Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3578: Killing and Returning

Cai's private soldiers launched a frenzied counterattack against the Di people. At the beginning, they were able to take advantage of the surprise attack and caused heavy casualties among the Di people. However, with the arrival of the Di people's son, the casualties of Cai's private soldiers increased.

Although the armor worn by Cai's private soldiers was better than that of the Di people, they did not carry a large number of shields and heavy armor.

That thing is too conspicuous. A few of them occasionally is acceptable, but if there are too many, it will definitely arouse vigilance.

Therefore, under the arrows and bows of the Di people, the Cai family's private soldiers were relatively at a disadvantage. They didn't bring many bows and arrows, and now they couldn't even fight back.

The Di people were not good at frontal melee, but they were pretty good at long-range archery. This was one of the reasons why the Di people could be used to defend the city, but now the archery that was originally intended to be used against the cavalry was the turn of Cai Mao and others to enjoy.

The two sides engaged in a fierce fight at the doorway.

From time to time, someone was shot by arrows, stabbed by spears, or slashed by knives. Blood was dripping and spraying everywhere, staining the doorway red.

The Di people had a large number of people, but Cai Mao and others had seized the doorway, which limited the Di people's attack surface and they could not break in for a while.

Driven by anxiety and anger, the Di general's son ordered the opening of another city gate in an attempt to bypass and attack Cai Mao from both sides.

The private soldiers of the Cai family under Cai Mao were quite good, but the situation was not favorable to them after all. Under the counterattack of the Di people, their casualties increased rapidly.

Cai Mao then realized that his private soldiers were no longer as strong as they were in the past...

In other words, the intensity of war has increased today!

In the early years, once Cai's private soldiers came out, they could chase away the bandits and clan thieves in Jingzhou. Although Cai would occasionally play the role of clan thieves, they could even fight back and forth with Jiangdong. Undoubtedly, Cai's private soldiers were the best in Jingzhou at that time!

But now, the training and combat capabilities of Cai's private soldiers have generally maintained the original level, and it is inevitable that they cannot keep up with the changes of the times.

If there were no external aid, it would not be an easy task for Cai Mao and his men to take over Fangling.

Zhuge Liang did not want Cai Mao to die in Fangling, but he wanted Cai Mao to know something. So after the scouts reported that the gates of Fangling were wide open and the Dongshan camp was in turmoil, he began to lead his soldiers forward. When they were halfway there, they happened to see that the son of the Di general had made another stupid move and actually opened another gate...

This made Zhuge Liang at a loss for words, so he simply waved his hand and let Shamoke and his men do what they wanted.

Shamoke, who had been unable to contain himself for a long time, jumped up from his hiding place, drew his sword, raised his arm and shouted: "Kill!"

Shamoke led five hundred elite soldiers out of the valley and ran away.

Zhuge Liang led the remaining soldiers to provide support from behind.

Shamoke led his people and charged forward like wild horses, acting wantonly and unbridled.

What’s interesting is that because most of Shamoke and his men had disheveled hair, when Shamoke appeared in the eyes of the Di people in Fangling, these Di people initially thought that they were friendly troops coming from some other place. It was not until Shamoke and his men rushed in front of them and chopped down several Di people with their swords that these Di people realized what was going on and quickly gave warnings.

"Ding ding ding—"

The rapid sound of the warning gong sounded, and the Di people who were attacking Cai Mao and others in front of the doorway became chaotic.

The Di people were about to be killed, which was already a huge psychological blow. Now that they had finally shown some signs of improvement, new enemies rushed out from the flank, which immediately made the Di people panic.

On the other side, after hearing Shamoke's roar, Cai Mao and others who were trapped in the doorway immediately became excited, burst out with fighting power again, and pressed forward in an attempt to repel the Di people.

The young Di leader was panicked for a moment and didn't know what to do.

Cai Mao killed the defender of Fangling by surprise, but Cai Mao did not take advantage of this opportunity to control the situation and gain a foothold. Instead, he was suppressed by the Di people's counterattack. Now Shamoke's sudden attack disrupted the situation that the Di people had maintained with great difficulty, and serious chaos immediately occurred.

In war, the final test is the generals' command ability and overall strength.

Shamoke was not clear about Zhuge Liang’s specific ideas and tactical arrangements, but in terms of military strength alone, this guy could be considered the top player on the Fangling battlefield.

