Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 51: White Horse Qiang King
The sixth year of Jianxing.

On March 13th, the sun gradually set in the west.

Six days had passed since Cao Zhen was beheaded.

Lueyang, Street Spring Pavilion.

More than 2,000 Wei army soldiers and more than 1,000 Longyou civilians are now working hard to strengthen the city defenses.

There is no need to mention things like trenches and deer horns.

Even firewood, fodder, loess, and pounding stones, which are essential for defending the city, are now continuously collected from outside the city and transported into the city.

On the city wall, Wei soldiers and laborers could be seen everywhere loading the loess carried to the top of the wall into square wooden tamping tools.

Some other soldiers and laborers used wooden boards to compact the soil so that the loess was evenly distributed.

When the wooden frame was filled and flattened with loess, the strong man standing next to the wooden frame with an exhausted look on his face raised the huge wooden hammer high and dropped it heavily.

The shouts of "Hey-ya-hey-ya" mixed with the solid and heavy hammer strikes echoed over the small old city of Lueyang.

The originally slightly dilapidated city wall was reinforced into a decent state in just two days thanks to the efforts of more than 2,000 people.

"Hey, the people who are delivering food to us are here!" Suddenly, a loud voice was heard from the top of the city wall.

So all those who heard the sound looked towards the setting sun.

I saw a grain transport team consisting of four to five thousand people, some using oxen, horses, donkeys, and mules, some using wheelbarrows, and some simply carrying grain on their backs, slowly coming eastward from the Longdi Avenue west of the small town of Jieting.

The setting sun made their shadows very long.

The slightly sluggish morale of the guards on the city walls was finally boosted.

In fact, two days ago, an angel from the Great Wei came over the mountain to report.

The emperor's oral instructions were conveyed, ordering them to quickly strengthen the city defenses, and saying that the grain route from Guanzhong to Longyou was temporarily blocked by the Shu bandits.

He ordered them to be safe and sound, be on guard against all those coming from the East, including the Wei soldiers, and wait for reinforcements from the West.

The captains and Sima officers who were in charge of guarding the city and supervising the transportation of military supplies were all dismayed when they heard this.

After all, news had just come a few days ago that the general had won a great victory over the Shu bandits at Xiegukou. How come the Shu bandits suddenly cut off the food supply route?
Why should even the Wei soldiers be on guard?

The angel did not say anything, but only ordered them to quickly defend the city and wait for help from the west.

Zhang Xiong, the military governor who was in charge of guarding the grain route in Jieting, quickly held a meeting with a captain and two Simas.

We are not fools. The situation is so tense that we have to wait for help from the West, and even the Wei soldiers have to be on guard.

Who can’t figure out that Guanzhong is bound to be lost?
However, the food and fodder that was transferred to Jieting had almost all been transported to the Longyou front line five or six days before the arrival of the angel!
Who could have imagined that the follow-up food and fodder from Guanzhong would take so long to arrive?!
How can we hold our ground without food?

Whether it was out of surprise and confusion about why the food supply route to Guanzhong was cut off, or out of panic that the soldiers and food in the city were not enough to hold out against the Shu invaders, all kinds of rumors began to spread.

They said the general had been defeated.

They said that Chang'an had been lost and Guanzhong had been abandoned.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhang Xiong, the grain inspector and law enforcer in charge of guarding the grain here, was the son of the right general Zhang He who had defeated tens of thousands of Shu invaders some time ago, this small Jieting city would have been in great chaos, not to mention strengthening the city's defenses.

About half an hour later, the grain transport team finally arrived at the city.

The city gates were already closed.

"Where are you coming from?" Grain and Enforcement Supervisor Zhang Xiong shouted from the city wall, "Do you have a command?"

Although he is only in his early twenties, he is the son of a veteran general and is naturally gifted with the right to speak.

The morale of the army was stabilized in the past two days, and the captain and two Simas in the city all regarded him as their backbone.

“Your mother’s password!
"Do you think I'm a thief?!"

The man leading the way had an angry look on his face and could be recognized at a glance as a Qiang person.

Moreover, although he spoke Mandarin, his accent clearly had a mutton flavor that was unique to the Qiang and Hu people in Longyou.

"Without the password, you must be a thief!" Zhang Xiong snorted coldly and shouted angrily.

He had an agreement with the angel that if help came from the West, he had to get the order from the "Shu Rat" before Jieting could open the city gate.

