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

After relaxing, Qin Xuan arrived at the front hall of the governor's mansion, where Liu Bowen and others had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Qin Xuan's radiant state, Cao Bao understood the reason behind it and couldn't help but cheer inwardly:

"Daughter, you are truly our family's savior!"

Seeing that all his civil and military officials had arrived, Qin Xuan began to plan his next move.

"Gentlemen, although the Mi family has been executed for treason, their business empire still exists. Therefore, in order for the rapid development of Xuzhou, the Mi family's business will now be managed by the Prefectural Governor's Office, and Bowen will be temporarily in charge of the details!"

"Yes!" Liu Bowen immediately bowed and agreed.

This is a purse bag that concerns future development, so it must be handed over to one's trusted confidants to manage.

After giving the second instruction, Qin Xuan turned his gaze to Chen Deng, quickly walked up to him, grabbed his hand, and said:

"Yuanlong, after thinking it over, you're the only one who's truly suitable for this second matter."

"My lord, please speak freely. I will do my utmost!"

Chen Deng immediately knelt down and made a firm promise, saying that this was his first task of serving a wise ruler, and he would do his best to complete it perfectly.

"Alright, I believe you can accomplish this successfully. I need you to go to Yuan Shu's territory and persuade him to send troops to attack Liu Bei!"

"Liu Bei is colluding with the Mi family. Mi Zhu and others have already been killed. This news has probably reached Liu Bei's ears, and he will definitely try to cause us trouble."

"Therefore, I need a strategist to persuade Yuan Shu to attack Liu Bei, so that he will be preoccupied with revenge!"

"How was it? Was it difficult?"

After speaking, Qin Xuan looked directly at Chen Deng, wanting to see if he would really agree or if he was just making empty promises.

Ever since Liu Bei colluded with Mi Zhu, Tao Qian, and others, he had already figured out how to deal with Liu Bei.

Using someone else to do the dirty work – drive Liu Bei to Xiapi, which borders Yuan Shu's territory, and let Yuan Shu deal with him. Even if he can't kill Liu Bei, he can still cause him heavy losses and leave him all alone.

I don't have such a kind heart to give Liu Bei three thousand soldiers for nothing. Liu Bei wants to get something for nothing, but I want his life.

"This...no problem!" Chen Deng looked at Qin Xuan's trusting gaze, hesitated for a moment, and then gritted his teeth and agreed.

This mission to act as an envoy in Yuan Shu's territory is no easy task. Before Qin Xuan arrived, Xuzhou and Yuan Shu had already clashed several times.

Yuan Shu had long coveted Xuzhou, and it was possible that no sooner had he left than Yuan Shu would turn around and cooperate with Liu Bei to attack Xuzhou.

Qin Xuan naturally noticed the hesitation in Chen Deng's eyes and roughly understood what the other was thinking, so he patted Chen Deng on the shoulder and said:

"Yuanlong, are you worried that Yuan Shu will go back on his word? The two sides have just reached an agreement, and he'll turn around and collude with Liu Bei to attack Xuzhou?"

Chen Deng nodded heavily and voiced his concerns: "My lord, Yuan Shu is arrogant and short-sighted. I fear he might betray us."

Hearing Chen Deng's concerns, Qin Xuan did not offer any rebuttal. He knew Yuan Shu's character all too well, but he had plenty of ways to make Yuan Shu willingly deal with Liu Bei.

So he leaned close to Chen Deng's ear and whispered something to him, and Chen Deng's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he felt completely confident.

"How's it going? Are you confident?" Qin Xuan patted the other man's shoulder and asked, having already shared all his secrets with him.

"Rest assured, my lord, I will definitely complete the mission perfectly!" Chen Deng's voice was much louder this time, clearly full of confidence.

"Alright, let's not delay and set off soon. I will send fifty Great Snow Dragon Riders and one hundred cavalry to escort you."

To ensure Chen Deng's safety, Qin Xuan spared no expense, dispatching one-tenth of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry.

"promise!"

Qin Xuan then assigned other tasks, including training a sufficient number of troops in a short period of time and stockpiling large quantities of grain in preparation for future wars.

Xuzhou had no natural defenses whatsoever; it was almost entirely flat. To achieve hegemony, a policy of continuous expansion was necessary.

·············

On the afternoon of the same day Chen Deng set off for Nanyang Commandery, news of Mi Zhu's rebellion and execution finally reached Liu Bei's ears in Xiapi, less than five days after he left Tancheng.

"The Mi family... how could this happen?" Liu Bei's voice trembled slightly, and a look of disbelief and pain flashed in his eyes.

Guan Yu abruptly stood up, his face ashen, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "That scoundrel Qin Xuan, how dare he do this!"

Zhang Fei was furious, shouting, "Brother, we can't let this go! Gather the troops and go wipe out Qin Xuan!"

Liu Bei was filled with grief and indignation, but he knew that he could not act impulsively at this moment.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and looked up at Jian Yong, hoping that this strategist could offer some useful advice.

Upon seeing this, Jian Yong quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "My lord, generals, you must not act rashly!"

Upon hearing Jian Yong's advice, Zhang Fei, already enraged, became even more furious and glared at him, shouting:

"Jian Xianhe, are you scared? Since my elder brother raised his army, the Mi family has provided us with so much money and supplies. How can we justify not sending troops to avenge them?"

Faced with Zhang Fei's loud questioning, Jian Yong simply smiled and replied very seriously, "Third General, I am not afraid, but I must consider the overall situation!"

He then pointed to the letter in Liu Bei's hand and continued to explain, "The news that came in said that dozens of suits of armor were found in the Mi family's residence. This is conclusive evidence. What excuse do we have to send troops?"

"Moreover, we've only been in Xiapi for a short time, and we only have three thousand men, while Qin Xuan has tens of thousands of troops, as well as a terrifyingly powerful cavalry. How can we possibly fight them?"

"To confront him head-on now would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock; our lord would lose the territory he just acquired!"

Liu Bei, having calmed down, advised, "Third brother, Xianhe is right. Qin Xuan's army is currently strong and well-equipped; we have no chance of avenging him!"

Zhang Fei glared, unwilling to give up, and retorted, "So...so we're just going to let it go like this, and do nothing?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Yong sighed heavily and said, "Third General, if we endure this, all will be well. Only by accumulating strength and waiting for the right opportunity can we avenge the Mi family!"

Guan Yu nodded slightly. Although he desperately wanted to kill Qin Xuan, he wasn't as impulsive as Zhang Fei. He said in a deep voice:

"Third brother, Xianhe is right. Our most urgent task now is to accumulate strength. Our current enemy is Yuan Shu, not Qin Xuan of Xuzhou!"

Under the persuasion of the crowd, Zhang Fei had no choice but to suppress his anger at sending troops to Xuzhou, and said indignantly:

"Brother, I'll listen to you, but one day I, Old Zhang, will definitely kill Qin Xuan with my own hands to vent my hatred."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Qin Xuan, I will remember this debt, and one day I will make you pay for it in blood!"

Mi Zhu's death not only cost Liu Bei a major financial backer, but also caused his young wife, whom he had only met once, to become Qin Xuan's spoils of war. This was an irreconcilable feud.