I run a training class in Shu Han

Chapter 4: The Crown Prince Entrusts His Son to the Throne at Baidi City – A Cautious Maneuver?

Outside Baidi City, the river is shrouded in mist.

Inside Yong'an Palace, mournful cries echoed.

"Your talent is ten times that of Cao Pi; you will surely be able to secure the country and ultimately accomplish great things..."

"If Crown Prince Liu Shan is capable of being assisted, then assist him..."

"If he is not talented, you may take it yourself."

At this moment, Liu Bei lay on the couch, his face haggard, his breath faint, his eyes wide open, but this was only a facade; in reality, his mind was scattered, and it was merely a final burst of energy before death.

He was using all his strength to hand over the legacy he had built throughout his life to Zhuge Liang.

"Your Majesty, how could I not exert all my strength, uphold my loyalty, and even die for it!"

Zhuge Liang, with tears streaming down his face, knelt on the ground, holding the imperial edict.

"Please welcome all my ministers..."

Before long, all the trusted ministers who had come to Yong'an knelt before Liu Bei's bed.

"I have entrusted my son to the Prime Minister; you must not neglect this duty, lest you fail my expectations..."

"Zilong..."

Zhao Yun, whose temples were now gray, suddenly heard Liu Bei's summons. His eyes reddened, and he crawled to the bedside, gently grasping Liu Bei's weak right hand.

Once, these hands wielded swords in this chaotic world, stirring up storms and building an imperial empire!

But now...

"Your Majesty..." Zhao Yun cried out.

Liu Bei carefully examined Zhao Yun. The bond between them was no less than that between his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

"I have shared hardships and dangers with you, and we have faced life and death together. Remembering that we are old friends, you must take good care of my son Liu Shan sooner or later."

After saying this, Liu Bei took out an imperial edict and handed it to Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun knelt and accepted the gift, saying, "Your subject is willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

Liu Bei withdrew his gaze and glanced at his ministers one by one.

"I cannot entrust each of them individually; I wish them all to take good care of themselves."

Having said that, a tear rolled down his cheek, and the great ruler breathed his last.

Inside Yong'an Palace, people dressed in white mourning clothes were filled with wailing.

However, just as the courtiers were immersed in grief, a messenger on horseback from Chengdu arrived with an urgent report.

"Prefect Huang Yuan of Hanjia burned down Linqiong City and is approaching Chengdu!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang's expression changed drastically, but he quickly regained his composure and fell into deep thought.

Concerned for the safety of Liu Shan, who was stationed in Chengdu, Zhao Yun immediately rose and volunteered.

"Prime Minister, I will immediately lead troops back to reinforce Chengdu and will surely be able to relieve the crisis."

Before his death, Liu Bei appointed Zhao Yun as the Central Protector of the Army and ordered him to take charge of the Imperial Guards to protect the royal family, a position of great importance.

Now that the rebel army is at the gates of Chengdu, Zhao Yun wishes he could immediately ride back to Chengdu.

"Zilong, wait!"

Zhuge Liang gently raised his feather fan and called out to Zhao Yun.

Although Zhao Yun had doubts, he immediately stopped and turned around to await Zhuge Liang's orders.

But the other ministers were getting anxious.

"Prime Minister, our army has just suffered a defeat, His Majesty has passed away, and the Crown Prince is still young. The people of Chengdu are in a state of panic; we must be on guard!"

The speaker was Ma Su, the governor of Yuexi, who enjoyed Zhuge Liang's deep trust.

Although Liu Bei acquired Yizhou, three forces were secretly surging within his territory, checking and balancing each other.

The Jingzhou group, led by Zhuge Liang, went to Yong'an to meet Liu Bei.

The Dongzhou faction, as Liu Zhang's former subordinates, followed Li Yan's lead. Now that he was in Yong'an as a regent, the remaining local Yizhou faction in Chengdu was left.

After the defeat at Yiling, the Jingzhou faction suffered heavy losses, and the power balance among the three parties was disrupted. This left the seventeen-year-old Liu Shan to deal with these scheming local bullies alone. It was feared that when Huang Yuan's army approached the city, they would surely abandon the city and surrender.

Therefore, it is imperative to immediately dispatch reinforcements to Chengdu to stabilize the internal situation.

"You Chang is absolutely right. Huang Yuan and his ilk are like scabies, nothing to worry about. The only concern is that the Crown Prince is too young and might be manipulated by the young men in the court."

As the leader of the Dongzhou faction and a regent, Li Yan naturally had to consider his own interests.

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Rest assured, everyone. Before leaving Chengdu, I arranged for Yang Hong to assist the Crown Prince, and with Minister Xu Jing in the court, we are well able to stabilize the situation."

