Zhang Wei proclaimed himself king in Hanchang, and thought that with Zhang Lu's prestige among the Ba people, he could seize control of the Daba Mountains, encroach on Pang Xi, and swallow up Ba County alone.
Unexpectedly, within a month, the King of Ba, Pu Hu, returned in defeat. Not only was the Micang Road lost, but all the people of Ba withdrew, leaving only the king and the general, who were truly all alone.
The two of them brought a total of 3,000 soldiers and horses, and together with the Hanchang garrison, they barely made up 5,000 soldiers. Not to mention dealing with Liu Qi, they were not even strong enough to fight Pang Xi.
Fortunately, it had been raining in recent days and Liu Qi was unable to send out troops, but the two were trapped in Bazhong, counting the limited food and grass they had every day and sighing.
One day, Zhang Wei discussed with Yang Ren, "The Ba people are afraid of Liu Qi and dare not fight again. You and I will just sit and wait for death if we stay here. It is better to take only your trusted followers and flee to Nanzhong. With your and my abilities, we will definitely make a name for ourselves."
Yang Ren wanted to avenge his brother Yang Ang, but he was unwilling to do so: "Brothers followed you and me here. If we abandon you now, we will be despised. The road to Nanzhong is not only difficult, but it is also difficult to pass through Yizhou. I am afraid we will die."
Zhang Wei said anxiously, "If we stay here and wait for death, or leave the city and seek death, do we have only one way to go, death?"
Yang Ren said coldly: "Since Pu Hu, the King of Ba, does not obey orders, why not choose someone else?"
Zhang Wei was stunned: "The Ba people have suffered heavy casualties and have decided to withdraw. Who else can we choose?"
Yang Ren said, "Does your Majesty still remember what Du Fu, the Marquis of Xiong, said when he came?"
Zhang Wei frowned and said, "Pu Hu left without saying goodbye, Du Fu was just sent to say a few polite words."
Yang Renyan said, "I have been thinking about it these past few days. Du Fu said that he was just following orders and had no choice. Doesn't that mean that he wants to help me but cannot disobey the order of the King of Ba?"
"You mean..." Zhang Wei's eyes lit up, and he suddenly sighed, "But Du Fu is only the leader of the Qiang tribe. How can the seven tribes listen to his orders?"
Yang Ren said: "The Ba people have long been dissatisfied with the Seven Surnames. I think Du Fu is the same. If the king appoints Du Fu as the eternal king of Ba, breaks the privileges of the Seven Surnames, and helps them regain their land, ordinary Ba people will respond positively if they can turn things around. The Seven Surnames will not be a concern."
Zhang Wei's heart was moved, and he thought: "The Seven Clans suffered heavy losses in this battle. If Du Fu can really turn the tables and become the King of Ba, it would be the best strategy. I am afraid that Pu Hu will hear the news and lead his people to counterattack. Wouldn't you and I be attacked from both sides?"
Yang Ren's face changed slightly, and he sighed, "Recently, there have been rumors in Bazhong that Pu Hu had joined forces with Liu Qi to weaken the Seven Clans. Each tribe suffered heavy losses, but his son was captured and returned safe and sound. I'm afraid it's not groundless."
Zhang Wei gritted his teeth and said, "Pu Hu first disobeyed my orders and secretly colluded with Liu Qi. He is a traitor. I will kill him!"
While he was hesitating, a scout suddenly came to report that Liu Qi had ordered Zhang Fei to send troops from Jiangzhou to join forces with the garrison of Baxi to take Bazhong.
Zhang Wei was shocked: "If we send out troops from three directions, you and I will die without a burial place!"
Yang Renyan said: "The two Lius have joined forces to attack, and the people of Ba will not be spared. Why not send someone to contact Du Fu secretly, promise him the throne of Ba, and share the land of Bazhong, and then see how Pu Hu will deal with the enemy and discuss countermeasures?"
Du Fu also learned that Jiangzhou had sent troops, so he rushed to Hanchang the next day. When he saw Zhang Wei, he was surprised and asked, "Why didn't the King of Ba come?"
Zhang Wei said angrily, "The King of Ba has been frightened by Liu Qi's killing and has retreated to protect himself. He is not fit for any important task. He left without saying goodbye earlier. How dare he come to see me again?"
Du Fu frowned and said, "I am acting on the orders of the King of Ba. If the King is determined to fight the enemy, he should ask the King of Ba to come and discuss it."
