Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3294: Changes in the Changes

Under the cover of night, the former Cao army camp at the foot of the slope has now become Fei Qian's front-line command post.

After a thorough cleaning and inspection, Fei Qian moved some baggage and equipment on Emei Ridge to the camp at the foot of the slope.

The north side of the camp at the foot of the slope was severely damaged, but the other three sides were basically intact.

The Qiang and Xiongnu people in the Cavalry Corps seemed to have no difficulty in sleeping in the wild. They could use the roof as a cover and the ground as a bed by spreading their fur coats and sleeping anywhere.

The Hussars would be more sophisticated and would use their spears to support a shed, then cover it with thick tarpaulin, under which the men and horses would rest.

The moving lines of fire were patrolling cavalry.

Fei Qian checked the battle deployment for the last time in the central army tent, and then issued the orders one by one. After seeing his personal guards send the carrier pigeon into the sky, he was silent for a moment, then mounted his horse and led his men to patrol the camp.

When Xu Chu heard that Fei Qian was going to inspect the camp, he hurried over to take the reins.

Fei Qian smiled and told Xu Chu not to follow, but Xu Chu insisted, so Fei Qian didn't say anything, and the group began to walk around the camp.

Fei Qian knew that Xu Chu had many questions to ask.

These are also problems that Cao's army has to face and cannot avoid.

After the appearance of the demon of gunpowder, many things will be disrupted, including previous military thinking and tactical arrangements. Everything will change.

But standing before this new change, all the old experiences seemed helpless and bewildered, just like a boy who saw a bad omen for the first time, feeling something surging in his body but unable to tell what it was.

In the Hussar Code, lanterns are the flags of the night.

Fei Qian could tell which formation it was just by looking at the lanterns on the flagpole.

In the early years, some teams liked to attract attention by making lanterns colorful and even painting beauties on them. However, over time, these lanterns gradually became simple and plain words and patterns, and some even looked like totems.

The reason is actually very simple.

Because all the flag team lanterns were hand-painted, but lanterns were not very durable and would inevitably be damaged during marches and battles. The more complex and delicate the lanterns were, the more troublesome it would be to repair them after they were damaged. Even if a new one was made, it might not be as good as the original one. After all, there were too many possibilities in the army. The person who painted the lanterns happened to be injured, or transferred to another team, or promoted, or even died. So over time, it slowly became a combination of simple words and unique symbols.

The simpler, the more practical.

The same is true for gunpowder.

The history of gunpowder has taken many detours.

Because of the demands of the sons of the gentry, gunpowder became a pursuit of diversity and eventually turned into fireworks, losing its original pure essence, explosion.

  So, what is the essence of military formation?

Xu Chu walked in front, holding Fei Qian's horse reins, in silence, as if he was thinking or summing up.

Xu Chu's martial arts may be at the top of the current Han Dynasty. On the one hand, Xu Chu has good innate conditions, with strong arms and waist, and very strong central strength. On the other hand, he has been studying hard for many years and constantly improving.

In the era of cold weapons, men with strong fighting abilities certainly cannot have slender waists like those in idol dramas that could break with a gust of wind, nor the so-called inverted triangle waist. Instead, they can have a typical bucket waist, a bit like the Hong Jinbao physique.

Xu Chu's figure is like this. In the camp directly under the cavalry guards, he is also a person who can fight against a group alone.

But all his pride in military strength was torn to pieces by the artillery.

  Is the use of force useful?

Yes, but no matter how strong one is, it is impossible to break down the city gate with a single sword.

  What?

Lord Guan?

That’s true, Guan Yu couldn’t do this, but the deified Guan Erye could.

Xu Chu was confident back then. When he was holding a heavy shield and wearing heavy armor, even if Lu Bu came, he might not be able to step over him. But after he saw the cannon, his confidence began to waver. Until he saw the cannon easily tear open the wall of the camp at the foot of the slope, causing Cao's army to flee in all directions, he suddenly realized that the era of personal force would come to an end in the face of gunpowder and cannon.

No matter how strong your martial arts skills are, you can dodge arrows, crossbow bolts, and even stones thrown from chariots and crossbows, but can you dodge artillery shells?

Xu Chu himself estimated that from 300 steps away, he could basically dodge it. From 200 steps away, he had to keep his eyes on the muzzle of the cannon. Once he entered within 100 steps...

