The battle in Nanzheng was so smooth that even the words "devastating" are not enough to describe the speed of the Shu army's surrender. Less than a month after dispatching troops from Chencang, Xifu soldiers captured most of the troops in Hanzhong County. Not only did they achieve their original goals, they even had room to expand their results. In contrast, the most successful scenario originally envisioned was only taking three months to capture Yangping Pass. This is why when Duan Xuan and others met with Chen Chong in Nanzheng, they all felt ashamed when they remembered the previous opposition, and then praised Chen Chong for his martial prowess.
Chen Chong was also quite amused, and thought happily in his heart: After decades of fighting, this is the first time he has fought so smoothly. This shows that sometimes war requires not only detailed preparations on his own, but also the cooperation of the enemy's idiots. yes.
However, even though he was disdainful in his heart, on the surface Chen Chong did not miss anything and still treated Zhang Lu preferentially. On the night when Zhang Lu ordered Nanzheng to leave, Chen Chong personally untied Zhang Lu and treated Zhang Lu with the courtesy of a prince. He promised him: "When I return to the capital, I will report to the emperor and grant him the title of Qian." House." During the meal the next day, Chen Chong said to Zhang Lu again: "Since Gong Qi is familiar with the customs of Shu, and I have just arrived, and things are difficult to deal with, you might as well stay by my side and give me more advice. "
Zhang Lu was flattered, thanked him repeatedly, and then said with emotion: "When the Prime Minister came, I was praying to Yuanshi Tianzun, hoping that I would be prosperous. Who expected that after the worship ceremony, the Prime Minister's troops arrived, and I was lucky enough to have an interview with the Prime Minister. It can be seen that It is God's will that brings me to Beitou." Then he said, "I heard that the Prime Minister is quite knowledgeable in hermeneutics, but I wonder if he has any in-depth study in metaphysics?"
Chen Chong replied: "I am familiar with the Tao Te Ching and the Nan Hua Jing, but I really only have a partial understanding of the Three Cave Sutras of your sect." Seeing that Zhang Lu seemed about to start a long speech, he declined and said, "But I have no obsession with immortality. If Gongqi wants to preach, he can wait until we return to Beijing and study Gonglun in Taipei."
After Zhang Lu surrendered, he spread the orders of Mi Taoist Master to all the counties in Hanzhong, ordering them to offer wine and pacify the people. When the remaining defenders in Shu such as Shangyong and Fangling in the lower reaches heard about it, they also immediately abandoned the city and fled. , fled straight to Xiangyang along the Han River, but this is a story for another day.
But now, the question before everyone in Xifu is whether to take advantage of the victory and go south. The attack on Hanzhong progressed so quickly, giving the Han army plenty of time to make strategic choices. According to Zhang Lu's estimation, the information about the encounter with the enemy at Yangping Pass may not have had time to spread to Jiangzhou, and now that the Hanzhong Army Corps has formally surrendered to Chen Chong, the Shu army at Baishui Pass may not even know about it. If handled properly, taking advantage of the situation and crushing Yizhou in one fell swoop is no longer a dream.
Chen Chong held a military meeting with the generals in the army on this matter. He said on this matter: "Although we have captured Hanzhong, our foundation is not stable. If we continue to move south, although we may achieve a big result, the risk is not small. After all, The Jinniu Road is full of dangers. If we cannot overcome it quickly, we will be outnumbered by the time Liu Fan brings his troops back from Jiangling. Once we are frustrated, we will most likely retreat to Chencang in a single battle, and all the results gained at this moment will not be preserved."
After the great victory in Nanzheng, the generals were originally happy and full of ambition, and were about to follow Chen Chong to establish greater achievements. Unexpectedly, the coach poured cold water on them, which made them unprepared. They looked at each other for a moment, and their restless blood slowly calmed down. Duan Yan supported suspending the offensive. He said: "Since the goal has been achieved, there is no need to rush. Your Majesty is currently in a decisive battle with the Eastern Bandits in Hebei. It is really impossible to mobilize reinforcements to support us. If the war further expands, it will not be a good thing for the country."
