"Big brother, let us attack!" Zhang Fei took back his spear and roared while looking at the clamoring Liu Mang's army.
Attack?! Was that even possible? "Third Brother, don't be reckless!" Liu Bei also wanted to attack. Liu Bei was unwilling to give up Shouchun. Liu Mang had already brought reinforcements to Shouchun. It was impossible for Liu Bei's army to trick them into opening the city walls. Zhang Xiu's army was already surrounded. Even if they attacked Shouchun, it would take some time. If they waited for Zhang Xiu to be defeated and attacked from both sides, then Liu Bei would also be in trouble.
"Military Advisor, what do you think?!" Liu Bei looked at Pang Tong with hope. It was Pang Tong who gave him the plan to dominate the Central Plains. Pang Tong was also the one who made Liu Bei fight such a war. It could be said that Pang Tong had become someone that Liu Bei could rely on. Now that there was a bad situation, Liu Bei's first thought was to ask Pang Tong for help.
However, Liu Bei was destined to be disappointed. Pang Tong thought hard for a long time and could only shake his head. The current situation could no longer be solved with strategies. In the face of absolute strength, all strategies were futile. "My Lord, let's take our time to think about this!"
"Sigh!" Liu Bei sighed. "Let's go! Quickly return to Yuzhou! "Even if he was unwilling, what else could he do? Liu Bei was already 40 years old. How many people were 40 years old? Liu Bei was now a middle-aged man. He could not afford to waste any more time. Liu Bei's eyes were very gloomy. Originally, he wanted to take Shouchun, get Yangzhou, and then subdue Zhang Xiu. After that, he wanted to conquer Xuzhou and Qingzhou. Only then could he dominate the Central Plains and conquer the world. However, something had happened to Jiangdong's Sun Ce. Lujiang Lü Bu, a fierce tiger, was released from the cage. Tens of thousands of heavy cavalry were besieged. Liu Bei's grain supply line was also cut off. It was very difficult to take Shouchun. Even if he had obtained most of Yangzhou, Liu Bei was depressed. Fortunately, Liu Bei had failed many times, so his psychological quality was much better than ordinary people. As the saying goes, a wise man can make a mistake out of a thousand considerations, a fool can make a mistake out of a thousand considerations. Even if he was a fool, Liu Bei should be able to make a mistake. Therefore, Liu Bei took a deep breath and quickly recovered his composure. This kind of psychological attitude towards failure and not being completely defeated by failure was also the reason why Liu Bei was able to get a share of the pie in the future world hegemony.
"Milord!" Pang Tong was also observing Liu Bei. Seeing Liu Bei's gloominess, Pang Tong also clenched his fist. As a counselor, he should solve his lord's problems. But now, step by step, he was running towards a dead end. This made Pang Tong feel very guilty. Liu Bei's rapid recovery made Pang Tong feel that he had met a wise lord. It was just that the timing was not right. "Milord, I, Pang Tong, will definitely conquer the world. I, Pang Tong, swear!" Feng Chu's gaze became more and more firm.
"Go, go, all of you, go! We have been here for so long and spent so much effort, but in the end, we got nothing! It is better to let me, Old Zhang, accompany second brother to drink in Runan! " Zhang Fei couldn't help but mock Pang Tong as he spoke. Although he didn't mention Pang Tong's name, it was obvious that he was targeting Pang Tong.
"Third brother, don't talk too much!" Although Liu Bei was disappointed that Pang Tong did not have a plan, he also knew that Pang Tong had tried his best. Who would have thought that the variables would be so big? Originally, Jiangdong's Sun Ce would delay Lü Bu and even ambush the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. But now, no one knew what happened in Jiangdong. Liu Mang's army, which was supposed to be in Guangzhou, also appeared in Shouchun. This completely interrupted Liu Bei's plan. "Let your subordinates prepare to break camp!"
"Milord, the third general is right. We have been here for so long. How can we not get anything?" Pang Tong took a deep breath. He, Pang Tong, was not a person who would easily admit defeat. Liu Bei's army started from Yuzhou and fought for so long. The amount of money and food consumed was already the limit of Yuzhou. If they did not get anything, then Pang Tong would not have the face to stay in Liu Bei's army. "So we can't withdraw now?"
