Twenty thousand elite troops from Jingzhou entered Shangyong in batches. Liu Qi and others quietly went to Fangling via the Han River and met with Wei Yan who had been preparing for war early.
Before leaving, Taishi Ci was still in a coma. Although Hua Tuo cured his wounds, they were helpless against the strange poison.
This poison is extremely rare and not fatal, and even under normal circumstances, one would not feel anything unusual about it. This stumped the two great doctors of Jian'an, as well as the two sons of the imperial physicians.
Liu Qi informed Zhuge Liang of the matter and asked him to investigate and analyze it on his behalf. At the same time, he should find a time to discuss with Taishi Xiang and Yu Fan to see if they could find any clues, and preferably persuade the two to rebel.
There was no other way, since Zhuge Liang knew a little about medicine, was good at understanding people's minds, and had top-notch eloquence, so we had to let him participate in it.
Fangling, Shangyong and Xicheng originally belonged to Hanzhong County. Later, Zhang Lu split off Hanzhong, and the Shen Dan brothers ruled Shangyong and Xicheng alone. Fangling in the east was left empty. Liu Biao took the opportunity to occupy the upper reaches of the Han River to protect Nanyang.
These three places are located in the canyon sandwiched between the Daba Mountains and the Qinling Mountains, with the Han River flowing through it. Mountains and ravines meander through it, the terrain is complex and the roads are steep. Even if the troops can barely make it through, the transportation of food and fodder will be extremely difficult.
This is also the reason why Cao Wei and Sima attacked Hanzhong several times, but only sent troops from Guanzhong and Qinling Mountains, but did not consider sending troops from Nanyang.
Now Liu Qi had made arrangements early, captured the Shen Dan brothers, and took over the most difficult section of the road. With support and supplies along the way, he dared to send troops. Even so, he only dispatched 20,000 troops in batches.
It was a month later when the troops met up in Xicheng. Shen Dan and his brothers had already prepared food, fodder, carriages and horses, and reported the situation in Hanzhong in detail.
Zhang Lu ordered his brother Zhang Wei to attack Xichuan. After breaking through Jiameng Pass, he was waiting and watching. Suddenly he heard that Zhang Fei had taken Jiangzhou, so he immediately attacked Jianmen Pass again, fearing that the Jingzhou soldiers would take Yizhou first.
At this time, the main forces of Hanzhong all went deep into Shu Road. Zhang Lu stayed behind, and only Yang Ren was stationed at Yangping Pass to prevent the Xiliang Army from taking the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
Wei Yan was overjoyed and said, "If that's the case, why don't we send out troops right away? I can reach Nanzheng in half a month and capture Zhang Lu alive."
Shen Dan shook his head and said, "General, you don't know that in Hanzhong, the people all respect Zhang Lu like a god and worship him. Once the troops enter the country, they will definitely notice it."
Wei Yan waved his hand and smiled, "What do you have to fear from a few followers? Even the Yellow Turbans were no match for the powerful army. The Zhang Jiao brothers have long been eliminated. The Mi bandits are content to stay in Hanzhong. They should have been wiped out long ago."
Xu Shu said, "Although Zhang Lu is like Zhang Jiao, he is a man of both political and religious integrity, and is highly praised by the people of Hanzhong. He is definitely a man of distinction. We should not kill him unless it is absolutely necessary, lest the people turn away and the country become chaotic."
Liu Pan sneered, "Zhang Lu is ambitious and wants to divide the land to preach and rule the people. This is a way to fool the people, not a strategy to stabilize the country. How can this unorthodox way last long?"
Liu Qi listened to everyone's discussion and ordered: "This time I will take Hanzhong, I will use this as a base to open the gate of Xichuan in the south and the road to Guanzhong in the north. Don't disturb the territory and kill innocent people indiscriminately, otherwise it will be difficult to recover in three to five years, and you will dig a trap for yourself. Remember this."
The generals received the order. Xu Shu said, "Speed is of the essence in war. No matter how many spies Zhang Lu has, we just need to send out the army and capture Hanzhong before Zhang Wei can come back to help. Then we can accomplish our mission."
Liu Qi ordered Zhao Yun as the vanguard, Shen Dan and Shen Yi as guides, and led the light cavalry to rush to Chenggu. As long as they captured Chenggu and entered the flat and open area of Hanzhong, they would no longer have to worry about food and fodder.
In midsummer, the sun is scorching, flowers are blooming all over the mountains and the scenery is pleasant, but it is also extremely hot and the journey is relatively slow.
