Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3610: The Power of the Sun
The concentration of power in one person will inevitably lead to the loss of reason.

Rights bring benefits, and benefits drive monopolies.

For thousands of years, there have not been many people in China who have been able to obtain supreme power and still remain sober.

Fei Qian didn't think he was that great. He wondered if he would still have clear ideas and considerations like he did now after unifying Shandong and the Central Plains.

Jia Xu was also unclear, so he tried to test it out.

The result is good for now.

Yes, only temporarily.

If Fei Qian could use his prophetic attribute for the future when he traveled through the Three Kingdoms, but now he is not sure how the future will go and whether it will go in the direction Fei Qian hopes. Because when the plate gets bigger and bigger, more and more people are needed to participate, and every new person who participates will pollute the color in the original plate.

As a leader, Fei Qian finds it difficult to take care of everything and understand in detail what is happening in every corner of the plate after the plate has grown.

Just like if Jia Xu hadn't reported it, who would have known that Jia Xu's behavior of "self-defilement" was actually caused simply by the conflict between the Han and Qiang peoples?

If Fei Qian only focuses on the so-called assessment results and administrative indicators and ignores other projects, let alone other things, just the Bar Council, it is possible that in order to achieve some indicators and to maintain the face of his own family, he will come up with slogans such as "We have the confidence and ability to make every case an ironclad case." After all, we are all in the same circle and we will meet each other sooner or later.

Later on, this circle became larger and larger, with smaller circles within the big circle. One could not get promoted without entering the circle. After a long time, it even became a parasite, with the whole family, young and old, living in the circle.

This kind of thing was very normal in ancient China.

And it cannot be eradicated.

Unless humans are directly exterminated, there will be no rights or desires.

And the key issue now is that within Fei Qian’s political group, even if Fei Qian himself suppresses or controls his personal desires, he cannot ensure that other people will not have the idea of ​​forming a circle or the desire for promotion.

Jia Xu pointed this out.

And Wei Yan in the northern part of Jizhou now also wants to take further action.

Perhaps, in Wei Yan's mind, he felt that he should pursue the victory.

In March, most places in Jizhou are filled with the spirit of spring.

This is a mixed blessing for Jizhou. The good news is that they can start spring plowing and look forward to the wheat harvest in September, but the bad news is that the Cavalry Army is coming again.

The defenders on the northern border of Jizhou were like a bird's nest that had been stimulated, hiding everywhere and screaming.

The news reached Yecheng.

Cao Pi was sitting in the hall, with only Chen Qun sitting below him.

Cao Pi didn't like Chen Qun, but now he had no choice but to rely on him. After all, the attitude of the gentry in Jizhou was really ambiguous, and Cao Pi didn't want the countermeasures that he had finally agreed on in Yecheng to be delivered to the cavalry in northern Jizhou the next day.

Chen Qun also designed some capture operations, which were effective and did catch some people, but it was also difficult to eradicate them.

But if there is a large-scale investigation, what if someone really just wanted to trim his toenails but stabbed his aorta with the scissors...

Cao Pi gently rubbed his forehead with his left hand while reading the report in his hand. After finishing reading it, he slowly put the report on the table and looked up at the empty hall in front of him.

This lobby was originally bustling.

At first, Cao Pi felt that the lobby was too crowded.

When Cao Cao had just taken control of Jizhou and moved into Yecheng, there were people sitting in the front row of this lobby, and there were people crowded in the back, and even outside there were people queuing up, so Cao Pi felt it was crowded at the time.

But now, it's empty.

Originally Cao Pi felt comfortable sitting at the top, but now he felt lonely there.

This made him feel very uncomfortable, and after he finished reading all the reports, he became more and more uneasy.

The direction of the cavalry troops was still similar to what was expected, but the number of cavalry troops reported by the border was too different. If the number of cavalry troops reported was added up, it would exceed 300,000...

There are 300,000 cavalry troops in the northern part of Jizhou alone?
Just think about it and you will know that this is impossible, but the report was sent to Yecheng in such an outrageous way.

