The east wind blew, the war drums beat, and the troops in Guanzhong were mobilized again. When Cao Xiu captured Wuguan, the Xiliang army also marched into Hanzhong.
When the news reached Hanzhong, the prefect Zhang Lu was shocked and hurriedly gathered civil and military officials to discuss countermeasures.
Since Zhang Lu took over Hanzhong, he governed the people with Taoism and law, which was called the "Five Pecks of Rice" religion. He focused on integrity, and the people did not pick up things on the road and had plenty of money and food.
However, due to an enmity with Liu Zhang, Zhang Lu's mother and brother were killed by him, and the two sides formed a feud. Zhang Lu wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to raise troops to seize Sichuan, and fought for years. At this time, the Xiliang army came to attack, and he was in a dilemma.
Yang Song was surprised and said: "Xiliang Ma Teng has a hundred thousand strong soldiers. Cao Cao did not dare to offend him and used gentle tactics to appease him. Now that the troops have entered Hanzhong, who can resist it? It is better to send an envoy to ask Cao Cao for peace and order Ma Teng to retreat." "
Military advisor Yan Pu sneered: "Cao Cao was afraid of Ma Teng and his son, so he used this tactic to drive away tigers and devour wolves. Now that the army has advanced, asking him to retreat is nothing more than a fool's dream."
Zhang Lu said worriedly: "Xiliang's army is strong and strong, and no one in Hanzhong may be able to defeat it. What should we do?"
Yan Pu said: "The mountains in Hanzhong are high and dangerous, and Yangping Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Xiliang army only has strong cavalry, but they have no place to fight in the mountains. My lord has a hundred thousand people in Hanzhong, and he can recruit 20,000 elite soldiers, which is enough to resist."
Yang Song tugged at the curved beard on his lips, raised his eyebrows and asked: "Don't forget that Liu Zhang of Yizhou has sent troops year after year. If we attack at this time, we will be attacked from both sides, what should we do?"
Yan Pu laughed and said: "Liu Zhang in Yizhou is weak. My lord has withdrawn his troops and will not attack him. He must be secretly happy. How can he send troops if he only wants peace and happiness?"
Yang Song sneered and said: "Has Yan Canjun underestimated the people in Shu? He just believes that Liu Zhang is weak, but there are many heroes and wise men. What if Liu Zhang is persuaded to send troops?"
Yan Pu disdainfully argued with Yang Song and said calmly: "Liu Zhang is indecisive. By the time he decides to send troops, Ma Teng will have already retreated!"
Yang Song is the representative of the Yang family, a wealthy family in Hanzhong. He is greedy, has no understanding of military affairs, and always likes to point fingers.
Because most of the charity houses, rice, and meat in Hanzhong were provided by the Yang family, Yang Song was the chief wine sacrificer in the sect, and his status was only lower than that of his master Zhang Lu.
Yang Song clasped his fists and said: "Master, it is related to the survival of Hanzhong and the safety of our followers. We must prepare for a rainy day! Since Ma Teng was sent by Cao Cao, we should ask for reinforcements, otherwise we will be attacked from both sides and Hanzhong will be in danger!"
Zhang Lu frowned and said, "Where are the reinforcements?"
Yang Song said: "The Shangyong Shen family has always been on good terms with the envoy. We can ask him to send troops to help in the war."
Zhang Lu nodded and said: "The words of the Great Sacrifice of Wine are reasonable. Hanzhong and Shangyong are as dependent as fur. If the fur is gone, how can the fur general be attached? They will definitely come to help."
The Shen Dan brothers took advantage of the power of the Shen family and took advantage of the Yellow Turban Rebellion to occupy Shangyong and Xicheng, gathering thousands of families. The court named him a general and led him to be the prefect of Shangyong.
The two places are very close to each other and have been closely connected for many years. They are also Zhang Lu's only good ally, so it is a good choice.
Yang Song smiled proudly and said: "In addition... I have a clumsy plan. I don't know whether to talk about it or not."
Zhang Lu said with a smile: "Lao Tzu said: Great skill is like clumsiness, great argument is like stupidity, but there is no harm in speaking."
Yang Song said: "Liu Qi in Jingzhou has become famous, and he is also a member of the imperial family. He defeated Cao Cao in Nanyang. The two families are like fire and water. They can go and make friends as soon as possible for later use."
Zhang Lu frowned and said, "Liu Qi and Liu Zhang are from the same clan, how can they help me?"
