Chapter 3350: Decision of the Year

Chapter 3349: The Year of Choice

Northern Territory.

Desert.

Blue sky.

Grass grows and horses grow fat.

This season is the happiest time in the grassland and desert.

The war in the desert has basically subsided.

Whether it is the Hu people or the Han people, they all smile when they meet, and they are like friends for many years. Sometimes the Hu people will pull the Han people to sing and dance together, and the Han people will also beat the drums and play the pipa to accompany the Hu people.

When the Hu people are enthusiastic, they are really enthusiastic. Of course, in this era, when they kill people, they really kill people.

Unlike those who earn over 10,000 yuan and sell anxiety, the needs of the lower-class people are mostly relatively low and connected. As the saying goes, a wife and children are warm and warm, and a roof over the head can shelter from the wind and rain, and they are basically satisfied.

After all, there are no dogs raised by capitalists in later generations, and there is no average value of over 10,000. The lives of ordinary people are still simple and honest, and their sense of happiness is easily improved.

Nowadays, the grass and water are lush, and the cattle, sheep and horses are nibbling every day, but they can never finish nibbling. Seeing the bellies of horses, cattle and sheep getting rounder and fatter, who wouldn't laugh when seeing them?

However, there are exceptions, such as Yunmei...

Uh, it's Brother Zhao.

『Grand Protector! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we win over Youzhou, not only will the world be excited, but the general of the cavalry can also rule the Central Plains openly! Besides...besides, Youzhou has suffered a lot of financial losses and livestock losses before, and the people are suffering, which is unbearable! If the Protector General takes it, it is also to give the people of Youzhou peace and stability...'

After Liu Fu, a Youzhou man, arrived in the Northern Territory, he was obsessed with Youzhou. When he saw Zhao Yun, he went up to pay his respects as usual, and then persuaded Zhao Yun to attack Youzhou, patting his chest to show that he was willing to be the vanguard.

Who Liu Fu is is not important, what is important is that he is from Youzhou.

Most Chinese people have a hometown complex.

It is common to go out to work empty-handed when young, but not everyone can return home in glory. After all, there is a survivor bias, and most people who go out to work not only come back empty-handed, but also often with a body of pain.

Of course, it does not mean that working in the original hometown will not be full of pain. As a cow or horse, or even worse than a cow or horse, isn't it normal to get sick due to fatigue? Money is something, where you earn it, spend it, don't think of taking it away. Anyway, in the Han Dynasty, minor illnesses don't need to be treated, and major illnesses cannot be cured.

Therefore, it is normal for Liu Fu, who works outside, to feel homesick.

Zhao Yun had not responded to Liu Fu before, not because Zhao Yun was afraid of fighting, but because a long snowstorm last year caused disasters in many places in the grassland and desert.

Now, after the restoration in spring and summer, although many people and livestock could not survive the snow last winter, the people and livestock who survived have gradually regained some vitality.

The next attack on Youzhou was naturally put on the agenda.

Zhao Yun first sent a message to Guanzhong, reported the plan, and then summoned the core generals to discuss the strategy. Although no news was passed on, the guards on duty in the Northern Territory Protectorate could feel the increasingly tense atmosphere.

For Zhao Yun, he must fight the battle in Youzhou.

It's not that Sister Yun... Well, Brother Zhao needs this victory to decorate his chest, but Zhao Yun knows that only by conquering Youzhou, the tug-of-war and disputes that have lasted for many years in the grasslands and deserts of the Northern Territory will be completely settled, and there will be a more stable environment.

And Zhao Yun is also worried that if the weather continues to be cold, and last year's heavy snow and severe winter have survived, what about this year?

If there is Youzhou as a buffer, even if the Northern Territory suffers a snowstorm, the Northern Territory Protectorate will not be under too much pressure.

Because the Han people have a better building system and heating equipment, the Hu people in the Northern Territory are now gradually adopting the "rental law", that is, when the cold winter comes, the Hu people cannot ensure whether their cattle and sheep can survive the winter, so they will "rent" the Han people's land to take care of these livestock, and then wait for the beginning of spring next year to take them away.

