Choose Liu Bei at the start, I am the only one who knows the plot of the Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 369: Entering Xudu, Obstacles

"Don't worry, my lord. In seven days, the army will arrive!"

Ma Chao said solemnly, Gu Rubing nodded and looked towards the direction of Xu City. Sooner or later, he and Cao Cao would have to decide the winner, both of which would determine victory or defeat, as well as life or death.

This entry into Xu Du will be another confrontation between Gu Rubing and Cao Cao, and this time it will be more dangerous than the previous battle. If one is not careful, one may be doomed.

So this time, even Gu Rubing was on high alert and fully prepared. The last time he met Zhao Yun in Yuzhou, he sent out several letters to prepare for entering Xu Du this time.

While they were chatting, they had already arrived at Beiliang Ranch, which is known as the number one horse ranch. Guan Yu's Red Hare, Ma Chao's Li Feisha, Zhang Fei's Wuyun Treading Snow, Zhao Yun's Ye Zhao Yu Shizi, all came from here. The Eighteen Riders of Yanyun also all used the big horses from here.

After entering Beiliang Ranch, you will see a group of horses running in the ranch. The running horses are like a vivid painting, and their figures are particularly majestic under the long and slanting sunshine of Xiliang. The dust in the air adds excitement and enthusiasm to this spectacular scene.

The ranch was originally controlled by Ma Teng, but since Ma Teng and Han Sui fell out, Han Sui occupied the Beiliang Ranch, and now it has finally returned to Ma Chao's hands.

After Han Sui was defeated, the guard troops here were also incorporated and guarded by the general who captured Han Sui. They have now taken over the entire situation and are waiting for Gu Rubing and others to arrive.

Ten thousand first-class war horses are ready and are galloping in the horse farm. Several horse trainers are training them. Looking at the tall and mighty war horses, Gu Rubing couldn't help but smile.

“What a great gift.”

The next morning, the news that Liu Bei was going to enter Xu Du had spread from many places.

Gu Rubing also took Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci and the two hundred roving crossbow captains who had successfully completed their duties, and set out for Xu Du. Yes, the roving crossbow captains had finally completed their duties successfully.

[Arms: Ranger Crossbow Captain.]

[Features: Well-trained, Reconnaissance, Hit the target with a single shot (Under the leadership of Taishi Ci, the Ranger Crossbow Captain trained archery on horseback and achieved great success. With the help of Zhuge Liang's Zhuge Crossbow, they all have the skill of hitting the target with a single shot), Captain (The Ranger Crossbow Captain is a special unit composed of soldiers of captain strength. They are responsible for carrying out various tasks that are inconvenient for the army to carry out.)]

[Bai Bu You Mei Yang effect: Each of the roaming crossbow captains is a rare archer. When using a crossbow in combat, attack power +500%, movement speed +200%, and shooting distance +100 meters! ]

[Captain: The Captain of the Wandering Crossbow has the basic attributes of a top third-rate general, but is still considered a soldier and can enjoy the bonus effects of a soldier! ]

[Introduction: The Wandering Crossbow Captains led by Taishi Ci are invincible and can accomplish tasks that are difficult for other types of soldiers. Is this the limit of their strength? ]

Although the number of the Mobile Crossbow Captains is small, their individual strength is stronger than that of the Qinglong Swordsmen, the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun and the Baili Soldiers. Moreover, the Mobile Crossbow Captains are not a frontal combat camp, but a branch of the army responsible for carrying out various special tasks.

For example, assassination and gathering intelligence are tasks that can only be completed by the roving crossbow captain, and looking at the last introduction, it feels like there should be some improvement. If the basic attributes can be upgraded to those of a second-rate general, even Gu Rubing couldn't imagine what the scene would be like if hundreds of second-rate generals and thousands of third-rate generals rushed towards the enemy.
At the same time, under the instruction of Zhuge Liang, four thousand Bai Li soldiers set out from Qingzhou and headed straight for Xudu in Yuzhou. In addition to the Bai Li soldiers, Zhang Fei also set out from Bingzhou with two thousand Qinglong swordmen and headed for Xudu.

Four great generals, two commanders, two top-notch generals, three major arms, the roving crossbow captain, the Qinglong swordsman and the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun, any one of them can beat the third-rate generals. Such a team, as Gu Rubing's personal soldiers entering Xu Du, is enough to ensure that Gu Rubing's reputation is safe.

Six days later, the three groups of people arrived at the north of Xudu at the same time and met ten miles north of the city.

Gu Rubing had spread the news that he was going to Beijing for such a long time, and the news had already spread widely in the streets. Before Gu Rubing arrived in Xudu, almost everyone in Xudu knew that Gu Rubing was coming to Xudu.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, the two brothers have not seen each other since the last war with Cao Cao and Sun Jian. When they met this moment, both of them were very excited.

