Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 228 Smuggling across Mianshui

In the second year of Xingping, mid-July.

A round full moon hangs in the night sky, like a bright pearl. The moonlight either pours on the mountains and rivers, casting a veil on the mountains, rivers and trees, or pours on the quietly flowing water. The shining water is as rugged as the ripples during the day.

When the moonlight poured onto the city of Jiu Yangping Pass, Yang Ren, the sacrificial wine man stationed at the city, breathed a sigh of relief. When the moonlight was so bright, he didn't have to arrange for many people to light bonfires and torches to illuminate the city. The defensive range set up in front of the city wall to prevent Shu soldiers from stealing the city only required soldiers with better night vision to keep an eye on it. The bright moonlight saved him a little effort and some firewood and baggage.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

In front of the old Yangping Pass, the sound of the golden drum sounded on time, reaching the ears of Yang Ren who was offering wine. A few days ago, he would have gritted his teeth and gnashed his teeth and cursed the soldiers of Shang Shu, but Now he was numb and did not react at all to the Shu soldiers' plan to disturb the enemy.

Listening to the noisy golden drums made by the Shu soldiers, Yang Ren even complained with interest: "Fortunately, Yangpingguan is a military city. There are no neighbors. There are only soldiers stationed there. Otherwise, the neighbors would be disturbed." If you sleep, the neighbors will scold you. ’

A burst of cold wind came from the mountains and forests, climbed over the old Yangpingguan city wall, and blew past the old Yangpingguan city wall. Yang Ren couldn't help but shiver, and then he stretched out his hands to tighten his tight fur coat and started He strode forward at the top of the city, thinking of moving his body to warm up his body.

On the other side, on the top of the city of Xin Yangping Pass on Zuoma Ridge, Army Sima Li Xiu looked a little solemn. A few days ago, the Shu soldiers built an amazingly powerful flying stone cart and used it in experiments at the old Yangping Pass. The defenders who arrived at Jiu Yangping Pass were overwhelmed with their backs on their backs.

However, although the flying stone chariots of the Shu soldiers were powerful, they did not pose a great threat to the solid fortress of the old Yangping Pass, and they were not able to determine the ownership of the old Yangping Pass city.

Moreover, according to Li Xiu's previous observation, the Shu soldiers' flying stone cart has four wheels underneath. It seems that there is no need for his Xin Yangping Pass. After all, his Xin Yangping Pass lives on Zouma Ridge. It would be difficult to push the flying stone cart up. Reality.

But what Li Xiu didn't expect was that the Shu soldiers actually removed the wheels of the flying stone cart and carried the flying stone cart to Zouma Ridge to attack his outer camp at Xin Yangping Pass. Since the outer camps of Xinyang Pingguan are all defended by wooden fences and antlers, it seems a little difficult to be attacked by the Shu soldiers' flying stone chariots. In the past few days, the Shu soldiers have been flying rocks like rain, and they have been bombarded one after another. Blow up his camp.

Wooden camps, fences, and antlers may be able to hold up under the impact of boulders once or twice, but if they are used too many times, they will inevitably be damaged, and they can easily become loopholes in defense. Just like today, during the day, the soldiers of Shu used The flying stone cart damaged the fence on the right side in front of the pass. When Yang Bo, the wine sacrificer, rushed to repair the fence, he was caught by the Shu soldiers and made an attack. Yang Bo almost died on the spot.

Thinking of this, Li Xiu turned to look at Yang Bo, whose arm was wrapped in white cloth. He sighed, and said half with an order, half with an advice: "Yang Jijiu, just leave the repairing of the fence to your soldiers. , as a general, how could you personally take risks and go to the front line to repair the fence... Fortunately, there was nothing serious today. You just got a knife in your arm. If there was an accident, you would have died because of the wine. It doesn't matter if you die on the spot, but if you damage the morale of our army, your sin will be greater."

Jijiu Yang Bo listened to Li Xiu's words. Although Li Xiu's words were not very pleasant, he knew that Li Xiu was doing it for his own good. He did go a little too far today and took the lead.

"Sima's words, Bo will keep them in mind and will never forget them." Yang Bo responded sincerely.

