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

Man Chong's expression subtly changed, a subtle shift that seemed to conceal some kind of worry.

Liu Shan, in a public setting, for the first time without any restraint, addressed Xiao He by his given name, and his words revealed his dissatisfaction without any attempt to conceal it.

This is undoubtedly a very bad sign.

This signal clearly indicates that the conflict between Crown Prince Liu Shan and Grand Marshal Xiao He has gradually surfaced and is approaching a state of openness.

Man Chong knew that Liu Shan, the crown prince, had his own plans and intended to win him over to control the nobles of Jing and Yang.

However, Man Chong was different from other Cao Wei officials who surrendered.

Back in the Battle of Hanshui, when Liu Bei only held a small corner of Xiangyang, he was unfortunately captured and subsequently surrendered.

Over the next ten years, Liu Bei knew that Man Chong was upright and impartial, so he entrusted him with important responsibilities and put him in charge of criminal law.

During his official career, he served as Liu Bei's subject for an even longer period than he served Cao Cao.

Man Chong, along with Xiao He, Guan Yu, and other members of the Jingxiang Group, walked side by side and weathered countless storms together.

Most of the time, he even considered himself a member of the Jingxiang Group deep in his heart, sharing their fate and destiny.

It is precisely because of this deep relationship that Man Chong has always found it difficult to fully agree with the Crown Prince's attempt to restrain and diminish the meritorious officials of Jingzhou.

Now, the situation is becoming increasingly complex.

Under Xun Yun's instigation, Liu Shan showed signs of turning against Xiao He, the leader of the meritorious officials of Jingzhou.

This is a situation he absolutely does not want to see.

If the Crown Prince and Xiao He were to fall out, it would cause a huge upheaval in the court and be detrimental to the Han Dynasty.

So Man Chong took a deep breath and tried his best to keep his tone calm:

"Your Highness, please calm down. The Grand Marshal did this to prevent the plan from being leaked. He was acting in the best interests of the country."

"The Grand Marshal is a man who has rendered meritorious service to the country. His Majesty listens to his advice readily and trusts him deeply. The degree of trust he has placed in him is unprecedented in history. Since His Majesty has approved the Grand Marshal's proposal to order the General to lead the army to move to Tongguan, it shows that all of the Grand Marshal's actions have been approved by His Majesty."

"If we were to argue this matter before the Emperor in the future, I believe..."

Man Chong stopped there, hoping that Liu Shan would understand the deeper meaning on his own.

Liu Shan, who was originally immersed in anger, was suddenly calmed down by a splash of cold water when he heard Man Chong's words.

He was not a dull person, and naturally understood the implied meaning in Man Chong's words.

Man Chong's unspoken message was undoubtedly a reminder to him not to think that just because he was the Crown Prince and Xiao He was a subject, he could arbitrarily place himself above Xiao He and openly turn against him.

What is Xiao He's identity?
He was the leader of the Jingzhou meritorious officials group, the foremost meritorious official in the restoration of the Han Dynasty, the emperor's most trusted minister, and even had the aura of an immortal descending to earth.

How could a minister with so many halos be compared to an ordinary minister?

If Liu Shan really had a falling out with Xiao He and brought the matter to the emperor, would the emperor side with him without any principles just because he was his son?

The answer is obviously no.

It's entirely possible that in a fit of anger, the emperor might become utterly disappointed in him, concluding that he's not cut out to be the crown prince, and depose him, appointing someone else as crown prince.

After all, Liu Shan hadn't even settled into his position as crown prince, his status was still unstable, and his prestige in the court and the army hadn't yet reached an unshakeable level.

At this critical moment, it would be unwise to fall out with a pillar of the nation like Xiao He.

Although Liu Shan was arrogant, he was not stupid.

With Man Chong having given him such insightful guidance, how could he not understand the implications?

"Cough cough~~"

Liu Shan cleared his throat, trying to make his expression appear more natural, and said, "Bo Ning, you misunderstand. I have no intention of blaming the Grand Marshal. Whether it was my campaign against Zhang Lu or the Grand Marshal's plan, it was all for the purpose of eliminating Zhang Lu and recovering Hanzhong, all for the great cause of our Han Dynasty."

