Liu Qi immediately promoted Wei Yan to General Zhenyuan, leading the Hanzhong prefect, governor of the Hanzhong army, Hu Ji as the Sima, and then transferred some officials from Jingzhou to help guard Dongchuan.
Wei Yan bowed to thank him, and Liu Qi smiled and said, "I am just serving the country by being promoted to an official position. I also have a big gift to give to the general."
Wei Yan said hurriedly: "Young master, it is hard to repay Yan's great kindness by being shattered into pieces. How can you dare to accept the gift again?"
Xu Shu laughed at the side and said, "This is a gift that no general can accept."
Liu Qi said: "Zhang Lu has been in Hanzhong for a long time, ruling the people with teachings, but his people are loose. He only knows the patriarchal system and does not know the etiquette. A sudden change of government orders will definitely cause shock. Today Zhang Lu has a daughter, Wen Changruo is Zhang Lu's son-in-law, and Yang Only with the help of Song and others can we justifiably transform the system and bring peace to the people, what do you think?"
Wei Yan cupped his fists and said: "Marriage matters are all determined by the orders of your parents. You will be an orphan when you are more than ten years old. The emperor's order is greater than that of his parents. Since the son is perfect, both in public and private, the subordinates should obey their orders."
"It's easy to be a matchmaker between your two families," Xu Shu shook his head and laughed, "I wonder who Zhang Lu uses as matchmaker, could it be Yang Song?"
"I almost forgot an important thing!" When Yang Song was mentioned, Liu Qi slapped his forehead and solemnly told Wei Yan: "Yang Song is a villain who is unjust and unjust. I am using him temporarily to appease people and prepare to build a caravan." . If Cao’s army marches in the future, they must be eliminated and not left behind. Remember this!”
Wei Yan was startled, knowing that this was not only a reminder from Liu Qi, but also an order from the general, he bowed and said: "Yes!"
In the afternoon, Zhang Lu sent his wife's matchmaker to discuss the marriage, but it was not Yang Song, but Yanpu, his old ministry. It seemed that Zhang Lu was quite dissatisfied with Yang Song's unwillingness to accompany him to Changsha for the ceremony.
Yan Pu was surprised to learn that Wei Yan had been promoted to the prefect of Hanzhong, and secretly said that Liu Qi was indeed decisive in doing things. This move not only promoted his favorite generals, but also completely stabilized Zhang Lu's heart.
After all the betrothal gifts were discussed, Liu Qi said: "Ming Gong assisted Zhang Lu in governing Hanzhong. He has made outstanding achievements and is familiar with the people's conditions in various places. Now that Zhang Lu is determined to practice Taoism, is he willing to stay in Hanzhong?"
Yan Pu was startled, clasped his fists and said, "I am grateful for the general's love. I have had this intention for a long time, but I am afraid that Jingzhou has so many talents that the weak ones cannot be put to good use, so I hesitate to make a decision."
Liu Qi smiled and said: "Ming Gong's suggestion to strengthen the wall and clear the country is a great plan. If Zhang Lu had used it, he might not have reached Nanzheng City today."
Yan Pu sighed: "Everything is destiny. If the two armies are fighting hard, how can Duke Zhang face peace talks with the general and embark on the path of cultivating Taoism?"
Xu Shu nodded and said: "Sir, you are doing your best to offer advice to Zhang Lu. General Liu is now in Hanzhong. This is the land of Longxing. If you can help me, sir, things will be done."
Yan Pu stood up and saluted and said: "I heard that good birds choose trees to roost in, and wise ministers choose their masters to serve. Generals and nobles of the Han Dynasty have great ideas in their chests. I am willing to follow you around."
Liu Qi took Yan Pu to sit down and asked, "Sir, he is from Brazil, so he must be familiar with the situation in the country. Now that Zhang Wei and Yang Ren have fled to Bazhong, what's going on?"
Yan Pu replied: "In the land of Bazhong, there are many Bayi and Xi people, all of whom respect the shaman god Zhang Xiu. They once attacked Su Gu, the prefect of Hanzhong, with Zhang Lu. Unfortunately, Zhang Xiu died in the battle. Zhang Lu took over his place and made five measures of rice. Teach. Today, the people in Bazhong regard Zhang Lu as the witch god. If Zhang Wei joins forces with Zhang Xiu’s old tribe to start an uprising, the trouble will be great."
Liu Qi asked: "If Zhang Lu is asked to issue an edict, can these two people be isolated?"
