Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3534 New World

After the Dan Shui city gate was captured, Cao's army was thrown into chaos. Niu Jin was unaware of the situation and didn't know how many cavalry troops had come into the city. After a little futile resistance, his formation was broken by the defeated soldiers. He fled in panic, all the way south along the mountain road, and only stopped in Shunyang.

After arriving in Shunyang, Niu Jin and Cao Kai who came to support them finally figured out the truth of the matter and were immediately furious.

So what?

Just for a meal?

Can't these guys have some backbone?!

If Niu Jun had known that these soldiers would turn against each other over a meal, he would have at least given them something to eat!

When Cao Ren received the news that the grain transport team was missing, he realized something was wrong and immediately sent Cao Kai for support. However, he did not expect that no matter how fast he rushed, he was still a step too late.

"General, I checked in Xiangyang, and the accounts did include this grain and grass..." Cao Kai said to Niu Jin, "But now, there is no point in saying more. It is better to think about how to resist the Hussars!"

Niu Jin was also embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.

If he keeps harping on the issue of food and fodder, it would seem that he is trying to shift the blame onto Cao Ren. But the problem is that if he just lets it go, who knows if similar problems will arise again in the future?

In fact, it’s not like Niu Jin has never seen this method before, where the money is just used to pay the bills but the real goods are not delivered. But before, it was used to deal with some foreign generals, and they deducted 30% or 40% of the money, or sold inferior goods as good ones. But this time, even he was fooled, which was really...

I feel like crying but I have no tears.

Seeing Niu Jin's expression, Cao Kai didn't know what to say, so he changed the subject, "The cavalry brazenly marched out of Wuguan, which is a violation of the emperor's order and an act of treason! We are a righteous army, and we will win this battle!"

After comforting Niu Jin, Cao Kai left some food and soldiers behind and turned back to Xiangyang.

Niu Jin was silent.

What else can he say?

Not holding him responsible for the loss of the elixir water and allowing him to continue leading the troops in Jianyang was already a lenient treatment!

only……

Cao Kai's words...

Why!

Feeling that he cannot win now, he took out the imperial edict and the righteous cause, but who the hell would really care about this thing in the current situation?

It's just that the General of the Cavalry had always obeyed the orders of the court, so...

Um?

Niu Jin suddenly had some insights in his mind.

When he was in Danshui before, didn't he also think that Cao's soldiers could endure hunger? Wasn't it because Cao's soldiers had been enduring hunger before?

It's like the landlord class has been exploiting the serfs all along, and suddenly one day the serfs stopped working, and the landlord class was still wondering, what's wrong? Isn't it always like this? It worked before, why doesn't it work now?

But Niu Jin couldn't tell Cao Kai this. He had lost the Danshui, and his soldiers' equipment was incomplete. He might not be able to hold on to Jianyang for long. He could only prepare as much as possible and ask Cao Ren for help again, otherwise he couldn't guarantee how long he could defend.

Moreover, he had been defeated once before, and now he was defeated in Danshui. If Jianyang was defeated as well, it would really be...

When he thought of the bleak future, Niu Jin became worried and sighed.

He found that the world seemed to have suddenly become unfamiliar to him...

It's like a new world is coming.

And he is not ready yet.

…

…

Not only Niu Jin but also Shamoke was not ready.

The setting sun was as red as blood, dyeing the reed marsh at the mouth of Wuxi River red.

Shamoke squatted on the river bank, guarding the ferry crossing.

The sword he was holding was deeply embedded in the mud and sand.

There were already many gaps on the sword, and some gray blood color, which could not be washed away even by the river water.

The body that floated down from upstream was stuck between the reefs, and the tattoos on the skin that had turned white from being soaked in the river water became more and more glaring.

Behind him was the pass leading to the interior of Wuxi.

Shamoke had promised that he would be the first to fight and the last to retreat...

He said it and did it.

But not everyone does what they say.

"My lord, the people from Black Tiger Cave have hijacked our grain carts!"

