Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3403 The Farthest End

Fei Qian also played with building blocks when he was a child.

All the building blocks will eventually point to a building, a tower.

In the beginning, stacking is undoubtedly simple.

Even if you just randomly place a ball, you can frame the ball by adding bars or squares later, or you can use the ball as part of the base of the tower.

The difficult part is at the back, at the high point. The higher you go, the easier it is to collapse.

So Fei Qian cannot be impatient. He has to handle each building block carefully and make sure that the building blocks are stable and will not shake before moving on to the next step until the tower is completed.

Otherwise, a small shake in the lower layer will eventually cause a large deviation in the upper layer.

Fei Qian is now dealing with the newly added building block of Hedong Yuncheng.

Originally Fei Qian thought it would be even slower and more troublesome, and Fei Qian even discussed it with Xun Chen in advance and asked Xun Chen to prepare. However, what Fei Qian did not expect was that Pei Ji accelerated the process.

Pei Ji was like a catalyst, but he himself had no vested interests in the matter. The ones who reacted were Fei Qian and the diehards of the old Yuncheng gentry. Originally, Fei Qian might have needed some time to identify and eliminate these diehards, but now the time was shortened and the effect was more thorough.

These diehards were not unaware of the situation they were facing, nor had they not seen the force displayed by Fei Qian, but the concepts in their heads could not be changed. A big man is a big man, but a family is a family.

Under this old idea, these guys tried to come up with a new equation: Hussars are Hussars.

Under this guiding ideology, some of the old noble families in Hedong still refused to accept Fei Qian's overt and covert statements that things were different now. But what was interesting was that these people were often the stupidest among the noble children, and the first to be betrayed.

Just like now, Pei Ji went out for a circle and harvested a row of heads.

Fei Qian sat at the top, looking at the heads.

Men, women, old and young, are like the harvest in the fields, every grain is stored in the warehouse.

Pei Ji showed no mercy when he chopped off the heads of these guys.

Not only did they chop off the heads, they also registered the purchases and sales one by one according to the roster, doing everything meticulously.

"Among these, are there any people that Wen Heng is familiar with?" Fei Qian asked.

Pei Ji did not shy away from the question and nodded, saying: "I do have an acquaintance. However, I am willing to go to the Western Regions. As for our old friendship... it doesn't matter!"

Fei Qian nodded.

This is a ruthless person.

However, in a place like the Western Regions, being indecisive and hesitant will definitely not work.

Fei Qian said, "It's a long journey to the Western Regions. Wenheng, do you have anything you haven't done yet or are worried about? Please tell me."

Pei Ji bowed and said, "Thank you, my lord. I do have something to ask for your help. My second brother is a weak character and a bit pedantic. Now I have killed these traitors, but there are many marriages in Hedong, so it is inevitable that there are some omissions. Once I leave..."

"I understand." Fei Qian nodded, "I'll keep this in mind. Is there anything else?"

Pei Ji fell to the ground, "There is nothing else to do."

Fei Qian walked down, helped Pei Ji up, and then had someone present him with a brocade robe, a set of armor, and a war horse as a gift to Pei Ji.

After Pei Ji expressed his gratitude, he followed the team to Chang'an and set off directly without even returning to Anyi City.

Nowadays, Longmen Ferry and Puban Ferry on the river are still under Fei Qian's control. As for convenience, the water flow is naturally not as smooth as that of Shanjin Ferry, but it operates normally and is not a big problem for transporting some troops and supplies.

Killing is often the choice made when the conflict between two parties cannot be reconciled or compromised, and when there is no room for coexistence.

Fei Qian wanted to break the old subordinate relationships in Hedong and release the land controlled and concealed by the old aristocratic families and powerful people, so he could not avoid conflicts with these old aristocratic families and powerful people.

On this point, Fei Qian could not give in.

Otherwise, everything he has done before will lose its meaning and will cause suspicion and turmoil in the original political group.

Therefore, if these old aristocratic families and gentry are also unwilling to make concessions, they will naturally be left with no way out.

