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

After the messenger left.

Xun You also learned that Shi Xie was going to meet with Gu Rubing.

He immediately came to Shi Xie's side.

"Governor, Liu Bei's visit at this time must have ulterior motives. Governor, do not fall for his tricks and be extremely careful."

"Fooled? Xun You, I think I'm the one who's been fooled. You said you could help me, so I gave you troops, supplies, and all my support. And what happened? Of the vast Youzhou, now only Xiangping remains. How can I trust you?"

Shi Xie finally unleashed all the resentment he had been suppressing.

From the very beginning until now, I have given Xun You hundreds of thousands of troops and placed absolute trust in him, yet the result can be described as a complete failure.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were gone, tens of millions of bushels of grain were gone, and even Youzhou was gone. Previously, because of Cao Cao and his men, Shi Xie had been enduring, but now Shi Xie knew in his heart that he had no chance to turn the tide and was about to become a pawn. So Shi Xie could no longer endure.

Looking at Shi Xie, who was roaring at him, Xun You remained calm.

He understood that this was the last time Shi Xie would lose his temper.

After a long while, Shi Xie finally vented his anger.

Breathing heavily.

Seeing this, Xun You knew that it was about time, and then smiled.

"Has Your Excellency finished venting? If so, why not listen to me?"

Shi Xie nodded subconsciously.

“Governor, there’s no need to be so agitated. I believe in your position, and you are well aware of it yourself. I don’t need to elaborate. As long as Xiangping remains in your hands, my lord and the others will not abandon you. So before that, you must not abandon yourself, otherwise, we will have no reason to help you.”

"You're helping me? You're not helping me at all. You're just afraid I'll lose too quickly and you won't have enough time."

Upon hearing this, Xun You burst into laughter, his laughter growing louder and louder until it filled the entire room.

Shi Xie was even frightened by the laughter.

He even shrank back a little.

After a long while, Xun You's laughter finally stopped.

"Strategist, what are you doing?"

"Governor of Youzhou, I never imagined that a governor of such high standing would be so short-sighted?"

After being mocked by Xun You, Shi Xie's face turned red instantly, and he seemed a little embarrassed and angry.

"Xun You, you need to know who you are talking to."

"Of course I know I'm speaking to you, Governor, but Governor, do you really think your insistence is futile?"

"if not?"

"Of course not. You know in your heart that defeat is inevitable, and everyone knows that it's only a matter of time before you lose. So you need to do something unexpected in this situation where defeat is certain. This will increase your importance in the eyes of Liu Bei and everyone else, and thus gain you more benefits. Maintaining the war is your task, but the final outcome is your choice."

Upon hearing this, Shi Xie fell completely silent; he understood Xun You's meaning.

He couldn't help but ponder Xun You's words.

Seeing that Shi Xie remained silent, Xun You smiled, turned around, and walked out of the room.

Gu Rubing was completely expecting Shi Xie to agree to the meeting.

Early the next morning.

Gu Rubing then arrived at the city gate.

And by his side, there was only Zhao Yun.

The soldiers on the city wall, seeing that it was only Gu Rubing and Zhao Yun, wisely refrained from firing their arrows.

not long time.

The city gate opens.

Shi Xie came out from inside.

Behind Shi Xie, however, there was no one.

Gu Rubing couldn't help but smile when he saw this.

Regardless of what Shih-hsieh was like in the past, at least the current Shih-hsieh earns his respect.

All the feudal lords needed the company of legendary generals before they dared to meet him.

But Shi Xie dared to come alone, which clearly showed that he was prepared to risk his life.

"King Lie, it's been such a long time since we last met."

"Yes, we live so close to each other, but we've hardly ever seen each other. That really shouldn't be the case."

Gu Rubing also had some feelings about this.

"Alright, enough of this small talk. Your Majesty, you summoned me here to ask me to surrender, right? But if that's what you think, you'll be disappointed. I have no intention of surrendering."

"Oh? Is that so? Since you know why I'm here, and you already have your answer in mind, why did you come to see me at all? Why didn't you just send a messenger to deliver the message directly to me?"

“I have come to see you only to tell you these things directly. Passing on the message to the messenger would be too weak for my status.”

Gu Rubing looked at Shi Xie in front of him. He wasn't in a hurry because he knew that news would soon reach his ears, and Shi Xie's thoughts would inevitably change.

