Ji Han Liu Zhang

In the early morning, a thin mist lingered over the Guanzhong Plain like a ghost, and the sky and the earth were all pale. Even people with the best eyesight, such as Xiao Yangyou Jiloufa, who had excellent eyesight, could not see anything more than five meters away.

But it was in this misty fog that Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang led his men to the front camp of the Shu army. Earlier, the commander of the front camp Gan Ning sent someone to report to him what happened at night, so he naturally wanted to come and take a look.

"Jia Qing is truly a man of foresight. If it weren't for his advice, I would have almost fallen into the trap of Li Jue and Guo Si." On the way, Liu Zhang praised Jia Xu who was standing beside him.

The possibility of Li Jue and Guo Si attacking the camp at night yesterday was suggested by Jia Xu and Jia Wenhe. Based on his understanding of Li Jue and Guo Si, Jia Xu predicted that after the two thieves suffered setbacks during the day, they would definitely make some plans at night in an attempt to win back the game.

Here, Liu Zhang listened to Jia Xu's advice. He ordered Gan Ning, Lou Fa, Wen Pin and others to be careful in defense and dug a trap to wait for Li Jue and Guo Si to jump into. But things turned out as Jia Xu expected. Li Jue and Guo Si led their troops to attack the camp at night, trying to turn the situation around.

However, with the advance preparations by Gan Ning, Lou Fa, Wen Pin and others, the team sent by Li Jue and Guo Si to attack the camp gained nothing except the corpses of Liangzhou soldiers and a number of captives.

Li Jue and Guo Si's plan to attack the camp at night was a good one, but they encountered the Shu army which had been well prepared. It was like stepping on a sharp nail. A big hole appeared out of nowhere under their feet, and they were bleeding and in great pain.

Facing Liu Zhang's praise, Jia Xu said modestly: "I only made a few suggestions, which is not a great achievement. The real meritorious people are General Gan, Lieutenant Lou, and Lieutenant Wen who fought at night."

"That's not the case. The merits of making decisions and offering advice can be compared to military achievements on the battlefield." Liu Zhang shook his head, and the fog in front of him dissipated a little.

"A man can plan and win battles thousands of miles away. The reason why Zhang Liang, the Marquis of Liu, was granted the title of Marquis is because of his superior wisdom and his meritorious service in offering advice... This time, Jia Qing, you have made a meritorious contribution by offering advice. You have made a note of it. After we defeat Li Jue and Guo Si, we will reward you according to your merits."

"Thank you, sir." Jia Xu did not make too many excuses, he just expressed his thanks calmly.

Liu Zhang suddenly thought of something, and he asked Jia Xu: "Where are Jia Qing's family members now? If they can gather in Guanzhong later, the family can be reunited. Otherwise, it would be very unlucky for Jia Qing to be alone."

"In Huayin County, at the place of General Ningji Duan Wei. General Ningji Duan Wei has some friendship with Xu, so Xu entrusted his family to Duan Wei." Jia Xu answered immediately.

"Duan Wei." Liu Zhang knew General Ningji Duan Wei. He had previously sent Cheng Yu, the son of Cheng Ji, the prefect of Ba County, to Duan Wei, with the intention of winning over Duan Wei and preventing him from becoming a helper of Li Jue and Guo Si. However, Cheng Yu did a very good job on that mission, and Duan Wei has maintained a neutral attitude until now.

Although it would be better if General Ningji Duan Wei could lead his troops to help him fight the enemy, Liu Zhang did not force it. As long as General Ningji Duan Wei remained neutral, it would be a good thing for Liu Zhang. After all, nothing is perfect, and it would be good if it could be 70% to 80% perfect.

"Duan Wei was the cousin of the former Grand Commandant and Xinfeng County Marquis Duan Jiong. It is said that he vigorously encouraged agriculture in Huayin. Unlike Li Jue and Guo Si, who robbed the people and harmed the scholars and commoners, the officials and people of Huayin were able to enjoy peace. He was an exception among the Liangzhou generals."

"Yes, General Duan is different from Li Jue, Guo Si and other Liangzhou bandits. He is dedicated to pacifying the people and has no intention of harming lives. Therefore, the people in Huayin live in peace and happiness, just like the peaceful times in the past." Jia Xu echoed and spoke well of Duan Wei. Of course, this is what Duan Wei actually did.

Liu Zhang nodded and said, "People like Duan Wei are like lotus flowers in a pond. Although they grow out of the mud, they are not stained by dust. This shows that not all the generals in Liangzhou are treacherous and evil like Li Jue and Guo Si, who are cruel to the people."

"You are right, my lord." Jia Xu said.

As they were talking, the morning mist gradually dissipated, and the thick fog gradually became thinner. Liu Zhang's vision became farther and farther. He saw the gate of the front camp and Wen Pin who was waiting for him at the gate. Only Wen Pin was here to receive him, and Gan Ning and Lou Fa had to be in charge of things.

