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

Liu Bei finally escaped from the jaws of death. Watching the retreating figures of Yuan's army, everyone breathed a heavy sigh of relief. They were just a hair's breadth away from being killed in battle.

"Brother, that's an army bearing the name Liu. Do you know whose troops they are?" Zhang Fei asked, pointing to the army approaching them in the distance.

The huge Liu-character flag fluttered in the wind and could be seen from afar.

"It should be Liu Yao. This place is very close to Yangzhou; it's possible it's his army!"

"Let's go and see for ourselves, but don't let your guard down!" With that, Liu Bei rode towards the army, holding a double-edged sword in his hand.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led their troops closely behind, each of them on high alert, ready to react promptly to any unexpected situation.

"Is the visitor Liu Yao Zhengli? I am Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande!"

Liu Bei saw that the leader of the group was a middle-aged man who was nearly forty years old, wearing a Jinxian hat and a dark robe. Given that they were not far from Yangzhou, Liu Bei guessed that the man was very likely Liu Yao.

"It is indeed I, Lord Xuande. What happened to you? Why are you being chased by Yuan Shu?" The middle-aged man nodded and then asked about Liu Bei's ordeal.

Just then, Zhang Fei and the others arrived. After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Bei began to recount his ordeal. When he spoke of Zhao Yun covering their retreat to buy them time, his eyes reddened, and he appeared heartbroken.

"Xuande, since that's the case, come with me to Yangzhou first, and we'll figure out a way to avenge this later!"

At this moment, Liu Yao pretended to frown and ponder for a while before expressing his thoughts.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was premeditated.

Xiapi is not far from Yangzhou. Liu Bei learned of the news on the day he entered Xiapi and arranged for his men to lie in wait in Xiapi to keep a close watch on their movements.

Although he was appointed by the imperial court as the governor of Yangzhou, he had no capable generals under his command. Moreover, the situation in Yangzhou was particularly complicated, and he would have to use a strong military force to completely control the city.

Liu Yao then set his sights on Liu Bei, whose exploits of fighting Lü Bu and shaking the world had already spread far and wide.

He wanted to take advantage of Liu Bei's development in Xiapi to invite him to help him control Yangzhou, but who would have thought it would turn out like this?

If it weren't for the timely news, Liu Bei and his men would have truly perished.

"Well, thank you very much!" Upon hearing Liu Yao's words, Liu Bei appeared hesitant on the surface, but inwardly he was overjoyed. He hadn't even asked yet, and the other party had already taken the initiative to offer.

After some awkward refusals, I reluctantly agreed.

And so, Liu Bei and his two brothers followed Liu Yao to Yangzhou.

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Months later, the land of Xuzhou had already undergone a complete transformation.

Under Qin Xuan's benevolent rule, the various counties of Xuzhou underwent tremendous changes. A large number of newly built houses sprang up like mushrooms after rain, and a considerable number of displaced people returned to their homes.

Looking at their brand-new house, their gratitude towards Qin Xuan grew stronger, and they could only repay him with their hard work.

Inside the governor's mansion in Xuzhou, Qin Xuan was listening to reports from everyone on the achievements of this phase of work. This was somewhat similar to a five-year plan, which aimed to accomplish a major task in a short period of time with maximum effort, so that those in power would know what the focus of their work should be next.

"My lord, we have built nearly 100,000 houses in the areas we control, including 20,000 in Xiapi. Most of the homeless people now have a place to shelter from the wind and rain."

"Furthermore, we have used that money to send people to various states to purchase grain in batches. So far, we have purchased 500,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), which has all been stored in warehouses, and the rest is still on its way back!"

The first to speak was Liu Bowen, who was in charge of the livelihood of the people in the various counties of Xuzhou.

Because Cao Cao launched an attack on Xuzhou, it caused huge losses. Agricultural production was almost completely destroyed, and the country had to buy large quantities of grain from other places. Fortunately, all of Cao Song's money had been swallowed up by Qin Xuan, and with the help of the Mi family's business network, this project was still able to proceed smoothly.

