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

"What? All sixty-eight people are dead?"

“That’s right, my lord. We met this last spy before he died. He was the only spy left in the Northern Camp. But after he gave me the information, he was shot by a group of bandits in front of me. He was pierced by an arrow and fell to the ground. I have already ordered the bandits to be killed, but the spy can’t be brought back to life.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing looked at the intelligence report in his hand. This was the last intelligence report for the entire Northern Camp.

The report came back empty-handed; there was clearly only one informant, and he could do very little.

"No, all sixty-eight people were accidents. That's impossible. Someone must be planning this."

After saying that, Gu Rubing suddenly remembered that the time when he lost his most important informant was also related to Xun You.

Could it be that Xun You did it again this time?
However, there is currently no evidence to prove that Xun You did it. Moreover, even if it really was him, what was his purpose? Was it just for revenge?

Just as Gu Rubing was pondering, a letter was delivered to him.

Gu Rubing saw that the letter was actually sent by Xun You.

The letter contained Xun You's next plan.

Xun You planned to launch a surprise attack on Wang Yue, while simultaneously having Gu Rubing attack from the front, thus creating a pincer movement against Wang Yue.

In that case, Wang Yue would have no chance of escape.

Xun You's plan was indeed excellent.

However, Gu Rubing was a little curious as to why Xun You would involve him in dealing with Wang Yue. Did the two sides not reconcile?

Gu Rubing remained highly wary of Xun You's letter.

However, the Northern Camp now has a force of 90,000 men, and taking it down will inevitably come at a price.

Now that this opportunity is right in front of them, anyone would be tempted.

"Zijing, what do you think?"

"My lord, all our spies have been wiped out and we still don't know who did it. Now Xun You has sent people to cooperate with us. I suspect there's something wrong here."

Seeing that Lu Su shared his doubts, Gu Rubing ultimately decided to abandon the collaboration.

Just then, Wei Yan and Zhang He exchanged a glance and stepped forward together.

"My lord, this is a rare opportunity. We should give it a try no matter what."

In Wei Yan's view, even if this was a scheme, they could definitely profit from it if used properly.

Of all the famous generals, Wei Yan was the most skilled in devising ingenious strategies.

Although this ingenious scheme was fraught with great danger, the benefits it brought were commensurate with its risks.

Soon, Wei Yan explained his plan to Gu Rubing and Lu Su.

After listening to the two, Lu Su immediately had some ideas.

After much discussion, the four of them finally finalized the plan for this operation.

Xun You was still inside the tent, waiting for Gu Rubing's reply.

An hour later.

Gu Rubing's messenger finally arrived at Xun You's camp.

“My lord has agreed to your plan, sir. However, my lord said that if you want his cooperation, you must take action first. We can only assist from the sidelines. Of course, you can also refuse, and I will pretend I was never here.”

Xun You hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "No problem, let's make the first move, and hopefully King Lie will be able to take action then."

"Do not worry!"

Xun You prepared for a whole day.

Late the next night.

Gu Rubing, with his entire army, was already waiting.

Before long, the entire northern camp of Wang Yue was in chaos.

Gu Rubing saw that the entire northern camp was ablaze with fire, and the camp was filled with shouts of battle and painful howls.

"My lord, it seems there's a fierce battle going on inside. Could it be that Xun You has really made a move against Wang Yue?"

Zhang He looked at Gu Rubing and the others with a puzzled expression.

Gu Rubing looked towards the direction of the Northern Camp in the distance and shook his head with a smile.

Lu Su, standing to the side, said directly, "Don't worry, Junyi, they're just putting on an act."

"Acting? But what I see inside really looks like a battlefield."

“Wang Yue has 50,000 troops, and Xun You has 40,000 troops, totaling 90,000. But don’t forget, this is an internal conflict. Neither side can possibly have all their troops involved. And even if a war breaks out, neither side can fight so desperately. Under these circumstances, don’t you think this commotion is a bit too much?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang He looked towards the battlefield.

After Lu Su said that, he also felt that this commotion was a bit too big.

Everyone present had been on the battlefield and participated in numerous large-scale battles. They were all highly experienced, and could tell roughly how many people were involved just by listening to the commotion.

Zhang He discovered that probably all 90,000 people on the battlefield had already joined the fight.

"My lord, what should we do now?"

