Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 343 The Immortal Technique of Creating Something from Nothing, the Supreme Divine Man Yuan Gonglu

On the battlefield, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were locked in fierce combat. The sounds of horses neighing, weapons breaking, and soldiers roaring mingled as countless men charged forward, only to fall one after another.

The two sides fought until midday. Cao Cao thought that with 100,000 men against 60,000, he would have a great advantage, but this did not happen.

Although Yuan's army was already showing signs of decline, Cao's army was suffering casualties among its various battle groups, including military commanders, captains, and lieutenants, which led to a loss of command.

Therefore, despite having a numerical advantage, Cao Cao's army seemed to have the upper hand in the overall situation, but in the details of the battles at the grassroots level, Yuan Shao's army had the advantage.

However, Lu Xun, the real commander behind Yuan Jun's army, was skilled in deploying troops and had generals under his command such as Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, Yue Jin, and Taishi Ci who could cooperate with him in carrying out his orders.

On the other hand, Cao Cao's army, though numerous, was a mixed force of Guan Yu's Liu Bei's troops, Xu Huang's Xiyuan army, and Cao Cao's own forces.

Furthermore, due to the loss of talented individuals such as Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, Yue Jin, and Li Dian, Cao Cao lost his once indispensable generals, and his subordinates were filled with generals like Guan Yu, Xu Huang, and Wei Yan, whose backers were complex and intertwined.

In addition, the lower-ranking officers were frequently attacked by sneak attacks, which made it difficult for the government to implement its orders effectively.

Although Cao Cao's army had a large number of troops and was in a dominant position over Yuan Shao's army, they never had a chance to secure victory.

From his vantage point on the command platform, observing the battle unfold, Cao Cao, with his commanding skills, already sensed something was amiss.

Although on the surface, Cao Cao's army was steadily gaining momentum and seemed poised for victory with just one more wave, Yuan Shao's army, which was retreating steadily, seemed impossible to defeat.

Each time, it gave people the illusion that if they just put in a little more effort, Yuan's army would soon be defeated, and that once they collapsed, this battle would surely be a great victory.

But each time, Yuan Jun always managed to withstand the pressure during the final offensive, and then he would show that he was done for and that if Yuan Jun attacked one more time, he would be defeated.

Cao Cao: "."

Just then, another messenger arrived and reported:
"Prime Minister, General Wei Yan has sent military intelligence."

He said that he had already defeated Xiahou Dun, and that if he were given more troops to attack again, he would surely be able to kill the general and capture the flag, causing Yuan's army to collapse.

Cao Cao: "."

Cao Cao couldn't help but shift his gaze to another battleground. Xu Huang there had just told him that he had almost beheaded Xiahou Yuan and was asking him to send troops.

And Guan Yu, who's even further ahead, is already launching his third wave of attacks. Every time you guys swear you'll break Yuan's army with each additional wave of attacks.

"Prime Minister?"

Seeing that Cao Cao neither answered nor gave any orders, the soldiers who were in the order looked up in surprise.

But he saw that Cao Cao ignored him and instead looked into the chaos on the edge of the battle.

He frowned, pointed, and asked, "Who is this officer? Why are they not following orders to advance, but instead remaining in disarray?"

Xun You, who was responsible for helping Cao Cao coordinate intelligence from various places, hurriedly explained:
"The deputy commander of the troops here was unfortunately wounded by a stray arrow and has died."

Cao Cao was baffled. "Since the subordinate general is dead, why not let his deputy general take his place?"

When asked about this, Xun You was somewhat embarrassed. "My lord, the deputy general of that branch of the army was unfortunately killed in the chaos of battle by a flying spear, and he is no longer able to command troops."

"Flying fork?"

Cao Cao turned and looked at Xun You with some disbelief, as if to confirm the authenticity of the news.

Damn it, the two armies are clearly arrayed and fighting here, where did this flying fork come from?
Xun You replied with a wry smile.

"Not only that, besides this deputy general, there are three captains and eighteen military officers who died in the battle over there. Therefore, the military orders are out of control and there is chaos now."

You once heard that under the command of the Prefect of Guiyang, there was a general named Chen Ying, who was a hunter by trade and skilled in using a flying fork. During Yuan Shu's campaign against Jingzhou, he fought against Yuan's army as a famous general of Jingzhou. Later, when the army was defeated in Xiangyang, he surrendered to Yuan.

The one who used a flying fork to launch a sneak attack in the current battle must be this person.

Perhaps to prevent this man from leading his old troops in Jingzhou and causing trouble, Yuan Shu did not send him to Wuguan when he went north, but instead transferred him to serve as a minor military commander.

In terms of martial prowess, this man may not be of great use, but his skill with the throwing fork has been honed through years of hunting since childhood.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, his sneak attacks were almost always successful; even if he didn't hit the commander, ordinary soldiers would hardly escape with their lives.

If he doesn't come forward to fight, but instead hides in the shadows and ambushes lower-ranking officers with throwing forks, it's truly a headache.

"Skilled in using flying forks? Chen Ying?"

Cao Cao remained silent for a long time.

