Chapter 3405: The Farthest Point
Chapter 3404 The Farthest
When he arrived at the front line, he was still a little dazed.
He didn't expect that even if he had intentionally hidden his identity, he would be recognized by the general Fei Qian so quickly!
Even though he had always been prepared for his identity to be exposed in the end, it was indeed too fast.
Is it because there are people around the general who know him?
Or is it because...
He couldn't help but sigh.
He abandoned his original surname, just because his original surname had fallen into the dust. Even if he carried his original surname, it would not necessarily have any benefits. On the contrary, it would increase a lot of disadvantages. It is better to hide his name.
This behavior is very common in the Han Dynasty. Therefore, "Do not change your name when you travel or sit" and so on, it was only after the household registration was strengthened that those "good men" and "rangers" were highly publicized. As for why it was said at that time, most people dare not ask, and even if they thought of it, they dare not say it.
After arriving at the front line, it was of great help to Xu Chu and others. After all, Xu Chu and others were not familiar with the terrain here, and they were unfamiliar with Hedong and Heluo. He had come all the way from Heluo to Hedong. He had not only stayed in Anyi Camp, but also stayed in Zhongtiao Mountain Camp for a period of time. So when he arrived at the scene, he proposed a new plan.
Qin Shihuang built the Chi Road to connect the north, which is the main passage of Zhongtiao Mountain today. This Chi Road is wide, strong, and easier to walk. It can run parallel carriages and carry heavy objects. It is the main road connecting Heluo and Hedong. Therefore, the main defense system of Cao's army is built on this passage. There are heavy troops stationed, and there are all kinds of equipment and traps. It is difficult to succeed by force. Once the soldiers of the cavalry consume too much power in the attack on Zhongtiao Mountain Camp, they will inevitably lose the follow-up to continue to march to Shandong.
Moreover, the land of Suanzao had been eaten up by the coalition forces last time, and there was not a single hair left. If the Cavalry wanted to cross Heluo and enter Shandong, the supply line would be the next serious problem that had to be considered. Once the supply line was destroyed, even if the Cavalry reached Shandong, it would inevitably face failure.
He had always proposed a strategy that neither Xu Chu nor Sima Yi had thought of.
Yuban Road!
Perhaps this road is not as famous as the Eight Xings of Taihang, but it was a very important road in the Spring and Autumn Period and earlier ancient times.
Because there are salt ponds formed by ancient geological movements in Yuncheng, the primitive natural formation and convenient collective fishing mode were adapted to the low productivity at that time in the early days of the Chinese tribes. Salt is important, but it cannot be eaten as food, so people here began to form trade and began to walk out of the mountains.
It is said that the root cause of the conflict between Yanhuang and Chiyou was salt.
Chiyou occupied the salt pond, and then increased the price without increasing the quantity, which gradually aroused the resentment of the surrounding tribes. The Yellow Emperor tribe, which came from the Weihe Plain, expanded eastward along the Yellow River and occupied the Luohe Plain. After establishing the capital in Xinzheng, they joined forces with the Yan Emperor tribe to cross the Yellow River and the ancient road, and fought the first recorded battle in Chinese history, the "Battle of Zhuolu", defeating the Chiyou tribe and occupying the Hedong Salt Lake.
From this perspective, is Yanhuang the "invader" or the "rebel"?
Later, there were some myths and legends saying that Yanhuang killed Chiyou, and then Chiyou's blood flowed into the salt lake, "blood into the pool turned into brine".
So the brine should actually be called "Chiyou blood material"?
In the Zhongtiao Mountains in the southeast of the Yuncheng Basin, there is a low place with a thin mountain body, called "Boshan". The height difference between the mountain pass and the top of the mountain is also relatively low. Since ancient times, a natural trail has been formed from the salt lake to the river crossing, and then to the Luohe Plain. After continuous excavation and construction during the Tang Yao period, it eventually became a major trade route, and Anyi became the imperial capital of Yao, Shun and Yu.
That is the birthplace of the Xia and Shang dynasties.
During the reign of Wu Ding, Fu Yue, the first sage in China, invented the art of printing when he was repairing the ancient Yuban Road in Yuyan. He was highly valued by the King of Shang, which led to the "Wu Ding's Restoration" in history. Later, due to the large amount of Hedong salt transported south through the "Yu State", the ancients called the section from the north entrance of Zhongtiao Mountain to the Yellow River Ferry the Yuban Salt Road.
