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

Before long, Sun Ce and his two companions entered the military tent under the guidance of the guards. When they saw Guan Yu's condition, everyone's face was filled with shock.

Guan Yu was seriously injured. Who did this?

They were well aware of Guan Yu's abilities; even Sun Ce, the most skilled of the three, dared not claim he could seriously injure Guan Yu.

"Lord Xuande, what happened to General Guan? Wasn't he facing off against Qin Qiong at the front lines in Xiapi? How could he be so badly injured?"

Zhou Yu hurried to Liu Bei's side, his face showing anxiety and his words revealing genuine concern.

"It's Qin Xuan! He's here. My second brother only brought back a few hundred cavalry; the rest...!"

Liu Bei answered Zhou Yu's question with sobs, tears streaming down his face again. He had already suffered enough losses; he had finally seen some improvement, but now he was penniless.

Whenever Zhou Yu brought up this matter, Liu Bei felt extremely distressed, as if an invisible pressure was weighing him down and making it hard for him to breathe.

"What? It's...it's Qin Xuan?"

This time it was Sun Ce who spoke up. He hadn't expected that Guan Yu's injury was caused by Qin Xuan. Qin Xuan's martial arts skills were higher than he had thought; otherwise, how could he have injured Guan Yu so badly?

Sun Ce had participated in the coalition against Dong Zhuo with his father, Sun Jian, and had personally witnessed Guan Yu's strength. To be able to injure Guan Yu, Qin Xuan must be incredibly powerful. In an instant, a fierce fighting spirit ignited in Sun Ce's heart, and his desire to fight Qin Xuan grew stronger.

Upon hearing that Qin Xuan had wounded Guan Yu, Zhou Yu's face was filled with solemnity, while Yan Baihu, though expressionless, was secretly overjoyed.

Ever since his confidant analyzed the possibility of the Sun and Liu families attacking him, he had been tense and hadn't relaxed at all. Now, seeing that Guan Yu had been wounded by an arrow and his arm was still unable to move vigorously for the time being, he was even more concerned.

He felt a little relieved. Once the fight started, the opponent would be missing Guan Yu, and he might be able to hold out for longer.

"So what do we do now? We can't just waste time here, can we?"

Yan Baihu asked.

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan, Liu Bei, and Zhou Yu immediately exchanged glances. Finally, Zhou Yu looked at Yan Baihu and, in a very serious tone, revealed their pre-planned scheme:

"We've decided to retreat to General Yan's Wu Commandery for rest and reorganization. Qin Xuan is currently severely weakened, and he may not stay in the Guangling and Xiapi area for long. We can take this opportunity to recover our strength, and after he leaves, we can launch a surprise attack and capture Guangling in one fell swoop!"

"General Yan, what do you think?" After he finished speaking, all eyes in the tent focused on Yan Baihu, waiting for his answer.

"Heh!" Seeing this, Yan Baihu was now certain that they really wanted to kill him. He let out a cold laugh in his heart, but his face was filled with a hypocritical smile:

"No problem, we'll do as Lord Zhou says. We'll head to Wu County immediately!"

Upon hearing that Yan Baihu had agreed to their request, a subtle smile appeared on the faces of Zhou Yu and the others.

After staying in the military tent for a while, everyone left. The three parties decided to break camp and return to Wu County early the next morning.

·············

Inside the military tent, the lamplight flickered. Yan Baihu sat at the desk, showing no signs of sleepiness. Instead, his face was ashen, his calloused hands clenched tightly together, and his ferocious eyes were filled with rage.

The anger in his heart could no longer be controlled, as if it was about to completely erupt at any moment.

"Damn it, damn it!" Yan Baihu slammed his hand on the table, the force of which made the candlestick on it shake and the faint flame flicker as if it were about to go out.

He then stood up from the desk and paced back and forth in the cramped space. "I love the world Niu Wogu creates, all in *The Three Kingdoms: Rise from Intercepting Liu Bei*." He kept muttering to himself, "You forced me into this; you're heartless, so don't blame me for being ruthless..."

His voice trembled slightly, as if he were trying to find a good excuse for his impending predicament, since it wouldn't sound good to have a reputation for betraying allies.

Now that they have acted unjustly first, I have nothing to worry about.

As time passed, Yan Baihu began to worry about the safety of his confidants. Although he was determined to cooperate with Qin Xuan, whether Qin Xuan would agree was another matter.

If Qin Xuan refuses, wouldn't I become a lamb to the slaughter, completely powerless to resist?

"Why aren't they back yet? Has something happened?"

Yan Baihu prayed silently in his heart, hoping that his confidant would appear before him in the next second, but it seemed that the heavens were deliberately working against him, and no matter how much he prayed, his confidant did not appear.

As the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) approached, Yan Baihu was already exhausted, but he still forced himself to stay alert, waiting for his trusted confidant to bring him good news as soon as possible.

"Thump...thump...thump!"

After an unknown amount of time, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent. Yan Baihu instantly perked up, his eyes fixed on the tent entrance, praying in his heart that it was the figure of his trusted confidant.

"My lord, are you asleep?"

A familiar voice came from the doorway, and Yan Baihu hurriedly called out:

"fast forward!"

Then his trusted aide appeared in the tent. Yan Baihu immediately stood up and went to his aide, anxiously asking:

"How did it go? Did you get it done?"

The confidant smiled slightly and said, "My lord, I met Qin Xuan in Huailing and told him about our plans. Qin Xuan agreed, and he is currently making the most of the time to secretly move troops to the border area between Guangling and Wu County."

"If we can hold out until they arrive, Liu Bei and Sun Ce won't be able to escape!"

Finally, the confidant brought Yan Baihu an unexpected surprise:

"Furthermore, Guan Yu was also severely injured by Qin Xuan, and Liu Bei's forces suffered heavy losses!"

However, Yan Baihu did not show any surprise, but simply said:

"I understand. Guan Yu and the others returned around dusk. I already knew what you said, and they've decided to retreat to Wu Commandery!"

But then Yan Baihu suddenly slapped his forehead, as if he had thought of something, and confided his concerns to his confidant:

"What if Qin Xuan kills us all too?"

This was the thought that suddenly popped into Yan Baihu's mind after seeing Guan Yu's injuries.

If Qin Xuan can deal with the Sun and Liu families, he might be able to take them down as well, and then swallow up Wu Commandery as well.

Wasn't he inviting trouble by doing this? Yan Baihu felt anxious and wanted to hear what his trusted advisor had to say.

"Uh~~~~~~!" Upon hearing this, a black fog flashed across the confidant's head.

Isn't it obvious? You, a domineering tyrant, with tens of thousands of men under your command, dare to think of confronting a regular army with iron cavalry. That's real courage.

"My lord, if you ask me, we should pledge allegiance to Qin Xuan. We can't possibly contend with him. If you take the initiative to pledge allegiance, you might even enjoy wealth and honor, and perhaps even rise to a higher position if he seizes the throne!"

"Otherwise~~~~~!"

After whispering in Yan Baihu's ear, the confidant added, "No matter what choice you make, I will follow you to the death!"

"This...!"

After hearing his confidant's words, Yan Baihu fell silent.