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

Everyone's eyes were bloodshot, and only one thought remained in their minds—follow our lord, charge forward! Block the breach! Drive Cao Cao's army out!
The soldiers on the right wing, who were struggling and almost in despair, suddenly saw dust rising behind them and the sound of battle shouts filling the air. Then, that familiar banner with the character "Gu" appeared at the very front line, in the most dangerous place!
Beneath the banner stood their still-wounded lord, Gu Rubing, wielding a long spear and leading the charge!
"The Lord is here!"

"It's our lord! Our lord hasn't abandoned us!"

"Brothers! Our lord lives and dies with us! Kill them all!!!"

Ecstasy, shock, and a completely ignited sense of honor and a will to fight to the death exploded in the hearts of the remaining Gu soldiers on the right flank like the fiercest flames! The battle line, which had been retreating and was on the verge of collapse, was miraculously stopped in its tracks by this sudden surge of spiritual strength!

Many exhausted soldiers seemed to have been given new strength out of nowhere. They roared, raised their spears, and brandished their swords, launching a fierce counterattack against the advancing Cao army! The battle line not only stabilized, but in some local areas, it even began to slowly advance in the opposite direction!
Gu Rubing charged into the chaotic battle, ignoring the open wound in his ribs and the blood that had soaked half of his armor, and swung his spear with all his might.

His martial arts skills may not be as unparalleled as those of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, but he is still a veteran who has fought his way through countless battles and emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. His spear technique is steady, ruthless, and emphasizes efficiency.

With each thrust of his spear, he felled two of Cao soldiers who had just charged into the formation and were slashing with their swords! The spear tip grazed the throat of a third Cao soldier, leaving a trail of blood.

"Protect the lord!"

The captain of the personal guard, his eyes bloodshot, led dozens of his most elite guards, forming a moving iron wall that fiercely protected Gu Rubing.

They used their shields to block attacks from all directions, and their bodies to shield Gu Rubing from arrows and sneak attacks. People kept falling, but others immediately took their place, always protecting Gu Rubing in the middle.

This sudden, desperate counterattack, personally led by Gu Rubing, was like a new wall of flesh and will suddenly being built behind a collapsing dam! It caught Cao Cao's army, which was widening the breach and thought victory was in its grasp, completely off guard!
They hadn't expected that the enemy, already showing signs of defeat and with their lines constantly retreating, could still unleash such a powerful and desperate counterattack! Even more unexpected was that the one leading the counterattack was none other than the opposing commander himself! Gu Rubing, whom the intelligence indicated was critically injured and stationed at the rear!
In a narrow encounter, the brave prevail! Inspired by Gu Rubing's leading by example, the soldiers of Gu's army on the right flank unleashed astonishing fighting power, managing to push back the elite Cao army squad that had broken through the gap, and even forcing the Cao army at the edge of the gap to retreat more than ten steps!

The focus of the battlefield instantly shifted from the vast front lines to this small but crucial gap on the right flank, a gap that determined the fate of the entire operation! This place became the ultimate arena for the contest of will and courage!

Cao Jun's generals also realized the seriousness of the situation. If they could kill or defeat Gu Rubing here, their right flank would be completely open, and victory would be within their grasp! They roared and mobilized more troops, especially commanding the heavy infantry and fierce soldiers with strong breakthrough capabilities.

They launched an even more frenzied and concentrated assault on Gu Rubing's location! Arrows rained down on that area like a deluge, attempting to suppress and annihilate this suddenly appearing core force.

Cao Cao stood atop his central chariot, the demonic sword shrouded in ominous black energy resting on the ground beneath his hand. His slender eyes, like those of a cold hawk, pierced through the smoke and chaos of the battlefield, locking onto the focal point on the right flank where astonishing fighting power had suddenly erupted.

He saw Gu Rubing's tall, tattered banner appear in the very front line of the death zone. He saw Gu's soldiers, who had already shown signs of defeat and whose lines were constantly retreating, suddenly steadied themselves and even began to fight back, as if injected with a frenzied power.

They also saw that their elite commando team, which they had deployed, was actually pushed back by the terrifying momentum generated by the desperate charge launched by Gu Rubing, who was personally led by him as the commander-in-chief, and their attempt to widen the gap was thwarted.

Cao Cao's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Gu Rubing's desperate actions were indeed beyond his expectations.

He had thought that, with the destruction of the sorcery workshop, the successive fierce attacks, and the right wing on the verge of collapse, Gu Rubing, even if he was not seriously injured, should be at his last gasp and be trapped in a state of distress.

Unexpectedly, this man possessed such courage that, despite being severely wounded, he braved arrows and stones to perform this near-suicidal act of self-sacrifice. And the effect was remarkably significant!

