Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3405 Businessmen pursue profits

Although the power of stone bullets is not as great as that of artillery, they are cheaper and last longer.

With the obvious collapse of the buildings on top of Yuyang City, the Fengyuan and the chevaux-de-frise near the Yuyang City Gate became the targets of the stone cannons. Fengyuan was basically a mud wall, which was difficult to push down with manpower, but if the stone bullets hit it directly, it would be like a stone hitting mud, knocking down one by one.

The same thing happened to the wooden chevaux de frise and stakes near the city gate, which trembled under the impact of the stone bullets.

In the interval between the stone bullet attacks, Cao Chun hid in the corridor behind the city wall.

It is relatively safer here, and it is also faster to return to the city wall.

The stone bullets hit the walls of Yuyang, and every time they were hit, the walls would tremble. This trembling was also transmitted to Cao Chun's body and heart. Every time a defensive fortification on the wall or outside the wall was destroyed by a stone bullet, Cao Chun felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife, and his confidence in defending Yuyang seemed to be trembling in the same way...

Some of the stone bullets passed over the city wall and hit the streets and houses in Yuyang City. Every time a stone bullet passed over the wall and hit the ground, it caused the people in Yuyang City to scream in fear and flee in panic.

Blood and death shrouded the sky above Yuyang, and the demon who failed in control was laughing in a low voice.

Cao Chun's tears flowed out unconsciously. His hard work, efforts and struggles were nothing compared to these stone bullets.

"No... No!" Cao Chun yelled, "We can't just give up like this! Where are our stone cannons? Why aren't we fighting back? Fight back! Smash them!"

Using artillery against artillery is indeed a method, but this requirement may seem insignificant, but in fact, the upper and lower limits of this requirement are very different.

The lower limit of a catapult is to throw the stone bullet out, and that's it, no matter where the stone bullet will land. As for the upper limit, if you don't have the skills, don't even think about it, like Cao Chun's idea, to accurately weight the stone bullet and then throw it to the right place.

The stone bullets whizzed out from behind the Yuyang wall and fell in front of the Hussars' positions. Occasionally, some stone bullets bounced into the Hussars' formation, killing and injuring a few soldiers and horses, but most of the other stone bullets from Yuyang's counterattack fell into the air, exposing their position.

Zhao Yun stretched out his hand and pointed at the places on the Yuyang city wall where the stone bullets were coming out. The messenger at the side understood and ran to whisper with the chief craftsman of the catapult position.

After receiving the order, the head craftsman immediately began to calculate, then asked one of the catapults to adjust the angle and start test firing.

After two or three shots, when the test catapult successfully crossed the Yuyang city wall and roughly fell into the area inside the city where the stone bullets were counterattacking, the head craftsman conveyed the modified attack parameters to the other catapults.

On the other hand, Cao's army used mostly civilians to carry stones and pull the trebuchets, so there was basically no accuracy. Almost all the civilians were eager to throw the stones assigned to their groups as soon as possible, without caring about whether to fight back or not, or to follow the instructions of the catapult leader to slightly adjust and change the direction parameters of the stones...

In contrast, the problems caused by Cao's army's system could not be dealt with or eliminated in a short period of time. Therefore, when the catapult manager of Cao's army saw the stones falling from the sky, he was extremely desperate.

The catapult positions in the city were caught off guard, and the soldiers and civilians were smashed to pieces, with blood and flesh flying everywhere, and they fled in panic.

Among them, more than a dozen stone cannons were damaged to varying degrees.

The catapult manager knew something was wrong and immediately ordered people to move the catapults, but not many people listened to his orders. Most people were running away and hiding in panic. When the catapult manager finally captured some people and started to dismantle and move the catapults, the second wave of intensive attacks outside the city came...

The catapult leader was yelling at someone, but the man looked up at the sky with a look of horror, then quickly left the catapult leader behind and ran away.

  The catapult leader felt a chill in his heart, and he couldn't help but raise his head and look at the sky. Then he saw a stone bullet whistling, as if the god of death was possessed by the stone bullet, stretching out his hands towards him, giving him a hug full of power and blood!

The second and third rounds of attacks followed one after another, and the catapult positions in Yuyang City were soon severely damaged. Everyone was in extreme fear and fled in panic. The stone bullets thrown by the cavalry outside the city poured down in batches, destroying the few stone cannons in the city and making them no longer able to form a large scale.

When Cao Chun saw that the catapults outside the city were not suppressed, he roared and threatened to punish the catapult leader. However, when he heard that the catapult leader had been smashed to death, he fell silent and sat on the corridor against the city wall, with a bit of despair in his eyes. He felt like he was thrown into a bottomless pool, and countless wronged souls were dragging him down into the abyss. All his previous anger and cowardice were just instinctive struggles during the fall.

The next day, Zhao Yun led the cavalry and continued the attack.

On the third day, the attack continued.

By the fourth day, Cao Chun was in tears and squatted on the ground with his head in his hands, feeling extremely desperate.

  Many Cao's soldiers in the city were also in despair. Like Cao Chun, they could not understand why the Hussars had so many stone bullets, and how these catapults could last so long without breaking down? Were they all iron men? Were the catapults also made of iron? Didn't they need to rest? Didn't they need to repair?

