After Yong'an entrusted his son to Liu Shan, Liu Shan turned evil and ruled the world.

Chapter 12 Siege and Desperate Situation: A Secret Plan Concealed

Outside Chengdu, smoke and dust obscured the sun. The camps of Cao Wei's army stretched for dozens of miles. The sound of horns pierced through the clouds, like heavy drumsticks, pounding on every inch of the city's land, making the entire city of Chengdu feel suffocated.

On the city wall, the soldiers nocked their bows and drew their swords, their backs ramrod straight, their expressions as solemn as iron. Cold sweat trickled down their sword hilts from their palms, their eyes fixed on the dark mass of Wei troops outside the city, not daring to breathe too heavily.

The streets and alleys within the city were deserted, with every household's doors and windows tightly shut. The usual hustle and bustle had completely vanished, and the occasional cries of children were swallowed up by the deafening sounds of drums and horns from outside the city, leaving only deathly silence enveloping this lonely city.

Inside the main hall, the candlelight was dim, casting shadows on Liu Shan's face. He sat upright on the dragon throne, clutching Zhuge Liang's secret letter tightly in his hand, his fingertips repeatedly tracing the nine characters: "Your Majesty, you may abandon me and protect Shu Han," until his knuckles turned white from the force.

There was no unnecessary inner roar; the surging emotions in his eyes were all hidden in his taut jawline and slightly trembling fingertips—"The Prime Minister has devoted his entire life to the cause of Shu Han, how could I abandon you? Sima Yi, Li Yan, Qiao Zhou, today I will show you that my ten years of forbearance have not been empty talk!"

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Chen Dao, who was waiting below, his tone calm and composed, yet carrying a penetrating authority, without a trace of panic in this desperate situation: "Chen Dao, how is the White Feather Army's deployment? Have the spies within the city been wiped out?"

Chen Dao knelt on one knee, his back straight, and reported in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the White Feather Soldiers have been deployed to guard the four gates, and the city's defenses have been fully reinforced. Even the secret gates have been guarded by elite troops. Seventeen Cao Wei spies within the city have been eliminated, and the remaining fugitives have been tracked down by my men in different areas. They will be completely eradicated in a few days."

He paused, his tone heavy, and lowered his voice further: "However... the Wei army has a tight siege, with no way to get through. The city's food supplies have been counted and are only enough to last five days. If General Ma Zhong cannot come to our aid soon, I'm afraid... I'm afraid chaos will break out in the city."

Liu Shan raised his hand, gently interrupting him. There was no panic in his eyes, but rather a confident composure: "I already know. Send another five hundred White Feather Soldiers, disguised as refugees, to sneak out of the city through a secret gate and try to contact Ma Zhong."

He leaned down, his voice low and full of scheming: "Tell him not to rush to Li Yan's camp. First, concentrate your forces to break through Cao Wei's ambush, then lead your troops to circle around to Sima Yi's rear and harass them when the opportunity arises. There is no need to linger in battle; just delay their siege."

"Your subject obeys!" Chen Dao's heart skipped a beat, and he admired the emperor before him even more. He bowed and agreed, then turned and quickly left, the sound of armor rubbing together clearly echoing in the silent hall.

Silence returned to the palace. Liu Shan rose, walked slowly to the window, and gazed at the dark Wei army camp outside the city. A cold smile appeared on his lips.

Sima Yi's strategy of besieging the city without attacking was simply to wait for Li Yan to escort the Prime Minister out of the city, so he could reap the benefits. This would not only eliminate Zhuge Liang, a major threat, but also effortlessly undermine the morale of the Shu Han army. Li Yan's hesitation stemmed from his greed for power and fear of getting burned, as he attempted to gamble between Liu Shan and Sima Yi.

What he wanted was this stalemate, this brief lull in the game, to break through the deadlock one by one and bring this seemingly hopeless situation to life!

Meanwhile, in Li Yan's military camp, the atmosphere had already reached a fever pitch, and even the air seemed to freeze.

Sima Yi's envoy sat upright in the tent, his face arrogant, legs crossed, his tone laced with unyielding pressure, each word like a knife: "Lord Li, the Grand Tutor has ordered that if Zhuge Liang is not seen within three days, it will be considered a breach of contract on your part. At that time, my army will immediately attack the city, first taking your head, then flattening Chengdu, leaving no one alive!"

Li Yan stood to the side, his face turning pale and then red, his hands clenched so tightly they were white, his knuckles cracking, and even his breathing was disordered.

Sima Yi was pressing too hard, Ma Zhong's army was nowhere to be seen, and Liu Shan had laid a trap in the city. He was like a wild beast trapped in a narrow space. If he really sent Zhuge Liang away, he would be a sinner who betrayed Shu Han for all time and would have no face to see the late emperor after death. But if he did not send him away, he would surely die as soon as Sima Yi's army arrived, without even a chance to defend himself!

