In the Yamen of Nanzheng Mansion in Hanzhong, General Zhang Ze of Hanzhong was sitting in the hall.
A general is naturally extremely noble, but after adding the word "Hanzhong", it seems a bit nondescript, neither honorable nor humble, and it makes people unclear what kind of status it should be.
Just like now, no one in Nanzheng City knows exactly what Zhang Ze is thinking and what kind of state Hanzhong is in. The city gates are closed and there is no news, but the more it is like this, the more uneasy it is.
Inside and outside the government office, people were constantly coming in and out. There were officers going around to deliver orders, riders rushing back and forth to report the latest military information, and various officials asking for instructions on various matters. Everyone was in a hurry,
There was a more or less panicked look on his face.
Outside the government hall, in the courtyard, and on the high walls of the government office, there were many soldiers standing, all wearing armor, staring seriously at everyone who came in and out, as if there might be someone among these people.
If a traitor appears, someone will take out a knife and gun from under his robe at any time to assassinate Zhang Ze.
On the porch outside the government office, some people who came to inquire about the news were sitting, standing, or walking back and forth, with a somewhat anxious and flustered look on their faces, which was completely inconsistent with the graceful and wealthy demeanor inside.
Even though there are a few who are trying to maintain a stable aura, the eyes that glance toward the gate of the government office from time to time seem to indicate something.
Whenever they see officials who have some friendship or acquaintance with them from the government office, these people will involuntarily gather around them and ask all kinds of questions, all with the same meaning. What is going on in Hanzhong right now?
?
Ever since they heard that General Hussar had sent Zhang Liao to attack Xiabian from Tianshui and sent his troops to Yangping Pass in a few days, these Hanzhong people completely did not believe Zhang Ze's lie that everything in Hanzhong was peaceful and everything was under control.
In Nanzheng City, ever since the war situation in Hanzhong took a turn for the worse, there has been such an atmosphere of panic.
The Zhang family's military strength in Hanzhong is actually divided into three parts. One part is Zhang Ze in the middle, guarding the surrounding areas of Nanzheng, the other part is the two camps in the north and south, and the last part is Yangping Pass.
Any other place...
hehe.
For ordinary people, especially the natives who have never moved much in their lives, it is difficult to tell the difference between strong soldiers and weak soldiers. Just like the world's third largest army is often self-absorbed, even its military representatives may not be able to tell the difference.
They know the difference between their own soldiers and those of other countries. So much so that people in Hanzhong once thought that the Hussars' soldiers and horses were stronger than Zhang Lu's. This was undoubtedly true, but it didn't matter. After all, could Zhang Lu's men be considered soldiers?
?If it weren’t for the Hanzhong natives who helped maintain order at that time, Zhang Lu might not even have been able to maintain local security.
Being able to defeat Zhang Lu doesn't mean anything.
Especially when they saw Zhang Ze's soldiers, who were so armored, it became even more difficult for the people of Hanzhong and Nanzheng to tell the real Monkey King from the fake ones. After all, the external equipment was the same.
In fact, some of the truly capable troops in Hanzhong followed Xu Shu and others into Sichuan, and some arrived at Wancheng during the Battle of Jingxiang. The remaining few were near Shangyong and suffered Zhang Ze's attack.
Due to suspicion and suppression, except for the few hundred people who defected to Huang Quan's men, the rest also dispersed.
Therefore, in fact, the soldiers in Zhang Ze's hands at present in Hanzhong cannot be called elite.
But Zhang Ze doesn’t think so, because Zhang Ze’s standard for elites still lies in equipment. Those who wear armor are more elite than those who don’t wear armor, and those who wear iron armor are stronger than those who wear leather armor.
With so many soldiers under his command, if they are not elites, then what can they be?
Then in battle after battle, Zhang Ze discovered that even though his soldiers were wearing almost exactly the same armor as those of General Hussars, they were still no match for the Generals of Hussars...
Armaments are indeed very important, but armaments are not everything.
Wei Yan, the general who conquered Shu, suddenly broke through Micang Road, defeated the Nanshan military stronghold in one fell swoop, and then attacked the soldiers of Fangling. He rescued Huang Quan and exposed Zhang Ze's flanks, forcing Zhang Ze to send soldiers again to make up for the loopholes. At the same time,
They also dispatched troops to encircle and suppress Wei Yan and Huang Quan in the Hanzhong area.
