Ji Han Liu Zhang

Changan.

After a busy day of cultivating the land himself, Liu Zhang returned to his residence in Chang'an. However, he could not get a good rest after nightfall. After all, as a monarch, even though some affairs could be handed over to his trusted ministers, there were some important matters that he still had to handle himself.

Authority cannot be handed over to others, and great power cannot be transferred to others.

In the east pavilion of the mansion, Liu Zhang began to discuss affairs of all directions with Xun You, the chief clerk, military advisor, and lieutenant general, who also served as the prefect of Jingzhao.

Xun You, the former chief clerk and military advisor and lieutenant general, was given an additional title after Liu Zhang arrived in Guanzhong. He was appointed as the Jingzhao Yin, one of the Three Auxiliary Prefectures, and was in control of the power of the Jingzhao county.

Xun You first reported the situation in Liang Province to Liu Zhang. Guanzhong had been pacified, and Liang Province, which was within reach, was the next target of Liu Zhang's group, so it was given the highest priority.

"According to the news from General Wu, since you sent Gan Ning and Wen Pin to capture Lueyang and Guanlong Road, Ma Teng and Han Sui, who were fighting each other in Tianshui County, have stopped fighting and are showing signs of uniting."

Peng Ying, the military officer, was puzzled when he heard the news from Liang Province. He hissed coldly and asked, "Ma Teng broke through Han Sui's old nest Jincheng, and Han Sui killed Ma Teng's wife and children who stayed in Tianshui. It's amazing that the two villains can put aside their hatred and want to unite to fight against you, my Lord."

Peng Ying was very surprised. Ma Teng and Han Sui were clearly determined to fight to the death before, but when Liu Zhang captured Lueyang and Guanlong Road and knew that Liu Zhang intended to attack Liangzhou, Ma Teng and Han Sui easily put aside their hatred for each other and intended to unite to fight against Liu Zhang.

"Should we say that Ma Teng and Han Sui were shrewd and cunning, unwilling to let Liu Zhang take advantage of the conflict between the two, or should we say that the two thieves had little affection for each other and only cared about their own interests?" Peng Ying's eyes showed an unclear look.

Zheng Du, an official, sneered, "Ma Teng is really a man of great righteousness. Han Sui attacked and killed Ma Teng's wife and children before, but Ma Teng was able to let go of such a great hatred. So, will he just forgive Han Sui and join forces with Han Sui to defend Liang Province?"

Zheng Du was a cold-blooded strategist who often made plans that were against the harmony of heaven. At this moment, he could not believe it. Ma Teng could put aside the hatred of killing his wife and son and join forces with Han Sui, against whom he had a great grudge, just to save Liangzhou.

"It seems that Liangzhou is not easy to take." Liu Zhang was not surprised. He just smiled faintly. Liangzhou was originally a situation of conflict between the snipe and the clam. As a fisherman, he only needed to wait until Han Sui and Ma Teng were both defeated, and then he could take over Liangzhou.

Now it seems that Liu Zhang's dream is about to be shattered. Ma Teng and Han Sui did not take the approach of pacifying the country before fighting against foreign enemies. Instead, as Zheng Du said, Ma Teng and Han Sui understood the righteousness of the cause and were going to put aside their personal grudges and live in harmony to resist him, the Grand Marshal.

This was not a good thing for Liu Zhang, but it was not a difficult thing either, so Liu Zhang just treated it indifferently. Now he had already sent Gan Ning to take over Lueyang and Wen Pin to guard Guanlong Road. The road to Liangzhou was already open. Even if Ma Teng and Han Sui joined forces, he had nothing to worry about.

Ma Teng and Han Sui's efforts were in vain and to no avail.

As the military advisor and lieutenant general, Xun You shared the same view as Liu Zhang, so his expression was calm. "Lord Peng, Lord Zheng, don't worry too much. Han Sui and Ma Teng have a deep old grudge against each other. For a while, they had no choice but to unite because of the enemy. They can't trust each other sincerely, so they have some concerns about each other and are on guard against each other."

"This is a mob, not worth worrying about." Xun You looked down upon the two heroes of Liang Province, Ma Teng and Han Sui, from a strategic point of view. "Especially since Ma Teng was recommended by the Lord to serve as the governor of Liang Province, according to Xun You's prediction, although Han Sui had no choice but to join forces with Ma Teng, Han Sui was probably afraid that Ma Teng and the Lord had some private contact and would harm him."

Having said this, Xun You began to plan. He bowed to Liu Zhang and said, "We can do something here to alienate the alliance between Ma Teng and Han Sui, who are already wary of each other. If we do it well, the two thieves may even fail."

"That's right." Liu Zhang nodded with a smile. He agreed with Xun You's plan, and then he issued a decision: "Now the military advisor Fa Zheng is assisting Wu Yi in Chencang, so issue an order to let Fa Zheng carry out this strategy of alienation."

Fa Zheng, the former military advisor, was promoted to General of the Military Advisory Army for his merits after Liu Zhang arrived in Guanzhong. He was then sent to Chencang by Liu Zhang to assist General Wu Yi, the Xinghan General, who was stationed in Chencang.

Wu Yi was stationed in Chencang, the important place of defense. Liu Zhang considered that Wu Yi did not have any outstanding counselors to make plans for him, so he sent Fa Zheng to help Wu Yi with some advice and strategies, which would make Wu Yi's life easier.

Peng Ying, the military officer, looked ahead and said with a smile, "Ma Teng and Han Sui are not good people. They must be the plot of the chief clerk in the meeting to sow discord between them. I just hope that the two thieves will kill each other and both will suffer. This will also save you the trouble of conquering Liang Province."

In Peng Ying's opinion, the best outcome would be that Ma Teng and Han Sui would kill each other, and the two heroes who had dominated Liang Province for many years would die together. Otherwise, his wise mentor Liu Zhang would have to work hard to lead the army to conquer Liang Province.

Although the combined forces of Ma Teng and Han Sui were not as strong as Liu Zhang's, the people of Liangzhou were accustomed to fighting and shooting, riding horses and hunting as their occupation, and the men did not like farming and the women did not like weaving. In the eyes of the people of Liangzhou, looting was not shameful, and only strong military force was the foundation for survival in Liangzhou.

Therefore, although Ma Teng and Han Sui's troops were not as strong as their Shu troops, Peng Ying was somewhat worried about the combat effectiveness of the soldiers, especially since there were many Qiang and Hu people in Liang Province. If Ma Teng and Han Sui lured the Qiang and Hu people to fight against Liu Zhang, the problem would become even more serious.

If the bandits can defeat themselves, that would be the best outcome. If their situation gets worse, there would be some trouble.

"Let's wait and see." Facing Peng Ying's beautiful wish, Liu Zhang just said to wait and see.

Liu Zhang was not too worried about conquering Liangzhou. What he was worried about was how to stabilize Liangzhou after taking it.

After all, Liangzhou is located in the border area, with Hu people on the west, north and south. It is a place full of dangers. As a result, the Han people in Liangzhou are not good at studying Confucian classics, but prioritize riding and shooting. The customs of the people there are similar to those of the Rongdi.

Rebellion and backstabbing are things that are ingrained in the bones of the people of Liangzhou, and loyalty and integrity are virtues that the people of Liangzhou have discarded.

In this case, it is not difficult to take Liangzhou, but how to govern Liangzhou is Liu Zhang's headache. (End of this chapter)