Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 199 Veteran Yang Huai
The sun in early summer is not very harsh. It only creates a warmth on the mountains and rivers. Plus, the wind is refreshing today, which can be called a rare good weather.

If there was nothing important as usual, Yang Huai, the general who was stationed in Baishuiguan City, would definitely lead the guards under his tent to the hills with the yellow on his left and the blue on his right, wearing a brocade hat and mink fur. Go on a safari and don’t let down today’s good weather.

But today, Yang Huai did not have such good luck, so he could not let go and vent his joy freely.Today, he led a group of civil and military personnel from Baishui Pass to stop and wait at the south gate of Baishui Pass, waiting for the arrival of an important person.

Not long after, a horse galloped from south to north. The knight on horseback did not pity the horse's power, but only urged the horse to speed up and speed up, setting off a line-like wave at the tail of the horse. Soot.

"Huh." When he arrived in front of Yang Huai, the knight yanked the horse's reins fiercely. With his exquisite riding skills, he actually stopped the galloping horse. Then the knight turned over and dismounted, facing towards Yang Huai cupped his hands in military salute and reported what he had seen: "General Zhonglang, Chief Huang and his party are almost here. They are only one or two miles away now."

"Okay, you go down and have a good rest. Also remember to feed the horse some corn so that the horse can have a good rest." Yang Huai ordered and sent the knight down.

Then Yang Huai mobilized the civil and military officials behind him to line up in a decent queue one by one according to their rank, and asked the civil and military officials under his management to show their spirits and give a grand welcome. style.

I can't help but think that General Yang Huai, the lieutenant general, will not mobilize troops and mobilize people. In fact, the identity of Master Huang who came to Baishui Pass to take charge of affairs is unusual and extremely valuable.

'What a blessing. Yang Huai said in his heart that Huang Quan was about to arrive at Baishui Pass. Huang Quan was first valued by Liu Zhang, and he stepped into the prefecture and became the chief registrar. With the merit of being a counselor, he was selected as the leader of the army, responsible for the imperial guards, and had the authority to preside over the selection of military attaches and supervise and control the generals.

Huang Quan, an unknown scholar from Ba County, has now become the chief secretary and central leader who controls the secrets of the Prefectural Mufu. Yang Huai calculated that even Gan Ning, the Jinfan thief, would be the first to defeat the thief. , who was promoted from Shu County Cheng to the current Zhonglang General, and his official position is the same as that of Huang Quan, and it is not as fast as Huang Quan's progress.

When it comes to positions, Yang Huai feels that his own lieutenant general is lower than Huang Quan. Looking at the whole Yizhou, he thinks that except for the current chief official Wang Shang, others can be higher than Huang Quan. In front of Huang Quan, he would not even dare to act recklessly.

But Yang Huai felt that even the chief official Wang Shang was probably polite to Huang Quan. Without him, Huang Quan's sister Huang Wan and his immediate boss Liu Zhang were engaged in marriage, and sooner or later Huang Quan would become Liu Zhang's brother-in-law.

Huang Quan now holds the position of Chief Registrar and Central Commander, plus he is related by marriage to Liu Zhang.Therefore, as a veteran general, Yang Huai, the lieutenant general, did not have any worries. He did not sit arrogantly in Baishui Pass and wait for Huang Quan to come to the official temple. Instead, he honestly led the people in Baishui Pass. Wen and Wu came out of the city gate to greet Huang Quan, assuming a respectful attitude.

Not long after, a convoy of vehicles arrived at the south gate of Baishui Pass. When they saw Yang Huai arriving at Huang Quan, he greeted Yang Huai with a simple smile on his face and happily greeted him.

"Master Huang is here, but I didn't welcome you from afar. Please forgive me." Yang Huai bowed his hands and performed a military salute to Huang Quan on the carriage, and kept shouting "forgive me."

While Huang Quan looked at Yang Huai, he quickly stepped down from the carriage. He came to Yang Huai and bowed his hands in return: "How dare you trouble Yang Zhonglang to go out of the city to greet you? He has no more power than a master, but he is not worthy of it." Such a big battle.”

Here Huang Quan did not say anything polite, but sincerely. He believed that Yang Huai was a veteran general who had already held important positions during the Liu Yan era. Compared with him, a newcomer, in terms of qualifications and official position , they all win by one point, Yang Huai can just sit quietly in Baishui Pass and wait for him to visit.

Listening to Huang Quan's seemingly polite words, Yang Huai couldn't complain in his heart. Although the salary of the chief clerk was low, he had great authority. Not to mention that Huang Quan followed Liu Zhang day and night. He was an extremely close existence. Huang Quan relied on Liu Zhang This is the thickest tree in Yizhou. Looking at the entire Yizhou, no one dares to look down upon Huang Quan.Furthermore, Huang Quan has a status similar to that of a foreign relative. Even if Huang Quan does not hold an official position, no one dares to underestimate Huang Quan.

"Master Huang, you're so polite. You come here with Duke Ming's order, and you represent Duke Ming. I should go out of the city to greet you, otherwise others will think that I don't respect Duke Ming." Although Yang Huai is a military commander, he is deeply immersed in it. As time goes by in officialdom, I have learned a set of clichés, and now I can deal with them casually.

