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

"Is there a specific list?"

Qin Xuan asked with a hopeful expression, thinking that if he had a grasp of the specific details of these people, then the entire Han Dynasty would be under constant surveillance with nowhere to hide.

All intelligence from various sources will be gathered together, and after being sorted and analyzed, the most important information will be extracted.

Its function is comparable to that of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency.

"Young master, yes, these are all in the secret underground chamber of my Meng family manor. You can view them anytime you wish!"

Meng Qian replied that Qin Xuan was the young master they were looking for, and that everything about the Black Ice Platform was no secret, as they had the highest right to know.

Upon hearing that there was a list, Qin Xuan couldn't wait and immediately asked to see it, forgetting that it was lunchtime. It was Meng Qian who reminded him that it was time to eat lunch.

"Young Master, it's time for lunch. After lunch, let Guang'er accompany you to check the list. He's the head of the Black Ice Guard. If you have any questions, just ask him."

"Gurgle~~~Gurgle~~~~"

As soon as Meng Qian finished speaking, Qin Xuan's stomach began to rumble in protest. He then agreed and followed them to the dining area for lunch. The soldiers outside would be taken care of by a designated person.

Their stomachs were already growling with hunger from the long, strenuous march, and Qin Xuan wouldn't have known it if Meng Qian hadn't reminded him.

After dinner, Qin Xuan, led by Meng Guang, went to the Meng family's underground secret room to examine all the intelligence on the Black Ice Platform.

This was quite a surprise; the Black Ice Guard had placed spies around Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, but strangely, there wasn't a single spies around Cao Cao, which piqued Qin Xuan's curiosity.

"Meng Guang, why isn't there detailed information on the people who have infiltrated Cao Cao's inner circle? Haven't you been paying attention to them?"

"My lord, this is due to my incompetence. We have yet to successfully plant a spy among Cao Cao's men. Cao Cao is too suspicious. Several of our spies have been killed by him for no reason, so we have given up on the idea of ​​placing someone by his side."

Meng Guang's expression changed instantly upon hearing this, going from blank to furious. His pride and joy, the Black Ice Guard, had suffered a major defeat at the hands of Cao Cao, which was truly embarrassing. He added at the end:

"However, many of his key advisors are still among our people!"

Upon hearing Meng Guang's explanation, and considering the historical rumor that Cao Cao had a penchant for killing people in his dreams, Qin Xuan guessed that those undercover agents must have been eliminated by him.

As for the School Affairs Office, it's still nowhere to be seen, so it's probably not their doing.

"Understood. However, you should try to plant Black Ice Guard agents around Cao Cao again, but don't get too close to him. Cao Cao is a formidable opponent, and all intelligence about him should be given top priority."

Qin Xuan gave instructions while reviewing the list, noting that Cao Cao was his primary adversary in this era.

"promise!"

·······

After an afternoon of investigation, Qin Xuan had a general understanding of the Black Ice Platform. After staying at the Meng Family Manor for a few days, he left Yong County.

As for the Meng family, they also returned to Xuzhou with Qin Xuan. Now that they have found the young master, there is no need for them to stay here any longer, since it is no longer within Qin Xuan's sphere of influence, and their safety is greatly reduced.

Since there weren't many people in Mengjiazhuang, Qin Xuan didn't need to take a detour back to Xuzhou. He returned via the same route, but he didn't greet Cao Cao and his men when he passed through Chang'an.

Just as Qin Xuan was galloping back to Xuzhou, the Xuzhou governor's mansion was dimly lit, and a heavy atmosphere permeated the air. (A strong recommendation for "Three Kingdoms: Rise from Intercepting Liu Bei!" is mentioned, followed by a promotional message for the novel.)

In the hall, Liu Bowen, Zhang Juzheng, and Jia Xu, who had just arrived, sat around a table. A map of Xuzhou hung on one side, densely marked with the cities and passes of various places.

However, at this moment their gazes were not focused on the map, but rather on each other, their eyes filled with hesitation and anxiety.

"Bowen, you must make a decision! If you don't decide soon, Guangling will be lost!"

After a long while, Zhang Juzheng turned his last gaze to Liu Bowen, hoping he could come up with a solution.

It turns out that Liu Bei, who was far away in Yangzhou, took advantage of Qin Xuan leading his army to Chang'an to send troops to defend the emperor. With the support of Liu Yao, he used some unknown bargaining chip to unite with Sun Ce, Yan Baihu and other forces in Yangzhou to launch a multi-pronged attack on Xuzhou.

Li Jing, who remained behind, led a large army to Xiapi and Guangling to resist. The battle at the front was now at a stalemate. Li Jing sent a message requesting Xue Rengui, who was stationed in Xiaopei, to come and provide support.

However, Xue Rengui was tasked with guarding Xiaopei, the gateway to Xuzhou, and could not possibly go there. After all, if the garrison at Xiaopei were transferred away, Xuzhou might face strategic pressure from Cao Cao's direction.

"This...!" Liu Bowen hesitated for a moment, then looked at Jia Xu, who had just arrived, wanting to hear his thoughts. This decision was not easy to make; it could affect everything, so he had to be extremely cautious.

If the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry were in Xuzhou, would it hesitate like this?

Seeing Liu Bowen look at him, Jia Xu suddenly gave a wry smile and said helplessly:

"My lords, I have only recently arrived and am not familiar with the specific situation in Xuzhou. Therefore, my grasp of this situation is somewhat inadequate. I request that you two make the decision!"

Since Qin Xuan wasn't there, he wouldn't offer any opinions. If those two adopted his suggestions and things went wrong, he might end up taking the blame.

Therefore, Jia Xu, who was well aware of the principle of keeping a low profile, would not get involved.

Upon hearing Jia Xu's words, how could the brilliant strategist Liu Bowen not know what the other was thinking?

"Wenhe, we hit it off immediately. Just tell me your thoughts, and I'll take full responsibility for the consequences. The situation is critical; we can't afford to waste any more time!"

"Yes, Wenhe, just tell us your opinion. We, Bowen and I, will bear all the adverse consequences!"

Faced with their persuasion, Jia Xu could only sigh heavily and then said:

"Given our current situation, we should transfer General Xue to the front lines, while Xiaopei only needs two thousand new recruits to guard it. I think our lord and the others should be back soon, so there shouldn't be any major problems during this period."

"Once our lord returns, Xiaopei can be taken over by Duan Wei's Xiliang army. With the fighting strength of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, dealing with Liu Bei and his men will not be a problem."

"This~~~"

Zhang Juzheng was still somewhat hesitant. Jia Xu's idea was too risky. If Cao Cao's army took this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Xiaopei, the two thousand new recruits would not be able to hold out for long.

"I think that's a good idea. Cao Cao's attention is currently focused on the Sili region, so he shouldn't be paying attention to our Xuzhou direction. Furthermore, send someone on horseback to inform our lord to return as soon as possible!"

After listening to Jia Xu's advice, Liu Bowen pondered for a long time before finally making up his mind.

After seeing that the two men agreed, Zhang Juzheng also agreed. After all, he was not a professional strategist, and his analysis of the battle situation was not as strong as that of the two men present. He could only agree.

After the three reached an agreement, Liu Bowen wrote an order in the name of the governor's office and sent it to Xue Rengui's army stationed in Pengcheng. He also ordered newly trained soldiers from various counties to go to Pengcheng and garrison Xiaopei.