Ji Han Liu Zhang

Dingjun Mountain.

Liu Zhang had done nothing in the past few days since he arrived at Dingjun Mountain. He was just waiting quietly for the follow-up troops to arrive at Dingjun Mountain. He planned to wait for the troops to reach more than 10,000 people to join Zhang Lu's troops at the foot of the mountain. When the situation is about right, Liu Zhang will fight Zhang Lu again, and Liu Zhang has learned the details of Zhang Lu's troop deployment in the past few days through reconnaissance.

War is not like playing poker. Normally when playing poker, you cannot peek at your opponent's cards. You can only calculate your opponent's cards based on the cards that have been played. When two parties are fighting to determine life or death, you can try to peek at your opponent's cards at this time. Take a peek at your opponent's cards, and the deeper you understand the enemy, the better. Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle.

Therefore, as soon as Liu Zhang arrived at Dingjun Mountain, he sent a large number of scouts close to Zhang Lu's camp to investigate the enemy's situation. Based on the number of tents in Zhang Lu's camp and the number of smoke rising when Zhang Lu's camp buried pots to cook in the morning, he learned about Zhang Lu's camp. Lu's troops numbered approximately 10,000.

But now there are more than 10,000 people in Zhang Lu's camp. According to the news reported by the scouts, soldiers from Yangping Pass rushed to Zhang Lu's camp under the banner of "Zhang". Liu Zhang expected that it was Zhang Lu's brother Zhang Wei who rushed back to fight tigers. They are brothers. They both came to the ring with him.

In addition to Zhang Wei, there was also an army on the road to the north entrance of Micang Road. Yesterday, they came to Zhang Lu's camp. The flag was "Pu". Liu Zhang, who had learned the details from General Hanzhong, knew that the reinforcements were probably from Zhang Lu's army was led by Qu Shuai Pu Hu.

Including Zhang Wei and Pu Hu's troops, the strength of Zhang Lu's side at the foot of Dingjun Mountain reached about 13,000.

'This is the benefit of fighting locally! Liu Zhang sighed with emotion. Hanzhong's household registration was originally about 50,000, but since the Zhongping Period, the world has been in chaos. Guanzhong and Liangzhou have become more warlords and Qiang chaos is rampant. Many people in Guanliang are looking for a chance to survive and move towards a comfortable and peaceful place. Many people from Shu rushed to Hanzhong, and many of them were unable to walk when they arrived in Hanzhong and stopped in Hanzhong. Based on this calculation, the current Hanzhong household registration should be about 70,000.

But Hanzhong, with its 70,000 households, managed to squeeze out just under 20,000 people, including 13,000 people at the foot of Dingjun Mountain, 4,000 to 5,000 people at the New and Old Yangping Passes, more than 2,000 people at the north entrance of Micang Road, and some local miscellaneous names. garrison.

If it weren't for local fighting and there was no need to worry about the consumption of food and grass transportation, Zhang Lu would never be able to move so many troops.

However, Liu Zhang didn't care too much about this. After all, he was sitting in Bashu, which was a very populous and wealthy place. His military strength was far superior to Zhang Lu's, and after he broke into Dingjun Mountain, he was Feilong. This is a situation where you are riding on your face, how can you lose? How could Zhang Lu win?

So now Liu Zhang continued to stop at the height of Dingjun Mountain, looking at the fortress erected by Zhang Lu not far from Dingjun Mountain with great interest. He felt that what he was looking at was not a heavily defended fortress, but a chopping block. A living fish, this living fish is trying its best to arch its body and make its final struggle, a useless struggle.

Fazheng, who was beside Liu Zhang, was also looking at the fortress set up by Zhang Lu. He sneered and said sarcastically: "Sun Tzu's Art of War says: Those who want to fight should not be attached to the water and welcome the guests. He also said: Every army is good. He who is high and hates those who are low... The rice thief Zhang Lu set up his formation like this and committed many taboos among military strategists without realizing it. Sooner or later he will be defeated by Duke Ming."

Liu Zhang nodded in agreement. Fazheng was right when he applied the art of war. Here, "those who want to fight should not be attached to the water but welcome the guests". It refers to the camps set up by the army. They cannot fight with their backs to the river and the water. This is a big taboo for military strategists, but the camp Zhang Lu set up is backed by the Han River, and behind it is a large river. The meaning of "every army likes to be high and hates to be low" is simple. As the name implies, it means that the army's camps need to be set up on high places and cannot be set up in low and humid places. Here Liu Zhang set up his camp on Dingjun Mountain, and Zhang Lu set up his camp at the foot of Dingjun Mountain. , this is the second taboo of military strategists committed by Zhang Lu.

