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

Liu Zhang felt that Gu Rubing's words made sense, so he nodded.

After leaving Jiaozhou, Gu Rubing was the first to return to the Jingzhou camp.

After telling Zhuge Liang everything that was happening in Jiaozhou.

"My lord, it seems that Liu Zhang already knows Penglai's purpose, so he wants to bring Cao Cao and Sun Jian into the fold. However, this is something that Liu Zhang could not have imagined. It seems that Surena has grown up again."

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing nodded.

"Prime Minister, what are the chances of this collaboration succeeding?"

"Haha, with your silver tongue, my lord, the success rate this time is definitely very high. However, I am a little worried that even if all four major lords take action, this battle will be able to force Penglai to retreat."

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing's expression gradually worsened.

He also had some doubts about this.

In order to have a backup plan, Gu Rubing finally decided to gather all the gunpowder in Jingzhou and Xudu. Even if the blasting didn't kill those guys in Penglai, the shock would kill them.

Of course, this was just a backup plan left behind by Gu Rubing.

The real solution was for the four major lords to join forces against Penglai.

With Zhuge Liang's affirmation, Gu Rubing felt much better. He returned to Linjiang City, summoned Zhao Yun, and together with Zhang Liao, he now had two legendary generals by his side.

Only then did Gu Rubing feel more confident about meeting Cao Cao.

Gu Rubing deliberately concealed his whereabouts during this operation in order to avoid Penglai.

However, Gu Rubing still underestimated Zuo Ci and his group.

Zuo Ci already knew when Gu Rubing left with Zhang Liao. After Gu Rubing returned and took Zhao Yun with him, Zuo Ci and Yu Ji knew even more clearly.

Afterwards, the two of them used divination to understand the purpose behind Gu Rubing's actions, but neither of them wanted to interfere.

In their view, all of Gu Rubing's efforts were in vain.

When Gu Rubing arrived in Chengdu, Liu Zhang had already already arrived.

Upon seeing Cao Cao, Liu Zhang immediately relayed the speculations of Gu Rubing and Surena.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao immediately refused.

Now that Gu Rubing is eyeing him covetously in Yizhou, he finally has Penglai, who can help him stop Gu Rubing.

Now, Liu Zhang actually wants him to join them in driving the people of Penglai back.

That's my guardian angel, how can I just drive it away like that?
Upon seeing Cao Cao's refusal, Liu Zhang hesitated.

Liu Zhang had no right to speak in front of Cao Cao, so he could only wait for Gu Rubing to arrive.

Of the four major warlords today, only Gu Rubing is qualified to point fingers at Cao Cao; even Sun Jian of the Anluo Empire, which boasts three legendary generals, is not qualified.

Finally, Liu Zhang met Gu Rubing.

Cao Cao already knew the purpose of Gu Rubing's visit to Chengdu and didn't even want to meet him.

However, Liu Zhang still met with Gu Rubing in private.

“King Lie, King Wei has no intention of joining forces with us to drive the people of Penglai away. As for the reason, I think King Lie should be able to figure it out.”

"Hmm, it's because of me, isn't it?"

Liu Zhang nodded awkwardly.

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing had no other choice but to leave Yizhou.

This is territory that I fought so hard to conquer. How can I just give it away like this? I'm not willing to accept it. And even if I were willing, my men would definitely have objections.

The loss of three prefectures this time had already caused them a lot of resentment, but they also understood that Lu Su had done his best, so they did not pursue Lu Su's responsibility.

"No matter what, we still need to meet with Cao Cao."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhang immediately arranged for Cao Cao and Gu Rubing to meet.

Although Cao Cao refused Gu Rubing's request to meet, he knew that Gu Rubing would not give up after learning that Gu Rubing had not left, and Cao Cao also wanted to know what Gu Rubing was thinking.

Then, under Liu Zhang's arrangement, the two met outside an inn.

"King Wei is in quite a good mood. With a formidable enemy at hand, he still has time to stroll around the streets."

"Isn't Prince Lie the same? And he even wanders around the streets of my Chengdu. Does Prince Lie think that Linjiang City is absolutely safe?"

Liu Zhang, watching the two talk, felt a sense of tension, and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

After a moment, Liu Zhang finally spoke.

"We've finally met, how about we go to the tavern up ahead and have a drink?"

