Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3414 No destruction, no establishment

While Cao Chun in Yuyang was desperately resisting the Northern Region Hussar Army, Xiahou Heng in Ji County was already beginning to collapse.

He thought about it for two days and hesitated for two days.

In the end, no plan was thought of.

The reinforcements originally planned to be sent to Yuyang were also stopped because of Yi Jing's alarm.

To the north of Ji County, smoke from beacons rose straight into the sky.

To the south of Ji County, three smoke signals were also raised because Yijing was attacked.

Xiahou Heng stood on the city gate, looking at the smoke signals from the north and south in silence.

A strong feeling of suffocation rushed straight into his heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

How he wished that this was just a nightmare and that he would be safe after daybreak, with all dangers gone.

After hesitating for two days, when Xiahou Heng went up to the city wall again and saw the scene in front of him, his eyes were almost filled with despair.

"Retreat! Chief, at this moment, the Hussars are no match for you and me..."

The deputy beside him whispered to comfort us, "The Northern Territory Cavalry Army is determined to occupy Youzhou... In other words, if we don't withdraw now, we will be doomed!"

"If Jizhou comes to help, Youzhou still has a chance of survival." Another person said, "But now even if Jizhou comes to help, it will be restricted by Yijing, not to mention... most of the people in Jizhou..."

"Withdrawing to Jizhou is obviously safer than defeating the Northern Region Huqi Army."

"As long as we can withdraw to Jizhou, we can save most of our soldiers..."

"If Youzhou can't be defended, it's fine, but if even Jizhou is in danger, that would be really troublesome!"

"Chief! The Northern Territory Hussars only have cavalry. Even after occupying Youzhou, they still need to divide up their troops to command various parties... their speed will definitely slow down... If we burn everything we can't take with us before we leave..."

"To fortify the walls and clear the fields is the key to military strategy!"

A group of people surrounded Xiahou Heng and tried to persuade him. It seemed that they were doing it for Xiahou Heng, for Prime Minister Cao, and for the Han Dynasty, but in fact they were all doing it for their own lives.

  Anyway, I can escape first!

As for lip service to loyalty, everyone knows it.

"Chief Secretary! Judging from the current situation in Youzhou, the greater our losses, the more likely it is that the Hussars will continue to attack Jizhou!" The deputy looked at Xiahou Heng and said with a cupped hand, "Chief Secretary, as long as we can break out of the siege, there is still a possibility of fighting back in the future! Without destruction, there is no construction! Although General Cao's strategy is indeed extraordinary! But... but it is unrealistic! Who can fight against the Hussars in the field now? Not to mention the siege of four counties, even if it is the siege of eight counties, what can we do? To put it bluntly, General Cao... General Cao wants to use our lives to pave the way for his success... I can see it clearly, how can others not know it?"

The deputy said, "Without Jizhou's help, how can we defeat the Hussars with our troops? Please forgive my rudeness, General Cao only focused on Youzhou, but lost sight of the overall situation! But this is not General Cao's fault... After all, General Cao has the responsibility to defend the territory, but the Chief Secretary does not! Please put the overall situation first! Make a quick decision! It will be too late if you delay any further!"

"The overall situation is more important?" Xiahou Heng hesitated, "If we evacuate, we will be blocked in Yijing, and the reinforcements from Jizhou will not arrive. We may be unable to advance or retreat and may be wiped out."

"Chief Secretary! That's why we have to evacuate as soon as possible! We can't delay any longer! Chief Secretary, look at the smoke signals around us!" The deputy pointed at the smoke signals around us, "If we delay any longer and are stuck in Ji County, it won't be considered a complete annihilation. Chief Secretary, if all the soldiers of our Cao and Xiahou families are killed outside... then if something happens in Jizhou... then it will really be a complete annihilation... Chief Secretary, is Jizhou more important, or is the Crown Prince more important, or is General Cao's reputation more important?"

This sentence is really heartbreaking.

Xiahou Heng took a long breath and gritted his teeth. "Retreat, retreat immediately, retreat to Jizhou! We will go to Yijing overnight and break through to Jizhou!"

The order to retreat was passed down one by one.

There was a sudden panic in Ji County.

Although I was somewhat mentally prepared, when the time came, I still felt rushed...

In fact, some people started preparing two days ago, but those who were waiting for orders before doing anything were naturally in a hurry.

The infantry must set out first, and the baggage must follow.

