Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3397 Oar

When the war in Youzhou broke out, Jizhou could not help but be alarmed.

  The last time the Cavalry Army marched into Youzhou, it already scared the whole Jizhou. Although the Cavalry Army did not reach Jizhou in the end, who can guarantee that they will not break through Youzhou and plunder Jizhou this time?

Originally, when Cao Cao led his troops to attack Guanzhong, the generals and military officers who stayed behind were relieved. After all, in troubled times, if you can get away with it for a day, it's worth it. Anyway, no matter how tragic the front line was, it was a matter thousands of miles away. But no one expected that Wei Yan could actually cause a commotion in Jizhou!

Even though Wei Yan's army was "defeated" or "disappeared" later, the fear it left on the people of Jizhou was not small!

These defenders thought they were safe in Jizhou and could live in peace for a few days. If Cao Cao won, they would get some rewards by flattering him. But they didn't expect that the news they received later was increasingly wrong, and Cao Cao seemed to be in trouble!

This is simply a complete destruction of the whole fleet...

Although they also held oars and wore armor, they always felt like they were standing naked in the wilderness.

Enemies are lurking everywhere and can attack at any time.

First, Cao Cao's northern army was defeated, and then there were rumors that Xiahou Dun was captured. The descendants of the Cao and Xiahou families in Jizhou, especially those of the Xiahou clan, all looked ugly as if their parents had died.

An unknown Wei Yan was able to reach Jizhou, so why couldn't the Hussars come?

Although these guards of different surnames felt somewhat pleased when they saw the mournful faces of the Cao and Xiahou clans, they were also somewhat worried. What would they do if the Hussars really won? Would they really have to change their faction and let those warriors from Guanzhong and the north take over?

These news have already made the Jizhou defenders panic, but they didn't expect that there would be another change in Youyan!

Zhao Yun, the Protector General of the Northern Region and the General of the Cavalry, led his troops straight to Youyan!

  The vanguard general turned out to be Zhang He!

This……

traitor!

  Traitor!

For a moment, people in Jizhou cursed Zhang He and started to shout.

Some people even saw that Zhang's people were just making indirect accusations to show their integrity and indignation towards the rebellion. But what's interesting is that with the fall of Gubeikou and the further spread of related news to Jizhou, something very strange happened.

Those who had been cursing Zhang He suddenly shut up overnight, and they also stopped cursing the newly surrendered Lei Zhong and other defending generals and officers...

  No matter how incompetent Cao Chun was, everyone thought he could hold out in Gubeikou for a year or two!

What the hell is going on here?!

What is Gubeikou?

It is the pass that Cao family focuses on management and defense!

  Was it conquered just like that?

After so many years of preparation, and knowing that war was imminent and strengthening vigilance everywhere, how could they be easily breached by a few surrendered soldiers?

  Are you sure it wasn't that monkey who forcibly lowered Cao Chun's intelligence?

You must know that the Cao army stationed in Youzhou is one of the few elite troops in the whole of Shandong!

The last time, it was Cao Chun who took the initiative to leave Youyan. He was unable to defeat the Hussars in a field battle. Although he lost, it was understandable. After all, it was indeed difficult to defeat the Hussars in a field battle. But now they are on the defense!

  Defend!

Last time, it could be said that the army was defeated and the enemy took advantage of the situation. What about this time?

They rebuilt the pass, mobilized money and grain, established a deep defense system, built Yanshan lookout guard posts, etc. They made all the preparations, but this is the result?

What was Cao Chun doing? What did he do?!

The following news made the people of Jizhou even more confused.

Youyan's original defense systems seemed to be made of paper and collapsed one after another!

How much time, manpower and resources were spent to build the defense structure, and it was just like this...

  Gone? !

The cavalry's spearhead had already arrived directly at the city of Yuyang.

The defenders of Jizhou were also under martial law, and supplies sent from the rear were no longer allowed to reach Yijing. After all, no one knew whether these things would become spoils of war and supplies for the cavalry if sent up there!

