Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 348 is both the end and the beginning

The morning has passed, and the sun is rising in the east, shining brightly.

Dingjun Mountain, the camp of the Southern Army.

At the village gate, Liu Bei was pacing and watching, as if waiting for someone.

After not seeing anyone for a long time, Liu Bei asked, "Is there any news about Zilong's return?"

Wang Ping shook his head and said: "Since last night's letter, there has been no news about General Zilong. Ping has ordered scouts to go out to investigate."

Zhao Yun set up an empty camp strategy to defeat the pursuing Cao army. He was worried that Ma Chao would attract Cao Cao's army to pursue him. After reporting the results of the battle to Liu Bei, he did not dare to stay outside the pass for a long time with few troops, so he abandoned the camp and withdrew his troops overnight.

Listening to Wang Ping's dialect, Liu Bei couldn't help laughing and said: "Since you have joined the Han army, you should learn more elegant dialects. If you become a general one day, wouldn't you make people laugh at you?"

"Ha ha!"

The left and right civil and military officials were amused by Liu Bei's words.

Wang Ping was born in Zhi, and he has been speaking Zhi dialect for a long time. When he speaks Yayan, he has a strong local accent, which makes people laugh.

Of course, scholars from all over the south spoke elegant dialects with accents, including Huo Jun. However, given the current situation, few people laughed at Chu Yin.

Wang Ping blushed, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you so much, Lord, for your great hope. I will keep it in my heart."

Liu Bei patted Wang Ping on the shoulder and said encouragingly: "Although you are from a humble background, you are quite knowledgeable. I don't know how to distinguish mountains and rivers, so I can win the victory of Hannan. I hope you can encourage me."

After Liu Bei entered Hanzhong, he met with meritorious people one by one. After talking with Wang Ping, he admired many of them. Because of his merits in guiding the enemy to retreat, he promoted Wang Ping to a partial general.

"Kowtow to thank you for your kindness!" Wang Pingping knelt down in salute.

Liu Bei helped Wang Ping up and said with a smile: "You don't need to be polite when it's not a big ceremony."

When the monarch and his ministers were in harmony, the attendant quickly ran in and said happily: "My lord, General Zilong has returned to camp victoriously."

Hearing this, Liu Bei showed joy on his face and smiled at the civil and military officials on his left and right: "General Huwei has returned to the camp, and you can all watch the magnificence of Zilong!"

"promise!"

In order to welcome Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong, Liu Bei ordered the gate of the camp to be opened wide. Sergeant Bai Guo acted as a guard of honor and stood on both sides with spears; drummers beat golden drums and played triumphant songs.

Liu Bei led Huo Jun, Lu Xun and more than a dozen civil and military personnel to personally greet Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong and others.

Needless to say, Liu Bei's high etiquette in welcoming Zhao Yun shows how much he loves Zhao Yun. If he didn't like Zhao Yun, Liu Bei would not keep Zhao Yun by his side all year round and appoint him as the commander-in-chief of the Chinese army. Now, as a direct general, Zhao Yun turned the tide, and Liu Bei also had a bright face.

After a while, I saw Zhao Yun holding a spear in front, Huang and Lu riding second, and thousands of sergeants looking ahead, looking proud.

After more than thirty steps from the camp, Zhao Yun dismounted, walked quickly into the camp, saluted Liu Bei, and said, "Today Yun has fulfilled his mission. I hope my lord will review the sergeants!"

"Greetings, my lord!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Zilong!" Liu Bei first helped Zhao Yun personally, and then helped everyone else out of thin air, saying: "It's hard work in the battle, and you are tired. Get up quickly."

"Thank you, Lord!"

Liu Bei looked at the generals and said thankfully: "Yesterday, burning food in the Han River was extremely dangerous. I can see you, and I feel at ease."

"I betrayed my lord's trust and General Guan's great trust. All the sergeants under my command were killed in the battle. Only a few hundred sergeants escaped. Please punish me, lord." Lü Meng apologized.

Liu Bei helped Lu Meng up and comforted him, saying: "Ziming has done meritorious deeds in luring the enemy. What crime is he guilty of? Going deep into the enemy's territory and being controlled by others, it is inevitable that many soldiers will be killed or wounded!"

"Thank you, Lord!" Lu Meng said.

Liu Bei looked at Huang Zhong and said with concern: "I heard that the old general led the army to the rear. I wonder if he is injured!"

"In yesterday's battle, thanks to General Zilong's rescue, Zhong was not seriously injured," Huang Zhong said.

