Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Left with no other choice, Cao Cao could only order a temporary halt to the offensive, defend the cities he had captured, and urgently order the supply of provisions to be transported from the rear. He also sent people to contact Tao Qian and other warlords, trying to seek support or cooperation in the battle.

Yuan Shao, in particular, has a large army and many generals. If he could spare some troops to attack Qingzhou, the pressure on him would be much less, and the danger to him would be reduced.

However, the warlords were all struggling to protect themselves at the moment. They were either being directly attacked by the army of the Great Wilderness or they were nervously reinforcing their defenses to guard against the unpredictable attacks. Where would they find the strength to help Cao Cao?
The sealing artifacts that Han Fu used were not something every lord possessed!
Cao Cao's situation in Beihai suddenly became delicate. He faced resistance from the remnants of Lin Mu's forces in front of him and had no reliable logistical support from behind, putting him in a dilemma.

In the city lord's mansion of Yingling City in Beihai, Qingzhou, he stood in the makeshift command tent, looking at the map of Beihai Kingdom hanging on the wall, his brows furrowed, feeling for the first time so bewildered about the future of this chaotic world.

That's right, it's confusion.

He vaguely sensed that everything seemed to be going according to Lin Mu's plan!

Lin Mu's military prowess and extraordinary methods have far exceeded everyone's expectations, and he is stirring up the winds and clouds of the entire land with an unstoppable momentum.

In the depths of his mind, Cao Cao sensed a storm brewing against him!

He... sensed danger!
“My lord, Beihai is the territory guarded by Kong Rong. By conquering Beihai step by step, we have not weakened Lin Mu’s power, but rather the power of the old faction of Kong Rong! We… were wrong!” A refined and thin middle-aged man stood up and said to Cao Cao in a low voice.

"Lin Mu has used us as a weapon to eliminate Kong Rong's forces!"

"Once we withdraw, Lin Mu's troops will definitely take over the city, and those former subordinates of Kong Rong who have withdrawn... may never be able to return to the city that rightfully belongs to them!"

"Zhongde... what do you mean by that?" Cao Cao was slightly surprised.

In fact, he had vaguely sensed something was wrong at the beginning of the war, but he just couldn't put his finger on what was wrong.

Zhongde was the courtesy name of Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu had just arrived in Yingling City; he had not previously accompanied the army on the expedition.

"After entering Beihai, I have been secretly investigating and learned that although Lin Mu has taken control of Qingzhou in general terms, he has not taken over the ownership and defense of many cities. This includes the Beihai Kingdom. The Kong family still controls Beihai, and many of its important officials are Kong family members, especially the city defense generals, who are all Kong family members or their protégés."

"Where our troops passed, most cities retreated without a fight, and the people within the cities were completely unaffected..."

"However, there is a terrifying edge hidden beneath the surface, and once it is revealed, it will be something that the retreating defenders will not be able to withstand..."

"We drove the people away for Lin Mu!" Cheng Yu said solemnly, a look of gravity on his face.

"Lin Mu's army was not only invincible, but its logistics were also formidable. The people in the city were discussing the benefits that Xun Shuang, the governor of Qingzhou, had given them after taking control of the city: abundant food, good security, opportunities for development, and so on..."

"Their first step wasn't to control the ownership and defense of the cities, but to win over the hearts and minds of the people!!!"

"The hearts and minds of ordinary people!"

"Besides, Lin Mu's elaborate plan to capture Kong Rong was definitely aimed at the Kong family... First, to get the core officials of the Kong family to leave Beihai and Qingzhou, while their ancestral roots could remain; second, to directly get some of the Kong family's descendants to serve the governor of Qingzhou and pledge allegiance to Lin Mu, which would not only stabilize the Kong family but also stabilize the situation in Qingzhou, and also provide many useful talents!"

"All of this was part of their long-term plan... We've only made things worse by adding fuel to the fire," Cheng Yu sighed.

Upon hearing Cheng Yu's analysis, Cao Cao's expression changed drastically: "So, next, Lin Mu will be dealing with us?"

“That’s right… I believe that the war in Wei Commandery has been temporarily and completely halted, since Han Fu’s forces have been contained in Wei Commandery.”

"Next, we'll have to deal with the weaker ones... Forcing Tao Qian back is just the prelude!" Cheng Yu judged.

"My lord, I think we should evacuate the city immediately. The danger inside the city is a hundred times greater than outside!" Cheng Yu suggested in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was startled, and his sense of crisis intensified!

"Yuan Rang, hurry! Lead the army to retreat, retreat out of the city!!" Cao Cao immediately instructed Xiahou Dun, his tone full of urgency.

