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

"Since we dared to come, we must have some tricks up our sleeves."

The three of them then rushed towards Tong Fei.

Meanwhile, Gu Rubing, with his army, had already arrived not far from the outskirts of the new capital.

Meanwhile, Dian Wei and Xu Chu had already received the news, and their spies had discovered Gu Rubing and his group's location.

Upon hearing that Gu Rubing had only brought 100,000 troops and no legendary generals to protect him, this was an excellent opportunity for them.

"Cao Ren, with 200,000 troops, will follow behind us. This time, we will directly eliminate Liu Bei, this scourge."

"it is good!"

Soon, Dian Wei and Xu Chu led 200,000 troops to meet them head-on.

However, according to the scouts' reports, Gu Rubing's side did not make any move at all, as if they were unaware that they had taken action.

This is highly unusual.

However, Cao Ren believed that with 200,000 troops and 20,000 generals, he was in no position to lose.

They completely ignored Gu Rubing's unusual behavior.

When Cao Ren and his men arrived near Gu Rubing's camp, the entire camp was quiet, showing no signs of preparation for a major battle. Several soldiers were standing guard at the entrance.

"Doesn't Liu Bei know we're here?"

Cao Ren's words made everyone shake their heads.

Gu Rubing's informants are known for their elite skills; how could they not know about their actions?

"Forget about that. It's dark now, perfect for a surprise attack. Everyone, move out."

Now that such a good opportunity was right in front of them, Cao Ren was too lazy to let his soldiers rest and recover their strength, and took action directly.

With Cao Ren's command.

The Xiahou brothers led an army of 200,000 and charged toward Gu Rubing's camp.

Upon seeing the Xiahou brothers, the soldiers guarding the gate turned and ran into the camp.

Soon, the Xiahou brothers went straight inside.

Cao Ren, Dian Wei, and Xu Chu did not move; instead, they waited quietly.

However, the bloody battle his mother had imagined did not occur.

Not long after, the Xiahou brothers sent word that the entire camp was empty and there were no signs of an ambush around it.

Cao Ren was even more confused at this point, wondering what Gu Rubing was up to.

In any case, now that the main camp has been captured, I should at least go in and take a look.

Moreover, with legendary generals by his side, Cao Ren had nothing to fear.

Before long, Cao Ren led everyone into the camp.

After searching the surroundings and confirming that no one was around, Cao Ren realized what was happening.

It must be that Gu Rubing found out that I brought out a large army, so the other party got scared and left.

Cao Ren's idea was reasonable. After all, with such a large gap between the two sides and no legendary general protecting them, even Cao Ren could only avoid their sharp edge.

However, this was Cao Ren's idea, not Gu Rubing's.

"Fire arrows."

Upon seeing Cao Ren and the others enter the camp, Gu Rubing, who was hiding in the distance, immediately ordered his men to fire arrows.

Countless rockets rained down on the camp.

Upon seeing the rockets, Cao Ren immediately ordered his men to raise shields to block them, showing no intention of retreating.

Given the disparity in numbers between the two sides, Cao Ren never even considered the possibility of losing.

However, the series of explosions soon jolted Cao Ren awake.

The explosions in the camp grew louder and louder until the entire army of 200,000 was engulfed in flames.

Moreover, the constant explosions around them caused countless casualties among the army.

Those seemingly heavy shields were shattered and turned into the best weapons to kill their own people.

Seeing the heavy losses suffered by his soldiers, Cao Ren could imagine how many of his 200,000 troops would be left.

"In the end, Cao Ren had no choice but to decide that the army should retreat."

However, Cao Ren now wants to retreat, but Gu Rubing has already given him no chance to do so.

One hundred thousand troops blocked the two exits of the camp.

They wouldn't let the people inside out at all.

Left with no other choice, Cao Ren had to seek help from Dian Wei and Xu Chu.

"Generals, please open the way."

Upon hearing this, the two sighed and were about to make a move when two voices suddenly appeared.

"Gentlemen, your enemy is us."

As the voice faded, Zhang Liao and Pang De appeared before the two men.

Without any unnecessary words, they went straight into battle with Dian Wei and Xu Chu.

Seeing this, Cao Ren realized that they had fallen into a trap, and that everything was part of Gu Rubing's plan.

No wonder they discovered Tong Fei was missing before they left; it was obvious that Gu Rubing had lured him away beforehand.

