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

The news from Liangzhou completely disrupted all of Gu Rubing's plans.

Sun Jian was the first to receive news of the chaos in Liangzhou.

"My lord, our plan has finally begun. Liu Bei is in for a lot of work now."

Zhou Yu stood smugly at the palace gate, looking at Sun Jian and speaking with a smile.

"Hmph, Liu Bei, you're always causing me trouble. This time, I'll give you a good beating. I refuse to believe that I'll always be the one who suffers."

Sun Jian had been planning this situation for a long time, constantly bribing the people of Liangzhou and the local bandits and robbers.

The scale is also getting bigger and bigger.

Only after reaching a certain scale did Sun Jian mobilize everyone.

This represents Sun Jian's entire strategic plan for the entire Liangzhou region.

Sun Jian's goal was simple: Gu Rubing's forces were currently stretched thin, and there was no way to control the chaos in Liangzhou. At this time, he would send troops to assist him, and Gu Rubing would not let him work for nothing.

Sun Jian's plan was very good; at least he felt it was flawless.

At least it has put Gu Rubing in a somewhat awkward position right now.

"My lord, the situation in Liangzhou is very tense. The enemy has 50,000 troops, and the defending army probably can't do anything about it and won't be able to hold out for long. We must send troops to support Liangzhou now, to deal with the mutinous army first. Moreover, Liangzhou relies on trade routes for survival. If the trade routes are cut off, Liangzhou will probably really be worthless."

Lu Su thoroughly analyzed the situation in Liangzhou in front of Gu Rubing.

Gu Rubing was naturally aware of the importance of the Liangzhou trade route, but he had no idea what to do, simply because he currently had no troops at his disposal.

The troops in Youzhou were already stretched thin. If more troops were sent to Liangzhou, the end result would be that neither Youzhou nor Liangzhou could be defended.

Currently, the troops under my command are all stationed in Jiaozhou, and I only have 50,000 in Yizhou.

Gu Rubing hesitated for a moment, then immediately said, "Zijing, I'm entrusting Youzhou to you. Defend it if you can, and retreat if you can't. Don't get bogged down with Xun You. I'm going to find the Prime Minister."

"Yes!"

After explaining everything, Gu Rubing left Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong in Youzhou, while he himself took Zhao Yun and headed to Jiaozhou.

After learning that Gu Rubing was coming back, Zhuge Liang already understood Gu Rubing's purpose.

When Zhuge Liang welcomed Gu Rubing, he had already prepared the troops and generals to go to Liangzhou.

"My lord, Liang has made all the preparations. After you have rested for a while, you can lead the troops to set off."

Looking at Zhuge Liang in front of him, Gu Rubing's tense heart finally relaxed for a moment.

Zhuge Liang gave people an absolute sense of security, especially since he always had a relaxed expression, making people feel that no matter how serious the matter was, it was nothing.

"Prime Minister, what is your opinion on the situation in Liangzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang burst out laughing.

"My lord, there's no need to worry. It's just a little trick played by Sun Jian. A bunch of chaotic troops can't cause any trouble. However, my lord was tricked by Sun Jian and Cao Cao in the previous battle. Are you aware of that, my lord?"

What Zhuge Liang was referring to was, of course, the scene where Sun Jian and Cao Cao put on a show.

"I know, but I only just realized it myself. However, I didn't really lose out. I used this to get a year's worth of provisions for 200,000 troops from Sun Jian, so it's not bad."

"My lord is indeed wise and mighty. But my lord, have you considered asking for a city from Sun Jian instead of supplies?"

"city?"

Gu Rubing was somewhat bewildered by what Zhuge Liang said, completely unaware of Zhuge Liang's meaning.

"Yes, my lord, I heard that Sun Jian has a city called Nisa. This city is very special. It is very close to several docks. We can get much more from there than from grain. As for the grain we lack, Cao Cao wants the docks, so he naturally has his reasons. If he wants stability, he will naturally give us some compensation."

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing gave a wry smile.

"Prime Minister, you must be joking. How could Cao Cao possibly give me that much grain? Besides, Cao Cao doesn't have any either."

"My lord, have you forgotten? Cao Cao doesn't have the connections, but Sun Jian does. If Cao Cao refuses, just send some men to cause trouble at their docks, and Cao Cao will give it to us. Although it will take a little time, we have plenty of time, don't we?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing froze on the spot.

