Three Kingdoms

"Hahaha! Well come! quick! The whole army is in formation! Send an order to Anmin to cut off Tongguan Crossing! Archers, are the bows and arrows lined up? "A series of orders came from Cao Hong's mouth, full of murderous intent.

All the soldiers of Cao's army clenched their weapons and stood in the open space in the camp to gather. From time to time, the voice of the military academy could be heard in the queue.

When the so-called "labor army" banquet was held during the New Year, Cao Jun's troops had already greeted them, saying that these hussars were absolutely inhumane and would definitely attack at night. Therefore, after hearing the news of the night attack, these Cao Jun soldiers Immediately, he got up automatically, formed a formation in the middle of the camp, and was full of anger...

 In Chinese customs, which festival is more important than the New Year?

Even during the New Year, there are night raids and harassments. How can people accept this calmly?

Cao Hong disliked the slow movement of the guard-type armor silk ribbon, so he slapped the guard in front of him and pushed him backwards. Then he started to tie it three times and two times, and walked out. The ordinary soldiers were suffocating because the New Year festival was interrupted, but Cao Hong was angry because of the safety of his son.

Of course Cao Hong's anger cannot be directed at Cao Cao. After all, no matter how stupid Cao Hong is, he still knows that Cao Cao is the core of the Cao family, and his son Cao Zhen is just...

 This is my son!

 Cao Hong gritted his teeth and came to the front of the army formation that was ready to be lined up. Without any nonsense, he raised his arms and raised his head to the sky and roared, "Oh... whoever violates the army will die!" 』

 General is the courage of the army. Seeing him like this, the soldiers of Cao's army who lined up also shouted together. The swords and guns were raised like a forest, and a murderous aura rose up. His eyes, which might have been a little nervous at first, now exuded a look of fanaticism, and a boiling fighting spirit surged up.

　　『Those who violate the army shall die! 』

　　　『Death! 』

The roaring sound was like thunder, resounding throughout the heaven and earth.

Cao Hong shouted "offend the army" in his mouth, but what he thought in his heart was "offend me", or "offend my son"...

  Most parents, no matter how much they dislike their children and say stupid things, will still love their children in their hearts. If others follow suit and say stupid things...

So Cao Hong was full of anger and couldn't find a place to vent it. Now the Hussars are attacking at night. Isn't it just right?

Even so, Cao Hong still did not forget his responsibilities as a general. He issued several orders one after another to stabilize the camp, especially the defense of the Chinese camp, before he prepared to take the men and horses to meet the hussars for a while. Those guys who come to attack at night.

But when he raised his long sword, got on his horse and was about to go in the direction of Tongguan Ferry, the guard on the side felt something was wrong, so he took two quick steps and grabbed Cao Hong's horse's head. Reins, "The general...is not crossing at Tongguan, but on the other side of Niutouyuan..."

"Um? ah? ” Cao Hong was stunned.

The anger rising in Cao Hong's heart just now was not completely unaffected. After receiving the warning, he subconsciously thought it was the Hussars' night attack soldiers in the direction of Tongguan Slope Road or Tongguan Crossing, because this direction was the most convenient. Whether it's an attack or a retreat.

 But why is it in the direction of Niutouyuan?

 Suddenly, Cao Hong trembled, and the angry look on his face was reduced by three points. His personal guards would not deceive him, and there was no need to deceive him, so what he said must be the truth, and there was no need to ask again or doubt it. But this meant that the Hussars had always had another line of attack?

Cao Hong turned his horse's head and headed in the direction of Niutouyuan, "Nutouyuan...have you sent someone to inform the lord?" 』

The guard responded with an affirmative answer, and Cao Hong felt a little relieved. But what he didn't understand was how did the Hussars get across the gap between Niutou Plain and Linzhi Plain?

No matter day or night, Cao Jun sent people to patrol the chasm. Moreover, the reason why Tongguan was built on Linzhi Plateau instead of Niutou Plateau is because the gap between Niutou Plateau and Linzhi Plateau cannot be easily crossed?

 Did the hussars bypass the chasm?

impossible.

