Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3492: Reduce the number of stoves, reduce the number of stoves!

Only the power that you can control is the power that truly belongs to you.

Things that are rented, borrowed, swindled, or robbed do not count.

Cao Cao understood this very well.

Because he had rented, robbed, and stolen before, but those powers soon dissipated...

More than once.

So when Cao Cao encountered the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, he vowed to take complete control of this power in his own hands.

Cao Cao did exactly that.

He eliminated all the local chieftains and leaders of Qingzhou in the Qingzhou Legion, and then consciously let his own clansmen and confidants lead these Qingzhou soldiers, controlling these Qingzhou soldiers to the greatest extent possible, and ensuring that this force became a strong support for Cao Cao to dominate the Central Plains!

Cao Cao succeeded!

He relied on his own strength to defeat the two Yuans who relied on the power of the gentry.

This was due to the Qingzhou soldiers' innate hatred for the aristocratic and powerful families, as well as the success of Cao Cao's strategy of tightly holding on to military power.

However, all policies and strategies are not effective for a single lifetime, nor are they irreplaceable forever.

The drawbacks of Cao Cao's method of controlling the Qingzhou soldiers have now been exposed...

In fact, this problem was not unique to Cao Cao, but had appeared in the early Han Dynasty, such as the Western Qiang problem.

There were many factors that triggered the Western Qiang Rebellion, including the conflict between Han officials and local Qiang people.

There are many reasons that have detonated Cao Cao's camp, but the conflict between the upper and lower levels is the key that finally ignited the powder keg.

The people of Shandong are indeed very honest in normal times, but we must not wantonly trample on the bottom line of these honest people...

Upon hearing the news, Cao Cao immediately led his men out of the central military tent, beheaded one of the military school officials who had caused the conflict, and whipped the rest, thus bringing the chaotic situation under control.

Because Cao Cao knows better than anyone which side is more important at this moment!

However, the strategy of using someone else's head can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

Because the fundamental cause of the conflict was not just one or two non-commissioned officers or clerks, but the opposing positions of both sides.

This kind of conflicting contradiction was not very obvious during the rise of the Cao Group.

After all, at that time, developing the market for the two Yuans would be enough to allow the upper class to eat meat and the lower class to drink soup, and everyone's belly would be round. But now is an economic downturn, and obviously there is not enough meat for the upper class to eat. However, the upper management of the Cao family will not say that everyone should share the joys and sorrows and choose to drink bitter vegetable soup, but instead turn their attention to their subordinates.

The meat from the lower class is also meat. Is it normal to expand domestic demand?

So this conflict is just the beginning.

The agitation of Cao's army could not be concealed, and was soon noticed by the scouts sent by Pang Tong, and then a new wave of harassment began...

At a distance of two or three hundred steps, arrows and stones have little effect, but the sound can cross this space and strike directly into the hearts of Cao's soldiers.

When it comes to psychological warfare, the game began during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

In the Three Kingdoms period, there were often verbal attacks. It was not uncommon to know how to use it, but it was not easy to use it well.

Cao Cao could make his soldiers shut up, but he couldn't make his hussars shut up.

The other side shouted in front of the formation, and all the soldiers of Cao's army could hear what they said.

Cao Cao also quickly chose a response method, which was to curse back.

Cao Cao’s response cannot be said to be wrong. After all, one-sided voice is obviously disadvantageous to Cao’s army. Even if it is just to interfere with the vision and hearing, it is necessary to suppress the clamour of Cao’s soldiers as much as possible!

"Brothers of Qingzhou! Look around for yourselves! Who are the ones who are sweating, crying and bleeding?! Who are the ones who are getting promoted, getting rich and enjoying themselves?! Is it worth it to work hard for these guys who don't treat you as human beings?! "

"Don't listen to them! We are following the emperor's orders to fight against the rebels, support the country, and do it for the sake of the world..."

"What kind of world is this?! What kind of world is this if you don't have enough to eat and enough clothes to wear?! Go ask those of you who have returned! The Hussars not only have enough to eat, but they also have good food! Two sets of clothes every year! We are all soldiers, but in the end we have nothing to eat, nothing to wear, and no salary. Ask yourselves, is it worth being a soldier?!"

