At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 334 Zhang Song surrenders to the enemy

However, it was said that Ma Chao massacred Mianlui Road and just returned to Wenjiang Road when he was defeated by the Qiang who had ambushed him in advance.

Fortunately, Ma Chao was very brave and was able to fight out with more than 300 cavalry in the end.

It wasn't until Ma Chao interrogated a Qiang noble prisoner that he learned the news of Guo Jia's murder, and he suddenly felt dizzy.

Guo Jia was Cao Cao's chief adviser. He had the ability to turn his hands into clouds and rain. He was highly valued by Cao Cao, but he didn't expect that he would die here in such an unexplained way.

In addition to being horrified, Ma Chao couldn't help but worry that if the news of Guo Jia's murder spread to Chang'an, it would anger Cao Cao.

While Ma Chao was hesitating, he suddenly heard shouts of killing. It turned out to be Qiang cavalry coming to kill again.

Ma Chao gritted his teeth, but he did not dare to defeat the enemy with a small number, so he could only retreat towards Baishui Pass.

In Baishui Pass, Yu Jin led three thousand soldiers and horses to guard it. In addition to one thousand Qiang cavalry, the other two thousand soldiers and horses were brought by Ma Chao from Guanzhong.

By going to Baishui Pass at this time, not only can you have a place to stay, but you can also jointly control the thousand Qiang cavalry from the Six Paths with Yu Jin, so as to prevent them from cooperating with the Qiang inside and outside to attack Baishui Pass.

When that time comes, even if Ma Chao is not killed by the Qiang of the Six Paths, he will be trapped and die in Yizhou.

The leaders of the Qiang gathered together, and the leader said with a solemn face: "Killing Guo Jia is certainly a relief, but we have offended the Chu State first, and now we have offended the Qin State. What can we do?"

They still have a clear understanding of their own strength.

The population of the Liudao Qiang is not large, and it is far from even comparable to the barbarians. Only because they live on the plateau can they guarantee that they will not be conquered by the Yizhou Army.

However, this is also due to the fact that they have always stayed on their own in recent decades.

Seeing that all the Qiang leaders were silent, the man who had brought him back from Mianlu Road said hesitantly: "Yizhou is, after all, under the jurisdiction of His Highness the King of Chu. His Highness the King of Chu also treats barbarians and Ba people." It's quite a preferential treatment. If we are truly attached, His Highness the King of Chu must not care about what we have done before."

When the Qiang leaders of the Six Paths heard this, they all looked at each other in shock.

Someone said with a slight hesitation: "His Royal Highness the King of Chu will really pardon us?"

The man from Mianluo Road said: "Previously, the governor of Yizhou went to the tribe and had a bad talk with the leader. Finally, seeing that our life was hard, he still sent money and food regardless of the previous suspicion."

"We now have Guo Jia's head as a vote. If we can kill Ma Chao and recapture Baishui Pass, we will definitely be accepted by Yizhou."

When everyone heard this, they immediately stopped hesitating and prepared to rush to Baishui Pass.

But the leader said: "It is not difficult to defeat Ma Chao, but it is not so easy to conquer Baishui Pass. Unless the thousand Qiang cavalry who follow Yu Jin to guard Baishui Pass are willing to act as internal agents to help us break the city."

One of the leaders vowed: "Those thousand Qiang people are all Qiang born from Baima and Qiang from Shenlang. They have a close relationship with us. As long as we convince their leader, this matter will not be difficult."

They found the leaders of Baima Qiang and Shenlang Qiang, and after taking turns to persuade them, they finally agreed.

Although there is some friendship between Sheng Qiang and Ma Chao, this friendship is far inferior to that of the Liangzhou Qiang people.

Compared to the Qiang of the Six Paths whose blood is thicker than water, what does Ma Chao mean?

What's more, if Ma Chao can massacre Mianhui Dao today, he may not massacre their tribe in the future.

After everyone made a plan, they sent people on flying horses to send a message to Chengdu and offered surrender; at the same time, they rushed to Baishui Pass day and night, hoping to break through the pass and capture the people.

Chengdu, governor's office.

When Pang Tong read the surrender list of the Six Paths of Qiang handed over by Zhou Ji, his expression couldn't help but become very exciting.

He originally prepared a series of strategies. First, he deliberately broke up with the leader of Mianli Road, and then sent money and food inexplicably, in order to drive a wedge between the Qiang people of Mianli Road and Ma Chao.

What Pang Tong didn't expect was that Ma Chao would fall into the trap so easily. In anger, he would strike first and almost massacre the Mianlui Dao Qiang people.

Ma Chao's actions indeed exceeded Pang Tong's expectations.

But if you think about it carefully, it's not surprising.

Ma Chao was born in Liangzhou and had Qiang ancestry. He believed in eating the weak and the strong. In addition, he went deep alone. If the Mianhui Dao Qiang people were really rebellious, Ma Chao might be the one who died.

The reason why Pang Tong didn't expect Ma Chao to take this step was because Guo Jia would always be with Ma Chao.

With Guo Jia on hand to make suggestions, even if this matter is quite strange, it will only cause suspicion between the two, but it will not reach the point of life and death.

