Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3349: Decision of the Year

Northern Territory.

Desert.

Clear sky.

When the grass grows, the horse becomes fat.

This season is the happiest time in the grassland and desert.

The war in the desert has basically subsided.

No matter they were Hu people or Han people, they all smiled when they met, just like they were old friends. Sometimes, Hu people would invite Han people to sing and dance together, and Han people would beat gu and play pi ba to provide music for Hu people.

When the Hu people are enthusiastic, they are truly enthusiastic. Of course, in this era, when they kill people, they really kill people.

Unlike those people with ulterior motives who earn over ten thousand yuan and sell anxiety, the demands of the lower-class people are mostly relatively low and the same. As the saying goes, as long as they have a wife and children, a warm bed, and a roof over their heads to shelter from the wind and rain, they are basically satisfied.

After all, there are no dogs raised by capitalists in later generations, and the average value is not over ten thousand at every turn. The lives of ordinary people are still simple and honest, and their sense of happiness is easily improved.

Nowadays, the grass and water are lush, and the cattle, sheep and horses are grazing on it every day, but they can never finish eating it. Seeing the bellies of the horses, cattle and sheep getting rounder and rounder, and their bodies getting fatter and stronger, who wouldn't smile when seeing it?

But there are exceptions, such as Yunmei...

Uh, it’s Brother Zhao.

"Grand Protector! This is a rare opportunity. If we win over Youzhou, not only will the whole world be excited, but the General of the Cavalry can also rule the Central Plains openly! Besides... Besides, Youzhou has suffered a lot of losses in wealth and livestock before, and the people are suffering. It is unbearable! If the Protector takes it, it will also be to return peace and stability to the people of Youzhou..."

After Liu Fu, a man from Youzhou, arrived in the Northern Territory, he could not stop thinking about Youzhou. When he saw Zhao Yun, he went up to him to pay his respects as usual, and then persuaded Zhao Yun to attack Youzhou, patting his chest to express his willingness to be the vanguard.

It doesn’t matter who Liu Fu is. What matters is that he is from Youzhou.

Most Chinese people have a sense of nostalgia for their homeland.

It is common for young people to go out to work with nothing, but not everyone can return home with wealth. After all, there is a survivor bias, and most people who go out to work not only come back with nothing, but also often with a lot of illnesses.

Of course, it doesn't mean that you won't get sick if you work in your hometown. As a beast of burden, or even worse than a beast of burden, isn't it normal for you to get sick due to overwork? Money is something that you should spend where you earn it, and don't even think about taking a penny with you. Anyway, in the Han Dynasty, minor illnesses don't need to be treated, and major illnesses can't be cured.

Therefore, it is normal for Liu Fu, who works away from home, to feel homesick.

Zhao Yun had not responded to Liu Fu before, not because he was afraid of fighting, but because a long period of heavy snow last year caused disasters in many places in the grassland and desert.

Now, after the recovery in spring and summer, although many people and livestock could not survive the snow last winter, the survivors have gradually recovered some vitality.

Naturally, another attack on Youzhou was gradually put on the agenda.

Zhao Yun first sent a message to Guanzhong, reported the plan, and then summoned the core generals to discuss strategy. Although no news was passed on, the guards on duty in the Northern Territory Protectorate could feel the increasingly tense atmosphere.

For Zhao Yun, he must fight in the battle of Youzhou.

It’s not that Sister Yun... Well, Brother Zhao needs this victory to decorate his chest, but Zhao Yun knows that only by conquering Youzhou can the strife and disputes that have lasted for many years in the grasslands and deserts of the northern region be more thoroughly settled, and only then can there be a more stable environment.

Zhao Yun was also worried about another thing. If the weather continued to be extremely cold, they had survived last year’s severe winter with heavy snow, but what about this year?

If Youzhou could serve as a buffer, even if the Northern Territory suffered a snowstorm, the Northern Territory Protectorate would not be under too much pressure.

