Chapter 619: Get it in Wudu County

On June 20, in the fourth year of Tiantong, on June 20, Li Siye led his army out of Baoxi Road, walked all the way south, and finally returned to Nanzheng City. Zhuge Liang, the governor of Shuzhong Road, received the imperial edict and prepared the food and supplies needed for the army to enter Liang to fight, personally came to Nanzheng City from Chengdu. At the same time, the money and grain from the counties of Shuzhong Road were also continuously transported to Nanzheng City.

"The lower-ranking official Zhuge Liang welcomed the General of the Cavalry and returned with victory!" Outside Nanzheng City, Zhuge Liang personally led the Han Chinese civil and military officials to welcome Li Siye's army back. Although Zhuge Liang and Li Siye belonged to two different systems, Zhuge Liang was a civil servant and Li Siye was a military general, but in terms of rank, Li Siye was one of the three giants of the General Governor's Office, and his status was the same as that of the chief officials of the three provinces. Zhuge Liang was the governor of Shuzhongdao, and his rank was half a level lower than that of a minister and half a level higher than that of a minister. Therefore, in front of Li Siye, Zhuge Liang was the lower-ranking official.

Li Siye and a group of generals turned over and dismounted, and said to Zhuge Liang with a wry smile: "The governor Zhuge does not need to be too polite. The four words "Zhuge Zhuge return to victory can be defeated. It is because I did nothing in Guanzhong that Your Majesty will let me turn to Xiliang. I am ashamed!"

"Haha!" Zhuge Liang replied with a smile: "Why should the general be humble? Although the general failed to lead the army to conquer Chang'an City, Baoxi Road, Mei County, and Chen Cang won three battles and three victories, wiped out tens of thousands of Qin troops, and swept away the main force of the Qin army in western Guanzhong. How can such contributions be described as inaction? General, this place is not a place to speak. The lower officials have held a banquet in the city to welcome the generals and ask the generals to follow him and talk to the generals!"

"please!"

After everyone arrived at the prefect's mansion, Zhuge Liang specially held a banquet to welcome Li Siye and others. After drinking for three rounds, Li Siye said to Zhuge Liang: "Governor Zhuge, Your Majesty is the emperor's order to let me lead my army west to Xiliang. Shuzhong Dao is fully responsible for the food, grass and supplies for our army to enter Liang. I wonder how well Zhuge Zhuge is prepared? When will I be able to enter Liang?"

Zhuge Liang wiped the wine traces at the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Don't worry, General. Since receiving the order from Your Majesty, the Xiaguan ordered the counties of Shuzhongdao to raise money and grain. Fortunately, the Shuzhongdao has always been rich, and the counties have accumulated a lot of money and grain. Therefore, the grain and grass that the Xiaguan has already stored in Nanzheng City is enough for the army to spend a year!"

The prosperity of Shuzhong Dao is not a joke. After Deng destroyed Shu, the money and food he received was enough for the entire Deng army to fight for three years. Shuzhong Dao was incorporated into Deng State for many years. Although it experienced the Battle of Jianshan, this loss was nothing for Shuzhong Dao, which had a strong financial resources. Now, with the expansion of Deng State's territory, it is difficult for Shuzhong Dao to supply the entire Deng army to the entire army. However, Shuzhong Dao is still a famous granary in the world!

"That's good. Since that's the case, then General Zhuge will rest in Nanzheng City for a few days before sending troops. By the way, General Zhuge, don't know if there is any information about Wudu County? This general has been stationed in the Central Plains for many years and is not familiar with Shuzhong, Xiliang and other places. If General Zhuge knows one or two, please give me some advice!" Li Siye said.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang immediately asked someone to take out a map, and then asked someone to withdraw the banquet. Everyone surrounded the map. Zhuge Liang said, "Please look at it, generals, this is the map obtained by Daomingjing in Shuzhong after years of hard work. This is Wudu County and Longxi County."

