Chapter 8: Rushing into Boiling Water and Walking through Fire

  (PS: Today is the third watch, the third watch is around midnight 12 o'clock, please support the pure new book Wolf Impact Chart by all old and new friends.)

  "How can there be a sour taste in the oil pot? Did some fool carry the wrong vat?"

  The origin of the vinegar flavor was discovered, and Deputy Director Tao was extremely surprised in his heart. An idea also flashed through Deputy Director Tao's mind, "Just now, I proposed to use one life for the lives of the people of Xuzhou in Cao Jun's big account, but Cao Lao Da resolutely refused. Why did he take the initiative to propose it again and let me use one life for the safety of Xuzhou? How can Cao Lao Da not be afraid of affecting the morale of the army with such a sudden change? Moreover, why didn't those sycophants under Cao's command object or remind Cao that I had already made a similar proposal which he refused earlier? Did they and Cao forget my words together? How is this possible?"

  "Little one, what are you staring at?" After a brief hesitation, Cao Lao Da's cold and menacing voice sounded again in Tao Deputy Director's ear, "Do you want your own life or the lives of the people of Xuzhou?"

  "Taogongzi, if you're really afraid of death, that's okay." Guo Jia said with a smile: "As long as you admit that those words were just nonsense and you don't dare to sacrifice for the people of Xuzhou, you can leave immediately."

  Deputy Director Tao ignored Cao Lao Da and Guo Jia's urging, only temporarily suppressing his plan to escape, and turned his gaze towards the iron pot filled with boiling oil. The pot was emitting a pungent smell of raw oil and vinegar, and upon closer inspection, Deputy Director Tao discovered another anomaly: the steam rising from the pot was white vapor, not the blue smoke that usually rose when raw oil was boiling.

  "Should I bet again?" Deputy Director Tao hesitated, "If I win the bet, the benefits will be unimaginable! But if I lose, a brand new deep-fried human will be freshly baked. To bet or not to bet?!"

  "Taoying Xiaozi, come back!" A loud roar like a fierce tiger came from the city wall in the distance, still clearly audible more than half a mile away. "You owe me, old Zhang, ten jars of good wine that you haven't given me yet! I, Zhang Fei, won't let you die! Come back! Come back to me, old Zhang! Don't be fooled by Cao's villainy!"

  It seems that the gentle and refined Liu Bei also has a loud voice, "Young master, come back! Don't jump! I swear to protect you with my life! Come back!" By the way, this time Liu Bei is really reluctant to let Vice Director Tao risk his life, if Vice Director Tao were to jump into the fire himself, and Cao Cao were to keep his promise and withdraw his troops from Xuzhou, then the hearts of the people of Xuzhou would all belong to the Tao family. If Liu Bei wants to win over the hearts of the people of Xuzhou again, he will have to pay a huge price and make great efforts.

  "Master, come back! Come back!" The calls for Deputy Director Tao to return to the city were also related to Guan Yu and Zhao Yun. They didn't have as many worries as Cao and Liu, they just admired Deputy Director Tao's bravery in daring to enter the Cao army camp alone, and couldn't bear to see him die like this.

  "Brother, come back! Come back!" "Elder brother, come back! Come back!" Wailing and crying out were also Tao Deputy Director's elder brother Tao Shang and younger brother Tao Ji. They couldn't bear to lose their beloved family member, the one they admired.

  Tao Qian did not shout, because Tao Qian knew that once he shouted to let his son return to the city, the hearts of the people of Xuzhou would be forever lost to the Tao family. So apart from being overwhelmed with grief, Tao Qian was completely at a loss for what to do. The military and civilians of Xuzhou had different thoughts in their minds, some were crying out loud, some were sincerely calling for Deputy Director Tao to return to the city, others were hypocritically shouting loudly to show their loyalty to Tao Qian, and more people were hesitating in their hearts, not wanting to see Deputy Director Tao being blown up on the spot, but also hoping that he could sacrifice himself for Xuzhou.