Seeing that Yang Bo's attitude was acceptable, Li Xiu ordered: "I will be on duty tonight. Your arm is injured, so you should rest."

"This... Nuo, thank you Sima." Yang Bo showed a moved face. He was on duty tonight as usual. Li Xiu had already been on duty once last night, but Li Xiu was so kind that he couldn't refuse. So he nodded generously and agreed.

……

With Shu soldiers attacking the old and new Yangping Passes during the day and night, and with their cavalry intercepting and killing Hanzhong scouts, Zhang Wei, the chief minister of Zhitou, and Li Xiu, the commander of the army, maintained a cautious attitude and no longer released large quantities of food to the outside world. Scouts investigate the movements of Shu troops.

When Liu Zhang saw that there were fewer and fewer scouts in Hanzhong, Zhang Wei and Li Xiu's ears and eyes were blocked, and he got the effect he wanted, so he took advantage of the clear moonlight tonight and started a plan to sneak across Mianshui.

Groups of soldiers were getting ready at the gate of the camp. These soldiers were elite soldiers under the command of Zhonglang General Gan Ning. They were all strong men and had been in battle for a long time, and they exuded a murderous spirit.

Since this group of soldiers could eat some fish and meat every day, unlike ordinary soldiers, their eyes would go dark at night and they could not see anything. Therefore, they did not light torches to illuminate their surroundings. They only used bright lights to illuminate their surroundings. Moonlight is used to see things.

Gan Ning walked up to Liu Zhang. It was unusual for him to hear the sound of bells when he walked. Tonight, he took off the bells from his waist. When he came to Liu Zhang, he cupped his hands and said, "Ming Gong, my account is here." "Xiaerlang has already sorted everything out and will wait for the Duke's order tomorrow."

Fazheng and Gan Jiuyi stood on the left and right of Gan Ning. After Gan Ning finished speaking, they raised their hands and added in unison: "Please give me the order, Duke Ming."

Seeing that the few people were in good spirits and not sleepy due to the night operation, Liu Zhang smiled and nodded. He waved and a servant beside him walked to Gan Ning with several glasses of wine: "Xingba , be filial and upright, have a drink to strengthen your courage, and then set off."

Gan Ning, Fazheng and Gan Jiu picked up the wine glasses one after another and drank from Liu Zhang who also picked up the wine glass. After they drank the wine, they turned their hands over proudly to show the bottom of the glass.

After drinking a glass of wine, Liu Zhang looked solemnly and issued an order: "You will go first, and I will send a large army to follow. I am waiting for the good news from you."

"I will definitely not disappoint Duke Ming." Gan Ning promised with a bold tone and patted his chest.

Liu Zhang smiled and nodded, and started to see Gan Ning and Fazheng off. When the moon reached the zenith, Liu Zhang sent Gan Ning and Fazheng to the ferry in Mianshui. More than a hundred ferries had been prepared for them. Gan Ning and his tent were used to cross the river.

The bright moonlight shines on the Mianshui River, and the silver moonlight jumps on the sparkling water, as if countless stars are twinkling. The river surface is like a mirror, reflecting the bright moon, forming an endless light track that extends to the sky.

‘Beautiful. 'Liu Zhang sighed straightly, such a beautiful scenery on such a good time, it should be a poem to compose it, but he did not have the intention to sing the wind and the moon, and the scene of the Ganning tribe crossing the river in front of him was extremely chilling, which also destroyed the tranquility of the moment. Casual atmosphere. As the vanguard to occupy Dingjun Mountain, Gan Ning's troops were not very large, only more than 2,000 people. However, as Gan Ning's subordinates, these people had been fighting for a long time, and all of them were elites. Therefore, Liu Zhang was There is no big worry about whether we can occupy Dingjun Mountain.

What Liu Zhang was worried about at this moment was Guanzhong. Guanzhong was destroyed by Green Forest and Red Eyebrows in the late Western Han Dynasty, and the number of households was sparse. Then the Qiang plague for hundreds of years in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and it was no longer the land of abundance in the Qin Dynasty. Today, Guanzhong is in a dilapidated state. Next, if Li Jue and Guo Si cause trouble for a few more years...

