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

Chang'an City.

Inside the golden palace, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.

Cao Cao sat sullenly on the dragon throne, his face ashen, veins bulging on his forehead, which looked particularly ferocious in the candlelight.

He gripped the handrails tightly with both hands, his jaw clenched, making a "crunching" sound.

"Sima Yi, you traitor who has ruined the country! I shouldn't have trusted you!"

Cao Cao finally lost his temper and roared at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with endless resentment and regret.

The emotions had been brewing in my heart for a long time, like a volcano about to erupt, and finally burst forth at this moment.

Cao Cao suddenly raised the intelligence report in his hand and threw it hard on the ground.

In the palace.

Jia Xu, Zhang He, Yang Fu, and other ministers stood silently, shaking their heads and sighing, their faces somber.

It was a secret report from Tongguan, as heavy as a boulder. The report stated that Zhang Wei was leading 10,000 troops in an attempt to launch a surprise attack on Tongguan.

Guan Yu, however, was already on high alert.

After a fierce battle, Zhang Wei's 10,000 troops were completely wiped out, and their corpses piled up like mountains.

The Han army did not stop there after achieving a great victory at Tongguan.

They seized the opportunity to storm into the Ziwu Valley, like a sharp dagger piercing the heart of Hanzhong, advancing with unstoppable momentum to besiege Nanzheng.

Overnight, the situation in Han China took a sharp turn for the worse. Like a wrecked ship in a storm, it was in danger of being swallowed by the giant waves at any moment and was on the verge of national annihilation.

This means that the plan Sima Yi devised for Cao Cao to turn the tide before his departure was shattered by cruel reality.

"If I am not mistaken, it must be that Xiao He anticipated Sima Yi's plan, and thus turned the tables on him by secretly transferring Guan Yu's troops from Luoyang to Tongguan."

Jia Xu spoke slowly with a bitter face, conveying endless exhaustion and helplessness.

"Xiao He's ambitions were not limited to annihilating Zhang Lu's 10,000 troops; he also took advantage of the situation to attack Hanzhong through the Ziwu Valley and besiege Nanzheng."

Jia Xu paused for a moment, then continued:
"He intends to take advantage of the situation and swallow up Han China as well."

Upon hearing Jia Xu's words, Cao Cao gasped, his anger instantly turning into horror.

He involuntarily shivered, as if a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to his head.

He had already experienced Xiao He's brilliant strategies and ingenious schemes more than once.

No matter how he plotted, Xiao He always managed to see through his schemes one step ahead and deliver a heavy blow to him.

Even so, after hearing Jia Xu explain that this was Xiao He's plan, Cao Cao still felt an overwhelming sense of fear.

He seemed to see Xiao He casting a mocking glance at him.

"Sima Yi's defection to Han China was hateful, but his plan was flawless."

Zhang He shook his head and sighed:

"I never imagined that such a brilliant scheme could be seen through by Xiao He. Perhaps this person truly is a celestial being descended to earth..."

An immortal descended to earth.

These four words, like four sharp blades, pierced Cao Cao's heart.

Cao Cao's eyes suddenly widened, and he glared angrily at Zhang He, his eyes seeming to spit fire.

The idea that Xiao He was an immortal incarnate was already widely known in Cao Wei.

However, such things only circulate privately, and no one dares to bring them to the stage and publicize them.

After all, if we publicly admit that Xiao He is an immortal descended to earth, what is the point of continuing to fight to the death with the Han Kingdom?
How can a mortal body fight against immortals?

This completely shattered the faith of the Wei soldiers.

But today, Zhang He broke this tacit agreement and openly exclaimed in the Golden Hall that Xiao He was a celestial being descended to earth!
This is going to shake the morale of the people in Wei!

Cao Cao was burning with rage and slammed his fist on the table. "I refuse to believe that there are any ghosts, gods, or immortals in this world!"

Cao Cao shouted loudly and said arrogantly:

"Although Zhang Lu suffered a defeat at Tongguan, Hanzhong is protected by the treacherous Qinling mountain passes. Xiao's army, having penetrated deep into Hanzhong, will face difficulties in transporting supplies. If Zhang Lu can hold Nanzheng for over a month, I predict that Xiao's army will run out of food and retreat. At that time, if Zhang Lu can..."

Cao Cao was spitting and spewing as he tried to forcefully prove that Zhang Lu would not be finished, nor would the Han dynasty, and that Xiao He was not some immortal being who could do anything.

While Cao Cao was still speaking eloquently...

"Report!"

A sharp cry rang out, like a thunderclap, suddenly exploding in the golden hall.

Immediately afterwards, an Imperial Guard rushed in and knelt down with a thud.

"Urgent report from Hanzhong: Nanzheng has been captured by Xiao He and Guan Yu. The defending army in the city has been almost completely wiped out. Zhang Lu has led the remaining troops to Yangping Pass!"

"Yang Ang's troops in Xiegu were all surrendered to the Han army, but they were all killed by the Han army."

"According to our spies, Xiao He and Guan Yu are leading 50,000 troops northward, heading straight for Chang'an!"

A thunderclap struck the golden palace, and also struck the hearts of Cao Cao and his ministers.

Cao Cao was dumbfounded and speechless, frozen on his dragon throne.

His eyes instantly became empty and lifeless, as if his soul had been shattered.

The ministers were terrified and were immediately enveloped in endless horror.

Their faces turned ashen, large beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, soaking their clothes, and they were so shocked that their legs went weak and they could barely stand.

"This...how is this possible?"

Yang Fu exclaimed in a trembling voice:
"How could Zhang Lu have lost Nanzheng in just a few days?"

"Even if the Hanzhong army is weak in combat, how could it be so easily defeated?"

Yang Fu's eyes widened, filled with disbelief, his expression so horrified it was as if he had seen a ghost.

"Xiao He, this must be another of Xiao He's tricks."

Zhang He was completely flustered and cried out in near-incoherent disbelief:
"He must have used some ingenious and unpredictable plan to quickly conquer Nanzheng. Only he in the whole world could have done that!"

Inside the golden palace, the already demoralized ministers of Wei were thrown into chaos.

They whispered amongst themselves, their faces filled with fear and despair.

Some collapsed to the ground, while others stood frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.

"Xiao He, Xiao He, is it him again?"

Cao Cao slumped onto the dragon throne like a deflated balloon, his body leaning limply against the backrest as if he had lost all support.

"Is Cao Cao truly finished? Is my fate truly sealed?"

Cao Cao was in despair.

With the fall of Hanzhong, his last act of assistance vanished.

With Xiao He and Guan Yu returning, and joining forces with Zhang Fei's troops in Chang'an, the 250,000 Han soldiers will surely launch a final all-out attack on Chang'an.

When news of Zhang Lu's defeat reached Chang'an, the last vestige of faith for the Wei army in the city crumbled.

How could we possibly withstand the Han army's fierce attack, whose morale was soaring!

"Your Majesty, with Zhang Lu defeated, Sima Yi's plan has failed, and Chang'an is no longer defensible!"

"Your Majesty, give up! Quickly order the abandonment of Chang'an and retreat west to Liangzhou."

"Once Xiao He returns, we won't be able to leave even if we want to. Our Great Wei will truly be finished!"

Yang Fu knelt on the ground, weeping and pleading with the woman. (End of Chapter)