Cao Pi knew that these officials had exaggerated the numbers.

Perhaps every official who submitted a report thought that it was okay if they exaggerated a little, but when the reports were summarized to Cao Pi, he was simply unable to judge the correct situation.

It is even possible that some completely false information is mixed in among these reports...

Cao Pi understood that the situation was very bad. If Jizhou could not withstand the attack of Youzhou's cavalry, then once the cavalry gained a foothold in Youzhou, they could attack Qingzhou, Xuzhou and other places through the plains. However, Cao's control over Qingzhou and Xuzhou was not very strong, and they could not effectively drive out the cavalry. At that time, even if they could maintain Jizhou and Yuzhou, they would be surrounded by enemies and basically had no hope of turning the tables.

Now the Cavalry Army is coming from Guanzhong and the Northern Territory. If we cannot defeat the Cavalry Army's offensive before the autumn harvest this year, then in the autumn the Cavalry Army can not only replenish food and supplies, but also form a solid defense line. Even if we can resist the Cavalry Army this time, the next time the Cavalry Army comes, it means that the Cavalry Army's front-line base can be advanced to a position very close to Jizhou and Yuzhou, and it will have a longer sustained combat capability.

The strength of the Cavalry Army has been growing, while the strength of Cao's army has been weakening.

Since last year, after Cao's army was defeated, Cao Pi had already begun to panic, and this panic was now as real as a physical thing. Even in Yecheng, he saw Chen Qun constantly strengthening Yecheng's defenses and training new soldiers, but he still couldn't eliminate the panic in his heart.

Especially after learning that Cao Chun was dead...

Cao Pi looked at the pile of reports on the table and asked Chen Qun, "Is there no other way? Can we just wait here?"

Chen Qun lowered his head slightly, "Sir... this is a foolproof plan..."

Cao Pi smiled bitterly, "What do you mean by 'perfect'?"

Chen Qun was silent.

After a while, Cao Pi asked again: "Is there any way... this Northern Territory Protector... or this Wei general, is there any way to instigate or bribe them?"

Chen Qun hesitated for a moment, lowered his head and said: "Maybe we can give it a try."

Cao Pi sighed. He knew that he had to give it his all.

"Who can go?"

Chen Qun also hesitated for a long time before slowly saying: "Maybe we can ask Liu Ziyang to go again..."

Cao Pi was stunned. "In this case, isn't it... isn't it..."

Cao Pi didn't finish his words, but his meaning was already clear.

Liu Ye's surname is not Cao. Let's not talk about whether Liu Ye will do his best. If Liu Ye is invited to go out again, he must go through the emperor. In this way, the emperor will also know...

Cao was so weak that he even began to prepare for peace...

Chen Qun was silent.

Cao Pi was also silent. After a while, he sighed and said, "Just follow the instructions in the long article!"

The remaining candles in the Tongque Tower flickered, and the night was dark, like thick ink, filling the whole area.

Cao Pi stared at the thick stack of reports on the desk.

Chen Qun left the lobby.

The lobby became increasingly empty.

Cao Pi suddenly grabbed a scroll of bamboo slips on the table and smashed it against the red pillar in the hall.

The bamboo slips broke into pieces with a crackling sound.

Three days ago, the price of grain in Yecheng had soared to ten thousand coins per dou, but these advisers from Yingchuan were still writing in their memorials that "the people's hearts are longing for Han"!
It was as if those hungry people who were willing to exchange their own children for food would really give up their lives for a moldy plaque of the Han Dynasty.

"If it weren't for Xiahou Miaocai's underestimation of the enemy and his reckless advance... If it weren't for Xiahou Yuanrang's greed for merit and his failure..."

Cao Pi hid his face in the shadow, and a faint voice floated out, swaying and disappearing in the empty lobby.

The empty hall and the wooden red pillars.

Cao Pi originally thought that the Bronze Sparrow Tower in Yecheng, which was magnificent, now looked like a hollow beam eaten by insects, which would fall apart at the slightest touch.

"It's all your fault! It's all your fault! You mediocre people! You misled me, you misled me!"

