Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3435 Seeking Truth and Being Pragmatic
Stepping onto the battlefield again, Qian Zhao felt a different feeling in his heart.

If we talk about the first time he led his troops into battle and faced the Hussar cavalry, Qian Zhao still had some confidence and courage at that time.

But after this period of time, Qian Zhao's mood has changed a lot.

For most people, perhaps becoming a general and getting that annual salary...

Oh, to be an official of eight hundred or one thousand stones would be a perfect life, but is this really what ordinary people wish for?
Kill people and take money.

If you think about it, isn't this any different from when I was a ranger before?

They are all people who kill big men.

In fact, Qian Zhao didn't know that the Han Dynasty was still relatively considerate of its reputation, and the official rank was still called "rank" instead of secretly changing it to "position".

Rank means accumulation.

And what about the job?
So I have to say that those Confucian lackeys are really good at making up stories!

The victory in the previous battle was due to Cao's merit. The so-called generals and ministers are just a portrayal of some people...

For generals like Qian Zhao, no matter how great their military achievements are, the status they can obtain is ultimately closely related to their closeness to the powerful.

Military achievements are just the icing on the cake.

The key is not how much merit you have, but that the brocade must exist in the first place.

If there is no brocade on the body, it is still a dog.

Still dreaming of wearing a long gown?
"Haha... I really hope to go to the border of the Han Dynasty..."

Qian Zhao looked up at the bright light rising in the sky and murmured to himself.

When the sun rises, it always brings hope and warmth to people.

But this hope and warm vision was soon shattered by reality.

Cao's army messenger came hurriedly, saying that Cao Hong was in critical condition and asked Qian Zhao to speed up the rescue.

Qian Zhao nodded silently and ordered the troops to speed up.

……

……

Sima Yi looked at the Cao army position in Zhongtiao Mountain in the distance, but was a little distracted.

Sima Yi had hurried to Puban to meet up with Hao Zhao, and was just about to plan how to make some noise on the other side of Zhongtiao Mountain, when he received the news from Suoyang Pass.

This surprised Sima Yi quite a bit.

Because this speed is really fast.

The reason why Sima Yi thought so was that most of the wars in ancient times lasted a long time. Not to mention that the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms, which took three generations, and the Jin-Chu hegemony war lasted for more than 130 years. The war between the Han Dynasty and the Western Qiang alone lasted for 30 to 40 years, and now...

Sima Yi was more able to understand Fei Qian's strategic thinking.

Regarding the battle in the Western Regions, Fei Qian did not say that it should be finished in one go, or that the Western Regions should surrender in a short period of time.

Therefore, even if the Zhongtiao Mountain camp was captured a few days earlier, what great benefit would it have had?

The focus is Shandong!
Killing Cao Cao did have an effect, but it didn't mean it would be a permanent solution...

"Zhongda?"

Hao Zhao came over and shouted.

"Huh?" Sima Yi recovered from his distraction and asked, "What's the matter?"

Hao Zhao looked at Sima Yi and asked, "Is Zhongda worried about the war?" Hao Zhao had called Sima Yi just now, but Sima Yi was distracted and didn't hear him.

Sima Yi smiled, "I'm reminded of the Western Qiang Rebellion..."

"Western Qiang?" Hao Zhao asked in confusion.

Sima Yi nodded, "The rebellion of the Western Qiang...Does Bo Dao know the cause?"

Hao Zhao pondered for a moment, "Zhongda's words must not necessarily mean what the court announced, that the Qiang people were causing chaos?"

"Ahaha," Sima Yi nodded, "Han and Qiang were on good terms in Chang'an, but relations between Han and Qiang gradually became hostile in Luoyang. Why did this change? It was not because of the Qiang, but because of the changes in Han rules."

The relationship between the Western Han Dynasty court and the Western Qiang was actually quite good.

History also records that the Qiang people submitted to the Han Dynasty for decades and there was no trouble on the border between the Han and Qiang peoples.

This is because the existence of the Xiongnu makes the Qiang people have a high value for united front work. Successfully uniting the Qiang people can help the Xiongnu defeat the Hu, and vice versa, the Xiongnu will gain more support.

However, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, with the defeat of the greatest enemy, the Xiongnu, the division of the Northern and Southern Xiongnu, and the submission of the Southern Xiongnu, the Qiang people's value of united front work declined sharply.

Sima Yi said this and glanced at Hao Zhao slightly.

Hao Zhao noticed Sima Yi's gaze and was a little confused, but he soon understood, "Once the war stops, there will be no military merit? So even if you don't rebel, you will rebel?!"

Sima Yi nodded.

In terms of court policy, the general direction of the Eastern Han Dynasty was not wrong. After eliminating or defeating the great enemy, the Xiongnu, the court learned from its mistakes and certainly did not want the Qiang people to become the second Xiongnu. Therefore, in terms of macro-strategy, it tried to disintegrate the power of the Western Qiang and completely solve the chaos around the Han Dynasty.

However, there were big problems in the specific operation.

heart...

A smile appeared on Sima Yi's face.

Now, decades have passed, one or two hundred years have passed, and people's hearts are still the same. What has changed?
In the court, ministers who were greedy for merit, local governors who were greedy for money, and generals who were unwilling to lose military power after the great war with the Huns formed a combined force.

Western Qiang, if they don’t want to rebel, they will rebel!

The Han Dynasty overestimated itself and underestimated the power of the Qiang people.

Not only the Han, but also the leaders of the Western Qiang tribes misjudged their own strength. The officials of the Han Dynasty were the ones who had conflicts with them, or persecuted the Qiang people, but the leaders of the Western Qiang tribes brought their people to bring bloodshed to the ordinary Han people.

Among the nomadic peoples, the Qiang people can be said to be a relatively mild type, so they should adopt a different strategy from that of the Xiongnu.

The rulers of the Eastern Han Dynasty obviously did not realize this, and instead adopted the same strategy of dividing and disintegrating the Qiang people and cruelly exploiting them as they did the Xiongnu, even attempting to turn them into a pariah race.

This can be seen from the names such as Xiongnu and Xianbei.

After listening to it, Hao Zhao nodded, "So... Brother Zhongda is not talking about the Qiang people, but Shandong, right?"

"Haha..." Sima Yi smiled but said nothing. After a moment, he waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go! Since General Xu is leading the army to attack Suoyang Pass... I estimate that Cao's army will most likely adopt the strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao!"

Hao Zhao was stunned. "So... we are going to rescue the front barracks?"

Sima Yi smiled and said, "How about we also 'besiege Wei to save Zhao'?"

……

……

Many times, the principles of the world are not that we don’t understand them, or that no one has summarized them, but that after they have been summarized, no one is willing to put them into practice.

The principles Cao Hong understood were no less than those of other people, but he still did not act according to what he understood, but instead handled things according to his accustomed pattern.

So Cao Hong lost again.

Cao Hong lost. Was it because of his own courage?

No.

As a general of Cao's army, he could have stayed in the rear without taking any risks.

So was it because of recklessness that he lost? No.

Cao Hong's overall battle plan was determined after many discussions and was not a decision he made on a whim.

So the reason for the loss should be the lack of on-the-spot command?
Neither.

Cao Hong had no major problems in arranging the formation and deploying the soldiers. At least he successfully ambushed the troops on both wings of Xu Chu, which proved that Cao Hong's problems in military layout were not the most important factor in his defeat.

The most important reason for Cao Hong's failure was that his soldiers had no idea what Cao Hong was going to do!
Defeat Fei Qian?

Oh, that's a great goal.

But can it be achieved immediately?

Obviously, this goal is like a slogan hanging on the wall, and no one will take it seriously. Even the official court does not care about the authenticity of this slogan.

I'm just joking, how can you take it seriously?
If you really take it seriously, after writing so many slogans over the years, are you really going to settle the score? Isn't that stupid?
After a long time, everyone in Shandong realized that slogans are just slogans.

So when the time came to hold their positions and defeat Fei Qian's cavalry, the ordinary soldiers in Shandong still thought it was a joke.

The low-level soldiers in Shandong did not know what Cao Hong wanted, and Cao Hong was also not clear about what these low-level soldiers wanted.