Fei Qian did not leave room for maneuver, nor was he completely opposed to the sale of land.

From a certain perspective, land transactions are not a bad thing from an economic perspective.

Land can also be considered a commodity. It is meaningless to simply talk about the "good or evil" of this commodity.

It's like discussing the "good or evil" of a knife.

What Fei Qian opposed and guarded against was "land annexation", because this had deviated from normal economic exchanges. Instead, the landlord class used various means to seize and rob the land-owning farmers, forcing them to sell their land and properties and become propertyless tenants.

  Note, it’s “plundering by trickery”!

Especially the "plundering" that is covered up under the guise of being in compliance with the "law"!

The tenant farmers have devoted their entire lives to the "right to use" the land, but are firmly bound by the "right to use" the land and have lost all their vitality and creativity.

This is sad and even more terrifying.

Especially in Hedong, there are a large number of hidden real estates.

These hidden properties did not reduce the output of the farmland accordingly because of their hidden nature. On the contrary, these hidden farmland properties not only destroyed the institutional system of the state operation, but also strengthened the ambitions of the landlord class, causing one feudal dynasty after another to enter an irreversible cycle.

Fei Qian first used gentle means to ease the situation, which showed an inclusive attitude.

But then it showed its tough side of force, which again showed that it was a decision that could not be negotiated.

If you still don't change and adapt after being given two chances, then you will only end up in destruction.

If it wasn't during the interwar period, Fei Qian might have been more patient and given more time, perhaps fewer people would have died.

Pei Ji left with the family tree. Perhaps one day a new Pei family will appear in the Western Regions, but at least it will be different from the old Pei family.

New things will always replace old things, no matter how much humans miss the old things.

After humans eat barbecued cooked meat, they can never go back to eating raw meat and drinking blood. Even if they may eat sashimi once or twice, they certainly can't eat raw or cold food every day.

This is the simplest development and change.

Once a feudal dynasty stops, it will decline and fall.

Only forward.

Keep moving forward and expanding to the farthest end that human power and productivity can reach!

Then even if they really fall, there are Chinese people who will remember that they once came so far and built so big, instead of staying in a small room and calling themselves the Celestial Empire with abundant resources!

Sometimes, Fei Qian feels that he is becoming less and less of a human being...

Just like when facing these heads, Fei Qian might have felt nauseous, vomited, and frightened in the earlier years, but now he can stroll leisurely in the blood, and then easily eliminate the lives of so many people.

  I am also constantly moving forward!

Even if he wants to stop, there will probably be many people who don't want to and will push him forward.

until...

As far as humanly possible!

Fei Qian thought quietly for a moment, then raised his voice and said, "Come here! Hang these heads on the top of Anyi City and expose them to the sun for three days as a warning to others! Also, order the captain to come and discuss the matter!"

……

……

The cavalry army rolled forward, and Xu Chu's vanguard joined forces with Sima Yi and Li Li.

"You did a great job." Xu Chu said to Li Li, "Don't worry about temporary failures and setbacks. Under the command of the lord, as long as you are willing to follow this tricolor flag and move forward, and don't stop, you don't have to worry about no one to help you fall or bandage your wounds!"

Li Li kowtowed, "I will die to repay my lord's kindness!" Xu Chu helped Li Li up.

Sima Yi bowed on the side.

Xu Chu nodded, "Let's discuss military affairs first. I won't talk about other things later."

The old Han military system was very strange.

On the one hand, there is a crime of failing the army, and it is very strict. No matter how many times you have won before, as long as you lose once, you must be punished. On the other hand, they also advocate that "victory and defeat are common in the military", so that some people can use this backdoor to slip away at certain times, and then take office again after the situation calms down...

What Fei Qian did, that is, the Military Academy, was relatively fair.

At least the punishment was agreed upon by everyone and no one could object.

For example, Lu Bu.

The three of them quickly put aside their previous successes and failures and began to discuss the Zhongtiao Mountain camp in front of them.

In the past few days, the Cavalry Army, under the command of Sima Yi and Li Li, has basically controlled the loess area at the foot of the northern side of Zhongtiao Mountain, and has also carried out some preliminary reconnaissance and other preparatory work.

