My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 565 Ji Yu Asks for Advice
The reason Liu Zhang was so worried and sighing was because of several memorials on his desk.

These reports came from different people, but they all reported the same thing: the Left General's army had invaded southern China.

The first report that arrived was from that despicable traitor, Yong Kai, a lowly man from the south.

Then Zhu Bao, that foolish bastard, sent a report saying that the Left General's army had occupied the southern part of Zangke County.

Judging from this report, it makes sense. Liu Feng's army likely passed through the southern part of Zangke Commandery and invaded Yizhou Commandery, thus clashing with the traitor Yong Kai.

Originally, Liu Zhang had intended to watch from the sidelines, wanting to see traitors like Yong Kai and Zhu Bao kill each other with Liu Feng.

However, urgent reports followed from Zhuti and Bidao that Liu Feng's army was simultaneously attacking Pingyi, north of Zangke Commandery, and Hanyang, a subordinate state of Jianwei.

One of these two locations is a strategic gateway to the south of Jianwei Commandery, while the other is the western key to the Jianwei vassal state.

No matter which location it was, it was an important gateway to Sichuan.

Liu Zhang's good mood also came to an end. He was filled with doubt and suspicion. Thinking about what Zhao Wei had done over the past two years, he couldn't help but suspect that Zhao Wei had colluded with Liu Feng to join forces against him.

It's not that Liu Zhang was suspicious; rather, the location and timing of Liu Fengjun's appearance were simply too suspicious.

Liu Zhang knew all too well how many dirty tricks he had played on Zhao Wei during this period.

Liu Zhang's personality was indeed somewhat weak, but he was not entirely without merit. Otherwise, he would not have been able to secure his position as Governor of Yi Province, nor would he have risked civil war to weaken Zhao Wei's power.

Admittedly, he did not want to force Zhao Wei to rebel, and he never intended to kill Zhao Wei. He only wanted to weaken and restrict Zhao Wei, so that Zhao Wei could return to the position of a subject.

However, Zhao Wei was prone to overthinking and fear, and now, Liu Zhang was also becoming afraid.

If Liu Fengjun really allied with Zhao Wei, then Liu Zhang would truly be facing a great calamity.

Ba Commandery is a crucial gateway to defend against Jingzhou, and it is currently Zhao Wei's garrison. Moreover, Zhao Wei has an extremely high reputation in Ba Commandery and is relied upon by the people of Ba. If Zhao Wei were to collude with Liu Feng and rebel, then the gates of Shu would truly be wide open.

It was precisely because of these complex circumstances that Liu Zhang dared not act rashly and delayed responding to the requests for help from Pingyi and Hanyang.

"Gentlemen, the situation is critical. What strategies do you have to advise me?"

As Liu Zhang asked the question, he looked expectantly at his trusted generals and close ministers on both sides of the table.

"My lord, we must quickly send reinforcements to Hanyang and Pingyi. Ba Commandery in the east is no longer reliable. If problems arise in the south, Shu Commandery will be in grave danger."

The first to speak was Wang Lei, a local scholar whom Liu Zhang had personally promoted and who was extremely loyal to Liu Zhang. His attitude was the most radical; he hoped to respond forcefully to deter Liu Feng's ambitions in Shu.

"No!"

Zhang Song suddenly shook his head and said, "The current situation is unfavorable to us. We should try to sow discord between Zhao Zhonglang and General Zuo. How can we act rashly and anger General Zuo? My lord, just order Bidao and Zhuti to be extra vigilant. Under no circumstances should we rashly go to the aid of Pingyi and Hanyang."

Zhang Song was a descendant of the Zhang family, a prominent family in Sichuan. The Qin family of Guanghan and the Yang family of Jianwei were known as the "Three Families of Yizhou," making them one of the top wealthy families in Sichuan.

However, Zhang Song at this time was different from later. At this time, Zhang Song was a true pro-Liu Zhang faction among the local scholars, and he was on good terms with Wang Lei from a poor family and Qin Mi, Qin An, Yang Hong and Yang Xi from a wealthy family.

Although these people were all local scholars from Shu, they were friendly with Liu Zhang, willing to do their best for him, and deeply trusted by him.

Unfortunately, even these pro-Liu Zhang scholars in Shu were still at odds with the scholars in Dongzhou, fighting each other fiercely, no better than the anti-Liu Zhang faction.

This was a problem that was giving Liu Zhang a major headache. Liu Zhang certainly didn't want the people of Dongzhou to get along well with the locals and to collude with each other. But the current life-or-death situation was also something Liu Zhang didn't want to see.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhang Song finished speaking, Wu Yi retorted: "Are all the people of Shu as cowardly as you, Prefect?"

Before Zhang Song could refute him, Wu Yi turned to Liu Zhang and bowed, saying, "My lord, Pingyi is the gateway to the Bo Road, and Hanyang is the gateway to Zhuti. Both are strategic passes. If we leave them unattended, they will fall into Liu Feng's hands sooner or later. At that time, who knows if Liu Feng will stop his troops or if he will covet more after gaining more than he has gained?"

