The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

The Yellow Turban soldiers on the city wall trembled as they looked down at the endless military camp below.

Xiahou Yuan was somewhat bewildered as he looked at the magnificent camp before him. He only had so many men under his command, but Guo Jia had his soldiers carry tents and flagpoles around every night, changing camp locations, and also had hundreds of men move around, banging gongs and drums, creating the appearance of an army ten times larger.

"Brother Miaocai," Guo Jia appeared beside him unnoticed, "that's enough."

"What do you mean, 'okay'?"

"Go knock on the door," Guo Jia said.

Guo Jia changed into a clean scholar's robe, without even bringing his sword. He walked alone, on horseback, to the drawbridge in Rencheng.

"Open the gate! Military Advisor Guo Jia has come to pay his respects to your esteemed commander!"

The city gate tower was deathly silent.

After a long while, one of the leaders finally mustered up the courage to peek out: "You... what are you doing here?"

"I'll give you all a way out." Guo Jia raised his head, his voice carrying clearly to the city wall. "My lord, Cao Mengde, is a great ruler of our time, whose reputation for benevolence and righteousness is known throughout the land. When he conquered Shou Zhang, he captured tens of thousands of prisoners, but did not kill a single one. Instead, he distributed land to them, allowing them to start anew and live in peace. I'm sure you've heard about this."

"If you surrender the city now, I, Guo Jia, guarantee with my life that my lord will forgive and forget everything. All the soldiers in the city who wish to return home will be given travel expenses; those who wish to join the army will be recruited; and those who wish to farm can join 'Qingtian' and become citizens of my Yanzhou."

"The path to survival is right before you. Whether you live or die is entirely up to you."

The Yellow Turban soldiers on the city wall had a glimmer of hope in their eyes. They were already struggling farmers, and now that a way to survive was before them, who would want to follow Xu He and wait to die?

"Commander, surrender!"

"Yes, we don't want to die!"

"Open the city gates! We need to live!"

On the city wall, the crowd was filled with indignation.

Xu He looked at the soldiers who had once obeyed him blindly, but now looked at him with hopeful eyes. He knew that the situation was hopeless.

He waved his hand dejectedly, "Open...open the city gate..."

squeak-

The heavy suspension bridge was slowly lowered.

Rencheng fell.

People tend to get into trouble when they have too much free time. Perhaps Cao Cao assigned Xun Hao fewer official duties, leaving him with nothing to do to pass the time.

With nothing else to do, Xun Hao read the letter over and over again three times. "I will return home when the city falls."

But the phrase "besiege Rencheng" made his heart pound again.

Rencheng is different from Shanyang. Liu Shi of Shanyang is ignorant and superstitious, so he can be tricked.

Xu He of Rencheng, though also of peasant origin, was somewhat cunning. More importantly, Rencheng was well-defended and had ample supplies. The 5,000 troops under Guo Jia and Xiahou Yuan were mostly newly surrendered soldiers from prefectures and counties and remnants of Bao Tao's forces. Their morale was low and their fighting strength was questionable.

A direct assault would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

Guo Jia spoke lightly in his letter, but Xun Hao knew this battle would be no easy feat. What he could think of, Guo Jia could naturally think of as well. But what methods would Guo Jia use?

For two days in a row, Xun Hao was somewhat restless. He couldn't concentrate on reading the bamboo slips, nor could he deduce the battle situation; Guo Jia's image kept replaying in his mind.

Will that person act recklessly? Will they take risks to get back sooner? What if…

He dared not think any further.

He knew he shouldn't have done that; the battery was only at 50%, but his worry had overwhelmed his reason.

[System, activate "Legacy Plan" to simulate the battle situation at Rencheng.]

A familiar, draining weakness washed over him. The scenery before him began to distort and spin, countless fragments of images flooding his mind. He saw the endless camps, Xiahou Yuan and Guo Jia arguing in front of the sand table, Guo Jia's solitary figure walking towards the city gate...

The final frame of the image shows the suspension bridge slowly being lowered.

Xun Hao let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing. What followed was an overwhelming wave of exhaustion. His vision went black, and he collapsed onto the bed, completely losing consciousness.

When I woke up again, it was already dusk.

The room was filled with the smell of medicine. A slender figure was sitting by his bedside. Who else could it be but his elder brother, Xun Yu?

"Awake?" Xun Yu's voice was unreadable. He reached out and touched Xun Hao's forehead. The burning temperature made him frown even more. "Doctor Hua said that you have been worrying too much and have caught a cold, which is why your high fever won't go down."

Xun Hao opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry and painful that he couldn't utter a single word.

Xun Yu picked up the medicine bowl from the side, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and held it to his lips. "Drink the medicine first."

Xun Hao obediently drank the bowl of infuriatingly bitter medicine. His stomach churned, but he forced himself to swallow it. He had no right to complain now; he had to get better as soon as possible.

After finishing the bowl of medicine, Xun Hao was covered in a cold sweat and felt a little more awake. Leaning against the headboard, he looked at the deepening twilight outside the window and softly asked, "Brother, how long have I been asleep?"

"A day and a night." Xun Yu put the empty bowl aside and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a cloth. "If you don't wake up soon, I will send someone to bring Fengxiao back."

Upon hearing that name, Xun Hao's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Seeing him like this, Xun Yu's anger was suppressed by his heartache.

He sighed, his tone softening: "Yanruo, you've been intelligent since childhood, and your mind is more thoughtful than anyone else's. I know Fengxiao is exceptionally talented, and he has indeed taken good care of you. But now, for his sake, you've even disregarded your own health. How can I, your brother, be at ease?"

"Brother, I will try my best to get better." After all, his power bank had already returned home.

Xun Hao did not admit that he had fallen ill because of Guo Jia. This fact left Xun Yu feeling as if a lump had formed in his throat, impossible to swallow.

He wanted to say something, whether it was a reprimand or a piece of advice, but when he met his brother's eyes, which were misty with tears from the high fever, all his words turned into a long sigh.

"You should rest well." Xun Yu finally just tucked Xun Hao's blanket in, his voice a little hoarse. "Don't think about anything. Once you're better, everything will be alright."

Xun Hao nodded obediently and closed his eyes. The high fever made his whole body weak and his mind dizzy, and he soon fell asleep again.

He slept very restlessly, his brows furrowed, and occasionally a few indistinct murmurs escaped his lips.

Xun Yu stayed by the bedside for a long time until Xun Hao's breathing gradually stabilized. Only then did he get up and walk to the table next to him, intending to tidy up the bamboo slips that his younger brother had casually placed there. However, his gaze was drawn to a piece of loose silk cloth.

On it was Xun Hao's elegant handwriting. Xun Yu had not intended to pry into his younger brother's privacy, but the words on it firmly captured his attention.

"I miss Bong-hyo on the first day he left."

"The day after Fengxiao left, I missed him, I missed him so much."

"On the third day after Fengxiao left, I missed him, missed him, missed him."