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

Meanwhile, Qin Xuan, who was far away in Xuzhou, received a message from the Black Ice Guard.

When Qin Xuan learned that Cao Cao's whereabouts were unknown and that he might have escaped death, he was filled with regret. He had failed to kill Cao Cao with such a good opportunity, and it would be extremely difficult to kill him again in the future.

But several days have passed, and it's too late to regret it now.

After putting down the book in his hand and letting out a heavy sigh, Qin Xuan turned his gaze to Meng Guang in front of him and instructed him:

"Meng Guang, from now on you must keep a close eye on Cao Cao's movements. Cao Cao will eventually find out that this assassination attempt is related to Xuzhou, and he will definitely try to deal with me."

"Therefore, the Black Ice Guard must thoroughly investigate his every move, and also assist Jia Xu and his men in safely returning to Xuzhou, understand?"

"Yes!" Meng Guang replied, then cautiously voiced his concerns: "Young Master, Lord Jia and his men are currently in Jiangxia County. It will be quite difficult for seven or eight thousand people to return to Xuzhou. I'm worried..."

"Send someone to tell Jia Xu to break out separately; it's impossible for so many people to move together."

Qin Xuan naturally understood Meng Guang's meaning. Seven or eight thousand able-bodied men moving together would make them a conspicuous target. Not to mention whether Liu Biao would stop them, even Yuan Shu would try to interfere. Moreover, they were almost unarmed and would have no ability to resist the checking troops.

According to intelligence from the Black Ice Guard, in order to facilitate the smooth transfer of Zhang Xiu's main force, Jia Xu used a clever trick, disguising the main force as ordinary civilians and retreating to Xuzhou. They only carried long swords, abandoning all other equipment such as horses, armor, spears, and shields.

A valiant and skilled Xiliang elite army was like a pack of wolves without fangs, unable to exert much of its strength.

"Here you go!"

After Meng Guang left, Qin Xuan ordered his guards to summon Liu Bowen and Zhang Juzheng to discuss how to deal with the impending crisis.

Before long, the two strategists arrived together. Looking at Qin Xuan, who seemed preoccupied, they were very puzzled, wondering what troubled their lord had encountered this time.

"My lord!"

The sound of the two bowing to each other pulled Qin Xuan back to reality from his deep thoughts.

"You two are here!"

Qin Xuan spoke calmly.

"My lord, is there some important matter that has summoned me and Uncle Da here together?"

Liu Bowen asked curiously, after all, unless there was something particularly important, Qin Xuan would not have summoned him and Zhang Juzheng, two of his most capable advisors, together at the same time.

"You'll understand once you see the intelligence sent by the Black Ice Guard!"

Qin Xuan then handed them the books and scrolls on the table. Liu Bowen, who quickly took the books and scrolls, examined them with curiosity. His calm expression changed instantly, replaced by one of surprise.

This news is absolutely shocking.

"Bowen, what's wrong? What does this intelligence report say?"

Seeing Liu Bowen's sudden change in expression, Zhang Juzheng nudged his arm and asked anxiously.

"Take a look!" Liu Bowen handed the book to the other party without explaining why, his eyes filled with utter shock as he looked at Qin Xuan.

They were just a hair's breadth away from killing Cao Cao. Once Cao Cao was killed, Sili and Yanzhou would be without a ruler, and the world's格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or landscape) would change drastically. They would then be able to seize this opportunity to take over Yanzhou in one fell swoop.

There lies Yingchuan County, known as the premier academic center in the world, from which most of the scholars and strategists of the land hailed.

The prospect of gaining access to a large number of truly talented scholars by occupying Yingchuan has now been shattered.

"My lord, Cao Cao is still alive. With his cunning, he will surely figure out that we are the ones plotting behind this. In addition, we have just made an enemy of Yuan Shao. It seems that we are about to face a great disaster!"

Liu Bowen immediately analyzed the serious consequences of Cao Cao not dying.

Now that Xuzhou has offended two of the most powerful warlords, this hurdle is likely to be difficult to overcome.

"Hehe, Bowen, your guess is correct. Cao Cao will definitely find out who is behind this, but we have enough opportunities to deal with it."

"If Cao Cao wants to take revenge, he can't do it until next spring. He has spent a lot of grain and fodder to capture Chang'an. He is not prepared to attack us now."

Now that it is autumn and winter, the low temperatures pose a great challenge to long-distance marches and campaigns, especially since cavalry units lack sufficient fodder reserves and are unable to launch large-scale cavalry raids.

"My lord, why have you summoned us here?"

By this time, Zhang Juzheng had also finished reading the contents of the scroll. He felt that Qin Xuan must have had other purposes than simply informing them of this news.

"We must now plan ahead and make all necessary preparations for war."

"Uncle, how is our grain harvest now? What is our total military strength?"

As the head of the civil officials in charge of logistics in the Xuzhou Prefectural Governor's Office, these were all part of Zhang Juzheng's daily work. Only by mastering these latest information could Qin Xuan have a greater sense of confidence in arranging the next steps.

"My lord, according to my assessment, Xuzhou currently has enough surplus grain reserves to sustain the entire military and civilian population of Xuzhou for more than two months in a large-scale, high-intensity war."

"We have over 70,000 infantry, over 30,000 cavalry, and another 40,000 newly recruited soldiers who are undergoing intensive training."

Zhang Juzheng reported all the information he had gathered to Qin Xuan.

These 100,000-plus people were almost the maximum military force that Xuzhou could maintain. One-fifth of them were system personnel, and there was also a considerable number of Xiliang troops brought by Duan Wei.

If Cao Cao hadn't massacred large numbers of people during his attack on Xuzhou, Xuzhou could have maintained a maximum of another 10,000 to 20,000 troops.

After listening to Zhang Juzheng's report, Qin Xuan now had a better understanding of the situation. The worst-case scenario was that he would have to use 140,000 combat-ready troops to fight against the enemy invading from three directions.

Cao Cao, who was advancing from Yanzhou and Xiaopei, Yuan Shao from Qingzhou, and Yuan Shu, Sun Ce, and even Liu Bei from Xiapi and Guangling.

The pressure is immense.

"Gentlemen, in that case, our most important task now is to stockpile strategic resources, train soldiers, manufacture arrows, and reinforce the fortifications of various strategic strongholds. Otherwise, if that day comes, we will be fully prepared."

"In addition, I will have the Black Ice Guard closely monitor officials throughout Xuzhou. Any abnormal behavior by these people will not escape the control of the Black Ice Guard."

"Your most important task is to visit the counties and ensure that these measures are implemented."

Qin Xuan gave the instructions calmly.

He currently has too few trusted civil officials, and there is a shortage of manpower; otherwise, there would be no need to send these two to the grassroots level to supervise the smooth implementation of various measures.

Although Qin Xuan controlled Xuzhou, the civil officials in various places were basically from local Xuzhou aristocratic families and were not of one mind with him. In other words, once Qin Xuan's warlord rule encountered external pressure, they would be infiltrated by the enemy, resulting in disastrous consequences.

"Yes, my lord, rest assured!"

Liu Bowen and his companion naturally understood the meaning behind Qin Xuan's words, and immediately made a solemn promise.