Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3320 Father and Son

The next day.

Cao's army attacked Anyi again.

Bao Zhong looked back at the platform.

Cao Cao's figure was already firmly on top of it, with the big banner flying high.

Bao Zhong turned around and said, "For the Han Dynasty! For the Prime Minister! Fight to the death!"

“Ohhhh…”

Cao's soldiers swarmed forward again.

Beside Bao Zhong, his brain-defective child also wanted to follow Bao Zhong, but was forced back by Bao Zhong's stern eyes. In the end, he could only stand in the formation, feeling a little ashamed and puzzled, and then he also raised his arms and shouted, "For the Han! For the Prime Minister! Fight to the death!"

The silly child was shouting with all his heart, his saliva flying and his veins exposed.

But the old guard of the Bao family beside him just looked at him coldly, then turned his head away, with a look of concern for the mentally retarded in his eyes.

As an elder in the Bao family, the old guard of the Bao family knows a little bit. He is better than this silly kid like Bao Zhong who thinks that as long as he is good at wielding swords and guns, he can sweep away everything and defeat the enemy.

Of course, Bao Zhong’s silly kid is not really an idiot, with a missing piece of his brain. He just doesn’t understand the ways of the world. He still thinks that people in this world are either good or bad, and that everything is simple, either fighting or killing…

Bao Zhong's guard looked at Bao Zhong, who was leading the troops in front, with a little concern. Bao Zhong had told him to keep an eye on this silly boy, or rather, innocent, like a blank sheet of cloth.

But white cloth is the least resistant to dirt, and it will turn yellow at any time, get spots, or be used to wipe something, and then it will be stained with some marks that will never disappear...

On the other side, on the high platform, Cao Cao didn't pay any attention to Anyi at all.

Cao Cao looked to the north. He originally thought that since he was an infantryman, his marching speed must be slower than that of the cavalry, so he deliberately sped up his pace. However, he did not expect that when he arrived in Anyi, the cavalry had not arrived yet.

Strictly speaking, it was not that they had not arrived at all. He knew that the vanguard of the cavalry, the small cavalry unit, had been spying and spying on this place dozens of miles away, but he didn't know when the main cavalry unit would arrive.

But it's coming soon.

Soon!

Cao Hong tried to capture these scattered cavalry scouts and cavalry squads several times, but the effect was not good. On the one hand, these cavalry scouts were very alert, and on the other hand, these guys did not go deep into the vicinity of Anyi, so many times the traps set could not be triggered at all.

"My lord, what on earth is this cavalryman doing?" Cao Hong looked around to see if there were any outsiders around, so he asked in a low voice, "Could he have discovered Wen Lie's movements?"

Cao Cao hummed, "It's hard to say."

The battlefield is one-way transparent, and sometimes even one-way transparency is not possible. In the chaos, the information available is one-sided and fragmentary. Trying to piece together a whole dragon with these fragments will greatly test the ability of the commander on the battlefield.

"The cavalry...will definitely come!" Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, with a strong confidence in his voice, "and they are not far away!"

Cao Hong was startled and immediately looked north.

Nothing was seen.

"These past two days, I have been thinking of General Huo's piano song..." Cao Cao said slowly.

Cao Cao sighed slightly, stroking his beard, "The four barbarians are protected, and the people of China are prosperous. The country is peaceful and happy. We have put down our weapons and stored our bows and arrows. The unicorns are coming and the phoenixes are flying. We are protected by the heavens and will never end. We will be together for a hundred years and each of us will live longer... Zi Lian, what do you think of this piano song?"

"This..." Cao Hong was stunned for a moment.

Some people say that this song of General Huo was written by Huo Qubing, while others say that it was written by someone else in Huo Qubing's name. However, the meaning contained in it is indeed written about Huo Qubing, another cavalry general of the Han Dynasty...

"Since the four barbarians are being protected, who are we protecting?" Cao Cao stroked his beard, "and why do we need to protect them?"

The four barbarians were protected, and it was Huo Qubing and the Han army who helped protect them, while the Xiongnu were considered harmful. As for the Hexi and Western Regions, the Han policy was that as long as they were not enemies of the Han, the Han would not attack them. However, the Hexi thought that the Han was easy to bully...

