In Zhang Yun's opinion, Cao Cao's stone cannon was incredibly powerful. But what he didn't know was that outside Xinye City at that time, Cao Cao was not satisfied with the power of the copycat stone cannon: "The Northern Army's stone cannon has a range of more than 400 steps, why is the range of our copycat stone cannon only 200 steps? And the power is so weak?"

Wang Jing ordered Lu Fang to develop a giant stone cannon, which could hurl a huge stone weighing 150 kilograms to a distance of 400 steps. It was very effective in the Battle of Chenliu, and the city was captured in half a day, shocking the world.

It was precisely because of his desire to have the same siege weapon that Cao Cao vigorously promoted the "Mojing", recruited craftsmen, and spent money to copy a giant stone cannon. As a result, the imitation he made with great difficulty was far inferior to the original. At present, it can only throw a stone bullet weighing 70 or 80 kilograms from 200 steps away, which is far from Cao Cao's imagination.

Cao Cao suspected that he had been cheated by his craftsmen, so he was very angry: "Do you know how much money I spent and how many people I offended in order to develop these siege engines?"

The craftsmen also looked aggrieved, and lowered their heads to explain the technical problems to Cao Cao: "We dare not deceive the general, we have tried our best. The Mohists who come from the Mohist school are proficient in the art of mechanical devices. When it comes to machine manufacturing, we can't even come close to them. We can already do our best to achieve this level."

Several craftsmen complained to Cao Cao with miserable faces. After all, many of them could not even recognize a few words, and all they could do when developing the catapult was to copy others. It was already incredible that they could copy the giant stone cannon without any understanding of the basic theory.

Cao Cao asked them to make a product of the same level as Wang Jing's stone cannon, which was really asking too much.

Although the principle of the stone cannon is not complicated, the simpler things are, the more they test one's skills, down to the details of the design of each part and the overall manufacturing process level. These technologies involve the processing of materials, and the gap is so large that it cannot be solved by just thinking about it.

Cao Cao didn't know much about technical matters, so after listening to the explanations of his craftsmen, he still didn't quite understand.

Fortunately, he was also a wise man and knew to trust the professional ability of professionals, so he did not continue to blame them, but continued to order a fierce attack: "Keep firing! I will capture this city within today!"

Xiahou Dun stood beside the catapults with an excited look on his face, and couldn't let go of these powerful weapons: "With such a sharp weapon, is there any barrier in the world that cannot be broken?"

Cao Cao also laughed triumphantly: "If I didn't have this weapon, how could I dare to boast that I would capture a strong city like Xiangfan?"

In order to keep the secret, Cao Cao had always ordered people to develop the giant stone cannon in secret. He did not even reveal any information to his close subordinates such as Xiahou Dun in advance.

Rumble~
A section of the city wall on the north side was bombarded by hundreds of stone bullets and finally collapsed. The gap left was large enough for Cao Cao's soldiers to swarm in.

"The city is broken!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The moment they saw the city fall, the morale of Cao Cao's army soared. They had been attacking the city for several days in a row, suffering heavy casualties. They were already full of resentment, and now was the time to vent.

Bloodthirsty wolves swarmed into the gap in the damaged city wall: "Kill!"

"County Magistrate, Xinye can no longer be defended. Let us run for our lives! If we don't leave now, we will be unable to escape even if we have wings!"

The few generals around Zhang Yun were not native to Xinye. They didn't care about the lives of the people in the city. They just wanted to save their own lives first.

The same goes for Zhang Yun. He has never thought about living and dying with Xinye City.

Therefore, once the city was breached, although it should have been possible to hold out for a while, as long as the defenders were concentrated in the inner city and relied on several important buildings to fight street battles, they could at least delay the situation for two days, perhaps until reinforcements arrived.

But Zhang Yun was a coward. How could he risk his life just for Xinye?

After all, Liu Biao was his cousin. Even if Xinye was captured by Cao Cao, he would at most be scolded when he returned, and he would not lose his life for it.

After some calculation in his mind, Zhang Yun decisively fled with his personal soldiers.

When the defending soldiers found out that their commander was gone, their morale, which had already collapsed, instantly plummeted to the bottom, with countless people crying out, "Zhang Yun ran away! Zhang Yun ran away!"

"Kill, kill, kill! The general has said that after three days of plundering, he will never put down his sword!"

Driven by desire, the soldiers of Cao Cao's army have transformed from human beings into crazy beasts.

