Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 169: Changes in Yizhou, Adjustment of Northern Expedition Strategy (6K)

Liu Bei laughed.

He dismounted, walked over, helped Liu Feng up, and picked off the weeds that had been tangled in Liu Feng's hair.

"My son has suffered."

Liu Feng was even more moved by the caring words.

"Fighting for my father is my duty as a subject, and it is also my duty to endure some suffering."

Liu Bei pretended to frown.

"Nonsense! There is no suffering that should be endured."

rear.

Zhao Yun also came down from the tower ship.

Seeing Liu Bei and Liu Feng, father and son, reminiscing about the past, Zhao Yun tactfully did not go forward to disturb them.

After Liu Bei looked at him, he stepped forward and saluted.

Liu Bei praised him: "My son said that Zilong was the first to climb the Shiyang City with armor on. He was as brave as ever."

Zhao Yun said modestly: "The victory over Shiyang was all due to the planning of His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan. I just showed a little courage."

Liu Bei laughed: "Zilong is too modest. Although my son has the ability to plan, without Zilong's courage, Shiyang will be difficult to capture. I have prepared a banquet in the city, and follow me into the city to drink fine wine together."

Talking and laughing.

Everyone mounted their horses and galloped back to the city.

That night.

Liu Feng was very drunk.

It was not until noon that Liu Feng opened his eyes with difficulty. He felt a headache and a dry mouth.

The thirst after the hangover made Liu Feng's voice a little hoarse.

"Shui Shui."

Shin Suk, who had been waiting on the side, quickly brought the prepared hangover soup to Liu Bian.

咕咚
Liu Feng drank like a cow.

Only after I finished a big bowl of sobering soup did my nausea, headache and thirst ease a little.

Feeling hungry again, he grabbed the bean cake on the table and gobbled it up.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. Sister Asu has gone to get the hot food." Shen Shu said in a low voice.

It turned out that Liu Feng was drunk last night and was sent back to Prince Yan's Mansion by Liu Bei, where he was taken care of by Shen Shu and Bai Su all night.

When Liu Feng called for water just now, Shen Shu expected that Liu Feng would be hungry after he sobered up, so she asked Bai Su to go to the kitchen to get hot food. The bean cakes on the table were also prepared in advance for Liu Feng to fill his stomach.

"Is the princess here?"

After eating a few pieces of bean cakes, Liu Feng was no longer as hungry as before. He straightened his clothes and asked.

Shin Suk replied, "The princess came earlier and saw that Your Highness was still asleep. She didn't want to disturb him, so she went to the Prime Minister's residence first."

Liu Feng was slightly surprised: "The Prime Minister's Mansion? Did the princess go to look for Madam Huang?"

Shen Shu nodded: "Madam Huang was affected by the war in her early years, which hurt her body and made her unable to get pregnant for many years.

As the Prime Minister had no children and was unwilling to take a concubine to have a child, he wanted to adopt his brother's son Zhuge Qiao as his son. Madam Huang often felt guilty and sad.

After His Highness went to war, the princess accidentally learned of a good recipe for recuperating his health, and every day she would go to the Prime Minister's residence to invite Madam Huang, either to go out with her, or to send her warm tonic soup, or to comfort her with words. "

Liu Feng understood.

After sleeping in the same bed for many years, Sun Yan understood Liu Feng, and Liu Feng also understood Sun Yan.

He didn't go earlier or later, but went to look for Zhuge Liang's wife right after Liu Feng went out to the war. It must be that before Liu Feng went out to the war, Zhuge Liang came to the mansion to discuss the situation with Liu Feng, and the general and the minister became harmonious, so Sun Yan took the opportunity to get close to Huang Yueying.

There are some things that are far more effective when done by Sun Yan than when done by Liu Feng.

Zhuge Liang was a man of great loyalty and righteousness. In order to repay Liu Bei's kindness, he devoted his life to the cause until his death.

And at the same time.

Zhuge Liang also strived for fairness in official affairs, reducing the interference of personal feelings in official affairs as much as possible, and maintained a reasonable distance with Liu Feng, neither too close nor too unfamiliar.

After all, Liu Feng was not the crown prince but the King of Yan.

If the Prime Minister gets too close to the Prince of Yan, it will inevitably give villains the opportunity to slander and frame him.

therefore.

