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

They marched in unison, shouting thunderous slogans, and charged fiercely towards the Han army.

"Barbarian King, Wei Yan has 100,000 troops and Xiao He as his strategist. This man is exceptionally intelligent and uses troops like a god."

Looking at the menacing Meng Quan before him, Liu Xun couldn't help but speak up to remind him:

"I thought we should hold Jiangyang and not head north. If we attack rashly now, we might fall into the Han army's trap, and then it will be too late to regret it."

It turned out that after the two armies joined forces, Meng Quan was determined to lead the allied forces northward to wipe out the Han army and demonstrate his strength.

He was confident that the Nanman army was brave and skilled in battle, and with the help of the Shu army, he would surely defeat the Han army decisively.

However, Liu Xun was terrified, knowing full well how formidable Wei Yan was.

Wei Yan was a cunning and treacherous general in the Han army.

Moreover, Xiao He was resourceful and wise. With him advising Wei Yan, the Han army was like a tiger with wings.

So Liu Xun earnestly persuaded Meng Quan, hoping he would retract his decision and not rashly head north.

Unexpectedly, Meng Quan ignored his advice and remained stubborn, insisting on heading north to fight the Han army to the death.

Now that Nan'an City was almost in sight, Liu Xun's unease grew stronger.

He seemed to already see the numerous traps and ambushes set up by the Han army that awaited them ahead.

So he had no choice but to bite the bullet and try to persuade Meng Quan again:

"Barbarian King, the current situation is extremely unfavorable to us. Wei Yan's strength should not be underestimated. We must not underestimate him. Let's retreat to Jiangyang first and make further plans."

"Liu Xun, you and your son have been traumatized by Wei Yan, haven't you?"

Upon hearing Liu Xun's words, Meng Quan not only failed to give them serious consideration, but instead responded with a mocking expression:

"Do you think I would be afraid of Wei Yan? He's nothing but a mere warrior, what is there to fear! Today I will show him the might of my Southern Barbarian army!"

Upon hearing Meng Quan's sarcasm, Liu Xun's face instantly turned bright red.

Meng Quan's words were undoubtedly a great humiliation to him.

As the crown prince of the mighty Shu Kingdom, how could he possibly swallow such an insult from a barbarian king?

Anger burned fiercely in Liu Xun's heart like a flame. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, wishing he could immediately draw his sword and cut off Meng Quan's dog head to vent his hatred.

Reason ultimately prevailed over impulse. He knew this was not the time for infighting, so he could only suppress his anger and silently follow behind Meng Quan.
"Cough cough!"

In the somewhat somber and oppressive tent, a sudden, light cough broke the brief silence.

Liu Xun, who had been looking down with his head slightly lowered and his brows furrowed, was immersed in complex emotions when the soft cough suddenly rang in his ears. He was jolted and immediately understood the profound meaning behind the cough.

The one who made that soft cough was Lü Kai.

Lu Kai stood quietly to the side, his seemingly casual yet profound cough serving as a reminder to Liu Xun to endure humiliation and not to act impulsively.

After all, the current situation is extremely dire for them.

All they can rely on now is the Southern Barbarian army led by Meng Quan.

Only by relying on this brave and unruly southern barbarian force could they possibly recover the lost territory occupied by the Han army and restore the crumbling Shu kingdom.

Liu Xun was well aware of the difficulties and obstacles involved.

Therefore, even though Meng Quan spoke sarcastically, his words full of contempt and disdain, he could only swallow his resentment and grievances.

Liu Xun bit his lip tightly until it turned white. He tried hard to control his inner impulse and swallowed back the rebuttals that were already on the tip of his tongue.

If a conflict were to break out with Meng Quan now due to a moment of anger, the consequences would be unimaginable. Not only would it damage their already fragile cooperative relationship, but it could also ruin the great cause of recovering lost territory.

On the other side, Meng Quan's lips curled up slightly, the upward curve revealing a sense of smugness and cunning.

He did this to test Liu Xun's attitude towards him.

In his view, Liu Xun now needs his help. If Liu Xun shows fear when faced with his sarcasm and dares not refute him in the slightest, it proves that Liu Xun is truly relying on him and needs his strength to achieve his goals.

If Liu Xun dares to openly defy him, it would be disrespectful. Since he is disrespectful, he must have malicious intentions. Perhaps in the future, Liu Xun will stab him in the back at a crucial moment.

Seeing that Liu Xun clearly dared not express his dissatisfaction and only silently endured his sarcasm, Meng Quan finally felt relieved and at ease.

Therefore, the smug look on his face became even more obvious. He put on a smile, pretending to be magnanimous, and comforted Liu Xun:
"Alright, Liu Xun! Don't worry too much. Maybe Wu Rong has already defeated Wei Yan! Let's prepare some fine wine to welcome her triumphant return."

