There was a faction in Jingzhou that rebelled against Cao Cao, and Ma Liang was also a natural member of this faction because his father and friends were all members of this faction.

Ma Liang was young and generous and worried about the world, and he was young and vigorous.

He worked with Guan Ping, who was also young and vigorous, as well as Zhang Bao, Ding Feng, Liao Hua and others under his command, and was very energetic.

Everyone is like-minded and enterprising.

Now Guan Ping sits in Fangling, appointed as the Taishou, Yang Wuzhonglang General, Zhu Sima guards the city and the danger, Changshi, Gong Cao, the main book and Zhu Cao's small officials, the Fangling business is thriving.

The biggest problem restricting Fangling today is population. The population makes Fangling more than well guarded, and not enterprising.

If Ma Liang didn't know that there were thousands of households in this western mountainous area, now that he knew, he would naturally have to find ways to win it.

After pondering for a long time, Ma Liang raised his head and said, "I want to go west into the mountain and persuade Bawang Hu Shu to go down the mountain with a three-inch tongue." Zhang Sima, please prepare a guide and be responsible for guiding the way. ”

Zhang Bao was dumbfounded, and then shook his head and said, "Ma Changshi." You are the governor of the county, coordinating the soldiers and horses. The role of status is still above the leader of my generation. The king of Naba, Hu Shu, was barbaric, and was exploited by the government, so he hid in the mountains and called himself the king of Ba, and he hated the government very much. When you go to the mountains, will you not go and never return? When I gather the troops and horses, I can send troops to the mountains at the end of the year to capture this guy. ”

Ma Liang shook his head and said, "Time doesn't wait for me." If you wait for the end of the year to gather your troops and horses, and then attack the mountains, after the victory, it will be the beginning of next year. Cao Cao in the north encroached on the Yuan brothers, and could integrate the army to the south at any time. We not only need to run Fangling, but we also need to send troops outside to occupy more land in the city. There is a huge difference between a year later and a year earlier. ”

"Although I am young and not as powerful as Su Qin and Zhang Yi, I am confident that I can still convince that little little bawang ." Ma Liang's face showed a look and said confidently.

Zhang Bao scratched his head when he heard this, and said: "I also know that Su Qin and Zhang Yi are lobbying people, but they are lobbying the princes of various countries, and the princes are reasonable. Naba King Hu Shu is a rough man like me, but I am afraid that he will slaughter you with a knife. ”

"Since Ma Changshi is so courageous, I, Zhang Bao, am not a bad breed, and I also have my own force. I will go with you to be a guard, if you can't talk, you can also find a way to take the king of Naba, and learn from my two Bo Wanjun to take the head of the general. "Zhang Bao is a righteous person, but he will not let Ma Liang return to danger alone.

If Ma Liang, the long history, lost his life in my territory, do I still want to save face?

But as she spoke, Zhang Bao became excited.

Ahh

If Ma Liang's tongue worked and persuaded Ba Wang Hu Shu to go down the mountain and defect, everyone would naturally be happy. If I can't convince him, I will use force to capture the king of Naba.

That's even more gratifying.

I'm going to have a great reputation.

This is the difference between Zhang Bao and Zhao Tong and Mi Wei, this stinky boy has an enterprising heart, good martial arts, and is a good seedling to succeed his father Zhang Fei.

Ma Liang was a little moved when he heard this, if the three-inch tongue was not successful, then finding a way to capture Bawang Hu Shu with Zhang Bao seemed to be a good backup strategy.

But Ma Liang hesitated again and said, "If the two of us have a case, how can this Qucheng be good?" ”

But it was not that he was afraid of death, but that he was afraid of dying in vain, which led Bawang Hushu to go down the mountain to attack Qu County, and the people of this city suffered hardship.

"Don't worry, my battalion Sima is a proper person given to me by my father, General Zhang, and there is no problem in organizing people to garrison a city." Zhang Bao was very relieved.

"That being the case. I also ask Zhang Sima to recruit guides, we will recharge our energy today and set off again tomorrow. Ma Liang relieved himself and nodded and said.

So Zhang Bao selected five capable veterans in the army (Zhang Fei's personal soldiers in the past), recruited three guides with a lot of money, and prepared supplies and entourage.

The next day, together with Ma Liang, he went to the western mountains.

Daba Mountain does not refer to a mountain, but a continuous mountain range. The south is Daba Mountain, the north is the Qinling Mountains, two east-west horizontal mountain ranges, blocking the Guanzhong area and Bashu.

There is a plain between Daba Mountain and Qinling, which is the Hanzhong Plain.

Because it is a horizontal mountain range from east to west, there is no official road after entering Daba Mountain from Fangling, and there was not even a path before.

However, since Hu Shu guarded the mountain and claimed to be the king of Ba, he went down the mountain from time to time to plunder, so there was a small road to connect Fangling.

The mountain road in Fangling is difficult to walk, but after all, it is an official road. And not to mention the wild mountain road on Daba Mountain, compared with it, the official road of Fangling is regarded as Zhuangkang Avenue.

Ma Liang and his group walked for three days before advancing the eighty or ninety miles of mountain road.

At noon on that day, we came to the bottom of a large mountain. Looking at the mountains, there are many stockades, and at a glance, you can know that it is a bandit's nest.

"Lord Sima, Lord Changshi. This mountain is called the Iron Pestle Mountain, and the king of Naba Hu Shu is entrenched on the top of the mountain. Hu Shu is savage, so we sent it here. ”

The three guides who had been invited with a lot of money stopped here, showing a look of fear, and did not dare to move forward.

