Chapter 25 Deng Zhi

In November of the winter of the 14th year of Jian'an, the prefect of Langzhong, Basilica. Pang Xi laughed and Zhang Song welcomed him in, politely asked him to sit down. While someone brought wine and food, he greeted enthusiastically: "Yongnian, how many years have we not seen each other?"

Zhang Song smiled respectfully and said, "Since I met an adult in my brother's mansion last time, I have not been able to see the emperor for five years."

Pang Xi stroked his beard with satisfaction and smiled: "Yongnian, I said that you will definitely not waste your talent. How can the sparrow know the ambition of a swan? How can those despicable people see your ability? I've hit it. In the past few years, you have become a confidant of General Cao."

Zhang Song smiled sincerely: "Sir, I'm too rewarded. Song just happened to be a minor official under General Zhennan, and he was able to be a minor official, and he won some trust from the general, but he didn't dare to call him a close confidant. However, he doesn't know the wisdom of knowing people and loving scholars. Who doesn't know about Yizhou? In my opinion, he is even slightly better than Xu Wenxiu (Xu Jing)."

When Pang Xi heard this, he laughed loudly and shook his hand and said, "Yongnian's words are wrong. How can I compare with Xu Wenxiu? He is a celebrity in the Xu family in Runan. How can I compare with him? I can see that Yongnian will become a great talent because Yongnian's talent is as bright as jade, and it cannot be concealed."

They were talking and laughing, a middle-aged man with a moderate figure and agile steps in, glanced at Zhang Song, bowed to Pang Xi and smiled, "Sir, Deng Zhi is late, please forgive me."

Pang Xi waved his hand and said, "Come on Bo Miao, don't be polite, sit down quickly. Let me introduce it. This person is Zhang Song and Zhang Yongnian of Shu County, the brother of Zhang Yuanfang, the prefect of Guanghan, and a famous talented man in Shu County. He is now a popular man under the tent of General Zhennan. Yongnian, this person is Deng Zhi and Deng Bo Miao, a savage from Yiyang, and is also a great talent. It is really aggrieved to be an official under my command."

Deng Zhi quickly said a few humble words and greeted Zhang Song. Zhang Song looked at him and smiled and said, "Pang Daren is a wise person and can be valued by adults. Bo Miao must be a smart person. Bo Miao is a Xinye native in Yiyang. Isn't it from the Deng family in Xinye? Can you know General Fenwei Deng Zhan Deng Ziyi?"

Deng Zhi smiled and said, "Shame, Zhi is the unfilial descendant of the Deng family in Xinye. He has no livelihood, so he fell into the hands of the big man to make a living. Deng Ziyi is a subordinate of my Deng family, and is the same as me. However, he went out many years ago. At that time, I was still young and only knew that there was such a clan brother in the clan, but I had never seen it. It was only this year that I heard that General Deng, the general under Cao Zhennan, was actually the clan brother of my clan back then, and I was really honored."

Zhang Song nodded: "It turns out to be a member of General Deng. No wonder I felt that Bo Miao had a shadow of General Deng when I saw Bo Miao. The Deng family in Xinye was indeed extraordinary. Anyone was chosen as a talent. There is no need to say that General Deng. Deng Chang and Deng Junkuo were established in the age of age and are now the prefect of Runan. Deng Shizai was only thirteen years old and had just shown his talent in using troops. Bo Miao was extraordinary and it was expected to be appointed as a general and a marquis in the future."

When Deng Zhi heard that Deng Chang was the prefect of Runan, he was a little sad. He and Deng Chang studied and practiced martial arts since childhood. Deng Chang was a little inferior to him, whether it was literary or martial arts. But now Deng Chang is already the prefect, and he is just a minor official under Pang Xi, and it is more than a thousand miles apart. Seeing that he was a little sad, Pang Xi couldn't help but laugh and said, "Bomiao, a real man is alive, and it is common for luck to be a good man to be a good man. Didn't Zhang Yuanpei (Zhangyu) say that you can be a general at the age of 70 and can still be a marquis. Although it is a little late, it is not a hopeless period, so there is no need to be depressed."

Deng Zhiqiang smiled and said, "Thank you for your comfort. Deng Zhi is very happy, I also recognize you. I am the general at the age of 70. I don't know if I can live to that day. Come on, let's not talk about those, it's a blessing to meet Lord Zhang today. We should not hurt our emotions for these mundane things."