Zhang Wei stared at Du Fu and said slowly, "If I make you the eternal King of Ba, you and I can share the land of Bazhong. What do you think, Marquis Xiong?"
"This..." Du Fu stood up in shock, his eyes flickering, hesitating for a while and sighed: "I'm afraid this will not succeed."
Zhang Wei sneered, "You have been oppressed by the Seven Surnames Tribe for hundreds of years. Are you willing to let your descendants live like this forever?"
"Your Majesty is right!" Du Fu sighed, "The people of the Qiang tribe have long been dissatisfied with the Seven Surnames, but the main force of the Ba people's warriors are all in the Seven Surnames tribe. The Qiang tribe is just ordinary people, so they dare not speak out."
"The king and I can lend you a helping hand!" Yang Ren saw that Du Fu was indeed moved, so he took the opportunity to persuade him: "Now that even the Han Dynasty has collapsed, the glory of the Seven Clans has disappeared, and the order of the Ba people should also be changed."
Du Fu was tempted, but then frowned and said, "It is not a simple matter to enthronize the King of Ba. It is far from enough to just ask the King for help. We also need the approval of the Witch God!"
Zhang Wei laughed loudly and said, "Don't forget that my brother is the one who inherited the teachings of the Great Witch God, and I am also the Dharma King who protects the teachings. Yuan Yue must also obey my orders."
Du Fu was still hesitant: "Now the seven clans follow Pu Hu's lead. Even if we establish another king of Ba, I'm afraid it will cause civil strife. If Pu Hu really turns to Liu Qi as the rumors say, the main force of the Ba people will be gone, I'm afraid..."
Yang Ren said in a deep voice: "It seems that if Pu Hu is not eliminated, the Ba people will never be able to unite with the king to fight the enemy."
Du Fu had been waiting for this sentence after guiding them for a long time. He took a step forward and whispered, "If Your Majesty can get rid of Pu Hu, the seven clans will be leaderless. If there is an order from the witch god, I will have a way to make them obey."
Zhang Wei had long been dissatisfied with Pu Hu, saying, "Pu Hu left without saying goodbye last time and defended Dangqu. Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, how easy is it to kill him?"
Du Fu said: "As far as I know, the troops from Jiangzhou are coming in two groups. One group is heading to Langzhong, and the other group has already attacked Dangqu. Your Majesty has condescended to invite him to discuss strategies against the enemy. Pu Hu cannot do it alone, so he will definitely come."
Zhang Wei was overjoyed and said, "As long as Pu Hu arrives in Hanchang, I will definitely cut his head off."
Du Fu said again: "If you kill people without reason, I am afraid that the Seven Clans will also rebel. Your Majesty can first convict them of secretly communicating with Liu Qi and betraying their people, and execute them without any investigation. Then make the crime public. The Seven Clans have long been suspicious of Pu Hu, so they will obey."
"This is a brilliant plan!" Zhang Wei punched hard, patted Du Fu's shoulder and laughed, "It turns out that Xiong Hou had this idea long ago. I am relieved now."
Du Fu bowed and said, "If it weren't for the king's help, I would be powerless."
Seeing that Du Fu was actively plotting to kill Pu Hu, Zhang Wei felt relieved. The three of them immediately discussed a secret plan and waited for Pu Hu to come before taking action.
On the same day, Du Fu quietly returned to Xuanhan. Li Hu reported that Yu Jin and Zhang He led troops to take Dangqu and the army entered the country, but the Seven Clans were suspicious of each other and were unwilling to send troops to meet the enemy, and the situation was in a stalemate.
Du Fu ordered him to continue monitoring Dangqu, and discussed with Wang Ping alone: "Zhang Wei asked me to go, as expected, he is dissatisfied with Pu Hu, and wants to make me the King of Ba and use me for his own purposes."
Wang Ping breathed a sigh of relief: "Zhang Wei really fell into General Liu's trap."
"That's right!" Du Fu was also excited: "Zhang Wei has already set up the Hongmen Banquet in Hanchang. As long as Pu Hu is willing to go, great things can be accomplished."
Wang Ping nodded and said, "Pu Hu will never go to Hanchang alone. He will definitely invite King Qiang to go with him. Then we can act according to the plan."
"General Liu has made painstaking plans for us. Even if he doesn't invite us, we will try to go with him!"
Du Fu walked slowly to the door, looked up to the sky and let out a long breath, looking at the dark clouds in the distance, and murmured: "The land of Sanba is finally going to change."