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

Just now, inside the cabin, Zhang Lu was furious and cursed loudly, vehemently rejecting Yang Song's suggestion to ask Liu Zhang for help.

Their attitude was resolute, their tone forceful, and there was absolutely no room for negotiation.

To everyone's surprise, Zhang Lu suddenly changed his mind in the blink of an eye.

The change was so rapid and abrupt that it inevitably raises questions.
"Prime Minister Yang, has His Majesty truly decided to seek aid from the King of Shu?"

Yan Pu looked doubtful, his brows furrowed, and his eyes filled with incomprehension.

As he spoke, he made a move to rush into the cabin.

"Could you let me in so I can ask the king myself?"

Upon seeing this, Yang Song's eyes narrowed slightly. He gave a look, and his guards immediately understood. They gripped their sword hilts and stood firmly like two iron towers in front of the cabin door, completely blocking Yan Pu's path.

Yan Pu's expression changed instantly. He glared at Yang Song and shouted angrily:

"Prime Minister Yang, what do you mean by this?"

"Why are you stopping me? I just want to see the king and get some answers."

Yang Song, however, stroked his fine beard unhurriedly, a lukewarm smile playing on his lips:

"His Majesty has decreed that he should rest and recuperate properly, and no one may enter without his permission."

"Bo Miao, are you trying to disobey orders and defy the imperial edict?"

Yan Pu was speechless after hearing these words. He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to refute them.

The situation before us is crystal clear.

Zhang Lu either met with misfortune and died, or he was secretly controlled by Yang Song and became a puppet to be manipulated at will.

The problem is that the Yang family now controls almost all the power in the military, and the Imperial Guard is entirely under their command.

Even if he saw through Yang Song's wolfish ambitions, what could he do?
"Ah~~"

Yan Pu sighed helplessly and could only turn and leave silently.

With Yan Pu's retreat, the other ministers of Han China, seeing this, knew that the situation was beyond saving and had no choice but to disperse.

After subduing the ministers, Yang Song secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt secretly pleased with himself.

By this point, Zhang Lu had become his puppet, and he had completely become the behind-the-scenes king of Han China, controlling the life and death of the country.

"Wang Ping, have you loaded all the gold, silver, and money I secretly ordered you to transport onto the ship?"

Yang Song then summoned Wang Ping closer, his eyes revealing a greedy glint in them as he asked.

As the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, Yang Song not only abused his power and acted arbitrarily, but was also extremely greedy and avaricious.

Upon hearing the news of Ma Chao's rebellion and the fall of the East Gate, his first thought was not how to organize troops to resist the rebels, but to order Wang Ping to transport all the wealth that his Yang family had accumulated over the years to the naval camp and load it onto ships.

He planned in his mind that if things went wrong, he could promptly transport this wealth by waterway to Yangping Pass to ensure that his wealth was safe.

In his view, Nanzheng could fall, and Han China could perish, but he could not afford to lose a single penny of the wealth he had painstakingly embezzled over the past ten years.

“Report to...Report to Prime Minister Yang.”

Wang Ping, his forehead beaded with sweat and his face pale, answered guiltily:

"The matter was rushed, and although I did my best, I was only able to transport half of the money and silk."

Upon hearing this, Yang Song's expression changed drastically, his facial muscles contorted instantly, and he immediately turned hostile, shouting:
“Those riches and treasures are my very lifeblood, yet you are so useless that you failed to load half of them onto the ship?”

"Do you know what this wealth means to Benxiang? How many lives do you have to pay for Benxiang's billions?"

Wang Ping was meek and submissive, keeping his head down and not daring to breathe. He could only grit his teeth and endure the scolding, but dared not utter a single word.

After Yang Song had been cursing for a while, his anger subsided slightly, and he said viciously:
"Fine, I'm magnanimous and won't hold it against you. However, you must ensure the safe delivery of all the remaining gold, silver, and money to Yangping Pass. If even a single coin is missing, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Wang Ping shuddered, feeling a chill run from his feet to his head. He hurriedly agreed, his voice trembling as he said:
"Rest assured, Prime Minister Yang, I will do my utmost to ensure the safe delivery of the remaining money and silk to Yangping Pass."

Yang Song then impatiently waved his hand, telling Wang Ping to get lost.

Wang Ping felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly bowed and left in a hurry.

“You illiterate wretch, if it weren’t for the fact that too many of my Yang family members have died or been injured and there is no one else available, why would I entrust someone like you with such an important task?”

Watching Wang Ping's departing figure, Yang Song's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he muttered viciously:

"Once I retreat to Yangping Pass and the situation turns from dangerous to safe, I'll find a pretext to kill you sooner or later, making you pay with your life for half of my wealth..."

...

Meanwhile, in the Xiegu region, a fierce battle continues.

One hundred thousand Han troops surged towards Xingshi Mountain like a tidal wave, launching a fierce attack. This was the seventh day of their continuous assault.

After days of fierce fighting, the Han army was in high spirits and launched a relentless offensive, and it seemed that they were about to capture Xingshi Mountain.

Unfortunately, fate is unpredictable. A sudden downpour arrived abruptly, pouring down like a burst dam, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield in a curtain of rain.

The sudden downpour interrupted the Han army's vigorous offensive.

"Just one step, just one step!"

Standing before the tent, Liu Shan gazed at the torrential rain, his teeth clenched, a torrent of resentment welling up within him. He cursed:

"Damn you, God! Why did it have to rain at this crucial moment? Are you deliberately ruining my plans?"

"Your Highness, please calm down. I expect this rain to come and go quickly, and the weather will clear up by tomorrow at the latest."

Xun Yun, who was standing nearby, noticed Liu Shan's anxiety and quickly comforted him with a smile:

"When the Hanzhong army learned that Nanzheng was besieged, their morale plummeted. They are now at their last gasp. If our army attacks again, we can break through Xingshi Mountain in two days at most."

"When the time comes, the credit for capturing Nanzheng and recovering Hanzhong will still belong to Your Highness. No one can take it away from you, so Your Highness can rest assured."

Liu Shan's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth:
“You are right. I am the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty. I do not believe that Heaven will not help me.”

"Pass on my order: make sure the soldiers are well-fed and rested, and once the rain stops, launch a fierce attack on Xingshi Mountain and make sure it is captured in one fell swoop!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Man Chong rushed to the main tent in the rain, his expression a mixture of joy and worry, making him difficult to read.

"Boning, what happened?"

Liu Shan sensed something was wrong and immediately tensed up, asking in a slightly uneasy voice.

"This is the latest good news from Nanzheng. Your Highness, please take a look."

Man Chong dared not speak in person, and with slightly trembling hands, he carefully presented the battle report.

He knew in his heart that the contents of this battle report would likely greatly shock Liu Shan.

Upon hearing the words "good news," Liu Shan's heart tightened, and an ominous premonition welled up in his mind.

He took a deep breath, feeling uneasy, and slowly accepted the battle report.

After only a few glances, Liu Shan's body trembled, and his expression suddenly changed, as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue.

Then, his face gradually contorted, veins bulged on his forehead like wriggling earthworms, and his wide-open eyes burned with fury.

"Xiao Bowen, you have gone too far in bullying me—"

Liu Shan suddenly roared in fury, tearing the victory report in his hand to shreds. (End of Chapter)