Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3586: Anti-Palace Horse Bureau

The northern part of Jizhou and the southern line of Youzhou.

Inside the big tent, Wei Yan was drawing on the ground with a small branch.

Yan Rou lifted the tent curtain and walked in.

Wei Yan didn't even raise his eyes, still looking at the figure drawn on the ground, and asked casually, "Have you eaten? There is some leftover barbecue over there."

No matter what time, food is the most important thing for Chinese people.

Yan Rou didn't hesitate and walked forward, wiping his hands on his armor to make sure they were clean. Then he picked up the knife that was stuck in the meat, cut some strips of meat and started eating.

The meat was not fully cooked, a little burnt on the outside but still half-cooked on the inside. However, Yan Rou obviously didn't care. She ate most of it in a short while, then picked up the water bag and drank it.

"The Cao army is definitely not just the troops under the stone city..." Wei Yan suddenly said, "I heard that Cao Zihe is considered the best of the younger generation of the Cao family. He will definitely not give up and withdraw from Youzhou."

After saying that, Wei Yan tapped the ground with a branch with some emotion, "I originally thought that this guy would rush out impatiently, but I didn't expect that he would actually be quite patient..."

Yan Rou was dealing with the remaining half of the meat, muttering, "If he shows up, are we still waiting here?"

Wei Yan smiled bitterly, "What else? Ask Zhao Zilong to borrow some war horses? Even if we borrow war horses, your men are cavalry, so it's no problem. Most of my men are infantry, and although they can ride horses,...?"

"If Cao's army really comes, they also have cavalry!" Yan Rou asked, "How are you going to fight?"

Wei Yan laughed and said, "Are you afraid of Cao's cavalry?"

Yan Rou scratched his chin with his oily hands and stuffed the meat scraps on his beard into his mouth, "Why would I be afraid? But let me make it clear first, I want to take them back to the desert, not to take them to die."

"That's definitely not a suicide mission." Wei Yan answered without even thinking.

Yan Rou put down the knife in her hand and said seriously: "I am serious."

Wei Yan was stunned for a moment, "Are you really going back to the desert?"

Yan Rou nodded.

Wei Yan was a little confused, "No... you... you are seeing that the lord is about to conquer the Central Plains, and you are going back..."

Yan Rou exhaled, "War, killing... Do you know how old I was when I started fighting and killing? I was less than ten years old. At that time, our tribe went to fight another tribe, and I stabbed a guy to death... well, a guy about my age now... I still remember the look in that guy's eyes, he seemed to be in pain, but also very happy..."

Wei Yan hesitated to speak.

"Hahaha," Yan Rou suddenly laughed, "Let's not talk about this... In the desert, it's a blessing to be able to live to my age... Let's talk about the current war situation. You want Cao's army to come, but what if they don't come?"

Wei Yan smiled, "They will come! If they don't come for such a good opportunity, then they won't have to come in the future!"

Wei Yan pointed at the sketch he had drawn on the ground, "Look, this square city is surrounded on three sides and has one missing. Isn't it obvious that it is a pocket?"

Yan Rou glanced at Wei Yan and asked, "You already know it's a pocket, why are you still rushing in?"

"You can't get a tiger cub without entering the tiger's den." Wei Yan said with a smile, and then his smile gradually revealed a bit of cold-bloodedness, "And this guy clearly thinks I like adventure... He came here specifically to target me, how can I not come?"

Yan Rou ate the last bite of meat, licked the knife used to cut the meat, and casually stuck it on the wooden plate. "Tell me, what should we do?"

Wei Yan chuckled, "My idea is actually very simple..."

……

……

"The enemy army will definitely come!"

Cao Chun said it very affirmatively.

"According to the scouts, the Northern Territory army is still in the northern part of Youzhou, in the area of ​​Ji County, Yuyang," Cao Chun explained to the military marquis Sima who had noticed something unusual, "We are now facing a small group of "bandits" from Yijing..."

"The Cavalry Army is not bandits..." a military officer muttered in a low voice.

Cao Chun waved his hand and said, "There are also differences among the cavalry. The Northern Territory Army is naturally a first-class army. We can't defeat them, but these bandits are mountain bandits from Taihang Mountain! And they are mixed with some traitors from Jizhou. They are a mixed army! The simplest and most important point is that they don't have many war horses! And we do!"

