Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3776 The room was like a hanging bell, and there was no green grass in the fields.

The morning light pierced through the clouds, but failed to bring any warmth.

The black line crawling on the horizon quickly spread out like ink dripping into clear water, transforming into a menacing, orderly wave of steel that rushed towards us.

The tricolor battle flags fluttered in the wind, stinging the eyes of everyone in Ye City.

The cold glint of metal flashed intermittently within the ranks, and even the dust raised by the cavalry could not completely obscure these deadly glints.

"Enemy attack—!! The Flying Cavalry! It's the Flying Cavalry!"

The piercing screams and chaotic gong sounds instantly ripped apart the dawn in Ye City.

The soldiers guarding the city wall were startled awake from their naps against the parapet. They grabbed their weapons in a panic and rushed toward the crenellations, unsure of what to do, whether to just stand there and watch or to move some defensive weapons.

Perhaps due to the chill of the early morning, the movements of these Cao army guards appeared somewhat stiff and clumsy.

Even before the arrival of the Flying Cavalry, they already knew that this would eventually happen in Ye City...

"They're here! They're here!"

"The cavalry is here!"

When Cao Pi was awakened by these noises, it took him a long time to react!

Then came an overwhelming surge of anger!
He wasn't angry at himself, but rather at the panicked look on the guards' faces.

What are you doing? !
If Wei Yan hadn't launched a surprise attack on Ye City, there would be an excuse that the city had been in a stable state for a long time and couldn't adjust quickly enough...

If Cao Pi hadn't made any preparations beforehand, there's not much to say, since no one can blame a city for not panicking when faced with an unexpected situation...

The problem is that, with Wei Yan's surprise attack first, which exposed the loopholes in Ye City's defenses, and Chen Qun's constant inspections and preparations by Cao Pi, the city still appeared so flustered and helpless when the cavalry finally arrived!
Cao Pi forgot that he hadn't tied his hair up yet. He put on a cloak and rushed out of the Prime Minister's residence, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the North City Tower.

A cold wind swept across his cheeks, carrying with it the distant sounds of war drums and horns.

That was the rhythm of the cavalry's advance—steady, ruthless, and with an overwhelming momentum.

Like heavy hammer blows striking his eardrums, they also shattered his crumbling confidence, leaving him somewhat dazed.

This sound...

He recognized that voice.

Not atop the high walls of Ye City, but in a more distant memory, on a bumpy horse, amidst the billowing dust.

That was in Guandu.

The cold wind was just as biting, but it carried the damp, fishy smell of the river as it blew against my face.

He was still young then, following his father's yellow-haired steed, his heart pounding like a drum, not out of fear, but because of a burning, almost boiling sensation.

Ahead lay Yuan Shao's endless, mountain-like camps, their banners obscuring the sun and their weapons like a forest.

At that time, Cao Cao's army was short of soldiers and food, their armor was drab, and many soldiers looked pale. However, when they marched, their steps were firm, and there was no confusion in their eyes, only a fierceness and focus honed by being forced into a desperate situation.

There was no chaotic commotion, only the clanging of armor against armor, mingling with the fluttering of flags in the wind, creating a rhythm that stirred the heart.

His father, Cao Cao, did not wear a magnificent cloak, but only a set of black armor covered in dust, as he slowly walked before the army formation. At that time, Cao Cao did not shout any inspiring words, but only occasionally stopped to pat an old soldier on the shoulder, check the ropes binding the supply wagons, or whisper a few words of instruction to his strategists and generals such as Cao Hong and Xun Yu beside him.

Cao Pi remembered that when his father passed by a certain column, a young soldier in the column slipped and almost fell. His father reached out and helped him up...

By the way, back then, Cao Cao didn't keep a sword by his bedside all the time.

The soldier was somewhat bewildered, unsure what to say, but his father simply smiled, pointed towards Yuan Shao's camp ahead, and seemed to say something as well. At that moment, Cao Pi was a bit far from his father and didn't hear what was said, only seeing the soldier pause for a moment, then nod vigorously, his fear and anxiety vanishing, replaced by a resolute expression…

It's even a kind of fanaticism.

