Chapter Seventeen: Shifting Between Offense and Defense, The Advantage Lies With Me

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Huang Hao returned to his residence and immediately summoned his trusted eunuch, Li Shun. Under the flickering candlelight, his slender eyes gleamed with an inscrutable light.

“Has Huang Sui not sent any news back for over half a month?” Huang Hao's fingers tapped lightly on the desk, his voice piercing like a fine needle into the marrow.

Cold sweat beaded on Li Shun’s forehead as he lowered his voice: “Your Excellency, indeed. Since receiving the last secret letter, there has been no further communication from Lord Huang Sui.”

With a loud “crack,” Huang Hao slammed the teacup onto the floor, shards scattering everywhere.

“Useless!” he shouted sharply. “That brat Zhuge Zhan—could he have dared to harm my man?”

Li Shun knelt trembling on the ground, too afraid to look up. Huang Hao paced back and forth in the room, the embroidered hem of his golden robe brushing softly against the floor.

“Send reliable men to Fucheng immediately,” Huang Hao suddenly stopped, a cruel gleam flashing in his eyes. “If he lives, show me his face; if he dies, bring me his body. If anything has happened to Huang Sui…” He sneered coldly, “Zhuge Zhan will not get away with it!”

Liu Chen had accounted for every possibility, even having Deng Ai write to Zhong Hui to mislead him, yet he had completely forgotten about Huang Sui.

At the same time, on the Yinping mountain path, Liu Chen’s army was trudging forward with great difficulty.

“Your Highness, there’s another Wei outpost ahead!” Yan Ming came running, mud splattered on his armor but unable to hide the sharpness in his eyes.

Liu Chen looked up. The narrow Yinping path wound between sheer cliffs, barely wide enough for a man to pass sideways. In the distance, the fluttering banners of the Wei army were faintly visible along the mountain ridge.

The enemy camp had clearly spotted Liu Chen as well, with two soldiers racing towards them.

“Your humble servant Liu Wu (Jiang Si) greets the King.”

“Thank you for your hard work. How many men are in the camp?” Liu Chen asked in a low voice.

“Replying to Your Majesty, General Deng left fifty men to hold the position. We have prepared food and await your arrival,” Liu Wu responded quickly.

“Very good. Once this battle is over, I will personally commend you all.”

Liu Chen’s heart was elated.

Convincing the Deng family to surrender had proven the right move. Not only did they capture the camps along the Yinping path, but both Deng Ai and Deng Zhong were military talents. Even Deng Zhong was a capable general.

Fortunately, Deng Ai had made prior arrangements. To support the army’s advance into Jiangyou and facilitate logistics, Liu Chen now faced far fewer difficulties, not even needing to carry supplies.

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Just as Liu Chen sat down, he received word from Deng Zhong: the enemy had been deceived into believing Yinping was lost, awaiting Liu Chen’s arrival for surrender.

“Truly the Mandate of Heaven favors Yan Han,” Liu Chen’s mood lightened considerably upon hearing Yinping was secured. Holding Yinping opened the way north to take Dazhong and connect the roads to Longxi and other commanderies, or eastward to capture Qiaotou, Wudu, and enter Qishan.

“Congratulations, Your Highness,” Yan Ming and the other generals all showed joy.

The Wei army’s massive assault was like a mountain pressing down on Yan Han. Now, with Liu Chen capturing Fucheng, Jiangyou, Yinping, and forcing Deng Ai’s surrender, Yan Ming and the others finally felt some relief.

“This is no time to celebrate. Our enemy’s forces remain strong. Not to mention Zhong Hui, even Zhuge Xu in Wudu can easily shift the battlefield’s balance,” Liu Chen shook his head.

Historically, when Deng Ai reached Yinping, Zhuge Xu had come to join forces but was refused and instead united with Zhong Hui to attack Jiange.

Ironically, Zhong Hui coveted sole command and secretly reported to the court that Zhuge Xu was hesitant, leading to Zhuge Xu’s arrest and transport back to the capital. Thus, Zhuge Xu’s troops fell entirely under Zhong Hui’s control.

Now, Liu Chen had little intelligence and did not know Zhuge Xu’s current whereabouts. If Zhuge Xu remained in Wudu, Liu Chen would have to attack there. If he had been taken back to Luoyang, the whole Yongzhou region would be wide open for Liu Chen to roam freely.

The simplest plan was to have Jiang Wei scout the Wei army’s situation, but Liu Chen did not want his movements to be known yet.

“Send orders to Deng Zhong to gather intelligence on Wudu,” Liu Chen instructed. “We should reach Yinping in about five days.”

Five days later, at Yinping.

Liu Chen gazed at the ancient city before him, his face clouded with complex emotions.

“Your Majesty,” Deng Zhong’s face was weathered, but his eyes shone brightly.

“Well done. You may be granted the title of Marquis and command your own army,” Liu Chen praised generously.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Deng Zhong beamed with joy.

“The Han Dynasty values talent, not birth. After this battle, I will form the Left Valiant Guard, and you shall be its Grand General,” Liu Chen patted his shoulder.

The Deng family were defectors, unwelcome in Wei and without connections in Yan Han, relying solely on themselves. For such men, Liu Chen knew that winning their loyalty was a matter of intelligence.

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“Thank you for Your Majesty’s great favor; Deng Zhong swears to serve you loyally to death,” Deng Zhong prostrated himself.

Though he was made a Marquis, his command was small. Neither Deng Zhong nor Deng Ai, the General Who Conquers the West, had large forces—only about thirty thousand Qiang and Liang troops, mostly irregulars from local governors. Compared to Zhong Hui, or even Zhuge Xu, they were weaker.

Liu Chen, however, was different. From the start, he was granted command of an entire army. From his words and actions, Deng Zhong understood that future military power in Shu Han would rest with Liu Chen, who would reform the army system. The Tianze Army would be the core, and his Left Valiant Guard would surely be part of that elite force.

“Where is Zhuge Xu now?” Liu Chen asked eagerly.

“Still in Wudu,” Deng Zhong replied quickly.

“Wudu?” Liu Chen shook his head. “We could attack Wudu, but the cost would be heavy. Even if we take it, it won’t help our next move. Our true target is Hanzhong.”

“In that case, why not lure him out?” Deng Zhong immediately grasped the idea.

A glint flashed in Liu Chen’s eyes. Tapping his fingers on the desk, he said, “Good plan! I will write a letter in your father’s name and have it sent to Zhuge Xu, inviting him to Yinping to jointly attack Mianzhu.”

Deng Zhong’s eyes lit up, but he hesitated, “Your Majesty, Zhuge Xu and my father do not get along well. He may not obey your father’s orders.”

“That’s because the benefits aren’t enough,” Liu Chen sneered. “Zhuge Xu hails from the prestigious Langya Zhuge clan, a noble family. He is not on your father’s side. If both your father and Zhong Hui invite him, he will choose Zhong Hui. But if invited with the promise of glory for ending the state, he will choose your father over Zhong Hui.”

“Your Majesty is wise,” Deng Zhong nodded repeatedly.

No one could resist the honor of ending a kingdom, least of all Zhuge Xu.

“Just tell Zhuge Xu that your father’s forces are already at Mianzhu’s gates but have been blocked by Zhuge Zhan, suffering heavy losses. Invite him to come to the rescue. He will surely lead his troops to help—and perhaps even seize your father’s forces and claim the glory for himself!”

As Liu Chen spoke, he became more convinced of his plan’s success.