Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3622 Lin Shenzhou is stagnant, the wind starts and the fire starts

Any organization and any country will face management challenges.

Especially when the scope of management becomes larger and the number of management personnel increases, various problems are bound to arise.

How well did Yuan Shao manage himself and a small group of people around him? Even after he was killed and became a defector from the Han Dynasty, there were still people who followed Yuan Shao and never left him, including Xu You who later defected to Cao Cao.

Then, as Yuan Shao's territory expanded, more problems arose.

However, Yuan Shao’s management model was obviously not suitable for the situation when the team grew larger and the territory expanded.

It's like a transportation network.

Originally, there were few nodes and the turnover was fast, so any problems could be quickly transmitted to the upper level, and the upper level could quickly solve the problems below. However, when there are many nodes and the process is complicated, many problems will be stuck somewhere. This is not necessarily intentional, but if the process is not improved, congestion will occur somewhere.

Therefore, Cao Cao was waiting for Yuan Shao to appear in a "congestion", not necessarily in Wuchao, but perhaps somewhere else.

And now, Cao Cao is also waiting for Fei Qian to appear in the "congestion".

This kind of "congestion" will not occur just because Fei Qian doesn't want it to. The longer the operation lasts and the longer the front line is, the more likely these problems will occur.

Why did Cao Cao still believe in victory despite his disadvantage? First of all, even if Cao Cao only had one drop of blood left, there was still a possibility of lightning and fire burning the rope, right?
Secondly, Cao Cao was too familiar with human nature. He had experienced almost all kinds of betrayals, from Suanzao to Yangzhou, from Yanzhou to Yuzhou, and at almost every step of his promotion, someone had betrayed him behind the scenes. He had even been in deep danger several times, escaping death by the skin of his teeth. So was the situation now more dangerous than what Cao Cao had encountered before?
The most important point is that Cao Cao is now shrinking his front.

Cao Cao is good at using tactical flexibility and command advantages to concentrate elite forces to launch surprise attacks in chaotic situations. Now that Fei Qian has left Tongguan and entered Heluo, the next battle line will be longer and longer, which will put Fei Qian's logistics and flank defense requirements and toughness transmission to a great test.

Of course, this was all Cao Cao's assumption. It was uncertain whether Fei Qian had these problems, whether he could be exposed even if he did, and whether Cao Cao could catch him after he was exposed.

Just like Wuchao.

Cao Cao is now waiting for "Wuchao".

The code name of this operation is "Wuchao".

After the Cavalry Army won consecutive victories in the Hedong, Guanzhong and Heluo areas, Cao's army in Shandong and Central Plains suffered from low morale and disintegration of the army. However, this also brought one benefit, which was that it gradually began to polarize.

Shandong was originally ambiguous...

In order to reverse the crisis at this moment, the most urgent thing is to stabilize the military spirit, boost morale, and unite all forces closely.

To this end, Cao Cao took advantage of the fact that the emperor had granted him the title of general to send letters to all parties, summoning them to discuss a plan to save the country.

In terms of defensive strategy, although it is still extremely difficult to implement according to Cao Cao's method, it is at least the only way at the moment.

The noble families and local representatives summoned by Cao Cao also knew that Cao Cao alone and the power of one family were not enough to defend Sishui Pass, nor could they stop the cavalry army from pacifying the world.

The first to show goodwill to Cao Cao was Jiangdong.

Although Cao Cao knew that Jiangdong Erleng's "goodwill" could turn into a dagger stabbing him in the ass at any time, under the current situation, Cao Cao could only accept it with joy and give full affirmation, and submitted a petition to the emperor to confer a title on Jiangdong Erleng.

The act of returning favors also made Jiangdong begin to withdraw troops to cooperate with Cao's army to resist the soldiers from Sichuan and Shu. This allowed Cao Cao to put aside the problem of the southern line for a while.

The direction where the collapse is most severe now is the north line.

Jizhou is now in the midst of war.

The mess left by Yuan Shao encountered new damage before Cao Cao had time to sort it out. On the one hand, Yuan Shao could not eradicate the independence of the small manor economy in places like Jizhou, and Cao Cao was too late to deal with it. On the other hand, the local gentry in Jizhou had grown up in the two hundred years of the Eastern Han Dynasty and felt that they could negotiate terms with the central government and show their strength.

