In Xu County, whenever the sun rises, whenever the streets are facing the restaurants and shops, there will be friends coming out, removing the door panels, and then greeting each other to start a day's business.
But during this period, almost all shops were closed.
Zhen Zhen, who had not closed his eyes all night, looked at the rising sun and breathed a long breath of turbid air.
A group of soldiers ran from the street with the unique sound of weapons and armor. The sound came from far to near and reached Zhen Zhen's ears.
Zhen Zhen's pupils tightened significantly.
A moment later, the door panel of the shop was smashed and loudly sounded.
"What should I do, shopkeeper?" the guy asked nervously.
Zhen Zhen took a long breath, "What a panic! Open the door!"
The guy trembled and pulled the door latch off. Before he could fully open the door, he was kicked away by the soldiers outside the door impatiently.
"The Prime Minister has an order! All shops must be open for business!" The soldiers shouted loudly, "Did you hear it?"
『Listen, I heard it…』 Zhen Zhen quickly laughed, 『Would Jun Ye sit in the store?』
The soldiers in the team leader snorted, perhaps they still had a task to work hard, or they didn't want to pay attention to Zhen Zhen, and they didn't answer, so they took the others to the next store to smash the door.
『Bang bang!』
『Open the door!』
『The Prime Minister has an order!』
『…』
When the guy saw that his shopkeeper was ignored by Cao's soldiers, he was a little angry, "What's the maid who is raised by that maid? Haven't you seen the banner of our Zhen family?"
"Shut up." Zhen Zhen whispered, "It's an extraordinary time... open the door... no, no, only half of the door..."
The guy bent over and greeted several other guys and started to unload the door panel.
The sun shone in from outside the door.
The smell of blood also poured in with the sunshine.
Zhen Zhen sniffed and looked at the still remaining blood on the street, and was silent.
Many people died yesterday.
Many people were also arrested, I wonder if there are any...
The shopkeeper across the street just walked out of the door and seemed to have accidentally stepped on a pool of solidified blood. He kept shouting bad luck, raised his foot and rubbed his slab steps hard. After rubbing for a few strokes, he saw Zhen Zhen.
He just said hello a little embarrassedly.
Zhen Zhen treated it as if he hadn't seen anything and responded for a moment, and was about to turn around and walk back.
These guys from Xu County are really useless...
If I had known that these guys would not be responsible for the trouble, I would have run away early!
It's really a difference in thought!
Cao Cao suddenly appeared with his cavalry, and must have driven from afar. If these people on the street were a little passionate and a few people rushed up...
Once the cavalry speed drops and is dragged into the crowd, how much combat power can they have even if they wear thick armor?
If you fall down, you won’t be able to climb up!
However, everyone was waiting for others to rush forward, so in the end they ran back together.
Humph, this is the man from Henan Yuzhou.
Zhen Zhen was secretly complaining in his heart that when he expressed contempt for the guys on Qianmen Street yesterday, he heard another burst of rapid footsteps sounding in the distance of the street...
Come again?
Zhen Zhen stretched out his head slightly and looked at the street.
I saw a group of soldiers coming forward on the street. In front of this group of soldiers, there was a bruised nose, a swollen face, and a lot of bruises and wounds on their bodies. A limping person...
Although I couldn't see the person clearly, I didn't know why Zhen Zhen twitched in his heart, and then saw that the person seemed to point at the place of his shop with his finger!
Zhen Zhen's face changed and he quickly turned around and ran back to the back of the store.
The guy who was dismantling the door panel looked at his shopkeeper's hurrying look and became a little nervous. Some of them glanced out with cleverness and shouted, "It's broken!"
The guy threw the door panel in his hand directly to the ground, turned around and ran to the backyard with Zhen Zhen.
『Don't run!』
The soldiers coming from afar were not very sure of their locations, but when they saw these guys' actions, they instinctively screamed and ran towards them.
The guy who was still rubbing his soles across the street was startled by the sudden incident. He fell to the ground without standing firmly. This time, not only was his shoes stained with blood, but his robes were also stained with a lot of them.
