Is “The novel fabricates the story of Deng Zhi being threatened by an oil cauldron during his mission to Wu.” true?
In Chapter 86 of the novel, it is written that when Deng Zhi went to Wu, Sun Quan 'then set up an oil cauldron, and ordered warriors to stand on both sides, each holding weapons, and summoned Deng Zhi in.' Deng Zhi then retorted: 'An envoy of the superior state does not bow to the lord of a small state.' This plot is a fictionalized account in the novel. The Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of the Later Lord only records: 'He sent the Palace Attendant (Lang) Deng Zhi to establish good relations with Wu, and Wu's king Sun Quan made peace with Shu and sent envoys; in this year they established friendly relations.' In the official history, there is no record of setting up an oil cauldron as a threat.
The incident of being threatened by an oil cauldron during the mission to Eastern Wu is a fictionalized account.
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