Even if you really walk along the chasm, the chasm is winding and winding, at least two hundred miles away. Even if you don't care about whether there are any threats from wild beasts and bear bears in the wilderness mountains and forests around the Qinling Mountains, you don't care about the two plateaus. The wrinkled and cracked gap at the edge of the underground chasm is at least six to seven hundred miles away just by climbing up and down, back and forth. How can we get there without water?

Everyone knows that water is indispensable in luggage, but you must not carry too much.

 Generally speaking, a hundred miles is a limit.

If there is no water beyond a hundred miles, you should consider abandoning other burdens and bringing more water. Once there is no water source beyond three hundred miles, the soldiers may weaken and suffer casualties, and then some extraordinary measures may be taken, such as killing Horse, or...

 Or did the Hussars dig tunnels for water storage first?

  It’s also impossible.

Who would dig a water pit in the wilderness if they have nothing better to do? And if such a hole is really dug, where will the water be transported from? Although the river is right next to it, the water flows downward. Digging a water storage pit on a loess plateau like Niutou Plateau or Linzhi Plateau will not only get twice the result with half the effort, but also consume an astonishing amount of labor. Hussar really knows how to do it. So stupid, just to open up another road?

 But if this were not the case, how could there be hussars and horses appearing on Niutou Plateau?

Countless questions came flooding in, making Cao Hong a little restless. Then he led his troops out of the camp and walked along the chasm toward the Niutou Plateau and Qinling Mountains. Cao Hong was still thinking about these questions and couldn't find the answers.

After walking for a while, Cao Hong suddenly heard some creepy sounds in the cold wind. Suddenly, his instinctive chills stood on end. With a cry, he hid his body on the other side of the sound and loudly shouted at the same time. Roar: "Spread out!" Watch out for arrows! 』

Cao Hong shouted wrong, it was not an arrow, but a crossbow arrow.

Arrows are limited by human strength. Except for some inhuman beings (Huang Zhong: Huh?), the maximum range of most trained archers is about thirty or forty feet, and a few can reach fifty or sixty feet. It is close to a distance of two hundred meters, and the range of a strong crossbow is not limited by a person's arm strength, but is divided into three to eight stones according to the different string strength of the crossbow.

Most three-stone crossbows in the Han Dynasty, which are the common crossbows in the army, have a range of about 180 meters, four-stone crossbows can reach about 250 meters, and if it is a ten-stone crossbow, the range can reach about 180 meters. reaches six hundred meters.

Of course, the so-called strong crossbow is at its end, so under normal circumstances, whether it is a bow or a strong crossbow, the actual combat distance is probably within a hundred meters. Beyond a hundred meters, it is no longer an effective shooting target for most people.

unless…

 Cover shot.

The gap between Niutou Plateau and Linzhi Plateau is a hundred feet apart in wide places and thirty or forty feet in narrow places. This distance is beyond the shooting range of ordinary archers, and it is windy most of the time. Shooting accuracy There is no need to even mention it.

 Without shooting accuracy, it can only be calculated based on shooting density.

In the darkness, countless crossbow bolts soared into the air, crossed the chasm, and landed with a terrifying whooshing sound.

But after all, it is an ultra-long-range coverage shot, and it is in the dark night. Although Cao Jun's torch is used as a guide, it is difficult to control the accuracy. Many crossbow arrows fall directly on the ground, but at least there are small ones. Some of the crossbow bolts fell on Cao's soldiers who were advancing in an array.

  Accompanied by the snapping sound of the crossbow bolts hitting the armor and flesh, a series of miserable screams sounded at the edge of the chasm.

The soldiers of Cao's army who were shot fell to the ground and groaned in pain. The soldiers of Cao's army who were lucky enough not to be shot were holding up their shields and were in shock.

Normally, there are three or more waves of arrows and crossbows, so experienced Cao Jun soldiers stayed in place as much as possible and covered themselves with shields or other shelters. Only new soldiers Danzi could He would stand there blankly, or run in a panic subconsciously, and then he would be greeted by the second wave, and the subsequent rain of arrows and crossbows.

 But this second wave of arrows in the Taixing Ninth New Year obviously came later than usual...

I don’t know why, but Cao Hong, who was surrounded by his personal guards, suddenly felt cold all over his body, as if he was being targeted by a tiger and leopard alone in the forest.