After saying this, regardless of whether Cao Cao and Gu Rubing refused, he grabbed their arms and led them directly into the tavern that had been arranged beforehand.

The tavern had already been booked by Liu Zhang, so there was absolutely no one who could hear their conversation.

After the three of them sat down, Gu Rubing looked at Cao Cao.

"King Wei, I think you know why I'm here to see you, but you must know that after Liu Zhang, you will definitely be the next. Do you really think Penglai wants to help you? What will you do to stop Penglai when they turn against you?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao remained silent and leisurely sipped his wine.

It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Gu Rubing, nor that he didn't want to answer Gu Rubing's questions; it was that he didn't know how to answer.

In fact, Cao Cao already knew what Gu Rubing was talking about, and had been plotting against it for a long time. Not only Cao Cao, but Cao Ren was also plotting against it.

However, Cao Cao, Xun Yu, and Xun You discussed the matter for several days but could not come up with a way to suppress Penglai.

In the end, Xun Yu offered a possible scenario: the four major warlords could join forces and send out all their legendary generals, and perhaps they could give it a try.

But this would mean that Penglai would be thoroughly offended.

Without Penglai's help, Cao Cao knew in his heart that it was only a matter of time before Penglai was swallowed up by Gu Rubing.

Faced with certain death on either side, Cao Cao was at a loss for what to do.

Thinking of this, Cao Cao suddenly looked at Gu Rubing.

"I wonder what Prince Lie's plans are for Yizhou?"

Gu Rubing did not expect that Cao Cao would mention Yizhou at this time.

Gu Rubing of Yizhou was also somewhat helpless.

Leaving Yizhou is definitely out of the question.

"I don't have any plans either. I feel that now is not the time to talk about Yizhou, right? Our problem should be Penglai right now."

"Bullshit! Without Yizhou, what's the point of talking about Penglai with you? I won't make things difficult for you, King Lie. Here's what we'll do: give me Yizhou and promise not to touch it for six months, and I'll cooperate with you."

"impossible."

Gu Rubing immediately shook his head. Not taking action against Yizhou within six months was not a big deal, but handing over Yizhou was absolutely impossible.

"Fine, since it's impossible, then I won't bother talking to you here. Even if Penglai tries to kill me, I'll make sure Liu Bei pays the price."

"Alright, that's what I was thinking too. You'll die first, then I'll die, and then we'll both die, and neither of us will survive." Liu Zhang listened from the side as both of them were going to die, one first and one last, but in reality, he was the one who would die first.

He doesn't want to die!

Seeing how tense the situation was, Liu Zhang quickly stepped forward and stopped the two men.

"Gentlemen, I didn't call you here to see who dies first. I wanted you two to have a proper talk, and perhaps we can find a solution that both of us can accept?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao and Gu Rubing fell silent.

After the two discussed it for a while...

Gu Rubing said directly, "Leaving Yizhou is definitely impossible. Right now, only Ba County in Yizhou is still in my hands. If I just give it to you like this, I won't be able to explain it to my subordinates. How about this, after Penglai leaves, I promise you that I will not take any action against Yizhou within a year. Is that alright?"

This was the last condition Gu Rubing could offer; if Cao Cao still didn't agree, there was nothing he could do.

"Alright, it's a deal, but you'll still need to talk to Sun Jian in person."

"can."

Cao Cao also knew that it was unrealistic to expect Gu Rubing to hand over Yizhou.

A one-year ceasefire would be the best possible outcome.

Gu Rubing knew that Sun Jian was a fickle person, and if they all agreed, Sun Jian would definitely not refuse.

Then Gu Rubing took out an alliance agreement. After Cao Cao and Liu Zhang signed their names on it, Gu Rubing took the agreement and turned to leave with Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao.

"King Wei, you have really scared me to death! If none of you agree to form an alliance, I will be the one to die."

After Gu Rubing left, Liu Zhang couldn't help but take out a handkerchief and wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Don't worry, I've wanted to join forces to eliminate Penglai for a long time, but it happened much earlier than I expected. I originally thought I should at least take back Yizhou first, but now that Liu Bei has brought it up, I'll join in. Only Ba County is about what I expected."

With Cao Cao's words, Liu Zhang was finally relieved.

Gu Rubing originally thought that Sun Jian's side was the easiest to deal with.

