Three Kingdoms: Zhang Fei was sent flying by a single spear thrust, leaving Liu Bei stunned.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the group, and an indescribable desolation permeated the air.

Although Cao Cao had just delivered a passionate speech that temporarily boosted the morale of his soldiers, the shadow of the disastrous defeat at Xingyang still loomed over everyone's hearts. Of the original ten thousand men, less than five thousand remained, all wounded and in tattered armor, looking like defeated roosters, dejected and listless.

Xiahou Dun's left arm was slinged across his chest with a cloth strip, a wound inflicted by the chaotic army. As he rode his horse, watching Zhang Ziqian carrying the Yu King's Spear and walking steadily ahead, he felt a mix of emotions.

"Yuanrang, what are you thinking about?" Cao Cao urged his horse to ride alongside him, his voice a little hoarse.

"My lord," Xiahou Dun glanced at Cao Cao, then at Zhang Ziqian's retreating figure, "I'm thinking, if we had listened to Ziqian from the beginning and let him charge ahead alone, would this battle... have turned out very differently?"

Cao Cao remained silent.

He had certainly considered this question. He was well-versed in military strategy, knew how to deploy troops, how to motivate soldiers, and how to utilize terrain. Yet, all this knowledge he was so proud of was shattered in Xingyang by Xu Rong's ambush. And what shattered this ambush was not more sophisticated military tactics, but Zhang Ziqian's unreasonable personal brute force.

"We... underestimated him," Cao Cao said bitterly. "I only thought of him as an unparalleled general who could slay generals and seize flags, but I never imagined that he alone was an army."

"Yes," Xiahou Dun sighed, "I used to think that battles between two armies relied on formations, troop strength, and morale. But after seeing Ziqian, I realized that when a person's power reaches a certain level, all formations and strategies become a joke. Like a flock of sheep, no matter how ingenious their formation, how can they withstand a tiger?"

As the two were reminiscing, Zhang Ziqian suddenly stopped and turned around to shout at them, "Boss, can you two hurry up? You're dawdling! It's almost dark! If we don't find a place to camp soon, we won't have dinner!"

Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of amusement in each other's eyes.

This guy really doesn't think about anything but food.

Cao Cao spurred his horse forward, approached Zhang Ziqian, and asked, "Ziqian, what are your thoughts on this defeat?"

He still wanted to hear Zhang Ziqian's opinion, even though he knew the guy probably wouldn't say anything constructive.

Zhang Ziqian was busy negotiating with the system in his mind.

"System, how should I spend my 115,000 points? Could you give me some suggestions?"

[Ding! Host has a large number of points. The following spending suggestions are provided to the host:]

[Option A (Hedonistic Choice): Redeem the 'Hyperspace Entertainment Terminal Deluxe Edition,' which includes unlimited data, VIP access to all platforms, and top-tier VR motion-sensing equipment. Price: 50000 points. Enjoy top-notch electronic entertainment even in chaotic times.]

[Option B (Steady Development): Purchase the 'Soul Fragment Gift Pack' to randomly obtain fragments of Xiang Yu, Li Cunxiao, or other top-tier Soul Fragments, accelerating Soul Fusion progress. Price: 100000 points. There is a chance to obtain rare passive skills.]

Option C (All-or-Nothing): Unlock a brand new Martial Soul card pool and perform a 10-pull. There's a 0.1% chance of directly obtaining a brand new, complete Martial Soul! Price: 100000 points. Friendly reminder: Card draws are risky; unlucky players should proceed with caution.

"Holy crap, there's even gacha?" Zhang Ziqian's eyes lit up. As a former hardcore gamer, he had a natural urge to try and gacha.

But when he saw that 0.1% probability, he calmed down. His face was as black as the bottom of a pot; he hadn't gotten a single King in seven or eight rounds of Dou Dizhu (a card game), so why would he bother drawing cards?

Option A looks very tempting—VR motion-sensing equipment! It would be amazing to be able to use the "old man's ring" (a type of VR headset). But it requires 50,000 points, which is a bit pricey.

Option B is the safest, but it feels a bit boring, as it's just a simple numerical improvement.

