Three Kingdoms

Although it was delayed for several days, Cao Hong's army also received subsequent support. It became more and more numerous and moved forward to suppress it, making Zhu Ling's harassment less and less effective.

Military affairs are like this.

The smaller the scale, the more important strategy and micro-management are.

It's like three spearmen fighting six dogs. It just depends on the micro control of both sides. If the micro control is good, you can even win without damage. But when the population of 200 is reached, the spear soldiers can only give a rough tug when they meet the dogs. If you continue to micromanage, you won’t be able to take care of it at all.

Therefore, when Cao Hong pressed forward with absolute force, Zhu Ling could only retreat again and again, but this was considered Zhu Ling's gain of nearly ten extra days, and it was not considered Zhu Ling's failure.

In later war movies and TV dramas, it seems that both sides have a tacit understanding to spare civilians, and there seems to be some tenderness amidst the bloodshed. However, in fact, no matter what time of war, the first to be injured must be the civilians. The people who suffer the most casualties are still the people. In every war, no matter ancient or modern, China or abroad, the people who die the most are definitely the people. I have never heard of a war where tens of thousands of presidents, prime ministers, governors, etc. die, and then the people die. A few...

So can it be said that all these wars have great contempt for civilians? Because it was these common people who died the most in the war. They died in batches. They cherished the children of the aristocratic families very much. Even if one or two died, they felt extremely distressed? What is the reason?

What's even more sad is that some people will be very angry at the records and descriptions of these things, saying that this is the recorder or the describer's malice and slander against the people! These people will not hesitate to angrily accuse the weak and vent their emotions to other people who are also weak and oppressed, but they dare not say a word to the ruling class sitting on top of their heads.

Erlang and Liu Niang are such common people.

Along with Erlang and Liu Niang, there were several of their neighbors.

Cao's army needs labor service, so it is obviously not more cost-effective to recruit it from Yanzhou and Yuzhou than to directly mobilize it from Heluo.

A campfire, a group of ragged people.

Unkempt and unkempt are just four words, but they actually represent a huge class gap.

Being glamorous has always belonged to the upper class since ancient times, while being unkempt and unkempt has always been a common feature of the lower classes.

The bonfire was not big, and it did not even have enough protection against the cold, but everyone still huddled hard and crowded around the bonfire, hoping that this would allow them to feel some warmth.

Liu Niang leaned closely against Erlang, and in her arms was Da Nan.

Da Nan seemed to be sleeping very sweetly, but in fact her face was pale. Even under the light of the campfire, she was obviously blue and white, and her lips had no color.

Liu Niang's eyes were full of worry and despair. She didn't know what to do, but she knew that if she continued like this, her child would soon die.

"ah……"

A middle-aged man huddled beside the campfire groaned again and fell asleep again. There was a large wound on the middle-aged man's arm, which was tied up with a cloth haphazardly. There was already pus and blood seeping out. It must have been touched just now, or inflammation broke out in the body, making the middle-aged man miserable.

The people were injured and had to suffer.

Just be patient and it will pass.

Either things pass or people pass.

Liu Niang, Erlang, and most of the people around them were from Heluo, and were even residents of Luoyang City back then. They were once the most proud group of people in the Han Dynasty, because they lived in the capital of the Han Dynasty. All they saw were high-ranking officials and nobles, and all they saw were goods shipped from all over the world. They had a broad vision and were well-informed, completely different from those rustic country bumpkins in the countryside.

At least that's what they thought at the time.

But later...

Those prosperity are like clouds and smoke, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

In troubled times, human life is the most valuable thing.

Even if it is the same kind of labor force, the labor force brought by Cao Jun from Yanzhou will bully the labor force recruited in Heluo.

Although it is still labor, when weak people bully weaker people, they are often more brutal.

Liu Niang shed tears silently, but there were only one or two tears, because even secreting tears requires strength, and her tears had already dried up.

If I had known they would never come back...

They were from Luoyang and were moved to Guanzhong by Dong Zhuo. Although Guanzhong was indeed good, they could not forget their hometown and always wanted to return to their roots, so they returned to Luoyang.

