In the summer of the ninth year of Emperor Jian'an of the Han Dynasty (196), Ma Yue went to the court to ask for a crusade against the Wudou Mi Sect entrenched in Hanzhong. Ma Yue then took Fang Yue as the main general, Zhang Xiu and Chen Zhi as deputy generals, and raised 25,000 troops to attack Zhang Lu.

Hanzhong County belongs to Yizhou, which is a typical Shu land, surrounded by mountains, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

At that time, there were three roads from Guanzhong to Hanzhong.

It is an official road to go south from Sanguan through the sloping valley to Hanzhong, but it is blocked by Yangping Pass; To the east is the Meridian Valley road, the mountain road is winding, rugged and difficult to walk, you need to travel more than 800 miles between the mountains and mountains, you can go straight from Chang'an to Hanzhong, only the hunters and woodcutters have always dared to go; To the west is the Chencang Ancient Road, which is also steep and difficult.

The army of 25,000 was divided into three routes.

The 5,000 people on the east road were led by Chen Zhi, starting from Chang'an through the Meridian Valley Road (when Wei Yan suggested to Zhuge Liang to divide troops to attack Chang'an in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the path that Wei Yan planned to take was the Meridian Valley Road) went straight into Hanzhong, and the 5,000 people on the West Road were led by Zhang Xiu, starting from Wudu County, Liangzhou, through the Chencang Ancient Road, approaching Chuyang, outflanking the side of Nanzheng (Hanzhong County), and the army of 15,000 people on the middle road, led by Fang Yue to go south through the Xiegu Valley and approach Yangpingguan.

According to the premeditated plan of the horse butcher and Jia Poison, Fang Yue's middle army marched south from the sloping valley with great fanfare to attract Zhang Lu's attention, and when the Hanzhong army gathered at Yangpingguan to confront Fang Yue's army, Chen Zhi and Zhang Xiu's east and west strange soldiers suddenly came out from the flank and back, and the troops came to the south of Zheng City.

……

Nanzheng, Taishou Mansion.

Zhang Wei, Yan Pu, Yang Song, Yang Ang, Yang Ren, Yang Bai and other Han Chinese military cronies gathered together, the hall had become a pot of porridge, the Liang army marched south, Han Zhong was in danger, whether it was war or surrender, and the Wen and military cronies under Zhang Lu split into two factions with diametrically different views.

Zhang Wei, Yan Pu, Yang Ren, Yang Ang and others believed that Hanzhong was surrounded by mountains, easy to defend and difficult to attack, as long as the general held Yangping Pass, even if the horse butcher personally raised 100,000 troops to attack, it was not worrying, while Yang Song and Yang Bai thought that the Liang army was strong, and the momentum of the horse butcher was even more like Zhongtian.

Zhang Wei came out of the queue and said excitedly: "Brother, although Hanzhong is small, there are still 200,000 people, and there are 20,000 soldiers who can fight, and the grain in the warehouse is enough to last for three years and there is a surplus. ”

Zhang Wei is Zhang Lu's younger brother, although this person has average ability, he still has ambitions. Zhang Lu has five sons, but none of them are of great use, and they are not enough to inherit Zhang Lu's foundation, so Zhang Weizheng is looking forward to taking over the ruling power of Hanzhong from Zhang Lu, and naturally he is unwilling to surrender to Ma Yue.

"Dare to ask the second general how to compare himself to Lianghou?" Zhang Wei's voice fell, and Yang Song had already retorted, "Although there are more than 200,000 people in Hanzhong and 20,000 with armor, there are tens of millions of people under the rule of Lianghou (Yang Song deliberately exaggerated the number of people under the rule of the horse butcher, but due to the war in the eastern part of the country in recent years, a large number of refugees have poured into Guanzhong, and the population under the rule of the horse butcher has increased sharply, but four million is more than that. If the army of millions of tigers and wolves is coerced by Liang Hou to fight southward, how should the two generals resist? ”

Changshi Yan Pu said hungrily: "The horse butcher is cruel and unkind, bloodthirsty, vainly trying to usurp the Han, but a chaotic minister and thief, although there are millions of people are also unrighteous teachers, the division is unrighteous and weak, and the division is weak, and the division is weak, Shijun (Zhang Lu calls himself Shijun, and also likes to call him Shijun under the command of the martial arts) only needs to send a general to lead an elite army to guard Yangping and danger, and Hanzhong can sit back and relax. ”

"Easy to say!" Yang Song's brother Yang Bai said coldly, "Defend Yangping dangerously, who will guard it?" Fang Yue is a general under the command of Lianghou, who once swept the desert and broke through Xianbei with thousands of iron horses, such a famous general, who can compete with the generals in Hanzhong? If the battle is not effective and Yangping Pass is lost, where should Shijun go? Where should the 200,000 Hanzhong people go? ”

"Not bad!" Yang Song took over Naidi's words and said loudly, "If you surrender to Lianghou, you can at least save the life of Shijun, and the life of 200,000 people in Hanzhong." ”

Zhang Lu's color changed slightly, and Yang Song's words hit his vital point.

As the leader of the Wudou Rice Sect, Zhang Lu is shackled to save the world and help the people, and he must first consider the life and death of the Wudou Rice Sect and the people in everything, and he can be called the most kind warlord among all the warlords in the late Han Dynasty! The horse butcher was extremely kind to the people of the Han Dynasty in terms of strategy, but at the strategic level, he was extremely rough, far less benevolent than Zhang Lu.