However, something incredible happened, something that was completely unimaginable to Zhang Ze at least...
Normally speaking, Wei Yan, who is alone in the depths of the army, can't hold on for too long even if he doesn't reveal any flaws and is not caught. After all, without the source of follow-up food and grass, the morale of the army may be weakened at any time, and he will suffer a big defeat!
Therefore, his nephew even deliberately delayed the encirclement and suppression operation. Zhang Ze did not say that he was filled with anger. After all, he did not lose. To a certain extent, he won. As long as it lasted ten days and a half, Wei Yan, no matter how capable he was, would not have the food and fodder to follow up.
How to live again?!
However, the news of Zhang Liao's attack immediately broke the original plan. Zhang Ze had to face the tricky situation of fighting on two fronts, or even on multiple fronts. If the war at Yangping Pass also ignited, it might lead to a chain reaction.
After all, there are many defensive areas in Hanzhong, and basically all the mobile soldiers that can be mobilized have been mobilized. Unless the Wei Yan troops hiding in Hanzhong can be wiped out now, there will be no rich manpower at all!
Then Zhang Liao may be very fast on the one hand. After all, he is a cavalry-based unit. The latest news is that Zhang Liao's forward is approaching and may appear in Zhang Ze's field of vision at any time, and Zhang Ze must be careful.
The movement of Baoxie Road and Tangluo Road in Chang'an. If these two important roads are also breached, how can Hanzhong be able to withstand it?!
Burning the plank road is a last resort.
And Zhang Ze suspected that even if it was burned, it might not have much effect. At most, it would just block the cavalry and vehicles. As for the soldiers...
Otherwise, how would Wei Yan's soldiers pass through Micang Road?
Zhang Ze thinks that Nanzheng city defense is not a big problem. After all, Nanzheng has been the central town of Hanzhong since the beginning. It has been continuously repaired during Liu Yan's era, and it has also become Zhang Lu's primary stronghold. Therefore, Nanzheng is not only
It has a solid city wall, a horse-facing shooting angle, a city gate tower and a turret. Coupled with Zhang Ze's years of preparation, there is no shortage of defensive equipment. Even in the worst case scenario of being surrounded from all sides, at least it can be done.
Support for more than half a year!
The problem is that these people in the city may not all agree.
In the past few days, many people have used this name or that name to set up various passages from Zhang Ze, and then drove their horses and carriages, carrying gold and silver, and fled out of the city!
It’s really a sentence of orange hemp wheat peel. I don’t know if it is used as an oar or not as an oar...
Most of these guys gathered outside the government office are squires and natives around Nanzheng, and many of them have served as official servants. If they abandon their official positions directly, they will be worried about having a timid and incompetent person who shrinks in the face of battle.
, just trying to get some order from Zhang Ze, or a piece of paper, to prove that he is not a coward, it is not that his brothers are not working hard, but that they are too rampant, and everyone will disperse in a hurry.
It's easy to explain.
Therefore, Zhang Ze doesn’t want to see any of these people!
However, Zhang can hide, but others cannot...
The sound of footsteps came, and the people gathered outside the government office turned their heads to look, and saw the military general in charge of the defense of Nanzheng City walking out. The person in charge of the city defense was naturally a member of the Zhang family, named Zhang Shang
.
Zhang Shang is a general. Although his ability is average, he is very popular. So when everyone saw Zhang Shang coming out, they swarmed over and surrounded Zhang Shang. They bowed to each other and held their hands in front of them.
The gossipy people started asking about relevant trends.
"Captain Zhang, what kind of regulations is this? Please clarify! Seeing that the hussars and horses are approaching the pass, we have been sitting outside the festival hall for a day, and the envoy has not said a word... please Zhang
Lieutenant, I'm sorry for the hard work we've had to endure!"
"Captain Zhang, what is the current situation of the soldiers and horses in the northern and southern camps? The general who conquered Shu has been circling Hanzhong for several days, but there is no follow-up news? How is the encirclement and suppression going? Has any news come?"
"Captain Zhang, are there any troops from Guanzhong heading south? What's going on in Ziwu Valley right now? All this military information has been sent through your hands. The head of the family has a lot of dealings with the captain... Are you satisfied with your stay in Zhuangzi in the western suburbs?"
