Three Kingdoms: Li Shimin, dressed as Liu Shan, forcibly abducts Sun Shangxiang.

Chapter 14: Liu Shan Opens Another Battle at Yiling!

"What is the current situation of the Han Dynasty?"

"I dare to ask Your Highness to tell me the truth!"

Ma Liang stared intently at Liu Shan, his eyes filled with urgency...

The Crown Prince,

He is the heir apparent of the nation!

Just how dire was the national situation that it would drive the crown prince to personally charge into battle and risk his life?!

Ma Liang didn't want to think about it.

I dare not even think about it...

"Attendant-in-Ordinary Ma."

Liu Shan answered irrelevantly: "Now that Bu Zhi is dead and the Wu army on the south bank has been completely wiped out, this is the perfect opportunity for us to take control of the southern counties of Jingzhou..."

As he spoke,

Then the Crown Prince handed over Bu Zhi's head:

The Chamberlain may preserve this head with lime and distribute it to various prefectures in Jingnan…”

"With the support of a powerful army, we will surely deter rebellious officials and bring peace to the various prefectures!"

The head of Wu Jun's commander was placed right in front of Ma Liang.

But he did not take the head.

He didn't even glance at it twice.

He kept his eyes fixed on the Crown Prince, repeating the same question: "Please tell me the truth, Your Highness!"

Call ~

On the high slope,

A silence.

Only the dragon flag and banner fluttered fiercely in the mountain wind.

a long time,

Liu Shan finally spoke: "In the Battle of Yiling, our army suffered a great defeat."

"Lu Xun destroyed more than forty of my camps, and countless of my soldiers died, their corpses blocking the river downstream..."

"Tens of thousands of elite and courageous soldiers of the Han Dynasty were almost completely wiped out."

"The blood of Yizhou has been shed dry..."

Yizhou has bled dry!

boom!

Ma Liang was struck dumb as if by lightning, staggered, and almost fell to the ground.

"Your Excellency!"

"Mr. Ji Chang!"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei hurriedly helped Ma Liang up.

now,

The burly attendant was already pale and his eyes were vacant.

He was separated on the south bank of the Yangtze River.

Although he knew of the great defeat at Yiling, he was completely clueless about the specifics of the defeat because Bu Zhi's army had cut off communication with him.

Ma Liang knew this was a crushing defeat.

But he never dreamed that this battle would be such a devastating defeat!

But His Highness the Crown Prince's voice grew increasingly cruel...

Former commander-in-chief Feng Xi and vanguard commander Zhang Nan were killed in action!

Commander Fu Tong fought to the death while covering the rear, preferring death to surrender!

Cheng Ji, who served as the chief priest, refused to escape alone and fought to the death!

Dozens more, including Wang Fu, an official from Jingzhou, were killed in action...

As Liu Shan uttered one familiar name after another, Ma Liang felt as if his heart was being torn apart and his head was spinning.

These ones,

These are all pillars of the Han Dynasty, the backbone of the nation!

Now...it's all gone, completely gone!

"Now, besides the troops of the Chamberlain and the Barbarian King, only Huang Quan's 10,000 soldiers from Jiangbei remain."

Correct,

And Huang Quan too!

Hope rekindled in Ma Liang's heart. Huang Quan was a man of great talent; as long as he was still alive...

"However, Huang Quan's route back west has already been cut off by Jiangdong! As far as I know, the Sun family should be trying to persuade him to surrender at this moment."

"Huang Quan deeply hates Eastern Wu and will certainly not surrender. What can be done..."

Liu Shan then changed the subject: "But the situation has already come to this point, and we have no choice but to accept it. In my opinion, he might... he might go north to join Cao Cao..."

"Your Highness!"

Ma Liang interrupted Liu Shan.

He looked at Liu Shan almost pleadingly: "Your Highness, I humbly request that you tell me the truth: Is the Emperor... well?"

Liu Shan's voice remained calm and undisturbed.

"The emperor is in grave danger."

The last glimmer of hope in Ma Liang's eyes had completely vanished.

In this critical moment of life and death, amidst internal and external troubles! If the Emperor falls ill, then... then Yizhou, then the Han Dynasty...

Liu Shan continued without pause: "After the defeat at Yiling, the emperor retreated to Ma'anshan. Lu Xun led his troops in hot pursuit, and his army besieged Ma'anshan..."

"The emperor had no choice but to break out under cover of night..."

Pianyan,

Gaojiayan

Baisha Post Station

Zigui...

As Liu Shan recounted his story, Ma Liang seemed to see a path.

It seemed as if one could see His Majesty the Emperor, in his sixties and of supreme status, struggling to escape with only a handful of personal guards...

The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse!

The ancient plank road was treacherous and dangerous!

At the foot of Shimen Mountain, in a critical moment, the emperor was almost captured by Sun Huan!

Ma Liang's eyes were already red-rimmed...

"After returning to Baidi City, the Emperor fell seriously ill and his condition worsened day by day until he became unable to walk."

"According to the imperial physician, the day when Father Emperor will pass away is approaching."

The emperor's days are numbered...

Upon hearing this,

Ma Jichang was completely pale and trembling like a leaf!

In a trance,

He seemed to see that autumn of the thirteenth year of Jian'an again...

At that time,

Just then, Cao Cao launched a southern expedition against Jingzhou. Xuande Gong (Cao Cao) was known for his benevolence and virtue, and more than 100,000 people from Jingzhou spontaneously followed him south.

The emperor could not bear to abandon them, so he led the people across the river.

They only traveled a little over ten li a day before being overtaken by Cao Cao's army, and the emperor suffered a great defeat!

