Cao's army. Whenever they attack at a certain position, there will be a counterattack. Those who dodge slowly or try to jump around the red line may die. Those who escape earlier will most likely be fine. I go out and wander around according to the time every day, and a few people die, most of them are Cao Jun's side, of course, occasionally they are Huguan defenders, and then the day's trip is over.

Le Jin didn’t try to lure Jia Qu out of the gate to attack, but Jia Qu wouldn’t move. Le Jin even wondered if Jia Qu was too timid? Or maybe he was a nerd who didn't understand what it meant to be flexible, but it was such a rigid defense that made Le Jin feel more and more powerless. Logically speaking, a war like this should be stopped, but can a war be stopped if it can be stopped?

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　loy by the general! "The voices of Cao Jun's soldiers seemed to add a bit of bright color to the gray and black environment, "Reinforcements! Reinforcements are coming! 』

"What? ! Le Jin could hardly believe it.

　　　　General! Reinforcements, reinforcements are really coming from the south! ” Cao Jun’s soldiers smiled, showing their yellow and black teeth.

Le Jin stood up and rushed out of the tent, "Who leads the troops?" But General Miaocai? 』

　　『Uh, no, it’s Zhao, Zhao joined the army...』

 Le Jin's previous excitement was suddenly reduced by half.

 But anyway, reinforcements are coming, which is a good thing. At least morale can be maintained...

 What Ke Lajin never expected was that Zhao Yan's arrival did not bring much good news.

　　『The good news is that we have captured the Changping area...』

Zhao Yan said slowly, "But there are not many people, and there are not many things... The Cavalry Commander didn't come either... General Xiahou?" General Xiahou is still waiting..."

　　　『What are you waiting for? Le Jin asked.

Zhao Yan was silent for a while, "Maybe he's waiting for an opportunity, or something else..."

 ‘So, General Xiahou didn’t come at all? Le Jin asked.

Zhao Yan nodded.

 There was a period of silence between the two people.

Outside the big tent, because of the arrival of reinforcements and supplies, the soldiers of Cao's army laughed and became more energetic. The sounds of chirping and noise, loud or small, were heard in the tent.

Le Jin's soldiers of Cao's army, who did not understand the situation, laughed and were satisfied with the food in front of them.

Zhao Yan's reinforcements, who had just arrived at Huguan, had not experienced the tragedy similar to Huguan. Even if they saw the current battlefield in Huguan, they were not able to replace it with their own lives. They just watched in surprise or discomfort. …

Le Jinba smacked his lips, "Zhao Canjun, there is something... I wonder if you know about it?" 』

Le Jin repeatedly explained to Zhao Yan the problem with the gunpowder he had supplied.

Zhao Yan was stunned. Although he was not qualified to ration gunpowder, he could hear the seriousness of the matter.

"This..." Zhao Yan shook his head, "I have never heard of this..."

Le Jin nodded, and then the two of them stopped talking.

Although Le Jin is reckless, it does not mean he is stupid, and Zhao Yan is even more clear-minded. Both of them understand what the problem is, and they even know that the less news there is, the more serious the problem will be, but what can they do? Even if the two of them went back to deal with this matter immediately, they would probably not handle it well.

 Small problems will be reported openly.

If it is really the mistake of a military prince or a petty official, then the sentence will be solemnly pronounced and punished, and the news will be widely publicized to serve as a warning to others.     The smaller the involvement, the faster the processing.

 As for such an important matter, there has been no news for a long time, so obviously an answer has been given.

 …

 …

Hundreds of cavalrymen were repairing along the river bank.

Cavalrymen are always busy with things to do. After taking care of themselves, they have to take care of their horses.

 This is Cao's cavalry unit that has been hiding.

It’s not that the entire Cao army only has so many cavalry, but that there are only so many that can be allocated to Xiahou Yuan to become a separate cavalry force. This was something Xia Houyuan had managed to accumulate with Xiahou Dun. Most of the rest of the cavalry are with infantry. For example, Cao Cao also has cavalry, but Xia Houyuan only has cavalry and no infantry.

Xia Houyuan once imagined a huge scale with one person and two horses, or one person and three horses, but the cold reality slapped him in the face.

It’s not that there are no war horses in the entire Central Plains of Han Dynasty, but it’s just that you can’t buy them even if you have money.

This "cannot be bought" does not mean that it is not really available, but that it is often expensive but not marketable. If you want to use it seriously for military purposes, you don't have it. But if you want to use it to flatter horses, greet people and send people off, it suddenly becomes available.

Xia Houyuan was not a smart general. He even seemed naive at times. He didn't care much about the world, or he didn't care at all. This may be what Cao Cao meant when he said that Xia Houyuan was a white general. In addition to the positive understanding of Cao Cao's criticism of Xia Houyuan, can we also think that Cao Cao is looking for a way out for Xia Houyuan? It's like parents at home saying how stupid or foolish their children are, but if you really want to say it in front of your parents, your child is stupid or stupid...

 But Xia Houyuan was not bad in military matters. In terms of cavalry, he can even be said to be ahead of most of Cao Jun's generals, even though he commanded pure cavalry for a shorter period of time than Cao Chun.

Of course, most of the guards around Xiahou Yuan are the children of the Xiahou family, or the sons of good families related to the Xiahou family. These people don't look very good now, because they have been wandering around for many days, but still haven't found any good opportunities. No opportunity means no gain, and no gain means no military merit. Living and dining in the wild every day, especially now that the temperature is getting lower, and having to take care of everyone, is naturally not a comfortable thing.

