When Liu Qi arrived at the pass, Huang Zhong had already finished the battle, killed two generals and captured two people, exceeding the mission goal.
"The old general is still as skilled as ever!" Xu Shu couldn't help but praise him.
When everyone came to the tent, Huang Zhongyan said, "There is a man who calls himself Wang Ping. He said he wanted to see the general before the battle. He pretended to be defeated and was captured by me. I don't know what his intention is."
"Which Wang Ping?" Liu Qi was startled. "Bring him in quickly."
Huang Zhong ordered his men to bring Wang Ping in. Since he surrendered voluntarily, he was not tied up. After entering the tent, he glanced at everyone and his eyes stopped on Liu Qi.
"Wang Ping, a subordinate of Xiongyi Hou, greets General Liu!"
Liu Qi saw that the man was in his early twenties, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. Although young, he seemed quite calm. He asked, "Where are you from? What's your name?"
Wang Ping thought that Liu Qi did not ask about the king, but instead came to check his identity. Could it be that he still suspected that it was fake
Although he was confused, he still answered: "I am from Dangqu, Baxi, and my name is Zijun!"
"Okay!" Liu Qi slapped his thigh, "Come here, please take a seat!"
Everyone was confused. How good could a name be
Liu Qi was sure that this person was Wang Ping, who defended Jieting together with Ma Su, and he couldn't help but be delighted. This was a potential general!
One of the four pillars of the Shu Han Dynasty in the late period. There was a saying in Shu that "there were Wang and Ju in the front, and Zhang and Liao in the back". They were Wang Ping, Ju Fu, Zhang Yi and Liao Hua.
Wang Ping ranked first and was appointed by Zhuge Liang to lead the Wudang Flying Army, which showed the recognition of his ability. After Wei Yan, he guarded Hanzhong and defeated Cao Shuang's army of 100,000 with only 30,000 troops. His record was brilliant and his achievements were outstanding.
Unexpectedly, Wang Ping was actually a Qiang. However, this was not important. Cao Cao was unable to enter Hanzhong, and this famous general took the initiative to surrender, which was a great bargain for him.
Wang Ping was also somewhat flattered. After he sat down, he hurriedly said, "I came to see the general this time because I want to get rid of Zhang Wei as soon as possible to prevent the disaster from affecting my clan."
"Oh?" Liu Qi was a little surprised. "Since you all know that Zhang Wei is a big threat, why do you still collude with him?"
Wang Ping sighed, "It was the King of Ba and the Seven Surnames tribe who responded to Zhang Wei. The Marquis of Xiong and the other tribes did not want to be enemies with the general, but the King of Ba issued an order, so there was nothing they could do."
Liu Qi snorted coldly: "Although the Seven Surname Yi Kings have made contributions, hundreds of years have passed and they have become like this court, corrupt and decadent, forgetting their original intentions. It is time to end it."
Wang Ping hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "The King of Ba rebelled. They all had their own selfish motives. In fact, it has nothing to do with the people. I hope the general will not hurt the innocent."
Liu Qi nodded and said, "My troops have strict military discipline and never disturb the people or kill prisoners. They are all Han people. As long as they do not resist and reform themselves, they can be spared."
Wang Ping said: "I have heard for a long time that the general is kind and wise. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved."
Liu Qi asked: "So, the Marquis of Xiong and the other Ba people did not want to help Zhang Wei, but were forced to do so by the order of the King of Ba?"
"That's right!" Wang Ping said helplessly, "Two of the seven tribes have suffered heavy casualties, and the general is using a strategy of sowing discord. The tribes are suspicious of each other and there may be chaos. I see that the situation is critical, so I took the risk to come to see the general. If Zhang Wei can be killed as soon as possible, Bazhong can avoid a war disaster. Now is the time to prepare winter supplies, and it is not appropriate to stalemate for a long time."
"How could you see through my plan to sow discord?" Liu Qi raised his eyebrows slightly, nodded and smiled, "I was thinking the same thing. If we can resolve this threat without using a single blow, everyone will be happy. Since only the Seven-surnamed Yi kings are in favor of the war, it won't be difficult to defeat them."
