He came back from the Sunset Valley, which was filled with the corpses of tigers and leopards. To be precise, he crawled back.
He climbed over mountains and ridges, captured a fast horse, and relied on a certain obsession in his heart...
He's back.
When countless torches on the tower lit up the dark night, under the torches, a man with disheveled hair stood in front of the door. As the man raised his head, that familiar face appeared on the faces of all the guards on the tower.
In eyes.
"This is General Cao Chun, open the city gate quickly... open the city gate quickly."
"Quick...quick!"
In the middle of the night, the city tower in Xiangyang looks like a dormant giant beast. With the sound of "crunching", it's like the giant beast is waking up, and the gate is open.
Because it was already dark, the streets were extremely quiet, and Cao Chun's footsteps became particularly clear.
The tiger and leopard cavalry who had escaped saw their general's return and rushed forward quickly.
"General, general..."
"General, general!"
These warriors riding on tigers and leopards seemed to suddenly see hope and light.
Almost at the same time, their tears burst into tears. Since the battle in Sunset Valley, all the grievances they had suffered... all burst out at this moment.
Cao Chun looked at them with regret.
But the hunger in his belly made him weak. He pondered for a long time before opening his mouth.
"Bring me some food!"
"Now, now!!"
…
A lamp is like a bean.
Because it was already dark, and because of Cao Chun's special instructions, the soldiers guarding the gate did not immediately report the news of "Cao Chun's return" to Cao Ren.
On the contrary, the defeated generals of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry heard that their general Cao Chun was back, and these generals who had saved their lives rushed over.
At this moment, Cao Chun didn't care about his demeanor at all. He stuffed the dough into his mouth and took another gulp of wine.
On the other hand, the stew next to him remained untouched.
As if he was no longer hungry, he raised his eyes and asked sadly.
"How many brothers have died."
A tiger and leopard cavalry captain replied truthfully: "We are the only ones who escaped, more than 700 people. Most of them were injured, killed in battle, and captured alive by the Guan army. It is difficult to estimate... In the past two days, there have been soldiers like the general... this
Come back like this."
What the captain wanted to say was to escape like the general.
But... when the word "escape" came to his lips, he quickly swallowed it.
How could this word sound insensitive and fragile to the general's ears now?
Sure enough, Cao Chun trembled slightly and asked again: "Where are the weapons and horses? And where are your weapons? Why don't you even have any light armor?"
Hearing this, the captain lowered his head and said sadly, "Military supplies, food and grass, equipment, armor, weapons...all...all lost. The Guan family army's chariot is so high, all the ordnance must be removed."
, it is possible to crawl over...and escape from that Shura field!"
"It's... it's thanks to General Cao Ren that he prepared food and medicine. Otherwise, how could hundreds of us survive these days?"
Cao Chun's eyes were filled with tears. He stood up with grief and anger, looked at the captain, and questioned him.
"Thank you? Thanks to him for refusing to save me. That's why the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were defeated so miserably!"
"Thanks to my 'beloved brother', more than 4,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry brothers were buried in a foreign land. I and that Cao Zixiao share the same fate!"
Having said that…
With a "swish" sound, Cao Chun pulled out the only remaining long sword on the waist of the Thousand Commanders.
His own sword had already become stiff from climbing mountains and chopping rocks, but the sword in his hand now was extremely sharp and perfect for killing people!
"snort…"
With a cold snort, Cao Chun wiped his mouth, took another gulp of wine, and staggered out of the tent of the tiger and leopard rider.
Under the moon, the sword is extremely sharp...
The cold light on the sword blade was aimed at... the official office of Xiangyang City.
It is the residence of his "loved relatives and friends" and "good big brother" Cao Ren.
…
…
The moon seemed to be obscured by dark clouds, and there was no light on the streets of Xiangyang City.
A "repeated crossbow" was placed on the table. This was the repeating crossbow stolen from Jiangling when "Zhang Wuji" surrendered. The four words "Huang Laoxie Made" on it are particularly eye-catching.