You claim to be a well-known general in Jingzhou, yet you don't come out to fight against generals of the same rank. Instead, you hide in the shadows and use flying forks to launch long-range sneak attacks on lower-ranking officers and even ordinary soldiers who are far weaker than you. That's something else.

"I never imagined that Yuan Gonglu would have so many extraordinary people under his command."

Cao Cao was at a loss for words, and finally uttered the phrase "extraordinary man".

"That's not all."

Besides Chen Ying, the Prefect of Guiyang also had another general under his command, Bao Long, who was as famous as Chen Ying and was also a military commander in Yuan's army.

Also a hunter by trade, he was an expert archer, capable of killing two tigers with a single shot, and almost always hit his target against ordinary people.

Xun You, with a furrowed brow, pointed to another battleground that was beginning to descend into chaos.

“My lord, look, Bao Long also shot and killed many captains and officers in that branch of the army. Fortunately, the lieutenant general and deputy general are still alive, so it did not turn out as badly as Chen Ying’s place.”

Cao Cao: “???”

He felt like he was being targeted.

No, if you two are so capable, why didn't you show it when you were fighting Yuan Shu in Jingzhou?

Why are you hitting me? Are you that strong?

Wait a minute, Liu Biao of Jingzhou used these two as generals, openly raising his banner and commanding a large army?

That's fine.

Liu Biao dragged the two of them onto the battlefield of the generals, and naturally they suffered defeat after defeat, unable to defeat anyone.

Yuan Shu sent them out as military officers, and they were able to kill enemies beyond their ranks and bully children. They were unerring and never missed a shot.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad; at worst, we could just send our own generals of the same rank to block them.

But these two cowardly Yuan traitors only dared to hide in the shadows and launch long-range sneak attacks, without even knowing where the people were.

Even if we send people to suppress them, they will probably have already fled, making our efforts futile.

Upon realizing this, Cao Cao felt his already aching head throb even more.

The only fortunate thing is that there are only two people, Chen Ying and Bao Long, who are just two military commanders. At most, they can only affect two thousand-man battle groups at the deputy general level, which is not a big deal.

However, before Cao Cao could even feel relieved, Xun You reminded him again. "My lord, I believe this matter is not so simple."

Apart from Chen Ying and Bao Long, the other battle groups were not as obviously affected as those of these two.

However, there were countless hidden weapons such as meteor hammers, throwing knives, short halberds, and sleeve darts. From high-ranking officers to lowly soldiers, many were killed by sneak attacks.

As he spoke, he pointed to another group of soldiers who were somewhat chaotic but generally well-organized.

"According to the military report, when this subordinate general casually stabbed a lowly soldier of Yuan's army to death, the soldier raised his sleeve before dying, and a hidden arrow flew out."

Caught off guard, the lieutenant was struck squarely in the face by a hidden arrow and died instantly.

Fortunately, the deputy general in charge was cautious and took over the command in time, thus stabilizing the situation.

Cao Cao was speechless. Could you even imagine? A lowly soldier with a sword and shield, on his deathbed, raising his sleeve and shooting out a hidden arrow?
Is this still a swordsman with shields and blades? Are you ranged or melee? Anyone who sees this thing would be caught off guard.
Good, good, he underestimated Yuan Jun's shamelessness. This is not only backward compatible, but also backward compatible.

There are those like Chen Ying and Bao Long who pretend to be weak to prey on those below them, hunting down military commanders and generals, and there are also those like lowly soldiers who are truly weak to prey on those above them, killing junior officers and generals.

My hands feel numb; can we even continue this war?
Cao Mengde had fought battles for half his life, and he had never seen such an army that was so unpredictable in both close and long-range combat, where famous generals and ordinary soldiers were hard to distinguish from the real ones, and where all sorts of people were hiding and taking advantage of the chaos, yet it was still able to form its own system and fight in an orderly and disciplined manner.

After a long while, having absorbed and digested this information, Cao Cao was somewhat puzzled and asked Xun You for clarification.

"It's over for hidden generals like Chen Ying and Bao Long."

Did Yuan Gonglu equip every ordinary soldier at the grassroots level with ranged weapons like hidden arrows?
Even if Huainan is the wealthiest place in the world, it can't withstand such expenditure, can it?

It's important to understand that low-ranking soldiers are merely expendable resources in a major battle. Even if you equipped them with hidden weapons like sleeve darts, the investment would still outweigh the returns.

After all, what kind of accuracy and mindset can ordinary soldiers have? If you equip them with these, they might just shoot their hidden darts from afar in the first charge to save their lives, which would be a complete waste.

Instead of spending money equipping them, it would be better to use it to recruit more soldiers for attrition warfare.

Therefore, the lower-ranking soldiers had very low armor rates, let alone extra equipment; most of them were just issued a spear and charged forward.

However, Xun You's expression gradually became somewhat strange upon hearing Cao Cao's assessment that Yuan Shu was wasteful and extravagant.

"You did not inform the lord of these chaotic situations at the grassroots level before because he was investigating this matter."

