Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 113 Jia Xu's Cold Persuasion
Cao Cao's army was still more than ten miles away from Wancheng, and scouts had already arrived to report.

"Report! The gates of Wancheng are wide open. Zhang Xiu and his men have already left the city, holding the seals and ribbons in hand, to surrender."

Cao Cao now had a strong army and was preparing to try his luck at Wancheng, but he didn't expect that the enemy had already surrendered before his troops reached the city.

Cao Cao was worried about a trap, so he ordered his troops to advance slowly. When he saw Wei Xiaobao standing next to Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu, he suddenly realized what was going on and felt relieved.

Zhang Xiu handed over the seal and reported the situation of the people and troops in Wancheng, which made Cao Cao so happy that he didn't even have time to say a few more words to Wei Xiaobao.

That night, Zhang Xiu brought delicious food and wine from the city and sent them to Cao's army tent outside the city to welcome Cao Cao. He also flattered Cao Cao to the hilt. At the same time, he did not forget to praise Wei Xiaobao in front of Cao Cao about how calm he was and how he dared to go deep into the city to persuade people to surrender at such a young age.

Dian Wei followed Cao Cao to the battlefield and did not dare to leave Cao Cao's side at the banquet, standing behind Cao Cao the entire time.

Others who came to Dian Wei for a drink were rejected, so he only found an opportunity to have a drink with Wei Xiaobao.

Wei Xiaobao regretted the whole night and had no mood to drink. He finally waited until the end of the banquet, but was kept in the army by Cao Cao.

After everyone left, Cao Cao asked Dian Wei to guard outside the tent while he talked with Wei Xiaobao alone in the military tent.

Cao Cao said, "Spies in Xuzhou report that Liu Bei has seized Xiaoguan and Pengcheng and is preparing to attack Xiapi. I was initially concerned for your safety and wondered why you didn't return to Xuchang. It turns out you had a plan in place and have captured Wancheng without a single soldier."

Wei Xiaobao smiled awkwardly and said, "If I didn't have the support of a large army, how could I have made Zhang Xiu surrender with my own ability?"

Cao Cao said, "Although Wancheng is undermanned, it is fortified and well-stocked with provisions, allowing us to hold out for months. If Liu Biao were to come to our rescue, we would be drawn into a prolonged battle. Jia Xu is a shrewd and calculating man. Even if he surrenders, he will agree to exchange terms with me. I never expected that he would be so easily persuaded to surrender."

Wei Xiaobao was also wondering in his heart: "When I saw Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu yesterday, it seemed that they had already discussed surrender in advance. It seems that my appearance only made their surrender more reasonable."

Cao Cao said, "Now that I have a strong army and a powerful cavalry, and I hold the title of Son of Heaven, even small separatist factions like Zhang Xiu are invincible. Only Yuan Shao is eyeing me covetously, and I must be on guard."

Wei Xiaobao said, "I heard that Yuan Shao has defeated Gongsun Zan and seized his territory."

Cao Cao sighed and said, "Yes, we're in the Central Plains and can't take care of the north. I never expected Yuan Shao to sweep across Youzhou and Jizhou in just a few years. The other day, Feng Xiao gave me a detailed account of our ten wins and ten losses against Yuan Shao. Although we have the advantage, Liu Bei is still a general under Yuan Shao. I'm worried that if a fight really breaks out, Liu Bei will be able to control the entire situation."

Wei Xiaobao quickly tried to persuade Cao Cao with a spell: "Liu Bei attacked Lü Bu only to recapture Xuzhou. After all, Tao Qian entrusted Xuzhou to him when he died. Liu Bei is not ambitious, unlike the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, one of whom only wanted to occupy territory, and the other wanted to become emperor. I also heard that Liu Bei is a member of the royal family. Even if Yuan Shao wanted to attack Xudu, Liu Bei would not help him to oppose the court, right?"

Cao Cao said, "I'm afraid Yuan Shao will use the pretext of supporting the emperor, and Liu Bei will be forced to obey him. If you can persuade Liu Bei to submit to the court, it will relieve my great worry."