"My lord." When Wen Pin saw Liu Zhang and his party arriving, he strode forward and came towards Liu Zhang. When he was a few steps away from Liu Zhang, he knelt on one knee and bowed deeply.

Liu Zhang jumped off his horse, stretched out his hand to help Wen Pin up, and patted Wen Pin's hand and said, "Wen Qing, the army only performs military salutes, and all other cumbersome formalities are omitted. There is no need to do this next time."

"Yes." Wen Pin responded with a smile. He knew that in the army one only had to bow and did not need to kneel or kowtow. However, he was so grateful for Liu Zhang's kindness that he forgot about it for a moment.

Liu Zhang took Wen Pin's hand, and the two walked towards the central military tent in the front camp.

"I heard from the soldier who brought the news that it was Wen Qing who led the troops to kill the invading Liangzhou bandits last night, and when they encountered a large group of bandits in the rear, they stood in front of them, unmoved, and persisted until Gan Ning and Lou Fa arrived." Liu Zhang smiled and slowly recounted Wen Qing's achievements.

Wen Pin looked solemn, and he nodded: "Thanks to Lord Ming's virtue and the protection of the gods, we didn't suffer any losses last night and even made some gains despite the many battles we encountered and chased the enemy."

"What virtue, what spirit?" Liu Zhang laughed twice, and criticized: "This is due to your talent, Wenqing. With your talent as a general, we were able to repel the invading enemy last night and gain some success."

"Thank you for your compliment, my lord." When Wen Pin heard the words 'talent of a general', he was immediately delighted, but he did not show such joyful thoughts on his face, for fear of being considered too frivolous and unstable, so he just kept a calm expression and said humbly.

Soon, Liu Zhang and Wen Pin arrived at the central military tent of the Shu army's front camp, while Gan Ning and Lou Fa were waiting at the door of the central military tent, awaiting Liu Zhang's arrival.

"Ming Gong."

"Ming Gong."

Seeing Liu Zhang approaching, Gan Ning and Lou Fa stepped forward and bowed to Liu Zhang.

"Let's go into the tent and discuss in detail." Liu Zhang said loudly, and then several people, led by Liu Zhang, went into the tent.

After the deposit.

As the commander of the front camp, Gan Ning bowed and reported the details of last night's battle: "Among the invading enemy bandits, there was Captain Gao Shuo, who was shot and killed by Zichu (Lou Fa) in the battle formation. In addition, Captain Wen chased and killed the invading enemies, beheaded more than 180 people and captured more than 300 people." Gao Shuo was the golden-armored general who was killed by Lou Fa last night. After dawn, Gan Ning learned about Gao Shuo's identity through interrogating the captured Liangzhou soldiers. At this time, he told them one by one and attributed each credit to the corresponding general.

"Good, the battle last night was enough to scare the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si." Liu Zhang clapped his hands and said. He deduced that Li Jue and Guo Si, whose plan of night attack he had guessed, must be filled with shame and anger. After all, their own plan was guessed by others, and they ended up losing more than they gained. It would be unhappy and scary.

Gan Ning asked, "We have captured more than 300 Liangzhou soldiers. I wonder how you will deal with them."

Liu Zhang stroked his chin and thought for a while, then he half-closed his eyes and said, "First, give them a full meal, then ask them about their aspirations. If they are willing to serve in the army, they can stay, and if they are not willing to serve in the army, give them some money and food and let them go back home."

This was Liu Zhang's policy. The lenient policy stated in the previous edict was that he would accept all the Liangzhou soldiers who were willing to surrender and stay in his army, except for Li Jue and Guo Si. As for the Liangzhou soldiers who were unwilling to serve in his army, he clearly stated that they would be allowed to return to their hometowns and would not be forced.

"Hiss." Hearing this, Lou Fa suddenly felt something was wrong. He said bluntly, "Mingsir, the Liangzhou bandits are fickle and have committed serious crimes. They should not be released easily. It is said that it is easier to let a tiger go than to catch it."

"Although you are a benevolent and magnanimous person and have released these people, I think few of them will return to their hometowns with the money and food they are given. Instead, they will go to Chang'an to surrender and return to the army of Li Jue and Guo Si. This will only help strengthen the power of Li Jue and Guo Si!"

Lou Yan spoke earnestly, and he strongly advised Liu Zhang not to have such irrational thoughts and take the action of releasing the captives from Liang Province.

Wen Pin interrupted and retorted, "Brother Lou, you issued a proclamation before, saying that those who are willing to surrender will surrender, and those who are unwilling to surrender will be allowed to return to their hometowns. Now is the time for you to show your trustworthiness. How can you abandon your trustworthiness for a small matter?"

