The Three Kingdoms: Rise to Power Starting with Intercepting Liu Bei

"Brother, Zilong, this...!" Zhang Fei was the first to react, pointing at the departing figure with wide eyes in disbelief.

I never expected Zhao Yun to speak up for Qin Xuan. Whose side is he on?

"Yide, you must not speak ill of Brother Zilong behind his back!" Liu Bei immediately reprimanded him upon seeing this, while trying to use this excuse to numb himself, since he had not yet subdued the other party and he needed to establish a good image.

"Big brother, I won't say anything more!" Seeing his older brother's stern face and anger, Zhang Fei immediately backed down, hanging his head like a wronged elementary school student admitting his mistake.

Seeing that Zhang Fei had admitted his mistake, Liu Bei didn't dwell on it any longer and stood up to say to the two of them:

"Let's go find Mi Zhu; perhaps we can learn something from him!"

"Yes, brother!" Zhang Fei and Guan Yu replied.

Since Liu Bei first came to Xuzhou, he had established a friendship with Mi Zhu. Firstly, Mi Zhu was the Prefect of Xuzhou and was highly regarded by Tao Qian. Secondly, Mi Zhu was wealthy and could provide him with a lot of financial support.

Since the garrison was established in Xiaopei, the Mi family had provided him with a large amount of provisions. From any perspective, he had every reason to visit them.

Immediately after Liu Bei and his two companions left the inn, someone began to follow them in secret.

The three brothers soon arrived at the Mi family's residence. From afar, they could see high walls and a large courtyard with a towering gate tower, and two gatekeepers at the entrance.

As the leading business tycoon in Xuzhou, the Mi family naturally possessed an extremely luxurious mansion and owned businesses in various counties of Xuzhou. Even now, with Cao Cao's army besieging Xuzhou, the Mi family's life was not bad at all.

Liu Bei dismounted and went to the gate, where a servant greeted him with a beaming smile, asking, "What brings you three here?"

The servant wasn't as arrogant and domineering as I'd imagined. Come to think of it, the situation was tense these days, and anyone who could ride a horse freely in the city must be someone important, either a high-ranking official or a powerful figure. We servants simply couldn't afford to offend them.

Liu Bei bowed slightly and said politely, "My name is Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande. These are my two sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. We are old acquaintances of your master. May I ask if we may announce our arrival?"

Upon hearing the name "Liu Bei," the servant's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly bowed and scraped, saying, "So it's Lord Liu! My master has been eagerly awaiting your arrival! Please come in, please come in!"

Liu Bei smiled slightly, nodded, and led Guan Yu and Zhang Fei into the Mi residence, guided by a servant.

The three stayed at the Mi residence for more than an hour, and in the end, Mi Zhu himself personally saw them off to the door with a smile.

In a corner not far away, a pair of eyes watched all of this intently, and immediately followed the three after they left.

When the three returned to the inn, it was already evening. Liu Bei's face was full of pride, indicating that he had gained a great deal from this trip.

At the same time, Qin Xuan also received news from Liu Bei. When he learned that Mi Zhu had long been colluding with Liu Bei, he was furious, after all, the Mi family was an indispensable part of his plan to develop Xuzhou.

Now they've sided with Liu Bei; how can this not infuriate people?

"Great! Great! Excellent!"

"Mi Zhu, Tao Qian, since you're so shameless, don't blame me, Qin, for being ruthless!" Qin Xuan's tone was unusually cold as he listened to the information from his subordinates. The flickering candlelight in the hall made his subordinates feel a chill down their spines.

"Alright, you can go now. Keep a close eye on their movements!"

"promise!"

His subordinates immediately left the hall with a sigh of relief.

After dismissing his subordinates, Qin Xuan pondered for a moment before leaving the mansion to go to Liu Bowen's residence to discuss how to deal with Tao Qian and Mi Zhu.

For Qin Xuan, the fact that these two were getting too close to Liu Bei undoubtedly threatened his interests. With their support, Liu Bei would be a much greater threat, and he had to nip this unstable factor in the bud.

·············

In a discreet mansion in the city, an old man and a young man were discussing something, but they seemed to disagree.

"Father, now that Liu Bei has arrived in Tancheng, I think it's time for us to make a decision!"

In the dimly lit study, the young man expressed his opinion. Upon hearing this, the old man beside him involuntarily trembled slightly in the hand holding the teacup, and turned to look at the young man with a puzzled expression.

"You want to pledge allegiance to Qin Xuan? Explain your reasons, and why now? Do you think Liu Bei is incompetent?"

The old man picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then looked at the young man, voicing his doubts.

"The reason is his Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, and the two generals and strategists by his side."

"When Qin lost its mandate, the whole world scrambled for it!"

"The current situation in the world is so similar to that at the end of the Qin Dynasty. Since the feudal lords launched their campaign against Dong Zhuo, the feudal lords have been governing themselves, and the imperial court has long been a mere figurehead, unable to take care of itself."

"Our Xuzhou is struggling to survive in the cracks between the forces of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shu. Tao Qian is old and senile, and his days are probably numbered. He is not suitable to be the ruler of Xuzhou at all."

"Qin Xuan is young and vigorous, and with capable ministers and generals by his side, his future is limitless!"

"As for Liu Bei, I don't think highly of him. He's been fighting for so many years and still doesn't have a stable base. He only has about ten thousand soldiers. He's not suitable for my Chen clan to rely on!"

"Father, I'm thinking of the entire clan!"

The young man said very solemnly.

He had been observing Qin Xuan in secret ever since the day Qin Xuan led his army into the city. After observing for some time, he discovered that Qin Xuan had great investment potential.

"Even if you want to pledge allegiance to Qin Xuan, how can you expect him to value and trust you? I've heard that Liu Bowen's governing abilities far surpass those of you and my son!"

After thinking for a long time, the old man asked this question, which can be considered as agreeing with his son's idea.

Upon seeing this, the young man immediately got up to check if the doors and windows were closed tightly. After a short while, he leaned close to the old man's ear and whispered:

"Father, my spies planted in Tao Qian's residence have sent word that Liu Bei and his two companions recently visited Tao Qian, and the two sides secretly plotted to assassinate Qin Xuan!"

"Hiss~~~~!"

Upon hearing this shocking news, the old man gasped in astonishment; it was truly a revelation to him.

He then stammered, "Is this...is this news true?"

The young man nodded emphatically: "It's true. That person was Tao Qian's most trusted servant, and he overheard it himself."

After receiving confirmation, the old man grasped the young man's hand and solemnly instructed him:

"Deng'er, your father is old now. From now on, the Chen family will depend on you. Quickly tell Qin Xuan this news!"

"Father, don't worry, I will!"

These two men were Chen Deng and his son. After Chen Deng learned of Tao Qian and others' conspiracy, he told his father about his decision. As a prominent family in Xuzhou, they had to consider the future of their family.

Clearly, they've placed their bets on Qin Xuan.