"Master, don't worry. You come here sincerely, how can I refuse?"
Liu Bei quickly smiled.
After Wei took Hanzhong, its strength increased a bit, and it was even possible to attack Yangping Pass and take Yizhou directly.
Although Zhang Lu has now become a bereaved dog, there are only a few people left around him.
But after all, he still has great prestige in Hanzhong, and he will be useful when attacking Hanzhong in the future.
Under such circumstances, how could Liu Bei turn Zhang Lu away?
"Thank you Uncle Liu Huang for taking me in!"
Zhang Lu breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little grateful.
If Liu Bei refused to take him in, there would really be no place for him in the world!
"Master, you're welcome. Come, prepare a banquet quickly. I want to entertain Master!"
Liu Bei turned around and ordered.
Not long after, a banquet was set up in the lobby, and Liu Bei, Zhang Lu and others took their seats.
After fleeing for the past few days, Zhang Lu didn't even have a full meal.
As soon as the food and wine were served, he started gobbling them down.
After they were full of wine and food, Liu Bei and Zhang Luzheng were chatting, when suddenly a guard walked in quickly.
"Report!"
"My lord, I just received news that Cao Zhi, the pseudo-emperor of Cao Wei, died of illness!"
As soon as Liu Bei said this, Zhang Fei on the side said happily,
"The sky has eyes! Cao Cao, a rebellious minister and traitor, brought trouble to the imperial court and usurped the Han Dynasty. As a result, he received retribution! Not only did he die of illness, but his several sons also died a bad death!"
“It’s really a joy to hear and see, very satisfying!”
"Yide, don't take pleasure in others' misfortune like this."
Although Liu Bei said this, his expression was also very happy.
The death of Cao Cao and his sons one after another not only caused political turmoil in Cao Wei, but also used it to criticize the Cao family's improper access to the throne, which ultimately caused the heavens to descend.
This is quite beneficial to Liu Bei!
"Lord, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us."
Fa Zheng reminded from the side.
"Oh? Why is that?"
Liu Bei was stunned for a moment and asked.
"After Yang Ling launched the coup, Cao Zhi was just his puppet."
"Now that Cao Zhi has passed away, as a general and the prince's biological father, how could he not return to Luoyang?"
Fazheng analyzed.
"What you said makes sense!"
A glint flashed in Liu Bei's eyes.
As Fazheng said, Yang Ling should return to Luoyang to help deal with Cao Zhi's funeral affairs and help Cao Yuan ascend the throne as emperor!
Nothing is more important than this!
"What Xiaozhi means is that you want us to take the opportunity to attack Hanzhong?"
"My lord is indeed smart!"
Fazheng praised, then sneered and said,
"Among Cao Wei, the most feared person is Yang Ling."
"Once he is no longer in Hanzhong, as long as we attack Hanzhong, the lord will raise his arms and call for help. With the lord's identity, prestige, benevolence and righteousness, and Zhang Shijun's help, won't Hanzhong be easily accessible?"
After listening to his words, not to mention everyone in the hall, even Liu Bei was so excited that his blood boiled with excitement!
After all, if we take Hanzhong, we can attack Chang'an from the north and Jingzhou from the east.
It may not be impossible to re-realize Zhuge Liang's Longzhong pairing by then!
"I think what Mr. Xiaozhi said is very reasonable. I hope Uncle Liu will think again!"
Zhang Lu immediately nodded in agreement.
Everyone present, except Liu Bei, I am afraid he is the one who wants to take Hanzhong back the most.
After all, without Hanzhong, even if he took refuge with Liu Bei, he would still be relying on others and would have no confidence.
Only after recapturing Hanzhong and relying on his former prestige, could Zhang Lu be reused!
"This matter is no small matter, we should take care of it slowly!"
Liu Bei pondered for a moment and then ordered,
"You immediately send people to keep an eye on Hanzhong. As soon as Yang Ling leaves, we will take action immediately!"
"Here!"
Everyone responded in unison.
…
Although Zhang Lu lost Hanzhong, he had been running Hanzhong for a long time and still had a lot of connections.
Within a few days, he received news that Yang Ling had left Nanzheng in a hurry with Deng Ai, Jiang Wei and others.
After learning about this, Zhang Lu immediately found Liu Bei and told him about it.
"Uncle Liu Huang, this opportunity must not be missed, and it will never come back again!"
Zhang Lu urged.
"My subordinates also agree with Master Zhang!"
Fazheng also said impatiently,
"As long as the lord takes Hanzhong, he can rely on the natural dangers of the Qinling Mountains to stop Cao Wei and recreate the feat of Emperor Gaozu!"
"Such a God-given opportunity, don't miss it!"
Facing everyone's persuasion, Liu Bei finally made up his mind, nodded heavily and said,
"As you said, prepare to send troops to attack Hanzhong!"
Everyone was overjoyed when they heard this and said in unison,
"My lord is wise!"
"But even if Yang Ling leaves, it won't be easy for us to win Hanzhong. We need to discuss it carefully."
This time Liu Bei came to attack Hanzhong, with a total of only 50,000 troops.
Cao Wei originally had more than a dozen armies, and together with the surrendered Hanzhong army, the number of troops was at least 150,000!
With a three-fold difference in military strength, it was not easy to capture Hanzhong from Cao Wei.
"My lord is worried, my subordinates have already considered it."
Fazheng stroked his long beard and said calmly,
"The road in the Qinling Mountains is rugged and difficult to navigate. In addition, there has been continuous rain in Hanzhong recently. Even if the road is opened directly, it will take at least a month for Wei Bing to enter Hanzhong!"
"Therefore, I conclude that Cao Wei's army in Hanzhong will never exceed 20,000!"
Historically, when Cao Zhen was attacking Shu from the Ziwu Valley, he was unable to get out of the Ziwu Valley for more than forty days because of heavy rain.
Therefore, Fa Zheng’s judgment cannot be said to be incorrect!
"As for the surrender of the Hanzhong troops, there is no need to worry. With Zhang Shijun here, do we still need to worry?"
Fazheng looked at Zhang Lu with a smile.
"Mr. Xiaozhi is right. I have been operating in Hanzhong for so many years, and I still have some appeal."
Zhang Lu smiled confidently,
"At that time, I can arrange manpower for internal response. When Uncle Liu Huang's army enters Nanzheng, as long as I raise my arms and call for help, both the army and the people will definitely respond positively!"
Hearing what they said, Liu Bei's worries were dispelled.
"In this case, please ask Master Zhang to send someone to contact the people in Nanzheng City first. I will prepare to send troops immediately!"
"No problem, I'll cover it!"
Zhang Lu responded, patting his chest.
It is said that soldiers are valuable and quick. In order not to waste time and allow more Wei troops to enter Hanzhong, Liu Bei gathered troops and horses that day and killed them from Yangping Pass.
On the way from Yangpingguan to Nanzheng, there are still several small towns.
The people in the city were completely unprepared and were easily captured by Liu Bei's army.
…
At the same time, in Nanzheng City.
The contact person sent by Zhang Lu also conveyed his intention to Zhang Lu's daughter Zhang Qiying.
"This is all Master Jun's intention. I hope Miss will not refuse."
