A busy night. On this night, the fate of many people will be changed.

Early the next morning, Zhang Lu arrived with an army of 100,000 and camped outside the city.

Zhang Wei's eyes darkened, and he yawned: "Wu Sima, can you hand over the county order seal to me?" By the way, do your family members need my help to send them to Nanzheng? Ben will stay in the rear, and will be more than happy to serve the wives of the generals. ”

Wu Zhao didn't bother to look at him, took out the seal of the county magistrate and threw it over. Zhang Wei stumbled and dodged under his feet, and he was not angry: "Wu Sima doesn't have to be angry, we are brothers when you join the army, what does it matter if you laugh a few words between brothers?" Maybe you'll be my subordinate in the future! ”

Wu Zhao turned his head to stare at him: "After this battle, I will be famous all over the world." You are just using the power of your father and brother to occupy a high position, and Wu will soon fall you down! ”

Zhang Wei ordered someone to pick up the official seal and smiled proudly. Wu Zhao raised his horsewhip: "Brothers, follow me out of the city to greet Zhang Shijun!" ”

On Wu Zhao's left is Sima Guang, and on the right is Ximenqing. Deng Fei and Wang Bao then guarded, Wang Wu and other generals led the troops, and Dong Bai Diao Chan also wore men's clothes and hid in the army under the protection of Le Zhengsi. Hearing that they were about to leave the city, everyone couldn't help but feel a little sad. Although the small town is broken, after all, it is a hot land to live in for a year. Since then, I wonder how many people have never had a chance to return again?

The city gate slowly opened, and Wu Zhao took the lead, leading an army of 20,000 to gallop out to Zhang Lu's camp. In the early morning sun, Zhang Lu's simple but huge camp lay quietly like a giant beast, and Wu Zhao's army of 20,000 was like a dragon challenging the giant beast.

"On the order of Zhang Shijun, Sima Wu of other departments summoned him to come and agree!"

A sergeant recruited three others into the camp. Sima Guang peeked along the way, and felt that Zhang Lu's subordinate soldiers were all in good spirits, and the military situation was quite strict. It seems that this Zhang Lu is still very different from his brother Zhang Wei. The simple tent in the middle of the camp is Zhang Lu's handsome tent, and Wu Zhao and the three of them walked into the tent, and the tent was already full of generals on both sides.

On the main seat sits a general. This man has thick eyebrows and long hair, but his face is like that of a baby. The light in his eyes is clear, and at first glance, he is a person with good health. Wu Zhao stepped forward and knelt on one knee: "Young general Wu Zhao, I have seen Shijun." ”

Zhang Lu flicked his sleeves and got up to help each other: "No need to be polite!" Wu Sima, this year, you guarded Chuyang, recruited displaced people, expanded the army, and killed Pang Xi's army to the annihilation, you should be worshiped by Zhang Lu! ”

Wu Zhao was puzzled: "Why did Shijun say this?" In the battle of killing Pang Xi, the first credit was General Zhang Wei. Wu Zhao is just a helper. ”

Zhang Lu took his hands and sighed: "My mother loved Zhang Wei the most when she was alive, so she was arrogant to him. After killing Pang Xi, the official investigated in many ways after the battle, and it is known that you did it alone. In order to reward your great achievements, this official will promote you to the captain of the tun cavalry, and reward you with three hundred taels of gold! ”

Wu Zhao was surprised for a while, and he was quite moved in his heart. Zhang Lu turned around and picked up a general seal from the seat, and said solemnly: "Wu Zhao takes the seal!" From today on, you are the captain under my account, and you will lead 20,000 troops and horses from your headquarters to serve as the vanguard of this battle, are you willing? ”

Wu Zhao knelt on one knee again, took the big seal with both hands, and his face was excited: "Wu Zhao received the great grace of Shijun, and he is willing to wear armor for Shijun to defend against the enemy, and he will never give up!" ”

Zhang Lu put his hands up and patted him on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement. Clapping his hands again, a sergeant outside the tent walked in, holding a wooden tray in both hands, which was covered with silk and satin, and six large gold ingots on the plate were shining. Wu Zhao respectfully took it and sat in the third vacant seat on the left. Sima Guang Ximenqing stood behind him.