Zhuge Liang basically only discussed official business with Liu Feng and not personal matters. Even if they did talk occasionally, he was always relaxed and tense.

Liu Feng was also very clear about it.

When in a suspicious position, one must maintain one's position and be humble, so Liu Feng would not get too close to Zhuge Liang openly.

The last time I discussed the situation with Zhuge Liang, I gave up the right to coordinate the money and grain taxes of the three counties of Xiangyang, Xincheng and Yidu for the sake of national affairs rather than personal gain.

It seems to be a private matter, but in fact it is all official business.

But Sun Yan is different.

Sun Yan was not only the Princess of Yan, but also the daughter of Sun Qian, Liu Bei's former close friend in Xuzhou.

Sun Qian was also a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan and a famous official of great reputation.

Huang Yueying was the daughter of Huang Chengyan, a famous scholar in Xiangyang, and also a girl from a prominent family.

Sun Yan was close to Huang Yueying and gave her a good prescription for recuperating her body. As long as Liu Feng and Zhuge Liang performed their duties, this was considered normal private interaction between noble ladies.

after all.

One was Liu Bei's respected prime minister, and the other was Liu Bei's respected son and general. It was impossible for them to be wary and suspicious of even the normal interactions between the two sides?
"The princess has a heart."

Seeing the truth but not saying it out loud, the closeness between Sun Yan and Huang Yueying brought real benefits to Liu Feng.

Not long after.

Bai Su brought the hot food from the kitchen.

Looking at Shen Shu and Bai Su who looked tired, and thinking of Sun Yan who had gone to look for Huang Yueying early in the morning, Liu Feng felt even more relieved.

With wives and concubines like these, what more could a husband ask for?

Although the status of a concubine was very low, Liu Feng always adhered to the principle of "if someone respects me one foot, I will respect them one yard", and he would not look down on Shen Shu and Bai Su just because they were concubines.

Although Shen Shu and Bai Su were not as virtuous as Sun Yan, they were loyal and attentive enough to Liu Feng, and respectful enough to Sun Yan.

In a powerful family, this is already very valuable.

When the family is harmonious, everything will prosper.

The main meal room.

Someone reported that General Ma Chao was coming to visit.

"what?"

Liu Feng was slightly surprised.

I just got back and Ma Chao is here?
Although he had doubts, Liu Feng did not delay. He had someone lead Ma Chao to the Yage while he changed into his regular clothes.

"I will go see Ma Piqi first. You two worked hard last night. You should go and rest later."

After instructing Shen Shu and Bai Su, Liu Feng strode to the Yage.

"General Huoqi, I haven't seen you for several months. You seem to be more energetic than ever." Liu Feng laughed and greeted him.

"Your Highness's elegance and grace remain unchanged." Ma Chao also smiled.

Ever since Liu Feng resolved Ma Chao's inner knot in Chengdu, Ma Chao no longer indulged in wine and women. In the past two years, he improved his diet and daily routine while strengthening his body.

Once a person gets rid of his or her emotional knot, his or her body and mind will become happy, and the energy and spirit lost due to the emotional knot will gradually recover.

Although he was unable to recover to the state of Ma Chao in Tongguan who forced Cao Cao to cut off his beard and abandon his robe, his awe-inspiring power was still unmatched by ordinary generals.

The guests and hosts took their seats.

The servants had already served tea.

"General Huoqi is looking for me in a hurry, but has he encountered an urgent matter?" Liu Feng did not call himself "Gu", as the title would be different depending on the status and closeness of the person.

Ma Chao was holding the tea, his eyes were a little evasive, as if he was hesitant.

Liu Feng did not rush him and just sipped his tea quietly.

With Liu Feng's cleverness, he could naturally see that Ma Chao was hiding something.

Since Ma Chao didn't speak, Liu Feng couldn't urge him.

After a while.

Ma Chao drank the tea in one gulp, took a long breath, and asked, "Your Highness, I heard that when Zilong was in Shiyang, he not only fought Wen Pin and Yu Jin alone, but also took the lead in breaking through Shiyang City wearing armor?"

Liu Feng did not hide it: "General Zhao has followed my father for many years and often led the central army, so he rarely has the opportunity to make merit.