"Can't withdraw? Shiyuan, don't lose the big picture for the small and lose your mind because of anger! " Liu Bei tried to dissuade Pang Tong from the side. Although he was sad about not being able to obtain Shouchun, he knew that he could not do this. He was afraid that Pang Tong would lose his mind and do something stupid.
"Don't worry, Milord. Tong has a plan!" Pang Tong smiled and comforted Liu Bei.
"Good. Shiyuan, let's withdraw to Yuzhou first and then we will discuss further!" Liu Bei nodded. Failure was not terrible. He, Liu Bei, had not lost many times. Therefore, Liu Bei was very open-minded about failure. He wanted to comfort Pang Tong as an experienced person. Now Zhang Xiu's army was ambushed. No matter what, Zhang Xiu had close to 10,000 troops. Even if they had to kill, they had to let the Lvbu's Army kill for a while. With this time, Liu Bei's army should use the thirty-six stratagems of the thirty-six stratagems to minimize their losses.
Liu Bei was truly worthy of being called Liu Bei. At this point, his first thought was to escape. He planned to have Zhang Fei and Liao Hua take the five thousand Qingzhou soldiers and the Yellow Turban Army to cover his retreat. He wanted to use Zhang Xiu to delay for time. As long as he had the White Eared Armor, he would be able to make a comeback.
"Milord, we can retreat, but we must bring Zhang Xiu with us!" Pang Tong directly rejected Liu Bei's suggestion to retreat.
"Everyone else is stupid from studying. I didn't expect Blackie to be stupid from studying too much!" Zhang Fei could not stop his sarcastic remarks. Ever since Zhang Fei had this Black Fatty in the army, the way he fought changed completely. He had to consider this and that at every turn, which made Zhang Fei very unhappy. If it was up to Zhang Fei, he would have just led the army to Shouchun. However, this Black Fatty was afraid of losing too many soldiers and was also afraid of not having enough provisions. He wanted to play the game of losing the army without winning the battle. Now, he had lost both his men and his wealth. "What benefits did you receive from Blackie?"
Retreating is just retreating! You still want to bring Zhang Xiu with you! Liu Bei's Army and Zhang Xiu had nothing to do with each other. Even if they were allies, it was because Liu Bei had always treated them well. Even Liu Pi was killed to appease Zhang Xiu because of Blackie.
Blackie was Zhang Xiu. Zhang Fei's logic was that those who were whiter than him were Blackie, such as Zhao Yun, Xu Shu, and Zhang Xiu. Those who were darker than him were Blackie, such as Pang Tong.
Did Pang Tong receive benefits from Zhang Xiu? Liu Bei was the first to not believe it. He understood Pang Tong's character. Although Pang Tong had only joined Liu Bei's Army for a short time, he had wholeheartedly given advice to Liu Bei. He had even almost lost his life for Liu Bei. Thus, it was impossible for Pang Tong to betray Liu Bei. Receiving benefits? It was even more impossible because Liu Bei's Army was much richer than Zhang Xiu's Army. Pang Tong was even in charge of the allocation of provisions. If he wanted to be corrupt, he would have done it long ago. He would not take the risk to receive benefits from Zhang Xiu. Pang Tong must have his reasons for saying this.
"Third Brother, if you dare to say anything more, I will forbid you from drinking for a month!" Liu Bei frowned. Zhang Fei felt uncomfortable. You can talk about Pang Tong, and Liu Bei tacitly agreed that you can complain. This could be considered as a spur to Pang Tong. However, if you keep saying it, it would be a provocation. Zhang Fei was his valiant general and his third brother. Pang Tong was also his number one strategist in Liu Bei's Army. He was also Liu Bei's right-hand man. Liu Bei hoped that the two of them would cooperate and hold each other hostage to help him expand his territory. He did not want the two of them to fight each other.
"If you don't want to say it, then I won't say it!" Zhang Fei was like a child. Drinking wine was Zhang Fei's greatest pleasure. If he was not allowed to drink, he might as well be killed. Therefore, Zhang Fei immediately whispered to cover his mouth.
"Milord, this Zhang Xiu is the last thing we can get from attacking Yangzhou. Furthermore, we have to save this Zhang Xiu. We have to save him!" Pang Tong did not mind Zhang Fei's mockery because he knew that Zhang Fei was a boorish man. If someone made him unhappy, he would naturally seek revenge. Pang Tong did not dare to hit him, so he could only rely on sarcastic remarks.
