Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3659: The lonely city is used as bait to cast the hook, and the smoke of war obscures the view. Who holds the rod?

All the advance payments are for the moment when you catch the fish.

If the bait cannot catch fish, then the bait is worthless to anyone.

The same is true for Cheng Yu.

He is the bait, and his goal is to catch the big fish, the Cavalry.

In today's world, many people think that they are the ones holding the pole, but who can know that there is no hook behind them, and there are other people holding the pole waiting behind them?

Xun Yu pointed to the area around Wen County on the map, "If the Cavalry really wants to take Henei, they must be as powerful as thunder, with a large army and endless food and supplies. Outside the city of Wen County, there should be flags covering the sun, camps like forests, and murderous aura! On the contrary, if it is just a trick to confuse the enemy, their camps must be sparse, and the soldiers will run back and forth, reflecting the momentum, and their tiredness can't be concealed. The smoke and bonfires may appear to be numerous, but in fact they are sparse! There will be no signs of large-scale siege equipment! Such military information cannot be obtained without in-depth investigation and close observation of their camps, stoves, wheel tracks, horse manure, and even the faces and expressions of the soldiers! "

Cao Cao's eyes lit up; Xun Yu's analysis accurately hit the uneasy intuition in his heart.

"Good! What Wen Ruo said is very much in my heart! Zhongde is in Wen County, and we must not withdraw!" Cao Cao said firmly, "If we withdraw, no matter whether the cavalry is coming for real or not, all our previous efforts will be wasted!"

Xun Yu nodded slightly.

He knew that if Cheng Yu stayed in Wen County, the final outcome might not be a happy one...

All the so-called "prince and princess lived happily ever after" are actually just hooliganism without caring about the daily necessities of life.

The danger level of Cheng Yu at this moment cannot be compared with that of Zhang Miao's rebellion. At that time, not only Xun Yu himself could calmly persuade the enemy generals, but also Cheng Yu could take the risk alone, because Xun Yu and Cheng Yu knew that they still had the halo of celebrities, and the rebellion of Zhang Miao and others was nothing more than the bargaining of ordinary aristocratic private soldiers and local tyrants...

What big deal could there be if the nobles could just pay to discuss it?
What's more, when Zhang Miao rebelled, it seemed powerful, but in fact it was nothing serious. It was just chaos in Yanzhou.

Zhang Miao's command was chaotic, his deployment was disorganized, his troops were scattered, and his foundation was weak. Not only did he miss good opportunities, he even chose a stupid teammate. So when Cao Cao launched a strong counterattack, Zhang Miao was even more at a loss. He just hid behind and gave orders. Without a general in charge of the army, he was bound to be defeated in the end.

These were the basis for Xun Yu and Cheng Yu to judge that Zhang Miao would definitely fail.

This is indeed the case.

So last time, whether it was Cheng Yu or Xun Yu, whether they were entering the enemy camp alone or persuading the enemy general, they were very calm and had a clear idea in their minds.

But this time...

Different.

Cao Cao continued to ask Xun Yu, "Wen Ruo, what do you think Zhongde should do now?"

"My Lord," Xun Yu said slowly, "Zhongde is now like the bait on the hook. He must be easy for the fish to take, tempting them to bite the hook, but also tenacious and not easily swallowed. What he needs to do is to hold on and wait for help, and at the same time..."

Xun Yu lowered his voice even lower, with a hint of determination, "We must send out spies at all costs to find out the true strength of the Hussars! In addition, in order to ensure that the key points of Wen County will not be easily captured by the Hussars, the lord must send a general to lead the troops to support! At the same time, we must raise more flags, first to encourage the people of Wen County, and second to prevent Henei and Ji'nan from making any rash moves!"

Cao Cao praised: "This strategy is exactly what I want!"

Immediately Cao Cao gave orders one by one.

As the messenger walked away, silence returned to the tent, leaving only the crackling sound of the burning wick.

Cao Cao and Xun Yu once again turned their attention to Wen County in Henei on the map.

The city illuminated by the little light now seemed like a lonely reef in the raging waves.