By the time Zhao Yun had finished firing his stone bullets, there was almost no intact defensive fortifications in the direction of the attack on Yuyang City. The gate towers and corner towers were completely destroyed, the horse faces and additional sentry posts also collapsed, and many holes were smashed in Wengcheng and Fengyuan...

Yuyang City is in danger.

……

……

Jizhou is very big.

Jizhou is also very small.

This kind of size is relative. Without a comparison target, it has no special meaning.

In Julu County, Jizhou, there was a moderately large farm with about a hundred tenant farmers who worked from sunrise to sunset.

The war seemed far away from here.

For the tenants in this manor, if nothing changes, they have been farming and living here since their ancestors, and their children will grow up here and continue to work here.

One generation after another.

However, things seem to be a little different during this period.

In the manor, some tenants looked somewhat panicked. This panic was caused by seeing and encountering something they had never encountered in their lives, just like a group of elk smelling gunpowder and blood, even if they were not sure where it came from, they still instinctively panicked.

However, the panic was suppressed by the visible and hidden sentries set up at various intersections and high places in the manor.

The tenants secretly observed these bloody outsiders through the cracks of the doors, under the window lintels, and on the low walls, thinking that they were well hidden and would not be discovered. Then they warned their children not to go out...

Because these outsiders were the hussars in Jizhou who were said to eat human hearts and livers and dig out human intestines.

As for why these hussars did not dig out the tenants' hearts, livers, stomachs and intestines and eat them, the tenants did not know...

Amid the chaos and war in Youzhou, Wei Yan was enjoying the leisurely pace of peace and tranquility in the midst of turmoil.

If we talk about who is the most daring general in the history of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Yan is more or less at the top. You can say he is stupid or foolish, but we have to admit that this guy's courage is like his sexual courage, which can cover the sky.

After Wei Yan disturbed Yecheng in Jizhou, he actually wandered around Taihang Mountain and sneaked back...

At this moment, the guy who was with Wei Yan was also a brave guy, Cui Hou.

Wei Yan patted Cui Hou's neck, as if he was patting a dog's neck, "You... How can I say you are good? Huh? You did something stupid before, and now you want to show your loyalty... Tell me, do you believe it yourself?" Cui Hou lowered his head and smiled apologetically, "General, saints make mistakes, and a villain like me will certainly make mistakes... But I know my mistakes and can correct them, and I am willing to make amends!"

Wei Yan laughed, "Yes, you are a businessman, you like to make a small profit and earn money. Nowadays, what business is bigger than Jizhou? Bigger than the world?"

"Yes, yes, the general is right!" Cui Hou nodded repeatedly. If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging like a flower.

Businessmen pursue profit.

Everyone in the world is cursing.

But in fact, most people are pursuing profit, it’s just that the external manifestation of this "profit" is different.

"Aren't you afraid that the Lord will not recognize your achievements?" Wei Yan smiled, but his eyes were sharp as he stared at Cui Hou, "And before in Taiyuan... didn't you have any resentment at all?"

Cui Hou did not hesitate at all, "General, please understand! I have known the General of the Cavalry for a long time, and I know the rules of the Cavalry... Mistakes are mistakes, and merits are merits, unless it is treason, otherwise... So in fact, I surrendered to Cao's army temporarily in order to save my life with the axe on my neck, and I did not really intend to rebel!"

"And..." Cui Hou smiled flatteringly, "If I had sacrificed myself before, I would have been known as a loyal and righteous person, but it would have been an empty reputation. How could it compare to the real benefit of helping the general gain military merit now?"

Wei Yan laughed.

This is indeed the reason why Wei Yan could temporarily accept Cui Hou's kindness. If Cui Hou was the type who wanted to rebel, Wei Yan might have just drawn his sword and killed him when they met. However, Cui Hou was captured and surrendered by Cao's army. It can be said that he was incompetent, cowardly, and a useless person, but he was still a certain distance away from actively rebelling against the cavalry...

Of course, this does not mean that Wei Yan has absolved Cui Hou of the crime, but the charge will ultimately be determined by the Cavalry. Wei Yan is only cooperating temporarily and their interests are temporarily aligned.

"You said this Ju family son..." Wei Yan changed the subject, "Can he really be trusted?"

To Wei Yan, Cui Hou was barely half his own person, while Ju Hu was a complete stranger.

Although they had cooperated before, stealing and selling military rations was nothing compared to what was happening now.

Cui Hou also knew that this matter was not a joke, so he said solemnly: "General, you probably don't know what happened between the Ju family and the Cao family... every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor..."

From a certain perspective, Ju Shou also died in obscurity in Youzhou, which was somewhat related to the strategy of Youzhou at that time. If Wei Yan didn't ask for clarification, he would not be able to feel at ease.

After Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao, he wanted to control Jizhou, so he naturally could not let Ju Shou stay in Jizhou or the core position of the court, so he had to transfer Ju Shou away. It was this kind of exclusion and suppression that was the main reason for Ju Shou's depression and death. It can be said that at that time, whether it was the cavalry or the Hu people, even if they attacked Youzhou, they were not the "murderer" who killed Ju Shou.