He suppressed his inner struggle, forced a bow to the messenger, and said with a perfunctory respect: "My lord, please be patient. I will send Zhuge Liang to the Wei camp within three days. Please grant me one more day so that I can make further arrangements."

The envoy snorted coldly, stood up, and left with a flick of his sleeve, leaving behind a chilling warning: "Lord Li had better know his place; the Grand Tutor's patience is running out."

After the envoy left, Li Yan could no longer contain himself. He kicked over the table, scattering wine cups and documents all over the floor. His expression was ferocious as he roared, "Liu Shan! Zhuge Liang! You all forced me into this situation! I'm in this predicament today entirely because of you!"

Although Zhuge Liang was under house arrest inside the tent, he heard everything clearly. He continued to wave his feather fan gently, his expression calm, without a trace of panic in his eyes, but rather a hint of understanding.

Your Majesty must have a plan. Although Li Yan is power-hungry, he has no rebellious spirit and still remembers the kindness of the late Emperor. Just add a little more fuel to the fire, and you can make him turn back and completely side with Shu Han.

He spoke slowly, his tone calm, yet every word struck at the heart of the matter: "Li Zhengfang, do you really think Sima Yi will tolerate you? What he wants has always been the Shu Han empire; you are nothing more than a pawn he can discard at any time. Today you send me to the Wei camp, tomorrow he will use you and then turn on you, taking your life."

Li Yan turned his head sharply, glaring at him fiercely, his eyes filled with hostility: "Stop trying to sow discord! If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up in this situation? If you hadn't always opposed me, how could I have been blinded by power?"

"If I truly wanted to harm you," Zhuge Liang chuckled, slowly raising his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight into Li Yan's heart, "I would have ordered His Majesty to immediately send troops to encircle and annihilate you the moment you detained me. Do you think you would still be alive today, still able to bargain with Sima Yi?"

Li Yan shuddered, the ferocity in his eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by a hint of hesitation. He had to admit that Zhuge Liang was telling the truth—if Liu Shan truly wanted to kill him, he would have done so long ago; why wait until today, giving him a chance to struggle?

Meanwhile, in the Wei army camp outside Luoyang, Sima Yi stood in front of the sand table, staring at the direction of Chengdu with a sinister expression. His fingertips lightly tapped the city of Chengdu on the sand table, his eyes full of calculation.

Hao Zhao bowed respectfully to the side and asked in a low voice, "Grand Tutor, Li Yan has not yet sent Zhuge Liang here. Should we order an attack on the city? Our army's morale is high. If we launch a full-scale attack, we can flatten Chengdu in less than three days."

Sima Yi waved his hand, a confident smile playing on his lips, his tone laced with cunning: "No rush. Li Yan is already fighting like a cornered beast, and Liu Shan's supplies are running out. In two more days, they will fight amongst themselves. Then we can send troops and take Chengdu without lifting a finger, capturing Liu Shan alive."

He had already made his plans: Although Liu Shan was a clever and cunning young man, he was still young. With supplies cut off and internal troubles unresolved, he would inevitably fall into disarray. Once Zhuge Liang died, Shu Han would be leaderless, and the soldiers would be demoralized. At that time, the conquest of Shu would be just around the corner!

Little did he know that Liu Shan had already seen through all his meticulous plans and even used them against him. A large net targeting him was quietly tightening under the cover of night.

Inside Chengdu, in Qiao Zhou's residence, the aristocratic officials of Yizhou were discussing the matter anxiously, their voices filled with panic and discontent.

"Lord Qiao, Sima Yi's army has besieged the city for many days, but Liu Shan has yet to surrender. If this continues, the city's food supplies will run out, and we will all starve to death inside!"

"Yes! Why don't we just open the city gates and surrender to Cao Wei? That way we can save our lives and wealth! Liu Shan is weak and incompetent; he can't possibly defend Chengdu. Why should we follow him to our deaths?"

Qiao Zhou sat upright in the main seat, his expression complex, his brows furrowed, remaining silent for a long time. He thought to himself: "His Majesty seems to be in dire straits, yet he remains calm and composed, showing no sign of panic. He must have a backup plan. If I were to open the city gates, it would be a betrayal of Shu Han, leaving me infamous for eternity; but if I disobey the gentry, I would find it difficult to maintain my position, and might even be ostracized by them, ending up utterly disgraced."

Just then, a trusted aide quietly entered and whispered a few words in his ear—it was someone sent by Liu Shan, informing him that Zhao Yun had finished resting and was secretly leading his troops back to Chengdu to provide reinforcements, and would arrive soon.

