Yan Pu rushed to the government office and urged Zhang Lu to first transfer Yang Ren to guard Nanzheng, and then urgently transfer Zhang Wei back.
Yang Songyan said: "The army is outside, and is about to capture Jiange and seize Yizhou. If we retreat now, won't all our efforts be wasted?"
Yan Pu said anxiously: "If Hanzhong is not protected, we have nowhere to go. Our troops are like duckweed without roots. How can we take Yizhou?"
Yang Song smiled and said, "Don't worry, Gongcao. My brother has already gone to fight the enemy. With my eloquent words, I will definitely make Liu Qi withdraw his troops."
Yan Pu sighed, "The wolf has entered the house, how can it retreat? Liu Qi's surprise attack on Hanzhong must have been planned for a long time. I'm afraid that the previous attack on Yizhou was also a trick!"
Zhang Lu gritted his teeth and said, "Zhang Fei has already captured Jiangzhou. Liu Qi was still in Jiangdong at the time and did not intend to attack me. It must be Shen Dan and the other two who let the wolf into the house. I swear to kill these two thieves!"
Yan Pu said, "Shen Tan and the other two are not to be feared, but Liu Qi is here with his elite troops, and he will definitely take Hanzhong. If we delay in rescuing Hanzhong, it will be lost. My lord, please do not hesitate any longer."
"You worry too much!" Yang Song pulled his beard with a smug look on his face, and smiled at Zhang Lu: "Master, do you still remember that I drove the Xiliang army away that day? I just need to pray to heaven and earth and ask the Heavenly Master to come to the world, and I will surely make Liu Qi withdraw his troops."
Yan Pu said sternly: "Ma Teng originally planned to seize Chang'an, not to send troops. How can we leave the affairs of state to ghosts and gods?"
Yang Song's eyes turned cold, and he said in a deep voice: "Yan Gongcao? How dare you slander my master Tianshi and say such disrespectful words, are you trying to rebel?"
As a master himself, Zhang Lu was also skeptical about the matter of ghosts and gods. He waved his hand and said, "I'll trouble the great priest to handle it first. I have my own reasons."
Yang Song withdrew, and Zhang Lu asked again: "Liu Qi has penetrated deep into the hinterland. Zhang Wei may not be able to catch up with him when he returns to help. The Shu army will also take advantage of the situation to pursue and kill him. What should we do?"
Yan Pu said: "Yizhou is a strategically located place that cannot be conquered overnight. Now that a large army is coming, we should prioritize self-preservation. We can first transfer Yang Ren back to defend Nanzheng, fortify the city and clear the fields to resist the enemy. Liu Qi has come from afar and will naturally retreat if he runs out of food and grass!"
Zhang Lu frowned and asked, "Fortify the city and clear the countryside?"
Yan Pu said, "The only plan now is to burn down all the charity houses and transport the food and grass back to Chenggu and other places. If there is no time to transport them, burn down the granaries and relocate the people to Mianyang. We will dig deep trenches and build high fortifications without fighting. When Liu Qi runs out of food and his soldiers are exhausted, if Zhang Wei's reinforcements arrive in time, we can take advantage of the situation to pursue and kill him, and we may be able to turn defeat into victory."
Zhang Lu pondered for a long time and sighed, "Since I took over Hanzhong, I have provided five dou of rice to help the people and took in refugees from wars. The people have come here to follow my teachings and live and work in peace. How can I burn down their farms and harm them? The charity house is where my disciples live and preach. The granaries belong to the state and cannot be abandoned!"
Yan Pu repeatedly urged Zhang Lu to do so, but Zhang Lu said, "Liu Qi was known for his leniency during the battle of Nanyang. He accepted captives and resettled the people, treating them as subjects of the Han Dynasty. I believe he will not harm innocent people."
He then sent orders to all his troops, telling them that when the enemy arrived, there was no need to resist, and only to transfer Yang Ren to lead the troops to Nanzheng. He also ordered Zhang Wei to leave 3,000 soldiers to guard Jiameng Pass, and the main army would rush back day and night to provide support.
At the same time, he was praying silently in his heart, to protect the various charity temples, hoping to move the gods in heaven. When Yang Song cast the spell, he would show his power for the sake of these tens of thousands of lives and force Liu Qi to retreat.
Previously, Yang Song had prayed to the gods to repel the Western Liang army, and his prestige among the people and believers in Hanzhong was extremely high. On that day, he ordered priests from all over the country to come to Nanzheng and do the same to pray for the gods to descend to earth. Everyone was delighted and donated paper money as sacrifices, and burned incense and prayed in the streets and alleys.
Yang Bai also led his troops to Chenggu. Upon hearing that the Jingzhou army had passed the Ziwu Road, he decided to send troops to meet the enemy.
