Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3541 Information and Land

Surrendered, but not completely surrendered.

Occupied, but not completely occupied.

That’s the general situation…

At the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, local landlords and gentry, as well as the great families of the Gao clan, used their support for Liu Xiu to gain political privileges, and in legal terms became the assistants of local governance and the defenders of the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, due to political corruption, fierce party struggles, and the dual pressures of internal and external chaos caused by the Western Qiang and the Yellow Turbans, the trust and reliance of officials and gentry on the court gradually disintegrated.

Under such circumstances, ensuring their own local interests and privileges became the choice of these gentry and local officials. The survival of the country was no longer their focus, but their own family interests and local stability.

The combined forces of Wei Yan and Yan Rou were simply unable to control the prefectures, counties and towns they passed through, and Yan Rou's cavalry was not large in number and was not suitable for attacking. Under such circumstances, if it was just in Yijing, defense might not be a big problem, but attacking Jizhou would inevitably be a bit difficult.

If it were someone else, they would probably wait for Zhao Yun to lead the troops from the Northern Territory to the south before cooperating with him. However, Wei Yan could not sit still, especially after receiving the news that Zhao Yun had won a great victory in Liaodong, he became even more eager and thirsty.

This time, Wei Yan went north to attack other counties in Youzhou, pretending that he wanted to contact Zhao Yun, but in fact most of his attention was focused on the south, investigating the movements in the direction of Jizhou behind him.

However, Wei Yan did not expect that when he marched into the southern part of Youzhou and the counties bordering Jizhou, there was no resistance at all. The only time he saw some Cao soldiers, they immediately fled in all directions when they saw the situation was not good.

"What's the use of having such a city and such people, no matter how many there are?" Yan Rou sat there, using a knife to cut the meat off a cow bone, and said slowly, "And I think these guys will definitely betray us in the future."

"No, no, you are wrong." Wei Yan shook his head seriously, and when Yan Rou was stunned, he suddenly grinned, "They are betraying us now!"

Yan Rou paused as she was cutting the bones. "Why not kill them all?"

Wei Yan chuckled.

Yan Rou didn't get an answer from Wei Yan, but she didn't care too much. "You Han people are too complicated. I still want to return to the grassland... After this battle, I'm ready to leave..."

Wei Yan glanced at Yan Rou and said nothing.

Perhaps in the past few years, Wei Yan would have chosen to kill someone to get rid of his problems. However, as he grew older and gained more experience, his vision improved slightly under the guidance of the military academy's official report.

For a small population like a tribe or a village, whether or not there is a leader or an administrative agency is not a big problem. Because in such a population environment, most people know each other or are even related by blood. Even if there are any conflicts, they will be resolved under the mediation of the elders.

But once the population increases, people’s hearts will be scattered.

If there is a government to pressure them, they will be more restrained.

If there is no government agency, and we want to rely purely on people's self-government...

Especially in times of war, when everyone is in danger, you never know what will happen.

Of course, the most critical problem is not these, nor is it that Wei Yan does not have enough manpower, but that the people of Shandong are "used to it".

Who knows, if Wei Yan killed these officials, some people would express sympathy and regret for them!

After all, "being an official is not easy" and "the dead are the greatest", isn't it?

Therefore, before the people have established a certain concept of right and wrong, or are unable to perceive the differences brought about by different systems, most of them will be trapped in the information cocoon without knowing it.

Does Wei Yan now have the ability and time to break the information cocoon of the people in southern You and northern Hebei?

Obviously not possible.

So it’s better to keep it.

Anyway, Wei Yan was not interested in occupying these territories, nor did he have any idea about when the people in these places would change their minds. He was just more concerned about whether Cao's army would send reinforcements...

"The Jizhou guy may not dare to come, but that Cao Chun and Cao Zihe... Hehe!" Wei Yan laughed, "I don't believe that this guy can hold back?!"

…

…

The news that Wei Yan sent troops northward reached Jizhou.

It was also passed on to Cao Chun.

At this moment, Cao Chun was stationed near Quanzhou in the northern part of Jizhou.

To the north of Quanzhou is Yongnu County, and to the south of Quanzhou is Tianjin in later times. However, there was not much sediment accumulation along the coast during the Han Dynasty, so the coastline was closer to the inland.

There is a large marsh here with abundant water and grass. Here, Cao Chun reorganized the troops, resumed training, rebuilt the structure and boosted morale.

Now, the war between Fei Qian and Cao Cao has reached its final moment, which is also the most dangerous situation.

Once you fail, there is no recovery.

As part of Cao Cao's overall strategic implementation, Cao Chun felt that he had to bear a large part of the responsibility.

He can still vaguely smell the blood and fire.

He fled from Youzhou and fled south in panic with the remnants of his troops.

Cao Chun, who once looked down on everything in Youzhou, is now in the impoverished small county of Quanzhou, staring at the direction of Yanshan Mountain, and falling into deep regret and struggle. His escape is not only a continuation of military defeat, but also a profound questioning of his heart, power, and desire.

