Pei Xu 裴緒

In Chapter 92 of the Romance, Guan Xing, Zhang Bao, Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi besiege the city of Nan'an, which Xiahou Mao has entered, for ten days without taking it. Zhuge Liang, arriving in person, says that if they go on attacking this city for long and the Wei army comes out by separate roads to take Hanzhong, they will be in danger, and asks who the administrators of Tianshui Commandery, adjoining it to the west, and Anding Commandery, bordering it to the north, are. Told that the Administrator of Tianshui is Ma Zun and the Administrator of Anding is Cui Liang, he is overjoyed and gives a plan to each of Wei Yan, Guan Xing and Zhang Bao, and two of his trusted soldiers, and has firewood and straw piled at the foot of the walls of Nan'an, loudly declaring that he will burn the city. Romance, Ch. 92 §24–27

While Cui Liang, Administrator of Anding, is holding his city with some 4,000 troops and horses on hearing that the Shu army has surrounded Nan'an, a man arrives from due south saying he has a secret matter to report. Calling himself Pei Xu, a trusted general under Area Commander Xiahou, he says that Nan'an is in dire straits; every day they have lit fires on the walls as a signal and waited for relief troops from the two commanderies, but none have come, so he has been sent again to break out through the tight encirclement, and if they raise troops through the night and support the city from outside, the Area Commander will open the city gates to receive them. Asked whether he has a letter from the Area Commander, Pei Xu takes out a letter he has kept against his skin, already soaked with sweat, lets Cui Liang glance at it once, hastily has his men exchange his tired horse, and leaves the city for Tianshui. Romance, Ch. 92 §28–30

Before two days have passed a messenger comes to report that the Administrator of Tianshui has already raised troops and set out to relieve Nan'an, and Cui Liang leaves only the civil officials to hold the city and sets out with his troops. But with more than 50 li still to go before Nan'an, his way is blocked in front and behind by Guan Xing and Zhang Bao and his troops scatter, and in the meantime Wei Yan, disguised as Anding troops, tricks the city gates open in the dead of night and takes Anding. After taking Nan'an and capturing Xiahou Mao, Zhuge Liang tells Deng Zhi that the man who deceived Cui Liang was one of his own trusted men disguised as the Wei general Pei Xu, and that he also sent him to deceive Tianshui Commandery, but he has not yet arrived and Zhuge Liang does not know why. Romance, Ch. 92 §30–32 · 41 · 43

While Ma Zun, Administrator of Tianshui Commandery, on hearing that Xiahou Mao is trapped inside the city of Nan'an, is gathering his civil and military officials to deliberate and cannot make up his mind, word comes that Imperial Son-in-Law Xiahou has sent his trusted general Pei Xu. Entering the residence, Pei Xu hands the official dispatch to Ma Zun, says that the Area Commander requests the troops of the two commanderies of Anding and Tianshui and that they should come to the rescue through the night, and departs in haste. The next day another messenger comes to say that the Anding troops have already set out first and that the Administrator should hurry to join them. Romance, Ch. 92 §45–46

Just as Ma Zun is about to raise his troops, Jiang Wei comes in and says that the Administrator has fallen for Zhuge Liang's stratagem. Jiang Wei says that Zhuge Liang is said to have Xiahou Mao shut up in Nan'an so tightly that not even water could leak out, so no one could possibly have come out through the tight encirclement; that Pei Xu is a nameless junior officer he has never once seen; and that the messenger from Anding had no official dispatch either; so this is a Shu general posing as a Wei general to lure the Administrator out of the city and then take Tianshui while it is left unguarded. Ma Zun, greatly enlightened, says that had it not been for Boyue's words he would have fallen into the treacherous scheme, and Pei Xu does not appear again in the Romance after this. Romance, Ch. 92 §47–48