This was Cao Ren's second consecutive night of insomnia.
He was sitting on the desk, but he was not reading the official document, nor was he looking at the "Liannu" beside him. His eyes were full of emptiness and desolation.
It's like falling into some kind of meditation.
And above his head, there was a plaque given by Cao Cao himself, with the four words "General of Heaven and Man" shining in golden light on it.
This was during the Battle of Nanjun. His general Niu Jin and his 300 men were besieged by Zhou Yu's thousands of vanguard troops.
Cao Ren rushed in with dozens of cavalry to rescue people. He first rescued Niu Jin, and then turned back and rushed in to rescue Niu Jin's soldiers.
Then, as if the "unparalleled mowing" mode was activated, he forced Zhou Yu's army back with his generous and brave spirit that shook the sky.
From then on, Lieutenant General Cao Ren of Cao Army called him "the man of heaven"!
And the plaque of "Heavenly General" above his head seems to highlight Cao Ren's excellence and glory over the years.
only…
To whom should Cao Ren express his pain?
The source of this suffering lies in his status as a "bastard".
The father of Cao Ren and Cao Chun is Cao Chi. During the Huan and Ling emperors, they successively served as Taizhong doctor, Sima, Changshi, Shizhong, and Changshui captain. Even Cao Cao had to follow the rules and call them
A word of "obey the father"!
A generation earlier, Cao Chi's father, Cao Mao, was the brother of Cao Cao's grandfather, Cao Teng, and also held the official title of Yingchuan Prefect.
Because of this, Cao Ren's family is a wealthy family in Qiao County, Peiguo.
Cao Ren was two years older than Cao Chun, but when Cao Ren was fifteen years old, his father Cao Chi passed away, and the thirteen-year-old Cao Chun naturally became the head of the family as the "legitimate son".
All the resources of the entire family belong to Cao Chun!
It is precisely for this reason that before he even reached the crown, Cao Chun was already a servant of Huangmen, serving in front of the emperor. This is the standard of "a son inherits his father's legacy", step by step, he will achieve what his father once did.
The script of "Shizhong".
But...where is Cao Ren?
As Cao Chun's elder brother, he was two years older than Cao Chun. However, because of his status as Cao Chun's concubine, he gradually drifted away from all the resources in the family.
The death of his father marked a sharp decline in his "status" in the family.
It was precisely because of this that Cao Ren left this home out of desperation.
Of course... After all, he is Cao Chi's son, so the family will still give him a large sum of money, which is equivalent to a liquidated family division.
Logically speaking, what Cao Ren received was a script in which "the father does not care, the mother does not love, the younger brother succeeds to the throne, the older brother wanders, abandons himself, and fends for himself."
But unfortunately, Cao Ren was beaten into a "king bomb" by Cao Ren with a poor hand of cards!
He first settled between Huaisi and Huaisi, then dispersed his family wealth and recruited more than a thousand followers here.
Just as the world was in chaos, Cao Ren led more than a thousand of his followers to roam Huaisi, fighting the Yellow Turbans while collecting protection and fees, and grew stronger step by step.
Many people thought that when Cao Cao and Chen Liu raised troops and the eighteen princes attacked Dong, Cao Ren went to support Cao Cao.
This is not always the case.
Cao Ren never participated in the discussion against Dong at all.
In "Three Kingdoms", the first record about Cao Ren was after he became subordinate to Cao Cao, in the fourth year of Chuping, when Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shu.
In other words... Previously, when Cao Cao's nightmare difficulty Chen Liu started, Cao Ren didn't show up at all. On the contrary, at that time, Cao Chun immediately went to support Cao Cao.
——The so-called: "At the age of twenty, Taizu went to Xiangyi (a county left by Chen) to recruit troops!"
——Cao Chun brought capital into the group!
This is actually easy to understand.
Those who support Cao Cao must be from the Cao family of Qiao Pei or the Xia Hou family of Qiao Pei.