Therefore, when Cao Jun's cavalry was tidying up, their eyes could not help but drift towards Xia Houyuan, hoping that at the next moment Xia Houyuan could cut a path of merit in the chaotic situation like the sharp blade of a sword.

 Xia Houyuan was indeed very eager for merit just like his men.

 It's just that the issues Xia Houyuan was thinking about at the moment might be slightly different from what his soldiers were thinking.

Xia Houyuan and Xia Houdun also had a long conversation all night long before. It was just the two of them, and there was no outsider in the long conversation between the brothers. Even their closest confidants had no idea what the two of them had discussed.

 Different from Cao Cao, there do not seem to be that many generals among the Xiahou clan.

If Xiahou Yuan cannot hold up, then Xiahou Dun will definitely be unable to support himself. If something happens to Xiahou Dun in the future, or when Xiahou Dun becomes old, the future of the Xiahou clan will inevitably be bleak. It is impossible to say that in a hundred years, the name Xiahou will be gone. Will not be mentioned by anyone...

 And Xiahou Dun’s generals are talented, haha...

The behavior of the two brothers Zang Zijiang, the son of Xiahou, is even more worrying.

 This is only the second generation...

 What will the future be like?

This kind of sadness is full of helplessness.

 The subsequent scout reports interrupted Xia Houyuan's worries about the future.

“General, by default the surrounding area of ​​the camp has been surveyed, and twenty rangers have been arranged around...”

“General, the Zhiguan Hussars still show no sign of dispatch. 』

　　　『General, there is news from Tongguan that the Northern Wei generals in Shaanxi County have not marched...』

　　　「General, the Cavalry Commander sent someone to ask for instructions. Now that Changping has been conquered, what should we do next...」

　　　…

Xia Houyuan listened and did not make any decision immediately.

Xia Houyuan, the guard on the side, blurted out, wondering if he had accumulated some anxiety these days, "These hussars and horses are really like turtles!" Don't even move! I'm afraid I haven't lost my courage! Do you want us to test it out? 』

　　　"Don't have the guts?" Xia Houyuan chuckled and said, "Testing?" How many people are used to test? Less is useless, too much... I only have a few men and horses now, so I can't fight in vain. I am not completely sure. They will be damaged when the time comes. If I want to lead the army alone, I don't know how to wait until the Year of the Horse and Monkey! 』

 Leading the army alone, this is not a simple four words.

Is it the general who protects the generals who is beside Cao Cao, or the captain of the cavalry captain who leads the army alone?

Maybe different people have different answers, but one thing is certain, that is, for the Central Guards around Cao Cao, no matter how high the official position has been or how many fiefdoms the title has reached, Cao Cao still calls the shots, and the cavalry who leads the army alone outside are still the ones who call the shots. A captain is a dictator in the army.

Xia Houyuan must have such authority. Once he fails, even if he can survive, he will become someone's deputy general and will no longer be able to lead the army alone.

 Be cautious.

Xia Houyuan understands this, but...

 The situation in Shandong is very troublesome now.

Xia Houyuan knew clearly that this time he could only succeed and not fail. If it succeeds, there is still some hope. If it fails, even if Fei Qian doesn't fight, Shandong will no longer be able to support such a large-scale battle.

 It is possible to expand Shandong into the entire Han Dynasty.

 The current big man has no power to make a comeback.

Xiahou Yuan understood this, Xiahou Dun understood it, Cao Cao also understood it, and even the officials in Xu County understood it. Only the unwilling emperor Liu Xie was unwilling to understand.

Xia Houyuan remembered that Cao Cao once said at a gathering with his Xiahou brothers of the Cao family that when the Shi Changshi was in chaos, Cao Cao suggested that He Jin go in and ask for an "order", but He Jin did not do it. Cao Cao said with emotion that that was the last chance for the big man to act according to the rules...

When the orders issued by the central government of the dynasty are despised, slackened, and violated by the local governments, what is the point of the world no matter how big it is? Do you really think it's an individual's problem?

In Shandong, the emperor Liu Xie’s orders could not reach the place smoothly. Could it be that Cao Cao could?

This question seems to have been asked for thousands of years, and the answer to this question seems to have been the same for thousands of years.

 But why Fei Qian...

Xia Houyuan shook his head and shook out some involuntarily chaotic thoughts from his mind, because his intelligence was not enough to find the answer to such a complicated question.

　　　　　　　　lord! 』

A scout came in a hurry. Before he could reach Xia Houyuan, he dismounted his horse and said, "General!" There are about a thousand hussars and horses, who have left Zhiguan and are heading straight to the south entrance of Taihang County! I don’t know if we want to march into Hanoi or outflank the Cavalry Captain’s retreat... We have been watching from a distance. Please tell me how to deal with it! 』

　　　Who will lead the army? Xia Houyuan asked urgently.

　　　　It’s too far away to see the general clearly, but the general’s flag has the character “李” on it! ” the scout replied.

"plum? ” Xia Houyuan raised his eyebrows.

 Could it be Li Mancheng?

Isn’t this guy in Hanzhong? Transferred back to Chang'an?

 But regardless of whether it was Li Dian or not, what Xia Houyuan was waiting for was Zhiguan dispatching!

　　　『Pass my general’s order! The whole army is ready! Xia Houyuan stood tall and said, "Our opportunity has come!" 』

 (End of this chapter)