For example, the horse butcher once twice forcibly drove the people of Guanzhong and Guandong with a saber to carry out a great migration of thousands of miles, resulting in a large number of people dying unexpectedly.

Zhang Lu was first the leader of the Five Doumi Sect, and then the Taishou of Hanzhong.

If he had a choice, of course Zhang Lu was unwilling to be attached to Ma Yue's command, who wouldn't want to be the boss himself?

But the problem is that Zhang Lu has no choice now, if he wants to continue to be the boss, he has to fight with the horse butcher, if he wins, it will be fine, once the defeat of the horse butcher is likely to be angry with the people of Hanzhong, if the people of Hanzhong are bloodbathed by the horse butcher, then the Wudoumi Sect that relies on the people of Hanzhong will be hit hard, which is what Zhang Lu cannot tolerate.

When there was a conflict between the right to survive of the Wudou Rice Sect and the autonomy of Hanzhong, Zhang Lu was obviously inclined to preserve the Wudou Rice Sect at the expense of Hanzhong's autonomy. However, Zhang Lu is also a warlord who divides one side after all, and if he can possess the foundation of Hanzhong, he naturally has his advantages, and naturally he will not easily make the decision to surrender.

Thinking about it, Zhang Lu slowly stood up.

The quarrel in the hall immediately subsided, and everyone's eyes focused on Zhang Lu.

Zhang Lu's gaze swept over the faces of Zhang Wei, Yang Song and others one by one, and said unhurriedly: "For the people of Hanzhong, for the great cause of the Wudoumi Sect, when the Hanzhong army is exhausted, and the Ma rebel army will fight to the death in Yangping Pass, I have decided, you can each settle your own life, that is, prepare for war quickly!" ”

When Yang Song was about to leave with his sleeves up, Zhang Lu suddenly said: "You can go by yourself, Bonian (Yang Song's expression) stays." ”

After everyone dispersed, Zhang Lucai said to Yang Song: "Bonian thinks that this master Jun has ignored the 200,000 people in Hanzhong for his own selfishness? ”

Yang Song said: "How dare you." ”

Zhang Lu sighed and said: "Bo Nian didn't know, this master also intended to surrender, and he was afraid that Liang Hou would see light, so he sent the army to defend Yangping, in order to prove to Liang Hou that I am not no one in Hanzhong, and the reason why this master Jun voted north is not because he is afraid of the Liang army, but for the sake of 200,000 people in Hanzhong." ”

Yang Song suddenly shook his head and said: "The lower official is ignorant, and he almost blamed Shijun." ”

Zhang Lu stepped forward and stroked Yang Song's arm, and muttered: "In the battle of Yangping Pass, I hope Bonian will help you!" ”

Yang Song's face flushed, and he responded excitedly: "Shijun rest assured, even if the lower officials scatter all their family wealth, they will help Shijun win the battle of Yangpingguan." ”

Zhang Lu said happily: "With Bonian's words, this master will be at ease." ”

Yang Song hugged his fists and said: "Without further ado, the lower officials will take their leave and go back to the house to prepare money and food first." ”

"No."

"Stay."

When Yang Song's figure was far away, Zhang Wei's figure suddenly flashed out of the side door like a ghost, and said to Zhang Lu: "Brother is scheming, if not, how can Yang Song, the greedy iron rooster who is afraid of death, pay money and grain to support the battle of Yangping Pass?" ”

Zhang Lu smiled faintly and was silent, what he said to Yang Song just now was both true and false, since Zhang Wei understood it this way, he didn't want to explain, after all, the battle of Yangping Pass still relied on Zhang Wei to lead the troops, although Yang Ren and Yang Ang could fight well, but they were not Zhang Lu's cronies after all, only Zhang Wei led the army, Zhang Lu could rest assured.

……

On the slope valley road, Fang Yue was leading the army to slowly march towards Yangping Pass.

It was the midsummer of June, mosquitoes and flies breed in the mountains, snakes and insects walked sideways, the soldiers of the Liang army said that they were bitten, they were all miserable, and because of the scorching heat in the mountains, they were not as dry as the north, and there were countless people suffering from diseases (heat stroke), and the army was slow to move, and it was said that the line was less than thirty miles, but fortunately, the army in the middle of the road was only a feint, and Fang Yue was not in a hurry.

Compared with the Slope Valley Road, the Meridian Trail and Chencang Road are more steep and difficult to navigate.

In particular, the meridian trail winds for more than 800 miles, on the way the deep valley cliffs, secluded streams crisscross and overlap, it can be said that there are thousands of dangers and obstacles, sometimes there are plank roads in disrepair, the soldiers step on the abyss that is, the bones are gone, and because the mountain road is slippery, the soldiers are slippery under their feet, and there are those who die of stumbling.

More than half a month later, when Chen Zhi led his army out of the meridian path and appeared on the Hanzhong Plain, the 5,000-strong army at the time of the expedition had already suffered more than half of the casualties, and only more than 2,000 people remained! Zhang Xiu's situation was not much better than Chen Dao's, and there were only more than 3,000 people left in the 5,000-strong army, and the military rations were lost, and the soldiers were hungry, tired, and exhausted.

……

(To be continued)