Chapter 3426 Star and Heart

Chapter 3425 Xinghexin

Fei Qian felt something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what the problem was for a while. He thought about it until night, and the more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. He got up and wanted to patrol the camp.

After walking out of the camp gate, the night wind blew, and Fei Qian's head, which had been a little hot from thinking, finally cooled down a little.

In fact, since the capture of Cao's Anyi camp, the cavalry army basically felt that they had a sure win.

This was indeed true. Cao's army was indeed in a disadvantage, but Fei Qian felt vaguely that Cao Cao should not be so weak.

Fei Qian walked slowly, and suddenly remembered something, so he asked: "How is Xiahou Yuanrang today?"

"Nothing unusual." The guard replied on the side.

"Nothing unusual?" Fei Qian pondered.

Fei Qian asked for more details. When he heard the guard say that Xiahou Dun ate well and slept soundly, he couldn't help but laugh. Then he became more confused.

Logically speaking, shouldn't Xiahou Dun's old lover, uh, old partner, be worried and sleepless now that he is losing ground?

Even if he can't help Cao Cao, he shouldn't act like he's "happy and careless", right?

If it were someone else, they might think that Xiahou Dun was discouraged and ready to surrender to the cavalry, but Fei Qian knew that even if someone else surrendered, Xiahou Dun would not surrender as long as Cao Cao didn't fall!

'Pingyang sent a batch of supplies the day before yesterday...'

Fei Qian slowly sorted out his thoughts.

'That's right. According to the lord's request, in addition to food and grass, there are also accompanying doctors and herbs...' the guard replied, 'The doctors have already started to treat according to the requirements and collect and treat the wounded...'

Fei Qian nodded, 'Let's go and take a look. '

'My Lord, this is not good. 'The guard said hurriedly, 'Epidemic... but it does not distinguish between enemies and friends...'

Fei Qian waved his hand and said, 'Take a look at the periphery, do not enter the camp for the wounded. '

The guard stopped blocking him.

Fei Qian led his men to a hill.

In the distance of the hill was the camp for the wounded.

The mess left by Cao's army, even if Fei Qian had made plans and preparations, was still a bit difficult to deal with.

Two days ago, several surrendered soldiers of Cao's army inexplicably made a scene, saying that they were treated unfairly, and gathered to make trouble and were then shot dead on the spot by patrolling cavalry.

Fei Qian frowned slightly when he thought of this.

At first, Fei Qian did not care much about this matter. After all, it is difficult for people to trust each other. Even in the same family, some children would always suspect that their parents were trying to kill him or her every day. Then several peers gathered together and talked about the word "original family", and they burst into tears.

Raising a baby is obviously not a good thing, but the same is not true for parents.

Do not do what you do not want others to do.

So Fei Qian originally thought that it was normal for a few weirdos to appear among a large number of Cao army captives and surrendered soldiers...

Even if Fei Qian did a lot of work to make most of the Cao army captives and surrendered soldiers settle down.

But now think about it, something seems wrong.

The transport team from Pingyang will come again tomorrow...

Fei Qian inspected the camp for the wounded and sick, and suddenly said: "Go and call the staff of the Youwen Division to come."

The guard was shocked when he heard it.

The three words "Youwen Division" often mean something big.

…

…

Under the same night sky.

Chen Bin in Ji County exhaled a long breath.

Now he feels that being able to breathe a little more is like earning a little more.

Among the many generals and military schools in Youzhou, Chen Bin has always kept a low profile. He neither performed particularly well nor fought desperately. If he could avoid rushing to the front line, he would never rush to the front.

In Cao's army, generals of different surnames who are too capable often have no good end.

Fortunately, Cao Chun's mind is focused on how to deal with the northern region and how to defend Youzhou. He is not particularly concerned about personnel matters, so Chen Bin often just muddles around in military affairs. Even if he goes to the battlefield to kill the enemy, he only deals with horse bandits and mountain bandits, and when the battle comes, they all rush forward. Chen Bin only supervises the battle from behind, which is considered to be commanding the entire army.

