Choose Liu Bei at the start, I am the only one who knows the plot of the Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 374 Blackmailing Cao Cao, the tomb-robbing captain!
"You indulged your subordinates in attacking me. Does Prime Minister Cao want to turn against me?"

Gu Rubing scolded loudly. Facing Gu Rubing's question, Cao Cao did not give a direct answer and chose to avoid Gu Rubing's question.

"Haven't you already taken away 10,000 top-grade war horses? What else do you want?!"

"Those 10,000 top-grade war horses were given to me by Ma Chao, the owner of Beiliang Ranch. What does that have to do with you?"

"you!"

"What do you mean by 'you'? Did Prime Minister Cao make some kind of deal with Han Sui? Otherwise, why would Han Sui give you 10,000 first-class war horses for no reason?"

Cao Cao was speechless after being rebuked by Gu Rubing and simply ignored him, but Gu Rubing had no intention of letting him go.

"Then since 10,000 first-class war horses have nothing to do with Prime Minister Cao, then Prime Minister Cao must pay for his life before he can leave."

Cao Cao, who was tired of being tortured by Gu Rubing, finally couldn't stand it anymore.

"Five thousand fine horses, five thousand fine armors, there will be no more!"

"No problem. After all, Prime Minister Cao's life is more valuable. Five thousand fine horses and five thousand fine armors are enough. But at that time, I remember that when General Xiahou Dun was captured, Prime Minister Cao was reluctant to give up even three thousand fine horses to buy his own life. He gave five thousand without hesitation. Alas, Prime Minister Cao still values ​​his name very much."

Originally, the autumn windfall was an unexpected surprise, and Gu Rubing had already stopped while he was ahead. Otherwise, if a fighting really started here, Cao Cao's 100,000 troops outside the city of Xudu would not be vegetarians. Even if someone avenged Gu Rubing later, they would be dead anyway, so what would it matter even if they avenged him? So Gu Rubing would not force Cao Cao into a desperate situation, at least not now.

As a cousin of Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun naturally would not have any opinion against Cao Cao because of Gu Rubing's words, but everyone has an anchor point. Just like Xiahou Dun would not say it, let alone blame Cao Cao, but he would always have such an anchor point in his heart. If one day, there was suddenly a fuse that ignited Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun, then this anchor point would automatically appear, and it might even become the reason for the breakup between Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao.

But those are all things of the past. Gu Rubing’s goal has been achieved. As for the things that happened later, they are not his concern.

"I believe that Prime Minister Cao is not someone who does not keep his promises. Once the good horses and fine armor are ready, we can send them to Yanzhou. By then, someone will be there to pick up Prime Minister Cao."

After Gu Rubing finished speaking, he no longer looked at Cao Cao's face, which looked as if he had eaten a fly. He sat on the gray shadow and walked out. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and Tiger Guards who surrounded them all made way for him. When passing by Cao Cao, Gu Rubing suddenly stopped his horse and looked at Cao Cao.

"You've had a bloody disaster recently, so be careful and don't go out as much as possible."

After Gu Rubing finished speaking, he patted Cao Cao on the shoulder, laughed twice and left. Cao Cao's already bad expression became even gloomier. If Cao Cao had not been afraid of subsequent revenge and some other uncontrollable factors, he might have had a decisive battle with Gu Rubing here today.

Faced with Gu Rubing's curse-like prophecy, Cao Cao sneered. He had completely lost this battle. Just a month or two ago, he was still fighting against Yuan Shao together with Gu Rubing, but now two months had passed and he had become a stronger opponent than Yuan Shao. If Cao Cao were given the chance to choose again, he would definitely not help either side and would quietly develop his own strength.

"Prime Minister Cao, don't forget to send it to Yanzhou within half a month, otherwise I will have to come to Xudu again!"

Gu Rubing had already walked out of the palace gate, but the voice was still coming from outside the palace. Cao Cao was so angry that his eyes turned black and he almost fell off his horse. Cao Cao adjusted himself, turned over and got off the horse, and came to the two heads on the ground. Guo Huai and Sun Li had both followed him for a long time. Their deaths had a great impact on Cao Cao. The most direct impact was the loss of two first-class generals.

In terms of combat power at the military level, he was far inferior to Gu Rubing, and now he had lost two more, the gap had widened even further. Cao Cao took a deep breath, he knew clearly that time was running out, he had to do something to reverse the current decline.

"How's the matter with the tomb raider going?"

Cao Cao held the Qinggang sword in his hand and waved slightly to Xiahou Dun behind him, motioning him to come forward.

