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

Just as Li and Guo listened to Jia Xu's advice and led their cavalry to search for Emperor Xian of Han, Jia Xu, along with his family, rode a fast horse and rushed to Huayin overnight.

Huayin is located west of Tongguan and is the eastern gateway to Chang'an. After Dong Fangzhuo moved the capital to Chang'an, he specially deployed heavy troops in Huayin to consolidate Guanzhong and resist the attacks of the warlords in Guandong.

Duan Wei, the garrison commander of Huayin, and Jia Xu were from the same hometown and their relationship was fairly good. Seeking refuge with him might provide them with safe protection.

As for Li and Guo, they are utterly useless and destined for failure.

By the time Jia Xu and his family arrived in Huayin, a day and a night had passed since Li and Guo set off. Fortunately, they had not encountered the Xiliang army's cavalry on the way, otherwise, the outcome would have been uncertain.

"What? You said Jia Xu is here?"

Inside the county government office, Duan Wei appeared quite surprised; he never expected Jia Xu to come and seek refuge with him.

"Yes, General, the person is currently outside the county government office. What do you think?"

The subordinate who reported it repeated it quietly, reminding him.

"Hiss... this guy's coming is really troublesome!"

Duan Wei rubbed the back of his head in frustration, muttering to himself. Although he and Jia Xu were from the same hometown, they didn't have much interaction. Moreover, Jia Xu was particularly clever, and it was easy to be led astray by him.

Who knows if his visit will bring good or bad news?

Fortunately, Duan Wei's voice was very soft, and the person reporting was far away, so his subordinates did not hear what Duan Wei was muttering. They just urged him again.

"Alright, I'll go greet him myself!"

Hearing his subordinates urging him, Duan Wei got up and walked out of the county government hall to personally greet Jia Xu. After all, if he didn't greet him personally, he was afraid that Jia Xu would come up with some vicious tricks to deal with him.

He dared not offend such a person, nor could he afford to.

Before long, Duan Wei met Jia Xu and his family at the entrance of the county government office. As soon as they met, Duan Wei was very enthusiastic, as if the two were old friends who had been separated for a long time.

"Mr. Wenhe, what brings you to such a small place? Please come in, let's talk inside!"

He then made an inviting gesture, inviting Jia Xu and the others to come in.

Seeing Duan Wei's enthusiasm, Jia Xu didn't stand on ceremony and invited his family into the county government office.

After settling Jia Xu's family in, Duan Wei and Jia Xu went to the main hall to catch up.

"Mr. Wenhe, you've brought your whole family to Huayin. Is it because the conflict between Li Jue and Guo Si in Chang'an has reached a fever pitch, and the fighting is getting increasingly fierce?"

Seeing Jia Xu leisurely sipping tea, Duan Wei didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

Although he was stationed in Huayin on Dong Zhuo's orders, he kept a close eye on the situation in Chang'an.

He was well aware of the fierce battle between Li and Guo, and the young emperor's escape. Now that he saw Jia Xu arrive in Huayin with his family, he guessed that the battle between Li and Guo was about to end. Otherwise, that old fox Jia Xu would not have left Chang'an.

Upon hearing Duan Wei's words, Jia Xu, who was drinking tea, suddenly paused, glanced at Duan Wei with a hint of surprise, then put down his teacup and scoffed:

"Li Jue and Guo Si are facing imminent disaster without realizing it; how can I go to my doom with them?"

"Ever since these two occupied Chang'an and controlled the young emperor, they have been arrogant and domineering all day long. They can't stand each other and often clash. Li Jue even wanted to kill those court officials. He doesn't know how to use them."

"Do you think I should stay any longer?"

"If I hadn't used a little trick to find a chance to escape, I probably wouldn't be far from death."

"I came here to save you. You don't want to perish with them, do you? The Xiliang army has been destroyed by those two."

Upon hearing Jia Xu's words, Duan Wei merely smiled dismissively, completely disregarding Jia Xu's words, and even sarcastically remarked:

"Hehe~~~~~~, Mr. Wenhe, are you trying to scare me? I have tens of thousands of men under my command now."