Muddling around? Anyway, it is impossible to continue to be promoted. As long as Cao Chun thinks that Chen Bin is obedient and useful, he can continue to muddle around...

As a result, Chen Bin's "obedient" and "useful" attributes may not necessarily bring any good results.

Can I not do it?

Give up, quit!

Actually, it's okay.

As long as you dare to leave your own elderly, children, wife and concubines.

Chen Bin looked down at his hands.

It doesn't seem too dark...

I heard that when Emperor Gaozu was escaping, he pushed his wife and children out of the car with his own hands...

Later, when Empress Lu killed Emperor Gaozu's right-hand men, Emperor Gaozu also got scared.

Today, it's the same.

If Chen Bin is cruel and ruthless, then he can just kill the generals left by Cao Chun and turn around to join the cavalry, so he can be saved.

But as for his family, I'm afraid he will have to...

My children are about thirteen or fourteen this year, they are grown boys, and they can be considered to inherit the family business.

So, the question now is, do you live, or do your family live?

If you have to push your family into the fire pit in order to survive, should you push them or not?

Everyone has the instinct to survive, but Chen Bin still couldn't make up his mind in the end...

After hesitating, the soldiers on the lookout on the city wall spotted the fire dragon coming from a distance, and quickly rolled and crawled away, shouting in panic: "Hussars!" The Hussars Northern Territory Army is coming! 』

…

…

In the darkness, will you sink with the darkness, or will you still have the light of hope in your heart?

Cao Cao wouldn't say that black eyes are for looking for light, but he still believed in some people and some things.

Moreover, most Chinese races do not have pure black eyes...

Just dark brown.

Therefore, what many people say may not be true, and what many people agree may not be correct.

"Now there are rumors in the army that it is General Xiahou...and General Zilie..."

After listening to the report from his subordinates, Cao Cao put down the writing in his hand and rubbed his shoulders.

As autumn and winter alternate, Cao Cao's shoulders and knee joints will inevitably experience some soreness and pain.

This is "military sickness".

Cao Jun suffered heavy losses.

There is nothing to doubt about this, but among the lost soldiers and manpower, at least two-thirds were miscellaneous soldiers and civilians. The combat power of the mixed soldiers and civilians cannot be said to be completely absent, but it is approximately zero.

It's like later generations think that snake oil is good, and snake oil can be used for this or that, but they never think about how many snakes are needed to survive the so much snake oil consumed and sold every year? Are you sure it's not salad oil with some high technology?

The huge number of Cao's troops is actually like salad oil with some high technology added. Only those with armor can be considered regular soldiers, and the rest can be considered very good if they have long spears.

This is not because Cao Cao intended to do this, but since the first year of Zhongping, the military system of the Han Dynasty has been like this.

A general must not only support himself, but also support a large group of subordinates under him, and then use these subordinates to control other lower-level ordinary soldiers and serve the common people. This kind of structural system seems to be very powerful, and it has an overwhelming momentum when fighting against the wind. However, if it really wants to fight a tough and protracted battle, it may not have any good results.

And it's not all Shandong people, there are also people from Heluo.

The household registration statistics of Heluo are a confusing book.

Half of the people Cao Cao plundered from Heluo were put into the battlefields of Hedong and Tongguan, and the other half was sent back to Yuzhou.

In the early years, Heluo had a very dense population.

The city of Luoyang alone has a registered population of more than half a million, plus those who have temporarily arrived in Luoyang and the "unregistered" population around Luoyang, there are millions of people...

Although the past few years have been war-torn, when the Yang family was running Heluo, the taxes were much lower than in other places...

Of course, the main reason is that the Yang family does not have that many manpower, and many places are simply unattended, so some people who fled secretly settled in Heluo. As a result, they could escape the first day of the junior high school, but could not escape the fifteenth day. Cao Cao followed suit again Cut a batch of leeks.

However, how many people have to be sacrificed before the suffering comes to an end?

Cao Cao didn't know, and he didn't want to know.

