Ji Han Liu Zhang

In the Shu army camp on Dingjun Mountain, Liu Zhang read the letter in his hand carefully under the illumination of a few lights. To be precise, it was a letter of surrender from the acting head of the Zhang family of the Chenggu powerful clan. From Zhang Lixiu, Zhang Lixiu stated in the letter that the Zhang family had raised an uprising in Chenggu County and decided to submit to him.

"Zhang Lixiu."

After roughly reading the contents of the letter, Liu Zhang put the letter on the table. After a moment of silence, he read the three words Zhang Lixiu word by word. He knew about Zhang Lixiu in Hanzhong.

Before launching the Battle of Hanzhong, Liu Zhang sent people to investigate Hanzhong. He probably knew something about the geographical terrain of Hanzhong and the heroes in Hanzhong. As the wife of Zhao Song, the former chief administrator of Hanzhong, Zhang Lixiu was captured by Zhao Song. After the thief Zhang Lujun was killed, Zhang Lixiu carried a sword to protect his daughter and defected to his uncle Zhang Jun. Such a loyal and loyal woman, who was considered to be a high-ranking person, naturally fell into his ears.

What surprised Liu Zhang was that Zhang Lixiu dared to raise Chenggu County to oppose Zhang Lu before the situation was completely clear. It can be seen that the deeds he heard about Zhang Lixiu before are all true. Without the courage of extraordinary people, how could ordinary people dare to do such loyal things.

"Harm." Liu Zhang sighed. What Zhang Lixiu did made him feel a little ashamed. You must know that the death of Zhang Lixiu's husband Zhao Song was inseparable from his father Liu Yan. Previously, Liu Yan sent Zhang Lu and Zhang Xiu Entered Hanzhong. After Zhang Lu invaded Hanzhong, he killed Hanzhong officials without permission, such as Su Gu, the prefect of Hanzhong, and Zhao Song, the chief clerk of Hanzhong. Although Zhang Lu apparently committed these things on his own initiative, privately he was actually under the influence of Following Liu Yan's instructions.

After such an analysis, the person directly responsible for Zhao Song's death was Liu Yan, but Liu Zhang would naturally not admit it. Although he did not have a father-son relationship with Liu Yan, and Liu Yan had burped before he traveled through time, but in this era, filial piety is greater than heaven. , it is natural for a son to cover up his father's faults.

'Thousands of mistakes were made. The fault lies with Zhang Lu, and the fault lies with Zhang Lu. Liu Zhang thought for a while and decided to put all the blame on Zhang Lu. Zhang Lu was indeed a very good scapegoat. Liu Yan's orders to Zhang Lu were all given in private, and In order for Zhang Lu to cut off the connection between the court and Shu, the Liu and Zhang families were at odds with each other. Secondly, Zhang Lu, as the master of the Celestial Master's Way, practiced what the noble family considered to be a ghost way. He was an evil-minded person who pretended to be a ghost. Even if he did not commit any crime, the people would assume that it was Zhang Lu who had committed the crime.

Liu Zhang thought about it and found that Zhang Lu was the perfect person to take the blame. At this moment, the curtain was suddenly opened, and the night wind squeezed into the curtain through the gap in the curtain, causing several lights in the curtain to sway. .

Under the flickering lights, Liu Zhang looked up at the tent indifferently and saw Fazheng and Gan Ning walking into the tent one after another.

After Fazheng bowed his hands and saluted, he hurriedly said: "Ming Gong, the scouts have sent news that there are noisy and panicked sounds in the rice thieves' camp at the foot of the mountain. The lights in the camp are even more chaotic. Some people are walking around with torches. The rice thieves are here. It must be something unexpected."

"In fact, there is no need for scouts to spread the news. Looking down from the mountain, the messy situation is very different from the strict and orderly situation of the rice thief camp before, so we know that there is a big problem in the rice thief camp." Gan Ning added. After saying this, he looked at Liu Zhang with bright eyes and raised his hands slightly, as if he was about to ask for orders to fight at the next moment.

Liu Zhang stretched out his hand and rubbed his chin, his eyebrows wrinkled slightly, and the shadows of lights kept flashing in his eyes.

Was it Zhang Lu's plan to deliberately pretend that he couldn't bear the pressure, causing a roar in the army, to lure them to attack, but was he actually setting up an ambush to catch them all?

Liu Zhang shook his head. Zhang Lu had been fighting against him for a while, so he should know that he was a cautious person and would not make such useless efforts.

After ruling out Zhang Lu's trap, Liu Zhang deduced that maybe Zhang Lu's soldiers really couldn't withstand the pressure they put on them, and something happened in the camp, which might lead to a camp roar.

"Xiaozhi, what do you think?" Liu Zhang asked Fazheng what he thought. As a counselor, it was time for Fazheng to contribute at this time.

Fazheng smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said: "Ming Gong, no matter whether the incident in the rice bandit camp is true or false, we should send people down the mountain to investigate. If it is true, then this is a good opportunity not to be missed. We can take this opportunity Take Zhang Lu and take all of Hanzhong... If it is false, our army will lead the troops back and make Zhang Lu work in vain at night."