What if it’s closer, fifty steps?

Xu Chu couldn't help but shiver.

"Zhongkang, what's wrong?" Fei Qian asked.

Xu Chu took a breath and said, "My Lord, I have something I don't understand. I hope you can give me some advice."

"Well, go ahead," Fei Qian replied.

"If the artillery was more powerful," Xu Chu looked at the gray patches in the sky, his voice floating in the night wind, "people like Chu would be just like ordinary soldiers..."

"Hmm?" Fei Qian didn't react for a moment.

Xu Chu continued: "What I mean is... ordinary soldiers can't avoid this cannon... If I get close, I can't avoid it either..."

Fei Qian finally understood and couldn't help but laugh, "Isn't this a good thing?"

Xu Chu was stunned, and turned his neck to look at Fei Qian, "Is this a good thing?"

Fei Qian nodded, "In ancient times, there were witches. Did you know this?"

"I know." Xu Chu nodded.

"How do witches survive and how do they survive?" Fei Qian asked again.

"Witches are able to communicate with gods and understand the mysteries of heaven and earth. They can use spells to drive away evil spirits and offer sacrifices to pray for blessings. Their magical powers are extraordinary and beyond the reach of ordinary people." Fei Qian laughed, "Why did such an extraordinary person disappear after the Spring and Autumn Period?"

Of course, there were some "supernatural powers" in the Han Dynasty, such as Zhang Jiao and Zuo Ci. Unfortunately, not only was Zhang Jiao's grave dug up and his body whipped, his head was chopped off and sent to Luoyang to report his achievements. Zuo Ci also tried to gain a reputation under Fei Qian, but he was unexpectedly exposed by Fei Qian and could only obey his orders.

As for the art of doppelganger, it can be done by either having twins or using makeup. In this age without cameras or video cameras, perhaps a hairy wart on the face is enough to be the only feature to identify whether it is the same person.

Simply put, there were still some "people with supernatural powers" in the Han Dynasty, but most of these "people with supernatural powers" were just trying to make a living, unlike the witches in ancient times who held power and held the king hostage.

"Why?" Fei Qian said, "Zhou Yi's divination is known to the world, and witches are extinct. Zhongni's writing is known to the world, and he is a scholar-official."

Xu Chu's eyes widened, "My Lord, you..."

Fei Qian laughed, "It's too early. Think about it, the Zhouyi has been passed down for 800 years, and in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and even in the Han Dynasty, prophecies and divinations were still rampant... Confucius worked hard to teach everyone, but now in the Han Dynasty, eight out of ten people cannot read."

After hearing this, Xu Chu let out a long sigh.

Yes, he was a little too worried. At least it didn't have much impact on his generation...

The more you worry, the more confused you become.

Xu Chu seemed to understand something.

Fei Qian smiled slightly.

Not to mention the Han Dynasty, even in later generations many people knew the ratio of black gunpowder, but how many of them would use this thing to narrow the gap in military power?

  No matter what the reason is, you are fighting alone and want fairness. Isn't this a joke?

Therefore, strict control was imposed in the laws of later generations, prohibiting all explosives; even black powder was under strict control.

I'm just afraid that if someone gets too crazy and uses this thing to forcibly level the class differences, that would be like Barbie Q.

Just like the United States, although it does not ban guns and ammunition, bulletproof vests, bulletproof cars, etc., especially heavy bulletproof equipment, are difficult for ordinary people to obtain, not to mention bombs...

Only in front of death is there true fairness.

Fei Qian tapped Xu Chu's helmet with his whip, "Zhongkang, you should think more about how to improve the formation of soldiers and coordinate with artillery and crossbow carts. That would be the right thing to do."

"My lord, your teaching is correct." Xu Chu chuckled and said, "Chu also thinks that the current military formation needs to be changed."

……

……

The moon was shifting silently.

When you keep staring at the moon, she seems to be silent, like a graceful beauty, looking back at you affectionately from behind the veil. But when you get distracted and stop staring at her for a while, you will suddenly find that the moon has quietly gone to the clouds to wash her hair...

This kind of behavior is just like those children of the gentry in Shandong.

