Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3408 Going in the wrong direction

early morning.

Ji County.

Yuyang and Jixian can almost be said to have a relationship as interdependent as lips and teeth.

The lights in the Ji County government office were on all night long.

Xiahou Heng sat at the top, his face a little pale.

At the end of last year, he was transferred from Yecheng to Youzhou as the logistics director of the Youzhou front, replacing Xiahou Shang. As soon as he took office, Xiahou Heng felt that the atmosphere in Youzhou was not right.

It's not right.

In the past few years, dozens of battles, large and small, have been fought in Youzhou. Not to mention the soldiers killed and wounded, countless innocent people have been implicated.

  In addition, this area is colder than other areas of the Han Dynasty, so many capable people in Youzhou are trying their best to migrate to the Central Plains or other places, and some are even fleeing to Liaodong!

This undoubtedly made it difficult for Xiahou Heng, who originally wanted to come to Youzhou to show off his skills and demonstrate his ability in logistics and civil affairs management, to achieve his goal.

This is a very troublesome problem.

There are still people eating, but there are fewer people producing food.

  How to do?

Xiahou Heng certainly knew the importance of recuperation, but the current war did not allow him to do anything to recuperate, so he could only let the people of Youzhou continue to suffer!

Are we really going to make the noble who came here from afar to serve as an official suffer?

However, such an approach will create an even more serious vicious cycle.

Even if they transferred soldiers from Jizhou or Yuzhou, it would be a huge problem for the population to come to Youzhou. No one likes to come to this icy and snowy place, and no one likes to go to a place where they may have to fight bloody battles at any time.

The country is on the verge of collapse, people's livelihood is declining, and countless lives are suffering. All negative words can be used to describe Youzhou.

Xiahou Heng had finally survived the winter and spring, and waited until the autumn harvest season. He was thinking that he could take a breath and have some glory in his achievements, but then Zhao Yun came!

  The Northern Region Cavalry Army broke through Gubeikou. Youzhou's defense system was like paper. Cao's control over Youzhou was crumbling. Before Xiahou Heng could recover from this shocking news, the news that Yuyang was besieged arrived!

How to do?

Save or not?

Although Xiahou Heng and Cao Chun had plans and agreements, the current situation is changing too fast!

Are the original plans and agreements still valid?

It would obviously be inappropriate not to save them.

  Not to mention how destructive it would be to Cao's army, especially to the emotional ties between the Cao and Xiahou families, if something like "doing nothing to help" happened. There were only those cavalrymen in Yuyang City. However, Cao's army only had a few field cavalrymen left. If they were to be lost in Yuyang, then what would they use to stop the Hussar Army when it marched south to Jizhou in the future?

In the previous battle, Youzhou's army suffered considerable losses, especially the war horses.

This delicate odd-hoofed creature, apart from being able to run, has no eyesight or sense of smell, its only attacking move is kicking, its skin is not rough, its flesh is not thick, its leg bones are easily broken, and even its blood circulation and cooling system are inferior products. Without human assistance in breeding and reproduction, there is absolutely no way that it can form a super-large scale in nature...

Previously, in order to replenish war horses, Cao Chun had targeted the Hu people, but he did not expect that the Hu people were actually targeting Cao Chun in return, and in the end, the Northern Territory took advantage of him.

Xiahou Heng called everyone together to discuss the matter, but it was clear that no one had any good ideas.

In the end, Xiahou Heng had no other choice but to force them to do something. Someone suggested that they try to recruit some warriors.

Use a lot of money.

After all, no matter what time, money always has some use. People die for money and birds die for food.

But the problem is that Xiahou Heng is short of money. He tells everyone bluntly that the country is in danger and the Han Dynasty is about to collapse. Since they are subjects of the Han Dynasty, they should take it as their responsibility to save the country!

Since I can sacrifice my life for my country, what do I need money for? !

When the war is over, Youzhou will be stable, the country will be stable, and everyone will have money...

Everyone took a deep breath and contributed to making Youzhou more warm and comfortable.

Yuyang needed to be rescued, but not all the troops in Ji County could be sent out, and the safety of Ji County itself had to be considered. So Xiahou Heng decided to send half of the troops to rescue Yuyang.

