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

At this moment, Liu Shan was truly anxious and completely lost his composure.

He was full of ambition for this western expedition, believing that he could achieve great military exploits, win unparalleled glory and prestige in the court, and thus consolidate his position as crown prince.

He could almost see his father's gratified smile and the awe-inspiring gazes of his ministers as he returned in triumph.

Reality, however, struck him like a heavy slap in the face.

As they fought their way through the war, the easy victories they had envisioned vanished one after another.

All that remains now is the meager achievement of breaching Yangping Pass and killing Zhang Lu, a meager scrap of glory.

This was the last possible achievement he could gain, the last straw he could grasp at.

He knew very well that this achievement could become a key bargaining chip in his battle to defend his position as crown prince.

If even this final credit is taken away by someone else, then the emperor's disappointment in him, the ridicule of the ministers, and the suppression by the nobles of Jingzhou will overwhelm him like a tidal wave.

Thus, under such extreme anxiety and fear, Liu Shan completely lost his composure.

He seemed to have become a mad gambler, desperately trying to grasp this last hope, completely disregarding the fact that his soldiers were already hungry and exhausted, forcing them to continue their fierce attack on Yangping Pass.

At this moment, Liu Shan had only one thought in his mind:
Capture Yangping Pass, gain merit, and secure the position of Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, I know you are extremely anxious at this moment, but given the soldiers' current physical strength and morale, even if we forcefully attack the city, it will be futile."

"Moreover, Yangping Pass is strategically important, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we do not make full preparations and attack rashly, we will only send our soldiers to their deaths in vain."

Seeing this, Man Chong was very worried and hurriedly stepped forward to try to persuade Liu Shan to calm down.

Liu Shan was already blinded by anger and fear, and he could no longer listen to Man Chong's advice.

He flew into a rage, leaped to his feet, eyes wide, face flushed, and hysterically shouted at Man Chong:

"Don't you understand? At this moment, you and I are one, sharing both glory and loss!"

"If we fail to capture Yangping Pass and take Zhang Lu's head, my father will be utterly disappointed in me. At that time, Xiao and the others will surely take the opportunity to slander me to my father and attack me together."

"If that happens, my position as crown prince will be in grave danger, and I could be deposed by my father at any moment!"

"If I am deposed, whoever becomes the crown prince and inherits the throne, those nobles from Jingzhou and Xiangyang will definitely dominate the court and turn it into their personal fiefdom."

Do you think they would let you northerners go, or let you surrendered officials of Cao Wei go?

Liu Shan became more and more excited as he spoke.

Now that things have come to this, he no longer hides it and simply breaks through the barrier, revealing his thoughts without reservation.

This hysterical, almost insane speech laid bare the conflicts between him and Xiao and the Jingxiang nobles, as well as the conflicts between these northerners and southerners.

Upon hearing this, Man Chong was jolted as if struck by lightning, and was speechless, unsure how to respond.

Xun Yun, Zhang Yan, Jia Kui, and the others were also greatly shocked, their faces showing astonishment and fear, and they all became solemn.

The group looked at each other, their eyes filled with complex emotions: worry, fear, hesitation, and a sense of being on a sinking ship, unable to control their own destiny.

They then realized that Liu Shan had used this opportunity of heading south to Hanzhong to bring all of them, these surrendered officials of Cao Wei and these northerners, onto his pirate ship.

Now, those nobles and officials of Jingzhou and Xiangyang have all come to regard these people as having sided with the Crown Prince and as part of his faction.

Once labeled, it's hard to shake off. If the crown prince is deposed in the future, how could Xiao He and these meritorious officials from Jing and Yang easily let them go?

Thinking of these consequences, everyone couldn't help but shudder.

While the emperor was alive, Xiao He and other meritorious officials naturally dared not do anything to them, since the emperor's authority was still intact and the court situation could still maintain a balance.

But who can guarantee that after the emperor leaves and a new emperor ascends the throne, these meritorious officials of Jingzhou and Xiangyang will not eliminate dissidents and deal ruthlessly with them?
Upon understanding this, everyone shuddered and felt a chill run down their spines.

"Gentlemen, His Highness the Crown Prince is right."

At this moment, Xun Yun stood up.

"We are now inextricably linked with His Highness the Crown Prince; we share both glory and ruin!"

"We must work together to protect His Highness's position as Crown Prince, only in this way can we protect ourselves."

Liu Shan's face lit up with joy.

As Xun Yu's son, Xun Yun's attitude, to a certain extent, represented Xun Yu's attitude.

Xun Yu was the foremost surrendered official of Cao Wei, and he held extremely high prestige and influence within the Northern People's Group.

However, Xun Yun's appeal was clearly not as great as his father's.

Jia Kui, Zhang Yan, and the others exchanged glances, their eyes showing hesitation, but they did not respond generously.

Xun Yun frowned. Seeing the lukewarm reaction from the crowd, he knew he had to add fuel to the fire, so he said sternly:
"We are all subjects of the Han Dynasty, just like the people of Jingxiang. However, Jingxiang is only one of the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty, yet it occupies most of the positions of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. Is this fair? Is this reasonable?"

"Even if you don't think about yourselves, don't you think about your descendants? Don't you want to fight for the glory that our descendants deserve?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Kui and the others were startled, as if they had suddenly realized something.

Xun Yun brought the stakes to the forefront completely.

Xiao He and these scholars from Jingxiang numbered less than one-tenth of all scholars in the country, yet they occupied half of the court by virtue of their service in supporting the emperor.

The remaining nine-tenths of them could only share the other half of the court officials' quota, which was a huge disparity.

This is like cooking a pot of meat. The scholars from Jingxiang, though few in number, always manage to get the majority, while the others, though numerous, only get a few scraps.

Official positions represent power, and power represents wealth and resources.

The nobles of Jingzhou and Xiangyang who occupied official positions in the imperial court were essentially squeezing out the resources for their livelihood.

Without sufficient power, they lack sufficient resources for survival. How can their descendants guarantee long-term prosperity?

Xun Yun's words couldn't be clearer: by helping the Crown Prince, we are helping ourselves, and we are fighting for survival resources for our descendants and for the people of the North!

All those present were shrewd and intelligent; how could they not understand this principle?

They were already clear in their hearts that their interests were now inextricably linked with those of Crown Prince Liu Shan; they would share both glory and ruin, and there was no way out.

To help the Crown Prince, one must spare no effort to capture Yangping Pass and obtain this last remaining merit to ensure the Crown Prince's position is secure.

"Since Your Highness has given the order, how can we not obey and die for it!"

Just then, Zhang Yan broke the silence, her gaze firm, her expression generous, and she spoke with conviction:
"I will now lead my troops into battle again, risking my life to break through Yangping Pass for Your Highness and cut off Zhang Lu's head!" (End of Chapter)