Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3736 The Lesson of Yin is Not Far Away, in the Era of the Xia Dynasty
While Wang Qian was directing his soldiers to reinforce the defenses of Sishui, Li Gu, a captain who had just returned from inspecting and taking inventory near the relatively "tidy" granary deep within the pass, had a face even more somber than the gloom over Sishui Pass.

The millet piled up in the warehouse could indeed last for a while longer, but most of it was stale and moldy, mixed with sand and barnyard grass...

The arrows have been used up in large quantities, the stockpile is dwindling, and the replenishment capacity is very poor, so there is an urgent need for logistical support from the rear...

The most critical issue is that the medicinal materials for treating wounds have already been exhausted.

Although Cao Cao's army didn't place much importance on wounded soldiers, it was still necessary to keep some wound medicine on hand. Otherwise, if one were to be wounded, wouldn't there be no cure, and one would slowly rot and die in despair and pain?
A trusted sergeant leaned close to him and, using the surrounding noise as cover, whispered, "Captain, we just received a letter from home that they risked their lives to bring in..."

"Shh..." Li Gu's eyes darted left and right.

There was once a man named Li Gu in Nanzheng, Hanzhong, but who is this Li Gu now, under Cao Hong...?

Li Gu took a few steps to the side, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he whispered, "What did you say?"

The trusted sergeant's eyes were filled with worry. "Back home in Yingchuan, things are really tense! The military officers demanding grain and supplies are vicious, worse than bandits! Back home… the old man sent a letter saying… I'm afraid… I'm afraid we won't make it through the winter. Harvesting from the fields is already bad, and our stored grain has been looted several times. If this continues…"

The trusted sergeant hesitated, then lowered his head, his voice even lower, almost a hiss, "And... the brothers... are all whispering among themselves, saying that staying here might... be a dead end..."

Li Gu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

He didn't reprimand the platoon leader, but instead cast his gaze towards the crowded and chaotic soldiers' encampment in the distance, his eyes chillingly sinister. The muscles in his cheeks bulged slightly from clenching his teeth, and he forced out a few cold, hard words: "Understood. Keep your mouth shut! And keep the mouths of your men shut too! If we can't hold this Sishui Pass, do you think anyone will survive the day the Flying Cavalry breaks through?! We'll all die!"

His threats were bloody, but only he knew how blustering they were.

To hold firm, or to cling to the past?
It's easy to say.

Just like Tulei and Gongxian, did they not initially think they could "hold firm" and "defend" them?
What will they use to defend Sishui Pass now?
General Cao Hong's prestige had already diminished after the cavalry stormed the west gate of Gong County and the water gate was swallowed up by the "fireworks."

No, it completely collapsed the moment the news spread that Chen Mao had been sacrificed as a pawn!

Moreover, for Li Gu, what he cares about most right now is not whether Sishui Pass can be defended; that's Cao Hong's problem.

All Li Gu could think about right now was whether he could survive!

Then, after surviving, can he protect the two or three hundred private soldiers under his command who were raised by him and were quite loyal to him?

This is the only capital that Li Gu has to secure his livelihood and even seek greater wealth in this chaotic world!

Without these soldiers, what would he be worth as a captain?
It's not even as good as a watchdog!
Without military power, one is like a stray dog ​​that can be slaughtered at any time!
Like those low-ranking Cao army soldiers huddled in the corner, shivering, their faces showed a numb resignation, an empty and bewildered look like lambs to the slaughter.

This reminded Li Gu of the sheep in the rural market of Yingchuan, their hooves bound, waiting for the butcher's knife to fall.

Indeed, Cao Hong's authority still exists, and the soldiers, out of habitual fear and strict hierarchy, do not dare to openly rebel for the time being.

But this authority is no longer awe-inspiring...

It also lost the appeal it had during the Yellow Turban Rebellion...

They no longer possessed any sense of righteous mission during Dong Zhuo's reign of terror...

Now, the Cao family's name is more like a flag riddled with cracks, teetering precariously in a storm.

