I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 412: Ziwu Valley’s Strange Plot?
Liu Miao and Zhang Xiu were resting in Shangnan when they heard the news from Wei Yan at the front. They exchanged a smile and said, "This Wei Yan is indeed quite capable!"

After deciding to personally test the strength of the troops in Guanzhong, Liu Miao joined forces with Zhang Xiu and led only two thousand soldiers to attack Guanzhong.

Zhang Xiu now has many new recruits from Nanyang, and Wei Yan is one of them.

Upon hearing of the impending attack on Guanzhong, Wei Yan volunteered for the mission.

"This humble general has a plan to seize Wuguan Pass!"

Liu Miao and Zhang Xiu both looked at this fearless young man with special regard.

What's your plan?

"Since the roads have been closed and the passes blocked, a large amount of goods have been stuck. If we use this as an excuse and bribe the Wuguan garrison commander with a large sum of money, we can easily seize the pass!"

Zhang Xiu felt the plan was somewhat risky, but Liu Miao agreed to this seemingly crazy plan after hearing Wei Yan's name and the plan.

"Whether it will work or not, we'll find out by trying it."

Liu Miao immediately agreed to Wei Yan's request: "If you can capture Wuguan, I will appoint you as a General of the Central Army on the spot!"

I thought it was just a momentary act of bravery by young people, but unexpectedly they actually captured Wuguan.
"Talented people emerge in every generation!"

Liu Miao hadn't expected to encounter Wei Yan at this time, but considering that the current Fubing system could absorb military talents to the greatest extent, he was no longer surprised.

Leading his cavalry to Wuguan, Wei Yan was already standing below the city to greet him, his face showing the unbridled arrogance of a young man who could not suppress his pride!
"Not bad!"

Liu Miao's praise made Wei Yan grin from ear to ear. Liu Miao smiled knowingly at Wei Yan's smile, concluding that Wei Yan was indeed simple-minded.

Wei Yan then gestured to the goods he had brought, disguised as a merchant.

These were all loans that Liu Miao had transferred from the Xiangyang treasury to Wei Yan, and Wei Yan was now going to repay them.

"Here you go! Take it and divide it up yourself! You can't sell it anyway."

Wei Yan was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Don't thank me yet! Do you have any intelligence on Guanzhong?"

"some!"

Wei Yan had just received the news from the garrison at Wuguan.

"Yuan Tan did indeed transfer a large number of troops to Hedong! It seems he has probably really left Guanzhong!"

"Really gone?"

"gone!"

"Good thing you left!"

Liu Miao couldn't see, but he was certain that he was smiling like a bad guy right now!
Could this be considered a surprise attack through the Ziwu Valley?

"Raise my imperial banner! Target: Chang'an!"

Liu Miao had completely forgotten his previous plan to retreat after probing Zhou Yu and the others!
With such a beautiful Guanzhong Plain right before our eyes, who could resist its allure?
"Wei Yan! Can two thousand elite troops capture Chang'an?"

"You can give it a try!"

Liu Miao was increasingly pleased with Wei Yan's fearless, bull-like demeanor!

"Alright! This battle is entirely yours to fight!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Changan.

Black clouds are threatening to destroy the city.

Ever since Yuan Tan suddenly led his troops to Hedong, the atmosphere in the city has been somewhat strange.

The military forces in Guanzhong were mainly divided into three parts.

First, there were the Western Liang warlords such as Ma Teng and Han Sui, who were located in Huaili to the west.

Secondly, Xiahou Dun's forces, which occupied Hongnong and Luoyang to the east, were remnants of Cao Cao's former military strength.

The third force was the elite army that Yuan Tan built centered around Chang'an after arriving in Guanzhong, through diligent governance.

Originally, Yuan Tan's faction was supposed to have a strong military force that could easily overpower Xiliang and Xiahou, but now that Yuan Tan's main force has moved far away to Hedong, the situation has obviously become delicate.

The first place to go wrong was Yuan Tan's home.

Yuan Tan's principal wife, Lady Wen, came from a prominent family in Hebei. When she was smuggling and dividing the spoils, she made a fortune every day, if not a fortune, and lived a very comfortable life! In Lady Wen's own words, even her cheap mother-in-law, Lady Liu, who was the current Empress of Northern Zhao, was not as good as her!
However, with the precipitous drop in trade, the income of the entire Guanzhong region decreased!

Just like the garrison commander of Wuguan.

Having made quick money, how could one possibly live a life of hardship?
What's worse is that the general guarding Wuguan Pass was, after all, a commander who guarded the pass, and knew where his money came from! But Wen Shi, a woman who had always lived in seclusion, had no idea how the money ended up in her hands.

Ms. Wen came from a traditional family. She was slender with fair skin. Although she was past her prime, she possessed a unique charm.

Apply powder to the face, then apply rouge to the palm of the hand and apply it to both cheeks. A thicker application creates a wine-blush makeup, while a lighter application creates a peach blossom makeup. Apply a thin layer of rouge and cover it with powder to create a rosy cloud makeup...

Although Wen was not a young girl, she especially liked to adorn herself with peach blossom makeup.

She then put on a sorrowful, tearful makeup, a disheveled hairstyle, and a hunched gait, and with a light laugh through her cavities, her face became even more beautiful, unlike the youthful vigor of a young woman. Instead, it exuded a calm yet alluring charm... I dared not look closely, yet I wanted to strip her clothes off and play with her properly.

At this moment, Madam Wen curled her lips, and the dimple on her face twitched: "What do you mean there are no grapes? We had them even in winter before, how come they're gone now that it's summer and autumn?"