The decision to rescue was very difficult.

Because no matter who it is, no one is willing to face the Hussars now.

Everyone has a record in his or her heart.

  If it had happened a few years earlier, now more and more people feel that the General of the Cavalry has the qualifications to dominate the world, so basically everyone is secretly studying Fei Qian, speculating whether Fei Qian is good or bad? When Fei Qian really comes to power, will he still be a hero of the Han Dynasty like in the past? Or will he bring disaster to the country and the people like Dong Zhuo?

No one knows the answer.

The sources of information in Shandong were very confusing. In addition, with war raging everywhere and roads blocked, ordinary people could seldom get any useful information.

Big guy?

Emperor?

  Now basically not many people really care, being able to live, or being able to settle down and have food to eat, many people are already very satisfied. However, in Shandong, there are still many people who think Fei Qian will definitely be a disaster like Dong Zhuo, after all, wasn't Dong Zhuo also a hero of the Han Dynasty?

To be honest, Fei Qian was also domineering. After all, he had also forced Xu County with his troops and seized the military and political power of Guanzhong and the north from the emperor and the court. And since that time, Fei Qian has always been outside the court of the Han Dynasty, which is very similar to Dong Zhuo back then. If Fei Qian now tries to balance the country again and tries to divide the country and establish his own regime, then he will do more things that harm the country. If this person is not a traitor to the Han Dynasty, who is he?

Therefore, in Shandong, including in Youzhou, many people are confused and can only follow others. They do whatever others do. They are ignorant and unable to distinguish right from wrong.

Just as Ji County was urgently preparing to go to Yuyang to rescue Cao Chun, a scout ran into Ji County in a panic, covered in mud and sweat, his face extremely pale: "Something bad is happening! Yijing has fallen!"

Xiahou Heng and everyone else were shocked and stood up together.

Xiahou Heng pointed at the scout and asked sternly: "Is the information accurate?"

"I saw it with my own eyes..." the scout recounted hastily.

The scout was originally heading towards Yijing for daily communication, but he didn't expect to see fireworks rising into the sky from the city of Yijing before he even reached it. So he quietly moved closer, only to find that the Hussars who appeared out of nowhere had raided Yijing!

  Yijing was lost!

Xiahou Heng and several of his subordinates looked at each other in shock.

Youzhou is in danger.

Cao Chun is in danger too!

"Chief Secretary! General Cao is still confronting the Hussars in Yuyang!" said a man at the bottom, "Now that Yijing has been lost, Youzhou's retreat is almost cut off! If...if..."

Even if the two are not said out loud, everyone can understand the meaning.

  Yijing is an important connecting point between Youzhou and Jizhou. If it is captured by the Cavalry Army now, it would mean that Youzhou’s retreat has been cut off!

Cao Chun, Xiahou Heng, and all the people in Youzhou will be surrounded by the cavalry!

  What surprised Xiahou Heng and others even more was that Yi Jing was located in a relatively backward position, with pass guards nearby. Logically, he should have been relatively safe, but he was ambushed by the Hussars!

For a moment, everyone was filled with awe and fear for the Hussars.

It seemed like the Hussars would appear anywhere in the next moment...

The last time Wei Yan caused trouble in Jizhou, it was also so incredible.

Xiahou Heng managed to calm himself down, hid his shaking hands in his sleeves, and then asked the scout a few more questions.

Where did the Hussars come from and from which direction?

How many cavalrymen were there in the raid on Yijing?

How many cavalry and infantry?

Have you seen any follow-up personnel?

Did Jizhou notice that Yijing had fallen?

So wait.

There are some questions that the scouts can answer, and there are some questions that the scouts cannot answer at all.

The scout was extremely frightened at the time, and it was considered a great achievement for him to be able to get close and take a look. After all, if he was discovered by the scouts of the Hussars, he would definitely not be able to come back alive.

  How to do?

A new situation has emerged. Should Yuyang be saved?

The retreat route was blocked. Even if Yuyang was saved, after losing the support of Jizhou, the defeat of Youzhou had already entered the countdown.

