Han officials

Chapter 214 Gambling Luck [22]

At the same time, in Lihua Garden.

Zhen Rong, who was a little embarrassed and angry, calmed down after his sister spoke.

Her beautiful face was full of confusion and hesitation.

But after a moment's silence, she nodded gently and said, "Mother, I am willing to marry you!"

Zhang felt a little distressed when she heard this and said, "Really?"

Seeing this, Zhen Rong smiled and said, "Don't you often read 'Ode to Mangshan' and 'Ode to the Three Mirrors'? General Zuo is a hero in the world. It is a blessing for my daughter to have such a husband. Mother, don't worry. I will not feel wronged."

Zhen Rong's words were not empty talk.

You should know that Wei Zhe is only thirty years old now, but he has 100,000 soldiers under his command and occupies three states. Looking at the entire Han Dynasty, there is almost no one who is better than him!
In the past, she had heard a lot about Wei Zhe's great achievements when she was in the boudoir, and she had some admiration for him in her heart.

But she is not an exception. Nowadays, there is no noble lady in the Han Dynasty who does not envy Guan Yan.

After all, what is the status of Donglai Guan? If it were today, she probably wouldn't even be qualified to be a maid in the Wei Mansion.

She also listened to her sister Zhen Mi's analysis just now and agreed with it deeply.

It should be noted that even though Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu had the support of his brother and the support of the noble families in Hebei, he was only proclaimed emperor at the age of 30 at Qianqiu Pavilion in Hebei.

In comparison, Wei Zhe, who started from scratch, was no less capable than Emperor Guangwu.

Of course, it would be a lie to say that she didn't feel a bit wronged. She was just doing that to comfort her mother.

Sometimes women are like this, seemingly timid but often more daring than men.

So was Zhen Mi, so was Zhen Rong, and so was Zhang.

But Zhang thought more than her two daughters.

She was not blinded by Wei Zhe's past glory, but instead considered the possibility of marriage with Yuan Shao.

However, a moment later, Zhang herself denied this idea.

First of all, Yuan Shao’s eldest son, Yuan Tan, was already married, but his second and third sons were unmarried, but Zhang looked down on them.

Even the possibility of becoming Yuan Tan's concubine was not within Zhang's consideration.

After all, what level is Yuan Tan? Is he worthy of the same treatment as the Left General Wei Zhe?
Yuan Shao was a possibility, but he was already quite old and was in a weak position in the battle with the Wei army.

So after pondering for a while, Zhang made a decisive decision.

"Yao'er, send someone to call your second brother back!"

The old woman narrowed her eyes and stroked the cat slave on her lap, saying, "I, the Zhen family of Zhongshan, have surrendered to Wei!"

Zhen Yao, who had just been full of anger, was suddenly stunned.

He didn't know how his mother could say such a thing so lightly.

However, although he was stupid, Zhen Yao was impeccable in terms of filial piety. He turned around and went to work obediently.

Not long after, Geng Wu was overjoyed when he received the reply, and immediately sent someone to convey the message.

Just to be on the safe side, he stayed in Zhen's house to gather information.

Fortunately, Zhang's birthday banquet provided a lot of convenience for Tian Feng's plan.

I have to admit that Tian Feng's vision is indeed sharp.

In a situation without any loopholes, he found the breakthrough point of Zhongshan State.

He even took into account the fact that the Zhen family in Zhongshan was weak in numbers and had no successors.

Because in this situation, if the Zhen family of Zhongshan wanted to revive their family, they had no choice but to choose marriage.

If Zhang's two sons were the only ones left, they might not even be able to keep the current family business!

If not for this, Geng Wu would not have gone directly to the Zhen Mansion.

...The next day, Boling County, Hejian State.

After receiving the news, Wei Zhe immediately led 5,000 palace soldiers and light cavalry to set off, followed by 10,000 garrison infantry.

It’s not that Wei Zhe is itching to do something, it’s just that the shogunate’s business is a bit too big now.

He sent out generals who were prestigious and capable to Qingzhou, Bingzhou and Yingzhou.

