Ji Han Liu Zhang

Changan.

"Lü Xiaobu, Lu Xiaobu, why do you have to offend Cao Cao when you can offend anyone else?" Liu Zhang put down the documents in his hand and said with emotion.

The document in his hand was a report from a spy from Guandong about the situation in Xuzhou. It said that Cao Cao had defeated Lu Bu repeatedly and besieged Lu Bu in Xia Pi. The tide of history was unstoppable, and it seemed that the plot of Baimen Tower was about to be staged again.

Speaking of which, as a monarch of the Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu had Chen Gong as his civil servant, Zhang Liao and Gao Shun as his military servants, and he himself was the best general in the Three Kingdoms, but he was unable to achieve anything, which was really a pity.

However, Liu Zhang knew clearly that in the conflicts of the world, the ability of the monarch was the most important. No matter how powerful the forces or how tyrannical the warlords were, if the monarch was not capable enough, they would eventually be defeated and eliminated in the troubled times.

Next, Liu Zhang left Lu Bu and read the document from Hedong. This document was written by Fa Zheng, the General of the Military Advisory Committee, and the strokes on it were extremely familiar to him.

The document said that Ma Chao was in a stalemate with Gao Gan and the outcome was still undecided. At the same time, Fa Zheng mentioned the attitude of Hedong Prefect Wang Yi. Although Wang Yi sought help from Guanzhong, he did not want the Shu army to enter the city and still had the desire to be independent.

Fa Zheng stated that he and Ma Chao had discussed and planned to repel Gao Gan first, and then have a serious talk with Wang Yi, attacking him both militarily and militarily, and would definitely make Wang Yi abandon Hedong and hand it over to them.

Liu Zhang naturally agreed. After all, if Ma Chao and Fa Zheng defeated Gao Gan and took advantage of their great victory, it would be a pipe dream for Wang Yi to still want to control Hedong.

"Mr. Xun, have the food and fodder needed for Hedong been shipped today?" Liu Zhang asked Xun You.

Xun You nodded: "It should have already set off. Cheng Yu is watching there. Who knows, Cheng Yu will come back to report soon."

Speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao appeared. A figure appeared in front of the door. It was indeed Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu stepped into the house and bowed slightly to Liu Zhang and Xun You. After that, he reported: "Mingsir, three thousand hu of grain and grass have been loaded and shipped. We are going to Hedong now."

"Good." Liu Zhang nodded. As the saying goes, "The army must be fed before it moves." The Hedong army of more than 10,000 people consumes a lot of food and grass every day. Although Wang Yi, the governor of Hedong, has provided food and grass to support the army, it still needs to be transported from Guanzhong.

After a reply, Liu Zhang continued to bury his head in the documents. Suddenly he chuckled. This was a letter sent from Hanzhong. It said that Zhang Lu, who ruled Shangyong, vigorously promoted Tianshi Taoism in Shangyong, and many people in Shangyong were devout believers. Today's Shangyong is no different from Hanzhong in Zhang Lu's era.

"Religious regime." This is Liu Zhang's evaluation of Shangyong at the moment.

It is said that since Duke Zhou of China promoted moral education and Confucius continued it, the Chinese have always been close to ghosts and gods but far away from them. They denounced the theory of ghosts and gods as heresy and mostly believed in the teachings of Confucianism.

Even though the Eastern Han Dynasty was influenced by the study of prophecies and divination since its founding, it was only with the support of Confucianism that the study of prophecies and divination became strong. Otherwise, few people would pay attention to the mere theory of prophecies and divination.

Therefore, China is a country with a very weak religious consciousness. The imperial power controls everything, and it is difficult for religion to separate one or two powers from the imperial power. It can only be played with by the imperial power.

But at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, since Zhang Jue started the rebellion, Taoism flourished, and in Shangyong, a religious regime controlled by Zhang Lu emerged. It can be said that it was the end of the empire, and there were all kinds of strange things, which added a spectacle to the struggle for hegemony among the princes.

As for Zhang Lu who was amusing himself in Shangyong, although Liu Zhang controlled Hanzhong and was upstream of Zhang Lu, he had no intention of coveting Shangyong. After all, Shangyong was too close to Xiangyang. If he took it, Liu Biao would probably have trouble sleeping at night, which would be detrimental to his alliance with Liu Biao.

At present, Liu Zhang's attention is mainly focused on Hedong and Bingzhou. Jingxiang and Jiangdong are Liu Zhang's second priority. Before the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the north was the main battlefield for the competition, and the south could only secede and not fight for hegemony.

So Liu Zhang made up his mind that as long as Zhang Lu did not cause trouble or become restless, he planned to let Zhang Lu stay in Shangyong and separate him from Liu Biao.

In addition, since Sun Ce rose in Jiangdong, Liu Biao of Jingzhou was not allowed to send troops to attack Shangyong and Fangling. He had to stockpile heavy troops in Jiangxia to prevent Sun Ce from attacking the important town of Jiangxia. Liu Biao, who bordered Zhang Lu, had no time to take care of Zhang Lu.