Xiahou Dun knew the situation was urgent, so he didn't ask any questions and went straight to carry it out.

Cao Cao was already suspicious, so he didn't stay in the core area of ​​the city lord's mansion at all, but instead set up a temporary tent outside the courtyard.

Thus, shortly after Cheng Yu's arrival, Cao Cao's army withdrew directly from Yingling City.

Half an hour after Cao Cao withdrew from Yingling City, Lin Mu suddenly appeared in an ordinary inn. This inn was quite close to the city lord's mansion. Because of the war, the people had closed their doors and windows, and shops, inns, and taverns had temporarily closed down.

"Hmm...something's not right!" As soon as Lin Mu teleported over, he immediately sensed the surroundings and found that the City Lord's Mansion not far away did not have any soaring aura of blood and qi, nor did it have that noisy feeling. Instead, it was unusually quiet.

After the Fifth Plan achieved initial success, the Great Wilderness Territory returned to implement the First Plan.

However, the initial plan was slightly modified.

Instead of luring Tao Qian deeper to weaken him, they plunged a knife directly into Tao Qian's heart, forcing him to return to his base.

Then, they would target Cao Cao, who appeared unexpectedly, as the next objective...

This time, Lin Mu was very well prepared. He not only brought Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci, but also the Heaven and Earth Punishment Order, all to curb Cao Cao's arrogance and weaken his foundation!

The primary target is Cao Cao's trusted general—Xiahou Dun!

This is the plan. Whether it will succeed is another matter, but the fact that the Great Wilderness Territory dares to plan in this way proves that the real cruelty and slaughter have begun!

First, they coerced Tao Qian and Han Fu to return to defend the area, and then they killed Cao Cao's trusted generals, giving the allied forces of the warlords a few "stimulants"!

Unfortunately... it seems Cao Cao isn't following the script...

Lin Mu jumped out of the inn and rushed towards the city lord's mansion. Soon, he saw the empty and chaotic city lord's mansion.

After that, Lin Mu met with several Night Shadows and learned the latest intelligence.

Five hours ago, Cao Cao hastily withdrew his army, which was very decisive.

They are currently stationed on a vast plain ten miles outside the city.

“Not a single needle or thread was touched… Cao Cao is trying to create the image of a wise ruler… His goal is Xuzhou!” After hearing Ye Ying’s report, Lin Mu immediately figured out the key information.

"Cao Cao's Dongjun is still separated from Xuzhou by the Taishan and other counties in northern Yanzhou... It seems he has already secretly plotted against them..."

"Cao Cao has his sights set on Xuzhou, just like we do on Luoyang, and he wants to open up a 'road'!"

"As expected, Cao Cao is quite capable." Lin Mu sighed softly after his plan failed.

"Should we take a gamble?" Lin Mu looked up at the sky, hesitating.

The plan had anticipated this situation, and there were backup plans as well. The most aggressive of these was to directly summon all the troops and openly and forcefully charge in!

"Forget it, we can't fight too hard..." After hesitating for a while, Lin Mu still felt that he should play it safe, since the battlefield in the Great Wilderness Territory was too scattered.

A sneak attack and a head-on confrontation are two different things; the latter will result in casualties several times greater than the former!
Although the soldiers can be resurrected, it will take time, and time is what the Great Wilderness Territory lacks most right now.

After pondering for a while, Lin Mu gave some instructions to Ye Ying and then teleported away again.

After that, Lin Mu appeared on the front line of Wei County and shouted words to Qu Liang City, urging Han Fu to surrender, just to make his presence known.

After revealing his whereabouts, Lin Mu returned to his temporary camp.

"My lord, this is information related to the Divine Path." As soon as he returned to the camp, Lin Mu took the latest intelligence from Wang Yue.

“Zi Xu directly emerged in Hanzhong to develop believers and build a sacred path. Zhang Zi Xu... Heh!!!” Lin Mu looked at the intelligence report and snorted coldly.

It turns out that after the Battle of Luoyang, the three old schemers no longer hid themselves, and Master Zixu went to Yizhou to develop the divine path.

Yu Ji went to Jingzhou and Yuzhou to develop the religion, while Nan Hua went to Sili to develop believers.

The three of them were born ahead of schedule to develop the divine path!
Currently, its development is not very rapid and it is still in the accumulation stage, so the pastors have not paid much attention to it.

Especially in Hanzhong, where the Five Pecks of Rice sect was an indigenous sect with a considerable number of followers, including many officials, it was even less likely that they would take any action. This allowed Master Zixu's spiritual path to develop most rapidly. (End of Chapter)