Because the Han people have better building systems and thermal insulation equipment, the Hu people in the northern region are now gradually practicing the "rental law". That is, when the cold winter comes, the Hu people cannot ensure whether their cattle and sheep can survive the winter, so they will "rent" the Han people's land to take care of these livestock, and then wait until the beginning of spring to take them away.

During this process, Han merchants could naturally take a portion of the livestock as compensation for taking care of them over the winter.

If there is profit, of course someone will do it.

And some people will become greedy...

During this process, it was not all smooth sailing. Some merchants colluded with local officials and directly swallowed up the livestock of the Hu people, or issued some kind of risk notification, stating that all risks were borne by the Hu people and they were only responsible for care but could not guarantee the rate of return... ahem, the number of cattle and sheep.

After Xin Pi discovered this, he reported it to Zhao Yun, who immediately launched a purge.

In a place like the Northern Territory, reason is not as effective as a knife.

When these greedy merchants and petty officials found that their momentary greed could lead to not only personal death but also the destruction of their entire families, they naturally restrained themselves. Unless these merchants and petty officials could prove that the money they embezzled did not bring any benefits or convenience to their families, their families could be exempted from being implicated, but this exemption was often difficult to achieve.

So once something goes wrong, the whole family will bear the punishment together. In this way, although some family members are innocent and unaware, Xin Pi did not show mercy. After all, there are always some selfish people who are desperate and do not care whether their family members will be implicated.

After these people's heads were hung on the road outside the city, this phenomenon could not be said to have been completely eliminated, but at least it was not as rampant, and it also won more trust from the Hu people.

Under such a virtuous cycle, it can be predicted that if there is severe cold and heavy snow again this winter, the Hu people will be more inclined to drive cattle and sheep to the North Territory for shelter. The location of the North Territory is not very good. Although there are some sheltered valleys, most of them are used to station soldiers and cultivate fields. If you want to accommodate more cattle and sheep, there will naturally be problems.

Therefore, if Youzhou is really captured, not only can a road to the Central Plains be opened to end this chaotic world, but also some preparations can be made in advance for the coming of the severe winter, so that more ordinary Hu people can survive.

As mentioned before, regardless of whether they are Hu or Han people, the demands of these lower-class people are very low. As long as these lower-class demands can be guaranteed, small problems cannot be completely avoided, but major riots can be controlled.

This is also the reason why the Mitti did not prohibit zero-dollar purchases in later generations. These losses were passed on to the middle class, and there was no loss for the rich. On the one hand, these goods are very expensive for ordinary people, but for the capitalists who control the means of production and living, they are just a drop in the bucket. On the other hand, the reason is that the insurance compensation money is actually contributed by the middle class and has been included in the goods sold before...

Controlling the wealth and numerical expansion of the middle class naturally ensures that their channels for upward advancement are narrow, thus indirectly stabilizing the interests of the ruling class.

Now, because the Northern Territory Protector is still very young, there are not many "middle class" in the Northern Territory, and they are still scarce, so they will not set any traps for these people. Instead, they are encouraged and welcomed to come and invest and settle down...

Just like Liu Fu from Youzhou.

Zhao Yun personally met with Liu Fu, listened to his request, and asked about matters related to Youzhou. He then personally sent him out of the mansion and said that if he marched into Youzhou, he would definitely invite Liu Fu to the front of the army for consultation.

Liu Fu was so grateful that he burst into tears and expressed his willingness to serve Zhao Yun wholeheartedly.

After Zhao Yun came back, there were a few more people in the hall, including Xin Pi, Zhang He, Gan Feng and others.

"Is the situation in Youzhou really as this person said?" Zhao Yun asked directly without any further ado.

Xin Pi said: "This man is eager to return home, so he is naturally a little boastful. However, it is an indisputable fact that Youzhou is trapped by Cao Cao. Now Cao Cao has been fighting for many years, and Youzhou has suffered from wars. Naturally, the people all want to settle down."

Zhao Yun nodded.

This is understandable.

But Zhao Yun obviously couldn't send troops for this reason. Attacking Youzhou from Xinchangshan in Mobei was actually the same as when the Xiongnu and Xianbei attacked Youzhou. They both needed to cross the Yanshan Mountains, which was not easy to travel.

