For Shu, Badi is like a shell, relying on Daba Mountain and the Yangtze River to wrap up Sichuan.
Langzhong is a strategic location of Badi. It leads to Hanzhong to the north, Jiangzhou to the east along the river, and the hinterland of Sichuan to the south.
The most important thing is that Langzhong can detour behind the Jiange Pavilion to make this natural barrier useless. When Jiang Wei was guarding the Jiange Pavilion, he retreated to Chengdu from Langzhong after being smuggled to Yinping by Deng Ai.
Liu Bei did not let Zhang Fei guard Hanzhong, but guarded Langzhong. It was not that he did not trust Zhang Fei, but that he attached great importance to this place and would not rest assured until he handed it over to his brothers.
If Wei Yan's guarding in Hanzhong is compared to a guard dog, Zhang Fei is like a guarding tiger in Langzhong!
If the gate is lost, you can still guard the compound and continue to output. If there is a fire in the backyard, it will be completely over.
Langzhong takes care of all directions. Now that Liu Qi has taken this place, he can advance and attack, retreat and defend. When entering Shu, he only needs to take one step forward. He no longer has to worry about the sword pavilion, let alone take the dangerous path of Yinping.
Although Pang Xi's letter had been sent, the generals could not wait. Liu Qi also wanted to end the battle before winter, so he discussed it with three military advisors.
Xu Shu said: "Although the general took Hanzhong, Zhang Lu surrendered without a fight, his troops were not damaged, and his morale was strong. Now Brazil and Jiangzhou have sufficient food and grass, and can connect to Jiangling. We should take advantage of the victory to advance westward and regain Shuzhong in one go." "
Liu Qi frowned and said, "Pang Xi has written a letter to Chengdu and sent troops without receiving a reply. If Liu Zhang really wants to surrender, wouldn't it be superfluous?"
Fa Zhengdao: "Liu Zhang is a weak man. Although the border city is broken, he does not realize that the danger is coming. I expect that despite Pang Xi's advice, there will be opposition in Chengdu. It is not that he is unwilling to surrender, but that he has a difficult decision and will hesitate. It’s uncertain, general, you need to prepare early!”
Pang Tong nodded and said: "Liu Jiyu lives in peace in the world, just like shepherding sheep in the wild. Even if there are tigers and wolves patrolling, unless they are approaching, they will live in peace with each other. It is just a good opportunity to take advantage of this opportunity to eradicate those stubborn and stubborn people who are ignorant of current affairs and avoid future troubles forever. "
Liu Qi thought about the situation when Liu Bei entered Shu, and suddenly felt that Liu Zhang and Liu Chan were somewhat similar. They didn't know how to employ people, delegated power to others, and muddle along without a sense of crisis.
It is said that Sima's usurpation of Cao Wei was retribution. Isn't it the reincarnation of fate that Liu Chan gave up to Chengdu?
It seemed that Liu Zhang couldn't do it without giving Liu Zhang a beating, so he asked Fa Zhengdao: "Sir, do you have any good ideas?"
Fa Zheng offered advice: "We can divide our troops into three routes to attack Chengdu: Jiangzhou troops and horses advance by land and water, attack Deyang and Guanghan by land, and the water route goes directly from Jiangyang to Jianwei County; one route from Langzhong takes Guanghan as support, and the other route mainly attacks Jiange. Jiange is broken. , the Hanzhong soldiers and horses arrived directly at Mianzhu, with the sword hanging on his neck, a crisis was imminent, even if someone objected, Liu Zhang would surrender."
Liu Qi thought so, so he sent an order to summon all the generals to raise their tents, worship Liu Pan as the Pingxi General, and Xu Shu as the military advisor. He led the navy from Ganning to Jiangzhou and led the troops and horses on the east route to capture Jianwei.
Xu Shu was puzzled and said: "It's not because I'm refusing to go. Yide and Shiyuan came from Jiangling to lead the army. The officers and soldiers are familiar with each other. It's easier to lead the old army. It's really taboo to change generals before the battle!"
Zhang Fei also clasped his fists and said, "My eldest son, if I, Old Zhang, cannot attack Jianwei, I would like to raise my head to see you."