When they returned to Luoyang, the Yang family promoted it very well, saying that they would be given a house and land, and they could live and farm wherever they wanted. But in fact, when they actually arrived in Luoyang, they found that the house did exist, but it was dilapidated and the land was in dilapidated condition. There is one, but it has been abandoned for many days. After they gritted their teeth and repaired the house and plowed the fields, they found that they had unknowingly been saddled with a lot of debt from the Yang family and had to pay it back every year...

Now they are being held hostage again and driven to work as slaves, regardless of gender.

When the war breaks out and the butcher's knife is raised, who will care whether the pigs, dogs, cattle and sheep under the knife are male or female?

Anyway, they are killing and eating meat.

"We... might as well run away..."

Beside the campfire, a weak voice came out.

It was the same naked laborer, a neighbor of Erlang Liuniang, a young man under twenty. I once had a bright smile, but now I have a scar on my face.

That was from a whip.

Young cattle and sheep always wait until the whip falls to realize that although they have horns, they are useless and can only lower their heads and land on all fours.

"Shh..."

Another older man signaled in panic, "You can't say that!" 』

He is said to be an old man, but in fact he is probably forty or fifty years old, but under the heavy work and exposure to wind and sun, he looks like he is sixty or seventy years old. In the old man's empty eyes, there was only despair and helplessness for life, "Be careful of those people in Shandong listening... Secret reports will be rewarded..."

Although they are all common people and laborers, those laborers in Shandong feel that they have rights, obligations, responsibilities, and responsibilities, and must coordinate and manage these new laborers recruited and coerced from the Heluo area...

Just like the temporary workers in later generations of sub-district offices who didn't even have a business establishment, they could still grin and glare at other ordinary people who came to do things.

"Don't even think about running away..." the old man said in a low voice, "Yesterday, a few of them were caught sneaking away, and then they were hanged alive in front of the battle... They had their tongues hanging out... They were so miserable. Already..."

Erlang and Liuniang were trembling with fright, and everyone was also frightened.

No one wants to die.

And they are used to being submissive and patient.

The Confucian disciples of the Han Dynasty also often preached that patience is a virtue and obedience is a good person, so they thought that if you endure it and take a beating, you will get over it. Those who can't get through it are also fate!

They have never done anything bad, but every bad thing comes to them.

No one dared to talk about running away anymore and started talking about other things.

"After the war, can we go home?" 』

"It should be possible, they agreed..."

"They also promised to give money..."

"Repay the money, it will be good if you can survive!" 』

"My family was confiscated because all the food was confiscated... I still have a stutter while working as a laborer..."

"Isn't that right... It's all nice to say that when you come back after the fight, you will be given money. If you don't know who is taking it, who will give it to you?" 』

"I don't know if this level is easy to beat...will a lot of people die?" 』

"It should be possible... It's like Luoyang. Didn't the emperor open the door just after the emperor ordered it?" 』

In the past, the people of Luoyang hated those who secretly opened the gates of Luoyang City, but now they in turn hope that someone will open the doors of the Guanzhong passes and cities they face. Because they all know that this way they will suffer less and have a greater chance of survival. It would be nice if they could suffer less. As for the pain of others, they may or may not know it. After all, you want to live, right? Live on no matter what.

"After Hangu, there are Tongguan and Guanzhong... I heard that there are fierce generals stationed in Guanzhong... Do you know about the thunder a few days ago? It is said that it was used by the fierce generals in Guanzhong. When you rub your hands together, thunder will come out..."

"real or fake……"

"You must have heard that, right?" Booming... that's the thunder from the sky... If you fight against the thunder from the sky, can you beat it? 』

"..."

Everyone fell silent.

After that, there was no sound of speaking, only the faint sounds of crying and moaning...

…

…

Although there is a strategy to abandon Hangu Pass, the fortifications and other things left before are still there.

If these peripheral fortifications are not solved first, it will not be possible to get close to Hangu Pass.

On the wall, the same Han flag was flying, but the difference was that one side was the Cao family's flag and the other side was the tricolor flag.

Many of Cao's soldiers who had never faced off against Fei Qian were seeing it for the first time. They couldn't help but stare at the three-color flag. However, as the war unfolded, no one was interested in looking at the scenery.

At the Hangu Pass, casualties gradually increased.