Later, Cao Pi learned that his father had meant, "Look, there are 100,000 pigs and sheep over there waiting to be slaughtered, just waiting for us to eat them."

Pigs and sheep eat meat.

The simplest words, the most fundamental desires...

There were no elaborate guard orders, no meticulous patrols, and not even enough provisions.

But at that time, everyone in Cao Cao's army understood why they were fighting and for whom they were fighting—

In order to survive, and to follow the lord who could keep them alive and provide them with food.

So even though the large bucket was replaced with a small one, it still didn't collapse.

The morale of Cao Cao's army at that time was a survival instinct forged in dire circumstances, a flame ignited by the personal charisma of the leader and shared interests.

It is not glamorous, and is even somewhat rough and barbaric, yet it possesses the power to tear apart any formidable foe.

And now...

Cao Pi rushed onto the city wall, letting the cold wind whip his disheveled hair and cloak.

He slowly swept his gaze over the towering city walls of Ye City, the surrounding banners, and the gleaming weapons of the garrison.

All of this seems to be more than a hundred times stronger than Cao Cao's army back then.
But what he heard was the panicked, suppressed breathing of his own men on the city wall, and the officer's blustering but cowardly reprimands...

He seemed to sense the emptiness and coldness within the magnificent city beneath his feet.

No matter how perfectly he wrote his "Order to Defend Ye City," he could not reinfuse the "spirit" that once belonged to Cao Cao's army into this numb body.

His harsh orders could only breed perfunctory work and deception.

His 'cold' demeanor only distanced him from everyone else.

The war drums of the cavalry grew louder and louder, as if they were pounding directly on one's chest.

Cao Pi suddenly understood, and suddenly didn't understand.

Cao Cao's army lost something. Even though they outwardly possessed larger cities, better weapons, and more taxes, some core elements were fading away, disappearing...

That terrifying ability to share the same breath and fate with followers even in dire straits, and to transform the will to survive into a common goal.

My father faced the powerful Yuan Shao, but his army was a sharp, tempered blade.

He now possesses the seemingly impregnable city of Ye, but it is actually a disorganized mess inside.

The distant drumbeats gradually overlapped with, yet were completely different from, the silent yet fervent marching rhythm of Cao Cao's army that he remembered deep in his mind.

The drumbeats at that time were heartbeats, the prelude to the attack.

The drums sounding outside the city now are a death knell.

The cold wind still blows, but it no longer brings the moisture and the scent of hot blood from the great river. Only the dusty smell of the dried-up riverbed of the Zhang River remains, smelling like falling into a tomb called Ye City.

Amidst the bugle calls of the Flying Cavalry, Cao Pi suddenly realized something: he was not his father.

And Ye City will never become the Cao camp on the battlefield of Guandu.

But he can only stay here, in the grave...

Cao Pi couldn't help but shudder.

……

……

Even without Cao Pi's orders, Ye City's defense system still instinctively activated.

Or rather, whether Cao Pi was in command or not made little difference.

The order to defend was quickly relayed to the arsenal.

Captain Li Ben practically jumped up and down, urging his soldiers to carry the "newly repaired" bows and arrows up to the city wall.

Everything seemed to be working normally, and everything was proceeding according to plan.

However, the brutal test has only just begun.

When the vanguard cavalry of the Flying Cavalry attempted to approach Ye City and get within an arrow's reach, arrows from the city walls naturally rained down like rain.

This is a standard cavalry probing maneuver, and the defending side's response.

But soon, something unusual happened.

Many arrows flew weakly for less than fifty paces before falling to the ground, posing no threat whatsoever to the cavalry.

Even worse, some arrows lost their fletching mid-flight, veering off course and losing their direction.

"What's going on?! Didn't you eat?! Draw the bowstring tighter!"

The officers shouted at the top of their lungs.

An old soldier struggled to draw his powerful bow, but the bowstring let out a tooth-grinding groan and snapped in the middle with a snap!
The bowstring struck the veteran's face, instantly cutting a gruesome wound. Blood spurted out, splashing onto the battlements of Ye City, becoming the first drop of blood shed by Ye City in the face of battle...