"We are now besieging Fangcheng, and are preparing to attack Yijing as the next step. These bandits have only two choices: one is to come to Fangcheng for support, and the other is to abandon Fangcheng and retreat to Yijing!"

Cao Chun stood up and looked around slowly. "Everyone knows what it would be like if we were attacked during the march! When the time comes, we can use cavalry against infantry, and we will win without any hesitation! If you don't even dare to fight... what's the point of you eating Cao's salary? !"

"After this battle, we can return to Jizhou with our heads held high!" Cao Chun shouted in a deep voice, "If you still don't have the guts, reach out and feel the balls under your crotch to see if they are still there?! If you think you are useless, then I can do it for you and cut off your balls, which are useless anyway!"

"We fought in Youzhou, but we didn't win. We tried to lure the enemy, but we failed. Now we are afraid to move forward even against some cavalry troops and scattered bandits..." Cao Chun looked at the military academies seriously, "This battle is not only related to the Han Dynasty, but also the only chance for you and me to wash away our bad reputations!"

The military academies looked at each other, but no one expressed any fear.

Cao Chun looked around and knew that under coercion, he had to offer some inducements, so he said: "After this battle, I will not take any money or objects in Fangcheng. They will all be left to you!"

"Ohhhhhhhh!"

The military academies suddenly became excited.

Although Fangcheng is small, don’t forget to treat bean buns as dry food!

Amidst the twisted smiles of the crowd, Cao Chun suddenly felt as if he had seen those Yellow Turban bandits in Chenliu back then.

They were obviously loyal subjects of the emperor and representatives of the people, but now everything seems to have changed.

It seems that nothing has changed.

……

……

The night was as dark as ink, and the bonfire in Cao’s camp outside Fangcheng flickered.

All simplicity is actually not simple.

Although Cao Chun stated in front of the military school Sima and others that Wei Yan would definitely come, in fact he was only 60 to 70 percent sure.

This is true for all military operations. If the success rate is more than 50%, it is already very ideal.

Cao Chun's inference that Wei Yan would definitely come came from Wei Yan's previous battle "trajectory"...

Although Cao Chun did not understand what big data analysis was, studying Wei Yan's fighting habits and fighting methods was indeed the most time-consuming and energy-consuming thing for Cao Chun in recent times.

Cao Chun discovered that Wei Yan liked adventure.

If Cao Chun would only take the risk if he was more than 50% sure, then Wei Yan would only dare to do it if he was only about 30% sure!

Just like crossing the Taihang Mountains, or even colluding with the gentry in Jizhou, which one is not risky?

Logically speaking, even if they succeeded in crossing the Taihang Mountains, they would inevitably suffer heavy casualties and be exhausted. They would have to at least rest for a while, or find a weaker link in Jizhou to attack. But Wei Yan chose to aim at Yecheng!

If this person isn't a lunatic, then what is he?

So if Wei Yan knew that Cao Chun appeared with his troops near Fangcheng, he would definitely come!

"Someone, come here! Have you captured all the people from the Zhou family outside the city?"

Cao Chun lifted the tent curtain and asked loudly.

"General, we've caught him!" a military school student responded.

Cao Chun nodded, "Good! Take these people to the city!"

Cao Chun decided to put some more pressure on the people in Fangcheng, and then pass the pressure on to Wei Yan. …

……

Outside the south gate of Fangcheng.

On the edge of the moat.

Cao Chun stared at the Zhou clan members who were pinned down in the mud. His eyes swept over the young child. He felt a little reluctant in his heart, but it was soon replaced by anger caused by the non-cooperation of the Zhou family in the city and the empty granaries in the city.

"General, please understand!" On the top of the city wall, the old man's hair and beard were disheveled and fluttering in the wind. "Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the Zhongping period, when has the granary in Fangcheng been more than 30% full? Last year, when there was a locust plague, I even took out the grain and seeds stored in the ancestral temple to give to farmers to replant their fields..."