At the sound of the bell at the hour of Yin, Xiahou Shang's cousin Xiahou Ru staggered in and bowed down in the hall.

"Prince! Handan... the grain road to Handan has been robbed!" There was still wheat bran and dust stuck to his armor, and blood on his face and arms.

"The cavalry came too fast..." Xiahou Ru lowered his head, "General, I am willing to lead the death squad again..."

Who would have thought that they would encounter Hussar cavalry in Jizhou?

Yecheng has a large population and daily consumption is also very high. In addition, the price of grain has soared in recent times. Many merchants simply hoard grain and refuse to sell it, causing the price of grain to soar almost every day.

Originally, if the grain and grass in Handan could be transported to Yecheng, it would have helped alleviate the rapid rise in grain prices. But who would have thought that it would be intercepted!
"Useless!" Cao Pi suddenly overturned the table, and the jade paperweight hit Xiahou Ru's eyebrow, which immediately broke and blood gushed out. "You can't even protect 3,000 hu of military rations, and you still have the nerve to call yourself the Xiahou Iron Cavalry? Useless! ! "

"Xiahou! Xiahou!" Cao Pi gritted his teeth and stared at Xiahou Ru, "My father and I have been very kind to the Xiahou family! But look! What have you, Xiahou, done? ! A Xiahou escaped from the north! A Xiahou died when we went west! It was not easy for my father to conquer Hedong, but another Xiahou surrendered! Even now, you, Xiahou, can be intercepted when we are asked to transport food and grass! Great Xiahou, great Xiahou!"

Xiahou Ru didn't dare to respond and could only kowtow repeatedly.

Blood was dripping from his brow bone.

Although Xiahou Ru had heard some news on the battlefield, the news was distorted in the process of transmission, making it difficult for Xiahou Ru to know whether what Cao Pi said was the truth.

But no matter what, his attempt to transport grain and fodder this time failed.

"Get out!"

When Cao Pi swung his sleeves, the bronze goose and fish lamp fell over, and the scalding wax splashed on the back of Xiahou Ru's hand and the top of his head.

Like fire burning my heart.

Xiahou Ru didn't dare to say much and bowed and retreated.

In the dark night, Xiahou Ru returned to his residence, took off his helmet in silence, and sat down dejectedly.

The blood on the brow bone has already coagulated, but it still hurts.

Like a needle piercing my heart.

He looked at the gloomy night and suddenly understood why General Cao Chun would rather die on the battlefield than come back.

In the night wind, there were sounds of singing and dancing coming from somewhere, which made him feel as if a huge rock was blocking his heart.

The stars and the moon outside the window were dim, making the bronze medal "Xiahou" on his waist dull.

A voice howled, "This is what you, Xiahou, chose, what you did, and what you have to bear...

The other voice was like a sound from the underworld, "No, this shouldn't be like this!"

……

……

No one knows whether Liu Ye's lobbying will have any effect, but everyone knows the impact on spring farming in Jizhou.

What is even more terrifying than the delay in spring ploughing is that the entire Jizhou is ready to surrender.

This is an age where it is easy to be happy.

Because the common people do not need to understand and have no way to understand more knowledge, they will not be bothered by various information. They work every day from cradle to death, just like the blessings described by American capitalists in later generations. Even if they are troubled occasionally, they are only limited to low-level needs. As long as they have a little material things, they can get a strong sense of happiness.

But it was also an age of ignorance.

The information of the world, the appearance of the world, and the ladder of knowledge are all controlled by the ruling class. The ruling class works together to maintain the small circle of the class, puts on robes and veils to blind and deceive, trying to maintain the rule of the class and allow the manor economy and small peasant system to last for thousands of years.

Unfortunately, the small peasant economy is too easily influenced and destroyed.

Nowadays in Jizhou, what is more terrible than the delay in spring ploughing is the soaring prices of food and fodder.

Spring plowing affects autumn harvest, but that is still autumn’s thing, but the current soaring prices have a direct impact on us right now!

