When Pei Jun was plotting Anyi, Xun Chen received a secret message from Pingyang in the Hussar camp on the Emei Mountains.
The information was all encrypted. After Xun Chen translated it word by word according to the code book on his desk, he moved a few war games on the map, pondered for a moment and said, "Please come to General Zhang."
After a while, Zhang Xiu arrived.
"There is good news, and there is bad news." When Xun Chen saw Zhang Xiu coming, he said, "I just got the news that Sichuan and Shu have defeated the Jiangdong Army and have recovered Zigui. They are preparing to station and build defense lines before marching to Jiangling...
…』
Zhang Xiu was immediately overjoyed, then a little confused, "This is great! Well, ah, but... the news from Sichuan and Sichuan has reached here?"
"Did you forget there was a carrier pigeon?" Xun Chen said.
Zhang Xiu suddenly said, "Hey! My memory...not to mention, now I don't even eat pigeons...This is indeed good news, now Cao Jun has no help...Jiangdong kid, also wants to covet me, Sichuan and Shu"
, you are simply seeking death! Haha, hahaha!』
"But there is also bad news." Xun Chen smiled slightly, and then pointed to the road, "Cao Jun is preparing for the last stand... General Zhang has also been hunting, and the prey is dying and counterattacks..."
Zhang Xiu frowned slightly. It wasn't that he was afraid, but that his troops were not large, and he had been warned by Fei Qian before going into battle, saying that it was definitely not a good idea to compete with Cao's army for consumption.
Xun Chen pointed to the map and said: "According to the original idea of the lord, the counterattack was delayed until Cao's army was exhausted. At that time, Cao's army was unable to follow up and was in a dilemma. Coupled with low morale, there was only one way to retreat from Hangu.
Road, it will be difficult to take care of it in a hurry, and if we wait for work, we will definitely fail... But it is still a little early, and the heat is not yet there..."
Zhang Xiu scratched his head, "So, Cao Jun knew that Jiangdong was defeated? So he became anxious?"
Xun Chen nodded, "Maybe. But I think even if Cao Cao knew about Jiangdong, he would definitely block the news and not announce it easily, so as not to disturb the morale of the army."
Zhang Xiu raised his eyebrows, "If that's the case..."
Xun Chen laughed and said, "You mean to spread the news of Jiangdong's fall to Cao Jun? This is somewhat useful, but not very effective... One is that it takes a certain amount of time for the news to spread, and the other is that it takes a certain amount of time to spread from us.
If you tell it to others, it will never be as effective as if it comes from behind Cao Jun’s rear..."
Zhang Xiu nodded when he heard this, "That's true. Why is Chang Shi worried?"
"These refugees," Xun Chen said.
Zhang Xiu fell silent.
After all, Zhang Xiu, who prefers military commanders, and Xun Chen, who prefers logistics and civil affairs, must have completely different thinking patterns. Zhang Xiu must have thought about how to attack Cao Jun's troops, while Xun Chen first thought of how to defeat Cao Jun.
Under the counterattack, those refugees caught in the battlefield will definitely be the most injured.
Zhang Xiu didn't even think about it before he blurted out: "How about... speed up the screening? Or stop screening at all and send it directly to Linfen? Anyway, there is still one third left..."
Xun Chen frowned, "That's wrong!"
Zhang Xiu also knew that what he said without thinking was wrong, so he apologized first, then sat down again with a sad face and said: "What should we do? It's tiring enough to screen soldiers now... There are so many refugees in a day."
There are a lot of things that I can’t even say rightly..."
Over the years, Fei Qian has been working hard to eliminate illiteracy in the army, so that many soldiers can recognize some words, which can help the civil servants solve part of the workload, otherwise it will be even slower!
Imagine that two people who are illiterate get together, and then add in the differences in accents from different places, and they speak like a chicken...
Most of the refugees who were diverted out in the early stage were relatively easy to identify as being from farmers in Hedong. The remaining one-third of the refugees were relatively difficult to identify.
This difficulty in language and writing was beyond Xun Chen's imagination.
It was only at this moment that Xun Chen truly realized how important it was that Fei Qian had been trying his best to promote the literacy of ordinary people, especially the lower class people!
