Several Shu soldiers found a large incense case and stood by the river, and some Miao people also actively participated in the activities of worshipping the gods. In the noisy sound of gongs and drums, the solemn ceremony opened.

According to Qian Tong's words, Zhuge Liang put on a black Miao suit with yellow edges, a black wizard hat, a magic staff, and prayed very devoutly: "River God, Shu has been stormy, don't embarrass the Shu army anymore......"

Strange to say, after Kong Ming's sacrifice was completed, the river no longer had wind, and the Shu army was able to cross the river smoothly. After these two events, Zhuge Liang began to believe that witchcraft did exist, that it was magical, and that it could not be explained.

Since Liu Bei's defeat in Yiling, tens of thousands of elites have been lost, and countless food and equipment have been lost, and then Liu Bei kicked his legs, closed his eyes, and handed over the mess to Zhuge Liang. It was not easy to get Miao Wang Qiantong, and Zhuge Liang thought that he could go back to Chengdu to stop for a few days. I didn't expect to arrive in Chengdu, and before it was hot, the rebellion in Nanzhong was swarming, and the situation was not optimistic.

The first one to jump out was Yonghong, a powerful landlord of the Han nationality in Yizhou, who was the real protagonist of the rebellion in Nanzhong County.

As early as the third year of Zhangwu, Yonghong was guilty of a criminal record, first killing Yizhou Taishou Zhengang, the mission was circulating, and Sun Quan was far away. Zhang Yi was the Taishou of Yizhou, and was ordered by the imperial court to go to Nanzhong to serve as the Taishou to appease Yonghong.

Yonghong then stumbled and did not speak, and the fake ghost sect said: "Zhang Fujun is like a gourd pot, although the outside is Ze but the inside is coarse, not enough to kill, and the order is bound to Wu." ”

Yonghong led his troops to tie up Zhang Yi, and then sent Zhang Yi to Sun Quan, ready to be the internal response of Eastern Wu at any time, and the two consecutive Yizhou Taishou were destroyed in his hands.

In the long wait, Li Yan had previously served as Qianwei Taishou, next to Nanzhong. He once had some friendship with Yonghong, and he wrote six letters, telling him that he was very powerful, and persuaded Yonghong to turn back and give up the rebellion.

Yonghong replied with only one piece of paper: "I heard that there are no two days in the sky, and there are no two kings in the earth." Today, there are three squares. We and the border people are terrified, and I don't know who to follow? ”

It was really arrogant and unstoppable, and Li Yan's advice was in the ears, and the idea of surrendering to Soochow still did not change. Soon Dongwu sent an envoy to Nanzhong secretly, so Yonghong was appointed as Yongchang Taishou by Sun Quanyao.

Yongchang County is located in the western part of the Yizhou region, the road is blocked, isolated from Shu County, and the post of Taishou is transferred to others, Lu Kai and Fu Cheng, Shu County Wang Yan together led and inspired the officials and people, closed the four borders to resist Yonghong. Yonghong appointed himself as the Taishou of Nanzhong County and the leader of Yongchang, and issued many documents to Yongchang to persuade Lu Kai to submit to him.

Lu Kai replied to his inscription: "The heavens sent down the mourning, the traitorous male took advantage of the situation, the world gritted his teeth and hated, all the nations mourned for it, and the subjects, whether old or young, did not want to do their best, smear their livers and brains, and relieve the national disaster...... How could you have thought that you would bow down to Wu and be a vassal, and you would have ...... The first emperor dragon established the Han Dynasty, the sea looked at the wind and returned, the courtiers were smart, and the heavens descended on health. But general, you don't see a record of prosperity and decline, a sign of success or failure. For example, if a wildfire burns a prairie or a pedestrian glacier, once the fire is extinguished and the ice is gone, what else can you rely on?

