If it is leisure time, the scenery of Taihang Mountain in front of you is undoubtedly pleasing to the eye.
The mountains are like a giant dragon winding, with steep mountains and peaks.
Walking in this Taihang Mountain Pass is like walking on the fingernails on the feet of a giant.
The mountain road winds, and the trees clatter in the wind.
Xiahou Dun and his party were full of plants and trees, and they were extremely frightened.
A month ago, Xiahou Dun thought he could hold on to Jinyang City.
Can stay for at least half a year.
Xiahou Dun was very confident at that time.
He also thought that he would become an important pillar of Cao Cao's great cause and a hero that everyone pays attention to.
Hero...
But now, he has become a clumsy and fleeing bear.
The beginning of the ambush was just a scattered soldier, falling rocks on some mountain roads.
But it soon expanded into various types of sneak attacks. In addition to falling rocks, sometimes it was a cold arrow or two, and sometimes it was a straw fireball rolling down from the top of the mountain.
Xiahou Dun and others were just passers-by. Apart from one main channel, they didn’t know anything about other herbs, sheep intestines, etc.
The people of Baishi Qiang were familiar with the land and roads here.
Of course, these paths cannot pass through large troops, so a team of three or five people is very suitable.
The large army to chase Xiahou Dun is half the result with twice the effort. On the one hand, Huang Cheng needs to guard Taiyuan and clean up the ruins of Jinyang. On the other hand, Xiahou Dun must be prepared, and fighting in a narrow mountain road may not have any good results.
But if he didn't chase him, he wouldn't be willing to let Xiahou Dun run away like this, so Huang Cheng finally asked some soldiers to join the Baishiqiang people and chase and kill Xiahou Dun and other Cao's remaining soldiers.
Bai Shiqiang was quite high-profile at the beginning, thinking that they could kill Xiahou Dun by themselves, so he roared and chased Xiahou Dun's marks. He was soon beaten to the point of being beaten by Xiahou Dun's counterattack.
Xiahou Dun was happy for a while.
But soon Bai Shiqiang learned his lesson and combined with Huang Cheng's team, which eventually evolved into Cao's nightmare.
The Baishi Qiang people have been moving in this area for a long time, with their footprints from Taiyuan to the North, from the North to the North.
Huang Cheng was the first general to implement the Feiqian Mountain Army training exercises. In Hanzhong, he trained a group of mountain soldiers entering Sichuan, and later Wei Yan took over.
So now, Huang Cheng's side needs a guide and a mountain soldier. Why do you have to face the anus head-on with Xiahou Dun?
And this also has an additional advantage, that is, even if Cao's army wants to kill such a team, it is not cost-effective.
Because the attacks were initiated from cliffs or on the top of the mountain peaks, and the locations selected were often areas that were difficult to climb directly, which made Xiahou Dun unable to counter them immediately even if he discovered these squads. If there were fewer soldiers, Huang Cheng's squad was not afraid at all. He sent too many squads, and if Huang Cheng's squad ran away, it would be difficult to say whether the Cao army's squad could still go back and catch up with the large army...
In this way, in most cases, the Cao army could only passively withstand these attacks. Only in a small area where it could climb head-on, Xiahou Dun would attack and drive out these small teams under Huang Cheng.
...
...
Several Baishi Qiang people climbed on the trail and then turned over a rock.
After walking a few steps on the rocks, a small camp was revealed in front of me.
More than a dozen Huang Cheng's soldiers were resting in the camp.
『Where did Cao's army go?』
The Baishi Qiang people reached out and gestured, "They are climbing over the highest mountain over there..."
The mountain soldiers' military academy stood up, followed the direction of the Baishi Qiang people's fingers, looked at the distance, and ordered: "Everyone is up! Get ready to go! This time I have to take a shortcut, it's not easy to leave! I've brought all the things to you!"
"Captain, do you carry this big yellow crossbow?" asked a mountain soldier.
