Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3145: When the train of thought encounters a wrong path

The sky is gloomy, and the cold wind has piled up the dark clouds, and then squeezed them together, just like the highway before and after the long holiday. It is usually extremely empty, but now it is tightly blocked.

　　『I never thought that Cao Zixiao still has some tricks up his sleeve...』

In the yamen of Chang'an Huqi Mansion, Pang Tong laughed and commented on Cao Ren, as if he was praising a junior.

Xun You was silent, as he was most of the time.

 Most of the time, Xun You would not come up with any ideas regarding Cao Jun's strategy.

 At least he won’t make any unsolicited suggestions.

This is a bit like being in the Fei camp and being in the Han Dynasty, but in fact it is just self-protection and avoidance of suspicion.

 In Chang'an, the division of labor between Pang Tong and Xun You seems to have some overlap, but it is very clear. Most of the strategies and plans were done by Pang Tong, while the distribution and scheduling of logistics materials to support these plans were handled by Xun You.

It's also interesting to say that the chief steward on Cao Cao's side is named Xun, and the Guanzhong logistics officer here in Fei Qian is also named Xun. And at the moment, no one in the Han Dynasty thinks that there is any problem with such a thing, and they won't If there is any problem, even the person involved thinks it is okay.

 At present, the Han Dynasty still has many legacy of the Spring and Autumn Period.

But this legacy of the Spring and Autumn Period is not that all the Han people are really that stupid, or that they really can tell the difference, but a kind of helpless self-deception...

 Because in the environment of the Han Dynasty, there were too few people who knew and mastered knowledge. Don't look at the generals in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but in reality?

 With a little swipe, you can divide it into two major factions, the nobles and the rangers.

 Cao Cao is the leader of the gentry, Liu Bei is the leader of the rangers, Sun Quan was originally a ranger, but later he desperately tried to squeeze into the gentry system, but in the end he couldn't reach up and down, and was nothing.

Therefore, in a situation like the Han Dynasty, if you want to achieve some success and stabilize your territory, you cannot do without the sons of the gentry, and you cannot do without the wealthy surnames who have a certain knowledge. And among the wealthy surnames, there will naturally be children who belong to different forces. .

From this perspective, the princes from all over the Three Kingdoms are actually the parasites of the wealthy families.

 Except for the present moment.

 In Guanzhong, a delicate balance has been reached between wealthy families and children from poor families.

 It’s just that no one can say how long this balance can be maintained.

Cao Cao hoped that this balance would collapse soon, but Fei Qian and Pang Tong felt that poor families and common people would play a greater role.

 For example, Liao Hua.

Feizhen looked around, decided she still didn't understand, and asked, "Uncle Shi Yuan, this Cao Zixiao... what does this mean?" 』

Pang Tong laughed and said, "Wuguan is nothing to worry about." 』

"ah? Feizhen couldn't understand this amazing turn of events, so she turned to look at Xun You again.

Xun You nodded slightly.

Feizhen frowned, still confused, but Pang Tong refused to elaborate.

Feizhen knew that this was for Pang Tong's own good.

If Pang Tong talks about everything, there will be no room for Fei Zhen's own thinking. Like now, Pang Tong leads the way and asks Fei Zhen to think about and explore the specifics. On the one hand, she will not be confused because she has no clue. direction, on the other hand, it is to grow faster through this level of exercise...

 But this kind of thing is quite painful.

 In other words, learning is a painful thing no matter what age you are.

 It's like shedding its shell. If you don't tear yourself apart, if you just stay stuck in your ways, you will never be able to grow.

Feizhen held her cheeks and frowned in thought.

 It is not easy for him to understand the entire battlefield.

At his age, what he likes most is to go straight. However, this world is not just about straight lines, but more curves and arcs, or even a mess of threads.

Pang Tong looked at Fei Zhen and said, "Don't just think about Wuguan, you have to think higher..."

　　　Higher? Feizhen couldn't help but frown, her face almost knitted together.

 How about I stand on my tiptoes to see if I can get a little higher?

Fei Zhen just cursed when she saw Pang Tong and Xun You starting to discuss other matters.

