The Shengjie Army won this battle that was doomed to fail, but luck played a role in it. After all, the Dali Kingdom had not engaged in external wars for a hundred years, and these southern border states still had a fear of the Song Dynasty.

If Tubo was the vanguard, with their brutal fighting power, Chengdu would have become a prison by now.

In Chengdu, Zhang Ma and Wen Zhengming were recovering from their injuries. That day, several Tibetan envoys arrived in the city, carrying a bundle of thorns and apologizing for their crimes. They also brought Zhaka's head.

The head was placed in a wooden box, and the envoys were currently inside the Kaifeng government office. Zhang Ma had a sullen expression, and the Tibetan envoys sat restlessly, waiting for this Lord Zhang to speak.

Finally, Zhang Ma coughed and said, "This matter is of great importance, and I cannot make the final decision. However, since you Tibetans dare to covet our Great Song, I believe the imperial court will not let this go."

The Tibetan envoy was called Fusai, a skilled debater and one of Prince Zuzan's advisors. However, looking at Zhang Ma's gloomy face, he was at a loss as to what to do.

Fu Sai smiled and said, "Master Zhang, please do me a favor. This is a misunderstanding. It was Zhaka who secretly led his troops to collude with Gao Liangcheng without the knowledge of our Prince Zuzan. Fortunately, our prince arrived in time and intercepted Zhaka's troops outside Kagong Town. Master Zhang, please be sure to report this matter to the Great Song Emperor to avoid misunderstandings between the two countries."

"Well, I will do my best. However, I cannot decide what the court thinks. It all depends on your majesty's will. We, as your subjects, will do whatever your majesty decides." Zhang Ma answered ambiguously.

Fu Sai smiled and clasped his fists, saying, "That's right, the court still has to listen to Zhang Darao's opinion on the matter of Chengdu Prefecture. So, my prince has sent someone here in a hurry. I hope Lord Zhang will accept this little gift."

He nodded to the people around him, and two Tibetans brought a wooden box and placed it in front of Zhang Ma. They lifted it with great effort, which showed that the box was not light.

Zhang Ma deliberately acted nonchalant. If he was too impatient, he would appear unworldly. None of these officials are greedy, and if you act nonchalant, the more apprehensive they become. If you act flattered, you'll inevitably be looked down upon.

Zhang Ma gently opened the box, and inside it glittered with gold, silver, and jewelry. Although Zhang Ma's expression didn't show it, he was genuinely surprised. Prince Zuzan was so generous.

"Well, about this. The Song Dynasty and Tubo have always been on good terms, and I believe there must be a misunderstanding. Now Prince Zuzan has presented the head of General Zhaka, which shows Prince Zuzan's sincerity. Don't worry! As long as I, Zhang Ma, am still in Chengdu Prefecture, I will report this matter to the court. This is all a misunderstanding. However, as for Gao Liangcheng of Dali, the Song Dynasty will certainly not let him go!" Zhang Ma's face was full of anger.

Fu Sai was overjoyed and bowed deeply to the ground: "In this case, I will trouble you, Lord Zhang. My prince will certainly not forget Zhang Darao's great kindness."

Zhang Ma waved his hand: "You're welcome, we're all family, hahaha."

A burst of laughter suddenly broke out in the mansion.

In Bianjing, Zhao Huan's army had been marching for over a month. In the government hall, Li Gang and his men were reviewing memorials from various regions. Suddenly, outside, there was a rush of footsteps and shouts.

"Urgent news! Chengdu Prefecture is under attack by the Tubo coalition forces! Urgent news!" The soldiers rushed in like flying.

Li Gang and the others were shocked and stood up. Chengdu Prefecture, Tubo and Dali were so bold, they actually dared to invade.

Li Gang and Meng Gu Rao were on duty today; He Li and Duan Rong were not in the government hall. Meng Gu Rao exclaimed in surprise, "Bring it here, quickly, quickly, bring it here so I can see it."

Li Gang and other officials from the Political Affairs Hall came closer, only to see Meng Gu Rao nervously opening the envelope. Inside was the final letter from Zhang Ma, the prefect of Chengdu Prefecture, to the imperial court.

The letter stated that the enemy was formidable, and that Zhang Ma and Wen Zhengming had sworn to live and die with Chengdu Prefecture. Chengdu Prefecture was undefeatable, and the court was urged to make early preparations.

Meng Gu Rao's hand trembled slightly as he held the envelope, and Li Gang's face turned pale. "How could this happen? How could this happen? How could Tubo and Dali be so bold?"

Meng Gu Rao sighed, "Don't you understand? We are now at war with the Mongols. The southwestern border defenses are undoubtedly vulnerable. Tubo and Dali are taking advantage of this and are taking action."

Li Gang couldn't help but gasp: "If this happens, then the Song Dynasty will have to face a three-front war."

Meng Gurao shook his head: "Not necessarily. I'm afraid that the Goryeo Kingdom is also getting impatient. We are facing a dangerous situation of being attacked from all sides."

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Someone, go and invite Lord He Li and Lord Duan over, quickly!" Li Gang ordered the guards outside the government hall.

The guard bowed and took the order and left as soon as possible.

About an hour later, He Li and He Duanrong hurried into the government hall. Apparently, the guards who had called them had already informed them of the seriousness of the situation.

He Li asked in surprise, "What happened to Chengdu Prefecture?"

Li Gang shook his head: "We only received this urgent report from the prefect of Chengdu Prefecture. We don't know what the situation is like in Chengdu Prefecture."

Duan Rong said, "We must inform His Majesty immediately and ask His Majesty to make the decision."

Li Gang intervened, saying, "Your Majesty's army has just entered Shanxi. Even if we return to the southwest to provide assistance, it's probably too late. Don't panic, don't panic. Let's first think of other solutions."

Suddenly, He Li's eyes lit up. "The nearest troops to Chengdu are in Guangnan, 500 miles away. I suggest that the Guangnan Army be dispatched to Chengdu as soon as possible to provide assistance and ensure a successful outcome."

Duan Rong and Li Gang nodded: "That's all we have to do."

Meng Gu Rao sighed, "The journey to Guangnan is long. I'm afraid the food will be cold by the time we get to Chengdu."

As if to make matters worse, another soldier rushed in with a report: "Northeast war report! Urgent! King Li Ziqian of Goryeo is personally leading 50,000 troops in a fierce battle with Liang Zifan of Yue Fei's army in Liuhe Town. The fighting is brutal."

Li Gang and the others almost fainted upon hearing this. This was truly unlucky. Just as they had received word that Tubo and Dali were jointly attacking Chengdu Prefecture, here came news that Goryeo had dispatched troops to Liuhe Town.

Fortunately, the soldier's next words gave everyone a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, General Yue had already prepared for the Korean invasion, and General Liang led his soldiers in a bloody battle. After two days and nights of fierce fighting, the Korean Li Ziqian's troops were defeated and retreated back into Korean territory."

This was truly great news. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing it, their faces lit up with joy. Having suffered a crushing defeat, Goryeo would not dare to take another step beyond its proper boundaries for a short period of time.

"Report! Great victory in Chengdu! Great victory in Chengdu!" Another hurried shout of a soldier was heard outside the door.