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

"Wow! King Lie! Why did you take so long to arrive! Why?! My father and mother... they were both killed by bad people! If you had come sooner... wouldn't they have survived?! Why?!"

These heart-wrenching questions, like the sharpest daggers, pierced Gu Rubing's heart.

His body trembled violently, and an uncontrollable rage surged from the bottom of his heart to the top of his head, burning so intensely that his eyes almost spit fire!

He held the trembling, crying child tightly in his arms, feeling the endless sorrow and despair emanating from that tiny body.

"Shi-Xie-!"

Gu Rubing squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, his voice icy cold and filled with overwhelming killing intent.

At this moment, his desire to kill Shi Xie and his cronies was stronger and more resolute than ever before! If this villain is not eliminated, Youzhou will never have peace, and what will become of justice!
The garrison commander, Zhao Tong, watched with a heavy heart and felt immense pressure. He stepped forward and reported in a low voice.

"Your Highness, it is not that we have not done our best. This Shi Xie is extremely cunning. His troops are all elite cavalry, who come and go like the wind, and never engage our army in direct combat. They specifically target remote villages, plunder and slaughter them, and then quickly flee into the deep mountains and forests."

In recent months, more than ten villages in the surrounding area have been victimized by this attack.

This humble general has also sent troops to pursue them several times, but alas... the bandits are familiar with the terrain and have superb horsemanship. Our troops often cannot catch up and instead fall into their ambushes several times, losing some brothers..."

Gu Rubing gently patted Gouwa in his arms, who was crying until he was exhausted and turning into sobs, and slowly stood up.

His gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over the ruins and the survivors, as he spoke, word by word.

"What have the common people done to deserve this calamity! If I do not avenge this, I, Gu Rubing, swear I will not be a human being!"

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his boiling killing intent, and calmly gave the order.

"Issue the order to first properly resettle all surviving civilians, concentrate on treating the wounded, and bury the remains of the victims so that they may rest in peace."

General Zhao, send more scouts to keep a close watch on the movements of Shi Xie's bandit gang. Report back immediately if there is any clue!

Once the people have calmed down and the military preparations are complete, I, the king, will personally formulate a strategy to eradicate these treacherous beasts who have brought ruin to the country, leaving not a single one alive!

After saying that, he bent down and carefully picked up Gouwa, who was crying so hard he was exhausted and delirious, and then turned and strode towards his warhorse.

He personally carried the child who had lost everything, mounted his horse, held him protectively in his arms, turned the horse around, and headed towards Yuyang City.

His silhouette stretched long in the setting sun, filled with a sense of desolation and resolve.

Upon returning to the temporary government office in Yuyang City, Gu Rubing first handed Gouwa over to the accompanying physician and maid for proper care. Then, his face instantly darkened, as if shrouded in frost.

"Summon the magistrate of Yuyang County!"

He gave the order in a cold voice.

Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in the robes of a seventh-rank official, slightly overweight, and with a somewhat frightened expression, scrambled in and knelt down with a thud.

"Your humble servant, Zhou Fu, the magistrate of Yuyang County, pays respects to His Highness Prince Lie!"

Gu Rubing sat upright in the main seat, his gaze sharp as lightning, staring directly at Zhou Fu. He did not allow Zhou Fu to get up, but instead questioned him sternly.

"Magistrate Zhou! Yuyang has suffered such a calamity, with bandits running rampant, people displaced, and corpses of the starving littering the fields! On my journey here, I have seen surviving people huddled in thatched huts outside the city, starving and without proper clothing! As the local official, do you have any explanation for this? Where have all the relief funds and supplies allocated by the court and transported from Xuchang gone? Why have you not properly resettled the disaster victims!"

Zhou Fu was so frightened by Gu Rubing's imposing manner that he trembled all over. Cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his official robes. He lay on the ground, his voice trembling.

"Your Highness...Your Highness, please understand! It's not that I'm negligent, but...the banditry was too sudden, there are too many refugees, and the allocation of funds and provisions...Your Highness needs time..."

"Does it take time?"

Gu Rubing slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups rattle.

"The common people can wait, the starving can wait, but can the innocent souls who have been slaughtered wait?! I think you'll wait until nine out of ten houses in Yuyang are empty, until Shi Xie's bandits storm this county government hall, before you feel you've had enough time!"

He gave Zhou Fu no more chance to argue and gave an order to Ma Chao, who was standing beside him.

"Meng Qi, you personally lead men to investigate for me! Investigate the county government's warehouses, the granary ledgers, and all the clerks who handled the money and grain! See if the supplies sent from Xuchang actually arrived, and where they went! Anyone who obstructs this process will be treated as a traitor!"

"The last general takes command!"

Ma Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes sharp, and immediately ordered a squad of elite armored soldiers to pounce on the county government's backyard storeroom and accounting office like wolves and tigers.

