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

That last sentence was like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads.

Xiahou Dun's flushed face instantly calmed down. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't utter a single word.

Yes, they were Cao Cao's most elite troops, renowned for their exploits in his campaigns across the country. Now, to fight a bunch of Yellow Turban rebels who don't even have decent weapons, they actually need to call in reinforcements from another war zone?

I can't afford to lose face like this!

Cao Cao sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair.

He got it.

Xun Yu was not only looking at the outcome of a single battle, but also at the future of the entire group and the support or opposition of the people.

Guo Jia's strategy was "tactics," a clever and unconventional plan. Xun Yu's consideration, on the other hand, was "the Way," the way of the king.

"Wenruo is right." Cao Cao rubbed his temples and made a decision. "As for Ziqian, just as we agreed before, let him stay in Runan temporarily to pacify the local area and reorganize the troops. Issue the reward documents immediately, and give him as much gold and silver as he wants. We must not let our meritorious officials feel disheartened."

"As for Qingzhou..." Cao Cao's gaze sharpened as he surveyed his generals, his voice becoming stern, "I'll give you ten more days! Within ten days, I want to see Guan Hai's head! If you haven't taken Beihai by then, you'll all be serving as personal guards under Ziqian!"

"Yes, sir!" Upon hearing this, the generals were startled and responded in unison.

Everyone was holding their breath.

They wanted to prove to their lord and to the world that they could win battles even without Zhang Ziqian!

Cao Cao looked at his generals, whose fighting spirit had been rekindled, and nodded in satisfaction.

This is what he wanted.

Zhang Ziqian is a dragon, capable of overturning rivers and seas. But what he needs is a pack of wolves, not a bunch of mutts following behind the dragon to pick up scraps.

He picked up his pen and personally drafted a reply to Zhang Ziqian. In addition to the commendation and orders, he added a personal remark at the end of the letter.

"The matter of Yuzhou was handled very well. However, it's a pity that we failed to kill Sun Ce and instead lost Huang Gai. That Sun Bofu is a fierce tiger of Jiangdong, and he will surely be a major threat in the future. Next time we meet, we must eliminate him."

After writing it, he handed the letter to the messenger and told him to send it out as quickly as possible.

After doing all this, Cao Cao felt that the troubles in his heart had completely disappeared.

He walked to the map, looking at the Yuzhou region that had just been painted with his color, and then at the Xuzhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou regions that were still blank...

A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

With Zhang Ziqian as our sword, conquering this world doesn't seem so difficult anymore.

"Fengxiao," he shouted without turning his head, "you just said that Ziqian is a good knife, but it can't be used to chop wood."

"So tell me, now that we've chopped down this pile of rotten Yellow Turbans, who should we chop down next?"

Guo Jia, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, leaned closer and pointed heavily at a spot on the map.

"Xuzhou, Lü Bu."

Yuzhou, Runan.

Zhang Ziqian's life was somewhat boring.

After taking Shangcai without bloodshed and leaving all the subsequent troubles to Cao Ren, he set up camp outside the city with the Flying Bear Army and began a pleasant vacation.

Boss Cao's order came quickly, and the content was pretty much what he had expected.

First came a barrage of flowery praise, calling him "a pillar of the nation and a general of the world," which gave Zhang Ziqian goosebumps. Then came the substantial rewards: ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand bolts of brocade, and a pile of miscellaneous jewelry and jade artifacts, supposedly for the advance team, with the bulk of the prize to be given upon his return to Xuchang.

Finally, the order came: he was to be stationed temporarily in Runan to pacify the local area and reorganize the troops.

This order was exactly what Zhang Ziqian wanted.

To appease the local population? To reorganize the troops?

Does this kind of thing really need to be done by the commander-in-chief himself?

"Dezu, Zixiu!" Zhang Ziqian called Yang Xiu and Cao Ang into his tent.

"General!" The two men bowed in salute.

"You've seen the lord's orders, haven't you?" Zhang Ziqian said, crossing his legs and lying on a soft couch, holding a bunch of freshly washed grapes in his hand. "What's with all this chores like pacifying the local areas, recruiting new soldiers, and suppressing bandits and outlaws? I'll leave all that messy stuff to you two."

"Huh?" Cao Ang was taken aback. "General, is it alright for just the two of us? This is about governing an entire prefecture."

"What's wrong with that?" Zhang Ziqian popped a grape into his mouth and mumbled, "You two, the eldest son of a lord and the prodigy of the Hongnong Yang clan, can't you even handle this little thing? Besides, isn't there Mr. Xun You? You should ask him for advice, and do whatever he tells you to do."

He finally understood: Boss Cao had placed him here as a mascot, a stabilizing force. As long as his "Zhang" banner still flew over Runan, those petty scoundrels wouldn't dare to make a move.

As for specific political and military affairs, Boss Cao had no expectations of him at all.

This is perfect; it gives him a legitimate opportunity to slack off.

Yang Xiu reacted quickly. His eyes darted around and he immediately understood Zhang Ziqian's meaning and guessed Cao Cao's intention.

This is giving them, especially Cao Ang, an opportunity to accumulate experience and merit!

The Marquis of Champions ate meat, and they followed behind drinking soup. The Marquis of Champions even fed them the soup himself.

"Rest assured, General!" Yang Xiu bowed deeply, his face beaming with excitement. "I and Young Master Zixiu will certainly live up to your expectations and govern Runan with great success!"

Seeing Yang Xiu's excited expression, Cao Ang belatedly realized what was going on.

He looked at Zhang Ziqian with gratitude in his eyes.

He knew that Zhang Ziqian was once again promoting him. From his meritorious service on the battlefield to his current position in charge of the administration of a prefecture, this favor had grown heavier with each passing year.

"Thank you, General!" Cao Ang bowed respectfully.

"Alright, alright, stop with the formalities." Zhang Ziqian waved his hand impatiently. "Get to work. By the way, don't bother me. If you need anything, go find Xun You. Come find me when the sky is falling."

After getting rid of the two errand boys, Zhang Ziqian finally had some peace and quiet.

He lay on the soft couch, closed his eyes, and with a thought, brought up the system panel that only he could see.

[Host: Zhang Ziqian]

[Bound Martial Soul: Li Cunxiao (100% Fusion Complete), ? ? ? (Fusion Progress: 15%)]

[Those with whom he shares a bond: Cao Cao, Cao Ang, Xun You, Hua Xiong, Cao Ren]

[System Points: 18500]

Looking at the more than 18,000 points, Zhang Ziqian's mood finally improved a lot.

The battle of Yuzhou yielded tremendous results.

Killing Ji Ling in battle earned 5000 points.

The system awarded 8000 points for annihilating Yuan Shu's 50,000-strong army based on the battle results.

Although Sun Ce was forced to retreat without being killed, he was still awarded 2000 points because he is an important figure in the future.

Adding the remaining points, the total score suddenly soared to 18,000.