In the third year of the reign of Emperor Huang of the Wei Dynasty and the beginning of February of the third year of the reign of Emperor Yankang of the Han Dynasty, Xiahou Mao, the prince-in-law, sent troops out of Chang'an.

Thirty thousand cavalry marched westward along the Wei River, and the army's supplies were all transported by water. Therefore, Xiahou Mao's march was very fast, and he arrived at Shanggui in the eastern part of Hebei County in more than ten days.

The city gate of Shanggui was closed tightly, and the flags on the city wall were waving lazily in the wind.

Riding out to meet him.

Although Xiahou Mao was not the general of Liangzhou, he was ordered by the emperor to support the Tianshui war. In addition, he was a close minister of Cao Pi, so he should have been treated politely by Liangzhou officials, but he did not expect that Liang Qian of Shanggui was so 'disrespectful'.

Han Shao, the chief registrar of the army, noticed that Xiahou was unhappy, so he sneered and teased Liang Qian: "General Liang is really a powerful official. The prince-in-law came from Chang'an to rescue him, but the soldiers and civilians of Shanggui did not come out to meet him early. Liangzhou

Could it be that our officials only recognize General Zidan (Cao Zhen)?"

Liang Qian first turned over and dismounted, then knelt on one knee and raised his fists above his head, explaining loudly: "I forgive you, Prince Consort, because Shanggui has been teased by Zhang Fei many times, so before his identity is known, he dare not open the city to greet him."

"It is rumored that Zhang Fei is no more reckless than a ruthless man. Can this black guy also use tricks?" Xia Houmao sat astride a tall horse and looked at the underground people with disdain.

Liang Qian quickly shook his head: "Where did the prince-in-law hear this from? Zhang Fei had many plots and tricks. He once pretended to be Chen Cang Junyi (Zhang He)'s reinforcements. In his humble position, he fell into a trap and lost many troops..."

Xiahou Mao thought that if Zhang Fei's plan could fall into his trap, you, the county magistrate, would be done with it. He couldn't help but shook his head and said: "It's cold on the ground. Magistrate Liang gets up and answers..."

"Thank you, Prince Consort..." Liang Qian received the instruction and stood up.

"Zhang Fei only has a few thousand riders, and the Tianshui garrison has tens of thousands at least. The main cities are on both sides of the Wei River. It should be very convenient for the counties to support each other. Even if Ma Zun can't retreat the enemy with his troops, he won't be able to retreat to the county seat, right? What's the matter?

It feels like Tianshui is surrounded?" Xia Houmao frowned.

Liang Qian looked bitter and shook his head and complained: "Zhang Fei's cavalry came and went like the wind. The defenders in the county were easily cut and divided. The defenders from various places were never able to truly assemble. Governor Ma could only let the counties be divided according to His Majesty's will."

Gather the people to clear the country, hoping that Zhang Fei will run out of food and retreat..."

"I heard that Zhang Fei left Qishan in November last year, and it has been more than 100 days since mid-February. Did they retreat because they ran out of food?" Xiahou Mao asked rhetorically.

"Uh...it's because..."

Liang Qian was about to explain, but was ruthlessly interrupted by Xia Houmao: "What's the use of having strong walls and clearing the country? None of you are going to cut off Zhang Fei's grain road. The grain will be transported continuously across Qishan Mountain. Naturally, Zhang Fei can be unscrupulous in Tianshui. This general

Just come to close the door and beat the dog."

"Uh... I am willing to listen to my consort's orders..." Liang Qian swallowed back what he wanted to say.

Xia Houmao turned around and turned to the chief clerk, Han Shao, and ordered: "General Han, I will give you five thousand cavalry. Now go south along the valley to cut off Zhang Fei's grain transportation on the Qishan Road."

"Wei." Han Shao cupped his fists.

Liang Qian asked curiously: "General Han is going to cut off the grain road, and the consort is going to Ji County to look for war? Zhang Fei has been active there recently, and Grand Administrator Ma may not be able to come to Shanggui to greet you."