Even if Zhao Yun had received orders to act according to his own convenience by sending pigeons to Guanzhong, it would still be a big deal to send troops. It was not a defense, but an advance.

Although the Yanshan Mountains are an absolute younger brother of its neighbor the Taihang Mountains, their mountains are also quite steep, with high terrain in the northwest and low terrain in the southeast, gentle terrain in the north and steep terrain in the south. Especially in the Yanshan Mountains, the valleys are narrow, the surface is broken, and there are many rain-cracked gullies, which are quite unsuitable for large armies to march.

"Gubeikou." Zhao Yun stood up, walked to the map, pointed at a certain location on the map, and said, "At the end of last year, Cao's army set an ambush here. Now it must be heavily reinforced."

Everyone couldn't help but follow Zhao Yun to the map and look at the strategic points marked on the map.

Gubeikou, Xifengkou, Lengkou, Liujiakou, these "kous" go all the way east, and the journey becomes longer and longer.

The nearest route is, of course, Gubeikou, because after Gubeikou, there is a flat valley, that is, the Miyun area, and then you can directly appear at the foot of Yuyang City. The other road, which is also very important, is Xifengkou.

Because the army cannot move without water, the river route flowing from the Yanshan Mountains to the North China Plain naturally became an important route for the army to move.

The most obvious and important of these is the Rushui River, also known as the Luan River. Although it is very difficult to cross the entire Yanshan Mountains along the Luan River, this does not mean that it is impossible to use a section of it, that is, to first follow the Luan River upstream, and then when it is closest to the Laoha River or the Daling River, open up a shorter road and enter one of the river valleys to get out of the Yanshan Mountains.

However, there is still some distance between the Luan River and the Laoha River and the Daling River. If the army wants to walk along the river valley most of the time, it will need to find another river to transition between them.

This river, also known as the "Puhe River", has its source adjacent to the source of the Laoha River, and then flows southwestward to merge with the Luanhe River before entering the North China Plain.

This confluence is called Xifengkou.

In earlier times, this place was also called "Lulongsai".

Therefore, most of the Hu people coming from the east and heading south would go through Xifengkou, while if they came from the west, they would go through Gubeikou.

Places like Lengkou, Liujiakou and Shanhaiguan, which are further east, are from a later era.

Therefore, if Zhao Yun wanted to advance, there were only two relatively mature routes. One was to advance to Gubeikou via Pinggang Road, and the other was to attack Xifengkou via Lulong Road.

Yes, there is another way.

"Here, Juyongkou." Zhao Yun pointed to the western part of the map.

Juyongkou is not a mature route at present, but Liu Fu has led his men through it before, so it can also be used as an alternative plan.

Zhang He said in a deep voice: "The Youzhou garrison is divided into three parts, Yuyang, Jixian, and Yijing, which are mutually supporting. However, Youzhou's soldiers and horses have suffered heavy losses, with only 3,000 cavalry and less than 10,000 armored infantry, who are stationed in three places. The rest are all miscellaneous auxiliary soldiers, and the strength is weak."

Zhao Yun nodded and said, "It is difficult to attack Youzhou and take the pass. It is difficult to defend Youzhou. It would be easy if we just plunder and leave."

Several people looked at each other and were silent.

Zhao Yun was right. Cao Chun was defending Youzhou now, but it was difficult to defend. Zhao Yun wanted to attack Youzhou, but Cao Chun would not be able to hold out for long without reinforcements from the rear. However, the question that followed was whether Zhao Yun could defend Youzhou after he conquered it.

If Zhao Yun wanted to defend the city, he would have to face the same dilemma that Cao Chun was facing. If he divided his troops, he would be weak, but if he didn't divide them, it would not work. The cavalry would either be busy running back and forth or trapped in the city.

If they don't defend it, then what's the difference between attacking Youzhou and the Hu people's looting? If they just want victory and money, then there's no difference between them and the Shandong people.

Ultimately, this decision can only be made by Zhao Yun.