Duan Xuan was quite famous in the Xifu. Since he expressed his opinion, even if the other generals were dissatisfied, they were gradually eliminated. Just when everyone thought the matter was finalized, Zhang Lu, who was watching, suddenly said: "Concerning this matter, the Prime Minister can ask someone for his opinion. If he agrees to help, it will not be difficult to manage Bashu."
Chen Chong was startled and asked, "Who is that? Is there any great talent in Sichuan?"
Zhang Lu replied fluently: "Why did the prime minister forget Cheng Ming? He was Pan Jun, the governor of Nanzheng appointed by Liu Fan? He was a famous scholar recruited by Liu Fan in Wuling three years ago. He was quite popular with Liu Fan. He was in the Palace of the Prince of Shu. After staying for almost a year, he succeeded Zhang Ren as the governor of Nanzheng. In addition to my Hanzhong garrison, the passes of Jinniu Road were also under his control. He knew the layout of the cities in Bashu well. If he was willing to help the prime minister, why Are you worried about the injustice between Bashu and Bashu?"
Chen Chong suddenly realized it, slapped his forehead and said, "I forgot about this person! Gongqi is right." But then he got angry again.
I was a little worried, thinking: Liu Fan treated him so kindly, it would not be easy to get his help. But without further ado, he immediately took people to see Pan Jun.
After Switch surrendered, Pan Jun asked Duan Yan to resign and beg for release. Since the overall situation had been decided, Duan Yan agreed to his request and released him to Daonan Zheng's mansion. In the past few days, despite the constant mobilization of the Western Dynasty in the city, he only closed the door of his mansion tightly. Except for ordinary drinking, he had no sworn worship on weekdays, and looked like a hermit who lived in seclusion in the city.
When Chen Chong arrived, his son Pan Zhu heard that the Prime Minister was visiting and quickly led his family out to greet him, but Pan Jun was nowhere to be seen. Chen rushed to him for details. Pan Zhu lowered his head and replied: "While your Excellency is trying to repay the country, you are also thinking deeply about the kindness of your old master. As a result, you have a heart disease. You don't know whether you should come to see the Prime Minister."
When Chen Chong heard this, he immediately knew that Pan Jun was willing to surrender, but because of his reputation, he just wanted to make a show of his own. So he suddenly became moved and said to Pan Zhu: "I have long heard that Pan Jun has a reputation for loyalty. Now that I have seen it, it is indeed true. It's just that the country is in trouble and it is the time for wise men to show their talents and save the people. We have to Don’t force me, Mr. Pan!”
So under the leadership of Pan Zhu, Chen Chong came to Pan Jun's room. After signing up, he knocked on the door, but no one responded. He had to push the door and go in. Then he saw a middle-aged man sobbing and crying in front of the bed, facing Chen Chong. He said: "A defeated general is ashamed of himself before the King of Shu. How can he have the dignity to bow to the Prime Minister?"
Chen Chong didn't expect that he was acting like this, and was extremely annoyed for a while, but he still suppressed his nausea and persuaded him nicely: "A good minister who has served the country in the Ming Dynasty must give up the country of ten thousand people and become loyal to one person?" Then he cited the ancient and modern stories. Two examples: "Peng Zhongshuang was originally a senior official of the State of Shen. He entered Chu as prime minister and helped King Wen of Chu establish his hegemony. Cen Peng was a new general who knew the time and fortune. He was driven by his ancestors and eventually became a leader. These are all things today. The good words passed down by word of mouth should be used by Cheng Ming to encourage himself and make a living for the people of Jiuzhou." After saying that, he took another wet wipe and wiped Pan Jun's tears himself. At this point, Pan Jun stayed down to thank him and agreed to plan Bashu for Chen Chong, and Chen Chong had to reciprocate the favor and promoted him to the position of Lieutenant General in public.
