Chapter 366: Cao and Liu fight, the building is about to collapse However, after leaving the palace, Mu Shun quietly went to the residence of his father-in-law Fu Wan and presented the letter. When Fu Wan saw that the book was written by his daughter, he frowned and said: "Even though we have this plan, why rush into it? Cao has many confidants right now, so we can't act hastily." "I heard that Liu Zheng is heading east to attack Hanzhong recently. Cao Cao will surely want to go far away. Only then can we make our plan!" Seeing this, Mu Shun thought that since he was already here, he wouldn't go back and tell Liu Xie that things were not going well. "In this case, the father-in-law might as well write a letter to Your Majesty first and ask for a secret decree so that you can act!" When Fu Wan heard this, he thought that Liu Xie would be jealous without the letter, so he simply wrote a letter and gave it to Mu Shun. After Mu Shun received the letter, she hid it in her hair bun, said goodbye and returned to the palace. At this time, Cao Hong was in charge of the entire palace defense. Upon hearing this, he informed Cao Cao of the news.

When Cao Cao heard the letter, he knew that the little emperor was plotting again, and he immediately ordered people to enter the palace to capture Mu Shun and torture him. Mu Shun was beaten up and refused to confess, so Cao Cao ordered people to surround Fu Wan's mansion. They caught his friend and searched him for a while, but didn't find anything, so they gave up. It turned out that since Dong Cheng's failure last time, Fu Wan had learned his lesson. Although he got the secret letter, he saw that it was burned first. Faced with Cao Cao's torture, he refused to confess and only said that Empress Fu asked for greetings. Cao Cao had no choice but to release him. He then heard that Yan Pu, the envoy from Hanzhong, was coming, and after a meeting with him, he realized that the situation in Hanzhong was urgent. As a last resort, he ordered the Prefect of the Guards Jia Xu to stay in Chang'an and let Cao Hong help with the defense. After finishing all this, in the first month of the seventh year of Jian'an, Cao Cao personally led an army of 50,000 and marched towards Hanzhong. At the same time, Liu Bei and Liu Zhang had been marching for more than a month and each had achieved some results. This was because after Fa Zheng joined Liu Bei's army, he conspired with Pang Tong and others. After discussion, they decided that this would be a protracted war and that they must first stabilize the rear. Therefore, everyone suggested that Liu Bei first take Shangyong, Xicheng and other places, and then advance into the heart of Hanzhong. Liu Bei then sent Zhang Fei as the vanguard to capture Xicheng directly, and ordered Meng Da to advance by water to capture Shangyong. These cities were not heavily garrisoned and were taken by Liu Bei in less than ten days. On the other hand, Liu Zhang sent Wu Yi to the north to attack, and first arrived at Jiameng Pass, where he encountered Zhang Wei's troops. The two armies fought a fierce battle, and Zhang Wei was defeated. He retreated to Baishui Pass, where he built more than ten stockades near the mountains and forests. When Wu Yi led his troops to the foot of the pass, he saw that the pass was steep and overgrown with weeds, so he had to set up a camp at the foot of the pass. He contained Liu Bei here, which made it possible for Liu Bei to advance in the east, and he successively conquered Fangling and Shangxian. As for Dingyuan Pavilion in the southwest of Hanzhong. This place is east of Xixiang County in later generations. Due to the huge difference in water level, the navy could no longer advance.

