Ji Han Liu Zhang

Peach forest pass.

After Liu Zhang stayed here for several days, when it was time to leave, he left behind Li Xiu, a captain who was good at construction, and ordered Li Xiu to choose a piece of land west of Taolinsai that was suitable for building a city and to first build the foundation of "Tongguan".

Liu Zhang went north along the river and arrived at Puzhou.

Puzhou, also known as Pubanjin and Xiayangjin, is an important ferry crossing on the Yellow River and an extremely dangerous mountain and river pass.

It is located in the southwest of the Yellow River, east of Dali County in eastern Shaanxi. During the Warring States Period, the State of Wei built the Puzhou Pass here. This place is located in a dangerous place between Qin and Jin. Whether entering Jin from Guanzhong or entering Guanzhong from southern Jin, people often cross the river from Puzhou.

"According to Zuo Zhuan, when Duke Mu of Qin attacked Jin, he burned his boats after crossing the river from Pujin to show his determination to fight to the death... At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu crossed the river from here and defeated and captured King Qiong of Yin..."

"During the reign of Emperor Xiaojing, King Liu Bi of Wu wrote in his letter of rebellion: 'The kings of Qi and the king of Zhao have settled in Hejian and Henei, or entered Linjin Pass, and all of them will meet me in Luoyang.' ... Linjin among them is probably Puban. Liu Bi mentioned Puban, which shows the importance of Puban."

Fa Zheng, a native of Fufeng, talked about the history of "Pubanjin" in great detail.

"In fact, if Tongguan is established, it will not be enough to hold all the troops in Guandong. We must hold Puyang. Otherwise, the bandits in Guandong will invade from Puyang, go south along the river, and suddenly reach Tongguan. Tongguan will be attacked from both sides and will naturally fall."

Fa Zheng said calmly: "That's the case. We only need to hold Tongguan and Puban. With these two places in our hands, even if the prefectures and counties in Guandong are combined into one, they will not be able to set foot in Guanzhong."

Liu Zhang nodded gently. He looked at the gurgling and surging river, thinking deeply. When the soldiers from Guandong invaded Guanzhong, they often did not start from the old Hangu Pass or the present Tongguan, but often looked for opportunities from Puban, crossed the Yellow River and broke through Guanzhong in one fell swoop.

For example, in the 16th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao personally led a large army and pretended to cross the Yellow River from Tongguan to the north, in order to attract the Guanxi coalition forces to come and block the attack. But Cao Cao actually wanted to take advantage of the melee between the two armies to secretly transfer the main force to Pubanjin to cross the river and bypass Tongguan, a dangerous pass where one man could block the passage of ten thousand.

By the time Cao Cao led his troops across the Yellow River from Pubanjin and advanced southward along the west bank of the Yellow River, although the Guanxi coalition forces quickly arrived at Weikou, they were no longer able to fight, and eventually Guanzhong was taken by Cao Cao.

"This is the strategic point in Guanxi and the hub of Hedong." When Liu Zhang thought of this, he pointed at Pubanjin and said.

Jia Xu echoed: "You are right, sir. Pujin and Tongguan are both important passes in Guanzhong. They are fortified and cannot be lost... Although there is chaos in the east of Guandong, we must be careful that someone may take advantage of this opportunity to spy on Sanfu and Guanzhong."

"I suggest sending an army across the river to capture Puban County in Hedong County. First, with Puban County in hand, the princes of Guandong will not be able to cross Puban County to spy on Guanzhong, fearing that they will have trouble in the future. Second, Hedong is an important place and a key point in the world. Although it is not appropriate to cause trouble after the current war, taking Puban will show the heroes of Hedong and lure them. It will certainly be beneficial for you to capture Hedong in the future."

"I will consider what Lord Jia said." Liu Zhang looked into the distance and seemed to see Puyang County to the east of the river.

Puban County belongs to Hedong County. As Jia Xu said, it is an important place and a stepping stone for entering Hedong. He should take it preemptively.

into the night.

The stars were dim and the crescent moon was without light. It was a night without moonlight or starlight. The surroundings were dark except for the place where Liu Zhang's troops were stationed. The bright light was reflected by the bonfires and torches.

"Zichu." Liu Zhang called out to Lou Fa, and at the same time, he leisurely poked the bonfire in front of him with a wooden stick, stirring up a bunch of sparks that looked like wandering fireflies.

"Mingsir." When Lou Fa heard Liu Zhang's call, he first responded, then stood up and walked forward a few steps, came to Liu Zhang and sat down.

"I wonder what you want me to do for you, sir." Lou Fa asked with a bow after sitting down.

As a young hero in Ba County, although Lou Fa was ambitious and had the ambition to dominate the world when he was young, when he was a little older, he understood the worldly affairs and asked himself about his background, he found that he was just a poor family. In this life, the most he could do was to dominate Ba County, but he would never have the chance to dominate the world.