The soldiers of the supervision team drove out all the civilians in Ji County and pretended to be Cao's army and stood in the direction of Yuyang.

The petty officials in the city were busy packing up the gold and silver that they had collected with great difficulty, kicking away the crying mistress, and running away in a hurry. Anyway, there were no trousers in the Han Dynasty, so there was no such thing as not recognizing people after pulling up their trousers.

However, not long after Xiahou Heng was ready to evacuate Ji County, and even before the smoke from the burning of granaries in Ji County rose to the sky, the situation that frightened Cao's army occurred...

The white horse that Xiahou Heng was riding began to neigh restlessly.

"What's going on?"

Xiahou Heng shouted.

He thought that if he rode a white horse, he would be a white horse general, a high-ranking gentleman, but he didn't expect that he might also be a guy who would shout for help when he encountered trouble...

"The Cavalry is coming!"

"It's over! The Hussars are coming!"

Random shouts came one after another.

Xiahou Heng was shocked, "Why are the Hussars here? Aren't they in Yuyang?!"

"It must be the vanguard of the cavalry!"

someone shouted.

"Chief Secretary! The Northern Region's cavalry has limited troops. They have to besiege Yuyang and send out the front troops, so they definitely don't have many troops!"

"Yes! That's right! The Hussars don't have many men and horses! As long as we evacuate in time, they won't care about us!"

"That's right! Chief! We must not be held back or surrounded by the Hussars!"

There are many different opinions, but everyone means the same thing -

  Run quickly!

Before the Hussars catch up with us...

Xiahou Heng waved his whip and swore angrily, "After breaking through the siege, I will fight the cavalry to the end even if I die! It won't be that easy for him to seize the Central Plains of the Han Dynasty!"

As they were talking, a minor official suddenly said, "Chief Secretary, should we send someone to inform the civilians who are blocking the cavalry to disperse?"

"Disperse?! Are you crazy? If it weren't for those civilians blocking us, we would have no chance of evacuating safely. We have to rely on them to hold back the Northern Territory Hussars!"

"Go, go! Ignore this idiot!"

……

……

From afar, when they saw many cavalrymen appearing in the smoke and dust, and saw the tricolor flags in the cavalry formation, the Cao army's soldiers were scared out of their wits and turned around and fled without saying a word.

The Zhen Cao army soldiers who were originally supervising the battle also immediately evacuated the battlefield.

Thousands of extremely terrified civilians cried for their parents, ran around in panic on the battlefield.

  But they didn't notice that the number of cavalrymen rushing out of the smoke and dust was far less than they had imagined in their minds!

And if you really observe carefully, you will find that the tricolor flags held up by these cavalrymen are also somewhat distorted and weird, as if they were put together and sewn casually.

If Xiahou Heng sent soldiers to maintain the front line, or even just hold on for a while, these "Hussar" cavalry that suddenly appeared would most likely be exposed...

The cavalrymen who charged forward, with tattered armor and incomplete weapons, just killed some unlucky souls who were slow to escape, and then gathered together.

"This method works well!"

"Haha! These Cao soldiers are so scared!"

"Let's go! Let's go! Into the city!"

"Hahaha! I never thought that I, Ma Erdaozi, would be able to walk into Ji County with open arms today!"

"Hurry up and send someone to contact the Hussars! Then we can show the city! It will be a great achievement for both you and me!"

"Let's go! Let's go into the city first! Let's drink first! I want to eat meat!"

"Hahaha……"

Before this, no one would believe that a group of horse thieves could take over Ji County.

But now, it has become a reality.

……

……

Xu County, Chongde Hall.

A huge map was placed in the hall. It was a cloth map, and when it was spread out it looked like a large carpet.

"If the cavalry breaks through Youzhou, we need to contain their military power by using these key points."

Xun Yu held a long staff in his hand, walked on the map, and pointed at several locations in succession, "Guangping, Zhending, Zhongshan... If the cavalry rushes through the city, we should use the river as a barrier, Bai Ma, Guandu... On the southern line, Xiangyang and Fancheng are important, which can stop the cavalry troops from Hanzhong Wuguan from going north... "

"Although Generals Pang and Huang are leading troops to Wuguan Road, Cao Zixiao has always been prudent and will withdraw his troops to Jingbei when he sees that the situation is not favorable... What I am worried about is not these key points, but Jiangdong..."

When Liu Xie heard the name Jiangdong, he couldn't help but say "hmm" to express his doubt.