The current situation is to either open up the road as soon as possible and recapture Yijing, or quickly notify Cao Chun not to stay in Yuyang any longer and to withdraw troops as quickly as possible and escape from Youzhou!

Moreover, Xiahou Heng felt that the Cavalry Army was able to appear in Yijing silently, which must have been supported by some people, either Youzhou people or Jizhou people...

Otherwise, it would be impossible to capture a city like Yijing without any prior warning.

Today, Youzhou is being attacked from both sides...

No, attack from three sides!

  And there are these traitors from within!

Xiahou Heng's eyes swept over the people around him, trying to see whose face had the word "thief and treason" written on it, but it was obvious that he couldn't see it.

Youzhou’s defeat is a foregone conclusion.

Even if he went to support Cao Chun, it would be like a drop in the bucket and would be of no help. Even if Xiahou Heng fought bravely and died on the battlefield, he would not be able to change the entire situation in Youzhou.

This situation makes people despair.

Xiahou Heng sighed deeply. To the people of Shandong, both Dong Zhuo and Fei Qian seemed so powerful and invincible, but they were both Han traitors who brought disaster to the country. Was the Han Dynasty really going to be completely defeated?

"Chief Secretary! While the Hussars are still unstable, quickly contact General Cao and ask him to retreat!"

"We have no choice but to retreat now. Otherwise, if we are surrounded, we will all be alone!" "Youzhou is just a tiny place. It is not a pity to lose it, but Jizhou must not be lost!"

"If all the troops are lost in Youzhou, what will happen to Jizhou?"

"Chief Secretary! Make a decision quickly!"

"The overall situation is important!"

Listening to the persuasion from left and right, beads of sweat rolled down Xiahou Heng's face.

……

……

"Quick! Speed ​​up!"

Liu Ye was sitting in the car. Although the bumpy road caused him to sway so much that he had to hold on to the railings of the vehicle to steady himself, he still shouted at his men to speed up.

The scepter representing the emperor was waving in front of the vehicle.

Vehicle, canopy.

Scepter, angel.

These things should have originally represented the majesty of the Han Dynasty, but now, like this official road, they have fallen into disrepair and are full of potholes.

The gorgeous patterns on the vehicle have now faded, and even the clamps used to secure the walking stick are loose, as if they will break at any time, forcing Liu Ye to hold on to the vehicle's railing while also holding the walking stick tightly in his arms.

Like a drowning person, grabbing and holding on to the last piece of driftwood.

"What's going on ahead?!" Liu Ye suddenly noticed something unusual ahead.

As the group was marching forward, they suddenly saw smoke and dust rising on the official road in the distance. However, it was rather scattered and did not look like the towering dust of an army, let alone cavalry.

"Looks like... a pedestrian..."

When saying the word "pedestrian", the guard stuttered a little.

  Because everyone knows that at this point in time, how could there be any ordinary "pedestrians" on the road leading north to Youzhou?

Sure enough, after walking a little further, we discovered that those people walking slowly on the road were a group of refugees, or vagrants, who were ragged and looked tired.

Liu Ye looked at it and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Go ask! Where did it come from!"

Liu Ye ordered.

The guard responded, stepped forward to inquire, and then quickly turned back.

"They were driven here..." the guard replied, "Those people are from the border of Jizhou, because they want to..."

"Fortify the city and clear the countryside?" Liu Ye gritted his teeth, "Go ask who gave the order?!"

  The tactic of scorching the walls and clearing the fields is not something we have never seen before, and it's also something that can't be used. But now the emperor has just issued an edict, and the result is that we are going to scorch the walls and clear the fields, and migrate the people on the border inland. What does this mean?

What’s more, the problem now is Youzhou!

  What Jizhou should do is to find ways to support Youzhou instead of rushing to sever ties with Youzhou!

The guard went around asking around but couldn't find out anything.

The result obtained is "the order from above".

Then, there was nothing...

There is no specific person who issued it, and no one knows where the order came from. Anyway, it is like this, the intention from "the superiors", the order from "above", the writing from "the superiors", but there is no physical object, and no one knows who issued the order.

"..."

