Ji Han Liu Zhang

Tianshui County.

A Qianghu scout stood on his horse, looking at the Shu cavalrymen charging in the distance. As the distance got closer, he could see the flag of the Shu cavalrymen clearly. On the flag was a white character with black ink, which clearly showed the word "horse".

When the golden and silver-stroked word "马" entered the eyes of the Qianghu scout, he was immediately shocked, with fear flashing in his eyes. He immediately turned his horse's head and ran backwards, intending to report the news of the enemy to the leader of his tribe.

While galloping, the Qianghu scout swung the whip in his hand mercilessly and hit the hindquarters of the strong horse under him, urging the horses under his command to speed up. The effect of waving the whip was just as he had hoped. The strong horse was whipped and its speed suddenly increased, and it kept speeding up as if it was about to take off.

Soon, the Qiang and Hu scouts arrived at a battlefield, where they saw more than a thousand Qiang and Hu cavalrymen besieging a Shu army that was transporting grain. The Shu army arranged their carts in a circle and set up a defense system to imitate a city. However, the Qiang and Hu had poor attacking capabilities, so for a while, both the attackers and defenders were in a tense situation and neither side could defeat the enemy.

"General Qu." Regardless of the situation on the battlefield, the Qianghu scout first came to the side of the general of his unit and shouted loudly, attracting the general's attention.

"It's Cang Gou." Canmuda, the leader of the Canlang Qiang, glanced at the scout and asked casually, "Didn't I ask you to go and scout the surroundings? Why did you come back? What's the situation?"

Cang Gou blurted out, "Commander Qu, a group of Shu cavalry are heading here."

"Oh." Canmuda nodded. He was not too panicked when he heard the news that the Shu army was coming. After all, he was the leader of a tribe and he still had some self-cultivation skills. "What banner are they flying? How far are they from here?"

Canmuda asked two key questions: one was who the enemy was, and the other was how far the enemy was from here. He would decide his next move based on the answers to these two questions.

"The flag has the word 'Horse' on it and it's not far from here." As soon as Canmuda asked, Cangou answered. He looked a little panicked and impatient.

The panic and impatience on Cangou's face soon spread to Canmuda's face as he reported. When Canmuda, the leader of the Canlang Qiang tribe, heard the flag signal "Ma", his expression suddenly changed. His original calmness disappeared, leaving only a look of surprise.

"Withdraw, withdraw." Canmuda shouted to the flag officer several times, and at the same time he turned the horse's head and galloped away with the guards. More than a thousand Qiang and Hu people came fiercely and besieged the grain transport team of the Shu army. Now they were just as fierce and disappeared in the sight of the Shu army like a whirlwind.

As Chanmuda rode his horse at full speed, he felt indescribably depressed. As a member sent by Han Sui to harass the grain route of the Shu army, he had the rare opportunity to discover a grain transport team of the Shu army today and surrounded it. Just when he was determined to break through this grain transport team and seize a batch of grain and grass, he did not expect that the heavens would not go as he wished and he almost ran into the mighty general.

"Ma Mengqi." Sanmuda half-closed his eyes and muttered the name of the mighty general in his heart. Recently, the name Ma Mengqi has become very famous in the Qianghu tribe, and he has been given the title of "the mighty general" in the Qianghu tribe.

As for the origin of Ma Mengqi's title of "General of Divine Might", it was because recently, most of the Qiang and Hu people who encountered Ma Chao's troops were killed, and only a few lucky ones were able to escape from Ma Chao's spear.

According to the Qiang and Hu who escaped back, no matter how brave the people who faced Ma Chao were, they were no match for Ma Chao. Even if hundreds of Qiang and Hu attacked Ma Chao together, they would all die together. Ma Mengqi was truly a man of unrivaled power.

Thus, a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. When Chanmuda heard that Ma Chao was coming, he gave up the fat meat in front of him and withdrew his troops without a care. Although he captured the Shu army's grain transport team and could obtain a lot of grain and grass, no matter how much grain and grass he had, he had to live to eat it. He was not a fool and naturally understood the way.

The Qiang and Hu fled far away, which made Li Nan, the captain of the Shu army's grain transport team who had just been besieged by the Qiang and Hu, breathe a sigh of relief. However, his nerves were still tense and he did not relax completely. He still ordered his soldiers to maintain the defensive posture of the circular formation to prevent the Qiang and Hu cavalry from returning. By then, they would have no defensive formation to rely on, and the situation would be very bad as they would use infantry to fight against cavalry.

"Hmm?" After a while, Li Nan seemed to sense something. He noticed some movement coming from the opposite direction where the Qiang and Hu left. He hurriedly called upon his soldiers to prepare for defense. He stared at the direction where the movement came from.

But soon, Li Nan, who had been solemn, relaxed again. He saw the flag of the Lai Qi and understood why the Qiang and Hu fled. He thought that the Qiang and Hu had learned the news of the Lai Qi and therefore abandoned this fat piece of meat and fled away without a care in the world.