"Ziqian? Ziqian?" Cao Cao's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh." Zhang Ziqian snapped out of his reverie, looked at Cao Cao's inquisitive face, and casually said, "My opinion? I don't have any opinion. We lost, so what? It's no big deal."

He thought for a moment, then decided to give his employer some face, adding, "If I had to say something, it would be the lesson I mentioned last time. In future battles, forget all the fancy stuff. Just let me go up there and take out the enemy leader, right? Simple, efficient, and saves manpower. See, if I hadn't intervened this time, you would have lost everything!"

Cao Cao's face twitched.

Xiahou Dun, who was listening from behind, was also stunned.

Although the language is rough, the principle is sound.

"Ziqian's words...make sense." Cao Cao hesitated for a long time, but finally nodded. He realized that his way of thinking was being gradually swayed by Zhang Ziqian, and the sway was quite reasonable.

"Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's find a place to eat." Zhang Ziqian waved his hand and continued walking forward, carrying the Yuwang Spear.

The return journey over the next few days was relatively smooth. Perhaps Xu Rong was also terrified of Zhang Ziqian, as he did not send troops to pursue them. Cao Cao and his party returned to their base—Chenliu—without major incidents.

However, when they dragged their weary bodies back to the city they had set out in with such high hopes, they discovered that the situation was far worse than they had imagined.

Although Zhang Miao, the governor of Chenliu, was a friend of Cao Cao and supported his uprising, Chenliu itself was not wealthy. After the previous expenditure on recruiting soldiers and purchasing horses, the treasury of the prefecture was already empty. Now that Cao Cao had returned with several thousand remnants of his army, the daily expenses for feeding the men and horses alone would be a huge burden.

The atmosphere inside Cao Cao's temporary residence was heavy.

"My lord, the soldiers' pensions, medicine for their wounds, and daily rations... the county treasury can't produce any more." Cao Ren, who had just finished taking stock of the family's assets, reported with a worried look on his face.

Cao Cao rubbed his aching forehead, remaining silent. He knew this was his most pressing problem. The army had suffered a defeat, and morale was already low. If even rations and pay couldn't be issued, the army could mutinie and disband at any moment.

"I'll go and discuss this with Zhang Mengzhuo (Zhang Miao's courtesy name) again, to see if we can get the powerful clans and gentry in the various counties of the prefecture to donate some more grain and money," Cao Cao said in a deep voice.

Xiahou Dun shook his head: "My lord, I'm afraid it will be very difficult. When we set out on our campaign, they eagerly donated money because they believed we would win a great victory and secure a bright future. Now that we have returned defeated, in their eyes we are no different from stray dogs. These people are all shrewd; they won't act until they see a clear benefit. Getting them to spend money again now is as difficult as climbing to heaven."

Cao Cao was well aware of this principle. The world is fickle; it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow.

Just as the trusted generals in the hall were sighing and at their wits' end, a discordant voice rang out.

"belch……"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhang Ziqian leaning against a pillar by the door, holding half a roast chicken and eating it with his mouth full of oil. He let out a burp and asked indistinctly, "What's going on? Everyone looks so mournful. Did someone in your family die?"

Cao Hong was furious when he saw him and said irritably, "Ziqian, how dare you say that! Our lord is worried about the army's money and provisions, and you, on the other hand, are hiding here eating alone!"

"Worried?" Zhang Ziqian stuffed the rest of the roast chicken into his mouth in a few bites, licked his fingers, and walked in with a bewildered look on his face. "Out of money? If you're out of money, just go get some. What's there to worry about?"

The entire hall fell silent after he said that.

Everyone looked at him like he was an idiot.

Cao Cao gave a wry smile: "Ziqian, you make it sound so easy. The treasury is empty, and people's hearts are restless. Where am I supposed to get money?"

Zhang Ziqian walked to the center of the hall, looked around at everyone, and said matter-of-factly, "Boss, are you stupid? We may not have money, but those wealthy families and landlords in Chenliu City certainly do!"

He slapped his thigh, making a loud sound.

"Why don't we just go and 'borrow' some?"