"We have to save him?" Liu Bei frowned. The price to pay for saving Zhang Xiu was not small. Firstly, Zhang Xiu was ambushed. Who knew how many soldiers there were? The enemy was in the dark while Liu Bei was in the light. If they could ambush Zhang Xiu's 10,000 heavy cavalry, it meant that the enemy's numbers were not small. They might even have more soldiers than Liu Bei. This would be a tough battle. Lujiang Lü Bu's fighting power was there. Liu Bei had fought with Lü Bu before. His subordinates, Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, were not easy to deal with. Although only Zhang Liao and Zang Ba were left out of the eight great generals, this was also a process of perfection. If Liu Bei went to save Zhang Xiu, he would definitely have to fight with Lü Bu. At that time, he would suffer heavy losses. It would be good if he could save Zhang Xiu. If he did not do it well, he would also die. Therefore, it was better for Liu Bei to run away now. What benefits could he get from Zhang Xiu? A crippled Xiliang Iron Cavalry?
"My lord, do we still have enough provisions?" Pang Tong was very calm. He wanted to plan the last plan for Yangzhou for Liu Bei. Therefore, he had considered everything. Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang were called Young Phoenixes and Crouching Dragons. Pang Tong indeed had the ability to compete with Zhuge Liang. One of them commanded tens of thousands of navy troops in Jingzhou. Among the 70,000 Jingzhou Navy troops, he was second only to one person. The other was also Liu Bei's guest. Liu Bei's respect for Pang Tong was no less than his own elders. Both of them had earned it through their own abilities.
"Provisions?" Before Liu Bei could open his mouth, Pang Tong said, "There are only a few days left. We can only reach Anfeng and Gushi!" Pang Tong directly explained the provisions to Liu Bei. Liu Mang originally got Shouchun, which had almost nothing. Liu Mang could not feed his own people. Therefore, he had been shrinking the defense line. As a result, other than Shouchun's population, there were not many people in other places like Anfeng and Gushi. There were only some garrison troops and not many people. Therefore, one could clearly see how much provisions he had. Other than supplying the garrison troops, there was nothing else. This eliminated the possibility of Liu Bei's army using war to support war. Therefore, it was impossible for Liu Bei to get provisions along the way. They had only reached half of the journey to Gushi and Anfeng. There was still more than half of the journey. It was impossible to walk back. Let Yuzhou transport provisions? The provision route had been cut off. It would be difficult to restore it in a short time. Even if Guan Yu were to transfer the provisions temporarily, it would be too late.
It would take five to six days for a person to starve to death. However, one should not forget that this was for a healthy person. If one was slightly weaker, he would starve to death in three days. An Feng would take more than seven days to reach Yuzhou. If it was intercepted by Liu Mang's army halfway, it would be even more troublesome.
Therefore, it was completely daydreaming to retreat out of Yangzhou directly. Therefore, if they went to rescue Zhang Xiu, they might suffer heavy losses. However, they could also reduce the number of people. This way, the army would have enough provisions to tide over the difficulties. Instead of starving to death, it was better to use them to exhaust Liu Mang and Lü Bu's army.
"We can go to Zhang Xiu's camp to get provisions!" This time, Liu Bei did not reprimand him because Zhang Fei was right. They did not have provisions in their camp, but there were provisions in Zhang Xiu's camp. Zhang Xiu had been eating the provisions provided by Liu Bei for the past few days. Before the army set off, he had also prepared a dozen days' worth of rations. With this batch of rations, he could still last until Yuzhou.
Pang Tong looked at Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. These two still had the mentality of being lucky. They were really afraid of being poor. Previously, Liu Bei did not care about the large number of casualties because although the losses were large, the returns were greater. Therefore, Liu Bei dared to play like this. However, what was the benefit of saving Zhang Xiu? They only coveted the thousands of remnant soldiers in Zhang Xiu's hands. Now, they did not know how many Xiliang Cavalry Zhang Xiu had. Therefore, these two people did not want to save Zhang Xiu. Pang Tong also knew that if he did not use some strong medicine to dispel these two people's thoughts of being lucky, then he would not be able to save Zhang Xiu. Therefore, Pang Tong sneered. "Milord, if you do not save Zhang Xiu, then not only will Milord achieve nothing in this expedition to Yangzhou, but Milord will also achieve nothing in the future! You will be a complete piece of trash! " “
"What!" When Pang Tong said this, Zhang Fei immediately became unhappy. No matter what Liu Bei did, no matter how many times he failed, he was still Zhang Fei's brother. He was still Zhang Fei's Big Brother. Zhang Fei could complain, but Pang Tong would not allow anyone else to talk about his brother. If anyone else dared to talk about his brother, he would fight them to the death. "Black Fatty, do you really think that I, Old Zhang, do not dare to kill you?"