This tragic and heroic spirit, ignited by the commander-in-chief leading the charge, spread like wildfire and even began to subtly spur a rebound in the entire battle line of Gu Rubing's army!

The pressure on the central army was slightly reduced due to the temporary stabilization of the right flank, and the left flank seemed to be encouraged as well, putting up a more tenacious resistance. Although they had a numerical advantage, the enemy, with their "desperate army will surely win" spirit, seemed poised to drag this decisive battle into a brutal war of attrition!
Cao Cao was quickly calculating in his mind. Although he held the initiative in today's battle, Gu Rubing's army's resilience and fighting power far exceeded his expectations.

Especially their key generals—Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, and Ma Chao—each possess unparalleled bravery and can play a near-decisive role in local battles. Although we have an overall advantage, completely defeating the enemy will inevitably require paying an extremely heavy price.

More importantly... Cao Cao's grip on the demonic sword tightened slightly, as an indescribable unease and a faint stinging sensation, seemingly emanating from the depths of his soul, quietly crept up the hilt of the sword.

This sword is incredibly powerful and possesses bizarre evil energy, but the more it is used, the more pronounced its backlash becomes.

This discomfort is intensifying, especially after unleashing the full power of his sword energy and witnessing the destruction of the Heartwork Workshop.

If the fighting continued, even if he ultimately won, he would be severely weakened and his military strength would be excessively depleted. In Liangzhou, which was coveted by all sides, this would be far from a good thing. A Pyrrhic victory, or even a Pyrrhic victory that would allow others to profit from it, was definitely not what Cao Cao wanted!
Just as Cao Cao was weighing the pros and cons and the thought of retreating was beginning to cross his mind, the battlefield situation changed again in his favor!

On the left flank, Guan Yu, who had been held back by several fierce generals of Cao Cao's army and the remnants of the Divine March Army, seemed to be completely enraged by the crisis in the central army and the right flank, especially the news that Gu Rubing was personally leading the charge!

"Big brother...!"

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly sharp killing intent, an extreme emotion that mixed worry, anxiety and boundless rage!
"You cowards, how dare you obstruct me?!"

He suddenly let out a long roar that shook the surrounding area! The originally heavy and solidified qi around him erupted like a volcano that had been suppressed for a long time! The cyan blade qi soared into the sky, and even formed a blurry cyan dragon phantom behind him!

"Azure Dragon - Raging Wave Slash!"

Guan Yu's arm muscles bulged as he poured all his life's strength into the Green Dragon Crescent Blade! The blade emitted a high-pitched dragon's roar!

He no longer held back, no longer engaged in prolonged combat, but instead unleashed a series of the most domineering and ferocious moves in his swordsmanship! The sword light transformed into a raging blue wave, sweeping towards the enemy generals and the Divine Marching Army who were besieging him!

"Clang! Splat! Crack—!"

Screams and the sound of weapons breaking rang out almost simultaneously! A Cao army lieutenant general and his horse were cleaved in two by a single stroke!

Two fearless warriors charged forward, only to be cleaved to pieces by the second and third blows that followed! Guan Yu, like a god of slaughter, carved a bloody path through the encirclement!
"Left-wing comrades, follow me—counterattack!"

Guan Yu reined in his horse and turned around, letting out a furious roar at the left flank of the Gu army that was struggling to hold on behind him. His Green Dragon Crescent Blade pointed straight at the main Cao army formation in front of him!

The soldiers on the left flank, already inspired by Guan Yu's divine might and their commander's charge, erupted in a thunderous roar upon hearing this.

"kill--!!!"

Under Guan Yu's personal command, a crack force, centered around Guan Yu's personal guards, charged like a red-hot iron at the left flank of Cao Cao's army, which was showing signs of fatigue from its prolonged siege! Almost simultaneously, Ma Chao, who had been engaging Cao Cao's light cavalry on the left flank and searching for an opportunity, also keenly seized this fleeting chance!

He saw Guan Yu unleash his power, drawing the attention of Cao Cao's left-wing troops, causing a momentary disruption and shift in their formation.

"Soldiers of Xiliang! Now is the time to make a name for yourselves! Charge with me!"

Ma Chao let out a long roar, pointed his tiger-headed golden spear forward, and no longer entangled with those annoying light cavalry. He led his two thousand most elite Xiliang iron cavalry, like the sharpest scimitar, drawing a deadly arc and crashing into the unsuspecting rear of Cao Cao's main left flank with astonishing speed!

This attack was like a thunderbolt! The Cao army on the left flank, which was adjusting its formation to deal with Guan Yu's counterattack, never expected that such a fierce and unparalleled cavalry would suddenly appear from their flank and rear.