He never imagined that this matter could bring so many benefits, and that he himself was the most useless one among all the benefits he had taken.

However, Gu Rubing did not want to give up so easily, wouldn't that make him look stupid?
“Prime Minister, you’ve forgotten the most important point: why would Sun Jian agree to give us Nisa? That’s his second largest city.”

"Rest assured, my lord, Sun Jian will agree. Cao Cao and Liu Zhang have occupied all of Sun Jian's port cities, and Nisa, the second largest city, has become the front line. Nisa has now become a burden to Sun Jian. If we are willing to exchange the provisions of 200,000 troops for it, Sun Jian would be more than happy to throw this hot potato out."

Gu Rubing finally understood that Zhuge Liang had already thought everything through and even analyzed the pros and cons of the matter.

Unfortunately, Zhuge Liang was not by his side and could not remind him in time.

This is hardly worth the trouble, yet he made the trip himself.

"Forget it, this matter is over, let's not talk about it anymore. But Prime Minister, how many men have you prepared for me this time?"

"The frontline forces are stretched thin, so we can only prepare 30,000 men for our lord."

"Temperature shortage?"

Gu Rubing frowned immediately, feeling that Zhuge Liang was being petty.

Liu Zhang has already provided Youzhou with more than 100,000 troops, so how could there still be a shortage of troops?

Knowing that Gu Rubing would be suspicious, Zhuge Liang simply handed over the intelligence on the current troop strength comparison at the front line to Gu Rubing.

Upon seeing this intelligence, Gu Rubing immediately stood up from his seat.

He did not expect that Liu Zhang had once led more than 100,000 troops to Youzhou, and that the number of troops on the front lines was still more than 200,000, showing no signs of decreasing.

"How can this be?"

Gu Rubing shook his head repeatedly as he looked at the intelligence report in his hand.

"My lord, according to our intelligence, the troops Liu Zhang sent were all selected from his vast population. They were trained on the way. Only the very first few times were troops drawn from the front lines, but they were quickly replaced. Liu Zhang's population is simply too large."

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing finally understood why Zhuge Liang hadn't been sending reinforcements; it turned out that his forces hadn't decreased at all.

"My lord, this time you are taking General Wen Yuan directly to the border. I am worried that Sun Jian's men will cause trouble for you. So let General Ma Chao go with you. With Generals Zhao Yun and Ma Chao protecting your safety, I can rest assured."

"it is good!"

Regarding legendary generals, as long as Guan Yu is present, Gu Rubing is not worried at all that the other side's legendary generals will dare to show their faces. After all, Guan Yu is a legendary general who has been promoted, and should be considered as level two, while all other legendary generals are still at level one.

After a brief rest, Gu Rubing led his army and slowly left the Jiaozhou camp, heading towards Liangzhou.

Cao Cao immediately learned of Gu Rubing's departure and relayed it to Sun Jian. Inside the royal palace in Constantinople.

Sun Jian looked at the intelligence sent by Cao Cao and immediately became a little worried.

Although he was very secretive about his collusion with the local authorities in Liangzhou, he was worried that Gu Rubing would find out. Once Gu Rubing found out, he would definitely not let them off the hook.

"Gongjin, is everything arranged? Has anyone leaked our information?"

"Don't worry, my lord. The person who contacted them has been killed. The people of Liangzhou will never know that we are the ones who are funding them. Even if Liu Bei really guesses it, he has no evidence and can't do anything to us."

"Alright, let's see what Liu Bei has to do."

When Gu Rubing arrived with his army, it was already a month after the riot.

These rebel troops attempted to attack the city.

However, the chaotic army was poorly equipped and lacked any renowned generals to command them. Ultimately, their siege failed, and they were forced to defend the trade routes and engage in robbery and plunder.

I've never even heard of a band of 50,000 men, let alone seen one.

Upon hearing this news, all the caravans were terrified and dared not travel as caravans anymore.

The entire Liangzhou trade route appeared extremely desolate.

Many ordinary people made their living through trade, but ultimately, without caravans and their source of income, they chose to join the rebel army.

Gu Rubing led his army directly into Wuwei City.