"Third Brother, put down the military advisor!" No matter how magnanimous Liu Bei was, he would still be very dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction affected his tone of speaking. He no longer addressed Pang Tong by his courtesy name. The ancients used courtesy names to express affection and respect. Instead, he directly addressed Pang Tong by his position. This already had the meaning of estrangement. Pang Tong's face was pale. Pang Tong's face was pale. Pang Tong's face was pale.
"Black Fatty, let me tell you, if you insult my Big Brother again, even if my Big Brother is here, I, Old Zhang, will use this spear in my hand to poke seventeen or eighteen holes in your body!" Zhang Fei was really angry. Even the killing intent from his body could be felt.
"Hehe, Milord, Third General, if Milord does not listen to me, then Pang Tong will not be willing to waste any more time by a piece of trash's side. Please forgive Pang Tong for being rude. Let Pang Tong leave and find a better Lord!" Pang Tong did not back down and sneered.
"Military Advisor, you?" Liu Bei stared fixedly at Pang Tong. Liu Bei did not know what kind of person Pang Tong was before, but he understood after these days. Pang Tong's tone was so firm that it showed that Pang Tong had made up his mind. If Liu Bei did not carry it out, he would really leave Liu Bei. Pang Tong's talent was really top-notch. He was not inferior to the already famous uncle and nephew Guo Jia, Xun Shi, Chen Gong, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and the others. The only thing he lacked was some on-the-spot experience! If Liu Bei let go of such a person, it would be difficult to find such a talent in the future. How could Liu Bei not know about the strategists under Liu Bei? Sun Qian could only be regarded as a second-rate strategist. Although he was introduced to Liu Bei by the great scholar Zheng Xuan, Liu Bei knew that Sun Qian was only a talent of one county. More than one county was really not enough. Therefore, when Liu Bei was stationed in Xiaopei under Tao Qian's command, Sun Qian was doing well. Sun Qian was also at ease there. However, after Liu Bei obtained Xuzhou from Tao Qian, Sun Qian did not win because Sun Qian was confused. A county and a province were completely different. Don't think that a province was only a few counties. It was not a matter of one being equal to two, but two to the power of two. Therefore, when Liu Bei fought with Lü Bu, he lost to Lü Bu and lost Xuzhou. When he fought with Lao Cao, he lost to Lao Cao and lost Xuzhou.
After that, there was Jian Yong. This was a brother of Liu Bei who grew up naked. Liu Bei knew what kind of person he was. He was a prodigal son. He could manage the money and provisions, transfer some things to manage the account books, but if he was asked to manage a province or a strange commander, it would be a waste. He was a housekeeper type character. He could only help Liu Bei take care of his own rear.
Therefore, Pang Tong's arrival made Liu Bei very excited. Such a first-rate strategist, Liu Bei was like the other marquises. If he couldn't get Pang Tong, he wouldn't teach him to others. Maybe Liu Bei could kill Pang Tong.
Kill Pang Tong? Pang Tong's expression was dignified, but his heart was even more serious. He wasn't afraid at all. If Liu Bei didn't carry out his plan, then he would turn around and leave without hesitation. He didn't care about Liu Bei's army because he saw Liu Bei as a wise ruler. It wasn't because of Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness. Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness was fake. It could fool those brainless, brawny generals and foolish commoners. However, for a first-rate strategist like Pang Tong, every good deed done by a marquis had its own purpose. Even Xu Shu, who didn't get along with Liu Bei, could see through Liu Bei's fake benevolence and righteousness. How could Pang Tong not see through it?
He saw Liu Bei not because Liu Bei's army was powerful. If it was powerful, then why didn't he subdue Cao Cao and Yuan Shao? Even Jiangdong's Sun Ce was stronger than Liu Bei's army. Moreover, his potential was higher than Liu Bei's. Sun Ce conquered half of Jiangdong with 3,000 troops. In terms of age, Sun Ce was a generation younger than Liu Bei. Liu Bei had lived for more than half of his life while Sun Ce was still in his prime.