"My lord, what the General of the Household says is quite right."

The speaker was Fei Guan, Liu Zhang's son-in-law: "Hanyang is fine, but Pingyi is the gateway to Bodao. If it falls, troops can be dispatched from Pingyi and reach Bodao in just over ten days. According to the Prefect, we can abandon Pingyi now, but what if Bodao is besieged later? Are we going to abandon Bodao as well? If so, when will we hand over Chengdu?"

Fei Guan's words infuriated Zhang Song, who glared at him angrily.

Huang Quan suddenly coughed, which eased the tense atmosphere in the hall.

"The Protector-General is mistaken."

After the atmosphere in the hall had eased, Huang Quan spoke up to advise, "Yongnian's previous advice was not about abandoning the territory, but rather because the enemy's situation was unclear, and rash actions might fall into their trap. Moreover, Yongnian later requested that the lord reinforce the troops at Bidao to secure the border. His intentions are clear, and his loyalty is evident! Although the Protector-General is loyal and diligent for the country, it is excessive to suspect Yongnian of having ulterior motives!"

Huang Quan was also a local Sichuanese, but unlike Wang Lei and Zhang Song, he was the leader of the pragmatic faction within the local Sichuanese.

Huang Quan's loyalty was less to Liu Zhang and more to Yizhou. He also opposed Liu Zhang's favoritism towards people from Dongzhou and his suppression of locals, and particularly disliked the Dongzhou people's control over the upward mobility.

However, Huang Quan differed from the radicals Wang Lei, Zhang Song, and Qin Mi. He was not hostile to the Dongzhou faction, nor did he demand that Liu Zhang exterminate them. Instead, he hoped to balance the conflict between the locals and the Dongzhou faction through institutional adjustments.

Huang Quan addressed Zhang Song by his courtesy name, while addressing Fei Guan by his official title, demonstrating that his political stance as a localist was quite clear.

However, Huang Quan's words were very objective. He did not relentlessly attack Fei Guan's flaws, but instead offered some constructive suggestions, which can be considered a typical case of focusing on the issue rather than the person.

Even Fei Guan himself couldn't get angry at Huang Quan.

Liu Zhang remained silent, feeling quite annoyed by the near-conflict between Zhang Song and Fei Guan earlier.

Fortunately, Huang Quan intervened and offered a good suggestion, which made Liu Zhang somewhat interested. At that moment, Zheng Du spoke up and said, "My lord, what Gongheng said is very reasonable. I urge you to adopt it. In addition, you can send an envoy east to Yangzhou to question the Left General about why he entered our territory and occupied our counties."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhang finally spoke: "What do you gentlemen think of Gongju's opinion?"

"You can give it a try."

Wang Shang, Xu Jing, Zheng Du, Wu Yi, and Wu Ban all expressed their willingness to give it a try.

Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Liu Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately made the decision: "Let's follow Gongheng's advice."

Afterwards, Liu Zhang discussed the matter with everyone and decided to send 3,000 more soldiers to Bodao and 2,000 more to Zhuti.

The situation in Sichuan is quite tense now. Zhao Wei's collusion could not be kept from the eyes of Chengdu. Not to mention Chengdu, the entire Sichuan region is now in turmoil, with various factions taking sides.

With war clouds looming, Chengdu only had 20,000 troops defending the city. The deployment of 5,000 men at once was a considerable undertaking. This must also be attributed to Jianwei's unique geographical location; defending Jianwei was tantamount to defending southern Chengdu. Moreover, Jianwei was not far from Chengdu, had convenient transportation, and could be easily redeployed to Chengdu's aid if necessary.

The final decision was made to appoint Yan Yan and Deng Xian as the commanders to lead the troops.

Yan Yan was appointed to lead 3,000 troops to reinforce Bidao and to command all the armies in Bidao. Deng Xian was appointed to lead 2,000 troops to reinforce Zhuti and to command all the armies in Zhuti.

Before setting off, Liu Zhang personally instructed the two generals to guard the city closely and strictly forbid them from engaging in open battle outside the city.

While Liu Zhang was frowning with worry, his formidable rival Zhang Lu was also having a hard time.

Ever since Liu Feng acquired Shangyong Commandery, Zhang Lu has felt extremely uneasy.

Originally, he only needed to guard Yangping Pass. Whether it was a threat from Shu or Guanzhong, he could remain fearless and could hold the pass against ten thousand men.

But now that Liu Feng has gained control of Shangyong and annexed Xicheng, an overwhelming pressure has descended upon Zhang Lu.

From Xicheng, one can easily enter the Hanzhong Plain by following the Han River westward.

Although there are a few passes that can be defended, the difference is too great compared to Yangping Pass.

Moreover, the threat is not only that, but more importantly, this would leave Hanzhong vulnerable to attacks from two sides.

Zhang Lu had to consider dividing his forces in the east, and deciding exactly how many troops to send was a major headache for Zhang Lu and his ministers.

