On the third day of August in the eleventh year of Jianxing, Han Ning and Zhang Lang received an urgent report from the sentry cavalry. Liu Yao, the puppet Zhao lord of the Xiongnu, has personally led an army of 170,000 to pour into the country. It is divided into a line from Didao to Jincheng. Camp near the river, more than 100 miles, the sound of bells and drums boiling the river moving, since ancient times, the prosperity of the military has not been Sibi.

The generals of Liangzhou changed color when they heard it. Zhang Lang doesn't think about tea and dinner every day, and often goes to the city to look. Seeing that three miles outside Jincheng, the Zhao army camp was strong, and the army was strictly organized. As soon as you go up to the city, you will stand all day. Jincheng County now has few major generals, although it occupies a favorable location, it is surrounded by mountains on both sides and faces water on one side. And in order to deal with the possible military attack and siege of the Zhao army, the city was full of grain, and more than 100 wells were drilled.

However, Han Pu was sent by Zhang Zhijun to march south, and now the combined strength of the troops on both sides of the strait is only five or six thousand. If you want to deal with such a large-scale attack by Liu Zhao, it still seems that the troops are a little thin.

Han Ning on the north shore, after hearing the report, also couldn't sleep at night. He summoned the generals to repeatedly convene military meetings to discuss the current countermeasures. However, discussions came and went, and the opinions of the generals at this time were also unexpectedly unanimous: be sure to defend yourself and never attack rashly.

The results of the previous outpost battle have long been reported to the county government. Han Ning also specially dispatched a team of 100 people to send the severed heads of the Zhao army back to the state to show off his martial arts. However, in just a few days, the situation took a turn for the worse. Liu Zhao seemed to have not been affected by the defeat of the outpost battle at all. It is still a strict organization of the troops, and there is a basis for advance and retreat.

In this way, even if Li Yanzhao faced this critical situation, he did not have any clever way to break the enemy. After all, the disparity in strength is too great, and for the moment, there is only one way to stick to it. The generals also have a clear view of this situation.

The messengers in the army galloped non-stop on the official roads, sending the news to the county capitals and the governors of Guzang. A few days after Liu Yao's army arrived on the front line in Longxi, Zhang Envoy Jun in the state had already received a report of Liu Zhao's military action.

Zhang Mao, who had originally received the news of Han Ning's victory in the outpost battle, heard the military reports from all walks of life, and the clouds of sorrow began to permeate the heart of this envoy. Zhang Yuanjun convened several humeral strategists to discuss countermeasures, and often discussed the situation in the Assassin's Mansion, but these humeral strategists could not come up with a reasonable and feasible charter to defend against the enemy.

It's no wonder. Since Zhang took over the management of Liangzhou's military and political affairs, Liangzhou has never been threatened by such a large-scale external invasion. Even after the Yongjia year, there was a great chaos in Longxi, Guanzhong, and countless people fled to Liangzhou, but the population of Liangzhou was still very limited.

A limited population means that there is not enough labor needed for production. Therefore, although Liangzhou maintained trade with the countries of the Western Regions, and the various high-ranking clans in the state also had their own caravans between Liangzhou and the Western Regions, the income of the state has been maintained at a high level, but because of the shortage of labor, it has led to an unfavorable situation of few soldiers and less food. In the face of the invasion of powerful foreign enemies, it is inevitable that they will be overstretched and their strength will not be able to handle it.

What's more, under the current situation, the elite troops of the state are all on the front line of Jicheng and Sangbi, led by Han Pu and Yin Jian, and have become the nail households of Liangzhou's actual military presence in the Longxi region. These state elites are indeed worthy of the name of elite, and the two lonely cities have survived for more than a month under the attack of Liu Zhaoqiang's army, but they still do not show fatigue.

After seeing the strong combat power of the defenders of the two cities, Liu Zhao also had to temporarily give up the strong attack on the two cities, and instead left enough superior forces to besiege and monitor the two cities.

This crisis also made Zhang Yuanjun like an ant on a hot pot, restless. The humerus senate is convened every day, but every day it is a general talk. In today's critical situation, no one can come up with a pragmatic strategy to change the current desperate situation.

After another day of discussion but no results, when the backbone of the subordinate scholars and the ministers were all dispersed, Zhang Mao also walked to the hall of the Assassin's Mansion and looked to the south. There hung a first-quarter moon in the sky like a bow. Zhang Mao knew very well that hundreds of miles to the south, north and south of the Great River, Liangzhou was experiencing the biggest crisis and test since their Zhang clan took power.

