Xiaoqi

Wei State itself does not produce war horses, and there are no grasslands and pastures. The war horses needed are purchased at high prices or captured from the Western Jin army.In order to make up the [-] horses needed by the Southern Han Dynasty, Cao Ren, Cao Chun and other generals carefully selected for two months, keeping all the good horses for themselves, and taking out the old, sick or disabled horses to share with them. South Han exchange.It was hard to get enough [-], but something went wrong tonight, the number of war horses was not enough, so they had to use good horses to make up.This is like cutting Cao Ren's heart, it hurts him so much that his heart is bleeding!

And all this is caused by black bumps.According to the report from the gate guard, the cavalrymen under Zhao Yun's tent threw things only the size of fists, like a small wine jar weighing a kilogram, and the mouth of the bottle was tightly plugged with oilcloth; the dark iron lumps hit the wooden posts of the fence with a bang. , It will catch fire when it touches the fire, and it will explode when it catches fire.Cao Ren had just seen the wooden piles that had been blown up by Heipidao. The power was not great, and the destructive power was not as good as the kerosene jar thrown by the thunderbolt chariot, nor could it be as powerful as the huge impact of the stone.However, when this thing exploded, it made a loud noise, like a thunderbolt. The sound of the explosion scared the defenders who were ten steps away, and they trembled. Those who were timid were scared to death.

In addition, when this thing exploded, it produced a huge vibration, and it was easy to catch fire. Sparks splashed everywhere, and the black powder left in the iron shell adhered to the stake. bigger and bigger.

Cao Ren had experienced many battles and was well-informed. After hearing this thing, he immediately realized that this thing was definitely a siege weapon.Although the power is not great, the vibration produced by the explosion is very large, and it can make a loud noise, which has a super deterrent effect on war horses.Fist-sized black bumps can easily capture the Yuanmen. If the number is sufficient, it can even blow up the city wall, or even a section of the wall, making it easy for the siege army to enter the city and win the victory.

Realizing the great role of the black lump, Cao Ren was even more eager to know what the black lump was used in Zhao Yun's army, and whether Cao Chun had captured such a thing during the pursuit.As long as there are ready-made samples, relying on the ingenuity of many scribes in the Wei state, they can be imitated in less than three months, and then equip the entire army to improve combat effectiveness and provide a strong guarantee for the next joint Southern Han crusade against the Western Jin Dynasty.Even, without joining forces with the Southern Han Dynasty, the Northern Wei Dynasty alone could defeat the Western Jin Dynasty, thereby capturing the states and counties of the Central Plains under the Western Jin Dynasty in one fell swoop.

Thinking of this, Cao Ren couldn't help but grabbed Cao Chun's collar, and asked eagerly, "The black lump is what Zhao Yun broke the camp tonight. Have you ever seen it?"

Cao Chun shook his head blankly, and gave Cao Ren the answer he didn't want to hear: "No. From here to the east gate of Kaifeng City, along the way, except for the corpses of soldiers patrolled by our army at night, the grass is clean. , without the black bumps you mentioned."

"Ah! How did this happen?" Cao Ren loosened Cao Chun's neckline in great disappointment, with a look of disappointment on his face, his eyes blankly staring at the flickering wilderness, and ordered indignantly: "All officers and men obey the order, Search for me! From Yuanmen to the city of Kaifeng, every plant, tree, and stone must not be spared, no matter what, you must find black bumps for me!"

Cao Chun was quite surprised when he heard the words, and his eyes showed disapproval, but he didn't speak, and he didn't raise any objections in public.This was because he could tell that his elder brother had made a real move this time, and he attached great importance to the new siege weapon used by the enemy general Zhao Yun.

"Brother, what should our army do next?" Cao Chun asked softly, and immediately changed the subject: "At present, our army's camp has been destroyed, [-]% of our food and supplies have been lost, the infantry in the front battalion suffered heavy casualties, and the enemy general Zhao Yun There are still nearly [-] troops stationed in Kaifeng City at this moment. In addition to the successful sneak attack tonight, the enemy's morale is bound to be greatly boosted. In this way, with the existing troops and horses in hand, the enemy general Zhao Yun can hold on to the city for at least five days, or even more. Long. I wonder if my brother has a good strategy to defeat the enemy?"