And the most important part of the Yuban Road is the Suoyang Pass!
The Suoyang Pass is the narrowest part of the ancient Yuban Road Salt Road, an important military pass built on cliffs and deep gullies.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Suoyang Pass was the dividing line between the Yu State and the Jin State. Later, Duke Xian of Jin borrowed the Yuban Road to attack the Guo State and destroyed the Yu State, leaving behind idioms such as "fake Yu to attack Guo". What is always recommended today is to raid Suoyang Pass and march into the Yuban Road!
If this strategy is viable, once Suoyang Pass is broken through, you can move to Heluo, and even have the opportunity to directly block Cao Cao on Zhongtiao Mountain!
Even if this strategy fails, it can also pull Cao's army, forcing Cao's army to divide its troops to garrison Suoyang Pass, thereby weakening the strength of Cao's army camp in Zhongtiao Mountain, and laying a foundation for Fei Qian's frontal attack on Zhongtiao Mountain Camp in the next stage!
This strategy has always been about taking risks and taking a side-line.
This may be related to the fact that it has always been about taking a side-line.
Obviously, the key to this strategy is to occupy Suoyang Pass.
After occupying Suoyang Pass on Yuban Road, even if Heluo is not conquered, it can still retreat to Hedong to continue fighting with Cao's army. In this way, the danger is not very great, and it will not bring too much loss, and more importantly, it can mobilize Cao's army!
Even if they don't take any action after taking the Suoyang Pass, Cao Jun will have to be led by the nose. Not only will there be an extra window to attack Cao Jun, but he may even directly threaten Cao Jun's rear chrysanthemum.
Xu Chu said directly that this strategy was good, but the risk was too high.
But there is always a reason.
He always said that the purpose of attacking Cao Cao was for Cao Cao? After defeating Cao Cao, what next?
Such a simple question made both Xu Chu and Sima Yi think deeply.
Cao Cao is not the end, the world may be regarded as a temporary end. If the Hussars want to conquer the world in the end, isn't Heluo, which is located in the world, not important? Can occupying the land of Heluo be regarded as gaining Heluo? So, will Cao Jun give up the land of Heluo easily?
It has always been said categorically, "The Cao thieves must be relocating the people of Heluo!" 』
Cao's army will be defeated sooner or later, but the people of Heluo will bear the consequences sooner or later...
Before Dong Zhuo, Heluo was the capital of the world and the most prosperous area in the Han Dynasty. But now, after experiencing several catastrophes, it has been reduced to a street stall, and anyone can take advantage of it.
Sending troops to Suoyang Pass at Yuban Road can at least give the people of Heluo some hope. If the Husband takes over Heluo in the future, the people of Heluo will more or less inherit this friendship.
Moreover, although Yu Bandao is said to be an eccentric swordsman, he is also very powerful. If we really get the Yuban Road, even if we don't besiege Cao Cao, we can quickly send the cavalry through the Yuban Road to the Heluo battlefield, and we can also fight all the way to Yanzhou and Yuzhou. I wonder if the people in Shandong are afraid? !
At that time, even if Cao Cao is in Zhongtiao Mountain or retreats to the Tongguan camp, he will be like duckweed without roots. No matter how many soldiers he has, how can he defend it?
Sima Yi listened all the time and made some comments before he was halfway through. When he finished speaking, Xu Chu even felt a little moved by what he heard, and then he slowly said: "Cong Xiaowei... So your surname is not Cong, right?" Heluo people? 』
Zeng Jing was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "To be honest with you three, I am from Heluo." What's your original surname...don't mention it. 』
Sima Yi nodded, "In that case, we might as well attack in three directions." 』
"Three ways?" ” Xu Chu asked, “How did we get so many people?” 』
Sima Yi smiled and said, "I will return to Puban immediately and lead the original troops to the east with Hao Bodao." General Xu and Lieutenant Li will remain in the middle route. They only need to divide some troops and horses, and let the captain lead the partial army into Yuban Road as the west route. The number of soldiers is not a matter of quantity, but of reality. If the emptiness can be broken, it will turn the emptiness into reality! Three days later, beacon fire was used as the signal, and we attacked together! 』
Xu Chu frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's it!" 』
…
…
Youzhou.
Yanshan battlefield.
Because of Huang Si's on-the-spot escape, the originally planned second line of defense collapsed. Zhang He quickly led his troops to occupy the two counties of Qixi and Guangping, and stopped for a while to make some adjustments and contact Zhao Yun's headquarters.