The entire battlefield was swept, and the main roads were even checked back and forth several times to ensure that no traps or secret passages were missed.

A temporary thatched hut was built on the high ground, and a guard post was set up to take turns on duty every twelve hours.

In addition, because Cao's army has polluted and blocked the water sources more than ten miles north of the Zhongtiao Mountain camp, they are now digging and cleaning them up, and on the other hand, they have established two supply routes from more distant water sources, using water trucks for transportation.

People in Shandong probably cannot understand the familiarity of water trucks on the Loess Plateau.

After Xu Chu had a brief understanding of the situation, his first thing was to go to the front line with Sima Yi and Li Li.

The soldiers of the Hussar Army were building a camp, and the dust they raised covered the sky.

The Cao army on Zhongtiao Mountain obviously saw this situation, but did not send out any troops to harass or attack the camp built by Xu Chu's vanguard.

Sima Yi pointed to Cao's Zhongtiao Mountain camp and said that Cao's army initially had some cavalry units, but as the battle continued, these cavalry were gradually consumed, so now it would be difficult for Cao's army to stop us from building a camp with just infantry.

After all, there was still a certain distance between the two sides. Cavalry was fine, but if they only used infantry, they would have to march more than ten miles to attack, and then they would have to be surrounded and intercepted by the cavalry of the cavalry before they could get back...

Therefore, Cao's army could only watch the Hussars setting up camp, helpless.

"Do you have a plan for the main attack direction?"

Xu Chu sat upright on his horse, looking at the Zhongtiao Mountain camp from the plateau.

"Yes." Sima Yi pointed out, "The direction that Lieutenant Li and I attacked last time was one of them... But the Cao army has not been idle during this period. They are making some arrangements on the mountain. They should have strengthened the defense of these locations..."

Xu Chu took out his telescope, squinted his eyes and looked for a while, then nodded, "There is smoke and dust on the mountain."

Sima Yi nodded, "Either they are building civil engineering, or they are ambushing."

"What about other passages?" Xu Chu asked. "I remember there are a few, but they are not easy to travel by horse."

Sima Yi nodded and said, "That's right. I have been here with Hao Bodao before. Some places are really steep and difficult to ride on horseback. And after what happened last time... I think Cao's army will be more cautious..."

Hao Zhao is now stationed in Puban to guard against Cao's army's detour and sneak attack on the flank.

Xu Chu nodded, "Zhongda, do you think Cao's army will take the small road to attack our army?"

The road is there, if Sima Yi can take it, Cao's army can certainly take it as well.

Sima Yi said, "It is indeed possible, but I have sent people to watch several mountain passes day and night..."

"Several mountain passes." Xu Chu nodded, and understood. "It is indeed difficult to take care of everything. Such a big mountain... If I am not familiar with the specific terrain, it is easy to go wrong if I lead the troops into the mountain."

Sima Yi nodded and sighed, "That's right. It's a pity that two of the guides died last time, otherwise we could have asked the craftsmen to make a sand table map... The Qiang people are illiterate, and if more people verify each other, it will be more accurate. If only one or two people dictate the map, it will harm the army."

"Well, it's better to be cautious." Xu Chu agreed.

Most of the roads Sima Yi used to attack Zhongtiao Mountain were now blocked, and Sima Yi had not taken any other roads. The Qiang guides' ability to express themselves was really worrying, and there was no time to let the Qiang people take the craftsmen to take a new route to draw a map...

Xu Chu and Sima Yi looked at the Zhongtiao Mountain lying like a giant snake, and couldn't help feeling emotional.

Previously, it was Cao's army that attacked Emeiyuan, and now it is their army that attacks Zhongtiao Mountain.

Every peck and every sip seems to be destined.

Cao's army had trouble with Emeiyuan in the past, and now it is the turn of Xu Chu and others to have a headache with Zhongtiao Mountain.

