Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 105 I'm Not Here to Get Killed
Wei Xiaobao was waiting for news from Chen Deng in Xiaopei City. When he had nothing to do, he decided to go find Zhang Fei for a drink.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Sun Qian were all worried about recruiting soldiers. When they saw Wei Xiaobao coming, only Liu Bei asked, "Bozhi, could it be that Chen Deng from Xia Pi has received news?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "There's no news yet, so I came to have a drink with Third Brother."

Zhang Fei said, "My dear brother, I am so worried that I am in no mood to drink with you."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Don't worry, big brother. It won't be easy for Chen Deng to sow discord between Lü Bu and Chen Gong. We just need to wait patiently."

Liu Bei said, "I'm not anxious about this matter. Rather, I'm worried that even if Chen Deng's plan succeeds, we won't be able to cooperate. Although the scattered soldiers have been gathered, there are only about ten thousand soldiers in Xiaopei at the moment, and the recruitment efforts in the city over the past two days have been ineffective. This is why I'm worried."

Wei Xiaobao remembered that Sun Ce's excuse for borrowing troops from Yuan Shu was to attack the remnants of the Yellow Turban Army in Guangling, so he said to Liu Bei, "Sun Ce will definitely flee directly to Jiangdong after borrowing troops from Yuan Shu. Big brother, why don't you go to Guangling and recruit the Yellow Turban Army?"

Liu Bei nodded and said, "Bo Zhi's plan is very clever."

Wei Xiaobao smiled awkwardly and said, "I learned this trick from Cao Cao. If he can recruit the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou, we can also recruit the Yellow Turban Army in Yangzhou."

Liu Bei said, "Yes, how could I have forgotten your past heroic deeds? You were hiding in the Yellow Turban Army in Yangzhou back then, and I still have the token of the commander of Yangzhou."

Liu Bei ordered his men to fetch his leather bag and find the token from it.

Wei Xiaobao took the token and said, "I didn't expect this thing to end up in my hands. It will probably take some time for Chen Deng to take action. Why don't I go there for my elder brother and see if I can persuade the Yellow Turban Army in Guangling to surrender?"

Liu Bei nodded and said, "It would be best if Bo Zhi went as a lobbyist to avoid alerting Lü Bu and Yuan Shu by deploying troops over long distances. Many of the bandits entrenched in the mountains within Xuzhou are remnants of the Yellow Turban Army, and they could provide additional troops for us. Zhou Cang, who occupies Wolong Mountain in the western suburbs of Pengcheng, is a member of Zhang Bao's army. I had been planning to encircle and suppress him for a long time, but I was unable to split up my forces. This is a good opportunity to recruit him as well."

Wei Xiaobao said, "I've been a lobbyist many times, but I don't understand the principles of small ants and big ants. I'm worried that I might hinder Big Brother's business."

The others were puzzled for a long time, unable to figure out what Wei Xiaobao meant by "small ants, big ants". Finally, Sun Qian spoke up, "My lord, although I don't have the eloquence and knowledge of Zhang Yi and Su Qin, I am willing to accompany Master Wei to Guangling to try to persuade the rebels."

Wei Xiaobao said, "It's better not to say they are traitors. In fact, they are just a group of peasants who can't eat. If they are not starving, who would be willing to be a traitor?"

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Bozhi, you understand the logic behind this. However, having Gongyou accompany you will provide more support. I can also have your third brother meet you at the Huai River, so that nothing will go wrong."

Wei Xiaobao had learned his lesson from Runan last time, so he was naturally much more cautious when he went to Guangling this time. After all, Chen Deng was already the prefect of Guangling. With Chen Gong's wisdom, he would definitely think of sending Tang Zhou to Guangling to win over the remnants of the Yellow Turban Army. So after Wei Xiaobao, Shuang'er and Sun Qian entered Guangling, they disguised themselves and secretly inquired about the news of the Yellow Turban Army.