Don't watch movies and TV shows, it seems that all you need to fight a war is a roar, and everything else is ready. However, in fact, when there is a war, there are many items to be tested. Moreover, there is still no large-scale industry in the Han Dynasty, and it is very difficult for a commercial economy dominated by traditional handicrafts to support a large-scale campaign for a long time.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty almost made people angry when he attacked the Xiongnu. This is not to say that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was wrong, but that the consumption of long-term war was too great.

 Feiqian is a bit better here, and it is generally moving in the right direction. At least efforts are being made to improve productivity and production technology, but Shandong is still a traditional small manor economy and handicraft family workshop model, and the gap between them is also reflected little by little.

"The factory in Qinling will be inspected again..." Pang Tongyi said while looking at the documents, without even raising his head, "The bounty rewards that should be given will be paid out exactly... Let the Secretary of the Wen Department send you A few people are making secret visits... A temporary market will also be opened to provide these workers with purchases..."

 The clerk on the side was busy writing with his pen.

Xun You took a volume of writings, opened it, glanced at it, and motioned for the assistant to deliver it to Pang Tong, "Businessmen in the Western Regions know that the trade routes have been reopened, and they all look at the rankings in the Han Chamber of Commerce... Do you want to adjust some of them?" Goods purchase price? The spices in the Western Regions were too high before..."

Pang Tong took over the text, hummed, and quickly scanned it up and down, "The spices should indeed be lowered a little... By the way, the prices of gold and silverware should also be lowered... The prices of craftsmen should be raised..."

　　　『reported to Fenglingdu in the east of the river, Cao Jun seemed to be peeping...』

　　　『Shaanxi and Tianjin soldiers and horses have withdrawn to Hedong...』

　　『Beiqu construction site equipment delivery...』

Things went on one after another, with records and clerks rushing back and forth.

Feizhen's mind has always been on Cao Ren's affairs.

Wuguan is obviously so powerful that the black smoke from the burning hills can be seen in the pass...

Well, it may be an exaggeration to say this, but the people in Lantian did see the black smoke over Wuguan.

Lantian can also be regarded as Guanzhong...

 Why does it say "don't worry"?

Of course Feizhen would not think that Pang Tong was telling lies, or saying something purely to comfort him, but that Pang Tong really did not think he needed to pay special attention to Wuguan. What was the reason for this?

There is no need to worry, but Cao Ren has such a big momentum...

"ah! Feizhen clapped her hands and said, "I guessed it!" 』

Pang Tong and Xun You couldn't help but stop what they were doing, looked at Fei Zhen, and waited quietly for Fei Zhen to speak.

Feizhen straightened her back and raised her face, "Cao Zixiao is bluffing!" 』

"oh? Pang Tong moved his eyebrows, "How can you see that?" 』

　　　Although mountain fires can also be used to attack the city, they are scattered and spread out, and they are swept by the north wind and change with the warmth of spring. If you want to use the power of wind and fire to conquer the city, it is impossible. Feizhen said while thinking, "There are many people in the city who are looking into my father's movements... so Cao Ziren is also deliberately testing!" 』

Xun You smiled slightly and expressed his approval.

 Then Feizhen turned to look at Pang Tong very excitedly.

Pang Tong squinted his eyes, pinched his beard, and pondered for a moment, "Well... although this inference is a bit far-fetched..." Then he looked at Fei Zhen's pitiful eyes, "Okay, it's not bad..."

Feizhen laughed, and immediately realized that Pang Tong just said "it's not bad", which means there are still some mistakes and it's not very good. So while she was happy, she began to wonder where she had neglected it?

Fei Zhen looked at Pang Tong to the left and Xun You to the right. She couldn't help but think of Fei Qian.

If my father were here, would I be able to play easily and happily now? Oh, this is true for my father. I was counting on my fingers day by day, looking forward to the stars and the moon. I finally came back, but ended up going to Hedong...

 When will father come back?

 Should I write another letter to Father?

 Ouch, what a nuisance!

 …

 …

Fei lurked in Hedong, with no intention of returning to Guanzhong.

 Feiqian’s strategic goal is actually very simple.

 The Han Dynasty wanted to go out and get rid of the original imprisonment, so Chang'an City was the first example that needed to make changes.

Fei Qian did not extensively repair the city walls in Chang'an, which means that Chang'an's defense should be placed outside instead of waiting for the enemy to invade Chang'an and engage in street fighting.