Sure enough, Cao Chun's words made Cao Ren wake up from his anger, and then the anger on his face quickly faded, replaced by an inscrutable and tricky smile: "Don't worry, Zihe, at most an hour, I will be able to attack Kaifeng City; at that time, we two brothers can have breakfast together in the city. Hehehe!"

"Oh, why is that?" Cao Chun was surprised when he heard the sound, and asked suspiciously, "Could it be that elder brother expected that Zhao Yun would come to rob the camp tonight?"

Cao Ren smiled quite complacently: "No, I didn't expect that Zhao Yun would dare to go out of the city to rob the camp in the face of our army's heavy siege. Take a moment to breathe. So two hours ago, I ordered Zhu Ling to lead the [-] soldiers from the headquarters to detour to the south gate of Kaifeng, and raid the city gate at the third watch. Now it is the third watch, and General Zhu Ling must have succeeded in the sneak attack "

Chapter 248 Drive the tiger and devour the wolf ([-])

Outside Hangu Pass, beside Jingshui Lake.

The evening breeze blew gently, and the green willows hanging on the lake swayed gently, stirring up a circle of ripples and stirring up a pool of still water.

In the gazebo on the east side of the lake, Li Li was wearing a dark yellow dragon robe, standing in the pavilion with his hands behind his back, staring intently at the circles of ripples swayed by the weeping willows. Dissipated and merged into the clear lake water again.Li Li watched the whole process repeatedly from the beginning to the end. He watched it with concentration and peace of mind.

It was already the third day when the war broke out in Sili, and as the sun set, three days had passed quietly.

As of now, the front army of the Western Jin army has arrived in Luoyang, and the central army will also be stationed in Luoyang tonight. Only the rear army is behind, and it is still a hundred miles away from Luoyang, and it will arrive at this time tomorrow.

Li Li is in the rear army. This is the first time since he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor. Although it is not the first time to lead an army, it is the first time that he will lead an army to fight against Sili again as an emperor. It is of great significance and influence. profound.In the past, he could quietly lead the army out of the city, and then personally lead the central army, and even act as the vanguard of the army, leading the troops to the front line first.But this time he couldn't do that. The change of identity made him bear a lot of seemingly insignificant but necessary burdens.

First of all, there are many etiquettes and ceremonies before the expedition.The emperor had to pay homage to the ancestral temple, meet the elders to listen to his instructions, and then deal with the government affairs. He must carefully select the civil and military ministers who stayed in the capital, and properly arrange military and political affairs.If necessary, a prince should be selected to sit in the court.These are all essential etiquette and matters, and none of them can be sloppy.Don't be careless at all, let alone deal with it hastily.What must be dealt with is in an orderly manner, and it must be meticulous, comprehensive, and leak-proof.

Secondly, the royal conquest must have the majesty of the emperor's presence in the world, and he cannot leave the city quietly. He must inform the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty in advance.The civil and military officials who stayed behind in the capital were responsible for preparing for the oath ceremony, and wrote about the many evil deeds of the Southern Han and Northern Wei countries, and listed the crimes of the rebels.After that, he went up to the altar to swear an oath, and issued a crusade in public to announce it to the world.Only in this way can we win the understanding and support of the common people all over the world. Only then can we be the teacher of the kingly way and the teacher of justice, and use the kingly way to fight against the vassal kings and traitors.

Finally, the emperor's expedition is different from the general's expedition.Usually the vanguards of the former army set off in advance, opening roads and building bridges in the mountains; the Chinese army followed closely behind, checking for possible dangers along the way.Eliminate potential threats and build Xingyuan (palace) for the emperor.The rear army is where the emperor drives, and he needs to take a luan ride for hundreds of miles out of the city, so as to establish the majesty of the emperor in the hearts of the people along the way.Demonstrate military might.If it is not necessary, the emperor can't easily go out on horseback, even on the way to the battle or even in front of the two armies.Everyone should take a Luanjia, so as to demonstrate the supreme majesty of the Ninth Five-Year Supreme.The demeanor of a king who dominates the world.Perhaps, the so-called grand finale of later generations and the one in which important figures finally appear on stage.That's how it evolved.