Xia Houmao sneered and said: "You have said that Zhang Fei is cunning, so why should I confront him head-on? I will sit in the town and wait for work at Gui Yiyi. When Han Shao cuts off the grain road, Zhang Fei will go back to Qi Mountain after running out of grain. At that time, I will go back to Qishan.

If we send out troops to attack them, wouldn’t we get twice the result with half the effort?”

"Uh... the prince-in-law has a wonderful plan... I am here to take you to the city to rest." Liang Qian saw that Xia Houmao was so proud of himself that he couldn't say anything discouraging to spoil the mood.

"Well... the soldiers have been working hard on their journey. General Liang needs to prepare more wine to work the troops." Xia Houmao added in a low voice: "If there is kabuki in the county, prepare some too..."

"Uh...yes..." Liang Qian responded awkwardly, his heart filled with contempt.

The small county of Shanggui was not as good as the large city of Chang'an, and it might not be able to meet Xiahou Mao's requirements. Liang Qian thought that he would have to find a way to send this man to Ji County. This general consort didn't look like he was here to fight.

Xiahou Mao stayed in Shanggui for seven or eight days. The food provided by Liang Qian was almost as simple as that during the march, and the kabuki opera he had found with "all the hard work" was difficult for him to appreciate.

Xiahou Mao, who was used to living a good life, couldn't stand eating chaffy vegetables for a long time. He called Liang Qian and asked: "Shanggui is also a large county in Tianshui. You treat guests with these foods every day. You are bullying me."

Do you have a good temper?"

"Consort, calm down. Although Shanggui is a large county in Tianshui, there was a severe drought in the north last year and Zhang Fei suddenly disturbed the grain harvest. As a result, there was almost no harvest last year. The remaining grain in the city's treasury can only be calculated carefully, otherwise the people under the rule will have to

Escaped..." Liang Qian explained.

Population represents tax revenue and military resources, and is the main evaluation indicator for county magistrates. Liang Qian cited the people's escape as an argument, leaving Xia Houmao unable to think of a point to refute.

Xia Houmao frowned and asked: "It's understandable that grain production decreased last year due to special reasons, but the climate in the previous few years was good, and a large number of people moved from Wudu. The grain reserves in Shanggui can't be so small, right?"

"Uh...actually there are other reasons..." Liang Qian lowered his head as he spoke.

"Still secretive?" Xia Houmao raised his voice.

Liang Qian clasped his fists and replied: "I used the food from the treasury to exchange a lot of prisoners from Zhang Fei..."

"What?" Xia Houmao didn't believe his ears.

Liang Qian added awkwardly: "Actually, this is the case in several nearby counties..."

"The officials in Tianshui are so generous. No wonder you frequently ask for help from the imperial court. All the food in the treasury is given to Zhang Fei. How can Tianshui's soldiers get the combat effectiveness? This is really ironic."

Xia Houmao suddenly realized that he seemed to understand why Zhang Fei was not short of food. It turned out that these "traitors" in Liangzhou were supporting the enemy. He even thought that he could help Cao Pi clean up a group of moths.

"Prince-in-law, you misunderstood. In fact, we are very passive. Take the situation in Shanggui as an example. The defenders in the county were no match for Zhang Fei. Later, they were threatened by the other party with prisoners. The humble position was forced to use food in exchange for the soldiers, otherwise

Shanggui has been occupied by Zhang Fei..." Liang Qian complained repeatedly.

"If Zhang Fei dared to kill prisoners in front of the city, wouldn't he be able to arouse the anger of the Shanggui soldiers? As the saying goes, those who are sad feel the same sorrow and feel the same..." Xiahou Mao frowned.

Liang Qian shook his head and replied: "Zhang Fei clamored to only exchange food without killing. If he is unwilling to redeem his people with food, he will move the prisoners back to Wudu..."

"You asked that black man to move. When the people were moved from Wudu, all the counties provided food and grass support. Zhang Fei dared to move the prisoners back to Wudu. The military rations he worked so hard to transport were probably used up soon. Liang

County magistrate, you are really worried..." Xia Houmao kept shaking his head, thinking that after all he was just a small border official and his brain was not flexible at all.
Chapter completed!