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

Meng Quan was already considering a plan to use Liu Xun as a puppet.

Once Chengdu is captured, the entire Shu region will be within easy reach. At that time, by leveraging Liu Xun's authority to gather the old Shu forces, it will be enough to rival the Han Dynasty.

Of course, Meng Quan couldn't afford to fall out with Liu Xun yet.

Although Liu Xun was already a homeless dog, he still clung to a sliver of hope for the former officials of Shu.

Keep him; he's still useful.

Thinking of this, Meng Quan smiled and said:

"Liu Xun, rest assured, I will definitely keep my promise."

Liu Xun breathed a sigh of relief; the huge weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

He had always been wary of Meng Quan, fearing that the Southern Barbarian King would discard him after his mission was accomplished. Now that he had received this guarantee, he could finally relax.

With Meng Quan's guarantee, he was no longer worried that Meng Quan would cling to his capital of Shu.

The desire to reclaim the old capital rekindled in my heart.

So the two of them couldn't wait and both wanted to enter Chengdu first.

The generals of the Southern Barbarians were all eager to fight, waiting to plunder Chengdu after entering the city.

At this time.

Thick smoke suddenly rose into the sky several miles ahead, turning half the sky gray.

In the air, one could faintly hear the wails and howls of ghosts.

Meng Quan was taken aback and quickly reined in his horse.

The howls were so horrific that they were clearly the sounds of battle between two armies.

Wei Yan isn't fleeing anymore?

How dare they fight Hugo?
It should be noted that the Han army had been retreating north all the way and was already in a state of disarray.

"Good, that traitor Wei dares to accept the challenge!"

A glint flashed in Meng Quan's eyes, and he sneered:
"Wugo is sure to inflict heavy losses on the Han army, and there's even a better chance of taking Chengdu!"

Meng Quan then burst into laughter.

The generals also laughed excitedly, as if Chengdu was already in their grasp.

Only Lü Kai, his face ashen, stared at the billowing smoke, a strong sense of unease rising within him.

"Your Majesty, the situation is dire!"

Lu Kai urged his horse forward hastily and reminded him in a deep voice.

Meng Quan's face instantly darkened.

This Lü Kai always dampened his enthusiasm just when he was at his peak.

"What's wrong?"

Suppressing his displeasure, Meng Quanqiang asked back with a displeased tone.

Lu Kai raised his hand and pointed directly at the thick smoke ahead, saying in a deep voice:
"When two armies clash, even if there are casualties, it is difficult for such a large fire to start."

"Now that flames are shooting into the sky, I fear there may be a trap, perhaps an ambush set by the Han army!"

Meng Quan looked up in the direction Lü Kai pointed and saw countless flames dancing in the thick smoke.

An ominous premonition came over me.

At this moment, Wu Rong, standing to the side, disagreed and said:

"Your Majesty, what is there to be afraid of? The Ugo rattan armor soldiers are impervious to swords and spears. So what if the Han army has an ambush?"

Wu Rong's words calmed Meng Quan's unease somewhat.

Therefore, he immediately ordered a team of scouts to go forward and check the situation on the battlefield.

Meng Quan reined in his horse and stood still, his eyes fixed on the battlefield, but his unease grew stronger...

Above the battlefield, the flames grew ever more intense, thick smoke billowed, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

The faint howls that followed were even more shrill than before, sending chills down one's spine.

Meng Quan grew increasingly uneasy, his ominous premonition growing stronger.

Just as he was feeling uneasy, a fast horse galloped from the front, and the scout on the horse was full of fear.

The scout rushed to Meng Quan's side, tumbled off his horse, knelt on the ground, and cried out in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Lord of Wuge Cave has been ambushed by the Han army!"

"The Han army used fire to annihilate the Ugo rattan armor soldiers!"

The Southern Barbarian army erupted in chaos.

Everyone paled in horror, their smiles freezing instantly, replaced by unbelievable terror.

Meng's body swayed violently, and the horsewhip in his hand fell to the ground.

The rattan armor army was invulnerable to swords and spears, an invincible force. How could they possibly be completely wiped out? And by fire, no less?
Meng Quan stood there in astonishment, his eyes filled with blankness and confusion.