At that time, I witnessed this scene almost firsthand...

Ma Liang was born into a prominent family in Xiangyang, Jingzhou. He was well-versed in the classics and history from a young age and had the ambition to bring peace and prosperity to the country. However, he lived in a chaotic world with treacherous officials and traitors everywhere, and it was difficult to find a wise ruler!

It wasn't until the autumn of the thirteenth year of Jian'an that he finally saw a truly enlightened and benevolent ruler who cared deeply for the common people...

After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Xuande took control of Jingzhou, and I went there to serve him.

The emperor is magnanimous and kind, and treats the virtuous and talented with respect.

He placed great trust in me, promoting me from a provincial official to a high-ranking official. Such kindness deserves to be repaid with my life!

But who would have thought...

"His Majesty!"

Ma Liang could no longer hold back and burst into tears: "To restore the Han Dynasty, the great cause remains unfinished! The traitors Sun Quan and Cao Cao have brought ruin to the world!"

"If Your Majesty departs midway, what will become of the Great Han?"

"What's the matter with Cangsheng?!"

"What's wrong with all the people in the world?!"

By now,

How could he not understand?

His Highness the Crown Prince spoke before the two armies about the Emperor's second eastern expedition...

Zigui City fell, and Lu Xun was struck by an arrow...

fake!

all fake!

Only the emperor's lack of suspicion is true!

The only truth is that the Han dynasty is on the verge of collapse!

At this point in time,

Ma Liangzhi felt utterly disheartened.

But at least he still had his senses!

He knew that the current situation was chaotic and he still had to do his best to clean it up!

But this burly Han official still had one question that puzzled him most. He slightly regained his composure and asked, "May I ask, may I ask the Crown Prince..."

"How could I possibly have personally ventured into such a dangerous and dangerous place?"

Even if His Majesty the Emperor wanted to salvage the situation, it was unheard of for him to take such a risk as his crown prince!

Liu Shan remained silent for a moment.

He turned his back and his voice lowered: "I received an imperial edict from my father in Chengdu, ordering me and the Prime Minister to go to Baidi City to meet the Emperor at Yong'an Palace."

"I secretly suspect that my father knows his time is near and is about to entrust me to the Prime Minister, passing the throne to me..."

"At that time, my carriage was only ten miles away from Baidi City, so I ordered the carriage to be turned around and leave Baidi City."

His Majesty was about to pass the throne to the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince ran away?

What is this?

Ma Liang was astonished: "Why...why is this?"

wow~

Liu Shan suddenly turned around.

Let the strong wind blow her long hair flying!

Let the dragon banner roar and howl in the wind!

"Because I understand that once I enter Baidi City and Yong'an Palace, I fear that after the Emperor entrusts the country to me, my last breath will dissipate completely, and I will immediately pass away!"

"Because I was unwilling, my father passed away with such regret..."

"So, I've come!"

"I have returned along the same path my father retreated! Just as my father retreated to Baidi City in defeat, I have returned in the same way!"

Liu Shan's voice grew faster and faster.

Ma Liang was already greatly shaken...

This Crown Prince has almost never traveled far from home, and I had never even heard of him being knowledgeable in martial arts.

How treacherous was the road that led the emperor back to Baidi City?

Not to mention, there is also Zigui City in the middle, where Lu Xun personally led the main force of Jiangdong to garrison!

One can imagine how difficult the journey must have been! Yet His Highness the Crown Prince fought his way back!

This is something that seems absurd to most people, extremely difficult, yet Liu Shan accomplished it!

"Your Highness possesses great strategic acumen, which I greatly admire."

Ma Liang composed himself and asked, "May I ask Your Highness, now that things have come to this, does Your Highness have any plans for what to do next?"

"have!"

"I intend to cross the river northwards, capture Yiling, and then meet Huang Quan to join forces with him!"

"I need to muster twenty to thirty thousand troops!"

"I will remain in Yiling..."

"Let's do another one!!"

Liu Shan's words were resounding and powerful.

A fierce flame seemed to have ignited deep within his eyes.

Ma Liang was completely stunned by what he heard; his heart was filled with turmoil...

What a grand vision!

What the Crown Prince said,

This is not just theoretical!

Now, with the addition of the three thousand prisoners from Bu Zhi's camp, the Crown Prince has ten thousand men under his command!

If we can really bring Huang Quan's 10,000 troops over as well...

In addition to the surrendered soldiers of Wu today, I will go to the various prefectures of Jingnan to gather more troops...

We can get at least 30,000 troops!

With these 30,000 troops at our disposal, we can definitely turn Jingzhou upside down!

As a result,

At least half of the Han Dynasty's vitality can be restored...

Heaven will not forsake the Chinese people's destiny!

At such a critical juncture for the Han dynasty, when its very survival was at stake, such a wise and virtuous ruler was bestowed upon it. Could this not be the will of Heaven?!

The Han dynasty has worthy successors; the Han dynasty is poised for a third revival!

in an instant,

Ma Liang felt all his strength return!

"I have come here to bring the Chamberlain and the Barbarian King back!"

"Bring back the remnants of the Han army south of the Yangtze River, and Huang Quan's isolated force north of the Yangtze!"

"Bring back all the counties and prefectures in Jingnan that Baiyi crossed the river from Second Uncle's hands..."

"Your Highness!" Ma Liang finally accepted Bu Zhi's head and knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, I will never fail you. Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will ensure that the counties of Jingnan once again obey the edicts of the Han Emperor!"

"Then they consolidated the troops in Jingnan and marched north to Yiling..."

"Let us join forces with the Crown Prince to restore the Han Dynasty!"

"Your Highness, take care... I'm off!"