Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

"Who is it? Which deputy general? Did you see his face clearly?" Liu Dai grabbed the arm of the Heavenly Rank Martial General and asked urgently, his eyes bloodshot.

The rank-one warrior was gripped so tightly by him that it hurt, but he dared not break free. He gasped for breath and said, "Brother-in-law, it was too dark at night. The enemy moved quickly and they were all masked... But I recognized their banners. They were the insignia of Qiao Mao's 'Breaking the Enemy's Camp'! They moved extremely fast. We were caught off guard and suffered a great defeat. Afterwards, we were surrounded in a corner, but they surrounded us without attacking, delaying the time to move the grain. Most of the grain was taken away... The rest that couldn't be moved were burned... All... All turned to ashes!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Dai's eyes turned bloodshot.

Actually, there were many loopholes in what his brother-in-law said. Although he wasn't close to Qiao Mao, he knew his character and knew that Qiao Mao wouldn't make a move against him at this critical juncture.

There must be someone else stirring things up in the dark.

They probably took away most of the supplies and suppressed his troops, preventing them from breaking out. Clearly, they weren't ordinary soldiers, and their numbers were definitely not small...

Regardless of whether Qiao Mao did it or not, he is currently facing a terrible problem: he's out of supplies!
It should be noted that in order to relocate the capital and delay the Guandong Coalition, Dong Zhuo's army basically implemented a scorched-earth strategy. From Hulao Pass to Luoyang, the capital, it was extremely difficult to find sufficient food supplies.

His army of over 1.7 million suffered terrifying daily losses; without reinforcements, it would collapse even without human intervention.

"Qiao Mao..." Regardless, the blame must be placed on Qiao Mao for the time being, and we can only get some food from him to tide us over.

The thought of a formidable adversary lurking in the shadows, intent on eliminating him, made Liu Dai's teeth grind, his eyes filled with unbelievable anger and a barely perceptible hint of fear.

The high-ranking general said with a mournful face, "Brother-in-law, now is not the time to blame anyone. The most urgent thing is to deal with the food shortage! The soldiers have not had a full meal for two days. If the food supplies run out again... they will scatter!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Dai's expression turned extremely grave. He knew that his brother-in-law was telling the truth.

However, within Luoyang, the attitudes of various factions have begun to turn strange, with even the alliance leader Yuan Shao turning against his own people. With everyone on edge, he understood better than anyone what food shortages meant.

This action by certain individuals has undoubtedly driven him to a dead end.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his mind racing. Should he stay in Luoyang? Without supplies, they would collapse sooner or later without a fight, and might even be swallowed up by other warlords. Should he return to Yanzhou? The journey was long, and aside from the safety along the way, it was uncertain whether this starving army could even hold out until they reached their destination.

"No, we need to prepare for the worst." Liu Dai started racking his brains and came up with three plans.

"Pass on my order," Liu Dai's eyes hardened as he made his decision: "Pack your belongings immediately and evacuate Luoyang tonight!"

His supplies are gone, but there are several large camps outside the city that have supplies. He can ask them to "borrow" some first; if they agree, then...
"Throughout the night?" The lieutenant was taken aback. "It's so dark, we don't know if there's an ambush, I'm afraid..."

"We can't worry about that now!" Liu Dai interrupted him, his tone resolute. "Those people can burn our supplies; who knows what they might do next? Staying in this dangerous place means certain death! We must leave as soon as possible and return to Yanzhou!"

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes: "Tell the soldiers to endure the hunger for now. As long as they return to Yanzhou, I, the governor, will reward them handsomely! Anyone who dares to delay will be punished according to military law!"

"Yes, sir!" The lieutenant dared not say another word and left to carry out the order.

Liu Dai watched his deputy general's departing figure, then slumped into his command chair, feeling a sudden dizziness.

He had hoped that this trip to the capital would bring him a share of the spoils, and even if he didn't obtain the Imperial Seal, he could still gain some benefits and strengthen his power. Unexpectedly, he not only gained nothing but also suffered heavy losses, with even his supplies burned, ending up in such a miserable state. This capital, Luoyang, truly is a vortex that devours people!
Thinking of this, a murderous glint appeared in Liu Dai's eyes: "If you disagree, why don't I become a hunter myself!"

At the same time, inside Qiao Mao's camp, Kong Zhou and Kong Rong felt increasingly uneasy as Liu Dai had not returned for a long time and looked hurried.

After waiting for a long time, instead of Liu Dai, a messenger arrived.

"My lord, General Huang has led the Polu Camp in a mutiny! They attacked Governor Liu Dai's camp and emptied it of all its provisions!" the messenger hurriedly reported.

"What?!?!?!" Upon hearing this news, Qiao Mao froze in his seat.

