Seeing this man killing his master to curry favor with him, Gan Ning became even more disgusted. He raised his foot and kicked him into the river, cursing: "I hate betrayers the most in my life. Those who sell out their masters for fame and fortune deserve death!"
Every member of the Jinfan Army was a hero who came from the green forest. They all cursed. A few large rocks were thrown down, and the deputy general and Pang Le's head sank to the bottom of the water.
The ambush troops on the other side of the river that launched a sneak attack on the camp had long been defeated by Zhang Fei, and some of them fled or surrendered. Without the main force of the Qiang people led by Li Yi, these Baxi defenders were simply vulnerable.
Gan Ning vented his anger, brought Pang Zhe ashore, and ordered him to go back to the city to inform Pang Xi first. He and Zhang Fei followed to capture the prisoners and sent someone to report the news to Hanchang.
Liu Qi was gathering the various tribes of the Ba people in Hanchang, lighting a bonfire in the government square and discussing the governance of Bazhong.
Du Fu was officially named King of Ba, and the Ba River was used as the boundary to divide the Ba people in the Badong area. All tribes coexisted equally, and the seven noble surnames would become a thing of the past.
The seven tribes were beaten to pieces this time, and Liu Qi released many captives. Although some people were still dissatisfied, they did not dare to say a word of opposition because of the lesson of Pu Hu.
Liu Qi also appointed Wang Ping as General Fenwei, selected brave warriors from various tribes of the Ba people, formed a plate shield army, and let the Ba warriors once again embark on the glorious road of revitalizing the Han Dynasty, which received active responses from various tribes.
Although the Seven Yi Kings became history, they were able to make great achievements again and follow Liu Qi in reviving the Han Dynasty. The grand event passed down from generation to generation became a reality in their generation.
Decades or even hundreds of years later, their names will be engraved on altars and ancestral temples like their ancestors, for future generations to admire and praise. Who wouldn't be excited
While they were singing and dancing to celebrate, Zhang Fei sent someone to report that he had successfully captured Baxi County. Everyone was overjoyed and raised their glasses to congratulate him.
The leaders of the various tribes of the Ba people were shocked. For more than ten years, they had followed Zhang Lu and fought with Pang Xi for many years, with both sides winning and losing.
Pang Xi was in sole control of Baxi County and ruled almost independently. He carried out bloody suppression of the indigenous people in the territory many times and recruited those Ba people who had committed crimes and defected. He was like a devil in Ba.
Such a cruel and cunning old fox was easily eliminated in less than half a month
Du Fu said with emotion: "The general is so powerful that he even made the old villain Pang Xi surrender. This shows the people's support."
All the leaders of the Ba people nodded in awe, thinking that they would strengthen the tribe in the future and train more warriors to kill enemies and make meritorious deeds. Liu Qi was very likely to be the next king of the Han Dynasty.
The banquet ended that night. The next day, before Liu Qi sobered up, Xu Shu came to see him in a hurry. Cao Cao defeated Ma Chao at Weishui. The Western Liang army collapsed and fled overnight, and even Chencang could not be defended.
Liu Qi was shocked and said, "According to the intelligence a few days ago, the two armies were still in a standoff, and Han Sui also led his troops to attack Zuo Fengyi. How could they suddenly be defeated?"
Xu Shu sighed, "Cao Cao was very shrewd. He knew that the Western Liang army had gathered tens of thousands of people and that it would be difficult to transport food and grass. He took advantage of the fact that the autumn grain had just been delivered and sent troops to cut off their food supply. The Western Liang army was in chaos without a fight, and the Qiang people mixed in with them. In order to snatch supplies, they killed each other. They were even worse than the troops of Li Jue and Guo Si."
Liu Qi said helplessly: "Cao is used to cutting off people's food supply. The scale of the Xiliang army's battle this time is no less than the Battle of Guandu that year. Unfortunately, Ma Chao was defeated by the food supply. Why didn't he learn his lesson?"
Xu Shu said: "The Xiliang army has traveled thousands of miles to come here. It is a big taboo for the army to hold out for a long time without fighting. Even if you are prepared, there will always be times when you are careless. What's more, the troops are a motley crowd with poor military discipline, which must be full of loopholes. Cao thieves have been patient until now to launch a counterattack, just to make a fatal blow."