Wei Xiaobao breathed a sigh of relief. "So you wanted me to help you persuade him to surrender. You've been so nervous for so long. You came to attack Wancheng and were worried about Yuan Shao stabbing you in the ass. You'll definitely have the same worry when you attack Xuzhou. Yuan Shao won't be as spineless as Zhang Xiu and surrender right away. That way, Big Brother will have plenty of time to deal with Lu Bu."

Wei Xiaobao pretended to be embarrassed: "I am not familiar with Liu Bei, I am afraid this matter is not so easy."

Cao Cao said, "I've secretly checked the royal family tree and learned that Liu Bei and the emperor are uncle and nephew. If the emperor can recognize this uncle and give him the title of Left General, Liu Bei should be able to submit to the court. Even if he doesn't want to obey my orders, at least he won't serve Yuan Shao again." Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Your trick of sowing discord is very cost-free and much better than Chen Deng's method of sowing discord between Lü Bu and Chen Gong."

Wei Xiaobao nodded and said, "In that case, I'll go to Xuzhou and give it a try. But there's someone I want to take with me."

Cao Cao asked, "Who is it?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Jia Xu is Zhang Xiu's military advisor. He's a sharp-tongued man with a lot of cunning ideas. If he could come with me to persuade Liu Bei, there shouldn't be any problem at all."

Cao Cao agreed immediately and asked Dian Wei to send Wei Xiaobao into the city to find Jia Xu overnight.

When Wei Xiaobao met Jia Xu, he told him that Cao Cao had asked him to persuade Liu Bei.

Wei Xiaobao planned to trick Jia Xu to Xiaopei first, and then tell him his true thoughts. If he was unwilling, he would kill him with a knife.

Jia Xu didn't say he would go nor did he say he wouldn't go. Instead, he took Wei Xiaobao out for a drink.

Wei Xiaobao was anxious and kept urging him, "If you don't want to go, I'll go to Xuzhou tonight. The Prime Minister has urgent matters to arrange, and I can't afford to delay them."

Jia Xu calmly filled the wine glass in front of Wei Xiaobao and said, "Prime Minister Cao has long harbored rebellious intentions. He has now replaced all the officials in the court. Even if Liu Bei surrenders to the court, he will eventually become a errand boy under Prime Minister Cao."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "I can't tell you right now that my attempt to persuade Liu Bei was fake and that my real intention was to trick you into going to Xiaopei. What if you go and tell Cao Cao about this? I'll lose my life in Wancheng."

Jia Xu continued, "I'm staying with Zhang Xiu temporarily only to protect myself. If I go with you to persuade Liu Bei, I'll be helping Cao Cao, but what good will that do me?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "You've already surrendered. Wouldn't it be better to seize the opportunity to make meritorious deeds?"

Jia Xu said, "Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will have to fight sooner or later."

Wei Xiaobao saw what Jia Xu was thinking and asked, "Are you worried that Cao Cao won't be able to defeat Yuan Shao, so you're planning to be a fence-sitter?"

Jia Xu said, "You and I are living in this chaotic world. The most important thing is to find a way to survive. As for being a fence-sitter, Brother Wei, there's no need to speak so harshly. Aren't you also eating Cao Cao's food and looking at Liu Bei's pot?"

Wei Xiaobao was shocked and asked, "How did you know?"

Jia Xu did not answer. He pondered for a moment before saying, "This world may seem to belong to the Liu family, but it is not the Liu family's world. The Duan family of Xiliang, the Wang family of Taiyuan, the Yang family of Hongnong, the Zhang family of Chenliu, the Yuan family of Runan, and the Cai family of Jingzhou—which of these aristocratic families has not been deeply rooted in the local area for a hundred years and has become powerful?
The world is in chaos now. Without the support of these noble families, anyone who aspires to conquer the world wouldn't even be able to hold on to Xia Pi, let alone the entire country. If the Chen family of Xuzhou hadn't abandoned Lü Bu, how could Liu Bei have easily captured Xiaoguan and Pengcheng? Sun Ce, having fled back to Jiangdong, is now unable to advance without the support of the four great families of Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang.

Brother Wei, we've known each other for a while, so listen to my advice. Even if Liu Bei can gain a foothold in Xuzhou, the Mi clan's financial resources alone are probably insufficient to conquer the world. Sooner or later, he'll be swallowed up by Yuan Shao or Cao Cao. It's better for him to follow my lead and wait and see what happens.

(End of this chapter)