That smile seemed sincere, but it actually concealed a hidden meaning; it was both to appease Liu Xun and to demonstrate his control.

Upon hearing Meng Quan's words, Liu Xun's gloomy expression softened slightly. Although he was still deeply worried, he could only manage a forced smile and nod under the guise of comfort.

Just then, a rapid and chaotic sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the tent, as if a thousand troops were galloping in.

Immediately afterward, a rider came galloping up like the wind. Before the horse had even come to a complete stop, the rider tumbled off the saddle and shouted:

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

Meng Quan was immersed in the fantasy of impending victory when he heard the sudden shout. His heart tightened, and the smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by astonishment and tension.

He stared wide-eyed at the newcomer and asked urgently:
"What's the matter that you're so panicked? Speak quickly!"

The newcomer was none other than the abbot of Daiyuan Cave. He was panting heavily, and without even wiping away his sweat, he hurriedly said:
"Your Majesty, the Wu chieftain was utterly defeated by the Han army, his soldiers were almost all killed or wounded, and the city of Nan'an has fallen and fallen into the hands of Wei Yan!"

The words of the Cave Master Daiyuan struck Meng Quan like a bolt from the blue.

Meng Quan felt a buzzing in his head, as if he had been hit hard by a heavy hammer, and a wave of shock washed over him.

In an instant, he felt incredulous, as if the whole world had collapsed.

Wu Rong, defeated?
Wu Rong, the fiercest general in the southern barbarian lands, with 30,000 soldiers under his command, was actually defeated?
And all the men and horses were killed or wounded?

How could this be! In Meng Quan's memory, Wu Rong was highly skilled in martial arts and had never been defeated on the battlefield. He was the mainstay of the Southern Barbarian army and the general he relied on most.

Now that she has suffered such a crushing defeat, how can he accept it?
"Why? Why did Wu Rong lose?"

Meng Quan's face turned ferocious, his eyes turning bloodshot as if they were about to spit fire.

Upon hearing this roar, the civil and military officials of the Southern Barbarians on both sides were all horrified and lowered their heads, not daring to look directly into Meng Quan's angry gaze.

Just then, a group of people came from the front, looking disheveled. They were dressed in rags, covered in blood and wounds, and staggered, clearly having just gone through a fierce battle.

This group of people were the defeated soldiers of the Southern Barbarian army who had marched north to fight against the Han army.

Upon seeing this defeated army, Meng Quan felt a sense of foreboding. He hurriedly spurred his horse forward and anxiously searched for Wu Rong's figure amidst the chaos.

Soon, Meng Quan spotted Wu Rong amidst the chaos of battle.

The moment he saw Wu Rong, his face turned deathly pale, as if he had witnessed the most terrifying thing in the world. Wu Rong was half-covered in blood, the blood staining her armor crimson, appearing particularly glaring in the sunlight.

Her body and arms were wrapped in thick bandages, clearly indicating that she had suffered extremely serious injuries.

Wu Rong, the fiercest general of the Southern Barbarians, is now wounded like this?
Meng Quan felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, causing him unbearable pain.

"Who did this? Wu Rong, who hurt you like this?"

Meng Quan hurriedly rode forward to Wu Rong's side and carefully helped her up.

Upon hearing Meng Quan's question, Wu Rong's face turned extremely awkward. He bit his lip tightly, unable to answer.

After all, in her heart, she had always been invincible and the pride of the Southern Barbarian army.

However, she was now injured by Zhang Bao and suffered a crushing defeat, which made her feel extremely ashamed and embarrassed. Therefore, she found it difficult to speak of this shameful thing.

"Deng Xian, who hurt Wu Rong!"

Seeing that Wu Rong did not answer, Meng Quan became even more anxious. He suddenly turned his head and shouted at Deng Xian, who was standing to the side.

Deng Xian sighed, his face showing helplessness and regret.

He slowly shook his head, and then recounted in detail how Wu Rong's night raid on the Han camp resulted in an ambush and subsequent defeat.

It turned out that Wu Rong, relying on his bravery, ignored advice and insisted on leading his troops to launch a surprise attack on the Han camp at night.

She thought she could catch the Han army off guard and defeat them in one fell swoop, but she did not expect that the Han army was prepared and had set up a series of ambushes in the camp.

When the Nanman army entered the Han camp, they were immediately surrounded by the Han army and eventually fled in defeat.

Wu Rong was also seriously injured in the battle. If it weren't for Deng Xian's desperate protection, he would probably have lost his life long ago.

When Wu Rong heard Deng Xian reveal the truth, he was furious.

