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

Having captured Puyang and unexpectedly received a large sum of military funds, Cao Cao was in high spirits. He immediately ordered the treasury to be opened wide, and money and provisions to be taken out to reward the three armies. The entire Cao camp was immersed in jubilation.

The soldiers, receiving their rewards and feasting on meat and wine, were filled with gratitude towards Cao Cao and revered Zhang Ziqian as a god. In their simple minds, General Zhang, who allowed them to receive rewards and eat meat without fighting, was a living deity.

Zhang Ziqian naturally received his due reward. Cao Cao waved his hand and directly allocated the governor's mansion's kitchen to Zhang Ziqian for his exclusive use. He also ordered...

Give the order: From today onwards, General Zhang's roast chicken is unlimited! Make as much as you want!

This made Zhang Ziqian extremely happy. He felt that he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

In the following days, Cao Cao began to reorganize the defenses and administration of Dongjun. On the one hand, he sent people to appease the people, survey the fields, and restore production; on the other hand, he used the chest of gold and silver left by Liu Dai to recruit soldiers on a large scale.

Hearing of Cao Cao's benevolence and generosity, and his willingness to provide money and provisions, refugees and able-bodied men from the surrounding area flocked to join him. In just over ten days, Cao Cao's army rapidly expanded from 15,000 to over 30,000 men. Although the new recruits still needed training, their strength had already grown considerably.

On this day, Cao Cao once again summoned his generals to discuss matters at the governor's mansion.

"My lord, our army is now strong and well-equipped, with high morale. This is the perfect opportunity to sweep through Yanzhou!" Xiahou Dun was the first to step forward, volunteering for battle. "This humble general is willing to take Jiyin County for my lord!"

"That's right, my lord, we can't wait any longer!" Cao Ren echoed. "Delay will only lead to unforeseen changes! We must seize control of the entire Yan Province as soon as possible!"

Cao Cao nodded and looked at Xi Zhicai: "Zhicai, what do you think?"

Xi Zhicai confidently walked to the map and said, "What the two generals say is absolutely right. According to intelligence reports, the governors of Jiyin and Shanyang have joined forces and gathered nearly 20,000 troops to build a defensive line in Dingtao City of Jiyin County, preparing to confront our army."

"Dingtao?" Cao Cao's gaze fell on that point on the map.

Dingtao City, the seat of Jiyin Prefecture, is a fortified city, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, it is a place where powerful local families gather, and the local forces are extremely strong. If a direct attack is launched, it will inevitably be a bitter battle.

"Hmph, a bunch of chickens and dogs, dare to oppose my army?" Xiahou Dun said disdainfully. "My lord, give me ten thousand troops, and I guarantee that within ten days, we will capture Dingtao and bring back the heads of those two prefects for you!"

"Yuan Rang, we must not underestimate the enemy." Xi Zhicai shook his head. "Dingtao's defenses are strong, and the enemy is fighting on their home turf, giving them a significant advantage in terms of terrain and manpower. If our army launches a strong attack, even if we win, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses. This will be extremely detrimental to our subsequent plans."

"Then what do you think should be done?" Cao Cao asked.

A calculating glint flashed in Xi Zhicai's eyes: "The art of war says, 'To attack a city is the lowest form of warfare; to attack a mind is the highest.' With General Ziqian's divine might in our army, why should we engage them in a direct confrontation?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the figure in the corner who was holding a roast chicken and gnawing on it with grease dripping from his mouth.

Everyone's eyes followed him and turned to Zhang Ziqian.

Zhang Ziqian was enjoying his meal when he suddenly sensed something was off. He looked up and found everyone in the room staring at him, which made him feel a little uneasy.

"W-what are you doing?" he asked indistinctly. "Is there something on my face?"

Cao Cao smiled and said, "Ziqian, we are discussing how to attack the city called Dingtao. Zhicai means that we still need you."

"It's me again?" Zhang Ziqian was a little unhappy. "No way, boss, you've only been resting for a few days? And you're going on another business trip? I've only just begun to enjoy the delicacies of Puyang City."

These past few days, under the guidance of his tour guide, he'd visited almost every famous snack shop in Puyang. He thoroughly enjoyed everything from mutton stew noodles and fried dough sticks to pan-fried buns. Living so comfortably, he didn't want to move an inch.

