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

Urged repeatedly by Gu Rubing and signaled by Hua Tuo, the five people finally managed to stand up, but their faces still showed remorse.

Gu Rubing carefully examined them. Although they were all injured and looked unwell, their spirits were still good, their fighting spirit remained, and he felt reassured.

He offered them words of comfort and encouragement, praising their bravery and achievements in the final battle, especially their loyalty in protecting their lord at the last moment, which deeply moved the five men and brought tears to their eyes.

"Alright, your injuries also require rest. Go back and get some rest, and don't disturb our lord here."

Hua Tuo spoke up at the right moment and persuaded the five people who wanted to stay a little longer to leave.

Watching the five men's departing figures, Gu Rubing felt a surge of pride. Although the battle had been perilous, leaving him severely injured and his brothers wounded, the core team remained intact, and his most precious assets—these brothers who had shared life and death with him and the top talents—were still alive!

The opponents were those self-proclaimed "immortals" from Penglai, with their unpredictable methods. To be caught off guard by their surprise attack and still manage to escape unscathed with the help of Zhuge Liang, in a sense, was already a victory! After all, only by surviving can one have a future.

A slight sense of relief and smugness, as if he had survived a disaster, even welled up inside him.

However, this faint joy was quickly shattered by the news that followed from Zhuge Liang.

Just as Gu Rubing was regaining his spirits and pondering how to rest and recuperate in Dunhuang and plan a comeback, Zhuge Liang, who had been sitting beside him with his eyes closed, seemingly gathering his strength, slowly opened his eyes.

His face was still pale, but his eyes had become unusually serious, even carrying a hint of heaviness.

"Lord."

Zhuge Liang's voice was very soft, yet it was like a piece of ice thrown into Gu Rubing's heart lake.

There is something I must report.

Gu Rubing felt a chill run down his spine and collected his thoughts.

"Kongming, please speak."

"The intelligence that Liang obtained on his way to Dunhuang and through special channels after his arrival shows..."

Zhuge Liang spoke slowly, word by word, as if each word weighed a ton.

"We... or rather, the news that you, my lord, and Yun Chang are seriously injured... has probably already been leaked. Moreover, the leak has spread widely and at an extremely fast pace."

"what?!"

Gu Rubing was startled.

"Who is it? Cao Cao? Or Penglai?"

"Penglai is the most likely candidate."

Zhuge Liang analyzed it.

"They remained hidden behind the scenes, watching us and Cao Cao weaken each other before finally revealing themselves to profit from the chaos. Having failed, they spread the news of our greatly diminished strength, disrupting the political landscape and creating further turmoil—a pattern consistent with their usual tactics."

Cao Cao might have secretly fueled the flames, but such rapid dissemination across all directions could only have been achieved through mysterious channels like Penglai.

He paused, then continued with even worse news.

"Now, the war in Liangzhou outside the territory has dragged on for too long, and our main force and elite troops have suffered heavy losses. Most importantly, the five legendary generals who shook the world, Yunchang, Yide, Zilong, Mengqi, and Hansheng, have managed to save their lives and preserve their foundations."

However, according to Doctor Hua's diagnosis, their internal injuries were extremely severe, especially the damage to their meridians and internal organs, coupled with the hidden injuries left by burning their vital energy. In the short term... they would probably be unable to exert even the strength of an ordinary first-rate martial artist, let alone fight in battle.

Zhuge Liang looked at Gu Rubing, his eyes filled with worry.

"In short, apart from the legendary generals' resilience, their actual combat strength is now less than one-tenth of what it used to be. As for Liang himself, the backlash from divination and his own exhaustion have left him in an extremely weak state, making him completely unable to support large-scale military formation planning or implement powerful strategies."

Gu Rubing's heart sank to the bottom little by little as Zhuge Liang spoke.

He had only thought that the core team was still intact, but he had overlooked their true combat strength at this moment! All five generals were temporarily "incapacitated," and the chief strategist was almost "paralyzed." This was practically removing the sharpest spear and the strongest shield from Gu Rubing's forces!

"Now, in Yizhou, Jingzhou and other places, the only ones who can still barely take charge and support the situation are generals such as Pang De, Zhang Liao, and Deng Ai, as well as some mid-level generals who remain in charge."

Zhuge Liang's voice was tinged with helplessness.

"Their abilities are beyond question, but their prestige, seniority, and personal martial prowess ultimately cannot compare to those of Guan Yu and his men. And our enemies..."

He paused, his tone becoming heavier.

"Cao Cao has suffered a new defeat and lost his evil arts workshop, but his main force is still intact. Knowing that we are weak, how could he let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for revenge and expansion? Liu Zhang of Yizhou, although weak, has capable men under his command. Seeing that our main force is trapped in Liangzhou and has been greatly weakened, it is hard to guarantee that he will not have ulterior motives or secretly collude with Cao Cao.

Although Sun Jian of Jiangdong was defeated by Guan Yu on the eastern border, his expansionist ambitions have never waned, and he may now take advantage of the situation to plunder!

