Ji Han Liu Zhang

At night, the lights are dim and the stars and moon are dim.

Outside Xiangwu City, the camp where Captain Meng Da was stationed welcomed a guest.

"Filial and upright." Meng Da showed a pleased smile on his face. He walked quickly forward, came in front of Fa Zheng, and shook hands with Fa Zheng.

Fa Zheng smiled in response and praised him loudly, "Zi Jing defended the camp today and blocked the Qiang and Hu from entering the camp. You can be said to be impeccable. It shows that you really have the potential to be a good general in the world. You will definitely become a great general of the Han Dynasty in the future."

"Hey." Meng Da's face was full of pride. He pretended to evade the question, "Xiaozhi, you are too kind. I just repelled the attack of Qiang and Hu today. Besides, ordinary officers can also defend the camp and repel the bandits. How can you tell that I have the potential to be a good general?"

"I didn't say that!" Fa Zheng smiled. In the puzzled look on Meng Da's face, he gave the answer: "It was the wise man who was watching the battle today who said that you, Zijing, have the potential to be a good general."

"Really?" Meng Da suppressed his inner joy and asked Fa Zhengdao anxiously.

"Really." Different from Meng Da's "really" which was said with a hesitant tone, Fa Zheng's "really" was said with a sonorous voice, leaving no room for doubt.

"Today, I stood on the earthen hill with you to observe the battle situation. When others saw that the Qiang and Hu were attacking your camp very quickly, they asked you to send troops to help you. However, you said that Zijing was not a mediocre general. Although the Qiang and Hu were attacking very quickly, they would never be able to break through your camp."

"Oh." Meng Da responded with a complacent smile. He was delighted to receive such compliments from Mr. Liu Zhang.

"When the sun sets and the Qiang and Hu retreat, you should point the jade ruyi at your camp and announce to everyone: Zi Jing is definitely not a mediocre general, he has the potential to be a great general." Fa Zheng told Meng Da what he had seen and heard during the day.

Meng Da couldn't suppress his joy at this moment. He smiled, but he was still humble in his words: "I am so ashamed to receive such praise from you, sir!"

"Zijing, no matter whether you can bear it or not, my lord has said so. My lord is very optimistic about you." Fa Zheng put his hand on Meng Da's shoulder, encouraging his old friend and telling him not to be so modest.

Meng Da put away the smile on his face and nodded solemnly: "I am honored to be valued by you and treated as a national hero. I will repay you as a national hero."

After saying that, the two of them walked towards Meng Da's central military tent together, walked into the central military tent hand in hand, and sat down.

"Xiaozhi, you came here at night, but is there anything important that my lord wants to tell me?" Meng Da asked Fa Zhengdao as soon as he entered the tent. Just now, there were so many people talking that it was inconvenient for him to ask directly. Now that he entered the central army tent, with his trusted people around him, he could finally ask.

"Nothing important." Fa Zheng shook his head. "My Lord sent me here just to comfort you. You've fought hard today, so you deserve my comfort... It just so happens that I know you well, so this task fell on my shoulders."

"Oh." Meng Da responded, with a slightly disappointed tone, and then he asked: "Xiaozhi, our army has been here for more than a month. During this month, our army has only held on and never fought. This is a bit too cowardly."

"Hmm?" Fa Zheng raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Zi Jing, you don't know the reason."

Meng Da waved his hand and said, "Of course I know the reason... Han Sui only controls Longyou and Jincheng counties, where the land is small and the people are poor, and there is not much savings. Our army controls Bashu and Guanzhong, and has more food and supplies than Han Sui. Now we lead the troops here, we only need to build high fortifications and deep trenches, and do not engage in battle. Han Sui will definitely not be outlasted by our army. Soon, Han Sui's army will run out of food, and the soldiers will surely be defeated. Our army can win without fighting."

"Zi Jing, if you know the sure-fire way for our army to win, then why do you have to say that our army is shrinking?" Fa Zheng said unhappily, pointing his finger at Meng Da.

"No." Meng Da's eyebrows were gloomy, and he denied: "Although high fortifications and deep trenches are our strategy for victory, Han Sui's army is a motley crowd, and they are not as united as our army, and our officers are brave... I think even if our army goes out to fight Han Sui, we will be sure to win, so there is no need to sit here and waste time."

"Your Excellency is kind and benevolent." Fa Zheng said this for no reason, which made Meng Da look doubtful, but Fa Zheng quickly explained.

"Zijing, you are aware of the situation you are talking about. Han Sui is weak, and our army is strong. If we use the strong to bully the weak, we will surely win. However, if the two armies fight, there will be many casualties. You are a kind-hearted person, so you don't care about the reputation of being afraid of Han Sui. You only want to reduce casualties as much as possible, defeat the enemy without fighting, and take the victory with your entire army."

"Your Excellency is benevolent and virtuous." Meng Da sighed when he heard this.

