Liu Bei's army and Zhang Xiu's army met. There were less than four thousand soldiers left in Liu Bei's army. Most of them were injured. Three thousand of them were lucky enough to be brought back by Deputy General Liu Bei. As for the White Ear Heavy Armored Soldiers and the Yuzhou Yellow Turban Army, they had been completely annihilated. Even the two main generals, Chen Dao and Liu Pi, had died in Yangzhou. Zhang Xiu was not much better. Out of the twenty thousand Xiliang Cavalry, there were less than one thousand left. These one thousand soldiers did not have the will to fight anymore. The arrogance that belonged to the Xiliang Cavalry was gone. Now, they might not even be able to defeat the garrison troops. The only consolation for Zhang Xiu was that Hu Che Er was not dead. However, Hu Che Er was crippled and had lost an arm. His career as a general was about to end. They abandoned most of their supplies and horses and left them in Yangzhou. All the soldiers brought with them were provisions because these were necessary for their march. They all walked towards the small path in Yangzhou. They were afraid of being chased by the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. If they were chased by the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, none of them would be able to escape.
No one could bear to travel through the dense forest for days. They had been traveling for fourteen or fifteen days. Originally, it would take seven or eight days to travel from Hefei, Shouchun, to the border of Yangzhou by foot. That was because the speed was faster by taking the official road. But now, they were traveling through the dense forest to avoid being chased. It was difficult to see anyone at the border of Yangzhou for fourteen or fifteen days. As long as they could not get out of Yangzhou, they would be in danger of being chased.
"Everyone, let's set up camp and rest!" The sky gradually darkened. The forest at night was still dangerous. In the past half a month, several soldiers had been bitten to death by snakes and insects. There were also many injured soldiers. Because of the humidity in the forest, their wounds were infected and they died one after another. Therefore, they chose to travel during the day and set up camp at night.
Although it looked like they were setting up a camp, they were actually just setting up a few tents. Because they were afraid that the bonfire would attract pursuers, they basically swallowed the food directly with water. It was very simple and crude. Some soldiers even had diarrhea because of this.
After another day of travel, everyone was very tired. As one of the Lords of the two armies, Liu Bei gave the order to rest. Zhang Xiu's injuries were not completely healed. Therefore, these things were done by Liu Bei.
Everyone began to get busy. Liu Bei took this opportunity to find a place to sit on a rock and gradually ponder. His eyes were dull. Sometimes he frowned, sometimes he sighed and shook his head... No one knew what he was thinking.
"Lord, do you have something on your mind?" Just as Liu Bei was pondering for a long time, a voice interrupted his thoughts. A person wearing a tattered scholar's robe walked to Liu Bei's side. This person was Pang Tong. Because there were many branches in the forest and there were only small paths, Pang Tong's clothes were scraped by the branches. Pang Tong also knew that if they were caught by the Lvbu's Army, only death would await them. In order to increase their speed, he took off his outer armor.
"Yuanzhi!" When Liu Bei saw the newcomer, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. However, it was a forced smile, making it very ugly. "I'm just pondering. I don't have anything on my mind!" How could Liu Bei tell Pang Tong about his loneliness?
Since childhood, Liu Bei had great ambitions. He wanted to be a real big shot. However, he was just a humble child of a humble family, not even a humble child. He was just a straw sandal seller. Therefore, from the beginning, Liu Bei's starting point was lower than anyone else. He thought that by relying on his own efforts and struggles, he could make people look at him in a new light and achieve great things. However, he was wrong, extremely wrong. This was an era where opportunities were everywhere, but at the same time, it was also an era where danger lurked everywhere. Because of his birth, Liu Bei was treated with disdain and humiliation. The only person who didn't look down on Liu Bei because of his identity as a straw sandal seller was his teacher Lu Zhi. However, Liu Bei wanted to stand out and was afraid that he would be implicated by Lu Zhi, so he even abandoned their relationship as teacher.
After that, although Liu Bei successively obtained Xuzhou and Yuzhou, he thought that he was getting closer to his dream. However, he didn't expect that he was getting further and further away from his original goal. The White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers were gone. Liu Bei's biggest trump card was gone. Liu Bei was really confused. He didn't know what to do after returning to Yuzhou.
In Yuzhou, there were only 20,000 garrison troops and 10,000 Qingzhou soldiers in the hands of his second brother Guan Yu. The 20,000 garrison troops were temporarily assembled. There were old men in their fifties and sixties, and children as young as seven or eight years old. How high could their combat strength be?