, but he didn't care at all, and just rolled and crawled into his shop.
"They ran back!"
『Catch them! Don't let them run away!』
...
...
In fact, there were not many people Cao Cao brought, but just these people suddenly changed the situation in Xu County.
It's like a few beasts can chase a group of cattle and sheep.
With the support of these elite soldiers brought by Cao Cao, the originally weak military farm soldiers seemed to tremble and began to clean up Xu County with a fierce look.
In the Prime Minister's Mansion.
"You are stupid!"
Cao Cao, who was sitting in the lobby of the Prime Minister's Office, changed into the red and black court robes of the big man. He looked solemn and dignified, and was like the one who had been strongly energetic in the decadence in the military, just like
Two completely different people.
In the festival hall, a group of people were kneeling down, most of whom were gentry gentry implicated in the previous incident.
Cao Cao was not polite at all and just started scolding him when he came up.
"You and others think that the cavalry sent agricultural scholars to sell novel things and send gunpowder to benefit Shandong, and that they can enjoy their achievements?! Dull! Scale of the wood! Shallow eyes! No ambitions!"
Cao Cao's voice roared in the hall.
"You and others think that agricultural scholars help Zhuanghe, so they use it to collect granaries and do not need to take care of the fields. They can enjoy the fruits of all seasons of work! But they don't know that Zhuanghe's methods all come from Guanzhong, if it's a day
The order is that the land will be harvested thousands of miles away!”
"Western regions spices, fur in snow, pearls and jaspers, exquisite utensils, wine and BMWs, you are happy and leisurely, singing and dancing! But you don't know that if you buy one cent of your goods, you will make the cavalry army grow by 10%!"
『There is also gunpowder...hahaha! The stupid person thought that the cavalry gave gunpowder, which was the kindness of a woman, and that he gave up this peerless method to Shandong! Hahaha! How short-sighted! How narrow-minded!
The main method is charcoal saltpet yellow! How simple! But in the Central Plains, where does charcoal saltpet yellow come from?!”
Cao Cao laughed so hard that a tear came out of the corners of his eyes.
When the cavalry first offered the method of gunpowder, Cao Cao actually thought that the cavalry had surrendered, and was giving people a weapon and seeking death. However, with an in-depth understanding of gunpowder, Cao Cao realized that this was actually a glow.
The "Only Conspiracy" of the Rider!
Or, it is called "poisonous plan"!
During the war, all items were used extremely large. Shandong tried to develop and produce in the early stages, but naturally there was no problem. However, when it was about to fight against the cavalry on a large scale, all kinds of problems arose.
Leave it aside the influence of metrology deviation, the difficulty for Shandong children to produce gunpowder on a large scale is the raw materials!
The Central Plains, the land is cultivated as success and the land is cultivated as failure!
In the surrounding areas where the Han people live in concentrated areas, large areas of forest land have actually been degrading!
Whether it is equipment, houses, or other facilities, or even the fuel for keeping cold in winter, it is mostly wood!
The large amount of logging makes it almost difficult to see dense forests and timber resources in the Central Plains of Shandong!
Relatively speaking, Guanzhong area, where both north and south are mountainous, obviously has richer wood resources and can be easily obtained. Therefore, if Shandong Central Plains wants to produce a large amount of gunpowder, it may either need to embezzle it in winter.
The charcoal reserves for keeping cold either require a lot of manpower to go to farther areas to cut down and burn charcoal!
Moreover, these areas that can burn charcoal must be far away from the densely populated core areas controlled by Cao Cao. If there is a slight problem, it may lead to the entire supply chain break.
As for sulfur called "flower yellow" or "stone yellow" that is even rarer!
The sulfur ore was originally abandoned and land that was not suitable for farming. The Shandong gentry had no choice but to find that kind of place three or four hundred years ago, and now it is really difficult to ask the Shandong gentry to find a suitable sulfur ore in a short time.
Better to the sky!
Cao Cao couldn't quite understand the principle of the "industrial chain", but he vaguely knew that there were big problems in it, and it was all the pit dug by the cavalry!
