Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3457 Making a fuss out of a molehill
Zhou Yu saw the Jiangdong Military Academy acting on their own initiative at the front line, but he had no way to stop it.

Commanding on the current battlefield is probably like running the latest Black Monkey with a CPU configuration from 20 years ago. It may still work, but frame drops and freezes are inevitable.

Zhou Yu's face turned a little blue.

There was no problem with the general direction of his command, but his soldiers did not get up to speed and he failed to achieve his planned goals.

He should have considered these issues, but he was in a hurry, so he failed to be perfect in some details, and it was these imperfect details that led to the evolution of the battlefield.

In today's Han Dynasty, wars are not resolved by a commander-in-chief's one-on-one killing. What is more important is the fighting between soldiers. It is the flesh and blood of those ordinary soldiers who don't even deserve a name that ultimately determines the outcome of the war.

In fact, the biggest difference between Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang is not in intelligence and strategy, but in their attitude towards ordinary soldiers.

Zhuge Liang did not necessarily know how to treat ordinary soldiers in a friendly manner from the beginning, but because the overall military construction strategy, training manuals, and logistical support of the Cavalry Army were more inclined towards the thinking patterns of later generations, this determined that even the natives of the Han Dynasty would have some changes in their attitudes towards ordinary soldiers under the military system of the Cavalry Army.

Equality and freedom did not exist in the Han Dynasty, but the system of supporting the poor and promoting them into the military gave the middle and lower classes a broader world.

Zhuge Liang didn't have any concept of human rights or not. He just instinctively chose to build a "good relationship" with the soldiers under the system of the cavalry. Because Zhuge Liang knew that even if he retired from the front line and went to the local area to govern the people's livelihood and manage government affairs, he would most likely have to deal with retired inspectors and promoted officials from middle and lower-level officers. So during this period of time in the army, what's the harm in taking care of the soldiers and gaining a good reputation?

On the contrary, Zhou Yu, as well as traditional Han generals like him, and a series of commanders including Cao Cao, would not have any idea of ​​giving preferential treatment to ordinary soldiers. They were even afraid of becoming the object of suspicion if they showed preferential treatment.

"Buying people's hearts" is a sin that has existed in China for many years!
But the question is, why does this crime exist for so long?

If the people of the world are all on the side of the Han Dynasty and the imperial court, then what is the point of someone trying to "buy" them? If the people have already turned away from the imperial court, can we prevent the emergence of ambitious people by making up more charges? Even if we don't buy people's hearts, can we stop them from turning away?

Zhou Yu could not solve this problem, so when he took over some of the soldiers left by Sun Ce, in order to avoid suspicion from Sun Quan, he deliberately sent away these old soldiers left by Sun Ce during the battle of Jiangling...

If Zhou Yu had not sent away those troops, or even had not attacked Jiangling, the situation now might be different.

Of course, it is also very likely that Sun Quan would become even more suspicious of Zhou Yu, and would never allow Zhou Yu to have the authority to command troops again.

But who knows?

Unless you are a keyboard warrior who always has a God’s perspective.

It is no use for Zhou Yu to regret now, because what is past is past forever, and once a mistake is made, it can never be made up for.

It is like delayed justice, which is not worthy of being called justice at all. It can only be said to be an adjustment made for the stability of society. The fairness and justice of a society should be reflected in the respect and care for the people at the bottom of society. The people should not only live safely, responsibly, but also with dignity. In the Han Dynasty, most rulers did not care about how the people at the bottom lived.

Now, all the problems accumulated in Jiangdong in the early days, not just those of Zhou Yu alone, broke out in a state of war.

Just as Zhuge Liang said, when Zhou Yu lost the advantage of "geographical advantage", he was in a disadvantageous state. Neither the weather nor the people were on his side. Now the Sichuan Army was sandwiching the front fleet of the Jiangdong Army, preparing to infiltrate the Jiangdong Army's defense line and attack him.

Although the enemy's number of warships was not as large as ours, they began to gain the upper hand in momentum!

But now it is impossible for Zhou Yu to retreat...

It’s not that we can’t retreat, but once we retreat, it would almost be tantamount to admitting the failure of this expedition.

