Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3647: Three iron walls resist thousands of feet, a foot of frost measures the heart
"But... I remember that before Xiangyang, there were only two barbican cities, right?"

Liao Hua said with a frown.

Liao Hua had been to Xiangyang before, but he was one of the refugees at that time, so he was not allowed to enter the inner city of Xiangyang. Even if he traded with people in the city, it was in the urn area, so in his memory, there were only two urn cities in Xiangyang.

This is already quite outrageous. After all, in many places, it is common to see county towns that don’t even have a urn.

It is normal to have an extra layer of barbican in a general military stronghold, but two barbicans would be an over-configuration. As a result, the latest defense map of Xiangyang that Pang Shanmin took out showed that the barbican of Xiangyang City actually had three layers.

Even Fancheng has a two-layered city wall configuration...

"After Cao came, they added an extra layer..." Pang Shanmin pointed to the location on the defense map and said, "From here to here, it's newly added... Originally this was a horse wall, but now it's changed to a urn city... The new horse wall was moved here..."

"Hmm..." Liao Hua frowned, "Your Excellency, do you mean that the defense inside Xiangyang may have been changed?"

Pang Shanmin glanced at Liao Hua and nodded slowly.

For Li Dian and Liao Hua, having this Xiangyang defense map was a mixture of joy and sorrow. The joy was that they could make targeted preparations before the war, but the worry was that this defense map also had flaws, and the most critical problem was that the outer shell of Xiangyang City was too thick.

A three-story city wall, well, two and a half stories.

Even though the outermost urn city was rebuilt with horse walls, it was still inferior to the inner urn cities in thickness and solidity. But even so, these urn cities were still a headache for Liao Hua and Li Dian.

"Not only that, Xiangyang also set up a kind of... thing similar to an inverted cone on the top of the city..." Pang Shanmin didn't know how to describe it, so he simply picked up a pen and paper beside him and started drawing.

"What is this?" Li Dian looked at it and felt a chill in his heart.

Pang Shanmin pointed it out, "This is something installed on the top of the city..."

This is a multi-conical body similar to the flood control embankments of later generations, as if many small teeth have grown invisibly on the top of the city wall.

Just by taking a glance, Liao Hua and Li Dian understood the use of this thing.

When attacking a city and wanting to break into the inner city, one can either attack from the city gate or use ladders or other means to climb up the city wall.

And this thing was obviously designed to prevent the ladder from being placed directly on the top of the city wall.

Even if ladders or other climbing tools were placed on the top of the Xiangyang City Wall, there were still these cones in between. Soldiers had to climb over these cones before they could carry out effective climbing operations.

Liao Hua and Li Dian believed that Cao's army would not only physically separate them, but might even do something with these cones.

For example, apply a layer of kerosene...

"What a pity..." Li Dian whispered, "If there hadn't been a heavy rain a few days ago... some gunpowder would have been preserved..."

Liao Hua was also silent.

He had been thinking of using them sparingly, but due to a heavy rain and the attack by Cao Ren, even the stock was soaked by water and basically became waste.

Pang Shanmin looked at Liao Hua, then at Li Dian, and fell silent.

Without gunpowder, it would be difficult to attack such a strong city...

……

……

April, the tenth year of Taixing.

After war and invasion, Youzhou welcomed the belated spring again.

All the lateness only gives the living a little hope of survival, but it is meaningless to the dead.

But for the survivors in Youzhou, this is a rare peace and tranquility.

New crops were planted. Not many seeds were urgently transported, and it was unclear what the results would be. But at least the survivors could look forward to the harvest in the fall, and they had the motivation to survive.

Zhao Yun was sitting in the government office of Ji County, while a constant stream of military officers and clerks were coming and going along the corridors.

From midday to sunset, the flow of people finally thinned out.

Zhao Yun stood up slowly, feeling even more tired than after fighting on the battlefield all day.

Xin Pi is even busier and more tired than Zhao Yun.

Managing the people is much more complicated than managing the army.

In the army, military orders are just military orders, there is no reason why. But among the common people, even if the reason is explained, there will still be people who continue to ask why.

This is a good thing, but also a bad thing.

Zhao Yun stretched his body and thought about the documents he had approved today.

