Chapter 553: Grab time with Cao Cao (seeking a monthly ticket)
Liu Xun's words were like giving Liu Zhang a shot in the arm, causing a glimmer of hope to suddenly appear on his gloomy and anxious face.
The Seven Counties of Nanzhong are located in the south of Yizhou. Because of the high mountains and far distances, and the mixture of Yi and Han people, neither Liu Yan nor Liu Zhang paid much attention to them for more than ten years.
The Liu family and his son's rule over Nanzhong mostly appointed local Han powerful officials as governors and basically did not send foreign officials, giving the seven counties a great degree of autonomy.
Therefore, for more than ten years, the seven counties of Nanzhong have only nominal support for Liu, the Yizhou pastor.
There are many Yi and Han tycoons distributed among these seven counties. Among them, the Yi commander Meng Huo is the most powerful and has the greatest appeal. Therefore, in addition to the cities controlled by the government, most of the tribes and tycoons in Nanzhong privately serve Meng Huo.
Lord.
As long as the Yi people have some strength, they like to call themselves kings. Meng Huo also called himself king, and the Yi and Han people in the south were all called the king of the southern barbarians.
Regarding Meng Huo's move, Liu and his son could only turn a blind eye and close one eye.
Therefore, although Meng Huo proclaimed himself king, he did not openly rebel against the Liu family and his son, and still contributed gifts year after year.
Now that Yan Liang was launching a massive invasion, Liu Zhang's dominance as the Yizhou Mu was in jeopardy. At this critical moment, he was desperate and thought of using the southern barbarians.
"Although the barbarian commanders in the south have many private soldiers, these barbarians have always defied the rule of law and secretly established their own rule. Even if the lord orders them to send reinforcements to the north, these barbarian commanders may not accept the order."
The one who poured cold water on the situation again was Xu Jing.
This ladle of cold water was poured just right, and Liu Zhang's originally excited expression immediately turned gloomy.
"What Wen Xiu said seems to make sense. Meng Huo and other barbarian commanders may not obey my orders." Liu Zhang's face was full of worry.
At this time, Liu Xun said again: "What the barbarians want is nothing but profit. My father wants them to be used by me, and it must be lured by profit."
Lure with benefits?
Liu Zhang's worried eyes once again flashed with hope.
"Father can promise that after defeating Yan Liang, he will set aside the four counties of Yongchang, Xinggu, Jianning and Yunnan in the south, and give them to Meng Huo and other barbarian commanders, allowing them to establish a country with four counties and call themselves kings. This is what the barbarians dream of.
Regarding the matter, I believe that as long as my father is willing to offer such generous terms, there will be no reason for those southern barbarian commanders not to send troops to help us."
Cede the four counties of Nanzhong!
Hearing Liu Xun's words, the expressions of everyone present changed.
Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty conquered the southwestern Yi people, although the Yi people have repeatedly rebelled and proclaimed themselves kings and lords, the rulers of Yizhou have never recognized it.
At least, no one admitted it on the surface.
Now Liu Xun wants to take the initiative to give the four counties of Nanzhong to the Yi people and allow them to establish a country and become king in the form of legal principles. This is actually unprecedented.
Such an action would not only tarnish the dignity of the Han court, but also bring disgrace to the reputation of Liu Zhang, a descendant of the Liu family.
Anyone present who did not know this truth was naturally surprised.
Then Xu Jing's expression changed drastically, and he jumped up excitedly, pretending to oppose Liu Xun's proposal.
But Liu Xun said sternly: "I know this plan is detrimental to the dignity, but if it is not like this, the foundation of my Liu family in Yizhou will be taken away by that thief Yan Liang. If anyone objects to you, please come up with something that can preserve it."
Here is a strategy to gain reputation and preserve Yizhou’s foundation, otherwise, please shut up."
Liu Xun's words were obviously meant to pour cold water on Xu Jing.
