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

"Sorry, I refuse!" Qin Xuan rejected Chen Gong's suggestion without hesitation.

Taking in Lü Bu would be a losing proposition. After all, Lü Bu only has martial arts skills to rely on, and nothing else. In addition, given his fickle nature, whoever takes him in will be doomed.

"You~~~!" Seeing Qin Xuan refuse without hesitation, Lü Bu's face immediately darkened, and he was about to attack Qin Xuan when Chen Gong pulled him back. Otherwise, Lü Bu would have learned what it meant to be outmatched.

Qin Xuan was not a weak scholar.

After Chen Gong persuaded Lü Bu to stop, he turned to Qin Xuan with a smile, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said:

"General Qin, don't be so quick to refuse. We've come to you with the utmost sincerity. Please reconsider?"

Qin Xuan quickly shook his head, then directly exposed their true thoughts.

"I'm sorry, but I've thought it through. Chen Gongtai, right? You were Cao Cao's most trusted strategist before, and now you're following Lü Bu. Isn't it just so you can use Lü Bu's martial arts to realize your own ambitions?"

"In other words, all the actions of Lü Bu's army were orchestrated by you. If you came to seek my cooperation against Cao Cao, then why did you attack Xiaopei a few days ago?"

"Don't tell me that Lü Bu acted on his own initiative and that you were unaware of it. That's enough to show that you have no sincerity whatsoever!"

"If it weren't for the fact that General Xue and the Great Snow Dragon Riders were stronger than you imagined, Xiaopei would probably have already been occupied by you."

"How dare you make such a shameless request now? Let me tell you, I brought five thousand men with me this time. If you want to attack, you can try!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu, Chen Gong, and the others fell into a silent silence. This was indeed their plan: to seize Xiaopei, the gateway to Xuzhou, first, and then use it to coerce Qin Xuan into agreeing to their unreasonable demands.

But who would have thought that Qin Xuan's men were so strong? Not only did they fail to capture Xiaopei, they also lost more than half of their cavalry.

"Alright, you'd better leave Xuzhou now, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

Seeing that Lü Bu and the others had nothing to say, Qin Xuan gave them a warning and then turned and left without any hesitation.

"Wait... wait, you can make any requests you have, as long as we can temporarily station troops in Xuzhou!" Seeing Qin Xuan about to leave without hesitation, Chen Gong shouted to stop him and made a compromise.

Now they have nowhere to go. Yuan Shao has no place for them to stay, and Xuzhou is the only place where they have a chance to make a comeback. Therefore, they must not give up this last glimmer of hope.

Upon hearing Chen Gong's words, Qin Xuan immediately tightened the reins and stopped to see just how much they could offer.

There are no permanent enemies or friends, only permanent interests.

If the other party can agree to the request, there is still room for negotiation.

"Lord Wen, is that what you think too?"

Qin Xuan immediately sought confirmation from Lü Bu regarding the veracity of these words, since Lü Bu was the one in charge, and Chen Gong's words were of no use.

"No, that's right. As long as your requests aren't unreasonable, I can agree to anything. I just ask that you give us a piece of land!"

When Qin Xuan asked him, Lü Bu was taken aback at first, but then reluctantly agreed after Chen Gong subtly reminded him.

Qin Xuan quickly pondered for a while and then put forward his conditions:

"You can have territory, but you must use Wen Hou's closest confidants as hostages. The hostages will be returned to you only when you obtain your territory, and all your provisions and supplies will be strictly controlled, otherwise it's absolutely impossible!"

"Hmph, these conditions are too harsh! I, Lü Bu, would rather die in battle than agree to your terms!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu flew into a rage. His closest confidante was his beloved concubine Diao Chan, and Qin Xuan's offer must have ulterior motives. Perhaps he had his eye on Diao Chan and wanted to seize his beloved concubine through this method.

The latest update is now available on Cola Novels; we await your interpretation.