Zhang Liao and Pang De were also secretly transferred from Jingzhou by Gu Rubing, just for tonight.

"Everyone must fight their way out."

Upon hearing this, the Xiahou brothers and Xu Huang immediately led their team out.

However, after running only a few steps, he was stopped by a group of people.

Zhang He, Wei Yan, Zhong Hui, and Deng Ai—the four of them—directly stopped the three of them.

"Gentlemen, we have been waiting for you for a long time."

"Haha, today is the day I, Wei Yan, will make a name for myself."

After Wei Yan finished speaking, he charged directly at Xiahou Dun.

The other three also found their respective opponents.

Seeing that his generals were being held back, Cao Ren immediately had a bad feeling.

Just then, a black spear fell from the sky and blew open the back gate of the camp.

Most of the soldiers blocking the entrance were killed or wounded.

Among them were not only Gu Rubing's soldiers, but also Cao Ren's.

This attack was completely indiscriminate, aimed solely at opening a path.

"Everyone retreat."

Cao Ren recognized it as Tong Fei's voice.

Now that a road had been found, Cao Ren immediately led his army out.

Seeing this from a distance, Gu Rubing sneered and ordered the arrows to be fired again.

The rocket was launched again.

Explosions were heard again on both sides of the passageway from which they were evacuating.

The army, which had finally managed to withdraw, was stunned by the sudden explosion.

In an instant, flying sand and stones became deadly weapons.

When Cao Ren finally managed to escape, he discovered that of the 200,000 troops, less than 50,000 had managed to evacuate.

Xiahou Dun and the others all bore some injuries, and even Cao Ren had a deep scar on his face that revealed the bone.

It looks extremely scary.

"Retreat! What are you still hesitating about?"

Tong Fei's voice rang out again, and everyone reacted, turning and running. Gu Rubing wanted to give chase, but when he saw that Guan Yu and the other two who returned didn't look too good, he realized they were in trouble.

"Second brother, what's wrong with you?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu sighed and stopped trying to hide it.

Gu Rubing then noticed that Guan Yu had several wounds on his body. Although none of them were fatal, they could still be fatal if he did not receive timely treatment. Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong, on the other hand, had bloody holes in their bodies.

Seeing the legendary generals around him reduced to this state, Gu Rubing had no choice but to abandon the pursuit.

In any case, Gu Rubing has achieved his goal in this battle.

"Our lord's great victory this time is enough to boost the morale of the army."

"Yes, but it's a pity, all the gunpowder is used up."

Lu Su nodded upon hearing this.

The battle ended quickly. Gu Rubing cleaned up the battlefield and found that his army of 100,000 had dwindled to 80,000.

Apart from Zhang Liao and Pang De, all the legendary generals were wounded.

Looking back on this battle, Gu Rubing didn't know whether he had won or lost.

"My lord, what should we do next?"

Keep going, we must reach the new capital tonight.

"Yes!"

Although the objective of this battle was achieved, Gu Rubing's ultimate goal was still slightly lacking.

Soon, Gu Rubing led his army directly to the outskirts of the new capital and camped thirty miles away.

The three legendary generals on the way had already been bandaged up, but Gu Rubing knew that Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong could no longer fight and could only stay in the camp to boost morale.

The only people he could still rely on were Guan Yu, Zhang Liao, and Pang De.

"My lord, according to the latest news, the gunpowder will probably take another ten days to arrive."

Gu Rubing knew that he couldn't wait here for ten days.

This defeat dealt a significant blow to Cao Ren.

Standing on the city wall of the new capital, Cao Ren looked at Gu Rubing and the others, his mind still replaying the sounds of the explosions and their terrifying power.

"General, what are you thinking about?"

Xu Huang walked up to Cao Ren and asked curiously.

"I'm thinking about that explosive thing Liu Bei had. What is it? Two hundred thousand soldiers were basically killed by those things. If we had something like that, who would we be afraid of?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Huang immediately tugged at Cao Ren and subconsciously glanced around.

After confirming that no one was around, he slowly walked up to Cao Ren and whispered in his ear.

"General, you can't say things like that lightly. I've heard that Liu Bei and Penglai fell out because of this thing. According to Liu Bei, this thing can restrain Penglai, which is why Penglai wants to get rid of Liu Bei."

Upon hearing this, Cao Ren frowned immediately.