"If I march, I will divide my troops into three groups. One group will be used for feinting, one group will be used for intercepting, and the other group will be used to break into the outer circle of Cao's camp..." Xu Chu gestured, "Enter from that intersection, and then turn around the valley... The only one that may be threatened is the Cao army camp in the valley. If it is shot down by bows and crossbows from a high position, there will definitely be a lot of losses..."

Sima Yi nodded and said, "General, this route is good. But I also thought of another way, which is from there... That mountain is higher than the surrounding area, so we can seize that mountain first, and then suppress the rest of the small ones..."

"That hilltop is not big, I'm afraid not many people can go up there." Xu Chu turned the telescope and observed for a while, "With too few people, we can't suppress the enemy. With too many people, we will be crowded on the hill, which will reveal Cao's weakness..."

Sima Yi laughed and said, "I just want to expose a flaw to Cao's army!"

"Oh?" Xu Chu suddenly realized, "Now I understand a little bit more..."

"It's just that we failed to find out the location of Cao's stone cannons in the last attack. But I think they should be in these few places..." Sima Yi pointed with his finger.

"Stone cannons..." Xu Chu showed a complicated expression on his face, "Zhongda, how many stone cannons do you think Cao's army will deploy here?"

"The number of tanks that can be deployed varies from hill to hill," Sima Yi said quickly. "If we deploy our troops densely, with one tank every fifty feet, there will be a hundred tanks on a large hill, and thirty to fifty on a small hill... But I think Cao's troops are deployed in three lines, mainly to suppress the mountain roads, so the overall number should not be large... There are probably three to five hundred tanks distributed on each mountain road..."

"Three to five hundred..." Xu Chu repeated half of the sentence.

"Yes, and because stone bullets and oil bullets are difficult to make, the first wave should be the most fierce..." Sima Yi said, "I want to occupy that mountain for this purpose. If I can climb up and look, I can first detect the location of their stone cannons, and then I can use the big yellow crossbow to destroy them..."

"Food and grass. How is the food and grass situation of Cao's army? Can we sneak some people in to burn the food and grass?" Xu Chu asked again.

Sima Yi shook his head, "It's difficult."

Sima Yi gave a brief account of his previous actions with Hao Zhao, saying that Cao's army should have dug some caves in the mountains to store food and grass, so unless they invaded the camp, the caves would be the only place where they could destroy the food and grass.

Trying to set fire to food from a long distance is not very effective.

The key point is that Sima Yi thinks that Cao's army should not have much stored food and grass. It made sense to take the risk to burn Cao's food and grass before, but if he tries to burn it now, the effect may be very mediocre...

Xu Chu thought about it and nodded, giving up the idea of ​​burning the food and grass.

Xu Chu discussed with Sima Yi for a while, and suddenly turned around and saw Li Li standing aside, looking a little overwhelmed, so he asked: "Captain Li, what are you doing? What's the matter?"

Li Li asked with some confusion: "General Xu, are we going to attack immediately?"

"Who said that?" Xu Chu was stunned for a moment, then he understood, laughed and turned to Sima Yi and asked, "Zhongda, haven't you discussed this in the past few days?"

Sima Yi smiled and said, "Captain Li has just been promoted, and he is not familiar with some things... Captain Li and I have never discussed this before."

Sima Yi emphasized "so", Xu Chu understood, and waved Li Li closer, "Don't be restrained... You are now a lieutenant, you need to get familiar with this matter as soon as possible... The lord is wise, since he entered Chang'an, he has said the most that he is afraid of not having enough talents, not afraid of too many talents! And as a front-line commander, the most important thing is to make decisions on the spot... And this ability to make decisions on the spot, how can it be said to be there?"

  Of course, it was impossible for Xu Chu and Sima Yi to command the troops to attack right now, but facing such a big battle, which might very well change the course of the entire Han Dynasty, how could they not be excited?

Xu Chu and Sima Yi's discussion before the battle was also for the purpose of accumulating experience for the future...

After all, the world is so big that there are always some battles to fight.

Li Li understood a little bit, but also didn't understand a little bit.

But before Li Li could figure this out, he saw several cavalrymen running over from behind them. It was obvious that something was going on...