Plan to cut off the nine states

Tie Yuan saw He Rong's army with his own eyes, but it was not lured by the Yizhou army as planned.

Countless He Rong cavalrymen suddenly attacked without any warning. The few sentinels of the Jiangshi Army had no time to run back to the camp to report the news, and were all killed on the way.

Tie Yuan stood on the top of Sanguan and saw the Hanzhou Jiangshi Army fleeing frantically. It was unknown whether they were deliberately driven away or panicked, most of them rushed to Sanguan.

This was not a battle, but a hunt. Some of He Rong's cavalrymen interspersed back and forth in the crowd, dividing the deserters into several groups, while the other part of He Rong's cavalrymen, like a big fish swallowing a small fish, annihilated the prey one by one.

Tie Yuan saw clearly that the divided Jiangshi Army had already been completely defeated and was only concerned with fleeing. A few people tried to reorganize the team to launch a counterattack, but they were soon dispersed.

Tie Yuan sighed and ordered the withdrawal of the army. Because he was worried about the situation in Hanzhou, he led his troops to run in front and ordered the troops behind to destroy the plank roads along the way as much as possible.

He had already gotten rid of most of the troops, but he was still a step too late and failed to reach the entrance of Hanzhou Valley in time.

Although Tie Yuan was surprised to see Xu Chu, he did not show it. He greeted him with a big smile and took him with him. They came to a slightly wider place and stopped by the roadside. He watched the soldiers passing by one after another, and then he said, "Did Wei Xuan fail to defend Hanping City?"

The horses moved slower on the plank road. Tie Yuan led his soldiers on foot, dusty and chapped. The soldiers were more haggard than each other. Xu Chu was a little reluctant, but he still had to tell the truth: "Wei Xuan did not leave Hanping City, and the Hanzhou army directly occupied the valley entrance."

Tie Yuan was slightly stunned, and then said: "General Wei must want us to attack the Hanzhou army from both sides after we arrive."

Xu Chu shook his head, "It doesn't look like it. Hanzhou Chief Secretary Lou Ai guessed that Wei Xuan would lead his troops to escape back to Yizhou. I have the same view."

Tie Yuan was furious, "Wei Xuan abandoned the army and fled, How can I face the King of Shu?"

"The matter is still undecided. Based on General Tie's understanding of Wei Xuan, do you think he will escape?"

Tie Yuan was silent for a long time, "Has the valley entrance really been occupied by the Hanzhou Army?"

"The Hanzhou Army dug trenches to divert water to block the Wei Xuan Army, and smeared grease on the plank road closest to the valley entrance, ready to set it on fire at any time."

Tie Yuan's face changed slightly. The reason why he was in a hurry to run back to Hanzhou was that he didn't trust Wei Xuan. As a result, the thing he was most worried about still happened, "Why didn't the Hanzhou Army burn the plank road immediately?"

"Of course, there is a request."

Tie Yuan's face changed again, "Could it be that Mr. Xu is acting as a lobbyist for the Hanzhou Army to persuade me to surrender?"

"I just passed the message, General Tie decided it himself." Xu Chu shut up, stood aside, and focused on watching the soldiers passing by.

Tie Yuan never gave a real number of how many soldiers he brought with him on this expedition. According to Xu Chu's rough estimate, there were at least 20,000 soldiers and at most 50,000 soldiers. Although not many, they were the elite soldiers of Yizhou. If this army was lost, Yibei would be in chaos. Gan had not been recruited in Yizhou for long, so it would be difficult to suppress it.

Tie Yuan also understood these principles, so there was no need to repeat them. He thought for a long time and walked over and said, "If Mr. Xu has the opportunity to go to Yizhou to meet the King of Shu, please apologize on my behalf."

"Has General Tie made up his mind?"

"Whether to surrender or die, this army does not belong to the King of Shu. I was ordered to go on the expedition. Even if I cannot win, I will not turn to another master. Victory and defeat are unpredictable, life and death are determined by fate. I feel ashamed of the King of Shu and the soldiers under my command, but I would rather die than surrender."