 Three hundred miles from Guanzhong, it should be the enemy's restricted area.

And for most people in Guanzhong, controlling the enemy on the outside is a very important thing, whether from a political or economic point of view.

 Therefore, the place Fei Qian chose was not in Guanzhong and could never be in Guanzhong.

Unless Fei Qian turns into one of those people in history who only clings to status quo, wailing and waiting to die in the imperial city, Fei Qian still prefers to use a flexible way to deal with current problems.

Needless to say, which one the people will like, a king who can only wait for the princes to rescue him behind the beacon tower in the palace, and another king who can command troops and horses to defend the enemy outside Kyoto, needless to say, so even Fei No matter how many times Zhen plucked her fingers, no matter how many times she mentioned in her letters why her father still hadn't come back, Fei Qian would not return to Chang'an before the war was over.

 Because that would mean his failure and the failure of the entire Han Dynasty's grand strategy of going out.

Fei Qianqiang Hedong, like a knife hanging on Cao Cao's neck.

 Or rather, it looks like a guillotine hanging above Cao Cao's outstretched hand.

Zhang Xiu of Yinshan has already led troops to Hedong. Some of the troops are stationed in Beidi, and the other part is stationed in Baihe River Valley, which is only ten or twenty miles away from Pingyang. Huang Cheng's troops were also stationed near Beiqu. Together with the original troops from Hedong, there were a total of 20,000 troops.

As for generals, in fact, from cold weapons to hot weapons, the role of brave generals is gradually declining, while the power of wise generals is quietly increasing.

Those generals who can charge into battle may have been very important ten years ago, because at that time, a good general could determine the outcome of a battle. After all, most of the opponents are thieves without any training, stragglers, or local defenders who have not trained once or twice all year round, and are recruited temporarily. The battles between the two sides are often dominated by pigs. Whichever side's leader is killed means the end of the battle.

 But now things are gradually changing...

First of all, the quality of the soldiers. As the war dragged on, those ignorant and reckless new soldiers died, and the remaining soldiers were cunning and vicious old soldiers. At the same time, the equipment was also improving. Before, the soldiers did not have armor, and the generals could drop one in a second with a sword. , but now that the health bar of the minion is getting longer, MISS will sometimes appear after one strike, which makes it more and more difficult for generals who rely solely on force to carry out physical attacks.

Secondly, the emergence of various war instruments, especially gunpowder, has once again frustrated the importance of generals who charge into battle. What if he was targeted by a powerful crossbow or blown up by a grenade, and the entire army would be instantly defeated?

Fei Qian is now used to being in the center of the Chinese army, hiding some means to counter the opponent's charge. So for the suspicious Cao Cao, it would be foolish to arrive at the room... well, when the war begins, he will not prepare anything. ?

　　　Where you go to the party, you can lead the Liangdao garrison, repair the fortifications, clean the battlefield, and defend against attacks from the north. There is no need to divide your troops to pursue Cao's army. 』

Fei Qian looked at the sand table and ordered.

After repelling Le Jin, Jia Qu of Shangdang sent eight hundred miles to send the battle report to Feiqian.

Although Le Jin was defeated, Zhang Ji was seriously injured and could not command his troops to pursue Le Jin.

And the current weather, although it is the beginning of spring, is still cold, so Fei Qian agrees with Jia Qu's opinion and will not pursue Le Jin's defeated army. Instead, he will shift the Shangdang's subsequent focus to repairing the passes, rectifying the place, and rebuilding production. Come up, and at the same time maintain a certain degree of vigilance towards Taiyuan, and send personnel to block the main roads to resist the invasion of the partial troops from the north.

 As for Taiyuan...

 Xiahou Dun in Taiyuan seemed to have noticed something and began to shrink his troops.

“Zhongda,” Fei Qian knocked on the edge of the sand table and said to Sima Yi, “What do you think of Xiahou Yuan’s desire? Either fight, defend, or flee? 』

At first, Xiahou Dun might have thought that Shandong's tactics could still be used in the northeastern part of Hebei Province. After establishing the county government, the surrounding counties suddenly changed their colors. But in fact, it was like the transformation of cold weapons into hot weapons. The military system and politics The structure of Guanzhong in the north is gradually different from that of Shandong. The rules that are common in Jizhou, Qingzhou and other places do not apply in Taiyuan at all.