"Brother, you asked me to come to Xudu City to attack that Cao thief?"

Zhang Fei said excitedly, patting his chest.

"I'll lead the charge and make sure that thief Cao gets what he deserves!"

"Third brother, don't interrupt me. Just listen to me finish."

Guan Yu admonished softly, and Zhang Fei stopped making a fuss after hearing it. He waited obediently for Gu Rubing to speak. In this world, perhaps only Gu Rubing, Guan Yu, and Zhuge Liang could make Zhang Fei keep silent.

"Don't be anxious, Third Brother. There will be plenty of battles for you to fight in the future. When the time comes, I will give you a cavalry unit and let you be the commander."

Gu Rubing said this with a smile. After Zhang Fei heard this, he became visibly excited.

"Thank you, brother. I will never let you down!"

Zhang Fei immediately bowed and clasped his hands and said, and the others couldn't help laughing after seeing Zhang Fei's expression.

"I called you to Xudu this time mainly to protect my safety. This time, I'm afraid it will be more dangerous than the last time when I faced Cao Cao and Sun Jian's combined attack. That's why I called you here. Wenyuan is already on the way and will arrive by noon today. I won't feel at ease without you guys."

Gu Rubing said softly that this time, it was imperative to enter the capital. Even if there were many dangers ahead, he had to break through this barrier before he could carry out his next plan.

Before they even got close to the city of Xudu, danger had already struck. More than 10,000 infantrymen set up camp on the only way they had to enter the city. Coincidentally, the one who set up camp here was Xiahou Yuan, a general under Cao Cao. When they were still half a mile away from the camp, Gu Rubing was stopped.

"Who are you? How dare you lead troops to approach Xudu City! Are you planning to attack Xudu?!"

A man who looked like a general raised a broadsword and pointed it directly at Gu Rubing. There was no politeness in his words and it was obvious that he came here specifically to cause trouble.

"My master is Uncle Liu, the governor of Qingzhou, Liu Bei!"

A soldier beside Gu Rubing replied loudly, but the man sneered.

"Who is Uncle Liu? Who is the governor of Qingzhou? I don't know him. Without the Prime Minister's order, no one can lead troops into the capital. If you don't leave quickly, don't blame me for being rude to you."

The general rode his horse and paced back and forth in front of the formation, holding the sword tightly in his hand, as if expressing his firm attitude to Gu Rubing and others.

"You, big-eared man, are you Liu Bei, the governor of Qingzhou? You can go through, but you can only bring ten followers with you, and you must hand in your weapons. Others cannot pass even if they hand in their weapons. Go back to where you came from."

Gu Rubing shook his head slightly and winked at Taishi Ci beside him. Taishi Ci, who received Gu Rubing's instruction, picked up the bow, drew the bow and put the arrow on it, and the sharp arrow flew out in one go. The general who was speaking out had no time to react before an arrow pierced his shoulder. The general screamed and fell off his horse.

"This arrow was fired because you spoke rudely to my master!"

As Taishi Ci spoke, he shot another arrow. This arrow pierced the other shoulder of the general and pinned him to the ground.

"This arrow was fired because you were disrespectful to the Han royal family! My master is the current emperor's uncle. Who the hell are you? How dare you call my master by his name?!"

After saying this, Taishi Ci was about to shoot the general to death with one arrow, but was stopped by someone who came out from behind the general.

"My Lord Governor, please forgive me for my momentary recklessness. However, what he said is indeed the rule set by the Prime Minister. No one entering the city is allowed to carry weapons or armor, and can only bring ten followers at most."

Xiahou Yuan, one of the generals who had followed Cao Cao from the very beginning, was first-class in both personal martial arts and ability to lead troops. At this moment, he was ordered by Cao Cao to stop Gu Rubing here. Before coming, Cao Cao had specially wished Xiahou Yuan not to start a war with Gu Rubing, but only to block him slightly and give him a warning.

Cao Cao, who knew Gu Rubing's character well, knew that he could not stop Gu Rubing with his own rules, such as the princes were not allowed to bring more than ten followers into the capital and were not allowed to carry weapons. If he relied on this to stop Gu Rubing, how could Cao Cao be beaten by Gu Rubing to this point? He could only stay in Sili Prefecture and northern Yuzhou and wait for the opportunity.

In front of the battle line, Xiahou Yuan led 10,000 soldiers to confront Gu Rubing and his men. Neither side wanted to make concessions, and the battle was almost imminent. Some people around had already started to stop and watch.

At the critical moment, a sharp voice rang out.

"His Majesty's word!"

