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

But only they and Hua Tuo knew that they were still far from truly restoring their peak combat strength. There were still hidden injuries in their meridians that had not yet healed, and the shock to their internal organs would require a longer time to calm down. In particular, the deficit left by burning their vital energy could not be made up for in a short period of time.

Hua Tuo bluntly stated that their current strength had only recovered to about half of their peak, and they absolutely could not engage in prolonged, high-intensity battles, otherwise their old injuries would relapse, with unimaginable consequences.

Zhuge Liang was in a similar situation. He was severely weakened and his vital energy was depleted. Although he had a month of rest and recuperation, his face had regained some color.

No longer as pale as a ghost, but still mentally exhausted, he suffers from splitting headaches if he thinks too much, making it impossible for him to conduct complex strategic deductions or employ profound tactics.

Seeing that everyone's condition had improved but was far from fully recovered, Gu Rubing knew that he could no longer stay in Liangzhou. Liangzhou was newly pacified, and the people were impoverished; it was not a place to stay for long.

More importantly, the northern frontier is in dire straits, and the situation in Youzhou is in ruins. It is one of his bases and an important barrier against the barbarians. It must not be lost!

"Pass the order."

Gu Rubing struggled to sit up straight, his eyes resolute.

“Leave 30,000 troops under the command of Ma Dai and Han Sui to assist the newly appointed governor of Liangzhou in stabilizing the region and guarding against Cao Cao’s attack from Liangzhou.”

The rest of the able-bodied soldiers, follow me... immediately break camp and return east to Youzhou!

"My lord, your wounds..."

Hua Tuo hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

"It's alright, you can recover slowly on the way."

Gu Rubing waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the others.

"Yun Chang, Yi De, Zi Long, Han Sheng, and Kong Ming, you will all travel with me. You can continue to rest and recuperate on the way. Meng Qi."

He looked at Ma Chao.

"You are familiar with Xiliang and your injuries are relatively minor, so why don't you stay and assist Ma Dai in guarding Liangzhou?"

Ma Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Your subordinate obeys! I will ensure the safety of Liangzhou!"

The decision had been made, and no one could change it. Soon, in Dunhuang, an army, though much smaller than when they arrived, still stood in neat formation. Gu Rubing was placed in a specially made carriage with thick, soft cushions and good shock absorption, while Guan Yu and the others also accompanied him in carriages or on horseback.

The setting sun, like blood, reflected the mottled bloodstains and traces of smoke and fire on the walls of Yangle County.

When Chen Dao led his personal guards, weary from their journey, into the crumbling city, the last few tattered "Gu" banners on the battlements were fluttering in the howling north wind, as if they might break at any moment.

The city wall showed obvious damage in many places, and the soldiers looked tired and panicked. They also had very few arrows, logs and stones left.

If Chen Dao's fresh troops had not arrived in time and used the elite White Feather Soldiers as the spearhead, a counter-charge would have temporarily repelled the Xiongnu vanguard who were climbing the ladders, and this last important town in Liaoxi Commandery would probably have already changed hands.

General Chen! You've finally arrived!

The captain who stayed behind scrambled down the city wall, his face streaked with tears and ashes.

"Brothers...brothers, we can't hold on much longer! The barbarian cavalry are everywhere, harassing and attacking us day and night. We...we're running out of arrows!"

Chen Dao did not reply immediately. He quickly climbed to the top, held onto the parapet, and looked out.

Outside the city, campfires flickered endlessly across the plains. The rough shouts and curses of the Xiongnu, along with the neighing of warhorses, drifted on the night wind, interspersed with the pitiful screams of captured Han civilians. Clearly, the Xiongnu were deliberately torturing prisoners to intimidate the city's garrison.

Further away, some rudimentary siege equipment was being assembled. Although crude, it still posed a significant threat to the already battered Yangle city walls.

How many men do we have left? How much food and weaponry do we have?

Chen Dao withdrew his gaze, his voice calm, which calmed the flustered captain slightly.

The captain swallowed hard and gave a difficult report.

"We have fewer than four thousand soldiers capable of fighting, several hundred of whom are wounded. We have less than ten thousand arrows, and we have almost run out of logs and stones. As for food... if we eat sparingly, we can probably last for another ten days."

Chen Dao's brows furrowed deeply. Four thousand exhausted soldiers, facing at least tens of thousands of ferocious Xiongnu allied forces outside the city, were barely able to defend the city, let alone launch a counterattack. Liaoxi Commandery was a vital strategic location, like a wedge wedged between Liaodong and the heart of Youzhou.

Once this region falls completely under the control of the barbarians, the three commanderies of Liaodong will be isolated beyond the Great Wall, cut off from all communication. The barbarian cavalry will then be able to secure a stable rear by relying on these four commanderies, allowing them to raid You and Ji even more rampantly. His lord has entrusted him with such a heavy responsibility; he, Chen Dao, absolutely cannot become a sinner who loses our land!