The blood-covered scout shouted in grief and anger.

They were resisting the Jiangdong soldiers, but the "friendly forces" behind them not only did not support them, but took advantage of them to rob them.

When the news spread, the soldiers of Shamoke's tribe roared in anger.

betray!

Unforgivable betrayal!

Shamoke looked at the smoke rising from the opposite bank and suddenly remembered a full moon night a few months ago.

At that time, the leaders and elders of each village and village sat around the campfire and discussed how to march into Jiangdong. Everyone was excited and swore that they were all one family and that all Shanyue people were one...

On Shamoke's armor, there seemed to be blood marks drawn by the leaders and elders of the various villages and clans at that time...

Now those vows have all dissipated with the wind, leaving only Lu Meng's warships looming in the twilight.

The sound of the bronze drum on the cliff suddenly became rapid.

Shamoke grabbed his weapon and rushed to the pass, where he ran into a dozen people from a small tribe who were fighting over the little food left. They shot their own people with poisoned arrows and pushed weak old men and women off the cliff, just to grab half a bag of corn.

"Ah ...

Shamoke wielded his sword angrily and hacked to death several defeated members of the small tribe.

However, the people of the small tribes did not stop, instead they aimed their poisoned darts at Shamoke!

The tribesmen of Shamoke rushed forward and blocked the blowpipes...

"Why?!"

Shamoke roared.

The tribesmen from the small tribe fell down, blood flowing from their mouths, but their eyes were fixed on Shamoke, "It's all your fault... It's all your fault..."

Shamoke's knife dropped to the ground.

His face was a mixture of anger and confusion that was difficult to dissolve.

"I...was it me who did this?"

…

…

Shamoke's tribe was eventually defeated.

No one can hold on under such circumstances, not even Shamoke himself, who is extremely brave.

Shamoke’s inability to hold the pass meant that Lu Meng had won a complete victory.

This battle of the Shanyue people could be called an uprising or a rebellion, but in the end it was like a colorful soap bubble, which burst into thin air with a snap.

The failure in battle and being hunted down by Lu Meng were not the most painful things for Shamoke, but the betrayal from other tribes, those stabs in the back!

When Shamoko led those guys to eat and drink and conquered one Han county after another, the leaders of those tribes all called Shamoko their god general, the master of the future, the guiding light, and the star in the sky...

At that time, everyone was praising Shamoke, and everyone was shouting "The King of Shanyue!"

However, the good times did not last long.

The disorderly occupation, wanton waste, and unrestrained looting eventually led to the war that Shamoke had gathered for, and it eventually turned into a sand tower, which collapsed immediately when it encountered the impact of a flood.

After Gu Yong arrived, they could no longer attack, but they were still unwilling to retreat, so Gu Yong seized the opportunity to launch a major attack...

Logically speaking, when it came to this point, they should have packed up their bags and run away, but there were still some people who were unwilling to give in, thinking that it was only a temporary failure and that they still had a chance. But then Lu Meng came and was even more brutal than Gu Yong!

Shamoke tried to persuade them, but they were unwilling to listen. But now, they put all the responsibility on Shamoke!

These guys fled crying, and the first thing they did when they came back was to announce that Shamoke was not a divine general, not a king, and that he had failed their expectations and must take full responsibility for their failure!

They even instigated their men to rob the Shamoke tribe of their food and supplies.

Because the tribes directly under Shamoke still had some knowledge of moderation and reserves, and under Shamoke's control, they did not waste so much, so in the later period, the tribes directly under Shamoke still had some food and grass supplies...

But it was this very point that was slandered by other tribal leaders and elders as being Shamoke's private collection!

Defeated all the way.

From Wuxi Water, escape to Wuxi Mountain.

Lu Meng went into the mountains and killed and captured people for a while, but he didn't dare to go too deep into the mountains. He showed off his power in Wuxi for a while, and then retreated...

The war has come to an end, and needless to say, the casualties were heavy.