This truth was only revealed during the interrogation of several captured Yuan soldiers.

He sighed, a hint of admiration in his expression.

"My lord, Yuan Shu doesn't spend money."

These hidden arrows and concealed weapons were not issued to Yuan Shu's soldiers, but were purchased by Yuan's soldiers themselves from the Hall of Merit using merit points.

Therefore, among Yuan's soldiers, it was impossible to predict who possessed concealed weapons and who did not, making the situation extremely unpredictable.

Cao Cao frowned. He had heard of merit points before, but they were probably just a kind of military merit system that Yuan Shu was promoting under the pseudo-Han regime.

But after hearing Xun You's explanation, he became even more confused.

Even if Yuan Shu rewarded his soldiers with points based on their merits, these hidden weapons did not come out of thin air.

His creation of these concealed weapons, both in terms of raw materials and craftsmanship, was equally costly.

A single battle is manageable, but if a campaign drags on, with tens of thousands of soldiers expending resources daily, even if the emperor enjoys the wealth of the entire land, such relentless militarism cannot last.

"My lord, he is not only able to endure, but also has an inexhaustible supply, and he can fight until the Han Dynasty is destroyed."

Xun You's eyes were filled with astonishment and longing, and his words were tinged with bitterness.

"My lord, there is something you do not know."

Yuan Gonglu distributed merit points to the craftsmen and workers who made these hidden weapons.

Yuan Gonglu purchased these weapons and concealed weapons from the producers using merit points, and then sold them to Yuan's soldiers for even higher merit points. Yuan's soldiers then used these weapons and concealed weapons to kill our troops and generate merit points.

The entire system circulates continuously, and in this process, Yuan Gonglu doesn't need to spend any money or supplies, nor even merit points; he even earns some.

Cao Cao was dumbfounded!

What kind of magic is this, creating something from nothing?
Rumor has it that Yuan Gonglu obtained Zhang Jiao's Taiping Heavenly Book, learned the divine powers of immortals, and has become a celestial Dao Lord, a supreme saint and god. Is this true?
Cao Cao felt somewhat confused.

Yuan Shu didn't spend a single penny from beginning to end, but he still earned merit points. Then, all of Yuan's soldiers were armed to the teeth, and his 60,000 men fought back and forth against his own 100,000 men until now.
However, he quickly discovered the flaw and questioned Xun You.

"What do you mean? Does this merit point system issued by Yuan Gonglu mean that it can be exchanged for rice?"
Otherwise, if we use this to appease the craftsmen, how will they make a living?

Xun You shook his head and sighed, "In the Hall of Merit established by Yuan Shu, there is a limit to the amount of rice that can be exchanged, which is far from enough to support people's livelihoods."

However, it is rumored that the powerful families of the pseudo-Han regime are acquiring large amounts of merit points every year in order to compete for the title of one of the top ten families.

Those who were vying to become Yuan Shu's permanent adopted son, or who coveted a certain treasure in the Hall of Merit, would also make purchases.

Therefore, these merit points, though not money, were more valuable than the Wuzhu coins, which were produced in large quantities due to the chaos of the times.

The artisans could exchange merit points for rice and grain from the powerful families, while the powerful families could exchange merit points for privileges and political status under the puppet Han regime from Yuan Gonglu.

You heard that the new and unusual items that Yuan Gonglu added to the "Taiping Kaiwu" every year, as well as the salt and iron monopoly of the pseudo-Han people, all required the status of one of the top ten aristocratic families to be eligible to apply for a sales authorization from him.

The profits involved are unimaginable, which is why the annual competition among these ten great families results in fierce battles that leave them bloodied and bruised, thus solidifying the value of merit points in circulation.

The more Cao Cao listened, the more bewildered he became.

Is it truly a magical art of creating something from nothing?

The so-called merit points were simply something Yuan Gonglu fabricated out of thin air; they were something that did not actually exist.

But why is it that this "non-existent" thing could circulate perfectly in the pseudo-Han Dynasty, even forming its own cycle, and almost rivaling the status of replacing the Wuzhu coin?
Xun You bowed deeply and refused to rise, saying, "My lord, what we have seen is merely the tip of the iceberg of the false Han dynasty."

Yuan Gonglu is no longer the same as before. What we are facing is not some pseudo-Han regime, but a brand new era like the Qin Dynasty after Shang Yang's reforms, which swept across the six states.

If you stand in his way, you'll be reduced to ashes if you're not careful.

Yuan Gonglu was a reform genius who pioneered an era, much like Shang Yang, and should not be underestimated.

"My lord, you should consider this carefully."

Cao Cao remained silent for a long time.

At this moment, when he looked up again at the small, chaotic, or disorganized battle groups in the details of the battlefield, he finally understood why he had always had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

If Yuan's army is full of soldiers equipped with hidden weapons, then if this battle continues to drag on, the great dike will eventually be breached by an ant hole.

As long as Yuan Jun maintains this precarious situation and holds on until the lower-level officers are thoroughly corrupted by successive assassinations, Cao Cao's army will be defeated.

(End of this chapter)