Chapter five hundred and fifty second Liu Zhang's last breath
(July is here, please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket, thank you, Captain)
Ma Dai couldn't persuade Ma Chao, and felt that he had returned in vain and could not return to Yan Liang, so he persuaded Pang De.
The moment Pound heard Ma Dai's words, a trace of wavering flashed in his eyes.
Since following Ma Chao, Ma Chao's various cruel and ruthless actions, including yesterday's disregard for his brother's life and his disregard for his relatives, have chilled Pound's heart.
It was this chill that made Pound waver at this moment.
However, he only hesitated for a moment and sighed bitterly: "General Meng Qi is now in such a state of decline. Pang really can't bear to abandon him at this time. Pang can only accept General Ziyue's kindness."
Pang De was shaken, but this wavering was not enough to make him abandon Ma Chao.
Ma Dai seemed a little disappointed, and when he was about to persuade him again, Pang De had already handed over his hand and said: "We will meet again someday, General Ziyue, take care of yourself."
After saying that, Pang De rode away like the wind.
Ma Dai looked at the background of Pang De's departure, shook his head and sighed, then raised his sword and headed towards the east gate that was broken through by Yan Jun.
The hundreds of remnant soldiers in the Shu camp saw Ma Dai trying to escape and came to stop him one after another. However, the old, weak, sick and disabled could not stop Ma Dai's blade.
After some killings, Ma Dai broke through the Shu camp and successfully escaped to heaven.
At this moment, a large flag with the word "Yan" was raised high on the east gate tower. More than 20,000 bloody soldiers of Yan's army had completely captured the east gate area.
After the city was broken, Gan Ning led his high-spirited soldiers to pour into Fucheng like a tide, and went towards the hinterland of the city and its lower three gates, killing them wildly.
Seeing the big flag with the word "Yan" flying high over the city, Yan Liang was also very excited, so he rode his horse like flying, and then entered Fucheng.
Stepping onto the city tower and looking down at the entire city in flames of war, Yan Liang's eyes flashed with heroism and excitement.
Looking down, I saw a big red flag with the word "Yan" in it. Like a flowing fire, it was sweeping through the streets and alleys of Fucheng. Countless Yan Jun athletes were paving the streets of the city with bloody roads.
On the line between the south gate and the north gate, Zhang Ren and Wu Yi, who were still struggling to support themselves, could not withstand the enemy's attack from both sides when Ma Chao abandoned the east gate.
Seeing that the situation was over, Zhang Ren and Wu Yi had no choice but to withdraw all their troops from the two gates, and fled in a hurry towards the west gate with a group of remaining soldiers.
The vacancy on the west gate line was originally an escape route left by Yan Liang for the Shu army.
If he surrounded Fucheng on all sides, the defenders in the city would have nowhere to escape. Instead, they would hold on to the city with a desperate determination to fight to the death.
In this way, even if Yan Liang can finally capture Fucheng, it will not happen now. And the price he will pay by then will be extremely heavy.
Moreover, he only had 40,000 troops besieging the city. After all, there were nearly 20,000 defenders in the city. A two-to-one strength advantage was not enough to besiege the city on all sides.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Yan Liang left a way out for the Shu army at the west gate. This was equivalent to digging a gap in the embankment of the Shu army's fighting spirit, causing them to lose their determination to hold on until death.
Unfortunately, the first thing I did was to think about escaping from Ximen.
Facts have proved that Yan Liang's move really worked.
Looking at Fucheng, which was surrounded by war smoke, a hint of pride appeared on Yan Liang's sharp face.
Just as he was feeling emotional, he saw a horse riding against the current and arriving at the foot of the city tower. The rider was none other than Ma Dai.
After hurriedly reaching the top of the city, Ma Dai fell to the ground and said in shame: "The general failed to persuade my brother to surrender. I failed my lord's expectations. Please punish my lord."
"Brother Ling is proud and arrogant. He will not die until he hits the south wall. How can he surrender so easily? Ziyue, please get up quickly."
Yan Liang, who had expected this, helped him up with his own hands without any intention of blaming him.
Ma Dai was impressed by Yan Liang's banner. When he stood up, his face was full of gratitude. He secretly thought in his heart that it would be a huge mistake for Ma Chao not to submit to Yan Liang, a hero with such extraordinary magnanimity.
However, Yan Liang's thoughts were no longer on Ma Chao, but on Chengdu, which was hundreds of miles away.
When night fell, the entire Fucheng was occupied by Yan's army.
Ma Chao, Zhang Ren and other defeated generals could only lead more than 10,000 remaining soldiers and fled toward Mianzhu, which was dozens of miles away.
However, Yan Liang did not give them a chance to breathe, and ordered veteran Huang Zhong to lead 20,000 infantry and cavalry to pursue the enemy non-stop throughout the night.
Zhang Ren's generals were like frightened birds, fearing that they would be surrounded by Yan's troops who were pursuing them. They passed Mianzhu and did not dare to enter. They went straight around the city and fled to Luocheng further south.
Huang Zhong did not dare to pursue beyond the city, so he could only stop the pursuit and spent half a day to capture Mianzhu, which was empty of troops, and calm people's hearts.
In this half-day effort, Zhang Ren and others were able to successfully escape to Luocheng and seek help from Liu Zhang's Pegasus in Chengdu.
Huang Zhong stopped the pursuit and stationed himself at Mianzhu, waiting for Yan Liang's army to follow, and then marched south with the army.
Two days later, Yan Liang led tens of thousands of troops and arrived in Mianzhu.
More than thirty miles south of Mianzhu is Luocheng, the last barrier to the north of Chengdu. As long as Luocheng is captured, Chengdu will be safe.
