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

Hanzhong Commandery is located north of the Qinling Mountains and south of the Bashan Mountains, with the Han River flowing through it. It is said to be the throat of Sichuan and Chongqing and the hub connecting Qin and Long.

Nanzheng City, the seat of Hanzhong Commandery, the capital of Han China, was the heart of the city.

Fifty thousand high-spirited Han soldiers swept towards Nanzheng City like a tidal wave.

At the same time, Zhang Lu was extremely anxious after learning of the Han army's attack. Without hesitation, he led more than 10,000 Han soldiers, traveling day and night, and returned to Nanzheng City ahead of others.

Zhang Lu quickly joined forces with the original garrison in the city, bringing their combined strength to over 20,000 men, who were ready for battle.

Despite having a numerical advantage of 50,000, the Han army was not able to completely encircle Nanzheng City. Instead, they could only form a semi-encirclement from the north and east.

Night falls.

The Han camp was brightly lit, and a carefully prepared welcome banquet was being held in the main tent.

The main character of this banquet was naturally Xiao He, who had just arrived after a long journey.

"Bowen, I toast you with this cup of wine, to your undiminished wisdom and strategic brilliance!"

Guan Yu was the first to stand up, his dignified face now full of approval, his eyes revealing his appreciation for Xiao He, and continued:

"Your plan to turn the tables on the Emperor was truly ingenious, enabling him to recover Hanzhong in one fell swoop. This is indeed an unexpected delight."

"Come, come, let's drink this cup to the brim."

Having said that, Guan Yu chuckled, raised his wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

Xiao He smiled slightly, not being modest at all, and accepted the praise generously, tilting his head back to drink the wine in his glass in one gulp.

"Bowen, it seems that the greatest credit for the recapture of Hanzhong belongs to you alone."

Guan Yu put down his wine cup and raised it again:
"Come, come, let's drink this cup again. I wish you success in securing the victory in recapturing Hanzhong."

In his view, taking Hanzhong seemed to be a piece of cake.

Zhao Yun, Guan Ping, Deng Ai, and other generals all smiled and raised their wine cups to offer their congratulations.

"Congratulations, Grand Marshal! May you soon recover Hanzhong and make unparalleled contributions to the Han Dynasty!"

The generals raised their glasses in celebration.

"Nanzheng has not yet fallen, and Hanzhong has not yet been captured. It is too early to talk about achievements at this time."

Xiao He put down his wine glass, his tone playful:

"Furthermore, if I take the credit for this, I'm afraid some people will be unhappy."

After saying this, he let out a soft sigh.

Zhao Yun, who was standing to the side, immediately understood.

He understood that Xiao He was laying the groundwork.

If Liu Shan, the crown prince, were to be deposed, the attitude of General Guan Yu would be of paramount importance.

Xiao He intended to use this opportunity to bring out the increasingly sharp conflict between himself and Liu Shan in order to test his father-in-law's stance.

"Bowen, you are a brilliant strategist. Taking over the isolated city of Nanzheng would be a piece of cake for you."

Guan Yu was slightly taken aback, then changed the subject and asked curiously:

"The recapture of Hanzhong will bring our great Han Dynasty one step closer to unifying the world. It is a joyous occasion for the whole country. Who would not be happy?"

A hint of doubt and confusion appeared in Guan Yu's eyes.

Xiao He sighed softly, without saying anything, but gestured to Zhao Yun with his eyes.

Zhao Yun understood immediately, stood up, and sighed softly:

"The Grand Marshal is probably referring to His Highness the Crown Prince."

Guan Yu was taken aback, and a look of confusion returned to his face. He frowned and asked:

“The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country. Bowen has expanded the territory of the Han Dynasty. How could the Crown Prince not be happy?” He seemed unable to understand what Zhao Yun was saying.

Zhao Yun sighed slightly and then recounted to Guan Yu in detail what had happened in the Chang'an camp that day.