 So Xiahou Dun reduced his troops, either to retract his fists and attack concentratedly, or to hold on, or to prepare to retreat.

These three situations are all possible, and it is difficult for Fei Qian to judge for the moment.

Sima Yi stood beside Fei Qian, wearing a linen robe without any decorations. He seemed to be returning to his true self. After hearing Fei Qian's question, Sima Yi pondered for a moment and said: "Fight or defend, but you may not be willing to escape." 』

 An incorrect option has been removed.

"How to say? Fei Qian asked.

"Xiahou Yuanrang is loyal to Cao Mengde and is by no means someone who gives up easily. Although he is in danger of being alone now..." Sima Yi said in a deep voice, "But he has not lost his fighting spirit... so he must fight. If he cannot fight, he will defend." I heard that there is a lot of savings and reserves in Jinyang City, Taiyuan..."

Xun Chen on the other side nodded and said, "That's exactly it." Cui asked for help before, but I refused. Because the reserves in the city can be used by the army for many years, why do we need to transfer money, food, soldiers and horses? It's a pity that the Cui family doesn't live up to its name... Now it's really hateful to be an enemy. I thought that the Cui family had surrendered to the enemy now, knowing that if they fell into the hands of the master again, they would definitely not end well, so they would give up serving the Cao family in order to have a chance to survive. Therefore, if there is a falsehood in the north, Cui will definitely tell Xiahou everything... This matter must be guarded against. 』

Fei Qian looked at Xun Chen and nodded.

 Everyone has a desire to survive. This is normal and understandable. But the problem is that as long as people live within the social structure, they cannot act based on desire alone. Otherwise, what is the difference between them and animals? It is understandable that Cui is afraid of death, but fear of death is not a reason to give up resistance. Otherwise, who in the world would not be afraid of death?

Moreover, when Jinyang had been stocking up for so long, Xiahoudun punched him and knocked him down without even putting up a slight resistance. This is totally unreasonable.

 But are there few such people in history?

 Normally, when one is a high-ranking official and well-paid, one speaks of righteousness when speaking, and one speaks of conscience when speaking silently. What next?

Hence, for Xiahou Dun, the best choice now is to take advantage of Jinyang’s abundant reserves and launch another big move...

If it can succeed again, it will be equivalent to opening up the North Road of Cao Jun. If it fails, it can also be supported by Jinyang's reserves to contain Fei Qian's troops as much as possible.

Fei Qian looked at the sand table and calculated Xiahou Dun's possible attack route.

 In fact, Fei Qian hoped that Xiahou Dun could attack.

 Because for Fei Qian, who has the advantage of cavalry, it is obviously easier to deal with the opponent outside the city than to attack the city.

If Xiahou Dun really huddles in Jinyang City and refuses to leave, then he can only wait for the artillery to be transferred back.

Casting artillery is not easy. Not only does it consume a lot of metal, but also because the metallurgical technology is not yet mature, the casting process cannot guarantee a high yield. Sometimes defects are found halfway through casting and have to be reworked. This This makes the casting period relatively long.

In addition, the economic growth in the areas controlled by Fei Qian and the increase in transactions with barbarians in the Northern Territory have caused Fei Qian to have some money shortages. If the Dahan Chamber of Commerce had not been established in the early days and replaced part of the coins with goods, it would not have been possible now. There was a shortage of coins.

Therefore, for Fei Qian, the war being fought today is actually not limited to swords and guns, it even extends to the economic level...

 It’s just that not many people understand things at this level.

 Even Xun Chen and Sima Yi may know a little bit...

 But it’s just a little bit.

As for the others, Pang Tong understood half of it, and the remaining one who knew more was Zhen Mi.

Fei Qian tapped his fingers on the edge of the sand table twice.

　　　　Have you contacted Wei Wenchang? Fei Qian turned around and asked Xun Chen.

Xun Chen replied: "I haven't believed it yet." 』

Fei Qian frowned, where did Wei Wenchang go?

 Could it be that you really want to make Ziwu Valley second?

 (End of this chapter)