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

"Gu Rubing, you'd better step up your game. It would be best if you could fight those sorcerers from Penglai to a pulp in Liangzhou, leaving both sides severely injured. Only then can we truly demonstrate the prowess of Cao Mengde!"

Zhao Yun, leading a hundred crossbowmen, had been tracking their prey for several days across the desolate and vast lands of Liangzhou, like the most patient hunters. They endured wind and rain, sleeping in the open and working at night, keeping company with the wind and sand, and with loneliness.

With their seasoned tracking skills and the occasional bits of information they gleaned from the panicked herders, they painstakingly made their way toward their target area.

Finally, near an ancient riverbed that had long since dried up, cracked, and covered with pebbles, they discovered the decisive clue!

"General, look!"

A captain skilled in tracking lowered his voice and pointed to a relatively flat sandy area beside the river.

There, the area was covered with a dense array of fresh hoof prints, numerous and deep, indicating that the horses were not only numerous but also robust and well-fed, carrying a heavy load.

There were also many traces left by the camp of people and horses nearby—the hearth pits, which had been deliberately buried but were still warm, were cleaned up neatly and efficiently, with hardly any unburnt firewood left; the discarded animal bones were collected and buried deep; even the disposal of human and horse excrement followed some kind of strict regulations...

All of this points to one conclusion.

A sizable cavalry unit recently camped and rested here for an extended period, and its logistics management and camp maintenance demonstrated exceptional professionalism and strict discipline!
This is by no means the swift and undisciplined bandits, nor is it something that traditional Qiang tribes, who live by the water and grass and whose camps are chaotic, could possess!

"They are a regular army... or rather, a force comparable to, or even more elite than, a regular army."

Zhao Yun squatted down, grabbed a handful of sand with hoofprints, and looked extremely solemn.

To confirm, he dispatched his most vigilant scouts, who, taking advantage of the undulating hills and sparse tamarisk bushes on both sides of the ancient riverbed, risked their lives to approach and investigate.

Several hours later, the scouts returned with even more reliable and chilling intelligence.

"General, we see them! About seven or eight hundred cavalrymen are resting in a sheltered valley a dozen miles ahead!"

The scout's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement and lingering fear.

"Their clothing was somewhat mixed, with many people wearing Qiang people's fur coats, but the core armor, helmets, and saddles for their warhorses were very uniform in style, something that the Qiang people could never have!"
The ranks were impeccably aligned; patrolling, sentry duty, feeding the horses—everything was carried out in an orderly fashion. The air of grim discipline... could be felt from afar. They were undoubtedly veterans who had weathered bloody battles and undergone extremely rigorous training!

The scout paused, a look of disbelief on his face, and added.

"And... I saw dozens of knights practicing horsemanship and sword fighting in the open space to the side. Their movements... were frighteningly fast! The height of their leaps and the power of their slashes were nothing like those of ordinary people!"

Although... although not as terrifying as Tong Fei back then, he's definitely far superior to ordinary elites! He feels... feels like... a weakened version of Tong Fei!

"A weakened Tong Fei?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun's pupils suddenly contracted.

This description almost instantly linked this mysterious cavalry force firmly with Penglai! Besides Penglai, who else could mass-produce soldiers with such inhuman strength?
Intelligence confirmed that this place was not safe to stay any longer! Zhao Yun immediately ordered his squad to retreat to a completely safe distance.

He dared not be negligent in the slightest, and immediately summoned the accompanying scribe to record as much detail as possible what he had seen and heard, including hoofprints, camp traces, enemy size, equipment, discipline, and especially the details of those dozens of "inhuman" knights, on a specially made thin silk.

“You,” Zhao Yun pointed to a captain who was the most skilled in combat, especially adept at long-distance raids, and solemnly handed him the sealed intelligence.

"Take two men with you, mount the best horses, and at top speed, deliver this intelligence back to Yizhou and present it to our lord personally! Remember, even if the horses die from exhaustion, the men must not stop! The fate of Liangzhou rests on this letter!"

"Yes, sir! I will not fail you!"

The captain solemnly accepted the order, carefully concealed the intelligence on his person, and, along with two companions, sped off like three arrows released from a bow in the southeast.

A few days later, this intelligence, covered in dust and marked with urgency, was delivered by fast horse to Gu Rubing in the new capital of Yizhou.

Gu Rubing dismissed his attendants and unfolded the thin silk cloth alone under the lamp!

As his gaze swept across the rows of fabric, his face grew increasingly grim, eventually turning ashen, and his hand gripping the silk trembled slightly with the force of his grip.