Especially the actions of the children of the gentry in the Jizhou area really made Cao Cao... I don’t know what to say.

  What about the promise to stay together and never leave each other?

Although Cao Cao was lying down, he couldn't sleep.

  When did this insomnia problem begin?

At the beginning, Cao Cao didn't have this problem at all.

You can fall asleep whenever you want, without any psychological pressure.

But when did it start to change...

Cao Cao recalled, Oh, I remember now.

After the failure of Suanzao that year, he encountered a camp riot in Danyang in the middle of the night. The soldiers he had recruited with great difficulty all ran away overnight, and he suffered from the problem of sleeping restlessly at night.

The camp at the foot of the slope was broken, and Cao Hong suddenly felt that the situation was not good.

The number of artillery pieces possessed by the Hussars exceeded Cao Cao's original estimate, and they had previously believed that artillery pieces could not be moved...

  But now think about it, if the artillery cannot be moved, then how was it installed on the artillery position in Tongguan?

It can only be said that the fixed artillery mode of Tongguan made Cao Cao and others mistakenly believe that this was the only way to use artillery. Or it can be said that when Cao Cao and others faced this new weapon and unfamiliar technology, they subconsciously belittled the power and use of this weapon.

Cao Cao, Guo Jia and others had actually sensed that the times were undergoing tremendous changes with the advent of gunpowder and artillery, but they were not able to adapt to these changes, nor could they quickly change their tactics and strategies to a new model that suited these new changes.

Before gunpowder, warfare mainly relied on the physical strength of soldiers and the close combat capabilities of cold weapons.

Large-scale group attacks are the main tone of the battle.

To put it simply, it's people being attacked and people being consumed.

Now, the gunpowder that Fei Qian had taken out, as well as various gunpowder derivatives, had changed the competition from a simple competition of manpower to a competition of comprehensive quality. Manpower was no longer the only, insurmountable advantage in combat.

The layout of the battlefield and the way of fighting will undergo tremendous changes.

How could Cao Cao sleep well before this change?

It's a big gamble.

Before, Cao Cao always won the bet.

  What now?

The emergence of gunpowder gave rise to the development of a series of new weapons, such as grenades, artillery, rockets, etc.

The range and power of these weapons far exceed those of traditional cold weapons, which makes the offensive and defensive capabilities required on the battlefield require higher demands and more evolution.

The camps and forts that were sufficient to defend against ordinary cold weapon attacks are now unable to effectively resist artillery attacks. Therefore, the design and construction of camps and castles will begin to change to adapt to the new war environment.

  Even if Cao Cao understood, and advisers like Guo Jia or Dong Zhao also understood what designs should be added to defend against the new artillery, but the craftsmen in Shandong were not clear, and the civilians did not understand. How long would it take to pass the information from top to bottom?

The Shandong soldiers and Cao's army formations have been densely packed from the very beginning to meet the enemy. Now if they want to defend against grenades and artillery again, what kind of training will they need and how long will it take?

Of course, as Guo Jia analyzed, gunpowder, artillery and other items are very expensive.

  If a cannon is cast into a gun head, it may be able to equip three to five hundred people, but can three to five hundred people be killed by just one cannon?

Obviously impossible.

This was also one of the factors that gave Cao Cao, Guo Jia and other advisers the confidence to continue fighting.

But now the battle at the camp below the slope made Cao Cao and others realize another thorny problem.

Just as it was impossible for Cao Cao's soldiers to line up and allow Fei Qian's artillery to bombard them one by one, it was also impossible for Cao Cao's soldiers to have eternal morale and courage.

The use of gunpowder weapons will indeed greatly increase the scale and cost of Fei Qian's war, and accelerate the consumption of Fei Qian's war potential. After all, the manufacture of gunpowder and gunpowder weapons requires a lot of resources and money. But at the same time, to deal with these gunpowder weapons, Cao's army also needs more elite and more determined soldiers...

Otherwise, it would be like the camp at the foot of the slope. After the camp wall collapsed, morale collapsed and they were defeated without a fight.

Therefore, as the battle progressed to this point, Cao Cao had to mobilize his most elite soldiers to fight forward.

Then Cao Cao considered another problem.

Is all this part of the Cavalry's plan?

You tell me, how can classmate Lao Cao sleep well like this?