Yuan Shao had indeed fallen before, but Jizhou and Yuzhou were already at loggerheads. Cao Cao was helpless in wanting them to simply shake hands and make peace, then turn around to deal with Fei Qian and live in harmony with each other.

This was even more obvious when Cao Cao marched into Guanzhong.

Cui Yan's actions in Yuzhou were, to some extent, tacitly approved by Xun Yu and others.

It's like cutting.

Painful and bloody.

If Cao Cao could survive, then the cut flesh and blood would be an opportunity for rebirth.

So now, Cao Cao must survive at all costs.

As long as you can survive, the previous cutting will be meaningful.

As long as they can survive, it means that Fei Qian will be trapped in Heluo and Yanzhou.

Before, Cao Cao's four armies advanced together, and the amount of military supplies and food consumed was so much that the Cavalry Army will also consume the same amount now!
Although Fei Qian’s total number of troops at this stage is smaller than Cao Cao’s at that time, Fei Qian has more war horses than Cao Cao!
One war horse is equivalent to the food rations of five people!
Once Fei Qian’s finances can no longer support him, “Wuchao” will not be far behind.

If you want to defend Sishui Pass, it is not enough to just strengthen its defenses and fortifications.

At least when Cao Cao saw the artillery displayed by Fei Qian at Tongguan, he understood this point, so he used Heishiguan, Gongxian and other places as the forward "fortifications" of Sishuiguan, weakening and consuming them step by step.

Because Cao Cao knew the biggest weakness of firearms and gunpowder.

Non-renewable.

Once a shell is fired, it is fired; once gunpowder is used, it is used.

So now Cao Cao must focus on defense and give up the edges.

This also shortened Cao's army's originally too wide front line.

The situation on the front and southern front was still better, but the key point in the north, Yecheng, made Cao Cao somewhat worried.

If Yecheng was lost, it would mean that the Cavalry Army could cross the river at any time and attack Cao Cao's heartland of Yuzhou. However, withdrawing troops to rescue Yecheng would not make much sense at this stage.

Because Jizhou also needs to be "cut"...

Under the strong threat posed by the Cavalry Army, the relationship between Cao Cao and Sun Quan quickly heated up. From the overall situation, if Cao Cao and Sun Quan could work together, when the Cavalry Army attacked Shandong, the Jiangdong Army and Cao's Army would join forces to create a new battlefield in Jingzhou, and they could march north to Wuguan to attack Guanzhong, and march west to Sichuan for the second time. This would inevitably lead to the Cavalry Army's flank being in danger, and even affect the Cavalry Army's front battlefield.

but……

In fact, it is unlikely.

Because Cao Cao and Sun Quan really had no basis for cooperation.

If Yuan Shao had not died at that time, and Fei Qian was a strong enemy, it is possible that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao would have cooperated, and the cooperation would have been good, after all, there was a friendship between the two. However, Cao Cao and Sun Quan had no friendship before, and it was impossible for them to have any friendship afterwards, so how could they have a tacit understanding?

……

……

Spring rain makes the sprouts grow, and summer rain pulls out the seedlings.

When the summer rain falls, the crops in the fields seem to grow taller by one section every day. In the blink of an eye, they all raise their heads, straighten their backs, stretch in the air, and smile.

No matter what the surname is in the world today, whether it is Liu, Cao, or Fei, the difference between them may be just the difference in which family’s granary the grain grown by the farmers will eventually be delivered to.

People need to eat. As long as they are alive, they need to eat.

After Hedong returned to the tricolor flag, it was impossible for it to remain in chaos for a long time. It had to return to its life and pick up its bowl of food again.

The Pei family was broken up, with some going to the Western Regions and some staying.

There are great benefits to doing this. First of all, Hedong no longer has a so-called "leader". When Xun Chen promotes the new land policy, naturally no one will dare to jump out and go against Xun Chen, or do something tricky insincerely obey his orders.

But there are disadvantages as well.

If Pei was still the head of Hedong, then with Pei's nod, the local snake and the dragon from across the river would make almost no one dare to cause trouble. But now the local snake has been chopped into two parts, half dead, and there is only the dragon from across the river. It is inevitable that he cannot take care of some places.

During this period, Xun Chen's work focus has been on restoring production.

In a sense, what Xun Chen did was right.

