My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 598 Trapped in Wuyang Again
As mentioned before, Jiameng Pass actually blocks the only main road.

Whether it was the Hanzhong army or Cao Cao's army, although they could sneak across Tianxiong Pass from the north slope of Niutou Mountain, their logistical support was inadequate. Unless they relied solely on human labor for transport, let alone carts, even animal power could not get through.

The Hanzhong army dared to march south because they had received reliable intelligence that Jiange and Zitong were extremely vulnerable. Otherwise, with the meager reserves in Tianxiong Pass, the Hanzhong army would have starved to death within seven or eight days if they had been blocked outside Jiange.

At this time, the same thing happened. All the oxen, horses, and carts that Zhang Lu was supplying Cao Cao's army with had to be left north of Jiameng Pass. Cao Cao's army could only rely on soldiers and laborers to carry weapons and provisions across Tianxiong.

This was undoubtedly dangerous, troublesome, and inefficient, but what could they do when they were helpless against Jiameng Pass?

More importantly, if it weren't for the Jiameng Pass behind them, allowing the Hanzhong army to advance and retreat freely, Zhang Lu would probably have gritted his teeth and persevered, taking a gamble. He probably wouldn't have surrendered to Cao Cao and sought help so quickly until he was defeated.

After everyone finished discussing, Cao Ang issued an order the next day, appointing Cao Ding as the garrison commander of Tianxiong Pass, leading 3,000 troops to guard Tianxiong Pass, replacing Yang Ren who led troops south with the army.

Yang Ren was not surprised to receive the order. He prepared his troops and placed them under Cao Ang's command. After all, no matter how dangerous Tianxiong Pass was, it was Cao Ang's only escape route. How could Cao Ang feel at ease entering Shu without his own men guarding it?

The army continued south, but because of Jiameng Pass, the journey that should have taken only half a day took three whole days.

Fortunately, after passing Tianxiong Pass, the road became clear again and it was also very safe.

Cao Jun quickened his pace, and with 500 elite troops as the vanguard, he marched day and night to clear the way.

Upon hearing the news of Cao Cao's army marching south, both Zhang Lu and Cao Ang sent messengers ahead to Shu to deliver the message.

After receiving the news along the way, they did their best to prepare and provide supplies to the passing armies. After Cao Ang received the first batch of supplies, the march became smooth again.

**
After Lu Xun led his main force to the walls of Wuyang, they spent five days building a batch of simple siege equipment, including several battering rams, dozens of simple siege ladders, and seven or eight siege towers.

Immediately afterwards, the Left Guard Army launched a fierce attack on the east and south sides of Wuyang City.

To the west of Wuyang City lies the Yangtze River, while to the north are waterways leading to Chengdu and Guangdu.

Lu Xun surrounded the city on three sides but left one open, deliberately leaving the northern passage unopened to encourage the defenders of Wuyang to flee, which actually had the desired effect.

Even including the probing attacks, it only took half a day for the Zuo Mu army to reach the top of the city wall.

The garrison of Wuyang City was led by Wang Xiao, the commander of the city, and He Zong, the prefect of Jianwei.

He Zong was a scion of a prominent family in Shu County and a great Confucian scholar in Yizhou, proficient in divination and astronomical calculations.

In the original timeline, He Zong actively cooperated with Liu Bei's entry into Shu. He not only responded to Liu Bei's signs but also persuaded Liu Bei to declare himself emperor. After Liu Bei became emperor, He Zong was appointed as the Grand Herald.

However, He Zong had no intention of surrendering at this time. His appointment as the governor of Jianwei Commandery was Liu Yan's doing, so Liu Zhang's family had done him a great favor.

If He Zong were to easily betray Liu Zhang's family, his reputation would be ruined. Moreover, as a renowned scholar from Shu, He Zong was no fool; he understood that he needed to demonstrate his value at the right time. Otherwise, even if he risked damaging his reputation by surrendering to Liu Feng, he might still be sidelined and never be put to use again.

Therefore, He Zong actively cooperated with Wang Xiao, a trusted general of Liu Zhang, to strengthen the army and used a portion of his personal wealth to reward the soldiers. In addition, he opened the treasury and armory to recruit able-bodied young men and warriors to replenish the garrison with weapons and supplies.

It can be said that He Zong did his best to help Wang Xiao defend the city, but Wang Xiao himself was not a famous general, but just an ordinary military commander. In addition, the troops under his command were not even the elite troops under Liu Zhang, and the number was only two thousand. How could they stop the ferocious Zuo Mu army?

In the midst of the fierce battle, Wang Xiao personally led his personal guards to counterattack the Left Guard Army that had scaled the city walls, but they ran right into Lü Meng. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wang Xiao was personally killed by Lü Meng, and more than half of his hundred personal guards were lost, causing the city's defenders to completely collapse.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the garrison at the north gate opened the city gate and fled towards Guangdu.

He Zong also received the news in the prefectural government. Many officials advised him to flee immediately and offered to protect him and follow him to Chengdu.