Of course, if Zhang He desperately pursued and killed him at this time, he could catch up with the fleeing Cao Chun and kill or capture him before entering Yuyang City, which would greatly speed up the process of the Youzhou battle.
It's a pity that Zhang He didn't have the eyes of God, nor the keyboard and claws of a keyboard warrior, so he chose a safer way to consolidate the route he had obtained and wait for the follow-up.
Zhao Yun led most of the Chinese army through the Gubeikou Mountain Road of Yanshan Mountain, gathered with Zhang He's troops, advanced to the foot of Yuyang City, and launched an attack on Yuyang.
In the entire Youzhou, there were only three key points where Cao's army was stationed, Yuyang, Jixian, and Yijing.
Although Gongsun had been destroyed in the Liaodong area, Cao Jun only sent a few troops to guard and declare sovereignty, and there were not many men.
Yuyang and Jixian can be regarded as the focus of the entire Youzhou, while Yijing is relatively remote. As a support and reserve force, it also shoulders the responsibility of transporting grain and grass from Jizhou to Youzhou and transferring baggage.
After Cao Chun's attempt to march into the desert failed last year, he used the whole winter to strengthen the defenses in Youzhou. Especially in Yuyang, many heavy-duty defense equipment were deployed and a large amount of food, grass and baggage were stored. This also created certain favorable conditions for Cao Chun to stick to Yuyang City.
Zhao Yun launched several tentative attacks, but due to Yuyang's well-prepared defense and a large number of heavy defensive equipment, he lost some men and horses, so he could only temporarily stop the attack and besiege the city to wait for a turn.
Zhao Yun himself led an army of 10,000 to block Yuyang, and sent Zhang He with 5,000 cavalry to operate outside Yuyang City.
In this way, Zhao Yun divided the army into two parts. One part went from Yuyang through Qianxi and Bangping to the Gubeikou area to ensure the safety of the army's food routes and back roads; the other part was led by Zhang He Then, they broke into pieces, and formed a team of a hundred cavalry, which appeared in the hills and fields between Yuyang and Jixian day and night. They frequently attacked Cao Jun's grain transport team and the camps set up by Cao Jun, making Cao Jun's soldiers fearful and exhausted. Morale is becoming increasingly low.
At the same time, the troops near Yuyang were not idle. They were catching the tail of autumn, cutting down trees, building siege equipment, pounding rocks, and making stone bullets.
Cao Chun in Yuyang City also saw Zhao Yun's move to build a catapult.
Some people suggested sending troops to destroy the place where Zhao Yun made catapults and delay the progress of Zhao Yun's siege equipment. Cao Chun was a little tempted at first, but seeing that Zhao Yun's cavalry was always on standby on the battlefield, he finally gave up the idea. idea.
Organizing a death squad is possible once or twice, but it is impossible to do it again and again.
An army without faith cannot even organize a death squad once, and can only fantasize about it in movies and TV.
Cao Chun can certainly organize a death squad charge and carry kerosene for a suicidal attack, but can destroying Zhao Yun's siege equipment manufacturing site rewrite the entire process of the battle?
Obviously impossible.
In hesitation and confusion, Cao Jun watched Zhao Yun set up a catapult position under Yuyang City...
When Zhao Yun's catapults were set up under Yuyang City, Cao Chun suddenly realized that these catapults seemed to be one size larger? !
There are not many catapults under the city, but they are arranged neatly, especially compared with the catapults on the top of Yuyang City, they seem to be more "robust"...
Sorry, Cao Chun doesn't know what diameter is, nor what sling is, let alone understand the principle of lever, but just look at this head...
Cao Chun looked at the city, then turned his head to look at the city, feeling like his own little witch met a big witch!
In the distance under the city, in addition to some nags, you can also see some cavalrymen who temporarily formed a few war horses into a carriage, driving and dragging the baggage cart to transport stone bullets.
War horses have bad tempers and don't like to do this kind of heavy and hard work, so the cavalry masters have to coax them aside and give them some sweet mouths from time to time. Even so, it is temporary. The main transportation force is still some long-haired horses brought by Zhao Yun from the northern border. They are diligent and hard-working, and they drag desperately without sweet mouths.
However, these horses are also responsible for transporting materials back and forth from Gubeikou. Now the transportation capacity is insufficient, so Zhao Yun has transferred some war horses to urgently supplement the transportation capacity and ensure the transportation of stone bullets.