Moreover, the dozen or twenty tribesmen who followed Shamoke were all carefully selected brave men, each of whom had some special martial arts. They rushed into the Di people's formation like a pack of wolves rushing into a flock of sheep.

Some people among the Di people tried to resist, but they could not withstand Shamoke's attack.

The Di people who had originally planned to attack Cai Mao from behind turned around and fled. Shamoke led his men to chase them all the way and rushed into Fangling City.

The Di people were no longer able to make any waves after being attacked repeatedly. With the reunion of Shamoke and Cai Mao, Fangling was soon captured.

Cai Mao arrived at the city under the protection of his guards. He saw corpses scattered on the streets and Shamoke and others who were wiping their swords with cloth from the corpses. He couldn't help but feel nervous.

Cai had his own plans.

He originally wanted to use Zhuge Liang or Li Dian's military force to stabilize the Cai family in Jingzhou and maintain their interests, but he did not expect Zhuge Liang to see through his intentions and was not eager to get involved just because of Cai's "surrender". Instead, he asked Cai Mao to hand in his "letter of surrender".

Now that he had seen the fighting power of Shamoko and the others, Cai Mao had a new understanding of his own strength...

From the time these people showed up to the time the battle was resolved, it only took a meal at best.

Cai's private soldiers attacked unexpectedly and were willing to fight to the death. Although these guys also took advantage of the surprise attack, their efficiency was obviously several times higher than that of Cai's private soldiers!

For a moment, Cai Mao was in great turmoil.

He now needs to readjust his original plan...

But this also means that the proportion of the Cai family has decreased!

When Cai Mao was extremely upset, Zhuge Liang appeared on the street, smiling, "Uncle Cai, how are you?"

Cai Mao was just beginning to feel a little happy when he saw Zhuge Liang as the commander, but then he saw the cold look from Shamoke. He was immediately startled and stepped forward to greet him, "Thank you, Kongming, for your help... I... it's been so long since we last met..."

Zhuge Liang and Cai Mao knew each other.

In Jingzhou, most of the children of the gentry are in the same circle, just like the same gentry circle in Yingchuan.

Zhuge stepped forward and helped Cai Mao up, still with a gentle smile on his face, "Uncle Cai, now is not the time to reminisce about the past... How about we take the Dongshan camp together first and then talk about other things?"

Cai Mao took a deep breath, then bowed his head to the younger man in front of him, "Everything... is up to Kong Ming's orders..."

……

……

Heluo.

Close to Luoyang.

Fei Qian summoned Pang Tong, Zhang Liao and others to discuss matters in front of the army. Taking over Heluo was the primary military goal at the moment, but it was obvious that Cao Cao wanted to use Heluo as a buffer to buy more time, which was also an open conspiracy on the table.

It is unrealistic to expect to capture Luoyang easily.

The next attack strategy of the Cavalry Army was to recapture Luoyang, and then use Heluo as a forward base to attack the Central Plains.

With Yique Pass and Taigu Pass already in hand, the only routes left for Cao's army to send reinforcements were Huanyuan Pass, Sishui Pass, Mengjin and Xiaopingjin.

Among these four places, the one that is relatively closest to Luoyang is Mengjin, which is also the next focus of attack by the Cavalry Army. The attack on Luoyang City will only be launched after these outer passes are under control.

"Captain Jiang will lead 2,000 soldiers to attack Mengjin, half on horseback and half on foot..."

Fei Qian said.

Mengjin is not big and although its terrain is strategic, it is like Xiaopingjin, which is used to defend the area north of the river, so it is not difficult to attack Mengjin on land.

Jiang Jiong stepped out and accepted the order.

Fei Qian's gaze fell on Huanyuan Pass on the map again.

Huanyuan Pass is a shortcut from Luoyang to Xu and Chen. The pass is located on the Eling Slope, between Taishi Mountain and Shaoshi Mountain. The road is dangerous and narrow, with twelve bends, winding around and around, so it is called Huanyuan Pass.

"Wenbo, Huanyuan Pass is in a strategic location, so we should take it with wisdom. If we take it by force, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses..." Fei Qian said to Zhu Ling, "I will give you 1,000 infantrymen and 500 cavalrymen. Are you sure?"

