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

Su Li, finally swayed by Zhuge Liang's smooth talk, was completely disoriented. The rugged Xianbei man's eyes welled with tears as he excitedly gestured wildly, causing Zhuge Liang's lips to twitch. He couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"Seriously? Who is this person? Are they that easy to fool?"

Zhuge Liang had no idea of ​​the bitterness in Su Li's heart. He was, after all, the overlord of the Xianbei, but it was because of Kebineng that he had ended up in this state.

He finally found a Han Chinese guy to carry him, how could he not be excited?

"Lord Zhuge, when will you return to report? I'll send someone to escort you!"

Having vented her emotions, Suli wiped away her tears, smiled sheepishly, and began to inquire about the important matter.

"Hmm... I have to wait a little longer. One of my guards has gotten separated from me, and I need to find him before I can head back."

Zhuge Liang pretended to think, and hesitantly voiced his concerns.

Guan Yu was his greatest source of security; he never felt at ease if Guan Yu wasn't around.

"Guards? What~~~~" Suli was about to ask what kind of guards would be worth your attention, but before she could finish speaking, she heard someone outside the tent asking for instructions:

"My lord, our patrol team got into a conflict with an intruder. Several people have been killed or wounded before we finally captured him. What should we do?"

The messenger's voice was loud and clear, and Zhuge Liang and Su Li inside the felt tent both heard it.

Upon hearing the report, Zhuge Liang had a strong premonition that the intruder was none other than Guan Yu. He rushed out of the tent in a hurry. Su Li, seeing the Han envoy so excited, followed him out despite his doubts.

"What does that person look like? Where is he now? Is he in any danger?"

Zhuge Liang grabbed the man's shoulder, his expression excited, and spoke rapidly, giving the man no chance to think.

When the guard saw that this distinguished guest was so excited, his forehead trembled, and he was so frightened that he spoke haltingly.

"Why aren't you reporting the truth to the esteemed Han envoy?"

Suli reminded him, and the guards then returned to normal somewhat:

"That man was tall, dressed in Han Chinese clothing, wielded a long sword, and had a ruddy complexion, which looked like he was covered in blood, making him terrifying. He is currently being held in a slave camp and is not in immediate danger."

"Phew~~~~"

Upon hearing the guard's description, Zhuge Liang knew that the man was Guan Yu and that he was not in any danger, so he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, if he were killed by these Xianbei people, how could he explain it to his master?

"Take me to see this quickly!"

As he spoke, Zhuge Liang dragged his guards toward the slave camp.

The slave camp of the Suli tribe was located at the foot of a high slope in the northwest corner of the tribe. It was not large, consisting of only a few tents, surrounded by a simple fence, and guarded by a small number of soldiers.

When Zhuge Liang arrived with the Xianbei guards who had reported the situation, he saw many disheveled and filthy Han Chinese tied up with ropes inside the fence. They were almost expressionless with dull eyes.

Near the inner area of ​​the fence, one could hear unrestrained lewd laughter coming from inside the tent, interspersed with the cries of women, while the Xianbei soldiers guarding outside also wore impatient expressions.

Zhuge Liang immediately realized that these people were probably spoils of war they had plundered.

Following the direction the Xianbei soldier pointed, Zhuge Liang saw a tall man locked in a wooden cage. At a glance, he knew that it was Guan Yu.

Guan Yu was chained and imprisoned in a wooden cage. His fists were clenched, his eyes were bloodshot, and his phoenix eyes radiated a chilling killing intent that sent shivers down one's spine.

Zhuge Liang strode over and ordered his men to release Guan Yu.

Guan Yu was somewhat stunned when he saw Zhuge Liang. He didn't understand why the strategist was mingling with these Xianbei people, and why he looked so well, not like someone who had suffered greatly. (Read the full text for free: Chapter 338, "Both Sides Continue to Deceive Each Other!", link: [link missing])

"Strategist, what are you doing here? And you seem to be alright?"

Guan Yu asked questions while scrutinizing Zhuge Liang.

"Come out first, and I'll explain everything to you in detail!" Zhuge Liang certainly wouldn't say these things to Guan Yu in front of so many people.

As they spoke, the chains clicked to the ground, and Guan Yu strode out of the cage. He followed Zhuge Liang to a nearby spot, and after confirming that no one was eavesdropping, he explained why he had been captured.

Guan Yu followed the numerous hoofprints discovered at the Gaoliu royal court, searching along the way. He encountered several nomadic tribes but found nothing, so he could only continue to explore the areas with dense vegetation.

After all, this is a grassland with scarce water resources. The people and horses needed to replenish their water after running for a long time, which is why they found their way here.

Just as Guan Yu was preparing to search, he was discovered by their patrol team. There was almost no cover on the vast grassland, so there was no way to hide. If they met, they would only fight to the death.

When the two sides first met, Guan Yu had the upper hand. However, his weapon was inferior, and the enemy had more people and better mobility. He was at a great disadvantage in close combat and was eventually captured.

I thought I was doomed, but I never expected to meet Zhuge Liang. It's true that there's always a way out.

"Strategist, what about you?" Guan Yu asked Zhuge Liang after finishing his story.

When Guan Yu heard that Zhuge Liang had used his Qin army identity to intimidate Su Li, he was utterly astonished, his expression revealing a great deal of emotion.

It expresses both admiration for Zhuge Liang and contempt for Su Li.

"Strategist, what should we do next? Are you really going to try and win over this Suli?"

Guan Yu suddenly realized something.

"That's right!" Zhuge Liang nodded and explained:

"After communicating with Suli, I found that this person still has some value. If we want to attack Qin Xuan, we must win over more nomadic tribes to share the risks."

As for their internal affairs, that's none of my business.

Therefore, your most important task now is to immediately go back and stabilize Kebineng. I am confident that I can handle Suli!

Zhuge Liang was full of confidence at this time. As long as he made good use of his identity as a Qin army envoy, there would be no mistakes. But Kebineng was different. He was not so easy to fool. He needed a powerful figure to keep an eye on him.

And this person can only be Guan Yu.

"What about your safety? We don't have enough guards right now."

Almost all of the five hundred guards they brought were lost.

"We can't worry about that now. You must return to Gaoliu immediately to help Kebineng defend against the Qin army's attack. I'm safe here for the time being!"

Guan Yu couldn't argue with Zhuge Liang, so he had no choice but to comply.

Under Su Li's arrangement, Guan Yu led three warhorses back to Gaoliu along the original route to appease Kebineng.

Zhuge Liang remained with the Suli tribe to continue persuading them, using his identity as a Qin envoy to instigate Suli to contact other friendly tribes and expand their anti-Qin forces.

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When Guan Yu returned to Gaoliu, it was nearly sunset, and the Gaoliu royal court was still in ruins.

Kebineng and his men were extremely busy salvaging all usable resources and treasures.

When he saw Guan Yu, his eyes widened, his breathing became more rapid, he made a snorting sound from his nose, and his fists clenched tightly, as if he wanted to kill the other man with a single stroke.

If it weren't for their own actions, they wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses, and even the royal court was burned to the ground.

"You... how dare you come back?" Kebineng suppressed his murderous intent and said coldly.

The reason he dared not act rashly was because he did not know how many people the other side had brought, which was probably far more than the five hundred he had seen. The Han people were very fond of hiding their strengths.

"Why wouldn't I dare to come back? Our cooperation isn't over yet. I've already found my strategist, but just in case he's moved, I'm here to maintain our cooperation."

Guan Yu didn't care about Kebineng's attitude at all, and he recited the rhetoric that Zhuge Liang had taught him verbatim.