Chapter 3241: The Soldiers' Souls Are Gone, the Nation's Soul Is Empty

Chapter 3240: The Soul of Soldiers is Gone, the Soul of the Nation is Empty

More than ten Cao army scouts rode slowly northward.

The further north they went, the more obvious the Emei Mountain, which was like a cliff, became.

Like a sleeping giant, it lay quietly between heaven and earth.

The top of the Emei Mountain is different from ordinary mountains. It is flat, or in other words, it is almost flat.

Looking up from the bottom of the slope, it is like a huge step suddenly appeared on the horizon, and then climbing this step is like climbing to the sky!

The sun shines through the sparse clouds and sprinkles on the hillside, with yellow and green interlaced, forming a mottled picture.

There are also some hills and earth slopes under the Emei Mountain, but these hills and earth slopes are like a small witch meeting a big witch, no matter the size or weight, they are far behind.

Because of the characteristics of loess, some ditches were cut out by glaciers in ancient times, so that the current gullies here are crisscrossed, and the ups and downs make the Cao army scouts and horses all covered with loess.

Because the Cao army came all the way and drove the refugees northward, everything around was deserted and desolate.

From time to time, some bodies can be seen lying on the roadside.

Dried, as if all the blood had been sucked away by some ghosts before death.

The village in the distance has become a ruin and a paradise for scavengers.

Some local dogs and wolves with bloodshot eyes are on the edge of the ruins, quietly watching the Cao army scouts pass by, as if warning these Cao army soldiers, and as if inviting...

"Captain, do you want to go over there to get some water?"

A Cao army soldier asked, shaking the empty water bag in his hand.

The captain casually gave the Cao army soldier a horse whip.

Although it hit the soldier's armor, the sound of "snap" made the soldier shrink back involuntarily, and the water bag almost fell to the ground.

"Mud girl! Are you stupid? !" Cao Jun's captain said, "I don't know how many people died in the water there? ! Why take water? Go to die! !"

Any place reclaimed by manpower will degenerate obviously once people leave. Just like the reclaimed fields in the distance, they were in the germination period, but the farmers left and were abandoned there. Without anyone to take care of them, weeds soon grew in the fields, and the crops withered and fell to the ground.

The same is true for the water sources in the ruins of the village.

Maybe they were sweet wells before, but now after the arrival of the god of death, they have become a hotbed of decay and disease.

Just like kindness needs to be constantly and carefully maintained, while malice can breed and spread anytime and anywhere.

The yellow sand was endless, and only the wild dogs or coyotes in the distance were howling inexplicably.

"It's getting late!" The leader of the Cao army scouts looked up at the still bright sky and lied with his eyes open, "Find a place to shelter from the wind, otherwise when it gets dark, you will freeze to death!"

After many pulls and struggles, the scouts on both sides also had a tacit distance.

If they exceed the hills and slopes in front, they will enter the attack range of the cavalry scouts and may be attacked at any time, but if the distance is a little further, the cavalry scouts will generally not attack deliberately.

When this team of Cao army scouts was about to reach these hills and slopes under Emei Mountain, it "happened" that the sky was dark...

Of course, it was definitely not that these Cao army scouts were timid and unwilling to move forward to detect. It can only be said that the sky was really not giving face. The objective factors cannot be diverted by subjective will, right? Just like playing football, you also need to see whether the sun is strong, the wind is strong, the rain is slippery, and the grass is smooth. As long as you are careful, excuses...oh, methods are available every year.

Besides, with such poor mountains and bad water, such a desolate scene, there may be a large army of cavalry around at any time. There are only a few Cao scouts. No matter how careful they are, it can't be said to be excessive, right?

So, the Cao scouts immediately stopped and looked for a temporary shelter to rest. After all, camping and accommodation is not an easy task. It is not a big deal for the captain of the Cao scouts to prepare "slightly" in advance...