Yan Pu shook his head and said: "If there are sacrifices for festivals and rewards, the Ba people will obey, but if they are asked to submit, I am afraid that people will not agree! The Ba people are brave and warlike, especially Pu Hu, the king of Yi with the seventh surname, and Du Yi, the Marquis of Xiyi. I have long been determined to be self-reliant, but if I am deceived by Zhang Wei, my intentions will be unpredictable."
Liu Qi sneered and said: "If these two people know the current affairs, they will still be the leaders of the clan and enjoy glory and wealth. If they dare to provoke and cause trouble, they will regret it."
Yan Pu said: "In fact, general, there is no need to worry about this matter. Hanzhong and Yizhou are closely related, and the land of Sanba is located between them. If we take advantage of the situation and seize the land of Bajun, it will be like cutting off the thighs of Shu, and Liu Zhang will have no choice but to capture him."
Liu Qi laughed and said: "If you go by what Mr. Wang said, I should hope that Zhang Wei succeeds."
Xu Shu smiled and said: "How can you know that this is not a blessing? If Zhang Wei and Yang leave here, they will not only help the general to enter Shu, but also eliminate the hidden dangers in Bazhong and Hanzhong. From then on, the territory will be stable, and he can defend Cao's army in the north with peace of mind. !”
Liu Qi appointed Yan Pu as the county magistrate and military advisor to assist Wei Yan in guarding Hanzhong. The two men complemented each other and sent a few generals to make Hanzhong impregnable.
The city was preparing for Wei Yan's wedding. Liu Qi ordered Liu Pan to garrison Yangping Pass first, and then sent Liu Xian and Kou Feng to Jiameng Pass. They successfully took over the pass before Liu Zhang got the news, making it much easier to enter Sichuan.
After sending Zhang Lu away, Liu Qi discussed with Xu Shu and others how to send troops to Yizhou. Although a battle was inevitable, the troops had to be famous and justified. It was best to get Liu Zhang to surrender as soon as possible.
Suddenly Liu Pan sent someone to report, and Ma Chao sent three thousand horses. The horses are now left in front of the pass. The messenger followed the messenger to Nanzheng to see Liu Qi.
Liu Qi was a little surprised. He came to report that Ma Chao and Cao Cao were fighting at the Wei River. Cao Cao's army could not hold out for two months, and the Xiliang cavalry was helpless. Could it be that they came to ask for help?
Inviting someone to the study, the visitor introduced himself as Ma Le, Ma Teng's nephew, who was responsible for managing Shandan Racecourse and training war horses.
Ma Teng had previously ordered Liu Qi to send 3,000 of this year's foals to Liu Qi as a thank you gift in order to thank Liu Qi for helping him take Chang'an. Although Ma Teng was killed, Ma Chao still obeyed his father's order and gave them all.
Liu Qi made good friends with Zhang Lu and transported them from Hanzhong. Unexpectedly, Liu Qi actually took Hanzhong back, saving him the most difficult journey.
Shandan Racecourse is a Han military racecourse established by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. It is large in scale and is now occupied by the Ma family. Doesn’t it have all the war horses?
Liu Qi was envious in his heart, but his face was full of sadness: "General Ma is really a man of faith! However, although I helped General Ma take Chang'an, I ended up killing him. I feel guilty. How can I accept such a generous gift again?"
Ma Le sighed: "Life and death are fateful. The old general sacrificed his life for the country, so he died a worthy death. This time Meng Qi raised an army to take revenge, vowing to destroy Cao's thieves and kill Sima Yi to avenge him. However, Cao's thieves used the Weishui River as the boundary and went down to the stronghold along the river to defend. Although our Xiliang cavalry is strong, it is difficult to cross the river and has no place to use it. Since the general has taken Hanzhong, why not send troops out of Chencang and Baoxie Road to help Meng and defeat Cao's thieves together?"
Liu Qi sighed: "Hanzhong has been newly settled, and people's hearts are not yet stable, so they dare not go on an expedition. In addition, Liu Zhang is in Xichuan and often covets the land of Hanzhong. I am not unwilling to send troops, but I have worries about the future and can do nothing."
Ma Le wanted to persuade him again, but suddenly Wei Yan came in a hurry and reported: "As expected, the two thieves Zhang Wei and Yang Ren colluded with Ba Yi to start an uprising. They gathered tens of thousands of horses in Bazhong and proclaimed themselves King of Hanning."
"What a thief, you really don't know how to live or die!" Liu Qi's face darkened, he looked helplessly at Ma Le, and said with a bitter smile: "Look, I haven't wiped my butt clean yet!"
