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

After listening to his confidant's words, Yan Baihu hesitated for a moment before expressing his concerns:

"Wouldn't this...?"

"Besides, we've already offended Qin Xuan. How can we inform him? How could he possibly believe us?"

"My lord, you are foolish. Now is not the time for hesitation. If I am not mistaken, Sun and Liu are probably already plotting how to divide up Wu Commandery. What are you still worried about?"

"Besides, the tripartite alliance is all about self-interest. As for how to inform Qin Xuan, isn't that easy?"

"Send men at top speed to Xiapi to inform the Xuzhou army that Sun Quan and Liu Bei are preparing to attack Xiapi. Tell them to get ready, and when the attack comes, we'll turn the tables on them. How could they not believe us?"

Seeing Yan Baihu's hesitant expression, the confidant, exasperated, explained the specific steps, much like chewing up food and feeding it to him.

"Okay, we'll do it your way!"

Finally, Yan Baihu's eyes sharpened, a hint of murderous intent flashing in them, and he made his decision. His confidant's suggestion to divide up Wu County had struck a chord with him.

Having operated in Wu County for so many years, he had long regarded Wu County as his own private domain and would never allow outsiders to interfere.

As for the consequences of colluding with Qin Xuan, Yan Baihu couldn't care less about that now that things were at their most critical.

Yan Baihu then sent his trusted confidant to handle the matter personally, sending him on horseback to Xiapi to sell intelligence to the Xuzhou army.

As the three-way allied forces retreated to Xiapi, neither Sun nor Liu was willing to entrust the safety of their rear to Yan Baihu. Therefore, Yan Baihu's army took the lead at the front. His trusted men did not arouse any suspicion, and even if they did, they could cover it up by using the excuse of scouts to explore the way.

After a period of rest, the three-way allied forces set off again towards Xiapi.

Meanwhile, Qin Xuan, en route to Guangling, received a report from a scout: "Xue Rengui has relieved the siege of Guangling, and the three-way allied forces have retreated towards Xiapi, attempting to join forces with Guan Yu in Xiapi to capture Xiapi as quickly as possible."

"Let's head to Xiapi!"

Qin Xuan immediately and decisively ordered a change of route to Xiapi, determined to make Liu Bei and his men die there this time.

The army then changed direction and advanced at full speed towards Xiapi.

After a long and arduous half-day march, Qin Xuan led five hundred Snow Dragon Riders to Huailing in Xiapi State ahead of others.

When Qin Qiong, who was confronting Guan Yu in Xiapi, learned that Qin Xuan had arrived in Huailing, he immediately went out of the city to welcome him and met Qin Xuan at the city gate.

"My lord, what brings you here? How is the situation in Guangling?"

Upon seeing Qin Xuan, Qin Qiong immediately inquired about the situation in Guangling.

Qin Xuan dismounted and quickly approached Qin Qiong, saying, "The crisis at Guangling has been resolved. I received this news on my way to Guangling. The three-way allied forces are retreating towards Xiapi. They are very likely to join forces with Guan Yu to attack Xiapi. Therefore, I led the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry on a long-distance raid and changed my route to Xiapi!"

"How's things here?"

"My lord, the situation here is not too bad. Guan Yu has stationed his troops on the only road we can take out of the city, so we have no way to send reinforcements. He also refuses to make any contact with us. Every time I try to launch a preemptive strike, he blocks it with fire attacks. To avoid unnecessary casualties, I have no choice but to order the city to remain closed and hold out until reinforcements arrive!"

When this was mentioned, Qin Qiong looked somewhat downcast.

Due to insufficient troops, Qin Qiong had no choice but to consolidate his forces, concentrating most of his troops at Huailing to defend against Guan Yu's attack on Xiapi. However, Guan Yu did not engage in a prolonged battle, instead deploying his main forces along Guan Yu's likely route out of the city.

This thwarted Qin Qiong's mission to reinforce Guangling, forcing the enemy to hold their ground and wait for reinforcements.

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Qin Xuan's eyes:

"Let's go, let's rest first. After we've rested, I'll lead the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry to charge into Guan Yu's formation and crush his forces before Liu Bei and the others arrive!"

"Good!" Upon hearing this, Qin Qiong finally had a place to release the pent-up frustration that had been building up in his heart for many days.

The Great Snow Dragon Cavalry are the elite of the elite. With their addition, Guan Yu will surely suffer a crushing defeat!

After a period of rest, Qin Xuan and Qin Qiong led the Great Snow Dragon Riders out of the city and slowly stopped 800 meters away from Guan Yu's camp.

Looking at the well-prepared camp not far away, Qin Xuan couldn't help but sigh:

"Guan Yu truly lived up to his reputation for being well-versed in the Spring and Autumn Annals; his troop deployment was quite skillful. What a pity, what a pity!"

"My lord, what are you regretting? Could it be that you've taken a liking to Guan Yu?"

"Guan Yu was indeed very strong, but he was extremely arrogant. I had a conversation with him during our first confrontation, and I could tell from his words that he was too arrogant. It would be extremely difficult to persuade him to surrender."

Qin Qiong, who was standing nearby, shared his opinion on Guan Yu and advised Qin Xuan not to have unrealistic fantasies.

Historically, Cao Cao valued Guan Yu's martial arts skills and loyalty, and tried to recruit him many times, but Guan Yu refused and returned to Liu Bei's side after passing five passes and defeating six generals.

Qin Xuan knew this part of history, and he wouldn't cause himself so much trouble. The chances of successfully persuading Liu Bei's subordinates who had followed him for many years to surrender were extremely slim; he would either kill them or imprison them until death.

"What does this have to do with Cao Cao, my lord?" Qin Qiong asked, puzzled. As a product of the system, he was unaware of events that had not yet occurred in his era.

"It's nothing, let's prepare to attack!" Qin Xuan said casually, and Qin Qiong didn't pay any attention. The scene was thus over.

"Waaaaahhhhhh!"

As the bugle calls rang out, the Great Snow Dragon Riders drew their blades, ready for battle, waiting for Qin Xuan to lead them to charge into the enemy camp and gallop across the battlefield.

Qin Xuan raised his Dragon-Slaying Halberd high, its tip gleaming coldly in the sunlight. He roared, "Soldiers, charge with me!"

"Kill—" Five hundred Snow Dragon Riders shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens, as if to tear apart the silence of the sky.

The next second, with Qin Xuan leading the way, a flurry of white figures shot towards Guan Yu's camp not far away like arrows released from a bow, their iron hooves crushing the earth and kicking up a cloud of dust.

On the other side, Guan Yu stood on his warhorse at the front of the formation, his gaze coldly fixed on the charging cavalry.

He never expected that it would be Qin Xuan who came. He had heard about the power of the Great Snow Dragon Riders before, and now it seemed that they were indeed as powerful as they were. But he would not back down. No matter how powerful they were, they were just a pile of broken bricks and tiles.

He then brandished his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and roared, "Soldiers, kill!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Guan Yu spurred his horse and charged towards Qin Xuan and his men like an arrow released from a bow.

Upon hearing this, all the iron cavalry behind him brandished their spears and followed Guan Yu's footsteps, charging towards the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry.

The other soldiers in the camp were not idle either. Under the command of the deputy general, they quickly nocked arrows and drew their bows, unleashing a hail of arrows at the charging Snow Dragon Cavalry.

A decisive battle is about to begin!

Exclusive! An exclusive interview with I Love Beef Bone and behind-the-scenes stories of creating "The Three Kingdoms: Rising from Hijacking Liu Bei," available only on Cola Novels.