Li Li didn't like this, he didn't like mobilizing people, and he didn't want to spread it everywhere so that everyone in the city knew it, so that those who had sons or husbands who joined the army had nothing to worry about, and lived in fear and fear all day long.But the proper etiquette and ceremony must be experienced, because he is the emperor, and every word and deed is an example for the tens of millions of people under his rule and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.If he doesn't obey the rules, how can he ask others to obey the rules?

This is the emperor's supreme authority and unspeakable helplessness.Whether you like it or not is one thing, but whether you do it or not is another. Not liking it doesn't mean you don't do it, and liking it doesn't mean it's feasible.Imperial power is the symbol of the emperor. While restraining others, it also draws a framework for itself. If others must do it, you must act as an example for all people, be willing to be a model for all generations, and take the lead in doing it; not only do it, but also But also to do the best, good enough to be impeccable.

Of course, these are all things on the table. The emperor's privileges are both noble and helpless in the face of these major events, and everything must be done beautifully and almost flawlessly. And for.The rules are formulated by him, and he is also the No.1 of the practical rules. It is not so easy to be the watch of all people and the model of all generations.How can you order others to be upright if you are not upright?

Precisely because of the constraints of many rules and regulations, although Li Li has repeatedly emphasized that no publicity, no extravagance and waste, no effort to mobilize the masses, and that the army must be assembled as soon as possible, but in fact, there are many etiquettes and ceremonies that should be included. again.After a lot of tossing, he was two days behind the departure time of the lieutenant general, and he didn't make it until yesterday evening.Since it was a night march, Li Li stepped out of the Luanjia after he left the city, changed to the Golden Beast King Rider Xingye and led the army to gallop, and did not arrive at Hangu Pass until an hour ago.

After arriving at Hangu Pass, Li Li did not choose to camp in the pass, but continued to lead his army forward, and rushed to the Jingshui Lake to set up camp before sunset.

Jingshui Lake was Yuan Shao's masterpiece during the First Sili War.A large pit that killed nearly 20 troops was excavated in the vast wilderness. After the war, there was a small man-made lake here. There are water inlets and outlets at the north and south ends. , into the Luo River.Due to the small entrance and exit, the lake is very calm and the water is clear, just like a huge mirror. People standing on the shore can clearly see themselves, even if there are a little stains or freckles on the face, it is also clearly visible, so it is called "Still Water Lake".

The mountain forest to the northwest of Jingshui Lake is the largest mausoleum in the Western Jin Dynasty, and it is also the resting place of more than [-] Xiliang soldiers who died in the first Sili war.Right now, this is the only cemetery for the army of the Western Jin Dynasty. Only soldiers who died in battle are eligible to be buried here. Civil officials are not included in this list, so they have no chance to be buried here.In the past ten years, more than [-] soldiers have been buried here one after another. Many soldiers are buried together. There is only one grave, but their names are on the tombstone.

When the Western Jin Dynasty was founded, Li Li once personally led civil and military officials to pay homage, and he personally did the tomb-sweeping in the spring. He spent two days cleaning the tombstones of more than a hundred generals and covering the tombs with new soil.This time leading the army to fight against Sili again, he put the Xingyuan here obviously for a great purpose, reminding the soldiers not to forget that there are more than 20 warriors sleeping here, don't forget the painful lesson of the Battle of Jizhou, and remember not to repeat the same mistakes.This is not only a wake-up call to the soldiers, but also a self-reflection of his own.One general is incompetent and exhausts the three armies to death, even if the general is like this, let alone him, the commander-in-chief of the entire army?

In the face of major events, you must be calm, and listen to the thunder in a silent place.Sitting on the bank of Jingshui Lake, facing the huge cemetery in the mountains and forests in the northwest, Li Li's heart was extraordinarily peaceful. Many thoughts and distracting thoughts that had been lingering in his heart disappeared, and his mind was clear, just like the lake in front of him, calm and calm , Occasionally, a circle of ripples will disappear, and the state of mind is unprecedentedly peaceful, and it is integrated with the still water lake in front of me, clean and free of dust and carefree.

