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

Upon hearing his father's words, Liang Xun's expression turned solemn. He immediately straightened his posture and said with a firm gaze:

“Father, the Han emperor has always ruled the world with benevolence and righteousness. Although I am young, I know that the emperor has a broad mind that embraces all rivers.”

"If the emperor is like this, his ministers will surely be like this as well. I believe that the Grand Marshal and the others will understand your good intentions and grant your request."

Liang Xing nodded slightly, his eyes revealing approval of his son, and said:

“What you say is absolutely right. In that case, you should leave the city immediately and report our wishes to the Grand Marshal. Once the Grand Marshal has replied, I will open the city gates and surrender, so that the people in this city may be spared the suffering of war.”

The words trailed off.

Suddenly, a series of rapid sounds were heard, and the tightly closed tent flap was violently flung open.

Immediately afterwards, a booming shout, like a bell, resounded inside the tent:
"Liang Xing, do you really intend to betray the Great Wei and His Majesty?"

With this angry shout, a man burst into the tent.

The person who arrived was none other than Jiang Xu.

His face was flushed, his eyes filled with anger and astonishment, and he hurried in.

Behind him, several guards caught up, panting, their faces full of helplessness, clearly having tried to stop him but failing.

Upon seeing this, Liang Xun's heart tightened, and he subconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, ready to strike.

Liang Xing, however, reacted quickly, stopping his son. Then, feigning nonchalance, he smiled slightly and said:
"Brother Jiang, your intrusion into my tent is quite impolite."

"This tent is my main tent, after all. Your trespassing shows a complete disregard for me."

Jiang Xu's eyes widened in anger, his finger pointed at Liang Xun, and his voice trembled as he said:

"When I heard that Liang Xun had entered the city, I was worried about him and thought I would come and see my nephew. After all, it had been a long time since I had seen him and I missed him very much. But I never expected that you would be here in this tent, plotting to surrender to Liu Bei!"

"Liang Xing, do you really intend to betray the Great Wei and His Majesty?"

"Have you ever considered the consequences of betrayal? Aren't you afraid of being condemned for eternity?"

Hearing Jiang Xu's series of questions, Liang Xing couldn't help but frown, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart.

What do you mean by visiting my nephew? He's clearly spying on me. Otherwise, how could he have come straight here as soon as Liang Xun entered the city? What a coincidence!

To make matters worse, Jiang Xu overheard his conversation about his decision to surrender to the Han.

Liang Xing then stopped hiding his true feelings and frankly said:
"Now that you've heard it all, I no longer need to hide it. That's right, I've decided to surrender to the Han!"

"The Great Wei is now in such a precarious situation that its destruction is inevitable. My surrender to the Great Han is only to find a way to survive for the people in this city."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xu was struck dumb, frozen in place, his mouth slightly open, but unable to utter a single word.

Seeing this, Liang Xing, remembering their past relationship and wanting to help Jiang Xu, continued to persuade him:

"Brother Jiang, why don't you surrender with me? You and I both know that the loss of Longyou by Wei is a foregone conclusion, and this is an unchangeable fact."

"The wisest choice for us is to submit to the Han emperor. The Han emperor cherishes talent. If you are willing to surrender, you will surely have a place in the Han dynasty."

"Then we can serve the Han Dynasty together and share its glory and wealth."

Jiang Xu was stunned by Liang Xing's words, his face instantly contorted with anger and disdain, and he roared:

"Liang Xing, you scoundrel! We are both subjects of the Great Wei, and have received its favors for many years. How can we betray the Emperor and become disloyal and unjust traitors?"

"Your behavior is utterly despicable!"

Jiang Xu said sternly, his voice echoing within the tent.

Hearing these words, Liang Xing sneered, a hint of mockery in his eyes:

"Jiang Xu, have you forgotten? We were forced to surrender to Cao Cao in the end."

"In these chaotic times, whoever we serve as our master is always for our own survival; it has always been this way." "In this world, how can one survive in such chaos if one doesn't consider one's own needs?"

"Now you're talking about loyalty and righteousness? Isn't that ridiculous?"

Liang Xing's words directly tore away Jiang Xu's hypocritical mask.

He was thinking to himself:

Located on the border, Xiliang had a harsh living environment and was constantly harassed by the Qiang and Hu tribes. Self-preservation was the most important thing.

Everyone's just trying to protect themselves, so what's there to pretend about?

Why bother with this hypocritical talk of loyalty and righteousness?

"Liang Xing, you..."

Jiang Xu was furious and embarrassed. He pointed at Liang Xing, trembling with anger, but he was speechless for a moment.

Seeing this, Liang Xing put away his sarcastic expression and continued to patiently persuade him:

"Are you worried that Ma Chao will retaliate against us after we surrender to Han? Don't worry, this is his own handwritten letter."

"He promised not to hold grudges and not to retaliate against us. This is a handwritten letter from the General of the Cavalry himself; see for yourself."

As he spoke, Liang Xing took out two letters from his pocket and handed them to Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu was startled, his anger instantly subsided, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, he slowly accepted the two letters.

A glimmer of hope began to rise in his eyes.

However, after reading Ma Chao's letter, he lost control.

Jiang Xu's face instantly turned ferocious. He forcefully threw the letter to Liang Xing and roared:

"Ma Chao promised not to retaliate against you, but that didn't include me. I will definitely be retaliated against by him! I can't just wait to die. Such a promise means nothing to me!"

Liang Xing's face darkened, his brows furrowed, and he knew in his heart that something was wrong.

Seeing Jiang Xu's attitude, Liang Xun, who was standing beside him, was immediately enraged and said sternly:
"Jiang Xu, you tricked my father back then, which is why he turned against us. Now, my father not only doesn't hold a grudge, but he's also trying to save your life. Don't be ungrateful, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

As he spoke, Liang Xun drew his long sword with a "whoosh" and made a move to attack.

Jiang Xu's ferocious expression instantly turned to panic. He quickly gripped the hilt of his sword, took several steps back, and his eyes flashed with vigilance.

"Don't be rude!"

Before his son could make a move, Liang Xing shouted.

Liang Xun looked back at his father and saw that his father looked serious, so he reluctantly put his sword back into its sheath.

Jiang Xu watched the Liang family father and son warily, unsure of what to do, and moved backward in a flustered manner.

Seeing this, Liang Xing remained calm and slowly said:
"In the end, you're just afraid of Ma Chao's revenge. Everyone has their own ambitions, and I won't force you. Go back and tell Xu Zhi that I have petitioned the Grand Marshal and the others to allow you to evacuate Pingxiang. You no longer need to wait to die in this city."

"This is the last thing I can do for you as a fellow countryman!"

Jiang Xu was taken aback. He finally loosened his grip on the sword hilt, and the wariness on his face turned into an expression of disbelief.

Clearly, he hadn't expected that Liang Xing would consider their shared hometown and find him a way to make a living.

"Ugh--"

Jiang Xu sighed, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. (End of Chapter)