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

"Yes, otherwise what a coincidence! Such a thick fog appeared as soon as Cao Cao's army attacked the city?"

"Could it be... that fate is truly against us?"

These whispers spread like a plague, severely shaking morale.

Wei Yan, Ma Chao, and others were furious upon hearing the news. They personally led troops to inspect each camp and severely punished those who spread rumors. They even publicly executed several of the most outspoken individuals to barely suppress this unhealthy trend. However, the uneasy undercurrent still surged at the bottom of the military camp.

Meanwhile, the scene inside Mianzhu City was quite different.

Cao Cao, full of pride, stepped onto the city wall of the fortified city that had caused him to suffer heavy losses and which he had been unable to conquer for a long time.

Looking at the scattered fires that had not yet been completely extinguished and the mess all over the city, he was filled with the joy of having avenged his great enemy.

Although some troops were lost in this battle, compared to the strategic victory of capturing Mianzhu and severely damaging Gu Rubing, this loss was almost negligible.

"Haha! Liu Bei, you little brat, has finally fallen to my hand!"

Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed, then said to his men and women.

"Pass down the order to reward the entire army! Especially the soldiers who were the first to scale the city walls today, they will be richly rewarded!"

However, before his laughter had even subsided, two ghostly figures appeared silently in the shadows not far behind him—it was Yu Ji and Tong Fei.

Cao Cao's smile froze on his face instantly, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water. The joy of victory was greatly diminished by the real pressure brought by these two.

Yu Ji maintained his calm expression, as if he had just done something insignificant.

"King Wei, Mianzhu has fallen. I hope you will not forget our agreement. Liangzhou is of paramount importance."

Tong Fei was even more direct, his cold gaze sweeping over Cao Cao.

"Remember the power of the contract."

After saying this, the two men didn't wait for Cao Cao's response. They swayed and disappeared into the shadows again, as if they had never existed.

Watching the direction they disappeared in, Cao Cao's facial muscles twitched a few times, and his good mood just now vanished.

He took a deep breath, waved away the attendants on his left and right, leaving only Xun Yu who had been silently following behind him.

Cao Cao turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring intently at Xun Yu, his voice filled with suppressed dissatisfaction and inquiry.

"Wenruo, you haven't uttered a single word about what happened today. Now, can you tell me what you and Penglai are hiding from me?"

He took a step closer, his tone becoming more forceful.

"Your expression was strange even before the contract was signed! Did you already know the key to it? Why didn't you remind me? Is there something more important to you than my ambition?"

The feeling of being kept in the dark by his most trusted strategist made Cao Cao extremely unhappy, and even stirred up a sense of anger at being betrayed.

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

He raised his head, his face filled with complex emotions—struggle, pain, and helplessness. His lips moved a few times, but in the end, it turned into a long sigh. He shook his head again, without saying a word.

"Wen Ruo!"

Cao Cao's voice took on a stern tone.

"you……"

"King Wei!"

Xun Yu abruptly interrupted Cao Cao, raising his head with an almost pleading look in his eyes.

"Yu... has nothing else to say. I only ask that the King of Wei trust me."

Please believe me this time, no matter what.

His voice carried an indescribable weariness and heaviness.

After saying this, he ignored Cao Cao's astonished and angry gaze, bowed deeply, turned around, and walked away from the city wall with slightly unsteady steps, leaving Cao Cao standing there alone, his face full of confusion and bewilderment.

"Believe you? When have I ever stopped believing you?"

Cao Cao watched Xun Yu's departing figure, his brows furrowed tightly. The doubts in his heart not only did not dissipate, but became even more profound, like the fog before his eyes.

"Wenruo, Wenruo, what are you... hiding?"

Meanwhile, in the new capital, Gu Rubing quickly regrouped and, taking advantage of the city's defenses, accelerated the construction of a new defensive line.

Looking at his exhausted and demoralized soldiers, he was filled with self-reproach. In just one day! In just one day, he had lost the strategically important town of Mianzhu, which he had painstakingly built up!

"I underestimated him... I should have realized that Cao Cao, being in league with Penglai, must have some treacherous methods... but I failed to react in time..."

Gu Rubing clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm.

He attributed the main reason for this crushing defeat to his underestimation of the potential variables that might arise from the cooperation between Cao Cao and Penglai.

Just as he was deeply reflecting on his situation, an urgent letter from Zhuge Liang in Jingzhou was delivered to him by fast horse.

