Three Kingdoms

  Chapter 2568 Change of heart

  Cao Chun has already taken away most of the soldiers, and there are only a small number of soldiers left inside and outside Yuyang City.

In the civilian camp outside Yuyang City, the peasants who are like ants are busy, either reinforcing the camp, or repairing the equipment, the sound of shouting, beating, and the supervisor's yelling and whipping The voices were mixed together in a mess.

   Outside Yuyang City, some cavalrymen of the Cao army were cruising back and forth more than ten miles away, checking the surrounding situation, and it seemed that they also wanted to ensure the safety of this area of ​​Yuyang.

  Because Cao Chun had already taken almost all of the army away, there were actually not many Cao soldiers on duty. And I don't know if it was because of the fruitless advance that Cao Jun on duty on the city wall became scattered. They gathered together in twos and threes, chatting and basking in the sun, which should have been done three times a day. Xia Houshang, who was inspecting the city, only took a meaningful trip before sunset.

   Then, I don’t know when it started, in the civilian camp outside the city, there were gradually some complaints...

  『The army masters lie down and rest, let us work hard! 』

  『This winter itself is bitter and cold. Not only did I not get anything good with the army, but I still don’t stop now, and I still have to fight. When will I be able to count as a head! 』

  『We don’t know what’s going on in the army, but no matter how you look at it, these soldiers feel a little uneasy. Look at that lazy look, and the handle of the gun seems to be unable to be held. How can they fight? 』

  『That is, before we left the camp of the rear army, we were asked to rush to deliver food and grass, but we were not allowed to enter the camp when we arrived at the end of the field! Well, as a result, when those Hu Qi came, they died in a crash! If you die, your life is not good. If there is a pension, it will be fine. In the end, we were enlisted to work as a labor force. Death is not considered a death at all, and the family will not get a copper coin! 』

  『What you said... is true? 』

  『Why are you lying to me? If you don't believe me, ask yourself! Wang Ermazi is from Wangjia Village, isn't he just dead? Is there a pension? Not a penny! Dead in vain! 』

  『It is said that those military masters even deducted our money for salt and vegetables! We were supposed to be Sihe bean grains, half millet and half beans, but it turned out that it was all beans, which was not enough! 』

"Isn't that right, I heard that this battle is going to be difficult, so there are not many opportunities to make money. Anyway, we folks can't let out a fart, and no one will listen to it, so we should seize the opportunity and finally make money." The last one, if you look ugly when you eat it, it will be ugly...』

  Scattered discussions, of course, can't achieve any results. It just makes everyone more dissatisfied and the morale of the army becomes more slack.

In addition, Xia Houshang likes to put on a show. When he patrols the city every day, he always shows up gorgeously, er, with a banner, and looks majestic. And the people in the city look at themselves muddy, if it weren’t for winter bugs Less, not to mention a sour smell and a bunch of lice and fleas!

It feels like saving money and taking an old man’s mobile phone, gathering a number among the crowd, and taking pictures of the senior officials who came to inspect, but accidentally photographed the mechanical watch shaking out of the white shirt, the huge Hetian jade, Tens of thousands of mobile phones took pictures of themselves. Then I looked down and saw that my whole body and the deposits in the bank and mobile phone were not worth a ring on the inspector's little finger.

  The inspector smiled, his face was oily, his skin was fair, he was pregnant, and his voice was kind, "Do well, young people have to suffer and work hard..."

  There is a huge conflict between reality and propaganda, and then what should the common people believe?

  Therefore, when Xia Houshang behaved like this before the battle, the common people below were naturally angry when they saw it.

  It is not uncommon for an official to behave a little bit, but it is obvious that the common people are suffering, and then Xia Houshang still swaggers through the market with a big head and a big ear, domineering, and is always what I represent. Is it really appropriate?

  The common people are unhappy, and Xia Houshang is also unhappy!

