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

"Bah! What a piece of trash! If my elder brother hadn't stopped me, I would have stabbed him too! I helped him so much, and all I got in return was empty words? These barbarians, not a single one of them is any good!"
-
Watching the Xiongnu leader leave triumphantly with his incorporated followers, Zhang Fei felt a growing sense of unease in his chest, as if a large stone were lodged in his throat.

He spat heavily on the ground, his face full of disgust and confusion, and complained to Gu Rubing in a loud voice.

"Brother! I, Old Zhang, really don't understand!"

These Xiongnu barbarians, just like Shi Xie, are no good!
We went to such great lengths, sending gifts and fighting for them, even losing our Han soldiers, just to get a flimsy promise from him?
Was it worth it? If you ask me, I shouldn't have stopped them. Meng Qi and I could have just wiped out all those wolf cubs, ending it all once and for all. How much more satisfying would that have been!"

Gu Rubing looked at his third brother, who was straightforward and believed in solving problems with force, but he was not angry. He just smiled slightly and glanced at the vast and desolate grassland in front of him.

He bent down, grabbed a handful of dry sand from the ground, and spread it out in front of Zhang Fei.

"Yide, look."

Gu Rubing's voice was calm and steady.

"If the sand in your hand is scattered on the ground, here and there, wouldn't it be very troublesome to sweep it all up? It would require a lot of effort to sweep and pick it up little by little, and there would still be some that are missed."

Zhang Fei stared wide-eyed at the handful of sand, nodding in bewilderment.

"Yes, brother, that's too much trouble!"

Gu Rubing then flipped his wrist and tightly gripped the sand in his palm, forming a not-too-firm but already formed sand ball.

"But now, I've put them all together."

He held the sand ball up in front of Zhang Fei.

"At this point, if you want to get rid of them completely, don't you just need to squeeze them hard or throw them hard, and they will be completely crushed without any residue?"

Zhang Fei stared blankly at the ball of sand held in Gu Rubing's hand for a moment, then a sudden realization flashed in his eyes. He slapped his forehead with his large, fan-like hand, making a crisp "smack" sound.

“I understand! Brother, you mean that these Huns are like scattered sand, and it would be time-consuming and laborious for us to chase and fight them one by one!”
We helped that cowardly chief unify the tribe, which is like squeezing sand into a ball!

Once we've sorted out those messy affairs with Shi Xie and Penglai, and are free to deal with them, we won't need to search the entire grasslands. We can just find this 'sandbag' and crush it to pieces! Is that what you mean?"

Gu Rubing nodded approvingly, casually tossed the sand ball in his hand onto the ground, and gently crushed it with his foot, turning it into dust.

"That's exactly right. Our primary enemy now is Shi Xie and Penglai behind him. It's not advisable to get too entangled on the grasslands and disperse our forces. Supporting a relatively 'obedient' proxy to temporarily stabilize the northern border and concentrate our efforts on important matters is a pragmatic approach."

Once the overall situation is settled, dealing with them later will be a piece of cake.

"Hehe, so that's how it is! Brother is brilliant! I, Old Zhang, was confused!"

Zhang Fei's resentment vanished instantly, and he grinned widely, scratching his head and saying embarrassedly.

Just as Gu Rubing successfully "persuaded" the Xiongnu leader and helped him integrate the tribe.

On the other side, Shi Xie, like a stray dog, finally escaped to the edge of the Xiongnu tribe's territory after a long and arduous journey, under the protection of Tong Fei, Wang Yue, Shi A, and a few remaining soldiers.

Gazing at the faintly visible yurts and patrolling cavalry of the Xiongnu in the distance, Shi Xie's ashen face finally regained a sliver of color, and the flame of hope rekindled in his eyes.

Based on his past experience and understanding of these barbarian tribes, he knew that these Xiongnu people were greedy by nature, and as long as they were offered great benefits and enough gold and silver, there was no door they couldn't open.

He could almost see himself settling down temporarily in this Xiongnu tribe, relying on the remaining treasures and Tong Fei's intimidation to recruit soldiers and make a comeback.

He straightened his tattered armor, trying to project the air of his former "Black Wind King," and led a few trusted followers, carrying several boxes filled with gold, silver, and jewels, to the Xiongnu tribe to request an audience with their leader.

However, reality gave him a heavy blow.

