In the Yongliang area, especially in the Hexi Corridor where there is little rain, almost all cities are built on flat land beside the river.
Across the river from Jincheng, there is a stream of water flowing into the river, called Lishui.
Going up the Lishui River, there are Zhiyang County, Yunjie County, and Lingju County, to name a few of their borders.
Ever since Feng Yong's army appeared on the border of Jincheng, Zhang knew that Lu Pan, the defender of Xiping County, and Xu Miao, the governor of Liangzhou, had fallen into the trap.
He sent people to deliver the news across the river as quickly as possible.
After Xu Miao received the news, he almost vomited out a mouthful of old blood.
"This is a cruel and deceitful person!
Xu Miao was trembling all over.
Yuzhong is definitely gone.
Although the news from Zhang said that the situation in Yuzhong was unclear.
But Xu Miao knew that Yuzhong was definitely gone. The only uncertainty was how long Yuzhong could hold on.
More importantly, Zhang Hua led the troops from Jincheng to aid Yuzhong, but was cut off by Feng Yong who emerged from the mountains.
This is what Xu Miao is most concerned about.
If Jincheng's reinforcements are destroyed, Jincheng will not be saved.
If Jincheng is not protected, the Shu army can take the opportunity to cross the river, go up the Lishui River, and occupy the imperial residence.
Once the command is lost, the Shu army can attack Xiping on the right and enter Liangzhou on the left.
It happened that at this time, all the remaining troops in Liangzhou were in Xiping.
If Xiping's troops and horses cannot be withdrawn in time...
Thinking that all these consequences were caused by the elusive Feng Wenhe, Xu Miao couldn't help but curse: "Cruel and treacherous person, cruel and treacherous person..."
"Your Majesty, since the purpose of the Shu army's trip is to attack Jincheng, why not order General Lu to go to Lingju?"
The staff suggested.
Xu Miao's eyes were unfocused and his face was heavy, "I'm afraid it's too late."
"Jincheng is strong. As long as the uncles and nephews of the Zhang family can hold on for a while, it will be enough for General Lu..."
"What if the Golden City has been lost by now?"
Xu Miao suddenly interrupted his staff, crumpled the secret letter into a ball, and veins popped up on the back of his hands, "It only takes two or three days to get to Lingju from Jincheng."
"I'm afraid that as soon as the governor's order arrives in Xiping, the Shu people have already arrived at Lingju City. Lingju City has only two or three hundred soldiers. How many days can they hold them back?"
"If we let Lu Pan lead the army rashly, and if something goes wrong again, Liangzhou will have no choice but to surrender."
Don't be afraid of ten thousand in everything, just be afraid of the eventuality.
The news that Jincheng had been robbed of food and fodder, and that the army rescuing Yuzhong had been cut off by Feng Yong, made Xu Miao really not dare to gamble.
Because the bet was lost, Liangzhou was gone!
"Send a message to General Lu and ask him to take his people back to Liangzhou immediately and leave Dadou Valley!"
The towering Qilian Mountains stretch for thousands of miles from east to west, forming the southern barrier of the Hexi Corridor and separating Xiping from the Hexi Corridor.
Among the rolling mountains, there is a canyon that connects the Xiping and Hexi Corridors.
This is the great fight against the valley.
Exiting the mountain pass of this canyon is Zhangye County to the west of Wuwei County.
It is the only route along the South Silk Road and the fastest passage from Xiping back to the Hexi Corridor.
"But Sir, if this happens, then Jincheng County and Xiping County..."
"Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang are the four counties that make up Liangzhou. So what we have to do now is to defend these four counties."
Xu Miao said word by word.
After saying this, he closed his eyes in pain, let out a long sigh, and said in a lonely tone, "I can't do anything about the rest!"
Zhang Jiu's timely message and Xu Miao's caution this time saved the last remaining troops in Liangzhou.
Lu Pan was given three more days to gather all the Wei troops in Xiping County and prepare to cross the only pass of the Qilian Mountains and return to Zhangye, Liangzhou.