General Zhao was a humble person and did not like to compete for credit with others. Even when he was appointed General of the Southern Expedition, he felt that he was receiving the reward without any merit.

Therefore, this time, my father issued a secret decree, asking me to find some opportunities for General Zhao to make meritorious deeds. In the battle of Shiyang, General Zhao was still as powerful as ever. "

Ma Chao's tone became more anxious, and he asked directly: "Your Highness, do you have any plans to conquer other places?"

No wonder he is so anxious, he wants to make a contribution.

Liu Feng put down the tea bowl and sighed, "I do. Of course I do. But a good cook cannot cook without rice. We are short of food and grass, so we can't go on a campaign in the short term."

Ma Chao's eyes flashed with regret, and he couldn't help but sigh: "Not enough food and grass, alas."

Feeling depressed, Ma Chao poured another bowl of tea. The tea didn't make him drunk, but he himself was intoxicated, with a lonely look on his face.

Liu Feng was surprised and asked, "Why is the General of the Cavalry sighing? General Zhao is over 60 years old and is only the General of the Southern Expedition. It is understandable that he is eager to make achievements. The General of the Cavalry is second only to the General, and his status is noble. Why should he be in a hurry to make achievements?"

Ma Chao sighed again: "Your Highness, I am a general of cavalry, but I was promoted without military merit. I don't deserve the title. How can I not be anxious?"

Ma Chao knew his own limitations.

For example, the famous scholar Xu Jing was ranked as Si Tu even though he had no achievements. Liu Bei appointed Ma Chao as General of Cavalry not because of his achievements.

In addition to the early "intimidation of Yizhou and rapid capture of Chengdu", more important was Ma Chao's influence in Xiliang and the fact that he had been canonized by the imperial court.

The former can win over the Qiang and Hu to balance the influence of Cao Wei in Xiliang, and the latter can demonstrate the legitimacy of Liu Bei's regime.

If the knot in his heart still existed, Ma Chao would most likely have died of illness and would not have been in a hurry to make achievements.

Now that his knot is gone, Ma Chao is naturally unwilling to be a General of Cavalry who does not live up to his title. Instead, he wants to truly demonstrate the military merits of a General of Cavalry!

Originally, Ma Chao was just waiting for the opportunity to march north, but when he saw Zhao Yun followed Liu Feng to Jiangdong and made great contributions, Ma Chao could no longer sit still.

Ma Chao has also seen through it in the past two years.

Liu Bei's foreign strategic direction seemed to be decided by Liu Bei, but in fact it was always driven by Liu Feng.

It was the same for pushing the Southern Barbarians down, capturing Xiangfan, demanding Echeng, and capturing Shiyang.

Today, Liu Feng is the sharpest knife in Liu Bei's hand!

If you want to achieve merit, you have to follow Liu Feng!
Liu Feng lowered his head and pondered.

After a while.

Liu Feng asked, "Are the cavalry trained by the General of the Cavalry effective?"

Ma Chao sighed upon hearing this: "There is no problem with the riding training of the soldiers. It's just that the Dian horses are too small and lack impact and sprinting speed. If Your Highness wants to train a cavalry that can fight against the Cao Wei cavalry, you still have to find a way to buy northern war horses."

In the past two years, Ma Chao has been training cavalry with Dian horses from the south. However, Ma Chao, who is used to seeing tall and big horses in the north, looked down on the "weakness" of Dian horses and did not think that Dian horse cavalry could fight against Cao Wei cavalry.

"Cao Wei has blocked the northern checkpoints, so it's almost impossible to buy northern war horses." Liu Feng held his chin with his right hand, thinking and said, "As for the Dian horse cavalry, they may not be unable to fight against the Cao Wei cavalry!"

Ma Chao asked in surprise: "Your Highness, I have been dealing with cavalry since I was a child, and I have also fought against the Cao Wei cavalry. Forgive my ignorance, but I really can't imagine how the Dian horse cavalry can fight against the Cao Wei cavalry."

Liu Feng smiled and said, "Whether the cavalry is elite or not, the warhorse is not the only factor. The weapons and equipment of the cavalry are the key."

True.

The Yunnan cavalry did not have an advantage in impact combat with the Cao Wei cavalry, but they excelled in mountain mobility and guerrilla harassment.