Unexpectedly, Ma Chao left Guo Jia on Wenjiang Road and instead led his troops to Mianlui Road alone.

In the final analysis, it was because of altitude sickness that Guo Jia felt unwell, so he was left in Wenjiang Road to recuperate.

Due to a combination of circumstances, the Qiang of the Six Paths finally turned against Ma Chao, and even Guo Jia was killed inexplicably.

All I can say is that God’s will plays tricks on people.

Just like in history, Pang Tong attacked Yizhou, but died from random arrows, causing Liu Bei to break off an arm.

Soldiers have no constant momentum, and water has no constant shape.

Although the outcome of the war is related to the comprehensive strength of both sides and the formation of troops, there is also great chance. Just like the most glorious battle of Liu Xiu, who was dubbed the great magician, wasn't he won by chance?

Although the change here was beyond Pang Tong's expectation, it was a great good thing for the current situation in Yizhou.

He looked at Zhou Ji and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, God bless the Kingdom of Chu!"

The generals of the Six Paths had just arrived at Baishui Pass, and the envoy sent by Zhou Ji had already arrived in the army. The envoy was none other than Pang Tong.

It has to be said that Pang Tong and Guo Jia are similar in that they are good at making strange plans.

Such people are very good at creating miracles, but they often put themselves in danger. A slight carelessness can lead to uncontrollable consequences.

However, it is difficult for the two of them to change their nature.

The leaders of the Qiang of the Six Paths warmly received Pang Tong, and then looked at each other with some anxiety, fearing that the other party would take the opportunity to ridicule them and others, or even give unacceptable conditions.

Unexpectedly, Pang Tong changed his tough attitude on Mianlu Road. Instead, he greeted everyone very humbly. Then he comforted them with gentle words: "You leaders, there is no need to worry. His Royal Highness the King of Chu has benevolence and righteousness and does not exclude other people." clan.”

"After the Nanzhong barbarians were conquered, His Highness the King of Chu not only did not criticize them too much, but instead gave the barbarians great preferential treatment, helping them build city-states, teaching them how to grow food, and even allowing their children to study for free. As long as they were compiled Those who register as household members, regardless of whether they are Han or barbarian, will receive the same treatment."

"His Highness treats the barbarians the same way, and he treats the Qiang the same way."

"As long as you sincerely adhere to me and promise not to rebel again, you can enjoy the same treatment as other barbarians."

When the leaders of the six Qiang tribes heard this, they were all surprised and expressed their loyalty to His Highness the King of Chu in front of Pang Tong.

Pang Tong had a bright smile on his face, but he was sneering in his heart.

He has not forgotten that His Royal Highness the King of Chu mentioned in his reply to the Crown Prince that the Qiang people are afraid of power but not moral.

Compared with the barbarians who make a living by fishing and hunting, the nomadic Qiang people are more difficult to tame and integrate into the Han people.

What's more, this Qiang rebellion almost overturned the entire Yizhou regime.

Don't think that just because Zhou Ji defended Chengdu, the Qiang rebellion was not good. In fact, Guo Jia's plan to disrupt Yizhou is indeed a clever plot, and there is a high probability that it can help Cao Cao get north of Yizhou.

It's a pity that Guo Jia has been famous for a long time. Both Pang Tong and Zhou Yu are extremely cautious when facing Guo Jia.

On the other hand, Pang Tong and Zhou Yu can only be regarded as the second generation of the Chu State. Although they had a little reputation before, their true abilities may not even be known to the civil and military officials of the Chu State except Zhou Qi.

It was precisely this that made Guo Jia misjudge the situation.

He didn't expect Zhou Yu to be so cautious and calm, even if he risked Chengdu being destroyed and the prince being kidnapped, he always stood still.

If it were any other general, he might not be able to do what Zhou Yu did.

He really wanted to bring troops back to Chengdu, but he fell into Guo Jia's trick. Not to mention that Hanxi County would be difficult to preserve, I am afraid that the entire northern Yizhou would have changed hands.

Zhou Yu was miscalculated and this was Guo Jia's first defeat.

In addition, he did not expect that Pang Tong would remain calm. Faced with the unexpected rebellion that besieged Chengdu, he quickly found the most accurate way to deal with it, which was to appease people's hearts, clear the country, and defend the city.

It was Pang Tong's composure that made Chengdu as stable as a mountain and finally forced the rebels to withdraw.

It is no exaggeration to say that neither Zhou Yu nor Pang Tong is inferior to Guo Jia in terms of resourcefulness, not to mention that there is Lu Xun beside him to advise Zhou Yu.

The most important thing is that the three of them understand Guo Jia, but Guo Jia does not understand them.

The lack of information doomed Guo Jia's plan, which seemed to be able to change the situation in Yizhou, to end in failure.

It's not that Guo Jia isn't smart, or that his planning isn't thorough enough.

Unfortunately, he found the wrong opponent.

If Guo Jia had known about the talents of Pang Tong, Zhou Yu, and Lu Xun, he would never have put himself in danger and wanted to capture Yizhou with his cunning strategy.

