Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 89 Proud of the Spring Breeze
When Wei Xiaobao woke up, Dian Wei and the man were still fighting fiercely, but the two had already fallen off their horses.

Wei Xiaobao cursed in his heart, "The horses are exhausted, haven't you two fought enough? Hasn't that old chap Cao Cao finished moving all the food from Runan City? If you don't come to save me, Dian Wei will be exhausted to death."

Wei Xiaobao shouted loudly: "Stop fighting, you two! I'm hungry!"

When Dian Wei heard what Wei Xiaobao said, he held the halberd with one hand to block the strong man's long sword, and with the other hand, he swung the halberd to force the strong man back. Then he said, "You are a good martial artist, why did you become a bandit and kidnap my master?"

The sturdy man said, "Hundreds of my clan members hid in Wunei and built a stronghold to resist the invasion of bandits. How could we be bandits? When I saw this bastard official, he was tied up like this!"

Wei Xiaobao cursed, "You look down on others with your dog eyes. How can I be considered a dog official?"

The strong man said, "You went to Runan to rob people's food. Aren't you considered a dog official?"

Wei Xiaobao asked, "Didn't you also steal other people's food along the way?"

The strong man said, "Liu Pi cheated us of our cattle. This grain originally belonged to us."

Dian Wei said, "You can take the food, but you must let my master go."

The strong man said, "He is a corrupt official, I can't let him go!"

Wei Xiaobao cursed loudly: "Is there something wrong with your brain? I've already told you that I'm not a corrupt official, much less a scoundrel! I'm not even an official. No, I think I have an official position. Oh, right, Dong Zhuo once gave me the title of Xiyuan Xiaowei."

The strong man listened to Wei Xiaobao's long talk, but still didn't understand whether he was a corrupt official or not.

Dian Wei said, "You must have misunderstood. My master was sent by our lord to Runan to persuade Huang Shao and Liu Pi to surrender. He did not leave the city for a long time, so our lord stormed the city to rescue him. However, he turned Runan upside down and could not find him. That is why he ordered us to split up and search for him."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "No wonder Cao Cao hasn't come to rescue me yet. It turns out he didn't know I was kidnapped by Tang Zhou. This old fellow didn't order a pursuit of the grain transport team, but sent someone to find me first. He still has some conscience."

The strong man asked, "Is your master the Duke of Cao who attacked Runan?"

Dian Wei said, "That's right."

The strong man pointed at Wei Xiaobao and asked, "Is he also serving in Cao Gong's army?"

Dian Wei said, "The lord repeatedly offered you his services as military advisor, but you refused, and only offered your services temporarily. It was through your recommendation that I was appointed a captain and remain at your side."

When the sturdy man heard Dian Wei say this, he quickly plunged his long knife into the mud, picked up Wei Xiaobao with both hands, untied the ropes around him, knelt on one knee and said, "I'm sorry for the offense, sir. I hope you will forgive me."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Is this big fool going to join Cao Cao? I was thinking of leaving him to my elder brother!"

The strong man continued, "I am from Qiao County, Qiao State. My surname is Xu, my given name is Zhu, and my courtesy name is Zhongkang. I was just about to take my entire clan and join Cao Gong. I was passing through here with the intention of robbing Liu Pi's food and supplies to Cao Gong, but I unexpectedly offended you and got into a fight with Cao Gong's guards. I truly deserve death."

Wei Xiaobao's heart was pounding. "Thank goodness I didn't take him to Xia Pi. If he had really defected to Big Brother, wouldn't Cao Cao have died at Ma Chao's hands? That would have been a complete mess! No wonder he's so stubborn. The name Tiger Chi is well-deserved. But how did he know about Cao Cao's attack on Runan? Did he also discover Cao Cao's soldiers ambushed outside the city? This silly old man, all he does is brag. Ambushes are the foundation of military strategy!"

Wei Xiaobao asked, "How did you know about Cao Cao's attack on Runan?"

