Pang De's troops entering Hanzhong caused more psychological pressure than physical harm to Zhang Lu and Zhang Wei.
For example, Zhang Wei, who was commanding the troops stationed at Baokou, learned that Pang De was coming from the east and was unaware of the strength of his troops. He was so frightened that he could not advance or retreat.
After some hesitation, Zhang Wei decided to withdraw his troops. However, Ma Chao, who had a keen sense of smell on the battlefield, discovered Zhang Wei's move and raised his troops to attack Zhang Wei's camp. The camp was broken, Zhang Wei was killed in the rebellion, and the sergeants under his tent were either captured by Ma Chao or fled to Nanzheng.
Nanzheng, government office hall.
"Master Shijun, Pang De fought his way out of Ziwu Valley and the Golden Guard was defeated. He then marched westward to assist Ma Chao's troops in Baokou. General Zhang wanted to move to the stronghold and withdraw his troops, but Ma Chao led his troops to attack fiercely. General Zhang was captured in the chaos. Kill, our army is defeated and cannot be defeated!"
The sergeant who escaped from the battlefield at Baokou and returned to Nanzheng wiped the sweat from his face and reported to Zhang Lu the ins and outs of the war.
Zhang Lu looked sad and said regretfully: "I want to surrender to Cao Cao, but I don't want to, and I have to lead the troops to fight. Now I am dead at the hands of Ma Chao, this is my fate!"
Yan Pu saw Zhang Lu sighing and said: "Master, General Zhang died in battle, Ma Chao's troops have been defeated. The troops from Guanxi entered Hanzhong, and Zhang Fei led his army in the south. Master should make a decision early in the morning. There is nothing to do now." Act like a son or daughter.”
Yan Pu, courtesy name Gongmiao, was born in Anhan, Brazil County. At that time, the four surnames Chen, Fan, Yan and Zhao were powerful in Badi. When Zhang Lu entered Hanzhong, Yan Pu followed him around and was highly regarded by Zhang Lu.
Although Yan Pu was not good at military strategy, he was able to determine the situation. In the past, when the world was in chaos, Zhang Lu wanted to claim the title of King of Han Ning. Yan Pu used Qi Huan Gong and Dou Rong as examples to advise Zhang Lu not to claim the title of king, so as not to cause trouble.
Zhang Lu wiped his tears and said: "The Duke was defeated and the soldiers were defeated. There are no soldiers in Hanzhong to stop Ma Chao, so I want to send an envoy to surrender to Duke Cao. What should I do?"
Yan Pu pondered for a while and said: "Master, when I surrendered to Duke Cao before the war, Duke Cao would be friendly to my master. Now that I have surrendered, Ma and Han will benefit. How can Duke Cao treat my master well? Why don't we lead the troops of Nanzheng?" Ma retreated to Bazhong and joined Du Yi, Pu Hu and others to wait and see the future situation in Hanzhong."
"What's the future situation?" Zhang Lu asked doubtfully.
Yan Pu nodded and said: "Zhang Fei is a tiger and wolf general. At the invitation of Liu Zhang, he went to the north to conquer Hanzhong. Now why not let Zhang Fei pass and let him fight with the horses and Han. If two tigers compete for food, one of them must be one. Injured. At that time, Shijun was aware of the situation and took control of Hanzhong, either to surrender to Cao Cao or to surrender to Liu Bei."
"Cao Cao, Liu Bei?" Zhang Lu thought for a while and asked, "Why not talk about Ma Han and Liu Zhang?"
Yan Pu stroked his beard and said: "Ma and Han were ordered by Cao Cao to attack me. It is better to surrender to Ma and Han than to surrender to Cao Gong. Liu Zhang is a master and enemy of the bandits. It is better to surrender to Liu Bei than to surrender to Liu Zhang."
Zhang Lu sneered and said: "Surrender to Liu Bei, and you will live in peace? Only if you surrender to Duke Cao, you may save your life and wealth."
In Zhang Lu's view, his mother died at the hands of Liu Zhang, and the two sides had been vendetta against each other for more than ten years, and the feud was deep. Now that Liu is invited to Shu by Liu Zhang, if he surrenders to Liu Bei, will An have a good ending?
"otherwise!"