Another Cao army crossbowman, after aiming for a long time, pulled the trigger on a cavalry captain charging ahead. The arrow left the bowstring, but grazed the captain's helmet without leaving a scratch. The captain even paused for a moment, then let out a mocking laugh, raised his sword and shook it at the city wall, even patting his breastplate...

Li Ben, the arsenal commander, hid behind the battlements, his face ashen.

He watched as the "qualified" weapons he had overseen became a joke in actual combat, cold sweat soaking his inner shirt. In that instant, he wished he could immediately turn into a wisp of smoke and shrink into some crack in the ground or wall.

But after a while, he gradually recovered.

This……

What does this have to do with him being a captain of the armory?
The problem lies with the weapons that were originally transported from the rear!
He, as the captain of the armory, can manage the armory, but can he manage the supplies transported from other places?

That's right!

It was already broken when it arrived!
As for 'warehousing'...

It was due to carelessness in the work, and the temporary laborers who were not familiar with the process, that those "unqualified" weapons and arrows that were placed outside the armory were brought up! They were definitely not the ones that had already been "stored"!

As long as the responsibility is shifted onto those forced laborers...

In this way, there will be absolutely no connection!

perfect!

Li Ben, the arsenal captain, slowly straightened up and immediately felt his breathing become smoother and his legs stopped shaking. He could climb up and down the Ye City wall several more times in one breath without any problem.

……

……

Although the northern part of Ye City was directly facing the attack of the Flying Cavalry, the people of Ye City in the southern part were also awakened by the huge commotion.

Panic, like a thick fog, seeped into every damp and dark corner of the southern city with the sound of the cavalry's attack.

The sounds of gongs and the hoarse shouts of officials echoed through the alleys, the initial cries of "Silence! Do not panic!" quickly escalating to "By order of the Crown Prince! In accordance with the laws of the Han Dynasty! Martial law throughout the city! All doors and windows closed! Anyone who dares to leave without authorization will be treated as a traitor and executed without exception!"

The heavy gate was completely bolted shut and even supported from the inside by thick wooden stakes.

The streets were no longer just patrolled by occasional neighborhood guards; now, squads of armored soldiers marched by with a clanging sound from time to time.

Those soldiers who were originally meant to protect their homes and country now stared at the civilians with wary and cold eyes, their weapons pointing at the empty streets, as if they were pointing at every tightly closed door and window.

The people of Nancheng were completely imprisoned in their own homes, or rather, imprisoned in a double cage of hunger and fear.

It created a sense of despair and isolation.

"Mommy, I'm hungry..."

The child's weak cries came from behind a dilapidated door, which were immediately covered by the adults' hands, leaving only suppressed sobs.

At this moment, even crying became a luxury, for fear of attracting the wrath of the soldiers outside the door, or even worse consequences.

The people of the southern city crowded behind doors and by windows, gazing out in vain, though they could see nothing.

The view was blocked by the walls and closed doors and windows, but the sound penetrated everywhere.

The sounds of fighting, collisions, horns, and even faint screams coming from the direction of the north city wall burrowed in like ghosts, pounding on everyone's already taut nerves.

"Didn't you say...it would be foolproof?"

A gaunt man huddled in a corner, repeating the same sentence with a blank stare, as if asking someone else, or perhaps asking himself.

He was doing manual labor for repairing the city wall yesterday, and in return he received a small bag of millet mixed with bran. Now that bag of rice seems to have become the family's only hope.

When will the next bag of rice arrive...?

He didn't know.

"Can you really believe what the officials say?" The old wife beside her asked in a hoarse voice, her tone tinged with mockery and tears. "When have those officials in the north ever cared about the lives of us in the south?"

"How much food is left at home..." the gaunt man said in a hoarse voice.

"How much is left? We'd be lucky if it lasted three to five days..." the woman calculated. "Before, we could still go out of town to gather some wild fruit and pluck some leaves... now we can't go anywhere..."

"If you can't go, eat less..." the gaunt man said. "Just bear with it... just bear with it..."

