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

Chapter 335: The Great Destruction of the Qiang People

Ma Chao is now in trouble both internally and externally. He has become a lone army and is extremely depressed. They didn't expect that someone would come to join them at this juncture.

"Is there some fraud here?"

Ma Chao and Yu Jin looked at each other and had this idea in their minds.

Zhang Song seemed to have guessed what they were thinking, and immediately said with a hint of bitterness: "I sincerely come to vote, why are the two generals suspicious?"

Ma Chao said: "It's not that we are suspicious, it's just that it's too strange for you to come to vote at this time. Don't you know our situation?"

Zhang Song said seriously: "Of course I know that the general is troubled internally and externally. He has become a turtle in a urn. I'm afraid he doesn't have much time to live."

Ma Chao was furious when he heard this and was about to teach Zhang Song a lesson, but was stopped by Yu Jin.

I saw Yu Jin whispering to Ma Chao: "Although what this person said is not very pleasant, it is true. Meng Qi might as well ask again to see where this person comes from."

Ma Chao suppressed the anger in his heart and asked: "Since you already know our situation, why do you want to die?"

Zhang Song chuckled and said: "For the general, this situation is a dead end, but for me, it may not be the case."

Ma Chao's heart moved slightly and asked: "Why did you say this?"

Zhang Song said with a hint of pride: "If my prediction is correct, there shouldn't be much grain stored in Baishui Pass, right?"

Ma Chao's expression condensed slightly, and then he said with a smile: "It's only enough for three months!"

Zhang Song sneered after hearing this and said, "General, why did you bully me?"

Ma Chao had a sneer on his face, and then said: "We only have less than a month of food and grass!"

Zhang Song turned around to leave, and said in a somewhat unhappy voice: "Since the general doesn't trust me, I'll just go on my own!"

Yu Jin hurriedly stepped forward to grab Zhang Song and said, "To be honest, the food and grass can only last half a month."

Zhang Song shook off Yu Jin's arm and sneered: "I'm afraid the food storage is less than ten days!"

Ma Chao and Yu Jin looked at each other and saw horror in each other's eyes. They didn't expect Zhang Song to know so much about the situation at Baishui Pass.

Immediately afterwards, the two of them couldn't help but feel their hearts sink.

If even Zhang Song knew this information, then did Zhou Ji also know about the food shortage at Baishui Pass?

If Zhou Ji knew that Baishui Pass was short of food, he would not even need to storm the city, but would just send troops to besiege Baishui Pass.

If this is the case, it will not be easy for Ma Chao and others to break through. When the food and grass in the city are exhausted, they will have no choice but to starve to death.

Looking at the changing expressions of the two men, Zhang Song shouted: "The two generals don't trust me, so take your leave!"

After speaking, Zhang Song turned around and strode away without looking back.

Ma Chao was anxious, so he quickly stepped forward to hold Zhang Song, and said with a smile: "I was the one who treated you so slowly before. I would like to apologize to you here, and I hope you won't blame me!"

Yu Jin also stepped forward to apologize and said with a smile: "We use the hearts of villains to judge the hearts of gentlemen. Sir, please stay!"

Seeing the two people's kind invitation to stay, Zhang Song snorted coldly and did not leave after all.

In fact, the gates of Baishuiguan are closed at this time. If the two of them don't agree, Zhang Song can't leave at all. His gesture is just for show.

The two welcomed Zhang Song into the house and entertained him warmly.

After a while, Ma Chao couldn't help but asked: "Sir, since you are from a wealthy family in Chengdu, and the situation here is not good for us, why should we abandon the state of Chu and rely on the state of Qin?"

When Yu Jin heard this, he also stared at Yang Song, obviously having the same doubts in his heart.

Zhang Song gently put down the teacup in his hand, then sighed slightly and said, "If I didn't have to, why would I have come to this point?"

Ma Chao and Yu Jin's eyes met in the air, and then they all looked at Zhang Song eagerly, hoping that the other party could give a convincing reason.

Otherwise, they may not really dare to trust Zhang Song.

Zhang Song no longer pretended, but told the two people the reason.

It turned out that the Zhang Song brothers believed that they had made great contributions to persuading Liu Zhang to open the city and surrender, and helped Zhou Qi capture Yizhou. In addition, as the Zhang family was a prominent family in Chengdu, the two brothers were also quite famous, so they should be reused. .

Unexpectedly, after Zhou Qi captured Yizhou, the Zhang Song brothers were only conferred not very important official positions.

The two thought that their hard work would eventually lead to reuse.

Unexpectedly, since Zhou Qi implemented the imperial examination system in the Chu State, he began to deliberately suppress the wealthy families, and instead gave preferential treatment to the poor families. This could not help but anger Zhang Song, who had a proud personality.

Even so, Zhang Song didn't have any bad intentions.

Until the prince of Chu came to Chengdu to serve as the governor of Yizhou, Zhang Song thought that this would be his opportunity to take off, and used various means to get Zhou Jizhong to use him.

