Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 709 Zhang Ren Leaves Sichuan
In a valley somewhere in Xiliang, an army was marching quickly. Except for a few generals on horseback, the rest of the soldiers were infantry. Judging from the size of the army, there were about 20,000 to 30,000 people.

This troop had a well-ordered appearance. Even when they were marching at full speed, there was not a trace of chaos throughout the army. Every soldier had a rosy face and was in high spirits.

Among the three leading generals, the one in the middle waved his hand, and the messenger behind him waved the command flag, and the army stopped immediately.

He looked up at the sky, then looked ahead and asked, "How far is it to Wudu?"

A man who looked like a deputy general came over and said, "General Zhang, after we pass this valley and two more hills, we will enter the territory of Wudu County in Liangzhou. If we travel day and night, we will arrive early tomorrow morning."

The general nodded slightly and said, "Then pass the order down. After leaving the col, the whole army will rest for half an hour, and then travel overnight. We must get to Wudu County as soon as possible."

"Yes!" After receiving the order, the messenger hurried down to convey it.

The three generals got off their horses together, sat on the rocks nearby, and took out their dry food and water bags.

At this time, a general with eyes like copper bells said: "Zhang Biejia's strategy this time is really a brilliant one. It's called feeding the birds, hehe, very clever."

When the general named Zhang heard this, he spat out a mouthful of water.

"Ahem... Old Lei, you should read more books every day. Just feed the birds. That's called besieging Wei to save Zhao."

The big-eyed general shrugged his shoulders, not taking it seriously at all: "Hey, it doesn't matter if you are educated or not. I, Lei Tong, can't read a single word, but I can still lead troops to fight. In Yizhou, apart from you, Zhang Ren, who else dares to say that he is better than me, Lei Tong, when it comes to fighting?"

Zhang Ren heard this and smiled helplessly, saying, "This time Luoyang sent General Guan Yu to personally attack Xiliang. With Han Sui's strength, he is definitely no match. The northern part of Yizhou is connected to Youfufeng in Sili and Wudu County in Liangzhou. However, there are hundreds of miles of mountains blocking Youfufeng, which is difficult to cross. Only through Wudu County can we attack our Yizhou territory. Weiwu, Jincheng, Longxi and other places north of Wudu were not under the control of the Luoyang court before. Now if Han Sui is defeated and these places are lost, our Yizhou will no longer have a barrier and will be in danger."

Another general beside him also said: "So this time the lord specially ordered us to march to Wudu, harass Hanyang, Anding and other counties, and even take the opportunity to attack Youfufeng to attract the attention of the court in Luoyang. If there is a chance, we will attack Guan Yu's army from the rear and save Han Sui from danger. Is this the reason?"

Zhang Ren nodded and said, "General Ling Bao's guess is correct. In a direct confrontation, with the current strength of Yizhou, we are definitely no match for Luoyang. We can only rely on the advantages of the terrain and our allies to hold out against them and wait for a good opportunity in the future. Therefore, Xiliang must not be lost."

At this point, he suddenly sighed, "Alas, it's a pity that the lord has used all the heavy troops of Yizhou to guard against the invasion of Jingzhou, and only gave me 25,000 soldiers and horses for this trip. Otherwise, I, Zhang Ren, really want to drink with the legendary Guan Yu and have a good fight with him."

Zhang Ren's eyes were filled with fighting spirit.

Lei Tong took a bite of dry food and chewed it while saying, "I don't know how the war in Xiliang is going now. We hurried all the way here this time. Calculating the time, it should be about 20 days before Guan Yu's army sets out from Luoyang. Han Sui, that rubbish, should not be destroyed by Guan Yu so soon, otherwise we will make a wasted trip."

Ling Bao came over and hit him on the head: "You are always a bad-mouthed kid, so why don't you say less?"

"Hey, you dare to hit me, I'm going to fight you..." Lei Tong made a gesture to pounce.

"Alright, alright, behave yourself. Save your energy for killing the enemy." After all, Zhang Ren was the commander-in-chief, and was also known as the most powerful general in Sichuan. Lei Tong and Ling Bao admired him very much. When they saw that he had spoken, they stopped fighting.

"General... General..." A scout on horseback came galloping from the other side of the valley.

Zhang Ren immediately stood up and ran over quickly. The scout came to him, dismounted and knelt down.

Zhang Ren hurriedly asked, "What's the situation in Xiliang? Where has Guan Yu's army advanced to?"