But even though the art of war says so, there are also examples of victory when fighting against the odds. For example, in the early Han Dynasty, Han Xinxin had an invisible force and defeated the State of Zhao in a desperate battle. There are also examples of Ma Di stationing troops on the mountain, not going to camp on the road, and Zhang He cut off the water channel, lost the street pavilion and returned in defeat, ruining the good situation of Zhuge Wuhou's first Northern Expedition.

Soldiers are impermanent, and water is impermanent. The art of war is dead, but people are alive. If you use your troops according to the art of war, you will most likely be defeated and killed. Although Liu Zhang was from Bajun in Xiping and Soyi in Nanding, he had never fought any decent opponents. You already have some experience in using it as a soldier.

Hearing what Fa Zheng said, Gan Ning, who was advised by Liu Zhang to read more military books, spoke up: "Fa Jun is right. Zhang Lu committed many taboos among military strategists without knowing it. Defeat will be inevitable sooner or later... But someone looked at Zhang Lu. Lu Dang knows that the position where he is currently setting up camp is not good, but what can he do now? Is it possible that he can retreat to the north bank of the Han River to set up camp, leave the south bank of the Han River to us, and then wait for us to cross the Han River? When he was halfway across, he struck."

Gan Jiu scratched his head, he was a little confused: "If Zhang Lu throws the south bank of Han River to us, then half of Hanzhong will be in our hands. How can Zhang Lu fight at that time? There is no need to fight."

Fazheng explained: "This is why Zhang Lu set up his formation here, with mountains in front and a river behind. He would rather the military strategists take over the whole area than block us at the foot of Dingjun Mountain... Zhang Lu is not here If Dingjun blocks us at the foot of the mountain, half of Hanzhong will fall into our hands. Zhang Lu is already at a disadvantage. If he loses another half of Hanzhong, Zhang Lu will have only two choices, either to commit suicide or to surrender."

"I think this rice thief probably has no intention of surrendering. Otherwise, why would he have set up a fort at the foot of Dingjun Mountain? He clearly wants to force us out of Dingjun Mountain and want to have a trapped beast fight." Gan Ning said. He pondered Zhang Lu's thoughts.

"Yes!" Fazheng nodded: "Zhang Lu is in such a predicament now, but he still doesn't want to surrender and stubbornly resists. This is not what a wise man would do."

Then Fazheng asked Liu Zhang for orders: "Ming Gong, since Zhang Lu does not want to surrender, we should fight decisively with him as soon as possible... Our army has now reached 8,000 soldiers at Dingjun Mountain. Although it is a bit hard to travel through mountains and rivers, they still need to recuperate. In a few days, Gan Jun's troops, who are the first batch to arrive at Dingjun Mountain, should be ready to fight."

Gan Ning immediately beamed with joy when he heard this. He was a member of the army. If he wanted to make progress, he had to fight. Only by achieving military success could he rise through the ranks and gain the title of marquis. Therefore, he immediately handed over his hand to Liu Zhang and asked for orders: "Ming Gong, a certain accountant." Xiaerlang has been recharging his energy for a long time, and his thirst for war is like a mountain forest in late autumn. The moment there is a spark, it will burn the mountains...I have requested an order to go to war. If there is no victory, I would like to issue a military order first."

"That's fine." Liu Zhang nodded. He now had 8,000 men in his hands. One of them was commanded by Gan Ning. They were all Jinfan Rangers and were very brave. The other was an unworthy flying army who wore armor and traveled around the mountains and forests. They were all first-class brave soldiers as if they were walking on flat ground. Although there were eight thousand people, they were not afraid of Zhang Lu's army of more than ten thousand people who were going up and down the mountain.

When Liu Zhang was about to issue an order, he saw a soldier delivering the news rushing to where he was. After his bodyguard verified his identity, he handed a piece of paper to his hand.

Liu Zhang had some impression of this soldier who delivered the news. He knew that he was the personal guard of Captain Shen Mi, called Shen Jie, and Shen Mi was currently responsible for protecting the passage between the Shu Army in Dingjunshan and the Shu Army in Yangping Pass. , to prevent them from being cut off at Dingjun Mountain.

Gan Ning and Fazheng, who also knew Shen Jie's identity, couldn't help but cast their eyes on the document handed over by Shen Mi in Liu Zhang's hand, wanting to know what was happening at the rear. Fa Zheng here was worried that his retreat would be cut off, and their team The army at Dingjun Mountain became a lone army, but Gan Ning and Shen Mi were familiar with each other and had full confidence in Shen Mi. Therefore, Gan Ning had nothing to worry about and was just curious about the document information that Shen Mi handed over.

