My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 594 Ice and Fire

The situations in Nanzheng and Chengdu are like night and day.

Upon receiving news that Zhang Wei had successfully launched a surprise attack on Tianxiong Pass and repelled the Zuo Mu army's counterattack at Jiameng Pass, Yan Pu was overjoyed and hurriedly sent the good news back to Hanzhong.

Upon learning this, Zhang Lu was overjoyed, believing that everything was going smoothly and that this great victory must be due to the protection of the patriarch. Shortly afterward, Zhang Lu received news that Cao Cao had learned of the situation in Yizhou and had dispatched troops to assist him, with his eldest son as the commander-in-chief.

This undoubtedly greatly boosted the morale of Nanzheng and allowed Zhang Lu to breathe a sigh of relief.

Before this, despite Zhang Lu's tough exterior, he was actually quite weak inside.

The Left Army swept across the five southeastern provinces, winning every battle. Even Liu Biao, who was much larger and had been operating in Jingzhou for ten years, was uprooted. Zhang Lu only had the territory of Hanzhong County, and even lacked several counties such as Shangyong. So how could he be confident that he could stop the enemy?
But it was absolutely impossible for him to bow down and submit.

His biological mother and younger brother died at the hands of the Liu family.

Now, how can he easily be asked to bow down to Liu Feng?

Fortunately, when Cao Cao sent an envoy to see him earlier, he had shown goodwill, so now he had a strong ally.

Zhang Lu's biggest concern was his weak military strength; even his elite Daoist soldiers were only of average appearance. His most fundamental weakness, however, was the lack of capable generals under his command.

This is why Zhang Lu was so happy and treated Ma Chao so well when Ma Chao surrendered in the original timeline.

When the two first met, Zhang Lu treated him with high-ranking positions and generous rewards. He not only granted him military command but also gave him the top position of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, where he was known as the chief priest. Zhang Lu genuinely wanted to win him over as a trusted general and even considered marrying his daughter to Ma Chao to establish a kinship.

It is conceivable that if Ma Chao were to train the soldiers of Hanzhong, even if the Hanzhong army could not be transformed into the strongest army in the world, its combat power would certainly be increased by one or two levels.

The arrival of Cao Cao's army to reinforce Zhang Lu is no less significant than Ma Chao's defection in the original timeline.

Zhang Lu even considered befriending Cao Ang, even at the cost of relinquishing some military authority. He also hoped to gain Cao Ang's trust and use Cao's army to enhance the combat effectiveness of his own soldiers.

Therefore, Zhang Lu immediately summoned his confidants to discuss the matter overnight. In order to welcome Cao Cao's reinforcements, he allocated various supplies such as money, food, cloth, weapons, armor and staffs, so as to ensure that Cao Cao's army would have no worries after entering Hanzhong.

Meanwhile, after receiving news of Zhang Wei's successful surprise attack on Tianxiong Pass, Zhang Lu began to consider the possibility of using Cao Cao's power to march south to Yizhou.

If he could truly take control of Chengdu, he would not hesitate to cede Hanzhong to Cao Cao, or even Guanghan and Ba Commandery, without complaint.

However, these thoughts only lingered in Zhang Lu's mind. Even his trusted confidant Yang Song did not mention the matter. Instead, he wrote a letter and sent it to the front line to inform Zhang Wei and Yan Pu, wanting to hear their thoughts.

Zhang Lu was overjoyed and relieved, while Liu Zhang in Chengdu was devastated by the terrible news.

Upon learning of the fall of Bidao and the continued northward advance of the main force of the Left Army, with its vanguard already besieging Wuyang, Liu Zhang immediately fainted.

It's no wonder Liu Zhang acted this way; the news was simply too terrible.

Wuyang was the capital of Jianwei State and a large city, so its defenses were naturally quite strong. However, compared to Bodao, Wuyang was far inferior.

Moreover, the main force of the Shu army that went south to reinforce was mainly stationed in Bidao. There were only two thousand soldiers from Jianwei County in Wuyang City. Even if you include the able-bodied men in the city, there were only four or five thousand men.

These troops appear to be similar in number to those in Bidao, but in reality, the five thousand men in Bidao were Yan Yan's elite troops and elite soldiers temporarily transferred to Yan Yan by Liu Zhang, while the troops in Wuyang City were from the commandery and state.

In open field battles, Yan Yan's five thousand men would be more than enough to overwhelm the Wuyang troops, who outnumbered him two or three times over. How could Liu Zhang have the confidence to hold Wuyang?

Once Wuyang falls, only Jiangyuan and Guangdu counties will remain south of Chengdu.

Neither Gangwon nor Gwangdo were large cities; at most, they could only garrison three to five thousand soldiers. How could they withstand the attack of the Left Army?

Not to mention that the elite troops in these two cities have all been drawn away to follow Huang Quan on a flanking maneuver to launch a surprise attack on Zhao Wei's rear.

Currently, there are only a little over a thousand defenders in Gangwon City, and Gwangdo is slightly better off, but still only has two thousand soldiers. With such a small force, let alone stopping the Left Army, they probably can't even hold them off for three to five days.

