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

Wu Rong bowed slightly, breaking the silence in the tent, and asked Meng Quan, who sat on the throne:
"Your Majesty, what are your plans for dealing with Liu Xun, and how do you intend to use him to achieve our grand ambitions?"

Meng Quan narrowed his eyes slightly, a cunning yet confident smile curving his lips, and slowly said:
“What’s so difficult about that? Although Liu Xun no longer has the same prestige in Shu, he was once Liu Zhang’s son and still has a certain influence in the hearts of some people.”

"I intend to first use his influence to recruit troops in the southern region and expand our strength. Once the troops are ready, we will rely on the dense, complex, and easily defensible jungle terrain of the southern region to confront the army led by Wei Yan and Xiao He, hold our ground, and wear down their morale and patience."

"I anticipate that Wei Yan and Xiao He will be unable to capture the city after a long siege, and their food supplies will become increasingly difficult. They will inevitably have the idea of ​​retreating. When they are forced to return to the Central Plains, I can use Liu Xun's name to openly march north and attack Chengdu, and take over the entire Yizhou region in one fell swoop."

"At that time, I will force Liu Xun to abdicate the throne to me, and then I can rightfully become the king of Shu and command all directions!"

Wu Rong listened quietly to Meng Quan's plan, and an irrepressible sense of admiration gradually welled up in his eyes.

Before Meng Quan could finish explaining his plan, Wu Rong eagerly cupped his hands in a salute and said:

"Your Majesty possesses such great talent and foresight, which is truly a blessing for our Southern Regions. I, Wu Rong, am willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty and fight to the death to repay Your Majesty!"

Upon receiving such a firm statement from Wu Rong, Meng Quan felt a surge of secret joy and breathed a sigh of relief.

It should be noted that Wu Rong held a pivotal position among the tribes of the South, serving as the leader of the Second Tribe and possessing exceptional martial arts skills, making him arguably the strongest martial artist among the Southern Barbarians.

With her help, his plan had a much better chance of success.

Thinking of this, a look of arrogance ignited on Meng Quan's face. He stood up abruptly, put his hands on his hips, and said with boundless pride:

"With your assistance, Wu Rong, what do I have to worry about in achieving my great cause! Wu Rong, listen to my command! I order you to immediately lead the Southern Barbarian army north to meet the enemy! On this expedition, you must make a name for yourself and let all the Han people know the bravery of the Southern Barbarians!"

Meng Quan's words meant that he was going to change his original strategy of primarily defending and instead take the initiative to attack.

But behind all this lies his own ulterior motive.

In recent years, the tribe led by Wu Rong has developed rapidly and its strength has increased significantly, showing signs of surpassing the tribe led by Meng Quan.

This was absolutely intolerable to Meng Quan, who was narrow-minded and had an extremely strong desire for control.

Therefore, he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to allow Wu Rong to lead his troops into battle, so that Wu Rong would weaken his strength in the battle against Wei Yan and Xiao He.

At the same time, he also hoped that Wu Rong could defeat Wei Yan with his bravery and skill in battle.

Wu Rong was completely unaware of Meng Quan's schemes. She simply took it as Meng Quan's trust and high regard for her, and readily accepted the order.

Meanwhile, to the north of South China, the shadow of a major battle was quietly looming.

One hundred thousand Han troops marched towards Nan'an City like a surging tide.

Wherever they went, the cities of Shu were terrified and surrendered to the Han Dynasty.

This is understandable, as Liu Zhang is now dead, Chengdu has fallen, and the Shu Kingdom has effectively perished.

Throughout the entire Shu Kingdom, the hearts and minds of the people had long since crumbled, leaving the region scattered like a pile of loose sand.

Although Liu Xun was still alive, he lacked sufficient prestige and appeal to win people's hearts.

Although he had ordered all counties not to surrender and to hold their cities, very few responded.

The officials of Shu in all the counties and prefectures surrendered without hesitation, fearing that they would not be able to surrender in time.

The army led by Wei Yan and Xiao He marched south with unstoppable momentum.

Within three days, they had reached the Nan'an City front and formed a stalemate with the Southern Barbarian Allied Forces.

At this moment, a spy from the south rushed in to report that Liu Xun had allied with Meng Quan, and Meng Quan had sent his general Wu Rong and Shu general Deng Xian to lead a coalition of 30,000 troops to occupy Jiangyang City in an attempt to block the Han army from advancing south.

"Wu Rong? There are female generals among the southern barbarians?"

Upon hearing this news, Wei Yan's eyes flashed with surprise. He subconsciously looked back at Xiao He, hoping to get more information about this mysterious female general from him.

Xiao He smiled slightly, confidently saying:
"This Wu Rong is the leader of the second largest tribe in the Southern Barbarians. She is highly skilled in martial arts and has a very high reputation among the Southern Barbarians. She has practiced martial arts since childhood and is proficient in various military strategies and tactics. She should not be underestimated."