Unlike most people who choose to camp near water sources, scouts generally choose camping places that are not too close to water sources, and even deliberately avoid water sources. The reason is simple, because water sources will bring convenience to water, but also bring some wild animals, and even some other people.

Therefore, scouts often choose a safe and hidden place to set up camp, with a relatively wide field of vision and no obstructions around, and away from roads and other places that are easy to be discovered by the enemy. If conditions permit, sentries will be set up on some natural obstacles nearby to provide additional vigilance and cover.

War horses are scarce resources, so Cao's army must first solve the demand for war horses.

They found a relatively low-lying area under a slope, and then checked the ground. There were no poisonous insects, snakes, ants, etc., and then built a simple tent for the war horses so that the war horses could rest inside.

As for people, they will stay with the war horses after dark, using each other's body temperature to warm each other.

After feeding the war horses, it is the turn of people to eat.

The bonfire is lit in a low-lying area, and the rising smoke must be dispersed with a smoke cage to avoid attracting the attention of the enemy.

"Captain, do you want to set some more warning traps?"

asked the soldier of Cao's army who was whipped by the horse whip before.

Several of Cao Jun's scouts who were chatting and laughing around them suddenly lowered their voices.

The scout captain of Cao Jun looked at the Cao Jun soldier with a half-smile, and then laughed, "Yes!" Just go and set a warning trap! Give him a shovel! 』

"Aha, give you a shovel!" 』

Then someone laughed and threw a small shovel to the Cao soldier.

The shovel was thrown at my feet, making a clanging sound and splashing a lot of dust.

The Cao Jun soldier was stunned for a moment, then silently walked out with the shovel.

"Fool..." Cao Jun's scout captain muttered, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, "I've seen stupid people, but I've never seen such stupid people..."

"Haha, captain, don't be angry, he's just new here... he doesn't understand the rules..."

"You will understand after a while..."

The scout captain of Cao Jun snorted and said nothing more.

In the land of Shandong, there are actually many rules.

There are rules among the nobles, and there are also rules among the military.

Seniors, juniors, old people, newcomers, etc. are actually reflections of class.

Because of the strictness of the entire social class, there is naturally a special emphasis on "rules" everywhere.

This is the "root" of Shandong. It cannot be easily changed and does not allow anyone to disobey. Even if the suggestion is correct, but it is not put forward in a "legal and compliant" way, then the "rules" are broken.

"What the hell is this place..."

The scout captain of Cao Jun cursed in a low voice, "I don't want to stay an extra day..."

In the land east of Hedong, Cao Jun's scouts were really tired of waiting.

At the beginning of the war, these Cao army scouts who followed Prime Minister Cao did not encounter many strong enemies, nor did they play much role. Anyway, they successfully captured Heluo.

When Hangu Pass was captured, although it took some effort, in the minds of these Cao soldiers, it was still within the normal range and not too surprising. They also secretly calculated that if Tongguan was as good as Hangu Pass, then it would be impossible. Push Guanzhong quickly, and Longxi can be pacified in a blink of an eye...

In the end, no one expected that if Hangu Pass was like a frozen persimmon, then Tongguan would be like a copper pea. Frozen persimmons are still thawed and become soft, while copper peas are really hard, the kind that will break your teeth.

If you can't make it in one go, it will naturally fade away. Nowadays, although Cao Jun's scouts have sharp armor and are equipped with war horses, but if these Cao Jun scouts are to withstand the threat of hussar scouts and invade Emei Ridge for long-range detection at every turn, it is still unnecessary. Come on.

Generally speaking, the standard of treatment for long-range scouts in the military is very high.

During the heyday of the Han Dynasty, the Yulin Guards were the elite scouts of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. They could not only conduct long-range reconnaissance, but also had the authority to recruit local defenders when necessary, and could be transformed into the commander of a small force at any time. However, with the death of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Yulin Guards gradually fell into disuse. If it were Lao Cao in history, he would still have tiger and leopard cavalry to support the scene, but now, the entrance of the war horses is blocked, and the quality of these Cao army scouts has dropped by more than one level.

