At the beginning of April of the 14th year of Jian'an, the general trend of the world was still changing.

After Cao Cao stabilized the situation in the court, he immediately sent troops north, preparing to attack Yuan Xi, Yuan Shang, Gaogan and other remnants of the Yuan clan, completely sweeping the entire north.

Sun Quan suffered a fiasco in Hongkou at the end of last year and needed to lick his wounds, so he set his sights on Jiaozhou and took advantage of the Guiyang road to send troops to Lingnan.

And in the land of Bashu, the battle between Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu has also entered a white-hot stage.

Although Zhang Lu rebelled in history, he did not dare to take the initiative to attack Bashu.

First, there are several passes in the south, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Second, he did not have enough troops to annex the whole of Yizhou.

But now due to Liu Zhang's joint attack on Liu Biao, several defeats, the loss of troops and generals, the original Yizhou army was more than 60,000 or 70,000, but now there are only about 30,000 people left, most of the loss is lost.

is so weak, naturally Zhang Lu moved his crooked thoughts that he had never had in history, and went south to devour the master, wanting to pinch the entire Yizhou in his hands, so as to go further.

It's just that Zhang Lu didn't expect Liu Zhang to choose a comprehensive turtle style of play, all the way south to attack the city, and he didn't fight for a year and a half, which made him fall into the quagmire, and it was difficult to ride a tiger, and he almost couldn't pull it out.

Fortunately, there was civil strife in Jingzhou, and Yangzhou was also caught in a struggle with Jingzhou. Cao Cao in the north did not even recover Youzhou and Bingzhou, and he couldn't control Hanzhong at all, and Guanzhong Han Suima Chao and other streams were also caught in civil wars many times, and they did not attack his old nest Hanzhong.

So that Zhang Lu could have enough time to attack Liu Zhang, and in March this year, he finally broke through the last barrier of Chengdu, killed outside Chengdu, and besieged Chengdu.

At this time, there were only more than 10,000 horses in the city, and although the grain and grass were still sufficient, Liu Zhang was obviously at the point of exhaustion.

However, Liu Zhang did not surrender.

In history, he surrendered to Liu Bei because he knew that Liu Bei would not kill him, so it was better to surrender early.

But Zhang Lu is different.

After Zhang Lu rebelled and became self-reliant in Hanzhong, Liu Zhang killed Zhang Lu's mother and family, and the two sides formed a mortal enemy.

In the ten years from the first year of Guangxingping to the eighth year of Jian'an, Pang Xi and Zhang Lu, the Brazilian guards sent by Liu Zhang, fought many times and were repeatedly repelled by Zhang Lu.

Therefore, the enmity between the two sides is very large, and it can be said that it has reached the point of never ending.

This time, Zhang Lu took advantage of the situation to attack Yizhou, and he did not want to kill Liu Zhang and avenge his mother and family, so it was impossible for Liu Zhang to surrender, and if he surrendered, he would definitely die.

In this case, Liu Zhang helped Liu Bei buy a lot of time, and when Liu Bei officially became the lord of Jingzhou in April, he still stuck to Chengdu.

However, at this time, Liu Bei had not yet set off, Liu Zhang was still struggling to support, and Guan Yu had no intention of continuing to march in Jiangzhou.

If Liu Bei doesn't rush to help, Liu Zhang probably won't be able to support it for long.

In May of the 14th year of Jian'an, Jiangzhou.

Liu Zhang was actually in correspondence with Liu Bei from time to time, after all, Liu Bei went to Xichuan, in fact, he followed Zhang Song's advice and introduced Liu Bei as a reinforcement to assist him in repelling Zhang Lu.

However, Liu Beijun, who was supposed to set off in May last year, stayed in Jiangzhou all the time, and at the end of last year, he simply went back suddenly, and Zhang Song went to restore his life and informed Liu Zhang of Liu Bei's return to Jingzhou to quell the turmoil, which made Liu Zhang very annoyed.

It's just that this matter was originally his begging, and Liu Bei couldn't complain about his own affairs, so Liu Zhang could only keep urging Zhang Song to go back and forth to Jingzhou and Yizhou, hoping that Liu Bei would come to help as soon as possible.