Xun Yu bowed and said, "The people of Jiangdong are all treacherous villains, greedy for profit, and don't know loyalty... If Cao Zixiao hadn't reacted in time to recruit volunteers and used the strategy of confusing the enemy, Jingzhou might have been lost. Although Jiangdong has returned to the old agreement and joined forces to advance, it is hard to trust these treacherous villains..."

Liu Xie listened and frowned slightly, "So, Jiangdong is not..."

  Just now you sent people from Jiangdong to Chang'an as angels, and now you, Xun Yu, say that people from Jiangdong cannot be trusted?

What do you mean by this?

"Lu Zijing is an envoy, so he should be polite first, but he cannot be without troops." Xun Yu said slowly, "Now Yu Wenze has stationed troops in Xincheng to ensure that Jiangdong will not rebel again... If Jiangdong has any rebellious intentions, Jingxiang will send troops to intercept them, and Xincheng will send troops to attack them... Then Jiangdong will be safe."

"As for the cavalry..." Xun Yu turned around and talked about the cavalry again, his tone was a little low, "If Youzhou cannot be defended, then defend Jizhou. If Heluo cannot be defended, then defend Yanzhou... Only Jingzhou cannot be lost, otherwise Xu County will have no strategic location to rely on! Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to order more money, food and manpower to support Jingzhou."

Liu Xie frowned, "Jingzhou has no money or food?"

"Jingzhou has been in turmoil for many years, and is now divided into the north and the south. After continuous fighting this time, Cao Zixiao's granaries are empty. If a major war breaks out, it will be difficult to sustain." Xun Yu sighed when he said this, "If Jiangdong is united, Jingxiang will be safe with the convenience of Jiangdong, but Jiangdong is really... Alas..."

Liu Xie was one of the last emperors of the Han Dynasty who was more knowledgeable about military affairs. Although he had never led troops to the battlefield, the Han Dynasty had been fighting since he was old enough to understand. Over the years, he was considered one of the emperors of the Han Dynasty who was quite knowledgeable about military affairs.

He doesn't dare to compare with the micro-control master Emperor Wu of Han, but he is definitely better than his father Emperor Ling of Han.

It is precisely because he understands and calculates the accounts clearly that he deeply understands how much money and food it costs to fight a war...

"Is your intention irreconcilable?" Liu Xie asked.

Xun Yu replied, "Your Majesty, if the Hussars can be defeated by just one Hussar... peace talks will be useless... Otherwise, peace talks will be difficult to achieve."

Liu Xie was stunned, and suddenly felt a little like being hurt by Xun Yu. His first reaction was, "Xun Yu, are you messing with me again?" Then he frowned and thought about it, and then he remembered that it seemed that Xun Yu did not say whether the reconciliation could be successful at the beginning, but just said that there was no suitable candidate. Then, after he asked further, he recommended Lu Su.

Liu Xie then added Liu Ye to the group.

  Liu Xie narrowed his eyes and wondered, could it be that his calculations were also within Xun Yu's expectations?

You, a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes...

Thinking of this, Liu Xie was somewhat displeased. "My dear minister, what you said seems to make some sense... But in recent years, the money and taxes of the court have all been managed by the Shangshutai of the Prime Minister's Office. I... I am afraid that my Shaofu is... hehe..."

Xun Yu bowed his head and said, "It is not that the Shaofu is providing money and food, but I ask Your Majesty to issue an edict... The people of Shandong should work together and join hands..."

"Issue an edict?" Liu Xie was puzzled.

On the one hand, they said that the imperial edict of reconciliation might be useless, and on the other hand, they said that the situation was urgent, so Liu Xie's edict was needed to integrate the power of Shandong...

Is this decree of mine useful or useless?

Liu Xie glanced at Xun Yu, and then fixed his gaze on the huge map in the hall. He suddenly discovered with horror that the Han Dynasty, or rather the Han territory controlled by Shandong, was now very small, like a shrunken ball, lying quietly in the middle of the map, or like a piece of meat placed on a chopping board.

Big man...

  My great man!

A look of sorrow welled up in Liu Xie's eyes, and he said with some disinterest: "Just follow your words, my dear minister!"

Over the years, he has relied on this and that, but nothing good has come of it...

Where did he go wrong?

……

……

White clouds linger.

Xun Yu sat alone in front of the hall.

On his left was a small table, empty.

Xun Yu stared at the empty desk in a daze.

