Johime Three Kingdoms

Chapter 165 Sending food (big chapter)
Let's talk about Shu Shao, the prefect of Guangling, who opened a warehouse in Guangling City a few months ago to release grain and rescue many victims of the disaster, effectively curbing the migration of the population to the east of the Yangtze River.

However, this act of violating Yuan Shu's military order and opening a position privately resulted in him being convicted, dismissed, and sent back to Shouchun.

Fortunately, Shu Shao had some eloquence. After seeing Yuan Shu, he immediately apologized and said clearly: "The guilty minister knew that Your Majesty would blame me, but he just wanted to use my life to save the people from misery!"

Fortunately, Yuan Shu was surrounded by wise men like Yang Hong and Yan Xiang. Although Yan Xiang had been complaining of illness after Yuan Shu became emperor, and even Yuan Shu's official position was imposed on him, at least Yang Hong was still there... …

After Yang Hong kept giving him covert glances, Yuan Shu barely suppressed his anger and said with a fake smile: "Zhong Ying, I understand what you mean, but aren't you willing to share your reputation with me?"

So Shu Shao was saved from death, and... he opened a warehouse without authorization and was ordered to provide disaster relief. However, Shu Shao, who had "made great contributions", only held a casual position in the Dazhong court, and the prefect of Guangling was replaced by Yuan Huan. .

Yuan Huan is also surnamed Yuan, but he is not from the Yuan family of Runan, the "Four Generations and Three Dukes", but from the Yuan family of Chen County.

Of course, the Yuan family of Chen County is indeed somewhat related to the Yuan family of Runan - the Yuan family of Chen County is the source of the Yuan family. It seems that the Yuan family of Runan was actually separated from the Yuan family of Chen County a hundred years ago. side branch".

Although Yuan Shu frequently recognized "Shun" as his ancestor, the ancestor of the "Yuan family" was indeed Shun, but the "Runan Yuan family" actually had a history of just over 100 years ago.

It's just that it has been extremely powerful for a hundred years. A hundred years ago, Yuan An, the "second generation" of the Yuan family in Runan, was frozen at home in the snow and refused to go out or ask for help. The Luoyang order exclaimed "what a talent", and was later promoted. After Xiaolian, the Yuan family's career was out of control. In a hundred years, there were five officials of the three-gong level, and they were three-gong-level officials for four consecutive generations...

The level of prominence is even greater than that of the Yuan Clan of Chen County, which has a history of thousands of years. However, in comparison, the Yuan Clan of Chen County is more like a "noble family" than the Yuan Clan of Runan who is now personally fighting for world supremacy.

After all, the Yuan family in Runan disappeared after the defeats of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. In later generations of the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties, the "Yuan family" together with Wang, Xie, and Xiao was called the "Yuan family" in Chen County.

When Yuan Huan first defected to Yuan Shu, he also wanted to assist him with all his heart. In the future, when Yuan Shu became famous, it would be good for himself and the Yuan family of Chen County.

However, within a few years, Yuan Shu was discovered to be unreliable, and now he actually became the emperor of the Zhong family...

At that time, Yuan Huan was really afraid that Yuan Shu would slap his thigh and regard the Yuan family of Chen County as a relative of the emperor.

Fortunately, Yuan Shu didn't take the Yuan family of Chen County seriously from the beginning. After that... Yuan Huan's psychology became a little complicated.

After being appointed as the prefect of Guangling, Yuan Huan deeply felt that it was difficult to lead the team - after all, the previous prefect risked his life to open a warehouse to save the people, and was later taken away for questioning.

With this example in front of him, Yuan Huan didn't open a position, and he seemed disingenuous. Opening a position... Yuan Huan hasn't lived enough!
Knowing that his predecessor opened a position privately and was demoted secretly, if Yuan Huan deliberately opens a position again, he is afraid that he will get double the wrath of Yuan Shu.