Pang Tong saw Liu Bei not because Liu Bei was a relative of the Han dynasty. If he wanted to help the Han dynasty, then he would go to Xu Du and help the Han emperor. The Han emperor would definitely want a first-rate strategist to help him.
Pang Tong saw Liu Bei because Liu Bei was too mediocre. He was worse than others in every aspect, but he had everything. Such a mediocre person was someone who Pang Tong could exact his revenge on. Liu Bei lacked a first-rate strategist. If Pang Tong joined Liu Bei's army, then it would be like adding flowers to a brocade. Lao Cao and Yuan Shao had no less than three or four first-rate strategists. Even Jiangdong's Little Conqueror had people like Zhang Shao and Zhou Yu. However, Liu Bei was different. If Pang Tong joined him, then he would be an indispensable figure in Liu Bei's army. Liu Bei would definitely make Pang Tong a guest of honor. All the strategies would be inseparable from Pang Tong's hands. Only then would he be able to realize all his ambitions. If Liu Bei did not listen to him, then what was the point of him staying here?
If Pang Tong left, then wouldn't he be afraid that Liu Bei would turn hostile and kill him?
To tell the truth, Pang Tong was not afraid. This was because Pang Tong had lost a lot of face this time. If Liu Bei wanted to kill him, then he would not resist. This was because he had let down Liu Bei's trust. His death would be considered as an apology.
Pang Tong raised his head. Liu Bei hesitated. In the end, it was because Liu Bei lacked a strategist. Liu Bei sighed. He really wanted to compromise. If he lost, then so be it. It was not like he had not lost before. He had lost even more miserably. He had almost lost his pants and even lost his wife. Why should he care about the present? Even if it was his current territory, it was given to him by the dead Liu Pi.
"Big Brother?" Zhang Fei was a little confused. After being humiliated by this dark-skinned fatty, his elder brother actually agreed to it. Was there something wrong with his brain?
"Third Brother, there is no need to say more. Listen to the strategist!" "Liu Bei has already made up his mind. Now that things have come to this, there is no need for him to lose.
"Hahahaha!" "Pang Tong is really happy. You are truly worthy of being the wise ruler that he, Pang Tong, has chosen! Just you wait, Kongming. Just you wait, Yuanzhi. I, Pang Tong, will return sooner or later. Pang Tong suddenly knelt in front of Liu Bei and said, "Milord. As I say, all the descendants of the Pang Clan will serve Milord as their master and will never betray you!" “
"Hm?" Liu Bei's eyes suddenly widened. Pang Tong was not only pledging his loyalty but also his entire family. This meant that he wanted to be Liu Bei's retainer. Together with Liu Bei, one gains glory, one loses glory, one loses glory! The Pang family in Jing Province was a huge family. Although it was not one of the four great families in Jing Province, it was not inferior to the four great families. This was because the Pang family had two big and small Pang family members. They were both great scholars. Their disciples were spread all over the world. They were equivalent to the Three Dukes of the Yuan family. Pang Tong was a direct descendant of the Pang family. Although he could not represent the entire Pang family, he could represent almost half of the Pang family.
"Shiyuan, quickly rise. Quickly rise!" Shiyuan treated Bei like this. Bei also said that if there is a day when the Liu family still exists, we will rule the world together with the Pang family. "Liu Bei is also a person with lofty aspirations. Would there be such a day? That day will be the Ninth Five Day! "
"Tong naturally understands Milord's intentions. Right now, the most important thing is to save Zhang Xiu's troops. “
"I almost missed the important matter. Shiyuan, I will immediately ask Yide, Shuzhi, and Yuanjian to immediately go to the rescue. "Liu Bei nodded.
"Wait!" Pang Tong was the one who was anxious earlier. Now, he was also the one who said 'slow'. This made the others a little confused.
"Milord, before we go to save Zhang Xiu, we must give the Xiliang Cavalry a proper burial."
"Hm?" Liu Bei looked at Pang Tong and immediately understood. "Men, give that warrior a proper burial!"
Proper burial? Although the Xiliang Cavalry was injured, his life was not in danger. Now, they wanted to give him a proper burial. That's right. Liu Bei and Pang Tong wanted to bury this person alive. Who asked this person to hear that Liu Bei did not save Zhang Xiu? Therefore, this person had to die to silence the witness. There was no benevolence in the Marquis family.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