However, Zhou Ji judged people based on their appearance, and when he saw that he was short and ugly, he did not reuse him at all. Zhang Song could not help but feel a lot of anger in his heart.

Even so, Zhang Song was just dissatisfied and had no intention of changing his family.

What really made Zhang Song completely determined to switch to Qin was because Zhou Ji ignored the advice and insisted on accepting the Liudao Qiang rebels.

Originally there was no conflict between the Zhang family and the Liudao Qiang, but the Zhang family had a large business. In addition to the shops in Chengdu, there were also many fields outside the city and Wubao where money and grain were stored.

The Qiang rebels looted everywhere, and after breaking through the Wubao belonging to the Zhang family, they also slaughtered all the Zhang family members, and the two sides became enemies.

Originally, the Qiang of the Six Paths turned against Ma Chao, which was the best time to conquer the Qiang. If all the Qiang of the Six Paths could be wiped out, it would also be possible to avenge the Zhang clan's dead people.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Ji ignored the strong objections of Zhang Song and others and accepted the surrender offered by the Qiang people, which completely angered Zhang Song.

When Ma Chao heard this, Bu Tou suddenly understood, but he still asked tentatively: "Although it was the Qiang who attacked and massacred Zhang's Wubao, as the commander-in-chief at the time, I was also closely related. Don't you hate me, sir?"

Zhang Song glanced at Ma Chao and said: "It is impossible to say that I don't hate the general at all. It's just that I have clear grudges, but I know that every grievance has its owner."

"The two armies are at war, and each is his own master. The general's army is short of food, and he is forced to plunder and plunder. It is understandable."

"Given the temperament of the Qiang people, they carried out massacres after breaking through Wubao. They all did it on their own. I think the general and Guo Fengxiao would never issue such an order, right?"

Hearing this, Ma Chao sighed: "That's true."

"At that time, the army was short of food, and reinforcements led by Yan Yan were about to arrive in Chengdu. If we did not launch troops to plunder, our troops would inevitably collapse without a fight."

"Even so, I and the military advisor also gave repeated orders to the Qiang people to try their best to only steal money and food without causing harm to human lives, and to stop after grabbing enough money and food."

"However, the Qiang are wild and untamable. Once they start looting, they will not listen to someone's command. This is what leads to a big mistake!"

Ma Chao's words are not to excuse himself, but are indeed true.

Zhang Song said: "I believe what the general said, and I have also confirmed from other channels that what the general said is true, so I took the liberty to come here to talk to you."

"What I hate is the barbarism of the Qiang people, and it is Zhou Jizhi's inaction!"

Speaking of this, Zhang Song could not help but grit his teeth. Yu Jin took the opportunity to say: "Although Sir, you have the ambition to take revenge, but we are now trapped in Baishui Pass, and our food and grass can only last for ten days. I'm afraid it's not the right time for Sir to come and surrender."

Hearing this, Zhang Song calmed down his anger and said, "Today a great wealth is going to be given to the two of you. I wonder if the general dares to take it?"

Ma Chao asked hurriedly: "What kind of wealth is this?"

Zhang Song said: "After Zhou Ji accepted the surrender of the Qiang people in Liudao, he ordered Pang Tong to send an envoy to appease the Qiang people and promised to transport money and grain to them."

"Calculating the time, the money and food can be transported to the Qiang camps in the Six Paths in two days."

"If the general can rob this batch of food and grass, the more than 2,000 defenders of Baishui Pass will be able to hold on for at least half a year."

"As long as Baishui Pass is not lost, Zhou Ji will definitely send a large army to besiege this pass, so that Yizhou cannot use all its strength to defend Hanxi County."

"At that time, the general wrote another letter and sent it to Chang'an, allowing His Highness the King of Qin to take the opportunity to lead the army to attack Hanxi County. If Hanxi County is defeated, the general will still have accomplished a great feat!"

Zhang Song's words couldn't help but make Ma Chao and Yu Jin's hearts beat.

The terrain of Baishui Pass is steep. If there is sufficient food and grass and tight defenses, it will be no problem to defend it for the first half of the year.

The reason why they had taken the risk and wanted to return to Guanzhong from the plateau before was because they had no choice but to lack food and grass, and because of the rebellion of the Qiang of the Six Paths, they had cut off contact with Guanzhong, which was the last resort.

If we can really grab enough food and grass to last for half a year, and can establish contact with Guanzhong, sticking to Baishui Pass may not be a way out.

In the past, because Baishui Pass was an isolated city surrounded by enemy troops on all sides, information could not be transmitted to Guanzhong.

Now that Zhang Song has come to invest, with the Zhang family's energy in Yizhou, it is no problem to help secretly convey military information.

After the two of them comforted Zhang Song, they couldn't help but feel suspicious, worrying whether this was a trap deliberately set by Zhang Song. Yu Jin was even more hesitant.

At the last moment, it was Ma Chao who finally said: "If what Zhang Song said is true, but we missed this great opportunity to rob food because of doubts, wouldn't we be committing suicide?"