Youzhou's post-disaster reconstruction has entered the middle stage from the initial stage. After the basic survival needs have been met, the next issue is food and clothing. Although the people of Youzhou do not have any objections to the high-intensity labor every day, Zhao Yun feels that this state will not last long...

Because some problems have already emerged among ordinary people.

The lights are coming on.

Zhao Yun rubbed his sore brows and looked back. The pile of bamboo slips on his desk did not seem to have decreased much compared to yesterday.

Zhao Yun walked to the side hall and looked at Xin Pi, who also looked tired.

Xin Pi had more bamboo slips and wooden tablets than Zhao Yun. No matter how big or small the matter was, it had to be screened by Xin Pi first. Only the important and urgent matters were sent to Zhao Yun, and the trivial matters were handled by Xin Pi first. Otherwise, if all of them were sent to Zhao Yun, even if Zhao Yun had three heads and six arms, he would not be able to handle it.

"The Grand Protector."

Xin Pi looked tired, but his eyes were still sharp.

"Military Advisor." Zhao Yun paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about whether to say it, but soon, Zhao Yun said, "Military Advisor... In the past few days, there have been many reports that the people in Youzhou do not follow the rules and do not obey orders..."

The forest is big and there are all kinds of birds.

When there was no order in Youzhou, all the people were eager for order to be restored. But when order was restored, a small number of people would destroy it to gain their own interests.

And there are many ordinary Youzhou people...

They were not rebelling against anything, nor were they dissatisfied with the Hussars, but were just instinctively...

"theft".

This phenomenon is not only common in Youzhou, but also in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad.

For example, when queuing at a traffic light, as long as the line is long, someone will definitely want to cut in. When there is a traffic jam on a one-way street, someone will definitely want to go to the other lane and drive the other way. People can buy hundreds of dollars worth of delicacies and thousands of dollars worth of luxury goods at will, but they will be angry if they spend ten dollars on parking fees...

This is a problem that is engraved in our genes and will not change due to changes in the environment.

"Grand Protector General," Xin Pi's hoarse voice broke the slightly dull atmosphere, "Today, three village heads reported that when distributing millet, several people repeatedly cut in line and pushed the old and weak. Although they were scolded, no one admitted it and insulted others. In addition, during field inspections, it was found that several newly planted rice seedlings were secretly pulled out. Although the amount was not large, it showed that people's hearts were unsettled and the rules were gradually relaxed. If you want to stop it, you should use strict laws. "Zhao Yun said in a deep voice: "What the military advisor said is exactly what I am worried about. Severe punishments and severe laws can deter people for a while. However, you and I both know that Youzhou has just been settled and there are many things to be done. The army is limited. How can we spread across the countryside and guard day and night? Today we catch Zhang San, and tomorrow Li Si commits a crime again. If this continues, it will not only waste military strength, but also easily arouse public resentment and lose the people's hearts. "

Xin Pi pondered for a moment, "Then, should we recruit the sons of the noble families in Youzhou and Jizhou to fill the gap?"

"Those Youzhou and Jizhou nobles..." Zhao Yun paused, frowning, "They can share the trivial matters, but their minds are hard to predict, and their local connections are complicated. We must be cautious when using them, and we also need to work hard to prevent them. Supervising them is another burden, and it may not be possible to really eliminate such minor problems."

Xin Pi nodded slightly. He had already thought about what Zhao Yun was worried about. He leaned forward slightly, the candlelight dancing in his eyes, flashing a kind of almost cold wisdom: "General, what you said is very true. Severe punishment is like stirring up the boiling water, and the nobles are like a double-edged sword. However, I still have a plan, maybe we can find another way."

"Oh?" Zhao Yun's eyes were bright, "George, please come quickly."

"Please employ the Wuhuan and Xianbei people."

Xin Pi spoke each word with emphasis.

Zhao Yun was confused for a moment when he heard this. "Wuhuan? Xianbei? What does it mean to help the government? They don't know farming, they don't know writing, and they don't understand the rules and regulations of the Han Dynasty. How can they take on this task? Wouldn't it just add to the chaos?"

"General," Xin Pi said with an elusive smile, "It's because they don't understand!"