In other words, even if it was clear, it was ignored by Cao Hong...

The requirements of the lower-level soldiers are very simple. They need food, clothes and useful things. These are the most basic needs. However, these basic needs make Cao Hong very angry!

It’s already this late, why are you still thinking about eating?
Can't we just be patient, suffer a little longer, and hold on until victory comes?

Victory is just around the corner and the future is bright!
Cao Hong really didn't understand. For most ordinary soldiers, victory and light, in their perception, belonged to the leaders and the Han court, but only the black cake in their hands truly belonged to them.

So, just when Cao Hong thought that he could endure a little longer, suffer a little longer, persevere a little longer, and hold on a little longer, these Cao army soldiers were unwilling to hold on.

Then the result is simple, Cao Hong lost again.

He had lost before, but he always felt that it was due to other reasons.

Maybe it was because the wind was too strong, or the road was too dry, or maybe the soldiers advanced too slowly and retreated too quickly...

But the interesting thing is that all these reasons and excuses are acceptable to Cao’s army.

Anyway, no matter whether the lower class believes it or not, the above announcement says so, and it seems that as long as there is a reason, it will be fine. As for what the reason is, whether there is any logical relationship, or whether it is true or not, that is not the point.

Interestingly, most of the time, the rulers of Shandong would require their subordinates to have a truth-seeking spirit, a pragmatic attitude, to tell the truth and do practical things. However, when it comes to some yamen or officials who have obviously had problems and have discovered lies, they would never tell the truth to the lower-class people.

Cao Hong did not tell the truth to his soldiers.

The reason was very simple. Cao Hong was worried that if he told the truth to his soldiers, these soldiers would be unwilling to follow him to Suoyang Pass.

Cao Hong was worried that his soldiers would become afraid of fighting and flee if they knew the real situation.

Shandong and Guanzhong are a kind of political struggle.

However, it is obviously difficult and hard to explain this kind of political confrontation, so most Shandong officials chose not to explain it.

Moreover, Shandong has been implementing the strategy of keeping the people ignorant for many years, and people from top to bottom have become accustomed to it.

As a result, this strategy of concealment and ignorance not only failed to enhance the unity within Shandong, but instead caused mutual suspicion among the soldiers and civilians at all levels.

Because they didn't understand the situation, many people thought that even if they lost, it wouldn't be a big deal. It would just be a change of master. Maybe they could get more military pay.

Xu Chu's flank was ambushed, but the cavalry still had high morale and a complete battle sequence, and they even executed battle orders without fear of casualties. On the other hand, Cao Hong's flank was breached, which immediately affected the entire formation. Even though Cao Hong's center formation and another flank were basically intact, they could not hold their ground!

Wills are easily shaken and battle lines can easily collapse. Even with Cao Hong supervising the battle, he could only hold out for a little while longer. Under Xu Chu's fierce attack, he could only fight and retreat to Suoyang Pass.

Who would have thought that this small Suoyang Pass would become a key point repeatedly fought over by both sides?

And now the situation is becoming more and more complicated...

In Suoyang Pass, Geng Lai and a part of the Hussars were blocked in a stone fort by Cao's army.

And in the outer wall and Suoyang Pass, Cao Hong was blocked step by step by Xu Chu inside Suoyang Pass...

You are in me, and I am in you.

This may be what war looks like, the form of a great man.

……

……

So is it the same for everyone in Shandong?
Not at all.

There are still some people who are willing to take responsibility and have the courage to stand up when danger strikes.

But these people...

Just as Cao Hong was retreating and Xu Chu was pressing forward step by step, Qian Zhao led his troops to Suoyang Pass.

Seeing that Cao Hong was in critical condition, Qian Zhao had no time to organize the troops or make any deployments slowly. Instead, he led his troops directly to attack Xu Chu's rear!
Qian Zhao knew that under such circumstances, Cao Hong would never be able to evacuate calmly from the main road at the foot of the mountain while being surrounded by the Hussars. He had to open a path for Cao Hong. Directly attacking Xu Chu's headquarters on the Suoyang Pass Mountain would have the effect of attacking from both sides, but it would not be of much help for Cao Hong to escape.