"Ahem," Cao Cao cleared his throat, then coaxed, "Ziqian, think about it. Dingtao is the capital of Jiyin Commandery, so it's definitely more prosperous than Puyang. There must be even more delicious food there. Once we conquer it, you can enjoy all the delicacies there, right?"

"Hmm?" Zhang Ziqian's eyes lit up slightly.

That seems... to make sense.

"Moreover," Cao Cao continued, "I've heard that in Dingtao City, there's a kind of beggar's chicken that's wrapped in lotus leaves, coated with a secret sauce, and roasted. It tastes absolutely amazing, several times better than our current roast chicken!"

"Beggar's Chicken?!" Zhang Ziqian almost drooled.

Just hearing the name makes it sound delicious!

"Yes, it's beggar's chicken!" Xiahou Dun chimed in, now quite adept at communicating with Zhang Ziqian. "I heard that chicken is roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and its aroma can be smelled for miles around!"

"Gulp." Zhang Ziqian swallowed.

I can't take it anymore, I can't hold back.

"Boss!" He threw down the chicken bone in his hand, stood up, and said with a serious face, "Enough talk! For the sake of the world's best food! I'm determined to conquer Dingtao!"

Seeing his enthusiastic expression about food, all the generals in the room wore expressions that suggested they wanted to laugh but dared not.

Only Xi Zhicai maintained his confident, self-assured smile. That was exactly the effect he wanted.

"My lord," Xi Zhicai continued, "my plan is..." He continued, "Our army can split into two routes. One route, led by you personally, will advance blazing a large force towards Dingtao, drawing the enemy's main force away. The other route, led by General Ziqian, will consist of an elite light cavalry unit that will launch a surprise attack from afar. To the west of Dingtao lies a place called 'White Horse Slope,' a strategically important and vital supply route for the enemy. If General Ziqian can burn their provisions, Dingtao will inevitably descend into chaos. At that point, our army can seize the opportunity to attack the city and secure victory in a single battle!"

"Excellent plan!" Cao Cao clapped his hands in praise. "Let's follow Zhicai's advice!"

The battle plan was quickly finalized. Cao Cao was in charge of a feint attack from the front, while Zhang Ziqian was responsible for leading a team to burn the grain supplies.

Zhang Ziqian wasn't interested in whether or not to burn the grain; he only cared about one thing.

"Boss," he whispered, leaning closer to Cao Cao, "could I... ask for a day off?"

"A request for leave?" Cao Cao was taken aback. "The battle hasn't even started yet, why are you asking for leave?"

"No," Zhang Ziqian scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I want to go back and 'cultivate' for a while. I've been feeling a bit stuck lately and need to go into seclusion to break through."

The "training" he mentioned naturally meant returning to the VR world to spar with "Shattered Star Rataen" again. He was still resentful about being utterly humiliated last time. Besides, he also wanted to see if there were any new items in the system shop. Before going into battle, one should always improve oneself and upgrade equipment.

"Cultivation?" Cao Cao was completely confused.

He only knew that Zhang Ziqian would occasionally lock himself in his room for most of the day, not allowing anyone to disturb him. He always thought he was sleeping, never expecting that he was actually "cultivating"?

Could it be that Ziqian's superhuman strength was not innate, but acquired through arduous training?

Thinking of this, Cao Cao was filled with awe.

It turns out that behind every genius lies untold sweat and effort!

He looked at Zhang Ziqian, his eyes filled with admiration and emotion: "I see! Ziqian, you are not only exceptionally talented, but also so diligent and hardworking. You truly put us to shame. Okay! I grant your request! How long do you need? Is one day enough?"

"A day?" Zhang Ziqian thought for a moment. In the VR world, a day was enough for him to play several matches.

"That's enough, that's enough!" He nodded repeatedly.

"Alright, go and cultivate in peace. We'll set off again early tomorrow morning!" Cao Cao patted his shoulder, his tone extremely solemn.

Zhang Ziqian received his boss's approval and happily ran to his room.

Watching his departing figure, Cao Cao said to Cheng Yu and Xi Zhicai with deep emotion, "With someone like Ziqian, how can we not achieve great things! You see, he is clearly invincible, yet he never forgets to improve himself. This spirit is worthy of emulation by everyone in our army!"

Cheng Yu and Xi Zhicai nodded in agreement.

They all felt as if they had glimpsed the secret to the power of this peerless warrior.

If they knew that Zhang Ziqian's so-called "cultivation" was just going back to play video games, I wonder what they would think.