Lei Tong rushed back to Jianmen Pass overnight with 500 elite soldiers and reported to Deng Xian that they had captured Jiameng Pass and a general, and the rest of the defenders fled to Hanzhong.
Deng Xian was greatly surprised. He had never thought that Lei Tong had such a skill. Looking at the bound Kou Feng, he asked in surprise, "Jiameng Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack. How did General Lei succeed?"
Lei Tong laughed and said, "This man thought he was very skilled in martial arts, so he came out to fight. He was captured alive in front of my formation, and he took advantage of the situation to charge into the gate. Liu Xian saw that the situation was not good, so he abandoned the gate and left."
"So he is a useless man!" Deng Xian sighed, secretly regretting, frowning and saying, "Since we have taken Jiameng Pass, the general should guard the pass. Why did you bring him here in person?"
He knew very well that Liu Qi had many capable people under his command. Previously, Kou Feng was showing off his power outside the camp and he did not dare to go into battle rashly. If he had known this, he would have killed the enemy and made meritorious service a few days ago.
Lei Tong smiled and said, "We have been repeatedly bullied by the Jingzhou army in Yizhou. This time we finally have a great victory. We should be more cautious. I will go to guard the pass tomorrow. I will trouble you to send someone to escort him to Chengdu. This battle is inspiring. The lord will be very happy and will definitely reward you handsomely. The general also deserves some credit."
Deng Xian was overjoyed to see that Lei Tong was willing to share the credit. He ordered his men to take Kou Feng away and keep him under strict guard, and held a banquet to celebrate Lei Tong's success.
The banquet ended at nearly three o'clock in the morning. Deng Xian was drunk and suddenly heard shouting and killing in his sleep. He was awakened by his personal soldiers, only to see fires everywhere in the camp and people running around.
Deng Xian woke up instantly and asked in shock, "What happened?"
The guards were sweating profusely: "The Jingzhou army came from nowhere and there is a fire in the camp. General, hurry up!"
Deng Xian did not even bother to put on his armor. He mounted his horse in a hurry wearing only his shirt and fled to Zitong. Just as he passed the entrance of Jiangan Valley, he saw a noisy crowd ahead. Countless deserters gathered there, panicking like a school of fish that had been intercepted.
Deng Xian was furious, and rode forward and shouted, "Who is so bold as to block my way?"
"Those who surrender will not be killed!" As soon as the words fell, torches were lit at the intersection, and a team of soldiers were ready for battle, with bright armor and bows and crossbows pointed at the Shu army.
These deserters had already abandoned their armor and weapons and fled. Now they were intercepted by the army and were powerless to resist. They knelt on the ground one after another, making Deng Xian look very awkward on his horse.
A general rode out on his horse, pointed his spear and shouted, "I am Chen Dao from Runan. Who are you? Why don't you surrender quickly?"
The cold night wind blew across his chest. Deng Xian let out a long sigh and dismounted from his horse. He had lost the battle miserably, as if in a dream.
Chen Dao sent people to escort Deng Xian and the captives back to Jianmen Pass, and personally led people to continue guarding the intersection, not letting a single deserter escape, so as to prevent the news from leaking out.
Deng Xian was escorted back to Jianmen Pass. It was already daybreak. After the Jingzhou army put out the fire, they saw the square filled with the embarrassed Shu army, all of whom were his troops.
In the central military tent, a young general sat on the commander's seat, with a scholar on each side. Lei Tong and Kou Feng were also there, standing behind a dark-faced man who was as tall as an iron tower.
"General Lei, you..." Deng Xian was startled and suddenly became furious: "You betrayed me?"
Lei Tong clasped his fists and sighed, "To be honest, when I was attacking Jiameng Pass, I was defeated by General Zhang. I was saved by General Liu's kindness. Now Liu Yizhou is not good at employing people, and it is difficult to defend the border. Why don't you abandon the dark and join the light to accomplish great things together?"
Deng Xian turned his head and looked at the man in the commander's seat: "Are you Liu Qi of Jingzhou?"
"That's right!" Liu Qi nodded and said, "I sent troops from Langzhong three days ago, but the general didn't even notice it?"
Deng Xian sighed, "The people of Yizhou are in panic, the army is unstable, and even the scouts are not doing their job. How can we not be defeated?"
Liu Qi said: "In this case, General, why don't you lend me a hand and take Yizhou as soon as possible, so as to avoid the death of soldiers and the panic of the people?"
