"Hahaha! Good come! Hurry! The whole army is in formation! Send the order to Anmin to cut off Tongguandu! Archers, are the bows and arrows lined up?" A series of orders came from Cao Hong's mouth, full of murderous intent.
All the soldiers of Cao's army clenched their weapons and stood in the open space in the camp to gather. From time to time, the voice of the military academy could be heard in the queue.
When the so-called "labor army" banquet was held during the New Year, Cao Jun's soldiers had already greeted them, saying that the hussars were absolutely inhumane and would definitely attack at night. So after hearing the news of the night attack, these Cao Jun soldiers
Immediately, he got up automatically, formed a formation in the middle of the camp, and was full of anger...
In Chinese customs, which festival is more important than the New Year?
Even during the Chinese New Year, people are harassed at night. How can people accept this calmly?
Cao Hong disliked the slow movement of the personal guard armor silk ribbon, so he slapped the personal guard in front of him and pushed him forward. Then he started to tie the knot three times and walked out. Ordinary soldiers are
He was suffocating because the New Year festival was interrupted, while Cao Hong was angry because of the safety of his son.
Of course, Cao Hong's anger cannot be directed at Cao Cao. After all, no matter how stupid Cao Hong is, he still knows that Cao Cao is the core of the Cao family, and his son Cao Zhen is just...
This is my son!
Cao Hong gritted his teeth and came to the front of the army formation, which was already lined up. Without any nonsense, he raised his arms and raised his head to the sky and roared, "Oh... those who violate the army will die!!"
The courage of the general is so great. Seeing him like this, the soldiers of Cao's army who lined up also shouted together. Their swords and guns were raised like a forest, and a murderous aura rose up. The eyes that might have been a little nervous at first were now exuding a look of fanaticism.
The boiling fighting spirit surged up.
"Those who violate the army will die!"
"Death!"
The roar was like thunder, resounding throughout the heaven and earth.
Cao Hong shouted "offend the army" in his mouth, but what he thought in his heart was "offend me", or "offend my son"...
The vast majority of parents, no matter how much they dislike their children and say stupid things, will still love their children in their hearts. If others follow suit and say stupid things...
Therefore, Cao Hong was full of anger and couldn't find a place to vent it. Now the Hussars are attacking at night. Isn't it just right?
Even so, Cao Hong still did not forget his responsibilities as a general. He issued several orders one after another, and after people stabilized the camp, especially the defense of the Chinese camp, he prepared to take the men and horses to meet the hussars for a while.
Those guys who come to attack at night.
But when he raised his long sword, got on his horse and was about to go in the direction of Tongguan Ferry, the guard on the side felt something was wrong, so he took two steps quickly and grabbed Cao Hong's horse's head.
Reins, "The general...is not crossing at Tongguan, but on the other side of Niutouyuan..."
"Huh? Huh?" Cao Hong was stunned.
The anger rising in Cao Hong's heart just now was not completely unaffected. After receiving the warning, he subconsciously thought it was the Hussars' night attack soldiers in the direction of Tongguan Slope Road or Tongguan Crossing, because this direction was the most convenient.
Whether it's an attack or a retreat.
But why is it in the direction of Niutouyuan?
Suddenly, Cao Hong trembled, and the angry look on his face was reduced by three points. His own personal guards would not deceive him, and there was no need to deceive him, so what he said must be the truth, and there was no need to ask or ask again.
Doubtful, but does this mean that the Hussars actually always had another line of attack?
Cao Hong turned his horse's head and headed in the direction of Niutouyuan. "Has Niutouyuan... sent someone to inform the lord?"
The guard responded in the affirmative, and Cao Hong felt a little relieved. But what he didn't understand was how the Hussars came across the gap between Niutou Plain and Linzhi Plain.
No matter day or night, Cao Jun sent people to patrol the chasm. Moreover, the reason why Tongguan was built on Linzhi Plateau instead of building on Niutou Plateau was because the gap between Niutou Plateau and Linzhi Plateau could not be easily crossed.
What?
Did the hussars bypass the chasm?
impossible.
