Zhang Ren was furious and turned to fight with Zhang Fei again. This time the two of them fought with real swords and guns, and the battle was fierce.
One fought desperately, the other wanted to capture the other alive. After fifty rounds of fighting, there was no clear winner. Both armies were so excited that they shouted loudly.
Zhang Fei pressed Zhang Ren with his spear several times, trying to persuade him to surrender. At first, Zhang Ren cursed loudly and fought back, but later he was unable to answer and fought with all his strength.
After barely holding out for sixty or seventy rounds, Zhang Ren began to feel his arms tingling. He saw that Zhang Fei was fighting more and more courageously, like a bull, and seemed to have endless strength. Knowing that he was no match for Zhang Fei, Zhang Ren turned his horse and rode away.
"Brother, don't run!" Zhang Fei was about to catch him, but he refused to give up and urged his horse to chase after him.
Zhang Fei rode fast and was getting closer and closer. Zhang Ren turned around and shot an arrow at him, shouting, "Watch out for the arrow!"
Zhang Fei ducked his head to avoid being hit on the helmet. He reined in his horse and cursed: "We are upright people in the Zhang family. You attacked us by surprise. You have no moral principles. Bah!"
Zhang Ren did not answer, but returned to the city, led his troops into the pass, and ordered the gates to be closed tightly and to be guarded strictly, and no longer fought with the Jingzhou soldiers.
Zhang Fei retreated back into the battle formation, took off his helmet, removed the arrow, put the arrow away, and cursed: "Next time I catch Zhang Ren, I will stab him to death!"
Liu Qi withdrew his troops and returned to the camp, sighing, "Zhang Ren is really capable. He even uses the strategy of luring the enemy!"
Pang Tong smiled and said, "Great minds think alike. Zhang Ren is both wise and brave. He is incomparable to other Sichuan generals. We need to devise a new strategy."
Liu Qi said: "Ordinary strategies may be discovered by him, so at least we have to use a chain of strategies."
Pang Tong said: "Zhang Ren is defending the pass at a strategic location. We can defeat him as long as we lure him out of the pass."
Chen Daoyan said, "I think this person is very calm and I'm afraid he won't come out easily."
Pang Tong laughed and said, "Although defending the pass is a safe strategy, it will not repel the enemy! Now that the eastern troops are approaching Chengdu, Zhang Ren cannot concentrate on defending Mianzhu. He will be eager to defeat our army, and we cannot let him defend the pass to the death."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "Sir, you are right. Although the Shu army is on the defensive, they are actually more anxious than us. Anxiety leads to chaos!"
He then discussed with Pang Tong and decided to divide the troops into two parts. The main army camped along the river, while Zhang Fei led another army to camp at the foot of the mountain, forming a pincer attack and preparing military equipment to attack Mianzhu Pass.
For three consecutive days, there was no sign of the Jingzhou army attacking the city, and the defenders gradually became a little slack. In addition, the news of the fall of Qianwei spread, and the army was full of discussions and people became restless.
Huang Quan could not help but come to see Zhang Ren and said, "Liu Qi divided his troops and set up camps. It seems that he is going to attack, but in fact he is on the defensive. He must have learned about the news of the troops in the east. If Wuyang is lost, the troops of Jingzhou can go straight to Chengdu along the river. If the general does not repel the enemy as soon as possible, the enemy will be at the gates of the city, and it will be useless to defend this pass."
Zhang Ren frowned and asked, "What do you think, Sima?"
Huang Quan said: "It is better to raid the camp at night and kill Liu Qi. If we can take back Fucheng, we can deal with the enemy troops in the east with peace of mind."
Zhang Ren sighed, "Liu Qi is full of tricks, and he has Pang Tong as his strategist. Since they have divided their troops, they must be prepared. Perhaps this is a plan to lure the enemy. I'm afraid they will never come back."
Huang Quan suggested: "Liu Qi is setting up camp along the coast. Why not block the Mianshui River upstream and flood it?"
Zhang Ren shook his head and said, "The Jingzhou army is stationed along the coast, and the water upstream is blocked. The river water will definitely become turbid. When they see the river becoming shallower, they will notice it. It's just in vain."
Huang Quan was stunned. He pondered for a moment and said, "The two enemy camps are in a pincer attack. Why not set up a false front and attack Liu Qi's camp? Zhang Fei will surely come to rescue him. We can use our elite troops to attack Zhang Fei's camp and then ambush the reinforcements. This will lead to a complete victory."
