Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3497: A Small Thing

After dawn, Ma Yue was found.

The place where Ma Yue was found was in a ravine about ten miles away from the river.

Zhang Liao saw Ma Yue, who looked somewhat disheveled.

Seeing Zhang Liao, Ma Yue felt very embarrassed. He was about to step forward and say something, but was interrupted by Zhang Liao waving his hand.

Zhang Liao is very busy.

When daybreak comes, the raid becomes meaningless.

He had no choice but to withdraw his troops. The soldiers were exhausted, and there were many wounded. There were many things to do, so Zhang Liao really had no time to greet Ma Yue.

Moreover, the soldiers came to report that Cao's army was retreating.

Zhang Liao must take his men to check it out.

Ma Yue stared blankly at Zhang Liao and his men walking away, then at the dejected hussars. Suddenly, he felt the blood rushing to his face again, making him feel a little dizzy.

Yes, these Hussars have only temporarily lost their high morale. They just need to adjust themselves slightly, and then when the next victory comes, these people will be excited again.

This is a very normal phenomenon, Ma Yue is very clear about it, but now he wonders if these hussars are deliberately pretending like this in front of him!

"Come on!" Ma Yue suddenly shouted, "Look at you guys! Why are you so depressed?!"

He often shouted like this when he was training cavalry in Yinshan Mountain. Every time he shouted like this, the new recruits who were exhausted from the training would try harder, raise their heads, and grip the swords and guns in their hands tightly again.

But this time, Ma Yue did not see these performances. He only saw those hussar soldiers looking at him with complicated eyes, and then they slowly walked past him...

"..." Ma Yue looked at these Hussar cavalrymen, and the expression on his face finally collapsed.

Some lies are easy to spot, while others are more subtle.

Just like in later generations, there are often rhymes, such as "One XX a day keeps the doctor away", etc. It sounds like there is some truth, but in fact, those who sell "XX", whether entrepreneurs or capitalists, deliberately spread rumors to increase sales, taking advantage of the fear and worry of later generations about the high medical expenses.

If someone is really serious about it, they would say that if the effect is really that good, then the whole world would just produce "XX", then what would we need doctors for?

At this time, these entrepreneurs or capitalists will let a bunch of experts say that the "XX" they sell is indeed nutritious, with multiple vitamins, minerals, and so on, and then they will do everything they can to hint, but will never say explicitly, that these nutrients can only be obtained from "XX"...

But in fact, these substances needed by the human body can be obtained from other places, and perhaps even cheaper and simpler.

Ma Yue always believed that his value was very high, like a commodity that always shouted "stay away from me", and then the price went up all the way until it was out of the reach of ordinary people, that is, out of the scope of ordinary hussars.

Realizing that your parents are ordinary people, realizing that you are an ordinary person, and realizing that your children are ordinary people, these three things are not big things, but they are undoubtedly the three most painful and desperate things in the world.

Ma Yue always thought he was great.

Thousands of hussars were trained by him, which gave him an illusion. This illusion caused him to forget that he was just an ordinary "XX" and could not really keep away the disease and solve all the epidemics. He could not be the most important factor in deciding this battle!

He tried to prove himself important, but the result of the proof is now out...

He is just a qualified instructor, but he is not a qualified general.

Didn’t Ma Yue know what he brought to these cavalrymen?

he knows.

It's like a teacher who doesn't know how much noise pollution a child playing with a ball at home will cause to the residents downstairs?

But the teacher did not stop his child from doing this, and even encouraged his child to take good pictures.

So does the fact that this teacher disturbs others mean that his teaching level is poor?

not necessarily.

Ma Yue's experience in training soldiers is at least at the level of a middle school teacher. In terms of teaching and training, he is qualified, and may even be excellent, but in other aspects...

If Ma Yue could recognize his mistakes and truly want to correct them, then this failure would only be a small threshold to his future success. Many years later, he might talk about this failure in a relaxed tone and continue to share this experience with other hussars, growing from a rote-learning middle school teacher to an inspiring senior teacher.

