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

"Something happened in Yuyang?"

Gu Rubing raised an eyebrow, a mocking sneer appearing on his face.

"Shi Xie, the greatest threat to Youzhou, has been besieged here by our main force and is trapped like a turtle in a jar, unable to protect himself."

His remaining troops either surrendered or scattered, and the Wuhuan and Xiongnu had been temporarily pacified. Yuyang City was heavily guarded, with strong walls and ample provisions; what trouble could possibly arise?

This must be a clumsy tactic by Tong Fei to bluff and disrupt our morale, buying time for him to escape with Shi Xie. We need not pay it any mind.

He simply didn't believe that the important rear town of Yuyang could be in any real danger under such circumstances. He assumed it was just a smokescreen deliberately thrown out by Penglai to protect Shi Xie, their pawn.

At that moment, Gu Rubing stopped dwelling on Shi Xie's rescue and turned his attention back to the present.

He ordered a thorough cleanup of the ancient city battlefield, and a count of prisoners and spoils.

Gu Rubing showed no mercy to the bandits who had stained their hands with the blood of innocent people during the previous looting, especially those who had participated in the massacre of villages. He directly ordered them all to be executed on the spot to comfort the souls of those who died tragically!
For a time, blood flowed like a river and cries of agony filled the execution ground outside the ancient city. But it also brought a sense of belated justice and solace to the soldiers from Youzhou who were with the army and some civilians who rushed to the scene.

As for those bandits who were coerced into joining, or who only participated in general looting and were found not to have indiscriminately killed innocent people after verification, Gu Rubing would show leniency and spare them from the death penalty, but they could not escape punishment.

All of them were registered, tattooed with their names, and exiled to the most harsh and desolate areas on the border of Youzhou to reclaim wasteland and build fortresses, thus redeeming their crimes through labor.

After handling these follow-up matters properly, Gu Rubing looked at the ancient city that had been completely pacified and the surrounding area that had been restored to order. Although he felt some regret for not being able to personally kill Shi Xie, he was generally quite satisfied.

After all, Shi Xie's power, which he had cultivated for many years on the border of Youzhou, was uprooted. His foundation as a bandit was completely destroyed, and his remaining followers were scattered and could no longer gain momentum in the short term.

As for Shi Xie himself, with Penglai's protection, Gu Rubing was mentally prepared from the beginning, knowing that killing him would not be easy.

Gu Rubing had long since forgotten Tong Fei's warning about "something happening in Yuyang," dismissing it as mere ramblings from the enemy at their wits' end.

He led a large army, escorting prisoners and spoils, and embarked on his journey back to Yuyang in a grand procession.

However, when Gu Rubing led his army and arrived at the outskirts of Yuyang City, the scene before him stunned him, and a chill instantly ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

The triumphant welcome I had imagined did not materialize, and the bustling crowds at the city gates were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, there was a chilling silence and panic!
Although the tall city gates were open, very few people went in or out. Moreover, everyone, whether they were soldiers guarding the city or the occasional civilian, covered their mouths and noses with thick white cloths, leaving only a pair of eyes filled with fear and exhaustion.

The air was filled with a strange, pungent odor, a mixture of herbs and some kind of putrid smell, which was nauseating.

Faintly, one could still hear the sounds of painful groans and wails coming from deep within the city, as if the entire city was struggling with illness!

"What...what's going on?!"

Gu Rubing's expression changed drastically, and the ominous premonition in his heart instantly rose to its peak.

At this moment, the deputy general in charge of guarding Yuyang, also with his face covered by a white cloth, hurriedly ran out of the city, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and undisguised panic.

Upon seeing Gu Rubing, he felt as if he had found his pillar of support, and he knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling and filled with sobs.

"My lord! You...you've finally returned!"

He held a clean white cloth in trembling hands, raised it above his head, and said urgently.

"My lord, quick! Cover your mouth and nose! A plague has broken out in the city! It's spreading extremely fiercely, and thousands have died in just one night! The entire city is now under lockdown, people are panicking, and medicine is scarce. This humble general... this humble general is truly helpless!"

Gu Rubing was struck dumb, standing there stunned! Only now did he suddenly recall Tong Fei's seemingly casual yet profound words—"Something has happened in Yuyang City. Tell him to go back and take a look. Perhaps... it's not too late."