So, when his two powerful neighbors Liu Zhang and Liu Biao were too busy to care about him, Zhang Lu seemed to be living a very comfortable life.

Liu Zhang came to a conclusion through the documents sent from Hanzhong, that Zhang Lu's life was indeed happy and joyful compared to the hard-working Liu Zhang, as he controlled a strategic location and did not seek hegemony.

Putting aside his envy of Zhang Lu, Liu Zhang thought of the war in Hedong. Historically, wars had also broken out in Hedong, just like now. The protagonists of the war were the Guanzhong warlords such as Ma Chao and Pang De gathered by Zhong Yao on one side, and the Bingzhou governor Gao Gan and the Qiang and Hu people recruited by Gao Gan on the other side.

The personnel configuration is similar to the two sides currently confronting each other in Hedong. As for the outcome of the battle, Liu Zhang hopes that it will be the same as in history.

……

Hedong, Anyi.

When a great battle was coming to an end, Gao Gan, Guo Yuan and Qu Bei were defeated by Ma Chao, Pang De and Lou Fa. Yuan's army was defeated and fled in all directions.

Just as in history, Ma Chao and Pang De won the battle in Hedong. After a great victory, Ma Chao and Pang De followed Gao Gan's escape route and recaptured the counties in Hedong one by one. As for Donghuan City, the two men barely stopped their pursuit.

Because if they continued to chase, they would reach Shangdang County. As the saying goes, one should not pursue an enemy who is desperate. Ma Chao was well-versed in military books and knew this truth. Moreover, if they continued to chase, the army might not have enough food and grass. After all, the food transportation route had been extended by more than a hundred miles, which put a lot of pressure on logistics supply.

At that moment, in order to prevent Gao Gan from returning, Ma Chao temporarily stationed in Donghuan, and Lou Fa stayed outside the city of Anyi to ensure that the road from Donghuan-Anyi-Puban was accessible and the retreat was safe.

That night, Ma Chao wore a suit of tight clothes, with a sword made by Pu hanging around his waist. Surrounded by his personal guards, he inspected the city defense of Donghuan.

With the commander Ma Chao appearing in person, the soldiers who were on guard at night puffed out their chests and put on a heroic posture in the hope of gaining a good reputation in front of Ma Chao.

The moonlight was bright tonight, as bright as day. Ma Chao could see everything at a glance. He nodded from time to time to show his approval of the spirit of his soldiers.

After walking around the city, Ma Chao stopped and looked at the mountains and rivers outside the city. When he saw the mountains and rivers shrouded in moonlight, he enjoyed this rare moment of tranquility.

As a military commander, Ma Chao enjoyed killing and conquering, hoping to gain a title of nobility through them. But when he was tired of killing and conquering, he also needed some peaceful time.

On the second day, Pang De, who had been tracking the remnants of Gao Gan's defeated army, returned to Donghuan City. As soon as he entered the city and stepped into the county temple, Pang De, without even having time to drink a glass of water, bowed to Ma Chao and reported the whereabouts of Gao Gan's remnants: "General, Gao Gan's troops seem to have no intention of returning to fight again, and are now heading towards Shangdang without looking back."

Ma Chao's face was calm. It didn't matter much to him whether Gao Gan stayed or left. If Gao Gan stayed, he would just avoid a trouble and the fatigue of fighting a few more battles. If Gao Gan left, he would not have a rest either. At present, Wang Yi, the governor of Hedong, was treacherous and had the intention of controlling Hedong himself. He was not wholeheartedly attached to Guanzhong, so he had to subdue him.

After telling the situation at Gaogan's place, Pang De continued to talk nonstop, "On the way back, I learned from the people on the road that a war was breaking out in Henei and Henan... Zhang Yang, the governor of Henei, intended to support Lu Bu who was attacked by Cao Cao, and now he has led his army south, intending to cross Mengjin and capture Henan. Cao Cao appointed Zhong Yao, the governor of Henan, and Cao Ren, the general of the imperial guards, with Zhong Yao stationed in Luoyang and Cao Ren stationed in Mengjin, to fight Zhang Yang."

"Now that the two tigers are in a stalemate, perhaps it is an opportunity for us." Pound said tentatively. He intended to seize Hanoi and Henan.

Ma Chao shook his head and objected, "Although Gao Gan has retreated, Wang Yi still occupies Anyi, the county seat. We must first subdue Wang Yi. If Hedong is not stable, how can we plan for the long term?"

"Besides." Ma Chao blinked his eyes. "Gao Gan retreated for a while, and he might regroup and come back to fight with us for Hedong... In short, we should swallow Hedong first, and then discuss other matters."

Although Ma Chao said this, he did not completely give up his intentions towards Henei and Henan. He added: "But we can send fine scouts to Henei and Henan to spy on the military situation, so that we can deal with any problems."

"Yes." Pound responded and accepted the order.

At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door. Ma Chao recognized the person by the voice. He knew it was Fa Zheng's footsteps, so he stood up in advance and prepared to greet them.

After expelling Gao Gan, Ma Chao stationed in Donghuan, while Fa Zheng went to recruit the counties in Hedong. It was very tiring to cross mountains and rivers along the way, so Ma Chao walked to the door of the lobby to welcome Fa Zheng.