The affairs of Zhongshan State are of vital importance at the moment, and Wei Zhe is really hesitant to hand it over to the new generation of generals such as Zhao Yun.

After all, he didn't want to have a battle at Jieting and let the young Zhao Yun follow in Ma Su's footsteps.

Fortunately, Wei Zhe personally took action, and after seeing this sincerity, the Zhongshan Zhen family no longer had any doubts.

However, in just one day, the Wei army, with the Zhen caravan as an internal support, successively captured four counties in the north of Zhongshan State, namely Anguo County, Anxi County, Liwu County, and Wuji County, cutting off the communication channels between Lunu County, the capital of Zhongshan State, and Yecheng.

Wei Zhe successfully entered Wuji County without even experiencing a decent battle.

However, the role of Zhongshan Zhen family in Wei Zhe was more than that.

The next evening, in the main hall of Zhen Mansion.

When Wei Zhe, dressed in armor, came to the hall, everyone in the Zhen Mansion had been waiting for a long time.

Before everyone could greet him, Wei Zhe smiled brightly and said, "I heard that Madam was celebrating her birthday a few days ago, but I arrived late. I have nothing else in my hands but a jade disk, a pot of Jixian County wine, and two fat sheep. I hope Madam will not despise them!"

Seeing him so approachable, Zhen Yao, who had been feeling uneasy, felt slightly relieved.

Zhen Yan hurried back and although he felt a little resentful of his mother's arbitrary decision, he had done nothing as the matter was done.

After a few pleasantries, at his mother's signal, he immediately bowed and offered his advice, "Although Lunu County is the seat of government, it is not the key to Zhongshan. If you want to capture Zhongshan, Changshan Pass is of paramount importance. If you fail to take this pass, even if Zhongshan survives, it will be doomed! Zhen, though a humble woman, is willing to help you capture this pass as a gift!"

The Changshan Pass mentioned by Zhen Yan is actually the later Daoma Pass, which was also called Hongzhisai during the Warring States Period.

This fortress is truly unique, nestled against a steep cliff and flanked by a deep ravine, half nestled in the valley and half on the mountain. Built in harmony with the terrain, the Tang River flows around it from the west, north, and east. The mountains, water, and fortress complement each other, each presenting a formidable obstacle. The fortress's strategic planning, rigorous defenses, and architectural prowess are breathtaking. It's a place where one man can hold a fort against ten thousand. Due to the steep mountain path, war horses often stumbled here, earning it the name "Daomaguan."

If this pass is not captured, the Wei army will not be able to control the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain, let alone Lingqiu Road.

So Zhang was kind-hearted and wanted to increase her daughter's status.

After all, what dowry can be compared to the weight of an entire county?

If compared with the dowry of Zhongshan Kingdom, Zhen Rong’s dowry can be said to be truly priceless!
Although Zhen had good intentions, Wei Zhe frowned slightly after hearing this.

The more important Changshan Pass was, the more worried he became about Zhen's people.

So he immediately turned around and looked at Zhao Yun with sharp eyes:

"Zilong, give me five hundred cavalrymen and quickly capture Changshan Pass!"

"Here!"

Zhao Yun took the order and left without any hesitation.

Zhen Yan was stunned when he saw this, but didn't dare to say anything.

Instead, Zhang realized that she had been a little careless, and that women did not understand the importance of military affairs and the country.

So she regretted it deeply and quickly sent her trusted steward to accompany him, ordering him to obey Zhao Yun's orders in everything.

Zhen Yan, who had come to his senses, looked embarrassed and dared not speak anymore.

However, Wei Zhe acted as if nothing had happened and chatted and laughed with everyone in the Zhen Mansion.

In just a few words, he even planned to take a concubine in Lunu County with the same ceremony as a wife. It can be said that he gave enough face to Zhongshan Zhen, which made Zhang, Zhen Yan and others feel much more at ease.

However, after leaving Zhen's mansion, Wei Zhe immediately ordered Taishi Ci at the border of Anping State to be prepared.

After all, Yuan Shao was so furious this time that he had to vent his anger again...

(End of this chapter)