Everyone looked down and found that the map was not particularly detailed, but it was understandable. Since Deng and Qin had a feud, especially after Deng's army defeated the Zhao army in the Central Plains a few years ago, and their strength had completely crushed Qin and Zhao, Qin's control of the border has become increasingly strict. It is very difficult for a mirror spy to enter the Qin territory. It is impossible to find out clearly. The rest can only take one step at a time.

"Wudu County has a total of Xiabian, Juxian, ancient road, Hechi, Shanglu, Wududao, Qiangdao, and Qiangdao. The capital of Xiabian City was originally a 10,000 garrison in the county, and the main general was named Zhang Ji. However, after our Da Deng gathered elite troops last year, in order to resist the offensive of our Da Deng, Qin State drew a large number of elite troops from Xiabian back to Guanzhong. Now the entire Wudu County has less than 5,000 troops left behind!" Zhuge Liang briefly introduced the situation of the Qin army in Wudu County.

"Governor Zhuge, I have heard many times that the Qiang people in Xiliang and other places are relatively powerful. Wudu County is close to Xiliang. I wonder if there are Qiang people in Wudu County?" asked Deng Zhong, the general of Wudangwei.

"Haha, General Deng, I think it may be more appropriate for you to ask General Li Jing directly!" Zhuge Liang said with a smile.

As soon as Zhuge Liang said this, everyone looked at Li Jing and suddenly realized that it was not right. Li Jing was the general of Tianwu Guard and stationed in Hanzhong County for many years. Although Zhuge Liang was the governor of Shuzhong Dao, Li Jing, who was stationed in Hanzhong County, must be more aware of the intelligence of Li Jing, who is always stationed in Hanzhong County.

Li Jing said: "Wudu County has Qiang tribes in Qiangdao City near Longxi County, but the number is not large. According to information, there are only two or three Qiang tribes here, with a total population of less than 30,000. Wudu County is not a place where Qiang people live in large numbers, so the power of Qiang people is not particularly strong."

"Everyone, I've always wondered whether we can accommodate some Qiang people?" At this time, Wudangwei military advisor Su Yun suddenly said.

When everyone heard this, they all looked at Su Yun. Su Yun was very uncomfortable with everyone's eyes, and then said, "I mean, we know very little about the terrain of Xiliang now. If we could have some human guides who lived in Xiliang for generations, we would definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort. In Xiliang, the only people who can help our army are Qiang people. Qiang people have lived in Xiliang for generations, and Qiang tribes are all over the counties of Xiliang. We must be very clear about the detailed terrain of Xiliang."

"Military Su Jun said it is reasonable!" After thinking about it, everyone agreed with Su Yun's idea, and this method was not without precedent. When the state of Zhao and Yan and other major northern powers were conquering the Hu people outside the border, they also accepted the Hu people as their guides and finally won a great victory.

"But Your Majesty has always said that if you are not my race, your heart will be different. Your Majesty has never had any good feelings for foreigners. If Your Majesty knows, you may cause trouble!" The idea is good, but not everyone thinks it is okay. So, the Tianwu Guard military advisor Jia Xu raised a question, that is, Deng Sheng once said that if you are not my race, your heart will be different, and this gives people the feeling that Deng Sheng does not like foreigners. If they accept the Hu people without Deng Sheng's consent, it will definitely cause Deng Sheng's displeasure.

"This..." Everyone looked at Li Siye when they heard this. At this time, Li Siye was the only one who was qualified and capable of making a decision. In short, they would do whatever Li Siye asked them to do.

Li Siye weighed the pros and cons, but did not dare to make a decision without authorization. Finally, he said, "This matter is very important, and I cannot make a decision without authorization. This way, I will personally draft a memorial and send it back to Wancheng in an expedited manner. I will submit it to Your Majesty before the case. Please ask Your Majesty to decide. However, in this way, the time for our troops will be postponed again."

