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

slanted valley.

At the top of the mountain, a fierce wind howled, causing Zhang Lu's clothes to flutter loudly.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as upright as a pine tree, looking down at the Han army slowly retreating at the foot of the mountain.

The Han army's flags were askew and their morale was low. After leaving behind more than a thousand corpses, they were forced to retreat.

The Hanzhong army, which covered the mountains and plains, was now immersed in the joy of victory, and their cheers and shouts seemed to shake the valleys.

Looking at the scene before him, Zhang Lu's lips curled up slightly, a sarcastic smile quietly appearing.

He stroked his long, thin beard and muttered to himself:

"Everyone says that the Han army is elite and invincible, but I think it's nothing special."

"If I had been full of ambition back then, and led my troops out of the Qinling Mountains, I might have been able to carve out a piece of land of my own and accomplish a great and earth-shattering feat."

At this point, Zhang Lu was clearly getting a little cocky.

His repeated successes in repelling the Han army's attacks boosted his confidence and gave him a new understanding of himself.

In his view, he had been hiding in the mountains of Hanzhong all these years, biding his time, but he never expected that his strength had become so great.

If only I had known this earlier, I would have gone north out of the Qinling Mountains and competed with Cao Cao, Liu Bei and other heroes.

Maybe the world would have already belonged to the Zhang family, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei would have had nothing to do with it.

Just as Zhang Lu was immersed in his beautiful dream, Yan Pu timely poured cold water on him.

His expression was serious, his brows furrowed, and he whispered a reminder in Zhang Lu's ear:
"Your Majesty, the Han army is indeed elite, that is an undeniable fact."

"Our army was able to win because we had the advantage of being on high ground at Xingshi Mountain, and the Xiegu Pass was too narrow, which prevented the Han army from maneuvering its forces and thus made us vulnerable everywhere."

"Furthermore, after these battles, it is clear that Liu Shan's military skills are quite mediocre, a far cry from Xiao He's."

"With all these advantages, it is not surprising that we have won consecutive victories against the Han army. We must not let this make us complacent."

Zhang Lu was quite displeased after hearing Yan Pu's words.

He swallowed hard, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes, but he didn't react immediately.

Sima Yi was clearly better at reading people's expressions. His eyes darted around, and his face immediately plastered with a fawning smile, offering flattery swiftly:
"Your Majesty, what Lord Yan said makes some sense. Although our army has many advantages, the most important thing is Your Majesty's brilliant military strategy and skillful command."

Zhang Lu was naturally pleased with these words. His lips curled up again, and a hint of arrogance flashed in his eyes once more.

"Is there any news from Guanzhong? The General's troops have been advancing into the Ziwu Valley for more than ten days now."

Zhang Lu turned his gaze to the northeast, a hint of worry in his eyes.

General Zhang Wei led an army of 10,000 deep into the enemy territory. The outcome was uncertain, so how could he not be worried?

Upon seeing this, Sima Yi quickly replied with a smile:
"Your Majesty, rest assured. According to the latest battle report, the General led 10,000 troops out of the Ziwu Valley before the second spring rains fell, and did not encounter any Han troops along the way."

"If all goes well, the General should have already planted Your Majesty's royal banner high above Tongguan Pass by now!"

As he spoke, Sima Yi's face revealed an expression of certainty, as if everything was under his control.

Zhang Lu's eyes lit up when he heard Sima Yi's words.

On the last day after harvesting, spring rain fell.

What a coincidence!

Isn't this Heaven helping him, indicating that he will surely win a great victory in this military campaign?

Thinking about this, Zhang Lu became more and more excited, and he couldn't help but stroke his beard and burst into laughter:

"Liu Bei, Liu Bei, you roamed the world with unparalleled skill, almost sweeping away the six kingdoms, restoring the Han dynasty, and achieving a great feat that will last for ages."

"It's a pity that you trusted your foolish son Liu Shan. One wrong step led to another, ultimately resulting in total defeat."

"You never dreamed that your ambition to unify the world would be thwarted by me, Zhang Lu." "Hahaha—"

Zhang Lu's laughter echoed through the valley, and the generals of the Hanzhong army on both sides, infected by his laughter, also burst into loud laughter.

Just as the laughter and joy had faded, a hurried shout shattered the optimistic atmosphere.

"Urgent report from Nanzheng—"

A messenger rushed up Xingshi Mountain like lightning, looking flustered and panting, interrupting Zhang Lu's loud laughter.

The laughter stopped abruptly, and a hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Lu's eyes.

Urgent report from Nanzheng?

Nanzheng was the capital of his Hanzhong regime, located in the rear. What urgent matter could there be?

Sima Yi's smile vanished instantly, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart, and his heart began to race involuntarily.

The messenger knelt before Zhang Lu, his voice trembling as he said:

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Nanzheng."

"The General was ambushed by the Han army at Tongguan and was defeated by the Han general Guan Yu. My 10,000 troops were wiped out, and the General was also killed by the enemy."

"General Ma fought desperately to break through the Han army's encirclement and led more than a thousand remaining soldiers to retreat back to Hanzhong through the Ziwu Valley. Enemy generals Guan Yu and Zhao Yun led their troops into the valley and headed straight for the heart of Hanzhong."

"Prime Minister Yang requests Your Majesty to immediately return to reinforce the defenses of Nanzheng!"

A bombshell exploded in Zhang Lu's ears.

He turned pale with fright, his legs went weak, and he staggered back half a step, almost falling to the ground.

The generals on either side were also in an uproar. They looked at each other, their eyes instantly filled with fear and shock.

Sima Yi's face turned ashen instantly, his mouth agape as if he had witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world.

His plan failed!
Moreover, it was a crushing defeat with the entire army wiped out!

Even Zhang Wei, a great general of the Han Dynasty, lost his life!

"This is impossible, this is impossible! Guan Yu was clearly in Luoyang, how could he be at Tongguan?"

"Tongguan clearly only has a thousand garrison troops, so why is there a large force lying in ambush?"

"No spies from Guanzhong have ever sent back intelligence saying that Xiao He is reinforcing Tongguan?"

"What exactly is going on? Where did things go wrong?"

Sima Yi muttered to himself in a trembling voice, his mind buzzing as he was bombarded by a thousand questions.

"Sima Zhongda!"

Having recovered his composure, Zhang Lu, his face contorted with rage, angrily questioned:
"You promised me that even if this plan fails, my brother and ten thousand soldiers will be able to safely retreat to Hanzhong."

"Tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Sima Yi trembled violently, his mind in turmoil, unsure how to explain.

He knew, of course, that he had made the same mistake he had made in the state of Wei.

One failed plan dealt a heavy blow to Zhang Lu and cost him the life of one of his brothers!

He has to give Zhang Lu an explanation!
Standing to the side, Yan Pu, still in shock, came to his senses and let out a long, helpless sigh:
"Your Majesty, does this need any explanation?"

"It must be Xiao He who saw through Sima Zhongda's plan and turned the tables on us!"

Sima Yi's body jolted suddenly, as if struck by lightning. (End of Chapter)