The sound of light footsteps came into the gazebo and drifted into Li Li's ears. He didn't turn his head, his body remained motionless, but he already knew that the people who came were Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang, and Li Ru who was following them more than ten steps away.

"Your Majesty is indeed here. It was a while ago for me to find it. I turned around the shaft three times but I couldn't find His Majesty. It was Kong Ming who reminded me that I knew that His Majesty was here to enjoy the cool." Walking lightly behind Li Li, the three of Guo Jia originally Not wanting to disturb Li Li's contemplation, but seeing him waving his hands to signal to sit down without looking back, Guo Jia immediately said with a light smile without any scruples.

Hearing the sound, Li Li turned around, turned around and walked to the east seat beside the stone table, and said with a smile, "It's not that exaggerated, I just want to be alone, and I didn't mean to hide from you. There are no outsiders here. There is no need to exchange pleasantries, you can say whatever you want, and there is nothing wrong with your words."

"Your Majesty is wise." Guo Jia and the others complimented with a smile.Immediately Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "I wonder how your Majesty is feeling today?"

Li Li laughed dumbly and said: "It doesn't matter whether you are in a good mood or not. What should have happened or should not have happened is already a fait accompli. Only by facing it calmly can we solve the problem." At this point, Li Li paused for a while, with a serious expression on his face. The smile quickly faded, and he said seriously: "The three of you came together, there should be another major event, and it will be extremely harmful to our army. I guess right? It's okay to say it, I'm not as fragile as you think."

Guo Jia and the others nodded upon hearing the sound, confirming Li Li's conjecture that something big had indeed happened.Immediately, Guo Jia handed the letter in his hand to Li Li, and reported respectfully: "This is the latest battle report submitted by the Luoyang camp. It said that the Jingzhou army captured most of the counties under the jurisdiction of Nanyang County in three days. , and came to the city at noon today, and besieged Wancheng from the east, south, and west, and is currently attacking the city. General Bocai made a statement, claiming that the Wuwei Battalion has been prepared to stick to Wancheng for a long time, and has the confidence and ability to complete the tasks assigned by His Majesty The mission is to hold on to the city for at least half a month. This is the news of the Southern Han army's march.

At the same time, the latest battle report from Henan County also arrived.Two days ago, General Zhao Yun sneaked into Cao Ren's camp at night. Although he did not complete his efforts, he inflicted great damage on Cao's army, causing more than [-] casualties to Cao's army.However, at the same time that Zhao Yun led the army to rob the camp, Zhu Lingze, the general under Cao Ren's account, led the army to attack Kaifeng's south gate, and succeeded in one fell swoop, trapping more than [-] soldiers in the city on the towers of the east gate and north gate.

At that time, more than [-] cavalry under General Zhao Yun entered the city almost at the same time as Zhu Ling's army, and immediately started a fierce battle in the city. Unexpectedly, Cao Ren led his troops to rush there, encircled Zhao Yun's army on all sides, and trapped Zhao Yun's army in the city.The battle lasted for an hour. At dawn, Zhao Yun led his army to break through the siege. In the end, only more than [-] cavalry broke out of the siege. General Xia Houlan was beheaded by a young general of the Cao army. General Suigu was shot by seven arrows and was seriously injured. Still rushed out. "

Chapter 249 Driving Tigers and Devouring Wolves ([-])

Guo Jiadao: "After the fall of Kaifeng City, General Zilong led his army to retreat to Zhongmou. Unexpectedly, Wei General Cao Chun led the tiger and leopard cavalry to chase and kill them all the way. After almost following the Wushuang cavalry, they entered Zhongmou City and fought again with Zhao Yun's Wushuang cavalry. After repeated fierce battles, the Wushuang cavalry battalion suffered heavy casualties. If General Zilong hadn't been so brave, led his troops to fight hard and repelled Wei general Cao Chun, the entire Wushuang cavalry battalion would have been wiped out.

