East bank of the Yellow River.
Hong Chengchou looked at the intelligence in his hand, his veins bulging with anger.
Liu Sixiu, who had always been extremely submissive and had even sent his son as a hostage, actually did so when he was suppressing the rebellion.
He instigated a rebellion among officials in Hanzhong, allowing him to take advantage of the situation and enter Hanzhong.
what to do?
Should we send troops to recapture Hanzhong?
He was currently leading a large army in a standoff with Chen Deze of Gansu Town.
There simply wasn't enough extra strength to recapture Hanzhong.
The most crucial question is: how many troops did Liu Sixiu actually deploy in Hanzhong this time?
He had anticipated that the amount would be substantial, and his recent blockade of Sichuan and Chongqing was likely for this purpose.
At least 50,000 or more.
Since he doesn't have the strength to recapture Hanzhong for the time being, he can only try to defend it.
To prevent Liu Sixiu from continuing his northward march into Guanzhong after pacifying Hanzhong.
He then immediately wrote a letter to Zu Zhilong, who was stationed in Chang'an and guarding the rear.
He was instructed to be wary of the Ziwu Valley, Baoxie Road, and other routes leading to Guanzhong.
After giving instructions to Zu Zhilong in the rear, Hong Chengchou looked at the camp of Gansu Town on the opposite bank of the Yellow River in the distance.
He gradually frowned. Should he take the initiative?
However, if they continue to persist, Chen Deze will eventually have no choice but to send troops.
In the end, Chen Deze will definitely be the first to strike because he can't hold on any longer.
Even if he defeated Chen Deze in Gansu and led his army to recapture Hanzhong.
Can I really take it back?
It wasn't that he was worried about his own abilities, but rather about the vast Qinling Mountains.
That would be a logistical hell, forcing me to lead a large army across the Qinling Mountains to attack Hanzhong.
If Liu Sixiu puts up resistance at every level, his own logistics will soon be overwhelmed.
But if we don't quickly resolve the situation in Gansu Town on the other side, what if Liu Sixiu takes over Hanzhong completely and then moves north to Guanzhong?
This is what he cares about most.
Guanzhong is the core of his rule, and absolutely nothing can happen to it.
Now that our army is tied up here, what if he takes the opportunity to march north from Hanzhong?
Can the forces I've deployed in various places stop it?
Is Zu Zhilong a match for Liu Sixiu?
Looking at the map in front of him, Hong Chengchou suddenly remembered Li Qin's army stationed in Chang'an.
After considering Li Qin's influence, he immediately understood.
Yeah, that bastard Li Qin is there.
As long as he is alive, Li Qin will absolutely not allow Liu Sixiu to encroach on his Guanzhong region.
If Liu Sixiu dared to send troops to his Guanzhong region, he would definitely step in to stop him.
Otherwise, if something really happens to my Guanzhong region...
If Liu Sixiu really seizes the opportunity to take over his Guanzhong region, then Li Qin will truly be unable to control Liu Sixiu, who controls Bashu, Hanzhong, and Guanzhong.
At that time, Liu Sixiu will become a super warlord in the west, and will have the ability to compete with Li Qin for the world.
That's something that bastard Li Qin would never allow.
If it really comes to that, Li Qin will definitely send troops to stop Liu Sixiu.
After figuring out the implications, Hong Chengchou sat back down in his seat.
With Li Qin's restraint, there shouldn't be any problems in Guanzhong for the time being.
Actually, after figuring this out...
He actually hoped that Liu Sixiu would lead his army to attack his Guanzhong region, so that Li Qin and Liu Sixiu could fight each other to weaken each other's strength.
However, both sides are smart people who have managed to get to where they are today, and they wouldn't be unaware of this.
Liu Sixiu is wary of Li Qin and will not lead his army north.
His goal should be to capture Hanzhong, the gateway to Sichuan and Chongqing.
Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou felt a surge of anger, although after some analysis, he believed that he would not send troops to Guanzhong.
However, he had indeed lost Hanzhong, even if he only had nominal control over it.
However, their sphere of influence has indeed shrunk.
Liu Sixiu, you just wait. After I quell the rebellion in Gansu Town, I will definitely settle accounts with you.
As for your legitimate son, Hong Chengchou thought about it and decided to suppress the idea of killing him.
After all, if Liu Sixiu sent it, it proved that his son was far less important to him than his territory.
It's impossible to use this son to threaten Liu Sixiu and force him to withdraw from Hanzhong.
Killing him now would be a complete loss; keeping him alive could serve as leverage in the future.
Although we cannot launch a large-scale military campaign against Liu Sixiu in Hanzhong right now, we can still go and talk to him first.
After a basic analysis concluded that there were no immediate worries in Guanzhong.
Hong Chengchou decided to continue according to the original plan to quell the rebellion in Gansu Town.
Only after quelling the rebellion in Gansu Town could he free up his hands to deal with other matters.
During this period, he had already sent many people across the Yellow River to harass Chen Deze's rear.
Although he also sent people to harass him.
However, the logistical gap between the two sides is significant.
Behind me lies the Guanzhong Plain, stretching east of the Yellow River all the way to Tongguan.
Behind him lies the Hexi Corridor, mostly desert with only a few oases.
You can't afford to waste time with me.
Following Hong Chengchou's decision to first pacify the town of Gansu.
In Hanzhong.
As Liu Sixiu led his assembled army into Hanzhong, the remaining officials who still wanted to resist surrendered to him.
Liu Sixiu also treated them well.
The officials, landlords, and gentry in Hanzhong who were originally nominally loyal to Hong Chengchou all submitted petitions of submission after seeing Liu Sixiu's generous treatment.
With their surrender, Liu Sixiu essentially took over Hanzhong.
The process went more smoothly than Liu Sixiu had anticipated; those landlords and gentry were truly a group of two-faced people who would turn against him as soon as they saw the benefits.
After capturing Hanzhong, Liu Sixiu stood on the city wall and looked towards the north and east.
Hong Chengchou's army is currently facing off against the troops in Gansu Town on the east bank of the Yellow River.
He couldn't escape there either, which presented him with a good opportunity to advance into Guanzhong.
However, once he enters Guanzhong, Li Qin will absolutely not watch him take it over.
He would definitely stop them. His soldiers were skilled in mountain warfare, and on the Guanzhong Plain, his army would not be a match for Li Qin's cavalry.
However, if he succeeds, he will truly have the strength to contend for the world.
There was also an extremely daring route, which was to go east along the Han River to Xiangyang.
If we can capture Xiangyang and blockade Huguang, and then contact the Nanjing court to advance from the east and west, it is very likely that we can divide Huguang equally.
Afterwards, Li Qin was in the north, and he and the Jinling court were in the south. They could have easily divided the country among themselves.
But if he fails, he will completely break ties with Li Qin.
And what if the Jinling court doesn't cooperate with me?
In this era, we cannot place our hopes on others.
After some deliberation, Liu Sixiu and the others abandoned the two crazy plans that had excited them.
That's too risky.
Now that he has just taken Hanzhong, he should first consolidate his power and make this place a secure territory for himself.
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