"Old General, you should be more careful as you are older than I am!"

Liu Bei held Zhao Yun's hand and said, "If Zilong hadn't saved the situation yesterday, I'm afraid the whole battalion would not have been saved."

Tai Shiheng took the opportunity to intervene and said: "Yesterday, General Zhao was riding alone outside the door. He was so scared that most of Cao's army did not dare to invade and fled in panic. At that time, General Zhao gave orders, fired their bows and crossbows, and the cavalry rushed out. Cao's army was defeated and fled. , the thief drowned Niu Gai in the Han River."

Then, Taishi Heng's eyebrows were full of joy and he said: "Previously, General Zhao rescued General Lu first, and then General Huang. Colonel Zhang was trapped in a tight siege, but General Zhao came back and fought back, saving the entire battalion."

Taishi Heng was raised by Liu Bei and joined the Chinese army when he grew up. He has a close relationship with Liu Bei, so he dares to speak in front of Liu Bei.

"My lord, Zilong is truly a mighty general!" Huo Jun said with admiration.

When Liu Bei saw that Zhao Yun was neither humble nor arrogant, standing majestic, he sighed and said: "Although I am not on the battlefield, I know the dangers after hearing what happened yesterday. Zilong is full of courage!"

As he spoke, Liu Bei saw Zhao Yun's scratch on the back of his hand and said distressedly: "Zilong is the commander-in-chief of the army. You should be more careful and never take risks alone."

Seeing Liu Bei touching the back of his hand, Zhao Yun said in fear: "There is a difference between the king and his ministers, and Yun dare not accept it."

"Come here, wipe General Zhao's wounds!" Liu Bei ordered.

"No!" said the attendant.

"My lord, Zhong has captured Pang De, the brave general under Cao Cao. Do you want to summon him?" Huang Zhong asked for instructions.

"good!"

"Take Pound!"

Pound's arrow wound was treated by a doctor and he recovered from his coma. Now tied up with ropes, two infantrymen escorted Pang De from the left and right to see Liu Bei.

Pang De turned his head and looked at the ground, not wanting to see Liu Bei.

Seeing this, Liu Bei motioned to the left and right and said: "The general has given orders to conquer Guanlong with courage. How can we be so negligent and untie the rope quickly?"

"Lord!"

Huang Zhong said: "Pang De is brave~"

"Eh!"

Liu Bei stood with his sword in hand and said with a smile: "With Han Sheng here, I feel free to be alone!"

Pang De looked up and saw Liu Bei standing with his sword in hand. He had a gentle face and extraordinary appearance. He had the appearance of a dragon or a phoenix, which made him disgusted.

With a cold snort, Pang De said: "Mr. Liu, don't you know that when a man is angry, blood will be splashed five steps away?"

Liu Bei stroked his beard and smiled and said: "Ling Ming is brave, how can I not believe it? But I thought Ling Ming was not such a person!"

Pang De glanced sideways at Liu Bei and said coldly: "Is it possible that Mr. Liu thinks he is too virtuous to dare to take action?"

Hearing Pang De's murderous voice, Huang Zhong, Lu Meng and other generals put their hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to take action at any time.

Liu Bei waved his hand to signal everyone to relax, and said with a smile: "General, don't you hear what Tai Shigong said: 'Every man is destined to die, and it may be heavier than Mount Tai, or lighter than a feather." The general was brave and brave, but he didn't know his master, and he was captured by thieves. Driven to kill living beings, I dare to ask the general whether his current death can be called a man?"

As he spoke, Liu Bei emphasized his tone and said, "What is a real man? Only when you report to your family and country and bring peace to the people can you be a real man. I wonder what the general thinks now?"

Pang De sighed and was speechless to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei took off his robe, put it on Pang De, and said comfortingly: "Today, China is in turmoil, and the Han Dynasty is in decline. I have no talent, but I am willing to bring troops to bring peace to the world, calm the people, and prosper the Han Dynasty. The general is brave, and I am so lonely. So, I wonder if I would like to lend a helping hand!"

Pang De touched the Sichuan brocade robe on his shoulder. He felt deeply in his heart, but he didn't know what he was worried about and couldn't say yes.

Seeing Pang De's hesitation, Huo Jun said: "My lord, General Pang is a loyal and filial man, but Cao Cao left his family in Yecheng. This is a difficult situation for you!"

Pang De sighed and said nothing when Huo Jun said that he was worried.