Commander Xu Yuan advised: "The soldiers from Jingzhou are well prepared, and our army is small. It is better to hold the city firmly and wait for them to tire themselves out."
Yang Bai laughed and said, "Shen Dan is just a rabble from the mountains. Why should we be afraid of him? If we do not fight the enemy when they enter our territory, we are afraid of them. Wouldn't that make people laugh at us for having no one in Hanzhong?"
The governors of various places in Hanzhong were all priests. At this time, they were transferred to Nanzheng by the chief priest Yang Song to perform a spell. Xu Yuan could not persuade Yang Bai, so he had to say: "There is a Black Tiger Mountain ten miles away from the city. You can set up camp there to resist the enemy."
Yang Bai mobilized all his troops to meet the enemy, leaving only two thousand newly recruited ghost soldiers to guard the city, and set up camp at Black Tiger Mountain.
Not long after, Zhao Yun led his troops to the Black Tiger Mountain. Shen Yi's men arrived first and saw a camp blocking the road at the foot of the mountain. Shen Yi was eager to be the first to achieve merit, so he stepped forward to challenge them.
Yang Bai cursed Shen Yi and fought with him. After more than ten rounds, he killed Shen Yi and forced him to retreat in disgrace. Yang Bai then took advantage of the situation to chase after him.
Just as the army in front was deployed, Shen Dan came to support them. Yang Bai's confidence increased greatly, and he urged his horse forward to meet the enemy. They fought for more than ten rounds but there was no clear winner.
At this time, Shen Yi also reorganized his troops and rushed forward with swords brandishing. The two brothers fought together, and Yang Bai could not resist and fled back in defeat.
When Shen Dan and his companions arrived in front of the camp, Xu Yuan was well prepared and ordered the defenders to shoot arrows at them. Shen Dan and his companions had no choice but to retreat and ordered his soldiers to advance and challenge them.
Yang Bai returned to the camp and cursed the Shen Dan brothers for being despicable. Xu Yuan saw that Yang Bai had just defeated Shen Yi, and thought that the two of them did not live up to their reputation, so he asked for orders to go into battle.
Yang Bai reorganized his troops and ordered Xu Yuan to go into battle and plunder the camp gate. Shen Yi also wanted to seek revenge, so he went out to meet him.
Xu Yuan didn't expect that Yang Bai was fighting so easily, but when it was his turn, he was in a mess. He couldn't hold on after four or five rounds. He was flustered and hurriedly turned his horse around and retreated.
Shen Yi was not willing to give up, and slashed at him with his sword. Yang Bai shouted, urged his horse to go out, blocked Shen Yi, and said in a deep voice: "You are defeated, don't show off your strength!"
Shen Yi knew that he was no match for Yang Bai, so he circled his horse and retreated back to his camp, leaving Shen Dan to fight him. The two fought for more than twenty rounds, but there was still no winner.
Zhao Yun rushed to the front of the camp, picked up his spear and stood on his horse, quietly watching the two men fighting, his face calm.
Soon, the two men were exhausted and retreated. Yang Bai retreated to the camp gate and saw a general in a white robe and a white horse, standing like a deep abyss and a mountain. He was secretly shocked and shouted, "Who is coming?"
Zhao Yun stepped forward and answered: "I am Zhao Zilong of Changshan! You have occupied the state and disobeyed the king's laws. Why don't you surrender quickly?"
Yang Bai laughed loudly and said, "Hanzhong was obtained by my master through the will of heaven. How can you get involved? If you go against heaven and offend the gods, you will be punished by heaven. You should retreat immediately!"
Zhao Yun snorted and said calmly: "Let you rest for half a day, then we can fight again!"
"Let me do it!" Xu Yuan had just been defeated and felt ashamed. Seeing that the white-robed general had an elegant appearance and was far less fierce than Shen Dan, he thought that he was a scion of a noble family in Jingzhou and that he could avenge his defeat.
Yang Bai also wanted to see Zhao Yun's strength, so he did not stop him. He waited until Xu Yuan roared and rushed out, and ordered people to beat drums to cheer him on.
Zhao Yun was seen lightly lifting the reins, with the tip of his spear pointing at the ground, without moving a muscle, as if he was frightened. He could not help but feel annoyed that his great achievement was being snatched away by a captain.
As soon as he thought of it, Xu Yuan had already urged his horse to the front and swung his sword forward. The blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight, but it stopped abruptly in mid-air.
Boom boom boom—
The drums had only sounded a few times when Xu Yuan was seen rushing towards the distance with a big knife in his hand. He did not swing it, but fell to the ground with a plop, rolled several times, and lay motionless on the ground, with blood gushing out of his chest like a fountain.