After the war, Zhongmou County fell again after Kaifeng City. General Zilong led the remnants out of the city and arrived in Luoyang two hours ago.According to the news from the Luoyang camp, after two days and two nights of fierce fighting, only [-] Wushuang cavalry survived and returned to Luoyang alive.In addition, General Zilong fell into a coma after returning to the city, and there were more than ten wounds all over his body, the longest wound was on his back, which was more than a foot long, and the bones could be seen deep. "After speaking, Guo Jia's heart was very heavy. He was worried about Zhao Yun's injury and deeply regretted the huge casualties of the Peerless Cavalry.

The Wushuang Iron Cavalry under Zhao Yun's tent is an iron-blooded force that has experienced countless battles. It is also one of the cavalry camps that Li Liqi started. Its prototype is the warriors of the Tuge tribe led by Dian Wuxia.As Dian Wuxia withdrew from the army and Wushuang Iron Cavalry was reorganized, Zhao Yun was the first chief general to lead the army for ten full years so far.This cavalry battalion fought from the Western Regions to Liaodong, and was able to preserve its organizational system in the disastrous defeat in Jizhou, and then moved to Yizhou to follow Zhuge Liang to conquer the Southern Man in the west.

Who would have thought that such an elite cavalry that had experienced many battles had gone through countless difficulties and obstacles, and made it to today through ups and downs.In the end, it was destroyed by Cao Jun's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.Thirty thousand war cavalry were lost in one battle, which can be described as traumatic.The elite are exhausted, even if the soldiers are replenished and reorganized.I'm afraid it will be difficult to restore the previous strong combat power.Therefore, the unparalleled iron cavalry has lost its former glory, and I'm afraid it can't support the name of "Wushuang".

Perhaps because of his grief, Guo Jia was silent for a while, and then added: "However, Cao Jun also paid a huge price for this. Aside from the nearly [-] casualties in the camp robbery, Cao Jun almost paid The casualty price was the same as that of the Peerless Iron Cavalry. Nearly half of the [-] tiger and leopard cavalry led by Cao Chun suffered casualties. Lieutenant Cao Yu was beheaded by General Zilong, and even Cao Chun himself was wounded by General Zilong. In addition, Zhu Ling's [-] soldiers and horses who attacked Kaifeng City also suffered more than half of the casualties. Zhu Ling and Suigu were both injured in the battle, and they were also seriously injured.

Therefore, the unparalleled cavalry severely damaged Cao Ren's army at the cost of 3 casualties, causing Cao's army to lose twice as many troops as the unparalleled cavalry.At present, more than half of Cao Ren's 10,000+ army has suffered casualties, and they are temporarily stationed in Zhongmou City to rest; if there is no follow-up reinforcement, Cao Ren would not dare to lead his army south.Currently facing a dilemma. "

After listening to the battle report relayed by Guo Jia, there was silence in the gazebo, except for Li Ru and Zhuge Liang's slightly heavy breathing, there was no other sound.

Li Li looked up at the cemetery directly opposite the gazebo expressionlessly.Slowly shift from the cemetery in the north to the general mausoleum in the west, and fixate on the mausoleum under construction halfway up the mountain.After a long while, he murmured quietly: "The mausoleum is being built in the mausoleum of the general in the west. In a few days, the old brothers who followed me to fight the world from Wuwei County will live in it. They will be buried here forever. Time flies, inadvertently More than ten years have passed. I am in my thirties, but I often feel nostalgic, miss the brothers who lived and died together, miss the old days of drinking and talking, and even miss those old friends who are already lying in the mausoleum."

Zhuge Liang comforted softly: "Your Majesty, don't blame yourself. Since ancient times, it has been the death of Wen and Wu. People have to die. As long as they can do what they like when they are alive, even if they die, they will have no regrets. What's more, this time Sili His Majesty did not strictly order the generals to fight to the death and not to retreat. Instead, he told the generals in advance that if they can fight, they can fight. The war was underestimated, if you want to be held accountable, it is also the responsibility of the ministers and others, and has nothing to do with Your Majesty."