Cao Hong pushed aside the guard in front of him and stared at the other side of the chasm. Then he saw some torches suddenly lit up on the other side, and these torches looked a little weird...

Before Cao Hong could figure out what was strange, the outline of a dark object was reflected in his eyes, causing his heart to shrink suddenly, and then he shouted almost instinctively: "Disperse" open! 』

　　　Boom! 』

　　『Boom, boom, boom...』

 In the night sky, the roar of artillery fire was like thunder.

The light that spewed out instantly illuminated the entire night sky, causing the stars in the sky to lose their color.

The shells easily passed over the chasm, flew across a distance of forty or fifty feet, and plunged directly into the formation of Cao Jun. Especially the flag of Cao Jun's general not far from Cao Hong was the focus of the artillery fire.

 Cao Hong lay on the ground.

 I don’t know if it’s the earth that’s trembling, or whether he’s trembling himself.

Huang's workshop has not developed hollow cannons yet, but the solid cannonballs have more powerful kinetic energy and destroy everything in front of them. In an instant, they are like seven or eight knives, cutting **** holes in Cao's army. .

 After the roar of the artillery fire, the torches on the other side of the chasm were extinguished one after another.

Cao Hong's ears were still buzzing. He found that his legs were as soft as soup cakes and he couldn't use any strength. After he hammered the side of his legs twice, he finally had the strength to get up from the ground. Standing unsteadily.

The long knife that Cao Hong originally held in his hand was thrown away unknown where.

 The general's flag, which represented his identity and status, was now covered in blood and mutilated limbs.

The flag fell to the ground, and the panicked soldiers stepped on it. Cao Hong stood blankly and looked across the chasm blankly.

 The sound of howling soldiers was all around, and the smell of blood and gunpowder smoke combined into a smell that frightened Cao Hong. He suddenly felt that the chasm on the opposite side seemed to be constantly rising and rising, until it reached a height as high as the sky, while his own side was shrinking and getting shorter, until it tilted to the point of falling into hell...

Suddenly, Cao Hong realized that he fell to the ground again because his legs were weak.

 The stars in the sky seemed to be spinning, just like his chaotic heart.

 This was not a war he was familiar with.

 This is a scary future.

 This is the horror of human beings being unable to control their own destiny in the face of artillery fire, like humble ants.

　　Martial courage and armor are as ridiculous as a mantis blocking a car in the face of this kind of power.

 Generals and soldiers will face the same threat and the same death. No matter how many guards stand in front of them, they still cannot resist the power of artillery...

 Cao Hong’s hair stood on end.

This is not the first time he has seen artillery, but this is the first time he has personally experienced the breath of death under the threat of artillery, and was almost embraced by death. This feeling is undoubtedly stronger than standing behind the formation from a distance and watching the artillery shells hitting several craters on the Tongguan Slope Road...

　　　　General! 』

　　　　　　　　lord! 』

 The guards on the side only reacted at this moment, shouting anxiously, looking for Cao Hong.

"Oh..." Cao Hong wanted to speak out, but found that his voice was extremely hoarse.

 He is afraid because of instinct, he is angry because of fear, and he is ashamed because of anger.

"Ahhhhh..." Cao Hong roared, hammering the ground with his hands, stood up again, and let out a huge roar towards the other side of the chasm.

At this moment, even Cao Hong himself didn't know what he was roaring about.

 Perhaps he is hiding something.

"Don't raise the fire..." Cao Hong gasped and gave the order, "Disperse the queue...disperse..."

 As a veteran general, Cao Hong understood how to defend against artillery almost without a teacher.

Cao Hong comforted himself, artillery was just a mutated trebuchet at the moment, so what was there to be afraid of?

 That’s right, it’s not worth fearing at all!

Then what am I afraid of?

 No, I’m not afraid at all!

Cao Hong shook off the guard's hand and took a deep breath. Even though the smell around him was not that good, and even though his legs and feet were still shaking slightly, he could stand firm and his breathing became smooth again.

　　　Count the losses! Treat the injured! ” Cao Hong shouted, “Forward forward, line up and avoid the gap!” Be careful of the hussars taking the opportunity to make a sneak attack! 』

With the backbone of Cao's army, Cao's soldiers were re-energized. However, before the stable order was completely restored, in the distance of Niutou Plain, some lights suddenly flashed...

