Inside the Shu Han camp, Zhuge Liang sat upright at his desk, his eyes piercing, gently stroking a sheepskin map in his hand.

His brows were furrowed as he pondered how to completely quell the rebellion of the Southern Barbarians.

Although Meng Huo was released, the rebellion of the southern barbarians was not truly quelled.

Zhuge Liang knew that to truly win Meng Huo's respect, he had to fundamentally weaken his fighting power.

In the land of the Southern Barbarians, mountains rise and fall, shrouded in mist and clouds, and Meng Huo's camp is hidden deep in the mountains.

Zhuge Liang knew that Meng Huo relied not only on his bravery but also on the natural defenses of the southern barbarians and the abundance of water resources.

Therefore, he decided to use water as a weapon to cut off their lifeline.

"Where is Wei Yan?" Zhuge Liang suddenly asked in a loud voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain was lifted, and Wei Yan strode in, bowing respectfully: "Your subordinate is here!"

Zhuge Liang pointed to the map and said in a deep voice, "Immediately send people to find out where the water source of the Southern Barbarians is."

Wei Yan nodded and accepted the order: "Yes, sir!"

...

The land of the southern barbarians is characterized by steep mountain roads and dense jungles.

This is a naturally formidable place.

Historical records about this place describe it as extremely dangerous and challenging.

Back then, Liu Bang led his army to conquer this place, but the effort ultimately came to nothing.

Wei Yan personally led his troops to survey the terrain and search for the water sources of the southern barbarians.

For three days in a row, nothing was found.

Until one day, a scout brought back news that there was a river in the territory of the Southern Barbarians called Nanliu.

Wei Yan was overjoyed and hurriedly led five thousand elite troops to the banks of the Nanliu River.

Before them appeared a river, winding and meandering, flowing into the distance.

"General! Your subordinate has discovered a spring nearby," the scout reported respectfully.

Wei Yan looked up and, sure enough, saw the large, bubbling spring. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

He knew very well that the South Stream was extremely important to the Southern Barbarians and was the source of their survival.

Subsequently, Wei Yan immediately sent someone back to the camp to report to Zhuge Liang.

When Zhuge Liang heard this, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"Tell Wei Yan to cut off the southern flow and set up an ambush," Zhuge Liang ordered.

As dusk fell, near Nanliu, Wei Yan led five thousand elite troops in a quiet ambush.

As night fell, the moonlight shone on the surface of Nanliu, shimmering with a white luster.

Wei Yan stood on the high slope and looked around. He saw that the area around Nanliu was covered with thorns and bushes.

And the gently flowing waters of the South converge here.

"Let's do it!"

Immediately, hundreds of soldiers acted simultaneously, completely cutting off the southern flow.

The next day.

Dozens of southern barbarians fled in panic to Meng Huo's residence.

These southern barbarians, still shaken, looked terrified and uneasy, clearly horrified.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Heavenly punishment! Heavenly punishment!"

Meng Huo looked puzzled and asked, "What's going on?"

"Last night, a torrential rain fell, and the Nanliu suddenly dried up, its water level plummeted, and it's no longer usable!" one of the Nanman people said with a look of fear on his face.

"What?" Meng Huo was taken aback upon hearing this.

"How could this happen?! Have you found out the reason?"

"The Nanliu River has dried up; this is divine punishment! Could it be that we have been enemies of Shu Han, and Heaven is angry and punishing us for it?"

Meng Huo frowned; he didn't believe such nonsense.

“Something’s not right! There’s definitely a conspiracy!” Meng Huo shook his head and muttered to himself.

"Your Majesty! What should we do now?"

Meng Huo thought for a long time and then said, "Store all the existing water."

"Also, send people to find out who exactly destroyed Nanliu!"

"Here you go!"

Although Meng Huo was simple-minded, he wasn't stupid.

I immediately guessed that this must be Zhuge Liang's doing.

"Hmph, trying to cut off my water supply? What a pipe dream!" Meng Huo cursed inwardly.

The Nanliu River is an important water source for the Nanman people. Without water, the fighting strength of the Nanman people would be greatly weakened.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Liang had anticipated that the Nanman would take action, so he sent out two small teams to guard each fork in the road.

When the southern barbarians discover that the southern waterway has been cut off, they will surely send people to seize the water source.

At that time, Zhuge Liang will seize the opportunity to attack and surely take down the Nanman in one fell swoop.

As expected, after Meng Huo sent scouts to find out the truth, he led many of his people to the banks of the Nanliu River.

Wei Yan had been waiting for a long time, and when he learned that Meng Huo had arrived, he immediately led his army to attack.

In an instant, the two armies clashed fiercely, with the sounds of swords and spears clashing filling the air.

Both sides were cavalry, their hooves thundering.

Wave after wave of cavalry charged toward the enemy camp like a raging storm, brandishing their sharp spears.

Blood splattered, and severed limbs were scattered all around.

Wei Yan led his cavalry, like a pack of wolves, into the enemy camp, wielding his spear and hacking and slashing indiscriminately.

"Haha! That's great! That's really great!" Wei Yan shouted excitedly.

The cavalry he led were all veterans who had experienced the ravages of war, and each of them was extremely skilled in martial arts.

Meng Huo clearly did not expect to be ambushed, and caught off guard, he suffered heavy casualties, with piles of corpses falling.

After a brief engagement, Meng Huo felt oppressed.

Not to be outdone, he brandished his broadsword and leaped into the air.

Swish~

The long sword pierced the air, heading straight for Wei Yan's throat.

Wei Yan dared not be negligent in the slightest and swung his sword to parry.

bite--

The weapons clashed, sparks flying.

Wei Yan felt a numbness in his hand and couldn't help but let out a low roar. He gripped his long-handled broadsword tightly and charged forward again.

Pfft!

Meng Huo sneered and slashed down with his long sword. Wei Yan couldn't dodge in time and could only barely turn his head to avoid the fatal blow.

Wei Yan gritted his teeth and endured the pain, but a huge gash was instantly cleaved open on his left shoulder, bleeding profusely, and the veins on his forehead bulged from the pain.

He roared and swung his broadsword at Meng Huo.

As the long-handled broadsword fell, Meng Huo was directly knocked to the ground by Wei Yan's sword, and it took him a long time to get up.

"Damn it!" Meng Huo roared.

Then, he drew his long sword, lunged forward fiercely, and swept the blade horizontally.

Wei Yan reacted quickly, raising his long-handled broadsword to meet the attack.

Ding~

The weapons clashed, producing a metallic clang.

Meng Huo's broadsword was jolted out of his hand and flew away. Subsequently, more than a dozen Shu soldiers captured Meng Huo.

"Meng Huo has been defeated! Those who surrender will not be killed!" Wei Yan shouted.

In an instant, the southern barbarians laid down their weapons and surrendered.

Then, Wei Yan brought Meng Huo before Zhuge Liang.

"Strategist, I have successfully ambushed the Southern Barbarians in this battle and personally captured Meng Huo!" Wei Yan reported, kneeling on one knee.

"Hmm! Well done!" Zhuge Liang nodded, then looked at Meng Huo.

Upon seeing this, Meng Huo's heart began to pound violently.

He had just been released by Zhuge Liang, but now he has been captured again.

"Meng Huo, are you satisfied that I didn't let Huang Xu take action this time?" Zhuge Liang asked calmly.

Upon hearing Zhuge Liang's question, Meng Huo was speechless. He couldn't refute it, after all, he had indeed lost.

"I refuse to accept this! You cheated me by cutting off my water supply. If it were a real fight, I would definitely not lose to you!"