Chapter 371: The King of Land Warfare VS The Invincible on Water [Subscribe]

The outskirts of Yecheng.

In the afternoon, Cao Cao's carriage went straight into the preparation camp.

As Cao's camp grew in strength, the size of the preparation camp also continued to expand.

One group of people built ships, another group researched agricultural tools for daily life, and another group prepared military equipment.

Cao Cao first came to the military industry camp.

Inside the camp stood a row of heavy cavalry.

When Taishi Ci saw these heavy cavalry, he was moved.

The armor worn by heavy cavalry has undergone several innovations over the years.

The heavy cavalry in front of us were divided into two groups of eight people each.

The armored guards who were inseparable from Dong Zhuo were killed by Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Xu Chu and others.

After the armor was brought back, Jia Xu was the first to study it because of its high protective power. He made the initial improvement and formed the Dunjia diagram.

Later, many craftsmen joined in, and the research on armor for the Iron Army continued. Based on it, heavy cavalry armor was produced, with intricate patterns on it.

Now, it has been nearly six years since the killing of Dong Zhuo, and after many improvements, we have the current heavy cavalry armor.

Most of the time, Cao Ying's research on heavy cavalry armor was about subtraction.

The goal is to make the spell easier to carve and prepare, while minimizing the power.

This is for wider use.

It is relatively simple, which can save labor and cost, and be popularized throughout the army, rather than limited to the production of high-end armor.

Of course, simplification is only one major direction, not all.

The two teams of heavy cavalry in front of us represent two different directions of armor iteration.

One team disregards the cost and uses the best craftsmanship and materials, reflecting Caoying's current highest level of preparation.

The other team tried to preserve the protective power of the armor while reducing the version.

The two are in sharp contrast, one simple and one complex.

This simple type of spell array is easier to engrave, and does not require such a large area of ​​armor to carry the spells, so it can be engraved on light cavalry armor.

This is a change in the military field for the entire army, which will greatly enhance Cao's army's defense and reduce casualties.

So Cao Cao came to check it out in person.

The other team of heavy cavalry wore reinforced armor that could gather the strength of each group of heavy cavalry to form an overall defense. It was even stronger than the protection of the armored soldiers around Dong Zhuo.

Each group of heavy cavalry is almost equivalent to a mobile siege fortress.

The combat effectiveness is improved again.

"How much protection can the simplified armor retain of the original armor?" Cao Cao asked.

"About 60 to 70 percent." replied the craftsman nearby.

A large number of runes have been cut, reducing the difficulty of preparation, and the ability to maintain 60% to 70% of the original protective power is already very ideal.

Cao Cao then ordered Taishi Ci and the heavy cavalry to try to engage in battle.

He used his perspective as the most outstanding archer of the time to find the weaknesses of the heavy cavalry armor.

Archers of Taishi Ci's level fired several arrows in a row, but were all blocked by the heavy cavalry armor.

He shot arrows at the weak point of the armor, which was the eye socket, but it was difficult to break the defense with one arrow.

This result made Cao Cao even more satisfied.

Even if it is a reduced version of the armor, its protective capability will be a step higher than the main armor currently used by Cao's army.

After seeing the armor, Cao Cao came to another nearby construction camp.

At the entrance here, there are several textile machines that are also being researched, from large to small, from complex to simple.

Cao Cao was making a preliminary attempt to promote the improvement of productivity.

This is something that needs to be done step by step.

From the initial preparation of textile machinery to the improvement of original productivity, raising the fundamental kinetic energy and promoting the leap of productivity, we must proceed step by step.

Cao Cao and Taishi Ci visited the two prepared camps and returned to the city.

"Your Majesty, we have captured several Buddhists."

Taishi Ci said:

"The leader was called Xinji. After he was captured, he was handed over to the soldiers for custody. The next morning, he was found to have committed suicide. The others were brought back.

During the preliminary interrogation, it was learned that their main task in the Western Regions was to enter the Kunlun Mountains to look for something, which had lasted for a hundred years.

