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

"Is what you said true? Did a disturbance really occur in the royal court of Gaoliu?"

Inside a felt tent woven from wool, a rugged-looking man with a full beard and dressed in woolen clothes listened to his subordinates' report while eating mutton and drinking sheep's milk.

"Absolutely true!" The confidant kneeling before the unrestrained man nodded repeatedly.

"I personally led men to investigate, and indeed, a raging fire broke out at the Gao Liu royal court last night. It's likely that the Han army stationed in Youzhou launched an attack; otherwise, how could a fire have started?"

The fire at the Gaoliu royal court alarmed almost all the nearby tribes, who all sent people to inquire about the news.

"Lord Suli, your opportunity has arrived. The fire at the Gaoliu royal court has likely wiped out Kebineng's forces completely. Why don't we seize this chance to launch an attack?"

Just as Hamil was processing the information, his confidant suddenly leaned close and whispered something to him.

"Hmm~~~"

Upon hearing this, Su Li was taken aback, and a hint of emotion appeared on his rugged face.

He was originally one of the most powerful families in the Xianbei tribe. Later, Kebineng rose to power, and the two sides fought many wars. In the end, Kebineng joined forces with several other families to defeat him.

As a result, the Suli tribe declined drastically, its power greatly diminished, and now it has only tens of thousands of people and a few thousand soldiers capable of fighting.

Even in such a difficult situation, Suli did not give up the opportunity to make a comeback.

But now that the royal court of Gaoliu is ablaze, this is indeed an excellent opportunity. However, Suli did not let this cloud his judgment. He put down the lamb chop in his hand, wiped himself casually, and said:

"Although the royal court of Gaoliu is engulfed in flames, it is unknown whether Kebineng died at the hands of the Han army. Moreover, my forces are limited. If I were to encounter the Han army, would I have any chance of escape?"

Suli, still possessing some self-awareness, did not rush into a decision based on his confidant's few words, but not wanting to waste this golden opportunity, he quickly instructed his confidant:

"Immediately increase manpower to closely monitor all movements of the Gao Liu royal court. When Kebineng is truly at his wit's end, I will not let this opportunity pass!"

Sully adopted a more cautious approach.

"Yes, I'll go right away!"

His confidant bowed and left, but before he could even lift the curtain, a report came from his personal guard outside the door, leaving him frozen in place.

"My lord, we discovered intruders during our patrol. After a search, we captured more than ten of them. They were almost all dressed as Han Chinese. Would you like to come out and take a look?"

The guards were loud. When Suli heard that there were intruders, and that they were dressed as Han Chinese, he immediately became interested, got up and strode out of the tent, with his confidants following closely behind.

Upon arriving outside the tent, Suli saw more than ten unfamiliar faces tied up in the center of the camp. One of them was the most eye-catching. He was young, with a feather fan at his waist. His weapons had been taken away, yet he remained unfazed even with a knife to his neck.

Suli approached the man and, with great interest, began to intimidate him:

"Are you spies for the Han army? How dare you trespass on my territory to gather intelligence! Do you have a death wish?!"

Zhuge Liang never expected to be so unlucky. The guards he sent out to scout the situation hadn't gone far before they were discovered by the patrol. How could they, who had traveled a long distance, outrun the patrol? In the end, they were captured.

"Who are you? I am an honored guest of Lord Kebineng. Why don't you untie the ropes right now?"

Upon seeing the group's pretense, Zhuge Liang immediately invoked Kebineng's name, hoping to use this identity to intimidate others.

Hahaha~~~

Upon hearing this, Suli burst into laughter:

"Kebineng's honored guests? Let me tell you, this is my territory, Suli's territory. Kebineng has no say in this matter. Come on, drag them away and behead them!"

Su Li waved his hand and ordered his men to drag Zhuge Liang and the others away and kill them.

Zhuge Liang and his entourage were completely dumbfounded, and Zhuge Liang himself was also greatly alarmed. He never expected that he would run into Kebineng's enemy. Wasn't this like walking into a trap?

No, we have to save ourselves.

Thinking of all this, Zhuge Liang struggled to break free, but the ropes binding them were made of cow and sheep hides, which only tightened the more he struggled, making Zhuge Liang's efforts futile.

At this critical moment, Zhuge Liang hurriedly shouted:

"I am an envoy of the Han Dynasty. You cannot kill me. If you kill me, you will not have a good end either!"

Since the identity of Kebineng as an honored guest is not enough, then let's bring up the identity of an envoy of the Han Dynasty.

However, Zhuge Liang's plan was completely wrong; Su Li was not buying it at all.

Who is Suli? He is a ruthless fellow from the Xianbei tribe, who is not swayed by either soft or hard tactics. Zhuge Liang's attempt to intimidate him with the name of the Han Dynasty was completely ineffective. Moreover, the Han Dynasty was practically defunct in name only. Did he think he was a three-year-old child who didn't know this?

Seeing that Su Li remained unmoved and that he himself was about to become a victim of the blade, Zhuge Liang made a decision against his conscience, repeatedly shouting:

"I...I am an envoy from Youzhou, a great Han dynasty official. If you kill me, within a few days, my elite troops will trample your camp and slaughter your people!"

"I...I am an envoy from Youzhou, a great Han dynasty official. If you kill me, within a few days, my elite troops will trample your camp and slaughter your people!"

"etc!"

Upon hearing the words "Youzhou," Su Li paused in his tracks as he returned to his tent, then quickly turned around to stop his subordinates.

"You're from Youzhou?"

Su Li went to Zhuge Liang to confirm again.

"That's right, I was personally sent by Qin Xuan to persuade Kebineng, but that guy went back on his word and tried to take us hostage. In the end, we fought desperately and suffered heavy losses before we managed to escape with the rest of us under the cover of fire."

Zhuge Liang's mind worked extremely fast, and he fabricated this lie without hesitation, showing the bound guards what it meant to be quick-witted and resourceful.

"Untie me quickly, please come with me into the tent. I was blind just now!"

Su Li was completely fooled by Zhuge Liang's acting skills. He personally untied Zhuge Liang, pulled him into the tent to rest, and treated him as an honored guest.

Zhuge Liang hadn't expected the Qin army to have such a prestigious reputation, and the difference in treatment between before and after was so huge. It was infuriating! He even felt that mentioning Liu Bei's name might not have any effect.

Suli treated Zhuge Liang as an honored guest, serving him mutton, mare's milk wine, and all sorts of other delicacies.

Zhuge Liang did not refuse. He had been starving while fleeing for his life, and when he saw such a delicious meal, he ate it like a wolf, without any scholarly demeanor.

Su Li didn't rush to ask any questions, and quietly waited for Zhuge Liang to finish eating and drinking.

"Uh~~~~~"

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a crisp burp rang out, and Zhuge Liang picked up the remaining mare's milk wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Finally, I've had a satisfying meal.

"Lord Zhuge, what brings you to the Xianbei? Why did Kebineng turn against you? If you don't mind, could you tell me?"

Facing Zhuge Liang, Su Li acted extremely humble, even forcing an awkward smile, after all, this was an angel from Youzhou.

He even wanted to use the Qin army's strength to deal with Kebineng.

Faced with Su Li's questioning, Zhuge Liang, who had gained an advantage, was adept at making up lies, and his words almost completely fooled Su Li.

Even in the end, Suli was willing to use all the strength of his tribe to help Zhuge Liang avenge this "deep hatred," only hoping that the other party could support him to become the overlord of the grasslands.

Looking at the simple-minded, physically strong Xianbei man in front of him, Zhuge Liang felt no remorse when he started to trick him. After all, they were all foreigners, so why should he have any sympathy?