Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3334 Something fishy

The weather is still very hot.

The Dan water flows slowly.

The road leads into Shangshan and crosses Wuguan in the middle.

The double doors provide strong protection, while the steep cliffs make it look weak.

The Wuguan Road goes along the Dan River and then meets Jingxiang.

Pang Shanmin is reading the manuscript.

It feels like taking a closer look at the important test points before taking an exam.

This was an excerpt he copied from the Military Academy bulletin.

The official bulletin of the Military Academy was, of course, the personal collection of Liao Hua, the commander of Wuguan.

When Pang Shanmin discovered these, he felt like he had found a treasure.

After all, there were no search engines in the Han Dynasty. If you wanted to gain any knowledge, you could only search and accumulate it bit by bit on your own.

As the defender of Wuguan, Liao Hua would of course consciously collect information about Wuguan, the topography and landforms in the Wuguan area, and even the various battles that took place in this area.

This also facilitates Pang Shanmin's systematic learning.

This area is the ancient battlefield of the Battle of Danyang between Qin and Chu.

Six hundred li and six li, on the surface it is the King of Chu who is the idiot, but in fact it is the King of Qin who is the idiot.

Because from now on, there are no more idiots in the world.

Everyone knows that the Qin State is no longer sophisticated.

No one keeps their promises anymore, and all that's left is to cheat and deceive whenever possible.

Pang Shanmin was naturally familiar with this story from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

Not only that, Pang Shanmin also did some additional research on the battlefield in Wancheng, Nanyang.

After all, in order not to look like a rookie in military affairs, he read a lot of books, including the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period on Wuguan Road, as well as the battles in the early Han Dynasty. Then Pang Shanmin discovered that these battles can now be found in the Military Academy...

This made him want to go to the Military Academy to study hard, and made him feel more and more impressed by the generosity of the General of Cavalry.

Wuguan Road has a geographical advantage, but once you leave Wuguan, you will naturally lose this geographical advantage. Therefore, defense and attack are two completely different things. Therefore, you not only need to think about how to conquer the pass, but also need to consider how to attack if you leave Wuguan Road.

His own expectations and external demands have put a lot of pressure on Pang Shanmin.

"Hu..." Pang Shanmin exhaled deeply, trying to calm his heartbeat as much as possible. He was always calm when faced with a big event. This was his attitude towards work. "Only when you have a calm mind can you be invincible and accomplish everything."

Of course, it is easier said than done.

Pang Shanmin put the cheat sheet into his sleeve, then strode forward and walked to Huang Zhong's side. Looking up, he could see the pass where he had been stationed before from afar across the mountain road.

At the pass, the tiny soldiers of Cao's army were running around busily like ants.

"There are probably about 1,000 or 2,000 Cao troops..." Pang Shanmin said. What he meant was that the number of Cao troops at this pass was about the same as when they were stationed there.

Huang Zhong nodded, but he did not say that their current soldiers and Cao’s soldiers could not be simply compared in terms of numbers.

This is a common problem for military rookies, but it is difficult to explain this problem to them. After all, if rookies can consider other factors, they will gradually get rid of the ranks of beginners who can only count people.

It's like 200 people of farmers and 200 people of an aircraft carrier, they are two completely different concepts.

Huang Zhong gradually deployed his troops and arranged each unit to its proper position. Huang Zhong was able to deploy more than 2,000 soldiers with ease, as if he were using his own arms.

Jingxiang can actually provide a lot of combat power, but the problem is that there are very few people who can be employed.

But after really reaching Jingxiang, Cao Ren could still mobilize reinforcements from Yingchuan in Nanyang alone, even if he didn't mobilize the garrison in Xiangyang. There were nearly 10,000 people farming in the vicinity of Yingchuan alone. Even if it was impossible for all of them to come, it would be easy to fall into a state of being besieged from multiple sides.

Therefore, even if Huang Zhong captured this pass, he could not directly lead his troops to attack Xiangyang.

This is indeed a disadvantage in terms of numbers.

Therefore, for a battle, local advantages may change at any time, and the same is true for the advantages and disadvantages in numbers.