Xu Zhu chuckled and said, "We've long wanted to surrender to Cao Gong, but we didn't dare to go to Chenliu rashly, fearing he'd look down on us country bumpkins. However, we've always kept this in mind, so whenever we go out to sell cattle, we keep an eye out for news of Cao Gong leading his troops out of the city, hoping that one day we can help him win a battle and have the chance to surrender to him."

Wei Xiaobao was delighted. "This guy looks stupid, but he knows how to use the tactic of surrendering his name! I only had the chance to join the Tiandihui after killing Oboi. Maybe even the heroes of Liangshan learned this tactic from you Han people." Xu Zhu continued, "The other day we received news that Cao Gong was leading his troops out of the city and heading south. I guessed he was coming to attack Runan, so I came here to give it a try. I didn't expect to actually run into you, sir, and this captain."

Wei Xiaobao said, "I didn't expect you to be so smart. You guessed it right."

Xu Zhu said, "Cao Gong's troops are taking the official road south, they must be coming to attack Runan."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "No wonder Tang Zhou and Xu Zhu were able to see through Cao Cao's ambush. It turns out this old fellow was discovered on the road. He planned to use an ambush plan so ostentatiously, completely disregarding the possibility of news leaking out during the march. It seems Cao Cao's habit of underestimating the enemy began to emerge at this time. No wonder Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu burned him to the ground. When I gamble, the more I win, the more cautious I become. If you want to blame someone, blame him for making money so easily."

Wei Xiaobao walked past Xu Zhu with his hands behind his back and said, "It seems that you are destined to join Cao Cao. Come with me."

Dian Wei quickly stepped forward to help Xu Zhu up and said, "Sir, what you said is that you are recommending me!"

Xu Zhu broke free from Dian Wei's hand, knelt on his knees again, kowtowed to Wei Xiaobao's back, and said, "Sir, repay evil with kindness. Even if I die a thousand times, I still cannot repay your kindness."

Wei Xiaobao had his back to Dian Wei, Xu Zhu, and the other soldiers. He could no longer hide the expression on his face. He thought, "I can win his loyalty with just a few words. It seems winning people's hearts isn't that difficult."

Dian Wei helped Xu Zhu up again and said, "My name is Dian Wei. From now on, I will serve under you, my lord. Don't worry about the fight just now."

Xu Zhu was overjoyed and said, "No wonder you have such strong arms. So you are the ancient villain Dian Wei. I am so sorry for your disrespect."

Dian Wei laughed and said, "It's just that the lord loves me by mistake. The flower name he gave me can't be taken seriously. Zhongkang is so brave that I admire him."

Wei Xiaobao heard the two men's sympathy for each other and thought to himself, "Second brother and third brother, they never knew each other until they fought. The scene back then must have been similar to today. It's a pity I didn't make it. I wonder how the eldest brother and the other two are doing in Xia Pi. When I get back to Chenliu, I must find a way to find them in Xia Pi as soon as possible. That idiot Yuan Shu is probably about to declare himself emperor. I'd better spend one more day with second brother before I go back."

Dian Wei and Xu Zhu had already come to Wei Xiaobao, each helping him onto the horse.

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "I have these two brave generals helping me mount my horse. This treatment is no worse than Cao Cao's."

Wei Xiaobao suddenly asked, "Big Black Bull, where is my Jue Ying?"

Dian Wei replied, "Sir, Jueying is unharmed. I have arranged for someone in the army to take care of him."

Wei Xiaobao playfully patted Dian Wei's big head and said, "If my Jueying gets injured, I'll have no choice but to ride you from now on."

Dian Wei recalled the time when Wei Xiaobao rode on his neck when they first met, and thinking of his kindness, he smiled and said, "If you want to ride now, I will carry you to see the lord."

Wei Xiaobao smiled happily and said, "You, big black bull, saved my life today. I'm a little reluctant to let you go."

Under Xu Zhu's surprised gaze, Wei Xiaobao had already urged his horse forward.

Xu Zhu hurriedly ordered a few people to follow the guards, and told others to follow with the food and supplies.

When Wei Xiaobao heard the loud laughter coming from Xu Zhu behind him, he knew that Dian Wei had told Xu Zhu how he defeated him. He became even more excited and rode his horse faster, heading straight for Runan.

(End of this chapter)