Zhang Lu got up and returned to his seat and said, "Everyone, so far, our 120,000 troops have been gathered. Captain Wu held the position of pioneer, and his own officer sat in the Chinese army. Yang Angju was specially ordered to supervise the grain and grass in the rear army, and Yang Ren led the army and horses of the headquarters to sit in the Chinese army with me. The army will set off immediately, and within 3 days, we will reach the Sword Pavilion! ”

The generals stood up in unison and promised in unison. Zhang Lu nodded with satisfaction: "Okay!" Everyone goes back to the camp and prepares! The pioneer officer summoned to listen to the order, and you led the army in front, opened the road in the mountains, and built bridges in the water. Wait until you win the Sword Pavilion, count your head work! Go ahead! ”

Wu Zhao bowed his hand as a courtesy, took Sima Guang Ximen Qing out of the tent, and went to rectify his own soldiers and horses.

Wu Zhao was quite happy: "After all, Zhang Lu is a prince, and his strength is different." From the county order to the lieutenant of the Tun Cavalry, I have been promoted to 3 levels in a row, right? He also named me a pioneer officer, and it seems that Zhang Lu is going to rely on us. ”

Ximen Qing snorted coldly: "Brother, you know too little about the sinister human heart. This is Zhang Luxiao's plan to hide a knife. He and Zhang Wei are just singing black face and red face, just making a show for you. Zhang Wei came to suppress you first, and Zhang Lu came to commend your merits and promote you, so that you could work harder for them; The Shu Road is difficult, the Jianmen Pass is steep, and the appointment of you as a vanguard officer is to consume our troops first, so that we and Liu Zhang will both lose and lose, so that he can profit from it. ”

Sima Guang nodded: "Brother Ximen is reasonable. After all, we are not Zhang Luyan's lineage. Before, he was just a county guard under Liu Yan's subordinates, and we bribed each other, so he naturally turned a blind eye to us when he sought money for officials; Now that he has completely fallen out with Liu Zhang, he is actually the master of Hanzhong, and he will not be unwary of us. It's not nice to say, Liu Zhang is his external enemy, and we are his confidants. My lord, don't be fooled by petty profits and miss the opportunity to stand on your own! ”

Wu Zhao's back was cold, and he said in fear: "Fortunately, the two virtuous brothers woke up." Zhao also felt quite strange, but he didn't have time to think about it for a while, and almost caught his way. But at this time, I am still under Zhang Lu, don't call me lord first, let's call me brother! ”

Sima Guang smiled: "Okay." It is a blessing for us that my brother is kind-hearted. The conspiracies and tricks of others, we have our own ones to crack for my brother, brother don't worry. ”

Ximen Qing also nodded with a smile, but there seemed to be a glint in his eyes.

The voice of the little white snake sounded in Wu Zhao's mind: "Host, please pay attention, after a year of getting along, the loyalty of everyone under your command has increased to a certain extent. Now because Sima Guang found out that you are kind-hearted, his loyalty has increased by 5 points to 95; Ximenqing found that you were simple and easy to bully, and your loyalty dropped by 10 points, falling back to 70! ”

Wu Zhao chuckled in his heart, and hurriedly turned his face away from Ximenqing. I wailed in my heart: "It turns out that Ximenqing is a white-eyed wolf who can't be raised!" How can you increase his loyalty? If I go any further, I can only slap him for the daughter-in-law of the family! ”

The little white snake was silent for a long time, and said: "Ximen Qing now has a group of wives and concubines, and he is not short of money, so it is difficult for him to be grateful for rewarding gold and silver beauties. The only way is to try to improve yourself, let him see that you are strong, make him feel that you are unchallengeable, so that his loyalty will slowly increase. But don't let him see your weaknesses, or you'll never have peace! ”

Wu Zhao secretly made up his mind in his heart: If this battle is successful, he must move this Ximen Qing far away, so that he can not continue to understand himself. It's just too far away and hard to control, which is a real headache.