"While the various lords were fighting, all five hundred tomb raiders have been sent out, disguised as ordinary tomb robbers. A lot of gold and silver treasures have been sent back. I believe that in the next period of time, we will continue to receive treasures."

Xiahou Dun spoke in a low voice. The two of them spoke very softly. Even Dian Wei and Xu Chu, who were following not far behind Cao Cao, could not hear the sound of their conversation. After all, tomb robbing was not a glorious thing. And these 500 tomb robbers were Cao Cao's last trump card. These tomb robbers had long been successful full-time. They had been disguised as ordinary tomb robbers, wandering around the thirteen states, digging graves, collecting all kinds of treasures, and providing financial support for Cao Cao.

"No need to wait. You should go to the Western Regions immediately and use these gold and silver treasures to exchange for monk soldiers. We are seriously short of troops now and can't hold out until the training of new recruits is completed. We must seek external forces to compete with Liu Bei."

"Yes, lord. Where should I go in the Western Regions? Who should I look for?"

"Western Regions, Mount Nalanda, Six-Jeweled Bodhisattva, just tell her that I asked you to go, and she will understand."

"It's my lord!"

After receiving the order, Xiahou Dun stopped following Cao Cao and turned to walk into a small alley. In the alley, two hundred tomb-robbing lieutenants were waiting quietly. The tomb-robbing lieutenants not only have the characteristics of tomb robbers, but their individual combat capabilities are also very strong, and their individual combat capabilities are not inferior to those of the wandering crossbow lieutenants. Each of them has the basic attributes of a top third-rate general, and enjoys the attribute gains of the tribe. It can be said that if the gain of the tribe is not taken into account, the tomb-robbing lieutenants are the strongest special forces.

Xiahou Dun put on black clothes and covered his face with black in the alley, then rushed out of the alley with the captain of the roving crossbows. No one stopped them at the city gate, and the group of 200 people headed straight for the Western Regions.

But what they didn't know was that all their actions were seen by several pairs of eyes in the dark. After seeing Xiahou Dun leave the city, the people following him looked at each other, three of them immediately followed, and the others caught up with Gu Rubing who was leaving Xu Du City.

"You mean, when Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun talked about something, Xiahou Dun led more than 200 people out of Xudu City and headed straight for the Western Regions?"

"Yes, my lord. The captain of my roving crossbow division has been keeping an eye on them. There is no doubt about that."

Taishi Ci followed closely beside Gu Rubing and reported to him the news just brought by the Captain of the Mobile Crossbows. Gu Rubing frowned.

"Do you know where those 200 people came from?" "I don't know their exact origins, but I know they have been roaming around the Thirteen States and various places in the Western Regions, robbing tombs for a living. Their traces have been found in Yanzhou and Xuzhou, but these tomb robbers are all very skilled, and even the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun at the time couldn't catch them."

"Didn't the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun manage to catch them?"

Gu Rubing pondered upon hearing this, and at the same time a name popped up in his mind: Grave Robber Captain!

This is the most mysterious troop under Cao Cao. It is rumored that each of them is a top-notch soldier. They specialize in robbing tombs for Cao Cao, obtaining gold and silver treasures from the tombs, and helping Cao Cao exchange silver to purchase facilities needed for the army. It can be said that this troop made an indelible contribution to Cao Cao's ability to quickly unify the north in history.

Before, he had never heard of Cao Cao having an army called Mojin Xiaowei. Gu Rubing thought that Cao Cao did not have a dedicated army for this type of soldier yet. Now it seems that Cao Cao should have switched to Mojin Xiaowei a long time ago and has been using it, but it has not been discovered by others, and even if it was discovered, no one would have thought of it as him.

If Gu Rubing did not have memories of the Three Kingdoms, he would never have implicated these tomb robbers in Cao Cao.

"They should be soldiers who specialize in tomb robbing and taking the property of the dead. But why are they heading back to the West?"

Gu Rubing told them everything he knew, but he was also confused. Why did they want to go to the Western Regions? What was the purpose of Cao Cao taking a lot of gold and silver treasures to the Western Regions? Was he looking for mercenaries from the Western Regions?

Apart from the mercenaries from the Western Regions, Gu Rubing really couldn't think of any other reason. During the Three Kingdoms period, there were actually many foreign races eyeing the Central Plains. However, the major princes in the Central Plains, especially the three major princes Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian, almost suppressed these foreign races to death, making it impossible for them to invade the Central Plains.

But things are different now. Cao Cao is no longer the hero he used to be in history, so it is not impossible for him to seek help from foreign soldiers.

"Tell the captain of the roving crossbow army to keep a close eye on Xiahou Dun and the tomb-robbing soldiers. If they come into contact with any foreigners, they should immediately report the news back."

