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

"What?! Qin Xuan is here?"

Upon hearing the words "Great Snow Dragon Riders," Guo Si immediately snapped out of his rage and quickly approached Li Jue to verify the news.

Li Jue nodded and continued:

"According to information from my spies in Luoyang, Qin Xuan and Cao Cao have arrived in Luoyang, and the young emperor is in Qin Xuan's hands!"

Since Lü Bu's death, Li Jue has strengthened the construction of the intelligence system, planting a large number of spies in the Sili Commandery, including many in the old capital Luoyang.

"Will they attack Chang'an next?"

Guo Si casually asked the question, after all, the young emperor was already in their hands, and given the nature of those court officials, they might take the opportunity to persuade Qin Xuan, Cao Cao, and others to attack Chang'an.

"It's hard to say, but we must return to Chang'an immediately and seek Jia Wenhe's help; perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope!"

Li Jue was well aware of Jia Xu's abilities; only Jia Xu could offer advice and help him overcome this crisis.

"Alright, let's return to Chang'an immediately!"

Guo Si nodded and immediately prepared to leave the military tent to summon his subordinates back to Chang'an. Just as he reached the tent entrance, he seemed to remember something and turned back, saying:

"What about Duan Wei of Huayin? Should we inform him? After all, he commands nearly ten thousand men!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jue revealed a sinister smile and said in a chilling tone:

"Let Duan Wei be cannon fodder. He's no longer on our side. Have you forgotten how he treated us not long ago?"

Li Jue hadn't forgotten that Duan Wei had previously prevented them from passing through Huayin. In other words, Duan Wei had ruined their plans; otherwise, how could the young emperor and his entourage have ended up at Caoyang Pavilion?

Since Duan Wei is ruthless, he shouldn't blame himself for being unjust.

"Okay, I understand!"

Subsequently, Li and Guo led the remaining troops back to Chang'an overnight from Hebei (present-day Ruicheng), passing through Linjin, Lianshao, and Gaoling.

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As dawn broke and Huayin was still shrouded in a hazy morning mist, the tranquility of the early morning was suddenly shattered by the rapid sound of horses' hooves.

"Report! Report! Urgent military intelligence!"

The rider kept shouting as he arrived at Duan Wei's residence.

Upon hearing of the urgent military situation, the servants in the mansion did not dare to delay for a moment and quickly invited the messenger into the mansion to meet Duan Wei.

Upon being informed by the steward, Duan Wei and Jia Xu hurriedly dressed and came to the main hall, where they met the visitors.

"General, a cavalry force of about four thousand men is heading towards Huayin. They are currently less than half an hour away. Please make arrangements as soon as possible!"

Upon meeting Duan Wei, the scout immediately relayed all the important military intelligence.

"What? Do you even know which faction's banner you're on?"

Duan Wei's tone was slightly nervous; he never expected the warlords of Guandong to act so quickly.

"They are from Xuzhou, and the leading general is very young, wielding a long spear!"

The scout recounted his observations in detail.

"The Xuzhou army?" Duan Wei frowned. "They arrived so quickly!"

Jia Xu, standing to the side, pondered for a moment and said, "Qin Xuan must have sent them to investigate our strength. If they want to attack Chang'an, Huayin is the closest pass; they couldn't possibly bypass it!"

"I think you can send troops to probe their strength and weaknesses."

Duan Wei nodded upon hearing this, and after dismissing the scouts, he cautiously revealed his guess:

"Mr. Wenhe, you wouldn't be thinking of taking me to surrender to Qin Xuan, would you?"

Jia Xu's face remained expressionless; he simply said:

"Surrender also requires leverage. How can you know how much weight you carry in their eyes if you don't test their capabilities? Qin Xuan is just one of the choices among these feudal lords. We can't draw any conclusions too early."

"I understand!" Duan Wei nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

After the two climbed the city wall, they looked out and saw dust billowing in the distance as a large number of cavalrymen galloped toward Huayin City.

The cavalry formation was orderly and imposing, clearly indicating that they were a well-trained elite force.

"Mr. Wenhe, what are your thoughts on Qin Xuan's army?"

"Elite troops! These are all elite troops; they should be considered the strongest army in the world right now!"

"Hiss~~~~!"

Duan Wei couldn't help but gasp. This Jia Xu really dared to boast, giving such a high evaluation to the iron cavalry outside the city, calling them the strongest army in the world.

Having served in the army for so many years and followed Dong Zhuo in his campaigns, I have seen quite a few armies. Dong Zhuo's most elite Flying Bear Army alone is no less imposing than the enemy's, and may even be stronger.

Jia Xu naturally saw Duan Wei's facial expression, but he didn't say anything, only focusing his gaze on Qin Qiong outside the city.

"General Duan, you can go now. Test their capabilities. I will keep a close eye on the situation, and if anything unexpected happens, I will immediately sound the retreat and notify you to withdraw!"

"Okay, I'll go right now!"

After saying that, Duan Wei led his men out of the city.

After stopping less than 100 meters from the Xuzhou army, Duan Wei held a long spear and stared intently at Qin Qiong.

After stopping less than 100 meters from the Xuzhou army, Duan Wei held a long spear and stared intently at Qin Qiong.

Qin Qiong was a burly man with a stern face and an imposing, authoritative gaze. Seeing Duan Wei leave the city, he slowly spoke:

"I am Qin Qiong, Qin Shubao, from Xuzhou. You must be General Duan Wei. My lord speaks highly of you, saying that you care about the people and never harm them."

"My lord wishes to advise the general not to aid and abet the wicked, but to lay down his arms and surrender immediately, lest the people of Huayin suffer!"

Qin Xuan told Qin Qiong all of this. He had a good impression of Duan Wei. Duan Wei could be considered an anomaly in the Xiliang army. Unlike Hua Xiong, Hu Zhen, and others, Duan Wei vigorously developed agriculture and stabilized the people after he was stationed in Huayin, enabling the local people to live and work in peace and contentment.

"Haha, since Qin Xuan knows all this, it means he understands me quite well!"

"If you want me to surrender, that's fine, but we'll see if you have the ability. I won't say anything else, let's have a one-on-one fight. If you beat me, I'll seriously consider your suggestion."

"If you can't beat me, then forget about everything. You'll have to take a detour to Chang'an from somewhere else!"

As he spoke, Duan Wei slapped his horse's rump with his spear and charged at Qin Qiong.

"Good timing! Let's see what you're capable of!"

Upon seeing this, Qin Qiong roared and rode his yellow horse at lightning speed straight towards Duan Wei. His spear had already been replaced with a pair of golden maces, which he used to attack his opponent.

"Bang!"

A loud metallic clang rang out, and the immense force from the spear made Duan Wei's hands go numb. He glanced over and saw blood seeping from the base of his thumbs.

Qin Qiong's strength far exceeded his expectations; with just a light strike, the difference in their abilities became immediately apparent.

However, before Duan Wei could recover, Qin Qiong's attack came one after another, with a pair of golden maces crashing down on him like Mount Tai.

"Bang!"

"Thump!"

Duan Wei heard a series of buzzing sounds in his ears, and in a daze, he saw a bright golden light rapidly enlarging in front of him.

Then a sharp pain shot through his chest, as if he had been knocked away by something, and he fell from his horse, crashing heavily to the ground.

After a short while, he gradually closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

Before Duan Wei lost consciousness, he seemed to hear a series of metallic clanging sounds.