However, when it came to Sun Jian's side...

Sun Jian didn't even look at it, still expressing his refusal.

Gu Rubing couldn't understand it. Of the four feudal lords, three had already agreed to form an alliance. Why was it that the most easily dealt with fence-sitter suddenly stopped swaying and stopped at the very least?

"King Wu, what do you mean by this? Are you planning to help Penglai?"

"King Lie, don't try to scare me. I didn't say I was going to help Penglai. I just don't want to get involved in your Han Dynasty's affairs. Nobody knows if you can win or not. If you can't win, what if Penglai's original target was Liu Zhang, and then Penglai turns its attention to me instead?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing finally understood.

Sun Jian was afraid of offending Penglai and incurring their wrath.

Originally, Penglai's biggest desire was to eliminate Sun Jian, and now this has given Penglai a convenient excuse.

However, what Sun Jian didn't know was, did Penglai need a reason to attack anyone?

"King of Wu, I advise you to reconsider. If you disagree, then I will tell Penglai that the initial demand from the main camp was to start a war with you first. With this alliance agreement in place, I think Cao Cao and Liu Zhang will not make things difficult for me. Besides, with Penglai watching over us, they will definitely not dare to make any moves."

Upon hearing Gu Rubing's threatening words, Sun Jian looked at Gu Rubing with a murderous glint in his eyes.

However, at this moment, Zhao Yun stood in front of Gu Rubing, looking at Sun Jian in front of him.

The Dragon Gallant Silver Spear in his hand was already trembling slightly.

This clearly indicates that Zhao Yun is preparing to make his move.

Sun Jian knew that even if he was a legendary general, he was no match for Zhao Yun, and he didn't even have the skills of a legendary general.

He could be considered the weakest legendary general, even worse than Sun Ce.

After a long while, Sun Jian sighed.

That's when he explained what Gu Rubing didn't understand.

It turned out that not long after Gu Rubing left last time...

Tong Fei then arrived at Sun Jian's camp.

On one hand, they questioned why Sun Jian had not sent troops to attack Liangzhou, and on the other hand, they asked Sun Jian what Gu Rubing had told him.

Sun Jian made up some excuse to brush it off.

However, Tong Fei left Sun Jian with a message before he left.

That is, it is up to Sun Jian to decide how to choose and whose side to stand on. No one will interfere with his choice.

But once you have a choice, you have to bear the consequences of that choice.

Sun Jian knew that he had not made up an excuse at all.

The other party was warning him.

Upon hearing Sun Jian say these words, Gu Rubing gave a cold laugh.

"Yes, this is the price of his choice. It seems that King Wu is determined not to stand with us three great vassal states, but with Penglai."

"King Lie, I don't want to offend anyone. I just want my own territory to develop in peace, that's all. Why force me?"

"Because you are a feudal lord, even if you are a fence-sitter, that doesn't change the fact that you are a feudal lord. As long as you are a feudal lord, there are no absolute fence-sitters. You have to choose a side!"

Gu Rubing's words were firmly etched in Sun Jian's mind.

He understood this perfectly well, but neither the three feudal lords nor Penglai itself were entities that could be offended.

Just as Sun Jian was in a dilemma, Zhou Yu walked up to him.

And he whispered a few words in Sun Jian's ear.

After thinking for a moment, Sun Jian looked at Gu Rubing and the other two.

"King Lie, I have had lodgings prepared for you. Please rest here for a while, and I will give you an answer tomorrow."

"Alright, I hope the King of Wu won't let us down. I don't want to fight the King of Wu right now either."

Gu Rubing didn't want to, and neither did Sun Jian.

After Gu Rubing left, Sun Jian looked at Zhou Yu.

"Gongjin, do you think you have a solution?"

“That’s right, my lord, I have a way to avoid offending either side.”

"tell me the story."

Zhou Yu looked around, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up.

"My lord, we are no match for Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Liu Zhang, or Penglai. We do not want to offend them. So we can form an alliance with Cao Cao and Liu Bei at the main camp, and at the same time tell Tong Fei that the three of them are going to deal with Penglai. That way we won't offend anyone."

Upon hearing this, Sun Jian slapped his thigh.

"Yeah, why didn't I realize that? Wouldn't it have been better to just have both sides join in?" (End of Chapter)