"Hmph." Cao Chun didn't believe it at all. "What an empty granary! Empty year after year, year after year! The cunning people are full of lies, not a single word of truth! Well, well! If you open the gate and surrender, I will still spare your lives. If you continue to resist, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Old Man Zhou on the top of the city wall was silent, looking at the Zhou family members who were tied up below the city.

Most of them were from outside the city, and were members of the Zhou family with less blood relationship, but one of them was the grandson of Mr. Zhou...

But, he’s not the eldest grandson.

A few days ago, before Cao's army came to besiege the city, there was an epidemic in the city. In order to prevent the children from being infected, they were sent to a manor outside the city to avoid the epidemic. Originally, they thought that there were fewer people in the manor, but they didn't expect that they could avoid the epidemic, but they couldn't avoid Cao's army...

In the Han Dynasty, and even in other feudal dynasties that followed, whenever there was a disaster such as war, or something simpler like having one's property confiscated due to some crime, people in later generations would inevitably express their feelings and ask, "How could someone be so stupid? Why didn't they just run away?"

The actual situation is that in the vast majority of cases, even when people know they will face the confiscation of property and extermination of their clan, they still cannot escape because of China's strict household registration system and the relevant laws that automatically convict refugees.

Refugees are equivalent to criminals. No matter where they are, if they are caught by the government without a pass, they will be sentenced to hard labor without any discussion.

Moreover, transportation was inconvenient in ancient times, and people would be easily conspicuous if they rode in a car. If one only had to rely on one's own two feet in the wilderness, regardless of whether one had the skills to survive in the wilderness or not, even if one was not eaten by wild beasts, the amount of dry food one could carry was limited. If one did not follow the official road, it would be extremely difficult to obtain daily supplies, and once one was on the official road, one would be likely to be arrested.

Being able to escape often requires certain coordination and certain conditions. Traveling in ancient times was not as quick and convenient as it is in later generations. Moreover, in later generations, not everyone can escape if they want to.

Therefore, Mr. Zhou's grandson was also arrested...

Open the city gate for the sake of my grandson?

This is obviously impossible.

Didn't Zhou plan for such a long time just to become the "guardian" in front of the people of Fangcheng, and then form a fait accompli before the arrival of the new ruler?

So, Old Man Zhou just cried and wailed, but did not order the city gates to be opened.

"Drag them away." Cao Chun snorted coldly, his livid face reflecting the flickering torches on the top of the city wall. "Among the nine clans of the Zhou family, anyone taller than the wheel will be beheaded."

When the first head rolled down, the Zhou clan members' shrill cries were heard from the top of the city wall.

"Cao thief!" Old Master Zhou's hair and beard stood up, "You killed loyal people and slaughtered innocent people! You will not die a good death!"

Cao Chun waved his hands indifferently, "Kill them all and pile their heads in the Jingguan. Since you want to join the Hussars, I will grant your wish!"

Amidst the cries and wails, the captured members of the Zhou clan were beheaded one by one.

The moat was dyed red with blood, and the pervasive smell of blood was carried by the wind and poured into the gaps in the city gates, echoing like sobbing between the empty beams and pillars of Fangcheng's granary.

"Old man... take a good look, that child... seems a little different..." Suddenly someone on the top of the city wall pulled the sorrowful old man Zhou and whispered, "That seems to be the child of the farmer at the east end of the village..."

"What?" Old Zhou quickly leaned on the battlement to take a closer look. After a moment, a complex expression suddenly appeared on his face. He remembered that last year when the farmer came to borrow money because his family member was sick, Old Zhou waived the interest and only took the principal. The farmer knelt outside the gate and declared that he would definitely repay Zhou.

At that time, Mr. Zhou thought it was just a farmer having fun, but he didn't expect...

……

……

late at night.

"Report! Someone is sneaking down the city wall and heading north!"

The soldiers came to report.

Cao Chun nodded, "Let them go, no need to chase them."

Killing Zhou and attacking Fangcheng are not difficult tasks. The difficult part is to deal with Wei Yan first.

If we can't defeat Wei Yan before Zhao Yun marches south, there's no way we can boost morale and recapture Youzhou!

That’s right, Cao Chun was unwilling to accept this!