Regarding the betrayal of other tribes in the final stage, the people in Shamoke's directly governed tribe were of course furious and wanted to settle accounts with other tribes, but Shamoke stopped them...

It doesn't make sense.

If we use a knife to reason, someone will die.

Moreover, his directly subordinate tribe does not have an infinite population.

After much thought, Shamoke finally figured it out.

It’s not like the other tribes don’t know right from wrong…

The other tribes were so obedient before, not because they were really willing to be under his command, but simply because they could gain benefits by following Shamoke.

These guys usually live in the mountains and have no concept of hierarchy at all.

Now that they have suffered losses, the tribal leaders of the village have pushed the responsibility onto Shamoke in order to shirk responsibility. In this way, they have become victims in their own tribe...

Shamoke understood, but it was too late.

If he had not made the trip to Sichuan, Shamoke might have been very confused about such a situation, but now he could understand why these guys failed, and he also knew why Zhuge Liang told him with a smile when he left Sichuan that if there were any problems that could not be solved, he could come back and ask him.

After much deliberation, Shamokes' first decision, after settling his tribe, was to discuss with his men that he was going to make another trip to the Han territory!

And this time he is not only going to Sichuan, but also planning to go to Chang'an!

He is going to study!

The current Wuxi Man system is no longer suitable, but Shamoke does not know how to build a new Wuxi Man structure, so he can only learn!

Jiangdong is not so easy to conquer. Perhaps they can capture one or two counties, but as the territory expands, they will face various problems, and these problems are the weak links of Shamoke and his men.

If this problem cannot be solved, then even if Shamoke unites with other tribes again, the result will not change. If he wants to unite the tribes and advance and retreat together, he must have long-term planning and common goals, which requires a completely new system.

The Shanyue barbarians simply don't have these things.

The weapons of the Jiangdong Army were better than those of the Shanyue Army, and their personnel organization efficiency was higher than that of the Shanyue Army. The Shanyue Army could only fight in the mountains because of their familiarity with the mountains. Once they stepped out of the mountains, their advantage turned into a disadvantage, and failure became inevitable.

Shamoke convinced the other people in his direct tribe. After all, he had been to Sichuan once before and had indeed gained some growth. Now it seemed that there would not be any big problem for Shamoke to make a second trip.

But unlike the last time when there were only a few people there, this time Shamoke brought a team of dozens of people...

Shamoke’s idea is very simple. If he learns alone, it is only the amount for one person. If there are dozens of people, then even if not all of them can learn new knowledge, but with dozens of people, they will learn more than him alone, right?

So Shamoke led these people over mountains and across rivers, following the road they had taken before, heading towards Zigui.

Towards their new world.

…

…

When the whole world seemed to be stirred by the events caused by Fei Qian, Fei Qian in Tongguan was like the center of the storm, observing the movements in all directions in the calm.

Everything that seems to happen suddenly actually has its traces...

In Chang'an, as the Cavalry Army began to prepare for a counterattack, some people began to emerge.

"Forgive others when you can" is a relatively harmonious statement. Similar statements include "Why do brothers have to fight like this?". The more disgusting one is to put out the emperor's edict again, saying that Fei Qian's attack on Shandong was "overstepping his authority and treason"...

The news was immediately delivered to Tongguan by the Youwensi. When Pang Tong heard about it, he was furious and almost mounted his horse back to Guanzhong to strangle these long-tongued dung maggots.

Fei Qian stopped Pang Tong.

In the Han Dynasty, tracing the origin of rumors was not an easy task. Not only did it require mobilizing the people, it also required a lot of manpower and material resources, and it took a long time.

"My lord, are you going to let these maggots gossip about you?"

Pang Tong was still a little angry.

This is easy to understand.

When Cao's army was attacking Guanzhong before, these guys were all silent. Now that they see that the cavalry has the upper hand, these guys started talking about forgiveness and brotherhood.

Such obvious bias is simply an insult to people's intelligence.