The other two were shocked upon hearing this, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Gentlemen, this was absolutely not my intention!" After his initial shock, Qiao Mao immediately expressed his stance to Kong Rong and the other man.

"Of course I know it wasn't Gongzu who did it. But what I'm worried about is that some powerful figure in the shadows has their eyes on us... They want to cause internal strife among us!!" Kong Rong wasn't stupid; he understood the crux of the matter.

"Alas... I never imagined it would end up like this, a civil war among the warlords of Guandong... What a laughingstock!" Kong Zhou sighed. All three of them now knew that Luoyang, the capital, was no longer safe!
"Grandfather..." Kong Rong couldn't help but speak up, "There seems to be some unforeseen event at Gongshan. We must handle it properly, otherwise..."

Just then, another soldier reported that Liu Daijun was packing his belongings, seemingly intending to leave.

Kong Zhou and Kong Rong exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness and resolve in each other's eyes. Even Liu Dai was leaving, so what were they doing staying? The dragon vein of Nangong? That was nothing but a mirage, the risks far outweighing the rewards.

Kong Zhou stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Qiao Mao, and said, “Grandmaster, now that Liu Gongshan has left, there is no point in us staying here any longer. The situation in Yuzhou still requires my return to take charge, so I will take my leave.”

Kong Rong also stood up: "I cannot stay in Beihai for long, so I will take my leave."

Qiao Mao looked at the two of them and nodded slightly: "Very well. Take care on your journey, and we'll meet again."

He knew in his heart that their departure was a foregone conclusion.

As night deepened, three more armies of various warlords quietly broke camp and withdrew in different directions within Luoyang. The once bustling and vibrant capital, teeming with warlords, gradually fell silent after a bloody and scheming civil war.

The streets, apart from the strange people busy searching for and digging for meteorites, no longer have the bustling atmosphere of the past.

The news of the changes at Liu Daiqiao Mao's side also reached Yuan Shao's side immediately.

Yuan Shao stood atop the palace roof, watching the lights of the city gradually disappear into the distance, a look of regret on his face.

He actually wanted to bring them under his command, but they were all too vigilant...

Cao Cao, Bao Xin, Han Fu, Gongsun Zan, Sun Jian, Tao Qian, Zhang Miao, Liu Dai, Kong Zhou, Kong Rong... all former allies have now departed.

In the vast city of Luoyang, it seemed that only he and Yuan Shu, the two brothers who were only superficially united, the two unassuming Liu Bei and Lin Mu, and Dong Zhuo's army remained.

Looking back on the blood oath we swore, we were all united, full of ambition and high spirits. But now... some are dead, some are defeated, some have left... leaving only regrets!

"My lord, Qiao Mao's men have reported that Liu Dai, Kong Zhou, and Kong Rong have also led their troops away," Guo Tu whispered to him.

Yuan Shao grunted in acknowledgment, his voice hoarse: "Understood. Pass down the order to strengthen defenses, gather the remaining troops, and secure the supplies."

"promise."

A chilly wind swept through the empty palace. The purple light in the sky had faded considerably, suggesting that Sun Jian was about to withdraw from Luoyang.

The sky, which had been raining for a long time, had cleared up, but it was still somewhat gloomy.

Yuan Shao tightened his cloak, his eyes filled with complex emotions. In this campaign against Dong Zhuo, who truly won? What did he gain? And what did he lose?
Perhaps, just as he had thought, it was time to lay low and bide his time. Luoyang was no longer his stage.

At this moment, Yuan Shao also began to consider withdrawing from Luoyang, the capital city.

The dragon vein of Nangong, hehe... let those guys handle it. Whether they succeed or something else happens, it will actually benefit him.

Meanwhile, in another part of the palace, in an inconspicuous pavilion, Lin Mu was looking through the window at the banners of the feudal lords heading into the distance outside the city, his brows furrowed slightly.

"They all withdrew so decisively?" Lin Mu asked, somewhat puzzled...

Based on the events of the previous life, the various warlords on Qiao Mao's side did not retreat so quickly. They later found something within the palace, engaged in a debate, and only then did they withdraw. A major battle then took place outside Luoyang, ending with Liu Dai killing Qiao Mao.

"No... The grain supplies at Hulao Pass have been looted by the players, and the grain supplies in Xingyang City and Suanzao City have been looted and burned by Dong Zhuo's army... Under such drastic changes, they should not be thinking about fighting, but about protecting themselves!"

In their previous life, they still had the reserve supplies at Hulao Pass, so their margin for error was higher, and they weren't in a rush. But this time, the entire supply line along the route was destroyed, and their retreat was completely cut off—how could they not be in a hurry…?

"The final harvest has begun!" he murmured to himself, a glint of wisdom in his eyes. The grand drama he had orchestrated had only just begun; the real excitement was yet to come. (End of Chapter)