In this process, the Han merchants can naturally extract part of the livestock as a reward for taking care of them during the winter.

If there is profit, of course someone will do it.

And some people will also become greedy...

During this process, it was not all smooth sailing. Some merchants colluded with local officials and directly swallowed up the livestock of the Hu people, or made some risk notifications, saying that all risks were borne by the Hu people, and they were only responsible for taking care of them, but they did not guarantee the rate of return... ahem, the number of cattle and sheep.

After Xin Pi discovered such a thing, he reported it to Zhao Yun and immediately launched a purge.

In places like the Northern Territory, reason is not as effective as a knife.

When these greedy merchants and petty officials found that their momentary greed would bring not only personal death, but even the destruction of the entire family, they naturally restrained themselves a lot. Unless these merchants and petty officials can prove that the money they corrupted did not bring any benefits or convenience to their families, they can exempt some of their families from being implicated, but this exemption is often difficult to achieve.

So once something goes wrong, the whole family will bear the punishment together. In this way, although some family members are innocent and unaware, Xin Pi did not show mercy. After all, there are always some selfish people who are desperate and do not care whether their family members will be implicated.

After hanging these people's heads on the road outside the city, this phenomenon cannot be said to be completely eliminated, but at least it is not so rampant, and it has won more trust from the Hu people.

Under such a virtuous cycle, it can be predicted that if there is severe cold and heavy snow again this winter, the Hu people will be more inclined to drive cattle and sheep to the North Territory for shelter, and the location here in the North Territory is not very good. Although there are some sheltered valleys, most of them are used to station soldiers and cultivate fields. If you want to accommodate more cattle and sheep, there will naturally be problems.

So if Youzhou is really taken, it will not only open a road to the Central Plains and end this chaotic world, but also make some preparations in advance for the arrival of severe winter, so that more ordinary Hu people can survive.

As mentioned before, no matter whether they are Hu people or Han people, the demands of these people at the bottom are very low. As long as these demands can be guaranteed, small problems cannot be completely avoided, but large riots can be controlled.

It is also for this reason that the Mitti in later generations does not prohibit zero-yuan purchases. These losses are all transferred to the middle class, and there is no loss for the rich. On the one hand, these goods are very expensive for ordinary people, but for the capitalists who control the means of production and living, it is a drop in the bucket. On the other hand, the reason is that the insurance compensation money is actually contributed by the middle class and has been included in the goods sold before...

Controlling the wealth and expansion of the middle class will naturally ensure the narrowness of its upward promotion channel, and in disguise stabilize the interests of the ruling class.

Now, because the Northern Territory Protector is still very young, the number of "middle class" in the Northern Territory is not large, and it is still in a scarce state, so there will be no traps set for these people, but instead encourage and welcome these people to come and invest and settle...

Just like Liu Fu, the Youzhou man.

Zhao Yun personally met Liu Fu, listened to Liu Fu's request, and asked about matters related to Youzhou. He then personally escorted him outside the palace and said that if he marched into Youzhou, he would definitely invite Liu Fu to the front of the army for consultation.

Liu Fu was grateful and expressed his willingness to serve Zhao Yun.

After Zhao Yun returned, there were a few more people in the hall, including Xin Pi, Zhang He, Gan Feng and others.

"Is the situation in Youzhou really as this person said?" Zhao Yun asked directly without any nonsense.

Xin Pi said on the side: "This person is eager to return home, so he is naturally a little exaggerated. However, it is an indisputable fact that Youzhou is trapped by Cao thieves. Now Cao thieves have been fighting for many years, and Youzhou has been through wars, so the people naturally want to settle down. '

Zhao Yun nodded.

This is understandable.

But Zhao Yun obviously couldn't send troops for this reason. Attacking Youzhou from Xinchangshan in Mobei is actually the same as the Xiongnu Xianbei attacking Youzhou back then. They both need to cross the Yanshan Mountains, which is not easy to walk.