After several conscriptions and the inexplicable loss of granaries and fire dragons burning warehouses, even the lowest-ranking and most sluggish people realized the shortage of food and fodder.

The survival line of people at the bottom of society collapsed, a large number of people starved to death, and a small-scale plague broke out.

The death toll has become uncountable, and cannibalism has already occurred in some areas.

The price of regular food at the market was horrifying, but the meat of two-legged sheep was extremely cheap.

The system of non-professional soldiers has made the burden of soldiers in Jizhou counties very heavy. Many of them have to cultivate the land and perform labor service. They may not even get full pay when they go out to fight. Even if they do get pay, how much expensive food can they buy to survive with the current soaring prices?
Therefore, the morale of the soldiers guarding the counties and prefectures on the border of Jizhou was very low.

When the scouts of the Hussars appeared in the northern part of Jizhou, the soldiers from the counties of Jizhou hurriedly retreated into the city, leaving the villages and people outside the city to fend for themselves...

It was precisely because of this that the garrisons of the counties and prefectures in northern Jizhou had no idea how many cavalry troops had arrived. They could only rely on their own guesses and report to their superiors and request reinforcements. Even though they knew that the reinforcements would not come, they still tried their best to send them to the south.

At the beginning, Wei Yan tried to let the cavalry intercept, but later he just gave up.

It's like first opening a rotten wooden board, and then a group of ants swarm out. No matter how hard you step on them, you can't kill many of them, so you can only ignore them.

The winding marching column moved forward like a long snake. A messenger ran in the opposite direction along the column, delivering orders to the military academy non-commissioned officers along the way.

"Prepare to set up camp!"

The tricolor flag paused and began to arrange the camp according to the instructions of the military academy sergeant.

However, when these hussars were setting up the camp, they didn't seem to be as focused as before, and many of them were distracted and looking behind them...

Gan Feng twisted his collar and stretched his neck a little, and immediately felt the muscles in his neck relax.

Of course, a sturdy armor is good, but it is also heavy.

The heavy burden is not only the weapons and equipment, but also the people in the villages along the way.

It is human nature to bully the weak and fear the strong.

At this moment, the people who are most capable of bullying the weak and fearing the strong are the ordinary people who are oppressed, exploited and squeezed in their daily lives.

After the initial panic, the people of Jizhou instinctively noticed the difference in the hussars' horses, so they followed.

At the beginning, there were only a few, and Wei Yan didn't care, and didn't want to pay attention, but he didn't expect that after just a few days, more and more people followed the Cavalry Army...

Wei Yan had no intention of distributing food and rations to the people, but the people followed the cavalry army for the most part, instinctively seeking safety. Because the people of Jizhou knew that if they encountered bandits, most of them might survive, but if they encountered the defeated army of Jizhou, they would almost certainly die.

The soldiers from the counties in the northern part of Jizhou did not dare to fight Wei Yan, but more and more common people followed Wei Yan. Even though these common people could find food by themselves, Wei Yan, Gan Feng and others felt more and more uncomfortable.

Wei Yan also had a headache.

Although he was a bit arrogant and had a bad temper, he would not target ordinary people.

If it were normal times, Wei Yan understood that he would resettle refugees, gather the people, and then mobilize and pool the labor force to carry out self-production and self-help work. But the problem was that he wanted to do something big now, and ended up with a burden behind him.

We issued orders to drive them away, and we did, but since these people had not seen blood, we could not drive them away.

Drive them away a little, and they will gather back again after a while.

But if Wei Yan really wanted to kill all these civilians, he couldn't do it.

He likes to fight, but he is not a butcher.

Gan Feng was equally irritated.

This feeling is like mud stuck to your boots. You can't shake it off no matter how hard you try, but if you don't shake it off it will increase the burden and make you lose flexibility.

"Bunaga, it's time to make a decision."

Gan Feng found Wei Yan and said to him.

Although they had robbed some of Cao's army's food supplies before, it was still a drop in the bucket.

Inside the cavalry army's tent, the oil lamp cast a shadow on Wei Yan's brow.

Wei Yan said: "I actually have an idea..."

(End of this chapter)