After hesitating for a moment, He Zong refused these people.

In his view, the situation is now set in stone, and it is very likely that the Left Army will take control of Yizhou.

He had already done his best to defend Wuyang, which was enough to repay Liu Yan's kindness. Moreover, although the fall of the city was bad news for Liu Zhang, it might not be a bad opportunity for He Zong.

So He Zongchang stood up and said to the crowd in the main hall of the prefectural government, "If you gentlemen wish to go to Chengdu, you may set off now, otherwise things may change if you delay."

"Ming Gong!"

"Fu Jun!"

The group of officials were extremely shocked. None of them were fools; they naturally understood the meaning behind He Zong's words. In particular, they had misjudged He Zong's meaning, mistakenly believing that he intended to commit suicide, and they were all immediately terrified.

"My lord, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

The clerk and the registrar immediately became anxious. It wasn't entirely for the sake of the clan, but as a prominent local family, they knew they couldn't and didn't want to leave.

It's the Left Guard Army that's coming, not Zhao Wei. As long as the local gentry are willing to surrender, why would they be afraid that the Left Guard Army would massacre the city?
However, if He Zong remained loyal to Liu Zhang and refused to surrender, then they would be in a very difficult situation.

Even if they could choose to betray He Zong, in doing so, they would all become clowns in He Zong's shadow.

This doesn't even mention their obligations to He Zong.

The clerks and registrars were both subjects of He Zong in terms of law and morality. If they watched their lord die and then betrayed him, they would most likely face social death.

"Gentlemen, there's no need for that."

He Zong was a shrewd man, and naturally saw through the thoughts of the registrar and the clerk. He comforted them, saying, "Although I am old, I am not afraid of death. But what have the people of this city done? What have you all done?"

Looking at his subordinates with varying expressions, He Zong slowly revealed his plan: "Those who wish to leave may depart immediately. Those who remain shall obey my orders, open their residences and surrender, assist the Left General's forces in stabilizing the people, sealing the treasury, treating the wounded, and ensuring that the people in the city are not robbed again."

The registrar and the clerk realized what was happening, and their worried expressions immediately turned into surprise.

"The people of Wuyang will always remember your kindness and love for them. We will erect a monument in your honor in the future to express our gratitude."

A few officials who were loyal to Liu Zhang, or who were not local to Wuyang, showed anger and immediately left the prefectural government office, heading towards the north gate.

It's ironic that, although the attacking force was the Left Guard Army, the defending force was the Shu Army.

However, after the city fell, it was the Shu army that looted the people, set fires everywhere, and engaged in mass burning, killing, and plundering. In contrast, the Left Guard Army that entered the city was disciplined and not only helped put out the fires but also suppressed and annihilated the scattered and rampaging Shu soldiers. The cooperation of He Zong and his chief clerks and clerks made the Left Guard Army thrive in the city.

As the Left Army entered the city, the tragedy that had just unfolded in the city gradually subsided.

More than seventy defeated soldiers and more than thirty wandering ruffians intended to take advantage of the chaos of war to plunder and loot, but they were caught red-handed by the Left Army. More than twenty of them were killed on the spot, and the rest were all captured, tied up, and beheaded at various crossroads as a warning.

Lu Xun then met with He Zong and asked him to remain in his original position for the time being.

When news of the fall of Wuyang reached Chengdu, it immediately caused another shock.

Liu Zhang was both shocked and regretful, and he even had an extremely absurd idea.

Chengdu, the governor's residence.

The flickering candlelight illuminated Liu Zhang's pale and hesitant face. After a long pause, he looked up and surveyed the assembled officials, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "Although Zhao Wei has betrayed us, he was once a trusted minister of my father. Now that his power has waned, perhaps he could join forces with me to resist Liu Feng... What do you all think?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar!

Liu Xun stepped forward first and said, “Father! Zhao Wei is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. When he raised an army in rebellion, did he ever think of the duty between ruler and subject? Now, even though he is trapped in our encirclement, he is still fighting like a cornered beast. How could he be willing to cooperate with me?”

Liu Zhang frowned, and before he could answer, his son-in-law Fei Guan interjected sharply, "My lord, you are wise! Although General Zuo is nearby, his army numbers only a little over ten thousand, and Wuyang has just been captured, so his position is not yet secure. We can still gather our troops first and attack and destroy the Zhao traitor. If we make peace with the rebel Zhao Wei at this time, not only will we lose the trust of the people of this prefecture, but we may also be inviting a wolf into our house. Who knows if Zhao Wei will not rebel again if he gets a chance to catch his breath?"

Zhang Song sneered inwardly, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "My lord, Zhao Wei colluded with powerful figures in Ba and Shu to slaughter our officials and civilians, plunder our treasury, attack cities and seize territory, and slander you. This enmity is irreconcilable. Now that Huang Quan has cut off his escape route, we should seize the opportunity to wipe out this villain. How can we forget the greater good because of a small trouble?"

Liu Zhang did not expect that his tentative suggestion would immediately draw joint opposition from the local faction in Yizhou and the faction in Dongzhou.