As for his junior brother, Lao Cao often thought of it. If only he could reach out and hold Fei Qian back at the Suanzao camp...

Cao Cao sighed silently, then closed his eyes as much as possible, suppressing the various distracting thoughts that emerged in his mind.

  Trump card, I still have a trump card, but does Fei Qian have none?

Cao Cao gambled all his life, and fortunately he won every time he gambled before.

Unfortunately, he had won before, so he thought he would win this time as well.

Even he himself understood that there were difficulties ahead, fire behind, and noise in his own team, but he still pushed the chips forward.

The night passed quietly, and when the moon was silent and quietly left before the sun got angry, there was a commotion in Cao's camp. According to the previous order, they had to cook at five o'clock in the morning, eat at dawn, and then set out.

As the sky gradually turned white, the soldiers of Cao's army also stood up one after another.

The army sets out without waiting for anyone, and the meal time is fixed. When the time comes, the gong is struck, and those who haven't finished their meal will have to starve.

Because time was tight, in this situation, ordinary Cao army soldiers had to fight with each other for food.

These ordinary Cao army soldiers, when the cook put down the rice bucket and steamed bun basket under the protection of the sergeant, swarmed over and scooped out the rice bucket with their bowls. The impatient ones even stretched out their black claws that had not been washed for who knows how many days to grab directly...

The military academy watched coldly from the sidelines and did not step forward to maintain order. As long as there was no trouble, a little quarrel and fighting would be considered as a way to liven up the atmosphere.

No one spoke; everyone was chewing and swallowing frantically. Everyone knew that if they ate one meal, they would have one less meal.

The food shortage of Cao's army was no longer a hidden secret, even though Cao's generals had repeatedly denied it.

Although the number of steamed buns remained the same, they were obviously more than half the size of the previous ones. At the same time, some meats were not eaten by high-ranking generals and were only distributed to low-ranking Cao's soldiers.

So even if the Cao Army Military Academy has repeatedly denied any problem with military rations, the reality is the reality. Just because there are only two rations on the surface, or because they say there are still meat and vegetables, it will not be able to wipe out the fear, worry, fear and other negative emotions in the hearts of the lower-level Cao Army soldiers.

The whole camp was filled with the sound of clucking and chattering.

You can't listen to this noise too carefully, and you can't think about it too much, otherwise you might break out in a layer of cold sweat on your back.

In the central military tent of Cao’s army, Cao Cao was also eating his meal.

Although the battle was about to begin, Cao Cao still ate his meal very carefully.

A bite of rice, a bite of vegetables.

Mix together and chew twelve times.

It’s not that Cao Cao didn’t eat like a wolf sometimes, but the older he got, the slower he ate.

I didn't pay attention to dental hygiene when I was young, and now I have toothaches from time to time.

After Cao Cao finished eating, he took some water to rinse his mouth. The guards took the plate away, and then the order to assemble and set off was sounded from the central army.

The soldiers of Cao's army lined up according to their respective ranks. After the small ranks finished lining up, they immediately joined the large ranks and lined up outside the camp.

Although Cao Cao's words and actions seemed to be calm, he actually knew that he had not slept well the previous night. He was in a state of inexplicable excitement and tension, even at this time of departure, he was still like this.

The guard helped Cao Cao put on the armor, and after that, he took out a bronze mirror for Cao Cao to examine. Facing the bronze mirror, the smooth surface reflected a slightly distorted face of a middle-aged or elderly man.

Cao Cao moved a little closer, squinted his eyes, stared at the face in the bronze mirror, then grinned, raised his hand to adjust the position of his cloak, threw his cloak, and strode out with his head held high.

Dong Zhao was already waiting outside the big tent. When he saw Cao Cao coming out, he followed him and said, "My lord, the advance teams have set out, and the central army and the rear camp are also ready. Please give your instructions."

Cao Cao raised his head, squinted his eyes, and stared at the fluttering flags, "Let's go!"

The last round of dealing and the last raise.

Allin.

Ordinary soldiers and auxiliary soldiers were the first to leave the camp, but the first to leave were the Central Commander and the Central Guard.

As the war drums sounded, flags were raised in pairs and the army slowly moved forward.

The moonlight faded, the sky was slightly bright, and the banner representing Cao Cao rose and fell in the chaos...