However, Yan Liang, who had entered Mianzhu, did not immediately launch an attack on Luocheng. Before launching a large-scale southward attack, he had to deal with his worries.
To the north of Fucheng, there are several pass cities such as Zitong, Jiange, Jiameng Pass and Baishui Pass. Among them is Baishui Pass and Yanghuai. The more than 10,000 Shu troops commanded by Gao Pei have considerable combat effectiveness.
Yan Liang captured Fucheng, which cut off the connection between Baishui Pass and Chengdu. However, the 10,000 Shu troops were still a threat. If the Shu troops in the north were not cleared, Yan Liang's army would be threatened when it went south.
Threats from behind.
So, while the army was stationed in Mianzhu, Yan Liang ordered his veteran general Yan Yan to lead 10,000 elite troops to go north to deal with Yang Huai and other generals in the north.
When Yan Liang's red flag was planted high on the top of Mianzhu City and his iron hooves traveled across Shu, Chengdu, less than a hundred miles away, was plunged into unprecedented terror.
The people of Chengdu, who had enjoyed peaceful days for more than ten years, never imagined that the shadow of war would suddenly fall over their heads.
When Yan Liang captured Baidi City, the people of Chengdu did not believe that the war would affect them.
And when Yan Liang conquered Jiangzhou, the people of Chengdu still felt that the war was far away from them.
Even when Yan Liang's army had rushed to the gates of Fucheng, the Chengdu people who were accustomed to being comfortable still believed that their Shu roads were enough to withstand the pace of war.
But they never dreamed that their Shu army would be defeated one after another, and even the world-famous Xiliang Jin Machao would be defeated by Yan Liang.
When news of the fall of Fucheng and Mianzhu reached Chengdu, the entire city of Chengdu turned into a crying city overnight.
The cry of panic and fear lasted for a long time. Like the wail of a ghost, it surrounded the sky above the state capital.
The cry made Liu Zhang, who was already frightened, feel even more horrified.
In the dim lobby, Liu Zhangku sat there, his eyes blankly staring at the letter for help in front of the case.
"Isn't Ma Chao the Lion of Xiliang? How could he be defeated? Then is Yan Liang the devil? How come no one can stop him?"
Thousands of doubts and surprises were surging in Liu Zhang's empty mind, and he couldn't figure it out despite racking his brains.
The staff at the bottom of the steps were all in a state of sadness, with the word helplessness written on every face.
"Yan Liang has captured Mianzhu and is about to attack Luocheng. If any of you have a plan to retreat from the enemy, don't hide it and tell us!"
Liu Zhang was almost crying as he begged his subordinates for help.
All the ministers under his command were silent.
Among the wise men in Shu, Zhang Song has rebelled, Huang Quan has been captured, and Wang Lei has died. Among the officials in front of him, most of them are just talkative men. Who will make suggestions for Liu Zhang?
Liu Zhang's heart ached for a while, and he couldn't help complaining: "I have supported you for more than ten years, and at this moment of crisis, is there no one who can share my worries with me?"
Everyone looked ashamed, but still no one said a word, and Liu Zhang could only sigh again and again.
At this moment, the eldest son Liu Xun stood up, cupped his hands and said: "Father, now that things have come to this, the only choice is to send troops from Chengdu to reinforce Luocheng. We must hold on to this last barrier no matter what. As long as we can hold on to it."
In half a year, the world will change, and the traitors will have to withdraw their troops."
Sending troops to reinforce Luocheng did not need to be mentioned by Liu Xun, it was also a must-do. Liu Xun mentioned this plan but did not say it.
"More than half of the 100,000 soldiers and horses in Shu have been lost. Not even Ma Chao can stop Yan Liang's army. Even if more troops and horses are sent to the front, I think they will just fill a bottomless pit and will not help."
At the bottom of the stairs, Xu Jing stroked his beard and said nothing, his tone even more sarcastic.
Liu Xun looked angry and was about to scold him when Liu Zhang sighed: "Xu Wenxiu's words are right. There are only 40,000 soldiers left in Chengdu. Even if more troops are added to Luocheng, if there is no strategy to defeat the enemy, sooner or later they will be defeated."
Yan Liang has been wiped out."
Liu Zhang himself did not have the confidence to defeat Yan Liang, and the civil and military personnel under his command even lost their confidence.
Only Xu Jing was quite proud, as if he could predict events like a god.
Liu Xun stood there with an angry and unwilling look on his face. He pondered for a long time, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
"Father, who said that our troops and horses are almost exhausted? Father has forgotten that in addition to the soldiers from Chengdu, we still have tens of thousands of troops available." Liu Xun's tone was excited and exciting, as if he had thought of some clever plan.
Everyone present looked stunned.
Liu Zhang was both surprised and confused. He said in confusion: "In addition to the soldiers from Chengdu, there are also 10,000 soldiers and horses from Baishui Pass. But how can a mere 10,000 soldiers and horses solve the current dilemma?"
"Father forgot, we still have seven counties in Nanzhong." Liu Xun said with a smile.
Seven counties in Nanzhong!
Liu Zhang was shocked, but then said: "The seven counties in the south are located in remote areas. All counties have always relied on local autonomy and have very few troops left. Even if all the soldiers from the seven counties are sent north, it will only be a drop in the bucket."
Liu Xun raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a sly smile.
"Although there are few soldiers in the seven counties, father, please don't forget that the local barbarians have many private soldiers, especially the barbarian commander Meng Huo. This man is an extremely brave man, with no less than tens of thousands of troops under his command.
There are also Gaoding, Yong Kai and other powerful men who are convinced, and I believe that as long as he is willing to send troops to help, he will be able to defeat the Yan Liang dog thief." (To be continued.)