Even if you really walk along the chasm, the chasm is winding and winding, let alone two hundred miles. Even if you don't care about whether there are any threats from wild beasts and bears in the wilderness mountains and forests around the Qinling Mountains, you don't care about the two plateaus.
The wrinkled and cracked gap at the edge of the earth's chasm is at least six to seven hundred miles away just by climbing up and down, back and forth. How can we get there without water?
Everyone knows that water is indispensable in luggage, but you must not carry too much.
Generally speaking, a hundred miles is a limit.
If there is no water beyond a hundred miles, you should consider abandoning other burdens and bringing more water. Once there is no water source beyond three hundred miles, the soldiers may be weakened and injured, and then some extraordinary measures may be taken, such as killing
Horse, or...
Or did the Hussars dig tunnels for water storage first?
Not possible either.
Who would dig a water storage pit in the wilderness if they have nothing to do? And if such a pit is really dug, where does the water come from? Although the river is right next to it, the water flows downward. In Niutou Plateau,
Or digging a water storage pit on a loess plateau like Linzhi Plateau, not only getting twice the result with half the effort, but also consumes an astonishing amount of labor. Is the Qiusi really so stupid, just to open up another road?
But if this were not the case, how could there be any hussars and horses appearing on Niutou Plateau?
Countless questions came flooding in, making Cao Hong a little restless. When he led his troops out of the camp and walked along the chasm toward the Niutou Plateau and Qinling Mountains, Cao Hong was still thinking about these questions and couldn't find the answers.
After walking for a while, Cao Hong suddenly heard some creepy sounds in the cold wind. Suddenly, his instinctive chills stood up. With a cry, he hid his body on the other side of the sound, and at the same time, he shouted loudly.
Roar: "Spread out! Watch out for arrows!"
Cao Hong shouted wrong, it was not an arrow but a crossbow bolt.
Due to the limitations of human arm strength, arrows, except for some non-human beings (Huang Zhong: Huh?), the maximum range of most trained archers is about thirty or forty feet, and a few can reach fifty or sixty feet.
It is close to a distance of two hundred meters, and the range of a strong crossbow is not limited by a person's arm strength, but is divided into three to eight stones according to the different string strength of the crossbow.
Most three-stone crossbows in the Han Dynasty, which are common crossbows in the army, have a range of about 180 meters, four-stone crossbows can reach about 250 meters, and if it is a ten-stone crossbow, the range can reach about 180 meters.
Reached six hundred meters.
Of course, the so-called powerful crossbow is at its end, so under normal circumstances, whether it is a bow or a powerful crossbow, the actual combat distance is probably within a hundred meters. Beyond a hundred meters, it is no longer an effective shooting target for most people.
unless……
Cover shot.
The gap between Niutou Plateau and Linzhi Plateau is a hundred feet apart in wide places and thirty or forty feet in narrow places. This distance is beyond the shooting range of ordinary archers, and it is windy most of the time. Shooting accuracy
There is no need to even mention it.
Without shooting accuracy, we can only calculate based on shooting density.
In the darkness, countless crossbow bolts soared into the air, crossed the chasm, and landed with a terrifying whooshing sound.
But after all, it is an ultra-long-range coverage shot, and it is in the dark night. Although there is Cao Jun's torch as a guide, it is difficult to control the accuracy. Many crossbow arrows fall directly on the ground, but at least there are small
Some of the crossbow bolts fell on Cao's soldiers who were advancing in formation.
Along with the snapping sound of the crossbow bolts hitting the armor and flesh, a series of miserable screams sounded at the edge of the chasm.
The soldiers of Cao's army who were shot fell to the ground and groaned in pain. The soldiers of Cao's army who were lucky enough not to be shot were holding up their shields and were in shock.
Normally, there are three or more waves of arrows and crossbows, so the experienced soldiers of Cao's army stayed in place as much as possible and used shields or other shelters to protect themselves. Only new soldiers Danzi could
They would stand there blankly, or run in a panic subconsciously, and then they would be greeted by the second wave, and the subsequent rain of arrows and crossbows.
But this second wave of arrows in the ninth year of Taixing's New Year obviously came later than usual...