After listening to Liu Bowen's report, Qin Xuan nodded indifferently, then turned his gaze to Li Jing.

"My lord, after this period of training and expansion, the Great Wall Legion has now recovered to 15,000 men, and the Xuzhou Army to 45,000, including over 10,000 cavalry!"

Feeling Qin Xuan's gaze, Li Jing immediately recounted the achievements he had made during this period.

During the battle with Cao Cao's army, the Great Wall Army lost nearly two thousand men, and the local Xuzhou army was left with less than twenty thousand men. Therefore, in order to completely control the Xuzhou army, Li Jing adopted a mixed organization method, combining the system army and the local army.

Serve as squad leaders, 50th-rank commanders, or even centurions from the 100% loyal and well-trained Great Wall Legion.

In addition, the training methods of the Great Wall Army were adopted to train the local troops in Xuzhou, and young refugees were selected to join the army, so that the army's combat effectiveness could be further improved.

"Good, not bad. Sixty thousand troops are enough for now. We should bide our time and wait for the right opportunity!"

"We~~~~!" Qin Xuan was very satisfied with the two's report and was just about to give a summary when he was interrupted. A guard rushed in, looking very anxious.

"Reporting! My lord, a messenger claiming to be an imperial envoy has arrived, saying he has an imperial decree and is resting at the post station!"

The guard's words startled everyone present, but fortunately, Qin Xuan reacted quickly, immediately standing up from his seat and walking briskly to the guard to confirm:

"Are you serious?"

"That's right, my lord, it's a eunuch!" The guard nodded and answered quickly, seeing the unusually excited expression on Qin Xuan's face.

"Hahaha, the imperial appointment has finally arrived! Quickly, quickly call Tao Qian and head to the post station!" Qin Xuan burst into laughter, having waited so long for this day to finally come.

"Yes, sir!" The guard hurriedly left the hall.

Then Qin Xuan dismissed everyone and headed to the post station where the imperial envoy was staying, filled with excitement.

When Qin Xuan arrived at the post station, he found a eunuch leisurely drinking tea. Just as he was about to go in, Tao Qian arrived, supported by his son.

Looking at the young man in front of him, Tao Qian had very mixed feelings and entered the lobby without greeting Qin Xuan.

This made Qin Xuan a little embarrassed. He could only stand there and touch his nose before going inside.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the formal reading began.

"Lord Tao, General Qin, I have come by imperial decree to read out His Majesty the Emperor's edict." The angel's voice was clear and solemn. He bowed slightly and took out an imperial edict from his robes.

Tao Qian and Qin Xuan immediately stood up, cupped their hands in greeting, and said in unison, "Your subjects respectfully welcome the imperial edict."

The angel unfurled the imperial edict and proclaimed loudly: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Xuzhou, situated in a strategic location, serves as the southeastern shield of the nation. Qin Xuan, young and talented, has been recommended by Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou. I hereby appoint him as the Chancellor of Langya State and General of Xuzhou, hoping that he will dedicate himself wholeheartedly to protecting the territory and ensuring the safety of the people, thus living up to my expectations. This decree is hereby issued!"

Upon hearing these words, Qin Xuan was slightly startled. He immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and accepted the imperial edict with both hands, proclaiming loudly, "Your subject Qin Xuan thanks Your Majesty for your great favor! Long live the Emperor!"

Tao Qian also knelt down, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Seeing this, the angel smiled slightly, then handed the imperial edict to Qin Xuan, saying, "General Qin, His Majesty places high hopes on you. This is a secret letter from His Majesty to you!"

As he spoke, the angel took out a crumpled silk book from his person and handed it to Qin Xuan.

Qin Xuan immediately took the book, which emitted an unpleasant smell, but fortunately he could bear it.

This guy must be a confidant of Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, otherwise why would he deliver such a secret letter to Qin Xuan in such a special way?

Qin Xuan then nodded slightly, displaying an air of loyalty to the emperor, and said, "Your Excellency, rest assured, Qin Xuan will do his utmost to live up to Your Majesty's trust."