"From this moment forward, I will take over the city's security."

Chen Dao gave the order decisively.

"Take an inventory of all stockpiles; every arrow and every stone must be recorded. Organize all the artisans in the city to work through the night to make defensive weapons. If there aren't enough arrowheads, melt down ironware from the populace! If there aren't enough logs, dismantle unimportant house beams and pillars!"

As orders were relayed down, the thousand-plus White Feather Soldiers brought by Chen Dao quickly took over key defenses, and the chaotic scene on the city walls was brought to a standstill.

However, the heaviness in Chen Dao's heart did not lessen.

He knew that with less than five thousand soldiers, it would be extremely difficult to hold out for long.

In the following days, the Xiongnu did not launch a general offensive, but instead adopted more irritating and terrifying tactics.

They split into several teams, galloping and roaring outside the city day and night, sometimes launching burning grass balls and stones with rudimentary catapults, and sometimes sending small cavalry squads to the edge of crossbow range, shouting insults in broken Chinese and constantly repeating the same threat.

"Listen up, you Han dogs in the city! If you resist any longer, when my army breaks through the city, we will slaughter every last one of you, leaving no one alive! We will use your blood to pay homage to our battle flag!"

The threat of a massacre lurked like a cold, venomous snake, coiling in the hearts of every soldier and civilian. Panic began to spread throughout the city, with some cowards even whispering among themselves whether surrendering would offer a sliver of hope. Chen Dao keenly sensed this dangerous trend.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die; we must get everyone on the ship of defending the city!"

Chen Dao summoned the few remaining officers under his command, his voice resounding.

"The barbarians are ruthless, and they always keep their word. Surrender? Just look at what happened to the people they captured! Only by fighting to the death can we have a chance of survival!"

He decided to mobilize the people.

"Issue the order! Post notices throughout the city. Any able-bodied man willing to go to the city walls to help defend them will be provided with daily rations. Those who achieve merit in battle will be rewarded separately! The barbarians intend to slaughter us all. Defending the city is defending our homes, and defending our homes is defending our parents, wives, and children!" Initially, few responded. The long period of war and the fearsome reputation of the barbarian cavalry had instilled fear in the people. Chen Dao was not discouraged. He personally led his personal guards, going from street to street, explaining the dangers in the most straightforward language.

"Fellow villager, do you think you can survive if you hide at home and the city falls? The Huns' swords don't care if you're a soldier or not!"

At a street corner where many refugees had gathered, Chen Dao stood on a stone and pointed out the direction of the city.

"Did you hear what they were shouting? 'Leave no one alive!' You think they'll show mercy if you surrender? Wrong! When they're short of food, prisoners are treated like 'two-legged sheep'!"

These words were cruel yet true, and many people lost all color in their faces.

Some refugees who had fled from the captured county towns couldn't help but sob, having witnessed the atrocities committed by the Hu cavalry.

"I, Chen Dao, am ordered to defend this city. As long as the city stands, I will stand with it!"

Chen Dao drew his sword and planted it heavily in the ground.

"But I need help! I need every man who doesn't want to be slaughtered! Grab anything you can find—kitchen knives, sticks, bricks—and come with me to the city wall! Not for fame or fortune, but so that your wives and children can have a bowl of hot porridge tomorrow morning!"

Perhaps it was Chen Dao's sincerity, or perhaps it was the fear of the imminent threat of massacre, that finally overwhelmed their hesitation. Gradually, some people stepped forward. First, a few scattered individuals, then a dozen, then dozens... In the end, Chen Dao successfully recruited nearly two thousand able-bodied young people.

They might not understand battle formations, but when defending a city, throwing stones, pouring oil, and carrying the wounded were always useful. The defensive strength within the city was finally strengthened, and morale also improved slightly.

However, before Chen Dao could even catch his breath, a more fundamental and fatal problem surfaced like an iceberg – provisions.

Youzhou was already a barren land with limited resources. Previously, due to the intense war in the Central Plains, the main grain and supplies were prioritized for the front lines in Liangzhou and the main camps in Jingzhou and Jiaozhou, leaving Youzhou's local reserves already stretched thin.

As a border military town, Yangle County had some grain reserves, but after days of defending the city, the reserves were depleted, and the nearly two thousand newly recruited militiamen consumed a large amount of rations every day, causing the reserves to decline at an alarming rate.

The military officer in charge of provisions reported to Chen Dao with a mournful face.

"General, at the current rate of consumption, our food reserves... will only last for seven days at most. This is even with drastic reductions in the rations of the garrison."

"Seven days..."

Chen Dao felt a wave of dizziness. Without food, even the highest morale would collapse instantly.