Everyone didn't know what Deng Sheng was thinking, so they didn't dare to make decisions without authorization. In the end, Li Siye decided to send someone back to Wancheng and ask Deng Sheng to decide. However, Nanzheng went back and for Wancheng for five days at the earliest. After going back and forth, the time to send troops to Wudu County would definitely be back, but there was nothing we could do about it.

Soon, Li Siye drafted a memorial, which was of great importance. In order to prevent the news from leaking, Li Siye specially arranged for his own personal guard captain to send the memorial back to Wancheng.

On June 22, in Wancheng, Ganyang Palace, Deng Sheng received a letter from Li Siye and laughed, "Haha, Li Siye is really cautious. What a big deal, I have to make the decision myself. If you go back and tell Li Siye, you will say that I will be sure of this matter."

"Here!" Li Siye's personal guard captain responded, and then left Ganyang Palace.

After the person who reported the news left, Cui Hao frowned and said to Deng Sheng: "Your Majesty, is this matter too hasty? After all, the Qiang people are Hu people from foreign tribes. Your Majesty often says that if they are not of our tribe, their hearts will be different. If the Qiang people have evil intentions, will our army rashly enter Xiliang and send sheep into the tiger's mouth?"

Deng Sheng smiled and said, "Cui Qing, the Qiang people have lived in Xiliang for generations. We are far from familiar with Xiliang. To conquer the counties of Xiliang, the Qiang people must fight for it. Besides, if you conquer the land, you must govern it. The most important thing in governing Xiliang is the Qiang people. To deal with the Qiang people, you cannot use the Central Plains style. You must adapt to the times. Therefore, using the barbarians to control the barbarians is the best way. Cultivating Qiang people loyal to our great Deng in advance is also a good way. As long as you are the Hu people who are loyal to me, Da Deng, what's the harm in accepting it? Since I dare to accept it, I am not afraid of them causing trouble!"

"Your Majesty is far-sighted, I am not as good as you!" Cui Hao praised.

On June 25, in the fourth year of Tiantong, Li Siye sent a messenger to Wancheng back to Nanzheng City and conveyed Deng Sheng's will. After obtaining Deng Sheng's consent, Li Siye and others soon realized that they were in big trouble, that is, they had never had contact with the Qiang people and could not contact the Qiang people.

At this time, Zhuge Liang said: "In fact, our governor's mansion and the Qiang people in Wudu County still have some contacts."

"Governor Zhuge, do you think this is true?" Li Siye asked excitedly. This is great news. Deng State has never taken the initiative to contact the Xiliang counties, not to mention that after Deng and Qin had a feud, the borders between Deng and Qin were basically in a state of blockade. Except for the business trips recognized by the two countries and transporting essential goods from both countries, it is impossible for others to cross the border at all. Therefore, Deng State really has no connection with even a Qiang tribe.

"This is natural!" Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "When I was the governor of Shuzhongdao, I sent a caravan to Wudu County, planning to enter Xiliang County in one fell swoop and inquire about the news about Xiliang County. This matter was also supported by Mingjing and the Business Department. At that time, we had contact with a Qiang tribe named Naiqin near Qiangdao City. At that time, we were relatively unfamiliar with Xiliang County and dared not enter casually, so many times they entrusted Naiqin to deliver our goods to Xiliang County. Later, after exploring the situation of Wudu County and Longxi County, I planned to let the caravan enter Xiliang County directly, but unfortunately, the Battle of Jianshan broke out at that time, and I, Da Deng, had a feud with Qin State. Since then, the two countries have blocked the border one after another, and there has been no contact since then."

"Then, may the governor Zhuge contact the Naiqi tribe now? Will they support us?" Li Siye asked.

Zhuge Liang said: "It is possible. Although the border is blocked now, those people who live on the border all year round will definitely have a way to enter and exit, but this will take a long time. Moreover, according to my understanding of Naiqin, they will not easily surrender to our army. At least, it is impossible before our army completely controls Wudu County. After all, Naiqin is now within the Qin State, and Naiqin is not strong enough to dare to oppose Qin State."