The Xiongnu leader, who had just consolidated his tribe with Gu Rubing's help and whose position had become much more stable, immediately led his men out to greet Shi Xie upon hearing of his arrival. However, his attitude was not as enthusiastic as Shi Xie had expected. Instead, he was full of wariness and indifference and blocked the entrance to the camp.

"Halt! Shi Xie, you are not welcome here! Take your men and leave my territory immediately!"

The Xiongnu leader's voice was icy, and he issued an order to expel them without any politeness.

Shi Xie's smile froze instantly. He suppressed his anger and signaled his men to open the box. The dazzling jewels immediately dazzled the eyes of many of the surrounding Xiongnu people.

"Chief, why be so unapproachable?"
These are just small tokens of our appreciation. If our leader would be so kind as to allow us to stay here for a while, we will repay you handsomely in the future! We can cooperate and work together for great things…”

The Xiongnu leader looked at the several boxes of tempting gold and silver, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily, a hint of greed and struggle flashing in his eyes.

These treasures were enough for his tribe to live comfortably for several years.

However, just as this greed arose, his mind was immediately filled with the image of the cold spear and gun tips that had almost pierced his throat a few days ago, as well as the terrifying killing intent of Zhang Fei and Ma Chao, which was like that of prehistoric beasts!
And then there's Gu Rubing's calm yet unfathomable gaze.

Money is good, but you have to be alive to enjoy it! If you offend Gu Rubing and anger those two killing gods, you might not have the chance to enjoy any amount of money you have! Anyone who isn't a fool knows which is more important.

He struggled to tear his gaze away from the gold and silver, swallowed hard, shook his head vigorously, and spoke with unwavering conviction, as if trying to convince himself.

"No! Absolutely not! Grab your things and get out of here! If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

With his hopes dashed once again, Shi Xie's face turned deathly pale, his heart filled with despair and resentment.

He hadn't expected the Xiongnu leader to be so resolute, refusing even the enormous wealth offered to him.

He gritted his teeth, preparing to turn around and leave with his men, looking for another way.

"and many more!"

Just as Shi Xie turned around, the Xiongnu chieftain looked at the several boxes of treasure that were about to be taken away, his face full of pain and reluctance. In the end, he could not resist his greed and called out to stop him.

Shi Xie turned around in confusion.

The Xiongnu leader's eyes flickered, and he lowered his voice.

"For the sake of these things, I'll show you the way. Head west from here, into the depths of the desert. About three hundred miles away, there is an ancient city ruin that is half buried by the yellow sand."

That place was extremely well hidden; outsiders would never have been able to find it if it weren't for our tribe, which spends most of its time traversing the desert.

Although the city walls are dilapidated, there are still some buildings that can provide shelter from the wind and rain, and can barely serve as a place to stand. You... can try your luck there.”

What a stroke of luck! Upon hearing this, Shi Xie's despair was instantly rekindled, and he was overjoyed, thanking him repeatedly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Chief! I will repay this kindness!"

He didn't bother to haggle anymore. He left some gold and silver as "guide fees" and eagerly led his remaining troops into the vast desert, heading towards the unknown ancient city ruins, following the direction indicated by the Xiongnu leader.

However, the road to escape is never smooth.

They had fled in haste, and their food and water supplies were already running low. After days of running and exhaustion, they were almost gone.

On their desolate journey to the ancient city, Shi Xie and his group soon found themselves in dire straits, lacking both food and water.

With nowhere else to turn, Shi Xie's inherent cruelty and predatory nature were once again fully exposed.

He no longer cared about hiding his target. In order to survive and reach that only place of hope, he led the remaining thousands of bandits like true desert wolves, roaming wildly across the vast desert, specifically targeting caravans traveling between the Western Regions and Han China.

The food, water, camels, horses, and even goods carried by these caravans became their means of survival.

In an instant, the desert trade route was turned into a bloodbath by this ruthless band of bandits, and passing merchants turned pale at the mere mention of it.

Meanwhile, after stabilizing the situation on the Xiongnu side, Gu Rubing did not stop. He immediately led his army and pursued Shi Xie into the desert along the general direction of his escape.

However, once they entered this vast, boundless, sand-dust-covered yellow ocean, the situation immediately became tricky.

The sandstorms whipped up by the strong winds can quickly cover up all traces of people and horses. The complex and ever-changing terrain and the lack of obvious landmarks make it extremely difficult to determine direction.