After falling into a coma, Liu Zhang was immediately taken back to his bedroom, and a physician was summoned to treat him. Many high-ranking officials from the prefecture stood before his bed, watching the physician's treatment while whispering amongst themselves.

A moment later, Liu Zhang slowly woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Zhang Song, the Prefect, standing in front of his bed.

Liu Zhang suddenly sat up, grabbed Zhang Song's sleeve, and said with tears streaming down his face, "Minister Zhang! Liu Feng and I are both members of the Han imperial family, so why did he help that traitor Zhao Wei raise an army to rebel? Does the General of the Left truly not fear the law or the imperial authority?"

After saying this, he beat his chest and stamped his feet, tears streaming down his face.

Seeing this, Zhang Song, though inwardly grumbling, quickly bowed and comforted him, saying, "My lord, please calm down. This must be the result of Zhao Wei's instigation. General Zuo has always been loyal and righteous; how could he tolerate such a traitorous act by Zhao? Let me write a letter, explaining the advantages and disadvantages in detail, and exposing Zhao's false appearance. This will surely resolve the conflict."

Liu Zhang, as if grasping at a lifeline, readily agreed: "Then I'll trouble you, Your Excellency."

Seeing Liu Zhang's pleading expression, Zhang Song felt disdain.

Zhang Song actually had a lot of disdain for Liu Zhang's attitude of only seeking favors when needed and only seeking pleasure when not.

Zhang Song was a very tough man, but at his core he admired strength. Liu Zhang was weak and indecisive, and was not the kind of ruler Zhang Song liked. What's more, Liu Zhang often instigated infighting between the Dongzhou and local factions, both openly and secretly, so that Zhang Song could seize power from them.

Putting everything else aside, just a month ago, Liu Zhang ruthlessly squeezed a large sum of money and grain from the local powerful families, leaving them struggling to breathe.

"My lord, the most urgent task now is to reinforce Wuyang."

The person who spoke was Zhang Ren, a famous general from Shu. He was an old minister during the reign of Liu Yan, and after the reign of Liu Zhang, he was highly regarded by Liu Zhang and valued him greatly.

Now he holds multiple positions, serving as Liu Zhang's subordinate official in Yizhou, as well as being appointed as a general and commander of the Central Protectorate Army, leading the personal guards and protecting Liu Zhang.

Zhang Ren's words carried considerable weight, and many people agreed with him as soon as he spoke.

It's easier said than done.

According to news from the front lines, although the Left Army has just captured Bidao, Gan Ning and Wei Yan's vanguard has already reached outside Wuyang City.

The vanguard of the Left Guard Army was extremely bold; Wei Yan actually bypassed Wuyang and set up camp in the northeast of Wuyang. Gan Ning's troops went even further, establishing water fortifications on the Jinshui River and the Fu River to block the waterways.

At this moment, if the reinforcements want to enter Wuyang, they will almost certainly have to fight Gan Ning and Wei Yan first. Only after winning will they have a chance to enter Wuyang.

Although Gan Ning left some ships in Bidao, his troops numbered over four thousand, while Wei Yan's forces numbered two thousand fully equipped. These six thousand men were highly capable in combat.

According to Zhang Ren, Liu Gui, Leng Bao and others, in order to defeat the Zuo Mu army and reinforce Wuyang, no less than 10,000 elite troops would be needed.

However, Huang Quan has already taken away more than 8,000 of the elite troops in Chengdu, and the remaining 10,000 Dongzhou soldiers have just fought a fierce battle with Zhao Wei, suffering heavy casualties.

Even if Liu Zhang were willing to send out his last trump card, his personal guard, it would be difficult to muster enough troops to reach 10,000 men.

Therefore, Zhang Song and others strongly opposed sending troops to aid Wuyang.

Even if Wuyang falls, the Shu army can still hold Chengdu. But if they are defeated by the Left Army on their way to reinforce Wuyang, who will defend the empty Chengdu?

Liu Zhang was at a loss for words. He felt that Zhang Ren and others made a lot of sense, but at the same time, he also felt that Zhang Song and others were not wrong.

The argument went on and on until Liu Zhang was dizzy and still couldn't reach a conclusion. In the end, he had no choice but to compromise and come up with a plan: Wuyang should hold out for reinforcements, while two thousand troops should be transferred from Chengdu to reinforce Guangdu.

As for reinforcing Guangdu, firstly, because Guangdu controls the Fu River, which flows directly to the city of Chengdu and is the source of Chengdu's moat. If Guangdu falls, the Left Guard Army can reach Chengdu by boat. At that time, with smooth water transport and a continuous supply, even without considering the difference in combat strength between Zhao Wei's army and the Left Guard Army, the pressure to defend Chengdu will increase exponentially.

Secondly, Guangdu is located directly south of Chengdu, close to the Longquan Mountains, which can partially block the communication between Zhao Wei's army and the Left Army.

Once Guangdu falls, the Left Army will make contact with Zhao Wei's army, and Zhao Wei's army's predicament will be reversed.