A hint of apprehension flashed across Wei Yan's eyes.

But Xiao He smiled coldly and said calmly:
"Although Wu Rong is quite capable, Wen Chang, you are a renowned general of our Han Kingdom, experienced in countless battles, and possess both wisdom and courage. With you here, what difficulty is there in defeating this villain? What is there to fear?"

Xiao He's words were like a spark, instantly igniting the heroic spirit in Wei Yan's heart.

He slapped his chest suddenly and said:
"Rest assured, Grand Marshal, I, Wei Yan, will definitely capture Wu Rong alive to restore the prestige of our Han army!"

A strange glint flashed in Xiao He's eyes. He leaned closer to Wei Yan, whispered in his ear, and explained his plan in detail.

Wei Yan nodded with pleasure after hearing this and said:
"Very well, let's follow the Grand Marshal's plan! This time, we must ensure that Wu Rong never returns!"

...

Two days later, north of Jiangyang City.

The vanguard of the Han army has reached the north of the city and begun to set up camp.

The camp stretched for miles, with banners fluttering and swords and spears standing tall, creating an atmosphere of grim determination.

On a high hill, Wu Rong stood on his horse with his sword drawn, his eyes sharp as an eagle, carefully observing the Han army's camp, trying to find out its true strength and weaknesses.

After observing carefully for a while, a disdainful sneer curled at the corner of her lips:

"I think Wei Yan is nothing special. His camp is set up in a very messy way, without any order or strategy. He is clearly not a person who knows how to command troops."

"I really don't know how you guys managed to lose to him back then?!"

As Wu Rong spoke, he cast a mocking glance at Deng Xian beside him.

Deng Xian coughed twice, a hint of embarrassment on his face, and cautiously reminded him:
"Chief Wu, Wei Yan is a famous general of the Han Kingdom. He also has Xiao He as his assistant. Xiao He is a man of great wisdom and resourcefulness, and full of cunning. We must not underestimate him. It is best to be careful."

Wu Rong, however, completely ignored Deng Xian's advice and coldly said:

"In my opinion, you are all terrified of him, which is why you are boosting the enemy's morale while diminishing your own. Pass down the order! I want to launch a night raid on the Han camp, capture Wei Yan and Xiao He alive, and let them know the might of the Southern Barbarians!"

After Wu Rong finished speaking, he suddenly raised his battle sword and loudly gave the order.

Deng Xian was completely stunned, as if struck by a bolt from the blue, his mind going blank.

He stared wide-eyed at Wu Rong in disbelief, his eyes filled with shock and astonishment.

What arrogance! This Wu Rong actually boasted that he would capture Wei Yan alive. This is simply too presumptuous!
In her eyes, was Wei Yan as vulnerable as a lamb to the slaughter?

Besides, there's Xiao He too.

Wu Rong's arrogance made Deng Xian wary, but he himself would never dare to act so rashly.

This operation is extremely dangerous, and we dare not follow Wu Rong in his reckless actions and throw our lives away in vain.

So, suppressing his fear and unease, he patiently and earnestly advised:

"You must stay calm! Xiao He is always cunning and full of tricks. What if Wei Yan has set up camp here on purpose to lure us into a night attack? We must not act rashly."

Wu Rong, however, scoffed coldly:
"Hmph, I don't believe it! We southern barbarians are all brave and fearless, how could we be afraid of the tricks of the Han people!"

"Leader!"

Deng Xian was extremely anxious and wanted to persuade him again.

"You don't need to waste any more words!"

Wu Rong abruptly interrupted him, his eyes revealing an undeniable resolve:

"The reason you were defeated by the Han soldiers is because you were too cowardly and timid. We Southern Barbarians are different. We are fearless and fearless. Today, I will show you the true power of us Southern Barbarians!" Seeing that Wu Rong had made up his mind, Deng Xian knew that it would be useless to say anything more, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth and dare not say another word.

...

In the blink of an eye, night fell, and the deep darkness enveloped the entire world like a huge black curtain.

Jiangyang North City.

The north gate slowly opened, and the heavy drawbridge creaked and slowly lowered.

Wu Rong spurred his horse, drew his sword, and charged out of the city wall.

Behind her, 30,000 barbarian soldiers followed like a surging tide, their battle cries shaking the heavens and the earth.

Deng Xian stood quietly on the city wall, looking down at Wu Rong and her barbarian troops who were like tigers emerging from the mountains. He shook his head and sighed helplessly, secretly worried about the consequences of this impulsive action.

Led by Wu Rong, more than 30,000 barbarian troops, like a black dragon, stealthily crept towards the Han camp.

The moon was high in the sky, and its bright light shone on the earth.