Liu Qi shook his head and sighed. Although Ma Chao was brave, he did not understand strategy. Even if he did not use the strategy of sowing discord, he would still be defeated by Cao Cao. All this was expected.
History has taken a different course. I wonder if Ma Chao's fate will change. He then asked, "How is Han Sui's army doing?"
Xu Shu replied, "Han Sui led his troops eastward from the Jing River, but was intercepted by Xu Huang's troops, so it was difficult for him to win. Ma Chao's troops were defeated, and Han Sui could not hold on alone. I am afraid he had no choice but to retreat."
Liu Qi breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, Han Sui has preserved his strength. As long as he retreats to Xiliang, he can regroup. If Cao Cao pacifies Longyou, he will covet Hanzhong again."
Xu Shu smiled and said, "Don't worry, General. Don't forget that the Jiangdong navy has already been dispatched. Once a war breaks out in Huainan, the Central Plains will be shaken, and Cao Cao will definitely rush back to rescue."
"Yes, I almost forgot about my brother-in-law!" Liu Qi slapped his thigh and said with a smile: "It's time to ask Xiahou Meng to find out some important information again!"
"I'll arrange it right away!" Xu Shu understood and said goodbye.
After Liu Qi finished washing up, he invited Fa Zheng to come over to thank him: "Pang Xi has been occupying Baxi for more than ten years. Without your help, it would be difficult to take Baxi."
Fa Zheng laughed and said, "This is what the generals wanted. In addition, Pang Xi was good at protecting himself and acted when the opportunity arose. He knew he could not defeat the enemy, so he surrendered. How dare I take credit for it?"
Liu Qi personally poured a glass of wine and toasted to Fa Zheng: "In the future, I will still rely on you, sir. Please don't refuse."
Fa Zheng understood Liu Qi's intention to win him over. In fact, after Zhang Song's introduction, both parties had already understood this tacitly. However, he still made a formal request, which showed how much he valued him.
Fa Zheng was a man of carefree nature, not fussy about details, and he immediately clasped his fists and said, "The general is a noble of the Han Dynasty, with extraordinary talents and extraordinary wisdom. I have admired him for a long time, and I am willing to serve him."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "Sir, you must be my Zi Fang!"
Fa Zheng said modestly: "General, you have the assistance of Crouching Dragon and Phoenix, both of whom are talented enough to bring peace to the world. Xu Yuanzhi is also very wise and strategic, and I am just the icing on the cake! When I was in Shu, I often lamented that my talent was not appreciated. This time I was lucky to meet you, General, and I will serve you like a dog and horse. I can do my best for the Han Dynasty, which is enough for my life!"
"Sir, there is no need to be so modest!" Liu Qi happily picked his toes and pulled Fa Zheng to sit down to express his admiration.
Like Pang Tong, Fa Zheng was an orthodox strategist who was good at planning unconventional strategies and was known as a master of strategy. Some even commented that his strategy was even better than that of Zhuge Liang, and ranked him on par with Guo Jia.
If these two people had not died young, with Zhuge Liang providing strategies and planning, and coordinating the rear, Sima Yi would probably not have been a match for him.
Think about the cards Liu Bei had in his hand in the middle period. All of them were ace generals, including the Five Tiger Generals, Crouching Dragon and Phoenix, Fa Zheng, and Liu Ba. The lineup was even more luxurious than Cao Cao's.
It's a pity that such a good hand of cards was played badly. Pang Tong died in Luocheng, and Fa Zheng also died of illness after taking Hanzhong. It was really a pity that they did not have a head-on confrontation with Cao's army.
Now that Fa Zheng has officially joined the army, not only does he have a top military advisor, but he also has Meng Da's three thousand elite soldiers, so he is making a lot of money.
Fa Zheng said: "Cao Cao defeated Ma Chao and stabilized Guanzhong. General, you should also take Bashu as soon as possible! Now that Ba is taken, Liu Mu is weak, and Zhang Song has responded to the inner court, Shu is within easy reach! With the wealth of Jing and Yi, and the dangers of Jingchu and Tianfu, if we march north, Cao Cao will be too busy to take care of himself. It will be just a matter of time before we can support the court and revive the Han Dynasty."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "With your help, what's the use of Cao Cao? When we go north to attack the Central Plains, I will go to Guanzhong with you. It's time to return home in glory!"