Li Gu, who was attached to this banner, and the two or three hundred lives under his command, were also swaying in the wind with the banner, and could fall into the mud and dust at any time and be reduced to nothing!
He had to find a way to survive for himself and for his brothers who relied on him for their livelihood and risked their lives for him!
A way out that can save my life, or at least keep this bit of military power!
But the moment this thought crossed Li Gu's mind, he felt a strong sense of humiliation, as if all the bad things he had said about the General of the Cavalry, all the slanderous words he had uttered, were now being slapped in the face by one after another...

Hot.

However, the instinct for survival and the deep-seated fear of losing everything tore at him even more intensely, like two invisible hands.

He can't afford to lose everything he has now!
Absolutely not!
He cannot and will not openly question Cao Hong; that would be tantamount to ruining his future…

If there is any so-called "future" to speak of in this desperate situation at Sishui Pass.

Just as Li Gu was pondering this, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the gate of Sishui, which then crashed into his face like a raging storm, making him feel suffocated...

"The Flying Cavalry! The Flying Cavalry is here!"

……

……

The cavalry has indeed arrived.

The wind at the end of summer was still fierce, stirring up the dust on the Heluo land and howling upwards. As the tricolor flags fluttered and soared, it seemed to surge and roll along with the blood of the cavalry.

On the horizon, streaks of black iron swept in.

Even when scattered during a pursuit, the cavalry squads would try their best to maintain their respective command and follow under their own squad's banner...

Even if some of the slogans seem a bit... well...

Team names like Yellowstone and White Eagle are already quite good, and some teams that carry flags with female attendants occasionally draw laughter from other teams.

However, both the stone team and the ladies' team carried an invincible momentum, crushing the remaining resistance of the defeated Cao army as they hastily retreated after the fall of Gong County.

The leading general, clad in black armor, his scarlet cloak billowing wildly as he charged, was none other than Zhang Liao, a valiant general under the command of the General of the Cavalry!
It wasn't that Zhang Liao didn't want to pursue Cao Hong to achieve a complete victory, but rather that Cao Hong used the fortifications and military camps he had built earlier at Sishui Pass in Gong County to keep dropping geckos, thus diverting the attention of the Flying Cavalry...

After all, in the Han Dynasty, there was no system or radar that could clearly mark someone's name on their back.

Zhang Liao sat upright on his warhorse, man and horse as one, exuding an unstoppable sharpness.

Behind him, the cavalrymen were automatically gathering under his banner, like streams flowing into a river.

During this process, the cavalry basically maintained their original formation, like a huge, ever-forward-moving plowshare. Wherever they passed, the abandoned flags, damaged supplies, and even the scattered corpses of the Cao army were mercilessly crushed or left behind by this steel torrent.

The red tassels on the helmets of the cavalrymen gathered into a leaping sea of ​​fire in the wind, and the armor plates made a deep and rhythmic friction sound as they galloped at high speed, as if covering the sky and blocking the vision of all the Cao army soldiers on Sishui Pass.

"The cavalry is coming!!"

"It's Zhang Liao! It's Zhang Wenyuan!"

Fear spread throughout Sishui Pass.

When a large army is defeated, it is never so simple and clean. Like an older man, there will be problems such as urinary stream splitting and even incomplete urination.

After Cao Hong and his main force arrived at Sishui Pass, small units of Cao's army continued to arrive, drop by drop...

To simply lock it up and leave it at that would leave something unsatisfying.

So when Zhang Liao and his cavalry arrived, the scattered troops left behind by Cao Cao's army outside the pass and who hadn't yet entered Sishui Pass cried out for their parents, abandoned all the flags and weapons that were in their way, and scattered like headless flies, wishing they had two more legs.

These routed soldiers melted and crumbled like snowflakes thrown into boiling water. Few resisted; most of Cao Cao's soldiers, realizing their escape was hopeless, almost instinctively dropped their weapons, collapsed to the ground, buried their heads in their hands, and let out desperate howls.

Zhang Liao halted his horse before the surrendered soldiers, his gaze sweeping over the ashen-faced routs. He waved his hand. "Send word: the wounded will be treated on the spot by medics! Confiscate their weapons and armor, group them in teams of ten, bind them hand-to-hand, and escort them to the rear camp! No mistreatment, no killing! Those who disobey will be punished according to military law!"

