Three Kingdoms

 At the Tongguan Ferry in the east of the river, many wooden pontoons are being built.

The river became silent in the wind and snow. Originally, the sound of gurgling in the river seemed to never stop, but now it turned into the sound of the collision of ice. Some wooden piles and planks made an indescribable sound under the collision with the ice. A heavy groan.

The wind was swirling with the snow. The soldiers walking along the pontoon bridge on the river lowered their bodies as much as possible. Even the words between each other had to wait until the wind calmed down a little before they could speak. On the one hand, It is to prevent the cold wind from pouring into the stomach. On the other hand, only at such a time can the other party be heard.

On the river, large and small ice blocks slowly drifted down. Sometimes they hit the shore, making a crisp sound, and then broke into smaller ice blocks and gradually moved away.

Yesterday in the wind and snow, Cao Hong captured Fenglingdu, and several forts east of the river were turned into ruins.

 Cao Jun started building the bridgehead, or beachhead, almost non-stop. Even under the cold weather, whether logging or digging was not smooth, Cao Jun's soldiers were still like ants, building crazily.

While the main force of Cao's army was attacking crazily, the Hedong military line began to retreat, evacuating some scattered civilians and soldiers, leaving only the scout cavalry to patrol and block the way, which seemed to be acquiescence that Fenglingdu was under the control of Cao's army.

 A group of cavalry without flags came from the north and stopped on a hill.

 The wind and snow are like wild horses running wild, galloping through the mountains.

The sky is covered with gray-black clouds. No one knows how much rain and snow is hidden in the clouds, when it was stored, and when it will end.

 The snowflakes that fell from time to time were like countless snow-white elves, flying wantonly, and then stained the fur of Fei Qian's leather robe.

Fei Qian did not abandon furs, which were relatively more protective against the cold, in order to maintain the majesty of the Han family. He looked like a barbarian, wearing a thick fur robe to keep warm. Behind him, there was a guy larger than Fei Qian, also wearing fur. At first glance, he looked like a bear. , none other than Xu Chu.

Xu Chu looked around and saw no sign of Cao Jun's scouts.

 On the hills, the wind and snow seemed to be more violent.

 The sound of the wind howled, like the sound of an ancient flute, sad and melodious, constantly whirling among the mountains and forests.

In the Taihang Mountains on one side, you can clearly see the cold wind blowing up snow particles, forming bursts of white smoke, which look like soaring dragons on the back of the mountains.

 This guy Wei Yan...

Fei Qian looked away and clicked his tongue.

Not to mention the majestic Taihang Mountains, even here in Zhongtiao Mountain, there are also what are called snow peaks.

Cao Cao really wanted to cross Zhongtiao Mountain in this weather...

 ‘Let’s go a little further! 』

Fei Qian greeted, and then rode forward.

The group of people continued to move forward, and the Zhongtiao Mountain in front of them was getting closer and closer.

　　　　My lord, we cannot move forward any further. ” Xu Chu suddenly spurred his horse forward and took two hurried steps, “If we go any further, we will be discovered by Cao’s army. 』

　　　　Yeah, okay. Fei Qian didn't show off, "Find a place with a better view..."

Xu Chu looked around, then whistled slightly and pointed.

 Several guards ran out of the queue and headed in the direction pointed by Xu Chu.

After a while, the guard showed up over there, signaling safety.

Xu Chu then followed Fei Qian to the hill.

Climbing up the hill, Fei Qian took a short breath, then took out the telescope that had been warm from his arms, then raised the telescope in front of his eyes and squinted one eye to look over.

 Suddenly some fog obscured my eyes.

Fei Qian wiped it with his leather gloves, and while thinking about asking someone to put some warm leather covers on the telescope, he looked forward.

In the mountain road on Zhongtiao Mountain in the distance, Cao Jun was very busy and densely packed. Even with the blessing of the telescope, it was still like a nest of ants, densely packed on the fallen cone.

 Zhongtiao Mountain is the cone.

 Cao Jun's infantry, or the Chinese army's civil engineering instinct is still very strong, and the fortifications built at the crossing seem to be increasing visibly to the naked eye.

This kind of weather is really deadly for logging and working.

 Cao Jun really spent a lot of money...

Xu Chu stood aside and whispered: "My lord, the scouts reported back and found that the general leading the army was Cao Hong and Cao Zilian..."

Fei Qian hummed.

Cao Hong's son's head is still pickled in the lime box, like the garlic in Laba, a little green.

