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

A short while later, the deputy general brought over Yan Baihu's confidant.

Upon seeing Qin Xuan seated in the main seat, the confidant immediately knelt on one knee, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said:

"Black Ice Guard's Yangzhou Branch's Fifth Agent greets you, Young Master!"

After saying that, he lowered his head and waited for Qin Xuan's orders.

"Number Five Hidden Agent!" Qin Xuan muttered to himself, surprised that the guy in front of him was of such a high level.

Meng Guang had told him about the organizational structure of the Black Ice Guard. The Black Ice Guard was mainly divided into two parts: Shadow Guards and Dark Guards. The Shadow Guards were responsible for assassinations, while the Dark Guards were responsible for infiltration.

The organization was structured according to the division of the various states in the Han Dynasty. The spies in each state were addressed by numerical titles, with smaller numbers indicating higher ranks and deeper infiltration.

The person in front of him, who called himself Agent Number Five, must be Yan Baihu's most trusted confidant.

"Tell me, what's the situation?" Qin Xuan asked, regaining his composure.

Upon hearing Qin Xuan's question, Agent Number Five immediately raised his head and stated his purpose for coming:

"My lord, ever since I received the Grand Commander's urgent message, I've been whispering in Yan Baihu's ear. Yan Baihu has also made up his mind to cooperate with you. He has specially sent me with men to inform General Qin that the three-way allied forces are preparing to attack Xiapi. Please make preparations and take this opportunity to launch an attack on the Sun-Liu alliance!"

After speaking in one breath, he lowered his head again, waiting for Qin Xuan's instructions.

After listening to the report, Qin Xuan fell into thought. According to the information brought by the other party, the three-way allied forces suffered a great loss in Guangling and now wanted to join forces with Guan Yu's troops to attack Xiapi.

But he had just defeated Guan Yu, leaving only a few hundred cavalry among his thousands of men. The enemy would definitely try to reunite with them now. Even if Liu Bei wanted to avenge Guan Yu, it would be absurd. With Zhou Yu's intelligence, he would definitely stop him and then turn his attention to Yan Baihu. So...

Having thought this through, Qin Xuan outlined the next course of action and solemnly instructed the guards:

"Go back immediately and find a way to get Yan Baihu to bring Sun and Liu's forces to his territory. Then hold them off while our army surrounds them. After that, we will eliminate them from within and without."

"Yes, sir!" Agent Five immediately replied with a cupped hand, got up from the ground, and left under the leadership of his lieutenant.

"My lord, what if Yan Baihu goes back on his word? Besides, he's a member of the three-way coalition. Are we really just going to let him go like this?"

After the spy left, Qin Qiong immediately voiced his thoughts, suggesting that this might be a trap set by the other side to use Yan Baihu against them.

"No way!" Qin Xuan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a disdainful smile, and then he analyzed:

"In the eyes of both Sun Quan and Liu Bei, Yan Baihu was a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. Although the three parties were united, they were always wary of each other. Otherwise, how could they have attacked Guangling for so long without being able to capture it, and instead allowed Xue Rengui's army to arrive in time and defeat them decisively?"

"Therefore, the possibility of setting a trap is almost zero. As for Yan Baihu, he has long been of no use to me. I can take this opportunity to eliminate him in one fell swoop and then occupy Wu County!"

"Qin Qiong!" Qin Xuan's voice suddenly rose an octave as he said this.

"Your subordinate is here!" Upon hearing this, Qin Qiong immediately stood at attention, awaiting Qin Xuan's instructions.

"Send word to Li Jing and Xue Rengui in Guangling, instructing them to secretly assemble a large army at the border of Guangling and Wu County, and await my orders!"

"At the same time, send men immediately to Tancheng, ordering Zhang Liao and Gao Shun to lead 5,000 new recruits to Xiapi, where they will be stationed!"

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!" Qin Qiong dared not slack off after receiving the order.

Zhang Liao and Gao Shun have already joined him and are now in charge of training new recruits and building the Trapped Camp in Tancheng. I heard that it is already quite large and only needs to be tempered by the flames of war.

············

At midnight, Liu Bei's camp was brightly lit.

Inside the military tent, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and others were sitting together having dinner.

Suddenly, a soldier rushed into the tent, his voice tinged with urgency: "My lord, General Guan Yu has arrived, and he's wounded by an arrow. He only has a few hundred cavalrymen left with him!"

Upon hearing the soldier's words, Liu Bei was first stunned, then his heart skipped a beat. He dropped his chopsticks and hurriedly stood up. Before he could even utter a word, Zhang Fei swiftly approached the soldier, grabbed him by the neck, and, with wide eyes and a hoarse voice, roared:

"What? Say it again! What happened to my second brother?"

"Third...Third General, General Guan has arrived, and...and...he's also...he's injured by an arrow and is resting in his tent!" The soldier, seeing Zhang Fei's eyes as big as copper bells, stammered and repeated himself, then added:

"And...moreover, Sun Ce and Yan Baihu also found out!"

"Hurry, let's go see!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei immediately pulled Zhang Fei out of the military tent. The soldier, as if relieved, slumped to the ground, vigorously wiping non-existent cold sweat from his forehead. Zhang Fei's gaze and loud voice were a nightmare to him.

When the two arrived at Guan Yu's resting tent, they saw the army doctor treating Guan Yu's wounds.

"Second Brother!" Liu Bei quickly walked to Guan Yu, his tone filled with concern: "Are you badly injured? What happened?"

Before Zhang Fei could even join in and speak, the physician comforted him, "My lord, Third General, Second General has been wounded in the right arm by an arrow. Because the wound is too deep, Third General cannot fight yet and needs to recuperate for some time; otherwise, his recovery will be a long way off!"

"I'll take my leave!"

After saying that, he quickly packed his things and left.

After the physician left, Guan Yu's resolute face was now covered with tears he had been holding back for so long. He looked at his two sworn brothers and said in a sorrowful tone:

"Elder brother, it is my incompetence that led to this. Of the thousands of men, I only brought back a few hundred cavalry. The rest are all gone!"

"What?" Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat, then he asked in a trembling voice, "What...what happened? Why haven't the others returned?"

Guan Yu had brought Liu Bei's old guard, his core troops, which could be considered his direct subordinates. Now that they were all gone, how could he not care?

"Brother, it's Qin Xuan! I underestimated his strength. He appeared in Huailing with his Great Snow Dragon Riders and launched an attack on our army. We are no match for him!"

"If it weren't for a few people risking their lives to stop Qin Xuan's attack, I probably would have died at his hands and never seen you again, sob sob sob sob."

At this point, Guan Yu could no longer control his emotions and burst into tears. Even now, recalling the situation, this sentimental man immediately choked up.

"What?! Qin Xuan? He's back! Second Brother, don't worry, I, Old Zhang, will definitely avenge you! I'll poke seven or eight holes in that kid's body, or I'm not Zhang Yide!"

Upon hearing that Qin Xuan had caused Guan Yu's arrow wound, Zhang Fei immediately began to shout and yell, his rough voice almost unbearable in the confined space.

Just as Liu Bei was about to reprimand him, the guard's voice rang out from outside:

"My lord, General Sun and General Yan have heard that General Guan has returned; he's outside the camp!"

"Please let them in!"

Upon hearing that Sun Ce and his men had arrived, Liu Bei could not refuse. He then glared at the boisterous Zhang Fei and gave orders to the guards outside the tent.

"promise!"

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