Zhang Wei proclaimed himself king in Hanchang. He thought that with Zhang Lu's prestige among the Ba people, he could use the dangerous fortress of Daba Mountain to separate his territory, cannibalize Pang Xi, and monopolize Ba County.
Unexpectedly, in less than a month, King Puhu of Ba returned in defeat. Not only did Micang Road fall, all the Ba people withdrew, leaving only the king and the general, who were truly alone.
The two brought a total of 3,000 troops and horses, and together with the Hanchang defenders, they barely made up 5,000. Not to mention dealing with Liu Qi, they were unable to fight Pang Xi.
Fortunately, it had been rainy in recent days, and Liu Qi was unable to send troops. However, the two of them were trapped in Bazhong, and they sighed every day as they counted how little food and grass they had left.
On this day, Zhang Wei and Yang Ren discussed: "The Ba people are afraid of Liu Qi and do not dare to fight again. You and I are just sitting here and waiting to die. It is better to flee to Nanzhong with only our trusted followers. With our ability, we will definitely be able to break through." Make a difference."
Yang Ren wanted to avenge his brother Yang Ang, but he was unwilling to do so: "Brothers have followed you and me here. If we abandon you here, we may be despised by others. Not only is the road to Nanzhong difficult and dangerous, but it is also difficult to pass through Yizhou. I am afraid I will escape death."
Zhang Wei said anxiously: "If you stay here and wait for death, or go out to the city to find death, do you and I have the only way to die?"
Yang Ren said coldly: "Since King Pu Hu doesn't obey orders, why not choose someone else?"
Zhang Wei was startled: "The Ba people suffered heavy casualties and have decided to withdraw. Who else can we choose?"
Yang Ren said: "Your Majesty, do you still remember what Du Yi, the Marquis of Si, said when he came?"
Zhang Wei frowned and said, "Pu Hu left without saying goodbye. Du Yi was just sent to say a few words."
Yang Renyan said: "I've been thinking about it these past few days. Du Yi said that he was just following orders and couldn't help himself. Doesn't he mean that he wanted to help me, but he couldn't go against King Ba's order?"
"You mean..." Zhang Wei's eyes lit up, and he suddenly sighed: "But Du Yi is not the leader of the tribe, how can the tribe with seven surnames obey his orders?"
Yang Rendao: "The Ba people have long been dissatisfied with the Seven Surnames, and I suspect Du Yi is also the same. If the king makes Du Yi the eternal King of Ba, breaks the privileges of the Seven Surnames, and helps them regain their land, ordinary Ba people will respond positively if they can stand up. The seven surnames are nothing to worry about."
Zhang Wei's heart skipped a beat and he thought: "In this battle, the seven surnames suffered heavy losses. It would be a good idea if Du Yiguo could stand up and become King Ba. I'm afraid Pu Hu will hear the news and lead a counterattack. Wouldn't you and I be attacked from both sides?"
Yang Ren's face changed slightly, and he sighed: "There have been rumors in Bazhong recently that Pu Huzao and Liu Qi joined forces to take the opportunity to weaken the Seven Surnames. All the ministries suffered heavy losses. Only his son was captured and returned unharmed. This may not be groundless."
Zhang Wei gritted his teeth and said: "Pu Huxian resisted my king's order, and secretly colluded with Liu Qi to exploit him. I will kill him!"
When he was hesitating, he suddenly came to report. Liu Qi ordered Zhang Fei to send troops from Jiangzhou to unite with the Brazilian defenders to capture Bazhong.
Zhang Wei was shocked: "If we send troops from three directions, you and I will die without a burial place!"
Yang Renyan said: "The two Lius jointly sent troops, and the Ba people will not be spared. Why not send someone to contact Du Yi secretly first, promise the position of King of Ba, and divide the land in Bazhong together, and then see how Pu Hu will face the enemy and discuss countermeasures?"
Du Yi also learned that Jiangzhou was sending troops, so he rushed to Hanchang in person the next day. When he saw Zhang Wei, he was surprised and said, "Why don't you see King Ba coming?"
Zhang Wei said angrily: "King Ba has been scared to death by Liu Qi. He has withdrawn his head to protect himself and is of no use. He left without saying goodbye before. How dare he come to see me again?"
Du Yi frowned and said, "I am acting on King Ba's order. If the king wants to resist the enemy, he should invite King Ba to come and discuss it."