『Where are our stone cannons? 』Cao Chun shouted, 『Smash them for me! 』
The leader in charge of the catapults on the side lowered his head, 『General, this... this is too far, we can't hit it...』
『Can't hit it? 』Cao Chun was a little stunned, and even gestured, 『What do you mean? We are on the city, looking down... and we can't hit it? 』
The leader had a sad face and pointed to some stone bullet debris under the city, 『General, look, those are the stone bullets we threw out two days ago... The farthest one is over there... and they are there...』
『What? 』Cao Chun looked at it with wide eyes, 『Why? Could it be that Zhao Zilong attacked just to know our range? ! No, no! Since we can't hit these stone cannons, then these stone cannons can't hit us here! Right? 』
The leader still had a sad face, remained silent, and did not answer.
In fact, when the leader saw the prototype of Zhao Yun's construction for the first time, he knew that the situation was not good. He suggested to Cao Chun to raid Zhao Yun's construction site, but Cao Chun thought it was unnecessary. But he couldn't say that all of Cao's stone cannons and catapults were inferior goods...
After all, the standardization process of Cao's army could not be achieved in one day, so during the manufacturing process of Cao's catapults, some parts were a little worse, and some parts were a little worse. Naturally, there was a lot of difference in the final assembly.
Cao Chun wanted to say something, but suddenly heard the horns outside the city sounding, and the golden drums were beating, like a violent hurricane sweeping through Yuyang City, shaking the earth.
『They are going to throw stones! 』
『Get out of the way! 』
The warning golden gongs seemed to be trembling.
The drums and horns outside the city were getting more and more fierce, as if they were going to directly knock open the gate of Yuyang City.
Yuyang City trembled in the torrent of sound waves and groaned in the impact.
The drumbeats became more and more intense, like a landslide.
With the sound of war drums, stone bullets flew into the air, and the sharp sound of friction in the air sounded like a mockery, mocking Yuyang City.
These stone bullets rushed into the sky, and then under the eyes of everyone, they slowly rose to the highest point, becoming a small black dot, and then fell from the sky like thunder, hitting Yuyang City fiercely!
『Boom! 』
『Boom! Boom! 』
All the meteors fell into Yuyang City.
The walls of Yuyang City trembled and shook at this moment, like a wounded beast, and let out a shrill howl.
The gate tower on the top of Yuyang City was the first to bear the brunt and suffered a devastating blow.
The stone bullets that fell from the sky carried huge kinetic energy and potential energy, easily piercing the roof of the city gate tower and destroying the beams and columns. Soon, the city gate tower was creaking and finally collapsed amid the flying bricks, wood and rubble.
On the Yuyang City, the temporarily installed horse faces were also unable to withstand the attack of stone bullets because of their weak support points and insufficient thickness. As long as they were hit by three or two bullets, they would shake and then fall down the city with the next stone bullet.
The tools, items and sheds piled on the top of the city were all made of wood and were basically vulnerable. Once they were hit by stone bullets, they basically broke and flew around, turning into scattered wood fragments.
The only thing that could hold on was the city wall of Yuyang.
However, the outer wall had suffered so much from the trauma of the war that even though Cao Chun had repaired a lot of it, its structure was no longer intact. Under the bombardment of stone bullets, many of the blue bricks on the outer wall collapsed and fell off, revealing the rammed earth layer inside, like a cracked wound.
As a position to resist the invasion of foreign tribes from the north since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the wall of Yuyang is almost the pinnacle of this era. The rammed earth is solid and the stones are neat. Even after experiencing wind, frost, rain, snow, and war, the wall of Yuyang still protects all the creatures inside the wall as much as possible, just like a mother instinctively protecting her children with her arms, no matter whether the children are well-behaved or naughty, stupid or smart, even if they are scarred and bleeding.
"Fight back!" Cao Chun hid under the battlements of the city wall and grabbed the leader of the catapult, "Fight back! Did you hear me? ! Fight back no matter what! Otherwise, I will chop off your head first! '
The leader cried, "General! I, I... or change to lighter stone bullets, maybe I can throw them farther... '
'Then go quickly! ' Cao Chun shouted.
While the catapults outside the city were loading the second round of stone bullets, the leader ran away with his head in his hands.
Cao Chun lay on the edge of the battlement, half of his head exposed, looking at the busy cavalry in the distance outside the city, and felt a chill in his heart...