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

"Lord Yuan, we didn't mean that!" Zhou Yu quickly retorted, "We came here to borrow troops from you to attack Liu Bei. If he hadn't deserted in the face of battle, we might have had a chance to escape, and Bo Fu wouldn't have been killed by Qin Xuan."

Zhou Yu had considered seeking revenge against Qin Xuan, but his forces were currently too weak, with less than three hundred men under his command, making revenge against Qin Xuan simply unrealistic.

However, there is still a chance to eliminate Liu Bei with the help of Yuan Shu.

"Liu Bei~~~Liu Bei~~~~~" Yuan Shu gritted his teeth in hatred at the mere mention of this name. This guy was a complete troublemaker. Back when the eighteen warlords were fighting against Dong Zhuo, Liu Bei had opposed him. Not long ago, he had also joined forces with Liu Yao, causing Yuan Shu a lot of trouble in his attempt to seize Yangzhou.

"I can give you ten thousand men to avenge Liu Bei, but on the condition that you serve me. Think it over!"

After a long pause, Yuan Shu stated his conditions: he was short of men, and Zhou Yu and his men would be perfect fit.

"Uh~~~~"

Zhou Yu was completely taken aback by Yuan Shu's condition. He was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and agreed to Yuan Shu's terms.

"Okay, okay, okay!"

When Yuan Shu saw that Zhou Yu had agreed, he was overjoyed and exclaimed "Good!" three times.

He knew Zhou Yu's capabilities, and with the addition of Huang Gai and others, Sun Ce dared to go out and act independently; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the resources.

After the two sides reached an agreement, Yuan Shu sent Zhou Yu away and ordered his guards to summon Yan Xiang to discuss important matters.

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After receiving Yuan Shu's summons, Yan Xiang arrived at the mansion without delay.

"My lord, it's so late, what can I do for you?"

Yan Xiang found it very strange that Yuan Shu summoned him so late at night. This was the first time he had ever done so. Given Yuan Shu's style, he should be having a passionate encounter with his beloved concubine at this hour.

Even if there was an urgent military situation, the ministers would not be summoned to discuss it until the next day.

"Registration Officer Yan, you've come at the right time. Zhou Yu just came to seek refuge, saying that Sun Ce has died in battle and Wu Commandery has been occupied by Qin Xuan. Are you aware of this?"

Yuan Shu sought confirmation.

"My lord, I haven't had a chance to report this situation to you yet. According to information obtained by our spies, the Sun, Liu, and Yan families have joined forces to attack Xiapi and Guangling while Qin Xuan was heading north to Chang'an."

"However, due to the skillful command of Li Jing, the general defending Guangling, the three-way allied forces attacked for several days but failed to capture Guangling, and the attack dragged on until Xue Rengui's army came to reinforce."

"Later, Qin Xuan defeated Guan Yu in Xiapi, and Liu Bei suffered heavy losses. The three sides retreated to Yan Baihu's territory."

"But for some unknown reason, infighting broke out among the three parties, and Qin Xuan eventually occupied Wu Commandery. Currently, Xue Rengui is leading an army of 10,000 stationed in Wu Commandery, with Chen Deng managing the administration!"

Although Yan Xiang was surprised to hear that Zhou Yu had come to seek refuge, he still told him everything he knew.

After hearing Yan Xiang's words, Yuan Shu thought to himself, "I didn't expect Sun Ce to really be dead. Qin Xuan has certainly stolen the show!"

Not only are they opposing me in Luoyang and Chang'an, but now they've also killed Sun Jian's eldest son. They've truly made enemies everywhere.

"Do you know why those three parties started fighting amongst themselves, and why Qin Xuan was able to gain the upper hand?"

Yan Xiang didn't know if Yuan Shu hadn't thought things through for a moment or what, but he asked such an idiotic question, which made Yan Xiang feel like he was looking at an idiot.

Fortunately, the strangeness in Yan Xiang's eyes came and went quickly, and Yuan Shu did not notice it.