After being covered by crossbows and artillery, the soldiers of Cao's army were more or less frightened. They suddenly became restless. Everyone raised their shields and held their swords and guns tightly, preparing to face the attack from the darkness as if they were facing a powerful enemy. .

　　　　咗呲,呲呲…呲呲…』

 But this time, it is not a destructive weapon.

A strange, unfamiliar, but colorful fireworks splashed into the night sky. Countless silver, gold, purple, and red light spots formed in the night sky a splendid display that Cao Jun and others had never seen in their lives. Light.

These colorful brilliance are like elves competing for glory with the stars in the sky, or they seem to be playing in the sky, and then disappear in an instant, leaving only the afterimage in the eyes, which will not be seen for a long time. Be willing to leave.

Each and every Cao Jun soldier opened his eyes and opened his mouth wide, like a stupid goose. He raised his head and looked at the night sky with fireworks and watched the colorful colors blooming.

The camp of Cao Jun in the distance was also alarmed, and even made a louder noise than the previous artillery fire. There was a buzzing sound, and countless eyes were staring at this place, staring at this piece of sky, pursuing Looking at those moments of brilliance, gorgeous light and shadow, it's like they are pursuing the meaning of their lives...

Zhu Ling almost got lost in the gorgeous fireworks, but the pungent smell of gunpowder still reminded him that he was still in the danger zone. He kicked his men who were almost unable to walk, and trotted all the way. Return along the same path.

Without the influence of the heavy objects on their backs, Zhu Ling and others moved very quickly and slipped down the simple centipede ladder to the chasm. Then they shook the centipede ladder below and lifted it from the earth wall one by one. Pull them out, gather them together and tie them up, then run along the chasm to the other side.

 Zhu Ling had no idea that the items he and his men brought over were actually this type of "weapons"...

 But suddenly, he also had some insights.

 Beauty is actually a kind of power.

This kind of power does not require words, does not distinguish between races, and does not require the righteousness of Confucius and Mencius. It does not differ between men, women, old and young. It is a power that can directly impact the soul. Even on this **** battlefield, is also like this.

Perhaps it is the bloodshed of the battlefield that makes those fireworks even more thrilling and beautiful.

When Zhu Ling and others were climbing up the rope ladder thrown down by the people on Linzhi Plain, a batch of fireworks were also lit on the Linzhi Plain, so in the night sky, there was another dream. Like colors soaring into the sky, swaying, splashing, jumping, and rotating various colors in the night, once again attracting the attention of everyone on both sides of the divide...

Zhu Ling looked up twice and showed a big smile. Then he quickened his pace, grabbed a hand stretched out above the chasm, and climbed onto the ground of the plateau.

In the distance, on a raised mound, a large group of soldiers with loud voices gathered, clasping their hands around their mouths, and shouting slogans.

　　　Three, two, one! 』

　　　『The sound of thunderbolt bids farewell to the old year, and the fiery trees and silver flowers welcome the new year! 』

He paused for a moment, and then shouted this sentence again amidst the bright fireworks.

Fireworks exploded overhead and words echoed in the ears.

People on both sides of the chasm were under the fireworks, and they could vaguely see the figure of the person on the opposite side, but for some reason, no one wanted to continue fighting, or wave their weapons at each other, even though they had just endured The attacking Cao Hong and others seemed to be sluggish and had forgotten everything...

 Power and beauty.

　　is roughly equal to powerful.

The fireworks are brilliant and eventually dissipate.

After returning to the darkness, the soldiers under the Hussars shouted one after another in the dark night:

 ‘Thank you, Prime Minister! 』

　　　　Happy New Year, Prime Minister! 』

 『It’s gone, it’s gone…』

　　　『Don’t stand there stupidly, there are no gifts...』

　　　『Go back, everyone! Remember to report that your family is safe..."

Then there were bursts of laughter, accompanied by the cheers of the hussars up and down Tongguan City, gradually fading away...

Cao Hong looked around, looking at the dull soldiers around him, and his face couldn't help but become a little excited.