These are all elite troops from the Xiliang army.

"Li and Guo are locked in a fierce battle; what can he do to me? If he pushes me too far, they won't get away with it either!"

Duan Wei's words were not unfounded. Huayin was strategically important, and Dong Zhuo had stationed more troops there than he had ever imagined, and they were all elite soldiers from the Xiliang army.

If Li and Guo dared to make trouble for him, with his tens of thousands of troops, it was uncertain who would have the last laugh. That's why he dared not take Jia Xu's words to heart.

Seeing Duan Wei's arrogance, Jia Xu was not angered, but patiently continued:

"When the young emperor was on the run, he sent edicts to the warlords of Guandong requesting aid. As far as I know, Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, and Qin Xuan of Xuzhou have all obeyed the edict to come to the emperor's aid."

"Leaving aside others, you should have heard of Qin Xuan of Xuzhou, right? He repelled Cao Cao and destroyed Lü Bu; aren't those deeds known to everyone in the world? Do you think you can stop them from destroying Li and Guo?"

"Luoyang is now just ruins. Their ultimate destination, ordered to defend the emperor, is Chang'an. Li and Guo are already on their deathbeds. If it weren't for the fact that we are from the same hometown, I wouldn't care about you."

"Think about it carefully!"

After saying this, Jia Xu ignored Duan Wei's expression and picked up the still-warm teacup to continue sipping his tea.

As Duan Wei listened to Jia Xu's words, the arrogant expression on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a hint of unease. When he finally heard Qin Xuan's name, he completely panicked.

During this period, Qin Xuan and his Great Snow Dragon Cavalry became famous throughout the world, and Duan Wei was well aware of this.

"Mr. Wenhe, please save me! You must have a plan in mind, otherwise you wouldn't have come!"

Duan Wei looked at Jia Xu, grabbed his arm, and stammered, his once bright and piercing eyes now filled with tears.

Duan Wei was completely panicked. He was not as powerful as Cao Cao, nor as skilled in martial arts as Lü Bu. If he encountered Qin Xuan, what chance would he have? Huayin was the only way to Chang'an. If they wanted to serve the emperor, they would definitely have to come to Huayin.

"Hehe, let me explain!"

Seeing that Duan Wei had taken the bait, Jia Xu put down his teacup and told Duan Wei about his plan.

···············

Along the road leading to Luoyang, the vibrant grass swayed gently in the breeze, seemingly telling the story of spring's vitality.

A cavalry force bearing the banners of Qin and the Great Snow Dragon Riders was galloping at breakneck speed, like a sharp blade swiftly slicing through the cracked earth.

This was Qin Xuan leading the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and four thousand elite iron cavalry from Xuzhou.

Due to the long distance, Qin Xuan was leading only cavalry, and they were passing through Yuan Shu's territory at top speed.

After all, they were acting under the guise of rescuing the emperor, so Yuan Shu didn't dare to say much.

"My lord, is there any need for us to rush like this? The soldiers have been marching for so long, and their horses are about to give out!"

Seeing that his soldiers behind him were already drenched in sweat, and Qin Xuan still hadn't ordered them to rest, Qin Qiong, suppressing his hunger, shouted loudly to Qin Xuan, who was galloping away on horseback not far away.

"Whoa~~~Whoa~~!"

Hearing Qin Qiong's shouts from behind, Qin Xuan yanked the reins sharply, and the white-hoofed horse, which was galloping at high speed, immediately came to a stop.

The main force behind them immediately caught up.

"My lord, let's rest for a while. You're too fast; the soldiers of Xuzhou don't have such a fine steed!"

Even fierce generals like Yuwen Chengdu and Qin Qiong found it difficult to endure the long, rapid march, let alone the ordinary elite cavalry.

It's only because Qin Xuan inherited the skills of a top-tier general that his physical abilities far surpass those of others; otherwise, who would dare to ride at full speed for such a long time?

"Alright, let's rest for half an hour and replenish our energy!"

Looking at the exhausted crowd, Qin Xuan nodded.