This is like many more dangerous items in later generations. In fact, they can be exposed to them in junior high school and high school. However, if the amount is small, there is basically no problem, and no one will care about it. Once mass production is produced, it will immediately trigger an alarm...
For example, sugar.
This thing can actually make a lot of things that are quite serious, but no one will care if it is purchased for a few kilograms or even hundreds of kilograms every day, but once the weight level reaches tons...
So stupid!
Cao Cao scolded these people in the ritual hall for being stupid, and wasn’t he regretting his former stupidity?!
When smuggling military ordnances before, did the people from the Xiahou clan of Cao not participate?
At that time, Cao Cao turned a blind eye.
Why couldn't I see the cruelty and cruelty of these poisonous schemes at that time?
Everyone thought that the things in Guanzhong were good and the methods were good. They borrowed them and stolen them. What was the result?
After cursing, Cao Cao looked at the guys who were quail-like in the festival hall, and a deep sense of fatigue arose in his heart.
This feeling is like an old horse towing a broken car, but it just happened to encounter a muddy road again!
Cao Cao cursed and closed his eyes. He didn't want to look at these "broken cars" anymore, so he waved his hand and asked these people to go down and let Cheng Yu hand over the handover.
There is no wrong one, one time, one, one, one, one, one, one, one, one, one, one, one by one!
Although Cao Cao scolded these people, it was like scolding his grandson, but it was also a lot of thunder and rain, and he allowed these people to pay a certain fine to offset the blame. Most of these people were from Yuzhou, whether it was for Xun Yu's sake or
For strategic considerations, Cao Cao could only turn a blind eye, just like a small move to the emperor Liu Xie.
The most important thing now is to take this opportunity to quickly prepare military rations and supplies, and then turn to fight to fight against the Cavalry!
Win, everything is easy to say.
If you lose, everything will be free.
Xun Yu was in the corridor below the hall, watching those stupid Yuzhou, following Cheng Yu with dejected disgusting, and sighed slightly, quickly walked into the hall, and stepped forward to present the military investment chart for this stage to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao took the statistics table and quickly opened it to check.
When he left Xu County, there was still a lot of inventory in Xu County's granaries, but now...
You don’t need to look too carefully. Just looking at the words "shortage", "deficiency", "urgent need" marked by Xun Yu, you can know how tight Cao's military supplies and rations are now.
That's how war is.
If you win, you can get a lot of supplies from the defeated side. Cao Cao failed to fight the west, and the price he paid was naturally very heavy.
Of course, it is also a strange thing that has been around forever like braids who are ready to lose money if they win occasionally.
There are many things written on Xun Yu’s stamp, but in a word, there is no money.
Cao Cao might be able to fight in terms of military strength, but it does not allow it economically. Fighting not only requires people, but also requires a lot of financial resources. Soldiers need to eat food, wear clothes, have weapons, and consume various weapons.
It’s all money. It usually costs 20,000 yuan to raise a soldier a year. Even if you save some, it still costs 15,000 yuan.
Cao Cao now has five thousand soldiers and horses in Heluo, three thousand in Henoi, eight thousand in Jizhou, four thousand in Jingzhou, and the direct troops led by Cao Cao himself, all of which require financial support.
The granaries in Xu County are now empty and there is no money!
As for taxation and other things, it will not take place until autumn, and now it is early spring.
Can this battle be fought?
Xun Yu was very worried.
It’s hard for a good cook to cook without rice!
"The current strategy is to take Hope and make up for it!" Cao Cao threw the seal on the table, "This is the worst strategy, but it cannot be done!"
It is not difficult to really kill Cui Yan. What is difficult is what to do after killing Cui Yan?
How many meals can Cao Cao have with his family’s property in Dongwu?
Cao Cao glanced at Xun Yu, "Wen Ruo doesn't need to worry! I immediately lead the army to fight against the Cavalry Army at Danjiangkou! As long as we defeat the Cavalry Wuguan along the way, we will have a turning point!"
Xun Yu bowed and said, "May the Lord's flag be victorious!"
Cao Cao laughed, and Xun Yu also smiled.