At this thought, Liu Zhang felt that he had to hurry up and deal with Zhang Lu as soon as possible. If he could not deal with Zhang Lu as soon as possible, Guanzhong would probably be turned into a wasteland by Li Jue and Guo Si, a group of Liangzhou thieves who only knew how to destroy but not how to govern. , creating a scene where there is no cockcrow for thousands of miles. By then, even if he has captured Guanzhong, Guanzhong will be useless.

There were more than 2,000 people and more than 100 boats. A famous boatman pushed the oars and stirred the moonlight reflected on the water. After two or three trips back and forth, Gan Ning and Fazheng and two thousand soldiers arrived at the south bank of Mianshui River.

Across the quietly flowing Mianshui River, Gan Ning and Fazheng bowed their hands to Liu Zhang and said goodbye. Then they led the rest of the tent into the forest on the south bank of the Mianshui River under the leadership of their guide Gan Jiu.

Liu Zhang said goodbye with a smile.
-

Jingzhou, Xiangyang.

In the Mingtang of the official temple, Liu Mian looked cheerful and said calmly: "In other words, Liu Jiyu was blocked by Zhang Lu's chief minister Zhang Wei and Army Sima Li Xiu at Yangping Pass and was not allowed to move forward. "

"Exactly." Biejia Liu Xian, who had just reported the news of the Battle of Hanzhong, affirmed: "Although Liu Yizhou has better military strength than Hanzhong, the rice thief Zhang Lu was so focused on defending that he never came out to fight Liu Yizhou. Liu Yizhou suddenly strengthened his troops. We have been attacking for days under the city, but there has been no progress. It has been more than ten days now."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Liu Biao tskted a few times, then shook his head and sighed: "The rice thief Zhang Lu is so cunning and cunning. He does not show off the courage of an ordinary man and uses his own strength to fight against Liu Jiyu. It is really a hardship for my fellow clan member."

Liu Biao's words sounded like he was complaining on Liu Zhang's behalf, but Liu Xian could hear the true meaning of Liu Biao's words. The leader of the Jingzhou Shepherd was deeply concerned about Liu Zhang's attack on the city and Zhang Lu's obstruction. I was extremely happy, but because I was an ally with Liu Zhang, I couldn't express my happiness in front of him.

Liu Xian looked calm. He was not surprised by Liu Biao's attitude. After all, Yizhou and Jingzhou were still at odds with each other last year, and the two sides were not very harmonious. Although they formed an alliance at the beginning of this year, this alliance is not very reliable. Yizhou and Jingzhou are adjacent to each other, and Yizhou is located upstream of Jingzhou. It takes advantage of Jingzhou in terms of location. Therefore, Yizhou encountered difficulties, which was a happy thing for Jingzhou.

Just as Liu Xian expected, Liu Biao stroked his beard with a contented look on his face. Although Yizhou and Jingzhou were in alliance, he would not be happy if something good happened to Yizhou, and if Yizhou encountered any difficulties, he would not be happy. Just like now, if the Shu soldiers cannot break through Yangping Pass, he will be very happy.

"How are Cai Mao and Zhang Yun doing now?" Liu Biao put down his joy and asked about the news about Cai Mao and Zhang Yun who were going to Fangling.

Liu Biao sent Cai Hao and Zhang Yun to Fangling, hoping that while Liu Zhang was still outside Yangping Pass and had not entered Hanzhong to reach out to Xicheng and Shangyong, he would first devour the unclaimed land of Xicheng and Shangyong. In the middle, it was placed under the rule of Jingzhou.

Xicheng, Shangyong and Fangling are located in dangerous terrain, surrounded by mountains and mountains, forming a self-contained whole. In terms of strategic location, the three cities of Xicheng, Shangyong and Fangling are important hubs connecting Jingzhou and Yizhou.

Therefore, although Liu Biao did not like disputes and just wanted to sit back and watch the situation in Jiang and Han, the opportunity was right in front of him, so he would not let it go. He would reach out no matter what, trying to conquer Xicheng and Shangyong to consolidate and improve it. Jingzhou's defense.