 "Send someone to send back the wounded soldiers of Cao's army first..." Fei Qian ordered, "As for the heads of the Cao family and the Xiahou family...there are other uses..."

 The heads will eventually be sent back.

 Just not now.

 It depends on the direction of Cao Cao and Cao Hong.

 Xu Chu responded.

Fei Qian looked at the prototype of Cao Jun's military camp in the distance. For some reason, he seemed to be becoming more and more indifferent to the issue of life and death.

Not only for others, but also for yourself.

 Isn't there any risk in coming to see Cao Jun's camp with his own eyes?

 But he still came.

 This is actually a rather dangerous signal...

Perhaps it’s because Fei Qian has seen too many people’s lives and deaths, just like a doctor in the emergency department of a hospital. Every day, or even every hour, you will see patients dying in front of your eyes. If you are not used to it or are not numb, you will be unable to continue working, and you will not be able to treat the next patient who is in urgent need of treatment.

　　　『Tell me, what have you found out in the past few days? Fei Qian asked while watching.

Xu Chuhuan reported, "Yesterday, three thousand soldiers of Cao's army crossed the river, and it is expected that it will expand to five thousand today. Most of them are soldiers of Cao's army, but many of them are soldiers of the Yang family in Heluo..."

The soldiers of the Yang family in Heluo wore slightly different costumes to distinguish them from Cao Jun Fei's army. And because the Yang family surrendered, they were relatively short of cold-proof supplies. Looking at those shivering in the cold wind, it was basically certain that they were the surrendered troops of the Yang family.

Fei Qian listened and observed with a telescope.

"Cao's army can't hold on for much longer..." Fei Qian sighed, "Shandong is a prosperous land... now it's them who are the first to be unable to hold on... Shandong has money, but Cao's army, who is fighting for Shandong, has no money. How is this? The irony...』

 Fei Qian is indifferent to life and death.

　　 is only relative.

In the telescope, Fei Qianqian saw some Cao Jun soldiers in the wind and snow, either because of injuries or because of the cold. Sometimes they fell to the ground while walking, and then they couldn't get up for a long time, and Whether it was the soldiers beside him or the non-commissioned officers monitoring Cao Jun in the distance, they seemed to turn a blind eye.

Of course, most of the people who fell on the ground were Heluo people, that is, the part where Yang surrendered his troops.

 Heluo people…

At that time, I was a Sili household registration official, so I was very good at it.

Xu Chu said: "Although those Heluo people came with them, they may not fight to the death, so they are treated as laborers... But even among Cao's army, they are divided into three, six or nine grades, Xuzhou soldiers and Yangzhou soldiers His combat power is the worst...』

　　　　The best is the Qingzhou soldiers? Fei Qian said smoothly.

　　　　It is a soldier from Qiao County. ” Xu Chu replied.

Fei Qian was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "This time, Cao Mengde is really going to fight for his life..."

Qiao County is the coffin version of Lao Cao.

Fei Qian put down the telescope, tightened his collar, and put the telescope back into his arms. These days, there is no rubber, so the only way to prevent the weapon from sticking to the skin is to wrap it with linen, or like Fei Qian, use body heat to keep it warm.

Fei Qian looked up at the sky and then at the river in the distance.

Although the river rarely freezes in the Fenglingdu section, the temperature has dropped sharply in the past few days, and there is already some ice on the shore. The water is likely to freeze at night, but it is still difficult to pass vehicles and horses. Difficulty. Xu Chu hesitated for a moment, but finally said: "My lord, are you really not going to set up an ambush at Zhongtiao Mountain?" 』

Fei Qian nodded. "No need." 』

 Fei Qian has some bad memories about Zhongtiao Mountain.

This memory is not from the Han Dynasty.

Zhongtiao Mountain has no depth. Of course, what’s more important is that Wei Yan, the main force in mountain warfare, turned out to be an idiot. He was gone when he let go...

Therefore, Fei Qian simply used his strengths and avoided weaknesses, and instead of entangled with Cao Jun on Zhongtiao Mountain, he placed the main battlefield in the Yuncheng Basin.

When Cao Jun came to Hedong, his target was still Guanzhong, but in any case, only by allowing Cao Jun to enter the plains and wilderness could they defeat their main force.

Fei Qian judged that Cao Jun actually did not have much war potential. As long as he was defeated in a general battle, Cao Jun's war system would fall apart.