"Huang Yuan was merely a prefect of a commandery with fewer than a thousand soldiers. How could he possibly capture Chengdu, a city with high walls and thick defenses?"

The ministers' expressions softened upon hearing this, but Zhao Yun remained uneasy.

"Prime Minister, Huang Yuan is not a major concern, but I fear he may incite other counties to rebel, which would be a great danger."

Zhuge Liang greatly admired Zhao Yun's profound wisdom and foresight, and quickly took his hand and led him to the map.

"Huang Yuan and I have never been on good terms. This time, he burned down Linqiong City only because he was worried that I would take revenge in the future. This man is unpopular. If he starts a rebellion, no one will support him, and he will end up as a homeless dog."

"Zilong, you are now leading troops to garrison Yong'an, which is why Lu Xun dares not continue his military campaigns. If you were to lead troops back to reinforce Yong'an, I predict that Eastern Wu would seize the opportunity to attack and continue to nibble away at the territory of our Han Dynasty. Do you understand which is more important, Zilong?"

Zhao Yun nodded meaningfully after hearing this.

Suddenly, another messenger arrived with the news.

"Prime Minister, the Crown Prince has followed Yang Hong's advice and sent troops to attack Huang Yuan."

Zhuge Liang was startled upon hearing this, and the feather fan in his hand almost slipped from his palm.

Zhao Yun was also quite shocked when he saw this.

When Zhuge Liang first heard of Huang Yuan's rebellion, he was only slightly surprised. But now that he learned that Chengdu had sent troops to suppress Huang Yuan, he was on high alert. Could there be some hidden danger?

Ma Su, as Zhuge Liang's student, was also greatly surprised by this.

"Prime Minister, the Crown Prince's dispatch of troops to quell the rebellion was not a major mistake. Why are you so surprised?"

Zhuge Liang pointed tremblingly at the map in front of him and said with great worry, "Huang Yuan is not a threat. My only fear is that this scoundrel will go down the river and join Sun Quan, thus forming a pincer movement against Yong'an, leaving our army vulnerable to attack from both sides."

"Now that His Majesty has passed away, the morale of the army is unstable. Once the encirclement is complete, our army will fall into chaos without a fight."

"Yang Hong is usually so composed, why would he resort to such a drastic measure?"

Zhuge Liang grew increasingly fearful, for this was far more perilous than when Zhou Yu had set up the Feast at Hongmen to entertain Liu Bei.

Back then, Guan Yu was there to protect his lord, but now Liu Shan has no good ministers or brave generals to protect him.

"Prime Minister, do not panic. Although Yang Hong's move is risky, it hits the nail on the head. As long as we capture Huang Yuan alive, all the problems will be solved."

Zhuge Liang shook his head and sighed, "The troops in Chengdu are few in number and more than capable of defending the city. How can they possibly capture Huang Yuan alive? Yang Hong's actions are undoubtedly forcing Huang Yuan to surrender to Sun Quan."

"Prime Minister, though I am not talented, I am courageous. You may take His Majesty's coffin back to Chengdu, and I will cover the rear."

Zhao Yun volunteered to go into battle.

"Although Eastern Wu has withdrawn its troops, they are still watching us closely. If we withdraw our troops rashly, Lu Xun will definitely take the opportunity to launch an attack, and our army will be in danger."

Zhuge Liang carefully examined the map before him and then said, "If we can intercept Huang Yuan on the way, we can resolve our current crisis."

"General Zilong, are you willing to intercept and kill Huang Yuan at the An'nan Gorge?"

Zhao Yun cupped his hands and said, "This humble general obeys."

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. General Zilong, you should lead your troops to intercept Huang Yuan at the Annan Gorge."

"We must intercept this thief at the mouth of the Annam Gorge."

After Zhao Yun left, Zhuge Liang continued to mobilize troops.

"Chen Dao, Guan Xing, and Zhang Bao, the three of you will immediately lead troops to garrison Yong'an and closely monitor Lu Xun's movements."

"Yes, sir!"

"Yang Yi, His Majesty has passed away. This must be kept secret and not a word of it must be leaked."

"Yes."

"The remaining generals shall immediately return to their posts, prepare for action, and be ready to be deployed at any time."

Go!

Even after arranging everything, Zhuge Liang still had a furrowed brow and was filled with anxiety.

He never imagined that a mere Huang Yuan could trigger such a tremendous change.

What he didn't expect was that Yang Hong, who stayed in Chengdu, acted rashly, putting Yong'an in an unfavorable situation.

With few soldiers and generals, how dare he send troops out?

The usually cautious Crown Prince didn't even try to stop it?

Don't they know that holding their ground is the best option?