Three Kingdoms: Ancestors of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 463
Xiaohuaili, the camp of the Wei army, and the camp of the Chinese army.

The camp was filled with smoke, and the soldiers held burning mugwort bundles and patrolled the camp. The pungent smoke instantly dispersed and filled the air.Amidst the smog, more than a dozen people held magical artifacts, wore hideous masks, and sang unintelligible words as they walked through the camp.

The leading mage shook the copper bell, and shook it in front of the soldiers on both sides. The mage behind him scattered the ashes from the wormwood in the air and fell on the soldiers on both sides, making them feel at ease.

At this time, on the campground, the doctors threw herbs into the pot according to a certain proportion, boiled them, and sprinkled some herbs from time to time for the purpose of dispelling the cold.Not far away, several elderly physicians were spitting, still arguing that their own prescription was the most effective.

Cao Rui, who was standing outside the camp, looked at it for a while, sighed, and left silently.

These days, some signs of the epidemic finally appeared in the Cao Wei camp. When Chen Tai reported it, the number of people infected was only a few dozen, and then it surged to nearly a thousand people infected.Worried about the collapse of the army's morale, Simpi suggested asking a shaman to do a magic trick to repel the evil spirits, so as to reassure the soldiers' morale, and to leave the camp empty as a place for the sick soldiers (Note ①).

Cao Rui adopted Simpi's words to treat the soldiers with medicine, to calm the army with legal affairs, and to separate the camps.However, the effect of all this is not obvious, the number of patients is still rising, the effect of the prescription is ineffective, and it is impossible to count on the wizard to cure the disease.Only by isolating sick soldiers can the increase in the number of infected patients be slowed down.

Cao Rui put his arms behind his waist, feeling a little heavy, and said, "The epidemic is harmful to people. If it spreads everywhere, it may cause damage to the army, so that the Xishu thieves can benefit."

Now for Cao Wei, the biggest worry is that the epidemic will make the soldiers lose their combat effectiveness and make it difficult to fight.The army of Xishu is in good condition. If they find out and attack directly, the Wei army may be defeated directly.

Wei Zhen followed Cao Rui closely, remained silent for a while, and said: "If that's the case, I think you can fight the Shu army in the cold winter. If you win, you can retreat to the Shu army. If you lose, you can retreat to Chang'an and wait for the future plan."

"Winter attack on Shu?" Cao Rui asked back.

Wei Zhen arched his hands and said, "Exactly. I have checked the depth of the Shu army and know that although the soldiers of the Shu army are sharp, most of them are Bashu and Nanzhong soldiers under their command. They are not afraid of the heat, but are afraid of the severe cold. Now the Shu army entered After winter, there is little movement, which is the proof."

In ancient history, for many Central Plains dynasties, fighting in winter has always been something that most military strategists tried their best to avoid.Marching in winter is hindered by snow, and it is also a relatively big problem for the transportation of logistical supplies.

The most important point is that it is a very challenging task for an army adapted to the temperate climate to go to the north to fight in the frigid zone or even in the frigid zone.Even in modern times, when Germany attacked the Soviet Union, the powerful German army was still lost in the snow.

For the Shu Han soldiers who have lived behind the Qinling Mountains and Daba Mountain for a long time, it is undoubtedly difficult to adapt to winter combat.This is why Zhuge Liang's repeated Northern Expeditions almost basically chose spring and stopped troops in autumn and winter.

We must know that before the rise of cotton planting in the Ming Dynasty, as a means of keeping out the cold, the ancients mostly used cotton clothes and cold-proof clothes made of animal skins or linen wrapped in silk.

Having said that, it is not impossible to fight in winter.As long as the negative impact of the cold on the war is resolved, you can fight.Such as stable logistics and the warmth of soldiers.Generally speaking, the former is easier to satisfy than the latter.For example, the Tang Dynasty conquered Goguryeo, which guaranteed the logistics.Another example is that after the Ming and Qing Dynasties, after the rise of warm cotton, China's territory expanded to the Heilongjiang River Basin.

Coincidentally, all the soldiers of the Wei army lived in the north, and it was not difficult for them to adapt to the cold climate in Guanzhong. In other words, the Wei army met the needs of winter combat.

Cao Rui paced slowly, frowned and asked, "Is there any evidence for what Gong Zhen said?"

"Report to Your Majesty, yes." Wei Zhen pondered for a while, and then said eloquently: "I see the distribution of the generals of the Shu army. The one who supervises Liangzhou, Wei Yan, leads the army to station at Wuzhangyuan. The one who supervises Longyou, Huang Quan, sticks to Mei County. Under these two men, Jiang Wei, Deng Ai, Huo Yi, Liao Hua and others are all leading the troops stationed in the northwest."

"However, Zhuge Liang led the army to settle in Yongcheng. It was called the repair of Chengguo Canal, which was prepared for this year's spring plowing. In fact, he led the soldiers of Shu to garrison the rear to avoid the front of the army. After the weather warmed up, we attacked again. Attacking at this time is a coincidence with the military strategists! Your Majesty can think about it."

Cao Rui paced back and forth with his sword, and said in a deep voice: "Gong Zhen's words are reasonable, but now the soldiers are sick and difficult to fight. Isn't it easy to attack the enemy with my fatigue?"

Wei Zhen stroked his beard and analyzed, "There are more and more people suffering from the disease in our army. If our army waits for the spring to move, I don't know how your Majesty thinks our army's soldiers will compare with today's soldiers?"

The meaning of Wei Zhen's words is that the number of soldiers suffering from the epidemic is gradually increasing in our army. If we don't take advantage of the time when there are many soldiers, we will fight in the spring.

Cao Rui had no idea about the state of the Shu army.The Shu army is not comparable to the soldiers of the Wu army. The soldiers of the Wu army are not good at anything except water warfare.However, the Shu army is strong in infantry, sharp in bows and crossbows, and has a cavalry that is not inferior to Cao Wei.Coupled with the general's ability to conquer and fight well, he is far from an ordinary enemy.

Cao Rui hesitated for a while, and said: "I agree with what Gong Zhen said. But you don't know the inside story of the Shu army, so don't act lightly. You should find out the inside story of the Shu army, so as to determine our army's marching strategy."

Wei Zhen nodded slightly, and said: "Your Majesty's worries are also known to me. I think I can send envoys to explore the inside information of the Shu army and use it for our army's discernment."

"This discussion is very good. I don't know who Gong Zhen thinks can be envoys?" Cao Rui asked back.

Wei Zhen thought for a while and said, "I think Du Junshi (Du Xi) can take on this job!"

"Du Zixu, Du Zixu." Cao Rui muttered a few words.

"Exactly, in the past when Zhuge Liang came out of Guanzhong, he wrote to the General to ask about Meng Gongwei's safety. Old acquaintance." Wei Zhen said.

The world was in turmoil, and Du Xi once avoided the chaos and went to Jingzhou. Although he was treated favorably by Liu Biao, he was like a dragon diving into the wild, waiting for opportunities, and made many friends in Jingzhou.At that time, Zhuge Xuan brought Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Liang's sister to Liu Biao from Yuzhang, and had a few encounters with Du Xi.

"In this case, in the name of saying hello, I will send Zixu as an envoy to Xishu." Cao Rui ordered.

"promise!"
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① "Hanshu Pingdi Ji": "In the second year of the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, drought locusts, people suffering from diseases and epidemics, housed empty mansions to buy medicine." Measures to isolate patients had already appeared in the Han Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)