Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Upon hearing this, Xu Rong felt no surprise, but rather a chill ran down his spine.

"Several years...several years..." Xu Rong could only manage a bitter smile; there was no other expression on his face.

"What merit do I, a defeated general, possess to deserve such high regard from General Wei?"

"Hehe... This courtyard is not a place that ordinary people can enter. Even people like Li Jue and Fan Chou are not qualified." Lin Mu responded to Xu Rong indirectly.

"General Xu, please rest here for a while. I will come to visit you again once things have settled down." Lin Mu was not in a hurry to take advantage of Xu Rong, but gave him some time.

After that, Lin Mu resolutely turned and left.

Xu Rong wanted to talk to Lin Mu, but he could only see Lin Mu's departing figure... so he didn't say anything more.

"Your gun!" Just then, Dian Wei came in, threw in his personal weapon, and without saying a word, turned around and left.

Xu Rong gave a wry smile. Why wasn't he told about the rules here...?

As Lin Mu left the courtyard, he saw Wang Kuang and Hu Zhen. He went over to greet them, gave Wang Kuang a deep look, and then left with Huang Zhong and the others.

“Wang Kuang is no longer a feudal lord, no wonder he no longer has the dragon's luck… It turns out that feudal lords like Kong Rong were not born with the dragon's luck, but were blessed with it by heaven and earth after joining the Guandong Allied Army and swearing a blood oath…” Lin Mu pondered as he walked.

"In this way, Wang Kuang's value has been reduced by several levels..." Lin Mu concluded in his heart.

Inside Xu Rong's courtyard, Xu Rong was still reeling from the sudden turn of events... His mind raced with thoughts of what would become of his personal guard, whether they would be divided up by other generals...

After thinking for a long time, Xu Rong finally let out a heavy sigh.

He's inherently proud, but he has no choice but to accept his current situation...

"With two generals captured, I wonder what our lord Dong Zhuo will do? Alas..." Xu Rong sighed softly.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Rong walked out of the courtyard and found that there were no restrictions, so he went to the melon shed where Hu Zhen and the others were relaxing.

"You are...you are Wang Kuang?!" Xu Rong exclaimed in astonishment after finally recognizing the man who had remained completely still.

It turns out that He Jin's former subordinates, whom Lord Dong Zhuo feared, had also been captured by Lin Mu!
The prisons in the Great Wilderness Territory were not randomly placed, nor were their owners chosen arbitrarily; rather, they were interconnected. In another location, Xu Xiang, Fan Ling, Zhang Yang, and others resided…

After safely escorting Xu Rong back, Lin Mu immediately headed towards Hulao Pass. Of course, Lin Mu used the Kun Stone teleportation technique to return to the Nine Yang Legion's temporary camp. Huang Zhong, Dian Wei, Taishi Ci, and the others, however, had to return via the same route…

The camp was now empty; the Nine Suns Legion had already rushed to the western district to intercept and kill the retreating garrison.

Lin Mu didn't stop and headed in that direction as well. His ring wasn't full of supplies yet, so there was no need to unload the looted supplies for the time being.

……

Three days after Xu Rong was captured at Hulao Pass, the news reached the Xiliang army that was escorting the people of Shendu.

Unlike Xu Rong's miserable situation, Zhang Ji's task was simple: ride a tall warhorse, arrogantly drive the people around, occasionally have some fun, and earn some extra money... There was no danger for the time being...

"What?! Boyun has been captured by Lin Mu?!" Zhang Ji, riding his warhorse, turned pale upon hearing the messenger's report.

Xu Rong, in the end, could not escape that calamity!
"He was captured at Hulao Pass. Wasn't it said he shouldn't go to Hulao Pass? Mr. Wenhe specifically instructed him... Going to Xingyang was an auspicious sign, so why did he turn to Hulao Pass, this inauspicious place?" Zhang Ji's eyes were full of confusion. Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu, who were following beside him, were also astonished.

Xu Rong's ordeal was actually caused by Lin Mu!

"It was General Li Jue who invited General Xu Rong to Hulao Pass to help transport supplies and evacuate troops! Later, they were discovered by Lin Mu, a warlord from Guandong, which led to their predicament," the messenger continued.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji frowned sharply.

Li Jue was more favored by his lord Dong Zhuo than Xu Rong and others, and the Xiliang army, including Xu Rong's, also highly regarded Li Jue. Therefore, when Li Jue sought help, Xu Rong would not hesitate to go and assist him.

Who would have thought that they were just coming in to move some supplies and transfer some soldiers, and they wouldn't have stayed long before they were gone!
Lin Mu is no good person. None of the people he captured ever came back.

Rumors circulated that Lin Mu took the person to an island in the Endless Sea for "training"...

Thinking about this, Zhang Ji felt a chill run down his spine for some reason.

"Brother Boyun, you were careless!"

Although Jia Xu remained silent, a flicker of relief crossed his face. He had a premonition that if he had appeared at Hulao Pass like Xu Rong, he would have faced the exact same situation!
After all, he was probably Lin Mu's primary target, while Xu Rong was still a secondary target!
This isn't a guess; it's a feeling I have deep down!
Thinking of this, Jia Xu breathed a sigh of relief. It's so good to live freely...

"Clatter clatter!~~" Just then, a warhorse came running at top speed.

Riding on the warhorse was none other than the strategist Li Ru!
"General Zhang Ji, due to the change in General Xu Rong, you will be in charge of the situation in Xingyang Suanzao." As soon as Li Ru arrived, he assigned the task.

After saying that, Li Ru hurriedly left...

"What... you want me to go to Xingyang?" Zhang Ji only realized what was happening after Li Ru had walked away, and whispered.

“Let’s go… Xingyang jujubes, maybe it’s safer than here…” Jia Xu, who was barely noticeable behind him, suddenly whispered.

"Ah...didn't you say it was dangerous over there?" Zhang Ji asked in surprise.

“Xu Rong has been captured by Lin Mu, and the winds have shifted…” Jia Xu said meaningfully.

"Sigh... let's go then!"

Thus, carrying the military order from strategist Li Ru, Zhang Ji, along with Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu, led 10,000 elite personal guards back.

It took quite a while, four days, to arrive at the western region of Hulao Pass via a teleportation array.

Without entering the perilous Hulao Pass, Zhang Ji led his men north and soon encountered the retreating Hulao Pass garrison and Xu Rong's troops on the banks of the Yellow River.

After Zhang Ji, carrying military orders, made some adjustments and took some of the supplies that had been painstakingly moved from Hulao Pass, he led a group of people to board a boat and head down the Yellow River.

The remaining three million soldiers transported supplies westward along the Mangshan Mountains, heading towards cities such as Gongxian.

However, after they had traveled for over a hundred miles, an army emerged from both sides of the official road.

Leading the group was none other than Sun Jian, the seventh warlord, the Prefect of Changsha, and the Marquis of Wucheng!
(This is the last update of 2025. Thank you all for your support throughout the year, and I applaud myself for persevering in the last few months. It's been really tiring lately, but with everyone's support, I've managed to keep going. 2025 has passed, 2026 is here, let's keep going! Happy New Year and all the best!) (End of Chapter)