  Xia Houshang also read some military books back then, and knew some military theories to some extent, but he just got used to living a comfortable life, and he really couldn't live a hard life. Being able to visit the former enemy in person this time, Xia Houshang felt that it was not easy for him. It was such a cold day, such a hard climb up the stairs, such a kind city tour, such an in-depth investigation, such...

   What's more, I am facing the test of life and death!

   Maybe he died on the battlefield!

  I have worked so hard, what are these untouchables thinking?

  The error in the upper and lower cognitions is getting bigger and bigger, and the sense of separation at all levels in Youzhou is getting stronger and stronger, so the people's hearts are finished like this.

  And if the hearts of the people are not together, it will not be surprising what happens.

  Up and down the city, all kinds of changes in the hearts of the soldiers and the people, of course, fell into the eyes of some people, and then passed it on...

  In a remote courtyard outside Ji County, Zu Wu was thinking deeply about a wooden figure on the table.

  I don’t know when this wooden picture was made, but it must have been there for a certain period of time anyway. The top has been rubbed out with pulp, and it looks smooth and shiny under certain light.

  Zu Wu clicked on the wooden map, kept scribbling with his fingers, murmured and murmured for a long time, but in the end he sighed, "There are not enough people..."

  He Cheng, who was sitting on the other side of the table, looked up at Zu Wu, pondered for a while, "Do you really want to fight?" 』

Zu Wu raised his eyes from the wooden map, looked at He Cheng, and then smiled, "Brother He, you are kind... Let me give you an example, if on the way, you see a beggar beside the road, Will you value him, respect him, and pay attention to him? 』

"Won't. He Cheng replied.

  『Then... what if this beggar is holding a wooden bowl instead of a begging bowl, but...a crossbow, and this crossbow is also loaded with strings and bolts, pointing at you? Zu Wu still said with a smile, "Would you still ignore it without respect? 』

  『This…』 He Cheng swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said, 『You mean…』

  『In Cao’s eyes, I am the beggar on the side of the road! ”Zu Wu patted lightly on the wooden map, “Begging for food here! Slight reprimand, but heavy execution! Why is there any respect? ! Hanoi Sima is a lesson for you and me! If we can't let him know that we still have bows and crossbows in our hands, then we can only run away like Sima! 』

  『…』Hecheng was silent for a long time, and finally sighed, "Are you taking too much risk?" 』

  『It’s not dangerous, how can it be done? ’ Zu Wu said, ‘Did the Sima family take risks? It's safe enough, why don't you get bullied to the top, let's **** and pee, and be hunted down? It's death anyway, so it's better to fight! What's the matter? Sima is gone, we still keep? 』

  『Sima Shi…』 He Cheng frowned deeply, 『Forget it, I’ll do as you said…However, it still needs to be carefully planned. 』

  『This is natural! Zu Wu pointed on the wooden map, "Our people hide here, go out from here, and then come here. In fact, the road should be clear. If we go in and then turn here, we can use the woodland to cover the traces and go on." Go back... Anyway, what do you think that Xiahou on the top of the city can do? I guess he probably locked the city gate as soon as he saw the wind and grass! It would be even better if he was in the camp! If he can be beheaded, Cao Jun will definitely lose his mind, and we will bring the head to the hussars, hehe...』

  …((^^*))…

  Yuyang.

  Cao Shang is on duty in the camp outside the city, and is responsible for taking care of these transferred civilian husbands.

  The civilian camp outside the city has a lot of chores.

  Minfu’s camp is naturally not very neat, and there are not many supplies, including tents, which are shared and do not necessarily belong to a certain queue. Every now and then, there are people sleeping in the tent, and then they are called out when the time comes, and then a new batch of civilians go in to sleep...

  In order to keep warm, the air in the tent is not very circulated, so the smell is hard to describe. Cao Shang suspected that if he was full and then suddenly got into a tent like that, he might spit it out on the spot.

  In the civilian camp, the place with the best smell is the food shed. The food shed was built by felling trees, first covered with a layer of tarpaulin, and then piled up with thick thatch, so that a drop of rain could not penetrate. Four large stoves were dug up in the rice shed, and the fire was lit, and the hot smoke was filled with the aroma of beans and rice.