And more importantly, Shu Shao dared to open a granary because he believed that the grain stored in Guangling City was enough to relieve the victims, but he would no longer be able to afford military use. After all, Guangling itself was a "big granary."

However, seeing the spring plowing season, God is still unwilling to appreciate the rain, and Guangling probably has no surplus food!
In this case, Yuan Huan takes the lead in opening a position?
The leaky house coincided with continuous rain, and the time turned to April. More than [-]% of the cultivated land in Guangling was basically certain that there would be no harvest. The remaining fertile land near large water sources and canals still had hope of harvesting.

At this moment, Jiangdong took action. The Guazhou garrison, which had been accepting refugees, bared its fangs and headed straight for Guangling...

After getting the news, Yuan Huan was stunned for a moment.

The situation was so good last spring and summer, but Bai Gong didn't attack Huainan. This year... this can't be revealed. When it is obvious that troops should not be used, he actually sent troops to Guangling?

Doubts remain doubts, but the city must still be defended.

Seeing Chen Gong leading the army to a stone's throw away from Guangling City, Yuan Huan made an estimate and frowned - Jiangdong Army's military appearance was neat, but... the size in front of him was only about 5000 people. What he wanted to do Well?

Attack Guangling?What about trouble?

There were 1 defenders in the city. Later Chen Deng was here... [-] people defeated Sun Quan's [-]!

However, just when he was confused, he saw several "big guys" pushing out in front of Chen Gong's military formation...

"Is this... a catapult?" Yuan Huan is a knowledgeable person.

The Yuan family of Chen County, their ancestor was the high minister of the Chen Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn Period, and was a branch of the monarch's lineage. The family had a deep academic background. After the Qin Emperor burned books and harassed Confucian scholars, the Chen family had a collection of many out-of-print books.

During the Warring States Period, there were already trebuchets, or "trebuchets", but they were the most primitive "human-driven" ones, that is, everyone shouted, slogans, and pulled the rope together to throw the stones. That kind of...

Regardless of the range, power, and hit rate, they are all impressive, and they are also cumbersome and difficult to move, and they will soon be submerged in the tide of history.

However, the trebuchets in Chen Gongjun's army are no longer driven by manpower, but are torque trebuchets - that is, using a winch to pull down the originally vertical ejection arm, loading the projectile, and then releasing the winch rope, using the ejection arm's The elasticity, as well as the torsion of the integral components, throw the stone projectile out of the trebuchet.

It can be regarded as a major advancement after the human trebuchet. The thunderbolt chariot that appeared in Cao Cao's camp during the Battle of Guandu was probably a torque trebuchet.

In fact, in terms of hit rate and stability, the counterweighted trebuchet should be better. That is, using a lever, after the weight is counterweighted at one end, it is lifted with a winch, and then the other end is filled with stone bullets - similar to a seesaw method, the stone is lifted. Flick "swing" out.

However, manufacturing is relatively more difficult. After all, there is only one Pang Tong. He can't be distracted by such small things. Bai Tu can only do it step by step, and he is not in a hurry anyway.

And although it looks bulky, it actually has the technology of the Song Dynasty tornado cannon - the turret and the base can rotate, that is, it can stay in place and rotate the turret to adjust the direction of the projectile!

Although Yuan Huan did not think that Guangling's city wall would lose to the trebuchets, he still shouted to Chen Gong first: "Chen Gongtai! Yuan has heard for a long time that Duke Bai of Jiangdong is a kind and generous man and a true gentleman...Last year, Duke Bai It has been said that plundering territory and attacking a city should be won by virtue, and the people will naturally come out of the city to welcome them, so why are you now using your sword lightly?"

After Liu Ye went back and relayed Bai Tu's wise words to Cao Cao, Guo Jia specially suggested that Bai Tu's words should be publicized...

The purpose is obvious. Naturally, it is not to promote Bai Tu, but to block him with words. When he uses weapons in the future, everyone in the world will be able to see his hypocrisy!