Once upon a time, the general and your ancestor Yonghou had a grudge with the Han and was given land by the Han Dynasty...... Now Prime Minister Zhuge Liang is outstanding, he is aware of the beginning of things, and is entrusted with the important task of being lonely by the ancestor on his deathbed, assisting Shu Han Longxing, getting along with the public without favoritism and taboos, and rewarding merits without thinking of small mistakes. General, if you can wake up, change your course, and get back on the right path, it will not be difficult to trace the ancients, where is this small piece of Yongchang enough for you to manage?

…… You are not subject to a good Lord, who will submit to you? I am selfish in the righteousness of the ancients, and I do not associate with people outside the country for my ministers, so I have no contact with you before and after. When I received your message again, I would like to express what I think in my heart with indignation, and I ask you to reflect on it carefully, General......"

As a result, Lu Kai's benevolence and prestige were known throughout the county, so the people in the county trusted him, so he was able to preserve his reputation.

"General, your family has been favored by the Han Dynasty for generations, and I thought you should personally recruit people and horses, take the lead in action, and repay the favor of the country; In the next to live up to the ancestors, in order to seek credit in the bamboo silk, thousands of years of history to leave a name......"

Yonghong pointed to these paragraphs and scolded, "Does the tiger still use pigs to teach?" What's wrong with Lao Tzu taking refuge in Wu Guo! Then he sent troops to attack Yongchang......

Yongchang was in a hurry, and Lu Kai sent someone to report the situation to the imperial court in time. At that time, Shu Han was already short of soldiers and food, so that he didn't even have the ability to quell the chaos.

Zhuge Liang received a report that in the event of a national mourning, it was inconvenient to increase troops, and closed the pass leading to Nanzhong, temporarily cutting off all communication to Nanzhong.

Shu Han "farmed and cultivated valleys" for a year, stored grain at home, trained soldiers, and actively improved diplomacy with Wu abroad, restored alliances, and isolated the rebels in Nanzhong.

Meng Shu, the leader of the tribal alliance, also did not accept the rule of Shu Han, rebelled with Yonghong, and from time to time brought people to attack the garrison of the Han army, so that Zhuge Liang's plan to go north was delayed again and again: "Damn, these barbarians, just make trouble at this juncture!" ”

"Prime Minister, I am willing to lead 10,000 troops to conquer Yonghong and fight quickly." Ma Tan volunteered.

Ma Jian is not small, and he belongs to Liu Bei's "direct faction". Initially, as a Jingzhou worker, he followed Liu Bei into Shu, and successively served as the commander of Mianzhu County, the county commander of Chengdu and the Taishou of Yuewang. His talent exceeds that of ordinary people, and he likes to discuss military strategy, and Prime Minister Zhuge Liang attaches great importance to him.

When Liu Bei was dying, he said to Zhuge Liang that Ma Tan's words were exaggerated and exceeded his actual talents, and he should not be appointed to major matters, and he should be investigated more.

Zhuge Liang insisted on his own opinion, or let Ma Jian serve as a member of the army, often met, and talked about military strategy together, from day to night, and now he had a disagreement with Zhuge Liang on the use of troops against Nanjun.

"No hurry, no hurry." Zhuge Liang waved his hand, "When the Wuxi Miao army arrives, we will send troops to attack Nanzhong County!" ”

"Then Qian Tong has what kind of bird ability, you have to wait for him to come?" Ma Jian was puzzled.

"You join the army as the Prime Minister's Mansion, just carry out the order." Zhuge Liang stopped the goose feather fan.

"Prime Minister, if you wait for King Miao's soldiers and horses to arrive in Yizhou, I'm afraid that Yonghong and other rebels will already be in Chengdu." Ma Tan people are not reconciled.

"Say no more. Ma Yan, listen to orders! ”

"Yes!"

Zhuge Liang immediately appointed Ma Jian as a messenger, and with a letter, he rushed to the Wuxi area, conveyed the combat mission to the Miao King Qiantong, and ordered him to lead 2,000 troops to Bashu for reinforcements.

Ten days later, Ma Tan and others went to the Gutian Mountains and met Qian Tong, who was watching Miao Bing's martial arts practice, in the hot martial arts arena.