After returning from the court meeting in the main hall and taking off his heavy court robes, Xun Yu entered a state similar to that of emptiness.

The history of China is one of continuous progress through trial and error.

In this process, some people did the right thing and some people did the wrong thing.

Xun Yu didn't know whether he had done the right thing or the wrong thing.

"My dear, the envoy Manchu requests to see you."

The steward came to report.

Xun Yu stood up and said, "Please come to the main hall for our conversation."

A moment later, Man Chong saw Xun Yu and said, "Sir, this strategy is too risky!"

Xun Yu's eyes flickered, "What does Bo Ning mean?"

"In Shandong, many people are content and few are worried," Man Chong said, "Now your Excellency wants to use the external enemy to gather everyone's strength, which is indeed a good strategy... However, everyone has complicated thoughts and it is impossible for them to work together. If something goes wrong, there will be no way back!"

Xun Yu was silent for a long time, "Bo Ning, is there any room for us to turn around?"

Man Chong turned his gaze in a certain direction and nodded slightly.

Xun Yu also looked in that direction, thought for a moment, and shook his head.

Man Chong sighed, then took out a gourd from his sleeve and placed it on the table in front of him. "Yesterday when I went to the market, the owner of the restaurant saw me and gave me a pot of wine... The people can be made to do what they want, but they cannot be made to know it... It's like this."

Man Chong seldom drank, but he would buy some wine every time he went to the market. He didn't drink it himself, but when he came to visit Xun Yu, Xun Yu would not take other things, but he would accept the wine in this small gourd.

Man Chong and others knew that Guo Jia was dead, and Cao Cao even cut off a piece of his hair to bury him, but how could the common people know? When they saw Man Chong, they thought that Man Chong had not come for such a long time, and must have gone to buy wine somewhere else, so they insisted on giving Man Chong a gourd of new wine to taste...

Man Chong didn't know what to say, let alone explain anything to the restaurant owner, so he could only take the wine and go straight to Xun Yu.

When Xun Yu saw the wine gourd, a hint of pain appeared in his eyes.

"As expected..." Man Chong nodded and said, "This strategy... is a bit risky, not your strength, it should be Fengxiao's legacy..."

Xun Yu's eyes suddenly became sharp.

Man Chong seemed to be unaware of it, looking up at the sky, "Oh, the world... In fact, Feng Xiao also wanted to use this strategy to see who still cares about the Han Dynasty and the world in their hearts!"

Xun Yu was stunned when he heard this.

Indeed.

When he and Guo Jia were discussing in secret at the Prime Minister's Mansion, the most critical issue was "people's hearts"...

The word "human heart" may seem illusory, but in fact it is strong and powerful.

The Han people have lost the "hearts of the people".

During the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, everyone knew that something was wrong. The eunuchs' dictatorship led to the complete collapse of the bureaucratic system, and the Party Banishment Disaster made the contradictions and conflicts worse to an irreparable point. Then came the Yellow Turban Rebellion...

  But why did Emperors Huan and Ling support eunuchs? In the final analysis, wasn't it because Emperors Huan and Ling had completely lost confidence in the corrupt bureaucrats in the court?

Dong Zhuo's chaotic rule did indeed cause the authority of the Han Dynasty's court to completely collapse. But wasn't the reason why Dong Zhuo was able to command so much military power that he was able to gain power because the scholar-official bureaucracy in the court forced the military commanders who were fighting outside the country to use their military achievements to protect themselves?

The local forces control the countryside and turn a deaf ear to the imperial edicts. Isn't this the result of those guys who shout about loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness all day long?

All problems are big problems, and all problems are interconnected, and one problem can affect the entire body.

The three of them discussed and found that only a general like Fei Qian could establish a healthy and new political system in the ruined Guanzhong North...

  Therefore, in the end, the strategy was compressed into four words: "No destruction, no construction"!

When Xun Yu came to his senses, Man Chong had already said goodbye, and Xun Yu himself seemed to instinctively send Man Chong out the door...

This is the habit!

Shandong has already developed too many habits, too many...

Xun Yu walked back slowly, picked up the wine gourd left by Man Chong, returned to the small courtyard, sat down at the small table in the front hall again, and placed the wine gourd on the empty table.

The desk was no longer empty, but the spot next to it was still empty.

After a long while, Xun Yu picked up the wine gourd, uncorked it, took a sip himself, and then poured all the wine onto the ground in the courtyard...