"Lord, Liu Bei used the road to attack Zhang Lu, this matter must be unfavorable to the lord, don't agree!" After the banquet to entertain Zhuge Liang was dispersed, Huang Quan, Wang Lei and others hurriedly found Liu Zhang and admonished each other.

"Brother Gongheng, your words are too alarmist. Uncle Liu Huang is fighting Zhang Lu, how can he be disadvantageous to the lord? Zhang Song asked with a smile.

"My lord! A certain acquaintance knows that Liu Bei treats people leniently, is soft and can overcome rigidity, and is invincible as a hero; Far to win the hearts of the people, close to the people's popularity; It has the wisdom of Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Xu Shu, and Chen Gongzhi, and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Feng, Zhao Yun, Gan Ning, Zhang Liao, and Wei Yan as wings. If it gets its soldiers into Shu, it will be like luring a wolf into the house. Now listen to the ministers, then Xishu has the peace of Mount Tai; If you don't listen to your ministers, the lord is in danger of being tired. Huang Quan said eagerly.

Liu Zhangzheng hesitated, but he heard the other Fa Zhengyan say: "Brother Gongheng's words are wrong, Uncle Liu Huang's attack on Zhang Lu is on the Yongshan Road, and it does not pass through the territory of my Yizhou, how can you lure the wolf into the house?" And Zhuge Junshi also said that at that time, he would only send a strange soldier into Hanzhong through Jiameng, and the number would not be more than 10,000. I have no less than 100,000 soldiers in Sichuan, I'm afraid that it will be difficult to make waves, Brother Gongheng is too cautious. ”

"This?" Huang Quan was speechless when he heard this. He knew in his heart that after years of campaigning, the combat effectiveness of the military horses under Liu Bei's command was definitely more than one level higher than that of the Yizhou army, but in any case, it would not be one to be ten. If you don't even dare to agree to the 10,000 Jingzhou troops, you are basically admitting that your army's combat strength is useless, so that the generals in Sichuan really have nowhere to put their faces.

Liu Zhang was speechless when he saw that Huang Quan was refuted by Fazheng, so that the balance in his heart was completely tilted in favor of Fazheng, and he also said at the moment: "Since this is the case, then agree to Brother Xuande's request to borrow the Tao." ”

"Lord, having said that, it is indispensable to guard against others. The lord can send his cronies and generals to strictly guard the two important passes of Jianmen Pass and Jiameng Pass. Huang Quan looked at the situation and knew that he couldn't persuade Liu Zhang to completely refuse, so he could only retreat.

"Well, what should I do in the opinion of the balance?" Liu Zhang is not a person who has no precaution at all, and after listening to Huang Quan's reasoning, he also nodded and asked.

"You can send Wu Ziyu brothers to lead the army to guard Jianmen Pass, and Wu Lan, Lei Tong, two generals, to guard Jiameng Pass. In this way, even if the Jingzhou army has different intentions, it can also be guarded against. Huang Quan groaned slightly.

"Just according to Gongheng's words!" Liu Zhang thought about it and felt that there was nothing wrong with it, so he decided. At this time, Yang Hong, the Taishou of Shu County, admonished: "Lord, although General Zhang Ren captured the two counties of Danqu and Badong a few years ago, the people of the two counties have ten **, and they all retreated to Hanzhong with Zhang Lu. At present, there are only 30,000 people in the two counties, the fields are barren, there is a lack of officials, and the government affairs are deserted. If it is not dealt with as soon as possible, I am afraid that these two counties will be recaptured by Zhang Lu. ”

"How so?" Liu Zhang couldn't help but be surprised when he heard this.

"Alas!" Yang Hong also sighed and said: "Zhang Lu is a person who governs the army with a cult, and the politics and religion are integrated, and most of the people in the two counties are bewitched by him and become believers. As soon as Zhang Lu left, they also left. ”

"How should that change?" Liu Zhang was also a little anxious at this time, and hurriedly asked.

"Now that spring ploughing is coming, let's move some people from Shu County, Brazil and other places first, and let the two counties recover a little vitality first!" Yang Hong groaned, and then added: "But this rule of law does not cure the root cause, and it is necessary to defeat Zhang Lu as soon as possible, so that it is right." ”

"It makes sense, I should personally write to Brother Xuande and ask him to enter the army as soon as possible!" Liu Zhang nodded and said, he went to write a letter without mentioning it, and the rest of the people dispersed.

