Hanzhong, Nanzheng.

Hanzhong is located in a dangerous area, isolated from the Central Plains. The people of the land mostly believe in the theory of ghosts and gods, longing for the gods, and are good at witchcraft and Taoist techniques.

And now the most famous place is the Five Dou Rice Sect under the jurisdiction of Heavenly Master Zhang Lu.

Relying on this teaching alone, even if he is on a close footing with Liu Zhang in Yizhou, Zhang Lu can still sit firmly in Hanzhong, and there has even been a faint momentum of anti-guest suppression of Liu Zhang over the years.

If nothing else, it is impossible to say that he will not be able to swallow Liu Zhang with water milling.

It's a pity that things in the world don't follow people's wishes.

Today, Zhang Lu got the news that Zhao Yun and others had come south from Chang'an, and now he is kneeling in front of the statue of Lao Tzu and praying.

I hope that the sage of Lao Tzu can help him survive this catastrophe for the sake of his dedication to faith for so many years.

At this time, a middle-aged man came in from outside, and when he saw Zhang Lu praying for God again, his eyes showed some contempt, but he quickly covered it up.

Zhang Lu's residence is naturally not accessible to others, the person who came is Zhang Lu's brother Zhang Wei, and he is also the powerful general who is now in charge of most of the military horses in Hanzhong.

Zhang Wei stood beside Zhang Lu, waited patiently, and waited until Zhang Lu finished praying before he spoke, "Brother, now that the Chang'an army is menacing, we must be on guard as soon as possible."

Zhang Lu stood up.

He, Zhang Tianshi, is a good hand at preaching and praying to God, but when it comes to military strategy, he is not as good as this brother next to him.

He nodded, "Hanzhong is steep, and although the soldiers and horses of Chang'an are elite, it is not easy to enter Sichuan. I have already heard that the Chang'an army is coming from Longyou this time and is marching south along the road."

Zhang Wei pondered for a moment when he heard this, and said, "In this case, my brother can join my army, and I will garrison at Yang'an Pass, even if there are more enemy troops, it will be difficult to enter Sichuan."

Yang'an Pass is north of Hanzhong and is the gateway to Hanzhong from Longshang.

Yang'an Pass is the Yangping Pass many years later.

If you want to enter Hanzhong, you must pass through Yang'an Pass.

Zhang Lu pondered for a moment or two, and finally nodded and said, "You can go, but you can't engage the Chang'an army. Most of those people are long-experienced warriors, and my Hanzhong military horses are definitely not opponents. It's just a matter of letting them know the odds."

Zhang Wei responded when he heard this, but he was still a little unimpressed in his heart.

If it weren't for his brother's cowardly temperament, he would have attacked Liu Zhang before, and now Yizhou would be in their hands.

It's just that Zhang Lu has an order, and he doesn't dare to say more, so he bows down and retreats.

Zhang Lu turned to look at the statue of the Dao Ancestor enshrined behind him, and bowed sincerely, "I also hope that the Dao Ancestor will help me."

…………

Zhao Yun commanded the army from Chang'an to the west, went down to Huifeng County, and went straight to Yang'an Pass.

Along the way, the march was not in a hurry or slow.

In addition to appeasing the people who were alarmed by the army, Zhao Yun visited the countryside every day to explore the local folk customs.

The main general was not in a hurry, but made Ma Chao, the deputy general who was traveling with him, anxious, and went to Zhao Yun's main account to complain for several days.

The same is true today, as soon as he sat down, he began to urge Zhao Yun to march.

Zhao Yun laughed and poured him a bowl of hot soup.

is now the head coach, but he is no longer arrogant.

Zhao Yun has always had a gentle temperament, if Zhang Fei is replaced here, he is afraid that he will have to fight with Ma Chao every day.

He smiled and said, "Now we have come from afar, asking for the land of Hanzhong, but in fact, what we are asking for in the end is a long and stable future. If you want to rule Hanzhong peacefully, you always have to ask about the local folk customs first."

Ma Chao was a little unimpressed, now that the soldiers are coming south, it is enough to defeat Hanzhong, what rules do you talk to them?

If he dares to rebel in the Han Dynasty, then he will be pressed by a large army, and he will be killed and set an example until he does not dare to rebel again!

For so many years, Liangzhou has always been like this.

Zhao Yun smiled and shook his head, things were naturally not as simple as Ma Chao said.

However, Ma Chao is in Liangzhou, and the rules of big fists are the truth is a deep-rooted custom in Liangzhou, and he doesn't realize that a few words can make Ma Chao change

。

When it comes to indoctrination, his own father-in-law is better at it, and he will have a headache in the future.