Deng Xian said helplessly: "I have heard of your heroic name for a long time. You defeated Cao Cao and Zhang Lu. You are not comparable to Liu Mu. A wise bird chooses the tree to roost in. I am willing to surrender."
Liu Qi was overjoyed and personally untied Liu Xian, held a banquet to calm him down, and the entire army celebrated the victory. Food was also provided to the captives. Later, Deng Xian and Lei Tong came forward to persuade him to surrender.
During the banquet, they learned that Liu Qi had already arrived in Jianshan and was secretly monitoring the movements of the camp. When he saw the reinforcements coming, he did not stop them. Knowing that Kou Feng was defeated, he sent Zhang Fei to launch a surprise attack from behind and persuaded Lei Tong to surrender, so that they could seize the camp with the help of internal and external forces.
Deng Xian and Lei Tong were amazed at Liu Qi's planning. Whether it was his cautious marching, or his control over the battle situation and grasp of opportunities, everything was just right. He was worthy of being the man who defeated Cao Cao!
Kou Feng and Liu Xian looked embarrassed. They were already feeling ashamed, and when they thought about the fact that they had suffered a defeat in front of Liu Qi, they felt even more uncomfortable.
Only Zhang Fei held the wine jar and persuaded the three men to drink. In this battle, two of his confidants were promoted, and he also recruited three deputy generals, all of whom were young talents. He made a fortune!
Liu Qi also breathed a sigh of relief. Taking Jianmen Pass was secondary in this battle. The most important thing was to remove the two mines around Zhang Fei.
Although Fan Jiang and Zhang Da were forced by the situation to betray Zhang Fei, they could have just walked away without having to kill anyone to claim credit. This shows that they are still vicious people at heart, but their behavior has not yet erupted.
However, the two men had done nothing wrong at the moment and were Zhang Fei's confidants, so he could not punish them without reason. He simply pretended to admire them very much, promoted them to higher positions, and sent them to guard the unimportant Jiameng Pass.
This move not only promoted Zhang Fei's confidants and made him proud, but also gave him three deputy generals. With Liu Xian by his side, he could give more advice and make fewer mistakes.
Liu Qi also used these two as examples and made propaganda throughout the army, saying that loyalty was the most important thing in the army and only talent was considered the most important thing. As long as you had the ability, you would be promoted even if you were a personal soldier.
“Gold will always shine! Regardless of your status or position, as long as you fulfill your duties conscientiously, you can do extraordinary things in an ordinary position.”
At the Langzhong oath-taking ceremony, Liu Qi said this, which boosted the morale of the soldiers of the three armies. They suppressed their impatience after consecutive victories and returned to the camp to perform their duties conscientiously.
After chatting for a while, Deng Xian was eager to make a contribution, so he took the initiative to ask for the order: "The governor of Zitong and I have a good relationship. I am willing to lead the troops to persuade him to surrender."
Liu Qi waved his hand and smiled, "Don't rush to send troops. I still have a great gift that I haven't received yet."
"A great gift?" Deng Xian was startled, then suddenly realized, "Oh, right, a few days ago, a proclamation was issued to send money and food from Chengdu to various places to boost the military's prestige. Are you waiting for this batch of food and grass, General?"
"That's right!" Liu Qi laughed and said, "The troops have not moved yet, but the food and grass have gone first. If there is no news, how dare I leave Bazhong with so few troops?"
Deng Xian glanced at Lei Tong, and the two were shocked, as if every move of Yizhou was under Liu Qi's surveillance, but they knew nothing about Liu Qi's movements. How could they fight this war
Liu Qi said: "General, since you were able to persuade the governor of Zitong to surrender, I wonder how your relationship is with the governor of Fushui Pass?"
Deng Xian frowned and said, "Fushui Pass is a fortress in northern Shu and the gateway to Chengdu. It has always been guarded by Generals Yang Huai and Gao Pei. These two were the generals of the former lord and are extremely loyal. I'm afraid it will be difficult to persuade them to surrender."
Liu Qi looked at Fa Zheng and said, "It seems that the first fierce battle will be fought at Fushui Pass."
Fa Zheng said: "Fushui Pass is a natural fortress, surrounded by mountains, with steep peaks and cliffs, and the Fushui River flows through it. It can only be conquered by wits, not by force."