Ever since Zhang Lu led his troops to attack Yizhou, Yan Pu advised him to be on guard against the Jingzhou army. Although the two families had reconciled, people's hearts were unpredictable and one had to be prepared for any eventuality. The Shen Dan brothers were only concerned with protecting themselves and could not be trusted.
Although Zhang Lu did not take it seriously and only casually told his subordinates to pay attention to the movements in the west city, the chief priests and believers of each tribe took it very seriously and passed it down layer by layer, and it became the highest decree in the sect.
As soon as the soldiers of Jingzhou were dispatched, they were discovered by the people and reported to Yishe. The ghost soldiers of Yishe reported to the chief priest, and the news soon reached Nanzheng.
Since returning from Jingzhou, Yang Song has made a fortune and was very grateful to Liu Qi. He also invested in Fengxiang and was preparing to open up a trade route from Hanzhong to Xiliang. Suddenly, he received news of a war and was shocked beyond words.
After a long pause, he shook his head and said, "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible. Why would Liu Qi send troops to Hanzhong?"
The chief priest hurriedly reported: "The generals leading the way are the Shen Dan brothers. They have already surrendered to Liu Qi. Please report to the master as soon as possible."
Yang Song was panicking. He was the one who facilitated the diplomatic mission to Jingzhou to make friends with Liu Qi. The two families agreed to attack Yizhou. Now Liu Qi was coming to take Hanzhong. How could he report this to Zhang Lu
At this time, his brother Yang Bai came to discuss the establishment of an escort agency, and Yang Song discussed countermeasures with him.
Yang Bai laughed when he heard this and said, "Brother, haven't you heard that fortune and misfortune are interdependent? This is the time for our Yang family to make achievements and establish a career."
Yang Song frowned and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Yang Baiyan said: "Brother, I have trained soldiers for many years, but Master never let me lead the troops to fight. All the military achievements were taken by Yang Ren and Yang Ang. If we invade Yizhou this time, they will make great achievements and will definitely be ranked higher than you and me. If I make achievements this time, I will not be afraid of them!"
Although the Hanzhong Yang family is the most powerful, it has spawned several branches. There are many children in the family, and the younger generation often fights openly and secretly. Yang Ren and Yang Ang are in Mianyang, and Yang Song and Yang Bai are in Nanzheng. As the two strongest branches, the competition is naturally the greatest.
"My dear brother, you are also a general in Hanzhong, why are you afraid of Shen Dan and the other two?" Yang Song suddenly realized, then frowned again and said: "But Shen Dan has defected to Liu Qi, and I did not report this to Master, leaving hidden dangers. What should I do?"
Yang Bai sneered, "Brother, you can report to our master and tell him that Brother Shen Dan is unwilling to live in the remote place of Shangyong and covets the wealth of Hanzhong. He colluded with Liu Qi to plot against Hanzhong and recommended me to be the general to fight against the enemy and kill these two to establish my authority. Then, brother, go and negotiate with Liu Qi to withdraw the troops from Jingzhou and save Hanzhong. No matter how great the contribution of Brother Yang Ang is, it cannot compare to the contribution of protecting our home."
Yang Song was overjoyed and went to see Zhang Lu immediately. Zhang Lu was raising food and money as the battle to attack Jiange was urgent. Zhang Wei requested more rewards to encourage the three armies to break through the pass as soon as possible, otherwise all his efforts would be in vain if Zhang Fei entered Shu first.
Zhang Lu was shocked when he heard that the Jingzhou troops had entered Hanzhong. He cursed: "Shen Dan and Shen Yi, you two bastards, actually let the wolf into the house!"
Yang Song sighed, "When Liu Qi sent troops to attack Shangyong, it was my subordinates who helped to reconcile the two families. Who would have thought that these two would repay kindness with hatred? How hateful!"
"This bastard will die a miserable death!" Zhang Lu was so angry that his hands holding the account book could not help shaking. He asked anxiously, "What should we do now?"
Yang Song said: "The main culprits are the Shen Dan brothers. We can send troops to resist the enemy and kill them to boost the morale of the army. I am willing to risk my life to see Liu Qi again. For the sake of our past friendship, I will ask him to withdraw his troops."
Zhang Lu frowned and said, "All the troops are in Jiange, and Yang Ren is guarding Yangping Pass. Who can stop the enemy?"
Yang Songyan said: "General Yang Bai has commanded troops for many years, and he is more than capable of dealing with Shen Dan and the other two."
Zhang Lu was overjoyed and immediately issued an order, ordering Yang Bai to lead 10,000 elite soldiers to Chenggu to resist the enemy. He also sent someone to invite Yan Pu to come and discuss matters.