Zhang Mao was looking at the night sky and sighing to himself, but he heard a respectful and soft call not far away: "Uncle." ”

Zhang Mao looked back, but it was his baby nephew, Zhang Jun, the future heir of Liangzhou.

Since the last time he was caught and hung overnight by the cavalry general of the Guangwu Army, his precious nephew has learned a lot. In Gu Zangyin's case, there was no longer that disturbing public security report. Obviously, that unpleasant experience left a profound lesson for this precious nephew, as well as a lingering psychological shadow.

Recently, Zhang Jun is diligent and studious. Obviously, he has returned to the era when he was a child, and everyone spoke highly of him. Looking at his precious nephew, Zhang Mao sighed softly, then walked two steps over, took Zhang Jun's hand, and said quietly: "Court, I will inherit the ancestor Yu De, pretend to take this state, the upper wants to live up to the Jin family, and the lower wants to protect the people." Although China is in turmoil today, the emperor's public opinion is spreading, you should carefully abide by the festival of people and ministers, and there is no loss. ”

Since Zhang Jun's weak crown, Zhang Mao often called him a cousin, instead of calling him a milk name. Out of the ardent expectations of the elders for the younger generations, Zhang Mao hopes that this nephew can grow up as soon as possible and take on the important responsibility of Liangzhou pastor. In this era of the fall of Liangjing and the rampant Wuhu, Liangzhou, as the only non-Hu regime that formed a de facto existence in the north, had a heavy responsibility, and although it was quiet internally, there was no external help, which also made her bear too much pressure in this era.

The stormy Liangzhou is now ushering in the biggest crisis, Zhang Mao only feels that the future is bleak, so the sigh he made to his nephew is more like his last words before he dies.

During the day, he convened all the strategists to discuss the matter, and Ma Qi, who joined the army, suggested that Zhang Mao gather almost all the available troops in Liangzhou and personally recruit Liu Yao. And Chang Shi Yanyi raised fierce objections to this. In the inner hall of the Assassin's Mansion, the two quarreled in front of Zhang Mao and Song, Yin, Suo and other local scholars. The two of them were red-faced, and they almost jumped up and staged an all-martial arts show in front of Zhang Mao.

The result of the quarrel was also unpleasant in the end. And Zhang Mao himself has not yet made up his mind whether to carry out this mobilization and pro-conscription of the people and money.

Since his father Zhang Liang took over Liangzhou, he has followed the Zhang family, loyal and good at fighting Song Pei, at the beginning of the year, he also died of illness in Xiping Taishou.

Nowadays, among the Song clan, the Yin clan and other scholars, it seems that there are only a few generals such as Yang Lie's generals Song Ji and Zuo Sima Yinyuan left. However, these people are not much worse than Song Pei, who once broke the rebellion of Ruo Luo Ba Neng with a thousand horses, and led 20,000 cavalry to guard Chang'an, and went east to the country.

After thinking hard, it was difficult for Zhang Mao to make a sound judgment on the current situation. He secretly made up his mind that if the situation was weak, he could only follow Ma Qi's advice, mobilize the whole people, and go out in person.

"Uncle is hesitant to fight for the frontline battle in Jincheng?" Zhang Jun looked at his uncle who was frowning, and asked with words.

"Pseudo-Zhao is strong and menacing this time. The survival of our state is all tied to this. There's no room for a half-point difference. Zhang Mao put his right hand on his forehead and sighed.

"Ma joined the army and Changshi during the day, arguing in front of his uncle, and his little nephew also heard about it. Uncle felt that it was difficult to make a decision at this time, so he hesitated? ”

"At this time, it is the autumn harvest, if the whole country is a soldier, no one harvests between the acres of land, and the livelihood of the people, how will it be maintained in the coming year? How can the peasants use their blades in a hurry? If it is defeated by the Zhao army, it will be doomed! Zhang Mao talked about the military affairs at this time, and his words were full of unoptimism.

"The little nephew secretly thought that although the peasants were useless, they guarded the river with great momentum, and they must have forced the pseudo-Zhao not to dare to move lightly." Zhang Jun listened to his uncle's tangled mood, and while speaking of comfort, he expressed his opinion.

"The little nephew Guan joined the army Chen Zhen, although he was silent and silent, he was proficient in military strategy and quite brave. Why didn't my uncle call him to ask for advice? Seeing that his uncle Zhang Mao was silent for a long time, Zhang Jun continued to speak, saying that Chen Zhen was available, and asked his uncle Zhang Mao to summon him to ask for a plan, and he had the right to try.

"Chen Zhen......" Zhang Mao was quite moved when he heard this, thought for a moment, and then nodded slowly to his nephew.