"Yes! Lord!"

Taishi Ci took the order and left. Guan Yu, who was standing beside him, stroked his long beard with his hand and looked at the leaving Taishi Ci, as if thinking about something.

"Brother, do you think that Cao Cao wants to use the ill-gotten gains from tomb robbing to go to the Western Regions to ask for help from foreign tribes?"

"It's not impossible. We must take precautions. Even if Cao Cao really invites the tribes in the Western Regions, we must be on guard so that Cao Cao won't take advantage of us."

Guan Yu on the side nodded in agreement, while Zhang Fei waved his Zhangba Snake Spear and said angrily.

"I didn't expect that Cao Cao, who looks so righteous, is actually a man who makes money from the dead. Next time I see him, Grandpa Zhang will definitely give him a cold shoulder!"

Zhao Yun, who had been listening on the side, looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Gu Rubing took all of this in sight, slowed down his horse by two steps, and kept a distance from Zhao Yun walking side by side.

"What's wrong, Zilong? Are you worried?"

"There is one thing I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

Zhao Yun turned his head and looked at Gu Rubing with a flickering look in his eyes. Gu Rubing patted Zhao Yun on the shoulder.

"We are all brothers, there is nothing we can't talk about."

"Some time ago, when the lord went to Jingzhou, I was in Qingzhou to protect the prime minister. One time, the prime minister deliberately sent me away and said something to military advisor Fa Zheng. I have good hearing, and although there is a wall between us, they don't know, but I can hear it. The prime minister and military advisor Fa Zheng said that we are running low on money."

Gu Rubing was a little dazed after hearing this. He seemed to have never paid much attention to this issue, but this was precisely the most important issue. Whether it was recruiting soldiers or buying horses, it required money to support it. It was just that he had previously handed over all of this to Fa Zheng and others.

Now, Gu Rubing has a larger and larger army and more and more soldiers under his command, so his expenses are naturally getting bigger and bigger. Some of the previous ways of making money may be difficult to keep up with the pace of consumption. It is no wonder that Cao Cao arranged for the tomb raiders to rob tombs. Even with so many advisers under Gu Rubing, the money they earn together is not enough to spend, let alone Cao Cao.

"Hahaha, it's okay. After returning to Qingzhou, the Prime Minister and I will find a way to solve it. Don't worry."

Gu Rubing said to Zhao Yun with a smile. After hearing what Gu Rubing said, Zhao Yun no longer had any doubts and stopped thinking about these things that he was not good at. In his impression, as long as Gu Rubing promised to do something, it would be completed. Everyone said that he was lucky, so he could get so many generals and counselors following him, but only those who had followed him for a long time knew how strong Gu Rubing's personal charm was.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, Zhang Liao, Zhang He are all first-class SSR generals. They followed Gu Rubing not because of his status as a relative of the Han royal family, nor because of his status as a great prince, but because of Gu Rubing's personal charm. Even if they followed Gu Rubing for various reasons in the early stages, they were all conquered by his charm in the end.

So when Gu Rubing told Zhao Yun that he didn't need to worry anymore, Zhao Yun was not worried at all. He knew that since Gu Rubing had already said it, he didn't need to worry about the rest.

After talking with Zhao Yun, Gu Rubing closed his eyes and began to think about ways to make money. After thinking for a long time, Gu Rubing turned his attention to salt. The salt now is coarse salt, which is controlled by the government and has high profits. If Gu Rubing can extract fine salt, then everything will be solved.

But problems also followed. Gu Rubing was a programmer in his previous life and the previous previous life, so how could he extract fine salt? However, as a science student, Gu Rubing still knew the principle of making fine salt. He believed that as long as he told Zhuge Liang the method, Zhuge Liang would be able to make fine salt in no time. Thinking of this, Gu Rubing asked for paper and pen from the deputy general beside him, and immediately began to list the method of extracting fine salt.

Just after Cao Cao and Gu Rubing left the palace, eight carriages came out of the palace. All of them were eunuchs around Liu Xie. Liu Xie wanted to help Gu Rubing implement the seven governors and the title of king before he was put under house arrest. The eight carriages corresponded to one king and seven governors.

After leaving the palace, the carriages quickly disappeared into the traffic. They did not look like the carriages in the palace at all. They were just ordinary carriages. Each carriage was equipped with two masters from the palace, both of whom were second-rate military generals, responsible for guarding the safety of the carriages. These were the last people Liu Xie could mobilize. After these people left, Liu Xie no longer had any of his own people around him.

Looking in the direction of Qingzhou, Liu Xie muttered to himself.

(End of this chapter)