"How can we be soldiers just for food and salary?! We are loyal to the Han Dynasty! We are the emperor's subjects! You guys..."

"Hussars get their salaries paid! No arrears! After serving in the army for a year, your family can buy an acre of land! If you get hurt, there are doctors, and if you die in battle, there is money for the dead! What do you have? ! Apart from the loyalty you say, no one will bury your bodies! Brothers from Qingzhou, think about it, is it worth it? ! "

"They are traitors! Traitors! Don't listen to them!"

There were shouts from both sides.

Is national justice more important, or food and clothing?

If a person has lofty ideals and firm beliefs, of course the country and nation are the most important!

But the question is, how could these Cao army soldiers, who are under the policy of keeping the people ignorant, have any lofty ideals and firm beliefs?

Did they receive nine years of compulsory education? Did they go to the Yuntai Twenty-Eight Generals every year? Apart from the notices of the Han government, did they see any officials with lofty ideals and firm beliefs? Did these Han officials wear tattered clothes and eat wild vegetables like them, or did they eat special supplies from the government and ride tall horses when going out?

As a result, this time, the restlessness of Cao's army did not decrease with the passage of time, but became more and more obvious.

People don’t really have bad memories, nor are they really so stupid that they don’t know the pain.

Some trivial matters that might seem insignificant to some officials in normal times are now weighing on Cao's army and Cao Cao and others!

Cao Cao knew that if he wanted to win back the hearts of these Qingzhou soldiers, he would need to really do something...

However, if these things were done, he might be able to win back the hearts of the Qingzhou soldiers, but he would lose the hearts of his own people!

Publicly punishing one or two of Cao Cao's trusted relatives would not shake the foundation of Cao Cao's rule. Instead, it would make Cao Cao appear selfless, honest, and incorruptible. Other trusted relatives would not say much. After all, some people get into trouble and deserve to suffer. It is understandable that they lose their heads. However, if Cao Cao cancels all the treatment of his trusted relatives and makes them eat, wear, live and travel like the Qingzhou soldiers, then Cao Cao himself will definitely be the one who suffers!

One or two, yes.

All, no.

When the unlucky guy is put out for beheading, the other members of the Cao family will tacitly tell him that the trouble you caused can only be solved by you. Go and die peacefully, your family will definitely take care of you, and you don’t even have to change your surname. After this unlucky guy dies, it means that the matter is over, and everyone can eat meat, drink, sing, dance, and learn foreign languages ​​again...

But if the benefits of all the clan members and their treatment are canceled and reduced, it will be a big trouble. After all, these clan members followed Cao Cao not for the emperor or for any great justice, but just for one person to get promoted. If they find that they can't get promoted, they have to become chickens and dogs again. Not to mention the chaos, there is a high possibility that they will break up on the spot!

So, Cao Cao had no choice but to choose one method in the end.

beat!

Send people out to kill those loud-mouthed soldiers under the Hussars who are complaining in front of the battle.

This is also a Shandong tradition. If you can’t solve the problem, just suppress the noise first!

Weapons, blood, flames, and black smoke.

The battle started again.

Arrows flew across the sky.

The head fell to the ground.

Shouts and the sound of drums and gongs converged in one place.

The person who was rushing forward the moment before turned into a fallen corpse the next moment.

Be it conspiracy or open plot, all strategies are for the ultimate fight on the battlefield.

In the end, victory or defeat will still depend on these ordinary soldiers, who fight, bleed, and suffer casualties bit by bit.

After all, the impact on Cao's army cannot be eliminated simply by fighting external wars...

Originally, under the leadership of Cao Cao, these Cao army soldiers fought a decent sniper battle after the defeat of the Tongguan camp, but now the lines that once withstood the repeated charges of the Hussars are gone.

However, there were doubts in the hearts of Cao's soldiers, and with the morale of the army in turmoil, no one would easily defect.