Liu Zhang nodded. Just as Fazheng said, a good opportunity is right in front of him. Although it may be fake, there is half a chance. How can he miss it? He turned to look at Gan Ning: "Xingba, you lead the troops as the vanguard. , go and find out whether the incident at Zhang Lu’s camp is true or not, I will unite the army as backup to hold down the battle for you.”

Although Zhang Lu might have set up an ambush, Liu Zhang knew that Gan Ning was used to robbing homes and houses when he was in Bajun, and he was an expert at flying on grass. Coupled with Gan Ning's martial prowess, Zhang Lu would not be able to keep Gan Ning back. Without thinking, he called Gan Ning's name and asked Gan Ning to go explore the camp.

"No." Gan Ning responded resoundingly, then went out of the tent to order the troops.

As Gan Ning left the tent, Liu Zhang also stood up and walked out of the tent. He looked at the full moon hanging in the night sky and smiled. Tonight was a sleepless night. He could enjoy the full moon. color.

Liu Zhang, as the lord, naturally would not do it himself when it came to gathering the troops and uniting the army to prepare for war. Instead, he left it to Fazheng, who just waited quietly on the spot.

Not long after, Gan Ning organized his troops and horses, and took the lead to go down the mountain and move towards the western perimeter of Zhang Lu's camp. Liu Zhang, surrounded by his guards, ordered groups of soldiers to follow Gan Ning, with the intention of If anything goes wrong, Gan Ning will be brought back.

In the moonlight, Gan Ning led the Jinfan disciples without lighting torches, and only moved forward under the guidance of the moonlight. As elite infantry, they moved very quickly, and it didn't take long before they arrived at the western perimeter where Zhang Lu had set up. .

Different from the past, there are no Han soldiers on duty behind the deer antlers and fences in the Western Siege. The area is empty. Only chaotic sounds can be heard from Zhang Lu's central army, and these chaotic sounds are mixed with emotions such as confusion and panic. .

Gan Ning ordered the soldiers to remove the antlers, push down the fence, and file into the camp in Hanzhong. They did not encounter any obstacles along the way, and it was so smooth that they themselves felt a little surprised. Soon, the soldiers in Hanzhong were panicked. Now, they caught a few tongues, learned some news, and passed the news to Liu Zhang at the rear.

……

"Zhang Lu is missing?" Liu Zhang asked. He was a little unbelievable and could not believe what the soldiers sent by Gan Ning said.

But after only a moment of doubt, the suspicion on Liu Zhang's face disappeared. Zhang Lu disappeared, or to be precise, he ran away with the bucket. Although this situation was beyond his expectation, it was still reasonable.

Sima Yi, who was beaten by Zhuge Wuhou and had the title of Fear of Shu Like a Tiger, said: "When you use your military talents, you have five choices. If you can fight, fight, if you can't fight, defend, if you can't defend, leave. The remaining two are surrender and surrender." Died in battle. ' Under the current circumstances, Zhang Lu couldn't fight or defend, and he didn't want to surrender or die in battle, so naturally he only had the option of running away with the bucket.

The question is where did Zhang Lu go?

Liu Zhang waved the message to the soldiers to retreat. He thought about where Zhang Lu should go. There was no need to consider the west or south. The road to the Qinling Mountains in the north was difficult, and Zhang Lu was not very good at choosing. The only option was the east...

Fazheng, who was accompanying Liu Zhang, spoke up. His thoughts were very different from Liu Zhang's: "Ming Gong, Zhang Lu abandoned his army late at night. There is little possibility of escaping to Wudu in the west and Guanzhong in the north. There is Shangyong in the east... The Shen clan, a wealthy family in Shangyong, has always submitted to Zhang Lu, and most of the people in Shangyong believe in the Tao of the Heavenly Master, so Zhang Lu must have fled to Shangyong."

Seeing that Liu Zhang nodded and agreed with his statement, Fazheng immediately added: "Going up to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the waterway is convenient. The rice thief should now be floating on the Han River, and the rice thief and his important ministers and confidants Most of their family members are in Nanzheng, so I estimate that the rice thieves are now anchored in Nanzheng, picking up their families and then heading east."

"The words of filial piety and uprightness are very suitable to my liking." Liu Zhang affirmed, and he also expected that Zhang Lu would not leave his family behind and just gallop eastward with his boat, and he would definitely anchor in Nanzheng. Otherwise, even if Zhang Lu gave up his family, his ministers and bodyguards would not. If Zhang Lu forced them to abandon their families, there might be a mutiny.

The shadow of the torch flashed in Fazheng's eyes, which reflected his surprisingly bright eyes: "Ming Gong, it is difficult to send an army to chase Zhang Lu late at night. Besides, Zhang Lu floats on the Han River, and we don't have a boat. It is not convenient to pursue and kill...but we can send elite soldiers to rush to Nanzheng and only beat gongs and drums on the shore to frighten and panic Zhang Lu on the Han River."