The barbarian army gradually approached the Han camp. At this time, the Han camp was brightly lit, but it was completely silent, like an empty city.

Using the bright lamplight, Wu Rong cautiously probed the situation of the Han camp.

She immediately noticed that the Han camp's defenses were extremely lax, with very few patrolling soldiers, most of whom looked listless.

Clearly, Wei Yan had no idea they would launch a night attack and was completely unprepared.

"Wei Yan, Xiao He, you are nothing but this!"

A cold smile curled at the corner of Wu Rong's lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement:
"Today I'll show you all how powerful I, Wu Rong, am!"

So she took a deep breath.

Immediately afterwards, she brandished her long sword and shouted loudly:

"My men, follow me and charge in! Kill everyone you see, slaughter these Han dogs!"

Having said that, she pulled on the reins, drew her knife, and charged forward like an arrow released from a bow.

Inspired by Wu Rong, the Southern Barbarian soldiers behind him were greatly encouraged and followed closely behind, sweeping away like a whirlwind.

They charged forward at breakneck speed and reached the main camp in the blink of an eye.

At this time, there were only a dozen or so Han soldiers on duty in the camp, and most of them were dozing off, drowsy, and completely unprepared.

When the barbarian army suddenly appeared before them like ghosts, the Han soldiers were terrified, their faces turned ashen, their legs went weak, and they scattered and fled.

"Crack!"

Wu Rong raised his hand and brought down his knife; the sharp blade flashed like lightning, instantly cleaving open the camp gate.

She charged into the camp first, like a tiger among sheep, and cut a Han soldier in two.

Then, the barbarian army surged in like a tide, shouting as they rushed towards Wei Yan's tent.

Wu Rong charged ahead, being the first to rush towards the main tent.

At this moment, the tent was brightly lit, and the Han general Wei Yan was sitting upright in the tent, engrossed in reading military books, completely unaware of everything happening outside and utterly unprepared.

Wu Rong's eyes widened in astonishment.

She hadn't expected the raid to go so smoothly; not only did they easily breach the Han camp, but they also unexpectedly ran into Wei Yan.

That's Wei Yan, a renowned general of the Han Dynasty. If she could slay him, she would surely be remembered in history.

"Wei Yan! Prepare to die!"

Wu Rong was so excited that his face turned red. He roared like a mad beast and pounced on Wei Yan.

He raised his long sword high!

Wei Yan sat upright in his tent, seemingly immersed in the world of military strategy, completely oblivious to the dangers lurking outside.

Wu Rong slashed down fiercely, and with a "thud," Wei Yan's head fell to the ground and rolled to the side.

"Kill Wei Yan! They actually killed Wei Yan!"

Wu Rong stood frozen in place, his eyes wide like copper bells, staring blankly at Wei Yan's corpse, as if he thought he was hallucinating.

She rubbed her eyes hard, confirming what was happening before her eyes again, her heart filled with unbelievable shock.

After a long while, Wu Rong seemed to wake from a dream and burst into laughter:
"Wei Yan, you actually got killed by me? I killed Wei Yan, hahaha!"

She burst into triumphant laughter.

But as he laughed, Wu Rong's laughter gradually stopped abruptly, and he could no longer laugh.

She suddenly realized that the corpse lying on the ground had not a trace of blood.

How can there be no blood when a person's head is chopped off?
unless……

Wu Rong felt a jolt in his heart, and an ominous premonition welled up in his mind.

She quickly squatted down and carefully examined Wei Yan's "corpse".

Only then did she realize that what was lying on the ground was not Wei Yan's corpse, but a meticulously crafted straw figure.

The straw figure was dressed in Wei Yan's armor, and from a distance, it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

In other words, she only killed a dummy!
"what happened?"

Wu Rong stared at the mannequin, his eyes filled with incomprehension and doubt.

She couldn't understand how Wei Yan, whom she had clearly seen in the tent, could suddenly turn into a straw man.

At this critical moment, a voice filled with contempt and sarcasm suddenly pierced the heavy atmosphere, ringing out clearly:

"Wu Rong, you foolish southerner!"

This sudden sound struck Wu Rong's heart like a heavy hammer.

She was jolted violently, as if struck by an invisible electric current, and froze on the spot.

Suddenly, a group of people appeared outside the tent, lined up in neat rows, like an unshakeable Great Wall of Steel.

At the front of the procession stood a man of imposing stature, as if a war god had descended to earth.

This man was none other than Wei Yan.

The moment Wu Rong saw Wei Yan, it was as if he had seen a ghost.

How did Wei Yan end up outside the tent?
How can this be?

Didn't he just have his head chopped off by his own blade?

What about the corpse lying on the ground?

A series of questions surged through her mind like a tidal wave, leaving her brain in a state of chaos. (End of Chapter)