Chapter 69: Qu's Family Has a Son

  Liu Zhang carefully read the letter and finally knew why Huang Yue was not successful. Originally, Liu Zhang had entrusted Huang Yue to use the Huang family's status in northern Shu to pretend to follow Pang Xi, who would raise troops, buy horses, and also try to win over the aristocratic families, inevitably reusing the sons of aristocratic families.

  Liu Zhang only hoped that Huang Yue could find a trustworthy clansman, gain the trust of Pang Xi, obtain a real military position, even if it was just guarding the city gate, so that when the army arrived at Bazhou, they could respond from both inside and outside and take it down with one beat.

  Unfortunately, Liu Zhang had not anticipated Pang Xi's character beforehand. Pang Xi's cautiousness far exceeded his own imagination. He indeed recruited and bought horses, and also reused the sons of aristocratic families. The Huang family also had several outstanding sons who were appointed as school lieutenants, but the positions they were appointed to sounded terrifying, yet actually held no power, with all the troops under the control of Pang Xi's trusted followers.

  Even Pang Xi, in order to prevent the aristocratic families from defecting, under the pretext of protection, "invited" all the main figures of the aristocratic families around Bashu to Bashu. Of course, Huang Yue was among them. Now Huang Yue is trapped in the city and cannot leave the city at all, so he has not contacted Liu Zhang yet.

  Liu Zhang's eyebrows slowly furrowed as he read the letter, and he suddenly lifted his head to say to the scout: "You immediately go back and tell Huang Niang that she must not follow the instructions in the letter. The governor of Bazhou has his own way of handling things. If Huang Niang does this, her life will be in danger, and it may even implicate her family members. In that case, I would rather lose the battle."

  "Ah..." Looking at Liu Zhang's anxious expression, the scout said with difficulty: "I've been guarding for a whole day, and I finally found an opportunity to slip out of the relatively loose East City Gate. The four cities are now under martial law, and it's impossible to go back now."

  "What?" Liu Zhang's hand tightened, the letter in his hand crumpled into a ball, and the scout's head shrunk back. After a moment of thought, Liu Zhang loudly ordered: "Pass on the order, tonight we will have a grand feast for the three armies, tomorrow we will engage in a decisive battle with Pang Xi."

  Leng Piao was startled and said loudly: "Yes."

  In the dead of night, with a crescent moon hanging in the sky, Pang Xi sat on a mat, wiping clean his sword that had not been used for years. He said to Qu Tian, who was drinking tea beside him: "General Qu, this sword has not been used since the campaign against Jia Long. Now that I'm using it again, I feel uneasy."

  "Master, with three million armored troops and Zhang Lu's strong reinforcements, it is certain that Liu Zhang will be defeated. Master can rest assured."

  Pang Tong shook his head, a worried look on his face: "General Qu, you are still young. At the time of Jia Long's rebellion, you were not yet an adult. When Liu Yan entered Shu, he was just like the current Liu Zhang, oppressing the aristocracy with harsh policies. Jia Long was a famous hero in Shu, and the aristocracy's prestige was at stake, so it was natural for him to rise up in revolt.

  Jia Long not only possessed enormous wealth, but also had a deep understanding of strategy. He was the teacher of Zhang Ren, the General of Yi Province, and at the time of the rebellion, his influence was overwhelming. Moreover, he had the powerful support of Dong Zhuo, yet in the end, he still failed.

  "Now I consider myself inferior to Jia Long, my prestige is not as good as Jia Long's, my troops and horses are not as good as Jia Long's, and external support from Zhang Lu is not as strong as Dong Zhuo's. How can I be sure of winning?"

  Pang Xi sighed: "In those years, it was because Liu Zhang was weak and could maintain the interests of my clan. I and Zhao Wei abandoned Liu Zhang's brother Liu Mao and supported him together. But now, I have reaped what I sowed, Zhao Wei has already lost his head, how can I be sure that I won't be the next one?"

  Quan Dao said: "In the past, Jia Long's case, Mo Jiang also knew some details. It was because Jia Long's strategy surpassed others, and he controlled a large amount of wealth, soldiers, and horses. Moreover, with Dong Zhuo as his strong backing, he became arrogant and invincible. However, it is an ancient rule that a proud army will surely be defeated. Jia Long was no match for Liu Yan. But now the situation is exactly the opposite."