However, Guangdu was only a small city, and although it was close to the Longquan Mountains, it was still a distance of seven or eight li. Zhao Wei's army did not need to abandon their supplies; as long as they marched south openly, Guangdu would have a hard time completely blocking them unless they stationed a large force there.

But then again, if a large force could be stationed in Guangdu, why not send it to reinforce Wuyang?

Compared to Guangdu, Wuyang is the real key point.

As long as Wuyang can be held, the Left Army will be completely unable to establish contact with Zhao Wei's army, let alone cross Wuyang to supply Zhao Wei's army with provisions.

Unlike Guangdu, Wuyang is not only a large city, but also guards a vital passage on the Yangtze River. As long as Wuyang is held, Zhao Wei will face certain death.

This is also the main reason why Zhang Ren insisted on sending reinforcements to Wuyang.

Unfortunately, Zhang Song and others firmly opposed this, and in the end, they could only retreat to Guangdu in the hope of slightly restraining Zhao Wei's troops.

The debate raged on in Chengdu, and the situation was no better in Zhao Wei's camp outside the city.

Since Huang Quan cut off their supply lines, the senior and middle-ranking officers of Zhao Wei's camp have been locked in a stalemate.

Du Yue wanted to lead his troops in a counterattack to retake Luocheng, but Li Yi and Pang Le firmly opposed it.

The main reason Li Yi and Pang Le opposed the move was because morale within the army was low. Although Zhao Wei tried his best to suppress the news, how could such a major event as the capture of Luocheng be suppressed so easily?

The army is now in a state of panic. If it weren't for the grain reserves in the camp and Zhao Wei spreading rumors that Liu Feng's reinforcements were coming, the situation would probably be even worse.

Li Yi and Pang Le believed that it was absolutely not advisable to divide their forces for battle at this moment. The army had lost its will to fight. If they were to defend the main camp, they could at least passively fight back. But if they were to be released, they might collapse immediately.

Since that's the case, it's better to stay in the camp and wait for Liu Feng's rescue.

Du Yue, however, thought that the possibility of asking Liu Feng for help was too small. Even if Liu Feng was willing, now that Luocheng had been captured, by the time Liu Feng marched from Jiangzhou to Luocheng, they would probably have already starved to death.

Why not take advantage of the remaining food in the camp and Huang Quan's unstable foothold to launch a counterattack on Luocheng? Are we really going to wait until the food runs out and the army collapses and is captured one by one?
For Zhao Wei, both sides had valid points, leaving him in a dilemma and unable to make a decision.

In the end, he was still somewhat worried about the risk of the entire army collapsing, so he decided to stay and guard the main camp.

After dissuading Du Yue from sending troops, Zhao Wei was also filled with anxiety, unsure whether his decision was right or wrong.

Fortunately, several days later, he finally received a response from Liu Feng. After seeing Liu Feng's request for him to hold the camp and wait for reinforcements, Zhao Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

He quickly invited Li Yi, Pang Le, and Du Yue into his tent and then told them the news.

Upon learning that Liu Feng had not only agreed to rescue them but had also dispatched troops, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Whether Liu Feng's rescue arrives in time or not, this is Zhao Wei's only lifeline.

Having reinforcements and being isolated are worlds apart. With Liu Feng's help, Zhao Wei only needed to inform his officers to temporarily eliminate the risk of the army collapsing.

Upon learning that Liu Feng had come to their aid, Li Yi and Pang Le were overjoyed, feeling as if they had been saved from a desperate situation. Even Du Yue breathed a sigh of relief and immediately changed his attitude.

Just last night, he came to persuade Zhao Wei to send troops to Luocheng.

But Du Yue himself understood that Huang Quan was a prominent official in Sichuan, and Luocheng had been thoroughly ravaged by them, so there was no question of his position being unstable.

The counterattack on Luocheng was nothing more than a desperate and risky move.

**
After entering the Bodao region, Zhuge Liang inventoried the treasury and posted notices to reassure the people.

Because Yan Yan ordered a surrender before committing suicide, there was no burning of the government treasury. However, the casualties in the Bodao area during this period of attack and defense were enormous, with almost every family in mourning and every household weeping blood.

Perhaps because the difference in combat strength between the two sides was too great, or perhaps because the Zuo Mu Army maintained strict discipline after entering the city, the people of Bodao did not feel any hatred towards the Zuo Mu Army.

After pacifying the people, Zhuge Liang personally oversaw the collection of the bodies of Yan Yan and other Shu military officers, officials, and soldiers who had committed suicide. Most of them were buried outside the city of Bidao, but Yan Yan's body was transported back to his hometown by fast boat after being collected.

Zhuge Liang's actions won him much favor among the people of Bodao.

Yan Yan was a famous general in Shu for a long time and was very well-known. He was from Ba County and often guarded three counties in Shu. His fame was second only to Zhang Ren.

Liu Feng had once tried to spare his life, but this time he failed to capture him and was unable to persuade him to surrender.

(End of this chapter)