  Deputy Director Tao's forehead was sweating profusely, his facial muscles twitching and relaxing in an unpredictable manner. He didn't notice the calls from the city wall or Cao's army, nor did he realize that Guo Jia had walked up to him until Guo Jia patted him on the shoulder, at which point Deputy Director Tao finally came back to his senses and turned to look at Guo Jia.

  Just like the legend, Ghost Guo Jia is indeed Cao's beloved favorite, with a clear and beautiful face, red lips and white teeth, and a handsome appearance. But at this moment, Guo Jia's beautiful face was filled with a devilish smile, patting Deputy Director Tao's shoulder and saying: "Young master, it's better to live than to die, admit your mistake to my lord, acknowledge that you are a greedy and cowardly person who only knows how to speak eloquently, and you can leave."

  Cao Deputy Director glanced at Guo Jia again, not saying a word, but was intensely calculating. Cao the Elder, on the other hand, impatiently urged: "Are you going to jump or not? I'll count to three, if you still can't make up your mind, I'll throw you into the oil cauldron!"

  Cao didn't urge him, swinging his whip and waiting for Tao's decision. Cao wasn't afraid that Tao would make the wrong choice; if Tao dared to run, the halberdiers under Cao's command could immediately chop Tao into pieces. Then Cao would return the mysterious arrow book to Tao Qian, letting him go and stir up trouble with Liu Bei, which would still have the effect of causing discord among the Xu state army.

  Cao's acceptance of Guo Jia's proposal was because Cao, who loved talent as his life, sincerely admired Deputy Director Tao's 'talent', so he decided to give Deputy Director Tao an opportunity, a chance. But what Cao needed was a Tao Er Gongzi who could barely hold back the heroic Liu Bei, not a Tao Er Gongzi who only knew how to write poetry and songs but had no courage or power!

  "Two!" Cao's loud voice finally shouted out the second sound, and the walls of Xuzhou were filled with the cries of the people and Liu Bei's generals, desperately urging Tao Qian to return to Xuzhou. Tao Qian was crying so hard that he almost fainted, while Vice Director Tao was trembling all over, sweating profusely.

  "Come on, I know you're afraid of death." Guo Jia laughed even more happily and urged Deputy Director Tao again: "Young Master Tao, come on, don't hesitate. Your wife, concubines, wealth, and glory are all waiting for you at home."

  "Taoying, you're just a child. I can count to three." Cao Taoyi sneered, swinging his whip and said: "As long as you admit that you are afraid of death and dare not sacrifice yourself for the people of Xuzhou, I will let you go."

  Deputy Director Tao's lips trembled violently, and after a long time, Deputy Director Tao finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "Ming Gong, Feng Xiao, you are right... even ants cherish their lives..."

  At this point, Deputy Director Tao suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "But I am not an ant!"

  Cao and Guo Jia both lit up, exchanged a glance, and then Guo Jia smiled and said: "Young Master Tao, have you thought this through? This is a cauldron of oil, not a bathtub for bathing."

  Tao Qian took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and strode towards the boiling cauldron. Cao Cao's army and the city wall of Xuzhou suddenly erupted in a chorus of shocked cries. The Cao soldiers were loudly cheering, admiring Tao Qian's bravery while also inciting him to jump into the cauldron immediately. On the city wall of Xuzhou, people burst into tears, Tao Qian and Tao Shang fainted on the spot, Tao Ji cried until he was almost bleeding, and Liu Bei was so anxious that he was drenched in sweat, frantically shouting "Young master, no! No! No!"

  He strode to the pot, stepped onto the stirrup set up by Cao's army beside the pot, and Vice Director Tao looked at the boiling oil pot again. He then raised his head and let out a long roar: "I'd rather die with my sword in hand, than live without honor! Sir, I hope you keep your word!"

  "What a fine warrior!" Cao Cao, Guo Jia and countless other officials of the Wei army thought to themselves in admiration.

  "Lord, no!..." The countless Xuzhou and Liu armies' officers on the distant city wall cried out in anguish.