This is the city closest to the trade route.

Here, Gu Rubing can also get first-hand information about business.

Just as Gu Rubing entered the city, information about the trade route was sent to him.

Gu Rubing had not expected that in just one month, the number of rebel troops had increased from 50,000 to 60,000.

Fortunately, their equipment was not improved at all. It was clear that Sun Jian deliberately did not provide these rebel troops with any equipment assistance in order to conceal their existence.

"My lord, Liao can lead his troops to launch an attack and see how strong these rebels really are."

Zhang Liao didn't take these 60,000 rebel troops seriously at all, and even wanted to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

While others might be a bit arrogant, Gu Rubing believed that Zhang Liao had the ability.

"Not urgent."

Gu Rubing shook his head.

Zhang Liao could deal with these 60,000 men, but at most he could only scatter them. He couldn't annihilate them all. At present, he had no way to deal with Sun Jian. He could only give him a warning. As long as Sun Jian was still alive, these 60,000 men could be reassembled. Wouldn't he have to do it again?
Therefore, the best approach would be to wipe out all 60,000 people in one battle, leaving not a single one behind.

This will teach everyone a lesson.

Let Sun Jian recall how he was driven out of the Han Dynasty.

Gu Rubing looked at the map and finally focused his attention on a place called Shiyang Valley near Wuwei.

"Wen Yuan, what do you think of this place?"

Because of a stream, Shiyang Valley is densely forested, making it ideal for ambushes. There is also a narrow valley with a narrow passage, which, if blocked at both ends, would leave anyone who enters vulnerable to attack. It is an excellent place to annihilate 60,000 people.

Upon seeing the terrain of Shiyang Valley, Zhang Liao immediately understood what Gu Rubing was thinking.

Although killing all 60,000 people was somewhat cruel, it was necessary to use ruthless methods to make an example of them.

"My lord, this place is perfectly fine, but any general with even a little military ability can see the danger of Stone Sheep Valley. If the bait is too small, the enemy may not fall for it."

Gu Rubing naturally understood this principle as well.

Looking at the map, Gu Rubing thought for a long time.

According to Gu Rubing's judgment, in order to sever ties, Sun Jian would definitely not contact the rebel army again, and might even cut off all relations with them.

This gave me an opportunity.

Since Sun Jian is not contacting them, I will contact them on his behalf.

"Wen Yuan, immediately send men to infiltrate the chaotic army and spread the word that there is a reward of 100,000 for capturing Liu Bei alive and 200,000 for killing him."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao immediately realized what Gu Rubing was about to do.

"My lord, you mustn't! Those mutineers are all greedy and reckless. What will we do if something really happens to you?"

"Don't worry, they're no match for us. If we don't use heavy bait, how can these small fish and shrimp take the bait?"

Seeing Gu Rubing's insistence, Zhang Liao nodded helplessly.

In just three days.

Amidst the chaos of the army, rumors about the bounty on Gu Rubing spread like wildfire.

The rebel army now wished they could rush into Wuwei City immediately, grab Gu Rubing's head, and demand a reward.

three days later.

Gu Rubing led two thousand men and slowly walked out of the city.

The informants outside Wuwei City immediately relayed the news to the leader of the rebel army.

"Liu Bei has left the city? According to intelligence, Liu Bei is accompanied by two legendary generals, Zhao Yun and Ma Chao. Have you seen them?"

"General, Liu Bei didn't take those two men with him. When Liu Bei left the city, they were still on the city wall, watching him go. According to the information we've gathered, Liu Bei left the city this time to patrol the border, and it seems he's heading towards Shiyang Valley."

"Stone Sheep Valley?"

The general looked at the map in front of him and immediately became wary.

They were originally bandits and mountain brigands, so they naturally knew the surrounding valleys like the back of their hand.

They knew exactly how many dangerous places there were in Stone Sheep Valley.

The general immediately sensed that this was a trap.

"General, the brothers can't wait any longer. There are many good ambush spots in Stone Sheep Valley. They only have two thousand men, while we have sixty thousand. Are we afraid of two thousand men?"

"Yes, General, let's get started! That's two hundred thousand taels of gold! With that money, we can do whatever we want. We could even go to the Emperor and sell an official position."

"Let me think about it some more." (End of Chapter)