"Wait, since they want to put on a show, we can't just stand by and watch! They've put so much effort into their performance, we should at least take a good look and participate."

Zhang He didn't quite understand Gu Rubing's meaning, so he simply stood behind Gu Rubing and waited quietly.

Half an hour later.

Xun You's messenger ran over.

"The master said, please invite King Lie to join the war!"

"Tell your husband that I have too many troops here and need to reorganize them. Let him fight first and don't worry, I will definitely join the battle."

After watching the messenger leave, Gu Rubing waved his hand.

A brazier of charcoal was brought out, along with a leg of lamb and a jar of wine.

"Come on, everyone, have some food and drinks. We're not in a hurry; let's watch the excitement for a while."

Upon hearing this, everyone sat down around the brazier.

An hour later.

Wang Yue quietly approached Xun You's side.

"Strategist, we've been pretending for so long, but Liu Bei isn't falling for it. Should we continue?"

"Don't worry, I've secretly eliminated all of Liu Bei's spies. Now Liu Bei is completely unsure of our relationship. Without his spies, Liu Bei is practically blind. Let's continue. Make everyone shout 'Kill!' louder and more forceful. Liu Bei might be watching from somewhere right now. We must keep going until they take the bait."

"it is good!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue immediately ordered everyone to eat something.

An hour passed.

Wang Yue has already sent four groups of people to urge Gu Rubing and the others.

But Gu Rubing rejected them all with various excuses.

"How is it? Have you all finished eating?"

Everyone nodded together.

"Now that we've eaten, it's time for us to get moving. We can't let them put on a show for nothing. We, the audience, also need to cooperate. Everyone, follow Zijing's plan."

"Yes!"

As the bugle call for the attack of the fierce army sounded.

Gu Rubing, along with Zhang He and 40,000 troops, charged directly into the northern camp.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Gu Rubing led his men and utterly destroyed the Northern Camp.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Xun You immediately shot out a signal arrow.

A crisp sound pierced the sky.

All of Wang Yue's men and Xun You's men who were fighting stopped and looked at Gu Rubing and his group.

Seeing this, Gu Rubing remained calm; it was all within his expectations. "Haha, Liu Bei, you've fallen for our trap! Did you really think we didn't see through your scheme to sow discord?"

Wang Yue laughed loudly and then stepped out from the crowd.

Immediately afterwards, 90,000 men surrounded Gu Rubing's 40,000 men.

"Wang Yue, do you think I'm that easy to fool? Do you think I wouldn't know this is your scheme?"

Seeing Gu Rubing's confident demeanor, Wang Yue felt a sense of unease and then glanced guiltily at Xun You behind him.

Xun You listened to the entire conversation between the two.

When he heard that Gu Rubing actually knew his plan, Xun You's heart skipped a beat.

However, he remained strong and calm.

In Xun You's view, even if Gu Rubing knew about his plan, so what?

With 90,000 men on his side and only 70,000 on Gu Rubing's side, even in a direct confrontation, he might not necessarily suffer a loss.

Seeing Xun You nod at him, Wang Yue's tense mood immediately relaxed a lot.

"Hmph, Liu Bei, so what if you know? This time you're personally leading the troops, you're doomed. Everyone, attack!"

As soon as the voice fell, 90,000 men charged directly at Gu Rubing.

"Alright, the show's over! Tell the people outside to make their move."

Gu Rubing smiled and waved his hand.

Zhang He immediately fired a signal arrow.

Soon, shouts of battle filled the area outside the entire North Camp.

Wang Yue remained completely unfazed by this.

Shi A, who was guarding the perimeter, went straight to meet them.

The two sides have been fighting for almost a year, and both sides know exactly which generals they have.

When Wang Yue saw that only Zhang He was there, he knew that Wei Yan was outside, so he simply moved Shi A to the outer perimeter to block Wei Yan.

Wei Yan was just about to launch a surprise attack on the rear of the northern camp when he was blocked by Shi A, who suddenly rushed out. Even the 30,000 troops behind him were blocked.

"Haha, Wei Yan, my master knew you were here all along. Now no one can protect Liu Bei."

Wei Yan sneered at Shi A's smug smile, said nothing, and began to fight Shi A.

After hearing the commotion outside, Wang Yue looked at Gu Rubing with a smug expression.

"Liu Bei, let's see who comes to your rescue this time. I've been preparing for this day for a long time."