It's not that Fei Qian doesn't value Zhu Ling, but at Huanyuan Pass, the cavalry can't be fully utilized. In Mengjin, because there is a possibility of being attacked by soldiers from Xiaopingjin and Henei County, more cavalry are needed for reconnaissance and protection. At Huanyuan Pass, it is obvious that infantry is more important than cavalry, and with more people, they can't be fully utilized on the mountain road, and the burden of military food is also heavier.

Zhu Ling also accepted the order proudly.

Fei Qian nodded. The target of the cavalry army in the near future is Mengjin, Xiaopingjin, and Huanyuanguan. If Jiang Jiong and Zhu Ling's progress is smooth, then after Mengjin, Xiaopingjin, and Huanyuanguan are cut off, Luoyang's only escape route or reinforcement route will be Sishuiguan, which is also the tactical strategy of "encircling three and leaving one".

After Jiang Jiong and Zhu Ling took the order and left, only Fatty Bird and Zhang Liao were left by Fei Qian's side.

Compared to Jiang Jiong and Zhu Ling who are executing tactics and small-scale regional battles, Pang Tong and Zhang Liao need to control the direction of the entire battle at a higher level, which is also the key task that Fei Qian must communicate and unify before the war.

"If we take Heluo," Fei Qian's eyes swept from Pang Tong and Zhang Liao, and then fell on the map again, "can we eliminate the quarrels in Shandong?"

It is obvious that Cao Cao now wants to create a sense of crisis that the Central Plains will be in danger, so that these people from Shandong will gather under the banner of his Cao family again, just like the last time he faced Dong Zhuo.

However, the "leader" this time is definitely Cao Cao.

Pang Tong stroked his chin, "Shandong has had different aspirations for a long time, and it is difficult to unite. There are many conflicts between Hebei and Henan. If our army conquers Heluo and marches into the Central Plains, it will be the right time. Hebei and Henan may not have enough time to unite..."

Fei Qian nodded, "However, if we are to march into the Central Plains now, we must join forces with the local gentry. If we do not handle it properly, it will inevitably become a big mess and cause a lot of trouble in the future."

Fei Qian and Pang Tong had done a rough calculation before. If they wanted to march into the Central Plains and stabilize the local area, they would have to transfer at least 30,000 troops to the countryside. Moreover, as the territory expanded, the number of these grassroots officials would be even greater.

"At present, the Shoushan Academy and Qinglong Temple have only a thousand students every year..." Fei Qian sighed slightly, "If we rush, there will not be enough people, and we must compromise with the Shandong gentry... If we slow down, the various tribes in the Central Plains will gather together and be used by Cao... Not only that, attacking the Central Plains at this moment will inevitably cause a sharp drop in the grain production in the Central Plains... When the autumn harvest comes, the people will not have food, and they will definitely feel resentment..."

Pang Tong turned his head and looked at Zhang Liao, then said: "My lord, what you said hits the nail on the head. It is easy to fight in Luoyang, and it is not difficult to enter the Central Plains. The only thing is to defend it for three to five years without causing chaos. That is the difficult thing."

Money cannot be created out of thin air. All wealth is created by human labor, and the ruling class obtains taxes and wealth by exploiting the surplus value of the lower classes. This is the same in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad. The key is where and how the wealth is used.

Zhang Liao listened from the side and did not interrupt rashly.

At first, he was not quite sure why Fei Qian said these things. After all, he had probably said them once before. But when he saw Pang Tong's eyes, Zhang Liao understood that Fei Qian was most likely explaining these things to him again. After all, military operations required Zhang Liao to command at the front line. Once the front-line military command and the logistical and civil affairs support failed to coordinate with each other and became disconnected, the different positions of the two sides would inevitably lead to huge contradictions.

Just like Bai Qi and King Qin.

The current situation is indeed very similar to the time when Qin State exited Hangu Pass, and Fei Qian obviously did not want to repeat the same mistake made by the King of Qin. Therefore, he specially met with Pang Tong at the military meeting and had a heart-to-heart discussion with Zhang Liao to clearly explain the current situation and the difficulties to be faced in the future, which was a very necessary thing.

The power political essence of the conflict between Bai Qi and the King of Qin was the structural conflict between the military merit group and the royal power.

