Chapter 3436 Seeking Truth and Being Pragmatic

Chapter 3435 Seeking Truth and Being Pragmatic

When he stepped onto the battlefield again, Qian Zhao felt a different feeling in his heart.

If Qian Zhao still had some confidence and courage when he led his troops to fight for the first time and faced the cavalry, he still had some confidence and courage at that time.

But after this period of time, Qian Zhao's mood has changed a lot.

For most people, perhaps becoming a general and having an annual salary...

Oh, an official rank of 800 or 1,000 stones is the greatest perfection in life, but is this really what Qian Zhao wants?

Kill people and get money.

If you think about it, what is the difference between this and being a ranger before?

They are all people who kill the Han people.

In fact, Qian Zhao didn't know that the Han people were more concerned about their face, and the official rank was still called "rank", instead of being secretly changed to "position".

Rank means accumulation.

And what about position?

So I have to say that those Confucian lackeys are really good at making up stories!

The victory in the previous battle was the credit of the Cao family. The so-called generals and ministers are just a portrayal of some people...

Generals like Qian Zhao, no matter how great their military achievements, the status they can obtain is still closely related to the closeness of the powerful.

Military achievements are just icing on the cake.

The key is not how many achievements there are, but that there must be that brocade.

If there is no brocade on the body, then it is still a dog.

What long gown do you still dream of wearing?

"Ha... I really hope to go to the border of the Han Dynasty..."

Qian Zhao looked up at the bright light in the sky and murmured.

When the sun rises, it always brings hope and warmth to people.

But this vision of hope and warmth was soon shattered by reality.

The messenger of the Cao army came in a hurry, saying that Cao Hong was in a critical condition and asked Qian Zhao to speed up to rescue.

Qian Zhao nodded silently and ordered the troops to speed up.

…

…

Sima Yi looked at the Cao army position in Zhongtiao Mountain in the distance, but he was a little distracted.

Sima Yi had rushed to Puban and gathered with Hao Zhao before, and was about to plan how to make some noise on the other side of Zhongtiao Mountain, but he received the news of Suoyang Pass.

This surprised Sima Yi.

Because the speed was really fast.

The reason why Sima Yi thought so was that most of the wars in ancient times took a long time. Not to mention that the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms for three generations, and the Jin-Chu hegemony also lasted for more than 130 years, and the war between the Han Dynasty and the Western Qiang alone lasted for 30 to 40 years, and now…

Sima Yi could understand Fei Qian’s strategic thinking.

Fei Qian did not say that the battle in the Western Regions should be fought in one go, or that the Western Regions should surrender in a short time, etc.

So even if the Zhongtiao Mountain camp was rushed and rushed, what great effect would it have if it was taken down a few days earlier?

The focus is Shandong!

Killing Cao Cao is indeed effective, but it does not mean that it can be solved once and for all...

"Zhongda?"

Hao Zhao walked over and called out.

"Ah?" Sima Yi recovered from his distraction, "What's the matter?"

Hao Zhao looked at Sima Yi, "Is Zhongda worried about the war?" Hao Zhao had called Sima Yi just now, but Sima Yi was distracted and didn't hear it.

Sima Yi smiled, "I think of the rebellion of the Western Qiang..."

"Western Qiang?" Hao Zhao asked in confusion.

Sima Yi nodded, "The rebellion of the Western Qiang...Does Bo Dao know the cause?"

Hao Zhao pondered for a moment, "Zhongda's words must not be as the court announced, but the Qiang people caused the rebellion?"

"Aha," Sima Yi nodded, "Han was very friendly with the Qiang in Chang'an, but the Han gradually became hostile to Luoyang. Why did it change? It was not because of the Qiang, but because of the changes in the Han system. '

The court of the Western Han Dynasty originally had a good relationship with the Western Qiang.

History also records that the Qiang people submitted to the Han Dynasty for decades, and there was no trouble on the border between the Han and Qiang people.

This is because the existence of the Xiongnu made the Qiang people have a high value of united front. Successfully uniting the Qiang people can use the Hu to attack the Hu, and vice versa, it will increase the support of the Xiongnu.

However, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, as the biggest enemy, the Xiongnu, was defeated, the Southern and Northern Xiongnu were divided, and the Southern Xiongnu submitted to the Han Dynasty, the value of the Qiang people's united front dropped sharply.

Sima Yi said this and glanced at Hao Zhao slightly.

Hao Zhao noticed Sima Yi's gaze and was a little confused, but soon understood, "Once the war stopped, there would be no military merit? So they would rebel even if they didn't rebel? ! '

Sima Yi nodded.

In terms of court policy, the general direction of the Eastern Han Dynasty was not wrong. After eliminating or defeating the great enemy Xiongnu, they learned from their mistakes and certainly did not want the Qiang people to become the second Xiongnu again, so they tried to disintegrate the power of the Western Qiang in the macro-strategy, and wanted to completely solve the chaos around the Han Dynasty.

But there were big problems in the specific operation.

People's hearts...

Sima Yi showed a smile on his face.

Now decades have passed, one or two hundred years have passed, people's hearts are still the same, what has changed?

In the court, ministers who are greedy for merit, local governors who are greedy for money, and generals who are unwilling to lose military power after the war with the Huns have formed a joint force.

Western Qiang, if they don't rebel, they will rebel!

The Han Dynasty overestimated itself and underestimated the power of the Qiang.

Not only the Han, but also the tribal leaders of the Western Qiang also misjudged their own strength. Those who had conflicts with them, or persecuted the Qiang people, were the Han officials, but the Western Qiang leaders brought people and brought blood to ordinary Han people.

The Qiang people can be said to be relatively mild among nomadic peoples, so they should adopt a different strategy from the Xiongnu.

The rulers of the Eastern Han Dynasty obviously did not realize this, but adopted the same strategy of division and disintegration and cruel exploitation of the Qiang people as the Xiongnu, and even wanted to make them a pariah race.

The names of Xiongnu, Xianbei, etc., can be seen.

After listening, Hao Zhao nodded, "So... Brother Zhongda is not talking about the Qiang people, but Shandong, right? '

'Haha...' Sima Yi smiled without saying anything. After a moment, he waved his hand, "Let's go, let's go! Since General Xu led the army to attack Suoyang Pass... I estimate that Cao's army will most likely adopt the strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao! '

Hao Zhao was stunned, 'Then, isn't it... that we have to rescue the front camp? '

Sima Yi smiled, 'How about we also "besiege Wei to save Zhao"? '

...

...

The principles of the world are often not unknown, nor are they not summarized, but after they are summarized, no one is willing to do it.

Cao Hong understands the principles, not much less than others, but he still does not act according to the principles he understands, but handles it according to his habitual mode.

So Cao Hong lost again.

Did Cao Hong lose because of his courage?

No.

As a general of the Cao army, he could stay in the rear without taking risks.

So did he lose because of recklessness? No.

The overall plan of Cao Hong's battle was determined after many discussions, not a decision he made on a whim.

So should he lose because of on-the-spot command?

No.

Whether Cao Hong arranged the formation or arranged the soldiers, there was no big problem. At least he successfully ambushed the troops on both wings of Xu Chu, which can prove that Cao Hong's problem in military layout was not the most important factor in his defeat.

The most important reason for Cao Hong's failure was that his soldiers had no idea what Cao Hong was going to do!

Defeat Fei Qian?

Oh, it is a great goal.

But can it be achieved immediately?

Obviously impossible, then this goal is like a slogan hanging on the wall, no one will take it seriously. Even the official court does not care about the authenticity of this slogan.

It's just a joke, how can it be taken seriously?

If you really take it seriously, write so many slogans over the years, and really settle accounts? Isn't it stupid?

After a long time, everyone in Shandong knows that slogans are just slogans.

So when it really came to holding the position and defeating Fei Qian's cavalry, the ordinary soldiers in Shandong still thought it was a joke.

The soldiers at the bottom of Shandong didn't know what Cao Hong wanted, and Cao Hong didn't know what these soldiers at the bottom wanted.

Or, even if it was clear, it was ignored by Cao Hong...