Liu Ye was silent for a moment.

In a sense, he is also the "boss", "above", and "superior", but he still knows nothing and is not clear about anything. Even Liu Ye knows that this matter is most likely caused by a local official.

The people moved away, so the government office naturally had no need to exist. The officials could then openly say that it was not that they did not want to fight against the Hussars, but that the "superiors" wanted them to do so, and they were helpless, so they all understood and tolerated each other...

Liu Ye holds the emperor's scepter, so he can step in to take care of it, but does he have the time to do so?

  Are the "small details" of these refugees important, or is the "big picture" of the entire war situation important?

For the sake of the overall situation, can we ignore the details?

Liu Ye gritted his teeth and got back into the car. "Let's go! Forward, forward! Speed ​​up, speed up!"

Above officialdom.

The shabby, faded canopy car headed north.

The ragged, numb-looking people fled south.

Neither side looked at the other again.

……

……

early morning,

Yuyang City.

Cao Chun looked tired. He was patrolling the ruined city wall of Yuyang with a few equally tired guards.

His figure was looming in the morning mist, seeming somewhat lonely and desolate.

There are many people who are willing to enjoy themselves, but few who are willing to endure hardships.

The people in the Cao and Xiahou clans also follow this rule.

Cao Chun hadn't had a good sleep for two days. He only took a nap somewhere when he was extremely sleepy. His face was dark, his feet were weak, and he felt like he was floating in the clouds. He really wanted to lie down and have a good sleep, but there were more and more siege towers and battering rams outside the city, especially those that were larger than ordinary siege towers and battering rams in the distance below the city, which made him uneasy and difficult to fall asleep.

Zhao Yun's catapults dismantled and destroyed most of Yuyang's defensive fortifications, and even cracked the city gates.

Cao Chun temporarily ordered people to add stone bars and sandbags to prevent the cavalry from using gunpowder to break through the gate. At one point, Cao Chun even hoped that the cavalry would send people to blow up the city gate, because Cao Chun had already placed some kerosene near the city gate...

But it is obvious that Zhao Yun does not follow the usual path.

Such a large-sized sieve seems to be designed to allow war horses to directly climb onto the city wall!

crazy!

Must be crazy!

How could there be a siege engine that could allow war horses to climb the city walls? !

Cao Chun had a vague feeling that Zhao Yun seemed to be "experimenting".

The large-sized catapult before, as well as the enlarged siege towers and battering rams now, seemed to confirm Cao Chun's guess.

Cavalry...

Originally, cavalry was not good at attacking cities, but if the ramparts were large enough, the cavalry could run directly to the top of the city walls...

Cao Chun couldn't help but shiver.

  In Jizhou and Yuzhou, how many cities can compare with Yuyang?

If horses can be mounted on the top of Yuyang City, how many city walls cannot be climbed?

Cao Chun didn't dare to think about it.

  In this battle between Cao Cao and Fei Qian, if Fei Qian failed to return in time, or failed to hold out in Hedong, then even if Fei Qian managed to keep Tongguan and Guanzhong, it would be like having one arm cut off!

Shandong will also be stabilized as a result, and the Cavalry Army will not dare to easily invade the desert, threaten or even attack Youzhou!

However, everything has changed now.

The sunlight penetrated the clouds and shone onto the ruined walls of Yuyang City, as well as onto the ranks of the Hussars below the city.

Zhao Yun deployed a simple "品"-shaped formation, with advancing siege equipment and troops in the front and a cavalry array divided into two parts in the back.

Under the tricolor flag flying high, Zhao Yun sat on a white horse, looking at Yuyang City in the distance with a stern expression.

Recovering Youzhou and rebuilding the land of Yan and Zhao has been a wish that Zhao Yun has buried in his heart for a long time.

When Zhao Yun left the Black Mountain Army and joined Fei Qian, he wanted to do something for his hometown. When he actually set foot on the land of Youzhou and saw the decline of Youzhou, this idea became even stronger.

  But first, we must eliminate these pests that are causing trouble for Youzhou!

Zhao Yun raised his hand and then swung it down.

"Dong-dong-dong!" 』

The war drums are beating!