"Wen Ruo," Cao Cao's voice was filled with a hint of fatigue that was barely perceptible, yet contained a hint of coldness, "How long can Cheng Zhongde... hold out?"

Xun Yu was silent for a moment, looking at the Hanoi area marked as enemy territory on the map, and slowly said: "Zhongde is resolute and will live up to your trust. However... at this moment outside Wen County, it is still unknown who is on the hook, the bait or the fish."

Outside the tent, the night wind howled, rolled up the flags, brought dust from afar, and seemed to bring the iron-blooded atmosphere of Hanoi.

Obviously, Cheng Yu's persistence and exploration in Wen County will become the first key move in this huge game.

……

……

Cao Cao's military order, wrapped in a cold decisiveness, was delivered to Wen County City by a messenger overnight.

As the saying goes, there are thousands of threads above and only one needle underneath.

For thousands of years, the feudal dynasties relied on having both and having both, and then letting the lower-level personnel exert their subjective initiative to do everything...

This is the situation Cheng Yu is facing now.

When the bamboo tube with the wax seal was handed to Cheng Yu, this strategist, who was known for his toughness and coldness and usually remained calm even when faced with a crisis, actually had his fingertips trembling slightly.

He dismissed his attendants and issued military orders alone under the candlelight.

The handwriting was written by Cao Cao himself, and the words were powerful and clear. The content was simple, but it was more cruel than expected.

"Hold on and wait for help, and probe the enemy's situation. If the cavalry arrives in person, Wen County will be the bait, and the cavalry will be trapped here and unable to extricate themselves. All the villages, farmlands, and water sources outside the city that are not ours can be destroyed. It is better to let the land of Henei be barren for thousands of miles than to leave a grain of rice to feed the enemy!"

Every word was like a red-hot iron, burning Cheng Yu's heart.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air seemed to be filled with the smell of burning and blood.

He knew the importance of this order, and was even more aware of the calculations behind Cao Cao and Xun Yu.

Wen County, together with Cheng Yu, and everything that could be sacrificed inside and outside the city, were put on the gambling table, just to catch the big fish of the Cavalry, or at least, to squeeze every drop of his blood and sweat.

When he opened his eyes again, Cheng Yu's eyes were filled with icy silence. All his hesitation and compassion were crushed, leaving only pure ruthlessness to achieve his goals at any cost.

He called his trusted captain, his voice hoarse but firm.

"Send the order!"

"Pinch back the defense line and hold the core barrier!"

"Perform... a scorched earth strategy..."

……

……

Cao's soldiers swarmed like locusts.

Villages where people had lived together for generations were set on fire. The flames greedily devoured the thatched roofs and wooden beams, illuminating the night as bright as day.

The cries of terror and the wails of despair were drowned out by the crackling of flames and the sounds of the soldiers' rough expulsion.

The Cao army soldiers were like ruthless machines. They drove away the elderly, the weak, women and children who were crying and trying to save their last bit of belongings, and then mercilessly threw torches into barns and haystacks.

Thick smoke, carrying the smell of burning grain and wood, obscured the originally clear night sky.

Villages and weak forts were set on fire one by one, abandoned...

……

……

"Send the order!"

"All villages, forts, and granaries within 15 miles of the city, regardless of whether they belong to the military or civilians, must be burned immediately! Not a grain of food, a blade of fodder, or a drop of clean water can be left for the cavalry! All wells must be filled up! Rivers and streams, dumping filth and livestock carcasses upstream, and damming them to stop the flow! All crops in the fields... must be burned!"

……

……

Water sources became slaughterhouses, with carcasses of livestock dumped into clear streams in piles, and blood and filth quickly polluted the water.

Next to several important water wells, soldiers waved wooden shovels and spades, pouring down mud and gravel, making dull sounds.

In the upper reaches of the stream, a simple earth dam was quickly built to block the water flow, and the downstream riverbed dried up and cracked at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The most heartbreaking thing is the fields.

The wheat and crops that had finally survived the harsh winter and the dry spring and summer, and were about to mature in two or three months, were ruthlessly set on fire.

