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

"Rest assured, Father! I will not fail you!"

Cao Zhang sensed the gravity in his father's words, solemnly clasped his hands, took the secret letter and hid it close to his body, then turned and strode out of the tent, mustered his men, and disappeared into the night like an arrow released from a bow.

Watching Cao Zhang's departing figure, a faint glimmer of hope rekindled in Cao Cao's heart.

He pinned all his hopes on this request for help.

The next three days were an incredibly agonizing period for Cao Cao.

On the one hand, he had to muster his spirits to handle military affairs and stabilize the morale of the people who were wavering due to Tong Fei's disappearance; on the other hand, he was anxiously waiting for news from Cao Zhang.

He imagined countless times the scene where the sage from Penglai would gladly come after receiving the letter, or at least give him clear instructions.

On the evening of the third day, just as Cao Cao was about to lose his patience and prepare to send a second batch of messengers, the sound of hurried hoofbeats and the announcement of his personal guards came from outside the tent—Cao Zhang had returned!

Cao Cao suddenly stood up from his seat, not even bothering to put on his outer robe, and rushed out of the tent in a few steps.

Cao Zhang looked travel-worn and exhausted, with thick white foam coming out of his warhorse's mouth and nose, clearly indicating that he had not stopped for the entire journey.

"Ziwen! How is it? Have you seen the Immortal Master Penglai?"

Cao Cao eagerly grabbed Cao Zhang's arm, repeatedly asking questions, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Looking at his father's anxious eyes, Cao Zhang's lips moved, but his face revealed an undisguised frustration and a trace of fear. He shook his head and said in a dry voice.

"Father... your child... your child has arrived at that overseas fairy island. But... but there is no one there!"

"What?! Absolutely no one here?!"

Cao Cao was struck dumb, and the hand gripping Cao Zhang's arm tightened involuntarily, his nails almost digging into his son's flesh.

"How could that be? Are you sure you're in the right place?"

“It’s absolutely right!”

Cao Zhang said with certainty.

"The location of that island was vaguely mentioned by Master Yu Ji before; its features are quite distinct. I led people to search the entire island carefully. The original pavilions and terraces on the mountain are still there, but inside... inside, it's completely empty!"
A thin layer of dust had settled on the island, suggesting... it seemed no one had lived there for some time. We searched the entire island, but found no one, no messages, no clues... it was as if they had vanished into thin air!

"Disappeared into thin air..."

Cao Cao murmured those four words repeatedly, his hand gripping Cao Zhang's arm slipped limply, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant. He staggered back two steps, his face as pale as paper.

The last glimmer of hope has been completely extinguished.

Not only did Penglai not respond to his plea for help, but... they even abandoned their entire stronghold! Tong Fei's fate is unknown, Yu Ji is far away in Liangzhou, and now even Penglai's old lair is deserted!
What does this mean? Does it mean that Cao Cao has been completely abandoned by Penglai? Or does it mean that Penglai has encountered some bigger trouble and has no time to spare?
Either way, it would be a fatal blow to Cao Cao at this point.

He still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that Tong Fei might only be seriously injured and in hiding, and that Penglai might send someone else.

But now, the news Cao Zhang brought back was like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing the last faint flame in his heart, leaving only endless cold and darkness.

He slowly turned around and walked unsteadily back to the main tent, his back looking unusually hunched and old in the dim light.

He knew that from this moment on, he had to rely entirely on himself and his ordinary soldiers to face the increasingly formidable opponent—Gu Rubing. The road ahead seemed to lead only to thorns and despair.

The standoff under the new capital continues, but the balance of power is quietly shifting.

With the morale gradually recovering and a steady stream of new recruits and supplies arriving from the rear, Gu Rubing began to advance step by step, putting pressure on Cao Cao's last line of defense.

His main force was like a slowly tightening net, suffocating Cao Cao's army's living space.

Cao Cao felt unprecedented pressure.

Gu Rubing's offensive was not fierce, but it was like mercury seeping into the ground, penetrating everywhere, forcing him to repeatedly draw troops from other relatively minor defensive areas, such as several camps on the flanks and some controlled transportation nodes, to fill the increasingly strained front line.

This practice of robbing Peter to pay Paul quickly left obvious flaws in Cao Cao's overall defenses.

Some areas that originally required garrisoning have become extremely weak in terms of troop strength, and some have even become "vacuum zones" with only a small number of sentries patrolling and almost no defenses.

This change naturally did not escape the notice of the crossbow captains under Gu Rubing's command.