The blood flowing from the corpse stained the ground, forming a purple puddle of blood.

When Cao Hong attacked Hangu, he kept going day and night. The dark crowd was like ants surrounding a piece of honey, layer upon layer everywhere.

One wave of offensive retreated slightly, and another wave surged forward.

During these Cao army's offensives, Erlang and Liu Niang stood numbly in a labor queue. The child was on Liu Niang's back. It seemed that she no longer had the strength to cry and was quiet.

"The hussar is dissolute and immoral, poisoning the people and dividing the Han Dynasty. Therefore, the Prime Minister is angry and raises an army to attack the disobedient people. This is for us Han Dynasty and for the people of the world, so everyone must contribute and work together to fight..."

"The hussar is not loyal to the emperor and has no regard for the country and the country. He should be punished for his crime!" You are all common people of the Han Dynasty and have been deeply favored by the emperor. Now you should repay the favor to the country and the emperor! 』

"In the army, there are orders and prohibitions, and there are seventeen cuts. You should know the golden drum. If you hear the drum, you will advance. If you hear the gold, you will retreat. Do not disobey. Anyone who disobeys the order will die!" 』

"Everyone, please remember this, otherwise you will lose your head and don't complain!" 』

"..."

Such various sounds resounded in the labor queues and coolie camps.

The petty officials responsible for publicizing these laws seemed to be very accustomed to speaking, and they were extremely proficient. They were chatting up and down without even stumbling.

The preaching of these petty officials seems to be to inform the people why they are fighting. It is also like the informing projects of later generations of large enterprises in the United States. The privacy terms on mobile phones, the standard contracts provided by the platform, and the advertising push switch on the app seem to be able to Choose, but actually don’t have a choice.

The first to die are always the least valuable untouchables.

After all, to fill in those ditches and destroy the outer fortifications, is it possible to use elite soldiers?

Definitely use the cheapest one!

Those who went to fill the trenches and dig the soil were hit by arrows, and some were injured by rolling logs and stones. Those who died on the spot were considered lucky, but those who did not die on the spot were even more painful. Only wounded soldiers have wounded barracks. These labor services are naturally not considered soldiers, they can only be resisted by themselves. Most of them died alive and then were dragged by another laborer's hands and feet, as if they were discarding waste, and were thrown into the ditch. middle.

Liu Niang was trembling. She held Erlang tightly and didn't seem to notice that Erlang was also trembling.

Watching others go up to clear Hangu's defenses one by one, the feeling was not too strong, but when it was their turn to go up, they felt endless fear, drowning them from head to toe.

Erlang said to Liu Niang: "Wait... wait a moment, you... you follow me, for the sake of my daughter, I... must survive..."

Liu Niang could only nod her head and tightly grasp Erlang's clothes with her trembling hands.

Their food was requisitioned by Cao Jun, or it could be called "borrowed". Anyway, not a single grain of rice was left. If they didn't work with Cao Jun, they would have to dig for food in the icy wilderness.

Of course, this method may be said by some people who have never survived in the winter wilderness to be better than labor, but in fact it is the same. In the Han Dynasty, the wilderness was not as safe as it was in later generations. Not only were there wild beasts, but there were also people who looked like wild beasts. Even in the homes of officials, such as the Xiahou family, as long as one was not careful...

Mr. Zhang(O_o)??

Moreover, the petty officer who came to call for labor patted his chest and promised that he would definitely have food and drink in the army. Isn't it just to use his strength?

How could a big man lie to others?

How could the Han Prime Minister lie to others?

So they believed and came.

So they couldn't find the little official who ensured that they had food and drink...

There is indeed food and drink, but not only do you have to work hard, you also have to risk your life to earn it!

Did the clerk lie?

No.

The clerk only concealed part of the matter.

Untouchables don’t need to know too much, knowing too much is bad.

Amid the urging of Cao's soldiers, Erlang and Liu Niang followed the crowd tremblingly. They didn't even have a single iron tool in their hands. They were holding a batch of pointed wooden sticks that they had made in the early days of labor.

Originally, Jiro and the others didn't know what they were doing with so many pointed sticks...

Now they understand.

Amid the roaring of war drums, crowds of people surged.