"not good!"

Lu Kai suddenly realized what was happening and exclaimed:
"Although soaking rattan armor in oil can make it waterproof and blade-proof, it is inevitably vulnerable to fire!"

"The Han army must have discovered the weakness of the rattan armor troops, which is why they deliberately devised the fire attack plan!"

"Wei Yan's retreat to the north was not a rout at all, but a deliberate show of weakness to lure Wu Ge to this valley, where he then laid an ambush!"

"Your Majesty, we have fallen into a trap! This must be Xiao He's treacherous scheme!"

"Among all the Han troops, only he could see through the weakness of the rattan armor army!"

Lu Kai finally saw through the whole story.

At this moment, he felt extremely guilty. Although he had warned Meng Quan to be careful of Xiao He, he had ultimately taken a chance and failed to persist in dissuading him.

Meng Quan was jolted awake and instantly regained his senses.

He finally realized that he had been manipulated by Wei Yan and Xiao He from beginning to end.

The weakness of the rattan armor army is actually fire?

This secret was unknown even to him, the King of the Southern Barbarians.

Because Ugo never mentioned it to him at all.

How did Xiao He see through it?
Could it be that this Grand Marshal of the Han Kingdom is truly the legendary military genius?

"Impossible! There can't be someone in this world who knows everything. Impossible!"

Meng Quan muttered to himself, his face filled with barely concealed panic.

At that moment, a chilling guess suddenly welled up in his mind:

Could this person truly be an immortal descended to earth?
At this moment, Lü Kai sighed deeply, a look of helplessness crossing his face.

He had advised Meng Quan to be careful of Xiao He and not to pursue him too hastily.

But Meng Quan was arrogant and conceited, and wouldn't listen to reason.

He himself also harbored a glimmer of hope, thinking that even if Xiao He was as wise as a god, he was still just a mortal.

Unexpectedly, Xiao He was able to see through the weakness of the rattan armor and actually used fire to break it!
Lu Kai closed his eyes, his heart turning ice-cold.

Now, the rattan armor army has been defeated, and the main force of the Southern Barbarian army has suffered heavy losses, with defeat imminent.

Meng Quan's demise is imminent.

Once the Southern Barbarians are defeated, who will help them resist Wei Yan?
Who helped the Shu Kingdom recover its lost territory?
Lu Kai opened his eyes, which were filled with despair.

But it wasn't just Lü Kai who was in despair; Liu Xun was too.

At this moment, Liu Zhang's eldest son was trembling all over, completely panicked, and didn't know what to do.

The Southern Barbarian army was in complete chaos and was on the verge of collapse.

at this time.

A cloud of dust swept in from the front, obscuring the sky and the sun.

Accompanying the billowing dust was the deafening battle cry of the Han army.

On the road ahead, the main force of the Han army surged forward like a tidal wave!
The barbarian army was awakened by the sudden shouts of battle and was completely thrown into panic.

They began to drop their weapons and scatter in all directions.

Meng Quan was so shocked that he didn't know what to do.

At this moment, his usual domineering aura vanished, leaving only fear.

Their true colors of being outwardly strong but inwardly weak were now fully revealed.

Wu Rong, standing to the side, couldn't help but shake his head, his eyes filled with disappointment as he looked at Meng Quan.

He never imagined that the Southern Barbarian King, whom he had devoted himself to supporting, would be so easily defeated.

"Your Majesty, let's retreat!"

Liu Xun clung tightly to Meng Quan's reins, crying out:

"The rattan armor army has been defeated. If we don't retreat, our entire army will be wiped out!"

He certainly didn't want to die here with Meng Quan, nor did he want to become a prisoner of the Han army.

Meng Quan was jolted awake by Liu Xun's sobbing voice and suddenly came to his senses.

All the panic and helplessness at this moment turned into endless terror.

"Retreat! All troops retreat!"

Meng Quan yelled and turned his horse to ride away.

The guards hurriedly turned their horses around.

Meng Quan, already in a panic, disregarded his tens of thousands of troops and hastily fled south. (End of Chapter)