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

"Hey you two, if you keep arguing like this, we're really going to die here."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately looked at Shi A.

Although Shi'a's words were unpleasant and a bit direct, they were absolutely right.

With Shia's reminder, the two ultimately chose to remain silent.

After things quieted down, Xun You walked to the map, looked at the various routes on it, and finally fixed his gaze on one place.

Changping!

"To say there's absolutely no way is not an option! Perhaps there is still one way."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue and the others immediately surrounded them.

"What method? Let's not keep you in suspense any longer, shall we?"

Wang Yue grew increasingly displeased with Xun You and was constantly thinking of ways to mock him.

Xun You glared at him, then looked at the map.

Place your hand on the Changping position.

"Liu Bei deliberately opened a passage to panic us, so that we would receive news from the outside world and lose our composure. Moreover, Liu Bei is still expanding outwards. The only way out is to stop him. We need to send a general to Changping to block Liu Bei's advance. As for our way out, it is the route they have opened up."

"But they deliberately revealed that route. People coming and going must be under their surveillance. We can't send more troops to Changping. Without troops, what use would it be even if we sent a general?"

"For safety reasons, only one person can go out. As for the troops, that person will have to put together their own. We can't offer any help."

Hearing this, Wang Yue's face grew increasingly gloomy.

Xun You was well aware of the current situation in Youzhou.

If they could still muster an army, how could they have ended up like this?
Seeing Wang Yue's expression, Xun You sighed helplessly.

Although the current situation was caused by Wang Yue, it is also related to his strategy. Wang Yue lost 40,000 troops in one battle. If they still had those 40,000 troops, it wouldn't be a problem for them to divide their forces and block Liu Bei.

However, this was also because Wang Yue trusted his own plan too much and did not think it through.

Xun You hesitated for a moment, then drew a dot on the map.

There is a mountain range up there.

"According to my intelligence, there are two strongholds on this mountain, with about three thousand men capable of fighting. However, they are all bandits and outlaws, so their fighting strength is questionable. I am now requesting reinforcements from my lord, and I will also request reinforcements from Sun Jian. I can only hope that these three thousand men can hold out until reinforcements arrive."

"Reinforcements? Do we even have any reinforcements?"

Wang Yue no longer had any expectations for reinforcements.

At the beginning of the war, they received reinforcements totaling up to 100,000 men and countless provisions, but now they only have 20,000 men and their provisions can't even last for half a month.

And it has only been less than two months since the start of the war.

If their previous performance hadn't been so disastrous, Cao Cao wouldn't have sent Xun You to help them.

Wang Yue knew that he was not the kind of person who was suitable for leading troops into battle, but unfortunately, Shi Xie had no one else available besides them.

If the commander were skilled in leading troops in battle, even if it were Yan Yan under Liu Zhang, he wouldn't have lost so quickly.

When Xun You heard this, he looked at Wang Yue and saw a hint of confusion in his eyes.

The fact that even a renowned general was at a loss shows just how arduous this mission was for Wang Yue.

Looking at Wang Yue's appearance, Xun You thought of the task Cao Cao had given him, and in the end, he still felt a little soft-hearted.

"Wang Yue, don't be so pessimistic. Since I asked you to go find those bandits, I must have some confidence. Although you don't have any food or supplies, you have money. What those bandits need is money. If 10,000 gold isn't enough, give them 100,000 gold. What bandit doesn't want money?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue immediately realized what was happening and gave Xun You a grateful look.

Soon, under the moonlight, Wang Yue disguised himself and quietly left the city, heading towards Changping.

With Zhang He by his side, Gu Rubing has taken control of the entire Shanggu County and has begun his march toward Guangyang County.

late at night.

Gu Rubing and his men set up camp directly in the woods.

Zhang He walked up to Gu Rubing.

"My lord, we should arrive in Changping by noon tomorrow. Once we take Changping, we will have firmly established ourselves in Guangyang County. However, we have taken so many cities along the way, but why haven't we seen any action from Shi Xie? Even Wang Yue and his men haven't made any moves. Our purpose should be quite obvious. Could it be that Wang Yue no longer wants to deal with Shi Xie?"

