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

Soon, Zuo Ci also came in.

Seeing that Yu Ji and Zuo Ci were both there, Gu Rubing's expression turned even more unpleasant.

The two also noticed that Gu Rubing looked unwell and had no intention of speaking to them.

"It seems that King Lie really doesn't trust us. Perhaps none of your men are here. No problem, I'll have them come over right now."

After saying this, Zuo Ci gently waved the feather fan in his hand.

In an instant, Guan Yu and the others rushed out.

"Brother, are you okay?"

Upon seeing Guan Yu and his men arrive, Gu Rubing's tense expression did not lessen in the slightest.

Given Guan Yu's strength, he was someone others could summon and dismiss at will. So what use was Guan Yu anyway?

"Speak, what exactly do you two want here? Do you want to abandon my research on gunpowder? That's impossible."

"No, we've both figured it out. Since you, King Lie, are determined to research your gunpowder, we don't want to stop you anymore. It's all cause and effect, and there will be retribution in the future. We want to ask you, King Lie, to change your target."

"Change target?"

Gu Rubing looked at the two of them with some curiosity.

“That’s right, we know that King Lie’s current target is Cao Cao. You want to defeat Cao Cao to completely shatter Liu Zhang and Sun Jian’s illusions and dismantle their last line of defense.”

Gu Rubing nodded; he made no attempt to hide this fact.

Moreover, Gu Rubing was well aware that he had made his intentions so obvious that not only they, but also Liu Zhang and Sun Jian, were aware of them. Otherwise, why would they have gone to such lengths to support Cao Cao?

Helping Cao Cao is also helping them.

"What we mean is, please abandon Cao Cao and change your target."

"You still want me to attack Sun Jian? Aren't you going a bit too far? Sun Jian doesn't fit my attack target right now. Sun Jian is outside the territory. If I want to attack Sun Jian, I can only go through Liangzhou and concentrate all my troops there. Cao Cao and Liu Zhang won't let this opportunity pass. At that time, I won't be able to take care of both ends."

"It's not Sun Jian, it's Liu Zhang!"

"Liu Zhang?"

Gu Rubing's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this.

Penglai has always claimed to be for the sake of the Han Dynasty, but Liu Zhang is also a member of the Han imperial family. Why would Penglai ask him to get rid of Liu Zhang first?

Gu Rubing had many doubts in his mind at this moment.

But he knew that the people of Penglai would never tell him the truth.

Whether it's Cao Cao or Liu Zhang, they can all become my targets, as long as they're not Sun Jian.

However, Guan Rubing did not intend to agree to their request so easily.

After all, Zhuge Liang was in charge of the affairs in Jiaozhou, so whether or not the target could be shifted was up to Zhuge Liang.

"The situation you're talking about is rather special, and I can't give you an answer right now. How about this, give me some time, I need to think about it."

"No problem, we're in the new capital, waiting for your news."

After saying this, Yu Ji and Zuo Ci disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Brother, I actually feel that it's not a bad idea to deal with Liu Zhang first. Compared to Cao Cao, it's easier to deal with Liu Zhang."

Guan Yu then voiced his thoughts.

Gu Rubing nodded; he understood that one should pick the weakest link.

But he always felt that something was wrong with this.

To make themselves attack Liu Zhang first would not align with their consistent principles.

"You all stay here and keep a close watch on Linjiang City. We absolutely cannot let anything happen to Linjiang City. I'm going to find the Prime Minister and will be back as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

Gu Rubing, accompanied by Zhang Liao, immediately headed to the Jingzhou camp.

With Zhang Liao's help, Gu Rubing and his men pushed their speed to the limit.

When Zhuge Liang saw Gu Rubing and Zhang Liao arriving looking travel-worn, he knew something was wrong.

"My lord, Wen Yuan, what's wrong with you two?"

Gu Rubing immediately told Zhuge Liang about Yu Ji and Zuo Ci.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang immediately shook his head.

"My lord, this is a trap!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing nodded. He also felt that there was something wrong with the matter, but he couldn't figure out where the problem lay.

"Prime Minister, what do you think their true purpose is?"

"It's very simple. The fact that you went to Liangzhou to find Sun Jian has probably been exposed. They already know that you are going to unite with other warlords to take action against Penglai. That's why they want you to target Liu Zhang, the only one who didn't go. That way, they will turn against you and you will be completely isolated."