Later, Hexi accepted the surrender, and the two kings of Hexi eventually became vassal states of the Han Dynasty. The word "protect" here clearly means standing on the side of the Han Dynasty. Regardless of their nationality, they were protected by the Han army.

The word "protect" also emphasizes the role of the military force of the Han Dynasty. All the peace and tranquility in the song are based on the strong external force. The Han army controlled the vassal areas that originally belonged to the Xiongnu, restoring peace to these areas and allowing the Han people to live and work in peace and stability.

Cao Cao did not wait for Cao Hong to respond, and continued: "Moreover, the word 'hidden' in the line 'bows and arrows are hidden' in this song is even more ingenious... The four barbarians are not one... Hiding the weapons among them, haha, wonderful, wonderful!"

Cao Hong was confused and didn't know what was going on.

However, Cao Cao's good mood of enjoying the music did not last long.

A soldier from the audience came up with an urgent report sealed with wax and handed it to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao checked the sealing wax and opened it. His face suddenly turned sour, as if someone had stuffed a ball of sugar into his mouth. His face became twisted and hideous, and his body couldn't help but shake a few times.

Cao Hong was shocked and rushed forward to help him, "My lord!"

Cao Cao grabbed Cao Hong's arm, very hard, and then took two deep breaths to catch his breath. Then he looked around and said, "You guys should leave first."

The guards on the side immediately responded and retreated from the platform.

On the high platform, only Cao Cao and Cao Hong were left.

"I thought..." Cao Cao sighed, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to increase suddenly. His forehead looked as if he had been stabbed several times, and even his back was a little hunched. He held Cao Hong's arm, like grabbing a floating board when drowning, "Zilian... you said, marching into Guanzhong and fighting against the Hussars, is it really just for us, for the Cao and Xiahou families? Isn't it a little for the great Han Dynasty, for the Shandong gentry? But they, they... ah..."

Cao Hong didn't respond.

Cao Cao had some idea about the Shandong people. He knew they were bad, but he didn't expect them to be so bad! Cao Cao had already lowered the lower limit for these people, but these guys were still constantly breaking the lower limit.

"Jizhou has received urgent news from eight hundred miles away." Cao Cao took a breath and seemed to calm down. He was still calm and unperturbed. "Wei Yan and Wei Wenchang, under the command of the cavalry, launched a surprise attack on Yecheng."

"Ahhh?!" Now it was Cao Hong's turn to be at a loss, "What?"

Cao Cao nodded slightly.

"This, this, this... Where did this cavalry army come from?" Cao Hong's forehead was immediately covered with sweat.

"It has been reported before... but it was suppressed by Jizhou and not reported..." Cao Cao slowly put the urgent letter of 800 miles into his sleeve, obviously not ready to show it to Cao Hong, "It is said that a small group of people came out from Taihang Mountain..."

"A small group of people?" Cao Hong didn't know what to say for a moment.

Can a small group of people launch a surprise attack on Yecheng?

This obviously contains many unspeakable things. Even just thinking about it, Cao Hong felt a little chilled.

"So... is the young master okay?" Cao Hong asked cautiously.

"Hmph." Cao Cao snorted, "That rebellious son, after what happened, it would be better for him to die!"

Cao Hong hurriedly smiled and said, "My lord, please don't be like this. I am very lucky that you are safe. I am very lucky..."

Cao Cao seemed to realize that he had said something wrong, so he let go of Cao Hong's arm and patted his shoulder. "No, it is my greatest luck to have you, Zilian..."

"My Lord, you are too kind."

Cao Hong did not dare to ask further, because he saw that although Cao Cao had regained his composure on the surface, he could also feel that Cao Cao had suffered a great blow. Moreover, standing next to Cao Cao, although it was summer, Cao Hong could feel that Cao Cao seemed to be emitting some icy aura for some reason.

After a moment, Cao Hong said: "My Lord, now in Anyi..."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a while. "If the cavalry still doesn't come, take the poultry in the pen and use it as a reward for the soldiers."

Cao Hong immediately understood, nodded and left.

Cao Cao watched Cao Hong get off the platform, then looked toward the north with his hands behind his back, remaining silent for a long time.