Zhang Wei stared at Du Yi and said slowly: "If this king makes you the eternal King of Ba, and you and I share the land in Bazhong, what do you think?"
"This..." Du Yi stood up in shock, his eyes flickering, hesitating for a while and then sighed: "I'm afraid this matter will be difficult to succeed."
Zhang Wei sneered and said, "You have been oppressed by the Seven Surnamed Tribes for hundreds of years. Do you want your descendants to be like this forever?"
"What the king said is true!" Du Yi sighed: "The people of Jibu have long been dissatisfied with the Seven Surnames, but the main force of the Ba people's warriors are from the Seven Surnames tribe, and the Jibu are just ordinary people who dare to be angry but dare not speak out."
"Your Majesty and I can help you!" Seeing that Du Yi was really tempted, Yang Ren took the opportunity to persuade: "Now that the Han Dynasty has been destroyed, and the glory of the seven surnames has disappeared, the order of the Ba people should also be changed. ”
Du Yi was moved for a moment, but then he frowned and said: "It is not a simple matter to grant the title of King Lipa. The King's help is not enough. It also requires the approval of the Witch God!"
Zhang Wei laughed and said: "Your Excellency, please don't forget that my brother is the one who inherits the teachings of the Great Witch God, and I am also the protector of the teachings. Then Yuan Yue must also obey my orders."
Du Yi was still hesitant: "Now that the seven surnames are led by Pu Hu, even if there is another king of Ba, I am afraid that it will cause civil strife. If Pu Hu turns to Liu Qi as rumored, the main force of the Ba people will be wiped out, I'm afraid... …”
Yang Ren said in a deep voice: "It seems that if Pu Hu is not eliminated, the Ba people will never be able to fight against the enemy together with the king."
Du Yi guided for a long time, what he was waiting for was this sentence, he took a step forward and whispered: "If the king can get rid of Pu Hu, the seven surnames will be leaderless, and there will be an order from the witch god, I will have a way to make them obey the order."
Zhang Wei had also been dissatisfied with Pu Hu for a long time and said: "Pu Hu left without saying goodbye last time and stayed in the canal. Now that the enemy is facing us, how easy is it to kill him?"
Du Yi said: "As far as I know, the soldiers and horses from Jiangzhou came in two directions, all the way to Langzhong, and they have already gone to attack Danqu. Your Majesty condescended to invite him to come and discuss the strategy against the enemy. Puhu can't stand alone, so he will definitely come. .”
Zhang Wei was overjoyed and said: "As long as Pu Hu comes to Hanchang, I will make sure that his head is removed."
Du Yi said again: "If someone kills someone for no reason, I am afraid that the seven surnames will also cause chaos. Your Majesty can first accuse him of secretly communicating with Liu Qi and betraying the tribe. He will be executed without being able to distinguish. Then the guilt will be announced to the public. The seven surnames have long been against Pu Hu." If you have any suspicion, you will obey."
"This is a wonderful plan!" Zhang Wei punched vigorously, patted Du Yi on the shoulder and said with a laugh: "It turns out that Marquis Si has had this intention for a long time, so I am relieved."
Du Yi bowed and said: "If it weren't for the help of the king, I would be helpless."
When Zhang Wei saw that Du Yi was actively plotting to kill Pu Hu, he was determined. The three of them discussed a secret plan and only waited for Pu Hu to come before taking action.
On the same day, Du Yi quietly returned to Xuanhan. Li Hu reported that Yu Jin and Zhang He led troops to capture Danqu and the army entered. However, the seven surnames were suspicious of each other and refused to send troops to meet the enemy. There was a stalemate.
Du Yi ordered him to continue to monitor the movements of Danqu, and discussed with Wang Ping alone: "Zhang Wei asked me to go. As expected, he was dissatisfied with Pu Hu and wanted to appoint me as King Ba for his use."
Wang Ping breathed a sigh of relief: "Zhang Wei really fell into General Liu's plan."
"Not bad!" Du Yi was also excited: "Zhang Wei has hosted a Hongmen Banquet in Hanchang. As long as Pu Hu is willing to go, great things will happen."
Wang Ping nodded and said: "Pu Hu will never go to Hanchang alone. He will definitely invite King Si to go with him, and we can act accordingly."
"General Liu has planned hard for us. Even if he doesn't come to invite us, we will still find a way to go together!"
Du Yi walked slowly to the door, looked up to the sky and let out a long breath. He looked at the dark clouds in the distance and murmured: "The sky is finally going to change in the land of Sanba."