Gu Rubing hurriedly unfolded the book and began to read.

In the letter, after a detailed analysis of the battle report, Zhuge Liang pointed out the key issue.

"...My lord, this is no ordinary celestial phenomenon, nor is it something Cao Mengde could accomplish. Judging from the suddenness of the fog's rise, the precision of its range, and the presence of poison mixed within it, this must be a demon from Penglai intervening in the battle with evil magic!"

The likes of Zuo Ci and Yu Ji are unpredictable and cannot be judged by ordinary standards. Our lord has just suffered a defeat, and morale is low. We must not be hasty in seeking quick success and rashly launch an attack.

We must firmly defend the new capital, fortifying it with deep moats and high walls, and prioritizing the stability of our troops. I, Liang, have already intensified our efforts to deal with Liu Zhang's disturbances, and will soon be able to dispatch troops to aid our lord. I earnestly urge our lord to exercise caution; unless absolutely certain of victory, we must not engage in reckless battle!

After reading Zhuge Liang's letter, Gu Rubing breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling somewhat at ease.

Kongming's judgment was consistent with his own, which made him even more convinced of his own reflection.

He carefully put the letter away and said in a deep voice to the messenger beside him.

"Order the entire army to strengthen the city's defenses and prepare more defensive equipment. Without my order, no one is to leave the city to engage in battle!"

On the city wall of Xindu, Gu Rubing gazed at the still somewhat hazy sky and earth outside the city, his brow furrowed. Following Zhuge Liang's advice and his own judgment, holding firm and refusing to engage was currently the safest strategy.

He ordered the trenches to be dug deeper and the city walls to be raised higher. He pushed the remaining cannons onto the city walls one by one, aiming them at possible directions of attack. Under the general's supervision, the soldiers also managed to muster their spirits and carry out their daily patrols and vigilance. Everything seemed to be developing in the direction of a stable defense.

However, less than five days later, a piece of news, like a bolt from the blue, came from the rear of the front lines—

A grain transport team was attacked on the official road about forty miles from Xindu. The five hundred soldiers escorting the grain were either killed or fled, and the entire team's grain was looted!
"What?! The supply line has been hijacked?!"

When the quartermaster rushed into the temporary government office, tumbling and sobbing as he reported the news, Gu Rubing suddenly stood up from his seat, his face filled with disbelief.

He had planned everything meticulously, and was on high alert against Cao Cao in front of him, but he never expected that the enemy would actually circle around to his rear and attack his lifeline!

"Blocking supply lines and cutting off the enemy's food supply... this should be my specialty!"

Gu Rubing slammed his fist on the table, causing the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to bounce around. A strong sense of frustration and anger welled up in his heart.

He immediately realized that this was no accident. There must have been a huge loophole in the Ranger's reconnaissance network, and the spies stationed behind the lines must have become lax!
He could almost guess the root of this slackness without much thought—the bizarre fog and disastrous defeat at the foot of Mianzhu not long ago, and the subsequent rumors of "divine punishment" circulating quietly in the army, had eroded the discipline and vigilance of the troops like poison.

Panic and feelings of defeat made some people who should have been doing their jobs numb and negligent, which gave the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of them!
"This can't go on like this!"

Gu Rubing's eyes sharpened; he had already made up his mind. If this demoralized morale wasn't reversed immediately, the entire army might collapse from within!
He immediately ordered.

"Beat the drums! Assemble the troops! All officers of the rank of centurion and above, assemble at the drill ground immediately!"

The dull, rapid drumbeats echoed through the new capital, breaking the surface tranquility.

Although the officers at all levels were unaware of what was going on, they still quickly rushed from their respective barracks to the drill ground in the city center.

Soon, the drill ground was packed with people, from the lowest-ranking centurions to high-ranking generals like Wei Yan, Ma Chao, and Deng Ai. All eyes were focused on the makeshift wooden platform in front of the drill ground.

Gu Rubing stood in full military uniform, his hand on his sword, his face as calm and composed as still water.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead slowly swept his sharp gaze across every face below the stage. The pressure and scrutiny in his eyes made many officers, who were already somewhat uneasy, subconsciously lower their heads.

After a long silence, Gu Rubing finally spoke in a deep voice, which, though not loud, clearly carried throughout the entire training ground.

"Gentlemen, we have just received an urgent report. One of our grain transport convoys was ambushed by the enemy forty miles behind our lines. Five hundred of our guards were killed or wounded, and a year's worth of supplies... were all seized!"