Wang Ping was puzzled and asked, "Since Master Zhang has surrendered, why doesn't he come to persuade Zhang Wei and explain the pros and cons? It won't be too late to go to Jiangnan later. Even if Master Zhang is not here, the chief priest Yang Song is still in Hanzhong. Why not ask him to expose Zhang Wei and stop the war?"
"You are still too young!" Liu Qi waved his hand with an air of seniority and sighed, "From the moment Zhang Wei disobeyed the general's orders and secretly escaped from Yangping Pass, he was destined to resist to the end. Master Zhang also tried to persuade him with a letter before he left, but was it effective?"
Wang Ping was startled: "So the letter from Master is to persuade Zhang Wei to surrender?"
Liu Qi sneered and said, "Whether it is Zhang Wei or the seven barbarian kings, they are bent on starting a war, they are just looking for an excuse. Even if Master Zhang comes in person, he will have another excuse. If this threat is not eliminated, Sanba will not be at peace."
Wang Ping nodded silently. Liu Qi's opinion was consistent with that of Xiong Hou. They only raised the army for their own interests, and there was no turning back once the arrow was shot.
Liu Qi said: "Since the plan of sowing discord has begun to show results, and Xiong Hou has no intention of being hostile, you can persuade him to lend a hand to me when you go back, to eliminate the traitor Zhang Wei and restore order to the people of Ba. After that, I will make him the real King of Ba!"
Wang Ping quickly stood up and said, "Thank you, General!"
Liu Qi laughed and said, "In the past, when Emperor Gaozu established the Han Dynasty, the people of Ba had seven glorious surnames. Now I am reviving the Han Dynasty, and Zijun and Xiong Hou are helping me. Together, we are rebuilding our ancestors' foundation. We can be said to share weal and woe. This is God's will!"
Wang Ping was also excited by Liu Qi's words, and asked hurriedly: "I wonder what arrangements the general has? I will go through fire and water and die without hesitation."
"This matter needs to be replanned. You should first inform us of the situation of each department in detail so that we can prescribe the right medicine." Liu Qi asked everyone to leave and only left Xu Shu to discuss the strategy.
The atmosphere inside Mengtouyan Pass was depressing. Two brave warriors were killed miserably by the old general, the prince was captured, and morale was extremely low.
King Pu Hu of Ba was in a state of confusion and had no intention of discussing matters. All the leaders returned to their residences, sighing and groaning over the heavy losses, and those who had not yet gone into battle felt sad.
At dusk, two people suddenly came down from the cellar. They were the Crown Prince Pu Yang and Wang Ping. Both were safe and sound.
Pu Hu was extremely surprised and hurriedly brought the two men into the pass. Upon hearing the news, all the leaders also rushed over to inquire about the situation.
Pu Yang was confused: "They just locked me up in a tent, and the guards just said Liu Qi had issued an order not to kill prisoners, and then they let me go."
Pu Hu was stunned: "So, you didn't see Liu Qi?"
Pu Yang shook his head. Not to mention Liu Qi, he never even saw Huang Zhong again.
Pu Hu turned his head and looked at Wang Ping: "Have you seen Liu Qi?"
Wang Ping smiled bitterly and said, "I am just a nobody. How can I be qualified to see Liu Qi? I have been tied up in the rear camp. If it weren't for the prince, I would have had trouble escaping."
Everyone looked at Pu Yang in unison, all with interrogative eyes, and it was obvious that they did not believe what Pu Yang said.
A man was locked up in a tent and Liu Qi had never seen him, so why not just let him go? Couldn't you at least make up a decent lie
Gong Xi couldn't help but ask, "When I was ambushed, Liu Qi even held a banquet to welcome me and tried to persuade me with kind words. Is it true that no one cares about you, Prince?"
"No!" Pu Yang's eyes widened and he shouted, "I really didn't see Liu Qi. I can swear to the Tiger God!"
Pu Hu's face was very ugly, and he said in a deep voice: "Yang'er, no matter what Liu Qi said to you, just say it in public, I will never blame you."
"If I lie, I will be struck by lightning!" Pu Yang was so anxious that his face turned red and he swore to the sky.
Pu Hu thought that if he didn't reveal something today, he would definitely be suspected by everyone, so he took a deep breath and asked, "Yang'er, do you have anything to say to your father?"
Pu Yang looked aggrieved and lowered his head and said, "Father, I... I'm hungry!"