However, in terms of combat effectiveness, these soldiers of Cao's army can only be considered 50% to 60% of the Hussar Army.

Of course, Cao's army also has advantages.

Even in the age of hot weapons, the defenders always have some advantages.

Huang Zhong did not walk in a hurry along the way. On the one hand, it was because the infantry could not march fast on the mountain road. On the other hand, he wanted to bluff. He carried more flags, set up more tents, and raised more dust to create the appearance of a formation of nearly 10,000 people.

Huang Zhong was not sure whether Wen Pin would get Cao Ren's support, nor did he fully understand Wen Pin's current strength.

Therefore, the deployment of troops must be conservative.

However, these are minor issues. In terms of military morale, Huang Zhong believes he has the advantage.

These comparisons of advantages and disadvantages have actually always existed in Huang Zhong's mind.

He has confidence.

"My lord, there is no need to worry. The battle of Wuguan is just a prelude..."

……

……

Hedong, Anyi.

More and more people from both sides gathered in the Yuncheng Basin in Hedong.

On paper, there may be only a few numbers, but in a battle array, they are constantly testing and fighting each other. A line of five or six miles is filled with a huge crowd.

The fighting started in the morning and lasted until late in the afternoon.

The bloody setting sun fell on the mountain line, casting a long shadow, and connecting the last ray of light to the blood-stained ground.

Many bodies of soldiers were lying on the ground in disorder.

The night gradually spread, and among these corpses, one of them suddenly moved slowly, and then quietly raised its head...

It was not a scene of a weird filming, but Bao's confidant who was carrying out a special mission.

After a life-and-death vanguard battle, Cao's army no longer engaged in large-scale frontal battles, but instead carried out small-scale troop incursions every day. This made it difficult for each troop dispatched to communicate effectively with each other, and they were not clear about the situation of other troops. They could only make judgments based on the casualties of their own troops.

The same was true for Bao's troops. On the third day, it was finally their turn. As Bao Zhong's confidant, he pretended to be shot by an arrow and fell off his horse during the fight with the Hussars...

The injury was fake, but the fall was real.

Bao Zhong endured the pain and slowly stood up from the ground. He touched his ribs and felt that they were probably broken. It hurt to touch them. He looked back in the direction of Cao's camp, and then in the direction of the Hussars in the distance. He gritted his teeth and walked towards the Hussars...

The old man wants to cure the young man, and the only place that can cure the young man is Chang'an.

  And judging from the current situation, the cavalry does have the advantage, so what is there to hesitate about?

One step, two steps.

The steps, which were originally hesitant, gradually quickened.

……

……

Lone Peak Mountain.

Cao Zhao was chewing on the grass roots.

A messenger stepped forward and said, "Captain, the Prime Minister has issued an urgent military order!"

Cao Zhao reached out to take it, and with the help of the hidden firelight, he checked the wax seal, opened it and glanced at it for a few seconds, then silently put the letter away. He didn't say much, just waved his hand.

The courier did not move.

Cao Zhao understood and said through gritted teeth: "I will certainly obey your orders!"

The messenger bowed and walked away without saying anything more.

Cao Zhao's guard came over and asked, "Major General, what happened?"

Cao Zhao was silent for a moment, and did not answer. Instead, he asked, "It's been so long, and the cavalry hasn't pushed the central army forward yet?"

He had been calculating that from the beginning of the war until then, the total number of troops sent to the battlefield by the Hussars was only 10,000.

In other words, Cao's army has been exhausted by now, with only 10,000 cavalrymen?

  What would happen if the Hussars were to send more people?

But Cao's army now has few reserves, and Cao Zhao has no more manpower to replenish. And the key is that Cao's army cannot send troops to wander around when the cavalry scouts are in control.

Some individuals can use the folds of the Loess Plateau to hide their bodies and avoid inspections, but once there are too many people, they will no longer be able to hide.

"Maybe, they're walking slowly?" the guard replied. "No matter how slow they are, they should be there," Cao Zhao said.

The guard nodded without understanding.

