With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 264, Chen Deng succeeds as Governor of Xuzhou
Be careful when someone suddenly becomes nice to you; they might be hiding something.

Che Zhou thought Chen Deng was inviting him out of kindness, but he never dreamed that it was a trap.

The following afternoon, the two rode out of the city together, accompanied by more than a dozen guards.

There is a mountain less than ten miles north of the city, where local noble young men often come in groups of three or five to hunt.

The mountains are lush with vegetation, and even in late autumn, the branches and leaves still retain a verdant green. The mountains have the most pine forests, which remain a green ocean even in winter.

With mountains and water, the scenery was beautiful, and Che Zhou was in a great mood. As soon as he entered the mountains, a wild deer darted out of the forest.

Che Zhou swiftly drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and with a whoosh, the arrow struck the deer, which fell to the ground instantly, blood gushing from its throat as it was completely pierced.

Chen Deng quickly praised, "General Che's archery is superb, truly breathtaking. I don't think even Lü Bu could surpass your archery skills."

Che Zhou couldn't help but feel a little smug. Soon, Chen Deng also spotted his prey. His archery skills were indeed 'clumsy', and he missed the target several times in a row.

Chen Deng sighed repeatedly and said reluctantly, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, General Che. My archery skills are really too poor. I must trouble you to give me some pointers today."

Che Zhou laughed heartily and nodded, saying, "Of course, of course."

Che Zhou then began to instruct Chen Deng, providing on-site instruction. As they continued to chase prey, the group gradually ventured deeper into the forest.

Lu Xun quickly arrived at a tree. The forest was dense, and Che Zhou could not find Liu Xie's location at all.

"Your Majesty, the people are coming."

Liu Xie waved his hand and ordered, "Eliminate all the guards that Che Zhou brought. Remember, you must protect Chen Deng's safety."

Lu Xun nodded quickly and then left.

Che Zhou's guards always maintained a certain distance from Che Zhou and Chen Deng, about twenty or thirty meters away. They couldn't get too close, lest they spoil Che Zhou and his men's hunting mood.

The guards were completely unaware that they had entered the ambush zone.

Suddenly, an arrow shot out from the grass, as fast as a meteor. One of the guards was immediately hit by the arrow and fell from his horse without being able to react.

The nearest guard, realizing something was wrong, hurriedly shouted, "Something's wrong..."

Unfortunately, he had only uttered two words before he was struck by an arrow before he could finish speaking.

Two people died in the blink of an eye, and the air suddenly became tense. The others panicked and looked around warily.

Whoosh whoosh!
The ambush did not stop just because they became alert; arrows continued to fly from the woods, as if there were enemies in every direction.

Puff puff!
In just a short while, four or five more people collapsed.

Gradually, the ambushers finally showed themselves. They were burly and carried bows and arrows. They stared at the guards with unusually cold eyes, as if they had already regarded the guards as dead men.

Hearing the commotion, Che Zhou was also startled. Chen Deng pretended to be flustered and loudly warned, "General Che, this is bad! Someone is ambushing us!"

Che Zhou was also very puzzled. Judging from their clothes, he couldn't tell where they came from at all.

These people were dressed like ordinary people, but they acted swiftly and decisively. Che Zhou intuitively judged that they must be well-trained soldiers.

Six guards remained, but they were quickly surrounded by the enemy. Arrows whistled through the air, and death showed no signs of slowing down. The ambushers were numerous and ruthless, and Che Zhou watched helplessly as his guards fell to the ground one after another.

There was absolutely no suspense!
Che Zhou's attention was entirely focused on the ambushers, but he didn't notice what was behind him. Suddenly, a cold wind swept in from behind. Che Zhou heard the sound of air being cut and quickly realized the danger. He hurriedly turned to the side, but it was too late.

With a soft thud, an arrow struck him. Although it missed a vital spot, the arrow still caused Che Zhou a sharp, piercing pain.

There was no one else around him. Chen Deng remained in the archery stance, with the bow and arrow aimed directly at Che Zhou.

Che Zhou stared wide-eyed in horror at Chen Deng, "Why?"

Chen Deng laughed and quickly loaded another arrow, saying, "Because I am His Majesty's man."

Che Zhou suddenly awoke with a start. He hurriedly reached into his quiver to take out an arrow. This is human instinct; whatever weapon one has in hand, one will want to use.

The arrow has already been fired, so the chariot must be reloaded.