"This is so easy!"

Liu Bei stroked his beard and said: "Gu Ming is a small businessman in his tent, looking for an opportunity to enter Yecheng to rescue the general's family. In the meantime, the general is living in Wuhan under a different name. It is enough that General Gu is dead."

"How?"

Pang De hesitated for a long time, then raised his hands and said, "A man with despicable morals, Mr. Liu would not dare not repay someone for his kindness."

"Congratulations, lord, on your good general!" Everyone congratulated.

Huo Jun was not surprised to see Pang De surrender.

Historically, Pound was not a die-hard loyalist, and he had many monarchs. For example, Pang De was a subordinate of Ma Teng, and Ma Teng was killed by Cao Cao. Pang De did not seek revenge on Ma Chao and Cao Cao, but instead fought for them.

As for why Pound refused to surrender?

Without it, Pound was held up by himself and unable to surrender.

Because the previous monarch Ma Chao and his brother Pang Rou both served the Shu Han, people often doubted whether Pang De would surrender to the Shu Han. In order to prove his innocence, Pang De often sacrificed his life to serve his country and always said that he would kill Guan Yu.

When Pound was captured, he had no choice. If you don't surrender, you will lose your reputation for loyalty; if you surrender, your body will be ruined and your wife and children will be dead.

Pang De, a man from the northwest, could not be like Ma Chao, who did not care about the life and death of his family and devoted himself to his dream of becoming a prince.

However, Ma Chao also supported his constant charge because of his dream of becoming a prince. When Ma Chao's dream was shattered and he lost his spiritual support, he was no longer the unruly Ma Mengqi who was galloping through Guanlong.

Before Ma Chao died, he lamented that only he and Ma Dai were left in his family of more than 200 people. How ironic!

Liu Bei was very proud of burning Cao Cao's food and surrendering his general.

Following the steps of his sword, Liu Bei stood outside the camp, looking down at the camp of Cao's army in northern Han Dynasty. He pointed with his whip and said: "The grain and grass are burned, Cao Mengde will leave soon, and Bashu has been left alone."

"Congratulations, lord!" everyone said in unison.

"Ha ha!"

Liu Bei stroked his beard a little and said, "I will send a letter to Cao Cao."

"promise!"
-

Yangping Pass, Cao Jun’s camp.

In the big tent, Cao Cao stared closely at Ma Chao, who bowed his head to confess his crime, with anger hidden in his eyes.

Ma Chao's arms were decorated with colors, he looked at Cao Cao on the soft couch and said in fear. "I made a mistake in super-protecting the grain, causing most of the grain and grass to be burned. Please punish me, Duke Wei."

Cao Cao intended to punish him, but when he saw the results presented by Ma Chao, his sullenness was relieved a little.

Although Huang Zhong burned most of the food and grass, Ma Chao defeated the enemy and captured four to five thousand people. It cannot be said that there was no harvest. However, he also brought in the cow cover and thousands of soldiers. He really picked the sesame seeds and lost the watermelon.

As for General Pound, Cao Cao really didn't care. After all, although Pang De surrendered to him, he had always been under Ma Chao's account. Today's Ma Chao troops and horses were lost, but for Cao Cao, it saved a lot of effort.

"Please punish Wei Gong!" Seeing that Cao Cao was silent, Ma Chao raised his head and glanced at Sun Quan and said loudly.

Sun Quan looked at Cao Cao's expression and saw that he had no intention of executing Ma Chao. He walked closer to the bed and said in a low voice: "Wei Gong, although Ma Chao is unruly and untamed, he is very skilled in martial arts. If he can be trained, he can be used in Anxi affairs."

Cao Cao glanced at Sun Quan, stroking his beard and thinking.

Sun Quan struck while the iron was hot and said: "Wei Gong, according to the current situation, Yizhou may be taken by Liu Bei. Our army has been besieging the southern bandits for a long time, and the enemy camp is strong, and I am afraid that Hanzhong will be difficult to defeat. I am afraid that Bashu will belong to Liu Bei. It is a foregone conclusion." However, if Liu Bei occupies Bashu, he will definitely have a glimpse of Longyou and Guanzhong."

"Ma Chao is familiar with Qiang affairs and has a great reputation among the Qiang, Di and Hu barbarians. Now why not leave Ma Chao in Longyou to follow the old affairs of Zang and Xuzhou, to guard against the enemies of Bashu and to stabilize the affairs of the West."

"What about Anxi?"