Although Zhao Yun's intelligence didn't fully reveal the details of this cavalry force, several key points were identified—its size, discipline, level of professionalism, and especially the description of it as a "weakened version of Tong Fei"—

That was enough to connect all the clues and confirm his worst fears!

There is indeed a powerful, organized, and extremely well-trained unfamiliar cavalry force in Liangzhou!

Their behavior pattern has a strong military purpose and is by no means that of ordinary bandits or tribal militias.

The inhuman combat power displayed by its core members almost certainly indicates that it is inextricably linked to Penglai!

This cavalry force is very likely a private army secretly cultivated by Penglai or completely controlled by some means!
"Penglai...you really haven't given up your evil intentions! You actually hid such a poisonous fang in Liangzhou!"

Gu Rubing slammed his fist on the desk, making the brushes and inkstones jump around.

He immediately ordered someone to summon Lu Su and Deng Ai to discuss matters.

Soon, Lu Su and Deng Ai arrived in haste.

Gu Rubing passed Zhao Yun's intelligence to the two of them for review.

After reading it, Lu Su and Deng Ai's expressions instantly turned extremely ugly.

Lu Su took a deep breath and spoke first, his voice heavy with unprecedented emotion.

"My lord, if the intelligence is true, then the matter is far more serious than we imagined! If Penglai is merely manipulating things from behind the scenes, we can still manage to deal with it."

But if they were to personally cultivate or control such a powerful army… their purpose would likely be far more than simply carving out a territory in Liangzhou!

He walked to the huge map hanging in the sky and traced the location of Liangzhou with his finger.

"Liangzhou is located in a strategic location in the northwest, connecting Guanzhong, Hanzhong, the Western Regions, and even the Qiang and Hu lands. If Penglai can gain a foothold here, with their army and their cunning methods, they can completely disrupt the entire situation in the northwest!"
At that time, they could move south to threaten Hanzhong, cutting off our possible connections and trade routes with the Western Regions; they could also move east to harass the Three Auxiliary Regions and shake up Guanzhong.
They could even use the power of the Qiang and Hu tribes to become a deadly poisonous nail planted behind our army, and even on the entire map of the Han Dynasty!
If this problem isn't eliminated, what's the point of us fighting Cao Cao to the death in Yizhou? We're just doing all the work for someone else!

Lu Su's analysis was like a cold dagger, dissecting the most dangerous situation of the future.

Gu Rubing was terrified, a strong sense of crisis washing over him like ice water.

"No! We absolutely cannot allow Penglai to gain influence in Liangzhou!"

Gu Rubing abruptly stood up, his eyes burning with a resolute flame. "The matter of Yizhou is temporarily left to you to deal with Cao Cao! I will personally go to Liangzhou to meet this ghostly army trained in Penglai and see just how capable they really are!"

His decisive, even somewhat stubborn, side was on full display at this moment. Once he identified a threat, he was eager to go to the danger zone and eliminate it with his own hands.

"My lord! No!"

Upon seeing this, Lu Su was greatly alarmed and almost rushed forward to block Gu Rubing's path, his voice becoming somewhat shrill with anxiety.

"My lord, you must not go to Liangzhou in person! This is the worst possible course of action!"

Gu Rubing frowned.

"Zijing, why do you say such a thing? The trouble in Liangzhou is imminent; how can I sit idly by?"

Lu Su quickly cupped his hands in greeting and began his analysis in a rapid-fire manner.

"My lord! Please think this through calmly! First, the war in Yizhou is not yet over, and Cao Cao is eyeing us covetously. If you leave now, the morale of the army will inevitably waver. If Cao Cao takes the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, Xindu will be in danger, and the war situation in Yizhou may collapse overnight!"
First, the situation in Liangzhou is unclear; the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. How long has Penglai been operating there? Besides this cavalry force, are there more ambushes? If you go there rashly, it will be tantamount to walking into a trap!

Most importantly, you are the commander of the three armies, a person of inestimable worth. How can you lightly venture into dangerous territory? What would we do if something were to happen to you?
To whom will this great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty be entrusted?!

Lu Su's advice was like a wake-up call, quickly calming Gu Rubing's feverish mind.

He sat back down in his chair, rubbing his brow with his fingers, forcing himself to examine the crisis in Liangzhou from a more rational and holistic perspective.

Seeing this, Lu Su knew that his words had worked, and quickly pressed on, offering further analysis.

"My lord, please think it over carefully."

The current situation in Liangzhou is like a murky pool, its depths unpredictable.