I would like to ask one more question for the head of the family. Now the lives and fortunes of officials all over the city are at stake. Isn’t it possible that Lieutenant Zhang refuses to reveal even this little thing?"
"Zhang Xiaowei, everyone has the same idea! Please tell me something. Whenever you are useful to us in the future, you will definitely try your best..."
"Colonel Zhang..."
Zhang Shang wanted to leave, but there was a crowd of people around him. He couldn't move at all, and he couldn't keep his face down. He was pushed and squeezed by these people, and he couldn't get away at all. He hurriedly greeted loudly: "Everyone, everyone! Military and national affairs.
How can we talk in private! Get out of the way, get out of the way!"
A middle-aged official ignored Zhang Shang's words and shouted directly: "You want to hide it from us?! Now I am in Nanzheng, under sword and gun, advancing and retreating with Zhang Shang, why should you hide it from us?"
?!If you refuse to speak now, we will go straight to the festival hall, even risking the punishment of whipping, to ask for an explanation!"
This sentence can be seen as shouting out the aspirations of these middle and lower-level officials, and a group of people immediately responded loudly.
Originally, these non-Zhang officials and squires had already suffered a loss when the benefits were distributed in batches, and now they found out that they were facing danger. The Zhang family did not tell them the specific news.
I was inevitably unhappy, and I had been waiting outside for a long time, so even though it would be punishable to break into the festival hall without a summons, I was so angry that I couldn't believe it was possible to ignore it and just barge in!
Seeing that the situation was getting worse, Zhang Shang waved his hands hastily: "Calm down! Everyone, calm down, don't mess with the regulations!"
The green-robed official who shouted first grabbed Zhang Shang's robe and almost poked his nose with his finger, "Then tell me the truth! What is the situation in Hanzhong now?!"
Zhang Shang looked around, then took two steps to the side with the people around him. When he got to the side, he lowered his voice and said: "...are you specific about the military situation? I'm sorry, I really can't say. Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, but
There are still some things that can be said... Yangping Pass is well-defended and heavily guarded. Don't say three to five months, even a year and a half, there is no way to attack..."
"In addition, the envoy has many reinforcements... It is said that we will see the result in five to six days at most, seven to eight or nine days... The rest, I really can't say, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Zhang Shang cupped his hands and walked out, "I risked losing my head today by revealing these secrets. Please return to your office as soon as possible. After all, if this person's heart is really broken, this Nanzheng City...
…』
"Wait, wait, the last question... When will the general conquering Shu in Hanzhong be able to achieve peace?" someone asked.
"Ah ha, soon, soon it will be peaceful... Farewell, farewell..."
Zhang Shang was not willing to say anything, so he hurried out while there was a gap.
A group of middle- and lower-level officials looked at each other in confusion.
Although Zhang Shang did say something, on the whole, it was still as if he said nothing. Of course, in the current situation, news of reinforcements is always better than no news, but the question is who are these reinforcements?
?
And even if reinforcements come, how much of Hanzhong can be saved?
You must know that after the hussar generals in Chang'an finished taking care of Longyou, Hanzhong must be next. Even if Zhang Ze deployed heavy troops on Baoxie Road and Tangluo Road, and even piled up wood and fuel, he was preparing to burn down the plank road as a last resort.
But can we really ensure that Guanzhong will not invade Hanzhong?
What's more, there is no plank road to burn at Yangping Pass. If it is really broken through, and the hussars and iron cavalry rush into Hanzhong and sweep across the countryside, who can stop it? There are more places to defend. Even if reinforcements are rushed in, who can stop them?
How many? Can you get there before the waves of the hussar army?
Now I hope that the surrounding defensive soldiers can really fulfill their defense responsibilities and not let Wei Yan go to Hanzhong so easily like Zhang Shi of the Nanshan Army who killed a thousand swords!
Everyone looked at each other and saw that they were full of worry and even a little desperate.
When Zhang Ze rebelled, he was limited by the lack of information. After all, not everyone has a God's perspective. Some who were alert and dissatisfied with Zhang Ze's rebellion were either eliminated or had fled. The rest were those who thought they could be detained.
For those who were betting, it seemed that Allin had a pair in his hand, but he didn't expect that once the cards were revealed, everyone else would come up with a pair that would be bigger than the hole card in their hand.