"Yongnian, what is the meaning of what Yang Gong said today?" It's still the Fa Zheng trio, it's still Zhang Song's house, Fa Zheng asked suddenly.

Meng Da didn't expect Fa Zheng to suddenly ask Yang Hong, and he was surprised, but he saw Zhang Song and smiled: "In my opinion, Yang Gongzhi's hope for the Jingzhou Army is no less than ours!" ”

"Exactly!" Fa Zheng smiled, and then sighed: "Although what Huang Gongheng said is reasonable, it is also a symptom rather than a root cause. ”

"What do you mean by that?" Meng Da couldn't help but wonder. In terms of knowledge, he is far inferior to Zhang Song and Fa Zheng, and in his opinion, from the perspective of defending Xichuan, Huang Quan's suggestion can be regarded as foolproof.

"Zidu, how do you think Uncle Liu Huang compares to Zhang Lu?" Fa Zheng did not directly answer Meng Da's doubts, but asked him this question.

"Far better!" Meng Da replied honestly.

"Exactly! Imagine that with Zhang Lu's talent, occupying Hanzhong can still compete with Xichuan, if Uncle Liu Huang gets Xichuan, who can match Xichuan? Not to mention that behind Uncle Liu Huang, there are still those five states as the backing? Fa Zheng asked with a smile.

"Exactly!" Meng Da suddenly thought about it, and the three of them discussed it again for a long time.

In the next few days, Liu Zhang did his best to be a landlord, and every time he set up a banquet to entertain Zhuge Liang, he prepared a generous gift for Zhuge Liang to give back to Liu Bei. After a hurry for more than ten days, Zhuge Liang left Chengdu, took a boat down the river to Chaohu Lake, and then went to Shouchun by land.

"Kong Ming's entry into Sichuan this time is not a small credit!" Liu Bei also praised Zhuge Liang after hearing that Zhuge Liang told him in detail about his trip to Xichuan. With Liu Bei's current strength, as long as Liu Zhang agrees to borrow the way, it will only be a matter of time before Zhang Lu's defeat is over.

"Kong Ming, when you enter Sichuan this time, what can be seen about the situation in Shuzhong?" Pang Tong thought more far-reaching.

"The land in central Sichuan is fertile, with more than one million household registrations, and the name of the country of abundance is well deserved. However, Liu Jiyu is a person, with mediocre intelligence and intellect, and cannot be a director, and the chaos in Xichuan has begun to appear. Zhuge Liang sighed.

"What does Kong Ming mean by this?" Liu Bei motioned to Zhuge Liang to be more detailed.

"Alas!" Zhuge Liang sighed and said: "The people in Sichuan are very conservative. After Liu Jiyu and his son entered Sichuan, they wantonly used outsiders, which has caused dissatisfaction among the Sichuan people. The two factions each occupied important positions in Shu Chinese martial arts, and fought endlessly. The year before last, the Sichuan people had rebelled against Liu Zhang in Ba County, tens of thousands of soldiers were killed in battle, and the people of the three counties were displaced. What's more, Liu Jiyu is indulged in pleasure and ignores political affairs, and the rebellion in Shuzhong is not approaching. ”

"I see!" Liu Bei also nodded and sighed, and then asked everyone: "In your opinion, when should I march?" ”

"Lord, the rebellion of the Sun clan has just been quelled, although it has not hurt the vitality, but it has also consumed a lot of money and food, and it is not appropriate to use swords and soldiers for the time being. Let's wait until the summer grain is harvested! Chen Qun, who was in charge of logistics, admonished at this time. Liu Bei nodded, but he still ordered Guan Yu and Zhao Feng in Jingzhou to start rectifying their men and horses first, and prepare to march into Hanzhong.

"Good!" In Xiangyang City, Guan Yu was also overjoyed after reading Liu Bei's edict, and then circulated the edict to everyone after reading it, and the generals were overjoyed for a while.

"Prince, the debt must be repaid quickly. This Zhang Lu came to commit it before, and now he has to pay the price! Huang Zhong was the most anxious, and after reading it, he was smiling.

"That's right!" Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled. He was a natural war maniac, but since he pacified Jingxiang two years ago, he has not been able to go to the battlefield again. For Guan Yu, this is really an idle egg.

