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

At this moment, the anger in Guan Yu's heart burned like a raging fire, reaching a point beyond mere rage.

Although Guan Yu had previously harbored many grievances against Liu Shan and even considered deposing him from his position as crown prince.

However, if we delve deeper into his heart, he actually didn't harbor much deep-seated hatred for Liu Shan.

After all, Liu Shan was his own nephew, carrying the blood of his elder brother Liu Bei.

But now, Liu Shan's actions have thoroughly stung Guan Yu.

When he heard that Liu Shan had used such ruthless and vicious methods to cruelly kill 10,000 surrendered soldiers just to vent his anger, his hatred for Liu Shan burned fiercely and uncontrollably.

Your father, Liu Bei, upheld the principles of benevolence and righteousness throughout his life, and you, as his son, have committed such a cruel act. Isn't this openly smearing your father's reputation and ruining his lifelong legacy?

Guan Yu could barely tolerate Liu Shan's various actions against him, an old minister.

But he absolutely could not allow Liu Shan to act so recklessly and tarnish his elder brother Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and righteousness.

“Bowen, I have made up my mind. I intend to send Yang Ang to Ye City so that he can report to the Emperor in person all the evil deeds committed by the Crown Prince, so that the Emperor can see the Crown Prince’s true colors!”

Guan Yu spoke sternly, his only thought being to depose Liu Shan as soon as possible to restore order to the court.

Xiao He remained calm and composed, offering words of comfort:
"Father-in-law, don't worry. This Yang Ang is indeed useful to us in deposing the Crown Prince, but he is, after all, a surrendered general."

"It is probably not convincing enough to convince the emperor that the crown prince is ruthless and cruel in killing surrendered soldiers based solely on the one-sided testimony of a surrendered general."

"A hasty action would only backfire."

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu was speechless, his brows furrowed, and he fell into deep thought.

At this moment, Zhao Yun, who had been silent all along, spoke:
"General, I think the Grand Marshal is right. If we take the initiative to send Yang Ang to Ye City, wouldn't it seem to others that we are deliberately targeting the Crown Prince?"

After hearing this, Guan Yu remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

After a long silence, Guan Yu nodded slightly and slowly said:
“Zilong is right. We cannot do as I say and send Yang Ang directly to Ye City. Such rash action will only ruin everything.”

Changing the subject, Guan Yu frowned, a hint of worry appearing on his face:
"If that's the case, then Yang Ang is useless to me."

Xiao He's eyes darted around, and a playful, cold smile crept onto his lips.

Guan Yu keenly noticed the unusual look in his son-in-law's eyes and quickly asked:

"Bowen, do you perhaps already have a foolproof plan?"

Xiao He then smiled and said unhurriedly:

"If the Crown Prince's killing of surrendered soldiers came from our mouths, it would naturally lack persuasiveness."

“Then let’s do what the Crown Prince did, turn the tables on him, scare Yang Ang, and force him to flee again to Yangping Pass to seek refuge with Zhang Lu.”

"After he escapes back to Yangping Pass, given his status as a surrendered general, he will surely spread the word throughout the world that the Crown Prince killed surrendered soldiers. The entire Hanzhong army will be terrified upon hearing of such a brutal act."

"In order to save their own lives, they will definitely give up the idea of ​​surrendering and hold Yangping Pass to fight to the death, waiting for the Shu army to come to their aid. In this way, it will become the case that the Crown Prince killed the surrendered soldiers, causing the remaining soldiers in Hanzhong to fight to the death and refuse to surrender, thus preventing us from quickly breaking through Yangping Pass."

"Once this news reaches Ye City, and His Majesty hears that the Crown Prince has been so cruel and ruthless, causing the war to reach a stalemate, will he still not believe it?"

Xiao He explained his plan in detail.

Guan Yu suddenly realized the truth and couldn't help but admire his son-in-law's wisdom.