The flames spread along the ground, making a hissing sound, and wherever they passed, only charred ashes and twisted land were left behind.

An old farmer with white hair and beard knelt on the edge of the field, crying heartbreakingly at the flames burning his life, but was roughly dragged away by an expressionless soldier.

……

……

"Send the order!"

"Investigate the strength of the Hussars! At any cost!"

"Choose the warriors from the army. No, not just the army! The city's knights, fugitives, and even... prisoners who are good at hiding! Tell them that if they can penetrate the enemy camp, find out the location of the main camp of the cavalry, the strength of the troops, and the amount of food and supplies, and come back alive, they will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and promoted three levels! If they die... their families will be generously provided by the Prime Minister's Office!"

…………

Cheng Yu's order hit Wen County like hail, and also hit the hearts of every executor.

The scorched earth policy brings not only strategic choices, but also the scorching of people's hearts.

The thick smoke outside the city lingered day and night, obscuring the sky and blocking the soldiers inside the city from looking back to their hometown.

The air was filled with the burnt smell of despair, mixed with a faint smell of blood, silently eroding morale.

"Investigate the strength of the Hussars! At any cost!"

The military academy reiterated Cheng Yu's order.

This military order became the last straw for these Cao army non-commissioned officers and military academies.

Indeed, as long as the true situation of the Hussars is determined, there will naturally be a way to survive.

If the Hussars are just bluffing, then they are not too dangerous. However, if the Hussars really come in large numbers, then Cao Cao will send them support in order to ensure the stability of Wen County!
The most troublesome thing is that they don't know whether the Hussars are real or fake, so it seems that whatever they do is wrong...

But the problem is that it is not so easy to find out the truth about the Hussars.

The scouts of the Hussar Army are no pushovers!

The bounty notices were posted all over the city, on the crossroads, in the streets and alleys, and even in the prisons, where the warden was reading them out...

"A huge reward of a thousand gold!"

"Promoted three levels!"

"Generous support for the family!"

Although everyone knows that this job is a life-threatening one, money can make the world go round, not to mention that those who were originally in the prison, as long as they agree to be a "scout", not only can they be released from the cell immediately, but they can also have a good meal...

Cheng Yu’s idea was very simple. As long as there were enough people going out to scout, there would always be clues about the Cavalry Army that could be found.

In order to ensure that these "scouts" would not be completely ignorant and not even know what to check, Cheng Yu also organized intensive training and asked the original Cao army scouts to teach these people how to look and how to remember.

Logically speaking, the soldiers who had lived in Hanoi for generations and whose homes had just been burned down, as well as the wandering knights in the city, should have hated Cheng Yu after witnessing the tragic scene outside the city. However, some people just couldn't resist the temptation and signed up!
What’s interesting is that these people will automatically start to defend Cheng Yu, explain for Cheng Yu, find various excuses, and say that Cheng Yu has had a hard time too, and everyone should be more considerate and so on…

Anyway, within a short period of time, Cheng Yu organized a "super large" scout group of nearly 500 people, divided into several teams, under the cover of night or in the chaotic smoke and dust, like ice cubes thrown into boiling water, they quietly melted and sneaked into the deliberately created, dead and dangerous "vacuum zone", and then groped forward to explore...

That is the area where the Hussar Army is stationed.

Waiting is undoubtedly a torment.

Cheng Yuku sat at his desk, the candlelight illuminating his increasingly cold and hard face. His fingers unconsciously tapped on Cao Cao's military order, making a monotonous and heavy sound.

Facing Cao Cao's orders, Cheng Yu was not as calm as he appeared.

Only Cheng Yu himself knew the subtle, almost imperceptible trembling at his fingertips; it was his body's most instinctive resistance.

At the moment of life and death, who can really not be afraid of death?

He dismissed his attendants, and the candlelight cast his lonely shadow on the wall, swaying, just like his mood at the moment.

As a counselor, he knew better than anyone the necessity of this order.

War is a huge and bloody grinding machine. Countless flesh and blood, homes, and even morality are thrown into it and ground into powder just in exchange for the slim chance of victory.

So……

Sacrifice is the norm.