As the sharp voice fell, a red sedan chair appeared in everyone's eyes. The person coming was Song Diao Si, a big shot in front of the current emperor. The eunuch got off the sedan chair and trotted to the middle of the two armies. Without even taking a breath to rest, the eunuch put the whisk in his arm, cleared his throat, and spoke in a sharp voice.

"Your Majesty has a verbal order! Tell Qingzhou Governor, the emperor's uncle Liu Bei, to come to the audience tomorrow and bring his troops and weapons into the city! I decree this!"

No one on either side wanted to kneel down, except for those who were watching the excitement from a distance, who were frightened and knelt down one after another.

"The Emperor's order? What did the Prime Minister say?"

Xiahou Yuan frowned and asked, but he regretted it as soon as he said it. Saying such words in front of Gu Rubing would just be a handle for him.

As expected, Guan Yu snorted coldly.

"Prime Minister? Who is he? The world still belongs to the Liu family. When will it be the turn of a man named Cao to speak? Or is your Prime Minister planning to take over the world?"

Listening to Guan Yu's words, Xiahou Yuan was furious. He had followed Cao Cao since Cao Cao was an unknown figure and they had a deep relationship. Not only were they childhood friends, but he was also Cao Cao's brother-in-law. When he heard Guan Yu talking about Cao Cao, Xiahou Yuan was furious.

"Shut up! The capital is an important place. How can you be so presumptuous here? Not to mention you, a red-faced thief, even if you are your master, you should not insult the prime minister here!"

"What a great authority! Is it even possible for this uncle to be controlled by you?"

Gu Rubing joked that he had known for a long time that Xiahou Yuan could not stand provocation, and that he only needed to instigate him a little and Xiahou Yuan would be fooled. Now, he had put Cao Cao's handle in his hands.

"The Prime Minister is really amazing. Even if the Emperor saw me, his uncle, he probably wouldn't do this. I didn't expect that a subordinate of a mere Prime Minister like you would dare to do this. It seems that it is true as people say. Is Cao Cao usurping the throne?!"

Gu Rubing shouted the last sentence loudly, with the purpose of letting everyone around him know about this matter. Gossip can be fatal.

"Shut up!"

Xiahou Yuan was about to charge forward on his horse, but was stopped by someone behind him. That person was none other than Xun Yu, Cao Cao's number one strategist. Cao Cao was worried about Xiahou Yuan, so he sent Xun Yu to keep an eye on him to prevent any mistakes. However, Xun Yu was unable to stop Xiahou Yuan's quick mouth, but at least he stopped Xiahou Yuan from taking action.

"I am Xun Yu, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and I am here to greet the Emperor's uncle. General Xiahou just said that nonsense because he was drunk. Don't worry about it, Emperor's uncle. The Prime Minister set this rule because he had consulted with His Majesty and obtained His Majesty's consent. He was also afraid that someone would enter the palace with ill intentions, so this misunderstanding occurred. Emperor's uncle Liu will naturally not have any ill intentions towards the Emperor, so he can lead his troops into the city."

Xun Yu's words were flawless. He pushed the rules set by Cao Cao onto the emperor, repeated what the emperor had agreed to orally, and stated Gu Rubing's position. In just a few words, he eased the tense atmosphere.

Looking at Xun Yu, Gu Rubing sighed slightly in his heart. He was worthy of being Cao Cao's most capable subordinate and handled things perfectly. It was a pity that he never had the chance to contact him, otherwise he would have recruited Xun Yu under his command no matter what.

"Minister of the Ministry of Revenue? Your name is Xun Yu, right? Does the Prime Minister have such a long arm? He has extended his reach to the Ministry of Revenue and can even appoint a minister at will. Will he appoint the ministers of the six ministries next?"

Gu Rubing sneered. Xun Yu was not impatient when listening to Gu Rubing's sarcasm. He waited until Gu Rubing finished speaking before speaking slowly.

"I have some knowledge and know some calculation skills, which is why your majesty took a fancy to me and promoted me to the position of assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. If the uncle thinks that I am not worthy of the position, then I will submit a memorial to your majesty tomorrow and stop serving as an official."

"Then no need."

Gu Rubing waved his hand.

"If that's the case, people who don't know would think I came to Beijing just to cause trouble."

"Uncle, what you said is wrong. Everyone in the world knows what Uncle is thinking. Uncle must be thinking too much about Your Majesty. You haven't seen him for a long time, so he came to the capital to see Your Majesty."

With just one sentence, Xun Yu subtly led Gu Rubing to the capital to miss the emperor and dug a trap for Gu Rubing. Gu Rubing glanced at Xun Yu indifferently.

"Do I need to tell you what I am going to do when I come to the palace to see the emperor? Or did your prime minister ask you to ask?"

"Of course not, I'm just curious."

Xun Yu bowed deeply, and Gu Rubing ignored them and led his troops into the city.

(End of this chapter)