Because the resources of war horses are limited, when Cao Jun allocates war horses, they must first divide them according to distance and distance.

What?

Why not according to personal ability?

Are you kidding me? If they were really divided according to their personal abilities, would there still be situations where the middle leaders, the middle guards, etc. would have low status and weight?

This leads to the fact that among Cao Jun's scouts, those who are truly capable may not be assigned good equipment, and those who are assigned good equipment may not be truly capable.

As a result, those without good equipment are often more likely to die in conflicts, while those without skills but with good equipment often hide behind and are less likely to die...

Of course, the most direct soldiers of Cao's army are still within the Zhongling Army and Zhonghu Army.

This is not only the case among the scout troops, but also among the central leaders and central guards.

After the brave generation and those warriors of the Cao clan and Xiahou clan who dared to fight and kill died, the rest were basically incompetent people. Therefore, in history, when the old thief Sima yelled, he was scared to death He took off his pants, knelt down and sold all of Lao Cao's property.

Now, these Cao Jun scouts also feel that those direct descendants are enjoying themselves in the rear, but they are still living in this poor place in Hedong, and there is still the risk of encountering the hussar scouts at some point. It is simply full of worry. of resentment...

"If I had known earlier, I would have stayed in Heluo. Oh, it's really..."

After being stationed, I would regret it out of habit, or start again with hindsight.

"No! It’s really beautiful in Heluo! There are plenty of women too! Ouch...tsk! 』

"Aha!" I still remember bringing a few pancakes, so I would knock on the door in the alley in the city and pass the pancakes, hehe... One pancake at a time, hehehe..."

Regarding Cao Cao, these Cao Jun scouts did not dare to complain too much. After all, they also carried Cao Cao's bowl of rice to eat, but where they ate it was naturally different.

Sleeping in the open air and eating black pancakes with sand is one way to eat. Drinking flower wine in the back and even knocking on the widow's door with pancakes in your hand are also the same way to eat.

The scout team was originally far away from the military camp, and the relationship within the team was very deep. The relationship between them was closer than the ordinary comrades-in-arms, so when I said this, I didn’t have any scruples, laughing and joking, half-seriously. Everyone didn't care about the half-false complaints.

Didn't they come to the frontline to get more military merits?

As a result, they didn't get much military merits, and there was a threat of death, so they naturally felt that it would be better to stay in the rear.

Of course, they didn't dare to blame Cao Cao, but they were not very polite to Cao Hong. After a few words, they ridiculed Cao Hong for only making money and working too rough. Cao Cao gave Cao Hong a chance and covered him with all his strength, but now, not only did he fail to capture Puban County, but he also lost a lot of food and supplies, leading to the current situation...

For these grassroots Cao army soldiers, they didn't know how the situation was changing, and when they would fight. After encountering setbacks, most people tended to fall into a state of slackness and fatigue, complaining about this and complaining about that. They didn't have any tenacity and cooperation with Cao Cao's overall strategy.

The reason why these Cao army scouts still led the team here was more of an inertia of doing things one day at a time. As for any lofty goals, the future of the country, or the prosperity of the nation, etc., they really didn't have any at all.

It's just that Shandong doesn't care what these low-level soldiers think, so they complement each other.

Although they are both from Shandong, they seem to live in two different worlds.

The upper-class nobles shouted for the people, but what they did was to find ways to harvest more wealth from the people. When asked whether the Han Dynasty was good or not, the lower-class people would say it was good, but if they were asked whether the officials were good or bad, they would immediately reveal an intriguing smile...

When several people were laughing softly, they suddenly heard the soldiers on duty not far away hushed, "Did you hear anything?"

Everyone seemed to freeze in an instant, stiff and motionless, ears erect, eyes rolling.

The curved ditches around were like huge pythons, winding and lurking.

The dark shadows of the mountains were also like fierce beasts, lurking underground.

The wild grass swayed, and the shadows of the trees swayed.

