si-mexico Chapter 571 Cao Ying's Old Six Flips the Table? Meng Yi: I'll be up early at 8 AM!
Chapter 571 Cao Ying's Old Six Flips the Table? Meng Yi: I'll be up early at 8 AM!
"Hmph, there's an old saying among the Han people: 'It's better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't.'"
"Since you cannot confirm whether those Han people intend to attack my Wuquan Kingdom, then I will assume they are enemies."
Wutugu waved his hand, treating Cao's army as a hypothetical enemy.
Several trusted confidants immediately began to flatter him:
"Your Majesty, you command both elephant cavalry and rattan armor soldiers. How could mere Han Chinese possibly be a match for you?"
Wutugu said noncommittally:
"I dislike war. The establishment of rattan armor soldiers and elephant soldiers is only to protect the safety of my Wuquan Kingdom."
Before he could finish speaking, a personal guard came to report:
"Your Majesty, King Mengyi of the South has sent an envoy to request an audience."
"Meng Yi?"
"What does this fellow want with me?"
Wutugu's mind was clearly not very bright.
For a moment, it was unclear what the connection was between the Meng epidemic and the rumors that suddenly arose in Wuquan Kingdom.
Upon seeing Wutugu, the messenger sent by Mengyi said:
"Our king and Your Majesty are both people from the South."
"Although Your Majesty has created another kingdom, Wuquan, the bones are still connected by tendons."
"Your Majesty may not know this, but Cao Cao has already occupied nearly two-thirds of the Han territory."
"This man is extremely ambitious and is no longer satisfied with the territory under the rule of the former Han Dynasty. He has far-reaching ambitions."
“My southern region will also be incorporated into his territory.”
"At that time, the only fate awaiting us, the people of Nanzhong, will be death!"
"Dangdang!"
Wutugu threw out a huge ivory tusk, which nearly pierced the messenger.
"This……"
The messenger was greatly alarmed.
What respectable person would use ivory as a concealed weapon? Only Wutugu would have that kind of skill.
"I will protect the safety of Wuquan Kingdom."
"But I don't trust your master, Meng Yi."
Wutugu's intelligence has regained its superiority, and he expresses doubt about Mengyi sending envoys.
The envoy quickly offered his explanation:
"Your Majesty, my King of Nanzhong sincerely wishes to form an alliance with you to jointly resist foreign enemies!"
"Isn't having more strength always better than being outnumbered and outmatched?"
"Moreover, my King of Nanzhong knows that you have always cared most about the life and death of the people of Wuquan Kingdom."
"Therefore, he proposed setting the battlefield outside of Wuquan Kingdom."
"At that time, you will only need to lead your troops to the designated location to keep the war away from the people of Wuquan Kingdom."
Wutugu was stunned again.
Clearly, the idea that intelligence holds the upper hand is just an illusion.
He counted on his fingers the gains and losses of forming an alliance with Meng Yi.
After a long silence, he said:
"An alliance is possible, but I need Meng Yi to provide food and lodging for my soldiers from Wuquan Kingdom who are on campaign abroad."
Upon hearing this, the envoy's face immediately broke into a smile.
He said from the bottom of his heart:
"Your Majesty, rest assured, all of these will be prepared in advance for you."
"Apart from that, any spoils of war shall also belong to Your Majesty."
"My King of the South will not take a single penny!"
Hearing this, Wutugu felt a little embarrassed.
He wondered if he was taking advantage of Meng Yi too much.
Little did Meng Yi know that he was using Wutugu and the soldiers of Wuquan Kingdom as cannon fodder, providing them with food and lodging.
There are no better cannon fodder than rattan armor soldiers and elephant soldiers!
Well, in terms of food and lodging, this treatment is actually not as good as that of the Minister's residence.
Although the Minister's office starts work early, it closes late!
Salaries and benefits were paid on time, but the talented people in the household simply didn't have time to go out and spend money.
Meng Yi hired rattan armor soldiers, providing them with food and lodging, but leaving them to risk their lives.
In comparison, the advantage lies with the Minister's Mansion! The Minister's Mansion wins decisively!