As a typical representative of the rise of Qin's military merit system, Bai Qi's personal prestige has formed a military authority system independent of the king's power. According to the "Strategies of the Warring States", Bai Qi beheaded more than one million enemy soldiers in his lifetime. The worship of this "human butcher" image formed among the people of Qin has constituted a structural threat to the legal authority of the King of Qin. Moreover, because of this threat, Bai Qi refused to go to the battle many times before the Battle of Handan on the grounds of "unfavorable weather" and "rescues from the princes are coming". On the surface, it was a difference in military judgment, but in fact it was Bai Qi's struggle for the right to make decisions in the war. This conflict between the right to make military judgment and the final decision-making power of the monarch is also an inevitable contradiction in the process of centralization.

But Fei Qian, like the King of Qin, needed a completely new level of military generals and a new class of military meritorious officials who would obey him absolutely, which was different from the old Han system.

Just as capitalism is bound to lead to unbridled greed and exploitation, the military lord class is also bound to lead to unbridled war and continue to expand the war.

Historically, to deal with this kind of unbridled expansion of war, the solution that civil officials came up with was to suppress the military and raise the descendants of those military heroes like pigs. This would naturally solve the hidden dangers, and there was no need for the emperor to do it himself, like killing Bai Qi, which would have shocked the military, so that in the late Qin Dynasty, the military generals gradually became alienated from the court.

The reason why Fei Qian chose Zhang Liao to be the commander-in-chief of this march into the Central Plains instead of any other general who was more powerful or more famous than Zhang Liao was because Zhang Liao had more advantages than other generals.

On the one hand, Zhang Liao and Fei Qian have known each other for a long time. Although they are not sworn brothers, at least there is less suspicion and distrust between them. For example, now Fei Qian and Pang Tong are telling Zhang Liao indirectly to control the tempo of the war, which does not make Zhang Liao feel that Fei Qian and Pang Tong are restricting his military power.

On the other hand, compared with other military generals, Zhang Liao is more of a Confucian general. He is willing to read and learn about things other than military affairs.

This is very good and rare.

After all, most military commanders would kill and kill as soon as they entered the battlefield, and then leave a lot of messes for the subsequent civil officials to deal with. If the civil officials handled it well, it was what they should do. If they didn't handle it well and problems arose, it was also a problem of the civil officials' ability.

Just like the records of Qin mobilizing men over 15 years old to fight in the war, it has exposed the critical point of human resources under Qin's farming and warfare system. The food and grass consumed in the Battle of Handan was equivalent to Qin's three-year reserve. This overload operation indicated that Qin's civil affairs system had reached its limit, but Bai Qi's reason for refusing to fight was not within Qin, and he did not even mention these serious civil affairs issues. He wanted this and that when he went to the battlefield, so that the King of Qin had to give it to him. He even negotiated with the King of Qin before going to the battlefield...

Moreover, although Bai Qi's killing of Zhao soldiers was a tactical success, it was also a catalyst for the six countries to unite to resist Qin.

This decision-making under the guidance of military thinking exposed the weakness of Qin State in that it had not yet established the ability of post-war political integration. Fei Qian certainly did not want to see this situation happen, but the control of the military academy on the front line, temporary battlefield discipline, etc., were in Zhang Liao's hands.

Here in Luoyang, Fei Qian can still control the situation on the spot, but once entering the Central Plains, Fei Qian will certainly not be present in every major battle. In addition, Fei Qian has also restored an incentive mechanism similar to the Qin Dynasty's "granting titles based on the number of heads" which objectively may promote large-scale killing of prisoners.

This requires the front-line commanding generals to be sufficiently sober. Otherwise, with the current population density of Shandong, let alone 400,000, if a massacre really starts, even if the population density increases tenfold, it will be unstoppable!

Bai Qi's problem revealed the prototype of the contradiction between the professional military officer group and the civilian government. This conflict between civil and military officials still existed in the military system of subsequent feudal dynasties, and most of the time, the emperors of feudal dynasties failed to balance political control.

Fei Qian looked at Zhang Liao, "Wenyuan, is there anything you don't understand? Please speak frankly."

Pang Tong was also standing aside, looking at Zhang Liao.

Compared with the simple task-based instructions for Jiang Jiong and Zhu Ling, Zhang Liao's instructions are much more complicated. This will be related to the subsequent development of the entire grand strategy, so Fei Qian and Pang Tong cannot help but be cautious.

After all, once the wheel of war is set in motion, sometimes it is no longer something that can be controlled by one or two people...