Ma Liang and Zhang Bao didn't expect the three guides to play any role, so they agreed to stay with the three of them, bringing five elite soldiers and entourage supplies to the cottage.

The group was stopped by a bandit leader on the road, and after Ma Liang and Zhang Bao reported their identities, they were introduced into the cottage.

Ma Liang took the opportunity to take a look, this cottage could not be more simple, the defense layout was simply full of loopholes, in fact, it was a nest of rogue bandits.

I heard that Zhou Cang was also a bandit back then, and it is estimated that this group of people is not as professional as Zhou Cang's father and son.

However, although the village is not very good, there are many houses, and the rough estimate of the population is indeed two or three thousand. Judging from the people who are active in the village, it is indeed a mixture of Bahan.

And most of them are ragged, yellow and thin.

Although being a bandit is a promising profession, if you want to be rich, you also have to rely on good skills. For the thieves at the bottom, it also depends on whether the leader is generous, and after intercepting the goods, a bowl of water is level, and everyone has food and drink.

Obviously, Bawang Hushu is not too friendly to ordinary bandits.

Because Ma Liang saw that there were also some people in the cottage who were wearing clothes made of silk cloth, with fat heads and big ears.

Ma Liang came to the conclusion that this was a group of bandits who were not very powerful, nor was it a group of bandits who were united in their hearts. Hu Shu, the bandit leader who claims to be the king of Ba, is just a dry bone in a grave.

But the times make heroes.

Because Bawang Hushu was guarding this place and cut off the road to the mountains further west, Ma Liang had to come here in person.

After Ma Liang, Zhang Bao and others entered the cottage, they were taken outside a tall village. Outside the stockade, there are many strong bandits guarding them, eyeing them.

The bandit leader who came in with a group of people went into the stockade and made a report. Then he came out to Ma Liang again, and Zhang Bao said, "King Ba invites the two of you to go in." ”

"However, weapons need to be disarmed, and the entourage is not allowed to enter the village."

The words of the bandit leader caused a commotion among the five elite soldiers brought by Zhang Bao, and the five people looked at Zhang Bao. These five are all outlaws, and with one Zhang Bao, they dare to make trouble here.

But Zhang Bao stopped the five people, and then glanced at Ma Liang. Ma Liang smiled and arched his hand and said, "The entourage will naturally stay outside, and Zhang Sima and I can just go in." But these two swords are face. The rule of the Han people is to meet the county guard, and the assassin can also wear a sword, and the sword cannot be removed. Besides, Zhang Sima is a military general, but I am a civil official. Are you still afraid of what the two of us are doing in the stockade? ”

The bandit leader was speechless, and then went in. After some communication, the bandit leader returned to the stockade and invited Ma Liang and Zhang Bao in.

There was a mess in the village, first of all, there was a stench. Secondly, there are quite a few statues with feathers in them, painted in red, possibly blood.

There was a brazier burning in the center of the stockade, and there was a seat in the north of the stockade, under which was a bearskin, on which sat a fierce Ba man.

Needless to say, this person is Bawang Hushu.

There are also two teams of people standing in the stockade, standing on the left and right. There were five men each, armed with spears and dressed in messy leather armor.

"The widow is the king of Ba. What are you looking for? Hu Shu asked condescendingly, his Chinese was very good, but his tone was very stiff, and he knew at a glance that he was not a good person.

And rightfully so. Hu Shu was originally a citizen under the mountain, but because he was a Ba person, he had a bad life, and he was exploited by the government, so he went up the mountain in anger and called himself the king of Ba, and it was strange that he had a good impression of the government.

Zhang Bao wanted to laugh, this grass king actually claimed to be a widow.

"The king is brave and good at fighting, and guards the Iron Pestle Mountain. The county was very embarrassed, so he sent me up the mountain and asked the king to come down the mountain. As long as the king leads the men and horses down the mountain, the king is allowed to use thousands of acres of fertile land, ten beauties, millions of money, and 100 silk cloths. ”

Ma Liang bowed and saluted, his long sleeves hanging down, and his demeanor was calm and polite.

Zhang Bao admired it very much, this sycophant and temptation, he could say it so calmly.

These literati are so thick-skinned.

Promising heavy profits, this is Ma Liang's strategy.

Hu Shu didn't buy it, and sneered: "The widow will believe the words of your government? I'm afraid that the widow will go down the mountain today, and tomorrow he will go to the vegetable market to ask for beheading. If that's what the two of you are here for, then get out of here. The widow has a bad temper, and if you two talk a lot, the widow will drag you out and kill you. ”

"Hey, hey." The ten spear-wielding guards in the stockade smiled, but it was a threat.

Ma Liang smiled calmly: "Does the king know that at present, the three counties of Fangling and Shangyong have been merged into one county, called Fangling County?" ”

"What if you know?" Hu Shu said impatiently, with a fierce glint in his eyes. He is not simply intimidating, if Ma Liang is crooked again, he will dare to kill people.

"Our Guan Taishou is the son of Guan Gong, the general of Hanshou Hou Zuo, and Guan Gong has 50,000 troops in Xinye, all of whom are elite soldiers. Fangling County also has 30,000 elite soldiers. Dare to ask the king, how many of your people, men, women, and children, combined, are there five thousand? Ma Liangli couldn't be tempted, so he turned to threaten.