Unfortunately, Ma Yue was unwilling to admit it at this moment, because admitting it would mean losing hope.

So he could only think that it was all someone else's fault!

……

……

Cao Cao retreated.

Slowly retreat from Hangu Pass.

Zhang Liao watched Cao's army retreat in an orderly manner and did not order an attack.

He stood on the hillside with his cavalry, looking at Cao's army formation.

From a distance, one could not see the faces of every Cao army soldier, only the wriggling human figures.

Just like a bunch of bugs.

Zhang Liao realized that when Cao Jun looked at him, was it the same?

Zhang Liao looked up at the sky.

Cao's army retreated very decisively, which was somewhat beyond Zhang Liao's expectations.

Use a victory to unite people's hearts, and then retreat immediately.

Cao Cao's experience and grasp of timing are clearly demonstrated in this small detail.

Zhang Liao looked at the Cao army position that was left behind for a long time, then looked at the hillside farther away from the Cao army position and sighed softly, "Come here, send someone to tell the Lord... The Cao army is withdrawing in an orderly manner, and there are ambushes, so it is not advisable to pursue them..."

"The enemy troops have retreated?" The guard looked at them, "I mean, are they really retreating?"

Zhang Liao nodded.

"Then if we rush over now, we will surely be able to..."

The guard couldn't finish his words because he saw the look Zhang Liao gave him.

"Hehe..." The guard smiled awkwardly, "I was just saying it casually..."

Zhang Liao pointed to the earthen slope behind Cao's army formation, "See? There is smoke and dust over there..."

Zhang Liao originally wanted to ask the guards to lead some soldiers, but now it seems that the guards are still a little insufficient.

"If the enemy army just retreats like this, then we have no chance..." The guard still felt a little bit sorry, "If we can capture some of the enemy generals..."

Zhang Liao said, "Shandong is right over there... Where can we retreat to? There may be more battles to fight next. Are you still afraid that there will be no chance?"

Soldiers never tire of deceit.

Therefore, Zhang Liao did not show much hatred or unacceptability for Cao Cao's ambush on Ma Yue last night. In battle, both sides compete in strategy, and whoever has more clever tactics will have the upper hand. Last time, Pang Tong and others suppressed Cao's army, and now Cao's army has turned around and calculated Ma Yue, which is normal.

Moreover, as long as the overall situation does not change, Cao Cao will still be the weaker party.

But now that Cao's army has retreated, what needs to be considered is the offensive strategy for Heluo and Shandong after Heluo...

Therefore, Hussar cavalry is still of great use!

Especially the war horses!

In the Central Plains, where can't we gallop?

Zhang Liao's gaze involuntarily shifted to the place where the earth plateau collapsed on one side.

Pity……

Pang Tong and Zhang Liao both thought that Ma Yue’s surprise attack on Hangu Pass would only try to attack Cao’s army at Hangu Pass. They didn’t expect that Ma Yue actually planned to cross Hangu Pass and attack directly from behind Cao’s army!

Of course, if it could be successful, it would be great. However, from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, how many generals had also thought about infiltrating, going around the enemy, and achieving extraordinary feats!

But if this extraordinary achievement was really so easy to obtain, then how could there be only a few names of people who were able to achieve this in history from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period and then to the Qin and Han Dynasties?

In the Han Dynasty, everyone knew how glorious and world-famous the Han cavalry general Wei Qing was in his cavalry raid on Longcheng. But who knew that, in fact, Wei Qing was only one of the forces in the Battle of Longcheng, while the other three forces all failed?

Zhang Liao gained military exploits in the snowy area and was praised and celebrated, but who could have known that it was earned at the cost of the lives of his clansmen and brothers?

Sometimes when he woke up from a dream, Zhang Liao would ask himself again whether he should have taken a more cautious approach to the battle, whether there was a better way to deal with it, and whether he was too greedy and reckless.