Even if Zhou Yu stayed in Jiangdong and lived well, he would lose most of his say. Moreover, he was the main general. If he fled from the battlefield, even if he returned alive, he would be worse off dead.

Zhou Yu ordered his tower ships and affiliated formations to speed up.

He saw the cowardice of the Jiangdong Military Academy in front of him, and he was also very clear about the reasons for the unfavorable situation, so Zhou Yu wanted to lead the team himself, use the bravery of his own troops to awaken the morale of the Jiangdong navy, use the Jiangdong navy to train combat skills, and turn the battle situation around!

Avoid the strong and attack the weak, Zhou Yu's choice is in line with the art of war.

The navy has always been Jiangdong's strong point. If it is defeated by the Sichuan-Shu army in terms of navy, the psychological blow to Jiangdong will far exceed the damage on the battlefield.

Zhou Yu was well aware of the consequences.

Even Zhou Yu could predict that if he lost, the Jiangdong "surrender faction" would take off directly on the spot and have more reasons and excuses.

Zhou Yu's fleet grasped the timing of the attack very accurately. He turned around first to avoid the somewhat chaotic front fleet of Jiangdong, and then counterattacked from the other side of the Sichuan Navy.

……

……

On the river, the two armies fought fiercely, and in the mountains and forests, each side showed its strategy and bravery.

The mountains are undulating and the roads are rugged.

Gan Ning is lying in ambush.

He had no idea why they were ambushing here.

Didn’t they fail in their sneak attack on the Jiangdong Army? How could it be possible that more Jiangdong Army would come?
It's like both sides know what cards the other side has and have prepared for them. How can they continue to play the cards that the other side already knows?
Gan Ning couldn't figure it out, but he had one advantage, which was that even if he didn't understand, he would still do it.

Because he believed Zhuge Liang was smarter than him.

Just leave the thinking to Zhuge Liang.

"The Jiangdong Army will come?"

The hussar soldier beside Gan Ning asked.

"I don't know." Gan Ning answered honestly, not deliberately saying anything to deceive. "Zhuge said that we should ambush, saying that the Jiangdong army might come."

"Zhuge Congshi said so? That's right, the Jiangdong Army should be coming..."

The soldier retreated with his head down, seeming to have received a satisfactory answer.

Gan Ning couldn't help curling his lips. You all think Zhuge Congshi's words are credible, right? If it were me, you would all question it, right? Immortal Board.

Gan Ning turned around and began to check the concealment of his soldiers. "You bastards, keep your heads down! You over there, go grab some grass leaves to cover your glans, don't let the sun shine on it..."

Gan Ning was cursing profanely.

The hussar soldiers were scolded by Gan Ning, but they did not get angry. They just smiled and did as ordered.

After following Gan Ning for a long time, these hussars knew that when Gan Ning cursed, he didn't really have any bad intentions, but it was just a bad habit he had when he was a pirate. Has anyone ever seen a habitual pirate say "please, thank you, and sorry"?

Gan Ning checked it once, then looked up at the top of the cliff and waved his arm to signal.

Unlike ordinary ambushes, Gan Ning and his men not only used ordinary swords, guns, bows and arrows, but also used gunpowder. On the top of the cliff, there were a dozen soldiers who were not only responsible for looking out and guarding, but also for guarding several rocks on the cliff.

In order to ensure the effectiveness of gunpowder and avoid the previous situation where the effect was only heard, this time the hussars deliberately chiseled a crack under the rock and stuffed the gunpowder grenade into the crack.

According to the craftsmen in the army, this is the only way to achieve good results, and this is how they open up mountains in the Qinling Mountains...

The captain on the cliff also noticed Gan Ning and waved in response, then turned to the soldiers around him and said, "The general is checking the ambush... you should check it too, otherwise the rocks won't fall down, that would be a huge embarrassment!"

"Don't worry!" The soldier beside the stone didn't take his eyes off the rock. "I went to ask the craftsmen for advice. They have dug hundreds of holes. There will be no problem!"

It is impossible to succeed without hard work.

The soldier next to the stone still had a bandage on his hand.

That was scratched by a stone.

Suddenly, a few slightly anxious bird calls were heard in the distance, and then some birds were startled.

Everything suddenly became tense, and everyone knew that there was an abnormal situation.

