Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 103 Take the Neighbors Away First
Chen Deng didn't understand what Wei Xiaobao meant by the human stick, but when he saw the dagger in his hand waving in front of him, he couldn't help but feel scared.

Chen Deng begged for mercy, "Sir, we can discuss this when buying an official position. If you think the county magistrate position is too low, I can find you a higher position."

Wei Xiaobao spitted and said, "I don't care about being an official! Just answer whatever I ask you. If you dare to tell even a lie, I'll make you into a human stick. Are you going to give the letter you have on you to Cao Cao?"

Wei Xiaobao took the silk from Shuang'er, waved it in front of Chen Deng, and asked, "Is this letter for Cao Cao?"

Chen Deng knew that he could no longer argue and could only nod.

Wei Xiaobao continued, "Lü Bu is now the boss of Xuzhou. Since you and your son have already joined him, why did you conspire with Cao Cao to frame Lü Bu?"

Chen Deng didn't know which faction Wei Xiaobao belonged to, and for a moment he didn't dare to speak easily.

Wei Xiaobao swung his dagger back and cut off a wooden leg from the table. He took it in his hand and whittled it into a stick in front of Chen Deng, threatening him as he whittled it: "If you don't speak, I will cut off your ears, nose, mouth, hands and feet and turn you into a stick too."

By this time, Chen Deng had understood what a human stick meant. The Han Dynasty, which ruled the country with filial piety, emphasized the principle of "one's body and hair, given by one's parents, should not be damaged; this is the beginning of filial piety." Wei Xiaobao's habitual use of the human stick to intimidate Chen Deng was even more effective.

Chen Deng said, "Prime Minister Cao governs the country for the Emperor, so Xuzhou should naturally be handed over to him as well. How can we allow Lü Bu, a traitor and capricious villain, to occupy it?"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "I've only been gone a few days, and Cao Cao has given me another promotion. This Chen Deng is talking so frankly, he's probably just trying to be official!"

Wei Xiaobao chuckled and said, "If you don't tell the truth, I'll cut off one of your noses to go with the wine."

Seeing the dagger touching his nose, Chen Deng shouted, "I confess, I confess! Lü Bu is insatiable, and my father is worried he'll plot against our Chen family fortune, so he's planning to join forces with Prime Minister Cao to get rid of him."

Wei Xiaobao then asked, "What are you going to do?"

Chen Deng said, "As the letter says, the Prime Minister will send troops to attack Xuzhou, and my father and I will be the internal support."

Wei Xiaobao cursed in his heart, "Why are they all idiots?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Lü Bu is unrivaled in the world. Even if you and Cao Cao work together, it would still be difficult to defeat him, right? Back in Yanzhou, if Lü Bu hadn't been short of food, it wouldn't have been easy for Cao Cao to win."

Chen Deng smiled and said, "Lü Bu is brave but not wise. He's only alive today thanks to Chen Gong. Even with Chen Gong's help, Lü Bu could only hold Puyang. Currently, Xiaoguan, Pengcheng, and Xiapi, all three of Xuzhou's borders, must be garrisoned. No matter how brave Lü Bu is or how wise Chen Gong is, if we defeat them one by one, he'll be caught off guard and unable to secure both. If we can sow discord between Lü and Chen, creating a rift between them, then Xuzhou is within our grasp."

When Wei Xiaobao heard this, he couldn't help but admire her. He turned around and told Shuang'er to get some writing brush and ink from the chancellor, and said to Chen Deng, "Write down everything you said."

Chen Deng dared not disobey, and after writing it, he gave it to Wei Xiaobao.

Although Wei Xiaobao had learned to read with Diao Chan and Mu Jianping for a few days, it was harder than climbing to the sky to understand Chen Deng's confession, so he handed it to Shuang'er for inspection.

After confirming everything was correct, Wei Xiaobao forced Chen Deng to sign and then, while untying the belt that bound Chen Deng, he said with a grin, "Don't be afraid. I'm actually one of Prime Minister Cao's men. I came back from outside on business and heard that Lü Bu had sent someone to see Prime Minister Cao, so I came here to inquire for him."

Chen Deng had been fooled by Wei Xiaobao and was scared. He didn't know which of his words were true and which were false.