Repeated self-examination and summary of experience have made Zhang Liao cautious, steady and able to know when to relax and work hard.

Just like now, Zhang Liao felt that there was not much need to chase and kill some retreating Cao army soldiers.

Have a broader vision and look at the entire battle situation rather than the battle in one area.

Hunting down Cao's soldiers can certainly show off Zhang Liao's personal bravery, and then show off his power, but what can he do? The soldiers Zhang Liao brought have been busy looking for Ma Yue and gathering the remaining soldiers all night, and have not rested until now. Do they really think that they are good brothers who are not tired from morning to night? Moreover, the current battle has obviously risen from a fight between Cao Cao and Fei Qian to a struggle between the entire Guanzhong Group and the Shandong Group. Killing a few soldiers who stayed behind to cover the retreat...

It's really meaningless.

Zhang Liao stayed where he was, watching the Cao army soldiers retreat, continuing to provide pressure but not attacking rashly.

……

……

Cao Cao was relieved when he received the report that Zhang Liao did not attack or pursue him, but he was also filled with more worries.

They breathed a sigh of relief because since Zhang Liao did not initiate an attack, it meant that this withdrawal was relatively successful. Now they only needed to bring back the remaining troops on the other side of the river, and the predetermined goal would have been basically achieved.

"My lord is mighty! These guys really don't dare to chase us!"

"My lord is in charge of the overall situation!"

"The enemy army is frightened!"

"..."

The petty official, who felt that he had escaped from danger and had escaped from the perilous situation, began to flatter himself.

These Shandong petty officials habitually began to surround Cao Cao and flatter him, while paying attention to Cao Cao's expression.

This has become an instinct for them.

It was like the leader farted, very loudly.

No one dared to speak, and everyone was looking at the leader's expression.

If the leader's expression is somewhat embarrassed, they will immediately jump out, say that they were the ones who farted, apologize sincerely, take all the blame for the fart on themselves, and take responsibility for the fart.

If the leader's expression is somewhat comfortable, then they will say that the leader is indeed a great man who accomplishes great things without being fussy about details, and even a fart has the sound of stringed instruments. They will definitely learn from the leader, closely surround the leader, comprehend the spirit, and convey the concept of this fart.

In short, we must never let our leaders feel that they can’t even handle the smallest things!

Cao Cao didn't respond to these guys' words.

If Zhang Liao pursued recklessly, it would certainly make Cao Cao more difficult at the moment, but it also meant that Cao Cao would have to deal with a warrior who only knew how to charge...

Now, things are a bit troublesome.

A calculating general of the cavalry is already a headache for Cao Cao. If he is joined by a group of generals and lieutenants who know how to advance and retreat and are cautious...

Fei Qian is not Dong Zhuo.

After Dong Zhuo's death, his subordinates still had soldiers from Xiliang, horses from Xiliang, and swords and guns in their hands, but what did they count for?

Just a bunch of rabble!

They are even more of a motley bunch of weeds and loose sand than those in Shandong!

Why did the people of Shandong look down on Dong Zhuo, and also look down on the Xiliang generals who came after Dong Zhuo, and even held a very contemptuous attitude towards Fei Qian? On the one hand, Shandong was arrogant, and on the other hand, Dong Zhuo and other Xiliang generals knew nothing except killing!

What was the chaos like in Shandong during the Sour Jujube Alliance at that time?

As a result, before he could even exert his full strength, Dong Zhuo fell down, and then Li and Guo also fell down...

If you can't even unite your own side, how can you expect the enemy to respect you?

As soon as this thought came into Cao Cao's mind, he saw a group of flattering clerks around him.

If it were before, Cao Cao would neither appreciate nor dislike the flattery of these clerks, because Cao Cao knew that these clerks were just like that, and it was the same when they were with the two Yuans, and it was still the same when they were with Cao Cao.

Now Cao Cao suddenly felt that the flattery of these clerks was so harsh!

However, Cao Cao did not show his emotion on his face. Instead, he pondered for a moment and then called a clerk.