As the legitimate son of Cao Chi, Cao Chun is naturally the continuation of the Cao Chi lineage in the family, and there is nothing wrong with supporting Cao Cao, who is from the same clan.
But Cao Ren split up his family long ago...
His bond with the Cao family was not that deep, so... he did not immediately support Cao Cao.
Instead, he developed in Huaisi and planned to make a career for himself.
But later, the "Huainan Destroyer King", "honey lover", and "the first false emperor" came to Huaisi.
…Cao Ren’s living space was suddenly compressed.
Then there were only two ways before him, either to seek refuge with this future "withered bones in the grave", or to "find his roots", return to the embrace of the Cao family, and seek refuge with Cao Cao, who had recently flourished in Yanzhou.
And this, it seems, there is no need to choose at all!
It is precisely for this reason that the relationship between Cao Ren and Cao Cao is actually very subtle.
In terms of family ties, as a concubine, he is no better than Cao Chun, the legitimate son of the first wife.
He took refuge in Cao Cao, just like he brought his own private soldiers to join Cao Cao's army.
His private soldiers are still serving and directly subordinate to Cao Ren...
This is somewhat similar to Soochow's "army conferring system" or "army leading system"!
This is why, when Cao Ren saw his men trapped in the enemy camp, he would rescue them without hesitation.
——These soldiers are not Cao Cao's, they are his own...
——If one dies, one is missing!
To sum up, Cao Ren’s journey to this day has not been easy...
When he was young, he was "separated" and moved to Huaisi, where he formed a cavalry regiment. He then spent many years fighting mobs and training in Huaisi, accumulating rich experience in cavalry combat.
Ten years later, he was forced by circumstances to join Cao Cao's forces.
Although he is not a direct descendant... but relying on the combat experience of the cavalry and his understanding of Huaisi, he was generous and brilliant in the battles with Huaisi's Yuan Shu, Tao Qian, and Lu Bu, with outstanding results, and achieved a glorious record of nineteen consecutive victories.
When it comes to cavalry combat, it cannot be said that it is not the best...
However, his ability in water combat was mediocre, and he ended up being defeated in the water battle and ending in embarrassment.
As for his relationship with Cao Cao, he is a clan brother, but not a direct descendant!
Far inferior to the relationship between Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Chun and Cao Cao.
Of course, this is an internal reason within the family, and it is also the reason for "legacy" and "concubine".
It's even more because... Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Chun... these are the "major shareholders" and "angel wheels" that Cao Cao and Chen Liu took in when he started his army, and Cao Ren... is always inferior.
"--well!"
Cao Ren let out a faint sigh, which contained a lot of sadness and helplessness in his heart over the years.
Of course, now... in his opinion, it seems that he is about to survive.
Cao Chun and the Hubao Cavalry were attacked in the Sunset Valley of Jiangxia. This may have dealt a heavy blow to the Hubao Cavalry, the Xiangfan battlefield, and Cao Wei as a whole.
But for him, Cao Ren, it was a great joy. It was an opportunity to get rid of his status as a "concubine" and become the only legitimate heir of the Cao family, Cao Chi.
In other words, as long as Cao Chun is gone...
From then on.
——His belongs to Cao Ren!
——His younger brother Cao Chun is also Cao Ren!
Everything belongs to him!
And it stands to reason that Cao Ren will replace Cao Chun, become one of the most direct members of Cao Cao's prowess, and become as famous as Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan.
It is true that Cao Ren is sighing, but he is just sighing for the difficulty of the past!
"Why does the general sigh?"
As if hearing Cao Ren sigh, Man Chong reminded him, "Although I fell into the trap of 'Huang Laoxie' this time, it's not without any gains."
Man Chong's eyes moved to the repeating crossbow beside Cao Ren, "At least, we still have such a repeating crossbow. The general has sent a letter to the lord during the day. I think the lord will soon send Liu Ye and Liu Zhubo
Send."
"Liu Ye is proficient in the art of craftsmanship. During the Battle of Guandu, he made great achievements by improving the catapult into the 'Thunderbolt Chariot'. If he came, he would definitely be able to dismantle and imitate this repeating crossbow. What a craftsman in the Wei Dynasty."
