My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Xingshi Mountain.

A middle-aged man, over fifty years old, dressed in a simple Taoist robe, stood quietly on the edge of Xingshi Mountain.

He held an oil-paper umbrella in his hand, leaned slightly forward, and looked down through the layers of rain at the heavily guarded Han army camp in front of the mountain.

"That big-eared scoundrel Liu Bei actually sent that yellow-mouthed dog to deal with me. He underestimates me too much!"

Zhang Lu frowned, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes, and let out a displeased snort.

This cold snort seemed to be a protest against Liu Bei's disdain for him.

Zhang Lu was not a blindly arrogant person; he had a clear understanding of his own limitations.

Looking back, heroes rose up across the land, vying for supremacy in the Central Plains.

Zhang Lu chose to hold Hanzhong and rarely launched military campaigns, at most only gaining some advantage over Liu Zhang, because he knew that his abilities were limited and he was no match for those truly talented and ambitious warlords.

In chaotic times, it is already difficult to preserve one's own power.

Although Zhang Lu was self-aware, he was still a warlord and naturally had some self-respect.

He secretly thought that even if Liu Bei didn't send Xiao He to lead the army, he would at least send Zhang Fei.

But to his utter surprise, Liu Bei sent Liu Shan to him.

In his view, this was undoubtedly a great disrespect to him.

Even if I, Zhang Lu, am mediocre, am I not as good as you, Liu Bei, a mere child?

This is something I really can't swallow.

Just as Zhang Lu was filled with resentment, Sima Yi behind him raised a faint, sarcastic smile:

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the reason why this son of the Big-Eared Bandit is so eager to go to war is because he is afraid of the nobles of Jing and Xiang."

"He knew that after he succeeded to the throne, he would probably find it difficult to control powerful ministers and nobles like Xiao He and Zhuge Liang. Therefore, he was eager to make a great contribution to establish his prestige."

Sima Yi paused slightly, then continued:
"That's why he led an army of 100,000 men to meet the king alone. After all, he only reaped the benefits of the battles of Puban and Weishui without actually contributing. What he gained was nothing more than empty credit, which was not convincing to the people."

"Only by personally leading the army and defeating the king can he truly establish his authority in the army and win the hearts and minds of the people of Han."

After listening to Sima Yi's analysis, Zhang Lu suddenly realized the truth, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Liu Shan is a false crown prince of the Han dynasty, yet he has become wary of Xiao He and other meritorious officials in Jingzhou and Xiangyang. This is a great thing for me."

Zhang Lu nodded slightly.

Sima Yi's cold smile deepened as he said coldly:
"As the saying goes, when things reach their peak, they decline. Liu Bei had good luck his whole life, but now it seems that his good luck has finally run out."

"As long as we win this battle and save the Wei Kingdom from peril, we can re-establish a tripartite balance of power with the pseudo-Han."

He paused briefly, his gaze becoming even more profound, and continued:

"I have heard that Liu Bei's health is deteriorating and he may not have much time left. Sooner or later, Liu Shan will surely succeed him."

"Given its suspicion and distrust of the meritorious officials of Jing and Yang, the pseudo-Han will surely be plunged into a bloody storm. At that time, the pseudo-Han will be too busy to take care of itself. This will not only be a good thing for Wei, but also a great joy for Your Majesty."

Sima Yi spoke eloquently, outlining a blueprint for Zhang Lu.

Zhang Lu listened intently, stroking his sparse beard and nodding repeatedly, a smile gradually spreading across his face.

Just as Zhang Lu was immersed in this wonderful fantasy, his strategist Yan Pu poured cold water on him mercilessly.

His expression was solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, if we want to achieve the situation that Zhongda described, we must first win this battle."

"Although Liu Shan is currently blocked in front of Xingshi Mountain, the Han army still has 100,000 troops and is very powerful. With our current strength, we can at most force the Han army to retreat. It is not easy to completely defeat them."

"If we cannot severely damage the Han army, we will not be able to break through Xiegu Valley. If we cannot break through Xiegu Valley, how can we help Wei relieve the crisis in Chang'an?"

"At that time, we may still find ourselves in a dilemma."

Upon hearing Yan Pu's concerns, Zhang Lu, Sima Yi, and his brother Zhang Wei exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

A secret seems to be hidden in her smile.

Zhang Wei sneered and retorted to Yan Pu:
"Zhong Miao, do you really think that His Majesty truly intends to leave Xiegu to help the Wei ruler relieve the crisis in Chang'an?"

"You underestimate the King far too much."

His words were laced with sarcasm, as if he were mocking Yan Pu's naiveté.

Yan Pu was taken aback, and an ominous premonition immediately welled up in his heart.

He stared wide-eyed at Zhang Lu, waiting for his explanation.

Zhang Lu stroked his beard, smiled slightly, and no longer concealed anything, raising his hand and pointing east:
"Now that things have come to this, it's alright to let Zhongmiao know."

"My troop deployment at Xingshi Mountain is merely a feint, intended to lure Liu Shan and his 100,000 Han soldiers here, making them believe that we will fight them to the death at Xingshi Mountain."

After a pause, a sly glint flashed in Zhang Lu's eyes, and he continued:
"I will send another surprise force to enter Guanzhong through the Ziwu Valley, seize Tongguan by surprise, and cut off the Han army's supply lines in one fell swoop."

"Tongguan is the key to Guanzhong. Once we occupy it, the Han army's supply lines will be cut off. Wouldn't the 350,000 Han troops in Guanzhong fall into chaos without a fight?"

"At that time, if we join forces with the Wei Kingdom, would we be able to annihilate their 350,000-strong army without lifting a finger?"

The truth has finally come to light.

Upon hearing this, Yan Pu was greatly surprised, his eyes filled with horror.

He quickly turned his gaze to Sima Yi.

Only then did Yan Pu realize that his king had secretly listened to the advice of the newcomer Sima Yi and set up such a grand scheme, without telling his trusted advisor.

At that moment, a sense of disappointment welled up in his heart.

As the top strategist in Hanzhong, the King of Hanzhong preferred to trust a surrendered Wei official who had just come to join him rather than him.

Anyone would feel heartbroken in that situation.

However, despite feeling disheartened, I must still fulfill my duties as a subject.

Taking a few deep breaths and trying his best to calm his emotions, Yan Pu said solemnly:

"This plan is indeed a brilliant scheme, but has Zhongda considered that it has two fatal flaws?"

"Firstly, the Ziwu Valley is inherently difficult to traverse, with rugged and treacherous roads and complex and ever-changing terrain. Moreover, with the current spring rains, the roads are even more muddy and impassable. How can our surprise attack force possibly get through?"

"Secondly, if the Han army is prepared and has a large force stationed at Tongguan, our surprise attack will fail, and we will surely die without a burial place."

"By then, if we fail to succeed in our scheme and end up losing more than we gain, how will you handle the situation?"

Faced with Yan Pu's questioning, Sima Yi suddenly burst into laughter. (End of Chapter)