Of course, Yang Song also knew that establishing a defensive line in Shangyong had a significant impact on Hanzhong's defense. Seizing Shangyong not only destroyed a sharp knife that threatened Hanzhong in Jingzhou, but also built a solid defense wall so that Hanzhong no longer had to worry about the threat from the east.

But what are the consequences of seizing Shangyong? Although Liu Jing is now regaining Jingnan and has no time to look north, once he regaining Jingnan, will he give up?

Yang Song leaned against the wall of the car, his slender eyes narrowed into slits, and he was still savoring what Zhang Lu said in the end.

‘The news that Jingzhou wants to obtain Hanzhong from Bashu is absolutely reliable. Don’t ask who it is. I just want to know now, how can I keep Hanzhong?"

'Snatching Shangyong has always been my wish. It was in Cao Cao's hands, and I dare not think too much, but now it is in Liu Jing's hands, and it is just his border town. It is also separated from Xiangyang by Fangling County. Taking Shangyong is insignificant to Jingzhou, but for us, Hanzhong, it is like a row of steel teeth that can be bitten by one, and retreat can be held by one. Sir, Shangyong has been thinking about it for a long time!'

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In fact, Zhang Lu's meaning was very clear. He was hinting that the Hanzhong army should seize Shangyong. Yang Song then had one thing in common. A month ago, Zhang Wei suddenly proposed to occupy Shangyong.

This suggestion came inexplicably at that time. Although they also heard rumors that Jingzhou was going to seize Hanzhong, how could Zhang Wei, a rude person, think of taking the initiative and seizing Shangyong?

Now it seems that it was Zhang Lu's intention, and he used Zhang Wei's mouth to test everyone. Seeing that everyone had no reaction, he stopped mentioning this matter, but Zhang Lu kept thinking about it in his heart.

How should I deal with it myself?

The carriage arrived at Yang Song's mansion. Yang Song got out of the car and immediately said to the left and right: "Let Meng Da come to the study room to see me immediately!"

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Meng Da's current identity is the commander of Yang Song's army and commander of Yang Song's two thousand private soldiers. He came to Hanzhong as Zhang Song's confidant to surrender to Yang Song. Because Zhang Song's murder caused him to be implicated, he had to flee from Bashu.

Yang Song believes in this, and it is also a fact. It is just that Meng Da concealed the story of his resignation to Liu Jing, and only said that he hid in the home of Shangyong's relatives who were hiding at the limelight during that period.

Meng Da went through the test on his way to Guanzhong and gained Yang Song's trust. He regarded him as his confidant and discussed many things with him.

Meng Da received the news that Yang Song wanted to see him. He walked all the way and came to Yang Song's study and bowed to report: "I will ask Meng Da for a meeting!"

"General Meng, please come in!"

Meng Da walked into the study room. Yang Song was sitting behind the table reading. When he saw him coming in, he waved his hand with a smile and said, "General Meng, please sit down!"

Although Meng Da served as the commander of Yang Song's troops, Yang Song's troops were also part of the Hanzhong Army, so Zhang Lu also recognized his military status and appointed him as the general of Ya.

Meng Da was both civil and military, and was a rare commander general. Zhang Lu also valued him very much, but because of Yang Song's face, it was difficult to directly bring him under his command.

"Mr. Xie!"

Meng Da sat down, Yang Song sighed and said, "Do you still remember the thing I told you a month ago? About Shangyong."

Meng Da's heart was shocked. As expected, he came. In fact, before Yang Song found him, he would also find an opportunity to mention this matter to Yang Song in the past two days. Jingzhou had already ordered him to come, and he must promote Hanzhong to attack Shangyong as soon as possible.

Meng Da nodded, "I will remember that it was Zhang Xiaowei who proposed to take the initiative to seize Shangyong, but then there was no news."

“News are coming today.”

Yang Song smiled bitterly and said, "Today, the prefect asked me to go over and talk in detail, and I realized that Zhang Wei's so-called suggestion to seize Shangyong was actually the prefect's own idea, and he wanted to seize Shangyong."

Speaking of this, Yang Song glanced at Meng Da and found that he was thinking and silent. He couldn't help but ask curiously: "What are General Meng thinking?"