However, the world is unpredictable and ever-changing. At the invitation of Gan Ning, Lou Fa went from Ba County to Chengdu and joined Liu Zhang's camp. From then on, Lou Fa felt that he might have a chance to travel the world and do first-class pleasures in this life.

But now, the dream has come true. He, a humble man and an unknown little tyrant in Ba County, has now fought in Guanzhong, devoting himself to the path of assisting the Han Dynasty and helping the people.

How lucky he is to meet such a wise ruler in his life.

Therefore, Lou Fa, who was sitting in front of Liu Zhang, sat upright close to Liu Zhang, ready to listen to Liu Zhang's instructions with a respectful attitude, with an expression of a scholar who is willing to die for his friend.

"Zi Chu, there's no need to be so reserved." Liu Zhang did not first tell Lou Fa the task he had entrusted to him. Instead, he reached out and patted Lou Fa on the shoulder, allowing Lou Fa to relax.

Lou Fa's posture and attitude were indeed quite straight, which made Liu Zhang, who had a loose posture and a relaxed expression, feel a little pressured.

"Yes." Lou Fa agreed. His posture was slightly relaxed, but he still looked upright and polite.

When Liu Zhang saw this, he looked somewhat helpless, thinking of the generals under his command. Lou Fa was famous for being taciturn and calm, and that was also Lou Fa's personality. After all, Lou Fa was good at archery, and archery sometimes did not require proficiency, but a sophisticated mentality.

People with frivolous temperaments often cannot reach the highest level of archery. Only people with a calm temperament and the ability to concentrate have the opportunity to explore the highest level of archery and leave a name for themselves in history.

"Puyang is an important place, and I want to have a good general to guard it. Considering the generals under my command, you are the best choice. But I don't know what you think?" Liu Zhang told Lou Fa the task he entrusted to him. He intended to let Lou Fa lead his troops across the river and garrison in Puyang County in the east of the river to serve as a strong shield for him to defend Puyang.

In addition, the garrison commander stationed in Puban County was also required to spy on the situation in Hedong and recruit heroes from Hedong, so as to lay a good foundation for the common people of Hedong to come and welcome him with food and drink when he arrived in Hedong in the future. The task shouldered by this garrison commander was naturally very heavy.

"If you have an order, I will obey it." Lou Fa's words were brief. He did not make excuses or ask any more questions. He just followed the order and did what he was told.

The next day, "You cross the river now. If you have any other reasons, you should invite me to be your successor." Liu Zhang instructed Lou Fa who was about to cross the river.

Lou Fa cupped his hands and said, "Please be patient, my lord. I will definitely conquer Puyang."

"Yeah." Liu Zhang nodded and gave a look of trust. He had already sent people to investigate the situation in Puban County west of the river. The garrison in the city was just an unknown thief. With Lou Fa going there, he thought he would be able to win.

After saying that, Lou Fa led his two thousand troops to cross the river. There was no floating bridge on the river, so they could only use rafts to cross the river. Firstly, the speed was very slow, and secondly, they could not carry many soldiers each time. Fortunately, there were no enemy troops on the east bank of the river, otherwise they would have been in danger of being attacked halfway across the river.

From the early morning when the fog was light until the sun was at its zenith, Lou Fa led all his troops across the river, and then he rode non-stop towards Puban County.

As for Liu Zhang, he sat quietly on the west bank of Pubanjin, waiting for the news of victory from Lou Fa.

And Lou Fa did not disappoint Liu Zhang. Two hours later, Lou Fa sent an envoy to deliver the victory report - Puyang had been taken and the city was in hand.

When Liu Zhang heard the good news, he asked someone to bring a piece of silk cloth and a wolf-hair brush, and wrote five big words on the silk cloth - Yingyang Zhonglang Jiang.

"The Book of Songs·Da Ya·Da Ming" says: "We are the teacher and the father, and we are like an eagle soaring in the sky." Yingyang means flying like an eagle.

……

Above average.

"Cai Mao is just a mediocre slave, what can he do to us? And Zhang Yun is just an ordinary man, he can't harm us." Zhang Lu, the master of Tianshi Dao, was very happy. He belittled Cai Mao and Zhang Yun who led the troops to attack Shangyong.

Of course, it is no wonder that Zhang Lu belittled Cai Mao and Zhang Yun so much. It was really that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were really incompetent. Since their defeat at Shangyong last year, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun had reorganized their troops and prepared for war this year, regrouped and led a large army to attack Shangyong.

However, although Cai Mao and Zhang Yun had more military strength than Zhang Lu, Zhang Lu relied on the Tianshi Dao to deceive the people and get their full support. In addition, Fangling and Shangyong were mountainous and forested, with dangerous borders on all sides. He easily kept Cai Mao and Zhang Yun out of Fangling and Shangyong, preventing the troops of Jingzhou from setting foot in Shangyong.

The head of the Shangyong Shen clan, Shen Gong, responded loudly: "With Master here, there is no need to worry about Cai Mao, Zhang Yun and other mediocre dogs."