Although both of them were laughing, they actually knew in their hearts that the key to the Cavalry Army was not Danjiangkou or Wuguan's side army, but the army at Hanguguan!
Only when the cavalry army that truly blocks Hangu Pass can it be considered as a so-called "turnaround"...
However, at this stage, we can only look at Danjiangkou first.
...
...
Li Dian marched Shangyong as anxious as sparks, but when he changed his way to Yunguan, he began to get slower.
I only walked thirty miles a day, and the supplies ship carrying grain followed the Han River and marched with the troops on the land.
Every day when the sun is just west, Li Dian will choose one place to set up a camp and rest early.
Li Dian's speed confused Cao's scouts.
Logically speaking, Li Dian's marching speed is not fast or slow, and it is average and can't find any problems, but this is completely different from Li Dian's previous rapid offensive!
A few days ago, Fang Ling began to report the attack to Cao's army like crazy, and said that if Cao's army did not support it, Fang Ling would be unable to hold on in the next moment...
Li Dian did not invest many soldiers in Fangling.
Even though Li Dian got the map of the insider and launched a targeted attack, Cao Zhen stayed on Fangling Mountain, which made Li Dian feel that Fangling was a bait, so Li Dian was actually preparing to march into Yunguan.
The reason why he walked slowly was that Li Dian waited for news again, and on the other hand, he was to allow the soldiers to take a little rest.
From Nan Zheng Jixing to Shangyong, it took about ten days to walk in five days. If you continue to attack Yunguan quickly now, even if you fight, you may not have the energy to carry out the next stage of battle.
When Li Dian's slow travel information was passed to Cao Ren's place, Cao Ren felt a headache.
Cao Ren felt that Li Dian's baggage ship in the Han River looked like a bait no matter how he looked.
Because there were no decent naval troops in Hanzhong, Li Dian's baggage ships had no naval warships at all, which seemed to be an obvious flaw!
However, Li Dian's military capabilities in Shangyong and the previous battles did not even know this flaw...
If the troops on the land should be the first, and the baggage ships without warship protection are behind, so that the troops on the land can provide certain reconnaissance and protection. Even if they are ambushed, the ships behind them will be the same.
You can turn around and leave in time.
But Li Dian went through water and land!
Li Dian has been fighting for many years, and he will not understand the importance of food and supplies. It is impossible to be so hasty.
Cao Ren felt that Li Dian was doing this to seduce him...
What to do, can't you get there?
Cao Ren thought for a long time and ordered the guards of Yunguan to attack cautiously...
Li Dian's front scout discovered Cao's army attacking the fleet along the water surface, and immediately reported to Li Dian's place.
Li Dian ordered on-site defense, dragged all the baggage ships to the shallows, and then sent troops to set up defensive positions on the shore, and used crossbow chariots and catapults to drive away the Cao army warship team that was trying to get close.
Facing the Cao army warship squad, Li Dian did not go to the front line to command the battle, but sent more scouts to strictly prevent Cao army from attacking. Li Dian knew very well that these Cao army warship squads were just here to test, and even attacks were limited.
, The real fierce battle is still behind.
Both sides fought slightly on the Han River, each with damage, but neither was very big.
Seeing that the Cao army's warship team could not get any advantage, they retreated to Yunguan. Li Dian still maintained a slow march speed and advanced towards Yunguan.
The result of the tentative attack was passed back to Xiangyang. Cao Ren not only did not relax, but became even more embarrassed.
Because Yunguan is also very important, Cao Ren did not dare to let the guards of Yunguan attack with all their might, but the information obtained based on the attack was very limited. It can only be proved that there was indeed such a part of the troops, but it was not certain that Li Dian's
The main force is to fight Yunguan.
Although Yunguan will eventually give up in Cao Ren's pre-set plan, he cannot just let go so easily, otherwise it will inevitably arouse the alertness of Li Dian and others.
Just as Cao Ren was thinking about how to deal with it, a news that made him even more worried was passed to Xiangyang-
The vanguard of the Sichuan and Shu naval army appeared near Jiangling!