Li Li shook his head slightly and sighed softly: "I didn't kill Boren, but Boren died because of me. I am the supreme commander of the whole army and should be responsible for the war. I cannot absolve myself of the blame for the death of a famous general." At this point, Li Li's voice paused, then his tone changed, and he said in a deep voice, "However, people always die in wars. The earthen pots are always broken by the well, and the generals will inevitably fight. The casualties of our generals in this battle of Sili are the highest in all previous battles. This war is far from over, and now it is just the beginning. The Southern Han and Northern Wei countries jointly attacked us in the Western Jin Dynasty. Now they Occupying a certain advantage, our army has lost one after another, but these are only temporary victories, and it is still unclear who will win the battle next."

After a pause, Li Li looked at Li Ru and asked, "Has the news of the death of the two generals Tie Gu and Huan Yi been notified to the whole army?"

Li Ru didn't know why Li Li suddenly mentioned this matter, and immediately said in a distressed voice: "Your Majesty, I am worried that the two generals Huan Fei and Yin Ji will delay the battle, so I haven't informed them yet. The general already knows."

Li Li was not surprised at all when he heard the words, and said in a deep voice: "In a few days, the bodies of Tie Zhu and others will be brought back. At that time, there is no way to hide it. Therefore, there is no need to hide it from them. Tell them the truth. Otherwise, they will definitely put this account on your head, and they will think about it again."

"No, my minister obeys." Li Ru replied respectfully.

Li Li nodded slightly, then put the matter aside, and said in a deep voice: "This time, we have decided to lure the snake out of the hole, luring Liu Biao of Jingzhou and Cao Cao of Jizhou to take the lead. Constant failures, and paid a huge price for it. Now half of the success of leading the snake out of the hole, the next step is the most important thing, but the fiasco like Deng County and Kaifeng City cannot happen again, otherwise we will not lead the snake out of the hole, but It is lifting a rock to shoot yourself in the foot, setting yourself on fire. I wonder what countermeasures the three of you have for this?"

Guo Jia then replied: "Since the Three Kingdoms, our Western Jin Dynasty has been the champion, and the Southern Han and Northern Wei dynasties have coexisted. Neither of them can confront our Western Jin Dynasty head-on. There are millions of strong soldiers and we can do nothing to them. If we compare the Western Jin Dynasty to an elephant, then Cao Cao in the Northern Wei Dynasty is a fierce tiger. Although Liu Biao in the Southern Han Dynasty has the strength of a tiger, he does not have the courage of a tiger. Therefore, he can only be regarded as a tiger. An old wolf king. If these tigers and wolves can't hide, elephants can't do anything to them. Therefore, if we want to eliminate them, we must first draw them out.

But once the tigers and wolves jointly attack, the elephants will not be able to hold back, and they may be seriously injured or capsized at any time, even endangering their lives.Therefore, the plan for now is to drive the tiger and devour the wolf. Cao Cao in the Northern Wei Dynasty must be severely injured so that he does not dare to act rashly; after the tiger is contained, we will be free to kill the hungry wolf in the Southern Han Dynasty. "Guo Jia explained the mystery in one word, pointing out that leading the snake out of the hole is only the first step, and the second step is to drive the tiger and devour the wolf.

As soon as the voice fell, Zhuge Liang said in a respectful voice: "The plan to lure the snake out of the hole is only halfway through. If the two countries withdraw their troops at this time, everything we have done before will be in vain. If the tiger and the wolf get together, our Western Jin Dynasty will also suffer backlash, and it is very likely that we will be defeated by them. Therefore, now is the critical moment to determine the outcome, and it is also a watershed for the success of the strategy of luring the snake out of the hole. It forces us to be cautious with every step we take, neither light nor heavy, and we must grasp the scale. If the counterattack is too light, it will definitely boost the morale of the two countries, making them more unscrupulous, open and close, and it is very likely Complete the covenant and join forces successfully; the counterattack is too heavy, and if it hurts them, it may cause the snake heads they just protruded to retract.

Therefore, the situation we are now facing is very serious. We must not only avoid too much loss for ourselves, but also not let them retreat. We must let them see the hope of success, so as to lure them step by step into the position we have prepared. In the middle, driving tigers and swallowing wolves, changing the situation of the world in one fell swoop, laying the foundation for the competition in the world in the near future. These words revealed that Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia were the instigators of the strategy of driving away tigers and wolves. They were chess players. At this time, the chess game had already unfolded and the situation was unclear.