"The general was thinking that if the prefect mentioned Shangyong again at this time, would it have something to do with Jingzhou's use of troops in Jingnan?"

"You said it well!"

Yang Song smiled approvingly and said, "The prefect really feels that this is the opportunity to seize Shangyong. General Meng, what do you think about this matter?"

Meng Da bowed and said, "I'm not to hide it from you. My brother happened to go to Shangyong during the New Year days. On the one hand, he was visiting his uncle, and on the other hand, I asked him to go and explore Shangyong's information."

"Oh! What information is there?" Yang Song asked with great interest.

"The military secrets cannot be found, but one thing is known. Because Jingzhou wants to conquer Jingnan, troops will be transferred from various places in Jingzhou. Shangyong was originally 5,000 troops stationed, but most of them were transferred away. Now there are only more than 1,000 people left. If the prefect really wants to seize Shangyong, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Yang Song felt a little excited. He knew Zhang Lu very well. Since Zhang Lu had mentioned the second time to seize Shangyong, this shows that he had made up his mind. The key is that he must play a leading role in this matter so that he can maintain his position without weakening.

Originally, Yang Song was just worried about the revenge of Jingzhou, but Meng Da told him this secret, which made Yang Song's confidence multiply and forget the strength of Jingzhou. He pondered for a moment and asked again: "Is General Meng supporting the prefect to seize Shangyong?"

Meng Da sighed and said, "The last time I went to Guanzhong, I heard that Ma Chao had had close contact with Liu Jing. Cao Cao would never let Ma Chao get Guanzhong. It should be this year that Cao Cao will definitely attack Ma Chao. In order to support Ma Chao, seizing Hanzhong became Liu Jing's inevitable choice. So I am sure that after Liu Jing conquered Jingnan and eradicated Liu Bei's worries, the next step is to target Hanzhong. It is very likely that the war against Hanzhong will be launched in the autumn. Therefore, the prefect thought of taking the initiative, seizing Shangyong, and establishing a solid defense. I think this is a wise move."

Yang Song looked up at the roof, wondering what he was thinking. After a while, he asked, "If General Meng leads his troops to attack Shangyong, how confident is General Meng feel?"

Meng Da smiled slightly: "If I led my troops to attack Shangyong, I would only have five thousand troops and would not attack forcefully. If the troops attacked, I would be able to seize Shangyong within three days."

Yang Song was overjoyed, "So, General, please follow me to see the prefect."

"Now?" Meng Da asked in surprise.

Yang Song nodded, "It's now!"

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In the lobby of the Tianshi Mansion, Zhang Luzheng discussed the attack on Shangyong with a group of important civil and military officials. He had been planning for this matter for more than a month. Since the main force of the Jingzhou Army launched a large-scale attack on Jingnan, this gave Zhang Lu a good opportunity to seize Shangyong, and finally made him make up his mind.

Seven or eight people sat on both sides of the lobby, including Zhang Lu's counselor, Yang Song, the chief of the government affairs, Zhang Wei and Zhang Xuan, the younger brothers of Zhang Lu who held military power, as well as generals Yang Ang, Yang Ren, and Yang Song's younger brother, Yang Bai, and Yang Bo, who joined the army.

Zhang Lu glanced at everyone and said slowly: "The ancients said that the troubles of the mediocre people is that since ancient times, the country of Yong has been a prosperous place east of Hanzhong. It has a dangerous terrain and a large population. It is also the eastern gate of Hanzhong. I have been thinking about it for a long time, but due to our defense and self-defense national policy, I am willing to attack it. But now Liu Jing wants to occupy Hanzhong and he wants to seize Guanzhong, which threatens our survival. Then we must not sit still and wait for death!"

Zhang Lu's voice was very stern. His voice was like a bell, echoing in the lobby. There was a silence in the lobby. He looked at everyone one by one, "If you want to save Guanzhong, you must take the initiative and seize Shangyong, and establish a strong defense line in Shangyong. I have decided to attack Shangyong, but how to fight, I want to discuss with you again."

