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

Duan Wei, like his uncle, was a general in the Xiliang army. Now that he had joined Qin Xuan, he was living a pretty good life.

"You mean you want to side with Qin Xuan?"

Zhang Xiu squinted, his expression suggesting he was considering which allegiance to maximize his benefits.

"General, I'm merely offering a suggestion; the decision of whom to pledge allegiance is entirely yours!"

The confidant did not give a clear answer, as it is a major taboo for a subordinate to make decisions for their lord.

"This~~~"

Zhang Xiu fell into deep thought again; his confidant's words gave him another option.

Seeking refuge with Qin Xuan seems far more worthwhile than joining Cao Cao. Even Duan Wei could live comfortably under Qin Xuan's command, let alone someone whose strength far surpasses Duan Wei's.

But now Cao Cao's strategist Guo Jia has arrived, and his words are implying that only by surrendering to Cao Cao can one find a way out.

"General! General!"

Just then, the call from his confidant pulled Zhang Xiu back to reality from his reverie.

"What?"

"General," I suggest, "since you're having trouble making a decision, why not send someone to Xuzhou to sound out Qin Xuan's opinion? Perhaps then you won't be so conflicted!"

Seeing Zhang Xiu's hesitation, his confidant suggested sending someone to find out Qin Xuan's thoughts and see who could offer a higher price.

After listening to his confidant's words, Zhang Xiu's eyes lit up. How come he hadn't thought of this before? Cao Cao wanted to recruit him, but he didn't necessarily have to agree to it now. What if Qin Xuan also wanted to recruit him? In the end, it would come down to who offered the higher price.

"Alright, now take your men and head to Xuzhou immediately to find out Qin Xuan's opinion. As for Guo Jia, I'll find an excuse to stall him. Understand?"

"promise!"

The confidant agreed and then left the hall.

Not long after, a secret letter was sent from the city toward Xuzhou.

·······

Early the next morning, Qin Xuan received a secret letter from Nanyang County.

The inscription reads that Guo Jia has arrived at Zhang Xiu's camp and has offered Zhang Xiu a recruitment proposal. Zhang Xiu is hesitant and has sent someone to Xuzhou to test the waters and see who offers the highest price to gain the greatest benefit.

After reading the letter, Qin Xuan thought to himself, "I didn't expect Zhang Xiu to have some courage; he wasn't scared out of his wits by Cao Cao."

He then gave instructions to the guards outside the hall:

"Someone, bring Zhao Yun here!"

The guard responded and then left the governor's mansion to summon Zhao Yun.

Not long after, Zhao Yun, dressed in military uniform, hurriedly entered the hall. Seeing Qin Xuan summoning him, he immediately knelt down, cupped his hands, and asked:

"My lord, what are your orders?"

After Zhao Yun was captured, Qin Xuan did not try to persuade him to surrender, but instead allowed him to travel around Xuzhou, hoping to use this opportunity to make him understand that he was a benevolent person.

Seeing that the people of Xuzhou were living better and better lives, that the Xuzhou army was very different from other warlords, and that generals such as Xue Rengui often confided in him, Zhao Yun officially joined Qin Xuan a month ago.

He currently serves as a colonel in the Xuzhou army, where he is responsible for training troops.

Qin Xuan then briefly explained the situation in Nanyang Commandery and gave the following instructions:

"Zilong, I have heard that you and Zhang Xiu are from the same school and learned martial arts from the same master. Therefore, I would like to send you to Nanyang to follow Jia Xu's instructions and, incidentally, to dispel Zhang Xiu's concerns."

"How about it, can you do it?"

These details were obtained by the Black Ice Guard. Zhao Yun, Zhang Xiu, and Zhang Ren had all studied martial arts under Tong Yuan, but the three had never met.

"My lord, your information is truly excellent. I do have a senior brother named Zhang Xiu, but we have never met, so I cannot be sure if this is indeed my senior brother."

Zhao Yun continued, "But this humble general will certainly do his utmost to help Lord Jia Xu fulfill our lord's orders."

"Good!" Seeing that Zhao Yun was so cooperative, Qin Xuan quickly walked up to Zhao Yun, patted him on the shoulder, and encouraged him:

"Zilong, I'm relieved to hear you say that. When you return from Nanyang, I will reward you handsomely!"

"There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately with our men!"

Zhao Yun cupped his hands and said, "Yes, sir."

After receiving Qin Xuan's important entrustment, Zhao Yun immediately led dozens of men towards Nanyang.

After Zhao Yun left, Qin Xuan thought nothing of the matter and prepared to return to the backyard to enjoy a shameless private life with Cao Yuan and Mi Zhen. However, when he returned to the backyard, he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure accompanying Cao Yuan and Mi Zhen.

"Oh, my husband, why are you back at this hour? Have you finished your official duties?"

As soon as Mi Zhen saw Qin Xuan return, she immediately ran to his side, grabbed his arm, and acted coquettishly.

"I've finished my official duties, so I'm back to keep you company. What brings Lü Lingqi here?"

As Qin Xuan walked, he asked curiously. This unexpected guest was obviously Lü Lingqi, as this was her first time visiting his residence.

"Lingqi said she has something to discuss with you and has been waiting here for a while. Now you can talk to her. Sister Cao and I will take our leave!"

Mi Zhen let go of Cao Yuan's hand and carefully helped her up, leaving only Qin Xuan and Lü Lingqi behind.

"Miss Lü, please speak freely."

To avoid an awkward atmosphere, Qin Xuan took the initiative to ask why the other party had contacted him.

Upon hearing Qin Xuan's voice, Lü Lingqi immediately lowered her head, her delicate hands tightly gripping the hem of her dress, and stammered as she spoke:

"I...I want to!"

Seeing Lü Lingqi's stammering and shy demeanor, Qin Xuan, though very curious, jokingly said:

"Could it be that you've taken a fancy to one of my generals and want me to be your matchmaker?"

"No!" Upon hearing this, Lü Lingqi immediately raised her head and retorted decisively:

"I want to go to Xiapi. I'm getting a bit bored at home. I'd like to join the army under Uncle Zhang Liao and Uncle Gao Shun in Xiapi. Only you can make this decision, so that's why I've come to find you."

As Lü Bu's daughter, Lü Lingqi was unlike other women. She preferred military attire to feminine dresses and spent her days at home doing nothing, which drove her almost crazy. Moreover, with Zhang Liao and Gao Shun not around, it was even more boring.

So he thought he'd go to Xiapi to visit the military camp.

"Well·······"

Upon hearing Lü Ling's request, Qin Xuan was speechless. This girl really does something on a whim.

For a woman to go to the military camp is like a lamb entering a pack of tigers; even if she were Lü Bu's daughter, it wouldn't be acceptable.

Thinking of this, Qin Xuan patiently said:

"I cannot grant you this request. Please leave."

Why?

Before Qin Xuan could continue explaining, Lü Lingqi suddenly stood up and loudly questioned him about the reason.

Hearing the noise around him, Qin Xuan frowned, picked at his ear piercing, and continued to explain:

"Because there's never been a precedent for women entering military camps, let alone someone who knows martial arts. If something happens, how am I supposed to explain it to your father!"

"I don't need you to explain. My affairs are none of your business to my father!"

Upon hearing Qin Xuan mention Lü Bu, Lü Lingqi became somewhat emotionally distraught and suddenly started shouting at Qin Xuan.

"Sigh~~~~~"

Seeing Lü Lingqi get angry, Qin Xuan sighed heavily. This domineering young lady is really not easy to fool.