Lou Fa was silent for a moment or two after hearing this. If he were to think from Liu Zhang's perspective like Wen Pin, he should indeed act in this way for the sake of his loyalty. However, considering that the released captives from Liang Province would most likely escape back to Chang'an City through secret ways, acting in this way would seem a bit pedantic.

At this point, Lou Fa made a decision. He cupped his hands and said to Liu Zhang, "Mingsir, why not keep the Liangzhou captives in the army and deal with them after the battle? This way, you will not lose your credibility with the world, and you can also prevent the Liangzhou captives from escaping back to Li Jue and Guo Si after being pardoned."

Lou Fa's suggestion sounded like a good idea, but Liu Zhang just shook his head. He smiled calmly and said, "There is no need to wait until after the war. Let them be pardoned and released. Let the elders of Guanzhong and the soldiers of Liangzhou know that I, Liu Zhang, am trustworthy and will not delay any longer."

Hearing this, Lou Fa frowned slightly. He bowed and wanted to say something else, but the newly surrendered strategist Jia Xu interrupted him.

"Lou Jun, don't worry too much." Jia Xu first comforted Lou Fa, and then he slowly said: "Li Jue and Guo Si are two thieves, they are treacherous and suspicious. Even if the captives from Liangzhou released by you run back to Chang'an, Li Jue and Guo Si will definitely not dare to accept them. They will doubt whether they are secretly serving you and returning to Chang'an to be your accomplices."

"So Xu predicted that after the released Liangzhou captives ran back to Chang'an City, they would not be accepted by the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si, but would be rejected by them and refused to allow them to enter Chang'an City. They might even shoot them to drive them away... By then, these Liangzhou captives would be filled with resentment and would definitely return to our army."

As Jia Xu had spent some time with Li Jue and Guo Si, he understood their personalities and his words were highly credible.

So as soon as Jia Xu finished speaking, Lou Fa stopped planning to continue speaking. He believed what Jia Xu said. After all, Jia Xu had anticipated the night attack by Li Jue and Guo Si. In his heart, Jia Xu, a wise man from Liangzhou, had some wisdom.

"What Lord Jia said makes sense." Liu Zhang clapped his hands. In fact, he had the same idea. As Li Jue and Guo Si were now in a disadvantageous situation, they would certainly not trust the Liangzhou captives who suddenly returned. They would definitely be suspicious and suspect some conspiracy. Not to mention that Li Jue and Guo Si were suspicious by nature. With suspicion on top of suspicion, it would be harder for the released Liangzhou captives to set foot in Chang'an City than climbing to the sky.

"Zhongye, go and do this. Identify the Liangzhou captives. Those who are willing to stay can stay, and those who are unwilling to stay can be released... In addition, the remaining Liangzhou captives must be well guarded and dispersed. Don't let them gather together, otherwise they will have the opportunity to rebel."

Liu Zhang gave Wen Pin an order and added another sentence.

He was willing to accept the surrender of the Liangzhou soldiers, but at this critical juncture, he did not have much trust in the surrendered Liangzhou soldiers. After all, there was no guarantee that there might be one or two people with ulterior motives among the surrendered Liangzhou soldiers, and it would be bad if they caused some trouble.

The war is imminent and the outcome is still unknown. We should be extra careful at this time.

"Yes." Wen Pin bowed and accepted the order. He took a few steps back and walked out of the tent to deal with the captured Liangzhou soldiers.

A quarter of an hour later, the Liangzhou soldiers, who had been under close surveillance by Shu soldiers and had lost their armor and weapons, finished their breakfast in panic. As they were wondering whether this meal would be their last meal before execution, they saw a figure who looked like a Shu army general appear in front of them and glanced at them.

"quiet."

Wen Pin first shouted loudly to stop the Liangzhou soldiers from making noises from time to time, and then he made a loud declaration in the dead silence.

"My Lord has issued an order that those of you who are willing to surrender can stay, and those who are unwilling to surrender and intend to return to their hometowns can leave now."

As soon as these words were spoken, the captured Liangzhou soldiers suddenly became agitated. They couldn't believe their ears. The Shu army general in front of them was actually saying that those who wanted to leave could leave, and those who wanted to stay could stay. That Liu Yizhou was too lenient.

"General, is this true? Can we really leave now if we want to?" After a few moments of agitation, a Liangzhou soldier who looked a little older asked timidly.

"What's true or false? How can your words be false?" Wen Ping retorted with a frown.

Then Wen Pin said, "Make your decision early. Those who are willing to stay should stand on the left, and those who are unwilling to stay should stand on the right."

Hearing this, the Liangzhou soldiers below began to move, splitting up to the left and right. Most people here wanted to leave, but some of those who wanted to leave were worried that this was a trap set by the Shu army generals in front of them. So after a while, the number of Liangzhou captives, who numbered on the left and right, was almost the same. (End of this chapter)