Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 53 The alliance of princes
When the two palace maids woke up, it was several hours later and it was already dark.

Wei Xiaobao calculated the time and the dosage of the knockout drug he would use. He squatted on the ground and looked at the two palace maids. He said, "You two are so bold! You dare to sleep in while you're on duty, and you sleep in the emperor's bedroom."

The two palace maids didn't know why they suddenly fell asleep. When they heard Wei Xiaobao's threat, they quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed for mercy.

Wei Xiaobao asked, "What did you two see in the Yunting Palace today?"

One of the more alert palace maids quickly replied: "We didn't see anything."

Wei Xiaobao asked, "We've already entered the Yunting Palace, how could we not have seen it?"

The maid asked timidly, "Is it because we didn't come in that we didn't see it?"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "You are quite clever. No wonder you are able to serve as a maid to the Emperor."

Wei Xiaobao pointed at the datura flowers beside him and said, "If the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau ask about these datura flowers, how will you answer?"

The palace maid had already seen the dead rat on the ground and followed Wei Xiaobao's words, saying, "There's a rat infestation in the Ye Ting Palace. The Emperor ordered us to use Datura flowers to kill them."

Wei Xiaobao nodded and then asked, "That won't take that much, right?"

The palace maid could not answer and could only kneel on the ground and tremble.

Wei Xiaobao then asked, "There are rats in the palace, but there are no rats outside the palace?"

The maid kowtowed quickly and said, "Luoyang City is plagued by rats. The emperor, out of sympathy for the people, has asked us to give these datura flowers to the people of Luoyang to help them get rid of the rats."

Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "It's good that you know how to reply, otherwise those lying on the ground wouldn't be rats anymore!"

Liu Xie waved his hand and said, "Alright, everyone, leave."

The two palace maids' legs had already gone limp with fear. They kowtowed and thanked the emperor, then crawled out of the palace backwards.

In fact, Wei Xiaobao was overthinking it. As long as Liu Xie didn't kill him, Dong Zhuo didn't care at all about this eight or nine-year-old kid messing around in his bedroom.

Wei Xiaobao put away the knockout drug and packed up the rest with Shuang'er before saying to Liu Xie, "If Dong Zhuo asks about it, just say I went out of town to help you kill rats. It would be best if Dong Zhuo could give me the title of Rat Killer General. That way, he'll just think you're messing around and won't suspect I went to see Cao Cao."

Liu Xie smiled and said, "I don't need him to think I'm being ridiculous. Regardless of whether you can find Cao Cao and the jade, you must go and come back as soon as possible. To be honest, I'm a little scared to stay in the palace alone."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Where is the energy you had when you rebelled back then?"

Liu Xie said, "That's different. Back then, he had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. Now, although he is the emperor, it is just an empty title."

Wei Xiaobao said, "My title of Xiyuan Xiaowei is just an empty one. I've finally come to understand that in your era, no matter how high an official position is, it's useless. If I had soldiers, I would capture Dong Zhuo and kill him."

Wei Xiaobao thought, "Dong Zhuo has to die anyway. Whether it's sooner or later, or at whose hands, it shouldn't affect Xiao Xuanzi's chances of becoming emperor, right?" Liu Xie nodded and said, "Yes, the imperial court exists in name only, and the so-called official positions are nothing more than empty titles. It's a pity you only want to return to your Qing Dynasty. Otherwise, with your intelligence, you would surely have made a great career in these troubled times."

Wei Xiaobao knew Liu Xie was talking about his tinkering with knockout drugs, so he smiled and said, "These are just low-level skills. Real skills need to be like Guan Erge, who was able to take the head of a general in the midst of a huge army, or like Zhuge Liang, who was able to use his power to win a battle."

Liu Xie said: "Planning within the tent, winning the battle thousands of miles away?"

Wei Xiaobao nodded and said, "Yes, yes, that's it."

Liu Xie smiled and said, "Fortunately, you are returning to the Qing Dynasty. Otherwise, if you, an unlearned brat, were to stay and achieve hegemony, wouldn't future generations be laughing at you. But I really want to meet Guan Yu and Zhuge Liang, the two you mentioned."

Wei Xiaobao suddenly remembered something and said, "Do you remember that there was a general under your command named Chen Bai?"

Liu Xie said, "The commander of the Yangzhou Canal."

Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "When I became sworn brothers with him, I mentioned Brother Guan to him, and he said he wanted to meet him. Back then, people in our time had to kneel and kowtow in front of Brother Guan's statue when we became sworn brothers."

Liu Xie said, "I am truly fascinated that he is so revered by future generations!"

Wei Xiaobao packed up his bag, threw it over his shoulder, and said, "Stay well in the palace, you'll have a chance to see me again in the future."

Liu Xie asked excitedly, "Will Guan Yu come to Luoyang soon?"

Wei Xiaobao realized that he had said the wrong thing. If he continued, his intention to abandon Zhang Jue would be exposed. He quickly said, "Anyway, don't worry. Shuang'er and I will come back as soon as we find the jade."

Although Liu Xie was reluctant, he could only watch Wei Xiaobao and Shuang'er climb out the window and leave.

Wei Xiaobao knew that according to the story in the book, if he wanted to find Cao Cao, he had to go to Yecheng, so he and Shuang'er rode two fast horses all the way to Jizhou.

On the way, Wei Xiaobao heard that Yuan Shao had issued the "Exhortation to Punish Dong Zhuo", so he traveled day and night and finally arrived in Jizhou before the meeting of the eighteen princes.

Wei Xiaobao had already prepared two sets of military uniforms. After dressing up with Shuang'er, he mixed in with the troops of various princes and entered Yecheng together.

When Wei Xiaobao was in Guangzong, he had heard Zhang Liang say that the central army was tightly organized, making it difficult for soldiers to escape and even harder for spies to infiltrate. However, after arriving in Yecheng, Wei Xiaobao discovered that the current armies of the feudal lords were no longer as tightly organized as the central army had been. The various lords were recklessly recruiting soldiers, even taking men from other armies, creating a chaotic mess. Besides those soldiers who had served for years and were familiar with each other and had been pulled into the ranks along the way, there were even those who wandered off to the wrong side of the line.

Wei Xiaobao walked down the streets of Yecheng, watching the colorful flags coming and going and the soldiers running around in disorder, and said, "No wonder Yuan Shao was finally defeated by Cao Cao. Look at the mess in Yecheng. It's far worse than Xiao Xuanzi's Eight Banners Camp. If Xiao Xuanzi were to use such an army to fight Wu Sangui, I'm afraid he would even have to lose the Forbidden City. I heard that the Fourteenth Prince Dorgon loved reading the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and relied on the skills he learned from it to defeat the Ming army. When we get back, I'm going to go to the teahouse and listen to some good books. I'll also learn some skills like the old prince, and help Xiao Xuanzi fight that old turtle Wu Sangui."

Shuang'er smiled and said, "Did Zhao Liangdong also learn his skills from the Three Kingdoms?"

Wei Xiaobao scratched his head and said, "Brother Zhao, of course not. In fact, there is no need for me to fight Wu Sangui. With Brother Zhao and his people around, Xiao Xuanzi will definitely not worry at all. It is me, Xiao Guizi, who has to worry now. How can we get close to Cao Cao?"

(End of this chapter)