Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 24 Escape Back to the County
When Wei Xiaobao heard Lu Zhi asking him about Zhuge Liang, he quickly replied, "I've also heard of this person. He seems to be very familiar with Liu Bei."

After hearing what Wei Xiaobao said, Lu Zhi said, "Yes, I think Liu Bei is also a person worthy of trust. It's a pity that I don't know where he is."

Wei Xiaobao was shocked. "Oh my, Liu Bei is your student? Doesn't that make him my senior brother? So, I, pooh, pooh, I, Guan Erye and I are brothers, aren't we?"

While Lu Zhi was worrying about the lobbying issue, Wei Xiaobao was counting on his fingers in his mind to figure out how he ranked against Guan Yu.

Lu Zhi looked at Wei Xiaobao, and Wei Xiaobao also looked at Lu Zhi.

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "You old fellow, are you looking at me like that because you want me to persuade Zhang Jue to surrender? If you really dare to ask me to go, I'll be like a meat bun hitting a dog, and there will be no return!"

Wei Xiaobao never thought that Lu Zhi would trust him to be the lobbyist, but Lu Zhi believed in Wei Xiaobao's sincerity in surrendering. After all, in Lu Zhi's eyes, the Yellow Turban Army had a grudge against him, Wei Xiaobao, for killing his father and stealing his wife.

Lu Zhi was not worried that Wei Xiaobao would betray him again, but was worried that Wei Xiaobao was too timid to go to Guangzong County again.

The two of them stared at each other for a cup of tea, and then Lu Zhi said, "Forget it. You are just a child. I can't bear to let you take risks."

Wei Xiaobao was delighted. "You old fellow are trying to provoke me. I was just worried that I wouldn't be able to escape, and you're just handing me a pillow. I have to perform well and not let you see any flaws."

Wei Xiaobao puffed out his chest and said, "Your Excellency, you are too contemptuous. Liu Bei is your student, and so am I. If he could persuade Zhang Jue to surrender, doesn't that mean I can't do the same? It's just that the Yellow Turbans killed my father. I wish I could capture Zhang Jue alive, eat his flesh, and drink his blood. Now you're asking me to persuade him to surrender, but I just think it's too easy for him."

Lu Zhi said, "Even if he surrendered, Zhang Jue would still be dead. He understood this. He persuaded Zhang Jue to surrender simply to prevent the Yellow Turban soldiers and Taiping Daoists in Guangzong County from being buried with him. Since he claims to love his people like his own children, he would definitely agree to surrender. Otherwise, the people in the city would no longer follow him so loyally."

Wei Xiaobao was worried that continuing his act would backfire, so he quickly called it quits and said, "Since that's the case, I'll take the risk and go. If Zhang Jue gets angry and chops off my head, please avenge me and my father."

Lu Zhi said, "We agreed to meet in three days. If Zhang Jiao doesn't surrender and you don't return after three days, I will have no choice but to attack the city."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Are you putting a tight spell on me to prevent me from surrendering to the Yellow Turbans again?"

Wei Xiaobao nodded and said, "Three days is three days. If Zhang Jue doesn't surrender, I will go to the underworld with my father to meet him."

Lu Zhi had no idea that Wei Xiaobao's words were a curse for him to die with him. He simply thought he was ready to die bravely. He grabbed his hands and said, "Very good, very good! Now that Tang Qin has been taken back to Luoyang by Zuo Feng and Tang Zhou, when you return, remember not to claim that you have surrendered to me. Say that you took advantage of Zuo Feng and his men's escape to escape. Take my letter with you and give it to Zhang Jue when you meet him. Then, explain that you are worried about the safety of the people in the city, so you are feigning surrender and have promised to persuade Zhang Jue to surrender on my behalf. Remember, make it clear that I have promised to protect the people in the city and his clan after the city is captured."

Wei Xiaobao asked, "Why did you tell me that I had surrendered only after meeting Zhang Jue?"

Lu Zhi said, "Zhang Jue is a man devoted to the pursuit of truth. The Yellow Turban rebellion was instigated by his two brothers and his followers. Therefore, to persuade him to surrender, we must first convince Zhang Jue. If Zhang Liang and his men get the news first, I'm afraid they will kill you before you even see Zhang Jue."

Wei Xiaobao recalled the day he met Zhang Jue. Zhang Liang had been interrupting him, unwilling to let him discuss cultivation or the Way. Lu Zhi retrieved Wei Xiaobao's dagger from the box behind the desk, handed it to him, and said, "If Zhang Jue refuses to surrender, you'll have to act accordingly."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "What do you mean by 'acting according to circumstances'? Are you asking me to kill Zhang Jue? Damn it, I'll never be able to return. You two gangs, you asked me to kill you, and you asked me to kill Zhang Jue. I'd better use these three days to go back quickly. As for who kills who in the future, it has nothing to do with me."

Lu Zhi said, "The guards in the barracks are much tighter now. I'm afraid your attempt to steal a horse from the stables won't work. Just ride my horse. Remember to loosen the horse's reins before entering the city, and it will come back on its own."

Wei Xiaobao waited for Lu Zhi to finish writing the letter and hid it under his shoe.

Lu Zhi ordered his horse officer to go to the military tent to question him, just to give Wei Xiaobao an opportunity to seize the horse and escape.

Lu Zhi's mount was not raised with other horses in the military camp, but was served by a dedicated horse officer, so the military commander and the cavalry captain did not assign additional personnel to guard it. As a result, Wei Xiaobao was able to succeed easily. It was just a pity for the military commander and the cavalry captain. They had just escaped a disaster by luck, but then they heard from their subordinates that Wei Xiaobao had robbed Lord Lu's horse and fled to Guangzong County.

These two unlucky guys forgot to send anyone to chase Wei Xiaobao for a moment, and were so scared that they collapsed on the horse manure.

Wei Xiaobao didn't care about the chaos in Lu Zhi's military camp, how the military commander and the cavalry captain were punished for the loss of Lord Lu's mount, etc. He just kept hitting the horse's butt with the whip in his hand.

Lu Zhi's mount was also a fine horse that could run a thousand miles a day. Soon, it carried Wei Xiaobao to the foot of the Guangzong County wall.

Only then did Wei Xiaobao realize Lu Zhi's meticulousness. If he hadn't told him otherwise, Wei Xiaobao would have ridden his horse into Guangzong County. Lu Zhi's mount looked different from ordinary military horses. If the Yellow Turbans spotted him, Wei Xiaobao's lie about escaping Lu Zhi's camp would have been exposed.

Wei Xiaobao dismounted, loosened the reins, and let the horse run back. The crossbowmen on the city wall had already drawn their bows and arrows and were aiming at Wei Xiaobao.

Wei Xiaobao raised his head and shouted to the guards at the city gate, "I'm a spy sent by General Ren Gong to gather information about the enemy. Open the gate for me!"

After a while, Wei Xiaobao saw Zhang Liang's head sticking out from the top of the city wall, and he cried out with a sad face: "General, please open the door and let me in! I have escaped back!"

No sooner said than done, the sound of horse hooves could be heard behind Wei Xiaobao.

When Zhang Liang saw the enemy cavalry chasing them, he quickly ordered people to open the city gate to let Wei Xiaobao in, and he also hurried down the city gate tower to find Wei Xiaobao.

When Wei Xiaobao saw Zhang Liang coming down the stairs, he shouted, "It's done! It's done!"

(End of this chapter)