Chapter 27: Retreat? Nowhere to Run!

The next morning, rumors spread like wildfire throughout the city of Chengdu.

"Have you heard? Liu Chen, Prince of Beidi, forged an imperial decree to seize military command and executed the army inspector, Huang Sui. All seventy thousand troops are now under his control!"

"That is not all. I heard he has long harbored rebellious intentions. This expedition, ostensibly to fight the Wei forces, is actually a scheme to amass enough military merit so that upon his victorious return, he can force the Emperor to abdicate and seize the throne!"

"Shh—keep your voice down! You’ll lose your head if such talk gets out..."

In teahouses, taverns, and street corners, whispers like these echoed one after another. Qiao Zhou’s disciples and subordinates fanned the flames, painting Liu Chen as a traitor with malicious intent. Huang Hao, meanwhile, stirred the pot from the shadows, even sending people to kneel and weep before the palace gates, claiming that the Prince of Beidi had no regard for his sovereign and deserved death.

Inside the palace, Liu Shan listened to Xi Zheng’s report on the rumors, his brow furrowing deeper with every word. Naturally indecisive, he found his mind in utter turmoil. "Liu Chen... would he really rebel?" he muttered to himself, his face etched with hesitation.

Seeing this, Xi Zheng hurriedly urged, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Beidi is loyal to the nation and has no such intentions. These rumors are clearly being spread by someone with the intent to sow discord between father and son!"

Nearby, Liu Yao, the Prince of Anding, sneered, "There is no smoke without fire. If he truly had no ulterior motives, why would he forge a decree to seize power?"

Xi Zheng was momentarily speechless, sighing inwardly: If it were not for the Prince of Beidi turning the tide, Chengdu would have already fallen; where would there be any room left for us to debate here?

"Crown Prince, what do you think?" Liu Shan turned to ask Liu Xuan, who stood to the side.

Liu Xuan was startled and hesitated, saying, "Father, perhaps we should summon the Fifth Brother back to ask for the truth."

Liu Shan glanced at the Crown Prince, his gaze cold.

Not to mention whether he could even be summoned back, they were in the middle of a decisive battle. To recall the commander-in-chief at such a moment—did they intend to stop fighting altogether?

Was this how it was with Zhuge Liang back then? Was Liu Chen to follow the same path?

"Father," the fourth son, Liu Zan, the Prince of Xinping, spoke in a low voice, "Fifth Brother must have been forced into this. Besides, he has never been skilled in martial arts; let alone commanding a great army, I fear he could not even best a single Imperial Guard in a skirmish."

On the surface, this was an excuse for Liu Chen, but in reality, it hinted at his incompetence, implying that the military merits must belong to someone else—perhaps Zhuge Zhan.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Liu Shan’s face. He recalled that Liu Chen’s past performance had indeed been unremarkable. Could these achievements truly belong to Zhuge Zhan? And if so, why would Zhuge Zhan yield the credit to Liu Chen? Was he perhaps trying to groom Liu Chen as the heir so that he himself could become the Chancellor?

At this thought, Liu Shan’s expression grew even gloomier. He could not help but remember how, when Zhuge Liang was alive, all major state affairs were decided by his "Prime Father." While it had been easy for him, he had lost the dignity of an emperor and had even lived in constant fear of losing his throne.

He tapped his fingers unconsciously against the imperial desk, the dull sound echoing through the hall. Everyone held their breath, not daring to speak.

Seeing the situation worsening, Xi Zheng hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty! The urgent matter is to stabilize the morale of the army. If the Prince of Beidi truly had rebellious intent, would he risk his life in a decisive battle against the Wei forces? To recall the commander now would be no different than destroying our own defenses!"

Liu Shan remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh.

"Send an imperial censor to the camp to investigate the truth."

Xi Zheng sighed in his heart. Liu Shan had doubted his own son after all. Yet, if Liu Chen dared to forge an imperial decree and usurp military power, would he truly care about an imperial censor? He might not even hold the Emperor in high regard anymore. Sending a censor now would only deepen the suspicion, which would be greatly detrimental to the state of the court.

At Jian’ge, the Wei army camp.

Zhong Hui’s face was dark. Scouts had just reported that the Red Banner of Shu-Han was flying high over the bridgehead, bearing the name "Zhuge," with a force of about ten thousand.

This confirmed that Liu Chen had indeed defeated Deng Ai, and the previous reports were no lies.