Like Zhang Lu, Shen Gong was also very happy. Last year, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun led their troops to attack him. They treated the Shangyong Shen family as nothing and not only did they not try to persuade him to surrender, but they threatened him with harsh words.

So, Lord Shen, who was overwhelmed with anger, invited Zhang Lu to rule Shangyong, and with the help of Zhang Lu's power, he defeated Cai Mao and Zhang Yun. This year, he also fought against the troops of Jingzhou who had regrouped and came to invade Shangyong, and used three counties to fight against the entire Chu. What a military achievement and glory!

"The Shen family was able to survive, and Shangyong was able to maintain peace, all thanks to my teacher." Shen Gong spoke earnestly and praised Zhang Lu.

Zhang Lu's happy expression disappeared, revealing a calm face like a wild crane. He said solemnly: "This is not the work of my master alone, but also the work of all of you. Without your support and unity, how could I fight against the entire Chu with only three counties?"

Although Zhang Lu used humble words in his sentences, he could not conceal the complacent look on his face, which would be revealed slightly inadvertently.

The three counties that Zhang Lu mentioned here refer to Xicheng, Shangyong and Fangling. These three counties were originally county towns under Hanzhong. Taking into account the low status of a county lord and his unwillingness to place Xicheng, Shangyong and Fangling under Hanzhong county, Zhang Lu took advantage of his power and made Xicheng, Shangyong and Fangling one county.

Actually, Zhang Lu was still a little dissatisfied with just upgrading Xicheng, Shangyong and Fangling counties from counties to prefectures. He also wanted to merge the three counties into one state, named "Yongzhou", to satisfy his desire for power as a governor.

However, Zhang Lu was concerned that doing so would be too ostentatious. Furthermore, he would appear to be self-amusing by abusing his power. If others saw this, they would look down on him, or even worse, laugh at him. So Zhang Lu gave up the idea of ​​upgrading the county to a prefecture.

"There is one thing, after all, Chu is a place with thousands of miles of golden walls and millions of people, which is not comparable to the three counties of Xicheng, Shangyong and Fangling." Shen Gong talked about something he was worried about: "As for food and supplies, even though our army is fighting in our county and there is no cost for transporting food, we can't withstand Cai Mao and Zhang Yun fighting with us for several months and the stalemate lasted for a long time."

"What Mr. Shen said is right. We have been fighting against Cai Mao and Zhang Yun for a long time. With the support of Jingzhou, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun may be able to hold out against us for years. However, our territory is only three counties, with more than 20,000 households. We can definitely not fight against Cai Mao and Zhang Yun for a long time." Zhang Lu nodded. In his heart, although Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were not a concern, they could exhaust them to death with the support of Jingzhou. This was what he needed to worry about.

However, Zhang Lu was not too worried about this. He recently received a piece of news from Jiangdong. According to the situation, he predicted that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun would not have much time to fight with them.

"Don't worry, Mr. Shen." Zhang Lu said to comfort him, "Do you know what's happening in Jiangdong?"

"Jiangdong is thousands of miles away. I just heard a little rumor that Yuan Shu sent troops to attack Jiangdong. It's very exciting. I'm afraid that Jiangdong will fall into Yuan Shu's hands." Shen Gong told the news he knew. At the same time, he was a little confused. Why did Zhang Lu bring up Jiangdong? Shouldn't they be concerned about Cai Mao and Zhang Yun in front of them?

Zhang Lu looked relaxed. He asked, "Mr. Shen, do you know the generals that Yuan Shu sent to attack Jiangdong?"

"I don't know." Shen Gong shook his head. The world affairs had no appeal to an old man like him. He only cared about the people and things in front of him.

Zhang Lu smiled and said frankly, "The general sent by Yuan Shu is Sun Ce, the son of Sun Jian, the former General Po Lu and Marquis of Wucheng... Sun Ce is as brave as his father. Since he sent troops to Jiangdong in the first year of Xingping, he has been able to conquer all the way and no one can stop him. Now, most of the counties in Jiangdong have been taken by Sun Ce."

"What does this have to do with today's events?" Shen Gong looked a little confused. He didn't know what Sun Ce's attack on Jiangdong had to do with them.

Zhang Lu smiled and said in a loud voice: "Sun Jian was ambushed and killed by Huang Zu, a general under Liu Biao in the past. Sun Ce and Liu Biao have a grudge for killing their father, and they are sworn enemies. In addition, Yuan Shu has long been eyeing Jingzhou and Xiangyang. Now Jiangdong is under Yuan Shu's control. Yuan Shu and Sun Ce are of one mind, so they must be thinking about Jingzhou and will seek Jingzhou..."

When Shen Gong heard this, he showed an expression of sudden enlightenment: "The east of Jingxiang will be in trouble. Cai Mao and Zhang Yun will not be able to sit here and hold out with us. We can take a break." (End of this chapter)