Chapter 135: Such a Gigantic Trap

Licheng. Zhuge Liang carefully stepped down the slope, stood upon a massive boulder, and took a long, deep breath. Although he had long known this route was relatively level, the journey still had put him through considerable hardship. It was the height of summer, and sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking his robes. Even without wearing body armor, he found the heat nearly unbearable, let alone the soldiers clad in iron armor and bearing heavy weapons, who must be completely drenched by now.

Marching in the scorching heat was a cardinal taboo in military strategy. Zhuge Liang was not unaware of this; on the contrary, it was precisely because he knew this that he decided to launch the campaign. During the southern expedition in the third year of Jianxing, he had also mobilized in the fifth month, striking the southern barbarians when they least expected it.

This time, he intended to catch the Wei army off guard once again. Presently, the main force of the Wei army was engaged in a fierce battle with Sun Quan in the southeast, leaving the northwestern theater without reinforcements—making this the prime opportunity to launch his expedition.

Looking at Mount Qi in the distance, Zhuge Liang smiled. Since everything remained tranquil here, it was safe to assume that the vanguard, Ma Su, had already seized Mount Qi, and the Wei army had yet to discover their movements.

Perhaps they had all rushed off to support Meixian.

"Your Excellency is brilliant. General Zhao is indeed the ideal choice to create a diversion," Yang Yi said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Smiling, he stood on a nearby rock, lifting his gaze to Zhuge Liang. "This campaign is advancing like a knife splitting bamboo."

Zhuge Liang gave a faint smile. He was indeed pleased, but he did not wish to appear overly excited before his subordinates. "It is still too early to say such things. Has any news arrived from the vanguard?"

Yang Yi nodded hastily. "Yes. Please look, Your Excellency, Ma Youchang has already advanced to Jixian."

"So soon?" Zhuge Liang was startled and quickly took the military report handed over by Yang Yi. The original plan had been for Ma Su to leave Mount Qi only after the main force arrived there, with his mission being to secure positions for the main army to prevent a sudden attack by the Wei forces after their long trek. Before he had even reached Mount Qi, Ma Su's attempt to attack Jixian would not only suffer from insufficient troops but would also alert the Wei army. Although Ma Su commanded an army of thirty thousand, the formidable power of the Wei cavalry could not be underestimated, and the disparity in strength between the two sides was not as wide as the numbers suggested.

After reading just a few lines, Zhuge Liang's eyebrows twitched involuntarily before returning to a calm expression. Seeing this, Yang Yi knew something was amiss; daring not to speak out of turn, he suppressed his joy and stared fixedly into Zhuge Liang's eyes. Only when Zhuge Liang's eyes slowly began to brighten did Yang Yi's heart settle back into its place.

Zhuge Liang put away the military report, handed it back to Yang Yi, and said calmly, "It seems the hearts of the people still yearn for the Han. Our responsibility is heavy indeed."

Yang Yi quickly scanned the military report and cried out involuntarily, "Your Excellency, this is a great victory for our expedition!"

"This cannot be considered a major victory. Only by finding the main force of the rebellious Wei here, engaging them in a decisive battle, and defeating them can it be called a great victory." Though excited, Zhuge Liang had not lost his reason. "Send word to Ma Su immediately. Tell him not to lower his guard, and under no circumstances is he to scatter his forces and give the rebellious Wei an opportunity."

Yang Yi's voice trembled slightly with excitement. Ma Su stated in the report that the moment the great Han banners appeared, counties all along Tianshui Commandery surrendered at the mere sight, leaving only Shanggui County still stubbornly resisting. Ma Su had already surrounded Shanggui, constructing siege engines, and was merely awaiting the assault.

Yang Yi had anticipated many scenarios, but never that the enemy would surrender without a fight. This showed that the hearts of the people yearned for the Han, and this northern expedition was in accord with Heaven and the will of the people—it was bound to achieve sweeping success.

"Your Excellency, we should proclaim this victory to the entire army to boost morale."

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly. "What Weigong says is right. Go and handle it."

Radiating joy, Yang Yi departed with the military report.

Zhuge Liang raised his head, looking toward Mount Qi in the distance, a gratified smile blooming at the corners of his mouth. He closed his eyes and prayed silently: *Late Emperor, if your spirit in heaven has awareness, bless this campaign with total success.*

...

Meiwu.

Xiahou Mao held a young beauty clad in a soldier's leather tunic, murmuring endearments against her cheek while slipping his hands beneath her thin silks, kneading her flesh with alternating gentle and firm strokes. The young beauty half-playfully cried out in mock pain while cooing petulantly, "General, the weather is so hot, and I'm covered in sweat, all sticky and clammy. Doesn't it feel uncomfortable? Let this concubine remove these clothes and serve you properly."

"Remove your clothes? Strip further, and those rough soldiers will get to enjoy you for free. Aren't you afraid?"

"With the General here, what does this concubine have to fear? Would any of them dare even cast a glance at me?" The young beauty cast a sidelong glance, broke free from Xiahou Mao's embrace, and swayed her hips over to the ice basin. Lifting a cup of iced sour plum soup, she drained the greater part of it in one breath, let out a long sigh of relief, fanned herself with her hand, and set the cup back down.

"Little beauty, why didn't you pour a cup for the General instead of indulging yourself?" Xiahou Mao called out.

"How could the General be as hot as this concubine? There isn't much of this sour plum soup left; you might as well leave it for me to drink." Despite her words, the young beauty picked up another cup, glided gracefully to Xiahou Mao's side, and cast a seductive wink. "Want a drink?"

Xiahou Mao screwed up his face in a leering grin. "Of course I do! Although the General is wearing very little, I'm hot as well—especially a fire burning right in my chest."