"At present, I have a total army of 150,000 in Jingxiang, I don't know how many troops and horses the prince will mobilize, and who will be sent to Hanzhong?" Wen Ping's surname is much calmer than Huang Zhong, and he asked after a little silence.

"Zhang Luhan's Chinese army is only tens of thousands, and he was defeated by Zang Xuangao a few times ago, and now he is not afraid." Guan Yu said disapprerovingly, and then frowned slightly. Although Jingzhou has 150,000 horses, Guan Yu also knows that Zhao Feng has always been responsible for Jingnan's affairs, and it is not appropriate to call his 50,000 or 60,000 horses. Thinking of this, Guan Yu also clapped his hand and said: "I will lead 50,000 horses to attack Xicheng from Shangyong, Han Sheng, Zilie, Yuan Dynasty and Yuan Jian will go out with me, and Zhuge Ziyu will participate in military affairs with the army." Zhongye, you sit in Xiangyang, guard Fancheng, and then order Wenda in Wancheng to be on guard, beware of Cao Ying's old thief taking advantage of the situation. ”

"No!" Wen Ping and the others all agreed with a bang, and at this time, Huang Zhong couldn't help but be surprised: "Why should Zhang Lu of Hanzhong have to go out in person, and he has to bother so many generals." When the old man leads 10,000 athletes to go, he will capture and kill the Zhang Lu brothers! ”

"Hansheng doesn't know, I'm not just for Hanzhong, but also to beware of the people in Guanzhong!" Guan Yu sighed, and Zhuge Jin also nodded when he heard this: "Cao Ying's old thief has always been cunning, if Yan Liangwen Chou in his order suddenly sends troops, we will inevitably be attacked on both sides." ”

"I see!" Huang Zhong and the others suddenly realized. Although in the early days, under the conspiracy of Xu Shu, Zhao Feng and others, Cao Ying was calculated by everyone really miserably, and he was almost trapped and died in Yuzhou. But now that Cao Ying has occupied Jizhou and Bingzhou in Hebei and half of Qingzhou, his strength has increased greatly, and the threat to Liu Bei's group is also incomparable. Just like the six-way attack before, although it was resolved by Liu Bei, it was already a little rushed. At present, Cao Ying only led a small number of men and horses to Mobei, and there are tens of thousands of troops in Guanzhong, which is also a force that should not be underestimated.

Now the guard general in Guanzhong is Yan Liangwen Chou, and these two are both characters in the four court pillars of Hebei. Guan Yu has seen Gao Lan's ability, and with his martial arts, he can only accompany the last seat in the four courtyard pillars, no matter how arrogant Guan Yu is, he does not dare to turn a blind eye to Yan Liangwen's ugliness. At least, they will not send Dong to attack Chen Wu and them to deal with Yan Liangwen Chou. If you think about it carefully, I am afraid that only myself and Huang Zhong can compete with them.

At the same time in Hanshou, Zhao Feng, who was busy training recruits and surrendering troops, also received an edict from Liu Bei, asking him to gather more than 10,000 people and prepare to enter Sichuan from Fuling, and use Liu Zhang's troops to go out of Jiameng Pass in order to respond to Guan Yu's army to seize Hanzhong.

"The lord is going to seize Hanzhong?" Ma Liang was also a little excited after reading the edict. Zhao Feng nodded, looked at the expectant crowd, but couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "Mother's Lao Tzu has only been on vacation for a few months, and he has just recovered from his injuries, and he hasn't fed Mi'er's little goblin yet, and he has to contribute to your Lao Liu again." ”

But these words can only be muttered in his heart, Zhao Feng also knows that now that Liu Bei has so many generals under his command, he and Guan Yu have the most tacit understanding, who will he send if he doesn't send this kind of thing? Besides, this road is just for the feint, and ordinary people may not be able to afford this little credit.

"Ji Chang, there are still more than 30,000 people in the new army and the surrendered army, and they are still training, and these soldiers are going to be transferred to Jiaozhou after training, so it is inconvenient for me to transfer. Besides, I only want to make a feint this way, and I don't need too many soldiers and horses, I only need to bring 15,000 men and horses. In addition, there are many mountainous roads in the middle of the river, and it is inconvenient for the cavalry to walk, so I only led 500 light horsemen to accompany me. Generals, just Youping and Yifeng will walk with me. After I leave, the affairs of the four counties of Jingnan will be taken care of by you. Zhao Feng thought for a while. At the moment, there is no war in Jingnan, Ma Liang is good at internal affairs, and it is enough to have him.

