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

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Qin Xuan's life became increasingly comfortable, while Lü Bu's army endured famine.

Because the army's original provisions were exhausted, and the provisions provided by Qin Xuan were far from enough to fill everyone's stomachs, each person received less than three catties of millet per day, which was far from enough to satisfy their hunger.

Most importantly, Qin Xuan did not provide them with any food or fodder for the warhorses. The daily consumption of thousands of horses was an astronomical figure.

The feeding of warhorses is very meticulous. Each warhorse needs a bushel of grain or beans and a large amount of hay every day.

With just the free-range conditions, all the wild grass around Xiaopei was eaten up, and the warhorses could hardly be fed.

As evening fell, the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the deserted town of Xiaopei, draping the land in a golden veil.

However, the atmosphere inside the camp was unusually oppressive.

The soldiers sat around their respective tents, with only a pitiful amount of food in their bowls, barely enough to fill their stomachs.

"Damn it, when will this ever end? There's so little food, who can possibly eat it all, especially since it tastes so awful!"

A shifty-eyed fellow stared at the meager amount of food in his bowl, cursing under his breath, his eyes gleaming with anger.

Hearing the shifty-eyed man's complaints, the burly man beside him couldn't help but complain as well:

"That's right, the key is that there isn't a single woman in this Xiaopei City. The brothers have been itching for a long time. Only Marquis Wen doesn't have this problem, as he has a beautiful woman serving him."

"They drink wine all day long, and are served by pretty girls. They're much happier than us brothers."

Upon hearing this, the shifty-eyed man slapped his thigh, stood up, and said with a resolute tone, "This can't go on! We fight so hard for him, yet we can't even get enough to eat. We have to do something!"

These words were like a spark, instantly igniting the discontent of the others in the military tent.

They gathered around and echoed, "Yes, we can't stand this awful place anymore."

"We have to get Lu Bu to come up with a solution; we're all going crazy if this keeps up!"

As generals leading troops into battle, they had never experienced such days of hunger and loneliness without women.

Therefore, amidst the righteous indignation of the crowd, the shifty-eyed man led the generals from his military tent straight to Lü Bu's tent, intending to get Lü Bu to make a decision so that they would no longer be confined to such a boring place.

Meanwhile, Lü Bu was in his military tent discussing with Chen Gong which direction to send troops. After all, the army was facing an increasingly serious situation, and they had to act as soon as possible.

"Fengxian, in my opinion, we should head straight for Yu Province and attack Yuan Shu!"

"Although Yuan Shu has a large following, his actual strength is not great, so we have a relatively high chance of success!"

Chen Gong pointed to Yuan Shu's territory in Yu Province on the map and said confidently, "The best target for us now is Yuan Shu, since he has no generals who can pose a threat to Lü Bu."

"Well~~!" Just as Lü Bu was about to express his opinion, a commotion suddenly came from outside the military tent. He immediately frowned and called to the guards at the door to ask what had happened. At that moment, a shifty-eyed man led his men into the military tent.

"Hou Cheng, what are you doing? Are you planning a rebellion?" Lu Bu frowned slightly when he saw the shifty-eyed men, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure.

The shifty-eyed man, Hou Cheng, immediately knelt down upon hearing this, his voice trembling with a hint of tears: "General, please think of a solution quickly! The brothers are tired of this kind of life."

"Not only are we starving every day, but the worst part is there isn't a single woman in this city. The brothers are really going stir-crazy. So we'd like to ask the general to take the brothers away from Xiaopei as soon as possible and go somewhere else."

Lu Bu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then sighed: "I know the predicament my brothers are facing. Be patient for a few more days. Today I have already sent men to scout out Yuan Shu's situation in Yu Province. Once I have obtained definite information, I will immediately send troops, so we won't have to stay in Xiaopei any longer!"

"General, are you serious? The brothers really can't stand it any longer!"

Hou Cheng quickly raised his head and asked uncertainly, fearing that Lü Bu was just making up an excuse to appease them.

"Hehe, generals, rest assured, what Marquis Wen said is true. We were just discussing the action plan to attack Yuan Shu of Yu Province. Once we receive definite news, we will attack Yuan Shu!"

"Generals, please return and reassure your troops, and await further orders!"

Just then, Chen Gong spoke up. As Lü Bu's only strategist, he held considerable prestige within Lü Bu's army.

After hearing the strategist's words, Hou Cheng and the others dispelled their concerns and left the military tent.

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Seven or eight days passed, and the men Lu Bu sent out finally returned, recounting all the intelligence they had gathered.

"In addition, a considerable number of Montenegrin troops are stationed in Juyang!"

The Black Mountain Army was a peasant uprising army closely related to the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Its leader, Zhang Yan, was originally a subordinate of Zhang Niujiao from Boling.

After Zhang Niujiao's death, Zhang Yan succeeded him as leader, and his power gradually grew. He was known as the "Black Mountain Army," and at its peak, his followers numbered nearly a million.

Their main area of ​​activity was in Yanzhou and Jizhou, while a considerable number of their troops were also active in Yuzhou.

Upon hearing the news brought by the scout, Lü Bu immediately looked troubled.

There was no other reason than that the situation in Liang was far more complicated than he had imagined. The number of troops Yuan Shu had sent to guard there had exceeded his expectations, not to mention the Black Mountain Army, whose numbers were unknown.

After sending the scout away, Lü Bu said to Chen Gong beside him with a worried expression:

"Gongtai, you've heard the news from our scouts. The situation in Liang has exceeded our expectations. If we act rashly, the casualties will likely be too great!"

"And there is also a Black Mountain army whose strength is unknown."

Lu Bu was also worried that the loss of his more than 10,000 troops would be too great and not worth the effort.

Moreover, Liang is not far from Yanzhou. If he and Yuan's army are locked in a stalemate, and Cao Cao launches a surprise attack, he will be in dire straits.

Upon hearing this, Chen Gong smiled with satisfaction, knowing that Lü Bu had grown considerably and was no longer the reckless brute who only cared about charging forward. He had begun to consider the consequences more carefully.

"Fengxian, I'm glad you think that way, but we can ask Qin Xuan for help."

"The reason is as follows: once we decide to send troops, the enormous food consumption will depend on Qin Xuan to solve, so it's better to take this opportunity to act jointly!"

"We could even attack Cao Cao's Yan Province again, which would reduce the pressure on us considerably."

Chen Gong's idea was to temporarily align himself with Qin Xuan, since the Great Snow Dragon Riders were incredibly powerful. With such a strong army to cooperate with, the pressure they faced wouldn't be so great.

"This... a joint operation with Qin Xuan?"

Lu Bu murmured softly, still somewhat hesitant in his heart.

"That's right, Fengxian! Joining forces with Qin Xuan will definitely have no downsides. Why are you thinking so much? This is an opportunity we can't afford to miss!"

Chen Gong earnestly advised Lü Bu, hoping he would agree to his suggestion.

"Alright, I'll go find Xue Rengui tomorrow!"

Lu Bu finally gritted his teeth and agreed to Chen Gong's suggestion.