Upon seeing this, Magistrate Zhou turned ashen-faced, collapsed to the ground, and trembled uncontrollably.

Less than half an hour later, Ma Chao returned, holding several account books in his hands, his face ashen, with soldiers behind him escorting several pale-faced minor officials in charge of finances.

Ma Chao presented the ledger with both hands and said in a deep voice.

"My lord, we've found it! A batch of disaster relief funds and grain did arrive in Yuyang from Xuchang a month ago, and the accounts are clear."

However… however, the actual amount deposited into the warehouse is seriously inconsistent with the accounts! At least nearly 40% of the grain and more than half of the silver were secretly embezzled by Zhou Fu and his cronies under the guise of 'losses' and 'transportation costs', enriching themselves! The warehouse now holds less than half of what it should have!
This is the root cause of why the people outside the city are not receiving relief!

"boom!"

Gu Rubing suddenly stood up, and the table in front of him was smashed by his angry palm, sending wood chips flying everywhere!
His gaze was as cold as ice, fixed on Zhou Fu, who was lying on the ground, defecating and urinating. The words he squeezed out from between his teeth seemed to come from the deepest hell.

"Good! What a fine official you are! Soldiers are shedding their blood at the front, and civilians are being slaughtered. How dare you embezzle life-saving rations, drink the blood of the people, and eat human flesh buns at this time!!"
-
Gu Rubing's handling of Zhou Fu, the magistrate of Yuyang County, was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Faced with irrefutable evidence, any sophistry Zhou Fu offered appeared weak and powerless.

Gu Rubing didn't even have the patience to escort him to Xudu for trial. Instead, he directly executed him in the bustling marketplace of Yuyang City, in front of a large crowd of people who had been summoned, by beheading him for the crimes of "embezzling military funds, disregarding the lives of the people, and colluding with the enemy and letting bandits run rampant."
As the enormous head rolled to the ground, the onlookers, after a brief silence, erupted into a clamor mixed with hatred and relief.

Taking this opportunity, Gu Rubing used all the confiscated Zhou Fu family property, along with some of the recovered stolen money and goods, to resettle refugees, provide relief to the wounded and the injured, and reopened the soup kitchens outside the city to ensure that everyone could have a mouthful of food to survive.

This move quickly stabilized the panicked people in and around Yuyang City, and also spread the reputation of "King Lie being incorruptible and acting in the best interests of the people" once again.

After a day of emergency rest in Yuyang City, replenishing necessary provisions, and requisitioning and purchasing some strong horses from the garrison and civilians to replace some of the exhausted mounts from the long march, Gu Rubing was preparing to formulate the next phase of the mopping-up operation when the Ranger Commandant brought the latest urgent military intelligence.

"Report! My lord, a small group of bandits, about a hundred men, all cavalry, have been spotted looting Liujia Village, thirty miles away. They are acting recklessly, burning and killing people in the village!"

A cold glint flashed in Gu Rubing's eyes. It was just like someone delivering a pillow when you're sleepy!
He was just worried about not being able to find the exact whereabouts of Shi Xie's gang when a group of them came knocking on his door.

He immediately stood up and gave the order in a deep voice.

"Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, listen to my command!"

"The general is here!"

Zhang Fei and Ma Chao stepped forward, their voices booming like thunder. "I order you two to each lead five hundred elite cavalry. Zhang Fei, you will charge straight at Liujia Village from the front. Ma Chao, you will flank them from the rear, cutting off their retreat and creating a pincer movement! I will personally lead three hundred cavalry to follow and provide support. You must annihilate this band of bandits here; not a single one shall escape!"

Gu Rubing's orders were clear and decisive.

"Order!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei's eyes lit up, his face filled with excitement, and he rubbed his hands together, eager to muster his troops.

Ma Chao also clasped his hands in obeisance, his expression cold and stern.

However, just as the two turned to leave, Gu Rubing spoke again, adding in an unusually serious tone.

"Wait! Remember, unless absolutely necessary, neither of you should use 'legendary power'! Conceal your auras and charge in as ordinary generals."

Zhang Fei was taken aback and greatly puzzled, and shouted.

"Brother!
Why is that? One shout from me, Old Zhang, is enough to knock down most of them, and Brother Mengqi can sweep a whole bunch down with a single swing of his silver spear. Why bother with all that effort?

Gu Rubing glared at him and scolded him.

"Foolish! What I want is to capture them alive, to hear their words! If you two go all out, with your powerful qi flowing freely, how many of those bandits will be able to leave with intact corpses?"

"Do we still want the village? Do we still want the people inside? I need to pry them out of their mouths the whereabouts of Shi Xie's main force, their troop deployment, and their hiding place! They're all turned to pieces, who am I supposed to ask?!"

Zhang Fei then realized what was happening, scratched his head, and chuckled.