When he heard that Zhang Lu had ordered Yang Ren to lead several thousand soldiers to station at the entrance of Longting Road, Liu Bei frowned and said: "I heard that Yang Ren is a great general of Dongchuan. Now our navy is having difficulty advancing and they are blocking the road. How can we defeat them?" When Liu Ye and Pang Tong heard this, they were both speechless because they were not familiar with the geography of Hanzhong. Only Fa Zheng said: "I have a plan that can guarantee that we can defeat this man. The enemy troops are currently stationed in Longting, and this place is difficult to break through." "However, thirty miles north from here, there is a small path that leads to Dingyuan Pavilion in Dongchuan." "This pavilion is located in the mountains, and the terrain is open. You may send an army to ambush there." "The army dragged the boats westward, and when they reached Longting, they ordered their troops to feint and attack Chenggu." "Now, when Yang Ren sees this, he will have to retreat. At that time, you can follow him and attack from both sides, and then we can defeat them." "If we can defeat Yang Renyi, there will be no obstacles ahead and we can take Nanzheng in one fell swoop!" Upon hearing this, Liu Bei readily agreed. Seeing that Huang Zhong was familiar with the geography of Dongchuan, he sent Huang Zhong to lead 5,000 soldiers and horses to accompany him. After Fa Zheng left, he got off the boat and asked the soldiers to tow the boat forward. Traveling in this way naturally slowed down the pace, and it took more than ten days to reach Longting. Longting is also a dangerous place. To the east it is surrounded by mountains, and to the west is the Hanzhong Plain. After Yang Ren arrived, he set up a camp at the exit of Han River on the west side of Longting, as if he was directly clamping the Han River. Upon hearing that Liu Bei's fleet had arrived, he ordered his soldiers to defend the camp tightly and not engage in battle. Although Liu Bei's army had boats to gain a foothold, they could only set up camp among the mountains and fight with the enemy for several days. While they were in a stalemate, Fa Zheng and Huang Zhong had already entered the Hanzhong Plain along the small path. As for Chenggu City, Huang Zhong led his troops to fight. The defending general was afraid and quickly sent a letter asking for help. After the reinforcements arrived, Fa Zheng ordered Huang Zhong to store firewood at the foot of the city and threatened to set the city on fire. The soldiers on the city wall naturally laughed when they saw this. As a result, at night, Fa Zheng ordered Huang Zhong to light a fire. As the flames rose, they surrounded the entire city on all sides, illuminating the sky, making it a fiery red. Yang Ren was camping in the east when he suddenly saw a red patch in the west. He was shocked and met a messenger from Chenggu asking for help. Yang Ren heard that the enemy had already reached Chenggu, and saw a fire in the west. He thought the city had already fallen, and he couldn't help but think to himself: "The enemy is very numerous now, and our army is small. The city has been lost and the retreat is cut off!" "If I don't retreat now, how will I respond when the enemy attacks me from both sides tomorrow?" In fear, he withdrew his camp under the cover of night and prepared to retreat directly back to Nanzheng City. However, he did not know that this was Fa Zheng's plan. When Liu Bei saw the fire in the west, he had already led his troops to prepare. As soon as Yang Ren withdrew his camp, Liu Bei ordered Zhao Yun to go ahead and lead the cavalry in pursuit. After Zhao Yun received the order, he chased westwards, while Huang Zhong and Fa Zheng attacked from the east. Unfortunately, Yang Ren was blocked by Huang Zhong halfway through his journey, and was then caught up by Zhao Yun's cavalry from behind. The two sides fought a fierce battle, Yang Ren was captured alive by Huang Zhong, and thousands of soldiers under his command were wiped out.

After Liu Bei captured Yang Ren, he was overjoyed. He rewarded Huang Zhong and Fa Zheng heavily, and then went west to seize Chenggu. As for February of the seventh year of Jian'an, Liu Bei had already reached the city of Nanzheng and surrounded it. At this time, Cao Cao's troops had already arrived in Hanzhong. Seeing Liu Bei surrounding the city, his general Ma Chao acted decisively and led the cavalry to raid Liu Bei's rear. In this battle, Liu Bei lost thousands of soldiers and horses. Only then did he realize that Cao Cao's vanguard had arrived. Seeing the bravery of Ma Chao's cavalry, he did not dare to engage in a head-on confrontation and had to retreat to the south bank of the Han River to set up camp. However, at this time, good news came from the south, saying that Wu Yi had already broken through Baishui Pass. It turned out that when Liu Bei was advancing, Wu Yi had been in a stalemate with Zhang Wei for more than a month. As a scholar from Dongzhou, the reason why Wu Yi was valued by Liu Zhang and his son was not only because of his connections, but also because he was a talented general. Seeing that Zhang Wei was holding his ground, he ordered Zhang Ren and others to lead troops to launch a surprise attack and burn down the stockade. Then he burned all the weeds with fire and sent out spies to search for mountain trails. After more than ten days of exploration, he finally found a path leading directly to the rear