Several cavalry captains immediately took the order and stepped forward to direct their men to carry it out in an orderly manner.

Among the cavalry, the soldiers responsible for the squad's medical care stepped forward, took out clean strips of cloth and simple wound medicine, and began to bandage and stop the bleeding of the fallen Cao army wounded soldiers. Their movements were not gentle, but they were professional and efficient enough.

Upon seeing this scene, the wailing Cao soldiers gradually fell silent... Even the Cao army at Sishui Pass fell silent.

The cavalrymen in charge of guarding the surrendered soldiers dismounted, collected the weapons and relatively intact armor scattered on the ground, and used ropes they carried to tie the wrists of ten surrendered soldiers together in a string.

The entire process was swift and quiet, without any insults, mockery, or the barbaric acts common in some armies, such as killing prisoners and taking their heads to claim military merits.

A young platoon leader in Cao Cao's army, with his wrists bound, looked at the cavalrymen who were close at hand, their faces serious but not showing any ferocity, and then at his comrades being bandaged in the distance. His eyes were filled with disbelief and the complex emotions of surviving a disaster.

While he was in Shandong, he heard far too many rumors about the General of the Cavalry...

Even after witnessing the scene firsthand, he still found it hard to believe.

The cavalry was known for its strict discipline, but he never imagined that prisoners could be treated this way on the battlefield...

"rule".

Zhang Liao no longer looked at the surrendered soldiers; his gaze had already crossed the ravaged battlefield and landed on the distant pass that guarded a strategic point, appearing particularly precipitous and imposing under the gray sky...

Sishui Pass.

On the walls of the pass, shadowy figures moved about, flags were askew, and the faint sounds of chaotic shouts and drums could be heard from inside the pass.

"General... Shall we knock on the gate?"

A cavalry captain rode closer, his eyes burning with a desire to make a name for himself.

Zhang Liao shook his head slightly. "The pass is treacherous; a direct assault would only increase casualties. Cao Cao's army is already cornered; morale within the pass is bound to be low. Block all routes leading to the vicinity of Sishui Pass! Send out more scouts to closely monitor movements within the pass! Also, send a swift report to our lord regarding the situation here and the prisoners' confessions!"

The captain clasped his hands in acceptance of the order. Although there was some regret in his eyes that the city could not be attacked immediately, there was more of an absolute obedience to the order and trust in Zhang Liao's judgment.

The cavalrymen sprang into action once more, moving like a precise machine, their movements perfectly coordinated.

One group escorted Cao Cao's army to the rear, while another group began to disperse, forming smaller squads to scout the surrounding terrain and check for hidden traps...

The entire process was efficient and orderly, demonstrating a level of organization and execution far exceeding that of the military of this era.

Zhang Liao halted his horse, gazing at the top of Sishui Pass, his eyes calm and serene.

As Zhang Liao spent more time with Fei Qian, he became increasingly aware that this cavalry force possessed characteristics quite different from those of the original Han dynasty.

In the past, the Han army, once powerful, was prone to becoming excessively brutal.

Once restricted, it's easy to lose confidence and become hesitant.

But now, the cavalry is displaying a spirit of high morale, like the blood flowing through the army, yet their desire for military merit is restrained by strict discipline...

While valuing victory, humanity was never completely disregarded.

Is this the effect of our lord's insistence on promoting literacy in the army back then?
Zhang Liao smiled slightly, then raised his chin, looking at the Cao army at Sishui Pass, 'With the loss of both the young and the old, people still act according to their own will...'

……

……

The fact that the cavalry did not attack immediately seems to be "good news"?
But that's all.

Inside the council hall of Sishui Pass, the flickering flames of the brazier could not dispel the chill in Cao Hong's heart.

Unable to sleep, he sat listlessly at his desk.

Under the dim, flickering lamplight, everything on the unfolded Sishui Pass defense map seemed to become blurry and indistinct, and the marked defensive points looked so fragile and laughable at this moment.