However, the sudden large-scale movement of the Wei army in Xiping produced an unexpected episode.
Xihai's Bald Hair Division and Qiang Hu suddenly panicked: We have listened to Master Lu's mediation and will no longer fight. What do you want to do?
Even the Bald Tribe, for the sake of their own tribe's safety, had to temporarily stay away from the Xiping border.
Zhang saved Lu Pan and Wei Jun in Xiping, but he didn't know that he and his uncle walked along Lishui to comfort them.
Feng Yong, known as "Xiao Wenhe", was one day's journey behind and led the army behind them to close the city.
Lingju County is the gateway to the Hexi Corridor and is also the largest county seat of Jincheng County on the west side of the river.
During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, Huo Piaoqi built forts and opened canals here as a frontier to pacify Hexi.
Later, the Han Dynasty established farm officials and soldiers here. During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, this was the administrative office of the Qiang Protector Colonel.
At the gate of the county government office in the city, the county magistrate was seeing Zhang Hua off and Zhang and his party were preparing to leave.
Just listening to Zhang, he said to the magistrate of Lingju County: "Lingju County is originally the throat of Liangzhou. Now that Shu soldiers are not coming, Magistrate Li just took this opportunity to appease people's hearts, repair armor and weapons, and build city walls in preparation for the future.
"
The magistrate of Lingju County only responded to his promise.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, someone shouted: "The soldiers of Shu have arrived!"
Lingju City, which had already regained its calm, suddenly fell into chaos.
"Who is talking nonsense here and disturbing the people's hearts!"
When Zhang Hua heard this, he was furious, raised his sword and shouted.
When he led his troops back to Jincheng, he first thought that the Shu army had not caught up, then encountered Feng Yong blocking the way, and was rescued by his nephew. Unexpectedly, Wei Yan followed him again in the end.
The ups and downs, twists and turns, sudden sadness and joy, and huge changes in emotions, finally made him vomit blood and fall into coma.
Therefore, he is really sensitive to the term "Shu Army".
What's more, I and others said that the Shu soldiers would not be able to cross the river, and now there are people shouting and screaming. Is this intentional?!
Shu soldiers, Shu soldiers, where are there so many Shu soldiers!
The group of people looked towards the place where the sound came from and saw several Wei soldiers protecting an official, rushing towards them and shouting loudly.
All the common people and officials who heard the news fled in all directions.
"Get those people quickly!"
Zhang Hua shouted loudly.
"No, that's not the magistrate of Yunjie County?"
Zhang Jiu's eyes were sharp and he exclaimed in surprise.
Yunjie County is not far from Zhiyang County. When the uncle and nephew arrived there, the county magistrate had already abandoned the city and fled. Only the county magistrate was a local and stayed in the county seat.
Later, Zhang Hua, as the prefect of Jincheng, asked him to act as county magistrate.
Unexpectedly, just one day later, the county magistrate suddenly appeared in Lingju City.
Thinking of this, Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.
The county magistrate of Yunjie County saw the county government and the uncles and nephews of the Zhang family.
He staggered over and said, "Uncles and nephews of the Zhang family, you are also descendants of high-ranking families in Hexi. I didn't expect you to be such shameless people!"
"What did you say!"
Zhang Hua's sword was half unsheathed and he was about to move forward.
Zhang Jiu stopped in front of him, "Ding County Cheng, what do you mean by this?"
"You have the nerve to ask!"
The crown and hat on Dingxian Cheng's head had long been lost. The heat on his head was rising, and sweat was dripping down like a steamer that had just been uncovered.
His face was red from the sun, he was breathing heavily, and pointed at Zhang Jiu with trembling fingers: "A descendant of the Zhang family from Dunhuang actually did such a deceptive thing!"
Zhang looked at Ding County Cheng, who was filled with grief and anger, and the ominous feeling in his heart became stronger: "Ding County Cheng, please be careful what you say!"