He had stayed in Youzhou for quite a long time, so he knew what Youzhou was like. If Zhao Yun really wanted to occupy Youzhou, he would have to pay a considerable price. At least he had to let the people of Youzhou do the spring plowing now!

Therefore, if Cao Chun could find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Youzhou, he would not have to fight against the Northern Territory army led by Zhao Yun. He only needed to destroy the crops that had just been planted, which would put Zhao Yun in a dilemma in Youzhou!

At that time, if Zhao Yun wanted to continue staying in Youzhou, he would have to let the people of Youzhou replant food and grass again, and there might not be enough time!

In this way, Youzhou became a burden to Zhao Yun. If he wanted to continue fighting, the cavalry's original pretense of being generous to the people could no longer be maintained. If he did not fight, Zhao Yun would inevitably force the people to return to the northern desert. By then, Cao Chun could not only take advantage of the situation to recapture Youzhou, but also expose the cavalry's lie of caring for the people and restoring people's livelihood!

Zhao Yun was helping the people in Youzhou. Was it really for the happiness and well-being of the people in Youzhou? It was a joke! In this world, how could anyone truly care for the people and put them first?

Cao Chun didn't believe it. He felt that as long as he could successfully launch a sneak attack, he would be able to expose Zhao Yun's hypocritical mask and make the nobles and gentry in the Central Plains understand that they would be worse off and more miserable if the cavalry came!

Therefore, Cao Chun turned a blind eye to Fang Cheng's move to send people to ask Wei Yan for help again. He hoped to defeat Wei Yan, break through the defense network of the Cavalry Army, mobilize Zhao Yun's troops, and finally get a good opportunity to raid Youzhou.

Of course, the most important thing is to regain the high morale of your subordinates so that you can lead them in a long-distance raid. Otherwise, if their morale collapses halfway and they all run away, then what’s the point of the raid?

But Cao Chun didn't expect that after letting the messenger from Fangcheng go, the latest news he received was that Wei Yan had already moved his camp and left. He did not come to Fangcheng, but went to Yijing!

"No! This is impossible!"

Cao Chun couldn't help but scream out.

How could Wei Yan not launch a surprise attack on Cao's army but instead return to defend Yijing?

This is not Wei Yan at all!

Compared to Cao Chun's disbelief, the military academies under Cao Chun seemed relieved...

Even though Cao Chun confidently stated that Wei Yan had only more than 2,000 men at most, and not many cavalry, most of them were infantry, and Cao Chun's reassembled troops already had more than 4,000 men, twice as many as Wei Yan, but for these military schools of Cao's army, they still felt that the cavalry was difficult to defeat.

A series of failures led to all kinds of rumors in the army. Coupled with the previous demonization of the cavalry in Shandong, sometimes even Cao Chun was scratching his head and couldn't explain it clearly.

So Cao Chun hoped even more to win a victory...

But for most of the Cao army soldiers and military academies, it was obviously easier to capture the city and there was more fat to eat, so why bother to bite the hard bones of the cavalry? Even though Cao Chun repeatedly emphasized that gnawing bones can supplement calcium and straighten your back to start a new life, for these Cao soldiers, they didn't think there was anything good about starting a new life. After all, wasn't it all for a bite of food?

The soldiers and military academies of Cao’s army looked down upon Cao Chun’s reputation, which was very important to him.

"General, isn't this perfect? ​​Let's attack the lower city! The men have been so frustrated these past few days, it would be great to have some fun if we take it down!" Someone from the military academy immediately suggested.

"Yes, yes! Attack Fangcheng!"

"Although the general said that all the spoils from Fangcheng belong to everyone, you must not break the rules! You still have to keep a share of what belongs to the general!"

"Yes, yes! You are right!"

Everyone was chattering and beaming with joy, which was completely different from the way they looked when Cao Chun had said he wanted to fight Wei Yan.

But after discussing for a while, the military academies found that Cao Chun was sitting at the top seat with a frown on his face, not saying a word and looking gloomy, so they gradually quieted down, and then asked somewhat nervously, "General... what are you doing..."

Cao Chun slowly looked over one by one, until all the military officers bowed their heads, and then he slowly said: "If we attack Fangcheng now, we will fall into the enemy's trap!"