Seeing that he was silent, Ma Chao continued: "We are really too slow now, count the days, I'm afraid that Wei Yan has already entered the meridian dao. If we don't hurry up, if we are really passed by this person, then won't the credit for conquering Hanzhong fall into his hands in vain?"

Since Ma Chao descended Liu Bei, he has repeatedly fought with Han Sui in Liangzhou in recent years, although he has made some achievements, but he has not made any great contributions.

Now that the great credit for the capture of Hanzhong is in front of him, how can he not be moved?

Zhao Yun said with a smile: "They are all under orders, as long as they can capture Hanzhong, whoever gets the same credit. If Wei Yan can really fight out of the Meridian Dao, then this is the credit he deserves."

Ma Chao sighed, the two have been together for many years, and Ma Chao naturally understood Zhao Yun's temperament.

This person is not greedy for merit, and he is extremely fair to people and things.

Naturally, it's a good thing on weekdays, but now it seems that there is less ambition.

Zhao Yun suddenly smiled and said, "Since Meng Qi has the intention to make meritorious contributions, I will join you in an army, you can lead the troops first, if you can take Yang'an Pass, I will also count it as your great merit."

Ma Chao was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly nodded in response.

Although the Yang'an Pass is steep on three sides, the current general Zhang Wei is just a nobody.

Such a character, how to stop him Xiliang Jinma Chao?

Ma Chao said goodbye and left.

Zhao Yun turned his head to look at the map hanging behind him.

The road to Shu is difficult, and I hope that Wei Yan and others can succeed.

………………

To the east of the Qinling Mountains, on the Meridian Valley Road, a military horse is trekking.

The road is mountainous and overgrown with weeds and trees, making it difficult to identify the road.

The leader is dressed in light armor and opens the way with a long knife in his hand.

At this time, the sun is scorching, even if there are mountains and trees to cover it, but between actions, it is still sweating like rain.

The man who was at the forefront paused in his footsteps, and then ordered the whole army to rest for the time being.

The man also went to find a shady place, took off the kettle at his waist, and drank a few sips.

A young man with a somewhat ugly face moved with difficulty, came to the man's side, and only after sitting down did he let out a sigh and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his head.

The man was naturally Wei Yan, who was the new to serve Liu Bei, and the young man's name was Pang Tong, both of whom came from Jingzhou with Liu Ye that day.

Wei Yan glanced at the young man beside him and tugged at the corners of his mouth, "You are a scholar sitting in the study and reading, why do you have to come with me to suffer this hardship. If you stay in Jingzhou, you will definitely be reused by the lord in the future, unlike a battlefield warrior like me, who can only exchange his life for a future."

It turned out that it was Pang Tong who begged to go from Jingzhou to Chang'an, and as for following him to this Meridian Valley, Zhao Yun originally did not agree, but unfortunately he couldn't help Pang Tong's begging.

Pang Tong smiled when he heard this, "You know my ambition, I am the one who wants to do great things!" Do the biggest thing! Yizhou is a good opportunity!"

Wei Yan laughed, "Isn't it because you saw that person in Jingzhou?"

Pang Tong glared at him, but he didn't refute.

That Zhuge Liang, he really can't compare now.

And this kind of person, once he falls behind him, is destined to be left behind forever.

He didn't want to do this, so he left Jingzhou and wanted to take another path.

Wei Yan knew what he was thinking, and shook his head with a smile.

There are always the troubles of young people when they are young, and it is useless to talk too much.

That Zhuge Liang in Jingzhou actually didn't like it very much, he was too calm.

If such a temperament is used in marching and combat, it will miss a lot of good opportunities.

It's just that even if he doesn't like it, he has to admit it, being in the same generation with this person is the luck of Pang Tong and these people, and it is also the misfortune of these people.

Pang Tong didn't know what he was thinking, he just raised his hand and wiped a handful of sweat, and then looked up at the sun in the sky, "Old Wei, to tell you the truth, this

How sure are you that the second soldier is out of Meridian Valley?"

Wei Yan laughed, "When it comes to marching and fighting, where is there nine out of ten? It's nothing more than a nine-man scheme, one cent a day."

Pang Tong nodded, "It's just that this point of heaven can overwhelm the nine-point scheme."

Wei Yan laughed, stood up, and opened the way with a knife again.

The fame and wealth of his life are all pressed on this battle.

…………

More than ten days later, under the Yang'an Pass, Ma Chao was calling for battle in front of the Pass.

It turned out that he led the army to Yang'an Pass for a few days, and when he first arrived, the guard general Zhang Wei did not know how powerful he was, and sent the general out of the pass to fight with Ma Chao, and was beheaded by Ma Chao several generals, and even almost killed by him into the pass.