If too many troops are assigned, Yangping Pass will be left vulnerable; if too few are assigned, the eastern passes will not only be numerous but also far less defensive than Yangping Pass, so how can the troops be sufficient?

The total military strength in Hanzhong was between 60,000 and 80,000, of which more than 65,000 were regular troops. Among these 65,000, the personal guards and troops of the Zhang brothers, Zhang Lu and Zhang Wei, numbered about 10,000. This was the most elite, well-equipped, and strongest fighting force in Hanzhong.

Secondly, there were 25,000 soldiers from Nanzheng. These were elite troops selected by Zhang Lu and Zhang Wei from among the followers of the Five Pecks of Rice sect in Hanzhong. They were in high spirits and had considerable combat strength. Although their equipment was not as good as that of the Zhang brothers' personal guards, it was comparable to the standard of the regular army of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

The remaining 30,000-plus men were an army composed of followers of the Five Pecks of Rice sect. They were highly motivated but poorly equipped and poorly trained. This force lacked field training, but fueled by religious fervor, they were quite adept at defending cities.

When there is a fortified city to rely on, they can often exert good combat power, and in the original timeline, they once blocked Cao Cao's army.

The last 20,000 men consisted of half of the private soldiers, retainers, and able-bodied militia of local gentry and powerful families in Hanzhong, and the other half of the Ba people's armed forces in the Hanzhong region.

The relationship between these people and Zhang Lu was quite complex. On the one hand, after Zhang Lu took control of Hanzhong, he continuously suppressed and weakened the local gentry and powerful families in order to strengthen his control over Hanzhong. On the other hand, Zhang Lu did need the gentry and powerful families to help him govern the region and manage many of Hanzhong's political affairs. The current state of affairs between the two sides was one of struggle without outright conflict.

Zhang Lu won over a group of aristocratic families, granting them political status and power, and then focused on suppressing the powerful aristocratic families who refused to submit to him.

As for the Ba people, Zhang Lu actively courted them, maintaining a friendly relationship with Du Huo, the Ba king of Hanzhong. In the original timeline, after Zhao Wei's rebellion failed, Pu Hu, the Ba king of Bazhong who supported Zhao Wei, was also brought under Zhang Lu's control. Zhang Lu then used this to invade Shu and occupy the northern part of Bazhong. Liu Zhang was unable to reclaim this lost territory until Liu Bei entered Shu, which can be described as a resounding slap in the face from Zhang Lu.

After discussing the matter at length with his trusted advisors, they were still unable to reach a conclusion.

Zhang Lu's armies each had their own characteristics. The personal guards, of course, were a given. They had high morale, good equipment, were well-trained, and had considerable combat experience. Coupled with their religious fanaticism, they were not only fearless but also extremely loyal and reliable, making them Zhang Lu's elite troops.

The soldiers of Nanzheng were a inferior version of the Imperial Guard, inferior in many aspects, but overall they still met the standards for field combat.

The last 30,000-plus Five Pecks of Rice sect soldiers were more loyal than combat-ready, but they were competent at defending the city, given their high morale and loyalty.

The private armies of powerful clans and gentry varied in combat strength, but overall they were roughly equivalent to the soldiers of Nanzheng. They possessed some field combat capabilities, but their loyalty was highly questionable.

Given Zhang Lu's consistent suppression of the powerful clans and gentry in Hanzhong, it's hard to expect them to be highly loyal to him.

As for the Ba people, their fighting strength was quite considerable. They had always been among the best soldiers in the southwest, possessing considerable field combat capabilities, especially in mountain warfare, and their loyalty was also guaranteed. However, the Ba people had an inherent fatal flaw: extremely poor military discipline. They looted wherever they went, and wherever they were, they had various conflicts with the locals, resulting in significant tensions.

It was precisely because of the complex composition of Zhang Lu's army that the many trusted ministers in the court had different opinions, argued and quarreled with each other, and were unable to come up with a solution for a long time.

Zhang Lu's chief strategist and trusted advisor, Yan Pu, believed that part of the main force should be dispatched eastward. His opinion was that the signs of internal strife in Shu were becoming increasingly obvious, and Zhao Wei would raise the banner of rebellion sooner or later. Therefore, the pressure on Yangping Pass was not great.

On the contrary, Liu Feng was extremely ambitious. He had only taken Jingzhou a year or two ago, and he immediately sent troops to Shangyong.

Now that Xicheng is under Liu Feng's control, and the road to the Hanzhong Plain has been opened, it's difficult to guarantee that Liu Feng won't attack Hanzhong. Given Liu Feng's capabilities and strength, even if the roads in the Shangyong region are difficult to traverse, it still cannot be neglected for defense.

Therefore, Yan Pu suggested that Zhang Lu mobilize 10,000 soldiers from Nanzheng and 15,000 soldiers trained with rice to rush to Huangjinshu (now Shiquan, Shaanxi) to build a fortified camp to defend against Liu Feng.

Yan Pu's opinion was conservative, essentially a passive defense.

Zhang Lu's younger brother, Zhang Wei, was quite dissatisfied with this.

(End of this chapter)