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

"Lord Qin, His Majesty the Emperor and his entourage are hiding nearby. I will take you to see him immediately!"

Yang Feng was a shrewd man. He saw that Qin Xuan ignored him but was not angry. He seemed to care about it at all. Then he took Qin Xuan to meet the young emperor.

Led by Yang Feng, Qin Xuan met the puppet emperor, Liu Xie, in a private residence not far away.

"Your humble servant Qin Xuan, General of Xuzhou and Chancellor of Langya, pays his respects to Your Majesty. Please forgive me for being unable to perform the proper etiquette while in full armor."

Qin Xuan bowed to Liu Xie, who looked panicked, and said that if the young emperor wasn't still useful, he probably wouldn't have paid any attention to him.

"Minister Qin, your timely rescue is for which I am deeply grateful; how could I possibly blame you?"

Although Liu Xie is only fourteen years old, he is far more shrewd than ordinary people. Now that the imperial power has fallen into the hands of others, he, as the emperor, has very little power and will not care about the disrespect shown by these vassal lords.

"Your Majesty, you are now safe. Please accompany me to Luoyang to await the arrival of the other lords!"

After exchanging greetings, Qin Xuan instructed Emperor Xian of Han to leave with him and head towards Luoyang.

"Very well, I will do as you please, my dear minister. But my subjects and I are starving. Could you please allow us a hot meal?"

Liu Xie had no objection to Qin Xuan's arrangements, but he was thinking about having a hot and filling meal. Since their escape from Chang'an, they had mostly been eating dry rations that were hard to swallow.

If it weren't for the need to survive, these nobles would never have been able to eat this stuff.

I'm hungry!

Upon hearing this, Qin Xuan glanced at the ministers in the room, all of whom were pale and thin, looking as if they were barely breathing. He couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will prepare soup and food for Your Majesty and the esteemed officials immediately. Please follow me as we leave this place!"

Upon hearing that there was meat soup, the young emperor and his ministers' eyes lit up like hungry wolves, and without saying a word, they followed Qin Xuan out of the dilapidated house.

Later, in the temporary camp set up by the Snow Dragon Riders, the young emperor and his ministers wolfed down their most reassuring meal since their escape.

Looking at these nobles who had no manners at all, Qin Xuan smiled faintly.

This is the elite class of the Han Dynasty. Now, with just a meal of plenty of meat soup and dry rations that are not too hard to swallow, they have put aside the unique reserve of the upper class. Such a scene is truly a once-in-a-century occurrence.

"My lord, according to the news from the troops we left behind in Luoyang, Cao Cao has led a large army to Yanshi and is preparing to pass through Luoyang!"

Just then, Yuwen Chengdu hurriedly came to Qin Xuan's side and whispered the news that had come from Luoyang.

After listening to the report from Chengdu, Qin Xuan was not surprised at all. After all, according to his calculations, Cao Cao should have arrived by now. It was just strange that there was still no news of the Yuan brothers.

After thinking for a while, Qin Xuan gave the order:

"Send someone to inform Qin Qiong to go to Huayin ahead of us and scout out the situation there. We'll bring the young emperor and the others back to Luoyang!"

"promise!"

Yuwen Chengdu immediately agreed.

·············

The setting sun, like blood, spilled its light onto the ruins, creating a desolate scene.

Luoyang, once a glorious capital, is now nothing but ruins. The city walls have long been consumed by fire, the palaces have turned to ashes, and the streets are full of rubble and broken bricks.

Cao Cao, clad in battle robes, led his troops slowly through the ruins, his eyes revealing a complex emotion. He had spent an unforgettable period of struggle in Luoyang, a place that held the passion of his youth.

"My lord, shall we continue to set up camp here?"

Cao Ren, who was standing nearby, seemed to have guessed Cao Cao's inner feelings and cautiously offered his own suggestion.

Cao Cao did not answer, but continued walking forward.

His steps were slow, as if he were carefully experiencing every inch of the city. He recalled the prosperity of Luoyang in its heyday, with its bustling traffic and lively crowds, but now only desolation remained.

"Damn Dong Zhuo, you truly deserve to die!" Cao Cao muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly. If Dong Zhuo hadn't set the place ablaze, how could it have ended up like this!

They walked through ruins and arrived at the site of a former royal palace.

This place was once the center of power in the Eastern Han Dynasty, but now it is nothing but scorched earth.

Cao Cao stood amidst the ruins, gazing at the setting sun in the distance, a nameless sorrow welling up in his heart.

"My lord, should we set up camp here?" Cao Ren, who was following closely behind, asked again.

"No, we~~~~!"

Before Cao Cao could finish speaking, they heard a faint sound of horses' hooves coming from afar. The sound grew louder and louder, and it seemed to be coming towards their location.

"Prepare for battle!"

Cao Ren roared and quickly drew his sword. The guards behind him gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes fixed on the direction from which the sound came.

A moment later, a troop of cavalry came into view.

They were clad in heavy armor, wielding long spears, their warhorses galloping, exuding a menacing aura.

Cao Cao's heart tightened, but he quickly recognized the enemy's banner—it was the banner of Qin Xuan of Xuzhou.

"Qin Xuan acted so quickly?"

Cao Cao was completely baffled, since Xuzhou was much farther from Luoyang than Yanzhou, and Qin Xuan should have arrived even later than him.

While they were pondering, the cavalry stopped a hundred paces away from Cao Cao. The leading general dismounted, walked quickly toward Cao Cao, and bowed.

"Ahead lies Cao Cao of Yan Province. I am a subordinate of Lord Qin Xuan of Xu Province, and I respectfully welcome you, sir!"

"Are you Qin Xuan's men? Could it be that your Lord Qin has already entered Hangu Pass and is heading towards Xin'an and Mianchi?"

Cao Cao immediately inquired about Qin Xuan's whereabouts. If Qin Xuan were to take the emperor into custody, it would be disastrous; he would be the one holding the emperor hostage to command the other lords.

"My master has been in Hangu Pass for several days," the general replied. "He has instructed us to welcome the other feudal lords here."

"Then how come you got here so quickly?"

Cao Cao then asked.

"We're all cavalry, that's why we arrived so quickly!"

The general replied that these were not secrets and that it would be fine to tell the other party.

"What? All cavalry?" Cao Cao was startled. He hadn't expected Qin Xuan to lead such a large force of iron cavalry. No wonder their marching speed was so fast. He immediately gave the order:

"Cao Ren, assemble the army and set off immediately! We must find His Majesty the Emperor before Qin Xuan!"

"promise!"

Cao Ren also knew the importance of this matter, so he immediately went to gather his troops and head towards Chang'an to find Emperor Xian of Han and others.

Before long, Cao Cao led his troops out of Luoyang and traveled day and night.

However, just as they arrived in Xin'an early the next morning, they encountered a Snow Dragon Rider under Qin Xuan's command on the official road.

To all the die-hard fans of Niuwogu, the latest chapter of "Three Kingdoms: Rise from Intercepting Liu Bei" has been released!