This also puzzled Gu Rubing.

Lu Su's move was a blatant and overt scheme.

To rescue Shi Xie, they must leave the city, but leaving the city would lead to their own ambush. However, if they remain hidden in the city, there will only be one outcome: watching Shi Xie be captured. Without Shi Xie, the people of Youzhou will be divided, and Wang Yue alone cannot lead Youzhou. Therefore, no matter what Wang Yue chooses, Youzhou is doomed to defeat.

Conspiracy and trickery are usually easy to crack, and they all have weaknesses, but it is this kind of open scheme that is the most powerless and impeccable, with almost no weaknesses.

"Regardless of what Wang Yue thinks, we just need to follow Zijing's instructions."

"Yes."

Outside Changping City.

Gu Rubing looked at the guards on the city wall. They were lax and lacked any spirit. There were also very few guards.

"Zhang He, attack the city directly."

Although they had been marching for a long time, they had encountered too many cities with almost no defenses along the way. Gu Rubing thought that it would be better to take Changping and let the soldiers rest inside the city than to rest outside.

Zhang He didn't think much of it and immediately led three thousand men to prepare for the attack on the city.

Just then, a crossbow captain walked over.

Furthermore, the officer in charge of crossbows also brought some intelligence.

Cao Cao and Liu Zhang have jointly assembled 50,000 reinforcements, which are speeding towards Youzhou, while Sun Jian has mobilized some grain supplies and is transporting them to Youzhou.

Upon hearing this news, Gu Rubing was so angry he laughed.

Fifty thousand troops, marching from Yizhou and Jiaozhou to Youzhou? Are you kidding me? How many of my defenses would they have to pass through along the way? Do they think I'm just a decoration?
"Immediately order them to be intercepted."

"My lord, we cannot stop them. They did not travel by land, but by water, and went directly to Sun Jian's side. Finally, Sun Jian escorted them from beyond the Great Wall to Youzhou. The roads beyond the Great Wall are very complicated, and we have no way to intercept them."

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing immediately frowned.

Once these 50,000 reinforcements arrive, his plan to quickly reclaim Youzhou will be impossible. Moreover, once they arrive, it means that this route has been opened up. At that time, he will not be fighting against Shi Xie alone, but against Cao Cao, Liu Zhang, Sun Jian, and Shi Xie at the same time. However, there will only be one battle line, and he will need to divide his forces to defend against the three surrounding forces.

No matter what, I'll be at a disadvantage.

Gu Rubing looked at the map. The message from the Colonel of the Crossbowmen was timely enough.

Judging by the speed, Cao Cao and Liu Zhang's reinforcements should have just arrived at Sun Jian's location.

If Sun Jian wanted to send those troops and provisions to Youzhou, even with a forced march, it would take at least half a month.

All I can do is use these two weeks to occupy as many cities as possible, and ideally capture Shi Xie to end the battle ahead of schedule.

Thinking of this, Gu Rubing also changed his order to have Zhang He attack the city.

After discussing it with Zhang He, Gu Rubing decided that Gu Rubing would personally command the siege of Changping, while Zhang He and several other deputy generals would each lead several thousand men to surround Changping and capture all the surrounding cities as quickly and efficiently as possible.

After making the decision, Zhang He and several of his deputies immediately led their men away.

An hour later, only Gu Rubing and two thousand soldiers remained in the huge camp.

Without hesitation, Gu Rubing ordered two thousand men to attack the city.

In his view, Changping City was just like any other city; with just a touch, all the garrison inside would surrender.

However, Gu Rubing was wrong this time.

Half an hour passed.

They couldn't even get onto the other side's city walls.

It seems that there are countless defensive weapons inside Changping City.

In the past half hour, not only has the siege made little progress, but the two thousand men have also lost about five hundred men.

This made Gu Rubing somewhat puzzled; what exactly was going on in Changping?

From the city wall, there were at most five hundred people, but it seemed like there were an inexhaustible supply of them.

No matter how many people they wounded or killed, the enemy's numbers seemed to remain unchanged.