He stood up and paced in the narrow hall. His voice was low but clear. "They don't understand what 'local relationships' are, nor do they understand the twists and turns of 'the law does not punish the masses'. In their eyes, there are only the most straightforward orders - for example, 'line up, first come first served', 'green seedlings in the field, no one can be moved without permission'. They don't understand 'the ways of the world', and will not be shaken by a few sophistry and a few tears. In their view, rules are rules, and breaking the rules should be punished, just like offending the majesty of the leader on the grassland, which will be whipped at the least and expelled at the worst. '"

"More importantly, they are barbaric and do not understand the scriptures! They only obey the strong!" Xin Pi stopped and looked at Zhao Yun with burning eyes, "What the general is worried about is that they need an enforcer of the "rules" who does not need too much explanation and does not need to be watched all the time, but can make the people fearful? These people can be used!"

Xin Pi continued, "Let Wuhuan, Xianbei and others stand at the distribution points with weapons in hand. They don't need to say anything, just stand there in silence, and those who cut in line and push others will naturally retreat. Let them follow the clerks to inspect the fields. It doesn't matter if they don't know about farming, they just need to recognize the "do not move without permission" signs. Anyone who shows suspicious signs will be arrested immediately and handed over to the clerks or military law for punishment. They will not be partial, because they have no connection with the local people, and may even be naturally alienated due to old grudges."

Zhao Yun was silent.

It’s not that the Wuhuan and Xianbei people are more powerful than the Han people, but that these Hanized Wuhuan cavalry and Xianbei cavalry have become accustomed to carrying out military orders!
The Han military schools also followed military orders, but when they encountered the people who were throwing tantrums, they softened their hearts.

Good people all have weaknesses, and they deserve to be pointed at with guns.

"This method... is novel." Zhao Yun spoke slowly, with doubts in his eyes, "However, how can we ensure that they do not abuse force? How can we make them understand our "rules" accurately? And how can we avoid arousing resentment among the people that "the barbarians oppress the Han people"? "

"The Grand Protector has taken all the precautions." Xin Pi had obviously thought about this. "First, we have issued a strict order: we are only responsible for "seeing" and "stopping". The specific judgment and punishment must be carried out by the clerks or officers designated by us. The Wuhuan and Xianbei are not allowed to carry out private punishment. Second, we have selected Wuhuan and Xianbei small leaders who are proficient in simple Chinese and have relatively calm temperaments to lead the team. Our people will repeatedly instill several core prohibitions and teach them with the most straightforward actions and symbols. Third, we have made it clear to the people of Youzhou that this is a temporary measure to maintain order and protect public property. Anyone who abides by the rules will benefit from it; those who violate the rules, regardless of whether they are Han or Hu, will be punished. And we have promised that this law will be discontinued once order is stabilized."

Zhao Yun stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sparse lights outside the government office and the silent darkness in the distance.

It's still a bit chilly in the early summer in Youzhou.

The human heart is like the land in early summer; it needs a solid fence to allow new seedlings to grow safely.

Xin Pi's plan may seem absurd, but upon closer thought, it is like a cold, emotionless ruler that forcibly measures those chaotic corners, allowing those who take advantage to receive the punishment they deserve and understand the price of making mistakes.

"good! 』

Zhao Yun turned around abruptly, his eyes flashing with determination, "Let's follow Zuo Zhi's plan! Tomorrow, you will select a hundred strong and reliable men from the Wuhuan tribesmen who have surrendered, and you will personally train them and declare the ban. There is no time to lose! Start with a few supply points and key farmlands around Ji County. Tell those small leaders that their eyes are the rules and their hands are the fences! But if they dare to cross the line, military law will be ruthless!"

"I obey your command!"

Xin Pi bowed and accepted the order.

The next morning, at the largest corn distribution point in the west of Jixian County.

In the past, this place was always bustling with people, and the air was filled with the smell of sweat, dust and the desire for food.

The long line was like a restless snake. There were always people trying to quietly wriggle forward. Pushing, complaining, and even small cursing sounds came one after another.

The few local clerks who were there to maintain order tried their best to shout at the top of their lungs, but they were often unable to focus on one thing while focusing on another, and were sweating profusely from anxiety.