Besides, the Qiang and Hu people in Longyou were the most fickle and it was impossible for them to send food and aid in the first time, not to mention that the three counties had all rebelled before, and many Qiang and Hu people had rebelled against Wei and joined Shu.

Just when Zhang Xiong had determined that the people transporting grain to the city must be rebels against the Qiang, the rider behind the Qiang leader had already pulled his horse forward and arrived at the city.

"I'm from the city wall, and I'm the personal attendant of Envoy Guo!"

Zhang Xiong was stunned when he heard this.

The person who spoke now spoke with a familiar Hebei accent.

Not only is it a Hebei accent, it's the Hebei accent from near his hometown, Lu County, either Zhongshan or Changshan.

Although Guo Huai, also known as the envoy Guo, was born in Taiyuan, when he was young he first served in the office of the General of the Five Officials of Emperor Wen, and later in the office of the Prime Minister of Emperor Taizu, and lived in Yecheng, Hebei for more than ten years.

This man who spoke with a Hebei accent and looked majestic and imposing, with an extraordinary bearing, might indeed be the personal follower brought by Envoy Guo from Hebei.

"Are you the personal attendant of Envoy Guo?" Zhang Xiong asked doubtfully.

"Why didn't Envoy Guo send a Han Chinese to deliver the food? Instead, he sent a Qiang Chinese to escort the food here with you?!"

"You are a Han Chinese, why are you Wei people pretending to be Han Chinese?!

"Open the door quickly!
"If you keep talking, I'll leave!

"If Guo Huai and I didn't have some friendship, would I be talking to you all this time?!"

Zhang Xiong thought for a moment and sneered. He then took out his bow and shot an arrow directly at the open space next to the Qiang leader's mount: "Get lost!"

The Qiang leader's expression became stern.

"What are you doing?!" Zhao Tong was extremely angry.

"Open the city gate! Let us in!"

"Do you really think I'm a fool?!" Zhang He's son laughed in anger.

"You don't have a password, you must be rebel Qiang sent by the Shu bandits to defraud our city gate!"

"I don't know the password!" Zhao Tong was furious. "Open the door!"

On the city wall, Zhang Xiong drew his bow again, but this time he was facing Zhao Tong's head.

"What are you doing?!" Zhao Tong was extremely anxious and almost cried. Finally, he had no choice but to say:
"The general is dead!

"My envoy was worried that the Shu invaders would rush up Longshan to hijack Jieting, so he ordered us to ride fast horses to contact the Qiang nobles near Jieting and borrow some food and fodder. Little did we know what password was needed to enter Jieting!"

Although Zhao Tong acted very well on his face, he was actually feeling lucky that he had imitated his father's Hebei accent since he was a child.

Otherwise, if you use the Jing dialect or Shu dialect to deceive people, you can only hope that the people on the city wall are really fools.

However, just as Zhao Tong was feeling relieved, the Wei defenders on the city wall were already in an uproar and in great fear.

"What did you just say?!"

"What happened to the General?!"

"Is this true or false?!"

"How could the general die?!"

Zhang Xiong, the military food inspector who put away his bow and arrow in shock, and the captain and two Simas beside him, all turned as pale as the soldiers on the city wall, finding it unbelievable.

From what the angel said about the food supply route to Guanzhong being cut off, they could imagine that Guanzhong might have suffered a defeat, but they never imagined that the general had actually been killed in battle?

"No wonder the angel hesitated...

"They dared not tell us that the general had been killed, fearing that we would disrupt the morale of the army!"

Captain Li had always believed that the troops under the city were undoubtedly reinforcements, and he almost believed what Zhao Tong said.

Zhang He's son still couldn't believe it. Finally, he was filled with anger and sneered: "Hmph, it must be the rebellious Qiang people under the city who are spreading rumors and confusing the people to disrupt our army's morale!"

Captain Li shook his head in panic:

"Enforce the law, our Great Wei still has tens of thousands of troops in Chang'an!

"If the general were still alive, how could he sit idly by and watch the Shu invaders cut off our food supply?!
"Isn't this like handing Longyou over to the Shu invaders?!"

Zhang Xiong was startled. What he said made so much sense. If the general had not died, how could the Shu invaders have been so arrogant?
"If the Grand General is dead, why hasn't the Right General sent any mission?!"