Zhang Wei knew how powerful Ma Chao was, and let Ma Chao call for battle outside, and no longer dared to go out to face the battle, but he couldn't hold out of the gate.

Yang'an Pass is a three-sided pass, only one can be passed, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Even if Ma Chao has the courage of ten thousand people, he can only be blocked outside the gate.

On this day, Zhao Yun led the rear army to arrive, but he did not punish Ma Chao, but just came to the front of the battle and walked around Yang'an Pass a few times.

In the big tent, everyone gathered to discuss the method of taking the pass.

Liu Ye looked at the map in front of him and frowned slightly, "This place is too dangerous. It's not that we can't attack it, but it's inevitable that there will be heavy casualties."

Zhao Yun also nodded, "But if you want to enter Hanzhong, Yang'an Pass has to go down, and a strong attack is the last resort."

Ma Chao was silent on the side, he had tried various methods to attack the city these days, but unfortunately that Zhang Wei just couldn't shrink, but he had no other way.

Liu Ye smiled and said, "As Meng Qi said, Zhang Wei has no plan, I think it is better to retreat temporarily to paralyze Zhang Wei's heart, and then attack him at night. With the Danyang soldiers sent by the lord, this battle is actually not difficult."

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment and nodded.

…………

In Yang'an Pass, Zhang Wei stood on the city tower, raised his eyes and looked outside the pass, but there was no one outside.

It turned out that a few days ago, the Chang'an army outside the gate suddenly withdrew overnight.

In just one night, the tens of thousands of troops originally stationed outside the city disappeared.

He sent people out of the city to find some farmers outside the city, and these farmers naturally did not know the inside story, only that the Chang'an army had withdrawn overnight, and there was no warning before.

The more this is the case, the more suspicious Zhang Wei becomes.

Since Chang'an, the soldiers have come, and if he changes his position among these people, he will never give up so easily.

In the past few days, he has sent several waves of scouts out of the north of the city to inquire about the news, but none of them have made any big gains.

While he was standing at the head of the city and pondering, a sergeant came to report that the cavalry who had gone out to investigate had caught a horse from the enemy to clean up the aftermath.

Zhang Wei was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately went downstairs to interrogate him personally.

An hour later, Zhang Wei stood in the courtyard and pondered.

The probe had a hard mouth, but finally spat out.

It turned out that the reason why those Chang'an troops retreated was because Han Sui in Liangzhou suddenly broke out and broke several cities in a row, forcing them to return to help.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wei spit out the breath that had been held in his heart for a long time.

It was really this time that Zhao Yun and the others were menacing, and he was killed by Ma Chao again, and he really didn't want to fight against him.

Thinking of this, he relaxed his mind and arranged for his sergeants to prepare wine and meat, and today he wanted to reward the defenders in the city.

…………

At night, the defenders at the head of the city were complaining to each other, scolding the generals and officials of the city from top to bottom.

Now the defenders of the city are drinking wine and eating meat in big bowls, and only they are the ones who remain on duty on the city tower.

Although they will be replaced soon, they will be leftovers by then, so how can they eat to their heart's content?

While they were complaining, a troop of men was sneaking up on the city's top along the shadows below.

The city wall of Yang'an Pass is tall, but the people under the city are like nothing and climb up directly.

At this time, the defenders on the city tower were still cursing the lieutenant generals and colonels, and a few people were still complaining that those Chang'an troops were too useless, if they really had the ability, why not kill more generals and colonels who only knew how to have fun in the city, and just left in such a mess?

At this moment, a sudden change occurred, and several figures suddenly jumped up to the city, and before the city defenders could react, the blade had already swept past them.

Those men who jumped up to the city, dressed in black and without armor, quietly went down from the city head, and then quickly eliminated the defenders at the city gate with thunder, and finally lit the fireworks to repay the credit.

Sparks exploded in mid-air.

A cavalry army rushed into the city from a distance with lightning speed.

At this time, Zhang Wei, who was drunk in the city, had already rested, woke up from his sleep, and he didn't have time to put on his armor, so he picked up the sword on the table and walked out of the house.

Guarded by the guards outside the gate, he walked out of the house, listened to the sounds of the city, and knew that the city could not be defended.

He did not hesitate, and ordered the guards to bring his mount and prepare to flee.

Before he could get on his horse, a cavalry army suddenly arrived.

The leader is a white horse in brocade.

Ma Chao held the gun in his hand and asked with a smile, "Do you want to die, or do you want to live?"

…………

The news of the defeat at Yang'anguan soon reached Nanzheng.