The son-in-law's plan was to use Yang Ang's words and the enemy at Yangping Pass to expose Liu Shan's cruelty to the public and let the world see his true colors.

"Yes, Bowen's plan is excellent, I think it's feasible."

Guan Yu stroked his magnificent beard and nodded slightly.

At this moment, Zhao Yun hesitated for a moment, then reminded him:

"Although this would allow us to use the enemy's words to expose the Crown Prince's killing of surrendered soldiers and make his evil deeds obvious, it would also cause the Crown Prince to besiege Yangping Pass for a long time without success. Wouldn't this be detrimental to the country?"

Xiao He gave a cold laugh and retorted:
"Yangping Pass is the most formidable pass in Yizhou. Its strategic location makes it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if I were to lead the troops, I would not be confident that I could break through it quickly."

"Does Zilong think that even without Yang Ang's return, the Crown Prince can take Yangping Pass before the Shu army's reinforcements arrive?" Zhao Yun was taken aback, then realized what he meant.

Xiao He was certain that Liu Shan would not be able to break through Yangping Pass quickly, no matter what.

So regardless of whether they released Yang Ang or whether they could get the surrendered soldiers of Hanzhong at Yangping Pass to fight for their lives, Liu Shan did not have the ability to quickly break through Yangping.

"The Grand Marshal's words are reasonable; that puts my mind at ease."

Zhao Yun's worries vanished, and a relieved expression appeared on his face.

Guan Yu no longer hesitated; his gaze was resolute, and he waved his hand:

"Let's follow Bowen's plan and put on a show to let Yang Ang escape to Yangping Pass."

"Let the Crown Prince taste what it means to reap what he sows. Since he dared to commit such a brutal act, he must bear the consequences."

...

East of Yangping Pass, 100,000 Han infantry and cavalry are marching swiftly along the Mian River.

The sound of horses' hooves thundered, raising clouds of dust.

Liu Shan spurred his horse and galloped away, his face full of urgency.

He wished he could fly directly to Yangping Pass and take control of this formidable pass.

His eagerness stemmed from his concerns and fears that unforeseen complications might arise. What if Xiao He and Guan Yu disobeyed his orders and launched a surprise attack, capturing Yangping Pass first?
He didn't get a single penny of credit for the recapture of Hanzhong.

"Your Highness, great news! Great news!"

Just as Liu Shan was extremely anxious, Xun Yun caught up from behind.

He waved the letter in his hand, his face beaming with excitement, and exclaimed excitedly.

Liu Shan reined in his horse, stopped, and turned back to ask:

What's causing you to get so agitated?

Xun Yun breathed a sigh of relief and said happily:

"A report has come from Nanzheng that the Grand Marshal and the General-in-Chief have received the Crown Prince's orders and have set off north for Guanzhong!"

"Your Highness, no one can rival you in the merit of capturing Yangping Pass and killing Zhang Lu!"

Liu Shan was overjoyed and snatched the letter from Xun Yun's hand.

He eagerly unfolded the letter, glanced at it a few times, and was immediately overjoyed, laughing wildly to the sky:

“I knew it. They wouldn’t dare disobey my orders as the Crown Prince. I still have authority.”

"This is truly a blessing from heaven! A blessing from heaven indeed!"

"Hahaha~~"

Liu Shan's laughter echoed across the wilderness.

A smug smile appeared on Xun Yun's lips.

This plan, which used the instability of the main base in Chang'an to send Xiao He and Guan Yu north to take charge of the overall situation, was proposed by him.

It now appears that the plan has succeeded.

Xun Yun suppressed his smugness, cupped his hands, and smiled:

"Your Highness, we no longer need to worry about the Grand Marshal and his men seizing the credit for capturing Yangping Pass and Zhang Lu."

Liu Shan breathed a sigh of relief, pointed his whip westward, and declared boldly:
"By my order, the army will march straight to Yangping Pass. Within three days, I will breach the city and capture Zhang Lu alive!" (End of Chapter)