"What?!" Everyone present was stunned. They knew that Liu Bei's military advisor, Pang Tong, had killed Liu Mang's envoy. Although it wasn't Liu Biao who did it, Liu Biao could be considered an accomplice. Therefore, Liu Mang's army was heading towards Xinye.
This caused the people in Jingzhou to panic. Those who wanted to fight naturally wanted to ally with Liu Bei to deal with Liu Mang. Those who didn't want to start a war were people like Kuai Liang. This was because regardless of the outcome, Jingzhou would be the only loser!
If Liu Mang's army won, then Liu Biao would lose Xinye and all the cities north of the Yangtze River. If Liu Bei won, then Liu Bei would also consume Liu Biao's army provisions. According to Pang Tong's suggestion, although Jingzhou would send out an army, the overall planning would still be based in Yuzhou. They would also borrow Xinye, Anzhong, and Chengcheng as places for Liu Bei's vanguard troops to settle down.
If the three cities were lent out, would they still be able to return it? In the end, only Fancheng would be left in Jingzhou to resist Liu Bei!
There were still people in Jingzhou who fantasized about controlling Liu Bei like they controlled Zhang Xiu. It was simply a daydream. Zhang Xiu didn't do anything productive, so he could use the army provisions to hold Zhang Xiu's throat tightly. If Zhang Xiu had any ulterior motives, he could completely stop him! As for Liu Bei, he was a person who didn't do anything productive. After occupying Nanyang for half a month, he had already begun to arrange for the people to move over and distribute the land. Currently, Liu Bei's army was relying on Liu Biao because Liu Bei's provisions were running out. When the next summer harvest came, this wolf would really have more provisions. Even Zhang Xiu almost rebelled against Jingzhou, let alone Liu Bei!
However, everything now seemed to have nothing to do with Jingzhou. Liu Mang's army wasn't heading towards Jingzhou, but rather towards Nanyang. In other words, this war had nothing to do with Jingzhou. Liu Bei killed my envoy, so I naturally went to find trouble with Liu Bei. Xinye was just passing through.
You fought here and there, but in the end, people directly told you that this matter had nothing to do with you. You can imagine the expressions on everyone's faces.
"Impossible, impossible!" Pang Tong stood at the side looked like he was struck by lightning. He had planned for so long and didn't hesitate to kill Liu's envoy and his brother's best friend.... was to provoke a war between Liu Mang's Army and Liu's Army! However, the result was that Liu Mang's Army's target was Nanyang.
"Milord, if Liu Mang didn't want to be enemies with us, why did he kill my envoy?"
"Milord, please seek justice for my brother Tang Yun!" Pang Shanmin knelt down again. Liu Mang had just said that he would send out his troops. Now, there was another change. Pang Shanmin didn't care whether he sent out his troops or not. He just wanted to avenge his brother Tang Yun.
"I, Kuai Zirou, don't know how Tang Yun died. However, I know that Tang Yun was definitely not killed by Liu Mang, the King Of Shu!"
"Kuai Liang, you are always protecting the King Of Shu, Liu Mang. What are you thinking? Are you still an official of Jingzhou? Or an official of Yangzhou? "
"Protecting the King Of Shu? I just do not want my lord to be used by others. Let's not talk about the previous points. Let's talk about the last point. If the King of Shu, Liu Mang, killed my envoy, would he still dare to appear in Xinye? Would he still dare to come to Jingzhou to negotiate with my lord? "Kuai Liang sneered as he pointed at the scholars who were trying to curry favor with Pang Tong.
"Liu Mang is in Xinye?" This time, the scholars were speechless. If Tang Yun was really killed by Liu Mang, would Liu Mang really dare to come to Jingzhou? Of course not. No matter how strong Liu Mang was, he would still be a dragon in Jingzhou. Killing the envoy was a slap in the face. Because Liu Bei had killed Liu Mang's envoy, Liu Mang had sent troops to Nanyang. If Liu Biao knew that Liu Mang had killed his envoy, Liu Biao would definitely punish Liu Mang for the sake of his reputation.
"Yes. The King Of Shu, Liu Mang, was escorted to Xinye by his troops. His troops will continue to head west to Nanyang under the leadership of the general. He is currently in Xinye, having a banquet with the Governor of Xinye. He has chosen a date to head to Xiangyang to discuss the matter of Jingyang's provisions with my lord! " Although the Governor of Xinye did not directly invite Liu Mang to a banquet, he did not dare to neglect Liu Mang. In terms of etiquette, he was still very polite.