For some reason, Cao Hong, who was surrounded by his personal guards, suddenly felt chills all over his body, as if he was being targeted by a tiger and leopard alone in the forest.
Cao Hong pushed aside the guard in front of him and stared at the other side of the chasm. Then he saw some torches suddenly lit up on the other side, and these torches looked a little weird...
Before Cao Hong could figure out what was strange, the outline of a dark object was reflected in his eyes, causing his heart to shrink suddenly, and then he shouted almost instinctively: "Disperse"
open!"
"boom!"
"Boom boom boom..."
In the night sky, the roar of artillery fire was like thunder.
The light that spewed out instantly illuminated the entire night sky, causing the stars in the sky to lose their color.
The artillery shells easily passed over the chasm, flew across a distance of forty or fifty feet, and plunged directly into the formation of Cao Jun. Especially the flag of Cao Jun's general not far from Cao Hong was the focus of the artillery fire.
Cao Hong lay on the ground.
He didn't know if it was the earth that was trembling, or if he was trembling himself.
Huang's workshop has not developed hollow cannons yet, but the solid cannonballs have more powerful kinetic energy and destroy everything in front of them. In an instant, they are like seven or eight knives, cutting bloody holes in Cao's army.
.
After the roar of artillery fire, the torches on the other side of the chasm were extinguished one after another.
But Cao Hong's ears were still buzzing. He found that his legs were as soft as soup cakes, and he couldn't use any strength. He hammered the side of his legs twice before he had the strength to get up from the ground.
Standing swaying.
The long knife that Cao Hong originally held in his hand was thrown away unknown where.
And the general's flag, which represented his identity and status, was now covered in blood and residual limbs.
The flag fell to the ground, and the panicked soldiers stepped on it.
Cao Hong stood blankly and looked across the chasm blankly.
Surrounded by the screams of soldiers, the smell of blood and gunpowder smoke converged into a smell that frightened Cao Hong. He suddenly felt that the chasm on the opposite side seemed to be rising and rising, until it was as high as the sky.
height, while his own side is shrinking, getting shorter, until it tilts to the point of falling into hell...
Suddenly, Cao Hong realized that he fell to the ground again because his legs were weak.
The stars in the sky seemed to be spinning, just like his chaotic heart.
This was not a war he was familiar with.
This is a scary future.
This is the horror of human beings being unable to control their own destiny in the face of artillery fire, like humble ants.
Martial arts and armor are as ridiculous as a mantis blocking a car in the face of this kind of power.
Generals and soldiers will face the same threat and the same death. No matter how many guards stand in front of them, they still cannot resist the power of artillery...
Cao Hong's hair stood on end.
This is not the first time he has seen artillery, but this is the first time he has experienced the breath of death under the threat of artillery, and was almost embraced by death. This feeling is different from standing far behind the formation.
, it is undoubtedly more intense than watching the artillery shells smashing several craters on the Tongguan Slope Road...
"General!"
"General!"
The guards on the side only reacted at this moment, shouting anxiously, looking for Cao Hong.
"Oh..." Cao Hong wanted to speak out, but found that his voice was extremely hoarse.
He is afraid because of instinct, he is angry because of fear, and he is ashamed because of anger.
"Ahhhhh..." Cao Hong roared, hammering the ground with his hands, stood up again, and let out a huge roar towards the other side of the chasm.
At this moment, even Cao Hong himself didn't know what he was roaring about.
Maybe he's hiding something.
"Don't raise fire..." Cao Hong gasped and gave the order, "Disperse the queue...disperse..."
As a veteran general, Cao Hong understood how to defend against artillery almost without a teacher.
Cao Hong comforted himself. Artillery was just a mutated trebuchet at the moment, so what was there to be afraid of?
That’s right, it’s not worth fearing at all!
So what am I afraid of?
No, I'm not scared at all!
Cao Hong shook off the guard's hand and took a deep breath. Even though the smell around him was not that good, and even though his legs and feet were still shaking slightly, he could stand firm and his breathing became smooth again.
"Count the losses! Treat the wounded!" Cao Hong shouted, "Forward forward, line up to avoid the gap! Be careful of the hussars taking advantage of the opportunity to attack!"