He has his own reasons.

Shandong's principles.

As the representative of the Shandong political group, he naturally needs to follow Shandong's rules. Even Cao Cao himself is reluctant to do so. Cao Cao was also willing to see the unification of the Han Dynasty, but it needed to be unification under his own leadership, otherwise it would be meaningless to the Cao family's entire political group.

sacrifice……

Didn’t the people of the Cao family and the Xiahou family sacrifice themselves?

So if people sacrifice more and suffer for a longer period of time, what’s the problem?

Cao Cao is no longer in front of the Zhongtiao Mountain camp, but has moved to the south side of Zhongtiao Mountain, in a dry plateau gully. Some information on the front line was delivered to Cao Cao every few hours by specialized soldiers.

Cao Cao originally wanted to wait for the Qingqi Fei Qian to arrive at the Zhongtiao Mountain camp...

As a result, he was stabbed in the chrysanthemum by Changchun, who was so frightened that the generals in the Zhongtiao Mountain camp were unwilling to let Cao Cao stay in the forward position no matter what. They had to evacuate Cao Cao, and some even knelt down and remonstrated with death.

Zhongtiao Mountain runs east-west, and the distance between north and south is actually not that big. It is not as steep as the Kunlun Mountains or the Qinling Mountains. While Guo Jia was stationed at the Zhongtiao Mountain Camp, he had already discovered several evacuation routes.

The ancient salt road of Cynomorium Pass, which has always been attacked, is one of them.

So there is a reason why the generals are nervous...

Cao Cao also understood what this was for.

Because at this moment, the generals and advisers who can be in the Zhongtiao Mountain camp are basically deeply tied to Cao Cao, and they will lose both, so they must protect Cao Cao no matter what.

Protecting Cao Cao is equivalent to protecting themselves.

"How is the battle at Suoyang Pass?" 』

Cao Cao asked.

The guard whispered, "Prime Minister, Zhang Sima attacked recklessly and neglected to take precautions at night. He was attacked by the hussars at night and lost his subordinates in panic..."

Cao Cao was silent for a long time after hearing this.

Why does it seem that under the hussar, no matter who he pulls out, he can take charge of his own role, but on his own side, he uses this person, this person is messed up, and that person is used, and that person is messed up?

Are there not many that can be formed? !

If there are really a few people who can lead an army alone, I won't be able to join Yuan Rang...

and Zilie.

Cao Cao also knew what the problem was.

The employment system in Shandong is completely different from that in Guanzhong.

In Guanzhong, it was more or less based on talent, but in Shandong, it was based on connections!

Regardless of whether you have the ability or not, you must have a leader who says you can do it. Otherwise, even if you squeeze into the ranks of officials, you will only be at the bottom for the rest of your life, repeating boring tasks every day, and working until you die.

Although there seems to be little difference between officials and civil servants, the gap in between is something that many children from poor families or ordinary families in Shandong cannot cross in a lifetime, or even in two or three generations...

Anyone with some connections can find a place to hang out at any time. It’s not a problem to get popular and drink spicy food. It’s also relaxed and pleasant. You can order a ham in the morning and then go to the stadium to meet customers...

Well, I went to observe the public sentiment, and the annual Diligence Award for Outstanding Advancers must be indispensable...

Then those who are truly capable will never have a chance.

This recommendation system in Shandong is really killing people!

"This Sima..." Cao Cao frowned and asked, "Who recommended it?" 』

The confidant guard hesitated for a moment, then whispered: "It seems to be General Zilian..."

"Well……"

Cao Cao seemed to be choked by his breath and was speechless for a while.

"Tell General Zilian to be more careful next time, otherwise you will miss something important sooner or later!" ” Cao Cao waved his hand and put the matter aside.

The Han Dynasty's rotten ship originally had few people working on it. Not only did most people not work, they were also rebelling against Cao Cao, the captain, and wreaking havoc. So what else could be done?

"Then..." The confidant guard looked at Cao Cao's face and said hesitantly, "The matter about General Xiahou and General Zilie..."