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing's expression changed.

He didn't expect that Sun Jian would tell Penglai about this.

Seeing the anger in Gu Rubing's eyes, Zhuge Liang hurriedly waved his hand.

"My lord, please don't be angry. It's not necessarily that Sun Jian told them. It's very likely that they knew it themselves. After all, Zuo Ci and Yu Ji are very skilled in divination."

Hearing Zhuge Liang say this, Gu Rubing felt much calmer.

"Prime Minister, what do you think we should do now?"

"It's simple. Since they want to sow discord, let's take advantage of the situation and go directly to Liu Zhang. Liu Zhang would never have helped our lord before, but now that Penglai has set its sights on him, he will have to help us this time, even if he doesn't want to."

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing burst out laughing.

This is like forcing a duck onto a shelf; you can't say no.

After leaving Jingzhou, Gu Rubing went directly to Jiaozhou.

Upon learning of Gu Rubing's arrival, Liu Zhang's first reaction was to refuse to see him.

He knew that since Gu Rubing had come, it must be for no good reason.

However, when Gu Rubing learned that Liu Zhang would not see him, he was not angry. Instead, he wrote a letter and gave it to Liu Zhang.

Upon seeing Gu Rubing's letter, Liu Zhang's expression immediately changed.

He immediately came to Gu Rubing in person.

"Your Highness, I am truly sorry. I was busy with official duties and that is why I was delayed. Please do not take offense."

"What are you saying, King Yi? How could I possibly take offense?"

Gu Rubing followed Liu Zhang politely into the Prince Yi's residence.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Liu Zhang finally took out the letter that Gu Rubing had given him.

"King Lie, do you not understand what this means? What do you mean by my impending death?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing smiled and slowly took a sip of tea.

Seeing Gu Rubing's unhurried demeanor, Liu Zhang was extremely anxious.

"Prince Lie, what's wrong with you...?"

Gu Rubing put down his teacup before looking at Liu Zhang.

"King Yi, you should know that I've been fighting against Penglai recently, right?"

Liu Zhang nodded.

“A few days ago, Yu Ji and Zuo Ci from Penglai came to me. They are indeed very powerful. Even my second brother Guan Yu was unaware of their arrival.”

"I wonder what they said to Your Highness, Prince Lie?"

"They did say some things. They told me to stop targeting Cao Cao and to change my target, and that you're the next target." "What?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhang stood up abruptly, his whole body trembling.

He still remembered what Gu Rubing had just said.

Zuo Ci and Yu Ji were indeed very strong; even Guan Yu couldn't detect them.

Guan Yu is widely recognized as the strongest among legendary warriors.

If even Guan Yu was no match for him, how could Meng Huo and Miao Moqing be a match for him?

Not only Liu Zhang, but also Meng Huo and Miao Moqing standing behind him frowned.

They didn't consider themselves a match for Penglai.

Gu Rubing has seven legendary generals under his command, yet they are still completely suppressed by one person from Penglai. Meanwhile, there are only two of them, and their strength is insufficient. Asking them to fight against Zuo Ci and Yu Ji from Penglai is simply a joke.

Miao Moqing looked at Meng Huo beside her.

Meng Huo shook his head, signaling her not to speak.

Liu Zhang remained silent for a long time, his mind racing with thoughts of what to do next.

Ultimately, Liu Zhang set his sights on Gu Rubing.

Since Gu Rubing has come and told me about Penglai's next goal, it means that he must have something to say to me.

"Prince Lie, what do you mean?"

"Since I have been fighting with Penglai for so long, of course I don't want to listen to Penglai. But after fighting for so long, I also know that I am not Penglai's match for the time being. So I need more power to fight against Penglai. But I don't know if you, the Otherworldly King, agree. If you don't agree, then I have no choice but to listen to Penglai."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhang frowned immediately.

He couldn't believe Gu Rubing, and he couldn't believe Penglai even more.

Now is the time when his intelligence is needed.

However, at this point, he was already terrified and had no intelligence left to speak of.

"Your Majesty, please rest for a day. I need to discuss something with my men."

"Yes, absolutely no problem."

Gu Rubing smiled and nodded. He knew that the one who should be worried now was not him, but Liu Zhang.

After settling Gu Rubing at the post station, Liu Zhang immediately summoned Su Leina.