Liu Zhang opened the seal of the document bag, took out the books and read them carefully. Like Gan Ning, he had full confidence in Shen Mi, who was running the army rigorously, so he read the letter from Shen Mi with a relaxed expression. Documents coming.

A moment later, with an increasingly happy face, Liu Zhang finished reading the document handed over by Shen Mi. Then he laughed boldly and explained the information handed over to Gan Ning and Fa Zheng who looked at him inquiringly: "Wen Yuan (Shen Mi) wrote a book about the truth. Zhang Lu wanted to cut off our retreat and sent the thief Yuan Yue to follow the mountain. Wen Yuan repulsed him and made a lot of gains."

Hearing this, both Gan Ning and Fazheng were as happy as Liu Zhang. Fazheng was happy because he had no worries about his future, while Gan Ning was happy for Shen Mi's military exploits. At the same time, he became more and more eager in his heart, intending to start from Zhang Lu achieved a great military achievement.

Liu Zhang handed the document to Cheng Yu, the scribe beside him: "It is recorded in the record, Zhang Lu will be judged, and he will cite his merits for Colonel Shen."

"No." Cheng Yu took the books and silk from Liu Zhang's hand, carefully put them into his bag, and sorted them into a book after returning the account.

After Liu Zhang signaled Shen Jie to retreat, an impatient Gan Ning asked about the order that Shen Jie had interrupted but had not yet issued: "Ming Gong, how should we act appropriately?"

Liu Zhang looked at the sun, which had gone some distance to the west, and gave a narrow smile: "Don't worry, after sunset, Xingba, you will lead the people to Haosheng to harass Zhang Lu's camp and scare the rice thieves."

"No." Gan Ning responded in a loud voice. He didn't care whether it was a daytime battle or a nighttime raid. As long as he could stretch his fists and legs, move his muscles and bones, and achieve something, that would be great.

"Xingba, please go and mobilize the manpower. We don't need too many people for the night raid, but sharp soldiers will do." Liu Zhang ordered.

Gan Ning took the order and left. He planned to dispatch his elite soldiers, such as the Governor of Hundreds and the Chief of Staff, to attack the enemy camp and make sure that the rice thieves would be frightened tonight. At night.

There is no light from the stars and the moon, and the surrounding fields are dim. The Shu army camp with its back against the mountain is completely dark except where the torches shine. It is not a good time to fight, but in this case, there is an army of hundreds of people. The rest of the team is getting ready for a fight.

Liu Zhang came to Gan Ning surrounded by his guards Zhang Ba and Wu Ban. He felt a little regretful at this moment. In history, Gan Ning's hundreds of horses robbed the Wei camp and his achievements were famous all over the world, but now they were used on a humble guy like Zhang Lu. It's really a pity for people, it's such a waste of Gan Ning's talent.

"Xing Ba, go ahead. I'll warm a pot of wine for you here, and drink it when you come back." Liu Zhang issued the order to send out troops.

"Promise." There was excitement in Gan Ning's promise. On the one hand, he was excited that he could finally have some life and death. His temper had never been settled. He would only feel comfortable on the battlefield where blood was flowing. On the other hand, he heard that When Liu Zhangyan said that he had warmed a pot of wine for him, his alcohol addiction was a bit over the top.

After making a promise, Gan Ning led more than a hundred warriors under his tent and marched in the dark to Zhang Lu's fortification at the foot of the mountain.

……

At the foot of Dingjun Mountain, at the western perimeter of the fortification established by Zhang Lu, Pu An looked outside the fence with the help of the light of the torch. When the stars and moon were dim, his eyes could not see very far away. He was only ten feet away. It was completely dark. In fact, he couldn't see clearly even five or six feet away. The distance between five and ten feet was as hazy as the morning fog.

'Unlucky, I'm unlucky! '

A gust of cold wind blew by at night. Pu An, who had tightened his clothes tightly, felt the heat from his body being swept away by the cold wind. His body couldn't help but shiver. He lamented in his heart, feeling that he was currently The situation is really unlucky.

Originally, he stayed in the Daba Mountains in the north of Bajun, free and happy in the mountains and forests. However, at the end of last year, Zhang Lu sent Qushuai Pu Hu from Micang Road to Bajun, and used Mei Ji, Money and silk lured him to join the Hanzhong camp. By virtue of his familiarity with the guards at Baiqu Market, he deceived the gate of Baiqu Market and made some contributions to Hanzhong.

After arriving in Hanzhong, Pu An thought that with his contribution, he should enjoy a good life. Beauty, wealth, and wealth should fall on his head. However, the situation in Hanzhong is very unhappy. Well, facing the huge pressure from Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang, all supplies must be used for military purposes, recruiting troops, buying horses, hoarding grain and grass, there are many places where money needs to be spent.