Seeing Gu Rubing's nonchalant demeanor, and even his chuckle as he sat down on the ground, Shi Xie sensed that something was probably amiss.

Just as Shi Xie was beginning to have doubts, Wang Yue left the city and ran to Shi Xie's side.

"What are you doing? Can't you see I'm talking to Prince Lie? How can you have no manners at all?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue glanced at Gu Rubing and frowned slightly before walking over to Shi Xie and whispering in his ear.

"My lord, news has come from the rear that our grain transport team has been seized by Zhang Liao, and we are temporarily without any supplies."

Upon hearing this, Shi Xie's eyes widened immediately as he looked at Gu Rubing.

He now finally understood why Gu Rubing could remain so calm. Clearly, all of this was related to Zhang Liao, and Gu Rubing must have known all along that Zhang Liao's operation had succeeded.

After hesitating for a moment, Shi Xie stood up, took a deep breath, and made a decision in his heart.

"King Lie, that's a brilliant tactic. Cut off my supplies, and my 100,000-strong army is now just a decoration."

"Haha, it seems you already know this news. Warfare is all about deception! Cutting off enemy supplies is just one tactic. You don't need to react so strongly."

Shi Xie nodded at Gu Rubing's indifference, and then said something that shocked Gu Rubing and even Wang Yue standing to the side.

"King Lie, you have 40,000 troops, and I have 100,000. In that case, why don't we have a final decisive battle? What do you think?"

"A decisive battle? You want 100,000 against my 40,000?"

Gu Rubing shook his head directly; only a fool would play along with him like that.

"No, I will also fight your 40,000 with 40,000 men. If I win, you will give me Youzhou; if I lose, I will die on the battlefield."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Shi Xie with shock.

In their eyes, Shi Xie had always been a coward.

This time, Shi Xie's decision surprised everyone. Not to mention Shi Xie, even Cao Cao, who had the most elite troops under his command, did not dare to fight Gu Rubing to the death with 40,000 against 40,000!
"you sure?"

"Sure!"

"Alright, let's have a field battle outside the city first thing tomorrow morning!"

After saying that, Gu Rubing turned and left.

Watching Gu Rubing's retreating figure, Wang Yue hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"My lord, do you really want to fight Liu Bei to the death? Our troops are still quite inferior to Liu Bei's."

"I know, but since we're leaving, we should choose the most perfect way to leave. It's just a pity that I couldn't help His Majesty and disappointed him."

Wang Yue could tell that Shi Xie was not joking. Now that the war had progressed to this point, the resources he had prepared were long gone. If he wanted to continue, he no longer had the ability to change Shi Xie's orders.

Thinking back to the beginning, when he led various tribes to gather in Youzhou and swiftly seized the city before anyone could react, the contrast between his initial triumph and his current predicament filled Wang Yue with a sense of powerlessness.

When they raised their army, they were already acting in the name of Emperor Liu Xie of Han. They thought that many people would help them, but everyone treated them as pawns. Although they gave them the support they were supposed to receive, it was all just a ploy to scheme against them.

This is the current state of affairs in the Han Dynasty.

"My lord, perhaps this is all there is to this great Han dynasty."

Shi Xie glanced at the disappointed Wang Yue and breathed a sigh of relief. Now that he was in a hopeless situation, he naturally said whatever came to mind.

"Wang Yue, the Great Han is practically defunct now. You should start thinking about what to do next."

In the past, Wang Yue would have retorted without hesitation whenever he heard someone say such things about the Han Dynasty, but now, he was lost in thought.

After Gu Rubing returned, Lu Su also learned of Gu Rubing's duel with Shi Xie and immediately went to find Gu Rubing.

"My lord, Shi Xie actually dared to challenge us to a duel. Could there be a trap involved?"

Lu Su did not go with Gu Rubing to see Shi Xie; he was unaware of the situation at the time.

Gu Rubing fully informed Lu Su of Shi Xie's situation.

"Unexpectedly, Shi Xie ended up taking on the responsibility of a governor. However, my lord, it would be best to be cautious."

"Don't worry, I've already sent Zhang Liao back with the Iron Pagoda. Judging by the time, they should arrive early tomorrow morning. With the Iron Pagoda in charge, we shouldn't lose."

Gu Rubing waved his hand, completely unconcerned.

