Sheyang had originally been a small county in the northern part of Guangling Commandery, situated on the border between Guangling Commandery and Xiapi State. Now, however, it had become Chen Deng's seat of administration.
To explain why, one had to begin with the time before Liu Bei and Lu Bu had fallen out.
At the time, fearing that Liu Bei and Lu Bu would come to blows, Chen Deng had prepared to go out and persuade Zhang Fei to withdraw.
Unexpectedly, before the provisions and fodder had even been readied, Chen Gong arrived with troops.
Had it been anyone else, they might well have been scared witless on the spot.
But Chen Deng was different. Bold yet meticulous, he directly asked Chen Gong whether he was planning a rebellion!
After all, Chen Deng had come under Lu Bu's orders. What Chen Gong was doing was tantamount to treason.
Knowing he could not handle Chen Deng, Chen Gong simply stopped wasting words on him and had him escorted back to his home under guard.
Seeing this, Chen Deng knew Chen Gong was about to cause trouble. Yet he knew Liu Bei's strategists were no ordinary men, so he did not resist and merely remained in his residence.
Before long, news arrived that Lu Bu's army had been defeated.
Chen Deng naturally clapped his hands in delight. Later, when Lu Bu intended to send out troops, Chen Gong feared that Chen Deng would make trouble within the city and found an excuse to drive him out of Xiapi.
Chen Gong naturally thought himself quite clever in this matter, never realizing he had played straight into Chen Deng's hands.
For when Chen Deng had previously gone to the imperial court, Old Cao had hinted that he should serve as an inside man and