The soldiers of Cao's army regained their strength after having a backbone. However, before the stable order was completely restored, some lights suddenly flashed in the distance of Niutouyuan...
After being covered by crossbows and artillery, the soldiers of Cao's army were more or less frightened. They suddenly became restless. Everyone raised their shields and held their swords and guns tightly, preparing to face the attack from the darkness as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
.
"Bah, bah...bah...bah..."
But this time, it's not a lethal weapon.
A strange, unfamiliar, but colorful fireworks splashed into the night sky. Countless silver, gold, purple, and red light spots formed a splendid display in the night sky that Cao Jun and others had never seen in their lives.
Light.
These colorful brilliance are like elves competing for glory with the stars in the sky, or they seem to be playing in the sky, and then disappear in an instant, leaving only the afterimage in the eyes, which will not be seen for a long time.
Willing to leave.
The soldiers of Cao's army opened their eyes and opened their mouths one by one, like stupid geese, raising their heads, looking at the night sky with fireworks, watching the colorful colors blooming.
The camp of Cao Jun in the distance was also alarmed, and even made a louder noise than the previous artillery fire. There was a buzzing sound, and countless eyes were staring at this place, staring at this piece of sky, searching for
Looking at those moments of brilliance, gorgeous light and shadow, it's like they are pursuing the meaning of their lives...
Zhu Ling almost got lost in the gorgeous fireworks, but the pungent smell of gunpowder still reminded him that he was still in the dangerous range. He kicked his men who were almost unable to walk, and trotted all the way.
Return along the original path.
Without the influence of the heavy objects on their backs, Zhu Ling and others moved quickly and slipped down the simple centipede ladder to the chasm. Then they shook the centipede ladder below and lifted it from the earth wall one by one.
Pull them out, bundle them together, and then run along the chasm to the other side.
Zhu Ling had no idea that the items he and his men brought over were actually this type of "weapons"...
But suddenly, he also had some insights.
Beauty is actually a kind of power.
This kind of power does not require words, does not distinguish between races, and does not require the righteousness of Confucius and Mencius. It does not differ between men, women, old and young. It is a power that can directly impact the soul, even on this bloody battlefield.
is also like this.
Perhaps it was the bloodshed of the battlefield that made those fireworks even more thrilling and beautiful.
When Zhu Ling and others were climbing along the rope ladder thrown down by the people on Linzhi Plain, a batch of fireworks were also lit on the Linzhi Plain, so in the night sky, there was another dream.
Like colors soaring into the sky, swaying, splashing, jumping, and rotating in the night, once again attracting the attention of everyone on both sides of the divide...
Zhu Ling raised his head and glanced twice, showing a big smile, then quickened his pace, grabbed a hand stretched out above the chasm, and climbed onto the ground of the plateau.
In the distance, on a raised mound, a large group of loud-voiced soldiers gathered, clasping their hands around their mouths, and shouting slogans.
"Three, two, one!"
"The sound of thunder bids farewell to the old year, and the fiery trees and silver flowers welcome the new year!"
After pausing for a moment, he shouted this sentence again amidst the bright fireworks.
Fireworks exploded above the head, and words echoed in the ears.
People on both sides of the chasm were under the fireworks, and they could vaguely see the figure of the person on the opposite side, but for some reason, no one wanted to continue fighting, or wave their weapons at each other, even though they had just endured
The attacking Cao Hong and others seemed to be sluggish and had forgotten everything...
Strength and beauty.
It's almost equal to powerful.
The fireworks are brilliant and eventually dissipate.
After returning to the darkness, the soldiers under the Hussars shouted one after another in the dark night:
"Thank you, Prime Minister!"
"Happy New Year, Prime Minister!"
"It's gone, it's gone..."
"Stop standing there stupidly, there are no gifts..."
"Everyone, go back! Remember to report that your family is safe..."
Then there were bursts of laughter, accompanied by the cheers of Husheng Wansheng up and down Tongguan City, gradually fading away...
Cao Hong looked around, looking at the dull soldiers around him, and his face couldn't help but become a little excited.