In terms of breeding costs, it is also far lower than the war horses needed by Cao Wei cavalry.

To put it in a more vivid way: this is the difference between Pinxixi and Taoxiaobao. If the quality is not good, then the focus is on quantity.

but.

If you want the Yunnan Horse Cavalry to win by quantity, you have to equip them with a core equipment.

弩！
A crossbow that can launch a dense rain of arrows against Cao Wei's cavalry!
In the past, Li Ling once used crossbowmen and chariots to fight against the Xiongnu cavalry. Although he was defeated, he caused significant casualties. The Xiandeng Camp also used strong bows and crossbows to kill Gongsun Zan's proud White Horse Volunteers.

In the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period when there was no heavy cavalry, the lethality of crossbowmen against cavalry was terrifying.

After all, neither Wei nor Han could produce Li Shimin's 3,000 black-armored cavalry with their current national strength.

As early as when he was thinking about whether the Dian horse cavalry could fight against the Cao Wei cavalry, Liu Feng was considering combining the Dian horse cavalry with Zhuge Liang's crossbow to form a crossbow cavalry.

This is also the reason why Liu Feng was able to give the repeating crossbow model to Zhuge Liang for improvement.

When fighting against Cao Wei cavalry, they used the advantages of the repeating crossbow to make up for the shortcomings of the Dian horses in impact combat.

When fighting against Cao Wei's infantry, no matter how poor the Dian horses were in impact combat, they were still cavalry!

If the Yunnan Horse Cavalry were equipped with double-sided stirrups, its mobile combat capability would be taken to a higher level.

but.

Liu Feng had just returned to Jiangling, and he was not sure whether Zhuge Liang had improved the repeating crossbow.

"General Huoqi, please be patient. The Northern Expedition is different from the Eastern Expedition. Cavalry will definitely be deployed on the battlefield, and there will be no shortage of opportunities for General Huoqi to make merit. As for how to make the Yunnan cavalry fight against the Cao Wei cavalry, I have already made preparations."

Liu Feng made a promise to Ma Chao.

After seeing Ma Chao off, Liu Feng sent someone to deliver a visiting card to Zhuge Liang.

Whether Zhuge Liang improved the crossbow was related not only to the formation of the crossbow cavalry, but also to Liu Feng's adjustment of the Northern Expedition strategy.

Given the current situation, theoretically the best time to launch a Northern Expedition would be to wait until Cao Pi dies.

however.

Historically, the reason for Cao Pi's death was not only due to his poor health and indulgence in alcohol and sex, but also because of one key factor: centralized reforms and frequent personal expeditions.

During his six-year reign, he not only carried out drastic reforms and centralized power, but also personally led three expeditions against Sun Quan.

When Cao Cao saw this frequency, he would have to praise it and say "What a big boy".

The attendant Xin Pi once advised against it, "Now is not the time to attack Wu, we should rest and recuperate for ten years." However, Cao Pi asked in return, "Do we want to leave the enemy to our descendants to deal with?" and insisted on sending troops!

As a result, the three expeditions against Sun Quan were all unsuccessful.

Especially the third time, there were more than 100,000 soldiers and flags stretching for hundreds of miles. However, the winter was extremely cold and the river was frozen, making it impossible for the fleet to move forward. When they were withdrawing, they were attacked at night by a suicide squad led by Gao Shou of Eastern Wu, and the secondary chariot and feather umbrella were seized.

Cao Pi returned north in disgrace, feeling deeply ashamed. This battle became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

If we don't talk about his position and achievements, Cao Pi was quite dedicated to his position as emperor.

Sun Quan was already half crippled.

Cao Pi suffered a great loss in the Battle of Ruxukou with Sun Quan. Not only did he fail to completely defeat Sun Quan, he also lost Shiyang and killed Wen Pin.

Basically, there will not be a second or third expedition against Sun Quan.

As for personally leading an expedition against Liu Bei?

The biggest reason why Cao Pi dared to attack Sun Quan three times was that Liu Bei was defeated and no longer a threat, and he felt that Sun Quan was easy to bully because he had once been a vassal.

And now.

Liu Bei was alive and well, and the battles in Yizhou and Jingzhou were successively defeated by Liu Bei, and even Cao Ren was captured alive by Liu Bei.

