Outside the Bishui Pass, the fourth line of defense, the battle on the front line was fierce, because there were constant explosions. It sounds like a lot of intense sound. In the barracks not far away, there were still constant gatherings of soldiers, and then rushed to the front line.

Cao Cao's army was digging trenches. It's slow, but it's very effective.

Coupled with the constant use of explosive weapons. Despite the lack of many, many firearms, the firearms are seriously under-equipped, which is a big problem that has been exposed by the Kwantung coalition forces. This makes the fight very stale. Although the Kwantung Coalition Army had shown great bravery before.

Sun Jian's troops assaulted the fifth line of defense, opening a gap. This allows them to get into the line without any problems. However, the two sides fought each other for offense and defense, making it impossible for them to hold the fifth line of defense.

Until the advent of explosive weapons, despite the lack of firearms, did not prevent them from making *** at all. The formula is very clear to them, but it can't reach a lot of power, and the power is not enough, so you can use the quantity to make up. In such a situation, a large number of ** packets appear.

For example, Gongsun Zhan, Liu Bei's subordinate Guan Yu, led a team of fifty people to assault the fifth line of defense, opening an extremely good gap, and those ** bags weighing more than twenty pounds caused a lot of damage to the other party. A twenty-pound ** bag is definitely not something that ordinary people can use. And the explosion was powerful enough.

The billowing smoke from the explosion alone was enough to scare a lot of people. It was definitely an extremely shocking shock, and with such an impact, they once again opened the fifth line of defense. But reinforcements are still serious. Quickly launched a counterattack, and Dong Zhuojun quickly suppressed the other party.

But fortunately, Cao Cao's trench was dug in time, and reinforcements entered the fifth line of defense through the trench. This is the occupancy. Otherwise, without reinforcements, they will easily be expelled by the other side again, and the war will once again enter a stalemate, which is definitely not an outcome that others want to see.

In the case of a concerted action, the Kwantung coalition forces occupied the fifth line of defense, and after the defense, they again attacked the fourth line. This time they went relatively well.

"The enemy's artillery bombardment has inflicted much fewer casualties on our reinforcements, and unless they go directly into the trenches, the casualties will inevitably be much reduced." Xi Zhicai said to Cao Cao. They hid in a secluded observation post and watched the battle on the front lines.

The trenches provided good concealment, and in the past their reinforcements were rushed through with open fire, and as a result, the infantry who rushed through became good targets for artillery. Dong Zhuojun's artillery bombarded unscrupulously, and the reinforcements in the past would at least knock out a third of the troops, and at the most, the reinforcements would be 700 people, and in the end less than 200 people would arrive. The situation of reinforcements can be imagined. Sometimes some local armies will also be big and have no temper. The troops had not yet been reinforced, and all at once collapsed.

The use of trenches was slow, but very effective, providing maximum cover and reducing the cost of casualties, otherwise such a charge would have cost them extremely heavy losses. It's definitely not the result that everyone wants to see. The war has entered a state of extreme cruelty.

**The bag is more than twenty pounds, which is too heavy. Many soldiers couldn't throw at all, and only a few were able to do that, so in the following period, they also made improvements. For example, it became five catties, three catties, but the weight is still very heavy. Special soldiers are required to make throws. Therefore, the best way is to reduce the weight and at the same time set up a special team to throw, because ordinary soldiers simply cannot throw a thing weighing three or five pounds farther.

In addition, their dispensing ratio is extremely unreasonable, the explosion effect is very bad, if the weight is reduced, the effect will not be achieved, so the weight can only be maintained three or five catties.

It is precisely the existence of such a weapon, as well as the change in tactics, that makes an offensive possible.

"Digging trenches is slow, but there's no way to do it." Cao Cao said helplessly.

"However, the personal bravery of the soldiers is also extremely important, for example, Guan Yu Guan Yunchang, the archer under Liu Bei, this person is extremely brave, and when there are only less than fifteen people in the position, he can remain fearless in the face of the attack of a thousand people, this person is really a real general." Cao Cao praised it without hesitation.

Guan Yunchang's bravery made Cao Cao very envious, and he already had a heart for talent. If this person can become one of his own generals, he will become extremely advantageous.

"My lord. This is an epistle from the north. Xi Zhicai said. Cao Cao took it and looked at it. The letter is from Xun Yu, and the content is naturally related to cheap labor.