Despite Gu Rubing dispatching a large number of crossbowmen to scout in all directions, in this desolate desert where the sky and earth blend into one, accurately tracking a bandit group that deliberately concealed its tracks and had a familiar Xiongnu guide to lead the way was like finding a needle in a haystack.

The army wandered on the edge of the desert for several days, and apart from finding a few caravan remains that had been looted and burned and some messy and blurry footprints, they completely lost track of the exact whereabouts of Shi Xie's main force!

Gu Rubing stood on the sand dune, gazing at the vast expanse of yellow sand that had swallowed up all clues, his brows furrowed.

He knew that without a guide familiar with the area, finding Shi Xie, who was deliberately hiding in this sea of ​​death, would be extremely difficult, and might even leave the army in danger of dehydration and disorientation.
-
Just when he was at his wit's end, some black dots appeared in his field of vision, moving unsteadily!

As they drew closer, they became clear that the caravans were of varying sizes, but all equally disheveled.

The camels were emaciated, the merchants were dressed in rags, many of them bearing obvious knife wounds, their faces etched with the terror of surviving a disaster and the despair of losing all their possessions; most of the goods they carried had vanished without a trace.

Gu Rubing immediately ordered his men to meet them and inquire. Soon, the information came in, and it turned out that these caravans had all suffered the same fate—they had all been robbed by the same group of ruthless bandits recently!

Those bandits rode fast horses, were familiar with the desert terrain, moved like the wind, and were ruthless. Although the leader did not give his name, based on the descriptions of the caravan survivors and the fighting style of his men, it could be almost certain that it was Shi Xie and his remaining forces!
"They're still nearby!"

Gu Rubing's spirits lifted; this was undoubtedly good news.

He immediately summoned the still-shaken caravan leaders and asked them in detail about the exact location of the attack, the general direction the bandits had gone, and the number and condition of the bandits.

These caravans traveled through the desert year-round, possessing a keen sense of direction and routes far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Although the clues they provided were scattered, when pieced together, they gave Gu Rubing a vague outline of Shi Xie's recent activities.

"Thank you all for your guidance! As for your losses, once I have wiped out this monastery, I will certainly petition the court for compensation!"

Gu Rubing solemnly promised and then ordered the army to adjust its direction and advance cautiously based on the clues provided by the caravan.

With these "living maps" as guidance, the Han army's pursuit was no longer like the blind men and the elephant.

They followed the route the caravan had indicated, the route the bandits were most likely to take, and sure enough, they found some fresh hoofprints, discarded and broken items, and traces of cooking fires along the way.

Gu Rubing's army, like cheetahs that have smelled blood, drew ever closer to Shi Xie.

However, Shi Xie was not a fool.

He dared to rob caravans in the desert in order to obtain enough supplies to support them on their journey to the ancient city, their final refuge.

After successfully raiding several large caravans, they obtained enough food, water, camels, and horses to sustain them for a period of time.

Having achieved his objective, Shi Xie knew that continuing to plunder would only expose his whereabouts, so he immediately and decisively stopped all operations. Leading his bandits, he used the vague route provided by the Xiongnu leader to completely conceal his tracks, like a drop of water disappearing into the desert, and sped towards the ancient city.

So when Gu Rubing's army followed the clues to an area, all traces seemed to have been completely wiped away by the wind and sand, and they lost their target once again.

The glimmer of dawn we had just seen was once again swallowed up by the boundless yellow sand.

"Damn it! That bastard got away again!"

Zhang Fei roared in fury, brandishing his spear, wishing he could flatten the sand dunes before him.

Gu Rubing's expression was calm, but his tightly pursed lips revealed that he was not at peace inside.

Just as he was racking his brains about what to do next, the vanguard scout brought a man—a dark-skinned rider dressed in typical Xiongnu attire.

“Your Highness, my chieftain has ordered me to come and guide the army.”

The Xiongnu guide spoke broken Chinese, concisely, and with little expression on his face, seemingly just following orders.

Gu Rubing scrutinized the unexpected guide with sharp eyes, countless thoughts racing through his mind in an instant.

The Xiongnu leader had just sternly rejected Shi Xie, and then immediately sent someone to guide him? And judging from the guide's demeanor, he was clearly well-prepared and had a clear objective.
The answer was almost obvious—the Xiongnu leader must have had contact with Shi Xie, and it was very likely that he was the one who pointed out the "clear path" to the ancient city to Shi Xie! (End of Chapter)