Under such circumstances, Cao Pi would not be so crazy as to personally lead an expedition against Liu Bei without sufficient preparation.

A more likely scenario is that Cao Pi would retreat to Luoyang after the Battle of Ruxukou, deploy heavy troops at important checkpoints, and then recuperate and wait for the right time.

Without the frequent personal expeditions that drained his physical functions, without the psychological trauma of three failed expeditions and the loss of his feather umbrella and his embarrassing return to the north, would Cao Pi, who was recuperating peacefully in Luoyang, really have died of illness three years later?

the answer is negative.

If Cao Pi could die of illness, then Liu Feng would have to consider the possibility that destiny cannot be defied and the trajectory of history cannot be changed.

on the other hand.

Cao Pi is only thirty-six years old this year.

Instead, there was enough time to wait for Liu Bei to die, or for veteran generals such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong to become too old to withstand the battles.

Or in other words: Cao Pi is the one who is waiting for the right time.

Since the probability of Cao Pi dying of illness three years later is extremely small, and even if both sides remain inactive, Cao Pi may live ten or twenty years longer than in history, then Liu Feng's opportunity to take advantage of the transition from the old to the new in Cao Wei to launch a northern expedition will never appear again.

Without this favorable weather, how can we launch the Northern Expedition?
This is a question that requires deep thought.

In terms of population, economy, territory, and peace with the barbarians, when both sides were at peace, the population of Jing and Yi states, with less than 600,000 households, was far from being able to compete with Cao Pi in development.

In terms of registered household registration alone, Cao Pi did not have much advantage.

However, if we consider the special households such as hidden households of aristocratic families, farming households, and military households that were common in the north, Cao Wei had three to five times as many households as Liu Bei.

Liu Bei's population of more than 500,000 households was almost at its limit after he had conquered Nanzhong and recruited barbarians in Xincheng.

If you want to increase the population further, you have to move people to Jiaozhou or further south.

Cao Pi could also relocate other Hu tribes such as the Qiang and Hu in the west, the Wuhuan, Xianbei and the Southern Xiongnu in the north.

Even if Liu Feng had invented the curved plow earlier, it would only have improved the efficiency of farming, and the curved plow would not have enabled him to gain an absolute advantage in grain production.

No matter how you look at it, Liu Bei's side does not have the advantage to compete with Cao Pi's side in development.

If Liu Feng wants to march north to destroy Cao, he still has to take the initiative to attack!
By evening.

Sun Yan returned from the Prime Minister's Mansion.

At the same time, he also brought back Zhuge Liang's reply and a crossbow model to Liu Feng.

When Liu Feng sent someone to deliver a visiting card to the Prime Minister's Mansion, Sun Yan was talking with Huang Yueying in the Prime Minister's Mansion. Zhuge Liang took the opportunity to give the reply to Sun Yan.

It’s not that Zhuge Liang didn’t want to see Liu Feng, but that Zhuge Liang was too busy and couldn’t spare the time to see Liu Feng.

Zhuge Liang had already guessed the purpose of Liu Feng's letter of visit: it was nothing more than asking for the improvement of the repeating crossbow.

The content of Zhuge Liang's reply was very simple, so simple that there was not even a single extra word, but rather a few drawings of improvements to the repeating crossbow!

The repeating crossbow model that Sun Yan brought to Liu Feng was also the repeating crossbow model improved by Zhuge Liang.

"It has to be the Prime Minister!"

Liu Feng played with the crossbow model in his hand with surprise. After carefully looking at the improved drawing, he disassembled and reassembled the crossbow model and suddenly felt its exquisiteness.

With the improved repeating crossbow, Liu Feng could put his idea of using Dian horses and repeating crossbows to form a repeating crossbow cavalry into practice.

"Mrs. Huang was also involved in this."

Seeing that Liu Feng was obsessed with the crossbow, Sun Yan added another sentence.

It is rumored that Huang Yueying, like Zhuge Liang, is good at making clever moves.

In Liu Feng's view, the combination of Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying was like two science and engineering men and women coming together.

The reason why Huang Yueying gained the reputation of "Ugly" is probably because science and engineering girls usually don't like red makeup.