The remaining 10,000 Qingzhou soldiers were also light infantry. If he wanted to rebuild the White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers, not only did he need people, he also needed elite armor. Each set of White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers cost dozens of gold. Five thousand sets of White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers cost up to 10,000 gold. If it wasn't for the battle in Yangzhou, Liu Bei could still afford it. But now, the foundation of Yuzhou was almost emptied by him. Not to mention rebuilding the White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers, even the daily expenses of food would be a problem. Liu Bei spent so much money this time. Wasn't it for the title of benevolence and righteousness, and for Zhang Xiu to submit to him?
But now that he had benevolence and righteousness, Zhang Xiu didn't submit. Why? Because Zhang Xiu was now much stronger than Liu Bei. Why should Zhang Xiu listen to Liu Bei? Although Liu Bei saved Zhang Xiu's life, didn't Zhang Xiu help him, Liu Bei?
Without Zhang Xiu's submission and without the White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers, Liu Bei couldn't help but feel lost. He didn't know where his future was. He began to feel discouraged and began to doubt himself. Perhaps the battle for the world's hegemony didn't belong to him, a straw sandal seller. This kind of depression could only be thought about by himself. How could he confide in others? Therefore, Liu Bei didn't want to answer Pang Tong's question.
Liu Bei didn't want to answer, but Pang Tong had the means to ask. "My lord, are you thinking about General Yang Wu, Zhang Xiu?"
"Yes." Liu Bei subconsciously wanted to nod, but then he shook his head.
"My lord, you don't have to hide it from me!" Pang Tong smiled bitterly and shook his head. "My lord and I have been one for a long time. Your matter is my matter. My lord, are you worried about the Xiliang Heavy Armored Soldiers?"
"Haha, I knew I couldn't hide it from you, Pang Shiyuan!" Liu Bei was indeed worried about this. If he wanted to make a comeback and pull himself together after this incident, he had to add new blood to strengthen his strength. Otherwise, he could only sit and wait for death. His two neighbors were waiting to take care of his affairs so that they could annex him.
"My lord, have you talked to General Yang Wu? He didn't say a word about surrendering to you?" Pang Tong continued to ask.
Liu Bei nodded. For the past half a month, Liu Bei had been trying to get close to Zhang Xiu. Zhang Xiu also responded positively and was very respectful to Liu Bei. However, whenever Liu Bei mentioned that he would advance or retreat with Nanyang, Zhang Xiu would stutter and change the topic. It was obvious that he didn't want to join Liu Bei's Army! In fact, Zhang Xiu couldn't be blamed. If Liu Bei's White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers were still there, Yuzhou was rich in food and money, or if Liu Bei had already taken Shouchun and taken Yangzhou, then Zhang Xiu would have joined Liu Bei's Army without hesitation. This was because Zhang Xiu didn't get along well with Liu Biao and Cao Cao of Yanzhou. Now, he even had a grudge against Lü Bu. Therefore, he could only subdue Liu Bei. Because of his role, Liu Bei could even give him the second position in the army. But now! Not only did Liu Bei fail to take Yangzhou, but he also emptied his foundation in Yuzhou. Now, he even lost his trump card, the White Eared Heavy Armored Soldiers, and was chased into the jungle by Lü Bu's Army. How could he submit to such a master?
Zhang Xiu's situation was even more tragic. He still had more than 10,000 Xiliang Cavalry and 30,000 infantrymen in Nanyang. Liu Bei, on the other hand, only had 30,000 infantrymen. Although he had a province, his foundation wasn't as rich as Nanyang. How could he subdue Zhang Xiu? Even if Zhang Xiu wanted to, those generals that Zhang Xiu left behind in Nanyang wouldn't agree.
Seeing Pang Tong's smiling expression, Liu Bei knew that Pang Tong already had a plan. "Shiyuan, what can you teach me?"
"Haha, Milord, you have already fallen into a dead end. You want the Xiliang Cavalry, but you don't have to get it from Zhang Xiu."
Pang Tong was giving Liu Bei pointers.
"Huh?" Liu Bei could still understand a little earlier, but now he completely doesn't. The Xiliang Cavalry is Zhang Xiu's army. If he doesn't subdue Zhang Xiu, how can he get the Xiliang Cavalry? "
"In other words, subduing Zhang Xiu and subduing the Xiliang Cavalry are two different things. You don't have to get Zhang Xiu to get the Xiliang Cavalry!" Pang Tong was about to point it out. Liu Bei would be an idiot if he still didn't understand.