Xu Jing, who was full of righteous and awe-inspiring words, was pushed back by Liu Xun's words as soon as they came to his lips.
Xu Jing was speechless and stood there in embarrassment, because he had no way to help Liu Zhang get out of today's predicament.
The rest of the officials were also silent, and no one dared to stand up against Liu Xun.
Seeing this, Liu Xun turned around and stepped forward, saying with emotion: "Father, at this point, there is no other choice. Please make a decision quickly."
Liu Zhang was originally a person without any ideas, but now that no one in the crowd had any objections, the remaining scruples in his heart disappeared.
After hesitating for a long time, Liu Zhang gritted his teeth and said resolutely: "I have made up my mind. I will follow your plan and quickly move the barbarian troops from the south to the north to reinforce and repel the enemy."
Liu Zhang had made up his mind, so he rode Pegasus from Chengdu on the same day, following Liu Zhang's instructions, and rushed to the seven counties of Nanzhong.
At the same time, Liu Zhang ordered his eldest son Liu Xun to lead Liu Wei, Wu Lan, and Lei Tong, together with half of Chengdu's troops, to rush to Luocheng to reinforce Zhang Ren and other defeated troops.
…
Three days later, Yan Liang led an army of nearly 50,000 men and arrived north of Luocheng in a mighty manner.
With these 50,000 troops under his command, plus Lu Xun's more than 10,000 Southern Route Army, Yan Yan's 10,000 North Route Army, and the troops stationed in Jiangzhou and Fucheng, Yan Liang's total military strength in Shu has reached
As many as 70,000 to 80,000 yuan.
This number was almost double what it was before he entered Sichuan, and half of the 70,000 to 80,000 troops were surrendered troops from Shu.
From delivering food before the war started to delivering people since the war started, Yan Liang had to say that Liu Zhang had truly made himself the captain of the transportation brigade.
By the time Yan Liangjin arrived north of Luocheng, Liu Xun's Chengdu reinforcements had arrived, and Zhang Ren's regiment regained some strength again, reaching 30,000 troops.
The enemy's troops regained strength, but Yan Liangsui did not launch an attack immediately. He only ordered an army of 50,000 to force the city into the stronghold.
In the Chinese army tent, Yan Liang summoned all the civil and military officials to discuss a plan to attack Luocheng.
Before talking about the attack on Luocheng, Zhang Song first presented an urgent dispatch from Yan Yan to Yan Liang.
"General Yan led his army northward from Fucheng. Along the way, the Shu troops in various Guan cities surrendered. General Yan almost defeated Zitong, Jiange, and Jiameng Pass without a single blow, but..."
Zhang Song glanced at Yan Liang and did not continue.
Seeing the look in Zhang Song's eyes, Yan Liang knew that there was definitely something bad to come from behind.
"But what happened?" Yan Liang said disapprovingly.
Zhang Song coughed dryly and continued: "But the two generals Yang Huai and Gao Pei of Baishui Pass surrendered to Cao Cao first with Guancheng and 10,000 Shu troops. Now Cao Cao has ordered Yue Jin to lead 10,000 troops and horses.
When we arrived at Baishui Pass, we fully took over the troops and defense of Guancheng."
It's really not good news.
The people in the tent looked at each other, and each of them frowned slightly.
A hint of gloom quietly flashed through Yan Liang's eagle eyes.
Baishui Pass is the gateway to the north of Xichuan. The Liu family and his son have been running it for many years. It is because of their possession of Baishui Pass that Zhang Lu cannot attack Xichuan from the front.
Today, Cao Cao not only captured Baishui Pass without spending a single soldier, but also gained 10,000 elite Shu troops. This was like robbing Yan Liang of a piece of fat that reached his mouth.
Yan Liang was very unhappy.
"How is the war in Hanzhong going now?" Yan Liang asked.
Zhang Song hurriedly said: "This is what Song Zheng wants to report. According to Hanzhong's detailed report, Cao Cao used a trick to attack Yangping Pass a few days ago. Now Cao Cao's army has entered Hanzhong through Yangping Pass and Xiegu Road at the same time.
