Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 98: Farming is the End
April 18th, early morning.

"Father, the state military officer has sent in the battle report." Sima Shi walked into the tent clutching a roll of military reports and handed it to Sima Yi.

Sima Yi took the battle report, opened it and looked at it quietly. It was hard to tell whether he was happy or sad.

"Father, did we win?" Sima Zhao, who was following behind Sima Shi, asked anxiously.

Sima Shi was only twenty years old at the moment, and had not yet developed the kind of calm and restrained internal strength. At this time, he was staring at Sima Yi with burning eyes.

The Sima family had strict education, and the two brothers did not dare to go to their father to read the military newspaper together, but they really could not help themselves.

Sima Yi pondered for a long time before handing the military report to Sima Chengui: "We lost."

Chen Gui and all the generals in the tent were stunned.

This time when attacking Wuzhangyuan, although the General of Cavalry only asked Zhou Tai to test the enemy's strength, in fact, most people were hoping for a lucky strike and hoped to succeed in one go.

After all, everyone believed that the Shu army was scattered and the Wuzhangyuan army was empty, and Zhang He had failed in a surprise attack once. The Shu army would surely think that the Wei army would not dare to come again and be caught off guard.

Everyone quickly finished reading the military newspaper, and everyone had a frown on their face. Some were upset, some were angry, and some sighed.

"Lord Sima, the Shu invaders are victorious but not arrogant, and they fight steadily and cautiously. It seems that they are indeed difficult to deal with." Sima Chen Gui of the Cavalry Mansion sighed.

Several other conservatives in the account also nodded.

They had to march a long way, send troops deep into the enemy's territory, and split their forces into two groups, north and south, across the Wei River.

However, the Shu army near Chang'an did not seem to have become arrogant as the General of Cavalry had imagined, and did not take the initiative to leave the camp and invite an attack.

The Shu army on the other side of Wuzhangyuan did not act as the General of Cavalry had expected. Because they had learned from the previous experience of Zhang He's failed surprise attack, they did not prepare any equipment for the Wei army.

The so-called stability and invulnerability are just this.

General Le Fang cursed directly, "What do you mean by 'victory without arrogance, steady and cautious'? To me, it's clearly just relying on the advantage of the terrain.

"When Wei Ping and Zhou Dang had successfully led their troops onto the low plateau, who could have imagined that the Shu invaders had hidden an ambush somewhere?
"If this were on the plains, this would never happen!

"With the elite of our army, even if the Shu invaders' numbers were doubled, they would still be no match for the Wei!"

Hearing this, General Zhang Te also said angrily:

"The Shu invaders' so-called consecutive victories are nothing more than scheming and scheming. If they dare to engage our elite Wei army in a battle on the plains, they will be defeated!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many generals in the tent agreed.

They had been in Chang'an for more than ten days. They had rested and recuperated, and were a victorious army with high morale. They were eager to fight, but the Shu invaders were like turtles and refused to leave the city to fight them in the field.

The attack on the enemy's base, which was thought to be a sure success, also failed. The Shu invaders were not moved at all and even suffered a defeat.

However, the cavalry commander Chen Gui, who always preferred to play it safe, said:
"It's not just the geographical advantage; the Shu invaders are not simply hiding in hiding and not fighting.

"You must know that since the Shu invaders also had heavily armored soldiers guarding the entrance to Xiegu Valley, the Shu general could have directly stopped the Tiger Soldiers led by Wei Ping at the foot of the plateau.

“But the Shu general pinned down this heavy and unusual force, remaining motionless, creating the illusion that they were unable to defend the plateau.

"After Wei Ping, Zhou Dang, and Jia Xu joined forces and climbed onto the plateau, we launched a surprise attack, forcing Wei Ping and his men to retreat and fall back to the plateau. This caused the state army to return in defeat.

"Otherwise, if the Shu invaders had deployed all their forces on the defense line early in the morning, there would still be more than 6,000 soldiers under the command of the state army who had not yet participated in the battle.

"Once these six thousand men join the battlefield, how can the Shu invaders not be defeated?"

The Zhoutai battle report stated that it had been discovered that the Shu army had few elite soldiers and many weak troops, and that almost all of the elite soldiers were on the plateau. Those who were guarding the passes and dangerous places on both sides of the sloping water showed signs of fatigue after fighting for more than an hour.

If Wei Ping and his men had not been defeated in Yuan Dynasty and their morale had not been shaken, perhaps they could have delayed the battle a little longer and fought a little longer.

Chen Gui continued, "As for the conspiracies and tricks you all mentioned... Warfare is all about deception. What's wrong with using strategy to win?"

After saying this, the cavalry Sima sighed inwardly.

The Shu invaders were not arrogant, but their team that had just defeated Meng Da had many arrogant soldiers.

Fortunately, most of the casualties in this battle were laborers and slaves, as well as the defeated soldiers of Linghu Yu and Xiahou Bao. Zhou Tai suffered less than two thousand casualties, and the Jingyu army was not seriously damaged.