After pondering for a long time, Cao Cao relaxed and finally spoke, "Victory and defeat are common matters for military strategists. It is not easy for Meng Qi to fight bravely. Now I will retire to rest and wait for my orders."

"Thank you so much Mr. Wei for your kindness!"

Ma Chao stood up and walked out of the tent slowly. However, when leaving the tent, he looked at Sun Quan and said that he would leave as agreed.

When Ma Chao saw that most of the grain and grass were burned, he was afraid of Cao Cao's punishment, so he bribed Sun Quan with high-quality horses and gold and silver. Sun Quan also wanted to find allies to increase his voice in Cao Wei, so he chose to help Ma Chao.

Of course, Sun Quan also knew in advance that Cao Cao had no intention of killing Ma Chao, and after getting angry with Ma Chao, Ma and Sun joined forces.

After leaving the camp, Ma Chao saw no one around and cursed secretly: "Thief Cao!"

Ma Chao wanted to break away from Cao Cao's control more and more. How could a man live in such a depressed state for so long?

The mat weaver and shoe seller, the eunuch villain, both of them can make great achievements, why can't he, Ma Mengqi?

After Ma Chao left, Cao Cao rubbed his swollen head and felt a headache. Most of the food and grass were burned. I had to evacuate if I didn’t want to!

"Mr. Wei, it's time to eat!"

Seeing the attendant bringing chicken soup, Sun Quan wisely helped Cao Cao sort out the chaotic case.

Cao Cao picked up his chopsticks and went to stir up the chicken soup. He saw the chicken ribs floating in the bowl and felt very upset.

"Duke Wei!"

At this time, Cao Hong walked into the tent, raised his hands and asked: "What is the command for the army tonight?"

Cao Cao looked at the chicken ribs in the bowl, put down his chopsticks, and sighed: "Chicken ribs!"

"What's the nickname for chicken ribs?" Cao Hong asked in confirmation.

Seeing that Cao Cao was in a bad mood, Sun Quan cupped his hands and said, "Quan, please step down. If Wei Gong has orders, just send someone to summon him."

With that said, Sun Quan took Cao Hong out of the camp without disturbing Cao Cao.

Cao Hong was pulled out by Sun Quan and confirmed: "Zhongmou, does Wei Gong use the nickname "weak ribs"?

Sun Quan said helplessly: "Tonight, we are using chicken ribs as a signal. General Zilian can just follow the orders."

Without waiting for Cao Hong to ask questions, Sun Quan walked away and went back to pack his luggage.

"Does the chicken rib have a profound meaning?" Cao Hong scratched his head and couldn't figure out what it meant.

Cao Hong was doubtful, but saw Yang Xiu copying documents in the side tent, so he went into the side tent to ask questions.

"Master Yang, how are you?"

Yang Xiu put down his brush and asked, "Is there something wrong with General Zilian?"

Cao Hong sat on the table and asked for advice: "Wei Gong ordered chicken ribs as the password tonight. It seems to have a profound meaning. I wonder if Chief Yang knows?"

"Chicken ribs?"

Yang Xiu was stunned for a moment, then showed a look of surprise on his face and said with a smile: "General, please pack your bags and prepare to withdraw your troops!"

Cao Hong was still confused and asked, "What does this mean? How come I don't know?"

Yang Xiu stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It's worthless to eat without meat, so it's a pity to throw it away. Now that the food and grass are burned, we can't advance and win, so why not leave early?"

"This?"

Hearing this, Cao Hong suddenly relaxed and said with a smile: "Sir, you know your lord's heart well!"

"Hong then ordered his subordinates to prepare to withdraw the troops!"

"General, move slowly!"

Cao Cao felt depressed and couldn't eat, so he stepped out of his tent to get some fresh air.

In the military tent, the sergeants looked happy, sorted their packages, and whispered to each other.

"It's great to see Master Yang!"

"As expected, as Master Yang said, this battle will not last long!"

"Yes!"

While walking, Cao Cao heard whispers, frowned, walked into the military tent, and asked: "Who ordered you to pack your bags?"

"Report to Wei Gong, General Cao Zilian's order!"

Cao Cao suppressed the anger in his heart, turned around and left the military tent, and ordered: "Order Cao Hong to enter the tent immediately to see the orphan!"

"promise!"

Upon hearing Cao Cao's summons, Cao Hong put down the money he had plundered from Hanzhong and hurriedly went to see Cao Cao.

In the big tent, Cao Cao stood with his sword in his hand, his eyes looking fierce.