When Zhang Song heard Pang Xi talk about Zhang Yu's decision to Deng Zhi in Yizhou, he couldn't help but think of the iron mouth of Yecheng. Zhu Jianping, who is now making a living in Xiangyang, smiled secretly in his heart, but looked convinced on his face and said: "Bomiao is a bad word. Zhang Yuanpei is a famous god in Yizhou. Since he said that Bo Miao can be appointed as a general and a marquis, Bo Miao will definitely be appointed as a general and a marquis, so there is no need to doubt it. Bo Miao is late to achieve great things, but being able to live long is also a great joy in life."

"That's right, it's right." When Pang Xi and Deng Zhi heard this, they laughed intriguedly, raised their glasses to signal, and drank them all. With the beginning of this topic, the conversation between the three of them seemed much more natural. Zhang Song deliberately talked about how Deng Zhan, as a side branch of the Deng family, had a brilliant marriage in Xinye, how he returned to the sect, and how he was valued under Cao Chong. He also took Wei Yan, who was also from Yiyang, as an example, and told Wei Yan from a city gate to a fake Sima and a surrendered general. Now he became the guard of Yiling. Deng Zhi was envious, and even Pang Xi felt a little itchy.

Zhang Song looked at their faces in his heart, knowing that it was no longer obvious. He finally mentioned a few lies that Cao Chong admired them, saying that he had already sent a letter to the Yizhou Muslim Mansion, asking Yizhou to send troops to support him and surround Hanzhong. He hoped that Pang Xi would not delay after receiving Liu Zhang's order, and rushed to Hanzhong immediately to make military achievements. Then he sent a large amount of money and returned with great pleasure.

Zhang Song left easily, but Pang Xi and Deng Zhi did not disperse immediately. Pang Xi asked someone to take the banquet, don't change some light wine, and sit against Deng Zhi. He frowned and thought for a while before he raised his head to Deng Zhi and said, "Bomiao, I didn't tell Zhang Yongnian just now that Liu Yizhou's order has arrived. He asked me to cooperate with Cao Zhennan to take Hanzhong, but he didn't say how to cooperate with him. Yongnian said that Cao Zhennan is now under Chenggu City, and there are more than 10,000 people under Chenggu City, but Yang Renjian (Yang Ang) has more than 5,000 people under Chenggu City. If Zhang Gongqi surrenders, there will be nothing wrong. If Zhang Gongqi does not surrender, then he will definitely send people to reinforce. If Cao Zhennan can fight, 10,000 people will attack the city guarded by 10,000 people. This is impossible. Even if I add one thousand people, he will not be able to conquer Chenggu. Will this battle in Hanzhong be another joke?"

Deng Zhi was also a little puzzled: "Sir, right. Judging from the military strength, Cao Zhennan really has no chance of winning. I think he is trying to make Zhang Gongqi surrender. But if he wants to surrender, he must at least have that kind of momentum. What kind of momentum can these ten thousand people have?"

"I think so too, so I hesitate to send troops." Pang Xi stretched out his fingers and scratched his eyebrows, looked at Deng Zhi and said, "You said that if I go to Hanzhong, I will be the general of Zhennan and the prefect of Brazil. If I have strength, we are not much different. He has 10,000 people, and I have 10,000 people. Who will listen to whom?"

Deng Zhi smiled: "Sir, if the adults arrive in Chenggu, I am afraid that the adults will still have to listen to him. Although there are 10,000 adults, they cannot leave Brazil and take all 10,000 people away. The adults can only bring 5,000 people to Hanzhong at most, how can they not listen to him?"

Pang Xi smiled and nodded and said, "It's true."

Seeing him laughing awkwardly, Deng Zhi didn't say it out loud, and said, "I see that many of Zhang Yongnian's entourages were barbarians in Jingshan. I'm afraid that with Zhang Yongnian, he would not only protect him from his safety, but also have the intention of intersecting with Banyan Man in Bajun. In the battle of Fangling in Cao Zhennan this year, the siege of Fangling was lifted without bloodshed, and he was very famous among the barbarians. I heard that he recruited 1,000 soldiers in Xiangyang to form the Jingshan Army, but nearly 7,000 mountain people applied for it, which shows his influence."

"You mean he can convince those barbarians?" Pang Xi stopped his fingers and became nervous.

"No matter whether he can convince the people or not, he must be careful." Deng Zhi analyzed carefully: "If he can convince the Banyan Man, then the adults' Brazil will be in danger, and he cannot bring too many troops into Hanzhong, so as to avoid Brazil's lack of troops and the barbarians' life will be in chaos. If he cannot convince the Banyan Man and cannot persuade Zhang Gongqi to surrender, then Zhang Gongqi will definitely summon the Banyan Man to enter Hanzhong to help with the battle. With the Banyan Man's combat power, I am afraid that Cao Zhennan will suffer a great loss. If... when the Prime Minister Cao blames him, the adults will inevitably be a scapegoat."