Not to mention just Yizhou, even the entire Chu State, as long as these three people are guarding it, the country can be protected for at least fifty years.

After appeasing the leaders of the Qiang, Pang Tong made many big cakes for them, and then promised to allocate money and food to the Qiang so that they could continue to attack Baishui Pass, and informed everyone that reinforcements from Chengdu would arrive at Baishui Pass soon.

The Qiang leaders of the Six Paths naturally treated Pang Tong warmly. Then Pang Tong left on the grounds of military affairs, and the Qiang leaders immediately sent him out of the camp in person.

But he said that Ma Chao returned to Baishui Pass and informed Yu Jin of what had happened before.

When Yu Jin learned that the Qiang of the Six Paths had rebelled and killed Guo Jia, his expression changed drastically.

He thinks more than Ma Chao.

In addition to being unable to explain Guo Jia's death to Cao Cao, Yu Jin also had to face the reality that Baishui Pass had become an isolated city, and there was not much food and grass in the pass.

In this case, it would be difficult for Cao Cao to capture Hanxi County without internal support, which means that Yu Jin and Ma Chao will most likely be trapped and die in Baishui Pass.

Seeing Yu Jin's gloomy expression, Ma Chao frowned and said, "For the current plan, we should first control the thousands of Qiang soldiers in the city. If they collude with the Qiang people outside, Baishui Pass will not be able to be defended at all."

Yu Jin was convinced, and immediately devised a plan to disarm a thousand Qiang soldiers, and then imprisoned them separately.

To guard these thousand Qiang soldiers, at least 300 people were needed, which also greatly dispersed the forces in the city.

Yu Jin looked at Ma Chao and said in a deep voice: "Before, Baishui Pass relied on the Liudao Qiang for supplies. Now that they have turned against them, Baishui Pass has become an isolated city, and the food and grass can only be supplied for ten days."

"Within ten days, if King Qin cannot conquer Hanxi County, you and I will both die here!"

When Ma Chao heard this, he couldn't help but tremble in his heart.

"Since there is not much food and grass in the city, the one thousand imprisoned Qiang cavalry cannot be kept."

A sharp look flashed in Ma Chao's eyes.

Yu Jin had other ideas, and said: "I heard the general recount the previous details, and found that there was something fishy in it. Perhaps the rebellion against the Qiang was due to a misunderstanding."

"Now you and I are trapped in the isolated city. Unless we can defeat the Qiang in one fell swoop, we will slaughter a thousand Qiang cavalry now. When the city is destroyed, we will both die without a burial place!"

Ma Chao said angrily: "The grudge has been settled. Even if there was a misunderstanding before, there is no room for change."

"Unfortunately, I was caught in an ambush before and was killed and defeated. If there were two thousand soldiers and horses in the city to help me, how difficult would it be to defeat these rabble?"

Ma Chao is not bragging.

Although there are as many as six or seven thousand Qiang cavalry, they all come from various large and small tribes, and their coordination is very poor.

If Ma Chao hadn't been good at commanding the cavalry and integrated them all before, it would have been difficult to set off a huge wave in Yizhou.

Ma Chao knew the Qiang people very well and was confident that he could defeat them.

Seeing that Yu Jin was still hesitant, Ma Chao immediately shouted: "There is not much food and grass in the city, and being trapped in Baishui Pass will lead to death sooner or later. It is better to defeat these Qiang people, then go forward to occupy their tribe, rob them of all the money and food, and then return from the plateau." Evacuate to Guanzhong."

When Yu Jin heard the words, he couldn't help but suddenly realized.

He was not the kind of person who looked down upon death. If sticking to Baishui Pass was indeed a dead end, it would be a good idea to find a way to survive for himself.

As for the cooperation between inside and outside to help Cao Cao invade Hanxi County, it is obviously impossible.

"The Qiang people have too many soldiers and horses, how to defeat them?"

When Ma Chao heard this, he couldn't help but hesitate.

Although he was confident of defeating the ragtag Qiang people, his soldiers would inevitably suffer heavy casualties.

The reason why he was able to lead three thousand cavalry from Yizhou through the territory of Shenlang Qiang and Baima Qiang and finally enter the vassal state of Guanghan, and even instigated the rebellion of the Qiang, was because he got the help of Sheng Qiang.

This time they broke with the Qiang people, and there were only more than 2,000 soldiers and horses left under their command. If they lost too much, they would definitely be intercepted and killed by the Qiang people on the way back.

Just when Ma Chao was hesitating and thinking hard, a subordinate suddenly came to report that Zhang Song from Shu County wanted to see him outside the city.

"Who is Zhang Song?"

Listening to this slightly unfamiliar name, Ma Chao was a little confused.

Yu Jin's heart moved slightly, and then he said: "Whoever he is, let's meet him first."

Ma Chao ordered people to use a hanging basket to pull Zhang Song into the city. After seeing clearly the short and ugly appearance of the other party, he couldn't help feeling disgusted and shouted: "What are you doing here?"

Zhang Song bowed and said, "I want to serve under the general so that I can do the hard work of dogs and horses!"

(End of this chapter)