Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 431 I'd rather be Zhang Gong's slave than Sun Ce's guest.

While Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao were locked in a standoff across the Yellow River, Sun Ce, who was plotting to seize Hanzhong, consulted with his subordinates and then led 50,000 infantry and cavalry on a northern expedition, claiming an army of 100,000. The army was divided into three parts: the vanguard was led by Huang Gai and Zhang Ren, with Sun Ce himself leading the main force in the center; the rear guard was escorted by Sun Jing to transport supplies. Those left to guard Chengdu were relatives of Wu Jing and Sun Quan, who were responsible for transporting military supplies for the main army.

On May 15th, Sun Ce led his army through the Jinniu Road, traversing over a thousand miles of roads, and finally arrived at Yangping Pass in June.

Upon hearing that Sun Ce had raised an army to invade, the people of Hanzhong were terrified, and Zhang Lu urgently summoned all the civil and military officials to discuss the matter.

Inside the mansion, Zhang Lu sat on a couch, his face full of worry, and asked, "Not long after the Sun family annexed Shu, Sun Jian died fighting Yuan Shu. I specially sent someone to offer condolences, hoping to make peace with them. Unexpectedly, Sun Ce forgot his father's revenge and now leads his troops north to attack my Hanzhong."

"You gentlemen are the heroes of Hanzhong. Do you have any strategies to teach me how to defend against the enemy?"

"My lord, although Sun Ce is young, his military strategy is outstanding. When Sun Jian attacked Ba and Shu, Sun Ce led an army westward alone, his forces pointing directly at Chengdu. When Sun Jian died from a stray arrow, Sun Ce led his army to quell the remaining rebels in Shu, and the people of Shu were terrified and subdued by him."

Fa Cao Yi Hui said worriedly, "Now they are coming with an army of 100,000. With only a small area in Hanzhong, I am afraid we cannot stop them. In my humble opinion, it would be better to surrender to Sun Ce. You will not lose your wealth and status."

"Shut up, you bastard!"

Zhang Wei stood up angrily and said, "Although Hanzhong's population is not as large as that of Bashu, it still has 20,000 soldiers. Hanzhong is surrounded by dangerous terrain, the most dangerous of which is Yangping Pass. If I lead my army to hold it, with the military provisions of Hanzhong, we will surely be able to stop Sun Ce outside the pass."

Then, Zhang Wei asked Zhang Lu for instructions: "Master, Yangping Pass is surrounded by mountains and forests on both sides. If I defend the pass and set up camp on the mountain, we will surely be able to resist Sun Ce. Master, you can allocate troops and provisions in Nanzheng."

Zhang Lu beckoned Zhang Wei to sit down first, then stared coldly at Yi Hui and said indignantly, "I would rather be Zhang Gong's slave than be Sun Ce's guest."

Upon hearing this, Yi Hui looked embarrassed. He hadn't expected Zhang Lu to be so hostile towards Sun Ce.

Yan Pu pondered for a moment and said, "Since Zhang Hou conquered Longyou, our army has maintained good relations with him every year. In the past, when Zhang Hou attacked Yuan Shao, Shi Jun sold military provisions. Sun Ce brought a large army, and his momentum was fierce. Why don't we ask Zhang Hou for help now?"

Why should we ask Zhang Yu for help?

Zhang Wei stood up again and retorted, "Yangping Pass is a formidable stronghold, where an army of ten thousand can hold off an army of one hundred thousand. Although Sun Ce claims to have one hundred thousand troops, in reality he only has fifty or sixty thousand. I have twenty thousand troops guarding various passes; how can we not stop Sun Ce?"

"To ask Zhang Yu for help now, aren't we just inviting a wolf into our house?"

Zhang Wei said calmly, "In the past, Zhang Yu rescued Youzhou under the guise of righteousness, but in reality he coveted the counties. Therefore, almost all the counties in Youzhou have surrendered to Zhang Yu. Governor Liu He is all talk and no action!"

"Zhang Yu aspires to rule the world. Now we request Zhang Yu's reinforcements to enter Guanzhong. If we are defeated and Sun Ce flees, how will we deal with Zhang Yu's troops? I fear that Zhang's troops will be stranded in Hanzhong, and my lord will be restless day and night!"

Zhang Lu frowned in thought and said, "In that case, I and Yang Ang will lead 10,000 elite infantry and cavalry to garrison Yangping Pass, while I will supervise the transport of military supplies in Nanzheng."

"promise!"

Upon receiving Zhang Lu's approval, Zhang Wei and Yang Ang excitedly took their leave.

After exchanging a few words, Zhang Lu dismissed everyone else. Yan Pu, however, stayed behind to offer his advice to Zhang Lu in private.

"What urgent matter does Zimiao have to discuss?"

Seeing that Yan Pu had something important to report, Zhang Lu asked him.

After considering for a moment, Yan Pu asked, "May I ask about your aspirations, Master?"

Zhang Lu paused for a moment, then hesitated before saying, “To be honest, the world is in chaos today, the Han dynasty is in decline, and heroes are rising up everywhere. It is already on the verge of the fall of the Zhou dynasty. But my Hanning has 100,000 households and 20,000 soldiers. Grain harvests are plentiful, granaries are full, and the land is protected by natural barriers on all sides. Perhaps we can be granted land and titles to continue our good fortune.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Pu's expression changed drastically. He said, "Sun Ce, Cao Cao, and Wei Duan each had a province, yet they dared not presume to carve out their own territory and bestow titles upon them. For you, Master, to covet territory with only the people of Hanchuan is not a wise move. Although the Han dynasty has perished, a virtuous ruler is about to emerge. If you, Master, wish to act with such power and influence, you may encounter unforeseen disaster."