"Then let this concubine quench the General's fire." The young beauty took a mouthful of the sour plum soup, leaned in close to press against Xiahou Mao's lips, and transferred the cool liquid into his mouth. At the same time, her hand slipped into Xiahou Mao's robes, gently parting the silk to slide downward and grip a certain passionate member. With a flicker of her eyes, her delicate hand kneaded it a few times, causing Xiahou Mao to draw in a sharp breath. Just as he reached out to embrace her, the young beauty bent lower, prostrating herself before him with her hips raised high, burying her pretty head deep.

Xiahou Mao suddenly tensed up, biting his lower lip as his eyes bulged wide. The muscles in his cheeks twitched uncontrollably, and he kept drawing in short breaths, revealing that he was teetering on the edge of ecstasy and agony. The guards holding the fans watched with hungry eyes as Xiahou Mao indulged in debauchery in broad daylight, yet they dared not make even the slightest sound, merely sucking in their stomachs to keep certain parts of their bodies from looking too prominent.

Outside, Wei Ba sat in his iron armor along the corridor, quietly gazing into the distance. Though he could not yet be considered Xiahou Mao's most trusted confidant, he was not to be underestimated either—a fact evident from the cup of iced wine in his hand. In the scorching heat of midsummer, there were only four people in the entire Meiwu who were privileged enough to drink iced beverages.

In the distance, Xu Ran, fully armored and helmeted, pressed a hand against his sword as he slowly paced back and forth along the ramparts. He was anxiously awaiting news from the mouth of the Baoxie Valley. Scouts had reported that morning that the Shu-Han army was only twenty li away from the valley mouth; at a normal pace, the vanguard could exit the valley by tomorrow morning at the latest. If that were the case, Xiahou Mao would have to deploy troops to block the valley entrance by tonight at the latest.

To expect Xiahou Mao to personally appear on the battlefield was out of the question.

Listening to the soft, warbling murmurs from the inner room—rising and falling, long and short—Wei Ba had a strong urge to laugh. With such a major battle imminent, Xiahou Mao still had the mood for these games; he truly was not material for commanding troops in battle. What genuine military commander did not share hardships with his soldiers to earn their loyalty? A general like Xiahou Mao, once on the battlefield, would likely cause the entire command to collapse at the slightest pressure.

Because his subordinates held no loyalty toward him whatsoever.

Wei Ba's gaze suddenly sharpened. He saw Xu Ran abruptly halt his steps, steady himself against the city wall to peer outward, and then quickly stride down the ramparts. Xu Ran was not as fiercely aggressive as Tian Fu, but he was steady and level-headed. This action of his could only mean one thing: something important had happened.

Before long, Xu Ran approached, accompanied by a dust-covered rider. Seeing the two colorful pennants fluttering behind the rider's back, Wei Ba's heart began to hammer like a drum. He knew that such pennants were carried exclusively by couriers delivering emergency military reports; two pennants indicated top-priority military intelligence—a six-hundred-li urgent dispatch.

Suppressing his nervous tension, Wei Ba stood up to greet them, casually handing his cup of iced wine to Xu Ran and gesturing for him to pass it to the rider. Taking the cup, the rider felt the chill seep into his bones and, overflowing with gratitude, drained it in a single gulp before handing it back with both hands, bowing respectfully. "Thank you, General."

"Where have you come from, and what urgent business brings you to see the General?"

"Reporting to the General, I have been sent by the Governor of Yongzhou, Lord Guo, to deliver an urgent report." The rider pulled the urgent dispatch from his bosom and presented it to Wei Ba. "Zhuge Liang has led his troops out through Mount Qi. Tianshui and Nan'an commanderies have rebelled in their entirety, and the situation in Longyou is perilous. Please dispatch reinforcements immediately, General."

"What did you say?" Wei Ba was profoundly shocked. "Zhuge Liang marched out through Mount Qi?"

"Precisely."

Wei Ba suddenly felt a chill rise along his spine, instantly enveloping his entire body. Zhuge Liang marched out through Mount Qi? He wasn't taking the Baoxie Valley? This was not the plan they had agreed upon! If Zhuge Liang led his forces into Longyou, what meaning was there in defending Tongguan? Was it merely to buy time for him to capture Longyou?

True, Cao Wei's main forces had moved to the southeast, but once they learned that the Shu-Han army had marched into Longyou, they would undoubtedly react. They would never allow the Shu army to occupy Guanzhong and Longyou. When the Cao Wei reinforcements arrived, only if Zhuge Liang's main force were in Guanzhong would they have a chance to hold Tongguan and occupy the region. Now that Zhuge Liang was in Longyou, the only ones defending Tongguan were his father, who had led troops out of the Ziwu Valley, and his master, Zhao Yun, still inside the Baoxie Valley. Moreover, they still had to face heavily fortified cities like Chang'an and Meiwu, as well as the more than ten thousand fresh elite troops under Xiahou Mao's command.

What kind of damned trap was this? Wei Ba was boiling with rage. In an instant, he understood everything Peng Heng had said to him. So when Zhuge Liang changed course and decided to adopt his father-and-son Ziwu Valley plan, it wasn't because he wanted to deploy a surprise force as Wei Ba had thought—it had a completely different purpose.

Prime Minister, you are truly dark-hearted. Aren't you being a bit too ruthless with this? We are all men of Jingxiang, why must you hound your own people so urgently? Do you find our father and son so intolerable that you must eliminate us to be satisfied? Though my father has a foul temper and a sharp tongue, he has always been utterly loyal to you, Prime Minister, and never harbored any ill intentions... *(To be continued)*