Xu Chu sighed lightly, "What if there is a way to make this Yizhou army still belong to the King of Shu?"

"Impossible, I believe Mr. Xu is eloquent, but please don't use it on me. The Hanzhou army is now No matter what promises are made, they are untrustworthy. In the end, they want to capture the soldiers of Yizhou - they don't want me, they want these people. "Tie Yuan pointed to the soldiers who were hurrying, "I feel sorry for them, but there is no way. Since we have to be loyal to the King of Shu, we can't have too many concerns. I only ask Mr. Xu to be careful with your words and don't disturb my army. I will send someone to send you back later. "

"Hanzhou Army... Lou Changshi did not promise. I thought that maybe we could persuade Han and Yizhou to form an alliance, and General Tie led the troops to help defend Hanzhou. After the matter is done, return to Yizhou and live up to the trust of the King of Shu. "

Tie Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "Didn't Mr. Xu see? Yizhou and Hanzhou had an alliance once, and now it is No one can trust anyone. I don't blame the Hanzhou Army, but I blame myself for my poor planning, trusting Wei Xuan wrongly, and not listening to Master Xu's advice. "

"What does General Tie want to make him trust the Hanzhou Army?"

"Master Xu...are you serious?"

"Of course."

"But the Hanzhou Army...will Lou Ai recognize Master Xu as a brother?"

"It has nothing to do with brothers."

"If the Hanzhou Army is willing to withdraw and lift the siege of Hanping City and Gukou, I think I can believe their sincerity and am willing to stay to help defend Hanzhou and never let He Rong enter Han from Baoxiadao."

"General Tie also has to show some sincerity to the Hanzhou Army."

"I will All the Yizhou soldiers in the surrounding counties will be transferred to Hanping City or sent back to Yizhou. I will defend the city alone and leave the retreat to the Hanzhou people. This is my sincerity. "

Xu Chu nodded, "Okay, there is no time to lose. Please slow down the march, General Tie, and I will go to persuade Lou Changshi."

Tie Yuan reached out and grabbed one of Xu Chu's arms, "I believe in Mr. Xu. If this matter can be negotiated, I will concentrate on defending the city and resisting He Rong's people. I have no second thoughts. I also beg Mr. Xu not to trick me into a trap."

"I have no other guarantees, only this life. If I plot, I will be cut into pieces. If I am deceived by Hanzhou, I am willing to die with General Tie, and I will never live alone."

"Hey, the people of Hanzhou want Yizhou soldiers, so why do they care about your life and mine? But Mr. Xu's words are enough."

Tie Yuan immediately ordered the entire army to stop and rest, waiting for the soldiers behind to catch up. At the same time, he sent someone to escort Xu Chu back to the mouth of the valley.

The road was easier to walk during the day. Shortly after noon, Xu Chu returned to the mouth of the valley. The last section of the plank road was an arc, and the situation on the other side could not be seen, but the grease on the plank road was clearly visible. It only took a rocket to ignite it. The fire made this place a dead end.

The Yizhou soldiers escorting Xu Chu retreated. He walked carefully along the plank road alone. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw a dense antler fence on the opposite side, with many swords and guns tightly tied to it. Even if the Yizhou soldiers were lucky enough to pass the plank road, they would be unable to move even an inch here.

When the Hanzhou soldiers guarding the road saw the incoming man, they immediately bent their bows and arrows and shouted, "Give me your name!"

"Xu Chu, I was ordered by the building chief Shi to deliver a message and come back to reply."

The soldiers allowed Xu Chu to come over, but still bent their bows. They did not loosen the bowstring until they confirmed that he was alone and had no followers behind him.

In the small town at the mouth of the valley, Lou Yu was giving orders. When he saw Xu Chu coming back, he nodded to him and continued to pass orders. When the generals were almost dispersed, he asked Xu Chu: "How?"

Xu Chu heard a few orders and asked, "Did Wei Xuan abandon the city?"

Lou Yu said with a smile: "He didn't even send troops out to test it out. He only asked the scouts to come around and take a look at it from a distance. Soon after, he led his troops out of the city and fled to Yizhou."