They had a very hard winter, with lack of food and clothing, and yet they had to insist on drills to sharpen their physical strength and fighting spirit. If Cao Cao had not promised to allow them to indulge themselves in the city for three days afterwards, the morale of the army would have collapsed long ago when they went out to fight.

Now that the gates of Xinye City are wide open, the beasts in the hearts of Cao Cao's soldiers are released when they see the women and property in the city. The historic city before them has become a hell on earth.

The crazy soldiers of Cao Cao's army burned, killed, looted and committed all kinds of atrocities in the city, including money, beauties, killing and destruction without any bottom line. They used all kinds of crazy actions to vent their resentment.

After Zhang Yun escaped from Xinye, he looked back to the north and saw the thick smoke billowing above the city. He seemed to see the wronged souls of the dead soldiers and civilians in the city waving to him.

But now he could do nothing but board the ship to Xiangyang with regret and fear.

In Yuzhou, Cao Cao’s army’s base camp was in Xu County.

Cao Ren personally led a thousand infantrymen to guard the rear. After receiving the victory report from the front, even a calm man like him could not help but show his joy: "Xinye City has been captured!"

Chen Gong was shocked when he heard this: "In just three days, Xinye City was captured?"

Such explosive news was truly earth-shattering. Such a result was obviously beyond Chen Gong's expectations, so much so that he was stunned.

Seeing this, Cao Ren thought Chen Gong's behavior was a little strange: "Military Advisor, you seem a little unhappy after hearing the victory news from the front line?"

Chen Gong quickly collected his thoughts and said, "Zixiao, you misunderstood. How could I be unhappy about the victory of the lord's first battle? It's just that this matter was really unexpected, and Gong was distracted for a moment, which made Zixiao laugh."

After all, he is a veteran actor, and Chen Gong's acting skills successfully deceived Cao Ren and prevented him from becoming suspicious.

After hearing what Chen Gong said, Cao Ren was also filled with emotion: "In fact, it is not only you, Advisor, who are surprised. Even I cannot believe it. Now that Xinye has been captured, our army can rest easy and wait for Liu Biao's reinforcements to arrive. Then we can attack him halfway across the river."

Chen Gong suppressed his excitement and uneasiness and began to ask Cao Ren about the details of the Battle of Xinye: "As far as I know, my lord traveled light and fast. Unless you use a trick to capture the city, there is no way you can capture Xinye quickly. What methods did you use to capture the city in one fell swoop?"

The Battle of Xinye was over, so the existence of the copycat giant stone cannon naturally did not need to be kept secret. Therefore, Cao Ren laughed and revealed the truth to Chen Gong: "Military advisor, you don't know, the lord has secretly mobilized craftsmen to secretly copy the giant stone cannon invented by Qi Hou. Now it is very effective, which is why it has achieved such a great achievement."

“It’s such a sharp weapon!”

When Chen Gong heard the three words "giant stone cannon", his eyes almost popped out.

Chen Gong was of course well-known for the fame of the stone cannon, but Cao Cao actually had one in his hands?

This was beyond Chen Gong's expectations, so he couldn't calm down for a long time.

Cao Ren was immersed in the joy of Xinye's success at the moment, so he did not notice Chen Gong's strange expression. He continued to talk to himself, "I never thought that the Lord was right to promote Mohism against all odds. Otherwise, how could our army successfully imitate the giant stone cannon? Now that we have this weapon in hand, our chances of winning the battle southward will surely increase greatly. We will first take Jingzhou and then Yizhou. With this foundation for our kingdom, why should we worry about not accomplishing great things?"

This was the strategic plan secretly formulated by Cao Cao. Even Chen Gong, the military advisor, was kept in the dark. How could Chen Gong not understand at this moment that Cao Cao had long since lost trust in him?

Although Chen Gong said nothing about Cao Cao's plan to march south, his eyes were terrifyingly gloomy.

Mohism, Mohism again!
This thing should have been trampled into the mud long ago, why is it still lingering around?

Since Confucianism became the only official doctrine, it was fully implemented and became the most prominent school of thought in the world because it was in line with the political interests of the emperor and the aristocratic families.

In comparison, the Mohist school, which represented craftsmen, scholars, common people and small and medium-sized landlords, became a unorthodox school.

Not to mention that everyone is condemning him, but there will never be a way out for him.

However, this ghost that should have "died" long ago has now quietly resurrected, and is even showing its fangs and claws, trying to compete with Confucianism and exist on equal terms in the world.

I just don’t know what it means!
Chen Gong was a disciple of Confucianism, so he naturally despised the teachings of Mohism. He believed that Mohist teachings were heterodox, useless to the country, and of no benefit to the people.