What exactly it was, the captives had no idea.”

Cao Cao: "The people are locked up. The current focus is to unify the country first, and the rest can be put aside later."

"You will rest in Yecheng for two days, and then follow me on my tour."

Taishi Ci responded and went back to the city.

At present, the families of most of the important officials of Cao Wei have moved to Yecheng, each with their own family.

evening.

Cao Cao had to go out in two days, so he reunited with his wife and children after returning home.

Two days flew by.

When Cao Cao left Yecheng for an inspection tour, in addition to the two generals Dian and Xu, civil officials and advisers such as Taishi Ci, Guo Jia, and Xun You also accompanied him.

After crossing the Yellow River, head east.

In mid-November, Cao Cao once again came to the large shipyard along the coast.

The deck of the large ship with the Xiantai pattern engraved on it has been sealed.

But the upper building has not been completed yet.

"Is it possible for this ship to sail now?"

"Yes, my king."

The shipbuilder said, "But the ship's towers, slits, and other structures have not yet been built."

"It's enough to be able to go to the sea."

……

When Cao Cao left Yecheng, Zhou Yu also came to the front line where the three parties gathered their troops and met Lu Su who had just returned from meeting Liu Bei.

The two looked across the river toward the north bank.

The Yangtze River is majestic and the water is rushing.

There are many lakes and tributaries along its coast, which can be described as "from a distance it looks like silver vines with fruits hanging on them, and from near it it looks like a fierce horse roaring to the sky. It is majestic and magnificent for 7,000 miles, flowing through the meridians and nourishing hundreds of millions of families."

The widest part of the Yangtze River is dozens of miles long and as vast as the ocean.

Zhou Yu stood on the south bank.

The river breeze made his robe flutter, and his heroic spirit surged like the river water:
"Although Cao's army took over Liu Biao's army, most of the original Jingzhou navy and thousands of ships. However, the Jingzhou navy's loyalty and fighting morale were not enough for Cao Wei to rely on, and they could not stand the test.

The main force of Cao's army is still the northern troops. "

Lu Su understood what Zhou Yu meant.

Whether it is a naval battle or a land battle, the foundation of fighting still depends on people.

The northern soldiers coming to the south to fight a naval battle was one of the important opportunities for them to defeat Cao's camp.

Lu Su: "Our plan has already shown results."

Zhou Yu nodded. According to the information they had obtained, Cao's army on the other side of the river was transporting a large amount of timber.

Through some channels and his own analysis, Zhou Yu knew that Cao's army wanted to connect the ships with wood and iron chains to prevent the ships from shaking and create a water platform as stable as land.

Cao's army acted very covertly.

But Zhou Yu and Lu Su still discovered the clues.

Cao Cao is the king of land warfare, unparalleled in his military strategy and tactics.

Over the past few years, it has been fully proven that Cao's cavalry and infantry are the best in the world, and Cao Cao is a strategic strongman who can use troops like a god.

However, his weakness is that he does not understand naval warfare.

Zhou Yu was an invincible naval commander of his time.

Naval battles during the Han Dynasty were not complicated and were still at a relatively simple stage.

The power of the ship mainly relies on human power and wind power, and the main combat methods are boarding combat and long-range shooting.

Precisely because naval warfare is simple, Guan Yu in history was able to train a navy in a very short period of time when he was stationed in Jingzhou, and unlocked the ability to engage in naval warfare.

However, even the simplest naval battle is completely different from land warfare.

Zhou Yu and Lu Su had people closely observing the situation these days and discovered that when Cao's troops went south and boarded the ship for training, some of them could not stand the shaking of the ship and vomited.

The winds along the Yangtze River are particularly cold in autumn and winter.

The ships were shaking violently, and after sailing for a distance on the river, the landlubbers from the north would often vomit all over the place and be completely unable to fight.

Fighting in the windy autumn and winter seasons was exactly what Zhou Yu and Lu Su hoped for.

The competition and game between the two sides has already begun.