"Has Madam Huang's health improved?" Liu Feng put down the crossbow and asked.

Sun Yan shook his head gently: "Madam Huang is not only weak, but also has an old illness. If she wants to get better, she will not be able to recover without three or four years of recuperation."

Three to four years.
Liu Feng pondered for a moment and said, "Recovering your health is not a one-day job, don't rush it."

Seeing the expectation in Sun Yan's eyes, Liu Feng smiled and held Sun Yan in his arms: "Madam, you are so thoughtful. There are some things I can't do in person, fortunately, you can help me."

Sun Yan blushed, leaned her head on Liu Feng's chest, and whispered, "I am your wife, so I should be your helper."

Looking at Sun Yan's restless and shy appearance, Liu Feng laughed, picked up Sun Yan by the waist, and strode into the inner room amid Sun Yan's exclamations.

A short separation is better than a new marriage, and it is not something that can be told to outsiders.

Shangshuling Mansion.

An urgent letter arrived.

After seeing the contents of the letter, Fa Zheng could not help but sit up in shock, and then ordered his attendants: "Prepare the car!"

After a while.

Fa Zheng came to the outside of Liu Bei's bedroom.

It is called a palace, but in fact it is just a big house.

Considering that Jingzhou had experienced wars, Liu Bei did not carry out large-scale construction in Jingzhou.

The main hall was converted from a large mansion, and the sleeping palace was also converted from a large mansion. Most of the money and grain were used for people's livelihood and military expenses.

Seeing Fa Zheng, Liu Bei was surprised and asked: "Xiao Zhi came to see me at night, what's the urgent matter?"

Liu Bei was diligent in his administration and attended morning court every day.

Therefore, any government affairs that needed to be submitted to Liu Bei for approval could be promptly resolved at the morning court.

There is no need to come to see Liu Bei overnight.

Fa Zheng handed the silk book to Liu Bei and said, "It is my fault for disturbing Your Majesty. However, this matter is urgent and involves great importance. It is not appropriate to bring it up directly at the morning court."

Liu Bei was startled and unfolded the silk book.

Seeing the contents of the silk book, Liu Bei was also surprised: "Li Yan and Meng Da occupied Wudu Yinping?"

Although Liu Bei intended to order Li Yan and Meng Da to seize Wudu and Yinping, with the relocation of the capital to Jiangling, the strategic focus shifted to Jingzhou.

This is not a good thing for the Dongchuan generals who want to make achievements.

Ever since.

Li Yan, the governor of Dongchuan, met with Meng Da, the prefect of Wenshan County, Zhang Yi, the prefect of Zitong County, Wei Yan, the prefect of Hanzhong County, and Yan Zhi, the prefect of Baxi County.

Li Yan believed that Liu Bei's move of the capital to Jiangling was the right time to attack Wudu Yinping. Since everyone believed that Liu Bei's move of the capital to Jiangling was to shift the strategic focus to Jingzhou, then Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, would certainly make the same conclusion.

Attack when the enemy is least expected and take them by surprise.

Both Meng Da and Wei Yan had an urgent desire for military merit. They immediately agreed to Li Yan's proposal and agreed to jointly attack Wudu Yinping.

Although Zhang Yi and Yan Zhi did not have the same strong desire to attack as Li Yan, Meng Da and Wei Yan, they did not express any opposition and were willing to cooperate in the battle against Wudu Yinping.

Subsequently.

The counties in Dongchuan secretly gathered troops, with Wei Yan first attacking Wudu County to attract Guo Huai's attention; Li Yan, Meng Da, and Zhang Yi went through Wenshan and Zitong to launch a surprise attack on Yinping, and Yan Zhi was responsible for logistics.

Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, led his troops to provide support, but was blocked by Wei Yan. Later, Li Yan, Meng Da and Zhang Yi came from Yinping and joined Wei Yan in Jianwei to fight Guo Huai.

Guo Huai was defeated and retreated, and Li Yan then occupied the two counties of Wudu and Yinping.

After occupying the two counties, Li Yan sent someone to urgently deliver the victory report, and hoped that Liu Bei would send Liu Feng to Xincheng to lead the troops to contain Zhang He in Wuguan and cooperate with Li Yan to capture Yongzhou.

(End of this chapter)