The three of them soon arrived at the camp of the self-army, and Wu Zhao spread the news of his appointment as a pioneer officer to the army, which improved the morale of the army to a certain extent. No more than Zhang Lu and others who came from afar, Wu Zhaojun was already ready to march early in the morning, and when the next order was given, the scouts explored the way in front, and the 20,000 troops waved their flags and drove to Jianmen Pass!

In the middle of the line, the scout in front came to report: "Report! There was smoke and dust on Dingjun Mountain, and there seemed to be traces of the enemy. ”

Wu Zhao immediately took out the map and beckoned Sima Guang and Ximen Qing to watch it together. The terrain of Xichuan is steep, and the first gateway is Jianmen Pass. There are two other mountains near this Jianmen Pass, the first is Dingjun Mountain, followed by Tiandang Mountain. Tiandang Mountain used to be a place for grain hoarding in Hanzhong, and Liu Zhang must have sent people to control it; Dingjun Mountain and Jianmen Pass are only more than ten miles apart. If it occupies the Dingjun Mountain and the lower part of the mountain, it is tantamount to adding another guarantee to the Gongwei Jianmen Pass. If the army attacking Jianmen Pass goes down in front of the pass, the defenders in the pass attack from the front, and the defenders on the mountain attack from the top of the Dingjun Mountain, they will inevitably be copied by the two breads and fall into a situation of death and no life.

Wu Zhao asked Sima Guang and Ximenqing: "The enemy occupies a favorable position, and it seems that this battle is not easy to fight. Two virtuous brothers, do you have a good way to break the enemy? ”

The two twisted their eyebrows and pondered, and Ximen Qing said: "The so-called knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent will win all battles." Our army has not yet arrived in front of Dingjun Mountain, and we do not know the reality of the enemy. Why don't you challenge at the bottom of the mountain first, see how strong the defenders at the top of the mountain are, and whether the commander has a strategy, and then make a decision. ”

Sima Guang didn't say anything, and Wu Zhao sighed: "That's it." Ximen Qing, pass my order, and order Feng Zicai to lead 3,000 infantry to go to the village three miles away from Dingjun Mountain; In addition, three squads were sent into the mountain to fight and challenge the defenders in the mountain! ”

That day, until the evening, the small team that went into the mountain to write did not come out. In the night, Dingjun Mountain is like a demon crouching in the dark, full of danger and mystery. Time was in a hurry, Feng Zicai's camp was quite simple, Wu Zhao frowned and walked into his tent, and after gathering the generals, he asked Sima Guang: "There is no news from the next book, it seems that the defenders in the mountains have no intention of fighting us head-on." How about a raid in the early hours of a cloudy day? ”

Sima Guang shook his head: "No." Dingjun Mountain belongs to the Daba Mountain Range, the Daba Mountain Range has 12 mountains from west to east for more than 10 kilometers, and then the east is the lonely peak of Dangkou Temple, just like the dragon playing with pearls, known as the reputation of '12 mountains and a pearl'. Dingjun Mountain is the highest peak in the 12 mountains, the defenders in the mountains can attack our army from a high position, there are 12 mountains to retreat, and there is endless grain and grass in the Yandang Mountain, our army can only outwit, can not be defeated. There is only one plan, and now that our army has just arrived, the defenders in the mountains are very likely to come to rob the camp. Let's set up an ambush tonight to thwart their spirits! ”

Wu Zhao nodded: "This plan is feasible." In addition, are there any people in our army who are familiar with the terrain of this mountain? Can you send a group of brothers into the mountains to find out how the enemy is and who the main generals are? Only by knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent can one win a hundred battles. ”

When Wang Bao heard this, he took the initiative to ask Ying: "Wang Bao is willing to take fifty brothers into the mountain, please ask the captain for permission!" ”