As the cavalry approached, Li Nan ordered his soldiers to open a gap in the circle. He stepped out of the gap and bowed to the cavalry leader, saying, "General Wu, this is Qu Chang Li Nan, meeting Ma Fubo."

Ma Chao sat on his horse and bowed slightly in return, but he did not dismount. Firstly, it was a time of war, and secondly, due to Ma Chao's status, he did not need to be overly polite to Li Nan. Without any polite words, Ma Chao asked directly, "Where did the Qiang and Hu go?"

"Go west, it's just a short distance away." Li Nan pointed in the west.

"Yes." Ma Chao nodded in agreement. He looked to the west and saw dust rising in the distance. Birds and beasts flew into the sky as if frightened. It was obvious that the movements of the Qiang and Hu were indeed as Li Nan said.

Knowing where the Qiang and Hu had gone, Ma Chao bowed and said goodbye to Li Nan, then led his cavalry and went straight in the direction where the Qiang and Hu had gone.

"What a heroic man." Looking at Ma Chao's departing back, Li Nan sighed. Ma Chao was heroic and had excellent martial arts. There were few rivals in the army in cavalry warfare. He was the object of admiration for this group of middle-level officers.

Ma Chao, who was chasing after them, followed the trail for a distance and then waved his hand to stop chasing. The Qiang and Hu were running very fast. Judging from the horse hoof prints on the ground, they were probably running with all their might. If he continued chasing them, he would not be able to catch up with this Qiang and Hu team, so it was better to save his energy.

Next, Ma Chao continued to patrol the grain road from Ji County to Xiangwu County, hunting down the Qiang and Hu who came to harass the grain road. The luck of the Qiang and Hu was not always as good as that of the Canlang Qiang. Many leaders of the Qiang and Hu tribes did not know how to advance or retreat, and were greedy for food and supplies. They were killed and plundered extremely brutally by Ma Chao's army. Many young and strong people in the tribe were killed, and their tribes were even exterminated.

At the same time, the person who issued the order to drive out and kill the Qiang and Hu people was Zhang Xiu, Marquis of Wansui Ting, who was also familiar with the geography of Longyou. After returning to his hometown in Longyou, he received the order from Liu Zhang to drive out and kill the Qiang and Hu people who were plundering and disturbing the food supply of the Shu army.

Over the past half month, Zhang Xiu had been working tirelessly, running back and forth on the grain route, and using a trick. He sent a team of men with sacks filled with soil, pretending to be transporting grain, to lure the Qiang and Hu tribes to attack. When the Qiang and Hu tribes appeared, he would lead his men to attack them, and he had succeeded three or four times.

However, the Qiang and Hu were not stupid and they knew how to use their brains. After several attempts, they no longer took the bait, but they also dared not harass the Shu army's grain transport team, fearing that there was an ambush. In this way, under the joint efforts of Ma Chao and Zhang Xiu, the Shu army's grain road from Ji County to Xiangwu was unobstructed, and they did not have to worry about the harassment of the Qiang and Hu. Gan Ning and Wen Pin, who were stationed outside Xiangwu City, did not have to worry about the problem of logistics and grain.

Ji County.

"Mengqi and Youwei have worked hard on this trip. Now we don't have to worry about the food supply." Liu Zhang comforted Ma Chao and Zhang Xiu.

"It is my duty as a minister to serve you, my Lord, and I dare not say that it is hard work."

"Embroidery is a way of life, and one should be responsible for one's work, but the word 'hard work' is hard to describe."

Ma Chao and Zhang Xiu each spoke modestly, not daring to say the word "hard work".

Gan Ning and Wen Pin's perseverance and the stability of the Shu army's food supply route meant that Han Sui's side suffered a series of defeats while Liu Zhang's side made some gains. With the current good momentum, Liu Zhang decided to move and no longer stay in Ji County. He would go to attack Xiangwu County and open up the road into Longxi County.

Ten days later, Han Sui, standing on the top of Xiangwu City, saw the Shu army camps outside the city. The soldiers were wearing fine armor and had clear flags. In the center of the Shu army, a large banner with the word "Liu" fluttering in the wind caught Han Sui's eyes.

"Liu Jiyu." Han Sui recited Liu Zhang's name word by word. This was the name of this important official of the Han Dynasty, the Grand Marshal and the General of Chariots and Cavalry. Liu Zhang, who had no reputation a few years ago, had become famous throughout the world in the two or three years since he succeeded as the Governor of Yizhou.

From the Hu in the north to the Yue in the south, along the coast of the East China Sea and in the countries of the Western Regions, many people have heard of the name of Liu Zhang. His person and deeds are similar to those of the former King Zhuang of Chu, who did not make a sound for three years but when he did, it made a surprise; he did not soar for three years but when he did, he soared into the sky.