"Brother is right, I was reckless. Don't worry, I won't use that damn 'Black Dragon Roar,' I'll just use this eighteen-foot spear to string them together like candied hawthorns!"

Ma Chao nodded calmly.

"Rest assured, my lord, Chao understands the importance of the matter and will surely capture the bandit leader alive and extract information from him."

"Excellent! Go quickly!"

Gu Rubing waved his hand.

The two immediately turned around and mustered their troops.

Zhang Fei, leading five hundred cavalry, sped along the official road like a black whirlwind towards Liujia Village.

Ma Chao led another 500 cavalrymen, like nimble silver snakes, silently slipping into the nearby hills and woodlands, preparing to carry out an encirclement mission.

Gu Rubing dared not delay. He left some troops to assist in defending the city and continue to appease the people, while he personally led three hundred of his most valiant personal guard cavalry, keeping a distance and following closely behind, both to provide support and to supervise the battle, ensuring that the plan would go perfectly.

Liujia Village is not too far from Yuyang. For elite cavalry, it would not take long to reach it with a full-speed charge.

Zhang Fei took the lead and saw thick smoke billowing from the village in the distance, with cries, laughter, and the mournful cries of livestock all mixed together.

More than a hundred bandits roamed the village as if it were their own backyard, looting and driving away villagers. Some even threw torches onto the thatched roofs, setting them ablaze.

"You sons of bitches, bandits! Prepare to die!"

Zhang Fei's eyes widened in fury. Although he remembered Gu Rubing's orders and did not use the power and skills of a legendary general, his roar, filled with boundless rage, was still like a thunderclap, making the bandits' eardrums buzz.

"kill--!"

Five hundred elite cavalrymen followed closely behind Zhang Fei, like a flood bursting its banks, and crashed into the chaotic band of horsemen in a wedge formation.

The bandits clearly did not expect such a large number of government troops to suddenly appear, and to arrive so quickly!

They had assumed the remote village was theirs for the taking and were plundering and enjoying themselves with a relaxed attitude when, caught off guard, they were instantly overwhelmed and scattered, with people and horses falling to the ground.

Zhang Fei wielded his eighteen-foot spear. Although he did not add the Black Dragon Qi, his divine strength and exquisite skills made him as powerful as a tiger among sheep. Wherever the spear passed, the bandits fell from their horses, some dead and some wounded.

"Oh no! It's government troops! Retreat!"

Some of the bandits realized what was happening and shouted in panic, trying to organize resistance and break through the encirclement.

However, just as they were trying to flee back the way they came, a sudden, more intense and rapid sound of hooves rang out from their flank!

Ma Chao led five hundred Xiliang cavalry, appearing like divine soldiers descending from the heavens, precisely on their retreat route.

Although Ma Chao's silver spear and white horse did not trigger the White Tiger Phantom, his chilling killing intent and superb riding and archery skills still terrified the bandits.

The Xiliang cavalry drew their bows and fired a volley of arrows, killing most of the bandits who were trying to break through. Then, a forest of spears blocked their way.

With Zhang Fei blocking their path from the front and Ma Chao cutting off their encirclement from behind, this band of over a hundred men was completely cornered.

The battle was extremely fierce, but having lost their element of surprise and numerical advantage, the bandits had no chance of winning under the combined attack of Gu Rubing's two battle-hardened elite units.

The sounds of clashing swords, neighing warhorses, and dying screams echoed over Liujia Village.

The fierce battle lasted for about half an hour before the shouts and cries of battle in the village gradually subsided.

More than half of the bandits were killed or wounded. The remaining forty or so men saw no hope of breaking out and knew that resistance would only increase casualties. Finally, under the pressure of Zhang Fei's ferocious figure and Ma Chao's cold spear tip, they all dropped their weapons, knelt down and begged for surrender, shouting "Spare our lives!"

By the time Gu Rubing led the support troops to the scene, the battle was already over.

Soldiers are cleaning up the battlefield, extinguishing the remaining fires in the village, and comforting the frightened villagers.

Zhang Fei and Ma Chao came to report back.

"Brother, as you instructed, we left more than forty survivors, all of them wounded. They can't escape!"

Zhang Fei wiped the blood splattered on his face and shouted.

Ma Chao added.

"My lord, we have made some preliminary inquiries. The leader of this band of horsemen has been killed in the chaos of battle. They claimed to be a 'roving cavalry' under the command of 'Black Wind King' Shi Xie. It is said that there are hundreds of such small groups of troops that plunder in various places throughout northern Youzhou."

"Hundreds?"

Gu Rubing's eyes narrowed. This Shi Xie had learned to be clever. By breaking up the main force into smaller units, he could expand the scope of his looting while avoiding being wiped out by the main government army, thus increasing the difficulty of the mopping-up operation.

He walked up to the group of prisoners, bound together and trembling, his gaze cold and piercing, devoid of any pity. (End of Chapter)