As a result, Liu Qi fell ill and died, which caused Liu Zhang to lose the defense line of Luocheng, leaving only Chengdu in his hands, and the Yizhou regime was already in danger.

On 6 May, Zhang Song went south again and sent an envoy to Jiangzhou to seek help from Guan Yu.

In Jiangzhou City, Guan Yu sat alone in the main seat, and the first one under the left hand was the military advisor Pang Tong, and then Zhao Yun, Guan Ping, Shiren, Xiahou Su, Wu Yi, Fei Guan, Zhang Yi, Deng Xian, Wu Lan, Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao, Liao Hua, Yi Yuan, Li Yan, Han Ran and other generals and scribes.

The rest of Zhang Fei, Xu Shu, Tai Shici, Sun Qian, Mi Zhu, Mi Fang, Liu Yan, Yuan Qi, Kou Feng, Wei Yan, Dong Ju, Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, Gao Xiang and others were in charge of grain and grass in the rear White Emperor City.

Now Liu Bei's army is divided into two parts, one is the former Dongzhou soldiers currently commanded by Guan Yu, that is, Liu Zhang's army captured in the Battle of Zigui.

The other part is Liu Bei's headquarters led by Zhang Fei, about 20,000 people.

The total number of soldiers and horses of the two divisions is about 50,000, and if you count the large number of Wuxi man, auxiliary soldiers, and people who transported grain and grass recruited in Nanjun and Lingling County, the total number will exceed 100,000.

Like Wuximan's Shamoke, he was appreciated by Liu Bei, so he came to defect with more than 1,000 elite soldiers, and he is currently in Guan Yu's army.

At this moment, the hall was very quiet, and many generals and scribes did not speak.

Guan Yu sat on the main seat and watched "Spring and Autumn".

"Report!"

At this moment, the guards came in and knelt down on one knee and said, "Liu Zhang's envoy is here." ”

"Let them in."

Guan Yu put down the "Spring and Autumn" book in his hand and said.

This book is a paper thread-bound book.

Shen Chen once went to all parts of the country to search for ancient styles due to architectural design, and accidentally learned about the new papermaking technology that appeared after the Tang and Song dynasties.

So after the crossing, the experiment was improved to reduce the cost of papermaking, and the new paper gradually became popular in the south.

Therefore, at least today's Jingzhou books are no longer popular with bamboo slips.

As soon as Fa Zheng came in, he saw the paper book.

Yizhou and Jingzhou had close contacts, but unfortunately trade between the two places was almost suspended due to the war in recent years, and it was not until Liu Bei crisscrossed the Three Gorges that commercial contacts resumed.

So since last year, paper books have also spread among the Bashu family with Zhou Lin's purchase from Jingzhou.

It's just that although paper books are gradually becoming popular in Jingzhou, Yizhou is closed by war, and Zhou Lin has only made two trips to trade since last year, and it is not easy to buy and ship, and only the top families in Bashu can afford it.

And Fa Zheng is not a big family of the Bashu family, his grandfather is a scholar and celebrity in Guanzhong, and his father is only a petty official of 600 stones.

Due to the war in Guanzhong, Fa Zheng and his friend Meng Da from the same county fled to Yizhou, and he is currently only a military lieutenant who is not taken seriously.

So he had seen and touched paper books from his friends, but he had never bought them.

"Zhang Song and Zhang Ziqiao of Shu County (Fufeng Fa Zhengfa Xiaozhi), I have seen the general!"

Zhang Song and Fa Zheng entered the hall and saluted.

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "The two of you are polite, please take a seat." ”

"Thank you, General."

After the two thanked them, they sat on the seat under Guan Yu's right hand.

After they sat down, Guan Yu asked, "Is it because Liu Yizhou's front is tight and he sent two of them over to ask for help?" ”

"yes."

