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Qiao Rui did indeed set out to intercept the invading Mount Tai Army, yet his approach differed from Xun Zheng's expectations. The first thing Qiao Rui did was to order his men to pour tung oil onto the main north-south street in Pingyu. Since they could no longer hold the city, Qiao Rui wasn't going to fight to the death, but he knew that some kind of obstruction for the enemy was still necessary.

"Hua Xiong! Meet your doom!" Qiao Rui, alone on his horse accompanied by a handful of trusted aides, stood at the intersection in the city center, roaring at the distant sound of horse hooves. He had already dispatched the rest of his men to guard supplies and provisions, though he held no illusions of holding them. Rather, it was about burning them when they couldn't be defended—only by burning them would he be following the King's Way!