Because Xun Chen had lived in a wealthy family since he was a child, reading and literacy was as natural as eating and drinking.
This difference in concepts is just like the difference between young people and old people in later generations regarding smartphones. Many young people can't understand why older people can't see the confirmation, or the cancel, or they can't find it.
What kind of verification codes and other behaviors... aren't those very simple and obvious?
In addition to the problem that these refugees are illiterate, there is also a thorny problem. The refugees who come later are more scattered, and they are mostly old and weak. Like the situation before, they can rely on mutual protection in the village.
Fewer and fewer.
These refugees who come later often rely on a small number of young adults to support themselves here. If there is no conclusive evidence that these young adults are Cao Jun's spies, then the old and weak refugees who were cared for by these young adults along the way will be
With Zhuang's emotional support as his savior, would he feel that the hussar soldiers were justified in arresting him?
Similarly, the spies of Cao Jun who were screened out in the early stage are also relatively impetuous and easier to identify, while the remaining spies of Cao Jun are naturally becoming more and more cunning...
This made Xun Chen and Zhang Xiu more difficult.
No wonder Zhang Xiu was so upset that he wanted to leave this problem to Linfen and Fei Qian to deal with...
Fortunately, Xun Chen was relatively sober. He knew that persistence was more important at this stage. If all previous efforts were wasted due to impatience, then the theory of valuing the people proposed by Feiqian Shoushan Academy would undoubtedly become a joke.
"The Lord said at the Shoushan Academy the day before yesterday that the work of the four people is the foundation of the country." Xun Chen said, "Now these people from Hedong cannot be confused with the people from the big families in Hedong. Since you want to return to your heart, how can you give up halfway?"
reason?"
Fei Qiancai made a high-profile statement about caring for the people and paying attention to Dingkou, but Xunchen, because he was pressed for time and had a heavy task, coupled with the relative lack of manpower among officials and the difficulty in communicating with refugees, just cut them all off, killing everyone and rushing them?
So in this case, will it make Fei Qian look good, or will it shit on Fei Qian's head?
"But... this speed is indeed a bit slow!" Zhang Xiu lowered his voice and said, "Cao Jun's forward has arrived at the bottom of the slope! One of them is Liu and the other is Hu... Although they are not the central leader and the central protector, these two people are
There must be someone following behind... If a fight really breaks out, we won’t be able to care about it!』
Xun Chen nodded, "I'll think of a way...I really need to speed it up a bit...but at this moment, the less chaotic it is!"
In the end, these people must complete the test successfully before they can be considered complete.
Zhang Xiu looked at Xun Chen, smacked his lips, and nodded in agreement.
Although they have obtained certain information about Cao Jun by capturing Cao Jun soldiers alive, it does not mean that Xun Chen and Zhang Xiu will know the exact movements of Cao Jun. Because even if they capture some Cao Jun soldiers, the information obtained will
They are all one-sided and cannot fully describe the specific distribution of Cao's army and the movement of his soldiers.
It's like Zhang Xiu and Xun Chen knew that Liu Zhu and Hu Zhi were leading the army this time, but how exactly did Cao's army arrange it? Was there anyone else behind it? Where was the main force of Cao's army hiding, including the middle leader, middle guard, and so on?
Zhang Xiu and Xun Chen are not sure about other issues, so they can only speculate based on some information...
"Report!" Suddenly a soldier came, "Report to the Chief of History, General, there is someone who claims to be a spy of Cao's army and wants to abandon the secret and turn to the bright side..."
Xun Chen and Zhang Xiu couldn't help but be stunned.
…
…
"Are you Wang Meng?"
Xun Chen carefully observed Wang Meng's expression.
Very peaceful.
This was the first feeling Wang Meng gave Xun Chen.
Xun Chen was slightly surprised.
Zhang Xiu winked at Xun Chen.
Xun Chen knew what Zhang Xiu meant.
Previously, Zhang Xiu said that this person was a spy of Cao Jun, but Xun Chen said that this person was just a suspect. Now it was confirmed that Zhang Xiu was correct, so Zhang Xiu was somewhat proud.
Xun Chen nodded slightly toward Zhang Xiu, saying that Zhang Xiu was powerful, but Xun Chen did not feel unhappy because of this. Instead, he looked forward to what Wang Meng could bring to him. After all, Wang Meng was under suspicion and was being focused on.