Cao Cao closed his eyes.

There are very few pleasant things, and there are nine out of ten unpleasant things.

"Yuan Rang... Zi Lie..." Cao Cao was silent for a moment, "I believe Yuan Rang and Zi Lie are by no means greedy for life and afraid of death!" 』

"But..." the confidant guard said, "Some people said that they saw General Xiahou among the hussars..."

Some things, no matter how blocked, imprisoned or shielded by the upper levels, will still be revealed under the seal.

It's like holding it in and farting secretly, the sound is controlled, but the smell still reveals something.

"If you see it, you will see it..." Cao Cao said, "Don't pay attention to it, and there is no need to deny it. We will find out after the war!" 』

…

…

Cao Cao believed in Cao Xiu and felt that Cao Xiu was his child.

Cao Xiu didn't believe his child.

This is a very interesting question.

According to biological theory, parents and children are the most similar individuals, whether genetically or in terms of living environment. Normally, they should trust each other, depend on each other, and support each other, but in fact , there are too many parents and children who cannot trust, rely on, or support each other at all. Instead, they hate each other, and there are not a few.

Especially in troubled times, positive emotions such as trust, dependence and support are undoubtedly the most precious things, just like real gold in the yellow sand. Even if there is, it is often submerged in the yellow dust and never revealed.

Cao Xiu only had the most basic set of armor and weapons left, and the rest were handed over.

As a "reduced general", Cao Xiu could still retain some "respect" and followed the transportation brigade, marching slowly.

Hussar is not in Pingyang!

His child is not in Pingyang either!

Xiahou Dun is also not in Pingyang!

Even if Cao Xiu is really in Pingyang, what's the point of causing something?

So Cao Xiu came to see Hussar.

I also want to meet Xiahou Dun.

besides……

his children.

Cao Xiu's mood was complicated and heavy.

He knew that what he was about to face was not only a life-or-death battle, but also a test of his faith.

His child, the once innocent and hopeful life, the continuation of his bloodline, has now been involved in this whirlpool of power and desire, becoming elusive to him and making him afraid to continue trusting him.

And he himself seems to be walking further and further on this road of no return, unable to look back.

As night fell, the transport team set up camp according to the rules.

There were only two bonfires and two tents assigned to Cao Xiu and Cao Xiu's dozen or so soldiers to guard them.

This also made Cao Xiu heartbroken and even despaired for a time.

He thought that his soldiers, who could at least follow him to Pingyang, were all warriors who had looked down on life and death and faced the end of life calmly. However, Cao Xiu never expected that——

These "warriors" rebelled against Cao Xiu after eating a bowl of oil-soaked soup cakes!

When suffering from hunger and cold, when there is no hope, people will have no choice but to accept death. However, when there is food in the stomach, they will naturally have the desire and motivation to live.

So Cao Xiu's original "fake surrender" almost turned into a "real surrender". In addition to more than a dozen close guards, even Cao Xiu's original troops also betrayed him...

Fortunately, Cao Xiu didn't tell these people too many plans before, so after these people surrendered, it didn't expose Cao Xiu, but brought some additional benefits.

It's like the tent in front of you and the armor on your body.

Retaining more than a dozen guards is the last dignity of a general. Even Linghu Jijiu and Huang's guards in Pingyang felt that it would be too petty to reduce Cao Xiu's men anymore...

The bonfire is burning.

Cao Xiu stared at the bonfire, but his thoughts drifted far away.

Those happy times with children, those innocent smiles, those carefree days...

However, all of this seems to have become an unattainable luxury.

Now, that familiar face has given rise to an indescribable alienation.

Perhaps, he should give up?

Give up his position, give up his persistence, give up his pride...

Kneel down.

Then he can live.

Haha, what's the difference between that and dying?

Cao Xiu exhaled a long breath and looked up at the sky.

The stars in the sky are still the same, but the true love in the world is no longer there.

Soon, he will see the cavalry, and he will also see his last bloodline and the last answer.