  "It's better to die in the morning than to live for ten thousand years! Rather than cowering for a lifetime, I'd rather die standing!" Vice Director Tao gritted his teeth and shouted this out in his heart, then turned towards the city wall of Xuzhou and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Father, forgive your unfilial child!"

  With a loud cry, Deputy Director Tao closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and jumped up, leaping into the boiling oil cauldron!

  Oil splashed, and the city wall of Xuzhou also suddenly echoed with a shocking cry like a landslide and tsunami. In Cao's army, there was also a shocking cry like a landslide and tsunami.

  "Born to be like Tao Mingwu!" Cao's old general praised, turned to his own army, raised his whip and shouted: "Withdraw troops, dismantle the camp, withdraw from Xuzhou!"

  The well-trained army of Cao Cao began to withdraw from the battlefield in an orderly manner. However, there was no cheering on the city walls of Xuchang. The military and civilians of Xuchang were all in tears, calling out "Young Master". Tao Qian was rescued and woke up, but immediately fainted again. Chen Gui and his son Chen Deng were speechless, looking at their lord's son with new eyes for the first time. Mi Zhu and his brother Mi Fang had different expressions. Mi Fang pretended to cry while secretly smiling, while Mi Zhu sighed silently, "How did I misjudge the two young masters before?"

  At the moment when Vice Director Tao jumped into the oil cauldron, Liu Bei was thoroughly desperate. He knew that the people of Xuzhou would no longer abandon the Tao family, and his own dream of annexing Xuzhou had also been completely shattered. In desperation, Liu Bei almost bit his teeth to pieces, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared fixedly at the oil cauldron in front of the Cao army's formation, wishing he could pull Vice Director Tao out of the cauldron and chop him into thousands of pieces. But suddenly, Liu Bei's pair of small eyes widened even more than a cow's, almost splitting his eye sockets...

  "Look quickly!" Several sharp-eyed Tao army soldiers shouted, "Quickly look! Everyone look! The second young master has come out, the second young master has emerged from the oil cauldron!"

  "How is this possible?" The Xuzhou soldiers and civilians who heard the exclamation almost didn't dare to believe their ears, and when they looked up again at the large oil cauldron, a miracle occurred. Our Deputy Director Tao, covered in oil, climbed out of the oil cauldron, rolling and crawling out of it, and stood up again in front of the Cao army soldiers and Xuzhou soldiers.

  Immediately, the earth-shaking cheers also echoed over the city walls of Xuzhou. Countless soldiers and civilians of Xuzhou shouted and jumped, hugging each other and crying out in joy, celebrating the good young master of Xuzhou returning to the side of the people of Xuzhou. Only Liu Bei's face was pale, muttering to himself, "How is this possible? How is this possible?"

  Deputy Director Tao stood by the pot, his whole body greasy, his eyes tightly closed, and he was holding back tears. In his mind, there was only one thought left: "I won! I won! It's really vinegar plus oil! It's really vinegar plus oil!"

  "Your Highness."

  Guo Jia's voice sounded again beside Deputy Director Tao, and then someone wiped the oil from Deputy Director Tao's face with a handkerchief. When Deputy Director Tao opened his eyes again, Guo Jia's angelic sister-like sweet and intimate smile appeared in front of him once more. Guo Jia bowed deeply to Deputy Director Tao, then straightened up, clasped his hands together and said sincerely: "Young Master Tao, I, Guo Jia, have only submitted to two people in my life - one is my master, and the other is you. I submit to you wholeheartedly."

  Deputy Director Tao looked bewildered and after a long while, he asked in surprise: "Mr. Feng, I...I...why didn't I die?"

  "Gentleman, have you ever heard of the method of scooping money from an oil pot?" Guo Jia asked instead.

  "What... what is the method of scooping up money from an oil pan?" Deputy Director Tao's face was full of surprise, his expression and gaze were both suspicious and uncertain, without revealing any cracks, as if he had really heard of this trick for the first time.