"What's the use of me and Xi Zuo? Be careful!" Dingxian Cheng still pointed at Zhang and refused to let go. "The uncles and nephews of the Zhang family are Shu people and Xi Zuo is right! Don't believe what they say!"
"How can you taint someone's innocence out of thin air?"
Zhang Hua couldn't hold himself back, so he stepped forward from behind Zhang Jiu and drew his sword from its sheath.
"Innocent? How can you be innocent?"
The more Dingxian Cheng spoke, the more excited he became, so he rushed forward to fight.
"You said that Shu people can't cross the river, so we should take it lightly. Who would have thought that the day after you left, the Shu people would come to the city with troops!"
"It's clear from the first glance that you have colluded with the Shu people. How can you have the face to say you are innocent?"
Zhang was shocked: "Impossible! We clearly saw with our own eyes that the pontoon bridge had been demolished, and the Shu captives also set fire to it..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly paused and thought of a possibility that was terrifying to him: Could someone be plotting against them?
As long as there is no one to stop the Shu army from crossing the river, is it not a simple matter?
Moreover, they were only guessing that the Shu captives would return to their army, and they were not sure at all.
But the Shu captives could obviously cross the river directly and even arrive at Lingju City two or three days in advance. Why did they have to go around in such a big circle?
This is what Zhang couldn't understand, and it was precisely this that led his mind to a wrong place, causing him to make mistakes in judgment.
Thinking of this, Zhang felt like he was going crazy.
who is it?
Who is so willing to do such a thing that harms others and does not benefit oneself?
"Shu captives, have you really crossed the river?"
Zhang was trembling and asked with the last glimmer of hope.
"Yun Street has been lost. The people of Shu are afraid that it is less than a day's journey from here!"
Dingxian Cheng smiled miserably.
The magistrate of Lingju County had already calmly backed away when the two sides confronted each other.
At the same time, the guards from Lingju County quietly surrounded them all.
"If this is true, it is all my uncle and nephew's fault."
Zhang Ju's face turned gray and all thoughts were gone.
"Dalang..."
Zhang Hua was very anxious when he heard this.
Zhang Ji smiled bitterly and shook his head: "If the Shu people really cross the river, no matter what we say, it will be useless."
As he spoke, his voice deepened, as if he was mumbling to himself, but in fact only Zhang Hua could hear him, "What's more, Jincheng fell..."
Zhang Hua was reminded by him that he was a person waiting for sin.
And this crime was precisely because of Jincheng.
When you think of Jincheng, you will remember all the battles with Shu soldiers.
Anger, rage, humiliation, and many other emotions surged into my heart.
He was so angry that he yelled and threw his sword to the ground: "I am so angry! Who is it that is so sinister that he trapped my uncle and nephew in this unjust place?"
Zhang Ju's expression was even sadder than that of Ding County Prime Minister, "I can't argue with you, it's nothing more than this."
"Even now, I still want to make excuses!"
Dingxian Cheng was furious.
After looking at the Wei soldiers around him, Zhang took off his long sword and said, "My uncle and I are here to apologize to Commander Xu. If you are interested, you may wish to send us to Guzang."
The magistrate of Lingju County breathed a sigh of relief: "That's very good. Governor Zhang and Zhang Changshi are offended!"
Lingju County is a large county in Jincheng County, and it is also located in a strategic location. To be able to become the county magistrate here, County Magistrate Li's foundation will naturally not be too low.
The Shu people occupied Longyou and cut off the connection between Liangzhou and Guanzhong. It would be better if Wei could regain Longyou sooner. But if not... where Liangzhou will go in the end is hard to say.
As a wealthy family in Liangzhou, the Zhang family of Dunhuang would be better off offending as little as possible at this time.
On the second day after the uncle and nephew of the Zhang family left, Feng Yong led the army and arrived as promised.
Lingju City is the only relatively large city in the Lishui River Valley and the only one still guarded by soldiers.
