Soon after Cao Pi was proclaimed emperor, Liu Bei was proclaimed emperor in Yizhou.

Then Sun Quan also proclaimed himself emperor in Jiaozhou.

The only one who did not claim the title of emperor was Zhang Lu in Hanzhong.

It's not that Zhang Lu is loyal to the Han family, but that Yizhou Liu Bei, Yecheng Cao Pi and Shouchun Cao Shuo are all wooing him.

Cao Shuo even sent Tian Feng and Jiang Gan to stay in Hanzhong.

Tian Feng and Jiang Gan would ask to see Zhang Lu every day.

I have long heard of Cao Shuo's name, and I also know that he has almost never lost since he first led the army, although he has never had any contact with him, Zhang Lu still has a deep fear of him.

As for Cao Pi.

He once led his army into Hanzhong, and although he was ultimately defeated by Zhang Lu, it also shocked Zhang Lu.

As for Liu Bei, he had also sent envoys several times.

Since Liu Bei entered Sichuan, Yizhou has been governed by him in an orderly manner.

With the growth of military and financial resources, Liu Bei has long had plans to annex Hanzhong.

If Cao Shuo was closer, Zhang Lu would definitely not hesitate to serve him.

But Cao Shuo's territory was in the east, too far away from Hanzhong, and once he surrendered to him, Zhang Lu was likely to face attacks from both Cao Pi and Liu Bei.

Either way, with the strength of Hanzhong, it is difficult to resist.

It is for this reason that he has been slow to make a decision.

In Zhang Lu's study, Tian Feng and Jiang Gan sat on either side, and their eyes fell on his face.

Twisting his brows, Zhang Lu's face was very ugly.

"It's not that I don't want to follow Zirong Gongzi, but Hanzhong is too far away from Shouchun." Zhang Lu said: "Liu Xuande Lu Bu sent people to persuade him, and Cao Zihuan also asked people to come here to see me many times. The two of them also know that Hanzhong is a small place, with few soldiers and few soldiers, and there is not much food, so no one can afford to offend. ”

Zhang Lu was not an official canonized by the Han family, he started with Taoism in his early years, so his foundation was not very stable.

The Central Plains has been fighting for many years, and Hanzhong is far away from war, and there has been some development in recent years.

But after all, Zhang Lu's ability is not as good as Liu Bei and Cao Cao and others.

Liu Bei arrived in Yizhou, and with the talents under his command and his own ability, he quickly put Yizhou in order.

At that time, Yizhou, which was in charge of Liu Zhang, had a military strength similar to that of Hanzhong.

At this time, Yizhou had hundreds of thousands of troops.

Although it was not enough to compete with the Cao family, it was not difficult to destroy Hanzhong, and Zhang Lu was of course very jealous of him.

Of course, Tian Feng and Jiang Gan knew what he was embarrassed about.

"Before we came to Hanzhong, Gongzi once told us that Hanzhong is a treasure land, and if it is not guarded by General Zhang, it is inevitable that it will not be affected by the war over the years." Tian Feng said: "I also know what the general is embarrassed about, Shouchun is indeed too far away from Hanzhong. ”

"If only you two could understand my struggles." Zhang Lu sighed: "Once I swear to serve Zirong Gongzi, I'm afraid that Yecheng and Yizhou will point the finger at Hanzhong." At that time, even if Gongzi sends troops to help, I'm afraid it will be too late. ”

"The general is too contemptuous of the childe." Jiang Gan said on the side: "I only had the opportunity to get close to the eldest son in the first battle of Chibi, he is wise and ignorant of others, and he never sticks to clichés. In my opinion, although Shouchun is not close to Hanzhong, if anyone dares to be unfavorable to the general, Gongzi will definitely find a way to come to help. ”

What Jiang Gan said was from the bottom of his heart, but Zhang Lu couldn't help but feel a little exaggerated when he heard it.

Shouchun is in the Jianghuai area, while Hanzhong is further west than Chang'an.

Whether it is Cao Pi or Liu Bei, as long as the troops are sent, they can drive straight in, but it is not easy for Shouchun to send a large army.

Even if Cao Shuo is capable, he is afraid that Hanzhong has fallen, and the army he sent is still on the way.

With a hesitant face, Zhang Lu tightly locked his brows.

"General!" Seeing the confusion in his heart, Tian Feng asked, "Do you believe Childe, or do you not believe what we said?" ”

"It's not that I don't believe in both." Zhang Lu replied: "It's really about life and death, I have to think about it carefully." ”

"We can understand the difficulties of generals very well." Tian Feng replied: "What the general is worried about is nothing more than being attacked by the enemy on his back, and the son can't send troops to help in time. With the military strength of Hanzhong, it can still support some days against Liu Xuande alone or Yecheng alone. Once both sides attack at the same time, if the general wants to deal with it, I am afraid it will be even more difficult than ascending to the sky. ”

"Tian Gong still understands me." Zhang Lu sighed: "If it weren't for these concerns, I would have agreed to Zirong Gongzi a long time ago, where would I trouble the two of you to come to persuade me repeatedly." ”

"Maybe the general thinks that the two of us are lobbyists for the sake of the son, but it's not just that." Tian Feng said: "Actually, the two of us are also for the future of the general. ”

Zhang Lu looked at him suspiciously: "What does Tian Gong mean by this?" ”

"The general has been in charge of Hanzhong for many years, and he should have heard a lot about things in the world." Tian Feng said: "Liu Xuande's character must be understood. Once he serves him, even if he will treat the general well on the surface, no one can say what he will do secretly. How the second son of the Cao family behaves, the general should be clearer. He even killed his own brothers, not to mention that the general was just an outsider. ”

Looking at Tian Feng with a tight frown, Zhang Lu did not say a word.

"Say something you shouldn't say." Zhang Lu didn't say anything, and Tian Feng continued: "Even if Hanzhong doesn't belong to Gongzi at this time, he will be able to hold it in his hand sooner or later." And once the general loses Hanzhong, it is difficult to say what the fate will be. Liu Xuande and Cao Zihuan were worried about the general's prestige in Hanzhong and would definitely restrain him. The last thing that those who conquer the world like is to be afraid of someone. But all heroes, as long as they have the meaning of being jealous of anyone, they will definitely get rid of them quickly. With the prestige of the generals in Hanzhong, will they let you live? ”

Zhang Lu was stunned and looked at Tian Feng in astonishment.

"Maybe the general thinks I'm sensational." Tian Feng continued: "If you don't believe it, just follow any of them, and it won't be long before you can confirm whether what I say is true." ”

In fact, Zhang Lu had long heard about some of the things that Liu Bei and Cao Pi had done.

Cao Pi's reputation has never been very good, especially after he killed Cao Chong, his reputation was even bad for a while.

Of course, Zhang Lu didn't believe that he would have a good life in the future.

As for Liu Bei, there are many people in the world who say that he is a generous elder, but Zhang Lu has never believed it.

From the analysis of many things Liu Bei has done, his so-called generosity is just on the surface.

Most of the characters like him are honest on the outside, but they are actually very cunning on the inside.

The more the world said how good Liu Bei was, the more Zhang Lu didn't believe it.

It was precisely because of this kind of thinking that Liu Bei sent envoys several times, but he never relented.

"Can the two of you be sure that once something happens in Hanzhong, Gongzi can immediately send troops to help?" After a moment of silence, Zhang Lu asked the two of them as if he had made a lot of determination.

(End of chapter)