"If the Grand Marshal can successfully recover Hanzhong, it will be a blessing for the country. As the Crown Prince, I would be overjoyed and would never blame him."

Liu Shan's expression changed, replaced by one of satisfaction, and he became magnanimous, as if his previous anger had never existed.

Man Chong breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, knowing that his words had had an effect.

So he quickly went along with it, flattering Liu Shan:

"Your Highness has the world in your heart and possesses extraordinary magnanimity; you are truly a blessing to our Han Dynasty."

Seeing that his instigation had failed, Xun Yun was secretly annoyed. He glared at Man Chong, clearly resenting Man Chong for trying to cool down Liu Shan's popularity.

Seeing that Liu Shan had given up, Xun Yun was unwilling to accept it, so he pretended to be worried and sighed:

"But in doing so, Your Highness fought Zhang Lu to the death here, tying down the main force of the Hanzhong army. In the end, the credit for capturing Nanzheng and recovering Hanzhong will not go to Your Highness. As your subject, I feel it is really unfair to Your Highness."

Upon hearing Xun Yun's embellished words, the small flame that Liu Shan had just suppressed was about to reignite.

His emotions, which had already calmed down, were stirred up again by Xun Yun's words.

Seeing this, Man Chong inwardly cried out in alarm and quickly comforted him:

"Your Highness, do not worry. I believe that although the Grand Marshal and his men have entered Hanzhong, they still need Your Highness to take Nanzheng and recover Hanzhong."

Liu Shan's eyes lit up, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope, and he quickly gestured for Man Chong to continue.

Man Chong coughed a few times to calm himself down, then pointed south:
“Nanzheng is the capital of Han China. The city is well-fortified and has sufficient food. Zhang Lu will surely lead a large army to defend it and will hold out to the end.”

"The Grand Marshal's forces total only about 50,000 men. How easy is it to capture Nanzheng in a day?"

"Moreover, Zhang Lu will surely adopt a scorched-earth policy, preventing the Grand Marshal and his men from obtaining supplies locally. Without supplies from Hanzhong, and with the transportation of provisions being difficult, if the Grand Marshal fails to capture the city after a prolonged siege, he will likely have to withdraw his troops and return empty-handed."

Changing the subject, Man Chong pointed to Xingshi Mountain in front of him:

"I anticipate that Zhang Luding has already withdrawn his troops south, and the enemy forces at Xingshi Mountain will be reduced by at least half. This is the opportune moment for us to launch an attack. If we can seize this opportunity and launch a fierce attack day and night, we will surely be able to defeat them."

"When the Grand Marshal withdraws his troops, Your Highness will break through Xingshi Mountain and the army will smoothly enter Hanzhong through Xiegu. With the absolute advantage of my 100,000 troops, we will surely be able to conquer Nanzheng."

"Wouldn't the credit for recapturing Hanzhong have gone to Your Highness at that time?"

Man Chong wrote a long and detailed proposal, painting a rosy picture for Liu Shan.

Liu Shan became more and more excited as he listened, and the annoyance and anxiety on his face turned into ecstasy in the blink of an eye.

"Hahaha--"

Liu Shan let out a wild laugh:
“Boning is right, he is right.”

"By my order, the army shall launch a fierce attack on Xingshi Mountain day and night. Whoever is the first to scale the mountain will be granted a marquisate by my father!"

The order was given, and the morale of the Han army was greatly boosted.

The soldiers were in high spirits when they heard about the reward of being ennobled, and they were all eager to fight.

The war drums sounded again, and the Han army, which had just retreated, launched another fierce attack on the Han central army at Xingshi Mountain.

"Xiao He, the credit for recapturing Hanzhong still belongs to me, the Crown Prince."

Liu Shan gazed towards Nanzheng, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth:
"You've planned so much, I'll show you what it means to have your efforts come to nothing."

"Hehe~~" (End of Chapter)