Yan Pu shook his head and said: "Liu Zhang is weak and invites Zhang Fei to enter Shu. This is the way to destruction. Liu Bei, the great hero of the world, has defeated Wu Chu and has no intention of annexing Bashu? So why should you worry if your master surrenders to Liu Bei?" Liu Zhang'er!"
After a pause, Yan Pu emphasized: "However, Liu Bei is still close to Liu Zhang and cannot surrender to Liu. Ma and Han first entered Hanzhong, and Cao Gong was in Jingchu. They surrendered to Ma and Han now, and it is difficult for Cao Gong to treat him favorably."
Yan Pu had a thorough understanding of the current situation. Although Ma Han and Zhang Fei entered Hanzhong, they were just appetizers. The real behind-the-scenes parties, Cao Cao and Liu Bei, had not yet entered the battlefield. Today's situation is no longer under Zhang Lu's control. Whether it is Liu Bei or Cao Cao who surrenders to Cao Cao, it depends on which one takes Hanzhong.
Zhang Lu hesitated a little and said, "In that case, I'll leave Bazhong and stay with my family for the time being."
Li Xiu straightened his back, cupped his hands and said, "Master, since our army has marched into Bazhong, we must burn the Nanzheng treasury to prevent Zhang Fei, Ma Chao and others from benefiting."
Li Xiu, courtesy name Zilang, was born in Nanyang, Jingzhou. During the great chaos in Nanyang in the past, many people fled south to Jingzhou, but there were also people who went up the Han River and took refuge in Shangyong, Xicheng and Hanzhong.
Li Xiu moved his family to Hanzhong, where he was re-employed by Zhang Lu and worshiped as Army Sima. He has rough military skills, but also has the ability of civil and political affairs. He often has the desire to pursue wealth and honor. Li Xiu was one of the initiators of persuading Zhang Lu to become king.
Zhang Lu sighed and said: "I wanted to return to the country, but I just couldn't do it. I left Bazhong today to avoid the enemy's sharp edge, and I had no evil intentions. Moreover, the soldiers in Guanxi are rude and greedy for money. If they burn the treasury, the people of Hanzhong will be robbed. Gu Yu I can’t bear it.”
Yan Pu Yinghe said: "In the treasury of Nanzheng, Master has saved for decades, his house is full of money, and his warehouses of grain and grass are piled up. The horses and Han invaded Hanzhong, mostly for this reason!"
"If your master is burned and Ma Chao is angry, he may be chased by troops. Then it will be difficult for your master to leave and your life will be in danger. Why not use the Nanzheng treasury as bait to spread the news and lure Zhang Fei to rush to Nanzheng. Fight with Ma Chao to fight for money and food from the treasury."
Hanzhong is located in the middle of Daba Mountain and Qinling Mountains, surrounded by mountains. It is extremely difficult to transport grain and grass, and it is very difficult to transport logistics. If they cannot eat in Hanzhong, neither Zhang Fei nor Ma Chao will be able to stay in Hanzhong for a long time. However, if either party can obtain Nanzheng's money and food, it will have the material basis to fight a protracted war in Hanzhong.
"good!"
Seeing that Yan Pu supported him, Zhang Lu made up his mind and said: "Seal the treasury and leave Ma Chao, Han Sui and others. Tonight, lead the army east to Bazhong. Don't waste time."
"promise!"
——
Not to mention that Zhang Wei was defeated and Zhang Lu was frightened and ran away. After Ma Chao broke the praise, he stationed himself on the spot and released soldiers from various ministries to plunder Hanzhong.
In the big tent, Ma Chao sat on a chair with a smile on his face and said: "Zhang Wei is stationed in Baokou, and I am worried about this. Fortunately, Lingming succeeded in sneaking into Ziwu Valley. Zhang Wei was panicked and wanted to withdraw from the camp. Broken by me.”
"Ling Ming is the most brave and brave in the world, now I should show my merit to you!"
Pang De's serious face showed a smile and said: "Fortunately, the general's troops entered Baokou, Han Sui attacked Yangping, and Zhang Fei entered Hanping to disperse Zhang Lu's troops. Otherwise, the Ziwu Road was difficult and dangerous, and Zhang Lu deployed his army at the mouth of the valley. It would have been a waste of virtue. Died in the Golden Guard."