"The adults are fine, but what about the children?"

"baby……"

Before the emaciated man could utter a single word, they heard the old woman's wailing from next door: "Heavens! My child, my child, went to do hard labor just yesterday... he's still on the city wall... my child..."

At first, the wailing sound was like a cry for help from someone about to drown, but soon only gurgling sounds remained, like bubbles churning up in a deep pool.

In the southern part of the city, which family hasn't had someone die?
He's either someone's father or someone's child...

The emaciated man turned to look at his child.

The most pressing terror, even more imminent than the uncertainty of death, is the starvation that is right before our eyes.

I might die tomorrow, but I must eat today.

No matter what it is.

Even things that you didn't want to eat before...

Once the war broke out, the already fragile supply system of Nancheng was instantly disrupted.

Those shops that responded to the "call" to serve the wealthy families in the north of the city had long since been forced to close down and were barely able to survive. Occasionally, when government-organized grain convoys arrived, they would head straight for the granaries or military camps in the north of the city under heavy guard, never stopping for a moment in the alleys of the south of the city.

"Sir!!" someone whispered through the gate to the guards on duty outside, "Please have mercy, we're completely out of food, our child is starving, could you..."

"Shut up!" The guard outside sounded just as anxious and impatient. "Orders from above! Nobody is allowed to leave the ward! Wait!"

"Wait? Wait until how long?"

"Wait until after the war!" the guard roared impatiently. "If you keep yelling, you'll be charged with disrupting morale!"

There's no food left at home!

"Don't you have a child?!"

The shouts from across the gate fell silent instantly.

Yes, and there's also the child, isn't there?
It's just like……

Who doesn't have a room in their house?
Even though it was dilapidated and drafty, completely different from the ornate houses in the northern part of the city, it was still a real, undeniable house according to the data.

Who doesn't have a car?
Even a rickshaw is still a vehicle, isn't it? If it travels at speeds below 25 km/h, it's still a vehicle. Even if it can't carry people, it can still transport goods. Can you say it's not a vehicle?

Can people who own cars and houses be called suffering people or poor people?
Therefore, no special help or extra supplies are needed.

The families of officials and gentry in the northern part of the city are different. Although the houses they live in are extremely luxurious, they are not in their own names. They belong to the government or their clans. They don't own a single house or a single car. Shouldn't such poor people receive more extra subsidies?
In addition, the northern part of the city has good order, spacious and convenient transportation streets, and...

What's in the southern part of the city?
Only despair spread in the silence.

Every household began searching for anything edible.

While the families of officials and gentry in the north of the city complained that the vegetable leaves were not fresh, the common people in the south had already begun eating things that could not be openly discussed, could not be recorded in history books, and were forbidden by the authorities.

The battle on the north city wall was a visible fire, while the flames that permeated the streets of the south city were a silent, slowly burning fire.

It was the flame of hunger, the flame of fear, which would eventually turn into the flame of despair and rage.

But this transformation is very slow, so slow that even the officials don't care...

The Han Dynasty burned it, the Tang Dynasty burned it...

Which dynasty, beneath its outward prosperity, didn't harbor such simmering, unseen ambitions?
Just like now, the people of Nancheng don't understand the general trend of the world, nor do they understand the grudges between the Cao family and the Flying Cavalry.

All they knew was that war had come and the city gates and neighborhood gates were closed.

In order to prevent chaos, the officials acted without any consideration or hesitation; their only measure was to lock them up.

It's like keeping a bunch of pigs and sheep in a cage.

Interestingly, even under such circumstances, Nancheng still maintained a certain 'order'.

Perhaps some people have long been used to being locked up.

Of course, not all the people in the southern city were imprisoned; occasionally some were released, such as the craftsmen.

Human thought patterns are terrifying.

Throughout Ye City, including Cao Pi and Chen Qun, who was known as the second Xun Yu, they still believed that there would be no problem in the southern part of the city.

For so many years, the people of Nancheng, or rather the people of Jizhou, have lived like this. Their actions are no different from all the previous policies and regulations. So, since there were no problems or incidents for the past three or four hundred years, how could there be any problems now?