So, it wasn't a diversionary tactic, but... a blatant declaration! Was it Penglai's doing?! A chilling coldness instantly swept over Gu Rubing's entire body.
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The scene before him, a scene of utter devastation resembling hell on earth, the pungent smell of death mixed with herbs permeating the air, and the deputy general's tearful report, all exploded in Gu Rubing's mind like thunderclaps!
In an instant, he connected all the clues—Tong Fei's meaningful words when he left, as if he controlled everything; the sudden and extremely rapid plague; and Penglai's superhuman and unpredictable methods!

"Penglai...Tong Fei...It was you! It really was you who did this!"

Gu Rubing gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words, his eyes burning with rage, yet also carrying a sense of powerlessness in the face of such supernatural means.

He understood that this was the truth behind the "Yuyang incident" that Tong Fei had mentioned! A man-made disaster targeting innocent civilians!

Anger and grief intertwined, but Gu Rubing knew that this was not the time to pursue the matter; saving the lives of the city's inhabitants was the top priority!
He forcefully suppressed his surging killing intent and made a decision without the slightest hesitation.

"Issue the order to the entire army! All soldiers who have not yet come into contact with the sick shall immediately set up camp outside the city, and strictly block all roads. No one shall enter or leave Yuyang without permission! Those who have already entered the city shall follow me to rescue the people!"

Gu Rubing's voice carried an unquestionable decisiveness. He took the white cloth from the deputy general's hand, skillfully covered his mouth and nose, dismounted, and was about to personally enter this dangerous place ravaged by the plague!

"Brother! No! It's dangerous inside the city!"

Zhang Fei was shocked to see this and quickly blocked Gu Rubing's way.

"My lord! Your life is too precious to be confined to a dangerous place! You can leave this matter to us!"

Ma Chao also hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

Gu Rubing's gaze was firm as he pushed away Zhang Fei's arm and said in a deep voice.

"The people are suffering because I failed to eliminate Shi Xie and defend against Penglai in time! How can I remain in the rear and turn a blind eye? Enough said, follow me into the city!"

Seeing that Gu Rubing was determined, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao exchanged a glance, knowing that they could not change his mind, so they could only follow closely to his left and right, like two guardian deities.

Zhang Fei shouted at the top of his lungs, constantly reminding everyone as he walked.

"Brother! Don't get too close to those patients!"

"That guy over there is coughing, quickly walk around him!"

"Medical officer! Where is the medical officer! Quickly, get some preventative herbal medicine for my elder brother too!"

As the three ventured deeper into the city, the scene they witnessed was even more horrifying. The streets were deserted, doors were tightly shut, and corpses covered in white sheets were occasionally carried out. The makeshift medical tents were crammed with groaning people in pain, and the doctors and apprentices were so busy that their faces were etched with exhaustion and despair.

Gu Rubing personally directed and coordinated manpower to transport medicinal herbs, calm the panicked public, and even disregarded Zhang Fei and Ma Chao's objections to personally hand out herbal medicine to some frail elderly people. His presence in the most severely affected areas greatly stabilized the anxious public.

With the combined efforts of Gu Rubing, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, and all the soldiers and civilians who held firm, they persevered through hardship, waiting for hope.

Finally, a few days after the outbreak of the epidemic, a ray of hope arrived on horseback—the legendary physician Hua Tuo, having received Gu Rubing's urgent plea for help, traveled day and night to reach Yuyang!

The arrival of Hua Tuo was like a shot in the arm for this dying city.

Without taking a break, he immediately devoted himself to the treatment. With his superb medical skills and profound understanding of the plague, he quickly determined the treatment plan, improved the prescription, and instructed the medical officers and soldiers on how to more effectively isolate and care for the patients.

With Hua Tuo's all-out efforts and Gu Rubing's unconditional material support, the rampant epidemic was finally brought under control, and the spread was effectively contained. The number of new daily cases and deaths began to decline significantly.

Once the patient's condition stabilized slightly, Hua Tuo approached Gu Rubing and spoke with a grave expression.

"Your Highness, this plague is exceptionally fierce and its onset is peculiar. In my opinion, it is by no means a natural disaster, but rather a **! There must be a source!"

Gu Rubing had already guessed as much as he had, and immediately asked.

"Where do you think the source is, sir?"

Hua Tuo stroked his beard and pondered.

"Judging from the symptoms of this epidemic, which include frequent vomiting and diarrhea, and persistent high fever, it is highly likely that it is caused by contaminated water sources. Your Highness, please immediately send people to thoroughly investigate all water sources in the city and upstream!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Rubing did not hesitate and personally led a team of elite soldiers upstream along the main river that flows through Yuyang City to conduct a thorough investigation.

Zhang Fei and Ma Chao followed closely on either side, guarding the area vigilantly.