"My lord, based on my speculation, it must have been Sun Ce and Liu Bei who conspired to get rid of Yan Baihu, but unfortunately they discovered it. Yan Baihu eventually defected to Qin Xuan, letting the wolf into the house and leading Qin Xuan into Wu County."

Yan Xiang's guesses were almost entirely correct, except for Yan Baihu's fate, which he didn't guess right. The rest were basically spot on, without any mistakes.

"So that's how it is!" Yuan Shu suddenly understood after listening to Yan Xiang's analysis.

"My lord, this old minister dares to offer a word of advice."

"We must not clash with Qin Xuan now. We should keep him in check, free up our resources to deal with Liu Biao in the west, maintain good relations with Zhang Xiu in Nanyang, and guard against Cao Cao, who occupies the Chang'an and Luoyang area!"

Yan Xiang was afraid that Yuan Shu would misjudge the situation and offend the wrong warlords. In addition, Yuan Shu had gained nothing substantial from his trip to Luoyang except for some grain.

Fearing that the other party might do something impulsive, we must take preventative measures now.

"Okay, I understand. You can go back now!"

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After resolving his inner confusion, Yuan Shu finally understood everything and began to heed some of Yan Xiang's advice.

The next morning, Yuan Shu gave Zhou Yu 10,000 elite troops to do as he pleased, and sent Lei Bo and Chen Lan to supervise the army to prevent Zhou Yu and his men from having any bad intentions and annexing his troops.

After learning that Yuan Shu had allocated him 10,000 troops, Zhou Yu, accompanied by veteran generals such as Huang Gai, arrived at the Shouchun camp that afternoon to inspect the army, guided by Lei Bo and Chen Lan.

The Shouchun Camp was the largest camp Yuan Shu stationed in Shouchun, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of troops.

As soon as everyone stepped into the military camp, what they saw left them speechless with astonishment.

The once well-trained and vibrant military camp, filled with the sounds of battle cries, was now in complete chaos. The soldiers were all listless and showed no semblance of military discipline.

Large groups of soldiers gathered to gamble, arguing heatedly over wins and losses, their shouts and curses echoing through the sky—it was practically a giant open-air casino.

Zhou Yu, Huang Gai, and the others instantly turned ashen-faced, their brows furrowed, and their eyes filled with rage.

This isn't a pack of 10,000 elite troops; it's clearly just a rabble.

Oh no, they're not even as good as a rabble.

"I need an explanation. Wasn't this supposed to be 10,000 elite troops?"

"Why is it a bunch of rabble? How can we fight Liu Bei with them?"

Zhou Yu pointed at these people, his voice so cold it sent chills down one's spine.

Even the hot-tempered Huang Gai couldn't control his temper. He strode up to Lei Bo and Chen Lan and sneered:

"Is this Yuan Gonglu's idea, or did you act on your own initiative? If you don't give us an explanation, I'll chop you to pieces!"

With lightning speed, he drew his sword and held it to their necks. If they didn't give him an explanation, he would really kill them.

Who could accept it if 10,000 elite soldiers turned into 10,000 rabble?

Even Zhou Yu did not stop them, but watched coldly from the sidelines.

Lei Bo and Chen Lan were terrified. They felt the cold blade pressed tightly against their necks and could even feel the chill emanating from it.

Lei Bo's legs went weak and he almost knelt down, while Chen Lan was so frightened that she wet her pants, and a pungent smell filled the air.

The sudden commotion attracted the attention of the gambling soldiers in the camp, who all came to their side and whispered among themselves.

"Aren't these General Lei and General Chen? What happened to them?"

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"Who are those people? What are they here for?"

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"Don't...don't be impulsive!" Lei Bo stammered, his voice trembling slightly.

"We need an explanation, a reasonable explanation!" Huang Gai said coldly, applying slight pressure with his longsword, making Lei Bo and Chen Lan even more afraid to move.

Lei Bo and Chen Lan exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with fear. They had probably run into a tough opponent this time.

Lei Bo managed to calm himself down and stammered, "I...I'll talk...!"