Relatively speaking, Fei Qian is much calmer.

This is not only because Fei Qian has a good attitude, but more importantly, this kind of thing is too common in later generations...

"This plan is actually not bad..." Fei Qian smiled, "Haha, Shi Yuan, you are impatient..."

Pang Tong was stunned, then sat down with a gloomy face. After a moment, he let out a breath, "My lord is right... I have miscalculated... This plan is quite vicious... If it weren't for my lord's reminder, I would not have noticed it..."

Fei Qian smiled and said, "I know what you are anxious about... Why do you have to do this? The world is so big, and although Shandong is indeed the cream of the crop, you are a hero and should understand the true meaning of the great way. I have said many times that it may be okay to conquer with this, but if you want to govern the country, you are not good enough. I once said that the governance of the Han Dynasty should have the three elements of "emotion, reason, and law". Did Shi Yuan forget it?"

Pang Tong's face changed, he pinched his chin and thought again and again, then he sighed dejectedly and bowed to Fei Qian, "Alas! I am indeed biased... Seeing that the great achievement is about to be accomplished, I am in a state of anxiety..."

Fei Qian looked up at the sky, remained silent for a while, and then slowly said, "I have thought deeply about this. Now that I am in charge of Shandong, I should put reason first."

Pang Tong closed his eyes and thought for a long time, then suddenly sighed, "If this is the case, I'm afraid it won't be tolerated."

"The key to governing a country is to get the right people." Fei Qian said slowly, "Now we have brave soldiers, enough to prepare for war, but it is difficult to govern the people..."

This is a very realistic problem. Even if Fei Qian has supernatural powers, he cannot solve it completely.

Fei Qian does have quite a few generals under his command who can handle things on their own.

But only one side.

Fei Qian himself felt deeply touched.

Without Pang Tong's assistance, filtering, and processing, the documents accumulated in Guanzhong during this period would not only fill up his desk, but would also seriously hinder Fei Qian's arrangements for other matters, especially his thinking on the overall strategy.

Therefore, even those generals who can act independently need relevant assistance.

Of course, the middle-level military academies can also be used. For example, in Guanzhong and Longyou, there are many retired soldiers serving as grassroots officials, but there are also many problems. After all, these soldiers are used to being straightforward on the battlefield. When they return to the local area, not all of them have enough patience to deal with trivial matters. Sometimes they are too straightforward and either kill this or chop that, which easily leads to problems in punishment.

For example, in the army, the first-time offender of theft would be punished with twenty military sticks, and sometimes forty military sticks. The next offender would be beheaded.

Regardless of the size of the item, or its value.

Because in the military, comrades need to coordinate operations and cooperate tacitly. If a thief steals chickens and dogs around you...

Therefore, most punishments in the military are very severe.

When these retired soldiers returned to the local area, they sometimes forgot the difference between the local area and the army, and killed those who committed crimes in one fell swoop...

Want to talk about specific regulations?

In the three prefectures of Guanzhong, the area closer to the political center, the laws and regulations are indeed more comprehensive. In places like Longyou, you may not see any villages after walking for a day or two, and some people may never see outsiders in their entire lives. The so-called laws and regulations are almost empty words. When the inspection comes, the law is enforced by force. If the inspection does not come, there is no law.

Under such circumstances, it is easy for some inspections to become more personal...

Therefore, what Fei Qian said about using soldiers to "make it difficult to govern" civil affairs is indeed true.

But what does this have to do with the current discussion?

Pang Tong frowned and rolled his eyes. He vaguely understood Fei Qian's meaning, and Pang Tong even felt an unusual sense of familiarity in his heart...

Is this the feeling...

Pang Tong took a breath and looked at Fei Qian, "My Lord, this...isn't it another trap?"

Pang Tong suddenly understood something. After all, there seemed to be not many people who could quietly stir up some waves in Guanzhong nowadays...

Fei Qian smiled and said, "How can you say it's a trap? This is a new world..."