Wei Xiaobao continued, "To be honest, I was there when Puyang was attacked, and many of my brothers died at Lü Bu's hands. There's not a single one of us who doesn't hate Lü Bu, so I was worried that someone would plead for him and try to get on the Prime Minister's side to save his life. Fortunately, you weren't part of Lü Bu's group, otherwise you would have already gone to see my brothers who died unjustly."

Chen Deng had already tied his belt and quickly clasped his fists and said, "My apologies, I'm sorry. It turns out that he's Prime Minister Cao's confidant. I, Chen Deng, have failed to recognize a great man."

Wei Xiaobao was worried that Cao Cao would accept Chen Deng's plan and attack Xuzhou, so he said to Chen Deng, "Okay, okay. My name is Wei Xiaobao. It's getting late today, and I scared you quite a bit. Why don't you get a good night's rest? I'll take you to see the Prime Minister early tomorrow morning." Chen Deng didn't completely believe Wei Xiaobao, but he also knew that he was in a state of disgrace and it was not appropriate for him to see Cao Cao. So he agreed to Wei Xiaobao's request. Even if he was deceived, it would only be one night, and the outcome would be clear tomorrow morning. Still politely, he said, "Master Wei, you are being polite. We are all working for the Prime Minister. I understand."

Wei Xiaobao came out of the county residence and asked Shuang'er to go back first, while he went directly to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Cao Cao was discussing matters with Guo Jia, Xun Yu and others. When he heard that Wei Xiaobao had returned, he quickly called him in to meet him.

Cao Cao asked, "Sir, why did it take you so long to get to Shouchun?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "In fact, I have already finished the business in Shouchun, but I went to Xuzhou on the way."

Cao Cao was surprised: "Why go through Xuzhou?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "When I went to Shouchun, Yuan Shu was attacking Xuzhou, but Liu Bei beat me back home."

When Cao Cao heard that Yuan Shu was attacking Xuzhou, he was shocked at first, but then he felt relieved when he heard that Liu Bei had won.

Wei Xiaobao continued, "In the end, that old fellow Yuan Shu cheated and sent someone to deliver a letter to Lu Bu, who then attacked Xiapi and captured Xuzhou, driving Liu Bei to Xiaopei."

Cao Cao was horrified and said, "Lü Bu took advantage of my lack of time to seize Xuzhou. He hasn't even avenged Yanzhou yet, and now he's adding to the woes of Xuzhou. This boy must not be allowed to stay!"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Being the Prime Minister will make you even more domineering. Will the whole world belong to you?"

Guo Jia said, "Prime Minister, Xuzhou is surrounded by enemies on all sides. It's easy to capture but difficult to recapture. Zhang Xiu in Wancheng to the west has defected to Liu Biao and has the strategist Jia Xu under his command. If we attack eastward now, Zhang Xiu might launch a surprise attack."

Wei Xiaobao was delighted: "I was just worrying about how to persuade Cao Cao to give up attacking Xuzhou. Isn't this my chance?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I went to Xia Pi just to help you solve the problem in Xuzhou."

As he spoke, Wei Xiaobao took out Chen Deng's confession from his pocket and handed it to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao held the confession with a stern face. The more he read it, the happier he became. He couldn't help but smile. Finally, he put the confession down and said to Wei Xiaobao, "Sir, you have done another great deed!"

After saying this, Cao Cao handed the confession to Guo Jia, Xun Yu and others for them to read.

Wei Xiaobao said, "Although Chen Deng and his son have agreed to cooperate internally and externally, we must first find a way to sow discord between Lü Bu and Chen Gong, so we can't rush the attack on Xuzhou. I will go to Xia Pi first, and you will wait for my news in Xudu while guarding against a surprise attack from our neighbors. It would be best if we can take the neighbors away first, so that we won't have to worry about attacking Xuzhou later."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "As you say, sir."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "It would be best if Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao could hold you off for ten or eight years. I will first help Brother Liu Bei take back Xuzhou and then station troops there for a few years."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Before I go to Xia Pi, I have to bring some benefits to Chen Deng, otherwise I'm worried that he will regret it."

Cao Cao thought for a moment and said, "Award him the post of prefect of Guangling, and have you announce it on his behalf."

Wei Xiaobao took Cao Cao's handwritten letter and put away Chen Deng's confession. He thought to himself, "This is like hitting him with a stick, and then a sweet date flies back. Add to that this confession and you've got him sore spot. Hehe, this kid Chen Deng actually dares to resist? He's like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth. Once I use this trick, I'll have him completely crushed!"

(End of this chapter)