"what?!"

"The supplies have been stolen?!"

"What...what should we do?"

The news was like cold water thrown into boiling oil, instantly causing an uproar among the officers!

Everyone knew what provisions meant to an army, especially when fighting in enemy territory and with supplies not being readily available! Panic and unrest immediately spread among the crowd.

Gu Rubing took in everyone's reactions and continued, his tone filled with heartache.

"I know that after the defeat at Mianzhu, the brothers in the army are filled with fear, and some villains have even spread rumors to shake the morale of the army!"
I know all of this! But I want to know even more: have the soldiers under my command, the King of Lie, forgotten even the most basic vigilance and duty because of a defeat and a few rumors?!
Where are the scouts? Where are our informants? How could the enemy have so easily found our supply lines?!

His voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable authority that silenced all the noise in the room.

At this moment, two guards escorted a pale-faced, trembling officer onto the wooden platform. This man was a captain of the crossbowmen responsible for guarding and reconnaissance of the grain route area.

When the man was brought up, the audience fell silent. Everyone thought that King Lie was going to make an example of him to deter others and to use harsh military law to intimidate the entire army!

The head of the troupe was so terrified he was scared out of his wits.

He fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing and begging for mercy with tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! This humble general knows his mistake! This humble general was negligent for a moment and failed to detect the enemy's presence in time. I beg Your Majesty for mercy!"

However, to everyone's surprise, Gu Rubing did not order him to be taken out and beheaded.

He walked up to the chief of the troupe, looked down at him, remained silent for a moment, and then personally helped him up.

This move stunned all the officers below the stage, including Wei Yan and others, who all showed expressions of surprise.

Gu Rubing supported the almost unsteady Qu Chang, but his gaze was fixed on all the officers below the stage, his voice heavy with sorrow and understanding.

"I know that you have had a tough time. The strange fog that occurred before was not a fault of our army, but it caused heavy casualties among our brothers. How could we not be afraid? Rumors were spreading in the army and people were in a state of panic. You have worked hard to maintain military discipline and suppress the unrest."

A momentary lapse in attention is not an unforgivable sin.

He paused, then his tone became firm and resolute.

"However! You all must know, why are we fighting? It is not for our own selfish interests, but for the people of this world who have suffered from war, and for restoring peace and prosperity to this bright and clear world!"
How can we forget our original aspirations and abandon our duties and courage as soldiers because of a temporary setback?! The theft of supplies is a lesson! But it is also a wake-up call!
It reminds us that the enemy's desire to destroy us is undiminished! It reminds us that we must never let our guard down!

He shoved aside the still-dazed Qu Chang and shouted at him.

"I spare your life today, not because you are innocent! But because I hope you, and all of you, will remember this shame! Transform this fear and shame into the courage and caution to fight the enemy tomorrow! If anyone neglects their duty again, they will be executed without mercy! Do you all understand?!"

"clear!!"

There was initial silence, followed by a deafening roar! Many officers had tears in their eyes.

They had expected a bloody purge, but to their surprise, their lord was so considerate of their plight. Instead of indiscriminately using punishments, he put himself in their shoes and gave them the greatest understanding and trust!
This kind of generosity and encouragement is far more effective in uniting people than mere killing!
"We swear to serve King Yeol to the death! To restore the army's might!"

I don't know who shouted it first.

"We swear to serve King Yeol to the death! To restore our military might!!"

Soon, the entire training ground resounded with thunderous shouts, and the previously low morale miraculously rose again at this moment!
Looking at the passionate soldiers below the stage, Gu Rubing breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He knew that the crisis of morale among the troops had been temporarily averted.

Just then, a true elite scout, a real crossbow captain, rushed back to the city, bringing with him accurate intelligence.

"My lord! We've found out! The force active behind our lines, attacking our supply lines, is five thousand elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry led by Cao Cao's general Xiahou Dun! They are all swift and unpredictable, moving like the wind!"

"Xiahou Dun! Five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!"

A cold glint flashed in Gu Rubing's eyes, and he instantly understood Cao Cao's intention.

"What a cunning Cao Mengde! On the surface, he's besieging Xindu, but secretly he's sending such an elite cavalry force to circle around to our rear, aiming to cut off our supply lines, demoralize our troops, and even launch a surprise attack while our army is locked in a standoff with him! I can't sleep or eat in peace until this threat is eliminated!" (End of Chapter)