Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Remaining Soldier and the Defeated General

War is a man-made disaster.

Man-made disasters are often as scary as natural disasters, and even more terrifying.

Once the war breaks out, it will affect everyone. People are displaced and thousands of people are displaced.

Tangyi was close to the battlefield. Although Cao Mengde's troops were fierce and powerful, the war did not become a protracted war and did not have a severe impact on nearby cities and counties. But the horror of war is like a plague. Countless people have left their homes and hid in tears, dragging their families with them.

Although Xun Yu had the talent of Wang Zuo, after all, it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. Cao Mengde advanced so quickly that it was difficult for him to keep up. It is correct to say that Tangyi is now Cao Mengde's sphere of influence, but it has not yet been truly brought under Cao Mengde's rule.

At least not likely within half a year.

The officials originally appointed by Xuzhou have long since fled to who knows where. Most of the powerful people in Tangyi County have long since disappeared. At the same time, at least 20 to 30 percent of the people fled the city. The rest, under the auspices of the three elders of the county, managed to stabilize the situation without rioting.

When Zhao Yu arrived at Tangyi with 500 Qingqi, it was already mid-morning.

Zichou Yinmao, Yinshi compared with modern time and space, is the two hours between three and five in the morning. Because it was early spring, there was still a while before dawn.

From a distance, I saw some people organizing patrols on the top of the city, with a few torches shining slightly.

Zhao Yu did not bother him and ordered the five hundred Qingqi to dismount and go into the forest to rest.

The weather was still very cold, and the soldiers wearing stainless steel armor were shivering from the cold. But as a soldier, you have to endure these things. Compared with the soldiers under other princes, the treatment under Cao Mengde is undoubtedly the best. At least you won't be hungry.

In the past two or three years, high-yielding and improved varieties have spread throughout Yanzhou. It is precisely because of the popularization of high-yield and improved varieties that Cao Mengde's army has no shortage of food. It will no longer be possible for Cheng Yu to use human flesh as military food in the original history.

To avoid exposing your whereabouts, no fires can be lit. Zhao Yu looked at all these soldiers with blue lips and couldn't help but think of cotton.

During this era, cotton had actually been introduced to Shenzhou. However, its real use has not been discovered. It is mostly used as an ornamental plant and takes root in wealthy people's homes. Moreover, the cotton of this era is not the cotton of later generations, and the output cannot keep up at all.

People's clothing is generally made of linen. Only wealthy people wear silk fabrics.

The thermal insulation properties of hemp products are not good.

When it's cold, even wearing a dozen pieces of linen clothes is not worth a piece of animal skin. People who can afford it wear leather products in winter. Homemade.

So Zhao Yu thought about developing animal husbandry again.

From cotton to animal husbandry, at this moment, it took root in Zhao Yu's heart.

Cotton can be used to make cotton clothes, and the growth of animal husbandry can not only provide a large amount of meat and dairy products, but also provide enough fur.

"Go back and mention it to Meng De."

After this thought flashed through his mind, Zhao Yu slowly sat cross-legged and closed his eyes slightly.

...

The dawn was slightly bright, and at the beginning of Mao hour, a group of defeated soldiers came from a distance, dejected and defeated.

Sun Ce sat astride the horse, holding a spear in one hand and covering his chest with the other, his face slightly pale.

He forced himself to straighten up and shouted: "Ahead is Tangyi, where there is a lot of food. When we get to Tangyi, we can have a full meal and have a good rest!"

This is how to draw cakes to satisfy hunger and look at plum blossoms to quench thirst.

Of course Sun Ce didn't know whether there was a lot of food and grass in Tangyi. But he must let the remaining two thousand soldiers know that they still have hope and that the road ahead is not a dead end.

The horse panted heavily and blew out streaks of pale mist. Trampling on the ground in a messy manner, it quickly moved closer to Tangyi.

Sun Ce looked regretful and said to Zhou Yu, who was also exhausted: "I regret that I didn't listen to Gong Jin's words and ended up like this. If we had withdrawn our troops early, hey... my 30,000-strong army would have been defeated in just one battle." without..."

Zhou Yu pursed his lips, with helplessness on his handsome face, and said: "Now that things have happened, why should Bo Fu sigh? I took the food and grass early and hoped to run to Jiujiang. I only hope that Cao Ren has not yet defeated Ji Ling and Liyang Water Village has returned. There are warships, otherwise..."

There is a naval camp outside Liyang. The navy led by Sun Ce was stationed in the Liyang water camp before the war, facing Niuzhu across the river.

Last night, Sun Ce refused to listen to Zhou Yu's plan to withdraw his troops and refused to flee without a fight. He insisted on attacking Cao's camp and was beaten to a bloody head by Cao Mengde. The 30,000-strong army collapsed in less than half an hour. Sun Ce was injured by Dian Wei and narrowly escaped losing his life.

When they retreated in a hurry, they were intercepted by Xiahou Dun's troops. They finally broke out of the encirclement and ran into Xu Huang's troops. He was pursued all the way until he got to the vicinity of Yuguo before he got rid of his pursuers. But after fleeing, there were less than two thousand men and horses left in Tangyi. What a huge defeat!

According to Zhou Yu's idea, he would go straight to Jiujiang Liyang without delaying a single second along the way. However, after the defeat, all the food and grass were lost, and there were several night battles. The soldiers were exhausted and their horses were exhausted, so they had to get food nearby to satisfy their hunger. Otherwise, they would all starve to death before reaching Liyang.

Zhou Yu was afraid that Cao Jun would set up an ambush in Tangyi, but after careful calculation, based on the number of Cao Jun's troops and horses, there should be no ambush in Tangyi. Moreover, Cao Jun cannot pursue too far, because the tens of thousands of troops in Guangling City will not watch as Cao Jun swallows up Sun Ce.

Cao Mengde was defeated in the camp of Cao's army last night. This is why Cao Mengde did not mobilize all the troops in the camp to pursue him. He also had to guard against the soldiers and horses in Guangling City who might come out of the city. More importantly, Cao Mengde wanted to block Guangling.

Only Xiahou Dun and Xu Huang's troops chased and killed him, otherwise Sun Ce would have been bound long ago.

Zhou Yu felt a little at ease when he thought of this.

Tangyi is right in front of you.

Sun Ce exhaled a long breath and said bitterly: "Cao's army is so elite that I can't believe it. My army of 30,000 is not just a mob, but it can't withstand a single blow from him."

"Cao's army is well-armed, and there is nothing we can do about it." A general nearby comforted him: "Bo Fu, don't be discouraged. I remember that when my old lord was alive, there were times when he was defeated. But my old lord was unyielding, and soon he was able to win again. Comeback.”

"What General Gongfu said is true." Sun Ce cheered up: "With the help of all of you, we can make a comeback and defeat Cao's army."

"It's a good thing that the young general can cheer up." Another general said: "From my perspective on Cao's army, one of the reasons is that the soldiers are well-armed. The soldiers are all brave and as strong as oxen, which is also the key. You must understand the secrets before you can deal with it. .”

Hearing this, Sun Ce also frowned: "General Demou is right. Cao's army is well-armed, which can be seen at a glance. However, all of those soldiers are brave and powerful, far superior to the soldiers and horses under my command, which is really puzzling. "

Zhou Yu was observing the environment outside the city at this time. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he saw a Taoist priest standing in the forest beside the road leading to the city gate.

He couldn't help shouting: "Bo Fu!"