The situation suddenly became like this, and the entire Jizhou was in a state of unrest.

Why did Youyan suddenly become so bad?

  Is Cao Chun really so useless?

If the isolated army was trapped in Yuyang City, even if the city was well-stocked with food, fodder, equipment and supplies, it would be impossible for them to be besieged forever!

Besides, even if we defended Yuyang, what would we do if the Cavalry Army surrounded us without attacking and plundered the place like the Hu people, especially if they invaded Jizhou?

Could it be that these cavalrymen were so sharp that Cao's army could not resist them at all? Ever since the cavalrymen entered Youyan, they had been passing messages to each other and discussing countermeasures. However, in the process, the rumors became more and more outrageous and bizarre. Some people even said that the cavalrymen had summoned some Seljuq slave soldiers from outside the region. Each of them was like a zombie, with infinite strength and no idea of ​​life or death. That was why they were so brutal and sharp now...

After much discussion, no one had a plan, so they just guarded the various intersections and roads in Jizhou with even more trepidation. As for what these defenders were thinking, no one knew.

  Teams of messengers were sent out urgently to report the emergency. Even if the young master of Yecheng did not have any strategy, the bigwigs in Yuzhou and Jizhou should at least have something to say, right?

Could it be that the Hussars would just march straight in?

In this panic atmosphere, an angel came!

……

……

There is more than one angel.

The angel along the way is Liu Ye.

It was Liu Xie's sneaky attempt to cut in line...

Liu Ye was responsible for going north, that is, to Jizhou and Youzhou to convey the emperor's edict.

Two fronts.

Angels travel on behalf of the emperor, so no matter what, they must have some equipment.

Of course, scepters, flags and other things are indispensable.

A large group of people, well, a large group of people, but not many horses, were escorting a canopied carriage, slowly coming from a distance.

Chen Qun met him outside Yecheng.

Wei Yan went on a day trip to Yecheng, and Cao Pi could only feel helpless and furious.

Before naughty kids realize they are naughty, they often think they are the most awesome people in the world. Only after their defenses are broken do they truly realize the malice in the world.

In later generations, those who always say that the defense is broken here and there are often not broken, and the ones who are really broken are like Cao Pi at the moment, who said nothing...

Wei Yan rode on his head and made him urinate on it. Then, all the soldiers in the city were unable to stop Wei Yan. This was almost a brand on Cao Pi's face!

Even if he is the prince, so what?

  How many people would call him "Prince" to his face, but laugh at him as "Persimmon" behind his back?

And it's a particularly soft persimmon...

Cao Pi recalled Chen Qun, who was no longer in charge of government affairs. Under Chen Qun's management, Yecheng quickly regained its peace, and even the entire Jizhou quickly settled down. The traces of gunpowder and blood from the war were washed away from the stone slabs of the streets, but the marks left in people's hearts were not so easy to wash away.

"Greetings, angel." Chen Qun stepped forward and bowed.

Then Chen Qun followed the etiquette and asked the emperor if he was healthy. Liu Ye also followed the procedure and answered that the emperor was healthy before getting off the car and saying, "Greetings to Envoy Chen."

Chen Qun smiled slightly, with a hint of bitterness in his smile, "Brother Ziyang, this is... having the title of an envoy but not the ability to be one?"

Liu Ye waved his hand, "Don't write such a long article. The affairs of Yecheng... are complicated. Even if I were here, I might not be able to write a long article, so I have no other intentions."

The two looked at each other, smiled at each other, and entered Yecheng together.

The noble sons who were watching the scene could not help but celebrate, saying that since the angel had come, the dispute should end. However, some people expressed doubts, thinking that even if the angel came, it might not be useful.

The reputation of the Han emperor is not as good as before. Moreover, Liu Ye may not feel comfortable coming to deliver the imperial edict on behalf of the emperor, even though his last name is Liu.

Naturally, those prominent civil officials and scholars in Yuzhou could not bring themselves to do such a thing, so they had no choice but to send him to take the blame. Therefore, when Liu Ye saw Chen Qun, he just made a slight sarcastic remark, which was already considered a very good self-control.