……
The mountainous and forested area on the southern border of central China (near Jianning).
Pang De and Zhang He, who had arrived at the scene ahead of Cao Cao on his orders, were leading their vanguard to scout the terrain.
Don't overthink it. They weren't conducting a careful and proper investigation. Instead, they were cutting things as they went, and even using fire!
The fallen trees represent only a tiny fraction of the damage in the border region.
There are just so many trees in Nanzhong!
Trees and shrubs are also the easiest places for poisonous insects and other creatures to hide.
In addition, the weather in the southern region is not particularly cold even in winter; it is spring-like all year round, so the number of poisonous insects is still quite large.
If Cao's soldiers honestly went in to investigate, nine out of ten would be killed.
However, Zhu Rong's forces were too small to launch a surprise attack on Meng Yi.
Therefore, in order to successfully enter the southern part of the territory, it is imperative to cut down some trees on the periphery.
Given Cao Cao's sixth-ranking character, he would naturally choose the soldiers over the trees when faced with the choice between the trees and the lives of the soldiers.
If some saintly figure jumps out at this point and says they want to protect the environment, then why not send the saintly figure inside to play with the poisonous insects and miasma?
The scouts hiding in the shadows became increasingly anxious upon seeing Cao Cao's army cutting down trees so diligently.
Even without the mischief of Xiong Da and Xiong Er, the number of trees that one or two lumberjacks can cut down each day can only be within a very limited range.
But Cao Cao's army has tens of thousands of soldiers here, and this is only the vanguard!
No matter how many trees there are, they cannot withstand the "conquest" of tens of thousands of Cao Cao's soldiers.
Without these trees, the first line of defense in the southern region would collapse without a fight!
"Quickly return and report this matter to the King!"
"Here."
Several spies turned and left.
Skilled in mountain warfare, their agility in this area is unmatched.
But what if there are no trees to provide cover?
Sorry, every soldier in Cao Cao's army is a war god!
……
"Report!"
"That scoundrel Cao Cao has sent his vanguard to garrison the border area and is frantically cutting down and burning trees!"
"Cutting down and burning trees?"
Meng Yi was stunned for two and a half seconds, then flew into a rage.
His mind is much smarter than Wutugu's.
Those trees are a natural defense.
Moreover, the venomous insects and snakes in the mountains and forests were not as aggressive towards the Nanman people as they were towards outsiders.
This may be related to the unique aura of the Nanman people.
If the southern barbarians passed through the mountains and forests, the probability of them being attacked by poisonous insects and snakes would be greatly reduced.
Conversely, if Han Chinese pass through, the price will be doubled!
However, attacks from poisonous insects and snakes also rely on shrubs and trees.
Those old men in Cao Cao's camp, they'd start a fire at the drop of a hat, they're all like they're possessed by arson maniacs, who can stand them?
Ma Su, who had already resigned himself to his fate and whose romantic orientation had become the same as Ma Dai's, frowned and said:
"Your Majesty, Cao Cao is extremely treacherous."
"If we let them burn the mountains and open up a road to the heart of our southern region, then we're doomed!"
Meng Yi turned around irritably and glared at Ma Su, saying fiercely:
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"When we voluntarily withdrew from Jianning to Nanzhong, it was on your advice."
"Now, Wutugu hasn't even arrived yet, but the shrubs and trees in the mountains have already been burned by Cao Cao's army!"
"I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. You must come up with a plan to defeat the enemy!"
Ma Su remained expressionless as he sensed Meng Yi's anger, a secret sense of smugness welling up inside him.
Well, I don't know where this secret joy comes from.
In any case, Ma Su only took 0.25 incense sticks' time to come up with a "good method"!
"Your Majesty, please look at the map."
"There is a Hammer God Mountain here. If we set up an army here to lure Cao Cao's vanguard, and then block their retreat with rolling logs and boulders, Cao Cao's army will have no chance of escaping!"
Ma Su was simply a born "master of sand table simulation".
Seeing the map and sand table gave him confidence, as if he had everything under control.
And the Hammer God Mountain he mentioned is indeed a dangerous place.
Not only is it situated on high ground, but it is also a strategically important location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack!
……