Qian Tong glanced at the military order: "My lord, I will lead the troops into the land of Bashu to fight, but I am afraid that the Huangque of Eastern Wu will be behind...... Besides, the king's army has not yet been trained, and it doesn't make much sense to go. ”

"King Miao, the prime minister's words have been brought to the army, as for whether to send troops or not, you can think about it yourself." Ma Tan was very displeased, turned the horse's head, and prepared to leave.

"Master Ma, it's noon now, can you drink oil tea before leaving?" Qian Tong said.

"I'm sorry, my spleen and stomach are not very good when I join the army, and I feel uncomfortable when I drink it, so I will be exempted from oil tea." Ma Tan smiled.

"Adults come from afar and don't eat something, how can this be?" Qian Tong collected the military order and handed it over to the military advisor Lei to study.

"Thank you, King Miao. I still have to rush back to my life, and I can't delay for a moment. Ma Jian insisted.

"Then the king will not be reluctant." Qian Tong hugged his fist and said, "Don't send it, take care, see you in Chengdu." ”

"Take care!" Ma Tan turned over and got on his horse and took two followers out of Gutian Mountain......

The next day, Qian Tong convened the lords of the Eighteen Mountains to discuss whether to bring troops into Shu for reinforcements.

"Great King, the leader of the barbarian tribe, Meng Shu and we are all descendants of the great god Chiyou, why don't we also make a big deal and attack Shu from the east?" Yang Chengsheng, the lord of Mo Yi Mountain, spoke.

"You're not messy enough, Holy Elder?" Qian Tong's face was gloomy.

"The more chaotic the better, the king. The fragmentation of Shu is of great benefit to us. Yang Chengsheng took out his scimitar, put it on his face and shaved his beard, "King, last time Kong Ming's gang used tricks to buy some lords and captured the king alive, and won without combat strength, I don't accept it." ”

Last year, Qian Tongju was calculated by his subordinates, if it weren't for those lords who betrayed themselves, maybe Zhuge Liang's Shu army was still trapped in the Wuxi area and couldn't get out! Qian Tong accepted the reward of Shu on the surface, after all, he still had to obey the orders of Liu Chan, a milky boy who had not dried up, and he was angry in his heart!

Now that Yang Chengsheng mentioned the uprising again, Qian Tong, as the king of Miao, was not in a hurry to express his position, thinking: This king has to look at the matter of sending troops this time, what are the thoughts of those few lords who eat inside and out, whether they are towards Zhuge Liang or towards themselves.

"Holy Lord, is it useful to be unconvinced?" Military advisor Lei Xuexue stood up.

"Of course it works. This time, if the lord of Jiuxi has one heart, we will definitely be able to kill Chengdu and overthrow the rule of the latter lord! Yang Chengsheng held a scimitar and deliberately shook it in front of Lei Xuexue, "Strategist, you said that we failed last time, is it that some people are not strong-willed?" ”

"Who are you talking about, Lord Shengtong?" Elder Yang Kaiqing of Chenxi glared at Yang Chengsheng.

"Lord Qingtong, Lord Shengtong didn't name him, why did you come out? Don't give this king a retreat! Qian Tong shouted. The last time he went back to Tucheng to drink in Zhuge Liang's tent, Yang Kaiqing didn't go, but his hundreds of soldiers didn't lose at all, and Qian Tong became suspicious of him.

"My lord, I am the first to approve of sending troops, and I will send five hundred men." Yang Kaiqing stretched out five fingers and was the first to make a statement.

"Be clear. When we send troops, will we help Prime Minister Zhuge or help Yonghong and Meng Huo? "Money is straight to the point.

"King, whoever you say you want to help, you can help whoever you want......" Yang Kaiqing saw that Yang Chengsheng, the lord of Mo Yitong, did not say anything, he was extremely cautious, and kicked the ball back again.

"This king thinks that Wuxi has just experienced war, and it is not appropriate to send troops to recuperate, what do you think?" Qian Tong sat down on the tiger skin chair.