Xun Yu analyzed that there will be a lot of bankrupt farmers in the world, and they will become the main source of the Yellow Turban Army. In such a situation, the Yellow Turbans would have a great disaster. At the same time, the damage caused is staggering. This is extremely detrimental to the resumption of production, and at the moment they need more and more money, and in such a situation, there is only one way, that is, to transfer and transport in advance.

Xun Yu introduced some of the situation of the Republican Army, where there are many factories, there is a lack of too much labor, and the factory owners are extremely greedy. This is an important shortcoming that Xun Yu discovered. The wages and remuneration stipulated by the law of the Republican Army are about 0.75 yuan to 1 yuan per hour. This is the right of legal citizens of the Republican Army. This salary package is not low, but it is the most basic.

And for those cheap laborers who do not have legal citizenship, their situation will be very bad, and even their situation will be in the worst state, and their wages will be such a small amount, but this is the money they earn for three days of work, and the wages are paid on a monthly basis, and even so, they will still survive.

They work eight hours. Instead of ten to twelve hours of work.

Xun Yu felt extremely profound about this, but even so, it was still very attractive. Because of the low prices of the Republican Army, they can survive, and this salary can still meet the subsistence rations of their family of eight, and if women and children are involved, there is still no problem in supporting sixteen people, because the low-income group does not have to pay taxes. That's the benefits of the IRA. Xun Yu wrote about such a thing in his letter.

However, Xun Yu's biggest suggestion is to introduce relevant factories. Because the workforce is not suitable for large-scale long-distance migration, it is easy to create turmoil.

If they can bring in the relevant factories, they can produce them themselves, or if they encourage them to do so, then they can transfer a large number of bankrupt peasants and give them a bite to eat. As for the issue of food, it can be introduced on a large scale or concentrated production. Xun Yu initially put forward the idea of imitating the model of the Republican Army to carry out reforms.

Cao Cao agreed, but only agreed, and Cao Cao did not plan to make a big change in the whole situation at this time. In other words, he has not yet planned to produce some ways to improve the backward production system, and his main task at present is still to expel Dong Zhuo and then support the Han Dynasty. Only then can their situation really improve, and this is the situation that they should notice the most.

Cao Cao, by contrast, was concerned with the arms trade. Xun Yu only said through the proposals of some parliamentarians, but when exactly will they be able to get relevant military assistance. This is not clear. When Cao Cao saw this, he was a little helpless. Begging for help is also a last resort, because the purchase is too expensive. You can't make it yourself.

The ones that are made are not up to standard, and they have no shortage of iron tools. But if you want to have firearms on a large scale, the investment will be very large.

This is also where Cao Cao is extremely helpless. For now, they can only pin their hopes on military assistance. After all, it's free.

Jingshi, Luoyang, Dong Zhuo had some worries. Because the fourth line of defense is also extremely precarious. Dong Zhuojun's various units were reluctant to fight, and in some areas, they had already given up on their own initiative. There's no way around it. The strength of the defense will be reduced, especially when there is a tug of war, and the strength of many military generals will be much weaker.

Dong Zhuo's army has a lot of hills, especially the troops that were expanded and expanded in the later period, they are very good at robbery, fighting wars, completely not contributing to work, they deliberately preserve their military strength, in many key operations, for the needs of their own interests, they resolutely do not invest more military forces. Because it seriously harms their own interests.

In the case of such a self-protection approach, the forces that had been resolutely counterattacking gradually invested less and less. And Dong Zhuo is in his own considerations. There was no investment, so the discerning people could see that the fourth line of defense could no longer be held.

In this way, the line of defense is left with only a pitiful three lines of defense. Dong Zhuo felt that there was something wrong with their situation at this time. It was this worry that made him anxious.

If you continue to lose your defense, it's not good. Worse is a bigger picture.

In the early stage of the war, the investment in firearms was extremely large, and there were even some wasteful situations. The later operation was unfavorable, and the lack of ammunition supply was also an important situation, not that Dong Zhuo did not replenish, but because he could provide not much ammunition. The ammunition was too badly consumed before. Serious to. Dong Zhuo himself was a little distressed.

In short, the situation in Luoyang is very unoptimistic. The input of troops is getting less and less, and the consumption of ammunition is getting bigger and bigger, and when it is consumed, there is no replenishment.