Zhang Song sighed and said: "Zhang Lu surrounded Chengdu, although my lord tried his best to resist, but Chengdu is too big, there are only more than 10,000 soldiers and horses in the city, and he has to mobilize the young and strong in the city to barely hold on, but he can't last long." ”

Guan Yu also sighed: "My eldest brother had already planned to come to aid Liu Yizhou last year, but Jingzhou suddenly had civil strife, and the eldest brother and the eldest son had no choice but to send troops to help. came to the aid today, but the eldest son suddenly fell ill again, so it was delayed until now. ”

Zhang Song hurriedly said: "Then can you send troops now?" ”

Pang Tong on the side muttered: "We are now stationed in Jiangzhou, just waiting for news from the lord. But the lord has not yet given the order, and he does not dare to move lightly. ”

Zhang Song hurriedly said: "Now Chengdu is in danger, if you wait for Xuande Gong any longer, Yizhou will be returned to Zhang Lu." ”

"This."

Pang Tong touched the goat's whisker on his chin, thought about it, turned his head to look at Guan Yu and said, "General, the envoy's words are indeed reasonable. Although the lord was delayed because of the matter of the eldest son, Liu Yizhou could not afford to delay. ”

Guan Yu said: "It's just that if I send troops now, without the permission of my eldest brother's order, wouldn't I have to bear the charge of transferring the army without authorization?" ”

Historically, Guan Yu was able to mobilize troops in Jingzhou because Liu Bei gave him the privilege of being a feudal official, and he could call Jingzhou soldiers and horses without asking Yizhou for instructions.

But not now, now he is only a former army general, Liu Bei, the commander of the three armies, has not arrived, and he does not dare to call the shots without permission.

Pang Tong pondered: "I have a plan to alleviate Liu Yizhou's urgency." ”

"Oh?"

Guan Yu asked, "What is the plan of the military advisor?" ”

Pang Tong said with a smile: "Of the three roads leading to Bashu in Hanzhong, the best one is the Golden Bull Road, and Zhang Lu's main force is to go south from the Golden Bull Road and attack Chengdu." The general can send a partial division, pretend to be the main force of our army, go north to Micang Road, and attack Hanzhong, which is called the plan to encircle Wei and save Zhao. ”

"Hmm."

Guan Yu nodded slightly, and said to Zhang Song and Fazheng: "What do you two think?" ”

Zhang Song said almost without hesitation: "Very good, very good." ”

Only Fa Zheng's eyes rolled, but he didn't say anything, glanced at the book in Guan Yu's hand, and said, "Just according to what the general said." ”

"In that case, please go to the backyard to rest first, and then I will order the generals under my command to lead the troops to the battle."

Guan Yu stood up and planned to send off the guests.

"General Xie."

Zhang Song thanked him again and again, and Fa Zhengze got up and reluctantly glanced at the paper book that the Yizhou family regarded as a treasure.

Although the first all-paper book in history was the "Three Kingdoms" written by Chen Shou, even in the period of the Two Jin and Northern Dynasties, paper books were still very precious, and it was not until the Tang Dynasty that printing technology appeared that it was slightly better.

However, the so-called slightly better does not mean that the whole people are popular, but that ordinary well-off families can afford to buy books and learn knowledge, and the people at the bottom still can't afford it.

Therefore, in today's era of the late Han Dynasty, paper books are not generally expensive, comparable to the top luxury goods of later generations, and cannot be used by non-family members.

Fa Zheng had long wanted to have a set of paper books, but unfortunately he didn't have the money, couldn't afford it, and didn't have the resources.

"Do you like this book?"

Guan Yu wanted to send Liu Zhang's envoy first, but he noticed that Fa Zheng was looking at the "Spring and Autumn" on the table several times, so he said with a smile: "If you like it, I'll give it to you." ”

"Does the general really want to give it to me?"

Fa Zheng was very surprised.

Guan Yu said with a smile: "Xiaoqing gave me several sets of "Spring and Autumn", and it is useless to keep more, it is better to give them to talented people." ”

Although he is arrogant and respectful, Fa Zheng is not a big person. First, he is not a child of a family, and second, he is not valued by Liu Zhang, he is an ordinary scholar in his eyes, and it is not a bad thing to give this book to buy people's hearts for the eldest brother.