"In my opinion, since the ruler has already done a good deed by governing the people, why not emulate Huan Wen and Dou Rong, so as not to lose wealth and status?"

Zhang Lu pondered for a moment and said, "What Zimiao said makes sense. Although Hanzhong has a registered population of 100,000, its territory is narrow and it is not advisable to think about dividing the land."

"Since you understand the situation, why don't you ask Lord Zhang for help?" Yan Pu asked. "This..."

Zhang Lu hesitated for a long time before saying, "As Brother Wei said, if we ask Zhang Yu for help now, and wait until we defeat Sun Ce, I'm afraid Hanning will not be ours!"

Yan Pu stroked his beard and pondered, then said, "Sun Ce's troops are currently at Yangping Pass. Why don't you ask Lord Zhang to send troops to Wudu and see if we can cut off Sun Ce's supply lines? If his troops don't enter Hanzhong, why should you fear them?"

"Moreover, Zhang Yu has conquered Ji Province and defeated Yuan Shao, showing signs of unifying the world. Since you, Master, have no other ambitions, why not act in accordance with this momentum!"

After considering for a while, Zhang Lu said, "My opinion is the same as Zi Miao's, but the situation is still undecided. Zhang Yu's army is in Hebei. If we ask Zhang Yu for help, I'm afraid that before Zhang Yu's troops arrive, Sun Ce will have already been driven back by our army!"

Seeing that Zhang Lu was still unwilling to ask Zhang Yu for help, Yan Pu could only sigh inwardly.

He didn't necessarily believe that Hanzhong would be defeated by Sun Ce this time; rather, he was considering the possibility of victory. After all, with Zhang Yu's reinforcements outside, the probability of defeating Sun Ce was greatly increased.

However, Yan Pu could understand Zhang Lu's situation. After all, although Hanzhong and Zhang Yu had a friendly relationship through envoys, it didn't mean that Hanzhong was subservient to Zhang Yu. If they were to send troops to Zhang Yu for help, wouldn't that give Zhang Yu a reason to intervene in Hanzhong's affairs?

Zhang Lu's thoughts were similar to Yan Pu's. He worried that Zhang Yu would use the request for help as an excuse to intervene in Hanzhong, so he planned not to send an envoy to Zhang Yu for help unless it was a crisis.

While Zhang Lu hesitated about whether to ask Zhang Yu for help, Sun Ce was already considering the possibility of Zhang Yu intervening in the war.

Outside Yangping Pass, Sun Jun's camp.

Inside the main tent, Sun Ce gazed at the maps of Hanzhong and Wudu commanderies, lost in thought.

“Zhang Yu’s army is in Hebei, and there are not many troops in Longyou. My only fear in attacking Hanzhong is that Zhang Yu will send a general out of Qishan to plunder the Jinniu Road and the grain supply route,” Sun Ce said to his trusted advisors, pointing to the map.

"General, why not divide our forces and head west to take Wudu County first, using it as a strategic stronghold?" Gan Ning suggested eagerly.

"No!"

Huan Jie frowned and said, "Zhang Yu is leading his army to attack Yuan Shao, and it is still unknown whether he will intervene in the battle of Hanzhong. If we take Wudu County now, Zhang Yu will be furious and send generals to reinforce Wudu in the west. If our army cannot take Hanzhong first, we will be attacked from both sides!"

“I have heard that Zhang Yu left Hu general Shi Yi in Longyou. I wonder how he is doing?” Sun Ce suddenly asked.

“Shiyi was a Xianbei, and he was one of the first followers of Zhang Yu when he raised his army. He was skilled in using cavalry. When Zhang Yu attacked Longyou, Shiyi was ordered to cut off Han Sui’s supplies and then march west to Hehuang, crossing the snow-capped mountains, raiding and slaughtering various tribes. As a result, the Qiang tribe was greatly weakened and the other Qiang tribes dared not rebel.” Fa Zheng sorted out his thoughts and said, “Judging from this, Shiyi is a famous general in Longyou and should not be underestimated.”

After considering for a long time, Sun Ce said, "Order Xu Kun to lead troops westward to garrison at Gushan to observe the military situation in Longyou. If there are any changes in the situation in Longyou, report to me immediately."

"promise!"

“Yangping Pass is treacherous, and how to break through it is the key issue. If the army is stuck at the pass for too long, the soldiers will be exhausted and weary. Even if Zhang Yu does not send troops to help, we may still be driven back by Zhang Wei’s troops,” Huan Jie said.

Sun Ce looked at Fa Zheng and asked, "You have proposed a plan to launch a northern expedition, but Yangping Pass is now a formidable stronghold. Do you have any strategies to break through it?"

Fa Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "Although Yangping Pass is treacherous, if we can bypass it by climbing over the mountains, then the pass will not be able to stop us. Therefore, in my opinion, while the general is attacking the pass, he should also search for woodcutters or send out scouts to see if there are any small paths to bypass it."

Fa Zheng fled from Guanzhong to Bashu, traversing the entire Shu Road. Therefore, in his view, every mountain pass must have at least one path leading to the other side. Now, Yangping Pass is located on the main mountain pass. If a side path could be found, one could bypass the pass and reach the other side, thus enabling a direct advance on Hanzhong.
"Can!"

Sun Ce smiled and said, "What you say may seem ordinary, but it is the key to breaking through the barrier."

"Send a hundred scouts into the mountains to search the mountain paths day and night, to see if we can find a way around to the rear of the pass!"

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)