  The fragrance is there, but it is not delicious.

  Beans and wild vegetables.

   No oil, no meat, even very little salt.

   Only military officers like Cao Shang can eat dried bacon. In addition to dried bacon, Cao Shang can also have a little sauce and a small jar of syrup.

   This is enough to make those folks salivate, take a look at Cao Shang's food, then take a bite, take another look, and take another bite, just like Cao Shang is beautiful and can eat.

  At first Cao Shang felt it was weird and uncomfortable, but now he gradually got used to it. He originally wanted to distribute some catering, but he was stopped almost as soon as he was about to act.

  Dividing meals to his soldiers, there is no problem with Shichang Corporal doing this, after all, they are all eaten in the same pot and spoon...

   But if it goes any higher, it is not suitable, even if it is a soldier, it cannot be divided, let alone ordinary civilians?

  It's very simple, how does Cao Shang divide it, and who does it go to? If it is divided today, will it be divided tomorrow? If the soldiers who got food today are grateful, but if they don’t get food tomorrow, will there be resentment in their hearts?

  This is one aspect, and the other aspect is that Cao Shang divided the food, and the rest of the military academy non-commissioned officers? Doesn't it make it seem that Cao Shang is glorious alone, while the other non-commissioned officers of the military academy are very selfish? If all the non-commissioned officers share the food with Cao Shang, then what's the point of the rank rewards that those military academy non-commissioned officers got from fighting their lives before?

  Since the food and other things are the same, then everyone will hang out together. Why do people work hard, even work hard?

  So Cao Shang also learned not to divide.

  Sometimes, Cao Shang feels that he is different from his original self, but he can’t say exactly what is different.

   Just as Cao Shang got off duty and returned to his tent, when he was thinking about this problem, someone outside the tent suddenly called him, saying that Xia Houshang wanted to summon him.

  Cao Shang was stunned for a moment, but he quickly put on his robe and armor. He hesitated when he raised the saber, then put the saber on the holder again, and walked out of the tent.

  Xia Houshang's guard looked at Cao Shang's body and hands, then nodded, signaling Cao Shang to follow.

  Xiahoushang's guards walked in front, not talking to Cao Shang at all.

  Cao Shang could only keep his mouth shut and followed silently.

  When he arrived at the government office in the city, Cao Shang was stopped and searched to make sure he was not carrying a weapon before he was released.

   Entering the government office, Xia Houshang's guards didn't talk nonsense, and led Cao Shang to the backyard.

  Go through the house until the back garden. There is a pavilion in the back garden, and normally, there must be a pond next to the pavilion, and there must be some rockery or something in the pond to be considered elegant, but it is a pity that Yuyang has been dilapidated for a long time, including the government office. The interior has also been smashed and burned many times, so it is very difficult for the pavilion to be preserved. As for the pond, it has long dried up and has not been repaired, and the rockery has also fallen to the side.

  The crooked rockery, half of it is clean, and half of it is stained with black mud.

  Cao Shang wondered, did someone think that there would be a secret room under the rockery where gold and silver were hidden, so they deliberately opened it? So why didn't you dismantle the kiosk? As a result, he found out before he arrived at the small pavilion that the stone slabs of the small pavilion should have been pried open. Although they were put back together now, they were still a bit awkward and weird.

   Hardly put together, can it be harmonious?

  However, as long as there is Xia Houshang, the place where he is located can always show a sense of wealth and honor.

   Xia Houshang sat in the pavilion.

  Inside the water pavilion, leather was laid, and curtains were specially wrapped around it. A brazier was lit beside it, and it seemed that some incense was burned...