Two big yellow crossbows.
The yellow crossbow is heavy, and if you carry it, you have to divide it into three parts and then assemble it when you arrive at the site.
Once you bring a rhubarb crossbow, you also need to bring a special crossbow arrow from the rhubarb, which is the fourth person.
Two pieces are equivalent to occupying the equipment space of six people...
The mountain soldiers were also scratching their heads.
A few days ago, he brought a big yellow crossbow to snipe Xiahou Dun, but he was not the first unit, so when he caught up with Xiahou Dun's remaining soldiers, Xiahou Dun was no longer so conspicuous...
There are no flags, no tall horses, mixed with soldiers.
This leads to the fact that even if you wear a big yellow crossbow, you may not be able to attack Xiahou Dun with a fatal blow when the soldiers are mixed.
Even if you add grenades, it won't work.
The power of the grenade is not as great as imagined.
Especially when used together, one plus one may be less than two...
The reason is very simple, because the combustion of the fuse is inconsistent. The ignition time cannot be as neat as in later generations. Coupled with the manual error of the fuse, the grenades are tied together. It is possible that one of them exploded first, and the others have not.
This is why the effect of using a grenade to blow up a huge rock was average.
The mountain soldier captain suddenly remembered a sentence.
"You must know how to choose" is what craftsmen in the army say the most often.
If you want anything, you can't get anything. Because this is the case with the armor itself. If you want to have a strong defense, it must be thick. If you want to have a long range, it must be inconvenient to draw a bow. There is no best in both worlds in the army.
Thinking of this, the mountain soldiers waved their hands, "No! Bring some light weight, it's easy to hurry up... That's right, bring tinea oil and ropes! Bring more, and we'll give some small gifts to the old thief of Cao's army at that time!"
Although it is beautiful to kill Xiahou Dun with a big yellow crossbow, it is now very beautiful, but now it is difficult to determine the target. If you miss a single blow, there will be no good chance. It is better to replace it with turmeric oil that is more convenient to carry and has a certain range of damage.
When the soldiers heard this, they laughed and laughed, as if they were rushing to attend a banquet.
...
...
『General, be careful!』
A grass fireball stained with tinea oil jumped down and smashed more than ten steps in front of Xiahou Dun.
The flames exploded and ignited several Cao soldiers, causing the unlucky guys to scream like burning torches, and then fell down.
The Cao army soldiers who were burned to death were undoubtedly miserable. This kind of misery comes from the fact that people often feel pain when they are burned. After the surface skin is burned, it does not mean that the nerves are gone, but there are more nerves inside, including the respiratory lungs and other parts of the nerves. When all these nerves are sending violent neuronal signals to the brain, people who can get shocked on the spot can be said to be a kind of happiness, otherwise...
The scattered fireballs splashed out of the scattered fireballs, wherever they were stained, a fire broke out.
Xiahou Dun stopped riding a horse.
The reason is that the goal of riding a horse is too big.
His personal guards were already covered in flames and were burned, screaming and struggling, but no one cared about it.
Including Xiahou Dun himself, he was fleeing forward frantically, just like a flock of cattle and sheep chased by a beast. No cattle and sheep would care about the companions who were thrown down by a beast.
The ignited guard fell to the ground and rolled like a madman, stretching out his arms, as if he wanted to ask his fellow comrades for help.
But the next moment someone raised his spear and stabbed him to death with one shot.
『General! Go quickly!』
War is not a matter of course.
Xiahou Dun thought he had made a lot of preparations for this war, but in fact his preparations were not sufficient.
The night is low and the stars are sparse, and the ridges on both sides are like trying to squeeze this remnant army into minced meat.
Xiahou Dun, leaning on a spear, walked silently on the mountain road with exhausted Cao's soldiers.
He was lucky, but the Cao army soldiers around him were not as lucky as Xiahou Dun.
Some people were injured, moaning and struggling.
Very miserable.