Before she returned defeated, she repeatedly told Deng Xian not to reveal the truth, for fear of losing face.

After all, she had always presented herself as brave and invincible in the Southern Barbarian army, but now she had suffered such a crushing defeat. How could she hold her head up in front of the generals?

Unexpectedly, Deng Xian spoke the truth, which meant he lost face in front of the southern barbarian generals.

She glared angrily at Deng Xian, her eyes filled with resentment and dissatisfaction.

When the barbarian generals on both sides heard that Wei Yan had a general as brilliant as Zhang Bao, who was able to defeat Wu Rong so badly on the battlefield, they were all horrified.

Clearly, the barbarian generals in this southern barbarian camp have long been immersed in an atmosphere of blind arrogance.

Normally, they roamed freely across the southern barbarian lands, invincible and never taking outside generals seriously.

They looked down on Han generals and despised them from the bottom of their hearts.

In their narrow-minded view, Wei Yan's ability to destroy the Shu Kingdom was nothing more than pure luck.

They felt that Wei Yan had only managed to take advantage of the internal conflicts and chaos within Shu, and that he had no real skills whatsoever.

They believed that the Southern Barbarian army was incredibly brave and that if they were to truly clash with Wei Yan head-on, Wei Yan would be no match for them.

But reality dealt them a heavy blow.

Their strongest general, Wu Rong, a fierce warrior known as invincible, was actually defeated in battle against the Han army.

And the defeat was so devastating that they couldn't believe their eyes.

What shocked them even more was that the Han army actually had a brilliant general like Zhang Bao.

How could the barbarian generals not be shocked!

Their once proud heads were now forced to bow, their eyes filled with fear and resentment.

They began to realize that the Han army was not as vulnerable as they had imagined.

"Zhang Bao is only good at shooting; I originally planned to take his dog's life with my flying stone technique!"

Seeing the shocked and suspicious looks in the eyes of the generals, Wu Rong felt both ashamed and angry. In order to save face, he hurriedly defended himself.

Although her voice was loud, it lacked confidence, and her eyes flickered uncertainly.

"It was Xiao He who stopped Zhang Bao and saved that bastard! If it weren't for Xiao He's interference, I would have beaten Zhang Bao to a pulp long ago."

Wu Rong continued, saying that even at this point, she was still stubbornly holding on, not wanting to lose face in front of the generals.

She knew in her heart that she had suffered a terrible defeat this time, and if she didn't find an excuse, how could she maintain her position in the Southern Barbarian army in the future?

Meng Quan, who was sitting to the side, was instantly enraged when he heard Wu Rong's words.

His eyes were wide open like copper bells, veins bulged on his forehead, and he gritted his teeth as he said:
"Zhang Bao dared to hurt my Rong'er! I will kill him with my own hands! I will let him know that anyone who hurts Meng Quan's woman will never have a good end!"

Hearing Meng Quan's concern for her, Wu Rong felt a surge of emotion.

Looking into Meng Quan's angry yet determined eyes, she felt a warmth in her heart.

So, she took the opportunity to reveal all of Xiao He's boasts on the battlefield:
"Xiao He was extremely arrogant. He not only stopped Zhang Bao, but also boasted that our Southern Barbarian Legion was nothing but a rabble and could not be defeated at all. He also said that if he hadn't shown mercy, we would have been wiped out long ago."

Upon hearing these words, Meng Quan's face turned bright red, as if he were about to explode.

Suddenly, he stood up abruptly and roared:
"Xiao He, you scoundrel, how dare you underestimate me! I will tear you to pieces and show you the consequences of offending me!"

Meng Quan was furious. As the king of the Southern Barbarians, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

To be publicly threatened with death by Xiao He—how could he possibly save face?!
If he doesn't make a statement, which southern barbarian will submit to him?

How will he lead this Southern Barbarian army in the future?
Thinking of this, Meng Quan's anger intensified.

Enraged, Meng Quan and the other generals joined in cursing Xiao He.

They were all filled with righteous indignation, waving their weapons and shouting that they wanted to avenge Meng Quan and Wu Rong.

The barbarian king and his ministers were furious, and the entire camp was filled with an atmosphere of anger, as if a storm was about to break.

However, Liu Xun appeared remarkably calm.

He took the opportunity to ask Deng Xian about the entire process of Wu Rong's defeat.

"Alas! The barbarians underestimated Wei Yan and Xiao He. If they hadn't been so careless, how could they have suffered such a crushing defeat?"

Liu Xun shook his head and sighed after hearing this.

He knew in his heart that this defeat was not accidental, but rather a result of the Southern Barbarian army's arrogance and overconfidence. (End of Chapter)