Despite the circumstances, he was still able to hold on until now and surrender, which shows that he has some ability.
"Are you a spy for Cao Jun?"
Wang Meng worshiped on the ground, but raised his head, as if he was not embarrassed by his identity, "Exactly."
"Why do you want to surrender?" Xun Chen asked again.
Wang Meng smiled, and there was something special in his smile, "I came to vote just for a piece of cake!"
"Huh?" Xun Chen was stunned for a moment and didn't react, "What? Cooking cakes?"
"Cooking cakes. But that's not the point. The point is... you must be anxious too..." Wang Meng nodded. He seemed too lazy to explain clearly to Xun Chen, but because he was in a hurry or for some other reason.
He said directly, "Cao's army is approaching...if these refugees can't distinguish the good from the bad as soon as possible, I'm afraid...they will become nothing but fans!"
Xun Chen was silent for a moment and said, "If you can give me a helping hand, I can help the homeless people live in peace as soon as possible."
"I understand. This is also what I want." Wang Meng said, trying to find something from his arms.
Although it was said that before Xun Chen met Wang Meng, the guards had already searched Wang Meng's body and found no weapons. However, Wang Meng's move still made Xun Chen's guards beside him a little nervous. He pulled out the knife an inch with a cry.
.
Wang Meng glanced at the guard, his expression unmoving, and then slowly took out the item in his arms, which was just a rag.
It was obvious that Wang Meng picked up the rag from somewhere, and there were even some stains on it.
Wang Meng spread out the rag in front of him, and some characters and marks seemed to be written on it with charcoal or something.
"This is the detailed work of Cao Jun hiding in the civilian sheds..." Wang Meng's voice was a little low, "We can arrest people based on this..."
Xun Chen signaled.
The guard stepped forward and took the rag to Xun Chen.
Before Xun Chen could ask, Wang Meng said directly, "I don't know how your shacks are numbered, so I just follow my habit... take the shack I am in as the center, and divide it into the left and right facing north...
The number of people is not very complete, because I don’t know how many people came...but Jian Erlang on this list should know more..."
Xun Chen and Zhang Xiu looked at each other.
Zhang Xiu immediately stood up and said, "I will send people to do it separately now!"
Zhang Xiu quickly left with the list.
Xun Chen looked at Wang Meng and asked, "I wonder...what does the strong man want?"
Wang Meng shook his head, but quickly changed his words, "I don't want anything... Oh, maybe you can give me a place to rest? I want to have a good rest..."
"good!"
Xun Chen didn't think much about it. After all, the authenticity of the list still needed to be verified, so he asked someone to take Wang Meng to an empty tent aside...
…
…
At the foot of the Emei Ridge slope.
Cao Jun's camp.
Just like the terrain of Tongguan that blocked Cao Cao's army from advancing westward, Emei Mountain has now become a natural barrier that hinders Cao's army from moving north. Faced with this natural terrain restriction, Cao Xiu really had no good way to overcome it.
It can be based on the limited gap in the Emei Ridge to attack.
These gaps were carved out by ancient glaciers, so the terrain made Cao Xiu frown.
Coupled with the criss-crossing terrain of the Loess Plateau, it was difficult for Cao Jun to take a detour. This was undoubtedly a huge problem for Cao Jun, who was unfamiliar with the place.
And the key is that the cavalry on the Emei Mountains are far faster than Cao's army as long as they want to support somewhere.
Even if there are nobles from Hedong as guides, they are only familiar with the roads they often take. And those roads are almost needless to think about. They must be heavily guarded by Hussar troops. If you want to rely on these guides from Hedong, you can figure out the Emei Mountains.
The arrangement above is obviously impossible.
Faced with such a difficult situation, Cao Xiu could only increase the intensity of his scouts' exploration of Emei Mountains, and on the other hand, he was waiting for the spies who had been dispatched among the refugees to bring back some surprises...
Besides, I also hope that the Hussars can take the bait.
However, in the past few days, the progress of Cao Jun's scouts has obviously slowed down. Sometimes the scouts went out all day without knowing what they were investigating. This made Cao Xiu very angry and scolded the scout team leader.