Therefore, Pu An's contribution was not overly rewarded, but he was only rewarded with something according to the routine, and he was given a position similar to that of the Governor of a Hundred in the army. He couldn't help but be disappointed, and felt that his decision to join Hanzhong was really bad, and even more Not to mention that he was assigned to stay on duty tonight, which he considered to be an extremely hard job.

It would be better to stay in the mountains and forests of Bajun. At that time, I could still sleep peacefully, unlike now where I can't even sleep peacefully. Pu An sighed and felt very bad. He regretted it. He regretted joining Hanzhong, but he Now that I have joined the ranks, I can't help myself, I can't escape the current situation, I can only shake my head and sigh.

Pu An, who was depressed and irritable, lost his sense of responsibility for the night watch. He stood upright with his spear in his hand, beat the pendulum clock up and down with his head, and fell into a half-sleep.

……

Zhang Lu felt like he was being tied up. He was lying on the ground with his head pressed down. He finally raised his head and saw the person in front of him clearly. His face suddenly fell into despair.

The person in front of him was dressed in golden armor, very dazzling, with eyebrows like swords, and a heroic spirit that was menacing. As for who this person was, he recognized it, it was Liu Zhang, the shepherd of Yizhou.

Liu Zhang in front of him said disdainfully: "Zhang Lu, you are good at killing Pang Le, occupying the land but not the guests, and trying to separate Hanzhong. My father's kindness to you is in vain. You are so ungrateful. You are really an immature white-eyed wolf."

"Fart, I took Hanzhong by myself, what happened to Gan'er and his son?" Zhang Lu's heart stirred up. Although he didn't know why his family ended up in this situation, he had a natural aversion to the Liu family. He scratched his neck and got angry. He said something.

The next moment, Zhang Lu showed an extremely angry face. He saw his mother, Lu, flashing out from behind Liu Zhang, and Liu Zhang stretched out his arms to embrace him. The face of his mother, whom he had not seen for a long time, had not changed at all. She has a girlish face as before.

"Your Majesty, I hope you will spare me this incompetent child." Mrs. Lu asked Liu Zhang delicately while leaning her body close to Liu Zhang, as if she wanted to blend in with Liu Zhang.

"Ah!!!" When Zhang Lu saw Mrs. Lu fawning over Liu Zhang, he felt a surge of anger rushing towards Tianling Gai, almost lifting his Tianling Gai. It was so shameless. This refers to his mother, Mrs. Lu. First he hooked up with Liu Yan, and now he devoted himself to Liu Zhang. It was so unbearable that both father and son took advantage of each other, how could he put the face of his son at all.

"Okay, okay, okay, just spare the life of my adopted son." Liu Zhang pinched Lu's chin with his hand, and seemed to be obsessed with forgiving Zhang Lu.

'Yoshiko? Zhang Ludun felt a splitting headache and was overwhelmed with shame. He was extremely desperate and wanted to kill the two people in front of him, but his body was tied up and soldiers controlled his arms, leaving him helpless.

'It hurts, it hurts so much. '

Under such pain, there was a sound of sheets rustling together, and Zhang Lu, with beads of sweat on his head, suddenly stood up and woke up from the nightmare.

He was breathing heavily, and his face was still a little sad, as if he hadn't fully woken up from the nightmare.

'You Liu Zhang can actually bully me in my dreams. Zhang Lu, who had fully woken up from his dream, yelled and cursed. He did not dare to recall the unbearable situation in the dream, and just cursed Liu Zhang.

Tortured by nightmares, Zhang Lu had no intention of sleeping. He shouted outside the tent: "Zhang Shan, what time is it?"

Zhang Lu planned to simply get up and stop sleeping if there was not much time before dawn.

After hearing what the personal guard Zhang Shan said, he immediately opened the curtain and walked in. He respectfully replied to Zhang Lu: "Master, the time is almost over." The time is about to end, which is around two o'clock in the morning. The hour of night.

After Zhang Lu heard this, he thought about it and prepared to continue sleeping peacefully. It was too early to get up at this point, and he would have no energy tomorrow. As a master of Tianshi Dao, he needed to show a good mental outlook, so he waved his hand to signal Zhang Lu. The mountain exits the tent.

But just when Zhang Lu was about to fall asleep on his side, a loud noise from the crowd came from outside the tent. He had not completely fallen asleep and suddenly stood up suddenly. At the same time, his brows were wrinkled. It was not a good thing to be disturbed at night. If not, the camp will be blown up.

"Zhang Shan, what's going on outside?" (End of chapter)