Only Confucianism is qualified to educate all living beings.

Seeing that even Cao Cao began to promote Mohism, Chen Gong felt a burning anger in his heart.

In his view, Mohism is a piece of rotten fish and shrimp. When it comes to governing a country, how can it be compared with the teachings of the sages of Confucianism? As for the mere equipment, it is nothing more than some strange and lewd skills that are not worthy of being in a high-class hall. It is not worth mentioning. Only the knowledge of Confucianism is the smooth road to governing the country.

"No, we can't let Mohism continue to grow. I must find a way to reverse the situation as soon as possible."

Chen Gong became more and more anxious. Cao Cao asked someone to study the "Mojing", but they ended up making a copycat version of the giant stone cannon. In Chen Gong's view, this was a very dangerous signal.

It represents the signal that Mohism and even the entire Mohist school is flourishing!

Once this matter spreads, and the princes of the world follow suit, wouldn't the supreme status of Confucianism be lost?

This case cannot be opened!

Chen Gong was furious, his eyes were like knives, he looked southwards, towards the direction of Xinye: "Meng De, you forced me to do this."

Cao Ren seemed to have noticed something, and stared at Chen Gong suspiciously: "Military Advisor, is there something on your mind?"

Chen Gong immediately calmed down, smiled, and perfunctorily said: "Gong is just lamenting the changing situation. By the way, my lord is advancing to Jingzhou. As the military advisor, I will go back and make a careful deduction to see how to arrange the next battle strategy."

Cao Ren had no doubts and nodded in agreement, "Then I'll trouble you, Military Advisor."

After leaving General Fenwu's residence, Chen Gong rode back at full speed, calling a few of his trusted men and saying, "I have a secret letter here. Take it and go south after leaving the city and personally hand it over to a Jingzhou merchant named Huang."

"Understood, sir!"

Several of the confidants were servants in Chen Gong's family. Three generations of their family had worked for the Chen family and were loyal to them.

Yanzhou, Chenliu.

Upon hearing that Wang Jing was coming, Guan Yu and Jiang Qin personally led their troops to greet him.

"Meet the general!"

"I've met my lord!"

"Haha, you two are both loyal and brave men of the imperial dynasty, no need to be polite."

Wang Jing jumped off his horse, helped Guan Yu and Jiang Qin up from the ground, and asked about their health.

After the greetings, Wang Jing declined the banquet arranged by the two and instead walked hurriedly to the army operations room to conduct tactical simulations on the sand table.

"According to reliable information, Cao Cao has already captured Xinye, and Yuan Shu has assembled a large army and is planning to attack Fancheng."

Wang Jing's news naturally came from the carrier pigeons sent by the secret guards. As early as half a year ago, Wang Jing had ordered a group of Mohists to lurk near Xinye and set up a secret intelligence station to transmit important military information at any time.

Upon hearing the news of Xinye's fall, Jiang Qin, who was familiar with the internal situation in Jingzhou, looked puzzled: "Forget about Xinye, but how dare Cao Cao take Fancheng?"

Wang Jing smiled and said, "Of course, this is because I helped him from behind."

After learning that it was Wang Jing who hinted at the design principle of Cao Cao's giant stone cannon, Jiang Qin showed an expression of disbelief. After hearing this, Guan Yu bluntly advised: "General, the giant stone cannon is a national treasure. How can it be given to others easily? The design drawings should be strictly sealed to prevent leaks!"

Although Guan Yu has not yet called Wang Jing "Lord", he is actually not opposed to working for Wang Jing.

Wang Jing treated Guan Yu's every request and attached great importance to Guan Yu's opinions.

Guan Yu's suggestion was very reasonable at this moment, but Wang Jing also had his own considerations. He patiently explained the reason to Guan Yu: "Yun Chang, you don't know that the principle of the giant stone cannon is actually not complicated. If it is used frequently, sooner or later it will be understood by other forces and imitated. This kind of thing cannot be stopped."

The spread of technology can never be stopped.

In history, the British once strictly guarded against steam engines and imposed a technological blockade, but what was the result?
It was impossible to prevent it, and many European countries followed suit and soon developed their own steam engines, thus starting the first industrial revolution.

However, technologies such as horseshoes, stirrups, and even more complex stone cannons are not that difficult to make. They are far inferior to steam engines. As long as the powerful forces want to imitate them, they can copy them.

Instead of waiting for others to develop breakthroughs on their own, it would be better to use them as bargaining chips to guide the battle situation in a direction that is beneficial to you.

