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

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The pine branches crackled in the fire, and Qin Xuan stared blankly at the boiling water in the earthenware pot.

Having traversed such a long period of time, getting to where I am today has truly been fraught with difficulties.

"My lord, have you decided how to treat the young emperor?"

Sitting to the side, Qin Qiong couldn't help but ask.

Qin Xuan swallowed the whole wheat cake in his hand. The coarse bran scratched his throat, making it hurt a little. He quickly picked up the lukewarm water that had cooled down and drank it all in one gulp. After wiping his lips, he replied:

"We can give it to anyone, just not Cao Cao. Cao Cao has many strategists and fierce generals around him. If he gets hold of the young emperor, the threat to us will be greatly increased."

"I'd rather Yuan Shao welcome the young emperor back than let Cao Cao succeed!"

"Have they made any moves yet?"

Qin Qiong nodded as if suddenly understanding, and then replied:

"According to the intelligence brought back by the scouts, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao have already led their troops out, and it will probably take some time before they reach Luoyang. There has been no news from Yuan Shu yet."

Having obtained the information he wanted, Qin Xuan rose from the rock he was sitting on, dusted himself off, and, seeing that his soldiers had already regained their strength, quickly mounted his warhorse and shouted:

"Set off!"

········

Inside the Huayin County government office, Duan Wei's face gradually turned pale as Jia Xu recounted his story. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and his knuckles made a "crackling" sound.

Jia Xu's scheme was like a sharp blade, piercing his heart and sending chills down his spine. The scheme was even somewhat outrageous.

"Mr. Wenhe, isn't your plan a bit too ruthless? No matter what, they are our comrades!"

Duan Wei finally interrupted Jia Xu, his voice trembling slightly.

Jia Xu instructed him to let the warlords from Guandong enter and let them deal with Li and Guo, while he himself would seek an opportunity to join the warlord among them who would eventually seize control of the young emperor.

Duan Wei was a kind-hearted person who still cherished his comrades, but Jia Xu was much more ruthless, actually coming up with such a scheme to betray his comrades.

Jia Xu merely smiled slightly at Duan Wei's reaction, his eyes remaining as calm as still water.

"General Duan, in chaotic times, only ruthlessness can ensure survival. Although this plan is cruel, it can help us find a way out of this desperate situation."

"Besides, you consider Li Jue and Guo Si as comrades-in-arms, but they might not think the same way!"

"What do you mean by that?"

Duan Wei suddenly questioned him, his voice becoming much louder. Could it be that Li and Guo were planning to deal with him?

Although Jia Xu was secretly delighted to see Duan Wei's expression, he remained outwardly calm.

"Before I came here, Li Jue asked me for advice on how to kill you without bloodshed and seize your tens of thousands of troops to expand our strength."

"If the warlords of Guandong hadn't acted so quickly, General, you would probably be beheaded by now!"

This wasn't just Jia Xu making things up; Li Jue did indeed consider eliminating Duan Wei to expand his own power.

Duan Wei's expression grew increasingly complicated. His gaze lingered on Jia Xu's face, as if searching for any trace of a lie.

However, all he saw were Jia Xu's deep and determined eyes, as if telling him, "I didn't lie, these are all facts."

"Okay, I'll do as you say!" After thinking for a moment, Duan Wei finally made up his mind and said these words through gritted teeth.

"Haha, General, don't worry about it so much. Your men will thank you for this!"

Seeing this, Jia Xu comforted Duan Wei with a word of comfort.

After making the final decision, Jia Xu settled in Huayin under Duan Wei's arrangement, and Duan Wei sent his spies to Luoyang to gather intelligence, waiting for the various warlords from Guandong to gather in Luoyang.

···········

As night fell, a dilapidated manor far outside Yongxian County looked particularly lonely under the moonlight.

The manor gates were tightly shut, and vines climbed all over the walls, as if time had stood still here.

Inside, the dim candlelight flickered, and several people dressed in simple robes sat around an old wooden table, talking in hushed tones.

Their voices were deep and hoarse, as if they came from a distant past.

"According to the information from my shadow guards, Qin Xuan is leading his men to Luoyang. His target is the young emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty. I think we can take this opportunity to see if he is indeed the prince we have been searching for."

The speaker was a middle-aged man, and it was one of his shadow guards who brought this exciting news.

"Meng Guang, why are you so curious about this Qin Xuan?"

The elderly man with white hair sitting at the head of the table asked this question, clearly surprised by the middle-aged man's unusual concern for Qin Xuan.

Upon hearing this, the other two middle-aged men in the room also turned their attention to the man named Meng Guang, wanting to hear his opinion.

Meng Guang presented evidence that surprised everyone present.

"Third brother, what did you say? Qin Xuan really has a Great Wall Legion-style army under his command, as recorded in our ancestors' records?"

"Could we have gotten the wrong information?"

The two middle-aged men quickly pressed for details, as this was no small matter; they had to ensure the accuracy of the information.

"It's true. My shadow guards are spread throughout all the states of the Han Dynasty, and there are about a hundred of them in Xuzhou. This information was gathered by them beforehand, and after being compiled and verified, it was sent to me. How could there be a mistake?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Guang retorted with a stern face that his Shadow Guards were the intelligence source of the Black Ice Guard, possessing nearly five hundred years of intelligence gathering tradition, which was also an important reason why their Meng clan had continued to this day without interruption.

As the most powerful intelligence agency in the Qin Empire, the Black Ice Guard played a vital role in the development of the empire and had long established a rigorous system for intelligence collection, processing, and transportation.

Therefore, Meng Guangcai was very displeased with his two elder brothers' questioning.

"Good, good indeed, cough cough... cough cough... it seems that our Meng clan is truly about to complete this historical mission that we have upheld for so many years!"

The white-haired old man coughed as he spoke.

The three people standing nearby saw that the old man had coughed several times, so they quickly patted his hunched back, which made him feel better for a while.

"Father... Father, how are you feeling? Can you still hold on?"

The three middle-aged men asked anxiously in unison.

The old man is now seventy years old. In order to complete the task entrusted to him by his ancestors, his health has long since deteriorated. If he hadn't yet found the young master, he would have been unable to continue.

They were terrified that their father would collapse at this critical juncture. What if Qin Xuan really was the person they were looking for, but the old man couldn't hold on until that day? Wouldn't that be too regrettable?

"It's alright, I should be able to hold on. I won't give up until I find the young master. I've been waiting for this for so many years, what's a little longer?"

"Pass the word: gather all the intelligence agents from the Black Ice Guard and collect as much information as possible about Qin Xuan. I have a feeling that Qin Xuan might be the young master we're looking for!"

"promise!"

The three middle-aged men readily agreed.