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

Three days passed, and Cao Cao's siege tactics against Tancheng had achieved considerable success. Meanwhile, some people inside the city were also starting to make trouble.

Under the combined pressure of rumors spread by both sides, the ordinary people in the city lived in constant fear and anxiety, and began to stir.

This gave Qin Xuan a huge headache, and he didn't know how to handle it.

If they used force, those people were innocent; if they didn't, they wouldn't be able to teach those people a lesson. So early that morning, he summoned Liu Bowen to discuss a solution.

"Bowen, what measures do you think we should take now? Those guys are spreading rumors in the city, and the people have started to riot."

"Xue Rengui reported yesterday that there was also considerable friction between the Xuzhou army soldiers and our Great Wall Army!"

"I'm worried about these things. We only have a little over four thousand men at the moment. If infighting breaks out, Cao Cao outside the city would be the one who wants to see it the most."

"You great strategist, hurry up and come up with a plan!"

As soon as Liu Bowen stepped into the main hall of the governor's mansion, Qin Xuan rushed up to him and told him about the problem that was currently troubling him the most, hoping that Liu Bowen could solve this dilemma.

Having just taken control of Xuzhou and with his power base unstable, Qin Xuan was unwilling to resort to force until the very last moment, preferring a peaceful resolution.

Seeing Qin Xuan's troubled expression, Liu Bowen knew this matter was extremely difficult. He frowned and pondered for a long time before finally speaking slowly, his tone tinged with helplessness:

"My lord, the only course of action we can take is to ignore this matter and wait for an opportune moment!"

"There must be Cao Cao's spies in the city, and they're probably the ones spreading the rumors. We simply don't have the ability to find them all right now!"

"I think we should get news from General Li Jing soon. Cao Cao's army might withdraw soon, and then our opportunity will come!"

Liu Bowen's method was simple: delay. Now they could only wait until Cao Cao's backyard caught fire.

Upon hearing Liu Bowen's suggestion, Qin Xuan's grim expression returned to normal slightly; this was the only solution available at the moment.

"Okay, let's do it your way!"

Qin Xuan ultimately decided to adopt Liu Bowen's method.

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"Report!"

Just then, a hurried voice rang out, followed by a soldier in black armor rushing in, kneeling on one knee to salute:

"My lord, strategist, an army bearing the character 'Liu' on their banners has been surrounded by Cao Cao's forces outside the city. They seem to be coming to relieve Xuzhou. General Xue has ordered me to report this and invite you to come and take a look!"

"Oh? Using the name Liu, could it be Liu Bei?" Qin Xuan muttered to himself.

"Alright, I understand. Have Governor Tao, the commander of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, come along too. Let's go see what this army is all about!" Qin Xuan ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The black-armored soldier acknowledged and left the hall.

"Bowen, let's go see this army that's coming to the rescue of Xuzhou!"

"My lord, please!"

Qin Xuan brought Tao Qian along as a shield, as Tao Qian was still nominally the lord of Xuzhou.

Soon after, the two arrived at the city tower, while Xue Rengui was intently watching the movements of Cao Cao's army camp in the distance, completely unaware of the footsteps of Qin Xuan and his companion.

"Ahem!"

Qin Xuan's cough brought Xue Rengui back to his senses.

"My lord, strategist, you've arrived! That army is already surrounded by Cao Cao's forces. Should we go out of the city to rescue them?" Xue Rengui said, pointing into the distance.

Because Qin Xuan had given a strict order, Xue Rengui did not take the initiative to attack when he saw that some troops were surrounded by Cao Cao's army, but waited for the other side's orders.

The two looked in the direction Xue Rengui pointed and saw an army of about three thousand men carrying a flag with the character "Liu" constantly charging at Cao Cao's army. The most eye-catching thing was four men on horseback.

They charged through Cao Cao's encirclement, relentlessly reaping the heads of Cao Cao's soldiers with their weapons.

Although they were some distance away and he couldn't see their faces clearly, Qin Xuan still managed to guess their identities based on their individual attire and the current historical timeline.

"It looks like Liu Bei has arrived!" Qin Xuan said in a very serious tone, unsure whether he should go to save him.

Liu Bei is no simple character. If we welcome them into Xuzhou, it will be difficult to drive them away in the future.

Liu Bowen was incredibly clever. Upon seeing Qin Xuan's worried expression, he immediately guessed the other man's concerns.

"My lord, let's send troops to rescue them. Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and righteousness is known throughout the land. If we don't intervene, it will definitely have repercussions for us!"

As system figures, Liu Bowen and his companions had been instilled with all the information of this era and were already well-versed in the general trend of the world.

"Well... welcoming them in is easy, but driving them out is difficult!"

"Moreover, the powerful clans within the city will surely take action, and we might end up shooting ourselves in the foot!"

Qin Xuan hesitated for a moment before expressing his concerns.

Historically, Liu Bei was able to easily occupy Xuzhou largely due to the support of the local powerful families, and he was also very good at dealing with ordinary people, which won him their hearts.

Therefore, Qin Xuan hesitated.

"Hehe, my lord, you're overthinking it. Look at Liu Bei, he's already suffered heavy losses and can't cause any trouble at all. Plus, all the food in the city is in our hands, so he can't expand his power at all."

"Even if he's colluding with the powerful figures in the city, isn't that exactly what we want?"

"That would also give us an excuse to take them out!"

Not long after Liu Bowen finished speaking, two Great Snow Dragon Riders brought Tao Qian to the city wall.

"Prefect Tao, you've arrived. Whose troops are those?"

Qin Xuan pointed at Liu Bei's army and asked Tao Qian, pretending not to recognize him.

Tao Qian was initially puzzled as to why Qin Xuan had brought him here. Just as he was about to ask, he heard Qin Xuan's words and looked out of the city. A moment later, he burst into laughter.

His face was full of smugness, which drew everyone's attention.

"Qin Xuan, those are Liu Bei's subordinates. His two brothers are extremely powerful. You're finished!" Tao Qian said smugly, seemingly forgetting the other party's current predicament, attempting to use this situation to threaten Qin Xuan.

As one of the warlords who fought against Dong Zhuo back then, Tao Qian had a vivid memory of the strength of Liu Bei's two generals. In his opinion, Qin Xuan had no one who could rival them.

Seeing that Tao Qian still couldn't quite grasp the situation and who the real king was, Qin Xuan decided to let him experience what a rollercoaster of despair felt like.

"What, it's them?" Qin Xuan's eyes widened, feigning terror, which only made Tao Qian's smile widen. Then, Qin Xuan leaned close to Tao Qian's ear and whispered:

"Lord Tao, it's a pity you're celebrating too soon. They're currently surrounded by Cao Cao's army and won't be able to hold out for long. What good is having them backing you up?"

"You~~~you!" Upon hearing this, Tao Qian felt a thunderous boom in his head, and his whole body trembled so much that he could hardly stand. His mind went completely blank, and he pointed at Qin Xuan with trembling hands, only managing to utter a word or two after a long while.

"Master Tao, I hope you can understand your place. I don't want to say it a second time!"

"Xue Rengui!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Upon hearing Qin Xuan address him, Xue Rengui solemnly bowed loudly, awaiting the other's instructions.

"Lead the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry to attack and rescue Liu Bei and the others!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Rengui was taken aback at first, but as a military strategist, he quickly understood the meaning behind Qin Xuan's words.

They should wait until Liu Bei's entire army is wiped out before making a move, since Qin Xuan only needs a few people.

"This subordinate obeys!"