As Lü Bu's strategist, Chen Gong was highly intelligent, and he naturally understood why Lü Bu reacted so strongly. He couldn't help but think to himself:

"That Qin Xuan is a lecherous wretch! I must advise Marquis Wen to reconsider; he can't let a mere courtesan jeopardize his ambitions!"

After figuring this out, Chen Gong went to Lü Bu's side and whispered something in his ear.

Lu Bu's expression changed instantly, first with anger, then with deep thought, and finally with a helpless look of compromise.

"Fine, Qin Xuan, I'll take Diao Chan as your hostage, and I'll agree to all other conditions. But if anything happens to Diao Chan, I'll fight you to the death!"

Lu Bu's gritting-teeth reply left Qin Xuan somewhat dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that Lu Bu's closest person wasn't his own daughter. It seemed that Lu Bu truly doted on Diao Chan.

"Lord Wen, you're dreaming! You think you can fool me with a concubine as a hostage? Either use your wife and children, or one of your generals. As for Diao Chan, forget about it!"

Qin Xuan put forward his own idea, believing that using Diao Chan as a bargaining chip was not enough.

"This~~~!" When Lu Bu heard that Qin Xuan still had some humanity and didn't need his favorite concubine as a hostage, he was overjoyed. Then he looked at the generals beside him and finally focused his gaze on Gao Shun.

"General, you want to take Boping hostage?" Before Lü Bu could make a decision, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun's good brother, was incredulous and shouted with wide eyes.

"Boping, I'm sorry to have wronged you for the sake of the future of my Bingzhou army!" Although Lu Bu said that he felt sorry for Gao Shun, there was no guilty expression on his face. In his heart, Gao Shun seemed to be a dispensable person.

Without uttering a word, the somewhat taciturn Gao Shun slightly raised his head, met Lü Bu's gaze, and said calmly and firmly, "General, I understand. For the sake of the Bingzhou army, I am willing to go!"

"Okay, take care, I'll get you back as soon as possible!"

Lu Bu patted Gao Shun heavily on the shoulder.

"General, please retract your order! General!" Zhang Liao pleaded desperately, trying to persuade Lü Bu to change his mind. Gao Shun was his closest brother in the Bingzhou army, and Lü Bu's actions had undoubtedly chilled his heart.

"Zhang Liao, don't say anything more. My mind is made up. If you try to persuade me again, you can go with me!"

Despite Zhang Liao's advice, Lü Bu showed no remorse and instead threatened him.

After all, being a hostage is no easy task. The key is that his ultimate goal is to eliminate Qin Xuan and seize Xuzhou for himself. Being a hostage means certain death.

"Alright, General Lü, since you've said so, I'll go with Boping!"

Zhang Liao was completely disappointed in Lü Bu. At this critical moment, his brothers who had risked their lives for him were not as good as a geisha. Following Lü Bu would not end well for him.

"Alright, since you've made your choice, I won't stop you!"

Seeing that Zhang Liao had made his choice, Lü Bu immediately put on a fake smile and said to Qin Xuan:

"General Qin, I'll offer Gao Shun and Zhang Liao as hostages in exchange for a temporary territory!"

Upon hearing that the other party was using Zhang Liao and Gao Shun as hostages, Qin Xuan was overjoyed.

These two were Lu Bu's strongest generals. Losing them would be like breaking Lu Bu's left and right arms, so he immediately agreed.

The next day arrived quickly, and the two sides signed a treaty outside Xiaopei City.

Qin Xuan temporarily lent Xiaopei to Lü Bu for stationing, and Lü Bu's subordinates Zhang Liao and Gao Shun became Qin Xuan's hostages.

In addition, all the residents of Xiaopei were relocated to other areas, and the food and fodder needed by Lü Bu's army were supplied by Qin Xuan of Xuzhou in accordance with the required amount.

Qin Xuan naturally could not allow Lü Bu to occupy such an important place as Xiaopei. In addition to the measures mentioned above, Qin Xuan also ordered Xue Rengui to lead 10,000 troops to garrison in nearby towns.

If Lü Bu makes any attempt to betray him, immediately strike and eliminate him, nipping the threat in the bud.