Chen Deng

Volunteers as Tao Qian's envoy to Tian Kai in Qingzhou, and later adds his voice to the chorus urging Liu Bei to accept the Xuzhou protectorship.

Named Secretary of Xuzhou when Liu Bei finally assumes the protectorship.

Assigned by Liu Bei as Zhang Fei's civil partner and sobriety-keeper for Xuzhou; his one intervention at the banquet - 'remember your brother's injunctions' - is waved off with 'you civilians attend to your civil business'.

Chen Deng; works with his father Chen Gui to set Lu Bu and Yuan Shu against each other; quietly aligning the Chen family with Cao Cao.

Laughs at the seven armies as 'heaps of rotting straw' with his neck under Lü Bu's sword, then delivers the campaign: his roadside embassy turns Han Xian and Yang Feng, and his memorial aligns the court, Liu Bei, and Lü Bu into one front.

Chen Deng; with his father, works inside Lu Bu's camp as Cao Cao's double agent.

The triple-cross: he tells Lü Bu the pass garrison is turning traitor, tells Chen Gong that Xuzhou has fallen, and lights the fire signal that sets the two allies fighting each other in the dark - then bars Xuzhou's gates behind them. The Chen family's masterpiece of treachery.

Plays confidant to Che Zhou, designs his 'ambush' - then warns Liu Bei's brothers on his father's order, and from the wall showers the fleeing governor with arrows to pen him against Guan Yu's sword. 'Never mind - I have a plan' closes the chapter.

Proposes the rescue play: Yuan Shao commands a million men across four regions - get Zheng Xuan, whose family has a century's intimacy with the Yuans, to write the letter. He escorts Liu Bei to the scholar's house himself.

Surrenders Xuzhou to Cao Cao after a short defense once Mi Zhu and Jian Yong flee.

Chen Deng; named in passing - historical recap.