The requirements of the soldiers at the bottom were very simple, with food, clothes, and useful things, which were the most basic needs, but these basic needs made Cao Hong very angry!

What time is it, and you are still thinking about eating?

Can't you endure it a little longer, suffer a little more, and endure a little longer, and wait for the victory to come?

Victory is in front of us, and the future is bright!

Cao Hong really didn't understand. For most ordinary soldiers, victory and light belonged to the leaders and the Han Dynasty in their cognition, but only the black cake in their hands really belonged to them.

So, just when Cao Hong thought he could endure it a little longer, suffer a little more, endure a little more, and persist a little longer, these Cao army soldiers were unwilling to persist.

Then the result was simple, Cao Hong lost again.

He had lost before, but he always felt that it was due to other reasons.

Maybe it was because the wind was too strong, or the road was too dry, or the soldiers advanced too slowly and retreated too quickly...

The interesting thing is that all these reasons and excuses are acceptable to Cao Jun.

Anyway, whether the lower class believes it or not, the above notice says so, and it seems that as long as there is a reason, it is fine. As for what the reason is, whether it has a logical relationship, or whether it is true or not, that is not the point.

Interestingly, in most cases, the rulers of Shandong will require their subordinates to have a spirit of truth-seeking, a pragmatic attitude, to tell the truth, and do practical things. Then, for some yamen or officials who have obviously had problems and discovered lies, they will never tell the truth to the lower class people.

Cao Hong did not tell the truth to his soldiers.

The reason is very simple. Cao Hong was worried that if he told the truth to his soldiers, these soldiers would not be willing to follow him to lock Yangguan.

Cao Hong was worried that his soldiers would be afraid of fighting and escape if they knew the real situation.

Shandong and Guanzhong are a political struggle.

However, it is obviously difficult to explain this political confrontation, so most Shandong officials chose not to explain it.

Moreover, Shandong has been implementing the strategy of keeping the people ignorant for many years, and people from top to bottom are used to it.

As a result, this strategy of concealment and keeping the people ignorant not only failed to strengthen the unity within Shandong, but also caused mutual suspicion among the soldiers and the people, both at the upper and lower levels.

Because they don't understand the situation, many people think that it's no big deal if they lose. Isn't it just a change of master? Maybe they can get more military pay.

Xu Chu's flank was ambushed, but the cavalry still had high morale, complete battle sequence, and even executed battle orders without fear of casualties. On the contrary, Cao Hong's flank was breached, which immediately affected the entire formation. Even if Cao Hong's center formation and another flank were basically intact, they couldn't stand!

Will is easily shaken, and the battle line collapses easily. Even if Cao Hong supervised the battle, he only held on for a while. Under Xu Chu's fierce offensive, he could only fight and retreat to Suoyang Pass.

Who would have thought that this small Suoyang Pass would become the key point for repeated battles between the two sides?

And the current situation is becoming more and more complicated...

In Suoyang Pass, Geng Lai and some cavalry soldiers were blocked in the stone fort by Cao's army.

In the outer wall and Suoyang Pass, Cao Hong was blocked by Xu Chu step by step in Suoyang Pass...

You are in me, and I am in you.

This may be the appearance of war and the form of the Han Dynasty.

...

...

So is everyone in Shandong like this?

Not necessarily.

There are still some people who are willing to take responsibility and stand up in times of danger.

But these people...

Just when Cao Hong was defeated and Xu Chu was pressing step by step, Qian Zhao led his troops to Suoyang Pass.

Seeing that Cao Hong was in a critical situation, Qian Zhao had no time to organize the queue or make any deployments slowly, but directly led his troops to attack Xu Chu's rear!

Qian Zhao knew that under such circumstances, Cao Hong would definitely not be able to evacuate calmly from the main road at the foot of the mountain under the siege of the Hussars. He had to open a road for Cao Hong. Although attacking Xu Chu's headquarters on the Suoyang Pass Mountain directly would have the effect of attacking from both sides, it would not be of much help to Cao Hong's escape.

Because once Xu Chu was blocked on the Suoyang Pass Mountain Road, it would be equivalent to blocking Cao Hong's passage down, so Qian Zhao could only choose a more dangerous tactic and march into Xu Chu's rear formation.