Once Xu Chu was blocked on the Suoyang Pass mountain road, it would be equivalent to blocking Cao Hong's way down, so Qian Zhao could only choose a more dangerous tactic and march towards Xu Chu's rear formation.

This means that if Xu Chu retreats, Cao Hong may still have a chance to escape, but Qian Zhao may not be able to escape from the encirclement of the Hussars...

Even so, Qian Zhao still attacked immediately without any hesitation after being discovered by the cavalry scouts.

Although at the beginning, there were only five or six hundred reinforcements of Cao's army that arrived at the battlefield, but these five or six hundred people, under the leadership of Qian Zhao, rushed directly to Xu Chu's rear army without hesitation and displayed an indomitable momentum.

The shouting and screaming resounded through the sky, and also frightened Xu Chu, who was preparing to capture and kill Cao Hong on the mountain path.

"Cao's reinforcements?" Xu Chu frowned, "Arriving so quickly?"

The reason why he led his army to attack fiercely was because he considered that Cao's army would have reinforcements. If he used speed to defeat slowness and ended the battle of Suoyang Pass before the arrival of Cao's reinforcements, then even if Cao's reinforcements came in larger numbers, it would be meaningless.

Xu Chu's attack on Cao Hong was indeed going smoothly, but at the same time, Qian Zhao's early arrival also caught Xu Chu by surprise.

Moreover, Qian Zhao's attack direction was also not simple. In Xu Chu's rear army, there were still many wounded soldiers who had died in the first phase of the battle and were receiving treatment. They were unable to respond in time and suffered a loss, being suppressed and beaten by Qian Zhao.

This is totally unlike Shandong's style, but rather somewhat similar to the tactics of Yanzhao in the north.

Moreover, Qian Zhao could enter combat without stopping to adjust his troops, which meant that at least Qian Zhao's direct headquarters was relatively strong, while there were many wounded soldiers in his rear army...

At this moment, Cao's army retreated to Suoyang Pass, while the Cavalry Army was attacking along the route that Cao's army had previously attacked.

This is nothing but an irony.

However, the corpses and blood near the Suoyang Pass caused some trouble for the cavalry's attack.

Not only was the doorway blocked by corpses, but the mess of corpses reduced the contact surface, forcing some hussars to climb up the stone wall and mound beside the mountain path, looking up and suppressing with bows and arrows, while others rushed directly to the wall and erected ladders in a hurry. Before the ladders could stand firm, some people jumped on the ladders with a shield in one hand and a knife in the other, and climbed up quickly.

Cao's army was already a little bit overwhelmed, but the arrival of Qian Zhao at the foot of the mountain restored some of the morale of Cao's army. So although Cao's army was still in a weak position, it was still difficult to capture Suoyang Pass in a short time.

Cao Hong obviously had no way to retreat, and in this situation, it was somewhat like a desperate struggle. Under the direct coercion of the supervisory team, Cao's soldiers could only fight to the death with the cavalry at Suoyang Pass.

Grenades were not very effective at this upward attack angle. After throwing them two or three times, not only did they fail to kill many Cao soldiers on the city wall, but the grenades also bounced back, causing accidental injuries.

The two sides fought brutally on the walls, with people being shot by arrows, stabbed by spears, or chopped by knives, screaming miserably, falling off the walls, or falling to the ground. Many people lay dead beside the walls, and blood flowed down the walls, staining them red.

"General!" Li Li stepped forward and volunteered, "Let me go meet the enemy general!"

Although the newly joined Cao army reinforcements seem brave now, both sides know that unless there are more reinforcements, if the attack of this wave of reinforcements is resisted by the Hussars, then the Cao army will still be in trouble. Therefore, as long as this wave of Cao army reinforcements is blocked, the subsequent weakness will affect the morale of Cao Hong's troops in Suoyang Pass.

Xu Chu wanted to capture Cao Hong first, and then turn around to deal with Qian Zhao, but the current situation did not allow him to do so, unless he completely gave up those injured cavalrymen...

Xu Chu decided to let Li Li go forward to fight against Qian Zhao.

After receiving Xu Chu's order, Li Li immediately led his men down the mountain road and rode his horse towards Qianzhao's troops.