Looking at the sparse guards on the top of the city, Feng Yong groaned, and then sighed: "This Lingju City is a strategic location. As expected, the city is high and the pond is deep, and it is heavily guarded."
Zhang Yuan:......
"Send the order and send someone back immediately to inform General Wei that I need him to send troops to support me."
Zhang Yuan glanced at the top of the city, and rarely responded a breath later than usual: "No!"
Zhang Yuan quickly passed on the military order, and when he came back, he couldn't help but say something.
"Chief, there is something unclear about the student."
"What?"
Feng Yong walked along the edge of Lishui and checked the situation around Lingju City, and found that this was indeed the best place in the valley.
The land on both sides of the river is open and conducive to farming.
Viewed from here, the mountains behind suddenly converge, and the city is stuck right at this convergence point.
By building a stronghold and stationing troops here, you can not only use the valleys and flat lands for farming, but also be able to march into Liangzhou at any time.
Huo Qiaoqi's vision back then was indeed unique.
During the recent Liangzhou Rebellion, the Qiang and Hu Yi Cong recruited from Huangzhong by the Later Han Dynasty were also stationed at Lingju to suppress the Hu rebels in Jincheng.
Unexpectedly, even Huang Zhongyi's army rebelled, and after Lingju fell, the situation suddenly escalated.
"Chief, even without the Zhang family's uncles and nephews, we can easily capture the counties in the Lishui Valley."
"The students don't understand why the mountain chief didn't cross the river in advance and take Lingju City directly?"
Feng Yong smiled happily when he heard Zhang Yuan's words.
"Muzhi, if you can ask this question, it means that you are able to think about problems independently and have begun to become a real consultant."
Zhang Yuan received the praise and lowered his head and smiled a little sheepishly.
The students were eager to learn, so Feng Yong was naturally willing to say a few more words. He pointed to Lingju City not far away, "It's not difficult for us to capture this place."
"If we wait for General Wei to come, we can even try to march into Liangzhou."
"It's just that soldiers are important matters of the country, the place of life and death, and the way of survival. We must pay attention to them."
"How many casualties will we have during the pacification of Liangzhou? On the surface, the counties in Liangzhou have returned to the Han Dynasty, but how many people will actually rebel again?"
"These are all issues we need to think about. Mu Zhi, what we want is a Liangzhou that truly surrenders to the Han Dynasty, or at least a Liangzhou that will not cause trouble to the Han Dynasty."
"At the very least, it must be a Liangzhou that will not cause trouble for the Han in the rear when the Han is at odds with Cao's thieves."
"You have also read the information on Liangzhou. Over the past hundred years, how much money did the Later Han Dynasty spend on food and troops in Liangzhou?"
"Suffering from severe malaria cannot be treated with sudden and strong medicines. You must first take good care of your body before you can treat it slowly."
Zhang Yuan seemed to understand but not quite.
"The uncles and nephews of the Zhang family are an introduction. I want to use them to bring out the disease in Liangzhou."
"Chief Shan, the students don't understand."
"Since Cao Cao's rebellion, rebellions in Liangzhou have never stopped. Therefore, not all Liangzhou's wealthy families have sincerely surrendered to Cao Cao!"
"The matter of the uncles and nephews of the Zhang family will be very difficult to deal with, regardless of whether the Cao thieves in Liangzhou are punished for their crimes or not! Hahaha, haha!"
Feng Yong laughed strangely when he thought of his proud place.
After being punished, even if the uncles and nephews of the Zhang family deserved their punishment, at this sensitive time, Xu Miao was showing that he did not believe in the Zhang family.
Not punishing him means that Xu Miao is afraid of the wealthy people in Liangzhou.
How could Feng Yong not know what those aristocratic families and local wealthy families were like?
With strong enemies on the border, no foreign aid, and the temptation of some huge interests, Feng Junhou could guess what choice they would make without thinking with his brain, just with his brainstem.
The uncles and nephews of the Zhang family were just catalysts that accelerated and amplified their internal conflicts.