Perhaps for one of the soldiers, they could only feel safe by following the main force, or perhaps simple words alone could only shake them but could not play a decisive role in promoting them. As for the middle and high-level military school non-commissioned officers such as the confidants of the Cao family in Cao's army, only a decent victory could break the psychological offensive of the Hussar Army in the past two days. Therefore, they launched the most fierce counterattack against the Hussar Army under the command of Cao Cao at the first opportunity.

On the side, Cao's army was facing Zhu Ling and Ma Yue, and they were able to kill some of them, but Cao's army in the front was very unfortunate, as they encountered Zhang Liao.

Pang Tong and his men were also prepared for Cao Jun's anger. The long-range crossbows and arrows gave the Cao Jun soldiers the first and greatest warm greeting. The occasional grenades that followed were more like the heavy hammer embellishment of the battlefield concerto, which from time to time vibrated everyone's heart and shook the minds of both sides.

Cao's soldiers were originally good at defense, and violent attack was not their forte. In such a fierce battle, several Cao's military officers were either injured or killed and were forced to retreat.

But what really made Cao Cao find it hard to accept was not the fact that Cao's soldiers were not in good shape, nor the deaths and injuries of his own clansmen and close confidants, but the fact that behind the fighting front, those chatterbox guys were still howling.

Although the roars and sounds of fighting on the battlefield made the voices of these people not so clear, but if this thing shifted its attention a little, it could hear what they were shouting...

We are surrounded by enemies on all sides!

Cao Cao raised his head and seemed to understand what Xiang Yu felt back then.

If Xiang Yu had won a great victory that year, even if he had sung the Chu songs beautifully, he would only have been ridiculed and despised. However, at a specific time under specific circumstances, those Chu songs became knives cutting into the hearts of Xiang Yu's men.

The same is true now.

Fear and death had already put a lot of pressure on the Cao army soldiers. Add to that these heart-shaking words. Even though they understood that it might not be what the Hussars were shouting, the balance in the hearts of these Cao army soldiers began to shake.

The growth of a giant tree must be very slow, but when a giant tree falls, it must also be very fast.

In the winter of the ninth year of Taixing, Pang Tong's original strategy of "giving it a try" worked beyond everyone's expectations and played a crucial role in this battle that almost determined the direction of the world.

Since Shandong entered Guanzhong, even though there have been various drawbacks and various signs of dragging its feet, Shandong has still demonstrated its deep human and material resources.

How many people died is not the problem.

There are many people in Shandong.

How much money was spent is not the issue.

Shandong has a lot of money.

The people of the Central Plains can use their hard work and flesh and blood to bear the damage and consumption again and again. As long as their spirit is still there, all this will be no problem.

But once the spark in your heart is extinguished, all those accumulated problems will burst out violently!

One or two hundred years of peace have made many Shandong people forget the threat of death.

One or two hundred years of preferential treatment by the Han Dynasty made many children of Shandong gentry believe that they were destined, that they were the chosen ones who were born to enjoy life and would enjoy happiness even after their death.

The same is true in history. Thirty years after the Three Kingdoms War, the people of Shandong still failed to wake up and their ambitions were not extinguished. Even though they lost their frontiers and Guanzhong, many Shandong people still believed that as long as the Central Plains was there, there would still be a prosperous economy and endless population. It was like an old and decaying giant, dragging his slow and huge body and staggering. Only after he fell down did we find that his body was covered with rotten wounds.

Now Pang Tong accidentally lifted the fig leaf covering the giant's wound...

Cao Cao could not stand at Hangu Pass, nor could he control the scattered mentality of his soldiers, so that night he summoned all the officers and announced, "Retreat tonight!"

Cao's army originally wanted to use the terrain at Hangu Pass to do some more things, but now with Pang Tong's interference, it was obviously no longer suitable to stay in this place, and they had to retreat.

Cao Hong and the others were somewhat surprised, but it seemed that they had expected it. However, they did not agree with Cao Cao's decision to stay behind to cover their retreat.