As soon as Yang'an broke, the Chang'an army was like a bamboo, and it connected several cities in Hanzhong and approached Nanzheng.

Zhang Lu had difficulty sleeping and eating, and it was difficult to sleep at night, and he lost a lot of weight in just a few days.

First, he was worried about Zhang Wei's life, and second, he was naturally worried about this hard-earned foundation.

Seeing that the Chang'an army was approaching the door day by day, he naturally would not sit still.

On this day, he sought out his adviser Yan Pu.

"Yan Jun, now that Yang'an has been broken and the Chang'an army is coming south, do you have a plan to protect my Hanzhong?"

Yan Pu smiled bitterly when he heard this, he had advised Zhang Lu at the beginning, the general trend was in Liu, and Mo Ruo would descend early.

Even if you really want to refuse to defend Yang'an, you can't let Zhang Wei go.

It's a pity that Zhang Lu didn't listen.

Zhang Lu also knew that some strong people were difficult, and sighed: "I regret that I didn't listen to what Yan Jun said that day. Now I want to descend on it, I don't know if I can?"

Yan Pu pondered for a moment and said, "Now that the Chang'an army is in full swing, even if the Ming Duke is willing to surrender, I am afraid that it will be difficult to be valued, it is better to go south to Bazhong first, and recruit foreign races, and then it will be considered a contribution to the country."

Zhang Lu pondered for a moment and nodded, "What Yan Jun said is reasonable, you go and prepare one or two, let's hurry up to Bazhong."

Yan Pu should claim to be.

He suddenly asked, "Duke Ming, there are still a lot of property, grain and grass in the treasury now, if you leave in a hurry, I'm afraid you can't take it all away."

Zhang Lu glanced at him and sighed, "Those are already owned by the state. How can the official affairs of the state be abolished because of the selfishness of one man?"

Yan Pu said sincerely, "Ming Gong is benevolent."

has repeatedly offered his advice, but he still stayed under Zhang Lu and never escaped, also because Zhang Lu did have a benevolent heart.

This is quite similar to Liu Zhang in Yizhou.

He sighed inwardly.

It's a pity that in troubled times, such a benevolent monarch is destined not to do great things.

…………

On this day, a military horse came out of the mountains and forests in Baozhong.

The 5,000 elite infantry soldiers when they came, plus 5,000 heavy soldiers, are now only half left.

The rest of the people were ragged and pale, and some were even a little shaky just standing.

Wei Yan was still walking in front, and when everyone saw that the Lord was like this, they naturally didn't dare to stay lazy.

He had already seen the map drawn by Zhang Song before, so Wei Yan only glanced at it and saw that this place was not far from Nanzheng.

He looked to the side, and Pang Tong didn't know where he was.

After a while, Pang Tong returned and said with a smile: "I really won the bet by you, and now there is a great merit in front of us, it depends on whether you are willing to take it."

」

"Merit?" Wei Yan frowned.

Pang Tong smiled: "I caught a deserter just now, it turns out that now General Zhao has broken through Yang'an Pass, and the army is coming towards Nanzheng."

Wei Yan showed a look of disappointment, "It seems that it is still a step too late, but it is a pity that this is the credit of entering Hanzhong first. We still have to march faster, lest Zhang Lu surrender directly, then our efforts will really be in vain."

Pang Tong shook his head, "Now that the army has entered Hanzhong, I guess that with Zhang Lu's temperament, he will definitely not defend Nanzheng. As for the please? If the army had not broken through Nanzheng, he still had the land of Hanzhong in his hands, but he would not have asked for surrender. But now that Hanzhong is in the hands of our army, Zhang Lu will never ask for surrender."

Wei Yan pondered for a moment and nodded, "What you said is reasonable. Where's the credit?"

Pang Tong said with a smile: "This person has no way to go now, and he must enter Bazhong, so that he can wait for the price to sell."

Wei Yan frowned, if it was really as Pang Tong said, it would naturally be a great credit.

But if it hadn't been as Pang Tong said, their efforts to smuggle the meridian would have been in vain.

Wei Yan asked, "How sure are you?"

Pang Tong returned the original words, "The plan is in the people, and the success is in the sky." There is no foolproof strategy, and after 50% of the time, it is worth the gamble."

Wei Yan gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Okay, let's take a gamble!"

Subsequently, Wei Yan led his army around Nanzheng and ambushed on the road to Bazhong.

Sure enough, Zhang Lu and others led hundreds of riders to come.

Wei Yan subdued and captured.

Later, the army of Sanfu captured Nanzheng, and Zhang Lu said that Bazhong was surrendered.

Hanzhong Suiping.