Liu Xian heard that Liu Biao asked about Cai Hao and Zhang Yun, and he couldn't help but have a headache. After Cai Hao and Zhang Yun led the army to Fangling, they did not immediately send their troops westward to capture Xicheng and Shangyong. With the idea of ​​​​conquering the enemy without fighting, he sent a letter of surrender to the Shen family who was separatist in Xicheng and Shangyong.

When Cai Mao and Zhang Yun operated like this, Liu Xian had no different ideas. After all, Jingzhou was powerful and the Shen family was weak. The gap in strength between the two parties was too large. It was a situation of chasing tigers and dogs. He could use his power to overwhelm others and let the Shen family control themselves. It is also a good thing to surrender after being tied up. It can reduce the casualties of soldiers without using weapons.

But Cai Hao and Zhang Yun handed back several copies of letters sent to Shen, leaving Mr. Liu speechless. Without him, Cai Hao and Zhang Yun's letters were too exaggerated, and they didn't take Shen seriously at all. , explicitly stated that the Shen family should surrender, hand over Xicheng and Shangyong, and also move the Shen family to Xiangyang.

It's just that people are humble when they leave their hometown. No one is willing to leave their homeland unless they have no choice. Moreover, Cai Hao and Zhang Yun did not give any benefits to the Shen family when they recruited them. They only criticized the Shen family. Liu Xian believed that as long as the leader of the Shen family was not a softie and had some integrity, he would not surrender and surrender with courtesy.

Therefore, Liu Xian should now advise Liu Biao, let Liu Biao issue a document, reprimand Cai Hao and Zhang Yun, and ask Cai Hao and Zhang Yun not to act so arrogantly. But Liu Xian couldn't clearly explain the faults of Cai Mao and Zhang Yun. Cai Mao was Liu Biao's brother-in-law, and Zhang Yun was Liu Biao's nephew. They were so distant that Liu Biao might not listen to what he said. Even if Liu Biao did, When the time comes, the news will be spread out, letting Cai Hao and Zhang Yun know that he once talked about their faults in front of Liu Biao, and Cai Hao and Zhang Yun will definitely have a grudge against him.

After deliberation for a moment, and in order not to keep his immediate superior Liu Biao waiting too long, Liu Xian first explained the current situation of Cai Mao and Zhang Yun: "Your Majesty, Generals Cai and Zhang are currently stationed in Fang. Ling County, and sent envoys to send many letters to the Shen family, intending to get the Shen family to surrender on their own initiative."

"It would be a good thing if the Shen family could take the initiative to surrender without using swords or blood or sweat." Liu Biao nodded, approving of Cai Hao and Zhang Yun's operation of persuading surrender first instead of sending troops immediately.

Seeing Liu Biao's agreement, Liu Xian gritted his teeth and stood up as a minister. However, he did not directly say that Cai Hao and Zhang Yun were wrong. Instead, he said in a tactful tone: "It's just that Generals Cai and Zhang are here." In the letter sent to Shen, the treatment of Shen was not very lenient, which may make Shen suspicious and unwilling to surrender."

When Liu Biao heard this, he stroked his beard and looked thoughtful. After a while, he said to Liu Xian, "Cai Zhangjiu was in the army and had some martial habits. His words may not be appropriate. Please write a letter." Just say that it is my intention to recruit and surrender the document, and send it to Fangling immediately, and ask Cai Hao to deliver it to Shen immediately."

Liu Biao was not a mediocre person. Although Liu Xian's words were euphemistic, he also heard what Liu Xian meant. He knew that what Cai Hao and Zhang Yun did was not appropriate and might be self-defeating. When the time comes, Xicheng and Shangyong would have to fight without blood. city, but it will cause a disturbance, which will not be beautiful.

"It would be better to capture Xicheng and Shangyong as early as possible. Although Liu Jiyu is currently blocked by Yangping Pass and cannot enter Hanzhong within a year and a half, there are long nights and many dreams, and it is difficult to predict what will happen in the future..." Liu Biao said meaningfully.

"No." Liu Xian responded immediately, with a hint of joy on his face as he bowed down.

(End of this chapter)