"Tie Yuan doesn't want to surrender."

"Tie Yuan is an old friend of the King of Shu, and he is more loyal than Wei Xuan." Lou Yu didn't look surprised.

"But he is willing to form an alliance and guard Hanzhou with Building Chief Shi."

"Haha, I have already learned about the Yizhou people's 'alliance', but I'm really not interested. Mr. Xu doesn't need to go back anymore. Just let Tie Yuan lead his troops over here."

"Tie Yuan is willing to give up the counties and counties he occupied, leaving only the city of Hanping. In this way, the retreat route back to Yizhou will be under the control of the building commander Shi."

"The Hanzhou Army will soon retake the counties, especially Hanping City. It will soon fall into my hands. Why do we need him to give in?"

"Without other counties, Tie Yuan defends Hanping alone and has no way to retreat. He can only seal the valley road with all his strength. The Hanzhou army can exclusively guard the east. The two armies join forces and can keep the He Rong people out."

Lou Yu shook his head, "Hanzhou only wants to surrender its troops, not allies. Besides, this is just Tie Yuan's idea. If the King of Shu refuses, Tie Yuan will have to lead his troops back to Yizhou. By then, I will not only offend Shanyu, but also divide my troops to intercept him." Tie Yuan will definitely be defeated."

"I will go to Yizhou to persuade the King of Shu to accept the alliance, and I will never make Tie Yuan have second thoughts."

"Haha, Mr. Xu is really...last night you were my envoy, trying to persuade Tie Yuan for me. How come you did the opposite after only half a day's work?"

"Preventing the He Rong people from going south is the most important thing. As long as it is beneficial to this, I don't care who the messenger is."

"Master Xu also knows that the He Rong people are unstoppable. I'm sorry, but because of this, I can't take too much risk. Tie Yuan must either surrender and merge all the Yizhou soldiers into the Hanzhou army. That's why I dare to seal the pass to resist the powerful enemy. He If they don’t surrender, I will have no choice but to follow the crowd and submit to Shanyu for the time being. Although Hanzhou is small, it cannot suffer from my temporary mistakes.”

Xu Chu wanted to persuade him again, but Lou Yu waved his hand and said, "I'm a little tired after a busy day and night. Please go and have a rest first. Let's talk again when we get to Hanping City in the evening."

"Without further ado..."

"For Tie Yuan, it's not too late. For me, a short nap is the most important thing." Lou Yu yawned, showing an obvious intention of expelling the guests.

Xu Chu had no choice but to think about which topic would immediately arouse the other party's interest. A soldier came in from outside and said, "Inform General Pingxi that there is a messenger in Hanping City asking for an audience."

Lou Yu, who originally had a smile on his face, suddenly froze. After a while, he said, "Didn't you say that Wei Xuan has led his troops to escape? Where did the messenger come from in the city?"

"This... I don't know, but the person who sent the letter..."

"Call in." Lou Zhi said.

The messenger from Hanping City strode into the hall. He did not stop until he was stopped by the guards. Without saluting, he said loudly: "Are you the commander-in-chief of the Hanzhou Army? I am here to inform you on the orders of Yizhou Pioneer General Tang Weitian. ...Hey, Mr. Xu is here!"

The messenger turned out to be Chang Yan. He did not follow Xu Chu out of the city, nor did he escape with Wei Xuan. Following his wishes, even Tang Weitian did not leave.

Xu Chu was surprised, "Yes, I'm here...how many people are there in the city?"

Chang Yan was not stupid at all, and immediately said: "It's enough to defend the city. Please rest assured, Sir, General Xiao Tang will never hand over the city if the Hanzhou Army does not release them."

Lou Yu was even more surprised, but was not frightened. He sneered twice, stood up suddenly, and said to the guard: "I'm going to check the situation and keep an eye on these two people."

When Lou Zhi came out of the hall, Chang Yan whispered: "Wei Xuan only left 500 people for Tang Weitian, and I don't know how long he can guard him..."