The remaining Wu Yi, Zheng Du, and others also strongly opposed it, and their attitude even became very radical, as if they would kill themselves in the main hall if Liu Zhang disagreed.

Liu Zhang could only apologize in public, saying that he had only expressed himself inappropriately and that he only wanted to persuade Zhao Wei to surrender.

This incident further diminished Liu Zhang's already limited prestige.

Afterwards, the group discussed whether to continue sending reinforcements to Guangdu.

Now that the Left Army has occupied Wuyang, their next targets are obviously Guangdu and Jiangyuan, especially the former, which is almost a certainty.

There were originally 5,000 people in Guangdu City. Huang Quan took away 3,000 elite troops, and a few days ago, he received 2,000 reinforcements from Chengdu. Now there are 4,000 soldiers. Including the original strongmen and their troops in Guangdu City, as well as the young and strong warriors who were temporarily recruited, there are a total of more than 700 soldiers.

The military report stated that several hundred more defeated soldiers who had fled north from Wuyang City were also taken in by Guangdu, bringing the total to approximately five thousand.

Five thousand people is a considerable number, especially considering that Guangdu City is not large; it's only the size of a medium-sized county town, so it can't accommodate too many people.

However, the people of Chengdu hesitated, because they didn't believe that Guangdu could defend the city with such a small force. When asked to send reinforcements, they all fell silent, with Pang Xi lowering his head to avoid Liu Zhang's gaze.

After much discussion, the only outcome was to allocate more military equipment and supplies.

At this moment, Liu Feng was standing on the dock, where thousands of sails gathered and hundreds of boats raced on the river outside Jiangzhou City.

He Qi led more than 20,000 elite Yue troops to successfully arrive in Jiangzhou. After a brief reorganization and replenishment of supplies, they continued their westward advance.

The battle situation has now become very complicated. A report came from Jiameng Pass that a large army from Hanzhong was marching south. Although the troops had rolled up their flags and concealed themselves, they appeared to be elite troops with a well-organized military appearance.

His officers and subordinates once climbed Niutou Mountain to spy on Jiameng Pass, but were discovered by Huo Du, who then reported it to Zhou Tai.

After discussing the matter, the two suspected that this elite force was not from the Hanzhong army, and reported this to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng immediately realized that this was likely the entry of Cao Cao's elite troops into Shu.

The Hanzhong army has already deployed all its elite troops. Even if Zhang Lu abandons Hanzhong, he cannot muster so many more elite troops.

Moreover, why would the Hanzhong army need to cease its march south?
Such behavior suggests an unwillingness to expose themselves, which means it must be Cao Cao's elite troops to the north.

Upon receiving this news, Liu Feng was quite shocked. He had already guessed that Zhang Lu had colluded with Cao Cao, but he never expected that Zhang Lu would kneel down so quickly.

It should be noted that Zhang Lu's elite troops had not yet suffered heavy losses. Now, they were conquering cities and territories in Guanghan, winning battle after battle, overcoming many difficulties and obstacles along the way, and taking advantage of the situation to capture key points such as Zitong, Fucheng, and Mianzhu.

Yan Pu even led several thousand men to launch a surprise attack on Guanghan. If it weren't for my timely intervention, this key point on the Fu River would have changed hands.

Liu Feng couldn't understand why Zhang Lu would submit to Cao Cao when the situation seemed so favorable. He was blind to his own shortcomings, not realizing the immense pressure he had placed on Hanzhong and Zhang Lu.

The news that Gao Shun had secretly infiltrated Shangyong was practically a knife hanging over Zhang Lu's forehead.

Furthermore, with Jiameng Pass in the hands of the Left Army, the Hanzhong army could easily enter but not easily leave. Although Zhang Lu was not a military genius, he could still see the situation clearly, not to mention that he had a strategist like Yan Pu at the front.

Although Yan Pu and Zhang Wei were sending frequent reports of victories to the rear, they also shared their concerns with Zhang Lu. In particular, the fact that the Left Guard Army at Jiameng Pass remained completely unmoved after the fall of Tianxiong Pass, showing no fear of being divided, greatly worried Yan Pu.

However, with the front lines advancing rapidly and morale soaring, Yan Pu could only stick to his initial idea.

Yan Pu marched south to attack Guanghan, only to run into Xu Chu.

After suffering a minor loss, before Xu Chu could prepare a counterattack, he abandoned his supplies and retreated overnight, leaving Xu Chu with an empty camp. His military strategy may not have been outstanding, but his caution and ability to assess the situation were quite remarkable.

A warship docked, and a burly man jumped onto the pier before the ship had even come to a complete stop. He strode forward and ran towards Liu Feng.

This person was none other than He Qi.

Liu, with a smile, immediately went to greet him.

The two were walking towards each other and soon bumped into each other.

He Qi was about to kneel down when Liu Feng grabbed his arm and said, "Gong Miao, it has been many years since we last met. I didn't expect you to be as radiant as ever, and even more impressive than before."

(End of this chapter)