Wang Jing said this not only to Guan Yu, but also to explain his intentions to his subordinates: "I want to promote Mohism and shake the foundation of Confucianism, so I hide the manufacturing principle of the catapult in the Mohist Classics. This is an open conspiracy. The heroes of the world only need to promote Mohism, and it will not be difficult to replicate it."

Guo Jia was the first to understand, and praised: "Use benefits to lure them, and you don't have to worry about the fish not taking the bait. This is a really good idea, a good plan."

Wang Jing did this as if to openly declare: "I have hidden all the treasures in the Mo Jing. If you want them, go find them yourself!"

As a result, in order to strengthen themselves, the princes naturally flocked to the "Mo Jing", which objectively achieved the goal of promoting Mohism and shaking the cornerstone of Confucian thought.

The others also suddenly realized and admired Wang Jing's profound plan. This open conspiracy really made it impossible for anyone to do anything to him.

Even if you are found out, if you don't want to fall behind and take the beating, you can only be fooled and join the game yourself.

Guan Yu looked at Wang Jing with complicated eyes. He was much smarter than his third brother Zhang Fei, so he could naturally see that Wang Jing was deliberately trying to win over the two of them, and his methods were too clever.

Although Wang Jing never alienated the relationship between the three brothers, Guan Yu had a feeling that he had a third brother and his relationship with his eldest brother seemed to be becoming increasingly distant.

In recent days, the three brothers have been living in different places, leading their own armies, and they rarely get together like they did in Youzhou to discuss current affairs and express their ambitions.

But Guan Yu could not find any reason to blame Wang Jing for this. After all, Wang Jing was really doing it for the good of the three brothers. He gave them official positions and opportunities and never blamed or treated them harshly. He always responded to their requests.

Guan Yu was filled with mixed feelings. Finally, he shook his head and turned his attention back to the current battle.

He stared at the map, glanced at the attack directions of Cao Cao and Yuan Shu, and asked Wang Jing in confusion: "General, do you hope that Cao Cao will win and take control of Jingzhou?"

Wang Jing looked at Guo Jia and Xun You before telling Guan Yu his strategic intentions: "The original plan was indeed like this, but plans cannot keep up with changes. Chen Wang Liu Chong seems to be a little restless recently. He has been secretly in contact with Chen Gong and Xu Si and others, and seems to be intent on opposing the new policies of the court. My original intention was to let Meng De go south to sweep the noble families and powerful families in Jingzhou, but now I need him to deal with Liu Chong."

Guan Yu had learned a lot of strategies and planning from Wang Jing, and he couldn't help but wonder, "General, do you intend to weaken Yuan Shu and Cao Cao and let Liu Biao win? But Liu Biao is already strong. If he is allowed to gain a foothold in Jingzhou, he will be a big threat to our army."

This time, Wang Jing didn't say anything.

Guo Jia took over the topic and smiled calmly: "Let Jia answer this question."

Then Guo Jia pointed to the direction of Xiangyang on the sand table and analyzed the situation for Guan Yu: "The local clans in Jingzhou are extremely xenophobic, and Nanyang is an important town in northern Jingzhou. Yuan Shu is entrenched here and is making endless demands, which will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the local families. Therefore, Liu Biao took the initiative to attack and he could get the full support of the people of Jingzhou."

Guo Jia then changed the subject: "But once Liu Biao unified Jingzhou, the situation would change completely. Jingzhou has a dense water network, abundant resources, prosperous business, and the local families tend to be conservative. Liu Biao would have difficulty gaining support whether he went north or east."

Liu Biao's situation was the same as Yuan Shao's. Both of them were successful because of their aristocratic family and failed because of their aristocratic family. Their rise was rapid, and their fall was sudden.

In terms of personal ability, Liu Biao was not even as good as Yuan Shao, who was a man of both civil and military talents. At least the northern aristocratic families, due to years of war with the Hu people and the fact that the terrain was mainly plains, still had some martial spirit and were not lacking in the spirit of pioneering and enterprising.

In contrast, in places like Jingzhou and Yizhou, most of the vested interests are unwilling to make progress and prefer to stay in a corner.

Wang Jing originally planned to let Boss Cao sweep away the aristocratic families in Jingzhou in order to promote Mohism and promote reform.

However, the situation changed rapidly and Wang Jing had already made other arrangements for Boss Cao.

"Cao Cao and Yuan Shu will undoubtedly be defeated, and what our army needs to do is to support the retreating main force of Cao Cao's army. He can be defeated, but he cannot die." (End of this chapter)