Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 54 Please place your bet
Wei Xiaobao wandered outside Cao Cao's military tent for several days, but Xun Yu, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan and others were discussing the attack on Dong Zhuo with Cao Cao in the military tent all day long. Wei Xiaobao never found an opportunity to take action, but he had already aroused Cao Cao's suspicion.

One day, Wei Xiaobao came to Cao Cao's tent again and found that Cao Cao was lying alone in the tent sleeping, while Xun Yu and others were nowhere to be seen.

Wei Xiaobao thought he had finally gotten his chance. He slipped into the tent and was about to put a knockout drug in the wine when he suddenly heard shouting outside the tent. Several people rushed in instantly and pinned him to the ground.

When Wei Xiaobao was knocked down, he saw clearly that the leader was Xiahou Dun. In the past few days, Wei Xiaobao had seen clearly from outside the tent, and he knew exactly who was Xiahou Dun and who was Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Dun quickly tied up Wei Xiaobao and was about to drag him out of the tent when he heard Cao Cao say, "Yuan Rang, leave him in the tent for now. I have something to ask him."

Xiahou Dun led his men to retreat, leaving only Wei Xiaobao and Cao Cao in the tent.

Wei Xiaobao was furious: "This Cao Cao is really treacherous. He must have discovered me a long time ago and is setting a trap for me today!"

Cao Cao asked, "Who asked you to come?"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Could it be that he didn't recognize me? It's no wonder. That day in Yongle Palace, he was staring at He Lingsi, so how could he have noticed me? These past two days, I've only been thinking about how to knock him out so I could steal the jade, and I didn't expect to be caught by him. How can I trick him now?"

Wei Xiaobao looked at Cao Cao and laughed.

Cao Cao had no idea that Wei Xiaobao always used this method to delay time and divert other people's attention before telling a lie. Seeing Wei Xiaobao tied up and about to die, he was not afraid but laughed out loud. Suspicion immediately filled his heart.

Wei Xiaobao couldn't think of any good ideas for a moment and could only laugh.

Cao Cao knew that the various princes had ulterior motives and had long been on guard. If he hadn't wanted to extract information from Wei Xiaobao, he would have had him dragged out and beheaded. How could he have allowed him to laugh so recklessly in front of him?

Cao Cao asked, "You came to my camp as a spy, and I tricked you into submission. You thought you could keep the mastermind's secret by smiling and saying nothing, but you didn't realize I had plenty of ways to make you talk."

Wei Xiaobao said, "I was laughing at you for being deceived by Yuan Shao."

Cao Cao laughed heartily and said, "How dare you, a little brat, try to sow discord between me and Benchu?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Yuan Shao doesn't want to fight Dong Zhuo at all. He just wants you to fight for your lives in the front so that he can seize the opportunity to occupy Jizhou."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Do I really need to sow discord between you and Yuan Shao? When you two are fighting each other to the point of bloodshed, you might even think I'm a prophet!"

Cao Cao's laughter continued as he continued, "If you told me anything else, I'd believe you. But you chose to slander Benchu's determination to fight the enemy. How ridiculous! When I was in Luoyang, I already knew that he was liaising with the court officials to deal with Dong Zhuo, and now he's the leader of the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance. How could he pretend to fight the enemy?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "You brought Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan with you, but why didn't Yuan Shao bring his men, Yan Liang and Wen Chou? You're ready for a big gamble, but you're keeping your money at home. Who would believe that?"

How could Wei Xiaobao understand Yuan Shao's intentions? He had only heard in the teahouse that Yuan Shao had hidden ulterior motives, which gave Guan Yu the opportunity to become famous by killing Hua Xiong, a fierce general under Lu Bu. But when Cao Cao heard this, he immediately piqued his interest.

Cao Cao hurriedly ordered Xun Yu to enter his tent and asked, "Yuan Shao is coming to Yecheng this time. Can his generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou come with him?"

Xun Yu said, "My lord, Yuan Shao only brought counselors like Guo Jia, but not generals like Yan Liang and Wen Chou."

When Wei Xiaobao heard about Guo Jia, he remembered the storyteller's line, "As long as Feng Xiao lives, the Sleeping Dragon won't come out." He chuckled, "So Guo Jia was originally Yuan Shao's man. If I recommend Guo Jia to Cao Cao and he rewards me with two pieces of jade, wouldn't that be a guaranteed win?" Cao Cao and Xun Yu whispered a few words, then looked at Wei Xiaobao and asked, "How did you know Yan Liang and Wen Chou were coming to Yecheng?"

Wei Xiaobao was just thinking about how to bring up Guo Jia's matter with Cao Cao when he suddenly heard him ask this question. He replied casually, "You'll know when you fight Hua Xiong."

Cao Cao was startled and asked, "Are you one of Lü Bu's men? Has Lü Bu already sent Hua Xiong to fight?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Lü Bu and I are not in the same group. He stole my wife, and I will never forgive him."

Cao Cao asked, "Then how did you know Hua Xiong was coming to fight?"

Wei Xiaobao laughed again, thinking, "Master Guan chopped off Hua Xiong's head at Sishui Pass, just outside Luoyang. It took me several days to get from Sishui Pass to Yecheng. Now that you haven't even finished your alliance, it's too early to kill Hua Xiong. I'll find a way to convince you of my wisdom first, and then I'll trade Guo Jia for the jade. Once I start the bet, I won't have to worry about losing. I'm just worried you won't follow suit!"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Anyway, you will meet Hua Xiong by then. If you don't believe me, we'll just have to wait and see. But I have something to say beforehand. If it's really as I say, I'll recommend someone else to you."

Cao Cao was recruiting soldiers at this time, so he hurriedly asked, "Who is this person?"

Wei Xiaobao kept the secret and said, "I can't tell you now. Even if I tell you, you won't believe me. Wait until you meet Hua Xiong, and you'll know my abilities. Then come find me and I'll tell you."

Xun Yu said, "My lord, this fellow is full of nonsense. He is just trying to save his life."

Wei Xiaobao said, "You have already tied me up, so you can kill me anytime you want. If you kill me now, it will be too late to regret it later."

Cao Cao asked, "How many days will it take for me to meet Hua Xiong?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I don't know. But it should be soon. When we reach Sishui Pass, we'll meet Hua Xiong."

Xun Yu said, "My lord, he is just trying to buy time and find a chance to escape. Don't fall for his trick."

Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "All the princes have already arrived in Yecheng. After taking the oath tomorrow, we can march to Luoyang. Even if he is lying, it will only help him live a few more days."

Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "Don't come begging me when the time comes!"

Seeing his arrogant look, Cao Cao wanted to kill him immediately, but he also wanted to take a gamble.

Xun Yu tried to persuade him again, but Cao Cao declined.

Xiahou Dun received Cao Cao's order to put Wei Xiaobao in solitary confinement and sent soldiers to guard him day and night.

Wei Xiaobao knew that Cao Cao would not kill him. Wei Xiaobao had seen many people like him in the casino. Once they sat at the gambling table, they would wait for the dealer to reveal the dice cup and would never regret it halfway.

Since he knew he would not die, Wei Xiaobao lived a leisurely life. Apart from worrying about Shuang'er, he ate and slept all day long, which made Cao Cao, who had been monitoring him, confused.

(End of this chapter)