"The Jiangdong Army is really here!"

……

……

Zhou Tai felt very uncomfortable the whole time, especially when walking on this mountain path which was not really a road.

He would rather be on the boat.

He was a pirate, but ended up hiking!

This is simply...

But Zhou Tai had no choice but to obey military orders.

Because that's what he chose.

To be honest, there are not many options for pirates. There is only one cavalry in the world, and most of the princes use pirates or accept the Yellow Turbans not because they think these people's experience is so miserable, but because they want these people to fight for their lives. Zhou Tai has already fought for his life, but some people still think he has not fought enough.

Just like Zhou Yu’s direct military academies, although their ranks were not as high as Zhou Tai’s, when they looked at Zhou Tai, they would tilt their heads back and expose their nose hairs. However, when they saw other dignitaries and superiors, those guys would expose the hair on the back of their necks.

Back then in the underworld, Zhou Tai was very poor. He had no idea where to put his food. Whether he could have a good meal depended entirely on whether there were any fat sheep that would come to his doorstep.

Now Zhou Tai's food, clothing and daily necessities are much better than when he was a pirate, but...

Moreover, there were a lot of pirates in Jiangdong. After hearing about Zhou Tai's deeds, they encouraged each other and thought they would become the next Zhou Tai. However, they didn't know that it only took one pirate to become a leader.

Jiang Qin was the leader of the previous generation.

Zhou Tai is the current leader...

The mountain wind is very cold.

Zhou Tai felt very disappointed.

He looked up and around, and felt that these strange rocks on the mountains seemed to be enemies.

He didn't know what to say. If he said too much, it would be like the wolf was coming.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

But he really felt something was wrong.

Zhou Tai paused for a moment, then checked the armor on his body and the shield in his hand, and then he seemed to feel a little relieved.

Just a tiny bit.

Zhou Tai raised his head and looked around.

The mountains and forests are swaying and the rocks are jagged.

Wherever light and shadow intersect, there seems to be hidden danger.

Zhou Tai opened his mouth as if he wanted to issue a warning, but in the end, he closed his mouth.

"General? What's wrong?" Zhou Tai's guard asked.

"..." Zhou Tai was silent for a while and shook his head.

He didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill again...

Just as Zhou Tai was looking around, he suddenly heard someone shouting something, and then arrows fell on his head like summer hail!
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…”

"Kill!" 』

Along with the screams of the Jiangdong Army soldiers, Gan Ning shouted, "Fire the guns! Smash the hell out of them!"

"boom! 』

With a loud bang, the rock on the top of the cliff trembled twice, as if reluctantly leaving its accustomed place and falling downwards!

Zhou Tai's almost instinctive feeling was correct!
But even though he was right, no one believed him!
Zhou Tai was suspicious the first time and failed to find any evidence, which became his mark. Even when he encountered an ambush by the cavalry later, the Jiangdong soldiers still felt that it was not Zhou Tai's feeling that was correct, but just a coincidence...

So what can Zhou Tai say?
No one would believe it even if I told them.

By the time you see the danger coming with your own eyes, it is already too late!

Rocks are falling from the sky!
In the face of the power of nature, the so-called superiors, bosses, generals, and other titles given to themselves by humans are not immune to any harm!

Everyone is equal in front of the rocks!
The only difference is that the meat patties are a little bigger or a little more sparse...

……

……

Zhou Yu succeeded, but he also failed.

He successfully used the skill advantage of his own fleet, the Jiangdong Navy, to tear apart the formation of the Sichuan Fleet and save the Jiangdong Navy's front team from destruction, but at the same time, he himself became the target of the Sichuan Navy's main attack.

This is obvious.

All the artillery and crossbows of the Sichuan Army were directed towards Zhou Yu. The target was clear: Zhou Yu's tower ship.

It is relatively difficult to turn a cannon because it is located at the bow of the ship and is fixed, but a crossbow carriage can turn on the shooting platform and make large angle adjustments.

At this critical moment, Zhou Yu encountered a similar embarrassment as Cao Cao.

It is better to buy than to make.

Zhou Yu raised this issue more than once, but every time he submitted a memorial, someone would say that Zhou Yu was "making a mountain out of a molehill."