Cao Zhao was silent for a moment, then he let out a long sigh.

"The number of people who attacked the rear of the cavalry..." Cao Zhao's eyes were slightly sad, "It was us..."

"What, what do you mean?" The guard didn't quite understand.

Cao Zhao was silent for even longer, then he spat out the grass root in his mouth, "Nothing, just getting ready, getting ready for battle."

The guard looked at Cao Zhao.

Cao Zhao sighed and looked at the guard, "You are an elder in the clan..."

The guard nodded, "I understand. I'll go down and give the order."

Cao Zhao nodded, then watched the guards go down.

A moment later, Cao Zhao angrily hammered his hands on the rock, and then let out some painful sighs...

……

……

the other side.

At dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun shines on the vast battlefield, and a busy day is about to come to an end.

Outside the Hussar camp, a group of figures hurriedly running back from afar gradually became clear. These were the scouts responsible for scouting the enemy situation. They had completed their mission for the day and were returning to their own camp.

"Scouts return to camp!"

"Password token!"

Following the commands and corresponding checks, the camp gate slowly opened.

The soldiers guarding the camp gate moved away the barricades to clear the way.

The scouts dismounted and walked into the camp, leading their horses. They looked quite relaxed, with a sense of relief and pride after completing their mission.

Before the army sets out, they must first send out a large number of scouts for reconnaissance and also keep in touch with the front army.

These scouts will summarize the information they collect and report it to the scout team leader, who will then organize and report it.

Among these information, Fei Qian found a very interesting piece of news.

"Has Prime Minister Cao always been on the platform?"

Fei Qian asked.

The scout nodded, "The scouts in the front army said that there have been no major movements in the Cao army in the past few days, and Prime Minister Cao's banner has been on the high platform in the camp... Using the clairvoyance, there is indeed a man in a brocade robe and a long beard sitting on it."

This was certainly not something that was discovered by Fei Qian's scouts in the central and rear army, but rather something that was recorded when they exchanged information with the scouts in the front army, so this information was more or less a little delayed.

But this lag is not the point of the problem...

After hearing this, Fei Qian nodded and asked the scout to withdraw.

Fei Qian is not a man with clairvoyance and clairaudience, so the news from the front line can only be passed on by these scouts.

This simple message seemed ordinary on the surface, but Fei Qian's doubts increased instead of diminishing after thinking about it.

This is not normal!

If Fei Qian's army has already reached the front line and is fighting fiercely with Cao's army, then it is understandable that Cao Cao goes on stage every day, because Fei Qian will also find a high ground, or even build a platform if there is no high ground, to observe and patrol the battlefield so as to facilitate adjustments at any time.

  But now it’s just a vanguard battle, Fei Qian’s main force hasn’t moved up yet, so is Senior Brother Cao so diligent?

Even if you command the army on the high platform every day, it may not bring much BUFF bonus to other Cao troops!

In short, Cao Cao can indeed stabilize the morale of the army from the high platform in the middle of the army, but...

"Um? 』

Fei Qian suddenly became a little suspicious.

  Could it be that Senior Brother Cao is trying to escape?

Secretly create some illusions, and then actually transfer!

After all, Cao Hong is a professional rear guard.

So it is possible that Cao’s army transferred its main force?

Maybe it turned to another direction, maybe...

Ran?

Lao Cao's troops, their tents, flags, dust and so on, seem to have sufficient manpower, but there are also many clues that indicate their strength, and they have not fully demonstrated the power of the Central Commander and the Central Guard.

In addition, during this period of time, people have been tipping off and flirting with me.

But Fei Qian thought that Cao Cao had always been cunning, so he was not sure whether Cao Cao had brought his main force to Anyi or was just using the empty city plan?

"Go and ask Youruo to come here," Fei Qian ordered.

Xun Chen arrived soon.

"Something is different." Fei Qian frowned and said, "Scouts reported that Prime Minister Cao supervised the army every day and sat alone on the high platform."

Xun Chen was stunned for a moment, then quickly grasped the key point, "Supervising the army on the high platform every day? If you put it that way, it is indeed a bit... well, a bit strange."