Everyone has said what needs to be said, and has discussed what needs to be discussed many times. The pros and cons are all laid out before us.

After thinking for a long time, Zhao Yun asked Xin Pi, "Have the military supplies and fodder been prepared?"

Xin Pi bowed and said, "It's already ready!"

Zhao Yun swept his eyes around the crowd and nodded, "Send the order! Within three days, march to Youzhou!"

Everyone responded in unison and bowed to receive the order.

"Please stay for a moment."

When everyone was about to leave, Zhao Yun suddenly called out.

Zhang He was stunned for a moment, then nodded and stayed. The others left first and went about their preparations.

After everyone left, Zhao Yun looked at Zhang He and said, "Junyi, this time we march... you can either continue to lead the army as the front, or you can lead a small army to Juyong... Junyi can choose one."

Zhang He was stunned.

This is Zhao Yun taking care of him...

In later generations, people often habitually adopt a "while-you-are-looking-for-a-job" attitude towards their bosses, that is, before finding an ideal option, they temporarily accept the status quo, maintain the current state, and constantly look for better opportunities. This behavior pattern is accepted by many people in modern society and is sometimes even regarded as a pragmatic life strategy.

But during the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, the situation became increasingly turbulent, so being faithful became increasingly precious.

After all, this thing is a scarce commodity.

In the Han Dynasty, generals and counselors were very careful in choosing who to be loyal to. Once they decided on their affiliation, they would go all out and be loyal. For example, Guan Yu, even in extremely difficult circumstances, insisted on his choice, would rather die than surrender, and would not give up wealth and honor, which made Lao Cao tremble with envy...

In fact, this concept is a reflection of the entire society's values.

The more you lack something, the more you desire it.

During the Three Kingdoms period, wars were frequent and life and death were unpredictable. Trust and loyalty were undoubtedly rare treasures in this corrupt and filthy world.

Those who can stick to their beliefs and not change their positions due to external temptations will naturally be given extremely high moral evaluations.

When Zhang He surrendered, it was not his own will, but a passive choice out of helplessness. After this choice, Zhang He also felt a certain sense of humiliation in his heart. This humiliation was not brought to him by Zhao Yun and others, but by Zhang He's own values.

To put it simply, the more shameful you are, the more painful it is, and the more shameless you are, the easier it is.

Xiahou Shang: "Hmm? I'm in pain too, okay? !"

Zhao Yun understood Zhang He's pain, so at the beginning, Zhao Yun did not ask Zhang He to fight against Cao's army.

In the Northern Territory, Zhang He gradually accepted the military system under the Cavalry, and after feeling the difference between the governance methods and those in Shandong, he changed his original ideas.

This time, it is not just about fighting and conquering, but also about garrisoning, defense, stabilization and governance. During this process, Zhao Yun certainly hopes that Zhang He can become a powerful assistant rather than a hidden danger that may occur from time to time. Even if there is such a slight possibility, Zhao Yun is so cautious that he does not want to see this happen.

So Zhao Yun gave Zhang He a choice.

On the surface, it seems to be just a difference in the marching route, but isn't it also a choice for Zhang He's future route?

Although Zhao Yun's gaze was not aggressive, it was like the bright moon in the sky, illuminating the earth.

A choice that seems simple enough.

Life is spent in such choices.

Before making a choice, there are thousands of possibilities, but once a choice is made, only the chosen future remains...

So if we just stand still and don't make a choice, will there be countless possibilities?

I'm sorry, but when the choices in Life Online appear, there is a hidden countdown, maybe thirty seconds, maybe only three seconds, and the key is that the default option is often the worst one...

Zhang He did not wait for the countdown to end. He pursed his lips, did not avoid Zhao Yun's gaze, and did not show any hesitation. He just straightened his waist, bowed his hands, and answered in a sonorous voice, "He is willing to lead the front army!"

"good."

Zhao Yun nodded, then walked forward and gently supported Zhang He's arm, "This chaotic world should be stopped as soon as possible. You and I should work together to bring justice to the world and comfort the people!"