 It is like the Battle of Chibi in history. Lao Cao's classmate is not deep enough, just like Zhongtiao Mountain. He placed heavy troops on the front line without the ability to carry out secondary or tertiary strikes. Therefore, after the setback in the Battle of Chibi, he basically lost the ability to conduct large-scale foreign operations. Even during the first Northern Expedition in Sichuan and Shu, At that time, Zhuge Liang almost stole three bases...

Of course, even if Zhuge Liang defends the street pavilion, he may not be able to succeed, because Zhuge Liang has not yet solved Li Yan at that time, and there are many military and political affairs in Sichuan and Shu that Zhuge Liang cannot control, and he does not even have many soldiers. At least Brother Zhu couldn't move at all with the gang of soldiers in Jiangzhou.

　　　　It is easy to enter the land of Yuncheng, but difficult to get out. Fei Qian laughed and said, "I'm just afraid that Prime Minister Cao won't come." 』

Xu Chu said proudly from the side: "Even if he doesn't come, he is still struggling to his death, and his life will not be long!" 』

Fei Qian laughed twice, then turned around and left.

 …

 …

 The ninth year of Taixing, the twentieth day of the first lunar month.

 Another cooling has swept across the entire north.

The howling cold wind comes from afar and seems to destroy everything. It roars and carries ice and snow, covering the sky and the earth. It has the momentum to drag everything into the frozen world, but the war wants to fight against this cold. On the contrary, there is a trend of increasing heating.

The three armies of Cao's army were almost deployed on all fronts. In addition to maintaining the logistics operation of grain and grass in the rear, it seemed that all soldiers were involved in the war. From Zhiguan Road to Fenglingdu, it seemed that every inch of land was covered with Cao's army. Soldiers.

Fei Qian took the initiative to evacuate the southern line of Zhongtiao Mountain, and the forward retreated to Yi County. In addition, a group of cavalry was also arranged between Zhangyangchi and Jiexian to build a defense line from Pubanjin to Zhangyangchi, from Yixian to Jiexian, and then to Anyi.

Cao's soldiers also began to brave the wind and snow, frequently crossing Zhongtiao Mountain in an attempt to enter the Yuncheng Basin for reconnaissance.

On the one hand, Cao Jun crossed the river in large numbers from Zhongtiao Mountain in the east of Hedong. On the other hand, Cao Xiu broke through the mountain road at Jiguan, making it difficult to continue the defense, so Liu Fu and others also retreated to Anyi one after another.

Cao Cao himself also crossed the river and erected a banner for the command of the three armies at Zhongtiao Mountain, seeming to be preparing for a full-scale march to the east of Hedong.

 The Yuncheng Basin has always been a battleground for military strategists.

On the one hand, Cao Cao stepped up his attack on Tongguan, and on the other hand, he personally marched into Hedong. This was undoubtedly to take full advantage of his large number of soldiers, but was the reason behind it just due to military needs?

It's just that when Cao Cao arrived in Hedong, before his buttocks got hot, he received a big gift from Anyi, Hedong.

 The Cao army sent by Cao Cao to attack Hedong suffered wounded soldiers.

The arrival of these wounded soldiers of Cao Jun was like pouring a basin of cold water on Cao Jun's face, and it soon began to freeze and seep into the bones and flesh.

Because of the wind and snow weather, it can be said that as long as it is able to withstand the severe cold, whether it is Zhongtiao Mountain or Wangwu Mountain, the problem of finding drinking water for climbing mountain passes is no longer a problem, so for the hussars and horses in Zhongtiao Mountain and Wangwu Mountain On the one hand, Cao Cao felt surprised by the retreat, but on the other hand, he also felt that it was reasonable.

But Cao Cao didn't expect that he had just arrived in Hedong, and he would be sent to the back foot by these surrendered troops.

 Kill, cannot kill.

 Let it go, cannot let it go.

 The key is that these wounded soldiers will spread some "malicious words"...

 The only way to do this is to move these wounded soldiers to the rear and isolate them from the front line.

Even so, Cao Jun's soldiers, especially those who were not the core of Cao Jun, started to talk more or less.

 The core of Cao Cao and the Xiahou family of the Cao family were determined to fight Fei Qian to the death, but the problem was that the other soldiers and generals of Cao's army did not have this determination to fight to the death.

Because they built a pontoon bridge to cross the river in the wind and snow regardless of cost and casualties, many soldiers of Cao's army died of frostbite. But now those wounded soldiers did not get the treatment they deserved, but were driven directly to the rear camps. , Although Cao Cao did not say how to deal with these people, or how to reward these people, everyone knew it in their minds and could more or less guess what the subsequent fate of these wounded soldiers would be.