Finally, about twenty miles from Yuyang City, at a bend in the river where the current was relatively calm, they found a chilling sight—

Dozens of bloated, rotten, and unrecognizable corpses were tied together with ropes and deliberately dumped in the river!

The murky river water soaked these highly decomposed corpses, emitting a nauseating stench. Clearly, this was the source of the plague!

"You beast! It really was that bastard Tong Fei who did it!"

Zhang Fei's eyes widened in fury, and he burst into a tirade of curses.

Ma Chao's face was also ashen as he gripped his silver spear tightly.

Gu Rubing looked at the innocent corpses in the river that had become accomplices to the plague, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

He was almost certain that Tong Fei, or Penglai behind him, had deliberately polluted the water source and caused this human tragedy through some means! Their malice was utterly appalling!

"Immediately retrieve all bodies, transport them to a secluded location far from the water source, dig a deep pit, cover it with lime, and completely burn and bury them! At the same time, announce to the entire city that until the water source is completely purified, drinking raw water is strictly prohibited, and all water must be boiled!"

Gu Rubing suppressed his anger and issued the most appropriate order to handle the situation.

After disposing of the bodies and purifying the water source, the epidemic in Yuyang was finally completely eradicated.

But the damage this unexpected disaster inflicted on the city and its people was enormous.

Countless families were torn apart, homes were destroyed in the chaos, and people lost their livelihoods.

Gu Rubing did not delay at all. He immediately transferred a large amount of grain from other unaffected cities in Youzhou and set up soup kitchens to ensure that no one starved to death.

At the same time, he personally wrote a memorial and sent it to Xuchang by express courier, requesting the court to allocate a large amount of gold and silver to help the people rebuild their homes and to provide relief to the families of the victims.

In order to stabilize the situation in Youzhou and prevent similar incidents from happening again, Gu Rubing began to take steps to handle the aftermath and make arrangements.

He appointed Liu Ye, a calm, capable, and military-savvy officer, as the Commandant of Youzhou, giving him full command of all the garrison troops within Youzhou. He also left 5,000 elite troops to garrison important border towns such as Yuyang and Youbeiping to strengthen defenses.

Considering that the gathering of people after the disaster could easily lead to trouble, Gu Rubing specially established the position of "Youzhou Pacification Commissioner" and selected officials who were good at handling civil affairs and knowledgeable in the law to be in charge of mediating disputes among the people, dealing with those who took advantage of the chaos to commit crimes, and restoring local order and production as soon as possible.

What is even more commendable is that Gu Rubing cares deeply about those vulnerable people who have lost their support in the disaster.

He ordered the establishment of "welfare homes" in Yuyang and the surrounding disaster-stricken counties.

All orphans who lost their parents due to the plague, as well as elderly people without anyone to care for them, were taken in and provided with care and support by the government. The money, food, and supplies they needed were directly allocated by the Xudu court to ensure that these poor people could survive.

This move won the heartfelt gratitude of the people of Youzhou.

Once everything was arranged and the situation in Youzhou gradually stabilized, and the reconstruction work proceeded in an orderly manner, Gu Rubing finally decided to return to Linjiang City, where the front line in Yizhou was located.

On the day of his departure, the people of Yuyang spontaneously gathered near the city gate to see him off.

Among the crowd, Gouwa, the little girl who had lost her grandfather on the way to escape the war and cried loudly while hugging Gu Rubing's arm, asking "Why are you so late?", now had her face regained color thanks to the care of the orphanage, and was wearing a simple but clean new outfit.

She broke free from the hand of the nanny who was taking care of her, ran to Gu Rubing's horse, looked up with her little face, which was no longer sad and desperate, but full of innocent and happy smiles, and reached out her little hand to grab Gu Rubing's arm again.

"Grandpa King Lie, are you leaving? Thank you for saving us! Gouwa will miss you!"

The little girl's clear voice, like a sweet spring, flowed into Gu Rubing's heart.

Looking at that innocent and vibrant smile, all of Gu Rubing's weariness, anger, and sacrifices seemed to be compensated at this moment.

He bent down and gently patted Gouwa's head, a warm smile, the kind he hadn't seen in a long time, appearing on his face.

At this moment, he deeply felt that everything he had done and all the efforts he had made were worthwhile! Protecting such a smile was his responsibility and meaning as a king.

After bidding farewell to the soldiers and civilians of Youzhou, Gu Rubing, along with Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, and some of his personal guards, embarked on their journey back to Linjiang City.

The group traveled light and quickly entered Ji Province. (End of Chapter)