As soon as Zhang Lu finished speaking, Zhang Wei stood up and said proudly: "This battle is my all. I am willing to lead an army of 20,000 to capture Shangyong within ten days. Please be sure to approve the prefect!"

Zhang Lu did not respond, and he looked at everyone again. Seeing Yang Song's eyes with contempt, he asked, "Yang Changshi, what plan do you have?"

Yang Song stood up and saluted slightly and said, "Report to the prefect, Meng Da, the leader of my army, told me today that he only had five thousand troops at most and could take Hanzhong within three days."

There was an uproar in the lobby, and Zhang Wei's face was flushed and said angrily: "No, Shangyong's city is tall, easy to defend but difficult to attack. Why can 5,000 people be taken? Let Meng Da talk about it yourself!"

Zhang Lu knew that Meng Da was a capable person. Since he said this, there must be a reason. Zhang Lu stroked his beard and smiled: "Shi Yang, let General Meng talk about it! I also want to know his plan."

Yang Song was determined to insert his power into the military. This time it was a good opportunity. Of course he would not let it go easily. He immediately turned around and ordered the guards, "Please let General Meng come to court."

After a moment, Meng Da quickly walked into the lobby. He knelt down on one knee and bowed and said, "I will meet the prefect!"

Zhang Wei was about to scold him angrily, but Zhang Lu waved his hand and blocked Zhang Wei's words. He asked Meng Da with a smile: "I heard from Changshi Yang that you only need 5,000 people to conquer Shangyong within three days. Can you take this seriously?"

Meng Da said proudly: "Only by knowing yourself and your opponent can you win a hundred battles. At the beginning of the month, I heard from Changshi Yang that the prefect had the intention of taking Shangyong to take Shangyong's family, so I asked my brothers to visit Shangyong's army to inquire about Shangyong's military information. Because the Jingzhou army launched a large-scale attack on Jingnan, he dispatched troops from all over the country. Originally, most of the five thousand defenders of Shangyong were transferred away, leaving only more than one thousand people."

When this sentence was said, there was a burst of exclamation in the lobby. Even Zhang Wei looked at Meng Da a little unbelievably. Zhang Lu narrowed his eyes and said slowly: "General Meng, please continue to say it!"

Meng Da nodded and continued: "Shangyong is currently commanded by general Wei Yan. Wei Yan is a proud man and does not want to be inferior to others. At that time, he lost Chaisang City because of his dissatisfaction. This man is good at attacking, but not good at defense. As long as we use his defensive loopholes, we can easily seize Shangyong."

"Well said!"

Zhang Lu exclaimed and immediately ordered: "Get the map!"

After a while, several guards took the Shangyong map and hung it on the wooden rack. Meng Da pointed to a small city opposite Shangyong and said, "The other side of Shangyong is Yongnan City. It turned out to be the city where the Jingzhou army and the Cao army confronted each other. Later, after the Jingzhou army obtained Shangyong, Yongnan City was basically abandoned, but it was the only way for Jingzhou defenders to withdraw back to Xiangyang. We can cross the blockade and use a small number of troops to disguise themselves as bandits to seize Yongnan City first, which made Wei Yan feel that the retreat was cut off. He would definitely send troops to retake Yongnan City. At this time, Shangyong was empty."

"It's true!"

Zhang Lu praised him endlessly, "It turns out that he is a good fighter and has no great achievements!"

Zhang Wei, next to him, said loudly: "I can also use this strategy to seize Shangyong. I will take Shangyong in just two days and I am willing to issue a military order!"

Zhang Lu glanced at the counselor Yan Pu and sought his opinion. Yan Pu said lightly: "General Meng is a talented general, and he should be given a chance to serve the prefect."

Zhang Lu immediately understood what Yan Pu meant and asked Meng Da to be the commander of Yang Song's troops. It was a pity. Taking this opportunity to make him his own general, Zhang Lu angrily scolded Zhang Wei, "This is General Meng's plan, what does it have to do with you!"

Zhang Wei was so scared that he didn't dare to speak anymore. Zhang Lu immediately said to Meng Da: "General Meng, I will give you the Sima of another unit and give you five thousand troops to conquer Shangyong. I hope you will not let me down."

"I will obey the order!"
Chapter completed!