Several radical generals were angered by what Chen Gui said, but as he was the Sima of the Cavalry, who was in charge of the military affairs of the Cavalry Mansion, they could not say much.

General Xue Ti looked at Sima Yi and said, "Lord Sima, Zhuge Liang's army of tens of thousands passed Jieting yesterday morning and will probably enter Guanzhong tomorrow.

"Since our army is stationed outside, divided into the north and south, and even attacking the enemy and then rescuing them is not enough to lure the Shu invaders into battle, there is no point in staying here any longer. Should we return to Chang'an and wait for them to tire themselves out?"

Sima Yi shook his head and said, "How can it be useless? Since the Shu invaders dare not attack, our army will dig deep trenches and build high fortifications.

“It will still take Zhuge Liang seven or eight days to get here, and another four or five days to recuperate.

"By then, my camp will be well-fortified, and the food supply route to the Wei River will be cut off. If Zhuge Liang wants to attack Chang'an, he will have to seize this camp by force.

"I have the advantage of terrain. Why can't I use this camp to defeat them a few times and dampen the Shu invaders' morale?"

Sima Yi had the confidence to set up camp here. First, the place he chose to set up camp and build fortifications was very narrow, less than a hundred steps away, so the camps on the north and south sides could provide support quickly.

Secondly, there is a huge reed marsh on the west side of the South Camp, which is a natural barrier for the Wei South Camp and can even hide soldiers. The Shu army cannot see the real situation and dare not attack from Weinan.

So, although it seems very dangerous to send troops deep into this place, at least it seems very safe to Sima Yi.

If Zhuge Liang did not have the courage to attack at all costs, then the next step would be to see who between Wei and Shu could have more food to last longer.

If we really attack at all costs, once we reveal a flaw, he will be defeated!

The mouth of the inclined valley.

After Liu Chan returned to Wuzhangyuan yesterday, he did not rest on the plateau, but came directly here to provide routine post-war rewards and compensation to the troops.

From dusk till dawn, I did some insignificant work.

It would be hypocritical to say that I am not tired or bored at all.

If we do the same thing too often, say the same words too often, and see the same death too often, the human instinct of laziness will gradually emerge, and we will gradually get used to the passing of life.

Fortunately, as a time traveler, he has two thousand years of history with countless holy rulers and incompetent emperors as examples. He at least knows what kind of king is good and what kind of king is bad.

However, the education he received and the values ​​he developed in that other world made him feel awe and guilt for these casualties even though he had gradually become accustomed to the uncertainty of life and death physically.

All you can do is probably work hard, perform hard, show the attitude of a wise leader in front of the surviving soldiers, and tell them that you have followed the right person.

Men are attracted to many things, such as money, women, power, achievements, fame, and men who can lead them to obtain these things and achieve success.

After Liu Chan finally finished encouraging and providing compensation to the soldiers, Deng Zhi also finished counting all the casualties and spoils from yesterday's battle.

A total of 320 Han soldiers defending the Xiegu Pass were killed, more than 500 were slightly injured, and 82 were seriously injured.

As for the beheading, it's a bit scary.

Two thousand armored soldiers were beheaded, sixteen thousand wounded and captured, over seven hundred civilians were wounded and captured, and as for the dead, over twelve hundred could be counted, many of whom were buried in the trenches or drifted away.

The blades of the weapons in the hands of the soldiers were bent or broken.

Almost every elite soldier on the front line changed three or four weapons.

There was also a frontline officer who was eight feet tall and was called Ji Ba Chi Long Xiang Lang. It was said that he changed twelve swords and spears in one battle.

Naturally, no one has counted the exact number of these damaged weapons.

They were directly collected together and sent to the ironworks on Wuzhangyuan for remelting.

If we had not fought to support the war and seized a large number of weapons and armor from Cao Zhen and Zhang He, we would probably not have been able to fight in the short term.

After all, this is just a detachment. In addition to the low quality of the soldiers, its weapons and equipment are not as sufficient as the prime minister's main force in Longyou.

However, after this battle, more than 3,000 leather armors and more than 1,000 iron armors were seized.

Deng Zhi and Yan Zhi also seized a hundred sets of heavy armor this time. After removing the damaged armor plates and using the intact ones to repair them, they had ninety sets that could be used. However, Liu Chan had mixed feelings about this matter.

The good news is undoubtedly that these hundred sets of heavy armor can make the Han's "blade" thicker and sharper.

But the price was that 48 of Deng Zhi and Yan Zhi's personal guards were killed, and of the more than 300 soldiers killed in this battle, at least 200 fell near the small section of the defense line that was broken through by these 100 heavily armored soldiers.

This kind of iron can that is invulnerable to swords and guns was really intimidating in the era of cold weapons. If it were replaced by some troops with poor quality, they would probably flee if they suffered one or two hundred casualties.

Deng Zhi did not directly respond with a hundred heavily armored Longxiang Lang, but chose to use his personal guards who had been favored by him for many years to fight, using his personal guards to stabilize the morale of the troops on the front line. I don't know how determined he was.