Liu Zhang showed a teasing smile and pointed at Fazheng: "Xiaozhi, Zhang Lu has given up on Hanzhong, why don't you let him live in peace?"

Fazheng's eyebrows brightened: "It would be good to scare Zhang Lu. How could Zhang Lu escape like this... It's a pity that Zhang Lu and Zhang Wei can't be killed."

Fazheng sighed. He had some personal grudges with Zhang Wei. He had served as an official in Hanzhong. He originally thought that after becoming a famous scholar, Mr. Xuande, he would seek at least a job as a county magistrate, but Zhang Wei turned him down. Wei also belittled his grandfather, Mr. Xuande, Fazhen. He would always remember this bad breath, as he was a grudge-bearing person.

"There's no rush, it'll be a matter of time... Zhang Lu can escape for a while, but he can't escape forever. If he doesn't go south and north, he will be captured by me sooner or later." Liu Zhang reassured.

Then according to Fazheng's suggestion, Liu Zhang ordered Lou Fa to lead 500 elite soldiers in the direction of Nanzheng. However, Liu Zhang had a more important task. He wanted to stabilize the Han soldiers abandoned by Zhang Lu and occupy Zhang Lu's territory. 's fortress.

……

The lights on the Nanzheng and Han River roads are brightly lit, and there are so many people coming and going.

Zhang Lu decided to leave Hanzhong, but did not want to leave any money to Liu Zhang, so his ghost soldiers are now busy carrying various materials from the Nanzheng Mansion's treasury to the ships on the Han River, or boxes of gold. Silver, batches of cloth, grain and grass were also among the materials being transported.

Seeing the ghost soldiers diligently carrying the materials in the treasury, Zhang Lu stroked his beard, and a trace of pride appeared on his face. According to this progress, he would be able to empty the treasury in Hanzhong before dawn, and not a single hair would be left behind. To Liu Zhang. After dawn, Liu Zhang discovered that he had run away, so he led his troops to Nanzheng to take a look. He found that Nanzheng's treasury was empty. In addition, he had already sailed eastward, so Liu Zhang's face would not look good. Thinking of this, Zhang Lu's face was filled with pride. The color is more prosperous.

'Hey, my dignified master of the Celestial Master Way was actually forced to run around by Huang Kou'er. '

After only feeling proud for a moment, Zhang Lu looked at the polished night sky. A bright moon was shining in the sky. He thought that he would never see the bright moon in Hanzhong again. He could only see the bright moon in Shangyong behind. Although the bright moons were all the same, they were still the same. The mood is very different.

Who is to blame? Of course it is Liu Zhang's son. Zhang Lu's thoughts at the moment are like snakes and scorpions. He hates Liu Zhang very much. He is more confused. It is clear that Liu Zhang was a coward and incompetent before, but after taking up the post of Yizhou Shepherd After that, he actually became a changed person, fighting in all directions, and he was also famous in governance. Before the war, Zhang Lu sent Jianxi to go deep into Shu to spy on the news. Jianxi returned the news and said that the governance in Shu was very beautiful. The people and barbarians are happy.

"God helps the Liu family but not Zhang." Zhang Lu couldn't figure out the reason for Liu Zhang's change in temperament, so he could only blame it on God. God's will is such that it is difficult to violate it.

"Bang, bang, bang."

"Clang, clang, clang."

The sound of golden drums came from the south bank of the Han River, which shocked Zhang Lu and made him sway a little. He quickly turned around and ran to the south side of the building boat, trying hard to open his eyes, trying to see the Han River clearly. The situation on the south bank, but under the moonlight, the distance that could be seen clearly was not far away. He only heard the sound of golden drums, but did not see any people.

"Brother." Zhang Wei gave up the task of commanding the soldiers to carry supplies at this time. He ran to Zhang Lu and spoke to Zhang Lu with trembling words: "Liu Zhang discovered our intentions and sent troops to chase us..."

"Gong Cao, what do you think should be done?" Zhang Lu ignored Zhang Wei and asked Yan Pu about Gong Cao.

"Hiss..." After Yan Pu let out a long breath, he suggested firmly: "Master, the Shu army has discovered our movements and cannot stay any longer at this time. Now the soldiers' families are almost here. , only some of the treasury baggage is missing, and some of it has not been moved, so don’t let go of the unfinished goods... Don’t delay things, as lateness will cause changes.”

Although it is speculated that the number of Shu soldiers may be small and there are no boats, they will not pose a big threat to them for a while, but considering that they cannot easily stop the Shu soldiers, otherwise a group of them will die in Hanzhong, so Yan Pu It is recommended to leave immediately.

"Okay." Zhang Lu responded. Things had to be prioritized. A little treasury baggage was nothing, but he did not intend to leave it to Liu Zhang. He ordered Zhang Wei: "Gongze, go and burn the treasury quickly." , and then we’ll set off again.” (End of Chapter)