"Lord Fa Zheng." Ma Chao took a few quick steps and arrived at the entrance of the lobby. He saluted Fa Zheng and at the same time extended his hand to welcome Fa Zheng into the lobby.

When Fa Zheng sat down, Ma Chao saw the joy on Fa Zheng's face that he could not hide. He asked Fa Zheng, "Is your journey to comfort the counties in Hedong going smoothly, Master Fa?"

"All the counties in Hedong are in submission." Fa Zheng replied with a look of joy, and then he added: "But compared with the submission of the counties in Hedong, it is not as exciting as the joy of having a talent."

"Oh, is there any figure in Hedong that catches Fa Zheng's eye?" Ma Chao exclaimed in surprise. He knew that Fa Zheng had very high standards and few people could catch his eye. But at the moment, Fa Zheng was saying that no one in Hedong was as talented as this one, which made Ma Chao interested.

Fa Zheng smiled and revealed the answer: "Hedong is adjacent to Luoyang. It has been a Confucian holy land since ancient times. Many talented people have emerged from here. Today, I am touring the counties with Lord Lou and found a talented person."

"The man's surname is Jia, his given name is Kui, and his courtesy name is Liangdao. He is the magistrate of Jiangyi County. When he talked to him, he was very surprised. In Zheng's opinion, Jia Kui has the talent of a minister or a general."

Ma Chao nodded. Before he met Jia Kui, he could not give a definitive conclusion. However, he could agree with Fa Zheng: "If you think it's good, then Jia Kui must be talented."

"He is a man of extraordinary talent." Fa Zheng praised again, and said, "I intend to recommend Jia Kui to you, so that you can use him and not let such a talented person fall into the wilderness."

……

Shangdang County, Huguan.

It has been several days since Gao Gan fled to Huguan after the defeat in Hedong. During these days, he has been in a bad mood every day, occasionally sighing, and his depressed look can be seen by others.

Gao Gan reviewed recent events. The court issued an edict to appoint him as the prefect of Hedong. He gladly took the position, but was blocked by the former prefect of Hedong, Wang Yi. He had no choice but to raise an army to attack him, and broke through Donghuan all the way, and approached the city of Anyi, the county seat.

Just when he was about to capture the city of Anyi, the Shu army intervened without knowing the current situation. The Hedong governor Ma Chao was invincible and drove him out of Hedong, causing his attempt to take charge of Hedong to fail.

Now that he had returned to Shangdang after a defeat, he was indeed a defeated general and a lost dog. The more Gao Gan thought about it, the angrier he became. With rage surging in his chest, he overturned the table in front of him, and the documents on the table fell to the ground.

At this moment, Guo Yuan walked into the room. His face looked a little bad. He had suffered serious injuries in the battle of Anyi in Hedong, and lost a lot of blood, so he looked a little pale.

Seeing the senior official's defeated look, who was even about to overturn the table, Guo Yuan first straightened the overturned table, and then put the scattered documents in place one by one.

Guo Yuan then said to Gao Gan, whose expression had calmed down a little, "My Lord, victory and defeat are common in the military. If you lose today, you can try to win tomorrow. Don't get angry and hurt your spleen and stomach."

"Having said that, I am really unwilling to accept that the good situation of Hedong General was disrupted by the Shu army." Gao Gan sighed heavily.

Guo Yuan smiled faintly and said, "My Lord, this time we have a chance to easily seize a county. I wonder if you are willing to fight again to regain your strength."

"There are Shu troops and Ma Chao in Hedong. You and I cannot resist them." Gao Gan shook his head.

"Eh." Guo Yuan said in denial: "It's not Hedong, it's Henei."

"Hanoi? Isn't Hanoi controlled by Zhang Yang?" Gao Gan looked confused. In his impression, Hanoi was controlled by Zhang Yang, and Zhang Yang had controlled Hanoi for some time. It was not easy to take it down, so Hanoi was not something that the defeated soldiers under his command could covet.

"That's right." Guo Yuan affirmed, and then he dismissed his subordinates and revealed the details to the senior officials: "Zhang Yang and Lu Bu have always been on good terms, and now he is leading his army south to capture Henan to support Lu Bu. However, many officers under Zhang Yang's command disagree with Zhang Yang's move."

"At that time, Yang Chou, a general under Zhang Yang, led his troops to attack and kill Zhang Yang, intending to surrender to Cao Cao..."

"If Yang Chou plans to surrender to Cao Cao, it will not be easy to take Henei. How can it be said to be within easy reach?" Gao Gan showed a puzzled look between his brows.

Guo Yuan continued, "Although Yang Chou intends to join Cao Cao, Sui Gu, who is also a general under Zhang and Yang, is unwilling to do so. Sui Gu wants to join the alliance leader and privately handed me a letter, saying that as long as the Shangdang troops go south, he is willing to cooperate with the inside and outside to kill Yang Chou and offer Henei."

"Goodness, great goodness, it really is within easy reach." Gao Gan clapped his hands. (End of this chapter)