If we can win the battle in the Northern Desert...

The situation is definitely not what it is now.

The collapse from arrogance to fear seemed to happen in just a moment.

Is Zhao Yun powerful?

Are the troops in the Northern Territory strong?

Can those Hu cavalrymen who Cao Chun has placed "high hopes" on really shoulder the heavy responsibility?

Are the military academy generals stationed in various places really arranged according to their abilities, or do they just use whoever is obedient and close to them?

Before the fight started, Cao Chun was very confident.

This confidence comes from the "information cocoon".

In one's own world, one is always the boss, especially in a place like Youzhou where Cao Chun has the final say. Even if one reminds himself all the time, the so-called "destiny" drug will be born unknowingly.

When Zhao Yun led his troops and conquered Gubeikou with great force and tore through the defense line carefully set up by Cao Chun, the defenders along the way acted almost like idiots. Cao Chun was shocked to realize that he had overestimated Zhao Yun and the Northern Territory Army, but in fact he overestimated himself and underestimated Zhao Yun.

Youzhou Yuyang, Jixian, the once great ambitions were turned to dust in blood and fire.

During his escape, Cao Chun burned the supplies, even without caring that the fire would harm the people. On the surface, it seemed that he was trying to block and slow down Zhao Yun's pursuit, but in fact, Cao Chun burned his own ambitions in Youzhou. If he still had the idea of ​​fighting back in the short term, he would not have burned everything with fire. After all, if he could fight back to Youzhou, he would still need to eat...

On horseback while fleeing, Cao Chun asked himself again and again, if he had been on guard against the rebellion of the Hu people, noticed the incompetence of the defending generals, and did not condone the misbehavior of the military academy, could this disaster have been avoided?

He thought of Ju Su who used to speak very unpleasantly.

He also thought of Zhang He, who was forced away by Xiahou Shi and indirectly by him.

Everyone understands the general principles about the people’s will and the army’s will, and can talk about them in a lot of ways, but what happens in the end?

If the battle in the desert was somewhat due to sudden circumstances and being caught off guard, then the series of defeats in Yanshan and Youzhou were a microcosm of Cao Chun's own shortsightedness in politics and in the hearts of the people.

Originally, Cao Chun wanted to retreat directly to Jizhou and regroup. However, after he escaped from Jixian County, Yijing was cut off, so he had to change his original plan and take the route to Quanzhou instead.

However, Cao Chun did not realize that he stayed in Quanzhou and did not retreat directly to Yecheng, and he still did not have a clear understanding of himself. It was very simple. If he fled directly to Yecheng, although it would strengthen the power of Jizhou, that is, Cao Pi's forces, he would also lose the leadership of the remaining troops.

However, Jizhou is no longer the "cash machine" of Cao's army.

After being repeatedly conscripted by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, even the richest gentry would feel the pain.

However, this point has become a small bargaining chip for Cao Chun.

Because Cao Chun knew what kind of people the Hu people were, he was waiting.

He couldn't control the Hu people, so what about Zhao Yun? The number of Hu people under Zhao Yun's command far exceeded that of Cao Chun!

If the local gentry of Youzhou surrender the city, and then the Hu people plunder the place for money, then there is still a chance!

During his stay in Quanzhou, Cao Chun still tried to find an opportunity to fight back. He sent out cavalry to gather the remnants of the army and contact Jizhou. He also sent his elite troops to act as scouts to keep an eye on the movements of Youzhou...

Then, the "movement" that Cao Chun had been waiting for, after Wei Yan's "added" request for help, finally arrived!

Among these information, Cao Chun found what he wanted...

"Great!" Cao Chun shouted, "Bring me the map!"

The guard quickly spread the map on the table.

Cao Chun lay down, scanned the area little by little, and then stopped at a certain place.

"Yijing...Zhuo County..."

Cao Chun recited slowly and started to think.

The news that reached Jizhou and Cao Chun was actually somewhat distorted.

The biggest problem here has actually happened many times.

The decay and blurring of information during the transmission process is inevitable in this era.

Especially when facing one's own failure, it is very common to find excuses to exonerate oneself...

"Five thousand or eight thousand enemy troops? This one actually said there were tens of thousands? No, no, definitely not that many..." Cao Chun muttered, analyzing, "But there are at least three thousand... All the food and drink along the way... Haha, it's just as expected..."

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In the intelligence information, many local gentry stated that their money and grain were taken by the cavalry.

Of course, these local gentry would never make it clear whether they gave it voluntarily or the Hussars robbed it, nor would they say how much it was, and they might even increase their own losses for some purpose. It's like when an American bank is robbed, the money lost and the money taken by the robbers will never match up.

But in Cao Chun's eyes, these numbers invisibly "confirmed" what he hoped for...

The Cavalry Corps can no longer control those Hu people!

In this case, wouldn't it be...

"Great, great!" Cao Chun laughed, then pointed his finger at a certain place, "Come on! Pass the order down, pack up the equipment, and prepare to go to war!"