Sacrificing the self for the greater good is what he has planned for Cao Cao countless times and the destiny he has set for others.

He thought he had seen through it all, had transcended it, had gotten used to being the chess player, coldly moving the chess piece called "sacrifice". But when this cold chess piece called "sacrifice" clearly pointed at himself, at the city under his feet, at the military token and his life in his hands, an unprecedented chill, mixed with an indescribable sense of absurdity, easily grabbed hold of him in an instant.

"Hold on and wait for help"...

Where is the help?

When will it arrive?

Cao Cao and Xun Yu were far behind, and their "aid" must be calculated based on how long Wen County and Cheng Yu could hold out, and how much blood they could squeeze out of the cavalry!

What they are betting on is the value of the big fish, the Cavalry, which is far more valuable than Wen County and Cheng Yu, the bait!
And he himself was the piece of meat tied to the fishing hook and immersed in the cold river water!
Yes, even though Cheng Yu had thought about it before, considered it, and even strengthened himself mentally, when this day really came, he would still tremble...

It's like anyone can put their hand on the Bible and take a solemn oath, but when the interests are really put at stake, those powerful words in the oath may very likely become nothing but fart.

An extremely faint but extremely sharp thought quietly entered my mind like a poisonous snake: "Why?"

Why should I be the one to sacrifice?

Why is Wen County the one being abandoned?

Everything I have is for Cao Cao, for the Han Dynasty, but why should I bear this eternal infamy?

This thought flashed through his mind, but it made him break out in a cold sweat and almost shook the foundation of his faith.

He even had a moment when a crazy idea came to his mind -

Rebellion!

Throw this hot potato back to Cao Cao along with his cruel plan!

But the next moment, even stronger emotions surged from the depths of his heart, forcibly suppressing the rebellious venomous snake.

Do not!cannot!

Cheng Yu suddenly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air seemed to still have a lingering smell coming from outside the city. That was the price of the "sacrifice" he had ignited with his own hands!

He must strengthen his defenses!

Loyalty!

Big man!

again and again.

Like an ascetic, he repeatedly tempered these beliefs in his inner purgatory.

They disguised "sacrifice" as "responsibility", beautified "abandoned children" as "pillars", and forcibly stuffed the inhumane scorched earth policy into the framework of "loyalty" and "Han".

Every self-suggestion is like covering your heart with a layer of cold iron armor.

Every successful suppression made his eyes colder and his expression harder.

The initial hesitation, the current fear, and even the fleeting thought of rebellion were all forcibly squeezed into the deepest corner of his soul and pressed down tightly with the boulder called "righteousness".

When he stood up again, his eyes were as cold as dead water.

All weaknesses are removed, leaving only a pure tool that will do whatever it takes to achieve its goal.

Even to prove to the shaky "self" in his heart!

Look, I can do it!
For the sake of "loyalty" and "Han", I, Cheng Yu, can without hesitation sacrifice even my own conscience and reputation on this altar and within these blazing flames!

only for……

Convince yourself that it's all worth it.

However, what happened next was not what he wished...

Cheng Yu needed conclusive intelligence, and Cao Cao also needed real data to tear through the fog of the cavalry shrouding Hanoi.

At the beginning, this information seemed normal.

The first piece of information was brought back by the spy who managed to escape.

The spy had arrow wounds on his body and was dying. "Report... Report to the military advisor... The enemy camp... stretches for dozens of miles... The flags... block out the sun... There are countless carriages and bags in the camp... There is indeed a large group of elite troops..."

Cheng Yu's eyes flashed and his body leaned forward slightly.

Big fish? Really coming?

So, the Hussars were really lured to Hanoi?
In this way, Cao Cao would certainly immediately send reinforcements to strengthen the power of Wen County, so as to attract and restrain the main force of the Cavalry Army, and then he could carry out the next plan!

In this way, although Wen County will become more dangerous, there will be a new turn of events in the midst of danger!

As the saying goes, crisis, without danger, where would the opportunity come from?
His bait, his sacrifice, finally paid off!
However, before his "joy" could spread, the second and third pieces of information arrived one after another, with completely opposite contents...