  Guo Jia gazed at Deputy Director Tao for a long time, seeing that apart from surprise and confusion, there was not the slightest hint of panic or guilt on his face. Only then did he finally believe that the pampered Deputy Director Tao didn't know about the deceitful tricks of the Jianghu masters, and also believed that Deputy Director Tao was a true man who was willing to sacrifice for the people.

  After nodding slightly, Guo Jia took out a piece of silk with written words from his bosom and unfolded it to Deputy Director Tao. When Deputy Director Tao carefully looked at the words on the silk, the veins on his forehead suddenly bulged, and he finally understood why Cao had seen through his identity. It turned out that the silk was emblazoned with a line of text: "The one who sent a letter into the noble army camp is none other than Tao Ying, the second son of Tao Qian!"

  "Mr. Guo Jia, where did this thing come from?!" Vice Director Tao asked gritting his teeth.

  "It was shot from the city wall of Xuzhou, but who shot it, Guo Jia didn't know." Guo Jia smiled and replied, then stuffed the piece of silk into Tao Deputy Director's hands which were tied behind his back. Smiling, he said: "A good deed is done to the end, the evidence will be handed over to you, young master. After returning to the city, you can carefully investigate who shot the letter."

  Vice Director Tao nodded vigorously and said he had remembered. Then Vice Director Tao asked in surprise, "Mr. Guo Jia, you're not going to kill me?"

  "I've said it before, as long as you dare to jump into the oil pot, I will spare the military and civilians of Xuzhou." Cao Taigong spoke up beside him, saying calmly: "You are also from Xuzhou, naturally you are also within my pardon."

  "Is this true?" Vice Director Tao asked with surprise and delight.

  Cao's face turned red with anger, seemingly very dissatisfied with Vice Director Tao's questioning. Guo Jia smiled and said: "Don't worry, young Master Tao, my master's words are as good as gold, if he says to spare you, then you will be spared. Moreover, thanks to you, both my master and I have won a large sum of money, in the great tent of our army, only my master and I believe that you can sacrifice yourself for the people of Xuzhou."

  Deputy Director Tao was overjoyed and wept, rarely shedding tears. Cao Lao Da smiled again and said: "Tao Gongzi, you have come back to life, don't you want to write a few more poems? I never tire of listening to your poetry."

  Director Tao, still basking in the joy of crawling from hell to heaven, was stunned for a moment and thought for half a day but couldn't come up with a suitable poem. He could only respectfully reply: "Please forgive me, sir. I'm now overjoyed and my mind is in disarray, so I really can't compose one."

  "Is that so? What a pity." Cao Da sighed and said, "I wield my sword towards the sky with laughter, my liver and gallbladder as strong as two Kunlun Mountains! I'm afraid only at certain times and places can one recite such magnificent lines."

  With a sigh, Cao dashed off on his horse towards the north, without looking back and said: "Tao Ying, study hard, I will definitely meet you again. Hopefully next time, you can give me some more surprises."

  "Master Tao, Guo Jia bids farewell, we will meet again." Guo Jia also bid farewell to Vice Director Tao with a bow, mounted his horse and followed Cao the Elder, while Cao's soldiers followed one after another, leaving Vice Director Tao standing alone by the oil cauldron in a daze.

  After walking away, Cao Da turned his head to look at Deputy Director Tao again, seeing Deputy Director Tao standing still and lifeless beside the oil pot, seemingly still immersed in the thrill of escaping death. Cao Da couldn't help but smile slightly, muttering: "Young man, don't let me down, take good care to restrain Liu Bei for me, don't let this fierce tiger grow up."

  Kuo Chia also turned his head to glance at Vice Director Tao, smiling as he muttered a sentence, "Young Master Tao, you've hit the jackpot, running into my lord who loves talent like life itself and has set up this little scheme for you. But I'm also very curious, Young Master Tao - my lord has given you such a boost, handing over the hearts of all the people in Xuzhou to you; what heights will you reach in Xuzhou in the future?"