"Liu Mang is actually here!" Pang Tong knew that he had lost this time. He gritted his teeth. He had instigated the relationship between Jingzhou and Yangzhou so that Liu Mang would not dare to come to Jingzhou. After all, if he came to Jingzhou, he would be meat on the chopping block. Therefore, regardless of whether Pang Tong had killed Liu Mang's envoy or Liu Biao's envoy, Tang Yun, neither side would verify it. On the contrary, because both sides' envoys were dead, both sides would be suspicious of each other. If Liu Mang had not arrived in Xinye, Liu Biao would have really sent troops. At that time, no matter who was at fault, this war would have been inevitable.
However, all of this was because Liu Mang had arrived in Xinye. Liu Mang's magnanimity made it difficult for others to compare him with Liu Mang's invasion of Jingzhou.
"My lord, His Highness the King Of Shu is not going to send troops to us. My lord, do we still need Old General Huang to put down the matter in Changsha and lead troops here?" Kuai Liang said as he walked. "Do we still need to deliver provisions to Liu Bei in Yuzhou for free?" Kuai Liang said as he looked at Pang Tong with a mocking expression.
When Kuai Liang said this, everyone realized that when Pang Tong had gone to Jingzhou, he had also come to ask for provisions. He had also prepared to buy them. It could be said that the money was given by Liu Bei who had lived frugally. It was said that Liu Bei only ate 22 dishes for a meal now.
However, because Liu Mang's army had left Shouchun, the nobles of Jingzhou had panicked. In the end, not only did they not mention the price, but they also felt like they were begging Liu Bei to send troops to help them. The army provisions were basically begging Liu Bei to give them more.
Now that Liu Mang's target was Jingzhou, it had nothing to do with Jingzhou. Naturally, there was no need to give them the provisions. If they wanted provisions, they could give them money! It had to be known that most of the provisions were gathered by the nobles of Jingzhou. They were naturally reluctant to give them away for free.
"Nephew! Everything needs to be discussed at length! " Liu Biao also spoke. He was overjoyed. He did not want to go to war with Liu Mang's army. However, if Liu Mang had sent troops, Liu Biao would have no choice but to fight. Now that Liu Mang had gone to find trouble with Liu Bei, there was nothing for him to do. Naturally, he was happy.
"No, Liu Jingzhou, this fake king Liu Mang has a wild ambition!" Pang Tong still wanted to say something, but Liu Biao waved his hand and said, "Come, send Envoy Pang to the relay station to rest!" Hearing Liu Biao's words, Pang Tong could only shut up.
Although Pang Tong was Liu Bei's envoy, he had always lived in the Pang Family because he was a member of the Pang Family. However, Liu Biao wanted Pang Tong to stay in the relay station. Besides being unfamiliar with him, he also wanted to keep an eye on Pang Tong and distance himself from him.
Pang Tong gritted his teeth. He could only walk to the relay station under the escort of a few Jingzhou soldiers.
"Master Pang, there is a secret behind Tang Yun's death. Master Pang, what do you think of your son?" Kuai Liang looked happily at Pang Tong as he gritted his teeth and left. Then, he looked at Pang Degong. Kuai Liang did not need to be polite to Pang Tong, but he had to be respectful to Pang Degong. After all, Pang Degong had a reputation.
"I don't know if Tang Yun died at the hands of the King Of Shu, Liu Mang. However, I hope that Envoy Liu can find the murderer as soon as possible. We cannot let him get away with it!" Pang Degong said a few words and left with Pang Shanmin.
After getting rid of the troublesome Pang Degong, Kuai Liang and Liu Biao both heaved a sigh of relief.
The group walked back to the meeting hall. Halfway there, Liu Biao suddenly stopped and asked, "Zirou, how many soldiers did the King Of Shu, Liu Mang, send to Nanyang?"
Liu Biao was more concerned about the direction of Liu Mang's army. He was not worried about Liu Bei in Nanyang Prefecture. Liu Biao was worried that if Liu Mang's army went all out, Liu Biao would have to hold back.
"According to the messenger, the King Of Shu, Liu Mang, only brought three thousand cavalrymen!" Kuai Liang replied to Liu Biao.
"Three thousand cavalrymen?" Liu Biao frowned. However, he soon relaxed. Three thousand cavalrymen? The first thing that came to his mind was the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry was the strongest troop under the Lvbu's Army. "That's too little!"
Kuai Liang did not know the exact situation and could only nod. "Perhaps the King Of Shu just wants to teach Liu Big-eared a lesson!"