The earlier the production is restored, the earlier the food and grass support can be provided, which can also contribute to the next stage of the cavalry attack instead of becoming a burden. However, Xun Chen is not a jack of all trades after all. Without the effective support of the local snake, there are too many things that need to be handled and approved by Xun Chen, so that some details are easily put at the back, or even blocked at a certain link.

Cao Xiu died.

Xiahou Dun is still alive.

Fei Qian did not kill Xiahou Dun because he wanted to keep him alive for fishing.

Xiahou Dun himself was well aware of this.

But Xiahou Dun also wanted to decouple.

When a person dies, he is dead. No amount of sadness or regret will help.

After a brief period of grief, Xiahou Dun returned to his role.

He is a "surrenderer", but not just a "surrenderer".

Fei Qian knew this, and Xun Chen knew it too.

So no matter where Xiahou Dun was, he was always surrounded by cavalry soldiers, who were nominally guards but were actually there to monitor him.

But Xiahou Dun still believed that he could find a way, or he believed that Cao Cao could find a way.

Because that was Cao Aman.

It was impossible for Xun Chen to keep an eye on Xiahou Dun every day, and as a surrendered general, as long as Xiahou Dun did not do anything out of line, his daily behavior would not be restricted.

After all, Xiahou Dun was used as a sign to persuade Cao's army to surrender.

However, it was just a signboard, and Xiahou Dun would not be allowed to interfere in the actual affairs. Therefore, Xiahou Dun would get up early every day to exercise, then take his guards to the market to eat, and then come back. He might go to the market again in the afternoon, or he might not go. If it was windy or rainy, he would stay in his yard all day.

At the beginning, the hussars were watching closely every day, monitoring every person who passed by Xiahou Dun. They even checked the market where Xiahou Dun often ate several times, but they didn't find anything unusual, so they gradually relaxed.

This is human nature.

If Xiahou Dun could come up with some tricks from time to time, the soldiers who were monitoring Xiahou Dun would of course be on high alert all the time. But now Xiahou Dun eats and goes shopping every day, which is repetitive and monotonous, so not so much attention is paid to Xiahou Dun's behavior.

As the production and living order in Hedong was restored, the vitality within the city gradually revived.

The tavern that Xiahou Dun often went to was one of the ones in the city. It didn’t have a particularly high-sounding name, it was simply called Niu Ji Tavern.

At the beginning, Xun Chen thought that there were spies from Cao's army hiding in Niu Ji, but after careful investigation many times, and even sending smart people to serve as waiters in Niu Ji Tavern, he did not find anything unusual.

Xiahou Dun would just go to Niu Ji to drink a little wine and eat a little food. He never got drunk, and even when he occasionally talked to others, he did not avoid the soldiers who were watching him.

On this day, Xiahou Dun came to Niu Ji Tavern again and sat by the window on the second floor.

The owner of the restaurant didn't even need Xiahou Dun to give any special instructions, and he served the dishes Xiahou Dun often ordered. Unless Xiahou Dun asked for a change of dishes, he would just say "same old".

The shopkeeper also knew Xiahou Dun. He was even taken away for questioning by Youwensi because Xiahou Dun came to eat and drink before. Even though he returned to the shop later without any reason, he subconsciously didn't want to stay with Xiahou Dun any longer.

Xiahou Dun didn't care about these.

Because Xiahou Dun came to Niu Ji just to have another window to contact the outside world.

Xiahou Dun thought quietly while sipping wine and eating.

Xiahou Dun had a very close relationship with Cao Cao.

This trust based on blood ties, coupled with the fact that he had followed Cao Cao since he started his army and was one of his most core members, gave him a very high status in Cao Cao's camp. Not only was he a military general, he also served as a local administrative chief and participated in internal affairs such as military farming, and was deeply trusted by Cao Cao.

Therefore, there is no doubt about Xiahou Dun's loyalty to Cao Cao, and the so-called surrender was just a stopgap measure by Xiahou Dun.

Xiahou Dun was a strong-willed man, but that didn't mean he was brave but without strategy. Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao were closely connected by blood and political interests. The Xiahou family and the Cao family regime were deeply tied together, sharing honor and disgrace, so Xiahou Dun's political stance did not have much room to waver from the beginning.

As for Xiahou Dun, he misjudged the situation, causing his originally planned strategies to basically fail.

There were indeed many surrendered soldiers from Cao's army, but not many of them were like Xiahou Dun, who, even after receiving generous treatment, still wanted to return to Shandong Central Plains and be under the Cao family again.