Maps marking the areas where Cao Cao's troops were weak were quickly presented to Gu Rubing's desk.

"My lord, look here, and look here too!"

Deng Ai pointed to several areas circled in red ink on the map, his tone tinged with excitement.

"Cao Cao's forces are stretched thin, and these places are almost undefended! If we can send a small detachment, only three to five thousand men, we can easily take them down. We can not only seize supplies, but also threaten Cao Cao's flanks and rear, leaving him unable to defend both ends!"

Gu Rubing's gaze swept across the map, and a thought did indeed cross his mind.

These gaps, like ripe fruit, are tempting to be picked. If they could be successfully captured, it would undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to the morale of Cao Cao's army, and might even force Cao Cao to further tighten his defenses.

However, he quickly calmed down.

He looked around the tent and saw that generals such as Zhang He and Zhong Hui were all commanding at the front line and dared not leave lightly; top combatants such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei needed to be stationed in the central army to guard against any possible accidents.

Although Jiang Wei and Guo Huai were capable, their military strength was limited... Most importantly, his own total military strength, after repeated losses and replenishment, was only maintained at tens of thousands, which was not an advantage compared to Cao Cao.

"Divide the troops..."

Gu Rubing tapped the map lightly with his fingers, his brows furrowed.

"If we divide our forces at this time, our main force will inevitably be weakened."

Cao Cao is a shrewd and experienced strategist. How could we be sure this wasn't a deliberate feint to lure us into dividing our forces, before concentrating our strength to launch a fierce attack on our main force? If our main force is lost, even capturing a few empty camps would be a net loss.

He recalled Cao Cao's past cunning and the elusive Tong Fei, whose whereabouts were still unknown. His vigilance overcame his impulse to attack.

The reinforcements and more new recruits promised by Zhuge Liang had not yet arrived. At this moment, every bit of strength he had was extremely precious, and he could not take any risks.

"Order all units to hold their positions firmly and advance steadily. No one may launch an attack without my order, and no one may scramble to take credit!"

Gu Rubing finally made a difficult decision. "Closely monitor these empty areas. Report any unusual activity immediately!"

Therefore, despite the tempting opportunity, Gu Rubing chose the safest strategy, watching helplessly as those nearly undefended areas, like dead pieces on a chessboard, were temporarily left unattended.

He focused all his energy on direct confrontation with Cao Cao's main force.

Just as the war in Yizhou was stuck in a strange stalemate and attrition, intelligence about Liangzhou finally arrived in Gu Rubing's hands, like a belated carrier pigeon, after passing through many mountains and rivers.

Initially, the intelligence wasn't too alarming; it merely mentioned that unidentified cavalry units had appeared on the borders of Liangzhou and even within its borders, and that their activities were becoming increasingly frequent and their scale seemed to be constantly expanding.

Their whereabouts are elusive; they sometimes gather and sometimes disperse. Today they may be robbing caravans in location A, and tomorrow they may be attacking outposts in location B, hundreds of miles away. Their purpose is perplexing.

Gu Rubing didn't pay much attention at first, and he only listened to Zhou Yu's reminder in a haphazard way.

He still believed that this was likely a diversionary tactic carried out by the Qiang princess in the rear to support him, only in a more covert manner.

However, as more details came together, things started to look wrong.

An urgent military report from the local garrison commander of Liangzhou caught Gu Rubing's attention. The report detailed an encounter with unidentified cavalry.

This cavalry force consisted of about five hundred men. Their equipment was not the leather armor and curved swords commonly used by the Qiang people, but rather light armor and long spears that were more similar to those of the Han army but with obvious differences. Their horses were also exceptionally strong.

Their tactical style is extremely unpredictable; when they attack, it's like a raging storm, but when they retreat, it's as swift as mercury, showing no reluctance to fight.

Moreover, they were extremely adept at using terrain to set ambushes and conduct long-range harassment; their coordination and tactical proficiency far surpassed that of ordinary Qiang tribal cavalry. The defending general even wrote in his report with lingering fear.

"...They come and go like the wind, their tactics are cunning and unpredictable, quite different from the Qiang and Hu tribes. I fought them for ten days and a half, yet I still couldn't figure out where their main force was or their true intentions. It was as if I were fighting a ghost..."

“Different tactical styles…unclear objectives…”

As Gu Rubing looked at the report, his brows gradually furrowed.

If they are indeed the people of the Qiang princess, why do they act in a way that is completely different from the known Qiang tribes?

Moreover, the areas where these cavalrymen operated hardly overlapped with the traditional pastures and spheres of influence of several known large Qiang tribes!