The people of Penglai are hiding in the shadows; we know very little about their specific strength, strongholds, or even their true intentions. This is the enemy's darkness and our light, which is our greatest disadvantage.

He paused and continued.

Fortunately, General Zilong and his hundred elite crossbowmen were also hiding in the shadows.

Like fish diving into deep water, they are using their superb reconnaissance and stealth skills to gradually dispel the fog and get closer to the truth.

This is our biggest advantage right now!

Gu Rubing nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the vast area of ​​Liangzhou on the map, as if he could see through the paper and witness Zhao Yun and the others struggling through the sandstorm.

Lu Su's voice grew increasingly earnest.

"My lord, if you go to Liangzhou now, you will be too conspicuous! With Penglai's abilities, they will surely detect your whereabouts immediately."

At that time, they only need to follow the clues to find the source, and the slight advantage that General Zilong and his men have painstakingly built up in the dark will vanish instantly, and they may even be exposed and fall into an extremely dangerous situation!

As for yourself, in Liangzhou, a place where you are unfamiliar with people and people, facing Penglai, which is lurking in the shadows and uses treacherous methods, wouldn't you be trapping yourself in a den of dragons and tigers?
This will not only fail to solve the problem, but will also cause us to completely lose our sight and hearing, and may even cost you your precious health and General Zilong's elite troops! This is an act that will cause pain to our loved ones and joy to our enemies!

Gu Rubing remained silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table.

He was well aware of Lu Su's concerns. Lu Su's advice to him was partly for his safety, but the deeper reason was that he did not want him to clash with Penglai too early and without adequate preparation.

But at this moment, he was thinking about more than just his personal safety.

“What Zijing said is indeed reasonable.”

Gu Rubing spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of clarity after exhaustion.

"I was indeed a bit too hasty just now. Upon reflection, my trip to Liangzhou at this moment would do more harm than good in terms of the overall situation. My understanding of the situation in Liangzhou is far inferior to that of Zilong. What can I do there besides see that land with my own eyes? I would simply have to start gathering intelligence from scratch."

As for intelligence gathering skills, how could I possibly match the expertise of Zilong and his crossbow captains?

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the deep night, as if he were talking to himself.

"Since I can't help them in any substantial way even if I go, and it will only expose Zilong and the others' whereabouts and add unnecessary trouble and danger to them, why should I become such a burden?"

Right now, the best course of action is to trust Zilong's abilities and patiently wait for him to send back more detailed and crucial intelligence.

With this in mind, Gu Rubing finally made a decision.

He turned around and said to Lu Su.

"As Zijing suggests, Zilong will be in charge of investigating the matter in Liangzhou for the time being. As for Yizhou, we need to strengthen our defenses, and at the same time, expedite the procurement of supplies and the training of new recruits in preparation for any eventuality."

Once we have concrete information from Zilong's side, we can discuss the next steps.

"My lord is wise!"

When Lu Su saw that Gu Rubing had adopted his suggestion, he felt a great weight lifted from his heart and let out a long sigh of relief.

Just as Gu Rubing was anxiously weighing the situation in Liangzhou, thousands of miles away in Constantinople, the capital of the Anluo Empire, King Sun Jian of Wu was also deep in thought about the secret letter that had just been delivered from Zhou Yu.

The messenger, weary from his journey, presented the sealed bamboo tube. Sun Jian unsealed it, took out the silk letter, and saw Zhou Yu's familiar handwriting.

In the letter, Zhou Yu briefly reported on the stalemate between the front lines in Yizhou and Cao Cao, but devoted more space, in an extremely solemn tone, to describing Gu Rubing's extraordinary concern for the unusual movements in Liangzhou, and his secret dispatch of the most elite crossbowmen to infiltrate Liangzhou.

In his letter, Zhou Yu repeatedly emphasized that "a major upheaval may occur in Liangzhou" and that "the ambitions of Penglai may be far-reaching." He strongly advised Sun Jian to immediately send more troops to the border region between the Anluo Empire and Liangzhou to strengthen defenses and "prepare for unforeseen changes."

After putting down the secret letter, Sun Jian leaned back in the wide chair covered with soft animal hides, his fingers lightly tapping the gilded armrests, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He didn't actually have much firsthand experience of the current state of chaos in Liangzhou or how powerful those mysterious cavalrymen really were.

After all, separated by thousands of miles, as long as Penglai didn't formally demand that he fulfill the contract and send troops, the matter of Liangzhou was, in his view, still someone else's troubles, and had little to do with his Anluo Empire. (End of Chapter)