My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 575 Another Victory over Zhuti
Pang Tong shook his head and spoke frankly: "My lord, what Kongming said is indeed wise. Moreover, our army's provisions are all transported from Jiangling, which is more than two thousand li by water alone. Furthermore, the Xihan River is not abundant, and there are several dangerous shoals that can only be traversed by light boats. My lord's plan is too risky. I hope you will think twice before proceeding!"

Liu Feng remained completely unconcerned about the opposition from his trusted and loyal ministers.

He was just asking tentatively; he didn't actually intend to attack Hanzhong.

The biggest problem in attacking Hanzhong from Shu was that food and weapons could only be transported by land. After losing the advantage of ships, the shortage could only be filled by manpower, which required conscripting laborers. This could not be done without taking control of the Shu regime.

It should be noted that in the original timeline, during the Battle of Hanzhong, Liu Bei mobilized 80,000 to 90,000 troops, but when he killed Xiahou Yuan at Dingjun Mountain, there were only 30,000 to 40,000 troops on the front line. It was not that he was unwilling to send reinforcements, but that he could not afford the logistical support.

Even when Cao Cao led 100,000 troops from Chang'an to Hanzhong and the battle entered its decisive stage, Liu Bei's army at its peak only had a little over 60,000 troops.

Even with such a small force, the entire Yizhou region was in an uproar. Zhuge Liang adopted Yang Hong's advice and implemented the policy of "men should fight and women should transport supplies," which shows how great the logistical pressure was.

The Battle of Hanzhong was so fierce and the losses so great that even though Liu Bei had troops after the war, he lacked the funds, supplies, and manpower to support the Jingzhou war zone.

Therefore, Liu Feng's true objective was never Hanzhong, but Jiameng Pass.

Jiameng is a crucial passage from Hanzhong to Shu. Taking Jiameng would immediately sever the connection between Hanzhong and Shu.

In addition, there is another road, the Rice Granary Road, but that road is in much more dangerous condition. Although it is also a major road that can carry tens of thousands of people, it is much worse than the Golden Ox Road, and the cost of a large army traveling through it is also much higher.

In addition, taking Jiameng has another advantage: Zitong is located to the southwest of Jiameng, forming a strategic defensive position with Jiameng.

After capturing Jiameng, we can then take Zitong.

Zitong is only seventy or eighty li away from Fucheng, which can be reached in a day even by infantry on a forced march. If Zhao Wei is defeated, Liu Feng can take Fucheng first and ensure the unobstructed flow of the Fu River.

Upon hearing that Liu Feng had conceded and would take Jiameng first, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong pondered for a moment before approving of the plan.

At this time, Liu Zhang and Zhao Wei concentrated their forces and fought a decisive battle on the Chengdu Plain, leaving the rest of Shu quite vulnerable. Even in the important Jiameng region, only a thousand troops from various commanderies and states remained stationed there, while the towns and cities along the way had anywhere from a couple hundred to three or four hundred soldiers.

The original garrison here was certainly not limited to this number. In the area of ​​Jiameng Pass alone, the pass and the county town each had two thousand troops stationed there, supporting each other.

Other strategic locations such as Anhan and Langzhong were also garrisoned by approximately one to three thousand troops.

After all, apart from the three Shu regions, other places in Sichuan are really not peaceful.

Just think about how easily powerful figures like Pu Hu and Du Hu could mobilize armies of several thousand or even tens of thousands, and you'll know what the situation was like in Shu.

The direct reason why the military strength has been reduced to such a extent is naturally Zhao Wei's rebellion.

During the time gained by Pang Xi's relentless resistance, Liu Zhang's first action was to mobilize troops from various regions to reinforce the city. Guanghan, with its convenient transportation and short distance, was undoubtedly of paramount importance.

Based on the current strength comparison, Liu Feng, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and others estimated that they only needed to send a detachment of about four or five thousand men to march north and take Jiameng.

After discussion, everyone finally made up their minds.

Finally, it was decided to take a lenient approach and appoint Zhou Tai as the main general, along with Huo Du's troops, for a total of 8,000 men to march north. Taking Jiameng with 4,000 or 5,000 men would not be a problem, but they would still need to capture Zitong and seize and defend Fucheng when Zhao Wei was defeated. 4,000 or 5,000 men would not be enough for that.

Then, with Zhuge Liang as the main general, leading Gan Ning's naval forces, and the troops of Ling Tong, Zhang Nan, and Feng Xi, totaling 14,000 men, they sailed up the Yangtze River to capture Fujie and Jiangyang, and joined forces with Lu Xun and others at the city of Bodao.

Another general, Jiang Qin, was appointed to lead Quan Cong's troops, totaling eight thousand men. They first followed Zhuge Liang on the western expedition, and after capturing Jiangyang, they moved into the Jian River and attacked northward.

He also assigned 4,000 men from Xiang Chong and Xi Zhen's forces to be stationed in five counties: Yufu, Quren, Linjiang, Pingdu, and Zhicheng.