Zhou Yu's earlier reminder rang in his ears like a warning bell.

What truly sent chills down his spine was another top-secret intelligence report that followed.

This intelligence came from his informants, whom he had already sent to the vicinity of Penglai Island to keep watch.

The intelligence was concise, yet enough to send chills down Gu Rubing's spine.

"The target island is confirmed to be vacant, with dusty buildings and no signs of activity from any Penglai disciples."

However, during our retreat, I was ordered to infiltrate Liangzhou to investigate. On the edge of the desert north of Wuwei County, we unexpectedly discovered traces of Yu Ji and Zuo Ci! The two seemed to have made contact with an unidentified cavalry force; their movements were elusive, and they vanished shortly afterward.

"Yu Ji! Zuo Ci!"

Gu Rubing suddenly stood up from his seat, the silk cloth in his hand clenched tightly and crumpled!
The people from Penglai disappeared. He originally thought they had been scared away by his gunpowder and had temporarily gone into hiding.

He even secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But now, our informants have discovered traces of Yu Ji and Zuo Ci, two key figures from Penglai, both within Liangzhou!

Thinking of the cavalry in Liangzhou who were elusive, had diverse tactical styles, and unclear objectives...

A terrifying thought, like lightning, cleaved through the fog in Gu Rubing's mind!

Those cavalrymen... those cavalrymen that the Liangzhou garrison commander felt were like "ghosts"... were not the Qiang princess's troops at all!

Behind them, there is very likely—Penglai!
"Penglai...abandoned the overseas immortal islands, infiltrated Liangzhou...colluded with and even controlled an elite cavalry force...what are they planning to do?"

Gu Rubing felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. A possibility that he had never thought about deeply before, or rather, dared not think about deeply, now appeared before him with unparalleled clarity.

Sun Jian's alliance with Penglai is aimed at Liangzhou!
The main force of Penglai is now in Liangzhou!

Those mysterious cavalrymen are very likely the armed forces secretly cultivated or controlled by Penglai!

They're not harassing, they're not restraining, they're... laying the groundwork! They're infiltrating!
Their goal was probably not to support Gu Rubing's campaign in Yizhou at all, but to take advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains and the fact that no one had time to look westward, and to truly... take over the entire Liangzhou!
This idea is both terrifying and perfectly logical!

Penglai possesses knowledge and power far exceeding that of this era, whether it be Yu Ji who can command the wind and rain, or Tong Fei and Zuo Ci who possess superhuman martial prowess.

If they truly wished to occupy a region, it was not impossible for them to secretly control or cultivate an armed force through their means, and then launch a sudden attack while the Central Plains were in chaos and all sides were unable to look westward, thus seizing the vast, sparsely populated, and complex Liangzhou!
"They're trying to... fundamentally change the landscape of the Han Dynasty!"

Gu Rubing muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly without him even realizing it.

If Penglai were to successfully establish itself in Liangzhou, what terrifying impact would it have on the future of the world, given its unpredictable methods and clearly considerable ambition?

He simply couldn't believe it!
He immediately realized that he had to find out Penglai's true intentions and specific plans in Liangzhou!
After pondering for a long time, he finally made up his mind and sternly addressed Lu Su, who was standing to the side.

"Zijing! Immediately issue the order to mobilize all available resources, dispatch a large number of elite scouts and crossbowmen, and infiltrate Liangzhou at all costs! Investigate for me!"

Find out the origins, size, and strongholds of those mysterious cavalry! Find out exactly where Yu Ji and Zuo Ci are and what they are doing! Don't overlook any clues within Liangzhou related to Penglai!

"promise!"

Lu Su knew the situation was serious, so he quickly accepted the order and left.

The sudden and enormous changes in Liangzhou were like a boulder thrown into Gu Rubing's already tense heart, stirring up a tidal wave.

His previously composed demeanor suddenly became agitated. His protracted struggle with Cao Cao in Yizhou instantly appeared somewhat petty.

He must resolve the troubles in Yizhou as soon as possible, or at least stabilize the situation, so that he can free up his hands to deal with the potentially more dangerous enemy in the west!

This anxiety inevitably affected his decision-making.

He gazed at the battle line on the sand table, confronting Cao Cao's army in Xindu, a fierce glint in his eyes. On the main battlefield, his main force had indeed successfully drawn and suppressed Cao Cao, while Zhao Yun's harassment troops behind enemy lines were also frequently successful, constantly disrupting Cao Cao's supply lines and keeping them constantly on edge. (End of Chapter)