of Baishui Pass. When he learned of this, he ordered General Liu Gui to lead 500 soldiers and horses over the mountain to set up camp. After more than ten days, his troops had reached the north of Baishui Pass in the thousands. So on the fourth day of February, he led his troops to attack Baishui Pass. While Zhang Wei was defending the front, Liu Gui suddenly launched a surprise attack from the rear and captured the Guanmen in one fell swoop. In this battle, Zhang Wei was beheaded, Yang Ang was captured, and the barrier south of Hanzhong was directly opened. After gaining access, Wu Yi continued northward, killing his way all the way to the Hanzhong Plain and joining Liu Bei's main forces. By the beginning of March, Cao Cao's main force arrived, and the three families, together with Zhang Lu, formed a standoff in Hanzhong. However, at this moment, Yuan Shao, who was thousands of miles away, launched a surprise attack on Shangdang and Henei under the rule of Cao Cao. The reason for this was that Yuan Shao sent his envoy Cui Yan to Liu Bei's army. Originally he just wanted to improve his relationship with Liu Bei, but unexpectedly he saw Liu Bei discussing the strategy of advance with Zhang Song. After receiving the news, Cui Yan hurried back to Yuan Shao and told him about the matter. As mentioned before, Yuan Shao was having a very difficult time at this time. He had powerful enemies outside, fighting inside, and insufficient food and grass. According to the suggestions of Tian Feng and Ju Shou, they would need to rest for at least three years before continuing the war. During this journey they can make friends with Liu Bei and continue to erode the territory occupied by Cao Cao until they occupy the north. Because in the eyes of the two counselors, Liu Bei is indeed powerful now, but Liu Bei is still congenitally deficient and cannot defend the Central Plains without cavalry! So they can use the trick of boiling a frog in warm water, and after defeating Cao Cao, they can harass Liu Bei. Although this unified approach may lead to Liu Bei becoming stronger and stronger, they will win sooner or later. At the very least, we could drive Liu Bei to the south, rule across the river from him, and divide the world into two. But what they didn't expect was that after Liu Bei captured Jingzhou, he did not stop, but directly attacked Hanzhong.

Ju Su and Feng Ji were surprisingly unanimous about Liu Bei's intention, believing that Liu Bei's move was to seize Guanzhong. So after Ju Su and Feng Ji discussed it, they directly asked Yuan Shao to send troops to attack Cao Cao. According to the two men, if Liu Bei attacked Hanzhong, Cao Cao would definitely fight to the death with Liu Bei after knowing it. This is their chance to surprise Cao Cao and conquer Bingzhou, Hedong and Henei. As long as they captured Hedong County, their troops could directly enter Sanfu through Puban. With this constant harassment by cavalry, Cao Cao would definitely be defeated within three years. But this time, Tian Feng and Shen Pei had different opinions from the other two. Tian Feng concluded that this was Qin Zhen's plan. According to him, it seems that Liu Bei has pinned down Cao Cao, but in fact, neither Liu Bei nor Cao Cao's main forces have moved. If they send out troops now, they will tie down Cao Cao's main force and give Liu Bei an opportunity to take advantage. Therefore, Tian Feng’s opinion was to keep the troops in place and wait until Liu Bei’s troops in the Central Plains moved before taking action. However, this proposal was opposed by Ju Su, who believed that Cao Cao was no match for Liu Bei! If they don't move now, Liu Bei will be able to occupy Hanzhong and continue to encroach on the horse-producing areas in Liangzhou. If Cao Cao could not defend Hanzhong, he would retreat towards Luoyang and move his troops into Bingzhou. Because Liangzhou is a barren land with a total population of less than one million, it cannot support too many soldiers. Bingzhou, on the other hand, can be directly connected to Youzhou, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and can be used as Cao Cao's last retreat. If they do not move now, they will force Cao Cao to abandon Liang Province and move his main forces westward. This will not only allow Liu Bei to obtain horse-producing land, but will also increase the pressure around them dramatically. Even if this was Qin Zhen's strategy, it was an open conspiracy. If they did not mobilize troops, Liangzhou would eventually belong to Liu Bei. But if they move now, they can occupy the strategic location of Hedong and even enter Guanzhong. So in the face of Tian Feng's proposal, Ju Su still suggested that Yuan Shao directly send troops to attack Cao Cao. At this time, Yuan Shao had suffered a blow in the Battle of Guandu and was exhausted and unable to manage affairs. Moreover, Ju Su's words had always come true, so he ordered his troops to be prepared. At the beginning of March, he received a letter from a spy saying that Cao Cao and Liu Bei had fought a great battle in Hanzhong. After receiving the news, Yuan Shao no longer hesitated and ordered Zhang He, Gao Gan and others to advance directly. As Yuan Shao advanced, the pressure on Cao Cao in the east increased sharply. Seeing this, Xiahou Dun hurriedly asked for help from Guanzhong. For a time, Cao Cao's subordinates were in turmoil everywhere, and it seemed that the whole country was about to collapse. (End of this chapter)