"Okay, then we will conquer Wudu County first. I believe that after seeing my Da Deng's strength, Naiqin will definitely conquer my Da Deng and serve as a guide for my Da Deng's march into Xiliang." Li Siye thought for a while and said, since Naiqin was afraid of Qin and did not dare to turn to Deng easily, then simply, wouldn't it be better to conquer Wudu County directly? In this way, Naiqin will not be in the territory of Qin, but in the territory of Deng.

"Here!" everyone responded.

In the fourth year of Tiantong, on the first day of July, the Deng army launched a large-scale attack on Wudu County. Due to the outbreak of the Battle of Guanzhong, Qin State transferred most of the troops originally stationed in Wudu County, resulting in less than 5,000 troops being stationed in such a large number. If it was a small county in the hinterland, five thousand troops would be enough, but Wudu County was a border area, and five thousand people were not enough to see it.

On the second day of the seventh month of the year of Tiantong, the second day of the second day of the army, the vanguard of Deng's army captured Ju County. After entering Ju County, Li Siye ordered the general Yue Lei to lead his troops to the north to attack Gudao City. The northwest of Gudao City is Sanguan, one of the four passes in Guanzhong. This time, Yue Lei went north, in addition to capturing Gudao City, he also had to obtain this Sanguan, one of the four passes in Guanzhong.

In the fourth year of Tiantong, on the tenth day of July, the Deng army captured Xiabiancheng, the capital of Wudu County, and Yue Lei, who went north, also successfully captured the Gudao City and Sanguan. On July 15th, the Deng army fully controlled the seven cities of Wudu County.

On July 17, in the fourth year of Tiantong, Zhuge Liang, the governor of Shuzhongdao, sent his son Zhuge Zhan to Xiabian City with a large number of business travelers.

"Boy Zhuge Zhan has met the general!" In the prefect's palace, Zhuge Zhan respectfully saluted Li Siye.

Li Siye looked at the young Zhuge Zhan in front of him and said with a smile: "Get up, Zhuge Zhan, are you the son of Zhuge Governor Zhuge? How old are you this year?"

Facing Li Siye's question, Zhuge Zhan replied in a humble and arrogant manner: "Return to the general, you are the son of Zhuge Liang, the governor of Shuzhong Dao, and you are sixteen years old this year!"

"You are only sixteen years old? Zhuge Governor is still relieved. He actually asked a young boy who is only sixteen years old to come!" Li Siye smiled and said with a smile when he heard this. To be honest, the sixteen-year-old Zhuge Zhan is really a little younger.

"You are not willing to agree with this statement by the general!" Seeing that Li Siye looked down on his age, Zhuge Zhan immediately retorted: "In ancient times, Ganluo was the prime minister at the age of twelve years old. If you don't say anything far away, just say that in our dynasty, when the generals of Wudangwei joined the army, the oldest was only in their early twenties, and the youngest were all fifteen or sixteen years old. The boy was already sixteen years old this year. Why did the general look down on the boy?"

"Uhhh..." Li Siye didn't expect that Zhuge Zhan was so sharp-tongued and dared to refute him. He laughed and said, "Haha, okay, Zhuge Zhuge really gave birth to a good son! The young man is so terrifying. Since you are not worried, I have nothing to worry about, Chang Mao obeys the order!"

"The last one will be here!" Chang Mao went out to respond.

"I will order you to lead 500 elite soldiers to Qiangdao City with Zhuge Gongzi to protect the safety of Zhuge Gongzi and a group of merchants along the way!" Li Siye said. Although Zhuge Liang was very relieved about his son, Li Siye really couldn't ignore it. After all, Wudu County has just been pacified, and there are still many Qin army scattered soldiers in the county. Who knows whether Zhuge Zhan and his group would be attacked by Qin army remnants when they were walking on the road. For Zhuge Zhan's safety, Li Siye arranged for Chang Mao to lead 500 elite soldiers to protect them.
Chapter completed!