These places were the most prosperous counties in Ba Commandery, with large populations, fertile land, thriving commerce, and various high-value specialties. In the original timeline, due to Zhao Wei's actions, these places were almost completely destroyed.

Yan Yan's attempt to raid Jiangzhou failed, and he proceeded to burn, kill, and plunder along the way.

Things are different now. Once these places are in my pocket, I'll never give them back. They'll be my cash cows from now on, and I won't allow anyone else to bother me.

Although these five counties are located in the heart of the region, Jiangzhou cannot prevent small boats from sneaking through at night. Not to mention, to the north there are towering mountains and deep valleys, inhabited by the Ba people and Ba barbarians. Although Pu Hu and Du Huo are currently helping Zhao Wei fight Liu Zhang, there are other Ba kings and small tribes who may not necessarily be convinced by them.

These people may not necessarily side with Liu Zhang, but they certainly have the desire to break into cities like Yufu and plunder while the defenses of those cities are weak.

Liu Feng didn't want these Ba barbarians to benefit from this for nothing, so naturally he had to heavily guard these money-making machines.

Finally, Liu Feng personally led 6,000 of Xu Chu's personal guards and 6,000 of Huang Gai's naval forces, totaling 12,000 troops, to garrison Jiangzhou.

**
Deng Xian gazed at the city walls in despair. He had been worried that Huang Zhong and Wen Ping would take advantage of the city's low morale and heavy casualties to launch a direct attack. However, he hadn't expected that the enemy would not do that at all. Instead, they methodically dug trenches to surround the city and then began to build siege equipment.

Deng Xianben breathed a sigh of relief, believing that the other side had been careless. So he gathered supplies in the city, treated the wounded, comforted the soldiers, improved their food, distributed rewards, and boosted morale.

It must be said that Deng Xian really went to great lengths to restore morale, and not only did he do a good job, but the results were also quite remarkable.

In just four or five days, the previously low morale was boosted again, and more than two thousand able-bodied men in Zhuti City were recruited, armed, and sent to participate in the defense of the city.

As a result, the number of troops in the city increased rather than decreased, even exceeding the original three thousand, but their combat strength was naturally not comparable to before.

Even so, it boosted morale and gave Deng Xian a glimmer of confidence to hold on and wait for reinforcements.

However, all these illusions and the newly boosted morale in the city vanished when Lu Xun appeared south of Zhuti City with his army of over ten thousand.

Lu Xun arrived as dawn broke, his entire army clad in armor, with four hundred iron-clad soldiers leading the vanguard. Combined with the gloom in the distance and the brilliance of the rising sun, it resembled a scene of dark clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to crush it, while the armor gleamed in the sun like golden scales.

This scene was clearly meticulously planned by Lu Xun.

The Han army had already arrived outside Zhuti County yesterday, but deliberately camped far away and did not come out. Only after dawn today did the entire army set off in full armor, thus creating such a shocking scene.

Lu Xun took the lead, drew his sword from his waist, pointed it at Zhuti, looked back at the more than 10,000 elite troops, and shouted loudly, "The Han army will be victorious!"

Inspired by Lu Xun's heroic bearing, the marching Han army shouted in unison, "Victory to the Han army!" The shouts of "Victory to the Han army!" were deafening, soaring into the sky and echoing over Zhuti County. Even Huang Zhong and Wen Ping's troops, fully armed and ready, stepped out of their camps to echo their comrades south of the city.

Deng Xian, who rushed over, felt a chill run through him when he saw this scene.

My lord, I cannot hold Zhuti County any longer.

That morning, Liu Fengjun began his attack on the city, and the resistance from within the city was very weak.

Although Deng Xian did his best to boost morale and arrange defenses.

However, as soon as the two armies clashed, the defenders on the city wall collapsed in despair, showing absolutely no fighting spirit.

At this point, Deng Xian sighed deeply, drew his sword from his waist, and attempted to commit suicide.

His personal guards were already on guard. As soon as they saw Deng Xian draw his sword, they rushed forward and held his arm down firmly.

"General, you mustn't! You mustn't!"

Deng Xian was in tears: "My lord entrusted Zhu Ti to me, but now the army has been defeated and the city lost. How can I face my lord again?"

"General, you mustn't! Our army is small and outnumbered; we have already done our utmost to hold out these past few days."

"Yes, General, I don't think the lord would blame us if he knew."

The guards tried to persuade him, partly because they had followed Deng Xian for a long time and had developed feelings for him, and partly because they were thinking about their own future.

Surrendering alongside a great general like Deng Xian is far better than surrendering as a personal guard whose commander has died.

The former was a general's personal guard, while the latter was a sinner for dereliction of duty.

Most of these personal guards were descendants of Deng Xian from his hometown. A few of them were not from the same hometown, but they were all personally selected by Deng Xian for their bravery and had a deep affection for him. It was really hard for them to watch Deng Xian die.

Hearing the earnest pleas of his personal guards, Deng Xian's desire to die faded. He loosened his grip on his right hand, threw the sword to the ground, and sighed, "Enough, enough. Go and talk to the Left General's army. Tell them we are willing to surrender and beg them not to harm my limbs and to spare the people in the city."