Is it that serious?

Isn't it just a trade war?
Who doesn’t understand?

Take advantage first, eat the sugar-coated food, and then you won’t be fooled when the time comes!

Isn’t this simple?

Who wouldn't?

The trade war was not an invention of the Cavalry, nor was it practiced by only one family or one dynasty. Such examples have existed since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

For example, Guan Zhong destroyed the states of Lu and Liang by starting a trade war instead of using weapons. On the one hand, Guan Zhong strongly encouraged his people to wear silk fabrics, but on the other hand, he banned the silk weaving industry in his country, and silk fabrics were completely imported from Lu and Liang. Not only that, Guan Zhong also gave high subsidies to silk merchants in the two countries, asking them to encourage domestic silk production and sell it to Qi. Driven by high profits, the people of the two countries gave up farming and planted mulberry trees, raised silkworms and wove silk, and then used the money earned from selling silk to buy food from Qi. When the time was right, Guan Zhong blocked the grain, and the two countries of Lu and Liang were in trouble.

In addition, the wool scissors that China has always used on nomadic peoples also make a loud clicking sound.

When the Central Plains Chinese dynasty was strong, it would make a lot of money from the surrounding nomadic peoples. Just look at how many local tyrants there were on the borders of the Han Dynasty. Sometimes, in order to force the nomadic peoples to submit, these tyrants would deliberately stir up trouble...

The nomadic peoples were unable to resolve this trade imbalance, nor could they balance the huge trade deficit, so they could only resort to force and use their fists to break the severe trade exploitation and trade blockade. Most of the wars between the nomadic peoples and the Central Plains dynasties came about in this way.

Therefore, the people of Jiangdong were not ignorant of these things, nor did they know that the General of the Cavalry used a soft knife, but "everyone has bought it, so I shouldn't be missing one, right?"

Those purchased are naturally of inferior quality.

In normal times, when there is no comparison and when there is no high-intensity operation, these crossbow carts are not bad.

But when it really comes to such a critical moment, the difference between the upper and lower levels becomes apparent.

Due to inconsistent standards and inconsistencies in the system, the range and power were slightly different. All these differences added up, and ultimately led to the Jiangdong navy suffering a great disadvantage in the long-range shooting confrontation with the Sichuan army's crossbow carts.

After the crossbow cart suffered a loss in long-range shooting, it also affected the performance of archers in medium and short range!

Although the Jiangdong navy on Zhou Yu's fleet had regained some advantages at medium distances with their own skills, this was at the cost of human lives...

The advantage of the Sichuan Army was gained through equipment, technology, etc., while the advantage of the Jiangdong Army was gained through the flesh and blood of its soldiers.

Which way is more worthwhile? Perhaps different people have different answers in their hearts.

But now Zhou Yu feels that the way he is fighting is really frustrating!

Who doesn't know how to use the equipment properly?

But Zhou Yu could only equip his own troops, but could not replace equipment for all the Jiangdong navy!

It’s fine if Zhou Yu’s troops want to use good things, but the other Jiangdong soldiers can forget about it!

When this matter was mentioned, the wealthy and powerful families in Jiangdong all did the same thing: they shook their heads and said they had no money.

So what about Sun Quan?
He also had no money. Because Sun Quan not only had to support ordinary Jiangdong soldiers, but more importantly, he had to pay salaries to these officials!

Thousand stones, eight hundred, six hundred, these salaries do not seem to be much when you look at one individual individually, but when you add up the total for all of Jiangdong, it is a lot!

The key is that Sun Quan has to give it!

After all, Sun Quan could not offer a proper official position in the court. If he could not even give a higher salary, who would come to Jiangdong? Who would work for him? How could he win the hearts of the people and the children of the nobles?

Moreover, Sun Quan was cheated by the children of Jiangdong nobles and was involved in tax evasion and so on, so he paid special attention to people like Yang Yi who were good at math. But at the same time, it also led to Yang Yi and others holding Zhou Yu's equipment and promotion by the neck!

However, these were trivial matters in the eyes of the Jiangdong gentry, which could be delayed and waited for a while, or if all else failed, they could just buy some other things to make up for it. Ultimately, these led to Zhou Yu's current great frustration and trouble!