While Fa Zheng and Meng Da were whispering late at night, Han Sui, standing on the top of the Xiangwu city wall, looked at the Shu army camp. He saw fires rising like stars. The Shu army's camp was like a crouching tiger. Although it was lying on its side, its ferocity and fierceness were greater than that of a tiger coming down the mountain.

"General, everything has been arranged. All the leaders of the small tribes of Qiang and Hu have been settled in the county temple and separated from their followers." Cheng Gongying replied with a bow.

"Okay." Han Sui responded briefly. In today's battle, he killed people to establish his authority. He executed Liang Yinghu, the leader of the Xiaozhong Qiang Hu tribe who disobeyed orders, and set up a supervision team to urge Liang Yinghu's troops to attack the Shu army camp. By dusk, the battle ended with heavy casualties among Liang Yinghu's troops.

As a result, while Han Sui was intimidating the Xiaozhong, Qiang and Hu leaders, a group of Xiaozhong, Qiang and Hu leaders seemed to have the intention to leave. They gathered together privately to discuss leaving Xiangwu City, returning to their own homes and looking for their own mothers, and were unwilling to stay in Xiangwu City as cannon fodder.

This inside story was known by a spy planted by Han Sui among the Xiaozhong, Qiang and Hu leaders, who reported it to Han Sui. So Han Sui planned to invite the Xiaozhong leaders to a banquet at night, captured a group of Xiaozhong, Qiang and Hu leaders at the banquet, and handed them over to Cheng Gongying for placement. He then came to the wall of Xiangwu City, looked at the Shu army camp in the night, and thought about how to break the situation.

After a long time, Han Sui suddenly sighed, and then he asked Cheng Gongying: "Sir, the Shu army is holding on and refusing to come out, and our army can't attack, what should we do?" As he spoke, Han Sui seemed to have the idea of ​​retreating. If he could not capture the Shu army camp, he would be killed by Liu Jiyu sooner or later.

"It's one versus the other. Either you win or Liu Jiyu wins. The two cannot coexist." Cheng Gongying's words were sonorous and powerful. He encouraged Han Sui and said, "General, now we have no choice but to die in Xiangwu City and fight to the death with the Shu army. Only in this way can we have a glimmer of hope."

Han Sui nodded silently, half of his face was illuminated by the lights, and the other half was in darkness. There was no fluctuation in his expression, and it was impossible to tell what this Liangzhou hero was thinking at the moment. After a few moments of silence, Han Sui turned his head, with a helpless look on his face, and asked Cheng Gongying calmly: "Sir, if I am defeated by Liu Jiyu in the future and have to flee to Hexi or even the Western Regions, I wonder if you are willing to go with me."

What Han Sui heard was the sound of wind for a few breaths. The flames of the torches on the top of the city wall flickered in the wind. The lights suddenly became dim. Light and darkness kept alternating on Cheng Gongying's face, but he did not respond immediately.

When the wind died down and the lights stopped flickering, Cheng Gongying said calmly, "General, I was promoted by you to be your counselor. I listened to you and believed in you, and never disobeyed you. Your kindness is as deep as the sea, and I have no way to repay you."

"Not to mention Hexi and the Western Regions, even if it's the Kushan Empire and the Great Qin in the far west, if you go there, I will follow you through life and death, and never turn my back on you. As for a hundred years after you die, I will follow you underground, and walk with you on the road to the underworld."

Cheng Gongying's words were plain, but the emotion within was so sincere, like a ball of blazing fireworks.

Han Sui breathed a sigh of relief, his expression somewhat touched: "I am a traitor to the Han Dynasty and a bandit in Liang Province. I don't deserve your treatment... Having a loyal and righteous man like you under my command is a blessing I earned in my previous life."

At this point, Han Sui earnestly warned: "If I am defeated in the future, you must not follow me through life and death. I hope you can save yourself... The world is in chaos now, it is the time for wise men to come to the fore. With your talent and wisdom, you will surely achieve something and leave your name in the future generations."

……

Xudu.

Huang Zhong, the General of the Household under Liu Biao, was commanding his soldiers to set up camp. Huang Zhong's troops were rushing from Jingzhou to Xu Du. Unfortunately, when they arrived at Xu Du, it was almost dusk, the time when weary birds return to the forest. He had to urge the soldiers to set up the tents as soon as possible, otherwise they would have to sleep in the open air tonight.

As a veteran general, Huang Zhong's control over the speed of his soldiers ensured that they would not arrive in Xu Du at dusk and have to sleep outdoors. He would probably leave at least one or two hours for setting up camp.

However, Huang Zhong and his men ended up in such a situation because, when Huang Zhong and his men were still in Wancheng, an urgent report came from Xudu, saying that the imperial court's army would set out soon to attack Yuan Shu in Huainan, urging Huang Zhong to arrive as soon as possible.