Ignoring everyone's advice, Liu Shan acted arbitrarily, insisting on leading the army south alone to take Hanzhong.

Ignoring the earnest advice of Xiao He and Zhao Yun, he insisted on leading an army of 100,000 men, dividing his forces to march south.

As Guan Yu listened to Zhao Yun's words, his eyes gradually cleared, and his brows involuntarily furrowed.

Before Zhao Yun could speak, he already understood the implication.

His nephew was too eager to make a name for himself, which is why he acted so arbitrarily and insisted that he lead the troops to attack Hanzhong.

His purpose was nothing more than to exclusively claim credit for the recapture of Hanzhong, establish his prestige in the court, and thus consolidate his position as crown prince.

But now, Liu Shan's wishful thinking has been completely shattered by Xiao He's "unintentional act".

If the credit for conquering Zhang Lu and recovering Hanzhong were to fall into the hands of Xiao He, wouldn't all of Liu Shan's efforts have been in vain?

Not only will they fail to achieve great success, but they will also become a laughing stock.

Even worse, if it weren't for Xiao He's timely intervention, Liu Shan's autocratic rule could very well have led to the complete annihilation of the 300,000-strong Han army!

If this happens, when the news reaches Ye City, how could Emperor Liu Bei not be disappointed in Liu Shan?
At that time, Liu Shan's position as crown prince will likely be in jeopardy.

Guan Yu remained silent for a moment, then slowly stroked his magnificent beard and spoke:
"As the heir apparent, it is not wrong for the Crown Prince to want to establish merit and prestige. However, he should not put his desire for merit above the affairs of state, and he should not ignore your advice and arbitrarily lead the troops south."

"What Bowen did was not only to remedy the Crown Prince's mistake, but also to save hundreds of thousands of my soldiers from peril!"

“If the Crown Prince has the magnanimity of an emperor, he should be grateful to Bowen. If he is displeased instead, wouldn’t that be too narrow-minded?”

These words clearly expressed dissatisfaction with Liu Shan's actions, and a hint of disappointment and discontent flashed in his eyes.

Xiao He and Zhao Yun exchanged glances, already understanding each other perfectly.

This is exactly the attitude they want from Guan Yu. Only with Guan Yu's support can their plan to depose the crown prince proceed more smoothly.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Xiao He found an excuse to dismiss all the generals.

Only the three of them remained in the large tent.

The atmosphere inside the tent became somewhat heavy.

"If the Crown Prince had even half the magnanimity of the Emperor, it would be a blessing for all of us ministers and for all the people of the land."

After a few sighs, Xiao He changed the subject, his expression turning serious:

"I fear that we, his loyal subjects, are already thorns in his side in the eyes of this Crown Prince."

"Even worse, if His Highness the Crown Prince inherits the throne in the future, my father-in-law, Zilong, and I, all of us meritorious officials who have followed the Emperor since Xiangyang, will probably not have a good end!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu's phoenix eyes suddenly widened, and his expression changed.

Xiao He's words were serious; how could he not know that?

The implication is that after Liu Shan ascended the throne, he intended to turn on his meritorious officials and kill them!

“Bowen, although the Crown Prince is not as magnanimous as the Emperor, it is not as serious as you say.”

Although Guan Yu's expression was solemn, he still harbored illusions about Liu Shan in his words.

After all, he had watched this nephew grow up, and in his eyes, he had always been a kind and righteous child.

Xiao He suddenly hinted that Liu Shan might kill many meritorious officials after ascending the throne, which Guan Yu naturally found hard to believe.

"This is not an exaggeration. This is the list of strategists and generals selected by the Crown Prince for this southern expedition. Father-in-law should understand after reading it."

As Xiao He spoke, he handed Guan Yu a list that had been prepared beforehand.

Guan Yu took the book with suspicion, glanced at it a few times, and then his expression suddenly changed. (End of Chapter)