If it were earlier, such as when Xiahou Dun had not yet fallen, someone would have taken care of the wounded soldiers.
And now...
Just like a company, when the company develops upward, benefits and logistics can keep up. If there are any difficulties between them, there will be people who will help each other. Even if they are busy and tired, there will still be laughter. But once the company starts to decline, even if they see other employees falling down and being fired and laid off, they will not have any sympathy, because everyone knows that the next one may be themselves.
The emergence of the introductory scroll was fully demonstrated on Xiahou Dun's escape.
Who will take charge of the wounded soldiers now?
He deserves to fall behind.
The heavy footsteps of the troops were like wailing among the mountain roads.
They had just escaped an ambush.
At first, Xiahou Dun wanted to attack the top of the mountain and eliminate the ambushed teams, but after that, he was left with his life escape, endless and endless escape. No one wanted to waste his energy to attack the mountain, nor did he want to compete with those teams...
Because the food and grass of Xiahou Dun and others had been cut off.
The dry food he carried was burned by fire.
Now the soldiers' stomachs are empty, and they can only satisfy their hunger with wild vegetables and bark.
There are not many wild vegetables in the mountain road, and those on the top of the mountain or on the cliff are difficult to pick.
The same difficulty is also true for tree bark.
The taste of bark varies depending on its type and location, but it usually does not have a pleasant flavor.
Most barks taste bitter.
Perhaps the best of these is elm bark.
This was the most popular and often eaten bark that these Cao army soldiers had during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Because there was a certain amount of starch in the bark of elm, it could be separated from the wood by chopping, roasting and crushing, and the starch inside it was eaten. However, this starch was not as delicious as Zhuanghe's starch, but was full of indescribable smoothness and odor.
In addition, the birch bark is slightly sweet.
As for other barks, they are basically bitter.
This bitter taste, which is the reminder of human taste organs, is harmful or toxic...
Even so, it takes more time to grind, and Cao's army lacks time.
"General, if you continue like this... I'm afraid I can't hold on anymore..." The remaining guard whispered beside Xiahou Dun, "Just eat these... I'm afraid it's difficult...
The guard frowned.
Xiahou Dun's face was also bleak.
Everyone knows that an army without food is like rootless duckweed that may fall down at any time.
『We must persist...we must unite...
Xiahou Dun said.
This is almost nonsense, because when there is no faith blessing, all verbal persistence and unity will be easily defeated by some meat, eggs and milk.
But Xiahou Dun quickly said something that was not so useless.
"Remember the supplies we transported back in Jinyang before?" Xiahou Dun said, "Walk forward and we will have supplies!"
The guard suddenly became energetic, "General, do you mean..."
Xiahou Dun nodded.
"Great! General wise!" The guard suddenly became energetic and spread the news.
The Cao army soldiers lowered their voices and cheered, as if they had seen a new sun and a new hope.
...
...
Maybe it was raining and snowing before, so these days were all good weather.
It's clear, even the clouds are worthy of.
The sun stretched out her waist lazily, revealing eighteen shining teeth to Xiahou Dun and his party and laughing at her.
The marching team was like a river on the verge of dryness, slowly squirming on the endless loess.
The Cao army soldiers had their feet floating, and every time they raised their legs, they seemed to exhaust all their strength.
Hunger made their eyes empty and confused, leaving only the desire for survival.
『Zhang Village!』
Someone shouted in front of him.
It seemed as if there was suddenly injecting vitality into the Cao army, and everyone rolled forward and crawled forward.
"Eat! There is something to eat..."
Almost all Cao's soldiers began to secrete saliva from their mouths, and then rushed forward with green eyes.
But Xiahou Dun's face changed a little, and he felt something was wrong.
Although Xiahou Dun also lost his original food and grass because he was ambushed, and his rhythm was messed up, logic is that since there are camps here, there should be a guard post early...
And now...
Turning over the valley, the scene of the camp gate opening suddenly made Xiahou Dun's heart feel cold.