Moreover, these 500 men possessed exceptionally strong fighting power and will to fight. Such a fierce offensive would have forced other cities to surrender long ago, since they had no reinforcements.

But instead of surrendering, they seemed to be getting stronger with each battle.

In the end, Gu Rubing chose to cease hostilities and wait for news from within the city.

However, Gu Rubing requested information about the city for a long time, but no information came out.

Just as Gu Rubing was getting anxious, someone he never expected appeared on the city wall.

"Liu Bei, do you dare to come out and meet us?"

Upon hearing his subordinates' report, Gu Rubing immediately arrived at a place not far outside Changping City.

He then saw that Wang Yue had appeared on the city wall.

The moment Gu Rubing saw Wang Yue appear, he understood everything.

The reason why the defending troops in the city had such a strong fighting spirit was entirely because Wang Yue was right there beside them.

The general was watching them closely; who would dare not lend a hand?

Even so, Gu Rubing still had some doubts.

Wang Yue's presence could at most prevent the garrison in Changping from surrendering easily, but what about the endless garrison?

Did Wang Yue bring reinforcements with him?
The idea was rejected by Gu Rubing as soon as it came out.

Gu Rubing completely believed that Wang Yue could escape despite Lu Su's tight surveillance, but he absolutely refused to believe that Wang Yue could lead a large number of troops out of the city without being discovered by Lu Su.

Upon seeing Gu Rubing emerge, Wang Yue immediately burst into laughter.

"Liu Bei, you must be surprised to see me here, right?"

"Yes, it really surprised me that you were able to escape. But so what? Even if you get here, what can you do? You probably don't have any troops left, right? I'll wear down the few garrisons in your city sooner or later. What use will you be by yourself then?"

"Is that so? You really underestimate me. If you think you can break through my Changping, then come and try."

After saying that, Wang Yue snorted coldly and left the city wall.

Gu Rubing watched Wang Yue's disappearing figure, somewhat confused. Wang Yue hadn't said or done anything, so why had he asked him to come out? Was it to confirm his presence? But what good would that do?

Wang Yue walked down the city wall and burst out laughing.

"Haha, God is really helping me!"

The people around him looked at Wang Yue with puzzled expressions, wondering what was wrong with him.

"General, what do you mean by this?"

The garrison commander of Changping looked at Wang Yue with a puzzled expression.

"It seems Xun You was right. Liu Bei has indeed begun to divide his forces. Before, Liu Bei had at least Zhang He by his side, but now Zhang He is not with Liu Bei. This shows that Liu Bei's forces are now weak, with only a few soldiers, which cannot stop me."

Upon hearing this, the lieutenant immediately realized what was happening.

Wang Yue is planning to abandon the city defense and launch a surprise attack on Liu Bei's camp.

"General, this is a good plan, but we only have less than five hundred soldiers at our disposal. The remaining three thousand are all bandits from the mountain stronghold. Will they really obey our orders and take the initiative to attack?"

"Hmph, just a bunch of country bumpkins. All they want is money. As long as I give them enough money, they'll do whatever I ask them to do."

Although the situation was special and they had no choice but to seek help from these bandits, Wang Yue still looked down on them.

Inside the Changping County Government Office.

Wang Yue sat in the master bathroom.

Two burly men sat on either side.

Both men had numerous scars on their bodies, and their aura revealed them to be hardened criminals who had lived a life of constant danger.

"Two chieftains, I need to lead your men to launch a proactive attack and wipe out Liu Bei in one fell swoop. I still need your men."

Upon hearing this, neither of them spoke, but looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak first.

However, the two remained silent for a long time before one of them finally couldn't hold back and stepped forward.

“General Wang, the price you initially quoted didn’t include the process of launching an attack. You only asked us to assist you in defending the city, nothing more.”

"Yes, we originally thought we were just helping you defend the city, but now it seems you only have five hundred soldiers in the city, while we have three thousand. Who's really helping whom? Your price was unreasonable to begin with, and now you're making us do even more work. Regarding your price, take a look..." (End of Chapter)