Moreover, if one really had to fight on the battlefield and was captured and killed on the spot because of one's inferior wisdom or martial arts, generally there would be no reason for resentment. Even if one fell into a trap or was ambushed, no one would seek revenge on anyone...

Unless someone commits some extraordinary act after killing the person, such as whipping the corpse, it will only cause resentment.

Wei Yan listened without making any comment.

This is just Cui Hou's one-sided statement.

Wei Yan still had to judge the real situation himself.

However, judging from the current situation, Ju Hu is indeed sincere in cooperating. At least Wei Yan's current hiding place was provided by Ju Hu, and no Cao army soldiers have come...

While they were talking, the soldier on duty outside came to report that Ju Hu had arrived.

Wei Yan rolled his eyes, then stood up, went down the hall, and stood at the gate of the courtyard to greet them.

After all, Ju Hu is Zhuangzi's master, so he should be given some face.

Not long after, Ju Hu arrived. After seeing Wei Yan, he did not say much nonsense. After entering the hall with Wei Yan, he said straight to the point: "General Wei, I have a plan that can help the cavalry take Jizhou!"

……

……

While Cao Chun was being beaten up by Zhao Yun, Jizhou was still arguing over whether to send troops or rescue Youzhou.

Ever since they learned that the Protector General of the Northern Territory was marching into Youzhou, the people of Jizhou had been in a panic. Both officially and privately, they sent a large number of scouts to Youzhou to gather information.

Of course, these scouts and sentries may not all be used to investigate military intelligence...

After all, the Jizhou people were still quite afraid that Zhao Yun's army would march straight in and plunder from Youzhou to Jizhou like the Hu people. When these scouts reported that Zhao Yun was besieging Yuyang and not plundering like the Hu people, the Jizhou people immediately split up.

  Some of them were howling and demanding that Cao's army withdraw from the front line immediately to come to the rescue! After all, things can only happen once or twice, but not three times. Jizhou was first stabbed in the back by Taishi Ci, and some time ago it was messed up by Wei Yan. If Zhao Yun messed with it again, it would really be worse than death! So this part of the people was determined to ask Cao's army to keep the cavalry out of Jizhou!

Another group of people criticized the generals' abilities of the Cao and Xiahou families, saying, "See, I have said this a long time ago." And then their words implied that it was all Cao's own fault. If they had vigorously promoted and used the people from Jizhou before, there would definitely not be such a difficult situation now. Now all this is the result of Cao's own actions!

Others were calling for the dispatch of heavy troops to block the main roads before the Hussars arrived, and to "fortify the borders of Youzhou and Jizhou" so as not to leave any manpower and property to the Hussars...

  That’s right, no matter which part of the Jizhou people came from, no one mentioned the matter of reinforcements, as if the world only wanted to preserve peace in Jizhou, then it didn’t matter what happened in other places!

As a result, before the people from Jizhou could come to a final conclusion about Youzhou, problems arose themselves!

Shanggu Pass is a place that is definitely a must-fight place for military strategists. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, many battles took place here, and the contention was fierce. Moreover, this place is one of the Eight Passes of Taihang Mountain. Logically speaking, this place should be very important and heavily guarded. However, in fact, this pass is a "cowardly pass"...

The role played by Shanggu Pass in history is always awkward, not as glorious as people imagine. The adjective "one man guarding the pass is invincible against ten thousand men" has never been necessarily associated with it. The reason is very simple. There are mountains here, but they are not dangerous. There are rivers, but they are not deep. Although there is a pass, the outer hilltops must be defended. Otherwise, if the hilltops are lost, Shanggu Pass will have no danger to defend and will be defeated without a fight.

After the commander of Shanggu Pass learned about the change in Youzhou, he immediately burned the simple wooden bridge originally built on the Juma River and prepared for battle. As expected, the troops from Bingzhou, led by Yan Rou, arrived at the pass and tried to build a floating bridge on the Juma River twice, but were discovered by the commander and destroyed by rockets. The two sides were in a stalemate for a while.

But what Liu Zhi, the commander of Shanggu Pass, didn't expect was that the alarm he sent out did not bring reinforcements, but visitors...

Frustrated.

Liu Zhi was originally a descendant of Liu Zhi of Julu.

This Liu family member, who should have been a hero of the Eastern Han Dynasty and should have enjoyed the rich returns from his ancestors' investment in Liu Xiu, was implicated in the rebellion of King Liu Ying of Chu, which led to his downfall from a first-class family to a lower-class poor family.

Not everyone can accept such a dramatic change in family circumstances...

The same is true for Ju Hu. He has no good feelings towards the Cao and Xiahou families.

  Ju Hu believed that the current predicament faced by his family, and even the entire Jizhou, was the fault of the Cao family. If it were not for Cao Cao, then his Ju family would at least be much better and more prosperous now!

When Ju Hu met Liu Zhi, he said straight away that the people of Jizhou should fight for Jizhou!

This sentence immediately set the tone for all the discussions, and even made Liu Zhi's face change. He couldn't even utter the words he had thought of to politely refuse!