Pang De's success in walking the Ziwu Valley Road this time was not only because of God's blessing, but the most important thing was that he was marching as a partial army instead of the main force.
During the Three Kingdoms period, there are only three historical records of the Ziwu Valley Road. The first time, the people of Guanzhong fled Hanzhong through Ziwu South; the second time, Cao Zhen failed to attack Shu; the third time, Deng and Zhong destroyed Shu, and Zhong Hui raised his troops. One hundred thousand, take Hanzhong from Baoxie, Tangluo and Ziwu roads (note ①).
Except for the first time, the second and third times, Cao Wei was successful and defeated. Zhong Hui's success that time was not only due to God's good will, but also Jiang Wei's defensive strategy of abandoning encirclement, and Zhong Hui and Deng Ai's four-way marching policy.
If the army takes the Ziwu Valley, it will be dragged down by logistics and roads. In addition, God is not beautiful, and it is inevitable to return without success.
Of course, Ma Chao, who entered Hanzhong now, would not consider the issue of Ziwu Valley, but was shocked by the information revealed by Pang De.
"Zhang Fei is in Hanping?" Ma Chao was very surprised and said in disbelief: "Cao Cao is marching south to Wu Chu, and Zhang Fei is not in Wu Chu. How can he be in Bashu and be driven north by Liu Zhang?"
Pang De's face became serious again and he said: "I heard from the generals in Hanzhong that Liu Zhang was afraid that our army would go south and capture Hanzhong and take Bashu. Therefore, he asked Liu Bei to send troops to Shu to defend against the enemy. Zhang Fei therefore entered Shu. We are now taking the Micang Road and have arrived at Hanping Pass. Our army has broken through the Baokou defense line, and I am afraid that Zhang Fei will also break through Hanping Pass in the near future..."
Just because Zhang Fei learned that Ma and Han were heading south does not mean that Ma Chao knew Zhang Fei's movements. Bashu is isolated, and it is separated from Guanzhong by Zhang Lu, Hanzhong. Cao Cao knew that Zhang Fei had entered Shu, but he deliberately blocked the news. Ma Chao only found out now.
Ma Chao frowned and said: "I originally wanted to break the praise, surrender to Nanzheng, reject Han Sui at Yangping Pass, and sit alone in Hanzhong. Now that Zhang Fei has entered Hanzhong, it may not be as good as I want!"
Ma Chao originally wanted to take Hanzhong, and used the opportunity to carve up Hanzhong as an excuse to kill Han Sui and annex his tribe. Then, relying on Hanzhong, they won over the Qiang and Di tribes and advanced into Longyou, thus separatizing one side. Now Zhang Fei suddenly appeared and completely destroyed Ma Chao's plan, catching him off guard.
"Report!"
Just when Ma Chao was worried, a scout went into the account and reported, "General, Zhang Lu was afraid of the power of our army, so he abandoned Nanzheng and went to Bazhong. Now the city's treasury is completely empty, and it seems that there are decades of savings hidden away."
Ma Dai happily said: "Brother, our army will enter Hanzhong first and take Nanzheng immediately. If we can get the treasury and supplies, Hanzhong will be ours. Han Sui and Zhang Fei will not have anything to worry about."
"God help me!"
Ma Chao shook his fist excitedly and laughed heartily and said: "I was worried that Zhang Wei would die at my hands. Zhang Lu did not want to surrender me, but wanted to surrender Zhang Fei. At that time, Zhang Lu was being used by Zhang Fei, and we were waiting for the necessary Alliance with Han Sui."
After saying that, Ma Chao stood up and said with a smile: "Now Zhang Lu Yao is very wise and has sealed the money in the treasury. Now it should be used by me. Ling Ming, I order you to be the vanguard and lead the troops to take Nanzheng quickly." The rest of the troops marched with me, defeated Zhang Fei and returned."
After a pause, Ma Chao ordered again: "Let someone persuade the defenders of Yangping Pass to surrender to me, not Han Sui."
"No!" Everyone responded with their hands raised.
① "Three Kingdoms·Zhong Hui Zhuan": Liu Qin, the prefect of Wei Xing, went to Ziwu Valley, and all the armies were parallel.
PS: There are typos in this chapter, I will correct them later.
(End of chapter)
