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

The celebrations in the city continued, but the Xun residence was closed and the atmosphere was solemn.

Xun Kun was already waiting in the main hall. After listening to Xun Yu's briefing on the battle situation, he glanced at his youngest son's pale face and finally looked at Guo Jia.

"Fengxiao, Wenruo, where do you think Bo Cai will attack?" Xun Kun had a bad feeling, but still wanted to hear their opinions.

Xun Yu walked to the map and pointed to the location between Yingchuan and Yangdi. "Bo Cai's supplies have been burned by us, and he has learned that Huangfu Song's army is approaching. He is now a defeated dog. Going east, south, or north are all dead ends. Only going west offers him a glimmer of hope before Huangfu Song's army encircles him. And Yangdi is right on his only route westward. The city there is not as fortified as Yingchuan, and it has just experienced war, making it his best supply point."

This is also why Xun Yu and Guo Jia did not stop Guo Xun from pursuing him; if they could delay the attack, they might be able to wait for General Huangfu's reinforcements.

Xun Kun's face turned extremely pale. The Xun clan's roots were in Yangdi. There, not only were the Xun clan's ancestral home and ancestral hall located, but also a large number of clan members, most of whom were women and children.

"Then we must immediately send someone to Yangdi to deliver the message!" Xun Kun said urgently.

"I'm afraid it's too late." Guo Jia shook his head. "Bo Cai withdrew his troops overnight, and his speed is much faster than our messengers."

"The ancestral home's fortifications were reinforced according to Ahao's previous blueprints, and all able-bodied men in the family have been organized. However, Bo Cai's army has many fierce soldiers who came from the border troops and know some siege tactics. The ancestral home... I'm afraid it won't hold out for long." Xun Yu frowned, looking worried.

"When will my elder brother and the others arrive?"

"Youruo said in his letter that he was on his way back from Jizhou, but there were many checkpoints along the way, and it would take at least half a month."

Half a month?

The daylily buds have gone cold.

"Father! Your son requests permission to lead troops to aid Yangdi immediately!" Xun Yu said without delay.

"No!" Xun Hao objected before Xun Kun could speak. "Brother, you are injured, and Yingchuan City has just experienced a major battle. The people are still unsettled, and we don't know if Prefect Guo will be able to return. We can't do without you. I'll go instead."

"Ah Hao!" Xun Yu turned around abruptly, looking at his younger brother with eyes full of disapproval. "Nonsense! Do you know how dangerous the battlefield is? This is no child's play!"

"Brother, of course I know this is no child's play." Xun Hao met Xun Yu's gaze, his eyes calmer than a twelve-year-old boy's. "That's precisely why I must go."

"Brother, you're injured, it's even inconvenient for you to ride a horse. And if I'm not mistaken, you also have an injury on your leg, right?"

Xun Yu, a gentleman who valued etiquette so highly, must have had a compelling reason for kneeling while his father stood.

Xun Yu opened his mouth, but found himself unable to refute.

Xun Kun looked at his youngest son, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

On the one hand, he was proud of his son's intelligence and sense of responsibility, but on the other hand, he was also filled with worry about the dangers he was about to face.

"But, Ah Hao, your body..." Xun Kun's voice was a little hoarse.

"I know my own body." Xun Hao raised his head, a reassuring smile on his face. "Father, don't worry, I won't joke around with my life. I haven't lived enough yet."

He was telling the truth. He was more afraid of death than anyone else. It was precisely because he was afraid of death that he would fight tooth and nail to survive. "What are you worried about? Aren't you still here?" Guo Jia said lazily, but his peach blossom eyes gleamed with confidence. "I'll go with him. With me watching over him, you should be able to rest assured, right? Besides, my ancestral home, Guo Fengxiao's ancestral home, is also in Yangdi. I can't just stand by and watch my hometown be destroyed. For both public and private reasons, I have to go this time."

Xun Kun and Xun Yu exchanged a glance, and finally, Xun Kun nodded heavily.

"Alright." He looked at Xun Hao and said, word by word, "I grant your permission. Take all the elite troops with you. Remember, Hao, your safety is paramount. If... if things become unbearable, then..."

"Father!" Xun Hao interrupted him, "There are no 'ifs.' I will bring Grandmother and Mother back safely!"

The army set off, a thousand-strong force silently departing Yingchuan City in the quiet morning light.

The horses' hooves clattered and sang on the bluestone pavement.

As Xun Hao rode on his horse, the cold armor he wore made him feel somewhat unreal.

He glanced back at the city behind him, which had just been the site of a bloody battle, and then at Guo Jia walking beside him. A strange feeling welled up in his heart.

Once upon a time, he was just an ordinary office worker, sitting in front of a computer, worrying about KPIs and mortgage payments. Now, however, he is clad in heavy armor, commanding thousands of troops, and about to embark on a war that will determine the fate of his family.

Life is more unpredictable than any drama.

"What are you thinking about? You look so serious." Guo Jia's voice came from the side, as if this trip was not to fight a war, but to go on a picnic.

"It's nothing," Xun Hao shook his head. "I just feel that what we're doing now might be written into history books in the future."

"Hahahaha!" Guo Jia laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke. "Write it in the history books? Ah Hao, you're thinking too far ahead. What we need to consider first is how to survive. History books are for the living."

Xun Hao remained noncommittal. He knew Guo Jia was telling the truth, but having memories of the future, he was well aware that the genius beside him and the idiom "Xun Ling Liu Xiang" (meaning "fragrant lingering fragrance") about his elder brother had made them almost household names.

"Brother Fengxiao, what do you think of the current situation in Yangdi?" Xun Hao brought the topic back.

Guo Jia's expression became slightly more serious: "It's hard to say. Although Bo Cai's main force is retreating, the troops he sent to attack Yangdi must be his elite. These people either want to make a quick buck and leave, or they want to take Yangdi as a foothold for his main force."

Which possibility is more likely?

"The latter," Guo Jia said confidently. "Bo Cai isn't a fool. He knows he's surrounded and attacked from both sides. His only way to survive is to find a stronghold, put up a stubborn resistance, and wait for an opportunity. Yangdi is his best choice. Therefore, the Yellow Turban army attacking Yangdi will definitely not give up easily."

Xun Hao's heart sank even further. This meant that they were about to face a tough battle.

The procession traveled swiftly, and the scenes along the official road became increasingly shocking.

Burned-down villages, collapsed houses, and corpses scattered along the roadside.

Some were soldiers, but most were unarmed civilians—the elderly, women, and even children. Their bodies lay exposed in the wilderness, uncollected, emitting a stench.