"I also ask Mr. Huang to come into the city quickly. The banquet has been prepared. I won't talk about military affairs today, but have fun."

"General Yang Zhonglang is so kind, Quan won't shirk it." Huang Quan said quickly and did not refuse, but agreed.

Yang Huai suddenly felt that he and Huang Quan had the same temperament. He was a military general with a rough temper. Although he had learned some polite words from the officialdom, he didn't like to be fawning by nature.Huang Quan's behavior just matched his character, which made him even more fond of Huang Quan.

"Master Huang, please."

"General Yang Zhonglang, please."

Yang Huai and Huang Quan stepped into Baishui Pass hand in hand, came to the official temple of Baishui Pass, and started a grand banquet.

At the banquet, Yang Huai introduced to Huang Quan one by one all the civil and military ministers in Baishui Pass, so that Huang Quan could understand the powerful people in various positions in Baishui Pass. Huang Quan had a friendly face and talked with these people one by one.Although Huang Quan, who was sent to Baishui Pass by Liu Zhang, considered the military situation as his first priority and avoided banquets and the like if possible, Huang Quan had his own considerations. He was new to Baishui Pass and he had to get familiar with it first. Only after knowing the details within the customs can we make the next step.

Therefore, Huang Quan had no objection to the banquet. Instead, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the banquet, negotiated with the civil and military officials in Baishui Pass, and learned about Baishui Pass through words.

Relying on his future status as Liu Zhang's brother-in-law, in front of Huang Quan, the lieutenant general Yang Huaishang could not be trusted, not to mention the large and small civil and military officials in Baishui Pass. These people all put on a show in front of Huang Quan. They looked very respectful, even if one or two of them were reckless, but in front of Huang Quan, their expressions were peaceful and harmonious.

In addition, coupled with his personal ability, Huang Quan was able to easily establish a good image in front of the civil and military officials in Baishui Pass. All civil and military officials respected Huang Quan very much and did not dare to underestimate Huang Quan.

After a day or two of this, the welcoming banquet subsided, and Huang Quan was finally able to calm down and discuss the military situation with Yang Huai, the general of the army. The two talked about the war against Hanzhong after the upcoming summer harvest.

"Have Yang Jun ever investigated the details of Yangping Pass?" Huang Quan, who had become familiar with Yang Huai, addressed Yang Jun instead of calling Yang Zhonglang the same way as when they first met.

Speaking of Yangping Pass, Yang Huai showed a sad face. He frowned and elaborated: "Li Xiu, the army commander in Hanzhong, is quite talented and very ingenious in civil engineering. In just a few months, he built a building on Zouma Ridge next to Yangping Pass. A new Yangping Pass was built... I personally went to inspect it. The New Yangping Pass was built on the mountain. There were many camps and earthen fortresses along the undulating mountains. It can be said that it is impregnable and there are no loopholes that can be exploited. "

"I never expected that Zhang Lu would have such a talented person." Huang Quan took a breath, and when infected by the sadness on Yang Huai's face, he also showed a thoughtful look.

"The old Yangping Pass was already extremely stable. It blocked the Jinniu Road to Nanzheng and guarded the ferry crossing of Mianshui River. One man blocked the pass and no one could open it. It was extremely dangerous in the world... Now there is another one who lives in the mountains. The two are in the shape of horns. If we attack the old Yangping Pass, the defenders in the new Yangping Pass can rush down from the mountain and attack the flank of our army; if we attack the new Yangping Pass, , you need to climb the mountain on your back, and the enemy will defend from a high position, which is very inconvenient for our army, but very beneficial to the enemy." As a veteran general, Yang Huai analyzed it in detail.

"The rice thief Zhang Lu has been occupying Hanzhong for a long time. It is not surprising to have such an arrangement. However, I don't know who the new and old Yangping Pass guards are, and whether there is any chance to instigate rebellion." Huang Quan asked a key question, as the old saying goes in Germany No matter the danger, the dangers of mountains and rivers can be overcome, but the back of the people and the determination of the defenders are difficult to deal with.

After hearing this, Yang Huai immediately replied: "Xin Yangping Pass was built by Army Sima Li Xiu, so Zhang Lu appointed Li Xiu to station in Xin Yangping Pass. As for the old Yangping Pass, it is more important than the new Yangping Pass. , so Zhang Lu appointed his younger brother Zhang Wei to garrison... Needless to say, Zhang Wei, as Zhang Lu's younger brother, could not have any second thoughts. He was devoted to Zhang Lu to death. I heard something earlier that Zhang Wei Wei was suspicious of the scholars who came south from Guanzhong and Liangzhou, so they did not allow these people from Guanliang to live in Yangping Pass, and expelled these people from Guanliang to Mian County in the rear. The people Zhang Wei used in the old Yangping Pass were all Heavenly Masters Believers of the Tao, and those who have been immersed in the Tao of the Heavenly Master for a long time, and new converts are not allowed to stay in the old Yangping Pass."