……

……

Cao Cao and Cao Pi are father and son.

Cao Zhen, who died in Hedong, was also the father of Cao Hong.

The Bao Zhong father and son who were in the troops under the city were fighting with the Pei father and son who were defending the city. Among the soldiers defending the city walls of Anyi, there were also fathers and children.

He was an ordinary civilian in Anyi, and he didn't even have a proper name. People only knew that he was called Dacheng, because his father was called Laocheng, and he had another child, so naturally it was Xiaocheng.

So Dacheng is both a father and a child.

Whether it is Cheng, Cheng, or some other word with similar syllables is not important, because whether it is Dacheng, Laocheng, or other people in Anyi, they cannot read or write.

Originally, Dacheng was just a commoner in Anyi, and he was not supposed to defend the city, but the Pei clan members shouted in the city, "Everyone has a responsibility to fight against Cao in Anyi!"

At first, Dacheng didn't understand what "everyone has a responsibility" meant, but Pei's clansmen explained that once Cao's army entered the city, they would burn, kill, plunder and commit all kinds of evil. At that time, the city would become like hell, and everyone, young and old, would die! For the sake of everyone's lives, shouldn't everyone come together to resist Cao's army?

It seems that there is some truth in this.

Then the Pei clan members spoke again, saying that if they could save Anyi and resist Cao's army, they would be rewarded according to their merits in the future. Even if the Pei clan could not afford it, the Cavalry would still give them reward money!

Later, Dacheng inexplicably took a spear and went up to the city wall to defend.

For his father and for his children.

Although there were still some things he hadn't figured out, he didn't have the opportunity to continue thinking about them.

The brutal fight forced him to struggle for survival. He struggled constantly, so he naturally had no time to think about whether the logical relationship was correct, or what the truth was, or the simplest question...

  Why did he have to calculate the taxes he had to pay every year, from his father to him and then to his children? What was the calculation?

Is it protection money, residence fee, or fee for using the title of Han citizen?

From a historical perspective, taxation is one of the important means to maintain the operation of the state machinery and the ruling order. The two important pillars for the establishment and maintenance of the rule of ancient dynasties were finance and military. Taxation was the main source of finance for ancient feudal states and an important means of managing the economy.

From this perspective, the taxes paid by the ancient people can be regarded as a kind of "protection fee". That is, by paying taxes, they exchanged for the relative security and order maintenance provided by the state, which is similar to the public security services in modern society to some extent.

Well, but he lived in Anyi and didn't enjoy any security. If Cao's army came, those who didn't pay taxes would die first, and then those who paid taxes would die later, then it would be considered a security guarantee. But now he has paid taxes, but he has to die first...

So is it the land usage fee?

But who owns the land?

  If the land belongs to the Han Dynasty, then there is nothing wrong with paying residence fees to the Han Dynasty to obtain the right to reside there. However, the troops that came to attack Anyi were holding the Han Dynasty flags and claiming to be Cao's army representing the Han emperor!

Why do people pay taxes, receive no protection, and even get killed?

Dacheng absolutely couldn't understand it.

But fortunately, he didn't have to think too much.

When the pain in the body reaches a certain level, it will gradually become numb.

When he finally fell down, he did not die immediately.

He just felt a chill descending upon him, causing his limbs to become stiff and numb, and then the world turned upside down...

In Dacheng's view, the sky fell.

He was dragged by his feet and slid across the city wall.

The semi-coagulated blood acted as a lubricant, making the process of him being dragged not too difficult.

His arm was raised upside down, slashing across the stone floor of the city wall, with blood on it, just like the last word he wrote for himself before his death...

A crooked character "人".

But in the end he was thrown off the city wall like a dead animal.

At the moment when Dacheng finally fell, his eyes were empty.

Even until his death, he could not understand what was going on in this world...

……

……

"Hit him! Hit him!"

Pei Ji held up a sword that already had many gaps on it and shouted at the top of his lungs.

He had always thought that attacking and defending a city was a simple matter. He had been defending Anyi for so many days and had fought with real swords and guns. He was considered a person who had seen big scenes. But only now did he understand that Cao's army had not used its full strength. When Cao Cao really arrived near Anyi and Cao's army fought desperately, Pei Ji felt the overwhelming suffocation.