It's like falling into an ice cave.
The Cao army soldiers who were excited before have gradually discovered something wrong and have slowed down.
The Cao army soldiers who rushed into the camp first let out a heart-wrenching howl: "No! Nothing! Nothing...Nothing..."
The queue suddenly became chaotic.
It was like a spark thrown into a dry straw pile and spreading rapidly.
"No food and grass! No food!"
"General! How long will we go? We haven't eaten anything in a day!"
"We would rather die in the battlefield than starve to death in this mountain!"
This kind of anger, dissatisfaction, resentment spreads through the team like a plague.
Many people shouted wildly, and then some people collapsed on the ground and cried loudly.
Xiahou Dun felt the surging emotions. He knew that if the soldiers could not calm down as soon as possible, mutiny would only be in an instant.
Xiahou Dun immediately shouted loudly: "Silent! Silent!"
The soldiers' voices were slightly smaller.
『Soldiers!』 Xiahou Dun shouted, 『I understand your pain! But now we must persist and unite! Our patience and sacrifice are for our families, for those families who are still waiting for us to return...』
Before Xiahou Dun finished speaking, the Cao army soldiers stopped doing it.
If the soldiers of the Cao army had been patient and listened to Xiahou Dun's words before they suffered all this, but now, regardless of how excited Xiahou Dun's words are, it will be difficult to touch their numb hearts and cannot comfort their hungry stomachs.
The setting sun in the sky is like blood, reflecting the increasingly intense resentment in the team.
Of course, Xiahou Dun hopes to take a break for a while to relieve the soldiers' emotions.
But hunger made everyone's rationality a little crazy and made everyone lose patience.
『What we want to eat!』
Among the soldiers, someone suddenly howled, and it became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
"Eat! We want to eat!"
The cry echoed among the crowd, and more and more Cao's soldiers raised their arms and the swords and guns held on their arms.
What flashed in the eyes of Cao's soldiers was not obedience and timidity, nor fear or fatigue, but anger.
Anger burning like a flame.
"We are going home! We are going home alive!"
"What we want to eat! What we eat!"
"go home!"
『Eat!』
They began to make noises, and some even began to snatch some of the dry food that was left.
He knew very well the consequences of the soldiers' mutiny. Cao Cao and he went to Danyang to recruit soldiers...
The Cao army soldiers followed the Cao family Xiahou family not for the revival of the Han Dynasty, nor for the sake of loyalty and filial piety, but just to have a bite of food.
This is the biggest difference between the soldiers in Shandong and Guanzhong today...
Ordinary soldiers in Shandong have no room for growth.
Therefore, ideals, futures, and great careers are not as good as a bowl of rice for those who have lost their room for growth.
When there is food, the soldiers of Cao's army would listen to Xiahou Dun, but now there is no food to eat!
Xiahou Dun's face turned gloomy. He knew that if he could not take action immediately, the entire army would fall into complete chaos.
The roars of the soldiers gathered together. They no longer followed the orders of Xiahou Dun and the military academy around Xiahou, and began to try to find a way out on their own.
"Tell me to order me! Everyone will return to the team immediately! Do not act rashly! Those who violate the order will be judged as the crime of chaotic troops, and they will not be judged as killing them!"
With Xiahou Dun's order, the private soldiers belonging to Xiahou Dun's troops took action immediately. They had stronger bodies than ordinary Cao's soldiers and more elite weapons, and soon divided the mutiny Cao's soldiers.
A melee was inevitable.
Although Xiahou Dun did not want to cause more casualties in this situation, bloody suppression was still the only thing he could do.
The threat of death ultimately overwhelms hunger and anger.
The chaos was finally under control.
The sun rises again.
But the dead will not wake up again...
The mutiny of soldiers once again reduced Xiahou Dun's current military strength. The soldiers he now commanded were reduced again, with less than 300 people. He did not expect that his bad luck was far from over.