Yang Song sneered and said: "The hatred between brothers is even deeper! When Liu Yan entered Shu with evil intentions, he made a carriage uniform. It was Liu Biao who reported him. Later Liu Yan died of illness, and Liu Biao ordered people to go to Yizhou to incite During the rebellion, Liu Zhang also sent Zhao Wei to lead troops to attack Jingzhou. The two families had already been at odds with each other. I heard that Liu Qi had long wanted to enter Shu. If the master can join forces with him, he can attack Yizhou from the north and the south and divide Xichuan. Isn’t it wonderful to be rewarded?”
Yan Pu glanced at Yang Song in surprise. This guy who only knew how to make money and enjoy himself suddenly became enlightened today. He was thinking so far-term. It seemed that he must be wise in desperation to protect the Yang family.
Zhang Lu thought for a moment and looked at Yan Pu: "What do Yan Canjun think?"
Yan Pu rarely nodded to Yang Song: "It is indeed a temporary measure."
Zhang Lu asked: "I have no contact with Liu Biao, who can be my envoy?"
Yang Song cupped his fists and said, "I would like to share my worries with you. I will first persuade Brother Shen Dan to help in the battle, and then go to Jingzhou to make friends with Liu Qi and test the reality."
Zhang Lu was very satisfied: "This way I can go to the great sacrifice ceremony myself."
Yang Song stood up and said: "Master, don't worry, my subordinates have been ordered to go to bed in the morning and evening. I pray to the Taoist ancestors and the heavenly master, and ask him to show his power and help us leave the horse early and protect the congregation."
Zhang Lu encouraged him a few words, and when Yang Song retreated, he sighed: "Lao Tzu said: Heaven and earth are unkind, and treat all things as stupid dogs. The way of heaven is unpredictable, and I am afraid that the gods may not be willing to help. However, Shen Dan has few soldiers, and Liu Qi is far away and it is difficult to rescue him. We are close to fire, how should we resist the enemy now?"
Yan Pu laughed and said: "The roads in the Qinling Mountains are high and dangerous, and Yangping Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If the horses come from afar, they will not be able to hold on for long. When their food and grass are exhausted, they will retreat."
Zhang Lu breathed a sigh of relief and said with emotion: "I said: Water benefits all things without fighting for it. I have been guarding Hanzhong for more than ten years. I only want the peace and prosperity of the country and the people, not fame and fortune. However, powerful enemies are surrounding me and I can't help myself. Today Ma Teng is coming to attack. , I am afraid that Cao Cao also intends to invade Hanzhong, so I should think about a long-term plan: I want to call myself King Hanning and supervise the troops to resist the enemy, so why do I join the army?"
Yan Pu said: "The Xiliang army is invading. My lord can take the opportunity to recruit troops and train them. The people will gladly come to surrender. When Ma Teng retreats, he will lead the army to attack Xichuan in one go. Based on the land of the two rivers, he will become king." Great things can happen!”
"Wonderful!" Zhang Lu's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he slapped the table happily and said: "I say: good luck always comes before misfortune! My right and left hands coincided with each other. It can be seen that God's will is like this, so I immediately issued a list to recruit people."
In fact, Zhang Lu had long wanted to become king, but he was afraid of losing the support of the people, and even provoked the princes to attack him, ending up like Yuan Shu.
At this time, when he heard Yan Pu's plan, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, so he ordered his brothers to guard Zhang Weiyang Ping Pass and train soldiers and horses to resist Ma Teng.
Yang Song left the government office and was not in a hurry to go home. Instead, he went straight to the Taoist temple with a group of "ghost soldiers" and "sacrificial wine", personally offered incense and ordered the followers to chant sutras and pray.
After the ceremony, Yang Song went alone to the quiet room in the back hall. This place usually receives high-ranking celebrities and distinguished guests who donate all year round. Some people do not want to reveal their identities, so they are received in secret.
Yang Song knocked on the door and came in. He couldn't wait to clasp his fists and said: "Sir, you have a clever plan. I made a wonderful argument that Yan Pu couldn't refute and could only nod in agreement."
The man turned around, and it turned out to be Sun Qian who had left Chencang not long ago. He stroked his beard and said with a smile, "This is a perfect strategy to protect Hanzhong. When will Ming Gong leave for Jingzhou?"
"Without further delay, we will leave tomorrow!" Yang Song showed his face in front of Yan Pu today. He had never been so happy before. He asked again: "Sir, are you sure Ma Teng will really retreat?"
Sun Qian nodded and said: "Ming Gong, I wish you peace of mind tonight. We must make a big fanfare. The bigger the fanfare, the better. This is an opportunity to become famous, don't miss it."
Yang Song nodded heavily and said: "Okay, I will immediately spread the message to all the winemakers from all over the place to gather, burn incense and chant sutras inside and outside the four cities, ensuring that even the gods of the past will know about it."