In the basin, Zhang and Lu’s situation is already precarious.”
After hearing the news, the expressions of the civil and military soldiers changed again, and their moods became much more solemn than before.
"Zhang Lu is a loser. It's useless to hope that he can stop Cao Cao. It seems that Cao Cao's speed in taking Hanzhong will not be slower than our speed in taking Xichuan." Fa Zheng said with emotion.
Yan Liang's expression only became serious from this moment on.
In the past, whether he was dealing with Zhang Ren or Ma Chao, Yan Liang was sure of victory. This was because he knew that although these two generals were brave, they were both foolhardy and it was not difficult to deal with them.
The only thing that really worries Yan Liang is the cunning Cao Cao.
The key to guarding Hanzhong lies in Yangping Pass. Now that Yangping Pass has been lost, Cao Cao's elite Guanzhong Army can enter Hanzhong Plains unimpeded. At this point, Zhang Luna's Hanzhong Army has no chance to parry.
.
Within ten days at the latest, Cao Cao will be able to capture Hanzhong in one fell swoop.
However, within ten days, Yan Liang was not sure that he could break through Luocheng, take Chengdu directly, force Liu Zhang to surrender, and occupy Yizhou.
This means that when Yan Liang is in a stalemate with Liu Zhang here, he is likely to face Cao Cao's massive attack from the direction of Hanzhong.
The elite Cao army is definitely not as easy to deal with as the Shu army with low combat effectiveness.
"Cao Cao's capture of Hanzhong is imminent. With our current military strength, it will be quite difficult to fight on both the north and south fronts. My lord, I think it's time to increase our troops from the east."
Pang Tong's words just reminded Yan Liang.
Cao Cao's troops who have invaded Hanzhong now number at least 50,000. If Zhang Lu is forced to surrender and Hanzhong's troops are surrendered, the number of troops and horses will probably reach 60,000 to 70,000.
At present, Yan Liang's troops in Shu are only 80,000, and among them, there are only less than 40,000 elite troops that can be used to compete with Cao's elite Guanzhong Army.
In order to maintain pressure on Liu Zhang, the number of troops he deployed in the south must be at least 60,000.
The remaining 20,000 troops have to garrison the vast Xinde County and defend Cao Cao's huge army in the north, which is obviously not enough.
Thinking of this, Yan Liang nodded and said: "The military advisor is right. A battle with Cao Cao is inevitable. It is difficult to win with the current troops and horses. We must mobilize troops from the east."
At that moment, Yan Liang issued an order and sent people along the Yangtze River to move troops to the east day and night.
This time, Yan Liang wanted to mobilize Zhang He and lead 10,000 cavalry from Yuzhou to rush to Yizhou.
At the same time, five thousand soldiers and horses were mobilized from Yangzhou, led by Pan Zhang, and marched against Jiangxi to the center of Shu.
With the additional fifteen thousand troops and horses, although it may not be able to form an advantage over Cao Cao, it should be enough to hold the front line of Jiameng Pass in the north until Yan Liang destroys Liu Zhang and then returns to the north.
…
Hundreds of miles away, Hanzhong.
The sky is high and the clouds are light, and the sun is rising in the east.
The majestic cavalry regiment, facing the rising morning glow, drove out of Yangping Pass, along the Han River, and marched toward Nanzheng downstream.
Under the black banner with the word "Cao", Cao Cao, wrapped in a red robe, has cold eyes and an arrogant expression.
The army was advancing eastward, but Cao Cao's eyes were always fixed on the south.
It was as if those sharp eyes could see the beacon fire in Xichuan across thousands of mountains and rivers.
"Yan Liang, Yan Liang, just wait. The truth has finished dealing with Zhang Lu, and he will soon go south to settle all the old grudges with you..." (To be continued. Please search Piaotian Literature for more novel updates. Good to update faster!)