Instantly, men and horses were thrown into chaos, and the formation was thrown into disarray! The archers and supply trains at the rear were scattered and broken, and the infantry squares at the front also became disordered and wavering!

The Cao army on the left flank was instantly caught in a pincer attack from both sides, being fiercely attacked from the front by Guan Yu and suddenly attacked from the flank and rear by Ma Chao. The situation took a sharp turn for the worse!

On the right flank, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, which had lost its momentum, was being harassed by Zhao Yun and the White Horse Cavalry, resulting in a broken formation and low morale, was finally on the verge of collapse.

After Zhao Yun once again precisely killed the captain leading the unit, this elite heavy cavalry of Cao Cao's army finally lost all organization and began to scatter and retreat. Zhao Yun did not pursue them deeply, but immediately gathered the White Horse Cavalry and began to quickly move towards the central battlefield, in the direction of Gu Rubing, intending to support his lord who was in the most critical situation.

The entire battlefield situation was subtly reversed due to Gu Rubing's reckless charge and the explosive and sharp reactions of the three top generals, Guan Yu, Ma Chao, and Zhao Yun, at the critical moment!

Although Cao Cao's army still had a numerical advantage, in some local battles, Gu Rubing's army actually began to turn the tide and even launch a counterattack! The balance of the war was no longer tilted overwhelmingly in Cao Cao's favor, but began to swing violently from side to side!

Cao Cao took all of this into account.

The hesitation in his icy eyes vanished completely, replaced by a resolute, almost ruthless, light. The decisiveness of a ruthless leader was on full display at that moment!

Should we continue fighting? We might still win in the end, but the cost would be far greater than expected, and we might even be overwhelmed by the opponent's sudden momentum, causing unpredictable losses.

More importantly, the backlash from the demonic sword was growing stronger, and continuing to unleash its power would have unpredictable consequences. Meanwhile, Gu Rubing's army was riding high on morale, with all its generals in top form; a forced, overwhelming attack would be counterproductive.

Perhaps... we should temporarily avoid direct confrontation.

Cao Cao suddenly waved his hand and coldly uttered two words to the messenger beside him.

"Sound the retreat."

"Prime Minister?"

The messenger was stunned, seemingly unable to believe his ears. It appeared the enemy was about to launch a counterattack, but their side still held an overwhelming advantage!
"Sound the retreat! Withdraw!"

Cao Cao's voice carried an undeniable authority, as well as a hint of barely perceptible fatigue and irritability.

“Ding ding ding ding——!!!”

A sharp, urgent, and extremely penetrating gong suddenly rang out from the center of Cao Cao's army, instantly drowning out all the shouts and roars on the battlefield, and clearly reaching the ears of every Cao Cao soldier!

The elite Cao army, which was frantically attacking the breach on the right flank and fighting to the death with Gu Rubing's army, showed expressions of astonishment, resentment, and even anger on their faces when they heard the order to retreat.

They were about to completely breach the defenses! But military orders are absolute, especially Cao Cao's orders, which no one dared to disobey!

"Retreat! The Prime Minister has ordered a retreat!"

"Alternate cover! Retreat!"

Despite their bewilderment, Cao Cao's generals could only roar out the order to retreat.

Like a surging tide that crashes in at high tide, and equally swift as it recedes. The black-clad Cao army, like a swarm of ants receiving a unified command, quickly broke away from Gu Rubing's army and began to retreat methodically.

The archers unleashed a final volley of arrows from the rear to provide cover, the cavalry patrolled the flanks, and the infantry squares maintained a relatively intact formation as they slowly retreated. Although they left behind a scene of carnage, mountains of corpses, and shattered weapons and banners, the retreat proceeded without major chaos.

Gu Rubing's soldiers, especially those on the right wing who had just crawled back from the brink of death and were fighting the enemy to the death, could hardly believe their eyes when they saw Cao Cao's army, which had been so fierce and seemed to want to devour them, retreat like a tide.

They were stunned for a moment, and then an indescribable, overwhelming joy and excitement, like a volcano erupting, erupted from them!
"We won?! We won?!"

"Cao's army is retreating! Cao's army is retreating!"

"Long live the lord! Long live the lord!"

"Roar--!!!"

Deafening cheers, cries, and roars instantly resounded throughout the entire battlefield! Many soldiers threw down their weapons, collapsed to the ground, and wept loudly, or embraced each other, crying tears of joy.

Many more waved their tattered flags and weapons, roaring victorious shouts at the retreating Cao army.

The cheers quickly spread from the central army and right wing to the left wing, and the entire Gu Rubing army was immersed in an unbelievable, brief joy bought with countless blood and lives.

Gu Rubing reined in his warhorse, which pawed restlessly, exhausted and excited. (End of Chapter)