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

I love the world created by Niu Wogu, all in "Three Kingdoms: Rise from Intercepting Liu Bei".

Because it was located at the border of the two forces, the Xiliang army quickly learned about what had happened at Fanxukou, but did not send a large number of troops to investigate. Only a few scouts were sent. When they saw the tragic scene, they were shocked and did not have time to investigate in detail. They quickly collected Ma Teng's body and returned to Liangzhou.

This is beyond their ability to handle.

At the same time, Cao Ren led his army back to Chang'an to report the situation to Cao Cao. Upon hearing that Ma Teng was dead, he breathed a sigh of relief. With one of the key figures of the Xiliang army eliminated, the remaining Han Sui was no longer a threat.

Cao Cao even considered launching a full-scale attack on Xiliang to destroy Han Sui, but Cheng Yu, Xun Yu, and others strongly dissuaded him, thus dispelling his unrealistic idea.

Because they simply couldn't afford to fight on multiple fronts, and with Qin Xuan lurking in the Ji Province, any large-scale troop movements couldn't be concealed, they had no choice but to give up.

Jizhou.

Qin Xuan learned through the Black Ice Platform that Ma Teng had been attacked and killed in Sili. He was immediately shocked. The opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived. He immediately ordered Meng Guang to send instructions to Li Jing, Liu Bowen, Gan Ning in Yangzhou, and others.

By applying strategic pressure at the front lines, the anti-Qin coalition was rendered ineffective, trapping them on the front lines and unable to extricate themselves. Then, by applying pressure on Sili in the Ji Province, Cao Cao was forced to withdraw his troops from the front lines, creating the best opportunity for Cai Mao to seize power in Jing Province, as Jing Province could no longer afford to lose ground.

With the addition of the Qin army from Jiaozhou, it would be possible to secure control of Jingzhou.

Another major reason why Cai Mao's seizure of power in Jingzhou was delayed so long was that Gan Ning and his forces had only recently captured Jiaozhou, which disrupted the overall strategic plan.

As early as when Cai Mao had defeated Zhou Yu and returned to Jingzhou, Gan Ning led his army to launch a strong attack on Jiaozhou. However, Lu Su was quite capable and managed to resist for more than half a month with a rabble of troops. It was not until ten days ago that they finally occupied the entire territory of Jiaozhou.

If Qin Xuan hadn't focused on logistical support and had sufficient reserves to support multi-front warfare, he wouldn't have dared to formulate such a bold strategic plan to use the anti-Qin coalition to achieve his goal of controlling Jingzhou.

··········

Inside a high-end post station in Xiangyang.

Having achieved his goal, Liu Bei was overjoyed. This trip to Xiangyang not only secured the support of more than 10,000 troops and a large amount of grain, but also established contact with Huang Zu of the Huang family.

Ever since Liu Bei served under Liu Biao, he had been trying to befriend the local powerful families, but with little success. Now that Huang Zu had taken the initiative to show goodwill, he gladly accepted.

After all, this was a military bigwig in Jingzhou. The 10,000-strong reinforcement was only obtained because he strongly supported Liu Biao and persuaded him to give in. Otherwise, given Cai Mao's attitude of always rebelling against Liu Bei, there would have been no chance at all.

With Huang Zu's explicit support, the difficulty of his plot to seize Jingzhou was greatly reduced.

Just as Liu Bei was envisioning a bright future, a short knock on the door brought him back to reality.

Liu Bei, his reverie interrupted, frowned almost imperceptibly, suppressing his slight displeasure, and said towards the door:

"Please come in!"

The next second, the door was gently pushed open from the outside, and a guard entered, bowing respectfully and explaining his purpose in a low voice:

"My lord, General Guan has sent a letter. According to multiple sources, Ma Teng of Xiliang was attacked and killed by Cao Cao's army in Sili. General Guan requests instructions on whether our army should strengthen the defenses in the Sili direction to prevent Cao Cao's army from invading."

"Wha...what happened?"

Liu Bei suddenly stood up from his desk, his face changing drastically, filled with disbelief.

How did Ma Teng die like that? What happened after he left the front line?

However, his inquiries with the guards yielded no results, so he had no choice but to go to Huang Zu's residence to ask him. After all, Huang Zu was a general of Jingzhou and had far more sources of information than he did, so he might know something.

Huang Zu, who was resting at home, thought Liu Bei had something important to say when he saw him arrive, so he led him into the study for a private talk. However, the first sentence Liu Bei uttered made Huang Zu somewhat uneasy.

"Lord Huang, I just received news that Ma Teng of Xiliang was attacked and killed by Cao Cao's army in Sili. What exactly happened?"

"What? Is that true?"

Huang Zu was taken aback, clearly shocked by the news. Wasn't Ma Teng and Cao Cao both in the anti-Qin camp? How could they be fighting each other?

Although Huang Zu was surprised, he still sent someone to investigate. He left the study and returned about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Seeing him leave and then return, Liu Bei was curious but did not ask. However, Huang Zu took the initiative to explain and resolve the other party's doubts.

"I have already had people gather relevant intelligence, and it won't be long before we know the whole story."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei felt as if he had swallowed a sour lemon, a mixture of envy and sorrow.

There's no comparison!

I'm still too poor.

The two men, each with their own thoughts, stayed in the study for an hour or two. Just as they were about to have their meal, news finally arrived.

"My lord, according to the rumors circulating outside, Ma Teng only reached a reconciliation and withdrew his troops because the Qin army used his relatives to blackmail him. As for why he was ambushed by Cao Cao's army, we believe that Sima Yi slandered him to Cao Cao, thus prompting him to send troops to eliminate him."

Furthermore, we believe that Cao Cao's next step may be to withdraw from the anti-Qin alliance!

The person who said this was Huang Zu's trusted advisor, who also controlled Huang Zu's private intelligence network.

"You mean the Xiliang army is very likely to retaliate?"

Huang Zu understood immediately and thought of something right away.

"Not only that, but he also faces pressure from Ji Province and other directions. Ma Teng's death is no longer a secret; the news is everywhere."

The staff added.

Huang Zu selectively recounted his conversation with his advisors to Liu Bei, who was anxiously waiting in his study.

After hearing this news, Liu Bei remained silent for a long time, lost in thought. He had a vague feeling that there was room for maneuver, but he hadn't found the key point.

In the end, it was a seemingly insignificant remark from Huang Zu that reminded him.

Cao Cao is now facing enemies on two fronts. He simply cannot sustain fighting on two fronts. If we can get him into a two-front war, there will be many more opportunities to scheme against him.

Whether it's capturing Yingchuan or, more boldly, attacking the Sili Mansion, these are all possibilities.

Liu Bei came with anxiety and left in high spirits. He now longs to go to the front lines immediately to discuss his thoughts with Zhuge Liang.

If I succeed, I will profit a lot; if I fail, I won't lose much. At worst, I can start over. I've been through it before.