After Wang Yue finished speaking, he rushed towards Gu Rubing.

"Really? You really think I'm capable enough to walk into your trap?"

Gu Rubing waved again.

Another signal arrow flew out.

A group of people rushed out from another corner.

The group was small, only five hundred people, but all of them were heavily armored, and even their horses were covered in armor.

Moreover, each of these cavalrymen was equipped with two swords.

Upon seeing this, Xun You immediately realized that this was one of Liu Bei's elite troops, the Iron Pagoda, a type of heavy cavalry that almost no other warlord possessed.

The general leading the team was someone they recognized very well.

It was the general in Gu Rubing's hands who frequently created miracles, and whose specialty was winning with fewer troops.

"Zhang Liao?"

Upon seeing Zhang Liao appear, Xun You's first thought was to run.

Zhang Liao created too many miracles.

Not only Sun Jian and his men, but even those under Cao Cao's command felt a sense of unease.

"retreat!"

Xun You immediately ordered a retreat.

They are no longer in the city; they are now on the plains.

This is the perfect place for the Ironclad Cavalry to shine.

To fight the Ironclad Cavalry to the death here is simply suicidal.

As soon as Xun You issued his order, Wang Yue grabbed Xun You with some dissatisfaction.

"What are you doing? Why are you retreating? We have 20,000 more men than Liu Bei. This is just 500 cavalrymen. What are you panicking about?"

“Those are five hundred Ironclad Cavalry, and the leader among them is Zhang Liao. Don’t you know what kind of person Zhang Liao is?”

At this point, Xun You slapped his thigh, realizing he had been careless.

Seeing Xun You's regretful expression, Wang Yue became even more curious.

"Strategist, what's wrong with you?"

"I was wrong. I have always wanted to find Liu Bei's spies, but I have been too lax in managing them. I didn't even know that Zhang Liao and the Iron Pagoda had come."

Zhang Liao, leading the Ironclad Cavalry, charged directly from the outer perimeter of the battlefield to its very center.

There was almost no loss.

Although Zhang Liao couldn't activate his "Desperate Battle" ability due to the current numbers on both sides, the Ironclad Cavalry were heavily armored, making them difficult to injure. In addition, they were all veterans who had fought countless battles. Even if the enemy had ten thousand men, they could still stop the Ironclad Cavalry, despite only having five hundred men.

"My lord, Liao is late."

"Not too late, not too late. Wen Yuan has arrived just in time. Come with me to break the formation."

"Yes!"

Zhang Liao, leading the Ironclad Cavalry, charged ahead and created a huge gap in Xun You's battle formation.

Before Xun You could close the gap, Gu Rubing led Zhang He and the others out through it and launched a counter-encirclement.

After Xun You issued the order to retreat, the Youzhou soldiers lost all will to fight and began to retreat.

Xun You's army formation was completely shattered.

"My lord, it's fortunate that General Zhang Liao is here, otherwise this would have been really difficult."

Hearing Lu Su's words, Gu Rubing smiled and nodded.

Gu Rubing was indeed quite surprised by Zhang Liao's appearance.

Just two days before the start of the war.

Zhang Liao then arrived with five hundred Ironclad Cavalry.

Everyone, including Lu Su, was on high alert at Zhang Liao's sudden arrival.

After all, without orders, Zhang Liao led his most elite Iron Pagoda troops to his lord's camp, which would make anyone suspicious.

However, Gu Rubing was quite at ease about it.

"Wen Yuan, what brings you here?"

Gu Rubing walked up to Zhang Liao with a smile.

“My lord, the Prime Minister sent me here. Firstly, because the Prime Minister has discovered that there is less and less intelligence about Youzhou, and the accuracy of the intelligence has also decreased significantly. The Prime Minister said that there may be problems with the spies in Youzhou, and fearing that trouble may arise in Youzhou, the Prime Minister specifically sent me here to protect you.”

Hearing that it was Zhuge Liang's order, Lu Su and the others were relieved.

"The other one is because of Liu Zhang."

After saying that, Zhang Liao handed an invitation letter directly to Gu Rubing.

Gu Rubing saw that it said Liu Zhang was celebrating his birthday and had invited him to the banquet.

"What is Liu Zhang playing at? He dares to ask me to come and offer my birthday wishes? Isn't he afraid this birthday banquet will turn into a funeral?" (End of Chapter)