This means that if Xu Chu retreated, Cao Hong might still have a chance to escape, but Qian Zhao might not be able to escape from the siege of the Hussars...

Even so, Qian Zhao still attacked immediately after being discovered by the Hussars scouts without any hesitation.

Although at the beginning, there were only 500 to 600 Cao reinforcements who arrived at the battlefield, but these 500 to 600 people, led by Qian Zhao, rushed directly to Xu Chu's rear army regardless of anything, and fought with an indomitable momentum.

The screams and shouts resounded through the sky, and also frightened Xu Chu, who was preparing to capture and kill Cao Hong in the mountain road.

"Cao reinforcements?" Xu Chu frowned, "Come so soon?"

The reason why he led his army to attack fiercely was that he considered that Cao's army would have reinforcements. If he beat the slow with the fast, and ended the battle of Suoyang Pass before the arrival of Cao's reinforcements, then no matter how many reinforcements Cao came, it would be meaningless.

Xu Chu's attack on Cao Hong was indeed going smoothly, but at the same time, Qian Zhao's early arrival also surprised Xu Chu.

Moreover, Qian Zhao's attack direction was not simple. There were many wounded soldiers in Xu Chu's rear army who were injured in the first phase of the battle and were receiving treatment. They were unable to respond in time and suffered a loss. They were beaten by Qian Zhao.

This was not like Shandong's style at all. Instead, it was somewhat like the tactics of Yan Zhao in the north.

Moreover, Qian Zhao did not need to stop to adjust his troops to enter the battle state directly, which showed that at least Qian Zhao's direct headquarters was relatively strong, and there were many wounded soldiers in his rear army...

At this moment, Cao's army retreated to Suoyang Pass, and the Hussars were attacking along the route of Cao's previous attack.

This cannot but be said to be a kind of irony.

However, the corpses and blood near Suoyang Pass brought some trouble to the Hussars' attack.

Not only was the doorway blocked by the corpses of Cao's army, but the messy corpses also reduced the contact surface, so that some of the hussars could only climb up the stone wall and earth mound on the side of the mountain road, raise their heads, and suppress with bows and arrows, while some rushed directly to the wall of the pass and erected the cloud ladders in a hurry. Before the cloud ladders were stable, someone jumped on the cloud ladder with a shield in one hand and a knife in the other, and climbed quickly.

Cao's army was already a little bit overwhelmed, but the pull-up move from the bottom of the mountain restored some morale of the Cao army. So although Cao's army was still in a weak position, it was still difficult to take Suoyang Pass in a short time.

Cao Hong obviously had no way to retreat, and in this case, it was somewhat like a trapped beast fighting. Under the direct coercion of the supervisory team, the soldiers of the Cao army could only fight the hussars at Suoyang Pass.

And grenades are not very suitable at this upward attack angle. After throwing it two or three times, not only did it fail to kill many Cao soldiers on the city wall, but the grenade also bounced back, causing accidental injuries.

The two sides fought brutally on the city wall, and from time to time, people were shot by arrows, stabbed by spears, and chopped by knives, screaming, falling off the city wall, or falling to the ground. Many people lay dead beside the city wall, and blood flowed down the city wall, dyeing the wall red.

"General!" Li Li stepped forward and volunteered, "Let me go meet the enemy general!"

Although the newly joined Cao army reinforcements look very brave now, both sides know that unless there are more reinforcements, if the attack of this wave of reinforcements is resisted by the cavalry, the Cao army will still be unlucky. Therefore, as long as this wave of Cao army reinforcements is blocked, the subsequent weakness will affect the morale of Cao Hong's troops in Suoyang Pass.

Xu Chu wanted to take down Cao Hong first, and then turn around to deal with Qian Zhao, but the current situation did not allow him to do so, unless he completely gave up those cavalry wounded soldiers...

Xu Chu decided to let Li Li go to meet Qian Zhao.

After receiving Xu Chu's order, Li Li immediately led his men down the mountain road and rode towards Qian Zhao's troops.