 Under such circumstances, the originally suppressed emotions were naturally stirred up.

 War often involves holding one's breath. Whoever can't hold on first loses his courage.

To put it simply, Cao Cao knew why he wanted to attack Guanzhong. The core of the Cao family also knew it, and even important counselors such as Guo Jia knew it. However, the soldiers at the middle and lower levels did not know. They just knew that Fei Qian was a traitor and Dong Zhuo of the Han Dynasty. Second, as for what exactly Fei Qian did, or was he really like the green-faced fang rumored to be, eating the hearts and livers of children every day, and then eating them until no child in Guanzhong could be born...

 The soldiers of Cao's army were not clear, and their information was incomplete. During the period when morale is rising and the attack is favorable, this incomplete information will not have much impact. Just like when Cao Cao was expanding his territory and bleeding into rivers, these soldiers even felt happy.

 Because the blood shed was not their own.

 Slaughter Xuzhou, counterattack Yanzhou, clear Jizhou, exploit Jingzhou...

　　When the opponents who have lost the ability to resist fall down one by one, ah, it's so cool.

 But now, they saw themselves bleeding like rivers.

 There was literally a river of blood.

 Blood and water mixed in the ice and snow, flowing down the river.

 At the height of the attack on Tongguan, more than 2,000 people died every day...

Most of the corpses of these people were buried because they were worried about the epidemic, but there were also many corpses flowing down the river.

 Watching others die, you can shout that I want to see rivers of blood flow, but when it is your turn to face death...

 The problem is that Cao Cao really has no intention to explain anything to ordinary soldiers, and they are not used to explaining to them. Maybe I am used to concealing it, or maybe I find it difficult to explain, so I don’t explain it most of the time.

It is true that not explaining things saves trouble, but it does not mean that the problem will disappear automatically.

 The deception may be concealed for a while, but when the truth is revealed, in addition to the sudden surprise, it will probably also generate anger that not only deceived my IQ, but also played with my emotions...

 So should we wait until this time to tell the truth to the soldiers, and confessing the truth will be effective?

On the contrary, after the soldiers realize that they have been deceived, even if they are telling the truth, no one may believe it.

 Comparatively speaking, Fei Qian has less troubles in this regard. It's very simple. Cao Jun's side is the "invader" in a sense. Resisting the invader and protecting his hometown is almost everyone's instinct. There is no need to emphasize that the fighting morale of Fei Qian's side will not be much weaker. It's like adding a BUFF to your own territory that will prevent morale from falling.

 Cao Cao originally thought that the hussars would set up defenses on Zhongtiao Mountain, so that they could take advantage of the large number of people. Cao Xiu and Cao Hong advanced in parallel, interspersed and surrounded and annihilated part of the hussars to boost the morale of the soldiers. But Cao Cao didn't expect that Fei Qian would dare to give up blocking them in the mountains, and seemed to be letting them advance.

　　　"Have the horses arrived in the east of the river?" 』

Cao Cao had some doubts, but he was not completely sure.

 Because doing this kind of thing is like a conspiracy on the table, very much like Fei Qian's method. But now there are many guys in Guanzhong who have followed Fei Qian's example.

“If the Qiaoqi is in the east of Hedong...” Guo Jia said slowly, “Then we have to fight the lord in the east of Hedong...”

Cao Cao was silent, looking to the north, as if he wanted to see through the wind and snow the arrangements in Pingyang, and even Fei Qian's strategy.

Guo Jia's voice continued, "The Lord is advancing in four directions this time, one from Youzhou. Although General Zihe was defeated, he was still honored, but Youzhou was not lost, and the merits and demerits can be offset. The other is from Bingzhou, and now General Wen Qian has retreated with all his strength. There were many losses, and it was originally a feint attack, which is not the fault of General Wen Qian... As for General Yuan Rang, his troops marched into Taiyuan, and there were many gains, involving Yinshan soldiers and horses; all the way to Jingzhou, now they entered Wuguan openly and secretly visited Hanzhong; Si Although there were some losses in the early stages of the journey along the lord's side, we have now crossed the river..."

 Cao Cao was silent.

“If the hussar is in Guanzhong, it would be great...” Guo Jia said slowly, “If it happens to the east of the river, wouldn’t it be great if we can lure him into battle?” 』

Cao Cao stood in the wind and snow with his hands behind his back. After a moment, he laughed and said, "Those who know me are filial piety!" 』

Of course, neither of them mentioned that premise...

It's like the premise that Cao Cao didn't mention when he fought against Yuan Shao.