Therefore, Huang Zhong had to hurry and march towards Xu Du in a hurry. Finally, he arrived in Xu Du before the imperial army set out to conquer Huainan, so as not to miss the time and catch up with the army's expedition to Huainan.

As the sun moved westward, tents were being set up. Fortunately, before the sun completely sank behind the western mountains, Huang Zhong's troops had finished setting up their tents and were able to go in together to rest, rather than having to sleep outdoors.

As the army was marching throughout the country, there was no need to worry about bandits, so Huang Zhong's troops only had to consider building tents for sleeping, without having to dig trenches, erect fences, build watchtowers and other defensive facilities, so they were able to set up camp before dark.

Day two.

Huang Zhong was informed by the messenger of Sikong Mansion that Sikong Cao Cao had summoned him for a meeting, so he rode a horse and led several personal guards towards Xudu City. After entering the city gate and approaching Sikong Mansion, Huang Zhong got off the horse. He put on a low-key attitude, came to the gate of Sikong Mansion, and reported to the gatekeeper of Sikong Mansion.

At the same time, Huang Zhong saw several riders arriving at the gate of Sikong Mansion. The leader was dressed in a brocade robe and looked very majestic. Based on his years of experience in the army, Huang Zhong could tell at a glance that the rider was a brave general, not an ordinary person.

"Zhang Ren from Shu County, under the command of the Grand Marshal, has come here at the invitation of the Minister of Works."

When Huang Zhong heard the man in brocade robe explain his background, he nodded indifferently. It turned out that he was a soldier under the command of Liu Jiyu, the Grand Marshal of Guanzhong. No wonder he had an extraordinary appearance and temperament, and no wonder he was sent to Xudu like him to assist the court in the expedition to Huainan.

The gatekeeper of Sikong Mansion welcomed Zhang Ren and Huang Zhong into the waiting area for an audience. Cao Cao was overseeing the imperial court, and the gate was bustling with people. There were countless people who needed to be received and entertained every day. Many people had to wait in line for more than half a month but still had no chance to meet Cao Cao, so Zhang Ren and Huang Zhong had to wait for a while.

Zhang Ren sat and waited, but at this moment he saw the strong man he had just bumped into at the door. He came up to him and said, "Liu Jingzhou's subordinates, Nanyang Huang Zhong, Huang Hansheng... I heard earlier that Guanzhong sent General Zhang to help the court conquer Huainan. At that time, Liu Jingzhou asked me to make friends with the general to show his friendship with the Grand Marshal. I didn't expect to bump into him in front of the Sikong Mansion today."

"General Huang, you are too polite." Zhang Ren stood up and returned the greeting to Huang Zhong. To be honest, he had noticed Huang Zhong's extraordinaryness in front of the Sikong Mansion just now. At that time, he thought he was a powerful general under Sikong Cao Cao, but he didn't expect that he was actually Huang Zhong, a general under Jingzhou Liu Biao.

"The Grand Marshal also said that General Huang is a great general in the world, and asked me to talk more with General Huang after I arrive in Xudu."

"I don't deserve it." Huang Zhong declined, with a look of surprise on his face. The fact that Liu Biao sent him to Xudu to assist the imperial court in conquering Huainan was well known to the world. It was not surprising that Grand Marshal Liu Jiyu knew about it. But Huang Zhong was a little confused when Zhang Renyan said that the Grand Marshal called him a good general in the world. He had been in Changsha for a long time and had never been famous throughout the world, nor had he any remarkably successful military achievements. How could he be called a good general?

After pondering for a moment, Huang Zhong asked tentatively: "Did the Grand Marshal really say that? ... I have always been a low-profile person, so I don't know why the Grand Marshal would make such an evaluation."

"Really." Zhang Ren nodded affirmatively. He gave a possible answer to Huang Zhong's doubts: "General Huang is highly regarded by Liu Jingzhou and was appointed to assist the court in the expedition to Huainan. He is a good general. Otherwise, Liu Jingzhou would not have made such a dispatch. Liu Jingzhou would not have sent a mediocre person to fight against the enemy for the country this time."

Huang Zhong nodded in agreement. He guessed that perhaps it was as Zhang Ren said. He was given the task of assisting the imperial court in the expedition to Huainan. In the eyes of outsiders, they would definitely think that he was quite talented and a good general, which was why he was given such a difficult and glorious task.

But Huang Zhong had a few ideas in mind. He knew that the mission to help the court in conquering the traitor Yuan Shu fell on him because Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, Liu Pan, Huang Zu and others had no intention of traveling far and were unwilling to work hard. Otherwise, how could he, an outsider and not a close confidant of Liu Jingzhou, get this mission?

"You two, the Sikong summoned you." Just as Zhang Ren and Huang Zhong were talking, a servant from the Sikong Mansion came to report. Zhang Ren and Huang Zhong stopped talking, tidied up their clothes, and followed the servant to meet Sikong Cao Cao. (End of this chapter)