Volume 5: Overlord of the Sea Chapter 566 Welcoming
After spending several days crossing the Micang Mountain, Zhang Lu was relieved that there were no pursuers behind him. However, at this moment, he suddenly received news that there were "enemies" coming from the front!
Although I can't be sure that they are "enemies", they are definitely not our own...
After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Lu also understood the truth that "if it is a blessing, it will not be a disaster, but if it is a disaster, it cannot be avoided" - it was too late to turn back now. Not to mention that the men and horses were exhausted, but there was the Micang Mountain Road behind them, how could he possibly escape?
Therefore, Zhang Lu chose to wash up and change into the Taoist robe of Heavenly Master before the "enemy" arrived. He must not lose the demeanor of Heavenly Master!
Then wait for the other party to come...
When the army with the Chu army flag raised arrived, the leader put on armor and flew forward. He was actually a general!
"Is it Marquis Hanning who is in front of us?" the general of the Chu army shouted.
"It is this Heavenly Master!" Zhang Lu answered with his head held high and chest puffed out.
"Is it Marquis Hanning who is in front of us?" The Chu general asked again, as if he hadn't heard him.
Zhang Lu frowned, thinking that the other party did not hear clearly. When he was about to answer again, Yan Pu beside him came forward and whispered something in his ear. After hearing this, Zhang Lu's eyes showed some annoyance.
But in the end, he did not get angry, but answered again honestly: "Hanning Marquis Zhang Lu is here!"
General Jin Yu of the Chu State finally understood what was said, and quickly landed in front of Hanninghou's army, and called on the Chu army to slowly come forward.
Seeing this scene, the generals of Tianshi Mansion became a little nervous, and the soldiers also grasped their weapons.
The Jinyu General of Chu pretended not to notice and bowed to Zhang Lu, saying, "I'm glad that Lord Hanning is alright! When I heard that the bandits from Xiliang invaded Hanzhong, my king couldn't sleep at night and couldn't eat, fearing that the reinforcements would not be in time and the people of Hanzhong and Lord Hanning would be robbed... Alas! It's a pity that it's still a step too late. Since Lord Hanning is here, I guess Hanzhong has been completely occupied, right?"
Zhang Lu was annoyed by what the Chu general said, but he still replied: "Yes... Nanzheng has been lost! But the Xiliang bandits are brutal and cruel, and the people of Hanzhong have a strong support for our Tianshi Dao. One decree can get 100,000 soldiers. If His Majesty the King of Chu is willing to help, it will be a piece of cake to recapture Hanzhong."
While not irritating the Chu army, Zhang Lu also tried his best to emphasize that he was "supported by the people" in Hanzhong.
Yan Pu smiled bitterly to himself at the side - he naturally understood what Zhang Lu was thinking!
A few days ago, Yan Pu analyzed the current situation in the world to Zhang Lu .
Today, Han, Wei, and Chu have all stabilized themselves, and a new round of war is about to begin. The previous six or seven years of "relatively stable" times are likely to be completely broken.
As "Hanzhong" is the key point of the auxiliary Han forces, it is undoubtedly very dangerous under such circumstances.
The reason why Hanzhong was able to be preserved in the past, besides its geographical advantage, was also because Guanzhong was in decline, Longxi was in chaos, and Liu Zhang of Xichuan was a waste, so it was "invincible".
However, Hanzhong has now become the focal point of the chaos in the world. Just having the "geographical advantage" is not enough to protect oneself!
The only solution now is to either choose one and surrender, or prepare to conquer the world.
Of course, the latter was entirely to save Zhang Lu's face, and Yan Pu had never thought of this possibility.
As for choosing one to join, the Wei State, which is separated by the power of supporting the Han Dynasty, is definitely not something that can be relied upon. There are only two choices - the Han Dynasty and the Chu State!
Neither option is good...
The former is emotional, and Zhang Lu has great resistance. Although Yan Pu also explained that surrendering to the Han Dynasty is not the same as surrendering to Liu Zhang, and that he can completely win over Ma Teng and Han Sui and form a group with the Xiliang faction to resist the suppression of the royal family faction, it is still foreseeable that Zhang Lu's treatment will definitely not be very good!
the latter……
As for the State of Chu, first of all, it was not suitable in terms of geographical location. If the State of Chu wanted to enter Hanzhong, its location was very "unfavorable". It was difficult to go through "Badong-Bazhong-Migang Mountain", and it was almost impossible to go against the Han River!
As a result, the State of Chu might not be able to recover Hanzhong for a long time, and if only Bazhong was left in the end, Zhang Lu would be almost like a "naked" surrender.
Then for the State of Chu, the significance of Zhang Lu's existence was just that "he might be useful in the future attack on Hanzhong."
For Zhang Lu, his salary is not guaranteed either...
Of course, the difference between the two is that if you surrender to the State of Chu, your personal safety will be guaranteed no matter what, but you may not be able to achieve much in your official career, especially since Zhang Lu is more concerned about the missionary work of Tianshi Dao, and I am afraid that the State of Chu will not assist.
I'm afraid that by then, like Yu Ji, building a Taoist temple will require reporting to the Bureau of Astronomy and waiting for approval, and all doctrines must be submitted to the Bureau of Astronomy for review before being issued, in order to implement the "values" of the Chu State.
Faced with two options that are not very good, Zhang Lu will definitely choose the second one. After all, the hatred between him and the Liu family is not just talk.
only……
Since "neither is good", Zhang Lu was not in a hurry to make a decision, but if "he had to choose", he would choose Chu.
And this was Yan Pu’s judgment a few days ago!
Now the first thing that was beyond Yan Pu's expectations has happened - the State of Chu actually entered Bazhong first.
This made Yan Pu somewhat worried about the current situation in Hanchang, and... the current purpose of the State of Chu!
Yan Pu could guess that Zhang Lu's hope to get the Chu army's help in retaking Hanzhong for free would probably not be fulfilled, no matter how much he emphasized his role in Hanzhong. However, Yan Pu did care about the Chu army's subsequent reaction.
As for Zhang Lu himself...
Based on Yan Pu's understanding of him, Zhang Lu should be able to make the right choice in the end, but he has not learned to make a choice at the best time, so he will "struggle desperately" first.
After hearing Zhang Lu's words, General Jin Yu of Chu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Marquis Hanning! My king always thinks about the people of the world, and the people of Hanzhong are also the king's favorite. He will definitely find a way... It's just that I can't make the decision on such a big matter. Now I am just following the order of Commander Zhao to welcome Lord Hanning."
Zhang Lu felt upset when he heard this. The other party seemed to be catering to him, but kept emphasizing the concept of "Chu State will rescue the people of Hanzhong" and never mentioned "supporting Hanning Hou". The meaning was self-evident.
Seeing Zhang Lu's stern face, Yan Pu asked on Zhang Lu's behalf: "May I know the general's name? And...how is Hanchang doing now?"
General Jin Yu, even in today's constant "inflation", is still considered first-rate, but there are too many gold and jade in the Chu State, it is not easy to guess!
"No respect, no respect. I am Chen Dao, the commander of the Wangjing War Zone and the Wancheng Second Division. Now Commander Zhao of my Wangjing War Zone is personally stationed in Hanchang. Marquis Hanning does not have to worry." Chen Dao said with a silly smile.
Zhang Lu: ...
Zhang Lu really wanted to ask: Why is it that your Commander Zhao is in charge of "my" Hanchang ?