"Don't worry, general, everything is on me." Ma Liang nodded, and then said with some hesitation: "The general is going to march into Hanzhong this time, and Liang has one thing to ask the general to fulfill." ”

"What?" Zhao Feng looked at Ma Liang who was spitting in front of him, and Zhao Feng couldn't help but ask with some confusion, Ma Liang's surname has always been very straightforward.

"This, hehe. My younger brother Ma Tan is fifteen years old this year, and he has not yet become a leader, so I would like to ask the general to take him into Hanzhong with him, so that he can have more experience in the army. Ma Liang said with some embarrassment.

"I see!" Only then did Zhao Feng understand that his feelings were to ask himself to help mention his younger brother. However, this pony who has lost the street pavilion in history is only fifteen years old now, so he must be exaggerating + young and crazy.

"It's easy to talk about this, but I don't know what kind of talent Brother Ling has, and what position he can hold in our army?" Zhao Feng nodded and asked.

"Alas!" Ma Liang sighed, and then said with a wry smile: "My brother has been smart and talented since he was a child, and he is far above me, but his surname is frivolous. Liang only asked the general to hone his younger brother and make him more calm, which would be of great benefit to his future life. As for what, it's all up to the general! ”

"Is that so?" Zhao Feng was also quite surprised when he heard Ma Liang's request, but after thinking about it, he understood that Ma Liang knew that this was his own business. Now it's rare to have someone as kind as himself who can help him mention Ma Yan, so please ask yourself.

"That being the case, Ji Chang can let Brother Ling come here as soon as possible, and I'll know when I see him." Zhao Feng felt that he had met before making a conclusion, and Ma Liang was grateful, so he hurriedly wrote a letter asking Ma Jian to come here as soon as possible.

At the same time, Shouchun Taishou Zhuge Liang, who had just taken office, also hurriedly wrote a letter in his house and handed it to a young man standing on the side. This person took the letter, hesitated a little and asked, "Second brother, with your letter, will General Zhao reuse me?" "He is Zhuge Liang's youngest brother Zhuge Jun.

"Third brother, don't be so ambitious!" Zhuge Liang Zhengse said, and then explained carefully: "Right now, you have just learned to go out of the mountain, and your reputation is not obvious, who is willing to reuse you?" Brother Wei just wants you to follow General Zhao to Xichuan this time, and add some more experience, which will be of great benefit to the future life. ”

Zhuge Jun was silent when he heard this, and said after a long time: "When Wang Zhongxuan wrote an article slandering General Zhao, I echoed him, I don't know if he will?" He didn't finish speaking, but with Zhuge Liang's wisdom, how could he not know what his brother was worried about.

"Third brother, rest assured, General Zhao is by no means narrow-minded, and with my handwritten letter here, he will never abolish the public for personal reasons." Zhuge Liang said with relief. Zhuge Jun has always admired his brother's insight, and when he heard him say this, he put down half of his heart, and then packed up and went to Jingnan to join Zhao Feng.

"Alas!" Looking at his younger brother's distant figure, Zhuge Liang also sighed softly in his heart. In terms of intelligence, his younger brother is inferior to himself and his eldest brother Zhuge Jin. The only way to do this is to try to let him have more experience in actual combat. But on the battlefield, the sword has no eyes, and he, a rookie, is tantamount to death if he goes into battle easily, so he can only experience it through these small-scale battles first. At present, apart from Zhao Feng, he really can't find any other place to have this condition suitable for his brother to experience.

Two more months passed, after the summer grain harvest was completed. Guan Yu and Zhao Feng launched according to the agreed date, and on this day of the fifth lunar month. Guan Yu led an army of 50,000 out of Xiangyang until Shangyong; Zhao Feng led 15,000 men and horses to leave Hanshou and enter Sichuan by way from Yidu County. With such a large-scale transfer of men and horses in the former, it was naturally impossible to conceal it, and the news had already reached Zhang Lu in Nanzheng in a short time. As for the latter, it is less remarkable due to its smaller number. At least, Zhang Lu didn't notice.

(To be continued)