  『Come, come, sit, sit. Xia Houshang smiled, and when he saw Cao Shang, he greeted him with a friendly face, "Recently, I have been busy with military affairs, exhausting my energy and energy. I have been thinking about how to win this battle and bring glory to the prime minister." , Peace for the great Han! Of course, this is also for the sake of allowing those who follow a certain family to have a good background! Now that I'm busy, I don't have time to sit and chat with you, haha, won't you be offended? 』

  Xia Houshang’s tone was kind and his attitude was kind, but Cao Shang felt his hair stand on end. He smiled unnaturally and agreed, “I am really grateful for the general’s heart-to-heart treatment!” How dare you blame the general, and violate the etiquette of the monarch and his ministers? 』

  『Is that so…』 Xia Houshang smiled, stood up, and patted Cao Shang on the shoulder pretending to be bold, 『Good! I didn't expect you to be very reasonable, that's good, good! You know, the world belongs to the big man, but it also belongs to the lord. Serving the lord and being loyal to the family is the same duty as you and me! At this point, although you and I have slightly different positions, our intentions should be the same. This is very good, very good! Don't worry, as long as you are loyal and responsible, the benefits will be indispensable to you! As long as someone is in the army for one day, you will be guaranteed wealth and honor for a lifetime! 』

  While talking and laughing, Xia Houshang actually took Cao Shang's arm and stroked it casually, making Cao Shang's hair stand on end. Fortunately, Xia Houshang didn't touch it for long, otherwise Cao Shang didn't know if he could bear it.

   Fortunately, Xia Houshang quickly got to the business, he turned around and sat down in the pavilion, and then signaled Cao Shang to sit down too. Xia Houshang looked at Cao Shang with a smile, and talked about the previous attack on the rear camp, and then asked, "Ziyuan felt that he encountered soldiers and horses in the camp... who belonged to them?" 』

  Cao Shang was stunned for a moment, "General...this, I didn't see clearly..."

   It’s not that I didn’t see clearly, but that Cao Shang didn’t know what Xia Houshang meant.

Xia Houshang coughed, as if to express something, and then said: "Before, ahaha, I also thought it was a cavalry horse, but later, ahaha, I calculated it with General Zihe, ahaha, and found that it was actually not It’s exactly like, at most it’s a little mixed, a few are hussars, most of them are ordinary horses...』

  Cao Shang exhaled, "What the general said is true. I think so too. 』

  Xia Houshang chuckled, then patted his thigh, um, it was indeed his own, "So, ahaha, these people have nothing to be afraid of!" That's right! Not scary at all! So, ahaha, General Zihe and I have made a plan... Ziyuan, let me ask you now, are you willing to capture and kill these bandits, put an end to the chaos in one fell swoop, and contribute to the lord and the great man? ! 』

  Xia Houshang had a resolute face, with a near-sacred expression on his face.

  For the master, for the big man?

  Cao Shang's eyebrows twitched twice, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

  If Xia Houshang's resolute attitude is not to others, but to himself, it may be somewhat more convincing. Cao Shang could even imagine that no matter what the plan was, it was probably for him to fight with his life, not Xia Houshang's. Therefore, if he wins, everything is easy to talk about. If he loses, Xia Houshang's status is noble, so there is no serious problem, but Cao Shang can't bear Cao Chun's thunder and fury!

   But what about Cao Shang?

   Seeing Cao Shang hesitate, Xia Houshang's face slowly darkened. He has always been used to being arrogant, and he can still maintain a modest posture in front of Cao Cao or other generals, but when he was a little cold in front of Cao Shang, he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, and immediately snorted coldly, In the tone, there was a sense of coldness coming out, "Why, are you afraid of death?" Don't dare? 』

  Cao Shang lowered his head, just like he lowered his head before. After all, as long as you lower your head for the first time, there will naturally be countless times. "Dare to die for the general..."

  Xia Houshang raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Okay, very energetic!" As expected of a big man and a good man! 』

  Cao Shang, who got the "good plan" left.

  Xia Houshang sat in the pavilion, drinking wine slowly.

   After a while, Xia Houshang put down his wine glass and sneered, "I don't even want to change my name... Hehe, how contemptuous of me is this? Ok? 』

  (end of this chapter)