"Here!"

Upon hearing this, the guards were immediately invigorated. They quickly released Deng Xian and sent half of them outside to shout that they were willing to surrender.

The soldiers in the city had no will to fight to begin with, and now that they heard Deng Xian had surrendered, they all stopped fleeing, threw down their weapons, and knelt down by the roadside.

The Shu soldiers at the city gate simply opened the gate to welcome Lu Xun's army into the city.

Zhuti County was thus captured.

After entering the city, Lu Xun, following military regulations, routinely sealed the government treasury and accounts, and took over key parts of the city's defenses.

Subsequently, accompanied by his generals and personal guards, he went to see Deng Xian.

Deng Xian was not a native of Yizhou, but a Dongzhou native who fled from Guanzhong to Yizhou.

However, Deng Xian was from the Dongzhou faction and had good relations with local forces. He had good relationships with Zhang Ren, Ling Bao, and Liu Gui, and his subordinates were often local troops from Yizhou, rather than troops from Dongzhou.

Therefore, Deng Xian was a figure of influence among the local generals in Shu, and as the first mid-level or higher general in Shu to surrender, Deng Xian had a demonstrative effect, so Lu Xun naturally wouldn't let him go.

Lu Xun grasped Deng Xian's hand and solemnly advised, "I heard that General intends to commit suicide by drawing his sword. This is a grave mistake! General Zuo's benevolence is known throughout the land. Now, we have entered Western Sichuan because of the tyranny of Liu Jiyu and Zhao Wei, which has caused chaos in Sichuan and plunged the people into misery. General, you have defended the isolated city alone and resisted our lord's mighty army. You have already repaid Liu Zhang's kindness in recognizing your talent. Why do you now have such thoughts of taking your own life?"

After speaking, his eyes were filled with eagerness, his hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and his robes fluttered like banners.

The evening clouds hung low over the city walls, and the faint neighing of warhorses could be heard below. Large groups of Liu Feng's soldiers were crossing the gate and entering the city, their uniform footsteps becoming the perfect background music.

Lu Xun's words were deeply moving. Upon hearing them, Deng Xian was profoundly touched, tears welling in his eyes. He prostrated himself on the ground like a collapsing mountain, clasping his hands and saying in a trembling voice, "I am foolish and ignorant, unaware of fate, stubbornly resisting, deserving of death! But now, thanks to your leniency, General, I am as if you have given me a second life. I am willing to serve you faithfully, like a dog or a horse, to repay your kindness in sparing my life!"

The sunlight shone on the city wall, making Deng Xian's armor shine, just like the radiant mood of everyone present.

Seeing this, Lu Xun rushed forward to help him up, but Deng Xian's eyes were filled with tears, and his armor clanged loudly. Outside the tent, the autumn wind rustled, and the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses seemed to faintly blend in.

After Liu Feng's army entered the city, he immediately began to treat the wounded Shu soldiers who had been fighting against Huang Zhong's troops. This action greatly boosted the morale of the Shu army and won Liu Feng's army a lot of goodwill.

After Lu Xun captured Zhuti, he left Huang Zhong's troops to rest and reorganize in the city.

At the same time, Lu Xun opened the treasury and took out money, cloth and salt, intending to conscript laborers from the surrendered soldiers of Shu and the local able-bodied men.

This group came from Wei County and mobilized 20,000 laborers from Yizhou Prefecture to transport grain for Liu Feng's army.

It is spring plowing season now, and if troops are mobilized at this time, the spring plowing of these laborers' families will definitely be greatly affected.

Therefore, Lu Xun had already issued a decree before setting off, exempting all laborers from this year's annual tribute, and at the same time, all food expenses during the labor service would be borne by the Left General's Office.

It was precisely these favorable conditions, coupled with the credibility established by Wei Yan's previous rewards to the Han allied troops and the distribution of land, that inspired the people and Baiyue people in Yizhou County to participate enthusiastically, resulting in more than 17,000 people. In addition, with the capture of Yong Kai, Yong Lü, Xie clan soldiers, and Baiyue people, the total number reached as high as 22,000.

However, if they were to continue north from Zhuti to the Bidao region, these 20,000 laborers would certainly not be enough. If Zhuti could mobilize several thousand laborers, it would obviously greatly alleviate the pressure on Yizhou Prefecture.

Liu Fengjun had already established initial confidence in Yizhou County, and recruitment naturally went quite smoothly.

However, in Zhuti County, where a reputation for integrity has yet to be established, it is not so easy.

Fortunately, Lu Xun was well aware of this and used a two-pronged approach. He treated Deng Xian with great kindness, using Deng Xian's reputation among the surrendered Shu soldiers as a guarantee for himself. At the same time, he opened the treasury and distributed money, cloth, salt, and other real goods such as snow salt, sugar, and sesame oil that came with the army to the Shu prisoners and civilians, so that they could feel the true sincerity of Liu Feng's army.

(End of this chapter)