Erlang and Liu Niang could not see the front or the way forward. There were heads on the left and right, with the same confused, helpless and dirty faces, just like countless Er Lang and Liu Niang.

They were pushed forward, pushed forward by Cao Jun's soldiers in the rear.

Then they pushed more of them forward.

Because they are pushed, they push others.

Inexplicably, someone started shouting, and then more people shouted, but not towards the people who persecuted them, but towards other oppressed people like them.

Erlang raised the wooden stick, and Liu Niang also raised the wooden stick. More people like Erlang and Liu Niang also raised the wooden stick. There were four to five hundred people in a dense and dark area. He just shouted loudly and rushed forward, no one dared to look back.

Standing behind Erlang and Liu Niang, there was only a row of Cao Jun soldiers, sparse and sparse, no more than forty or fifty people in total.

The task of Erlang and Liu Niang is to fill in the trench traps and dismantle the antlers of the resisting horses.

The arrows and stones from Hangu Pass began to roar and fall...

With a bang, a stone bullet weighing hundreds of kilograms hit the ground and jumped into the crowd, leaving a line of blood.

The broken limbs and pieces of meat were scattered and fell, accompanied by the terrifying sound of fractures. The first man suffered the worst, as his upper body disappeared immediately. The fragments of internal organs of different colors in the abdominal cavity immediately flowed to the floor, and even his two legs fell. On the ground, he was still trembling, as if he was still trying to stand up.

Heart-rending screams began to sound one after another.

Erlang and Liu Niang felt their scalps numb. They subconsciously closed their mouths, trembled, and looked around in horror...

Cao's troops in the rear began to chop and beat with the handles of their spears, cursing and shouting, telling them to rush forward without stopping.

Then the crowd started to move again.

Among the arrows and stones, some people approached the city wall, and soon some black balls with gray smoke were thrown down...

"Thunder!" 』

"It's thunder!" 』

The loud noise and acrid smoke made the laborers retreat in fear.

However, Lao Yi, who was the first to escape, was the first to be hacked to death by the soldiers of Cao's army who oversaw the battle.

The bloody heads were raised high on the spears, and Cao Jun's soldiers roared, "Those who retreat will die!" 』

The bloody sword was waving.

"Hurry up and fill the ditch trap!" Dig up the antlers of the elk! 』

The severed head was thrust in front of him.

"Don't even think about quitting until you're done!" 』

The sticks and whips came down.

"Hurry up and don't dawdle, the more you dawdle, the more you will die!" 』

Punches and kicks.

"Want to die?" If you don’t want to die, do it quickly! 』

Facing the ferocious soldiers of Cao's army, Erlang and Liu Niang could only turn around and use wooden sticks to pry and dig the defenses under the passes, pretending to be digging soil to grow crops in their own fields.

A Juma was dug down, and Liu Niang had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Erlang beside her suddenly grunted and collapsed next to the Juma they had just dug out.

Only then did Liu Niang see that an arrow had appeared on Erlang's body.

The arrow pierced deeply into Erlang's body, and blood spurted out. Even if Liu Niang tried hard to cover it with her hands, she couldn't stop it.

Erlang looked at Liu Niang and seemed to say something, but in the chaotic and noisy battlefield, Liu Niang could not hear what he was saying at all. He could only tell from the shape of his mouth that he seemed to be saying "囡囡", and then Erlang His body twitched for a while and stopped moving.

Liu Niang howled and called Erlang.

But her voice was also drowned in the surrounding sounds. No one heard it, or even if they heard it, they wouldn't pay attention.

Liu Niang saw that the middle-aged man who was at the same bonfire last night was also dead.

The young man died, and so did the old man.

A falling rock flew and hit Liu Niang.

Liu Niang spurted blood from her mouth and lay on the ground in a bloody state.

When she was dying, she had only one thought in her mind: "Both Erlang and I are dead, what will happen to my daughter?" 』

Blood smeared and spread.

The sky is still very blue.

The blood is still very red.

Under the banner of General Cao's army in the distance, Cao Hong was just looking at a set of reported data and stroking his beard.

"Come here, pass on the order, the labor loss must be controlled at about 20%... Don't be too harsh, it will be useful later..."