Wei Xiaobao found out both good news and bad news. The good news was that the leader of the Yellow Turban Army in Guangling was actually his sworn brother Chen Bai, while the bad news was that Chen Bai and his troops had been trapped by Yuan Shu in Yanzi Mountain in the northern suburbs of Guangling.

Wei Xiaobao and the other two rushed to the foot of Swallow Mountain and saw that Yuan Shu's army had already surrounded the place.

Wei Xiaobao looked at the top of the mountain and said, "I was just worried that Lu Bu would come to snatch this group of troops from me, but I didn't expect Yuan Shu to take action first. Even if we can sneak in and see Chen Bai, we don't have the ability to take them away. I surrounded Wangwu Mountain in the past and know the formations and tricks here. I don't want that old guy Yuan Shu to trap me on the mountain today." Wei Xiaobao picked up some branches and stones, and imitated the way Zhao Liangdong explained the art of war to him in the past. He looked up to observe the formation of Yuan Shu's army, and moved them around on the ground, and finally came up with a solution.

Wei Xiaobao handed the token to Sun Qian and said, "Let Shuang'er accompany you to see Chen Bai. He knows Shuang'er, and with the token, he will definitely believe you. As for how to persuade him to surrender to your master, it depends on your ability."

Shuang'er asked, "Xiaobao, won't you come up the mountain with me?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I'm going to see Yuan Shu. You two hurry up the mountain while the chaos is going on. Once you've convinced Chen Bai, wait for my signal. If you see Yuan Shu's army make a breakthrough, lead Chen Bai to escape. Whether we succeed, and how many soldiers we can escape, depends on whether Heaven will allow me to recapture Xuzhou."

After making all the arrangements, Wei Xiaobao went to Yuan Shu's military camp.

When Yuan Shu's soldiers heard that it was Wei Xiaobao, they quickly tied him up and took him to see Yuan Shu. However, this was all part of Wei Xiaobao's plan. During this time, Shuang'er and Sun Qian found an opportunity and went up the mountain, avoiding the sight of the soldiers at the foot of the mountain.

Seeing Wei Xiaobao's miserable state, Yuan Shu stroked his goatee and said with a smile, "I was careless for a moment and let you escape back to Xudu. I didn't expect you to fall into my trap again today."

Wei Xiaobao also laughed heartily, making Yuan Shu panic. He then spoke slowly, "I ran away last time not because I was afraid you would kill me, but because I was afraid I wouldn't have the chance to enjoy wealth and glory with you."

Yuan Shu said, "You're such a smooth talker, but do you think you won't have wealth and glory by following Cao Cao? Do you think you can convince me to spare your life by offering me a few compliments when you're about to die?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Don't you want to know why I went and came back? If I was really afraid of death, why would I come to my door today? How can the emperor be considered the real emperor without the imperial seal? If the emperor is fake, how much power can the prime minister have?"

When Yuan Shu heard the word "imperial seal", he quickly reached out to stop Wei Xiaobao. After dismissing his attendants, he asked, "What do you mean by the imperial seal?"

Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "The reason I fled from Shouchun last time was because I knew about the Jade Seal and was worried that Sun Ce would kill me to silence me. I had wanted to inform you, but unfortunately, I encountered Lu Bu attacking Xia Pi while I was escaping. I ended up running around and running, and only now have I seen you."

Yuan Shu asked, "What do you want to inform me of?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I'm telling you that Sun Ce is going to flee to Jiangdong! But you've already arrived in Guangling, so I'm afraid it's too late."

Yuan Shu laughed heartily: "I was hoping he would flee to Jiangdong. Otherwise, how could I get the imperial seal?"

Wei Xiaobao also laughed out loud.

Yuan Shu asked, "What are you laughing at?"

After Wei Xiaobao finished laughing, he said, "Your dream of becoming an emperor is about to be shattered!"

(End of this chapter)