Although the Flying Cavalry did not immediately attack Sishui Pass, the immense pressure they brought was like an invisible boulder pressing down on the heads of all Cao Cao's soldiers and officers at Sishui Pass.

To boost morale, Cao Hong specially went up the wall of Sishui Pass to inspect and encourage the soldiers and military officers.

but……

Scenes from the inspection are now replaying uncontrollably in his mind's eye...

The soldiers carrying stones and timber were as silent as the stones or timber themselves. When Cao Hong's gaze swept over them, the soldiers immediately lowered their heads, their eyes darting away, as if they were hiding from something, or as if Cao Hong carried some kind of plague...

Those military academies who were in charge of controlling the soldiers could not control their own mouths.

After Cao Hong passed by a certain place, some discussions about Chen Mao would arise in the shadows.

They have no specific source, yet they are everywhere, like invisible vengeful spirits, permeating every corner of the pass...

Every evasive glance, every deliberate silence, seemed to be silently repeating something, questioning Cao Hong's soul.

A piercing sense of loneliness gripped Cao Hong.

He felt as if the whole world had abandoned him, and he was trapped alone in the council hall of Sishui Pass. Outside the council hall, everyone, including the soldiers whose lives he once held in his hands, and the officers who were dependent on his authority, seemed to be on the opposite side of him.

Between them lies a huge, and ever-widening chasm.

He was a trusted general from the Cao family!
It is the foundation upon which the Han Dynasty supports the world!

There was a time when Cao Hong's word was law, and no one in the army dared to disobey him!
His authority was the direct source of power for mid-level officers like Wang Qian and Li Gu, and the guarantee of their positions. Their dependence on and support of him was essentially a defense of their own interests and power. This was the core of the feudal hierarchical order and personal dependency relationships that maintained the army.

But now, the foundation of this authority is crumbling at a visible speed in the face of the desperate situation of survival and the fear of becoming the next "Chen Mao"!

Wang Qian and Li Gu were still "doing things," but Cao Hong knew perfectly well that it was merely a bare minimum, a self-preservation instinct. How efficient were they? How much of their effort was truly being put into it? Were they genuinely reinforcing this crumbling fortress, or were they just going through the motions, reserving precious time for their possible "escape route"?

Cao Hong had no way of judging, nor could he be blamed.

In this atmosphere of continuous defeats and despair, any excessive suppression or harsh reprimand could become the last straw that breaks the camel's back, causing the superficial and fragile obedience to vanish instantly, and even forcing Wang Qian and Li Gu to do something unpredictable in their desperation.

He had to carefully maintain this fragile, easily crumbled balance, at least...

"Cao An!" Cao Hong's voice suddenly rang out in the deathly silent council hall.

"Your subordinate is here!" Cao An, the captain of the personal guards, appeared as Cao Hong's shadow and immediately slipped into the shadows outside the door, kneeling on one knee.

"Select...no!" Cao Hong grabbed a pre-written letter, tightly sealed with sealing wax, from the table and handed it to Cao An. "You go yourself! Choose five of your most loyal servants! Prepare the best horses! Set off through the east gate immediately!"

Cao Hong's voice suddenly lowered, filled with an indescribable sorrow and guilt. "I... have failed the Prime Minister's trust, losing troops and territory, a crime deserving death! Yet, my duty to defend this land remains unfulfilled, my resolve to hold the line remains unchanged! Only... only now the army's morale is wavering, its ranks are divided, and the soldiers are filled with doubt and fear, walking on thin ice! We yearn for the Prime Minister's reinforcements as a parched land longs for rain! Delay... delay will bring unforeseen changes!"

Cao An accepted the letter with both hands, feeling its weight. Without hesitation, he tucked it close to his innermost garment, then bowed deeply. "General, rest assured! Cao An, even at the cost of his life, will deliver this to the Prime Minister! The letter is with me!"

The letter was sent, but...

It's funny to think about it now. Just a few days ago, he was still full of confidence in holding Gongxian and Sishui...

Now, in this deadly pass where people's hearts are scattered, Cao Hong must act like a lonely gravedigger, using every means to hold on until that chance of turning back, which may never come.

Who will come?
Who else will be with him in this grave, to face death together?