At this moment, it seems that everyone around Hanzhong is surrounded by enemies, and all the allies are unreliable.
Those who are holding back are holding back, and those who are holding back are holding back.
Even within Nanzheng, everyone has their own thoughts. There is no guarantee that once the Hussars arrive at the city, some people in the city will come up with the old tricks of "abandoning darkness to the light" and "a gentleman does not stand behind a dangerous wall"...
There is a saying that when a tree falls down, the hozen scatters, but humans cannot be inferior to the hozen?
When you are about to fall, you have to think about it! Could it be possible that everyone, the whole family, young and old, will be buried with Zhang? The benefits are not that much, but you have to risk your life, who is willing?
Everyone was helpless, and just when they were about to disperse, they didn't expect that there was some movement in the distance, and then they saw several soldiers, half supporting and half holding someone up!
This man looks like he is in his thirties, and he should be well-maintained on weekdays, otherwise most people would not be able to grow such a long beard, but now this man is not only wearing a set of coarse clothes, but even his whole body
Both his beard and hair were stained with a lot of mud, and the mud and sweat formed streaks on his face. Under his coarse clothes, there seemed to be a bulging leather bag tied around his waist...
The visitor had obviously suffered a lot on the way. When he got here, his legs kept shaking and it was difficult to even walk. So he was helped in by the soldiers.
"This...isn't this the magistrate of Shanglian County..."
"Shanglian County Magistrate?"
Shanglian is a small town to the west of Shangyong.
The people who were about to walk out stopped and stopped. They watched with some panic as Magistrate Shanglian was helped in by the soldiers, and some not-so-good thoughts came to his mind...
Although Shanglian County is a small county, not just anyone can become the county magistrate. Many people still remember that Shanglian County Magistrate is quite talented. During the banquet held to celebrate the autumn harvest, Shanglian County Magistrate
The county magistrate also showed some poetry ability in front of Zhang Ze, and was praised by Zhang Ze...
But now, the so-called celebrity and romanticism of this magistrate of Shanglian County are gone, and he is as miserable as a bereaved dog.
Could it be...
Everyone stretched their necks and listened.
Inside the courtyard, there was a faint sound of crying, and then there was a voice, "Shanglian, Shanglian has fallen...Xiaguan, Xiaguan fought to his death to fight his way out...come to report to the envoy to apologize...
…』
Everyone who had been quarreling was immediately silent at this moment. Everyone seemed to be frightened by the news, as if a thunderbolt hit their head directly!
Shanglian fell?!
Shanglian is only two hundred miles away from Shangyongcai. Does that mean Shangyong is finished, or is about to be finished?!
In the land of Hanzhong, there are two important big cities, one is Nanzheng and the other is Shangyong. If Shangyong is over now, will it be Nanzheng's turn next? In other words, will Hanzhong be over?!
Everyone looked at each other and saw panic on other people's faces!
After a while, I don’t know who took the lead, but they all dispersed in a hurry!
At this moment, Wei Yan, who was sitting on the head of Shanglian City, was talking to Huang Quan, "You have to move as quickly as possible... Take everything you can... Now that we have exposed our traces, the wild dogs outside will soon be there."
I smell it..."
The magistrate of Shanglian, who was good at poetry, was obviously not a good magistrate. Even though he knew clearly that the situation in Hanzhong had changed, he still drank and had a party, and then Wei Yan caught a flaw.
Huang Quan nodded and said: "I have already given the order...but..."
Huang Quan hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's just...why?"
Wei Yan smiled slightly, looked into the distance, and did not answer.
Huang Quan looked at Wei Yan and suddenly felt a little headache.
Although Huang Quan and Wei Yan didn't have much interaction before, and there was no talk of friendship or hatred, Huang Quan couldn't help but feel a little helpless and emotional while cooperating with Wei Yan's actions these days.
Faang Ling gave up when he said he would give up, without explaining.
The suspected soldiers in Ziwu Valley withdrew immediately without explanation.
It was well hidden at first, but they attacked Shang Lian without any explanation.
Now I’m asking how the next step is arranged, and I won’t explain.
This made Huang Quan feel that Wei Yan was like a gambler, putting out all the chips on the gambling table, and then looking at the cards that were about to be dealt, with some expectation and some madness.