Zhang Ren thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "Don't fall into their trap. It's winter now, and the weather is very cold. All the garrisons need to do is to defend the place strictly and wait for the enemy to run out of food. Then they will retreat. Then we can look for an opportunity to pursue the enemy. This is the safest strategy."
Huang Quan was helpless and was sighing when he heard the sound of drums at the gate. The defenders came to report: "The black-faced Zhang Fei is here again!"
Zhang Ren said impatiently: "Just defend it, don't worry about it!"
The defenders replied, "He said he had an agreement with the general. What a mess!"
Zhang Ren frowned and came to the critical moment dressed neatly. He saw Zhang Fei in brocade clothes, a Confucian scarf and a brocade robe. He was completely different from before and he was shocked.
Zhang Fei clasped his fists and said, "General Zhang, how have you thought about this in the past three days?"
Zhang Ren was stunned and asked, "What are you considering?"
Zhang Fei winked and made his eyes look funny. He said in embarrassment, "Is it better to say this in front of the three armies?"
Zhang Ren was furious, drew his bow and yelled, "Zhang Heizi, you and I cannot coexist, how can we have an agreement? Stop trying to deceive people here."
"Okay, okay, I'll give you two more days!" Zhang Fei hurriedly turned his horse back and clasped his fists before leaving, saying, "Thank you, General, for showing mercy last time."
"This is Liu Qi's plan to sow discord. It cannot be trusted!" Zhang Ren put down his bow and arrow dejectedly, snorted coldly, and went down the city.
Huang Quan and Zhuo Ying looked at each other, confused for a moment. They did have several conversations during the fight that day, but on the battlefield, all they could hear were the sounds of drums and shouts. Who knew what they said
Fei Guan saw that the situation here was confusing and thought that if Zhang Ren surrendered the pass, he would not have any credit at all. It would be better to return to Mianzhu first and wait and see what happened. So he said goodbye to Zhang Ren in the name of allocating food and grass.
Two days later, Zhang Fei came again. This time, Zhang Ren simply refused to meet him. Zhang Fei yelled for a while and had no choice but to return to the camp.
Liu Qi sighed: "Zhang Ren is really able to keep his composure!"
Pang Tong said with a smile: "Yide has already made the defenders suspicious of each other. My lord, if you value his talent, you need to light a fire in the rear to make him completely disappointed in Liu Zhang, so that he will return to his homeland."
Liu Qi suddenly remembered something and laughed, "My plan failed last time, so I'll put it into practice this time."
These days, they were waiting for Zhang Ren to come and raid the camp, but the other side did not make any move. The more this happened, the more Liu Qi valued Zhang Ren's talent. The fact that he could remain calm in such a critical moment showed that he had a strong character.
At this time, Liu Zhang was like an ant on the hot pan in Chengdu, unable to sleep or eat. Ling Bao's army was completely wiped out in Guanghan, and Liu Gui was defeated and retreated to Guangdu. The enemy army was only a hundred miles away from Chengdu, like a knife hanging over his head.
I was feeling relieved that Zhang Ren had stopped Liu Qi, but there were rumors in the city recently that Zhang Ren was passive in the fight and had talked with Zhang Fei many times in Mianzhu Pass. It seemed that he was willing to surrender to the enemy, but the conditions had not yet been negotiated.
Liu Zhang was shocked and hurriedly gathered his men to discuss whether Zhang Ren would surrender and Mianzhu would be lost, and they would have an easy march into Chengdu.
Wang Lei said, "General Zhang is a loyal man and will never betray his master. My lord, please do not believe in rumors."
Zhang Song sneered, "As the saying goes: You can know a man's face but not his heart. Liu Qi is now powerful and treats prisoners well. Many prefectures and counties have rebelled and surrendered, especially Pang Xi, who surrendered to the enemy, which has shaken people's hearts. Now Zhang Ren is reluctant to go to war, how can we know what he is thinking?"
Wang Lei was furious and said, "Zhang Biejia, since ancient times, the fall of a country has always been caused by discord between the ruler and his subjects. What is your intention in stirring up trouble?"
Zhang Song pulled his beard and chuckled, "Although Deng Xian surrendered, it was because he fell into Liu Qi's trap and had no choice. Ling Bao was beheaded because he underestimated the enemy. Liu Gui was defeated because he was harmed by a villain. However, although the generals were defeated, they were able to fight against the enemy and were loyal to their lord. Zhang Ren is known as the best general in Shu, but he didn't dare to fight. Was he afraid of the enemy or was he trying to protect himself? Or did he have second thoughts? I'm afraid only he knows."