However, Chen Deng did not give him that chance. With a "thud," an arrow shot out and hit Che Zhou's arm holding the arrow. The pain made the muscles on Che Zhou's face contort abnormally.

Che Zhou had not expected that Chen Deng's archery skills were so good and his shots so accurate.

It seems that everything was fake, and that Chen Deng deliberately put on an act to deceive people.

Lu Xun also witnessed this scene in the woods and couldn't help but admire it.

However, Che Zhou was Che Zhou after all. After being shot in the right hand, he immediately dropped his bow and arrow, quickly drew his sword with his left hand, and charged towards Chen Deng.

Chen Deng's arrow had already been shot, and if he wanted to shoot again, he would have to reload it. However, the two were not far apart to begin with, and in his anger, Che Zhou spurred his horse to gallop, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of him.

Che Zhou was furious. Betrayed and played for, he went berserk and wished he could kill Chen Deng with a single sword stroke.

As for Chen Deng being the emperor's man, Che Zhou didn't care at all, because he simply didn't believe that the emperor would appear here.

With the emperor far away and the situation in Xuzhou under Che Zhou's own control, he only took orders from Cao Cao.

Just as Che Zhou raised his sword, ready to strike, another arrow suddenly shot out from the side with lightning speed.

The arrow was faster and more urgent. By the time Che Zhou sensed something was wrong, it was too late; it struck his sword-wielding arm.

Che Zhou was really unlucky. His right hand had just been shot by Chen Deng, and now his left hand had also been hit. His sword immediately slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Che Zhou lost his balance and fell off his horse.

Lu Xun glanced back and saw that it was Taishi Ci who had made the move.

Lu Xun nodded to him, then rushed out of the woods with several guards and surrounded Che Zhou. Che Zhou was no match for them and was quickly pinned to the ground and tied up with ropes.

"Who exactly are you people?" Che Zhou roared angrily, struggling defiantly.

Lu Xun said coldly, "You'll understand soon enough. Come on, take him there."

A group of men escorted Che Zhou before Liu Xie. Che Zhou had seen the emperor before, and even though the emperor was dressed in plain clothes, he could recognize him at a glance.

"Ah? Is it His Majesty?"

Che Zhou stared in horror, finding it hard to believe. This was Xuzhou! How could the emperor have suddenly appeared here without a sound?
Liu Xie looked at him calmly and saw that he had an arrow stuck in both arms, which was quite pitiful. He sighed and said, "General Che, how could you be so careless? I have some medical knowledge. Should I help you bandage it?"

Che Zhou broke out in a cold sweat. Even though he had killed many people and was quite bold, he still felt somewhat insecure in front of the emperor.

Chen Deng walked over, and Liu Xie nodded to him, asking, "Yuanlong, what do you think is the best course of action against him?"

Chen Deng replied, "Let's not kill him for now, so as not to cause a commotion in Xuzhou. If General Che is willing to resign voluntarily, then everyone will be happy."

Che Zhou understood. The implication was that as long as he cooperated, he could save his life; if he didn't, they would kill him right now.

For the emperor, there was no need to find any reason to kill him.

Blood kept flowing, and Che Zhou's arm was in excruciating pain. The emperor, who clearly knew medicine, did not immediately treat him.

"General Che, I have already appointed Chen Deng as the governor of Xuzhou. Once the emperor has spoken, there is no going back. I wonder what General Che plans to do next?"

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Che Zhou had no choice but to lower his head and say, "Your subject is willing to obey Your Majesty's orders."

Che Zhou wanted to resist, but it was no use. He thought to himself: You are the emperor, do whatever you want.

Seeing that he was sensible, Liu Xie said, "After you return to the city, tell everyone that you were attacked while hunting and were seriously injured, so you are temporarily unable to govern. Then submit your resignation to the court."

As for the truth, there's no need to make it public. You can't exactly tell others that you were ambushed by the emperor.

Some things can only be done, but not said.

However, there are some things that can only be said, not done. For example, any feudal lord may claim to be a Han subject, but very few are truly loyal to the Han dynasty. Being a Han subject is just something to talk about; you can say it, but you must never take it seriously.

Che Zhou endured the pain in his arm and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Liu Xie then said, "After you resign, once you have recovered from your injuries, you should return to Cao Cao's side."

Che Zhou was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected the emperor to allow him to return to Cao Cao's side.

Logically speaking, it would be normal for him to find an opportunity to get rid of himself, since he was Cao Cao's man.

"Alright, let me take the arrow out for you first." Liu Xie said, waving his hand, and a guard came over with a medicine box.