But the special force that was reserved did play a decisive role. This is probably what is meant by "a kind heart cannot support an army."

Liu Chan, accompanied by several clerks, found the 48 comrades-in-arms of Deng Zhi and Yan Zhi and questioned them one by one according to the list of casualties.

Ask them how bravely they fought on the battlefield, how many enemies they killed, whether they have any last words, how their family situation is, and whether they have any difficulties.

After recording all this, Liu Chan returned to Deng Zhi and said, "Mr. Deng, I intend to find a separate place for these forty-eight soldiers to erect tombs and memorials. When the time comes, I will send them home."

Deng Yangwu, who had already turned fifty this year, felt his beard tremble slightly as he bowed deeply to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I, Deng Zhi, thank you on behalf of the soldiers!"

Liu Chan hurriedly helped him up.

In fact, except for the heavy casualties in the first battle, it was impossible to have separate tombs and had to be buried in a group.

The soldiers who died in the following battles were all buried separately with separate tombs and memorial plaques.

Most of the cards are written by Liu Chan.

But there is a high probability that their bodies will never be able to return to their hometown.

He was buried without even a coffin and could not be dug out for almost seven or eight years.

The wooden plaque in front of the grave cannot withstand wind and rain and will become unrecognizable after a while.

In the end, it will still be impossible to tell which grave buries which heroic soul.

By that time, most of their families had already let go and forgotten, and it would be even more difficult for them to have the manpower and resources to move a corpse thousands of miles away.

In the afternoon, Liu Chan issued an oral order to slaughter all the seriously injured and dying war horses.

He also selected a hundred donkeys and sheep from the livestock previously seized from Zhang He, cooked them all into meat soup, roasted them into roast meat, and served them to the soldiers as a feast. Even the laborers were given a bowl of soup.

April 19th.

Liu Chan finally ended his visit to Xiegukou to reward and comfort the troops, and returned to Wuzhangyuan with 500 light cavalry.

The five hundred tiger cavalrymen he brought from Chengdu lost more than two hundred men in the first battle with Cao Zhen, which was a very serious loss of personnel.

So he asked the Qiang King Yang Tiao to select a hundred trustworthy elite Qiang cavalry for him to supplement the Tiger Cavalry.

In fact, many of Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were carefully selected from the Wuhuan cavalry and the Xiongnu cavalry.

The Qiang warriors were naturally willing and excited. This was also the first promotion path opened by Liu Chan for the Qiang warriors.

Feelings and loyalty can be cultivated slowly through rewards.

After more than two months of working together, the two hundred Longxiang Lang led by Liu Chan and Zhao Guang have developed a strong "emotional bond". It can be said that they have successful experience and are not worried about not being able to train the Qiang people.

It's nothing more than being familiar with the Qiang people's behavior and customs, and then taking advantage of the situation and doing what is right.

Liu Chan was already very familiar with this process.

Let these one hundred Qiang people who have been transformed into Tiger Riders first taste some sweetness and set an example.

Then, through a system of merit, the Qiang cavalry's desire to make achievements was stimulated, and they were gradually led into the Tiger Cavalry system.

The Qiang King Yang Tiao then took on another position and became the Tiger Cavalry Commander of the Han Dynasty.

Although Yang Tiao seems to be a die-hard fan of the big man, you can't really try to steal his girlfriend in front of him. You still have to be a little more humane.

Not long after Liu Chan returned to the camp, Ma Bing, the head of the Military Works Department, hurried to see him.

"Your Majesty, you instructed the craftsmen to make the two improved farm tools. Today, a craftsman has already created the prototypes."

"Oh?" Liu Chan was immediately delighted.

These two pieces of farm tools are, without a doubt, the ones that have been written about so many times in historical texts, but were still widely used in rural areas into the 20th century.

One is of course the old-fashioned curved plow.

There is another one, which is the keel waterwheel, which is equally old-fashioned but very suitable for the Guanzhong Plain.

It is already the end of April, and the spring plowing season, when one plant a grain of millet in spring and harvest ten thousand grains in autumn, has long been missed.

But you can also plant some soybeans and grains in May, which will mature in March and April.

Then in September and October, it is just the right time to plant some winter wheat.

The climate in Hanzhong, Shu, is relatively warm, so few people actually grow wheat. Some grow millet, and some grow rice.

The climate in Guanzhong is dry and cold, but not many people grow wheat. Most people grow corn. This is due to habit and experience, and most people are unwilling to break the inertia easily.

So there is a shortage of wheat seeds in Guanzhong, but the wheat harvest in Longyou will start in May. We can save some wheat seeds at that time and then go to Jiang Wei's house to get some wheat-growing talents to pass on their experience.

At that time, let the majority of people in the Central Plains who are still using the one-crop-a-year system see what the advanced two-year three-crop system is.

Let them see how the wheat harvested in summer and winter can ensure a good harvest regardless of drought or flood.

(End of this chapter)