  Lao Cao doesn’t want to do anything else?

Just like Fei Qian and Xun Chen, the division of labor between the two is also relatively clear. Although Fei Qian is in charge of the general direction, and Xun Chen is responsible for some specific military affairs, Fei Qian is often required to approve some orders and issue some documents. Fei Qian sometimes has to look for Xun Chen, and Xun Chen also has things to look for Fei Qian. These are inevitable, but if Fei Qian starts from now - no, from before, he starts to go up to the high platform every day, and stay there all day...

Whether it is effective or not is another matter, but just these daily affairs will be very inconvenient.

But it's not completely impossible. After all, Lao Cao can still work overtime at night...

But Fei Qian felt that Senior Brother Cao did not have the physical strength and awareness to risk everything.

After all, most of those who try to use "rolling" to make a way in life are forced to do so. Most of these roll-ups may come from relatively poor or ordinary families, and they do not have many resources and networks to rely on. In the fiercely competitive society of later generations, if they want to change their destiny and achieve a leap in social class, they can only choose to study hard and roll hard, hoping to open a door to a wider world for themselves in this way. For these people, "rolling" is not only a reflection of personal effort, but also a choice forced by the reality.

But for Cao Cao, is it necessary to be so "rolly"?

"We have the upper hand in winning." Fei Qian said slowly, "Even the people in Shandong outside the battlefield know about this... Then how could Prime Minister Cao not know about it?"

Is it just to uphold the Han beliefs?

Do not make jokes.

Cao Cao's belief is his own ambition.

His ambition is not just a desire for power, and it cannot be denied that he does pursue the unification of the world.

It must be acknowledged that Cao Cao was different from those short-sighted princes who were determined to secede and split the Han Dynasty from the beginning. Moreover, the history of the Three Kingdoms also shows that the princes who wanted to hold on to one side and draw lines to imprison themselves often died the fastest.

Moreover, Cao Cao's ambition has never been hidden.

Fei Qian also admired him very much. In many cases, Cao Cao seemed to be a person who transcended the Han Dynasty. If Fei Qian had not intervened, Cao Cao should have been the one who led the Han Dynasty and stood at the top.

Cao Cao has always been ambitious not only in civil affairs but also in military affairs.

When the Highwaymen were strong, Cao Cao had carved out a path for himself in the war zone. He was good at analyzing situations, formulating strategies, and finding opportunities for victory in the ever-changing battlefield. The more chaotic the situation, the more Cao Cao could thrive...

  In addition, the Prime Meridian had also been very popular before. Who in the world would not vote for Prime Meridian?

As a result, Cao Cao managed to withstand the attack and even launched a counterattack.

Fei Qian snorted.

  So, now it’s Fei Benchu?

Xun Chen nodded, "My Lord, what you said is very true."

Fei Qian glared, then immediately realized that Xun Chen was not agreeing with his thoughts and saying that he was the second Benchu, but was saying that Cao Cao's move was indeed problematic.

"So, what is the purpose of this move?" Fei Qian frowned and asked, "Just bluffing? I think... there must be some purpose..."

  There is definitely a purpose, but what is it?

It's hard to say.

And it was impossible for Fei Qian to send a text message to Cao Cao to ask...

  Ok?

Sending text messages is not very realistic, but what about sending a declaration of war?

"If someone writes a letter of challenge..." Fei Qian said slowly.

Xun Chen nodded, then shook his head, "Maybe it can't be relied upon."

Fei Qian thought about it and agreed with Xun Chen's opinion. After all, text messages can be read without replying, and a declaration of war can be even easier. The messenger can even be beheaded and hung up. Fei Qian might not get any news.

"The only solution now is to fight." Xun Chen said, "Even if it is a very tricky plan, it must be carried out. If they are pretending to be powerful, we will break it."

Fei Qian thought for a moment and felt that what Xun Chen said did make some sense.

Just as he was about to give the order, a soldier came to report that the general Xu Chu, the commander of the front army, had sent a man who turned out to be the confidant of Cao Cao's general Bao Zhong...