A misty, drizzling rain hung in the air.
The 150,000 soldiers of the State of Shu were returning to Chengdu in three divisions—the vanguard, the center, and the rear. The rank and file were unaware that Prime Minister Zhuge Fang had passed away. Following the Prime Minister’s final instructions, Jiang Xu and the Five Tiger Generals had spread word that he was merely ill and needed to return to Chengdu for a quiet recovery. This ruse, which included the tactical ambush of the Wei Army, was designed to keep the state funeral secret.
Consequently, the troops remained naively convinced that their omnipotent Prime Minister was still among them. Their morale had soared following the great victory during the retreat, and the journey was filled with laughter and chatter, with men boasting that had it not been for the theft of their grain supplies, they could have marched straight into Luoyang.
Chapter 802