"What you mean is that no matter what, I am in danger." Pang Xi widened his eyes, and a cold air rushed straight from the back of his head. After hearing Deng Zhi's words, he thought deeper, and then he felt something was wrong. No wonder Liu Zhang's order was so vague, he only said that he would cooperate with Cao Chong, but not how to cooperate. If Cao Chong won, he would threaten Yizhou. Then Liu Zhang might say that he led Cao Chong into Sichuan. If Cao Chong lost, he would be even more miserable. As soon as Cao Cao blamed him, Liu Zhang would push him out to the scapegoat.

Damn, who came up with the idea? Pang Xi's head suddenly grew bigger.

"Then... Bo Miao thought I should be with myself?" Pang Xi was a little panicked and stared at Deng Zhi and asked.

Deng Zhi pondered for a while: "Zhi thought that the general could not go to Hanzhong, so he found a reason to send a general who led two or three thousand troops from Langzhong to Wangcang, waited for the Baishui army in Dingjun Mountain, and marched into Nanzheng together without going to Chenggu to meet Cao Zhennan. If Cao Zhennan took Chenggu, then he would join forces with him to encircle Nanzheng and make some contributions. If he could not take Chenggu and returned eastward, then with the Baishui army, he would retreat with the situation. Even if Cao Zhennan suffered some damage, it had nothing to do with the general himself."

After hearing this, Pang Xi thought about it for a while, his frowning frown spread out. He smiled and said, "Bomiao, I think Zhang Yuanpei is right. You will be a general in the future. If you don't go to Chenggu and Nanzheng, it's not that I will lead the troops personally. Okay, with the form of cooperation and no opportunity to be controlled, he will not be able to obtain my military power, and I will not bear the responsibility for his defeat. Okay, okay, your idea is good, and people can't catch any handle." He thought about it and said, "But it's not okay if you don't go alone in Cao Zhennan. Bomiao, please go there and explain it to him on my behalf, and also see if this person has a look of a leader. When I heard his news, I couldn't tell the difference. Some said that they were as real as a god, while others said that they were not strict in control and were merciful and ruthless, which made me unable to figure it out. Go and take a look, I can't even have a clear idea."

Deng Zhi nodded and said, "Zhi has received great kindness from the Lord. If he has orders, how dare Zhi refuse to obey?"

Zhang Song heard that Pang Xi sent Deng Zhi as an envoy and followed him to Chenggu, but he did not say that he sent troops to him. He knew that Pang Xi had doubts in his heart and did not dare to lead troops to him. However, he originally hoped that Pang Xi and the Baishui Army would threaten Nan Zheng together and prevent Zhang Lu from letting Zhang Lu focus on defending Chenggu, and there was no hope that Pang Xi would lead his troops to Chenggu to assist the battle. In fact, Cao Chong did not want them to go to Chenggu, so as not to beware of their deception at all times. Therefore, he had no objection to Pang Xi's arrangements, and waited in Langzhong for a few days. After receiving the news from Tiexin, he set off with Deng Zhi to Chenggu.

Tiexin met the three heads of Banyan Man, Park Hu, Du Bin and Yuan Yue. These people were actually not barbarians. They were sinners who were exiled here earlier. Over time, they gradually became no different from barbarians. They won over the barbarians, and then used them as their backing to talk to Zhang Lu and Pang Xi about conditions to obtain benefits. Compared with those brave and warlike Banyan Man, they would enjoy the benefits brought by power and scheming.

After hearing Tiexin's words, Park Hu and others had no feelings about Cao Chong's kindness. Tiexin advised them to surrender to Cao Chong and send troops to help Cao Chong fight. They even shook their heads like rattles and said a lot of reasons. Pang Xi suppressed too much, and the population was insufficient in the past decade. Anyway, they would not send troops. Seeing that they could not speak, Tiexin had no choice but to take out the property that Cao Chong brought to him and give it to the barbarians led by the three of them. Now they were moved. Looking at the pile of property, they almost drooled.

Bajun has abundant resources, but the mountains are just self-sufficient economy. No matter how rich they are, they cannot compare with the great tribes in Xiangyang, or even Tiexin. Tiexin now not only has goods from the mountains, but also can exchange a large amount of goods for money, and then buy new things from Xiangyang back. The exquisiteness of these things is not as good as that of barbarians who come from outsiders. So when Tiexin opened several boxes of wealth with boastfulness in front of everyone, these barbarians immediately turned red, and the women snuggled by the head men even screamed at the exquisite clothes.

