Chapter 988: The Tyrant's Revival

  Liu Zhang's army arrived at the foot of Bazhong City, and set up camp five miles away from the city gate. They planted flags everywhere. Fa Zheng looked far into the distance at the walls of Bazhong City and said to Liu Zhang: "Sir, the walls of Bazhong City are thick, and Pang Xi is sitting on a large army but does not dare to come out and fight. Have we become too clever for our own good?"

  Liu Zhang and Fa Zheng's plan was to exaggerate the total number of troops, increase the number of banners, but deliberately reveal their weakness, allowing the Ba Xi army scouts to see their true strength. Pang Tong would certainly think that they were trying to cover up the truth about their weak forces, waiting for reinforcements from Chengdu, and thus the Ba Xi army would be eager to go into battle.

  At this time, for Liu Zhang, the situation is too urgent. No one knows whether Wei Yan can capture Jiameng Pass and how long he can hold out against a large army of tens of thousands. Liu Zhang urgently wants to engage in a decisive battle with the Bazhou army, even if it means sacrificing 10,000 men against an enemy force of tens of thousands.

  Unfortunately, the plan to lure the enemy failed, and instead, Pang Xi hung a surrender flag on the gate of Bazhi City. The city wall was high and thick, and there were no siege engines. The army marched too quickly, not even bringing a carpenter. Even if the Dongzhou soldiers were very powerful, they could only sigh in admiration outside the city walls.

  "Didn't the Brazilian army see through our military's true strength? They're afraid of Master Zhang's reputation and don't dare to engage in battle?" Zhang Ren speculated.

  Liu Zhang slowly shook his head, and Fa Zheng thought: "This is unlikely. The Bashan army has been fighting with the Hanzhong army for years, and they still have this ability. In my analysis, Pang Xi was waiting for Zhang Lu. Pang Xi was cautious by nature, and he always waited until he had absolute certainty before making a move."

  At that time, the lord and Ma Teng jointly attacked Chang'an. If they succeeded, they could have made Emperor Xian a puppet in the western capital. However, Pang De thought that the forces of Li Jue and Guo Si were too strong, so he did not join them, thinking that their plan might not necessarily succeed.

  Later, seeing that the former master was gradually becoming powerful in Shu, he spent money to redeem several princes and enter Shu, thereby gaining power. In the previous rebellion of Zhao Wei, Pang Xi did not dare to act because he could not consult with Wanquan. This time, Pang Xi joined forces with Zhang Lu, thinking that he would surely take Xichuan, and finally rebelled. Looking at his life, it was all about being opportunistic, overly cautious, and lacking in courage.

  Liu Zhang sighed and said, "If I were Pang Xi, after receiving Zhang Lu's reply, I would have led the army out of Bazhou to attack Chengdu. Pang Xi's caution has given us time, but unfortunately, we are now also suffering from his caution. Let's go back and think about it again, see if there is a way to lure the Bazhou army out."

  In the evening, Liu Zhang sat in front of his desk, stroking his forehead and thinking deeply. He thought through all the tactics to lure the enemy from ancient times to the present, but still couldn't think of a strategy that could effectively draw out the Pa army. At this time, Fa Zheng walked in.

  "My lord, I have thought of a strategy, perhaps it will work."

  "Speak quickly." Liu Zhang raised his head.

  Fa Zheng said: "Wei Jiangjun's attack on Jiameng is a secret expedition, Bashu should still be unaware of it. We can take advantage of the night to advance towards Jiameng, but let Bashu scouts detect it. Jiameng is a must-pass place for the Han Zhong army to enter Xichuan. When Pang Xi receives the news, he will surely be moved."

  Liu Zhang thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said: "Jiameng Pass is the key to Bashan's military strength. I've also considered feigning an attack on the east while striking in the west, but you know that Pang Xi is overly cautious. If we go to attack Bashan, he will likely confirm that we have arrived at Jiameng Pass before sending troops to cut off our rear route. At that time, whether or not we take Jiameng Pass, we will be attacked from both sides by the Bashan army and the Hanzhong army. This is much safer than directly attacking our main camp."

  "Lord, what you said is reasonable. Pang Tong might indeed act in this way. However, my plan goes further than that. We can increase the bait to lure the enemy. My idea is for Lord to stay inside the main camp and not raise his commander's flag, but instead appear to inspect the barracks, exposing himself to the Pa Xi army scouts. In this way, our camp has few soldiers and generals, and with Lord inside, Pang Tong will likely be unable to resist."