The scout panted heavily, "Reply...Reply General, Guan Yu's army is...is...is..."

"Hey, you guy, can you please finish what you are saying in one breath? I'm getting so annoyed by listening to you." Lei Tong yelled.

Ling Bao glared at him and said, "Old Lei, can't you just be quiet and listen to him?" He turned around and asked the scout, "Judging from your expression, the news doesn't look good. Has Guan Yu already invaded Zhangye County?"

Zhang Ren said in a deep voice: "Han Sui's base is in Zhangye County. If this is the case, then the matter is extremely urgent."

Unexpectedly, the scout shook his head: "No... No..."

The three generals were a little relieved after hearing this: "It's not bad if we haven't reached Zhangye County yet. As long as Guan Yu is still in Weiwu County, we have enough time."

Lei Tong laughed heartlessly: "Hahahaha... Everyone says that Guan Yu is so brave and invincible. He has been fighting against an old bastard Han Sui for such a long time, and he hasn't even conquered a mere Weiwu County. I think he is just a name in vain, and it's all just bragging."

By this time, the scout's temper had calmed down.

"No... Ten days ago, Guan Yu and Zhu Ye jointly attacked Fanhe City. The army of more than 20 Qiang tribes that had originally agreed to assist Han Sui in besieging Guan Yu suddenly turned against Han Sui at the foot of the city, killing Han Sui and forcing him to flee. Six days ago, Han Sui and the two Qiang tribe chiefs, Xianling and Shaodang, were ambushed outside the city of Xide in Zhangye County by Zhao Yun... led by 10,000 cavalrymen, and the entire army was wiped out. Han Sui and the two tribe chiefs died on the spot at the hands of Zhao Yun..."

"What? How could it be so fast?" Zhang Ren was completely shocked.

Lei Tong grabbed the scout and said, "Han Sui and the two Qiang tribes must have sent out 130,000 or 140,000 soldiers and horses. He had already set up so many city defenses and traps. How come they were defeated miserably in just 20 days? Did you bring back false news?"

"I dare not, I dare not... This news is absolutely true..." the scout begged for mercy.

Zhang Ren frowned and said, "Old Lei, let him go. This must be true. I guess Liu He had secretly bribed those twenty or so Qiang tribes. Han Sui thought he had invited them to help, but he didn't expect them to turn against him and suffer such a disastrous defeat. It was also expected. But what I can't understand is why Zhu Ye and Zhao Yun suddenly appeared? Especially Zhao Yun. There was no mention of him marching into Xiliang in the previous battle report. How could he appear directly in the city of Xide in Zhangye County?"

The scout said, "I don't know the details. But I heard that Zhu Ye and Zhao Yun secretly came from Beidi County through the desert. Zhao Yun traveled westward in the desert and probably came to the city of Lude by accident, and happened to meet Han Sui and his men who were retreating in defeat."

"How is that possible? From Beidi County to Xide City, you have to cross more than a thousand miles of desert and grassland. The grassland is okay, but the desert is extremely difficult to march. Even with a local guide, it will take more than ten days or even twenty days to complete the journey. There are no supplies along the way, and the Xiongnu have been driven away by them long ago. There are no tribes to rob. What do they eat and drink, including people and horses? Water may be available if you are lucky and find a river, but where does food come from? It is impossible for them to carry 100 or 200 kilograms of dry food with them, right?"

Ling Bao looked in complete disbelief.

Zhang Ren's face was very heavy. "Liu He is good at creating miracles. Maybe they have some wonderful methods that we can't think of. We don't know. Now that this matter has become a fact, it is useless to dwell on these details."

Ling Bao seemed a little depressed when he heard this: "What should we do now? If Han Sui is defeated, it won't take a few days for the troops from Luoyang to occupy the entire Liang Province, and our Yi Province will be finished."

Lei Tong was furious and said, "What's the end? The worst that can happen is that we can just charge into Sili and capture Liu He alive. What else can we do? I don't believe the rumors out there that say Liu He is so brave. Can he be so powerful? If you have the guts, come and compete with me, Lei Tong."

"You know nothing! With our limited number of troops, I'm afraid we won't even see Luoyang City before we're wiped out..."

"I don't understand, but you do..."

The two of them started arguing again.

"Stop arguing!" Zhang Ren shouted, and the two of them finally quieted down.

Zhang Ren paced back and forth, as if thinking about something. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Have it!"

(End of this chapter)