He knew this thing was powerful, but he didn't expect that even Penglai would be so wary of it.

After spending some time with Tong Fei, Cao Ren realized that Tong Fei was considered the lowest-ranking person in Penglai, and that there were even stronger experts in Penglai.

Could this thing really be able to get rid of those terrifying people?
The more Cao Ren thought about it, the more he wanted to possess such a thing.

After all, he was a brilliant strategist. With his insight, he could naturally see that Cao Cao would never be content to work under Penglai's command forever. Sooner or later, he would break away from Penglai, and at that time, Penglai would become their enemy.

Having another means to punish Penglai is the most important thing.

However, Cao Ren only dared to think about this idea; he didn't dare to say it out loud.

Just as the two were talking, Xiahou Dun walked over.

Upon seeing the two, he immediately went forward.

"Tong Fei asked us to come over, saying he had a plan."

Upon hearing that Tong Fei had a plan, Cao Ren immediately led everyone over.

After seeing everyone arrive, Tong Fei immediately ordered them, "Everyone get ready. Tonight we're going to launch a surprise attack on Liu Bei's camp."

"Tonight? A surprise attack?"

Cao Ren thought he had misheard. He had just suffered a major defeat, and his own men hadn't even had time to rest before they were about to attack again.

"My lord, the soldiers have only just escaped back, and the city's garrison only numbers a few hundred thousand. If we act rashly, the entire new capital may fall."

"Don't worry, we won't lose with me here."

Seeing Tong Fei's confidence, Cao Ren couldn't help but want to object, but after seeing Tong Fei's sharp gaze, Cao Ren swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"I don't think anyone has any objections, right? If not, let's get ready to make our move."

After finishing his sentence, Tong Fei turned and left.

Watching Tong Fei's retreating figure, Cao Ren clenched his fists, his desire for the gunpowder in Gu Rubing's hand growing even stronger.

Gu Rubing had already guessed that Tong Fei was going to launch a sneak attack.

Moreover, he did it on purpose, bringing 80,000 men to block the city gate.

"My lord, the reinforcements from Liangzhou will take about a month to arrive. We only have this many men. If the enemy makes a move, we..."

Lu Su looked at Gu Rubing with some concern.

He was a little confused about what Gu Rubing's plan was.

Now their biggest trump card, gunpowder, is gone. Of their five legendary generals, only three remain. Meanwhile, their opponent shows almost no abnormalities, has fewer troops, and possesses the advantage of a city.

They had neither geographical advantage nor popular support.

Even so, why continue fighting?

Lu Su's question was also on everyone's mind.

Gu Rubing's purpose was actually quite simple: Tong Fei.

The person who has changed the current landscape is Tong Fei.

Getting rid of Tong Fei would solve everything.

Moreover, not only Tong Fei, but the entire Penglai region was an enemy of himself and even the feudal lords of the Han Dynasty.

Gu Rubing wanted to gamble, so he gambled on whether Cao Ren would cooperate with Tong Fei, and on whether Cao Cao was wary of Penglai.

However, just as Gu Rubing was looking at the new capital city in the distance, a letter was delivered to him.

This letter was written by Zhuge Liang, and it contained only two words: Retreat immediately!

Looking at Zhuge Liang's letter, Gu Rubing hesitated for the first time.

He didn't believe that Cao Cao was truly content to live beneath Penglai.

However, after much deliberation, Gu Rubing ultimately chose to trust Zhuge Liang.

Gu Rubing quickly led his army to a slow retreat, but left the camp for them. He still wanted to see what Cao Cao was thinking.

Late at night, on a distant mountaintop.

Gu Rubing stood on the mountaintop, looking at his remaining camp.

Not long after, the entire camp was engulfed in flames.

Gu Rubing knew that Cao Ren and his men had made their move.

"Cao Cao, you are truly disappointing. You actually joined forces with Penglai. Can't you see that Penglai is the real enemy?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Su walked over to Gu Rubing's side.

"My lord, everyone has their own ambitions. Cao Cao has made his choice, so why should we be so insistent?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing sighed, and then led his army away slowly from the area.

After everyone returned to Linjiang City, Gu Rubing immediately ordered everyone to rest, the injured to recuperate, and the sick to recover, and declared a ceasefire.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Gu Rubing gave the order.

However, their hard-won achievements were thus snatched away, leaving them somewhat disgruntled. (End of Chapter)