There is a world of difference between being organized and being unorganized.

Before Cao Hong attacked Anyi, he actually wanted to fight as much as he could. The key point was to lure the cavalry to come, and then trap the cavalry between the camps little by little, with the intention of retreating at any time. However, with the changes in the battle situation, especially the destruction of the camp at the foot of the slope, Cao Cao and his army were forced to adjust the entire battle strategy.

Anyi's original plan of enticement turned into a real fight.

Now, just as Cao Cao said, it was necessary to kill some captive livestock to reward the soldiers.

The soldiers defending the city shot arrows at Cao's army with all their might, but the Cao's army under the city immediately retaliated.

And there are more arrows than those used to defend the city...

  The key point is that the soldiers defending the city have suffered heavy casualties, and they have to call up batches of civilians in the city to fill the gap. Although they all say that they are doing this to protect Anyi and everyone, Pei Ji knows in his heart that it is more important to preserve the status of the Pei family!

The ladder was set up, followed by the flying grappling hook.

Cao's soldiers followed the ladders, pulled the ropes, and climbed up bravely and frantically.

Those defending the city threw boulders and battering rams down the ladders.

The Cao army soldiers who were hit were like pieces of meat on a barbecue skewer, being pulled off by the juice flying everywhere...

When the arrows covered the city wall, the defenders of Anyi hardly dared to raise their heads. The defenders became more and more timid as they fought, while the Cao army, which was attacking the city, became more and more crazy as more casualties were suffered. After repelling one batch of Cao's troops, another batch of Cao's troops would rush up. In front of the Cao army's fully deployed war machine, Pei Ji's originally thought excellent defensive capabilities were showing loopholes everywhere.

With the city wall as the boundary, in this huge conflict and killing, blood and chaos, Cao's army once climbed to the top of Anyi City. Although Pei Ji and his men beat them back frantically, it was like a cut, and the damage caused could not be recovered immediately.

All the gentleness and composure of the past have now turned into madness at this moment.

Cao's army once again rushed to the top of the city.

Pei Ji once again led his men forward to block the gap.

The fighting became more and more intense and brutal.

Soldiers from both sides held swords and spears, and their shields collided with each other, making a crisp metal collision sound. Swords and spears brought out blood, and shields competed with each other. Soldiers from both sides were trying hard to resist each other's attacks, and also trying hard to find flaws to give each other a fatal blow. Their faces were ferocious, and their teeth were bared, as if they wanted to devour each other.

However, the Anyi defenders, who had not received adequate replenishment and repair, gradually saw their physical strength and endurance decline further. Cao's army gradually gained the upper hand and their offensive became more and more fierce, while Pei Ji and others gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Just when Pei Ji was about to despair, some fresh troops emerged from the corridor of Anyi city wall and joined the battlefield, turning the balance that was about to collapse back on track.

"Father!" 』

Pei Ji then realized that the person who brought this group of people to support was Pei Mao.

"Father, you haven't recovered from your illness yet, why are you here..."

During the brief interval of defeating Cao's army, Pei Ji hurried to see Pei Mao, looking quite worried.

Pei Mao has been sick for some time, and no matter from which perspective, the top of the city wall is not a good place to recuperate.

"Haha," Pei Mao said, wearing an old suit of armor that was a bit old, with white hair flying out from under his helmet, "Don't look at my age, I can still kill the enemy!"

Pei Mao waved the sword in his hand, and his momentum was quite impressive, but he soon became out of breath and glared at Pei Ji, "Hurry up and adjust the defense! The next wave of Cao's army is coming soon!"

"But, but Father, you..." Pei Ji was still worried.

"Go quickly!" Pei Mao pushed Pei Ji, "I am not going to die yet! I am still strong!"

Having said that, both Pei Mao and Pei Ji knew in their hearts that if the cavalry reinforcements did not arrive, they would die here sooner or later, no matter how tough they talked.

Moreover, given the current situation, even if they surrendered to Cao Cao, they might not end up well...

Hussars, Hussars!

Pei Mao stared with cloudy eyes, looking forward to it.

When will the cavalry reinforcements arrive? !