"Thank you, General, thank you, General!"

Fa Zheng was overjoyed here, and almost took the book with trembling hands, and couldn't put it down.

After being a celebrity, Fa is very fond of learning, and in history, Liu Bei asked him to do "Shu Ke", which shows that he affirmed his talent.

In the past, the words recorded in bamboo slips were already very precious, but now that paper books are published, they are naturally much more precious than bamboo slips, so I am naturally very happy to get a paper book.

After Zhang Song and Fa Zheng left, Guan Yu said to Pang Tong: "Military advisor, Liu Zhang's envoy is sent away. ”

"Hmm."

Pang Tong nodded and said: "Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang have a grudge against killing their mother, if it was in the past, Liu Zhang was powerful, he didn't dare to make any moves." But now that Liu Zhang's strength is weak, he has a chance to avenge his mother, and secondly, he can annex Yizhou, and he will never retreat easily. ”

Guan Yu said: "I'm just afraid that Zhang Lu won't be able to withstand the fright, I don't know the reality of our army, and I'm worried that Hanzhong will be broken by our army, so how can I retreat?" ”

"No, it won't."

Pang Tong said with a smile: "Zhang Lu has been fighting for more than a year, and seeing that Yizhou is about to turn over, how can he be willing to give in?" Moreover, we have been stationed in Wuxian, Baidi City, Jiangzhou and other places for several months, and Zhang Lu is not a fool, how can he not send someone to investigate the truth and truth? ”

"Hmm."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and groaned.

"So he will definitely continue to attack Chengdu, and this plan is to repair the plank road in the light and Chen Cang in the dark."

Pang Tong continued: "Let's first send someone to pretend to besiege Wei to save Zhao, and when Zhang Lu sees through the truth, we will send someone to pretend to be the main force to Shu County." At this time, Zhang Lu must have thought that our trip to Hanzhong was fake, and the rescue was real, so it was very likely that he would choose to abandon Hanzhong, and Hanzhong would be taken advantage of by us. ”

At the beginning, Pang Tong suggested to Liu Bei a plan to encircle Wei and save Zhao, but this plan could solve Liu Zhang's problem, but it could not solve the problem of how Liu Bei could successfully get Yizhou.

The best way is naturally that Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu will lose both, Liu Bei will benefit from the fisherman, and Hanzhong Bashu will get it all at once.

But people won't give away the land for nothing.

Therefore, Pang Tong planned to use some methods to appease Liu Zhang's envoy first, and then act according to the plan, and when Zhang Lu broke through Chengdu, he would find that his hometown in Hanzhong was gone.

In this way, even if Zhang Lu gets Shu County, he will be unpopular, and the people and clans of Shu County will not obey him. Second, Liu Bei had already set off from Jingzhou at this time, and Guan Yu went south from Hanzhong again, attacking from both sides, and Zhang Lu would be defeated.

If he knew each other, it would be best to surrender and be decent. If he didn't know each other, Liu Bei would naturally help him be decent.

Therefore, this blow can be described as a serial plan.

One trick and one trick.

At that moment, Guan Yu gave an order and said to Zhao Yun: "Where is Zilong?" ”

Zhao Yun got up and said, "The last general." ”

"I'll entrust you with this false plan."

Guan Yu said: "You lead 8,000 troops this time, and I will let Yide send 20,000 auxiliary soldiers and civilians to escort grain and grass, falsely claiming to be 50,000 troops, and go north along the Qianjiang River with a fleet, deliberately making a huge noise, and be sure to let Zhang Lu know." ”

"The last will understand."

Zhao Yun replied.

Today, Liu Beijun's oldest generals in the army, in addition to Guan Zhang, are Zhao Yun and Tai Shici.

Although the rest of Mi Zhu, Mi Fang, Sun Qian and others also followed Liu Bei from Xuzhou, they were not generals, so the heavy responsibility of leading the army alone this time could indeed only be handed over to Zhao Yun.

As for the feints on the West Road, Guan Yu also has suitable candidates.

Who else could there be besides Wu Yi?

(End of chapter)