Cao Cao naturally followed this harmless suggestion - it would be best if Bai Tu really had no ambition for hegemony. If he did... then this matter could also slightly damage Bai Tu's prestige.

"Hahaha, Governor Yuan has misunderstood! Duke Bai is a great sage in the world, how can he be like some rebellious villains? Duke Bai heard that many refugees were accommodated in Guangling City, but there was insufficient food and grass, and he couldn't bear to see them starve to death. The situation in the fields is miserable, so I asked someone to deliver food!" Chen Gong said.

"Send food? If so, I should thank you first and send the food...but Brother Chen's military appearance does not look like a food transporter." When Yuan Huan heard Chen Gong's ridicule to Yuan Shu, he was not satisfied. get angry.

"Why would Governor Yuan say anything secretly? If someone gives you food and grass directly, how will it get into the hands of the people? Even if Governor Yuan has good intentions, he would not dare to disobey Yuan's orders like Governor Shu, right?" Chen Gong He deliberately provoked.

"Shut up! Chen Gongtai, are you trying to defraud the city like this?" Yuan Huan said angrily.

In response to this... Yuan Huan had no choice but to interrupt with "incompetent rage" - after all, what Chen Gong said was the truth.

In fact, Yuan Huan was really looking forward to Chen Gong being able to call in directly.

It's just that there is no good reason. Surrender is impossible. If he surrenders directly to the enemy, will he still need Yuan Huan's reputation?
Yuan Huan may not be very dedicated in defending the city, but at least he will not let thousands of people invade Guangling City.

"It would be best if Governor Yuan is willing to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side. If he is not willing...in order to carry out the lord's righteousness, Chen has no choice but to forcefully deliver the food! Prepare-"

After Chen Gong gave the order, the catapults began to pull down the catapult arms one after another and began to fill at the same time.

"Sure enough, it's different from ordinary trebuchets. Can it hit the city wall at such a distance? Wait... What is it filled with? It doesn't seem to be stone bombs..." Yuan Huan looked a little confused.

The trebuchets of the Warring States Period were very inefficient because they were manually braked, and the time difference between everyone's efforts made them extremely inefficient. When they first appeared, they were slightly farther than primitive bows and arrows, spears, and axes, but... …With the promotion of horseback riding and archery in Hu costumes, the bow-making skills of the Hu people were introduced, popularized, and developed. There were no trebuchets that could shoot far with bows and arrows, so naturally they could only be completely eliminated.

But now Chen Palace is just a stone's throw away. The bows and arrows of the Han Dynasty are much further than those of the Warring States Period. At this distance... if the trebuchet can still hit the city wall, it proves that it still has certain practicality!

"Let go!" Chen Gong ordered.

Then, as the trebuchets were opened, the winches were turned on. With the twisting of parts and the friction between the trebuchets and the wind, bursts of thunder-like sounds were heard. At the same time... "Flying rain" fell towards the sky. It was sprinkled on the tower.

Not only did it hit the city wall, it also exceeded the height of the city wall!
"Raise your shield, raise your shield intensively!" Yuan Huan shouted quickly.

However, after raising the shield, there was no sound of collision. It seemed... the target wasn't the tower?Instead, it flew farther into the city, even flying over the narrow urn city.

The objects thrown were very scattered. It was estimated that a trebuchet could throw dozens of pieces. One-third of these "cannonballs" landed in the urn city, two-thirds fell in the inner city, and only a few unavoidably scattered in advance.

Soon someone sent the sample of the "cannonball" to Yuan Huan...

It looks like a brick, but it tastes even more like a brick—however, this is indeed Jiangdong's relief food!

"When Mr. Bai sends grain, don't disturb the bandits! When Bai Gong sends grain, don't disturb the bandits!"

The troops outside the city clearly rehearsed their chants in unison, and some could be heard even on the edge of the inner city. And... even if they didn't hear it, there were papers praising "White Lord's righteousness" hidden in the relief rations. strip.

Yuan Huan immediately understood what the other party was trying to do...

(End of this chapter)