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

Suddenly, he understood the real reason why Ma Chao abandoned the city.

It was not because they were powerless to resist the Wei army's fierce offensive.

Ma Chao's bravery is known to all; how could he easily admit defeat?
It was not because they were afraid that they fled in panic.

The real reason was that Deng Ai had already captured the strategic location of Jieting, thus opening the gateway to Liangzhou.

Even more shockingly, Deng Ai also killed Wang Shuang!
Wang Shuang's bravery was no less than Ma Chao's.

This was one of his few remaining fierce generals, and his death was undoubtedly another heavy blow to the morale of the Wei army.

Ma Chao's move clearly indicates that he intends to return to Jieting and join forces with Deng Ai.

The Wei army camp was instantly thrown into chaos.

Panic-stricken discussions surged forth like a tidal wave, filled with an atmosphere of fear and unease.

Various horrified whispers mingled together, like countless sharp blades piercing Cao Pi's heart mercilessly, making his face grow increasingly gloomy.

"Deng Ai, Deng Ai!"

Cao Pi suffered a severe blow to his spirit; his face was contorted with anger and terror, and he let out a deafening roar.

"Alas, Jieting ultimately fell. We left too few troops; they were simply no match for the Han army's fierce attack."

"Your Majesty should not have returned to Ji County. You should have personally taken command at Jieting. With Your Majesty's wisdom and martial prowess, you would surely have been able to stabilize the situation and prevent the fall of Jieting."

Jia Xu looked bitter, his brows furrowed, and let out a deep sigh.

He certainly knew what the loss of Jieting meant for the Wei army, and he also understood the pain and anger in Cao Pi's heart at this moment.

These words of reflection made Cheng Gongying's heart tighten.

He glared at Jia Xu, his eyes filled with vigilance.

In his view, Jia Xu's words were clearly a reminder to Cao Pi that it was his strategic miscalculation that led Cao Pi to leave too few troops, giving the Han army an opportunity to take advantage.

This was undoubtedly kicking him while he was down, attempting to shift the blame for the loss of Jieting onto him.

Jia Xu's words made Cheng Gongying secretly wary.

Sure enough, Cao Pi seemed to remember something, slowly turned his head, and stared at Cheng Gongying.

That look sent a shiver down Cheng Gongying's spine.

Cheng Gongying reacted quickly; he angrily pointed at Jiang Wei and said:

"The loss of Jieting is entirely Jiang Wei's fault! He cannot escape blame!"

This angry shout, like a thunderclap, instantly drew everyone's attention to Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei stood there, stunned, as if struck by lightning, completely at a loss.

He never expected that Cheng Gongying would so blatantly distort the truth and pin all the blame for the failure on him.

"If you hadn't fled and abandoned the water source, how could General Zhen Dong have been besieged by the lack of water, and how could Maijishan have been lost?"

"You should have fought to the death with Jieting, but you were cowardly and deserted your post, causing our army to suffer a great defeat. What is your crime?"

After Cheng Gongying finished criticizing him, she advised Cao Pi:
"Your Majesty, Jiang Wei is the main culprit in the loss of Jieting. I beg Your Majesty to punish him. If Jiang Wei is not severely punished, it will be difficult to win over the people and the morale of the army will be unstable."

Cheng Gong's tone was resolute, as if the evidence of Jiang Wei's crimes was irrefutable.

Jiang Wei was greatly alarmed.

Cheng Gongying was trying to kill him.

It's shameless enough to pin all the blame for the breach on him, but to actually try to kill him?

Gongying is really too ruthless!

Cao Pi's gaze was drawn to Jiang Wei, and his anger burned fiercely in his eyes like a raging fire.

Jiang Wei's heart skipped a beat, a surge of fear welling up within him, and he hurriedly tried to explain:
"Your Majesty, the loss of Jieting is not my fault!"

