On the other side, the night was as dark as ink, with stars dotting the sky. The valley was silent, save for the occasional cry of a night bird.

Jiang Wei stood at the entrance of the valley, with a group of agile and determined soldiers behind him.

They were dressed in dark night clothes, blending into the darkness and almost unrecognizable.

"Let's go!" Jiang Wei gave the order in a low voice, his tone soft but conveying an unquestionable determination.

The soldiers didn't say much, only moved in unison and marched with firm steps. They knew that this operation was a matter of life and death!

They crossed the Meridian Valley silently, taking each step carefully to avoid making any noise that might attract attention.

Jiang Wei walked at the very front of the group, his eyes sharp, alert to any potential dangers around him.

Moonlight filtered through the sparse clouds, casting a faint glow on the winding valley.

Using the dim light, the soldiers discerned their direction of advance while maintaining harmony with the night, as if they were part of the darkness itself.

During their journey, they encountered some natural obstacles, such as steep cliffs and rushing streams.

But these difficulties did not stop them.

The soldiers helped each other and used ropes and simple climbing tools to overcome these obstacles one by one.

As time went by, the night grew deeper, and Jiang Wei and his troops drew ever closer to Chang'an.

They gradually increased their speed, knowing that as dawn approached, the cover of night would diminish.

In a secluded mountain valley, Jiang Wei stopped and signaled to his troops to rest.

They need to conserve their energy to prepare for the upcoming battle.

The soldiers sat together, exchanging hushed conversations, but mostly remained silent, for they knew that the upcoming operation would be a tough battle.

Jiang Wei walked aside alone, gazing at the starry sky, silently praying that this operation would be successful and bring a turning point for the Shu army.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his equipment, and then returned to the soldiers, ready to continue the advance.

As the last vestiges of night faded, Jiang Wei and his troops once again embarked on their journey.

Their goal was to launch a surprise attack on Chang'an and then march straight to Xuchang!

Back then, Sima Yi and Deng Ai, one crossing the Ziwu Valley and the other crossing the Xie Valley, almost conquered Chengdu.

Now Zhuge Liang is resorting to the same old trick; this is the real killing move he has prepared!

Because whether Cao Cao's army tries to stop Guan Xing and Zhang Bao, or the Jingzhou army, it doesn't matter at all.

As the saying goes, the core of a strategy is to be unpredictable and leave the opponent guessing, so as to deliver a fatal blow!

...

With a loud "boom," flames shot into the sky.

Outside Chang'an, Jiang Wei suddenly appeared with 5,000 troops. He launched a fierce attack on Cao Cao's army guarding the city, and the two sides quickly engaged in a fierce battle.

The Cao army in Chang'an was caught off guard and was completely stunned.

"Enemy attack!"

"Release the arrows!"

Cao Cao's army on the city walls drew their bows and fired arrows, a dense barrage of arrows flying towards the outside of the city.

A series of clanging sounds echoed throughout the city, and the soldiers quickly took cover behind cover to minimize their chances of injury.

Jiang Wei waved his hand, and a group of black-armored soldiers immediately rushed forward and fought with the Wei army on the city wall. Their tactics were flexible and varied, and they used their numbers to fight against the enemy, perfectly making up for their own shortcomings.

The Wei army was instantly stunned. They didn't even have time to close the city gates. Under such a strong offensive, the Cao army was forced to retreat. However, during the retreat, many Cao soldiers still managed to escape in the chaos.

In less than two hours, Chang'an was captured.

The city of Chang'an was already in ruins, with blood and flesh flying everywhere and cries of agony filling the air.

The Royal Palace of Wei.

"Your Majesty, we are incompetent. Please punish us!" Man Chong knelt on the ground.

"General Man, please rise."

Cao Ang reached out and helped Man Chong up, saying, "The fall of Chang'an is not your fault, so how could I bear to blame you?"

Man Chong was moved to tears after hearing this.

"Your Majesty, I truly did not expect that the Shu army would launch a surprise attack on Chang'an from the Ziwu Valley!" Man Chong said with shame.

He had been in charge of guarding the safety of Xudu, but he did not expect that the Shu army would dare to set out from the Ziwu Valley and attack Chang'an!

Cao Ang sighed, "I never expected this. The Shu army actually dared to risk attacking me. It seems Zhuge Liang is truly terrifying!"

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Man Chong asked worriedly. He knew that if Chang'an fell, Xudu would suffer as well.

Cao Ang frowned and pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "First, send an envoy to Jiangdong and have them launch a surprise attack on Jingzhou."

"Furthermore... let Sima Yi come out of seclusion to resist Zhuge Liang!"

Cao Ang was quite helpless. Cao Cao had once told him that Sima Yi was a man who could be used, but it was best not to use him.

If you are forced to use him as a last resort, you must always be on guard against him!

However, Cao Cao's army is now facing annihilation, and the situation is urgent, so they can't worry about anything else.

Man Chong nodded and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Cao Ang had just ordered Man Chong to invite Sima Yi, but to everyone's surprise, Sima Yi came by himself.

"Your Majesty, your subject Sima Yi requests permission to fight!" Sima Yi said respectfully, bowing.

"Are you willing to go to war, my dear minister?" Cao Ang asked with delight.

"It is my duty to share Your Majesty's burdens," Sima Yi said calmly.

"Okay, okay!"

Cao Ang said with a smile, "I hereby give you 150,000 troops to command. You must drive the Shu army out of Chang'an!"

"Your subject will certainly not fail in his mission!" Sima Yi replied firmly, his eyes gleaming with unwavering determination.

Subsequently, Cao Ang handed over all 150,000 troops in Xudu to Sima Yi.

Cao Ang had assumed that Sima Yi would lead his troops into Chang'an and seize the city. However, Cao Ang did not expect that Sima Yi would only leave 30,000 troops to defend the city, while the rest of his troops would quietly leave Xuchang.

"What is Sima Yi up to? Could he be planning a rebellion?" Cao Shuang asked suspiciously.

"If you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you doubt someone, don't employ them. I choose to trust Sima Yi!" Cao Ang said without hesitation.

Man Chong advised, "Your Majesty, our army is too small. If Sima Yi harbors disloyal intentions, he may rebel. It would be better if I personally went to supervise Sima Yi to prevent him from causing trouble."

"General Man is right, Your Majesty. Better safe than sorry!" Cao Shuang agreed with Man Chong's suggestion.

Cao Ang nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll leave it to General Man!"

"Your Majesty, I am leaving!" Man Chong said, clasping his hands in a fist salute to Cao Ang.

Man Chong led four thousand elite cavalrymen, traveling day and night towards Sima Yi's encampment.

Sima Yi did not set up camps outside Xuchang City because Xi Zhicai once said that Sima Yi was skilled in strategy and cunning, so it was necessary to be cautious and guard against Sima Yi!