Huang Quan smiled and shook his head: "Although Zhang Wei acted cautiously, he was afraid of losing the hearts of the scholars in Guanliang. It is estimated that many scholars in Guanliang were extremely disappointed with the rice thief Zhang Lu. Perhaps we can learn from Let’s start here and see if we can contact one or two people with lofty ideals who came south from Guanzhong and Liangzhou.”

"What Huang Jun said is that Zhang Wei refused to accept the people from Guanzhong and Liangzhou, and the people from Guanliang must be resentful in their hearts. This is an opportunity for us." Yang Huai agreed and expressed his worries at the same time: " But contact may be a bit inconvenient. In the past, the business travel between Hanzhong and Shu was not interrupted, and the exchanges were smooth. It was very easy to arrange one or two agents... But since the thieves Pu Hu and Yuan Yue pretended to be business travelers, After the incident of defrauding the Baiqu Market, considering that the thieves in Hanzhong have no moral ethics, the business travel between Hanzhong and Shu has been cut off for a period of time. If you want to go to Hanzhong, you can only take a detour and go to the uninhabited wilderness. place, and after entering Hanzhong, you have to be careful about the interrogation of Tianshi Dao thieves, but it is not as convenient as before through business travel."

Huang Quan nodded thoughtfully. When it came to the geographical details of Hanzhong, he was far inferior to Yang Huai, the veteran general stationed at Baishui Pass. Yang Huai said that it was not easy to contact the scholars in Guanzhong and Liangzhou. It is extremely inconvenient to think about it: "There is still some time before the summer harvest. You and I can try to send some people into Hanzhong. We should put people first. Contact those who can be contacted. Don't force those who can't be contacted. Let the agents who enter Hanzhong be contacted. To preserve oneself is the most important thing.”

Yang Huai smiled and nodded in agreement. He was very caring for the soldiers and would not let the soldiers under his tent make unnecessary sacrifices. Huang Quan's words were exactly what he wanted: "According to Huang Jun's plan, send some fine soldiers." People, please go to Hanzhong. Now most of Hanzhong's attention is on Yangping Pass. I think there is a little slack in Hanzhong, and there may be a chance or two."

"What kind of person is Army Sima Li Xiu?" After discussing the matter of sending agents into Hanzhong to contact people with lofty ideals in Guanzhong and Liangzhou, Huang Quan continued to ask about Army Sima Li Xiu.

Yang Huai responded: "Li Xiu, whose courtesy name is Zilang, is from Nanyang, Jingzhou. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the past, Li family moved to Hanzhong with his family to escape the Yellow Turbans. He was a man of great strategy and both civil and military talents. And he was very famous. After entering Hanzhong, he was favored by Zhang Lu and was appointed as Army Sima... The rice thief Zhang Lu did not have an official position in Hanzhong in the past, but he managed local government affairs with Tianshi Taoist wine sacrifices. Only the meritorious Cao Yan Pu and Li Xiu is an exception, which shows that he is highly valued by Zhang Lu."

"The people from Nanyang are from the same hometown as the newly appointed King Cao of Jin." Speaking of Nanyang, Huang Quan mentioned that more than a month ago, Liu Zhang promoted him from a lowly official to the position of Jin Cao, the king in charge of important matters of salt and iron. even.

"From my perspective, Li Xiu is hard to impress. On the one hand, Zhang Lu treated him very kindly. He made Li Xiu his army commander and did not force Li Xiu to sacrifice wine for Tianshi Dao. On the other hand, the Li family , most of the women and children in the clan are in Nanzheng as hostages. Considering the clan members, even if Li Xiu has the idea of ​​abandoning the dark side and turning to the bright side, he is afraid that he will not implement it." Yang Huai analyzed Li Xiu, and in his thinking, he decided to instigate rebellion. Li Xiu is extremely unlikely.

After listening to Yang Huai's detailed analysis of Zhang Wei and Li Xiu, the two defenders of the old and new Yangping Pass, Huang Quan looked solemn: "Yang Jun, that's it. You and I should start from the Yangping Pass city defense. Now It was time to send out many scouts and spies to investigate the old and new Yangping Passes to see if there were any loopholes in the new and old Yangping Passes... Then after the summer harvest, when Duke Ming gathered an army to conquer Hanzhong, he would be the vanguard for Duke Ming."

"Everything depends on Huang Jun's orders." Yang Huai kept a low profile and pretended to be at Huang Quan's command. As a veteran, he knew the priorities and the importance of Huang Quan's identity, so he had no intention of going to Huang Quan. They fight for the right to command, and they only want to make achievements and make some achievements.

Now Gao Pei, who is also named Zhonglang General with him, is already Anton Zhonglang General, but he has not even received a title. Followed by Wu Yi, Gan Ning and other juniors, they have all become Zhonglang General. Yes, he has the same official position.

Yang Huai only has one thought at the moment, which is progress, and making strides forward in the officialdom.The upcoming Battle of Hanzhong was an opportunity for him. He thought that taking advantage of the Battle of Hanzhong, he would have to give his family a title. Otherwise, when he met his old friend Gao Pei, he would have a look of fear on his face. There is no luster.

(End of this chapter)