Early the next morning.

Everyone is ready.

Gu Rubing led all his troops to a spot not far outside the city.

Inside the room, Shi Xie looked at Wang Yue and the others in front of him, his eyes devoid of any will to live.

"Everyone, let's set off. After this battle, if any of you are still alive, hurry up and find a better place to go."

Everyone understood Shi Xie's meaning and headed outside.

After watching everyone leave, Shi Xie slumped into his chair, a hint of resentment showing in his eyes.

"Your Excellency, are you really going to give up?"

As soon as the voice faded, a person walked in.

"It's you?"

Gu Rubing was waiting anxiously, calculating the time in his mind.

Shi Xie hasn't come out for so long, could it be that he regrets it?

Wouldn't I be an idiot?

Just as Gu Rubing was about to lose his temper, the city gate suddenly opened.

Wang Yue and Shi A led their men out.

Behind them stood Shi Xie, wielding a long sword.

"Everyone, follow me and kill!"

Shi Xie shouted, and forty thousand men charged toward Gu Rubing.

Seeing this, Gu Rubing sneered and then waved his hand.

Wei Yan and Zhang He then led everyone to rush over.

The moment the two sides clashed, screams filled the entire battlefield.

Meanwhile, Shi Xie's soldiers had suffered considerable casualties, clearly indicating that the two sides were not on the same level in terms of combat strength.

Just then, a cavalry unit burst out from a corner and plunged directly into Shi Xie's army formation.

Shi Xie's army was thrown into chaos instantly.

"My lord, General Zhang Liao has returned, and the Iron Pagoda has joined the battle."

Upon seeing Zhang Liao's appearance, Lu Su's anxious heart instantly calmed down.

The arrival of the Ironclad Cavalry caused Shi Xie's army to collapse instantly, resulting in heavy casualties for Shi Xie.

Zhang Liao ignored the situation on both sides of the battlefield; he had only one target: Shi Xie.

He watched as Zhang Liao charged toward him.

Shi Xie's expression suddenly changed.

"Stop him."

At Shi Xie's command, Wang Yue led a group of men to meet Zhang Liao head-on.

However, Wang Yue only led a hundred personal guards, who were no match for the Iron Pagoda.

Before long, the hundred guards were wiped out by the Iron Pagoda.

The other soldiers wanted to move forward, but none of them could stop the Ironclad Cavalry.

Not long after, although Zhang Liao was being blocked by Wang Yue, he knew that Wang Yue couldn't hold him off for long.

He forced Wang Yue to retreat with a single move.

"The target of everyone is Shi Xie. Whoever kills Shi Xie will receive a reward of ten thousand."

Upon hearing this, the Ironclad Cavalrymen became extremely excited.

The hand wielding the weapon exerted even more force.

Soon, the Ironclad Cavalry forcefully tore open a gap in the wall.

A soldier from the Iron Pagoda cavalry swung his spear and delivered a fatal blow to Shi Xie.

When the surrounding soldiers saw that Shi Xie was dead, they all screamed in agony.

"The governor is dead. The governor is dead."

When this news spread, all the Youzhou troops in battle immediately scattered.

Upon seeing this, Wang Yue's expression changed immediately, and he then looked at Shi A beside him.

"retreat!"

After saying that, Wang Yue turned and ran away with Shi A.

Wei Yan and his men wanted to give chase, but Gu Rubing stopped them.

"Forget it, you can't catch them anyway. Go and bring Shi Xie's body."

The fact that Shi Xie was dead surprised Gu Rubing. He had originally intended to capture Shi Xie alive, but since he was dead, it didn't matter, since he couldn't live anyway.

What puzzled Gu Rubing was that since Shi Xie was dead, why hadn't he made any progress? Could it be that the system was malfunctioning? Had it frozen?
Soon, Shi Xie's body was brought over by the Ironclad Pagoda.

Looking at the person in front of him, Gu Rubing was quite certain that this was Shi Xie.

At this moment, Lu Su also came to Gu Rubing's side.

"My lord, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it just feels a little strange."

Gu Rubing was referring to the system, but Lu Su misunderstood it as Shi Xie having a problem.

Then Lu Su walked up to Shi Xie.

Just as I was about to go forward to check...

A wisp of green gas suddenly emanated from Shi Xie's body. (End of Chapter)