"My Lord said that I have heard about the great names of all the leaders for a long time. I also know that Baren is the magic weapon of my great man. When we first met, we should bring more money, but the roads in the mountains are very difficult and inconvenient, so we can only bring less. After the war is over, I will definitely invite you to gather together." Tiexin saw the greed of those leaders, and couldn't help but feel a little contempt. Compared with them, he is also a rich man now and will not lose his composure.

Park Hu saw Tie Xin's pride and couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. He had dealt with Tie Xin and knew that he was similar to him before. Although he was a big man, he still had to work hard for the tribe's food and clothing most of the time. Judging from his current style, he obviously made a fortune and became a rich man. He looked at Tie Xin's clothes and sword again, and then he found that Tie Xin was wearing the best thirty-four-clear steel ring-headed sword. He immediately widened his eyes, stepped forward and pulled Tie Xin's arm, showing an intimate smile.

"Brother Tie, I haven't seen you for a few years. Now I'm so grand. This dress and this knife are up to grade." He touched Tie Xin's clothes and glanced at the long sword ringed in Tie Xin's waist with greed.

"It's easy to say, it's all for Lord Cao. Now my mountain goods are no longer worried about being broken. Every month, merchants from Xiangyang come to the mountains to collect them. The prices are high. My women are all wearing such clothes." Tiexin said, lifting a brocade dress in the box without any hesitation, holding it in his hand and shaking it. He patted the long knife on his waist, and raising his head proudly: "This is the newly produced thirty-golden Qinggang in Xiangyang. It was handed by Lord Cao. The few of my Shangyong people are lucky to get one."

Park Hu said curiously, and tentatively reached out his hand to touch Tie Xin's long sword. Tie Xin smiled and pulled out the long sword and handed it to Park Hu. Park Hu hurriedly took it, narrowed his eyes and looked at the shiny blade, stretched out his fingers to try it, and was amazed: "Thirty years of refining Qinggang, it is indeed well-known. I saw it once when I followed Prefect Li to conquer Wuling in the five years of Xiping, but at that time I only looked at it from a distance, but I didn't have the chance to touch it."

Tie Xin was proud and smiled happily, "Why not try, brother?"

Park Hu turned his head and looked at Tiexin with some surprise: "Can I try?"

"What can't you do?" Tiexin waved his hand: "Just try."

The barbarians next to him saw that there was a good knife and they all surrounded him. Someone took a side of the banana that they used, put it in front of Park Hu. Park Hu held the long knife tightly with both hands, tried the distance, and slashed it with one knife, and only a crisp sound was heard. The banana broke into two halves.

"Wow..." The barbarians screamed in shock, and Park Hu looked at the long knife in his hand in disbelief and murmured to himself: "What a knife, what a knife."

Tie Xin laughed, took an iron knife from a barbarian next to him, and signaled to Park Hu: "Brother, come and try this."

Park Hu was also a little excited and shouted, "Okay, Brother Tie, be careful, I'm here." As he said that, he waved the long knife in his hand and slashed it down with one knife. Tie Xin waved the knife to meet it, and only a slight sound was heard. The iron knife in Tie Xin's hand broke in response to the sound, and half of the iron knife flew out far away, and fell on the stone steps with a sound.

"Cai..." The people stomped their feet and shouted excitedly.

"Good knife, good knife." Park Hu touched the knife with love, and was reluctant to give it back to Tiexin. Tiexin reached out to take the knife and put the knife into the sheath: "Brother loves the knife so much, I should give this knife to my brother, but this is a gift from me, I can't give it to me. But I don't have to be jealous. When I have the opportunity to meet Lord Cao, Lord Cao will definitely satisfy my brother's wish."

When Park Hu heard this, he rubbed his hands and laughed, but did not speak. He glanced at Yuan Yue and Du Fu next to him, turned to Tie Xin and said, "Brother Tie, take a break, let's discuss, how?"

Seeing that the situation had a turnaround, Tie Xin was happy. He smiled and nodded, and took the people to drink and eat meat. Park Hu and the other three discussed for a long time and finally made a decision. The soldiers could not be sent. The current situation is unclear. Cao Chong had too few soldiers. If he could not defeat Zhang Lu and retreat to Xiangyang, wouldn’t they both fail? But since Cao Chong sent Tie Xin and gave so many gifts, they could not help but express it. Otherwise, not only would Tie Xin look good, but Cao Chong was not happy either. So they decided to send Park Hu’s nephew Park Kan to take fifty people, follow Tie Xin to Chenggu, and express his gratitude to Cao Chong in person. Park Kan was steady in nature and was familiar with Tie Xin’s son Tie Le. It should not be bad when he arrived at Cao’s camp.
Chapter completed!