"That's not all."

Zhuge Liang took a deep breath and revealed the news that shocked Gu Rubing the most.

"According to the latest urgent report from the border of Youzhou, the Xianbei, Wuhuan, Fuyu and other tribes outside the Great Wall, which have been quiet for a long time, have recently been making frequent movements and seem to be on the verge of reunifying!"

Furthermore… there are indications that the remnants of these forces previously defeated by our lord are being reorganized, their sights set on Youzhou! Clearly, they also intend to take advantage of our lord's inability to attend to the north, to launch a counterattack, plunder, and even seize Youzhou!

Listening to Zhuge Liang's reports of bad news one by one, and looking at the map in front of him, where his own territory was faintly surrounded by arrows from various forces and seemed to be torn apart at any moment, Gu Rubing felt an indescribable weariness and helplessness welling up in his heart, which even temporarily overshadowed the pain in his shoulder wound.

He leaned against the soft pillows, his fingers unconsciously stroking the corner of the blanket, but his eyes remained sharply fixed on the map.

This expedition to Liangzhou was originally intended to leverage the momentum of consecutive victories and the prowess of unparalleled generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Even if a swift victory against Cao Cao could not be achieved, it was believed that Cao Cao's territory could be gradually compressed, eventually driving him out of Liangzhou and reinforcing the northwest defense line.

Who would have thought that the situation would escalate to this point? Penglai's sudden intervention and Tong Fei's terrifying strength, which far exceeded expectations, directly led to the near annihilation of their core fighting force, and they themselves almost lost their lives on the spot.

"I intended to achieve my goal in one fell swoop, but I almost became someone else's meal."

Gu Rubing gave a bitter laugh, his voice hoarse.

"The current situation is truly... besieged on all sides."

Zhuge Liang nodded silently, without replying.

He knew that his lord needed time to digest and think.

Gu Rubing's gaze slowly moved across the map, from Dunhuang in Liangzhou, to northern Yizhou, then to Jingzhou and Jiaozhou, finally sweeping across the northern border of Youzhou. The enemy's and our own forces, the balance of power, the status of generals, logistical pressures… countless pieces of information collided and combined rapidly in his mind.

Contract. It must contract!
Spreading the war too thin while lacking sufficient resources will only allow the enemy to pick it off one by one, ultimately leading to a complete collapse. A painful but necessary sacrifice, though painful, will preserve the core strength.

After a long silence, Gu Rubing slowly spoke, his voice weak but carrying an undeniable determination.

"Pass on the order." "In Yizhou, abandon all the counties and prefectures captured during the previous Northern Expedition, including northern Hanzhong and most of Wudu Prefecture."

He ordered Deng Ai to lead 50,000 troops to retreat and defend Nan Commandery, relying on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River and the fortified city walls to establish a defensive line. He also ordered Zhong Hui to lead 30,000 troops to retreat and defend Nanyang Commandery, guarding the northern gate of Jingzhou and supporting Deng Ai.

He paused, then explained.

"Even Cao Cao would need a considerable amount of time to fully digest and establish effective rule after giving up so much territory at once. Moreover, his military strength is not inexhaustible. Once he occupies these new territories, it will be difficult for him to spare enough forces to move south and threaten the heartland of Jingzhou in a short period of time."

We traded space for time, thus avoiding a pointless war of attrition with Cao Cao in northern Yizhou.

A hint of approval flashed in Zhuge Liang's eyes; his lord's judgment coincided with his own thoughts.

"Jiaozhou side."

Gu Rubing continued.

"Abandon the outlying counties of Cangwu and Yulin, and consolidate our forces. Order Taishi Ci to lead 50,000 troops to garrison Lingling County. Order Zhang He and Zhang Ren to lead 50,000 troops to garrison Guiyang County."

The two counties are adjacent, and the garrisons form a strategic defensive position, allowing for rapid support from the other in case of an emergency in one, which is sufficient to deal with threats from the direction of Jiaozhou.

"At the same time, Zang Ba was ordered to lead 50,000 elite troops from Mount Tai to garrison Wuling County. This place connects Jingzhou and Jiaozhou and is of great strategic importance. Zang Ba's troops serve as a strategic reserve, ready to support Lingling and Guiyang to the south or east, or to support Nanjun and Nanyang to the north."

"As for the commanders of the two major camps in Jingzhou and Jiaozhou..."

Gu Rubing pondered for a moment.

“Zhang Liao is steady and reliable, and can be assigned to the Jingzhou camp to oversee military affairs in the Nanjun, Nanyang, and Wuling areas. Pang De is brave and skilled in battle and familiar with the southern terrain, and can be assigned to the Jiaozhou camp to garrison Lingling and Guiyang.”

With the generals' deployment largely finalized, Gu Rubing breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then his brows furrowed again.

He looked at Zhuge Liang.