"It must be Liu Jiyu himself." Cheng Gongying, who was beside Han Sui, also looked at the large flag of the Shu army outside the city, and he confirmed it.

Han Sui smiled faintly: "Thinking of me, Han Sui, I was famous in Guanxi in my early years, but now I am forced to lead an army of a younger generation." Although Han Sui had a smile on his face, he felt indescribably depressed in his heart.

Han Sui believed that his generation should be the same as that of Liu Zhang's father Liu Yan. However, Liu Zhang, being a junior, pushed him so hard that he felt a little breathless and as if a mountain was pressing down on him. Under such circumstances, he was naturally in a bad mood.

……

Jizhou, Yecheng.

Yuan Shao, who had refused the positions of Grand Marshal and Marquis of Ye offered by the court and submitted a petition to refuse the titles, intimidated Cao Cao, who controlled the government, with his own strength and got the position of General as he wished, with the authority to supervise Ji, Qing, You and Bing states. At the same time, he was given bows and arrows, axe-shaped staffs, and a hundred tiger guards as a sign of authority.

Yuan Shao, who had successfully ascended to the position of general and was in a good mood, was now a little worried. News came from Xudu that Cao Cao was going to lead an army to conquer Huainan and attack his brother Yuan Shu who had taken the title without authorization. At the same time, Liu Zhang of Guanzhong and Liu Biao of Jingzhou both expressed their support for the court's move to conquer Huainan and each sent a brigade to help.

This situation gave Yuan Shao the feeling that Liu Zhang of Guanzhong, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, and Cao Cao who controlled the emperor seemed to be showing signs of uniting to deal with the rebellious princes. This was not a good thing for him who was determined to rule the world.

Handing the document in his hand to his confidant Guo Tu, Yuan Shao waited for Guo Tu's opinion.

Guo Tu took the document and read it. After a while, he came to a conclusion in his mind, but he did not speak it out directly. Instead, he asked Yuan Shao: "Mr. My lord, according to the document, Liu Zhang of Guanzhong and Liu Biao of Jingzhou have both sent troops to help the country conquer Huainan. I wonder if you are willing to send troops to help?"

Without mentioning the word "Yuan Shu" or the words "fight the enemy", Guo Tu only asked Yuan Shao if he had any idea of ​​sending troops to help, so as to separate the Yuan family from the Han enemy and not make Yuan Shao unhappy.

Yuan Shao immediately shook his head. Even though he disliked Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu was still a member of the Yuan family. If he sent troops to help, it would seem too harsh and make people think that he disregarded brotherhood and attacked his brothers.

Although he and Yuan Shu had fought in the Central Plains before, it was at least a fight between brothers. If he was asked to help outsiders attack his brothers now, Yuan Shao felt that it was somewhat inappropriate, and he was not willing to take the lead on behalf of the Liu family.

"I have no intention of sending troops to help. Gong Lu is a descendant of the Yuan family after all. Although what he did was inappropriate, I cannot bear to send troops to help others fight against him." Yuan Shu replied calmly and explained. Then he asked Guo Tu, "Liu Zhang of Guanzhong, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, and Cao Cao are now joining forces to conquer Huainan. What do you think? Are the three of them joining forces temporarily or will they form a long-term alliance?"

When Guo Tu heard this, he immediately denied it and said, "In my opinion, the three of them are only temporarily united. It is impossible for them to be allies for a long time."

"Why?" Guo Tu asked himself and answered, "Cao Cao controls the emperor, so he has great ambitions. Liu Zhang attacked Guanzhong and imitated Emperor Gao, so he also has great ambitions. Liu Biao is stationed in Hannan, controlling a thousand miles of territory, so how could he obey others... Now the court is going to conquer Huainan, and the two Lius are sending troops to help. It's just that the two Lius are sending troops to help in order to respect the orthodoxy, for the court, and even more for themselves."

"I guess the two Lius sent out troops for one reason, firstly to gain fame through the conquest of Huainan, and secondly, the two Lius are descendants of the Liu family after all. If someone covets the sacred weapon, they need to be protected... The troops sent out by the two Lius are probably mediocre soldiers, without any elite generals." Guo Tu analyzed proudly.

Yuan Shao nodded and agreed, "That's what I think. The two Lius are just trying to gain the reputation of conquering Huainan. They want to pretend to be loyal to the Han Dynasty and show it to the people of the world... But if this is the case, it would be inappropriate for Jizhou not to send troops to help. It would make Jizhou seem disloyal."

"You can use the excuse that Gongsun has not been pacified and that you have no time to send troops to help the court, but you can still offer gifts to the court to show your loyalty to the emperor." Guo Tu gave a suggestion.

"Yes." Yuan Shao nodded in approval. He was very satisfied with Guo Tu's suggestion. (End of this chapter)