Of course Chen Qun was aware of the problem, and he didn't say anything special. He took Liu Ye into the city and went directly to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Liu Ye appeared to be looking straight ahead, but in fact, he had a clear view of the situation in Jizhou along the way.

The quality of soldiers in Jizhou was uneven.

Even in Ye City, only the soldiers near the Prime Minister's Mansion could be called elite, and in other places, it was hard to describe, even the equipment was very poor. Especially the war horses, the shortage could almost be described as "pitiful".

According to regulations, war horses must retire after ten years, but under the current circumstances, the retirement age of those war horses has to be extended to make up for the shortage of numbers.

But can this be considered a solution to the problem?

It's just a temporary solution.

  In recent years, it is not right to say that Jizhou and Yuzhou have no economic development. Although there are wars, the tax revenue is not necessarily reduced. At least compared with the period of Dong Zhuo's chaos, the fiscal revenue is much higher, but there is no money to be taken out. There is a shortage of money here and there is a deficit there, so where did the money go?

Nobody understands.

Even if you understand, you pretend not to understand.

  Does Liu Ye understand?

He understands that too.

It can even be said that basically everyone with a little political status in Shandong understands this.

But he still couldn't say it, and had to pretend not to understand.

Cutting off someone's money is like killing one's parents.

  With so much money, that means the parents of so many people!

If this were to be made public, how many people's hatred would we have to bear?

Liu Ye is a small person, so naturally he couldn't handle it.

Liu Ye looked at Cao Pi, who was obviously a little listless after suffering some mental blow, and felt that this naughty boy probably couldn't bear it, so naturally he didn't say anything. He just went forward to pay his respects according to etiquette and procedure, and then remained silent, waiting for Cao Pi to ask questions.

Anyone who has some naughty characteristics will most likely have some selfish characteristics, and Cao Pi is no exception. After meeting Liu Ye, I don't know if he was too concerned about the war situation, or he thought that Liu Ye and others were just like servants. He didn't even mention Liu Ye's hard work along the way. He just opened his mouth and asked: "The current situation... is it really like this?"

What is the current situation? Doesn’t Cao Pi have any idea of ​​it?

  This is obviously impossible, so the only explanation is that Cao Pi was unwilling to admit defeat, especially the defeat of his son. Once Cao Cao really fell and was reduced to accepting the emperor's mediation to stop the war, then as Cao Cao's successor, the son of the Han Prime Minister Cao Houye, how could he have any dignity?

That’s right, what Cao Pi cares most about now is still his own face.

Ancient people and modern people are all human beings.

It’s just that perhaps because of the different environment, ancient people were relatively more mature and had a shorter rebellious period.

Cao Pi is not stupid, nor dumb, he just has a common problem at this age. He wants to show himself and act like an adult, but his thinking and experience can't keep up, which leads to this kind of split.

If Cao Pi was not the crown prince, there would be some people who would have severely criticized and corrected him, and helped him get back on track. However, Cao Pi's status as the crown prince meant that only Lady Bian could criticize and blame him, while everyone else was just flattering him. This made Cao Pi, whose brain was still in the development stage, mistakenly believe that it was just Lady Bian who was too demanding, and that he was still very awesome...

That's why Cao Pi felt extremely humiliated and angry when Wei Yan sat on his face in public.

Liu Ye glanced at Cao Pi and said calmly, "I am originally from Qinghe. I suddenly received the order from the emperor. I dare not slack off and traveled day and night to come here. As for why there is such an order in the court... I really don't know."

Liu Ye was not completely unaware of the origin of the edict, but he had no need and no mood to explain it to Cao Pi.

Not everyone is Cao Pi's parent, and not everyone has to revolve around Cao Pi.

What's more, this kind of thing itself is very troublesome to explain.

  But Cao Pi refused. He had been very confused and angry these past few days, and the people around him were either like Madam Bian, who made him think carefully, or like Chen Qun, who was respectful on the surface but actually had a lot of ulterior motives. Now that he finally saw someone who was not from Jizhou coming, how could Cao Pi let Liu Ye get away with it so easily?

