Chapter 440 Pang Tong's Speculation
Liu Fan's frankness completely put an end to the worries of Yuan Shao and others.
When they learned that Liu Fan had sent troops to harass Liang Province, what they were most grateful for was not that Liu Fan took action, but that Liu Fan's troops were able to pass through Hanzhong.
I thought Liu Fan still had some control over Hanzhong, but the facts proved that it was just Zhang Lu who gave way to him.
Hanzhong was really not under Liu Fan's control.
"General Liu, when you sent troops north, did you enter the county seat Nanzheng when you passed through Hanzhong?" Pang Tong asked again.
Liu Fan smiled bitterly and shook his head: "No."
"Zhang Lu is nominally under my jurisdiction, but in reality he follows orders but not instructions, and has established his own faction in Hanzhong. This time when I went north, my army did not enter the heart of Hanzhong, but only passed through."
"Zhang Lu was very wary of me. Whenever the army passed through a checkpoint or fortress, it was strictly inspected. Even the food and fodder that Zhang Lu provided was purchased by me."
Speaking of this, Liu Fan couldn't help but sigh.
Being the emperor in name only but the governor of Yizhou in reality, it was really too frustrating for him to end up like this.
At that time, he did think about using Zhang Lu as a passage to attack Guo and take the opportunity to control Hanzhong, but Zhang Lu never gave him this opportunity.
"However, the good news is that Zhang Lu still supports my northern expedition against Tian Ze. If Tian Ze goes south, he can resist a few and hold out for at least half a year."
After hearing Liu Fan's words, some of the wise counselors present looked at Zhang Lu and Huang Quan and Zhang Song behind him in a slightly strange manner.
Huang Quan and Zhang Song each lowered their heads, silent and silent.
"Does Envoy Liu really think so?" Pang Tong asked in an inexplicable tone.
"Shiyuan, what do you mean?" Liu Fan noticed that everyone's eyes were quite strange, and immediately realized that something was wrong.
"Has Zhang Lu ever contacted Envoy Liu to discuss how to resist Tian Ze's southward advance? Or to seek support?" Pang Tong asked again.
"Never."
As soon as he said this, Liu Fan suddenly realized what the problem was and his face instantly turned ugly.
"With a powerful enemy at the doorstep, you, General Liu, are quite anxious, but Zhang Lu, who is on the front line, remains as steady as a rock." Pang Tong said dimly.
"As far as I know, Zhang Lu is not an arrogant person. I'm afraid that most of the time..."
In history, Zhang Lu became enemies with Liu Zhang because Liu Zhang killed his mother and brother. When Cao Cao went south to Hanzhong, he did not ask Liu Zhang for help.
But now there is no outstanding contradiction between Zhang Lu and Liu Fan, and their relationship on the surface is quite good.
It was quite rare that Liu Fan could resist breaking up with Zhang Lu.
Tian Ze stationed a large number of troops in Xiliang, but Zhang Lu did not ask Liu Fan for help. This was very abnormal in itself.
"Perhaps Zhang Lu is confident that he can repel the enemy." Liu Fan argued somewhat unwillingly.
Upon hearing this, Pang Tong smiled slightly and said no more.
At this time, Liu Fan could only choose to deceive himself. Otherwise, he could give up his position directly.
Tian Ze had not yet moved south, and Zhang Lu was already ready to surrender to the enemy. It would be extremely difficult to defend Yizhou, so it was almost imperative to invite Liu Bei to enter Shu.
It is easier to invite a god than to send him away. Regardless of victory or defeat, as long as Liu Bei leads his troops to help, Liu Fan's position as governor of Yizhou will soon be over. Without sufficient strength, prestige, and righteousness, how can the Yizhou civil and military officials and local tyrants support Liu Fan again if he loses Hanzhong?
He could advance to welcome Tian Ze into Shu, or he could retreat to persuade Liu Fan to abdicate to Liu Bei. Liu Fan's position was very embarrassing.
Therefore, even Huang Quan and Zhang Song, two wise men in Yizhou, instinctively chose to avoid this issue and never mentioned it.
Pang Tong mentioned this matter at this time just in case.
Our capital is already limited, and we must not allow any accidents to occur. We must make adequate preparations in advance.
Now that the unstable factor in Hanzhong has been confirmed, we must prepare ways to deal with it, so as to avoid being passive if Zhang Lu really surrenders.
"General Liu, I have no other intention in this matter. I am just considering the overall situation. I hope you can forgive me." Pang Tong said sincerely.
Liu Fan forced a smile: "It's okay."
Although his shortcomings were exposed by Pang Tong, Liu Fan knew that Pang Tong had no ill intentions.
The current situation no longer allows them to plot against each other secretly, so he had made full mental preparations before coming.
It would be difficult for him to defend Yizhou by himself alone, and it would be almost impossible to do so for a long time. He had to rely on the other princes, especially Liu Bei who was next to him.
"Since Hanzhong has this hidden danger, is there any way to solve it? To bring Hanzhong back under the control of Yizhou?" Yuan Shao asked.
Liu Fan shook his head slightly: "Brother Benchu, you don't know. Zhang Lu has been spreading the Five Pecks of Rice Sect in Hanzhong for many years. Most of the local people are believers and are quite fanatical."
"And Zhang Lu has always been a cautious person. He would be extremely alert at any sign of trouble. I have tried to take action several times, but I failed every time."
Although the system of combining politics and religion has many drawbacks, it is indeed extremely stable in the short term. Coupled with the terrain of Hanzhong, it is extremely difficult to capture it.
This is also the reason why Jia Xu started planning early.
If Zhang Lu really insisted on resisting, it would be extremely difficult for them to capture him.
"If Tian Ze goes south to Hanzhong in the name of support..." Chen Qun suddenly said.
Everyone was in deep thought, but Xun Chen quickly said, "I'm afraid that Zhang Lu has already turned his heart to Tian Ze. If that's the case, I'm afraid that with this plan, not only will we not be able to get Hanzhong, but the army we sent out may also be in danger of being annihilated."
Unlike Pang Tong and others who only had vague guesses, Xun Chen, who had a thorough understanding of human nature, was almost certain that Zhang Lu had the intention to surrender.
"The safest option is to prepare for Zhang Lu's surrender, guard the checkpoints between Hanzhong and Shuzhong, and strengthen the military just in case."
Hearing what Xun Chen said, everyone present nodded.
The current situation is completely reversed from before the Central Plains War.
As the defending party, the princes of the Central Plains had a very low tolerance for error, so they had to use their troops conservatively, which was completely opposite to their previous style of daring to fight and fight.
Although Xun Chen's strategy was not brilliant, it was the most reliable solution.
"The only roads between Hanzhong and Shuzhong that can accommodate a large army are Micang Road and Jinniu Road," Zhang Song said in a deep voice.
"With our Yizhou troops, it is not difficult to defend these two roads. But if Tian Chengshou captures Hanzhong, it will be disadvantageous to confront him for a long time."
"Therefore, I hope Lord Xuande can help and defend the Micang Road. My lord is willing to give up the cities of Hanchang and Xuanhan in the north of Ba County to facilitate Lord Xuande's long-term garrison."
"Hanzhong and Guanzhong are separated by the Qinling Mountains, which makes it difficult to transport troops and food. If the time is right, we can send troops to retake Hanzhong, thus completely destroying Tian Ze's possibility of capturing Yizhou."
(End of this chapter)
