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

Youzhou, Gaoliu, north of Dai County.

This was the location of the Xianbei Kebineng royal court, situated in the transitional zone between the Mongolian Plateau and the North China Plain. It was a place with abundant water and grass, and a gathering place for nomadic tribes.

In June, the grasslands beyond the Great Wall are lush with water and grass. The melodious bugle calls echo through the vast camp, awakening the sleeping herdsmen to begin their daily work.

When Yu Yunwen arrived here escorted by five hundred Beiwei cavalry, it was already noon. Smoke was rising from the camp, and the aroma of meat was wafting everywhere. The villagers were eating freshly cooked mutton with freshly made yogurt to get the energy they needed for the day.

When this Han official met Kebineng, the latter was drinking and eating meat in the royal tent, his mouth dripping with oil.

Kebineng saw a man dressed as a Han Chinese enter the tent. He quickly put down the leg of lamb he was holding, wiped his lips with his greasy hands, and sized up the newcomer with a gloomy gaze. After thinking for a long time, he finally remembered who the man was and hurriedly greeted him:

"Isn't this Lord Yu of Youzhou? What brings you here? Please, bring wine and meat!"

Kebineng instructed the soldiers outside the tent to bring fine wine and delicacies to entertain Yu Yunwen.

They met in late winter last year and early this year, when Kebineng led a large army south to plunder and encountered resistance, resulting in heavy casualties among his men.

Later, they learned that the commander was Yu Yunwen. Yu Yunwen did not kill Kebineng at the time and even let him go for some reason. The two became acquainted.

Yu Yunwen frowned slightly as he looked at the burly, rugged-looking man in front of him, who was wearing a leather robe with the left side overlapping the right and a felt hat on his head, but still had a faint smile on his face.

"Lord Kebineng, there's no need to trouble yourself yet. I've come to discuss important matters with you. We can eat after we've finished discussing them!"

As Yu Yunwen spoke, he sat cross-legged on the wool blanket and declined Kebineng's offer.

"Oh, what's the matter?"

Kebin straightened up, full of curiosity.

After all, Yu Yunwen is of noble status, so it must be no small matter for him to come in person.

Yu Yunwen immediately explained his purpose, and Ke Bineng listened attentively, afraid that he might have missed some information.

After the former finished speaking, Kebineng fell silent and did not say a word.

He never expected that the other party would ask him to betray his own kinsmen.

Who is Budugen?

That was the most powerful leader of the Western Xianbei, with immense strength.

Putting aside whether he dared to offend the other party, the more important thing was that Yu Yunwen wouldn't make a long trip just for this matter. There were other factors involved, and Kebineng needed to figure them out.

"This matter is probably not that simple. Just to wipe out Budugen? Your Qin army thinks you can't handle it?"

Kebineng didn't believe it. He had experienced the strength of the Qin army's iron cavalry firsthand; Budugen was no match for that devilish army's hellish charge.

A look of astonishment flashed across Yu Yunwen's eyes. He never expected that this burly guy in front of him would actually use his brain.

Kebin, who was staring intently at Yu Yunwen, caught a fleeting look of astonishment in the other's eyes and immediately realized that he was right; things were not so simple.

Yu Yunwen was about to make up an excuse to get by, but when he met Kebineng's staring gaze, he immediately changed his mind.

It's not that easy to fool people; it's better to be honest and straightforward.

After listening to Yu Yunwen's explanation and confirming that the other party's eyes did not seem to be fake, Kebineng fell silent again. Yu Yunwen was not in a hurry to urge the other party to express his opinion, and leisurely looked at the decorations inside the royal tent.

The royal tent feels very spacious from the inside; it could easily accommodate dozens of people.

In the center of the tent was a hearth, and above it hung a large earthenware pot, from which wafted the aroma of meat. Kebineng sat cross-legged at a small table on the north side of the hearth.

On the east and west sides, dozens of circular felt rugs were scattered for people to sit cross-legged. On one side of the south entrance, there was a weapon rack and saddles, with Kebineng's sword and armor hanging on them.

"Lord Yu, what if I don't agree?"

Just as Yu Yunwen was curiously examining the interior of the royal tent, Kebineng's voice suddenly rang out, startling him.

"You won't agree?" Yu Yunwen's face suddenly turned cold, and his tone was no longer as gentle as before, revealing a hint of chill:

"Then you'll only face death. The only reason I came here is to give you face; otherwise, all that awaits you is the iron hooves and blades of my Qin army!"

After saying that, Yu Yunwen suddenly stood up and started to walk out of the tent.

"Wait a minute~~"

Seeing that Kebineng had gone too far, he could no longer hold back and repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay.

He knew that the scholar-looking fellow in front of him was no pushover; he was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and had once ridden his horse and wielded a spear on the battlefield, killing several of his men.

The other party kept their word; I was just testing them, not because I was afraid to listen!

Yu Yunwen stopped and slowly turned around, staring coldly at the other person.

"Lord Yu, please wait. I didn't say I wouldn't agree, but Budugen is my kinsman. If I betray him, Heaven will not forgive me. What do you think..."

Kebineng didn't say anything more, but Yu Yunwen could understand his meaning from the other party's actions of demanding benefits.

What's this talk of divine forgiveness? Isn't it just about demanding benefits? As long as the benefits are there, who cares about divine intervention!

"Lord Kebineng, rest assured, as long as you do as we say, you will certainly receive many benefits. To show our sincerity, I can offer you a thousand catties of iron and twenty shi of salt. What do you think?"

These things are like wings for the Kebineng tribe today.

According to modern weight conversion, 1,000 catties of iron can be used to forge 5000 to 12000 arrowheads, or 50 to 100 high-quality battle knives, which would greatly improve the military capabilities of the Kebineng tribe.

It should be noted that the Kebineng tribe has almost completely cut off all sources of salt and iron. Most people lack salt intake and use leather armor, wooden shields, and bone arrowheads, making their equipment level far behind.

"Is what Lord Yu said true?"

Kebineng's eyes lit up as he quickly tried to determine if it was true or false.

"That's right!" Yu Yunwen nodded repeatedly. These things were like hairs on a cow to the Qin army, not worth mentioning.

Providing these things to Kebineng is far from enough to aid the enemy.

Yu Yunwen understood the principle that you have to feed a horse frequently if you want it to run fast.

"My lord, I agree!"

Having received a definite answer, Kebineng instantly forgot about their kinship, not to mention that he and Budu had a real conflict, and that the brotherhood they had just shown was just an act.

"Alright, Lord Kebineng, rest assured, we will reward you handsomely after the matter is accomplished!"

Both sides were very satisfied with this and achieved their respective goals. Yu Yunwen successfully bribed Kebineng with benefits, while Kebineng also obtained the strategic materials that the tribe urgently needed.

Both are winners.

After completing his mission, Yu Yunwen did not leave, but stayed in the Kebineng tribe. He was afraid that Kebineng would not be able to withstand Zhuge Liang's persuasive words and that something unexpected might happen.

After staying in the Kebineng tribe for five or six days, Yu Yunwen finally received news that Zhuge Liang and his party were about to arrive.

Yu Yunwen was excited about this for a long time. He wanted to see just how powerful the words of this Taoist named Wolong were, and how much he could pay to move Kebineng.