Zhang Xiong asked the Hebei man under the city again, if the general was really dead, it would be impossible that his father did not send a mission!
So Zhang He and Guo Huai's envoys haven't arrived at Jieting yet? Zhao Tong, anxious to the point of tears, quickly thought and replied in an instant:
"The Right General has led his troops to pursue Zhuge Liang to Hanzhong!
"The Shu invaders have occupied Xiabian, and my envoy is currently attacking the city!

"The general's messenger arrived from Chencang Road and reported this news to our envoy! Your right general's messenger will probably take two or three days to arrive!"

Zhang Xiong still didn't believe it:

"Since your envoy knew that Jieting was in danger, why didn't he send you here first to report the situation so that I could be on guard? Instead, he ordered you to go and seek out the Qiang and Hu people to gather food and fodder?"

Zhao Tong was immediately furious:
"Hasn't an angel already come to Jieting to tell you?!
“Why should I go to collect food first?

"The general was defeated in Xiegu, and the Shu invaders are numerous. My envoy has sent a letter to the right general to return to Tianshui and hold the position, awaiting Your Majesty's assistance from Guandong!
"By then, with over a hundred thousand mouths to feed in Tianshui, how could we possibly transport food and fodder to you?
"Even if it was shipped here, do you know how long it would take to transport the grain from Tianshui to here?

"If my envoy doesn't directly order me to borrow food from the nearby Qiang nobles!

"By the time Tianshui's troops and provisions arrive here, your Jieting will probably have been completely surrounded by the Shu invaders!"

"Snapped!"

Just when Zhao Tong's mind was working at high speed and his acting skills were acting very fast, the Qiang hero suddenly swung his horsewhip at his face without any warning, knocking him straight off the horse.

Everyone on the city wall was suddenly shocked.

The people behind Zhao Tong were also confused.

But then the Qiang leader pointed his whip at the people on the city wall and flew into a rage:
"I'm here today simply to give Guo Huai some face, considering we've known each other for so many years!

"I can't believe you Wei dogs are so ungrateful!"

"And you, you dare to lie to me and hide from me that your general is actually dead!" The Qiang hero hit Zhao Tong hard with two horsewhips and looked at the top of the city again.

"Humph! If your Wei general is truly dead, how can we protect Longyou?!
"I was so foolish that I was deceived into coming here!"

After saying this, his Adam's apple rolled and he spat fiercely at Zhao Tong, who was lying under the horse's hooves and had a horrifying blood mark on him. Then he rode away without looking back.

Soon, this grain transport team of four to five thousand people began to turn around and return west.

Zhao Tong's face was burning with pain, leaving a horrific blood mark. Tears were streaming down his face, and his head was completely confused.

Didn't you say you were going to beat me up at the beginning?!
You're beating me too hard, aren't you?!
He staggered to his feet, covering his face with his hands, pointed forward at the top of Jieting City Wall, and burst into tears:

"I never expected that you pigs and dogs would ruin my lord's important mission!

"If Jieting falls to you pigs and dogs, let us all die together in Longyou!"

After saying this, Zhao Tong also got on his horse and rode away to the west.

Only the group of Wei generals and soldiers on the top of Jieting City were left watching the show in confusion.

As the group of several thousand people moved further and further away, the captain finally became extremely anxious and could no longer control himself:

“Law enforcement, why don’t you just chase them?!

"Could this be fake?!"

The military commander also urged:

"Supervise the grain and enforce the law, Captain!

"What Envoy Guo's personal attendant said is correct. If the general is truly dead, then the Right General and Envoy Guo will lead the army to defend Tianshui! Where will we get food at this time?!"

"Even if we transport them here, the countless Shu bandits in Guanzhong might have already surrounded Jieting!"

Zhang Xiong was so upset by the question that he couldn't come up with an idea for a moment. Finally, he insisted, "What if they are the Shu bandits?!"

The captain began to get furious:
“Law enforcement, do they look fake to you?!
"If we don't give chase, I'm afraid our food supplies won't last more than half a month!"

After the captain finished speaking, he no longer paid any attention to the young military food inspector and walked straight down the city wall. He then opened the city gate and rode his horse to chase after him.

The two Simas didn't know what to do and could only continue to stay on the top of the city wall and watch.

Their captain quickly caught up with the close follower of Envoy Guo who was being whipped by the Qiang lords, and said something to him.