"You mean?" Liu Bei frowned. He knew what Pang Tong was talking about, but he immediately shook his head. "This can't be done! Although I don't owe Zhang Xiu anything, I also don't have any enmity with him! How can this be? This can't be done! "
"Milord, don't you know that a great man must be ruthless? If you want to achieve hegemony, you have to let go of these women and children! Just like Cao Cao, you have to be decisive! " Pang Tong cupped his fist and said to Liu Bei. It would have been fine if he didn't mention Cao Cao. Now that he mentioned Cao Cao, Liu Bei actually felt a trace of anger.
"Don't compare me to Cao Cao! If I say this can't be done, then it can't be done! " There is no need to speak anymore! "Liu Bei's face was filled with shame and anger. He did not listen to Pang Tong's words and immediately left.
Pang Tong sighed as he watched Liu Bei leave. How could he not know about Liu Bei's misgivings? He didn't have much confidence in this matter. If he failed, the consequences would be unimaginable. However, Pang Tong still had to do it. Even if he failed, he would only have to die.
He calmed himself down. Pang Tong also left. He didn't directly return to his own tent. Instead, he went to another tent. This tent belonged to Zhang Fei, who had a grudge against Pang Tong.
"Military Advisor?" Zhang Fei frowned when he saw the person who came. He didn't give Pang Tong any face. Although his elder brother admitted that Chen Dao's death was his fault, Zhang Fei knew that without Pang Tong, his elder brother would have left with the army long ago. The White Eared Heavy Armor wouldn't have been wiped out. At the end of the day, it was this dark-skinned fatty in front of him. "What's the matter? Nothing. Old Zhang can rest now. "Zhang Fei ignored Pang Tong and went straight to the simple wooden bed.
"Third General, I know that you have a grudge against me. I also know that you hate me," said Pang Tong as he looked at Zhang Fei.
"Hmph, I wouldn't dare! If my elder brother finds out, he will make me apologize to you again! "Zhang Fei still had his back turned as he spoke to Pang Tong impolitely.
Pang Tong didn't mind. He knew that Zhang Fei was such a person. "However, I still hope that you can cooperate with me this time. This is related to Milord's great cause! If you still have a grudge, I, Pang Tong, will let you deal with me as you wish! "
"Hm?" Zhang Fei frowned and turned around. He did not turn around because he heard Pang Tong's order. Although he hated Pang Tong, he knew that Pang Tong was his brother's strategist. What he cared about was Pang Tong's words. His brother's great cause! Zhang Fei had no choice but to listen carefully to Pang Tong's words. "Speak!"
"Third General, when Milord attacked Yangzhou, he wanted to take Yangzhou and Yuzhou, and then attack Xuzhou and Qingzhou to stabilize the Central Plains. However, our army suffered heavy losses in the battle of Yangzhou, and Yuzhou was exhausted. General Chen Dao and five thousand White Eared Soldiers were buried in Yangzhou! If we return to Yuzhou now, we don't know when Milord's great cause will be accomplished. The Lvbu's Army might even attack Yuzhou. What can we do to stop them? Therefore, the only thing we can do now is to obtain Zhang Xiu's Xiliang Cavalry. Only then can we protect ourselves and plan for our great cause! I hope that Third General can lend me a hand! "
"What should we do?" Zhang Fei asked concisely. As long as it was beneficial to his elder brother, Zhang Fei would support it.
"Third General, just like this!" Pang Tong said to Zhang Fei with a smile in his heart.
"You!" Zhang Fei was stunned when he heard Pang Tong's words. This was not a small matter. If things went wrong, Liu Bei's Army might be wiped out.
"Don't worry! Third General! If there are any changes, you can push the blame to me! Don't make things difficult for Milord! "Pang Tong explained to Zhang Fei.
"Hmph! What kind of person do you think I am? Do I need a scholar like you to help me? If it doesn't work, I'll accompany you to the Yellow Springs! "
"If that's the case, please wait for my good news!" Pang Tong exited Zhang Fei's tent excitedly.
The same thing happened in Liao Hua's tent. Liao Hua had it much easier than Zhang Fei. He had originally wanted to get close to Pang Tong and form an alliance with him. Now that Pang Tong said that he could push all the blame to Pang Tong, how could Liao Hua not be willing to do it? Liao Hua immediately agreed.
Both parties were done. Liao Hua did not know why he was still worried. He looked at Zhang Xiu's tent and suddenly calmed himself down. He gritted his teeth and walked into Zhang Xiu's tent. He did not enter Zhang Xiu's tent. Instead, he went to another tent.
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