And that night, Pan Jun also changed from Liu Fan's previous attitude of being a loyal minister. He quickly took out an extremely detailed geographical map of Bashu mountains and rivers from home and told Chen Chong about Liu Fan's arrangements in the counties.
After leading his army out of Jiangling, Liu Fan divided the remaining legions in Yizhou into five parts, which were deployed in Hanzhong, Langzhong, Mianzhu, Zitong, and Nanzhong. Among them, the Hanzhong section with 40,000 troops was the largest, and now all of them have been captured by the Xifu. The total strength of the remaining ministries is only 30,000. Among them, Mianzhu, as the capital of the Shu Dynasty, had 10,000 people left, Nanzhong was to pacify the southern barbarians, with 10,000 people left, and the remaining Zitong and Langzhong tribes only had 5,000 people stationed there.
When Chen Chong heard this, he thought in his mind that the 10,000 people in Nanzhong were too far apart and beyond their reach. It could be said that the enemy forces that needed to be dealt with at the moment were actually only 20,000 people in Langzhong, Zitong, and Mianzhu. In terms of military strength, Xifu does have an absolute advantage, but this is only the situation of one place. The leader must observe the overall situation and make more considerations.
So Chen Chong asked again: "How many people did Liu Fan take away? When is Liu Fan expected to get the news and when will he be able to return to help Shu? Who are these four generals? In your opinion, where can I attack? ?」
Pan Jun was well prepared for this and immediately replied: "Now the king of Shu is moving eastward, and there are about 60,000 Shu people under his command. After taking Jiangling, he has gained 50,000 Chu people. But if he wants to come back to help Bashu, I am afraid he will have to keep some people." To defend Jingzhou, I estimate that I can bring up to 80,000 people back to help. But the mountains are high and the roads are far away, and the river road is difficult to travel. If we want to reach Jiangzhou, it will take two months at the earliest."
As for the generals of each department, Pan Jun also knew them all well. He pointed at the map and said: "Zitong's general is Leng Bao. He has defeated many rebels. He is known as a veteran general in Shu. He is not familiar with me, but the deputy general I am from the same hometown as Gongzhi of Youyang, and maybe he can help me. The prime minister should know the chief general of Langzhong, Zhang Liao of Yanmen. Last year, he made great achievements in the battle of entering the pass, so he was promoted by the king of Shu, and the deputy general It is Nanyang Li Yan. Their unit is the most elite, with about 3,000 cavalry, which should not be underestimated. As for the prefecture government of Mianzhu, Liu Jiyu is in charge, led by Liu Zichu (Liu Ba) of Haoyang and Wu Ziyuan (Wu Yi) of Chenliu Fuzuo, these two are both well-known celebrities in the world, but they can only defend the city, but cannot fight in the field."
"As for the art of attack, Jun did not dare to compare with the prime minister. He only knew how to adapt to people's conditions. Among the three, Zhang Liao was the best.
Yong, Leng Bao came second, and Liu Zhang came last, but in fact Liu Zhang was the main one. However, Liu Zhang has a weak nature. Although he knows benevolence and righteousness, he has no ambition and cannot control brave generals. As long as the Prime Minister can defeat Zhang and Leng's troops and march to Mianzhu City, even though Mianzhu City has a lot of grain and wealth, it can support 100,000 people for a year. But as long as Liu Zhang loses his temper, he will surely surrender his life and wait for the prime minister's appointment. "
This conversation can really be said to have revealed everything. With the help of Pan Junxiang, Chen Chong had a clear understanding of the situation in Yizhou, and he was sixty percent sure of how to act. He held another military meeting the next day to discuss strategy with the generals, and finally decided on the direction to continue the attack. He then wrote the meeting into a memorial and sent a letter to the Chang'an court.