"Pi has lived in this city for a long time and doesn't know the outside world. Now that the angel has come here, it is like sweet dew to Pi!" Cao Pi left the table and bowed deeply, "Now I have a doubt that I can't solve. I can't sleep at night. I hope the angel will give me some advice for my father's sake!"

I have to say that when Cao Pi imitated Cao Cao's courtesy and respect for the wise and humble in doing this, it was quite similar.

Liu Ye hurriedly stepped aside, not daring to accept Cao Pi's full greetings.

Liu Ye took the time to glance at Chen Qun.

Chen Qun looked at his nose with his eyes and at his heart with his nose, without moving.

Seeing Cao Pi's attitude, Liu Ye certainly couldn't say nothing, but he was really at a loss as to what to say.

After a moment's silence, Liu Ye looked at the guard beside him.

As the elite in the Prime Minister's Mansion, they were naturally well-dressed, with sophisticated armor and shiny shields.

"Can I borrow your oars for a moment?"

Liu Ye pointed at the big shield in the guard's hand and said.

Cao Pi didn't understand, but nodded anyway.

When the guard saw Cao Pi nodded, he didn't say much.

  After all, it was not borrowing a knife, but a shield. Borrowing a knife might threaten Cao Pi's life, but a big shield, even if Liu Ye wanted to smash Cao Pi to death with it, whether he had enough strength or not, at least the action would be obvious enough, so there would be enough time to dodge, right?

It's not a chessboard.

The shield was placed in front of Liu Ye.

Liu Ye did not take it, but pointed with his finger, "If I remember correctly, this oar style was made in the third year of Yan Xi in the Han Dynasty. After it was finalized, it has been used until now..."

The earliest shields were made of leather, with thick fur supported by a simple wooden frame. When not needed in combat, they could be disassembled, rolled up and taken away...

Later, due to the fierceness of war and the cruelty of fighting, this shield supported by a simple wooden frame could not meet the demand of resisting blows, so wooden shields and rattan shields came into being.

This type of shield, which is made of fur, rattan and wood, and then glued together with paint and glue, is the second stage of shield development. This stage can be said to run through most of the history of human civilization or the history of war. Shields made of this material were used from around the 13th century BC to the Braid Dynasty.

The shields that overlapped with the wood and rattan shields were metal shields. Early shields were made of bronze, and when the level of steel smelting improved, more shields were made of steel...

These are all basic common sense, and Cao Pi naturally understood them after Liu Ye said them. But Cao Pi still couldn't understand how this had anything to do with the victory of the Hussars, why an imperial edict was issued to mediate the battle between the two sides, and what was the connection between this and the shield?

Seeing Cao Pi still looking confused, Liu Ye could not help but sigh slightly, "As far as I know, this big oar... Among the cavalry, three types, more than 20 models, have been developed... Infantry, cavalry, and warships, each with its own characteristics. As for the infantry, there are those in the cavalry who are good at running in the mountains, holding a small round shield made of fine steel, with a diameter of one and a half feet. There are those who are good at fighting on the battlefield, holding a large round shield, half bronze and half fine steel, with a diameter of three feet and two inches... There are also shields and oars used by cavalry, which are also different..."

"In Shandong, the oars are made in a unified way. Although the people are different, the oars are made in the same way. In Guanzhong, the oars are scattered. Although they are in the same army, the oars are different."

"Now Shandong is seeking unity but cannot obtain it, Guanzhong is scattered in form but not in spirit, so there are some advantages and disadvantages for the time being, and it is difficult to say who will win or lose." Liu Ye tried to make it as easy to understand as possible, and he also had to be tactful, which was not easy, "Now there is an imperial edict, which is to unite and control the dispersion."

Cao Pi's eyes lit up, "So, this is... using strategy?"

Liu Ye smiled but did not answer.

"Then what strategy did you use?" Cao Pi asked without thinking.

Liu Ye's smile froze instantly.