"There's no need for him to say anything. What we need to do is to wait for the arrival of the King Of Shu in Xiangyang!" Liu Biao's face was full of smiles. How could he not be happy? He did not want to start a war with Liu Mang. He was afraid of both Liu Mang's and Liu Bei's armies. Now that Liu Mang had gone to attack Liu Bei and even personally came to Jingzhou, he would become a hostage. Both threats were eliminated. Liu Biao was naturally happy.
Compared to Liu Biao's happiness, Pang Tong, who was escorted to the relay station, was about to go crazy.
"Strategist! Apart from the first batch of 2,000 shi, all the other grain transport ships have been stopped! " A man dressed like a scholar carefully reported to Pang Tong. The military provisions had already been loaded onto the ships, but they were no longer being transported to Nanyang.
"Understood!" Pang Tong's face was gloomy.
"Strategist, there are a few more bugs outside the house. It's so annoying!" Zhang Fei was also arranged to go to the relay station with Pang Tong.
"Huh?" Pang Tong also opened the curtains and saw a few people outside the relay station. Although they were wearing civilian clothes, their movements showed the attitude of a soldier. They were all sent by Liu Biao or Kuai Liang to monitor him. However, it was a little too obvious. Have you ever seen a strong person selling sesame seed cakes? Have you ever seen an old man with a white beard walk with a strong momentum?
"Liu Mang, Liu Mang, Liu Mang again!" Pang Tong flipped the table in the relay station. It looked like they were about to succeed, but now, everything was ruined. Not only did they fail to make Liu Biao's army and Liu Mang's army go to war, but the provisions that originally belonged to Yu Province were all gone. If they relied on the Pang Family alone, they would not be able to last long. After all, Liu Bei did not want to raise ten or twenty thousand soldiers, but seventy thousand. Now that Liu Bei was preparing to expand the army, even if they emptied the entire Pang Family, they would not be able to afford it.
Back then, the Mi Family was considered the wealthiest family in Xu Province, but even then, they only gave Liu Bei three thousand lessons. Even if the Pang Family was much larger than the Mi Family, it was at most ten times larger. Even if they sold Pang Tong, they would not be able to afford a hundred thousand soldiers! Furthermore, Pang Tong was not in charge of the Pang Family now.
"Military Advisor, are we still going to stay in Jingzhou?" The scholar beside him asked. If Liu Mang really came to Jingzhou, then Tang Yun's death would be up for discussion. If people found out that they were the ones who killed Tang Yun, then they would have to face Liu Biao's wrath. Even Pang Degong would not be able to protect Pang Tong. Even his elder brother, Pang Shanmin, would be able to put justice before family! If even Pang Tong could not protect himself, how could they, the people below him, be spared? Therefore, it was better to move according to the thirty-six stratagems. If they knew that they could not win, then they should retreat.
"Leave?" Pang Tong stood up abruptly. "How can I leave?!" His face was filled with malevolence. Leaving in such a sorry state without obtaining anything was not Pang Tong's style. Furthermore, if he returned empty-handed, he, Pang Tong, could not afford to lose face.
"Military Advisor, what are you doing?" The scholar beside him wanted to dissuade him, but he was afraid of Pang Tong's actions. Many people had died in his hands.
"Don't worry, my elder brother will not suspect me! He will not know that I was the one who killed Tang Yun! " The two people who killed Tang Yun were killed by Pang Tong. Without any witnesses, there would be no evidence.
"Liu Mang, you're coming to Jingzhou! Good, good, good, hahahaha! " Pang Tong suddenly thought of something. His eyes lit up and he laughed. "If you were still in Yangzhou, I wouldn't be able to do anything to you. But since you're in Jingzhou, then it's not up to you anymore!" Pang Tong's hatred for Liu Mang was endless. At the Yingshui Battle, Pang Tong remembered him calling him the Little Fire Chicken of Jingzhou. After that, Pang Tong was defeated in the Battle of Yangzhou. How could Pang Tong bear with it? Pang Tong had always been a competitive person. How could he bear to lose to Liu Mang again and again? This time, because of Liu Mang's arrival in Xinye, Pang Tong's plan to supply the army was ruined. He would not be Pang Tong if he did not take back some of the losses.
In Yangzhou, Liu Mang was surrounded by the army. Pang Tong could not do anything to him. However, in Jingzhou, Liu Mang was like a fish on a chopping block. Although Pang Tong was also a guest, he still had the Pang Family behind him.
Moreover, Liu Mang had offended many nobles in Jingzhou. With them as his support, it would be difficult for him to not do anything.
"Men, make a secret appointment with Huang She!" The first person Pang Tong thought of was Huang She.
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