Today, the atmosphere is completely different.

Ten Wuhuan men, led by the centurion Guligan appointed by Xin Pi himself, stood on both sides of the team and at the entrance like ten iron statues.

They were not wearing armor, only plain leather coats, and the swords at their waists were not unsheathed, but the posture of their rough palms pressing on the hilts and the cold gazes as they silently scanned the crowd, in themselves formed an invisible, suffocating sense of oppression.

Guligan was a middle-aged man with a dark complexion and eyes as cold as rocks. He didn't know these Han people in the queue, so naturally he didn't look happy.

He came to carry out a mission, a mission issued by the Grand Protector and the Military Advisor.

Guligan, accompanied by the interpreter sent by Xinpi, shouted the core rules to the crowd in stiff Chinese with a hint of Hu: "Line up! Don't move! If you move, you will be arrested! You will be punished!"

The sound was not loud, but it was like a piece of cold iron hitting the ground.

He pointed to the white marking lines drawn on the ground by Xin Pi's men, which were one step apart, and made a strong "forbidden" gesture.

The crowd quieted down instantly, which was more effective than the repeated shouting of the petty officials in the past.

The whispers disappeared, and even the crying of the children was suppressed by the mother. Everyone's eyes were focused on these strange faces with suspicion, fear, and even a hint of anger.

A short and stocky man with twinkling eyes, who was probably used to taking advantage of loopholes in the past, took advantage of the fact that he was standing in the middle of the team and there was an old man blocking the way in front of him, so he tried to repeat his old trick and quietly squeezed forward half a step, trying to get in front of the old man. His action was very covert, and he thought no one would notice.

However, a young Wuhuan warrior standing behind him had eyes like a hawk locking onto its prey. He didn't even say a word, but took a step forward as swiftly as a leopard, and his large hand, like a palm leaf fan, reached out like lightning, accurately grabbing the collar of the man's neck. The man only felt an irresistible force coming, and before he could even scream, he was lifted up in the air like a chicken, and then thrown out of the team without any courtesy, and fell heavily on the open space next to the team, splashing a cloud of dust.

"Oh my, my waist! I...you..."

The man was shocked and angry. He lay on the ground rubbing his waist, as if he wanted to argue something.

Gu Ligan's cold eyes swept over, and the hand on the hilt of the knife moved slightly.

The man was met with eyes devoid of human emotion, and he saw the other Wuhuan warriors around him looking at him with the same indifference, as if they were looking at animals. His anger and sophistry were instantly frozen in his throat, and turned into a chill that rushed straight from his feet to his head. His face was pale, his lips trembled, and he couldn't say a word. Finally, under the gaze of countless complicated eyes, he got up dejectedly, consciously walked to the end of the team, lowered his head, and dared not look at anyone again.

The entire distribution point was exceptionally quiet.

There was only the sound of the clerk calling out names and measuring rice, and the rubbing of pockets as the people came forward one by one and silently received their rice.

The winding line had never been so straight, quiet and orderly.

On a ridge not far away, several Wuhuan warriors who were sent to patrol were following a clerk who looked like an old farmer. They could not understand the clerk's rambling explanation of farming seasons and pests, but their eyes swept across every ridge of new seedlings sharply.

When inspecting a field, he suddenly discovered that the boundary of a field had been destroyed.

The Wuhuan warriors immediately captured the family who had occupied the farmland, picked up even the children and dragged them to the edge of the field, watching the family accept punishment.

The child was so scared that he cried loudly, but the Wuhuan warrior's hands did not shake at all, and he whipped the child as much as he could.

The news spread like wildfire around Ji County: the barbarians were vicious and unreasonable!
but……

No one dared to cut in line anymore, and even the crops in the fields and the boundaries of the fields seemed to have become much more peaceful.

Inside the government office, Xin Pi listened to the first batch of reports without any expression on his face.

He knew that this cold "rule" would have an immediate effect, but would the trace left by the cold ruler be awe or a deeper crack? How long could this ruler last? He looked at the vast Youzhou on the map and knew that this was just the beginning.

Zhao Yun's frown might have relaxed temporarily, but more and deeper worries might have just surfaced.