Five days later, deep within Chang'an, Sima Yi's eyes gleamed with determination.
He knew that this trip was no small matter, and every step was fraught with unknowns and dangers.
As night deepened, the lights of Chang'an gradually went out, with only a faint glow remaining in Sima Yi's military camp.
The soldiers assembled in the darkness, their faces filled with determination and resolve.
Sima Yi stood before them, his voice firm and powerful: "Our objective this time is to attack Hanzhong. We must cross the Qinling Mountains and pass through the Ziwu Valley to catch the Shu army off guard."
"Therefore, you must obey orders during this operation, or you will be court-martialed!"
"We obey orders!" the soldiers shouted in unison.
"Set off!"
Sima Yi flicked his sleeves and led his soldiers toward the Qinling Mountains.
The Qinling Mountains, this natural barrier, have stretched for hundreds of miles since ancient times, crisscrossing and forming a huge barrier.
Sima Yi led his carefully selected soldiers on this perilous journey.
They traversed dense forests and climbed steep cliffs, proceeding cautiously with every step to avoid any mishaps.
The mountain wind howled, like ghostly whispers, adding a touch of mystery and unease to the group.
The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, watching their surroundings warily, fearing that a single misstep would send them plummeting off the cliff to their deaths.
They were not moving fast because this was the most difficult and challenging part of their journey.
Despite the fact that Cao Cao's army was being extremely careful, some soldiers would still accidentally slip and fall.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the Meridian Valley.
Here, two cliffs, like giant swords of the gods, pierce the sky, with only a narrow, winding passage between them, as if it were the entrance to hell.
Sima Yi stared at the passage, took a deep breath, and stepped into the Ziwu Valley passage.
The soldiers beside him began to advance along the passage.
Their footsteps echoed on the cliff face, each echo like a call from the Grim Reaper.
The rocks on the cliff are as sharp as knives; one wrong step and you could fall into the abyss.
They had to rely on ropes and iron hooks to climb step by step, advancing one step at a time.
As night falls, the Meridian Valley becomes even more eerie and terrifying.
The moonlight could not penetrate the thick clouds, so the soldiers lit torches, but the flames flickered in the wind, seemingly about to be swallowed by the darkness at any moment.
They groped their way forward in the dark, each step filled with unknowns and dangers.
Every step along the cliff edge is terrifying, as if you are walking on the edge of hell.
Sima Yi stared at the dark cliffs, a mad glint in his eyes, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Brothers, hold on! Once we cross the Ziwu Valley, we will achieve a great feat!"
Sima Yi's shouts inspired the crowd, and they gritted their teeth and followed behind him, continuing to move forward.
After several days and nights of arduous travel, Sima Yi and his soldiers finally crossed the Ziwu Valley.
As they emerged from the valley and saw the outline of Hanzhong City faintly visible in the morning light, their hearts were filled with hope and excitement.
Sima Yi stood on the hillside, gazing at the distant city of Hanzhong, his eyes gleaming with the light of victory.
He knew that the success of this surprise attack would bring a huge turning point to the State of Wei and lay the foundation for unifying the world.
"Brothers, kill!" Sima Yi gave the order.
"Kill!" Five thousand elite troops surged out like a tidal wave.
The Shu army in Hanzhong was scattered by Sima Yi and his men before they could even react.
Sima Yi's soldiers pressed on and captured Hanzhong in one fell swoop.
Upon receiving the news, Pang Tong flew into a rage: "What? Wei troops have launched a surprise attack on Hanzhong? Where did they come from?"
"Reporting to the strategist, this humble general is also unaware," the messenger said respectfully.
"Useless!" Pang Tong cursed.
"Strategist! What do we do now?" asked one of Pang Tong's civil officials.
"Inform Kongming to quickly send a message to our lord, urging him to return to our aid!"
"Furthermore, gather 30,000 elite troops to help me retake Hanzhong!"
Pang Tong immediately began making arrangements. The fact that Cao Cao's army was able to capture Hanzhong so quickly and without anyone noticing must mean they came from some unknown side road.
Therefore, the number of troops he brought must not be large!
While they are still establishing themselves, we should quickly send troops to retake Hanzhong in one fell swoop!
When Zhuge Liang learned of this, he sensed something was wrong and quickly went to the map.
After a while, Zhuge Liang noticed something amiss!
"Ziwu Valley! Cao Cao's army came from Ziwu Valley!" Zhuge Liang's expression was very unpleasant.
"Then what should we do?" Xu Ermao asked urgently.
Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment, then said, "Pang Shiyuan has already led his troops to Hanzhong. Since Cao Cao's army launched a surprise attack through the Ziwu Valley, their forces must be small. Therefore, I'm wondering what their follow-up tactics will be!"
If the Cao army were to simply launch a surprise attack on Hanzhong through the Ziwu Valley, it would be utterly foolish!
Because Shu Han only needed to send tens of thousands of troops to retake Hanzhong.
Therefore, Cao Cao's army couldn't be that stupid; they must have other plans!
"What is it?" Zhuge Liang frowned and muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, Pang Tong had already set off, but he also realized what was happening!
Having the same doubts as Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong also began to think about it seriously.
"Meridian Valley..."
"A surprise attack on Hanzhong via the Ziwu Valley..."
Suddenly, Pang Tong raised an eyebrow and immediately said, "I understand, their next move is Xiegu!"
Emerging from Xiegu, you can reach Chengdu directly!
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