The maid hurriedly explained, "Now that trade has stopped and there are no merchants coming and going, there's no new stock to replenish the supply. The food the lady ate for the past two months was all from the stock stored in the ice cellar." "Hmph, no wonder the grapes have been acting strange lately; it turns out they've been exposed to freezing air."

However, Wen was clearly not a reasonable person.

"The grapes are gone, so why haven't the materials I ordered arrived yet? I heard that His Highness's new concubine recently received several bolts of fine materials transported from Shu."

The maid said helplessly, "Those are the last few... I heard from the merchants that there seems to be fighting again in Shu in the south, so there is really no stock left. However, there is still a lot of silk from Jiangdong. That silk is actually more expensive than Shu brocade. I wonder if Madam wants it or not."

"Bastard!"

Wen threw the golden cup in her hand with great force, and her chest heaved with waves.

"Something a concubine can use, but I can't?"

Although the maid who was hit by the golden cup was in pain and blood was even flowing from the corner of her eye, she dared not utter a sound. She could only obediently lie on the ground, pressing her head, which should have been raised, to the ground, while sticking her buttocks, which should have been flat, up into the sky.

"Humph!"

After venting his frustrations, Wen was still unable to resolve his sorrow.

My husband is gone, and I don't have enough money to live on. Isn't this just degrading myself?

"I've heard that the scenery at Mount Li is exceptionally beautiful; why don't we go check it out today?"

Being confined in this cage for so long, and since I can't spend any money, I should go out and have a good time. Otherwise, staying in Chang'an for too long might make me depressed!
Chang'an today is not the capital of the Han Dynasty.

After being plundered several times by the Western Liang warlords, Chang'an was already in ruins.

All those forbidden gardens and parks have long since turned to dust along with those countless palaces. Standing in Weiyang Palace and looking out, all you see is a vast expanse of yellowish-brown earth, devoid of any sign of life.

Although Zhong Yao and Yuan Tan made subsequent repairs, their main focus was on repairing the city walls of Chang'an to protect them from foreign invasion. They had no time to build gardens and palaces.

Having stayed here for quite some time, Wen naturally wanted to go out and take a look!

When Guo Huai, the garrison commander of Chang'an, heard that Princess Wen was going to leave, he also had a terrible headache!
Guo Huai was originally from the Guo clan of Taiyuan, and was related to Guo Yuan, a general under Gao Gan.

Perhaps Gao Gan felt he owed Guo Yuan something, so he directly promoted Guo Huai. Guo Huai himself lived up to expectations, and just when Yuan Tan needed capable people, Guo Huai was appointed as the Military Advisor and Commander-in-Chief at a young age, responsible for guarding Chang'an.

Upon hearing that Lady Wen was about to go out, Guo Huai quickly came to stop her.

"Since Your Highness sealed off the passes, bandits have been frequently attacking Guanzhong! I request that you remain in Chang'an to prevent any unforeseen events."

Wen naturally knew Guo Huai.

But Guo Huai is young and inexperienced, so how could he possibly have any authority over Wen Shi?

"Just do your job well. There are three hundred guards on this trip. In the entire Guanzhong region, is there anyone who doesn't respect this royal banner?"

Guo Huai looked up at Yuan Tan's Qin King flag, feeling somewhat helpless.

How many of those Western Liang warlords and Cao Cao's former subordinates in the east really cared about this banner?
But considering that the outcome between Han and Zhao was still undecided, Guo Huai felt that these two families would not easily cause trouble.

Excluding these two, Yuan Tan's royal flags are indeed sufficient.

Although Guanzhong is vast, it is not so much that there are any truly invincible enemies.

"In that case, please return as soon as possible, Madam, and take care of your safety!"

"Humph!"

After leaving Chang'an, Wen felt much lighter!
Passing by the Yu River, she heard that the water came from the melting snow and ice of the Qinling Mountains and was very nourishing. So she went over and sat on a huge rock on the bank. She gently took off her stockings, lifted her skirt, and put her jade feet, which she had walked around in Chang'an, into the water.

"A word of advice!"

The icy water caused Wen to let out a strange cry, which made the nearby guards blush instantly. They quickly looked away, not daring to look at Wen's snow-white neck, wrists, and feet...

Ms. Wen was happily playing with her toes in the water.

It wasn't until the river began to tremble that Wen looked upstream in confusion.

"What? Did the mountain collapse?"

But when Wen saw it clearly, he realized it wasn't a landslide! It wasn't a fissure in the earth! It was cavalry!

The cavalry of the Han Dynasty!
……

Guo Huai was handling military affairs in Chang'an when a scout rushed over!
"General! Something terrible has happened! The Han army is attacking!"

Guo Huai felt completely bewildered.

What do you mean by "the Han army is attacking"?
Shouldn't the Han army be sitting obediently on the front lines in the Central Plains, preparing for the decisive battle with Hebei?

"General! Moreover, someone saw that the Han army in this invasion was carrying the dragon banner! The dragon banner of the Great Han Emperor!"

The scouts went up, breathless.

"And another thing! And another thing! Madam, Madam is missing!"

Guo Huaiteng stood up with a shout!

Although he stood up, his soul did not.

What do you mean by "the Han army is attacking"?
What do you mean by "seeing the dragon banner of the Han emperor"?
What do you mean the lady is missing?
This is Chang'an! Not some remote place like Suanzao or Puyang in the Central Plains!
Guo Huai felt as if... the sky had fallen!

The most terrifying thing is that if the sky were to collapse like this, he would be the only one holding it up!
(End of this chapter)