Cao Hong walked quickly. As soon as he entered the tent, he saw Cao Cao's expression hidden with anger. Cao Hong moved to the tent cautiously and greeted: "Wei Gong!"

Cao Cao grabbed the whip on the desk, walked up to Cao Hong, and asked: "Do you have any loneliness in your eyes? How dare you secretly pass military orders!"

Cao Hong came to his senses and said with a panic expression: "Chief Yang learned that the order was useless and told Hong that it was useless...so Hong told the sergeant that he could pack his bags early in preparation for a hasty withdrawal!"

"Dezu?"

Cao Cao held the whip, his eyes widened, and said in a deep voice: "Call Yang Xiu to come see you immediately!"

"promise!"

After a while, not only Yang Xiu arrived at the tent, but Sun Quan also entered the tent after hearing the news.

"Duke Wei!"

Yang Xiu bowed his hands and said, "I wonder if Xiu is here. What's the important matter?"

Cao Cao grasped his whip and said coldly: "But you are so arrogant that you want people to withdraw their troops?"

"Yes!"

"What do you mean by being alone?" Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and asked, revealing his murderous intent.

Yang Xiu was neither humble nor arrogant, and said: "The current situation is in favor of the enemy and against us. The food and grass are burned and it is difficult to sustain it for a long time. Moreover, Wei Gong calls chicken ribs. Chicken ribs are tasteless to eat and it is a pity to discard them~"

"presumptuous!"

"Snapped!"

Cao Cao whipped the case and scolded: "How can you and other scholars know about the use of troops?"

"Do you know if this statement is made, the morale of the army will be in chaos?" Cao Cao said angrily.

"Xiu~"

Sun Quan, who was watching the show, saw that Yang Xiu was terrified and secretly laughed in his heart. Although watching a show is a show, Yang Xiu is still useful to him now, so he can't die for the time being.

Seeing that Cao Cao was about to kill him, Sun Quan walked up to Cao Cao and whispered: "Mr. Wei, the military order was issued by General Zi Lian. If Master Yang is dealt with now, General Zi Lian will not be able to escape punishment."

"Hmm~"

Cao Cao looked at Sun Quan coldly, seeming to be very dissatisfied with his words.

Sun Quan ignored Cao Cao's dissatisfaction and continued: "I forgive Quan for being bold. If Wei Gong does not withdraw now, he may miss his position as king."

Cao Cao's eyes narrowed and he looked at Sun Quan deeply.

Sun Quan clasped his hands in front of his stomach, lowered his head, and let Cao Cao look at him at will.

"You wait and go out first!"

"promise!"

Everyone in the tent came out one after another, leaving space for Cao Cao and Sun Quan.

Cao Cao sat on the couch and placed the whip on the table.

Sun Quan stood bowed in front of Cao Cao and said, "I forgive Quan for being bold. It is most likely difficult to leave Hanzhong today. If Duke Wei returns home with this defeat, he may be criticized. Quan thought that Duke Wei might as well transfer to Chang'an, and ordered his generals to attack the injustice, thinking that he had made a great contribution. .”

"In the land of ancient Liangzhou, Wei Gong only controlled Longyou, and many barbarians there were disobedient. Today, several counties in Hexi and Shuofang have been away from China for a long time, and the strong and powerful separatist regimes are not in harmony. Wei Gong transferred to Guanzhong and ordered his generals to level Hexi and expand the area. Shuofang, open the Western Region. The population of each place should be more than 100,000. With this achievement, Wei Gong can be promoted to a noble title, and no one in the court dares to say so!"

"Hexi, Shuofang?"

After pondering for a long time, Cao Cao sighed and said, "Zhongmou knows the current situation. Perhaps only you can know the difficulties of being alone!"

"That's it!"

Cao Cao patted his knees, as if he was relieved, and said: "Hanzhong is difficult to conquer, let Liu Bei succeed for a few years, and then attack again."

"Don't be uneasy, Xu!"

Cao Cao said something meaningful, which made Sun Quan's back bend even more.

When Sun Quan left the camp, Cao Cao took out the letter sent by Liu Bei, but saw that it said: "How long will you stay in Nanzheng Heavenly Prison?" I’ll give you some fine wine from Sichuan.’

Cao Cao looked at the jar of wine on the table and said melancholy: "The world is divided into two!"

The showdown between Cao and Liu may have just begun!

ps: No updates tonight, just sorting out the outline

(End of this chapter)