  "Using this official as bait?" Liu Zhang said in a steady voice.

  Fa Zheng hastily bowed: "Please forgive me, Your Excellency."

  Liu Zhang waved his hand: "I think this strategy is quite feasible, you lead the main army to hide eleven miles away and leave me a thousand elite soldiers."

  "Eleven miles?" Fa Zheng was taken aback.

  Liu Zhang smiled and said, "We Chinese people like whole numbers. I reckon Pang Xi's scouts will only go up to ten li. If you hide eleven li away, it exceeds the fifteen li of Bazi City. Pang Xi will definitely not detect it."

  "Isn't it too far? I think six miles is suitable, otherwise the Brazilian army will attack, and with scouts going back and forth plus marching, I'm afraid we won't be able to reinforce the main camp within an hour." Fa Zheng was somewhat worried.

  Liu Zhang stood up from his seat, let out a light sigh and said: "At present, I am facing internal and external troubles in Western Shu, survival is difficult, we are at the most critical moment, where can we have so many opportunities to be safe? Every policy, every strategy, is being executed on the tip of a knife, even as the master, one cannot avoid it.

  Do you want me to be like Pang Xi, who only acts when he is absolutely sure of success? In that case, there would be no need for us to attack Han Zhong. We can just wait until some vassal lord comes to surrender to us in Western Shu... Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Go and select the troops."

  After Fa Zheng left, Liu Zhang felt stifled in the account and walked to the entrance of the camp. He sighed, thinking that if this plan didn't work out, the army would still be at a loss for what to do, but if it did succeed, it would also be extremely perilous - one thousand against tens of thousands; if the Bashan cavalry broke out, they might not even be able to run away.

  Life and death hung in the balance, as he gazed out at the soldiers coming and going, Liu Zhang suddenly felt a chill, and wanted to find someone to talk to.

  "Good general, this battle is perilous, are you willing to stay and accompany me?" Liu Zhang asked the fierce-looking man beside him. At this time, only this foolish-looking man could speak up.

  "Awesome nose hummed: 'You also look down on people too much.' Awesome still wasn't used to calling Liu Zhang 'master'."

  Liu Zhang smiled: "I knew you'd say that. After this war is over, I'll let you return home in glory and guarantee that the troops will escort you back to the mountain cave, where you can marry your heart's desire with great fanfare. How about it?"

  "Really?" He smiled and shook his head, "No need for guards, our people don't like strangers. If the troops go in, they'll be poisoned by smoke and water. Just give me that majestic token and that's enough. By the way, if possible, let Xiao Furen follow me, I'm short of a partner."

  "Matchmaking? Arranged marriage?"

  "You Chinese seem to call it 'best man'."

  "Could Xiang Fu Rong be a woman?" Liu Zhang exclaimed in surprise.

  Wow, a big palm patted the bald head, "Oh, she's a girl." The face seemed to have an expression of being at a loss.

  Liu Zhang broke out in a cold sweat, thinking of Xiao Fu Rong, and only then did he find the reason why he felt so deserted. Although that woman was always causing trouble, always getting into mischief, her brain was missing a screw, and she never stopped talking or acting, whenever he saw her he wanted to hide, but when she suddenly wasn't there, it really felt a bit unfamiliar.

  "Never mind, what's the point of thinking about these things? Maybe I won't even see tomorrow's sun."

  Liu Zhang shook his head, just about to enter the camp, when Leng Bao rushed over with a soldier. The soldier was wearing Brazilian military attire. Leng Bao bowed and said: "Master, we found this guy lurking in the mountains, he's probably a Brazilian scout."

  "Kill him directly." Liu Zhang didn't have the mind to care about the scout at this time.

  The scout, having heard Liu Zhang's words, immediately became anxious and said: "Your Excellency spare my life, I am not a scout, but rather an emissary sent to deliver a message to the Governor. The person who entrusted me with this mission specifically instructed me to hand it over personally to the Governor, which is why I did not dare reveal my true identity earlier."

  "Yes, this guy has been saying he has a secret all along." Leng Xiao interrupted.

  Liu Zhang took over the letter, opened it and only glanced at it, then widened his eyes. It was a handwritten letter from Huang Yue, who was unexpectedly in the city of Brazil.

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