For a long time, there was no movement...

The soldiers on duty sighed a little embarrassedly, "Ah, maybe I heard it wrong. '

'What the hell! '

'Fuck! '

'Grandma! I was scared to death! '

Immediately provoked a scolding.

The soldier on duty turned his head and smiled: "Me too..."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of breaking through the air came with a whistling sound, and with a puff, it pierced through the head of the soldier on duty, and blood mixed with brain matter immediately spurted out several feet!

The smile on the face of the soldier on duty was still there, and it seemed that he was still a little confused, and he fell straight down with an arrow...

Until this moment, everyone seemed to be pierced by needles at the same time, and jumped up with a cry, "Enemy attack!"

The sound of breaking through the air was chaotic, and seven or eight feather arrows were already shot with strong winds!

Before the voice completely fell, two more screams were heard, but it was two Cao army scouts who were shot and rolled to the ground.

'Over there! 'The captain of the Cao army scouts shouted according to the direction of the arrows, 'Fight back! Fight back! '

The Cao army scouts were elite after all. After determining the direction of the attack, they immediately drew their bows and fired a few arrows in an awkward posture. Obviously, the rapid-fire arrows were not intended to hit the opponent, but only to interrupt the opponent's rhythm and prevent the opponent from attacking so comfortably.

The remaining Cao army scouts lay on the ground, using limited cover to wriggle their bodies and retreat.

They did not have the confidence to face the cavalry scouts head-on, because in most cases they would suffer anal fissures, so they just wanted to retreat to the ditch where they placed their war horses and escape from here.

'Captain! Save me! Save me! ! ! '

A Cao army soldier with a wounded leg held the bow and arrow in his hand tightly, staring at the Cao army scout captain who was moving back.

When they joined the army, didn't they all loudly declare that they would trust their teammates and help each other?

Didn't they swear an oath? !

Why are they all looking after themselves now?

'Save the mud...'

Fuck!

It's the new guy!

The Cao army scout captain was about to subconsciously call back to save the orange hemp wheat skin, but he met the eyes of the Cao army soldier with injured legs and feet, and saw the cold arrow flashing, and his heart jumped, and he immediately changed his words, "Okay! Give me your hand, I'll pull you over! '

The Cao army soldier with injured legs and feet breathed a sigh of relief, and then released the bow and arrow and reached out.

The bloody hand stretched forward, as if reaching out to hope.

In the next moment, what was waiting was not the warm help of comrades, but the ruthless cold light!

"So you! Still want to trick me? ! ' The Cao army scout captain pulled out a short blade and cut off a few fingers of the Cao army soldier with injured legs and feet, "You play this trick on me! Wait for death! '

Immediately, the captain of the Cao army scouts quickly crawled on the ground twice, slid into the ditch, and threw the Cao army soldier with injured hands and feet on the earth slope.

'Ahhh...' The Cao army soldier with injured hands and feet lay on the earth slope and howled miserably, not knowing whether it was because of the pain of the injury or for some other reason.

I don't know how long it took, maybe just a moment, maybe like a lifetime, several shadows appeared beside the Cao army soldier with injured hands and feet, covering the face of the Cao army soldier.

'Kill me!' The Cao army soldier gave up resistance, gave up everything, collapsed, and muttered, 'Come on, give me a knife... hurry up...'

A face smeared with some black ash came up to the Cao army soldier and looked him up and down.

After a while, someone climbed up from the slope and said, "Three of them ran away!" 』

"Is there anyone alive?" ” someone asked.

"..." It seems that some eyes fell on Cao Jun's soldiers.

"Give me some water..." Cao Junbing smacked his lips, "What do you want to know?" After I've finished speaking... can you give me a quickie? 』

After a short silence, someone lifted the head of Cao Jun's soldier, and a cowhide bag was placed at the mouth of Cao Jun's soldier.

"You can't die from your injuries!" ” A hoarse voice sounded, “Wrap his wounds first! 』