"I will lead five hundred cavalry to rob the grain. If we can really grab the grain, Wen Ze will lead more troops to help."

"If there is a scam, as long as I am careful, I can probably get away with it."

"Through this incident, we can also see whether Zhang Song is truly attached!"

After thinking about it, Yu Jin also felt that Ma Chao's words were good, so he immediately began to prepare for the grain robbery without hesitation.

Fortunately, when Ma Chao led five hundred cavalry to kill the peasants who were transporting grain, they found a lot of grain and grass after investigation, and there were not many soldiers and horses responsible for escorting grain and grass.

Ma Chao couldn't help but be overjoyed when he got the grain and grass. However, he was suffering from the fact that he had too few soldiers and horses to transport so much grain and grass. He was also worried that the Qiang people would lead troops to kill them after getting the news, so he hurriedly sent people to ask for help from Yu Jin.

When Yu Jin received the news, he was overjoyed and sent a thousand men to rush to the rescue of Ma Chao, but he himself began to defend the city with a wary expression.

At least until the grain and grass were transported back to Baishui Pass, Yu Jin was still worried about Zhang Song.

The grain robbery was unexpectedly smooth. Zhou Ji seemed not to have thought that Ma Chao would be so bold and dare to send troops to steal grain.

Not only Ma Chao, but also Zhu Qiang didn't expect it.

In this way, until the grain and grass were transported to Baishuiguan City, the Qiang people realized it later and hurriedly led their troops to kill them, hoping to snatch the grain and grass.

However, how could Ma Chao give up with all the fat in his mouth?

He led a thousand troops to fight against the Qiang who were several times their own, and took the lead in killing several Qiang generals. In the end, the Qiang people were frightened and did not dare to move forward.

Although they were all outnumbered, they came from many different small tribes. Seeing how brave Ma Chao was, they all wanted others to rush forward, but they themselves hid at the end.

This is a typical example of three monks having no food to eat, and it is also the reason why Ma Chao thinks he can defeat the Qiang cavalry.

After all the grain and grass were transported to Baishui Pass, Ma Chao's troops beheaded more than a hundred people and returned with high morale.

"Grain and grass are real, it seems Ziqiao's surrender is real!"

Ma Chao found Yu Jin, his face full of excitement.

It was only then that Yu Jin completely trusted Zhang Song and said, "In that case, we will work together with Zi Qiao from now on!"

When the two found Zhang Song again, their attitudes changed significantly, and they even seemed to follow Zhang Song's lead.

Zhang Song naturally knows why the two people's attitudes have changed so much.

He did not live up to the trust of the two of them, and once again offered advice: "The general's men are all cavalry and have good mobility. Even if His Highness the King of Qin cannot capture Hanxi County in the future, he will be able to retreat calmly when the food and grass are exhausted."

"The only ones who can pose a threat to the general are the Qiang cavalry outside the city."

When Ma Chao and Yu Jin heard this, they both nodded slightly.

Zhang Song continued: "I have a plan to defeat the Qiang people. This will not only solve the problem of the general's confidants, but also avenge my Zhang family's children."

Ma Chao asked hurriedly: "What's the plan?"

Zhang Song played in front of Ma Chao and whispered something, which immediately made Ma Chao look happy.

However, it was said that after the Qiang leaders learned that the food and grass had been robbed, they couldn't help but became furious. However, Ma Chao was brave and hunkered down in the city and did not dare to come out. All the internal officers were also arrested, and there was nothing they could do.

Just when the leaders of the Qiang were restless, Ma Chao sent an envoy, intending to negotiate with the Qiang.

Ma Chao's bargaining chip was the thousands of Qiang people captured in the city.

If the Qiang people outside the city are willing to pay a sufficient price, Ma Chao will release all these thousand people from the city.

Zhu Qiang agreed to this condition.

A thousand warriors, not to mention the sparsely populated Qiang people, even powerful princes like Zhou Qi would not give up easily.

If given the opportunity to exchange money and food for the lives of a thousand soldiers, almost no one would refuse.

In this way, both sides hand over people with one hand and hand over people with the other.

Unexpectedly, there were actually many of Ma Chao's subordinates among the hostages, because they were all Liangzhou Qiang people, and there was not much difference between them and the Shengqiang people, and because of their disheveled hair, they were not discovered immediately.

When the hostages returned to the Qiang formations, they suddenly broke into rebellion, causing chaos among the Qiang people.

Ma Chao took the opportunity to lead his troops out, beheading several Qiang leaders, and led his troops to pursue for thirty miles, killing all the Qiang people and returning in defeat.

After this battle, the Qiang of the Six Paths were severely injured and no longer dared to besiege Baishui Pass.

After returning from the victory, Ma Chao trusted Zhang Song to the extreme. He immediately wrote a letter to Yu Jin, and then asked Zhang Song to use his family's power to secretly send the letter to Chang'an, asking Cao Cao to lead troops to attack Hanxi County. .

(End of this chapter)