, but the effect is still not good.
There is always a reason for the scout team rate. It all sounds reasonable, but this is not the main reason why Cao Xiu can continue to tolerate this scout team rate. If there is a second candidate, Cao Xiu will definitely kill him.
This guy’s head!
However, in the process of confronting the Hussars, many of Cao's army's scouts have been lost. Although Cao's army and the Hussars have never had large-scale battles, the fights between the scouts are quite fierce on the land east of Hedong.
, especially the hussar scouts, who are cunning, cruel, and good at disguise. As a result, there are not many remaining scouts and their morale is also very bad.
Of course, another way for Cao Xiu is to ask his own guards to investigate, but similarly, Cao Xiu doesn't have many of his own guards.
When on the Zhiguan Road, in order to break through as soon as possible, Cao Xiu did not hesitate at all costs...
So a lot of money was paid.
So now it is really difficult for Cao Xiu to post the remaining parts.
"General!" Cao Xiu's guards came from outside, "General, we have sent five thousand soldiers and thirty carts and baggage from the rear!"
Cao Xiu's eyes lit up slightly, but he quickly calmed down, "Are they Heluo County soldiers again, or are they additional soldiers?"
"This...should be a newly added soldier..." the guard whispered.
"Huh..." Cao Xiu nodded.
Better than nothing.
"Where is General Liu Hu now?" Cao Xiu asked again.
The guard reported back: "We are at the pass."
Cao Xiu pondered for a moment and said, "Let him raise the flag of Cao's general!"
"ah?"
Cao Xiu repeated: "I say, order Liu and Hu to display my banner!"
"only!"
…
…
Liu Zhu stood in front of the Emei Ridge slope. At a glance, it looked like a thick earth wall spanned the sky and the earth, completely cutting off his path.
In fact, if we really need to take a detour, the Emei Mountains are not absolutely unavoidable, but like most ancient wars, being called an important route has its own reason. In the folded terrain of the loess high slopes,
If you take a detour successfully, it will be a great victory, but if you fail, you will be dead.
But a frontal attack really put Cao Jun in a difficult position.
There was loess everywhere in front of him, making Liu Zhu feel as if he was drowned by loess.
In the land of Shandong, at this time, the grass should be rolling, catkins flying, and the peach blossoms should be in full bloom!
He still prefers Shandong.
On the one hand, he also hopes that Cao Cao can take Guanzhong and defeat Fei Qian as soon as possible. On the other hand, he is not willing to become a bait and keep dangling.
This feeling is not pleasant.
After hearing Cao Xiu's order, he pondered for a long time before saying, "Where are the generals?"
"General Hu... uh, he is busy with military affairs. Please ask General Liu to wait a moment."
The muscles on Liu Zhu's cheeks jumped.
Strictly speaking, the guard can be regarded as the supervisor of the army, and he can control Liu Zhu, but Liu Zhu generally has difficulty controlling him.
Ever since the hostage realized that he had become a bait, he seemed to be living in a state of intoxication.
After a long time, the hostage walked over with sloppy steps, smelling of alcohol.
"General Cao Wenlie wants us to display Cao's general's flag!" Liu Zhu did not bother with the hostage about whether to drink or not, and said directly, "Do you understand? Cao's general's flag!"
The lieutenant shook his head, as if to shake the chaos out of his head, and then broke into a cold sweat, "General Wenlie...how could this be done? I...I, I..."
Liu Zhu snorted, "Why can't it be like this? Your surname is Hu and my surname is Liu, so what's weird about adding another Cao family?"
"No, no, no..." The guard thought Liu Zhu didn't understand the problem, but when he looked up at Liu Zhu's expression, he realized that Liu Zhu understood everything, "You... you you..."
"That's it!" Liu Zhu waved his hand, "If I were you, I would drink a few sips less... What if, what, I can't get on the horse... Hahaha..."
Although Liu Zhu didn't say everything in full, the officer understood what Liu Zhu meant and couldn't help but tremble, and his drunkenness completely dissipated.
"This is really going to make us..." Hu Zhi murmured half a sentence, then woke up and swallowed the rest of the words.
"No, no, no," Liu Zhu said with a smile, but there was something different in his smile, "This is because we don't think we are good enough as bait..."