Not long after, he reined in his horse and rushed to the side of the Qiang hero.

After about half an hour, when the grain transport team of several thousand people was almost out of sight, their captain finally returned in disappointment.

Climbing up the city wall, he was furious:
"Zhang Xiong!
"Do you know who that Qiang man is?!
"That's Yang Qianwan, the White Horse Qiang King!

"Apart from Envoy Guo of Yongzhou, who else can persuade him?!

"I almost knelt down and begged him to come back, and look, did he come back?!

“Does he still look fake?!

"He doesn't care about your Jieting City at all!"

Hearing this, the military governor who had been wondering whether the general was really dead was extremely frightened and at a loss.

If the general really died.

If the Shu invaders really want to attack Jieting.

How can we defend Jieting?
If Jieting couldn't be defended, wouldn't his father's tens of thousands of troops in Longyou be indirectly lost to him?!
The angel also told him that His Majesty had issued an edict ordering the Right General and the Governor of Yongzhou to defend Longyou firmly.

Even if we lose Guanzhong, we must hold on to Longyou!
Therefore, his father probably didn't even have the possibility of leading his troops to Guanzhong to find food!

"What did the Qiang King say?" Zhang Xiong asked, his voice trembling with nervousness.

"What did you say?!" the captain cursed.

"Didn't you see what he just said to Envoy Guo's attendant?
“The reason I was able to persuade him to send food here was because he didn’t know that the general was defeated and died!
"The Qiang people are always wavering!
"Now that you know our army has been badly defeated and the Han army is far more powerful, why would you still be willing to lend me food?!"

Zhang Xiong thought of something again, still puzzled:
"If that's the case, then why did the man claiming to be Envoy Guo's personal attendant declare in front of the Qiang King that the general had been defeated?"

"You forced me to do that?!"

Captain Li began to feel indignant for the man from Hebei who had been severely whipped by the Qiang King:
"Aren't you insisting that if there's no password, then the person must be a thief?!
"Aren't you going to shoot him to death with one arrow?!
"In his desperate situation, what else could he do but tell the truth?!"

Zhang He's son was stunned and pondered for a long time before finally making up his mind:

"We have scouts ahead, but we haven't received any news that the Shu invaders are planning to enter Long via the Longdi Road!

“There’s still time!
"I will immediately dispatch troops and food to various counties!"

Jieting City is small and easy to defend. With only six or seven thousand people and enough food to last for two or three months, we will be able to wait for the reinforcements from Guandong!
Zhang Xiong quickly went down to the city to prepare.

However, before he could finish preparing to leave Jieting, a scout suddenly came to report.

"Captain Li! Law Enforcement Officer Zhang!

"There are several hundred people wearing the uniforms and armor of our Great Wei soldiers, escorting one or two thousand civilians who are transporting grain and appearing at Fenshui Station!"

"The people in armor and armor of the Wei Dynasty, and the laborers transporting grain?" Zhang Xiong was stunned.

The scout was panting and drank a few mouthfuls of water before continuing:

"Some people even saw 20,000 to 30,000 Shu invaders approaching from 20 to 30 miles away from Fenshui Station!"

Twenty to thirty thousand Shu invaders?!

Everyone around Zhang Xiong was shocked.

"Need I say more? Those soldiers transporting grain in front must be Shu bandits in disguise!" Captain Li immediately figured out the key.

However, once he thought about the key point, Captain Li felt even more dizzy and his heart was burning with anxiety:
“What should we do now?
"Fenshuiyi is only eighty miles away from Jieting! If the Shu invaders march quickly, they will arrive tomorrow!"

Where is there time for the son of this famous general to supervise military food law enforcement and mobilize troops and food?

"Zhang Xiong, you guard Jieting. I will lead the army to Tianshui!" The captain named Li did not want to follow Zhang Xiong to die here.

Zhang Xiong was stunned for a moment, then quickly stretched out his arms and legs to stop him:

"Captain Li, you led your troops away from their posts. Don't you fear the law?!"

"The general has died in battle, and your right general is about to die in Longyou. Why the hell should I be afraid of the law?"

The captain named Li, who had always been under the command of General Cao Zhen, left immediately.

"Captain Li!" Zhang Xiong opened his hand to stop him again, looking flustered.

"I'm going to persuade the White Horse Qiang King to come back!
"If you can't, you make the decision!"

(End of this chapter)