Liu Qi waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's not that I don't trust Yide and I, but it's that there are already Xingba, Zhang He and Yu Jinshu on the east road. If my third uncle becomes the commander-in-chief again, he will compete with them for credit when he goes into battle. If he doesn't go into battle, he will suppress them." If you can't control your temper, it's better to stay in Langzhong and be a vanguard. If Third Uncle insists on going, it's not a bad idea. General Huang and Zilong can also charge into the battle."
Zhang Fei was startled and waved his hands repeatedly: "Then I'd better not go!"
Gan Ning smiled and said, "Fortunately, I want to lead the navy, otherwise it wouldn't be your turn to take action."
"I won't go, I won't go!" Zhang Fei shook his head like a rattle when he remembered that this was indeed the case along the way. Everyone advised him, as a general, not to take action easily.
Everyone burst into laughter, and Liu Qi said again: "Most of Jiangzhou's troops and horses are trained by Jin and General Gan. As long as they are in the army, there is no need to worry. The journey here has been hundreds of miles, the road is rugged, and the scholars have been traveling for a long time. , Xiaozhi was ill again, so he had no choice but to take a hard trip to Yuanzhi."
Xu Shu cupped his fists and said with a smile: "In that case, it's time for me to fight with my sword."
"My eldest son, my bones are still strong...ahem——"
Pang Tong was about to argue a few words when he was slapped by Zhang Fei with a big slap like a cattail leaf fan, causing him to cough.
"No, eating wine every day has turned me into chaff!" Zhang Fei shook his head and sighed: "You should stay in Langzhong with me!"
Liu Qi said with a smile: "Although Du Kang is good, he can't be greedy. Shi Yuan, you should be more careful!"
Pang Tong's face turned red from suppressing it, and he complained: "Who can withstand your bear's paw?"
Fa Zheng looked envious when he saw the civil and military officials enjoying themselves nearby. Over the years, he and Meng Da had been living in a foreign land and had been looked down upon. In addition, due to his aloof temperament, he had never experienced the feeling of being happy among others.
Looking at Liu Qi chatting and laughing with his subordinates again, there is no sign of the majesty of the superior. He is friendly to others and polite to the corporal. It makes people feel like a spring breeze and he blends in unconsciously.
He listens and asks more about everything. He seems to have no opinions, but he makes his own decisions at critical moments. He has an innate royal nobility that makes people guard him unconsciously.
After the order was finished, Liu Qi told Liu Pan: "Dianjiang guard Yan Yan is actually a loyal and righteous person. If you want to treat him with courtesy, please ask Han Sheng to persuade him. They are about the same age and can talk easier."
Fazheng also said: "Yan Yan has taught many officers and soldiers in Shu. If we can get help from this person, it will be much easier to enter Shu."
Liu Pan took the order and said goodbye to Huang Zhong and Gan Ning. Liu Qi also ordered the generals to prepare their troops and send people to pass orders to Kou Feng and Liu Xian at Jiameng Pass to send troops to attack Jiange.
Although Yizhou was already in his pocket, Liu Qi still did not dare to be careless. An arrogant army would be defeated. This was no joke.
When competing with the ancients, Liu Qi was in awe. Those who could leave their names in history were by no means ordinary people. Even the likes of Xing Daorong and Pan Feng were leaders in the local area.
For this reason, Liu Qi often secretly used Yuan Shao of Guandu, Cao Cao of Chibi, Sun Quan of Hefei, and Liu Bei of Yiling as examples to remind himself not to drift off.
This time when I changed generals on the battlefield, I was not really afraid of Zhang Fei competing for credit, but I was worried that something might happen to him and Pang Tong. One was aggressive and impulsive, and the other liked taking risks. If these two were partners, why would they have to rush into Sichuan?
Although Liu Zhang is weak, this is his home field after all, where he can relax and wait for work, not to mention logistical supplies. Moreover, generals such as Zhang Ren and Liu Wei have not yet come forward. If something is supposed to be a sure thing, if something unexpected happens, there will be no place to cry.
Take Liu Bei's entry into Shu as an example. After he broke his skin, the first few battles were a complete mess. Only Zhang Ren suffered heavy losses in Fujian, Mianzhu, and Luocheng.
It took more than half a year to attack Luocheng, and even cost Pang Tongyi his life. If Zhuge Liang had not arrived in time, he would have capsized in the gutter, and the weak Liu Zhang would have caught him in the trap, and his whole life of fame would have been wiped out.
Therefore, the closer we get to the last moment, the more we must remain highly alert, take every step, haste makes waste, and keeping these two people by your side is the most practical!