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Qiao Zhou's eyes. He then stood up and said in a deep voice to the crowd, "Please remain calm, everyone. His Majesty already has a plan to break this deadlock, and reinforcements will arrive soon. We only need to wait patiently and must not act rashly, otherwise, we will surely face certain death!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback, and then began to discuss among themselves, but dared not say anything more—Qiao Zhou was always cautious, so if he said this, he must be quite confident.

Qiao Zhou gazed at the dark night sky outside the window and thought to himself: Your Majesty, this is all I can do. I hope you can save Shu Han from its perilous situation and live up to the late emperor's trust.

As night deepened, the Wei army camp outside Chengdu gradually quieted down, with only the footsteps of patrolling soldiers echoing back and forth in the darkness, accompanied by the occasional cough, making the place seem particularly desolate.

Under the cover of night, a dark figure slipped out quietly through a hidden gate in Chengdu. With the speed of a ghost, the figure dodged the patrolling soldiers of Wei Camp and headed straight for Li Yan's camp.

In the shadowy figure's hand, a secret letter from Liu Shan was tightly clutched. On the envelope was only a single, powerful character: "Yan." This letter was written by Liu Shan to Li Yan, and it was a crucial step in his efforts to win over Li Yan and break the deadlock.

Meanwhile, in Li Yan's military camp, Li Yan sat alone in his tent, drinking wine. Several wine cups on the table were already empty, and his face was full of drunkenness and struggle. He repeatedly stroked the military tally at his waist, still hesitant and unsure of what to do.

Little did he know that this secret letter would completely change his fate, alter the precarious situation of Shu Han, and allow him to see a glimmer of hope in his desperate predicament.

Meanwhile, Ma Zhong, trapped in Cao Wei's ambush, was leading his soldiers under cover of darkness, secretly devising a breakout plan. In his hand, he also held a secret letter sent from Chengdu, containing only one sentence, each word concise and powerful: "Tonight at midnight, we will launch a coordinated attack from within and without to harass the Wei camp."

A resolute glint flashed in Ma Zhong's eyes as he whispered to his adjutant, "Pass down the order: soldiers, prepare yourselves. At midnight, on my command, launch a full-scale surprise attack! We must disrupt the Cao Wei ambush formation and create an opportunity for reinforcements!"

"Yes, sir!" the lieutenant replied in a deep voice and quietly went to make arrangements.

In the Wei army camp, Sima Yi remained seated in his brightly lit tent, toying with a jade pendant in his hand, his expression calm and confident of victory. He never imagined that his meticulously planned ambush had already been turned against him by Liu Shan, and that he was stepping into Liu Shan's trap.

As midnight approached, a deafening shout suddenly rang out outside Chengdu, shattering the silence of the night.

Ma Zhong led his soldiers in a surprise attack from the rear of Cao Wei's ambush troops. Flames soared into the sky, and shouts of battle were deafening. Cao Wei's ambush troops were caught off guard and instantly fell into chaos, their formation thrown into disarray.

At the same time, a bright light suddenly appeared in Li Yan's military camp, and a figure, holding a secret letter, rushed towards Zhuge Liang's tent with an urgent expression—it was Li Yan's confidant, and also Liu Shan's mole planted next to Li Yan.

Sima Yi abruptly stood up, his expression changing drastically, and demanded sharply, "What happened? Why are there shouts of battle?"

A scout, drenched in sweat, stumbled into the tent, knelt on one knee, and cried out in a trembling voice, "Grand Tutor! Something terrible has happened! Ma Zhong has led his troops in a surprise attack on our rear, and has already routed some of the ambush troops; there's also unusual activity in Li Yan's camp, it seems... it seems they're about to defect and aid Shu Han!"

Sima Yi was jolted, as if struck by lightning. The jade pendant in his hand clattered to the ground. His eyes were filled with disbelief as he roared, "Impossible! How dare Li Yan defect? ​​How could Ma Zhong break through the encirclement? He was clearly trapped in our ambush, with no way to escape!"

On the city wall of Chengdu, Liu Shan gazed at the towering flames outside the city, a confident smile playing on his lips, his eyes sharp and piercing. He slowly raised his hand, grasping the hilt of his sword on the city wall, his voice low and powerful, audible only to himself: "Sima Yi, your death is near."

Unbeknownst to him, a cold arrow silently shot out from the Wei army camp, its tip gleaming with a chilling light, aimed directly at Ma Zhong, who was attempting to break through the encirclement. On his way to Zhuge Liang's tent, Li Yan's trusted confidant was suddenly stopped by a group of masked men. The leader, wielding a long knife, had icy eyes and exuded a strong killing intent—these were assassins planted by Sima Yi in Li Yan's camp, their purpose being to prevent Li Yan from defecting, to save Zhuge Liang's life, and to leave Sima Yi with the last bit of leverage in his scheme.

[End of Chapter]