How many? By then, we, the Wei Dynasty, will be able to build this repeating crossbow!"
——If you can’t beat it, join!
Man Chong's idea is completely correct.
This was the second time he mentioned this to Cao Ren.
The last time was this morning. At that time, he saw Cao Ren's desolate expression and made the same suggestion.
After some suggestions, Cao Ren's mood became obviously much better, and he immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Bashu.
really…
After hearing this, Cao Ren's complicated mood calmed down a little, and he sighed: "If I, Cao Wei, can really make this repeating crossbow, it will be of great benefit in water battles!"
Man Chong followed Cao Ren's words and continued: "There is also the chariot called the 'side carriage' used by the Guan family army. In our opinion, this side carriage restrains the cavalry, but for Liu Ye, maybe he is very relaxed
, it can be cracked!"
It’s still the Battle of Guandu…
At that time, because Cao's and Yuan's military camps were very close to each other, Yuan Shao sent soldiers to pile up earth slopes and build archery towers on the earth slopes, so that archers and crossbowmen could shoot down Cao's army from a high position.
At that time... the entire Cao army had to carry shields even when leaving the camp, and countless soldiers were shot every day.
It is no exaggeration to say that at that time, such an archery tower almost demoralized Cao Jun.
It was Liu Ye who pioneered the improvement of the catapult into a thunderbolt chariot at that critical moment.
And what is the role of the Thunderbolt Car?
This is equivalent to Yuan Shao's side being a "sniper", but Cao Cao's side being a "mortar".
Destroying Yuan Shao's mounds and arrow towers is no problem...
Some even forced Yuan Shao's army to retreat several miles!
I have to say that Liu Ye... this clan member of the Han Dynasty is very capable and convincing when it comes to inventions and creations.
Exactly, because Cao Ren still has a repeating crossbow here.
Because, at the cost of five thousand tigers and leopards, you get the function of that sidecar...
Man Chong and Cao Ren were confident that they would put the "treasure" on Liu Ye!
If he comes, he will definitely be able to make a repeating crossbow, and he will definitely be able to crack this sidecar!
call…
At this moment, Cao Ren heard Man Chong's enlightenment again, and his frown finally relaxed.
The dark clouds in his heart seemed to have dissipated a lot.
He slowly walked to the window and looked out at the rocky, deserted and silent night, and couldn't help but murmur in his heart.
However, what he said was completely different from what he thought.
"If we can develop a repeating crossbow and break through this sidecar formation, then... we will not let 'Zihe' and these thousands of tiger and leopard warriors die in Sunset Valley..."
"They can rest in peace even if they are under the Nine Springs!"
Cao Ren said it was sentimental, but there was inevitably a little joy in his heart.
With his current prestige and his title of "Heavenly General".
Now that his younger brother is gone, who can stop Cao Ren from becoming the only "head" of his father's lineage?
At this moment, Cao Ren seemed to see the hope of getting rid of his status as a "bastard" and standing up!
But at this moment.
Under the torch, a few rays of light suddenly reflected in the dark corridor, just like a sharp sword blade...the soul-stirring light that can be emitted.
Cao Ren was still muttering in his mind, what is that?
Yes, in the middle of the night...if someone breaks in, who can break into the main hall of his mansion without notifying him?
But as people came closer and closer.
Cao Ren's pupils gradually widened...
In the end, he couldn't help but open his mouth, but the words seemed to be choked in his throat. He was completely shocked.
——"Zi...Zihe?"
——"Is...is it a ghost?"
Before Cao Ren could wake up from this huge shock...
The visitor had already seen him, and soon after, he rushed towards Cao Ren with a sudden burst of speed, and a fierce sword light whizzed towards Cao Ren's neck.
"Cao Zixiao, you guy——
——Take! Life! Come!”
…
…
ps:
(Competing for next week’s battle strength list, the missing chapter will be added tomorrow, five chapters early tomorrow.)