And even if Zhao Yun had pigeon exchanges with Guanzhong and got the order to act at his convenience, it would still be a big deal to really send troops. It is not a defense, but an advance.

Although the Yanshan Mountains are an absolute younger brother to its neighbor, the Taihang Mountains, its mountains are also quite steep, with high northwest and low southeast, gentle north and steep south. Especially in the Yanshan Mountains, the valleys are narrow, the surface is broken, and there are many rain-cracked gullies, which are not suitable for the army to march.

『Gubeikou. 』 Zhao Yun stood up, walked to the map, clicked a certain location on the map, and then said, 『At the end of last year, Cao's army set an ambush here, and now it must be heavily reinforced. 』

Everyone couldn't help but follow Zhao Yun to the map and look at the strategic points marked on the map.

Gubeikou, Xifengkou, Lengkou, Liujiakou, these "mouths" go all the way east, and the road is getting farther and farther.

The closest route is of course Gubeikou, because after Gubeikou, there is a flat valley, that is, the Miyun area, and then you can directly appear under the city of Yuyang.

The other roads, which are also very important, are only Xifengkou.

Because the army cannot move without water, the river route flowing from the Yanshan Mountains to the North China Plain naturally becomes an important route for the army to move.

The most obvious and most important one must be Rushui, that is, Luanhe River. Although it is very difficult to cross the entire Yanshan Mountains along the Luanhe River, this does not mean that one section cannot be used, that is, first follow the Luanhe River upstream, and then when it is closest to the Laoha River or Daling River, open up a shorter road, enter one of the river valleys and walk out of Yanshan.

However, there is still a distance between the Luan River and the Laoha River and the Daling River. If the army wants to walk along the river valley for most of the time, it needs to find another river to transition between them.

That is the "Puhe River". The source of this river is adjacent to the source of the Laoha River, and then it merges with the Luan River when it is about to flow into the North China Plain in the southwest.

This confluence is called Xifengkou.

In earlier times, this place was also called "Lulong Pass".

Therefore, most of the Hu people coming from the east to the south went through Xifengkou, and if they came from the west, they went through Gubeikou.

For example, there are Lengkou Liujiakou and Shanhaiguan further east, which are all from a later era.

Therefore, if Zhao Yun wanted to advance, there were only two relatively mature routes, one was to advance to Gubeikou via Pinggang Road, and the other was to attack Xifengkou via Lulong Road.

By the way, there is another way.

"Here, Juyongkou." 』Zhao Yun clicked on the west location on the map.

Juyongkou is not a mature route at the moment, but Liu Fu took people through it before, so it can also be used as an alternative plan.

Zhang He said in a deep voice: "The Youzhou garrison is divided into three groups, Yuyang, Jixian, and Yijing, which are the horns of each other." However, Youzhou's troops and horses were severely damaged, with only three thousand cavalry and less than ten thousand armored infantry, divided into three areas. The rest are all miscellaneous auxiliary soldiers, and their strength is weak. 』

Zhao Yun nodded and said: "To attack Youzhou and take the pass is one difficulty, and to defend Youzhou is two difficulties." It would be easier if they just plundered and left. 』

Several people looked at each other in silence.

Zhao Yun was right. Now Cao Chun is guarding Youzhou, which is difficult to defend. Zhao Yun wanted to attack Youzhou. If Cao Chun did not have reinforcements from the rear, he would not be able to hold on for long. But what followed was the question of whether Zhao Yun had captured Youzhou and whether he could defend it.

If he defends, then Zhao Yun must face the dilemma that Cao Chun is currently facing. If he divides his troops, he will be weak. If he doesn't divide his troops, he will be weak. The cavalry were either rushing back and forth, or they were trapped in the city.

If you don't defend it, then what's the difference between attacking Youzhou and plundering it with barbarians? Just for victory and money, there is no difference between them and the people from Shandong.

This decision can only be made by Zhao Yun in the end.