"..." The guard hesitated and did not move.

Cao Chun turned his head, a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, but it soon turned into a smile, "Don't worry, we are not going to attack the cavalry directly... We are going to attack their weak points! It's a bit difficult to fight them head-on, but don't you dare to cut off their food supply? ! "

The guard suddenly realized and answered loudly before leaving.

On the map, the place name that Cao Chun pointed out had two small official script characters.

Square city.

…

…

January 21st, the tenth year of Taixing.

Zhou, a gentry in Fangcheng Township, also received the news that the cavalry army was sweeping across Youzhou. He realized that the world of the Han Dynasty would eventually change.

"Master! The world is changing, what should I do?"

The old butler was trembling, and his cloudy eyes revealed his worry about Zhou's future.

Old man Zhou clenched his hands and kept counting with his fingers inside his sleeves.

This is a technique.

Each knuckle of the finger represents a certain number, just like a nine-square grid. It is said that when this technique is practiced to a high level, one can do mental arithmetic directly without the help of fingers.

He was calculating his family's money and grain.

"Open another position!"

After a long time, Old Man Zhou said in a low voice.

"Master, are you still opening it? These refugees are like a bottomless pit. No matter how many warehouses we open, they can never be filled!" said the old housekeeper of the Zhou family.

As the war spread, some people in Youzhou fled to avoid the war. Fangcheng is located east of Yijing, and to the northeast of Fangcheng is Yongnu, and to the southeast, down the river, is Quanzhou.

Therefore, there were many refugees who fled to Fangcheng.

Now these people are kept by Zhou.

Of course, what can keep the refugees is food.

Zhou’s food.

Old man Zhou raised his head and looked at the door lintel in his foyer.

On the lintel is a plaque issued by the Han Dynasty. Originally, the plaque should have been written in black on a red background, but because of the long time, and the chaos at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, it has not been cleaned up, let alone wiped from time to time, so it is somewhat dusty and looks neither red nor black.

Part of the paint surface was cracked, revealing the gray-brown base.

A spider had made a web between the lintel and the plaque, with a silk thread hanging down, swaying in the wind.

There are four characters on the plaque: "A Family of Good Deeds".

"Look at that plaque..." Old Man Zhou said slowly, "We must always live up to this..."

"Old man!" the steward whispered, "If you open it again, there won't be enough for the family!"

"It's better if it's not enough!" Old man Zhou gritted his teeth, "Let those refugees know that this is the last warehouse! Moreover, our Zhou family will accompany the refugees to drink porridge! Gather wild vegetables! Plow the fields! I will go too!"

"Old man..." The steward still wanted to persuade him.

After all, for a man of Old Zhou's age, drinking only thin porridge every day that can barely keep him alive, and doing farm work with the refugees, even if he was a little frugal, it still felt like he had stepped into the gates of hell.

"Why don't we go find the government..."

Old Zhou laughed, "Do you think the government is useful at this time?"

"This..." The manager was speechless.

"At this time, we need to rely on these filthy refugees..." said Old Man Zhou, "Also, distribute all those land deeds..."

"What?! The land deeds have to be divided as well?" The manager was shocked.

Old Zhou closed his eyes and nodded heavily, "Otherwise... when the time comes... a fire will burn down the Zhou family and there will be nothing left! If we distribute it to the tenants, it will also be in the hands of our Zhou family!"

Although it was a bit confusing, the manager finally understood it. "I heard that... the Cavalry Army has a new land policy. If this is issued, what if those ruthless guys..."

"It's okay." Old man Zhou smiled, "Do you think those guys can recognize words? Even if they can recognize words, can they understand arithmetic? Well, even if they can recognize words and understand arithmetic, how can they know the digital numbers used by the Zhou family? In the end, don't they still have to rely on us? ! After they divide it, the land deeds will be in their hands, but we will still have to collect the taxes on their behalf! When the storm is over and the world is peaceful, which family will not have some headaches and fevers, and no weddings and funerals? What else can we do when we need money? This... is the Zhou family, thrifty and frugal, and the way of passing down for generations..."

"I understand." The manager lowered his head, "I'll do it right away..."

"Wait..." Old Man Zhou stopped the manager who was about to go down, "Is the flag ready?"

"Everything is ready..." the steward gave an order standing at the door, and servants came in with several flags.

The steward unfolded the affairs one by one.

There is a big man with a black flag on a red background.

There is one named Cao, with two characters “Dong” in it, which look like two little men wearing hats.

There are also three colors of cavalry...

Old man Zhou looked at it slowly, touched it, and then sighed.

"Hey... whoever comes, remember to hang their flag... as long as these lands are still ours, it doesn't matter what flag we hang..."

The steward agreed, but hesitated for a moment and said, "Old man, if...if everyone comes..."

Before he could finish his words, the manager slapped himself in the face with his hand, "I am so confused! I am talking nonsense, don't take it seriously..."