Che Zhou sighed helplessly. The emperor was the one who ambushed him, and now the emperor was the one who saved him. The more he thought about it, the more bizarre things seemed.

Liu Xie was skilled in his actions and often treated the soldiers' wounds, which made him very adept at it.

After the injuries were treated, Liu Xie sent Lu Xun and Taishi Ci with a dozen guards to accompany Che Zhou back to the city.

Chen Deng was somewhat surprised and quickly asked, "Your Majesty, aren't you going into the city?"

Liu Xie shook his head. "I won't go. I trust you can handle it. If anything happens, you can send someone to contact me. Lü Bu's troops can come to support us at any time."

Liu Xie's voice wasn't loud, but Che Zhou heard it clearly.

Che Zhou was secretly alarmed. It seemed that the emperor was reminding him not to play any tricks, otherwise, Lü Bu would lead his men to kill him.

This also made Che Zhou realize, from another perspective, the emperor's determination to reclaim Xuzhou. No matter what method was used, the emperor was determined to take Xuzhou.

Chen Deng was very moved, which showed that the emperor trusted him and was willing to let him handle the matter himself.

There were a dozen or so people when they came out, and there were still a dozen or so people when they came back. The soldiers guarding the city didn't think much of it. Che Zhou sat on his horse, his arms wrapped up tightly, and his face didn't look too good.

But the soldiers at the city gate didn't dare to ask any questions. They simply opened the city gate and respectfully made way for the city.

Che Zhou was clearly in a bad mood, but Chen Deng didn't mind. He continued to chat and laugh with him, and when they met acquaintances on the way, they would also chat with them enthusiastically.

On the way, they encountered a patrolling captain named Wang Shuo. Seeing that Che Zhou was injured, he asked in confusion, "General, what happened to you? You were perfectly fine when you left the city."

Wang Shuo had witnessed Che Zhou's skills before. How could both of his arms be injured just from going out of the city to hunt?
Che Zhou sighed, just as he was thinking of how to come up with a good excuse to get away with it, when Chen Deng spoke up, "General Che's archery skills are indeed superb, and they have truly broadened my horizons. Everything was going smoothly until unexpectedly, a fierce tiger suddenly appeared. General Che fought with it and was unfortunately wounded. However, the tiger also escaped while wounded. It's only because of General Che that he was able to escape. I'm afraid that anyone else would have died in the tiger's mouth long ago."

"We encountered a tiger?" Wang Shuo's eyes widened in surprise. "General, is this true?"

As Che Zhou hesitated, Lu Xun and Taishi Ci approached from the left and right, respectively. Che Zhou could clearly sense that the two men were not looking at him with friendly eyes.

He wears a smile on his face, but hides a cold, piercing glint in his eyes.

Che Zhou could only nod. "That's right, a tiger appeared out of nowhere, but don't worry, I've already chased it away."

Wang Shuo immediately stopped doubting and said with admiration, "General Che is indeed brave. Although he failed to kill the tiger, he was able to drive it away. He is no ordinary person."

Chen Deng didn't want to linger too long and give himself away, so he said, "Alright, General Che is badly injured and must go back to recuperate as soon as possible."

Wang Shuo bowed and clasped his hands in greeting, watching the group leave.

The news that Che Zhou had encountered a tiger outside the city and chased it away quickly spread throughout the city. However, Che Zhou himself immediately submitted a memorial to the court, saying that he was injured and temporarily unable to attend to government affairs, and was willing to resign.

Soon after, the imperial decree arrived, announcing that Chen Deng would succeed as the governor of Xuzhou.

He resigned simply because of an injury. Although some people felt it was unnecessary, Che Zhou's image in the eyes of the scholars of Xuzhou was not very good, while the Chen family was prominent and highly respected. Many people supported Chen Deng's appointment as governor of Xuzhou.

After Liu Xie had Che Zhou and Chen Deng finish their handover, he focused on recovering from his injuries at home, leaving all the remaining matters to Chen Deng.

Chen Deng acted decisively, replacing the people originally assigned by Che Zhou one by one, and also sending his own personal guards to guard the city gates.

In case of any emergency, he can ensure that the city gates can be opened and contact can be made with Lü Bu's army at any time.

On the other hand, Chen Deng also tried his best to appease the scholars of Xuzhou, using the influence of the Chen family to quickly win people's hearts and stabilize the situation.

In short, the handover between him and Che Zhou went very smoothly.

(End of this chapter)