Everyone has said what needs to be said, and what needs to be discussed has been discussed many times. The pros and cons are all laid out before our eyes.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Yun asked Xinpi, "Are the military supplies, food and grass ready?" 』

Xin Pi cupped his hand and said, "It's been prepared!" 』

Zhao Yun glanced around in front of everyone and nodded, "Send the order!" Within three days, we will set off for Youzhou! 』

Everyone responded solemnly and bowed to accept the order.

"Jun Yi stays for a while." 』

When everyone was about to leave, Zhao Yun suddenly said hello.

Zhang He was stunned for a moment, then nodded and stayed, while the others left first and went to busy preparing.

After everyone left, Zhao Yun looked at Zhang He and said, "Jun Yi, this time we march... Either we can still lead the front army, or we can lead the partial army into Juyong... Jun Yi can choose one of them." 』

Zhang He couldn't help but be stunned.

This is Zhao Yun taking care of him...

In later generations of society, people often habitually adopt the attitude of "riding the donkey to find the horse" when dealing with their bosses, that is, before finding the ideal choice, they temporarily accept the status quo, maintain the current status, and constantly look for better ones. Chance. This pattern of behavior is accepted by many people in modern society and is sometimes even seen as a pragmatic life strategy.

But in the current era of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era, the situation has become more and more turbulent, so the end of it becomes more and more precious.

After all, this thing is a rare commodity.

Among the Han Dynasty, military generals and counselors were very careful when choosing their allegiance. Once they decided on their affiliation, they would go all out and be loyal. For example, Guan Yu, even in extremely difficult circumstances, insisted on his choice, would rather die than give in, and could not change his wealth, which made Lao Cao tremble with envy...

In fact, this concept is a reflection of the values ​​of the entire society.

The more something is lacking, the more something is desired.

During the Three Kingdoms era, wars were frequent and life and death were unpredictable. Trust and loyalty were undoubtedly rare treasures in a corrupt and dirty world.

Those who can stick to their beliefs and do not change their stance due to external temptations are naturally given a very high moral evaluation.

When Zhang He surrendered, it was actually not his own will, but more of a passive choice out of desperation. After making this choice, Zhang He would also suffer a certain sense of humiliation. This kind of humiliation was not brought to him by Zhao Yun and others, but by Zhang He's own three views.

To put it simply, the more shameless it is, the more painful it is, and the more shameless it is, the easier it is.

Xia Houshang: "Huh?" I'm in pain too, okay? ! 』

Zhao Yun understood Zhang He's pain, so at the beginning, Zhao Yun did not ask Zhang He to fight against Cao Jun.

In the Northern Territory, Zhang He slowly accepted the military system of the Hussars. After feeling the difference in governance methods from Shandong, he changed his original thoughts.

This time, it is not just about fighting and conquering, but also about garrisoning, defense, stabilization, and governance. In this process, Zhao Yun certainly hopes that Zhang He can become a powerful assistant instead of a hidden danger that breaks out from time to time, even if there is such a Even with the slightest possibility, Zhao Yun was too cautious to see this happen.

So Zhao Yun gave Zhang He a choice.

On the surface, it seems to be just a difference in the marching route, but is it not a decision about Zhang He's future route?

Although Zhao Yun's gaze was not aggressive, it was like the bright moon high in the sky, shining brightly on the earth.

A choice that seems simple.

Life is spent in such choices.

Before there is no choice, there are still millions of possibilities, but once the choice is made, the chosen future is left...

So is it possible to have countless possibilities just by standing still and not choosing?

Sorry, when the selection items in the Life Online game appear, there is a hidden countdown, maybe thirty seconds, maybe only three seconds, and the key is that the default option is often the worst one...

Zhang He did not wait for the countdown to end. He pursed his lips, did not avoid Zhao Yun's gaze, and did not show any hesitation. He just straightened his waist, bowed with his hands in hand, and replied sonorously, "He is willing to lead the front army!" 』

"good. 』

Zhao Yun nodded, then stepped forward and gently supported Zhang He's arm, "This troubled world should be put to an end as soon as possible." You and I should work together to bring justice to the world and pacify all peoples! 』