"My lord! I will cover your retreat!" Cao Hong stood up, "How can my lord take the risk himself? No, absolutely not!"

Others also advised against it.

Cao Cao shook his head, "The army's morale is broken. If I don't leave a rear guard, I'm afraid everyone will rush to retreat and flee. By then, even if you and I return to Shandong, only one in ten of our soldiers will survive!"

"this……"

Everyone was silent.

It is indeed just as Cao Cao said. The morale of Cao's army has collapsed very badly. Once a large-scale retreat is launched, it will basically immediately turn into a large-scale rout. Everyone will scramble for escape routes. In order to run first, they will not hesitate to brandish swords and guns at their former comrades.

"But it is not appropriate for the lord to stay behind!" Liu Fu said, "It is better to let me stay behind to cover the retreat. I will definitely be able to protect the safety of the lord and everyone else..."

Cao Cao glanced at Liu Fu.

Liu Fu raised his head and met Cao Cao's gaze without any retreat or avoidance.

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and smiled, "I know Yuan Ying is loyal... But, I am more suitable to be the one to take care of the rear. You don't need to persuade me anymore!"

Seeing Cao Cao's persistence, everyone looked at each other in confusion.

Seeing the various expressions on everyone's faces, Cao Cao laughed, "Victory and defeat are common in the military! Before thinking about victory, think about defeat first! Zhang'er!"

Cao Zhang responded and stood up.

Cao Cao directly ordered, "Immediately pass the order to reduce the number of stoves and soldiers!"

Before Cao Zhang accepted the order, Liu Fu said, "My lord, why don't you increase the number of stoves? If you reduce the number of stoves, wouldn't it let the enemy know the strength of the enemy? I'm afraid..."

Cao Cao waved his hand, "Adding more stoves will only expose our true strength... Reduce the number of stoves, just reduce it by half!"

Cao Zhang took the order and went down.

Everyone looked at each other and seemed to understand a little.

"Zi Lian," Cao Cao said again, "Tomorrow morning, we will inspect the camp... first select the wounded soldiers, and let them go first tonight..."

"Wounded...wounded soldiers?" Cao Hong was stunned. "Leave tonight?"

Cao Hong immediately understood what Cao Cao meant, nodded and said, "I will arrange it right away!"

Cao Cao nodded, "After you inspect the camp tomorrow, you should also withdraw first!"

"No!" Unexpectedly, Cao Hong refused, "If my lord does not retreat, I will not retreat! I swear to advance and retreat with my lord until death!"

Cao Cao was silent for a moment, then waved his hand, "It's up to you. But the matter of sending the wounded first cannot be delayed!"

Letting the wounded leave first will help stabilize people's hearts.

Of course, it was not that Cao Cao suddenly realized the importance of ordinary soldiers and began to respect life and the grassroots. It was just because the cavalry came and the cavalry shouted so...

In history, when Cao Cao retreated from Chibi, the road was too muddy to walk on, and the wounded soldiers "voluntarily" became stepping stones for other soldiers, allowing the other uninjured soldiers to escape...

This is just like some companies suddenly change their usual style and distribute year-end bonuses in advance. It is not because the boss suddenly awakens his conscience and wants to accumulate merit, but because of some other reasons.

And those who left were not just the wounded, but also those soldiers who were released by Pang Tong.

This way, it is equivalent to temporarily getting away from the allergens...

However, Cao Cao's retreat was tantamount to selling out the soldiers who had been defeated in the Zhongtiao Mountain camp north of the yellow river and had not yet had time to cross the river.

Cao Cao's retreat this time could not be a gradual retreat like before. It must be a large-scale withdrawal. The Cao army soldiers who returned from the defeat in Zhongtiao Mountain lost their pontoon bridges and ferries one after another. In addition, they lost Cao Cao's cover. Those who did not have time to escape to the south bank of the river could only wish for good luck.

For Cao Cao, this was a case of a lizard cutting off its tail and sacrificing its rook to save its king.

At the same time, Cao Cao's large-scale reduction of the number of stoves in one go was also like Cao Cao leaving Pang Tong with a question...