Meng Huo, Miao Moqing, Liu Zhang, and Su Leina arrived at a secret room.

This was a secret chamber specially built by Liu Zhang for discussing top-secret matters.

Liu Zhang told Su Leina what Gu Rubing had said and his own thoughts.

Upon hearing this news, Surena frowned immediately.

"what happened?"

Seeing that Surena remained silent, Liu Zhang hurriedly asked.

"It's alright, my lord. I was just thinking about why it had to be us!"

"Huh? What do you mean? What do you mean by 'why us'?"

Liu Zhang looked at Su Leina with a blank expression.

"Does my lord still remember when Liu Bei ambushed you, that man named Tong Fei stood up to stop Liu Bei? At that time, that man said that you cannot be harmed. This means that you are someone that Penglai cannot eliminate first, and even needs to protect you when necessary."

Liu Zhang nodded. Of course he would remember this incident; it was the closest he had ever come to death.

Moreover, it was his first time coming into contact with the so-called Penglai.

Tong Fei's methods were terrifyingly powerful.

"If you couldn't kill our lord back then, why can you now? What's the difference between you then and you now?"

After hearing what Suleina said, Liu Zhang fell into deep thought.

But no matter what Liu Zhang thought, he didn't realize that he was any different.

Seeing Liu Zhang shake his head, Surena then said, "Since our lord has not changed, it means that Penglai has changed."

After saying that, Surena fell silent and fell into deep thought.

An hour passed.

None of the three people present dared to speak, or even breathe loudly.

Just as Liu Zhang was getting a little impatient with the suffocating silence and was about to go out for some fresh air, Surena finally made a move.

"I figured it out."

Surena's voice echoed throughout the entire secret room.

Upon hearing this, the three people present felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from their hearts.

"What have you figured out?"

Liu Zhang was extremely excited.

"My lord, the real target of Penglai is not us, but Liu Bei. However, before dealing with Liu Bei, Penglai needs to eliminate all unstable factors, which is why they ask Liu Bei to eliminate us, then Sun Jian, and finally Cao Cao."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhang frowned.

If Surena's speculation is true, then he certainly cannot sit idly by and wait for his doom.

"My lord, the best course of action for us right now is to unite with Liu Bei. Of course, Liu Bei alone is not enough; we also need to unite with Cao Cao and Sun Jian. Let's all work together and see if we can suppress Penglai."

Even if all the legendary warriors joined forces, Surena did not have any idea that he could absolutely kill these Penglai people.

"Alright, in that case, I will inform Liu Bei tomorrow."

"Yes, Liu Bei must have understood Penglai's meaning, otherwise he wouldn't have come to contact us. For Liu Bei, it doesn't make much difference whether he deals with Cao Cao first or with us first."

Surena didn't see through Penglai's purpose; the reason she made such a guess was entirely because of Gu Rubing's attitude.

Even if Zhuge Liang fought with all his might, he couldn't defeat Yu Ji and Zuo Ci, let alone a single Surena.

Early the next morning.

Gu Rubing then arrived at the Prince Yi's residence.

Meanwhile, Liu Zhang was also waiting for Gu Rubing.

After learning of Penglai's purpose, Liu Zhang was so worried that he couldn't sleep all night.

Or rather, he didn't sleep all night.

"Your Majesty, you've arrived. I've already studied what you said yesterday, and I agree with your idea. But it's definitely not enough for us alone. I've decided to personally go to Chengdu to contact Cao Cao, while it will be up to Your Majesty to contact Sun Jian."

Gu Rubing knew that he would need to contact Sun Jian himself.

“No, I contacted Sun Jian before, but he refused. He doesn’t want to get involved in the affairs of our Han Dynasty, so we need to persuade Cao Cao first, and then the three of us will go to find Sun Jian together.”

"In that case, let's go to Chengdu together. I think Cao Cao won't refuse."

After saying this, Liu Zhang got up and prepared to head to Chengdu.

But Gu Rubing stopped him.

Just kidding, Cao Cao's place isn't one you can just go to casually.

Liu Zhang didn't dare to attack him, but Cao Cao did, and the people from Penglai were still in his camp at least for now.

Cao Cao's strength is now superior to mine.

"Your Majesty, you go to Chengdu first. I need to go back. I'll follow shortly. If we travel together, we'll be too conspicuous and easily discovered." (End of Chapter)