"I have repeatedly advised General Zhen Dong to obey Your Majesty's decree and not to abandon the city and move to the mountain. However, General Zhen Dong insisted on moving the camp to Maijishan. I was powerless to dissuade him."

"Moreover, my army is small, numbering only 1,500 men. How can we possibly hold out against an attack by the Han army, which outnumbers us tenfold?"

"Your Majesty, you are wise enough to know that the loss of Jieting was absolutely not my fault!" Before Cao Pi could speak, Cheng Gongying's eyes widened in anger as he demanded:

"At this point, you're still trying to excuse yourself?"

"Given the dilapidated state of Jieting, if General Zhen Dong does not ascend the mountain to defend it, how can he possibly withstand the Han army's attack? How could you not know this?"

"Moreover, the location of the underground spring is extremely well hidden. How could Deng Ai possibly know about it? It must have been you who exposed the location of the underground spring, which is why Deng Ai noticed it."

"Yet you did not defend Anquan to the death, but instead fled in fear, causing General Zhen Dong and six thousand Wei soldiers to die at Jieting."

"What face do you have to come back and see the Emperor? What right do you have to defend yourself here?"

Cheng Gongying was filled with righteous indignation and rebuked Jiang Wei mercilessly.

Jiang Wei was speechless. Faced with Cheng Gongying's rebuke, he didn't know how to refute it for a moment.

"His Majesty……"

Jiang Wei could only look at Cao Pi, his eyes filled with pleading.

He hoped that Cao Pi would see the truth clearly and clear his name.

Cao Pi, however, had a sharp gaze and a cold expression.

It seems he has already concluded that Jiang Wei was the culprit who caused the loss of Jieting.

"Drag Jiang Wei away and execute him for me!"

Cao Pi angrily issued an order.

Someone has to take the blame for the loss of Jieting.

Wang Shuang is dead, so he can't be blamed for this.

Cheng Gongying was one of his confidants, so of course he couldn't be blamed.

Only you, Jiang Wei, are truly to blame, and you have no background whatsoever. If you don't take the blame, who will?
At this time, Cao Pi was furious about Wang Shuang's death and temporarily lost his composure.

In his fury, Jiang Wei naturally had to take the blame.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

Jiang Wei was terrified and immediately kowtowed and begged.

Cao Pi remained unmoved. He waved his hand, signaling his men to drag Jiang Wei away and execute him.

Jia Xu wanted to offer advice, but the words caught in his throat, and he could only shake his head and sigh.

Just as his attendants were about to execute Jiang Wei,

One person finally lost his temper and shouted:
"Your Majesty, Jiang Wei must not be killed!"

Cao Pi turned around and looked at the man.

The one who tried to dissuade him was Yan Xing.

“Your Majesty, the Han army at Jieting has tens of thousands of troops, while General Wang’s troops number only six thousand. Jiang Wei has only fifteen hundred men. With such a disparity in troop strength, it is truly remarkable that Jiang Wei was able to hold out until the end.”

"I have been to Maijishan. I know that the mountain is extremely dangerous, but there are no natural defenses around it. Jiang Boyue with 1,500 men could not possibly withstand the attack of the Han army, which outnumbers him tenfold, let alone defend Anquan."

"In my opinion, Jiang Wei did his best, and the loss of Jieting was not his fault!"

After Yan Xing defended and exonerated Jiang Wei, he kowtowed and asked:

"Your Majesty, I beg you to spare his life. This is a time when we need capable men. We must not kill a good general. Jiang Wei is a rare talent. If he is killed, it will be a great loss to our army."

The murderous intent on Cao Pi's face faded almost entirely in an instant.

It wasn't that he was moved by Yan Xing, but rather that Yan Xing was a person he couldn't help but be wary of.

Yan Xing is a representative of Han Sui's former subordinates and also the current representative of the Xiliang Army.

Currently, the largest number of people in his Wei army are from Xiliang.

He couldn't afford to ignore Yan Xing's words! (End of Chapter)