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

Liu Shan's anger, like a volcano about to erupt, surged wildly in his heart and finally exploded completely.

No, simply describing his emotions as "anger" is far too simplistic; it was a near-furious, hysterical madness and resentment.

Originally, the monumental achievement of recovering Hanzhong was firmly before him, within his grasp.

He was full of anticipation that this battle would allow him to realize his long-term plan to eliminate the powerful and influential families of Jingzhou.

Previously, he had full confidence in the situation in Hanzhong.

Nanzheng City was impregnable, with tall and thick walls. Zhang Lu's will to resist was as firm as a rock, and the city had ample food reserves to sustain a protracted war.

Under such circumstances, Liu Shan had already planned everything out in his mind.

As long as Zhang Lu adopts a strategy of holding the city and scorching the fields, with the ample supplies in Nanzheng City, it will not be difficult for him to hold out for several months.

He, on the other hand, could lead an army of 100,000 and calmly conquer Xingshi Mountain.

Once Xingshi Mountain is breached, the army can march in and besiege Nanzheng.

At that time, taking down Nanzheng City will be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

The greatest credit for the recapture of Hanzhong naturally belongs to His Highness the Crown Prince.

But fate cruelly played a trick on him.

To Liu Shan's utter surprise, the 50,000-strong Luoyang army led by Xiao He captured Nanzheng with overwhelming force in just a few days!

This news shattered all his illusions in an instant.

The Battle of Hanzhong has now come to a merciless end.

The credit naturally and without a doubt fell on Xiao He.

The credit for these achievements also fell to Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and others.

And what about Liu Shan himself?

He struggled for a long time, like a headless fly, bumping around aimlessly, but didn't get a single hair.

He neither gained merit nor established prestige, but instead offended Xiao He and his group of meritorious officials from Jingzhou.

To make matters worse, he was also scolded by his father for no reason.

His feelings of grievance and anger were intertwined, like a tangled mess, causing him immense pain.

This is a huge loss! We've lost both our wife and our army!
How could Liu Shan not be furious?
He once again openly expressed his dissatisfaction with Xiao He, as if he wanted to devour Xiao He alive.

"This is impossible. How could the Grand Marshal and his men have captured Nanzheng so quickly in just a few days?"

Xun Yun looked shocked and bewildered, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Seeing this, Man Chong sighed helplessly and had no choice but to verbally recount to everyone how Ma Chao surrendered to the Han and helped Xiao He break through the city from within.

Xun Yun suddenly realized something, and a look of enlightenment flashed in his eyes, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.

The men around him, including Jia Kui and Zhang Yan, were also suddenly awakened.

They exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

"Ma Chao... how did Ma Chao suddenly surrender to our Han Dynasty?"

Zhang Yan looked stunned, still in disbelief.

Man Chong's eyes darted around a few times, and after a moment of contemplation, he slowly said:
"If Chong's speculation is correct, the reason why Ma Chao was able to break through the General of Chariots and Cavalry's interception at the Ziwu Valley Pass must have been the Grand Marshal's plan."

"At that time, the General of Chariots and Cavalry should have already persuaded Ma Chao to surrender, but he intentionally let him return to Nanzheng so that he could act as an inside agent when the Grand Marshal conquers Nanzheng."

"Everything was part of the Grand Marshal's plan."

Everyone was shocked. Xun Yun, Jia Kui, and Zhang Yan all gasped and trembled involuntarily, as if struck by lightning.

Liu Shan also shivered, a hint of horror flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly realized that the gap between himself and Xiao He was like heaven and earth.

Xiao He first anticipated Sima Yi's plan to launch a surprise attack on Tongguan, and then had Guan Yu lead the troops from Luoyang to ambush the Hanzhong army at Tongguan, resulting in a great defeat.

Then, he calculated that Ma Chao was also in the army, so he had Zhao Yun intercept him in the Ziwu Valley and take the opportunity to persuade Ma Chao to surrender and become an inside agent. This move was brilliant.

Then, 50,000 troops entered Hanzhong and, with the help of Ma Chao, easily and effortlessly took Nanzheng!
Such profound foresight and such ingenious planning—could this really be something a human could do?

Even a god descending to earth couldn't be more amazing!

A deep sense of fear welled up in Liu Shan's heart.

In an instant, a sense of regret arose in his heart. He seemed to regret that he should not have expressed his dissatisfaction with Xiao He so early.

They should not have been so eager to make a name for themselves that they tried to support and win over the surrendered officials of Cao Wei too early.

Now look what's happened. Xiao He has offended them, prematurely revealing his ambitions, and has also offended the powerful nobles of Jingzhou and Xiangyang.

They failed to recapture Hanzhong, losing both money and manpower – a complete disaster.

"Your Highness, the enemy general Yang Ang has sent a letter of surrender, claiming his willingness to submit to our Great Han!"
Wei rushed in through the rain, finally bringing good news.

This news was like a ray of dawn in the darkness, making Liu Shan's eyes light up slightly.

Xun Yun and the others were immediately invigorated.

"Your Highness, although we did not achieve the merit of recovering Hanzhong, we did manage to capture more than 10,000 Hanzhong soldiers, which can be considered a merit."

Xun Yun hurriedly offered words of comfort, his eyes filled with expectation, hoping that Liu Shan's mood would improve as a result.

The gleam in Liu Shan's eyes, however, was fleeting.

Compared to the achievement of recovering Hanzhong, what is the mere surrender of 10,000 Hanzhong soldiers?
In his mind, this was nothing more than insignificant and better than nothing.

His heart was still filled with anger and resentment, and he could not let it go.

As dusk fell, the heavy rain finally stopped.

The sky gradually cleared, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the earth.

The Han army's battle flags were finally planted on Xingshi Mountain, fluttering in the breeze.

Surrounded by his generals, Liu Shan ascended the Hanzhong army camp, which had been besieged for a long time.

His steps were heavy and slow, each step carrying his anger and helplessness.

"This humble general, Yang Ang, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

As the only remaining general of the Yang family, Yang Ang hurriedly stepped forward and knelt at Liu Shan's feet.

Behind him, more than 10,000 Han soldiers were kneeling on the ground, trembling and waiting for Liu Shan's reassurance.

Their heads were bowed low, all afraid of being caught in Liu Shan's gaze.

Liu Shan looked down at Yang Ang, and at the surrendered soldiers of Hanzhong scattered all over the land, but the anger in his heart burned brighter and brighter.

"If it weren't for your stubborn resistance, I would have already captured Xingshi Mountain and besieged Nanzheng City. How could they have gotten the credit first?"

He gritted his teeth and muttered something under his breath.

"It's all your fault that you ruined my grand plan!"

Liu Shan's tone suddenly hardened, his eyes blazing with anger. He waved his hand and shouted sharply:

"Guards, drag Yang Ang away and execute him."

"Bury and kill all ten thousand surrendered soldiers from Hanzhong, leave not a single one alive!"

Yang Ang was taken aback.

He never expected that the Crown Prince of Han, who was rumored to have inherited the benevolence and righteousness of Emperor Liu Bei, would be so ruthless.

They refused his surrender and wanted to kill him.

He even wanted to bury all 10,000 surrendered soldiers alive to vent his anger.

The advisors and generals, including Man Chong on both sides and Xun Yun, were all horrified and paled. (End of Chapter)