Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 20 Lies
Wei Xiaobao had never seen his father, nor had he ever felt the love between a father and his son, so his unfortunate father had been used and betrayed by him countless times.

Wei Xiaobao cried and choked up, "You were killed by the Yellow Turban Army, and your son was forced to work for them. How unfilial!"

Lu Zhi, listening to Wei Xiaobao's heartfelt sobs and hearing about his tragic life story, couldn't help but be moved. He felt a tinge of pity and thought, "This child's father must be about my age. I never thought he would have such a rough life at such a young age. The Yellow Turban Army is truly a terrible force."

If Lu Zhi knew what Wei Xiaobao was thinking at this moment, I am afraid that not only would he not feel sorry for Wei Xiaobao, he would also immediately have him chopped into pieces.

When Wei Xiaobao thought of Tao Qian, he remembered the time when he pretended to be Lu Zhi's son. The adopted father he was crying for at this time was Lu Zhi behind him.

Wei Xiaobao kept crying, his mind racing. "I told you on the way here that you were my father, and crying in front of you now is like mourning for you. When the eunuch arrives, you'll be killed by the Yellow Turbans. I haven't lied at all."

Lu Zhi couldn't see Wei Xiaobao's face, and thought about how he had served the court all his life, and only had a child last year at such an age. Now his son was still in swaddling clothes, but he had to lead troops to fight outside, unable to enjoy the happiness of family. He couldn't help feeling a little sad, and tears came to the corners of his eyes. He quickly wiped them with a towel when no one was paying attention.

Lu Zhi was thinking about his son who was far away in Luoyang, but he didn't know that this adopted son in front of him was thinking of ways to harm him with a smirk on his face and his back to him.

Lu Zhi let Wei Xiaobao whine for a long while. When his voice gradually died down, he said, "Since you were forced to join the Yellow Turban Army, as long as you are willing to tell me where the Yellow Turban Army's food and fodder is and the defense situation of Guangzong County, I will be able to avenge your father by defeating the Yellow Turban Army. When the time comes, I will submit a petition to the court. Regardless of military merit or filial piety, there will always be a suitable official position for you."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Wait for the eunuch to come. I'll finish my mission for the Yellow Turbans and ask Zhang Jue for credit, then I can go back. My wives, big and small, and my pretty wife are waiting for me. Who wants to be an official here? If you didn't tell me this, I would have told you about the defense situation in Guangzong County. Otherwise, wouldn't all my tears have been in vain? But I just made up this story about food and fodder, so I can only continue to fool you."

Wei Xiaobao said, "I haven't had much education, so I can't be an official. But the Yellow Turbans have captured my wife, and I dare not be a traitor. I'd rather let you kill me."

Lu Zhi thought to himself, "No wonder he's been so reluctant to speak. So this is the reason. But it's no wonder. His father is gone, so his only relative must be his wife. If he reveals military secrets, he'll have no chance of returning. I have to dispel his concerns first."

Lu Zhi said, "If you are willing, you can become my student. As for your marriage, I will make the decision for you after we return to Luoyang."

Wei Xiaobao was delighted. "Is there such a good thing? Could I, Wei Xiaobao, marry another wife in the Han Dynasty? Forget it, forget it. I'd better rescue my good wife Shuang'er first."

Wei Xiaobao turned over and knelt on the ground, kowtowing as he said, "Your Excellency is willing to take me in. You are like my father. You are truly a benefactor, a parent, and so on."

Lu Zhi was a great scholar of his time, and among his disciples were figures like the White Horse General Gongsun Zan. Liu Bei, the Emperor Zhaolie of Shu Han, was also Lu Zhi's student, though at the time, he was still a commoner and had no achievements. Lu Zhi, hoping to bribe Wei Xiaobao, naturally offered the best price. He was also moved by the filial piety Wei Xiaobao had just displayed in his tearful scene, and decided to accept him as his disciple.

Wei Xiaobao had no concept of family background. Besides his male master Chen Jinnan and female master Jiunan, he also had an emperor master in Xiao Xuanzi. He had also learned some miscellaneous boxing and kicking techniques from Hai Dafu, and learned the Three Hero Moves and the Three Beauty Moves from Master Hong and his wife. Therefore, he was quite casual about the idea of ​​becoming a disciple. Moreover, everything he did was to return to the Qing Dynasty. No matter how big a business he made here, he would just leave and be done with it. However, Lu Zhi, after hearing Wei Xiaobao's nonsense, pondered for a long time before figuring out that Wei Xiaobao's meaning was probably "a kind rebirth, like reborn parents." He couldn't help but feel regretful: "I guess he lost his father at a young age and didn't have much education. I hope he doesn't ruin my reputation in the future."

Lu Zhi waited until Wei Xiaobao finished bowing before saying, "You will be a nominal student for now. After we return to Luoyang, I will ask someone to act as your guarantor and officially accept you as my disciple."

Wei Xiaobao kowtowed in a fake gesture of thanks, thinking to himself, "That's great! Otherwise, I'd be worried about betraying you and feeling bad. Anyway, I won't go to Luoyang with you, and you can forget about being my master in this life."

Lu Zhi called the guards to remove the shackles from Wei Xiaobao. When they were the only two left in the tent, he asked, "How many Yellow Turban troops are there in Guangzong County now?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I don't know either, but there were more than 10,000 of us who fled into Guangzong County together. The city was already packed with people before we got there."

Lu Zhi asked, "Are the three Zhang Jiao brothers in the city?"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Zhang Liang told us to tell Lu Zhi the truth about the city's defenses, so I'll tell him the truth. This won't count as betraying the Yellow Turbans, nor will it count as deceiving this old man."

Wei Xiaobao said, "I've only seen Zhang Jue and his third brother Zhang Liang. By the way, it was Zhang Liang who came to spy on the camp tonight."

Lu Zhi said, "It seems that the remnants of Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liang's troops are in the city. If Zhang Bao's troops are not included, there should be more than 100,000 people in the city."

Wei Xiaobao said, "When we left the city at night, we saw fewer tents and bonfires than in your barracks."

Lu Zhi said, "Of course. Besides the soldiers fighting us, the Yellow Turbans consist mostly of family members and civilians, so naturally they don't outnumber our troops. That's why I didn't attack the city. Once it's captured, those Taiping Daoists loyal to Zhang Jue will surely fight to the death, which will only lead to more bloodshed. As long as we wait until the city runs out of food and supplies, they will naturally open the city and surrender, thus sparing the civilians."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "I didn't expect this old fellow to be so kind-hearted. This is good too. Even if I can't go back to the city for the time being, I don't have to worry about Shuang'er's safety."

Lu Zhi said, "It's a pity that you have burned most of the army's food and fodder. The court has repeatedly issued orders to supervise the battle. I don't know if we can afford it."

Wei Xiaobao was worried about Lu Zhi attacking the city, so he started to make up his mind, "Don't worry, sir. There's not much food and grass left in the county town. I'm afraid it won't last for a few days."

(End of this chapter)