Zhou Yu said: "This time we are fighting Cao's army in autumn and winter, which is very disadvantageous to the northern troops. This is the result of the weather.

Starting a war along the Yangtze River is a geographical advantage."

Zhou Yu did not mention the harmony of people besides the right time and place, because the advantage is greater.

When it comes to naval warfare, the northern troops are far inferior to the Jiangdong army, which are all as agile as white sharks in the waves and can cross the Yangtze River.

With the right time, place and people, Zhou Yu made careful preparations and planned repeatedly.

Cao Cao has stepped into the battlefield where the Jiangdong navy can fully display its strengths.

Combined with other means, Jiangdong, Zhou Yu and Lu Su, who were expected to fail by everyone, saw that they had a great chance of winning this battle.

The Cao army on the opposite side was transporting wood and trying to connect many large ships, which was also God's help to Jiangdong.

Zhou Yu and Lu Su became more and more confident that they would be the winners.

There were three main types of warships during the Han Dynasty.

The first type is the tower ship, which is characterized by being large and is mainly used as a command ship or a troop transport ship.

The largest ship could carry two thousand people, but it was expensive to build.

The second type is the fighting ship, a medium-sized ship.

There are arrow slits on the ship, which are mainly used for long-range shooting.

The third type is the battleship, which is usually wrapped in cowhide. There are oar holes on both sides of the ship's side, and crossbow windows and spear holes in the front, back, left and right.

This type of ship is smaller and is characterized by flexibility and strong maneuverability, making it convenient for assaults and close combat.

"Cao's army already has many large ships, and they want even bigger ones. They want to build wooden planks and iron chains on the ships to connect the ships together so that the ships can move like land."

Zhou Yu could not help laughing: "Our army will defeat Cao Wei's large warships with its light and fast boats, just like the current situation of our two armies."

Lu Su: "If you win this battle, Gongjin, you will be famous for all eternity."

"Isn't it the same for you, Zijing?"

The two chatted and laughed, looking quite relaxed.

"How long will it take for us to gather our troops and supplies?"

"It will take some time for all parties to gather along the coast. The coldest time of winter is also when the wind is strongest, which is perfect for inflicting heavy damage on Cao Wei."

"Now is the right time to take the next step."

"Then let's do it and wipe out Cao Wei's last chance of winning."

……

After seeing the big ship at the dock, Cao Cao went south along the coast and came to the north bank of the Yangtze River again.

At this time, he had completed a strategic arrangement that could be described as a stroke of genius, but no one knew about it.

The team went west along the north bank and soon arrived in Jingzhou.

This place is very close to the battlefield of the Battle of Red Cliffs, which became famous in later generations.

Taishi Ci accompanied them all the way and was surprised to find that the Cao army stationed along the coast would boil water and drink a kind of medicine every few days.

After asking, I found out that it was a prescription given jointly by Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo.

Most of the ingredients used are common herbs, so the cost is not high and can be used on a large scale.

In history, Cao's army was defeated at the Battle of Chibi. One of the main reasons was that after arriving in the south, they were not used to the climate and water, which triggered an epidemic.

In the end, the troops were killed before the battle even began, and their combat effectiveness was less than one-third to one-fifth of their usual strength.

At this moment, Cao Cao was well prepared to prevent any disaster from happening.

He informed Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo several years in advance and asked them to prescribe prescriptions and start stockpiling large quantities of medicinal herbs.

At this time, boil the water and drink it to cope with the possible acclimatization problems caused by the northern troops.

The contest between the two sides had indeed begun a long time ago.

Cao Cao settled down in Xiangyang, Jingzhou, and watched the navy training day and night.

One day, Jia Xu came to his official study in Xiangyang and said, "Your Majesty, there is new news."

The secret letter sent to him said: "Zhou Yu has a new plan, the target is Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, Gan Ning..."

They are all generals on Cao’s side who are good at water battles.

Cao Cao put down the secret letter, walked to the window and looked to the north.

The war situation in the north and south has entered a stage of stalemate and change.

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(End of this chapter)