Thinking that his retreat might be cut off, a chill crept up Zhong Hui’s spine.

The tent flap lifted, and Wei Guan and Du Yu hurried in, their expressions equally grave.

Wei Guan whispered, "General, we just received a secret letter from Qiao Zhou. Rumors are rampant in Chengdu, all saying that Liu Chen has defeated Deng Ai and Zhuge Xu, and has even seized Yangping Pass."

Zhong Hui sneered, "Liu Chen? An obscure prince, capable of defeating both Deng Ai and Zhuge Xu in succession? Absurd! It is most likely that Zhuge Zhan defeated Deng Ai. While they may occupy the bridgehead, defeating Zhuge Xu is impossible."

Du Yu stepped forward and said in a low voice, "General, it is better to believe it true than to risk it being so. Our army is deep in enemy territory; if our path of retreat is cut off, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Zhong Hui was silent for a long time before suddenly sneering.

"Pass the order: the entire army is to break camp and retreat to Hanzhong!"

"General!" Wei Guan said with a heavy heart, "How can we abandon the merit of destroying Shu just like that?"

Zhong Hui’s gaze was icy.

"Merit? What use is merit if I lose my life!"

"Understood!" Wei Guan and Du Yu dared not persuade him further and left to carry out the order.

The news of Zhong Hui breaking camp and retreating soon reached Jiang Wei. Standing on the battlements of Jian’ge, he watched the billowing smoke rising from the Wei camp in the distance, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

"Great General, Zhong Hui has indeed retreated!" his deputy, Zhang Yi, said excitedly.

Jiang Wei nodded slightly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes: "Zhong Hui is suspicious by nature. Hearing that his path is cut off, his army’s morale will inevitably collapse. Order Liao Hua to lead three thousand of the Wu Dang Flying Army to harass them along the way and delay the Wei retreat."

The Wu Dang Flying Army, composed mainly of soldiers from the Qingqiang and other tribes, was skilled in archery and mountain warfare. Though only three thousand elites remained, they were still a sharp blade for the Shu army.

"Understood!" Zhang Yi clasped his fists and hurried down the city wall.

Before long, the gates of Jian’ge swung open, and Liao Hua led three thousand elites rushing out. Familiar with the terrain, they took shortcuts and soon circled ahead of the Wei army, setting ambushes at strategic points.

On the first night, at the Wei camp.

Zhong Hui ordered a forced march, covering forty miles in a single day. As night fell and the exhausted Wei soldiers had just pitched their tents, the sound of battle cries suddenly erupted from all sides.

"Charge—!"

"Jiang Wei of Shu-Han is here! Wei dogs, prepare to die!"

In the darkness, arrows fell like locusts. The Wei army was caught off guard and immediately fell into chaos. Zhong Hui scrambled up to put on his armor, only to find fires burning everywhere in the camp and silhouettes darting about.

"Do not panic! Form defensive lines!" Zhong Hui roared.

However, the Wu Dang Flying Army moved like the wind. After a few volleys of arrows, they quickly withdrew, leaving behind a field of wailing wounded soldiers and burning tents.

Wei Guan, covered in soot, ran over to report: "General, the enemy has retreated, but we have lost hundreds of men, and some of our grain stores have been burned."

Zhong Hui’s face was livid: "Old thief Jiang Wei, how dare you!"

On the second day, they were ambushed in a mountain valley.

The Wei army continued to retreat, their morale sinking further. As they reached a narrow valley, they suddenly heard a roar from the mountaintops. Countless boulders rolled down, instantly blocking the road ahead and behind.

"An ambush! Watch out!" Du Yu warned loudly.

Before his voice faded, countless Shu archers appeared on the cliffs on both sides, their arrows pouring down like rain. The Wei army, crowded in the valley with nowhere to hide, suffered heavy casualties.

"Shield bearers, forward! Protect the General!" Du Yu urgently ordered his personal guards to surround Zhong Hui.

The arrow rain lasted for a long time before stopping. By the time the Wei army finished clearing the boulders and exited the valley, they had lost nearly a thousand more men.

Zhong Hui looked at the army winding behind him like a long snake, and for the first time, a look of worry appeared on his face. This path home, he feared, was far more arduous than he had imagined.

In the mountains far away, Liao Hua stood in the shadows, silently calculating the timing for the next strike. The Wu Dang Flying Army lurked in the forest like ghosts, waiting to deal an even heavier blow to the Wei army.