If those militiamen who have just been roused can't even fill their stomachs, who will be willing to fight for you and defend the city? Mutiny, or even surrender, could happen in an instant.

"What about the wealthy and powerful families in the city? Don't they have surplus grain in their granaries?"

Chen asked, clinging to his last glimmer of hope.

The military officer looked troubled.

“General, I have already sent people to probe. Those wealthy and powerful families all say that their grain reserves are only enough to feed their clansmen and they have no ability to support the army. They even... refuse to show their faces.”

Chen Dao's face instantly darkened, and a surge of anger rushed to his head.

He slammed his fist on the table, making the teacup jump.

"Craftsmen won't starve in famine years, but these parasites will thrive in chaos! Who am I defending the city for? If the city falls, will the Xiongnu's swords spare us just because we're surnamed Gongsun or Tian? That's utterly short-sighted and incredibly foolish!"

He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. Getting angry wouldn't solve the problem. In Yangle County, and even the entire Liaoxi Prefecture, the two most powerful and deeply entrenched families were the Gongsun family and the Tian family.

The Gongsun family was originally a powerful local clan in Youzhou, which rose to its peak because of Gongsun Zan. After Gongsun Zan's defeat and death, the family's power was suppressed and purged by Gu Rubing, and it was no longer as illustrious as it once was. However, it still had deep roots in its ancestral homeland of Liaoxi. As the saying goes, "even a lean camel is bigger than a horse", and its latent power should not be underestimated.

The Tian family is another long-established family in Youzhou with a long history. Their disciples and former officials are spread throughout the prefectures and counties. They have been operating in Liaoxi for many years, fighting openly and covertly with the Gongsun family, while jointly controlling many vital local resources.

These two companies controlled most of the key resources, such as grain and cloth, in western Liaoning.

"It seems that trying to reason with them won't work."

A cold glint flashed in Chen Dao's eyes.

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed. For the sake of the soldiers and civilians in this city, and to prevent Liaoxi from falling into the hands of the barbarians, we may have to be an unwelcome guest."

He immediately gave the order.

"Gather a hundred White Feather Soldiers and follow me out of the mansion. First, we'll go and 'pay a visit' to the head of the Tian family, who claims to be ill but still controls the rice market in western Liaoning!"

Chen Dao, still in his armor and reeking of battlefield smoke, led a hundred menacing White Feather elite soldiers through the somewhat desolate and quiet streets, arriving directly at the magnificent vermilion gates of the Tian residence. The high walls, deep courtyards, and imposing gate towers stood in stark contrast to the raging war outside the city and the panic within.

The gatekeepers, seeing this fully armed army, turned pale with fright and hurriedly tried to go in and announce their arrival. Chen Dao, however, stepped forward, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and spoke in a low voice, yet with an undeniable air of authority.

"No need for announcements. Chen Dao, the Liaoxi Yamen General and Commander of the White Feather Army, has urgent military business and needs to see Lord Tian. Open the gate!"

The servants dared not stop him and tremblingly opened the side gate. Chen Dao left most of his troops to guard outside the gate, and with only ten personal guards, he walked in with his head held high. The inner courtyard of the Tian mansion was deep and secluded, with winding paths and elegantly arranged rockeries and streams, showing no sign of the urgency of the battle outside the city.

Upon receiving the news, the Tian family steward hurriedly came out to greet them, forcing a smile.

"General Chen, your presence is an honor! I am so sorry for not greeting you sooner! However... my master has recently caught a cold and is bedridden, making it truly inconvenient for him to receive guests. If you have any important matters to discuss, please inform me, and I will certainly..."

"Caught a cold?"

Chen Dao interrupted him, a smile playing on his lips.

"Tian Gong's illness has come at just the right time. The military situation is critical, concerning the life and death of the entire city. Even if he has caught a cold, or is truly unable to get up, I will carry him to the city wall to see just how sharp the Xiongnu's swords are!"

He ignored the butler and strode towards the inner courtyard's living room. The butler and the guards from the Tian family, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, wanted to stop him but dared not, and could only follow him closely, creating an awkward scene.

Upon arriving at the lavishly decorated main hall, Chen Dao unceremoniously took a seat below the head of the table and addressed the butler who had followed him in.

"Go and tell Lord Tian that I am waiting here. If I do not see Lord Tian within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, I will have no choice but to ask Lord Tian to go to the military camp for 'quiet recuperation' on the grounds of 'delaying military operations and suspected of colluding with the enemy'!"

The atmosphere in the main hall of the Tian residence plummeted to freezing point with Chen Dao's undisguised threat. After the steward scrambled out, only Chen Dao and ten White Feather Guards remained standing in the hall, along with the faint sound of wind or the distant clamor of barbarian cavalry outside the city.

About half an incense stick later, a series of slightly hurried yet deliberately steady footsteps came from the back room. (End of this chapter)