Xiahou Dun overestimated the loyalty of Cao's soldiers to the Cao family and the emperor, and mistakenly believed that the Confucian ethics of "loyalty and filial piety" could be implemented in ordinary Cao's soldiers. So when Cao Xiu was preparing to "rebel", Xiahou Dun chose to stand in the "dark".

Originally, it was thought that this strategy of one open and one covert was the safest, and Xiahou Dun was indeed prepared to be attacked by swords and axes.

What is the result...

Xiahou Dun originally thought that the plan was very appropriate, but in Fei Qian's eyes it was full of loopholes.

When Xiahou Dun thought of this, he bit the pickled vegetables until they made a crackling sound.

He drank a glass of wine and let out a breath of alcohol.

Fei Qian also knew that Xiahou Dun would not truly surrender, but whether it was used as a hanging horse bone or as bait for fishing, it would be a good choice.

In fact, Xiahou Dun thought a lot after Cao Xiu's death.

The first thing they did was to go on a hunger strike and commit suicide to make their intentions clear.

He could use death to preserve his family and reputation, which was in line with the loyalty and bravery of the scholars at that time. He clearly rejected all of Fei Qian's persuading him to surrender, and made his position clear by fasting, committing suicide, or committing suicide publicly. On the other hand, he could also use his last words to emphasize his loyalty to Cao Cao and call on the "Han ministers" in Fei Qian's camp to reflect on what "loyalty and filial piety" really are.

This is indeed a good choice. It can not only avoid the family from being implicated by surrender, but also leave a name of loyalty and bravery for the Xiahou and Cao families, and consolidate the legitimacy of the political alliance. It can also weaken Fei Qian's subsequent means. For example, Fei Qian can no longer pretend that Xiahou Dun surrendered to undermine Cao Cao's morale, and it can also reduce Cao Cao's decision-making pressure, etc.

But the problem is that suicide is a one-time decision.

And the key is that the window of choice is very short. Once you miss it, choosing again loses its meaning.

Therefore, after Xiahou Dun did not commit suicide in the early stage, his next best strategy was to publicly insult Fei Qian, destroy the appearance of the so-called "persuasion to surrender" by the cavalry, incite other surrendered soldiers of Cao's army to rebel, and provoke Fei Qian to kill him.

Unfortunately, Cao Xiu came.

Cao Xiu chose this strategy first, and after Cao Xiu's death, Xiahou Dun chose it again, which is equivalent to...

So the remaining strategy for Xiahou Dun is to accept the house arrest on the surface, cooperate politely to reduce the vigilance of Fei Qian's side, and wait for an opportunity to contact Cao Cao and create an opportunity to escape. If he can escape successfully, then Xiahou Dun can return to Cao's camp to continue serving, and his political value and military experience can be preserved. At the same time, the intelligence obtained during the period of pretending to deal with him can also become a reference for Cao Cao's next stage of strategy.

However, the most difficult part of this strategy is how to "escape"?
It is obviously impossible to do this relying solely on Xiahou Dun.

As long as the weather is not bad, Xiahou Dun will go to the market to eat, in order to find an opportunity to contact the people sent by Cao Cao...

After finishing his meal, Xiahou Dun looked up at the sky and prepared to get up. However, when he stood up, he accidentally dropped the pouch hanging around his waist under the table.

Xiahou Dun was stunned for a moment, then bent down to touch it.

The dining table was a low table, so it was very difficult to touch. After searching for a long time, his hand finally touched the tassel of the sachet. When he was about to pull it over, Xiahou Dun's other hand seemed to touch some uneven marks under the table.

At first, Xiahou Dun thought it was just the rough workmanship of the bottom of the table, but soon he realized that the table was painted on both sides, so how could there be these bumps and grooves? Moreover, there were wood burrs and rough edges on these bumps and grooves, which obviously meant that they had been carved not long ago.

The uneven areas look like they were scraped out by something...

Xiahou Dun fumbled around, resisting the urge to lean under the table to take a look.

Because he knew that his every word and action was being watched. Ordinary small movements might go unnoticed, but any abnormal behavior would definitely alert the observer.

So Xiahou Dun sat there, using his sleeves as cover, slowly rubbing the concave and convex marks, and then pieced together the shape in his mind.

Like an arrow.

The arrow points to the direction of...

Xiahou Dun looked out the window in the direction indicated by the arrow.

He saw Le Jin in disguise.