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

"Yang Ang?"

Guan Yu and Xiao He exchanged a glance inadvertently in the tent, both filled with doubt.

Yang Ang was not in Xiegu when he led 10,000 Hanzhong soldiers to surrender to Liu Shan, but unexpectedly he later rebelled.

As a result, Liu Shan, in a fit of rage, slaughtered all ten thousand Han soldiers.

But now, Yang Ang has appeared like a ghost, all alone, suddenly at the foot of Nanzheng City.

What exactly is going on here?
Could it be that after experiencing life and death, he finally came to his senses and realized that there was still a way out here, so he eagerly came to surrender?
Even though Guan Yu, Xiao He, and others have some conflicts with Liu Shan, those are ultimately internal conflicts within the Han Dynasty, disputes among family members behind closed doors.

As for hostile elements like Yang Ang who surrendered and then rebelled again, everyone's attitude has always been the same—never tolerating them.

Since you have already betrayed Liu Shan, it is equivalent to betraying the entire Han camp. How could we easily forgive you?

Thinking of this, Guan Yu's face instantly darkened, and he shouted:

"Yang Ang is a treacherous and untrustworthy scoundrel! He surrendered and then rebelled again, which is extremely hateful. There's no need to bring him here; just behead him and show his head to the public as a warning to others!"

Upon receiving the order, Deng Ai immediately prepared to carry it out and execute the decapitation order.

Xiao He's eyes flickered, a hint of caution in them, and he waved his hand to stop him:
"Don't rush to make a move. I feel that there are suspicious things going on in this matter. Why don't we bring Yang Ang closer and ask him clearly before killing him?"

Guan Yu was taken aback, then turned to Xiao He with a puzzled look and asked:
"Bowen, what do you mean by that?"

Xiao He then said unhurriedly:

“Our Han Dynasty has always treated prisoners of war well. According to common sense, since Yang Ang has already surrendered to the Crown Prince, there is no reason for him to rebel again.”

"But this Yang Ang is contrary to common sense, and has done something like surrendering and then rebelling again. Doesn't Father-in-law think there's something suspicious about this?"

Guan Yu seemed to be deep in thought, a hint of doubt flickering between his brows, and asked:

"So, Yibowen, you mean..."

Xiao He hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Let's summon this man first and hear what he has to say before making a decision."

Guan Yu always respected his son-in-law, so he had no reason not to listen and immediately nodded in agreement with Xiao He's suggestion.

After a while.

Xiao He and Guan Yu were already seated high in the main seats.

Yang Ang, covered in blood, was dragged into the tent by several soldiers like a dead dog, and then he was forced to kneel on the ground.

"This humble general, Yang Ang, pays his respects to the Grand Marshal and the General."

Yang Ang struggled to lift his head, his voice trembling as he said:
"This humble general is innocent! Please, Grand Marshal and General, save this humble general!"

After saying this, he bowed deeply, his head hitting the ground heavily.

His very first words were a cry of injustice!

This unexpected scene left Zhao Yun and the others present with surprised expressions.

Guan Yu suppressed his suspicions and, with an iron-like expression, shouted in a deep voice:

“Yang Ang, you had already surrendered to the Crown Prince, but you have rebelled again. You deserve to die. Even if you are lucky enough to escape this calamity, the Crown Prince cannot kill you, but we will kill you. What grievance do you have?”

Yang Ang knelt on the ground, his face filled with grief and indignation, and said:

"Reporting to the General, this humble general and my ten thousand men have sincerely surrendered to the Crown Prince and have no intention of rebelling at all!"

"It was the Crown Prince who, upon hearing that you, General, had taken Nanzheng first, became enraged and wanted to take it out on us surrendered soldiers. He even planned to bury us all alive!" "This humble general only wanted to live, so he had no choice but to break out of the prisoner-of-war camp, intending to escape back to Hanzhong. But who would have thought that on the way, we would fall into the Crown Prince's ambush, and all ten thousand of my brothers were shot dead!"

As Yang Ang spoke, he wiped away his tears with his hand:

"I fell into the river and was lucky enough to escape, so I came to seek refuge with the Grand General and Grand Marshal to tell you the truth."

"This humble general truly surrenders to the Han; my escape from Xiegu was a last resort. I implore the Grand Marshal and General to see the truth and grant this humble general a way out!"

Yang Ang recounted the whole story in a sorrowful voice, repeatedly banging his forehead on the ground. He pleaded with Xiao He and Guan Yu for mercy, hoping to gain a sliver of pity.

Guan Yu's expression changed drastically; his already gloomy face was now as dark as a storm cloud.

What Yang Ang said struck Guan Yu like a thunderclap.

If what he said is true, then these 10,000 surrendered soldiers were not killed because they rebelled again after surrendering, but were forced to their deaths by Liu Shan!

It could even be said that they were slaughtered by Liu Shan in a fit of rage.

Such behavior is utterly outrageous!
"What you said, is it true?"

Guan Yu glared angrily and shouted at Yang Ang.

Yang Ang kowtowed repeatedly, his voice filled with sorrow as he said:
"If I have uttered even the slightest lie, may I die without a burial place! I am willing to stake my head on it!"

Guan Yu gasped and shivered.

His gaze slowly turned to Xiao He.

For a moment, he was completely at a loss.

Xiao He, however, remained calm and instructed Deng Ai:

"Take this person away first and keep a close watch on him. Remember, do not let anyone know his identity. This matter is of great importance, and we must not let any word of it leak out."

Deng Ai understood and immediately summoned a team of trusted guards to escort Yang Ang away.

After Yang Ang was taken away, Guan Yu was still shaken. He frowned and said with a hint of relief in his voice:
"Bowen, do you think this Crown Prince really... he killed ten thousand surrendered soldiers just to vent his anger?"

Xiao He gave a cold laugh, a smile tinged with mockery and disdain, and retorted:
"Father-in-law, have you forgotten what I told you about the 20,000 surrendered soldiers in Puban?"

Guan Yu felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly remembered.

He remembered Xiao He saying that after capturing Puban Pass, Liu Shan had the urge to massacre 20,000 surrendered Cao Wei soldiers.

However, Xiao He and Zhang Fei persuaded them to stop at the time.

Although Liu Shan was displeased, he ultimately abandoned the idea due to their prestige.

This shows that deep down, Liu Shan harbored a ruthless and cruel nature.

Back in Puban, with Xiao and the others watching over him, this brutality was forced to be restrained, like a wild beast locked in a cage.

Now that Liu Shan was personally in command of the army, and no one else had the power to restrain him, his long-suppressed brutality naturally erupted, and he slaughtered 10,000 surrendered soldiers from Hanzhong to vent his anger.

The key point is that Liu Shan was also very cunning. He used a trick to disguise the killing of surrendered soldiers as 10,000 Hanzhong soldiers surrendering and then rebelling again, forcing him to quell the rebellion.

In this way, he could both vent his anger and cover up his brutality, achieving two goals at once.

Having figured all this out, Guan Yu shuddered violently and gritted his teeth, saying:
"Such a ruthless, treacherous, and insidious person, if he were to inherit the throne, would surely become a great scourge to the world!" (End of Chapter)