  "My lord is not inferior to Jia Long in terms of talent, prestige, or military strength. However, there is one aspect where my lord far surpasses Jia Long: humility and caution. Even if Jia Long had a tenth of my lord's humility back then, the current situation in Yi Province would not be what it is today under Liu's rule. As long as my lord continues to maintain this calm demeanor, we will have the advantage of heaven, earth, and man on our side; how can we possibly lose?"

  "I hope so." Pang Xi sighed and said to Qu Tian: "General Qu is one of the few talents in the Qu family, with both literary and military skills. The Qu family has also contributed the most to our official career. I can only entrust you with a single gatekeeper, which is indeed an understatement. If we capture Chengdu, I will definitely appoint General Qu as the Supreme General of Yizhou."

  "In the end, I will make a new bet, and I dare not, but as long as the door is under control, I can follow the master, and Qu Tian has already been satisfied."

  Pang Tong waved his hand and said, "This matter has already been decided, you don't need to say more. Now just tell me your views on the battle situation. I think Liu Zhang's army outside the city won't exceed 10,000, but they must be elite soldiers. If we fight, I'm afraid we can't win; if we don't fight, we'll miss the opportunity. I heard you've been familiar with military books since childhood, help me make a decision."

  Quan Tan put down his teacup and said to Pang Xi: "Your Excellency, in terms of war, you should be the one defending."

  "Why?"

  "Liu Zhang's army is less than 10,000, and they were able to deceive us for a hundred miles of marching, which means they must have marched at night and rested during the day. Apart from their combat troops, they almost had no baggage or supplies, and it's likely that their food was maintained by the stored grain in Baling Pass. They lacked siege engines and food, and before reinforcements arrived from Chengdu, Liu Zhang would be powerless against us in Bazhou. But by the time reinforcements arrive from Chengdu, Zhang Lu will probably have already passed through Jiameng Pass."

  "You mean unconditional surrender?"

  Qiu Tian took a sip of tea and shook his head slowly: "Since ancient times, the military has been attached to politics. The use of troops is for political purposes. Now, our lord wants to overthrow Liu Zhang and take his place. So, we are using troops to obtain the position of governor. But when Zhang Lu's powerful army enters the pass, will he willingly give up the position of governor to our lord and accept the territory of eastern Shu that we promised? I'm afraid Zhang Lu will use us to fight against Liu Zhang, sit back and reap the benefits, and plot the entire western Sichuan.

  The lord is now defending the city walls, waiting for reinforcements from Hanzhong. This gives Zhang Lu an impression of weakness, making him think that the lord cannot do without him. As a result, Zhang Lu will become even more arrogant. Only if the lord achieves a great victory before Zhang Lu arrives, or even kills Liu Zhang, will Zhang Lu not dare to underestimate the lord. In the battle for Western Shu, you are the main force and he is just an auxiliary.

  The reason why the civil and military officials of Ba Shu were arguing endlessly was because they had different ideas. The civil officials thought that no matter whether Liu Zhang or Zhang Lu took the position of Governor, in order to stabilize the situation, they could only use them. The military generals thought that if Liu Zhang lost power and Zhang Lu took over, Zhang Lu would inevitably reuse the General of Hanzhong and exclude them, so naturally their opinions were not united for the sake of personal interests.

  Pang Xi sank into thought, saying nothing. Qu Tian bowed and said: "Qu Tian has never led troops, speaking idly is not good, whether to fight or defend, it's still up to Master to decide."

  Pang Xi's mind was elsewhere as he wiped his sword, still somewhat indecisive. Qu Tian stood up and said: "Master, it's getting late, I'll take my leave. Whether we fight or defend, I'll follow you to the death. Just don't forget that after our great victory, you have to let me and Huang Yue's daughter hold a grand wedding."

  Qu Yun smiled and said: "That's natural, that's natural. Ben Jiang will never forget."

  Qu Tan walked out of the general's mansion, the smile on his face disappeared, and he let out a long sigh towards the night: "Huang Niang, this is all I can do for you. If Pang Xi still refuses to fight, don't blame me."

  [The second update, still dare not ask for votes]