Cao Cao picked a clerk who flattered him the loudest and the one who annoyed him the most.

"Go get a jade belt and send it to Zhang Wenyuan, and thank him for sending you off!"

The clerk trembled with fear when he heard this, "Prime Minister... I, I will go and see him off?"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, "Why, you don't dare to do such a small thing?"

The clerk had a sad face and said, "Your subordinate...Your subordinate obeys your order..."

……

……

Zhang Liao looked at the jade belt with a frown on his face.

This old thief!

If we go back, it will be even harder to explain.

Without physical and witness evidence, who knows how the case will be spread?

"Come here!" Zhang Liao ordered, "Send the people and the jade belt to Lord Pang!"

Before it was a letter, now it is a jade belt.

Who knows what will happen in the future?!

The clerk who delivered the jade belt thought that he was just running an errand and that was the end of the job. He never expected that he would be delivered to Zhang Liao and be taken away. He immediately became a little panicked and shouted something.

Zhang Liao was too lazy to listen. He waved his hand and told his men to leave quickly to avoid trouble.

"Oh, right! Tell General Zhu that Cao's army has withdrawn from Hangu Pass!"

"Follow the order!" 』

Zhang Liao's guards stepped forward and didn't care what the clerk was shouting. They just pulled him away.

The clerk didn't want to leave, but he was no match for the burly guards, so he was dragged away and thrown onto the horse's back, screaming and howling all the way...

Zhang Liao quickly put this matter behind him and focused his attention on Hangu Pass in front of him.

Cao's army withdrew, and they certainly could not take Hangu Pass away, so they stayed there, just like when Zhu Ling retreated from Hangu Pass before, he could only leave Hangu Pass to Cao's army.

Therefore, from this perspective, Zhang Liao did not choose to enter Hangu Pass immediately. He personally felt that it would be better to leave the matter of entering Hangu Pass to Zhu Ling. After all, it did not really make much sense for Zhang Liao to enter Hangu Pass earlier or later, but for Zhu Ling, it might make some difference.

Zhu Ling got the news and rode hurriedly from the rear.

When Zhu Ling saw Zhang Liao standing in line in front of Hangu Pass but not entering, he understood everything and his eyes suddenly turned red.

"Brother Wenyuan!"

Zhu Ling dismounted his horse solemnly and saluted Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao also jumped off his horse and helped Zhu Ling up. He just pointed to the side where the earth plateau collapsed and said, "I think Cao's army will set up traps inside the pass... My men are a little tired, and I'm afraid that they won't check carefully enough and delay important matters... So I'll let Wenbo take the trouble to check the safety inside the pass..."

Zhu Ling was somewhat touched, "Brother Wenyuan, don't worry!"

Is there really a trap left by Cao’s army?

There may or may not be.

So is it true that Zhang Liao cannot send people to check the security situation inside the pass?

Apparently not.

That's human nature.

Zhu Ling took a step back and bowed deeply to Zhang Liao.

Some things may seem insignificant to people who don’t understand them, but in the eyes of some people, these insignificant things are very important.

Just like the first coat your first love bought for you, or the first pair of nail clippers, if you simply consider the price of the goods, they are really not worth much, and as time goes by, the coat may have become out of date and the nail clippers may have become blunt and unusable, but the things contained in them are often not reflected by the superficial price.

Zhang Liao didn't care about these things at all and sent people to garrison in Hangu Pass first.

How big of a deal is this?

Anyway, Cao's army retreated, and Zhang Liao was the frontline general closest to Hangu Pass, so no one could say anything wrong!

Zhang Liao just controlled his soldiers and stayed outside Hangu Pass, leaving the task of entering Hangu Pass to Zhu Ling...

If it were before, Zhu Ling might still have some little thoughts in his mind, but at this moment, he was truly convinced by Zhang Liao and respected him from the bottom of his heart!

However, this harmonious situation was soon impacted by another discordant voice...