"That's the situation for the military generals for now. But the civil officials... Zijing needs to be stationed at the Jingzhou camp to handle all kinds of affairs, including civil administration, logistics, and diplomacy, so he can't be in two places at once."

The Jiaozhou camp, with its 100,000-strong army, requires a capable and respected civil official to oversee its logistics, local governance, and military strategy. "Kongming, you need to rest. The rest of you…"

His gaze swept over the names in his mind: Ju Shou, Tian Yu, Chen Deng... Each had their own responsibilities, either guarding the local area or handling the central government. For a moment, he couldn't find a suitable and completely trustworthy candidate to lead the 100,000-strong army in Jiaozhou and the several counties in the rear.

He then realized with a start that with the rapid expansion of his territory and the collective serious injury of his core generals, he was finding himself short of civil officials, especially high-ranking ones who could stand alone!

Seeing the embarrassment and contemplation on Gu Rubing's face, Zhuge Liang, who had been listening quietly, revealed a faint smile on his pale face. He coughed lightly, attracting Gu Rubing's attention.

"Is our lord making things difficult for the selection of a military advisor for the Jiaozhou camp?"

Although Zhuge Liang's voice was weak, it carried a hint of understanding.

Gu Rubing nodded helplessly.

“Indeed. It’s hard to find someone who can be trusted and is capable of taking on this important task. We can’t let Zijing take care of both places at the same time, that would wear him down.”

Zhuge Liang said slowly.

"Liang does have someone recommended who might be able to solve this urgent problem."

"Oh? Who is it?"

Gu Rubing's spirits lifted.

"Jiang Wei, Jiang Boyue."

Zhuge Liang uttered this name.

"Jiang Wei?"

Gu Rubing was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized. Yes, how could he have forgotten him! That intelligent and courageous young talent who had given him crucial help at a critical moment. But then, a look of hesitation appeared on Gu Rubing's face.

“I am well aware of Boyue’s talent. However… he promised to help me three times to repay a past favor. Before the Liangzhou battle, he helped me stabilize Yizhou, which counts as one instance; before that, he allocated supplies and offered advice, which also counts as two instances.”

The three agreements have expired, and he is now a free man with no obligation to serve me again. Furthermore, the affairs of Jiaozhou are of paramount importance, concerning the safety of 100,000 soldiers and the livelihoods of several prefectures. I wonder if he will still honor his promise…”

Zhuge Liang gently shook his head, interrupting Gu Rubing's concerns.

"My lord, you are overthinking it. Boyue is a man of great loyalty and ambition, not one to be bound by mere agreements. Since he chose to assist you, it means he agrees with your will. Now that you and the other generals are seriously injured and the situation is perilous, it is precisely the time when we need capable men. I believe that Boyue will not stand idly by."

Moreover, although the situation in Jiaozhou is complex, it is also an excellent stage for him to showcase his talents and establish merit. My lord only needs to treat him with sincerity, write him a letter personally explaining the advantages and disadvantages, entrust him with important responsibilities, and give him full trust and authority. I believe that Boyue will gladly come.”

Seeing Zhuge Liang's resolute gaze, Gu Rubing's doubts gradually dissipated.

He knew that Zhuge Liang was extremely accurate in judging people, so since he said so, he must be confident.

"Alright! We'll do as Kongming says."

Gu Rubing said decisively.

"I will immediately write a letter and send it to Boyue by fast horse. The position of military advisor in Jiaozhou will remain vacant!"

As Gu Rubing's orders were swiftly issued through encrypted channels, a large number of Gu Rubing's troops deployed in Liangzhou, northern Yizhou, and the outskirts of Jiaozhou began to execute the withdrawal plan in an orderly manner.

They burned bulky supplies that they couldn't take with them, destroyed key roads and bridges, implemented a scorched-earth policy, and then moved at top speed toward a few designated core counties.

Such a large-scale, almost "retreat-like" proactive contraction could not be completely hidden from the eyes and ears of all parties.

In particular, those counties that were "abandoned" quickly created a power vacuum.

The first to receive definite news and react was naturally Cao Cao, who was nearby.

Inside the central command tent of Cao Cao's army camp in Liangzhou, Cao Cao's face was terribly grim after listening to the report on the cleanup and damage statistics of the ruins of the sorcery workshop. Although they had repelled Gu Rubing's surprise attack and preserved most of their main force, the "Purification Workshop," which they had painstakingly built, had been destroyed.

The Penglai technicians and resources that he had painstakingly recruited and improved suffered heavy losses. More importantly, the "side effects" brought about by the power originating from evil magic seemed to be backfiring due to the destruction of the workshop, making him uneasy in recent days, and the backlash from the demonic sword became more and more obvious.

Just then, a scout brought intelligence that Gu Rubing's army had retreated on a large scale and abandoned large tracts of land.

"Gu Rubing...seriously injured? Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and other bandit generals have all suffered heavy blows and are completely weakened?"

Cao Cao's narrow eyes flashed with a cold light as he lightly tapped his fingers on the table. (End of Chapter)