After that, another chaotic battle ensued. Luocheng's general Liu Gu charged out to intercept Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun and the others. However, he was received by Liu Bei and Guan Yu and had to flee back to their stronghold. Zhang Ren, on the other hand, rushed out from a small path and led his victorious troops to fight another battle.
Liu Bei's army was ambushed and their morale was low. Originally, they couldn't hold on. Fortunately, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and the other generals were strong. They personally brought up the rear and scattered the pursuers. Only then did Liu Bei safely return to his stronghold.
Before Liu Bei could catch his breath, he saw that Pang Tong had been shot by three arrows. He was so anxious that tears flowed down his face. He hurriedly ordered the medical officer to treat him.
Pang Tong coughed and said, "My lord, there's no need to make things difficult for the medical officer. Today's tribulation is the will of the heavens … It's retribution for using the art of praying to harm others for personal gain. "
Liu Bei was puzzled. "Why do you say that?" He waved his hand and ordered his subordinates to leave.
Pang Tong said, "My lord, do you know how Ma Teng of Xiliang died?"
Liu Bei said, "There's no conclusion to this case. Some people say that it was Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, while others say that it was Yuan Xi of Hebei who used the art of Taoism to curse Ma Teng to death."
Pang Tong shook his head. "I did it."
Liu Bei was shocked. "Why did you do that?"
Pang Tong sighed.
"My lord, I was invited by Kongming to assist you. I wanted to help you rise in this chaotic world. However, I didn't expect the situation to change so quickly. Before we could gain a foothold in Jingzhou, Yuan Xi had already destroyed Cao Cao and unified the Central Plains.
"If we didn't do anything, Yuan Xi would have had time to reorganize his internal affairs. After he consolidated the north, he would have gone south to Jingzhou and unified the world. Our lord's great ambition and our wisdom will be of no use.
"Therefore, I used Ma Teng's injury as an opportunity to pray to the stars. Through two curses, Ma Teng will die in Yedu. At the same time, Xu Shu will go to Hanzhong under an alias to persuade Zhang Lu to give up on the Third Assistant. Jian Yong will secretly go to Xiliang and put the blame on Yuan Xi. Then Ma Chao will send troops to the Central Plains to buy us some precious time. "
Liu Bei was displeased; he said, "Junshi's action is against the harmony of heaven and earth; it is not the action of a gentleman!"
Pang Tong coughed repeatedly and said apologetically, "It was indeed this subject who made the decision without permission. My lord, you are a benevolent and virtuous lord, you cannot bear this stain. But if no one does this, Yuan Xi will really unify the world. "
Liu Bei asked, "Does Kongming know about this?"
Pang Tong shook his head slowly. "Regardless of whether it is planning or commanding troops, Kongming is always cautious and prudent. He can be called a 'Strategist of the King'. He definitely won't agree to such a risky plan, so I can only do it. I didn't tell Kongming in advance, but with his intelligence, he should be able to guess a few clues based on the subsequent development of the matter. "
Liu Bei sighed and said, "Junshi did this for me. Although I didn't know about it, it is no different from me doing it myself. Don't say too much, Junshi. Recuperate well; there will be plenty of time in the future. "
Then he blamed Zhao Yun. "What did I arrange for you to do? You must ensure Junshi's safety! But now … "
Zhao Yun could only kneel on one knee and bow his head to beg for forgiveness. He said, "Junshi's injury is due to my lack of protection. If my lord wants to punish me, Yunjue will have no objections."
Pang Tong shook his head.
"My lord, I don't have a future. The Art of Praying is originally a technique of seizing the good fortune of heaven. It borrows good fortune from heaven for one's own personal benefit. The more one takes, the heavier the backlash. Moreover, borrowing the good fortune of heaven and earth to harm others will greatly reduce one's lifespan.
"After Ma Teng's death, I often couldn't sleep at night. The phantom of the vengeful spirit always appeared in front of my eyes. Even if I didn't get injured by the arrow today, I wouldn't live for more than ten years at most! Moreover, the Falling Phoenix Slope that we encountered today is a predestined tribulation. It is unavoidable. My lord, please don't blame General Zilong for this. He has already done his best. "
After pausing for a moment, Pang Tong began to make arrangements for his death.
"My lord, Yi Province is a foundation that our army must seize. Even if it is extremely difficult and dangerous, we cannot give it up. Luocheng is not difficult to take now. My lord, you only need to do this and you will be able to take it. However, I won't be able to help you in the subsequent attacks on Mianzhu and Chengdu. However, Xu Shu's talent is not inferior to mine. My lord, you can use him as your military advisor to continue your great undertaking. "
Pang Tong whispered the plan into Liu Bei's ear.
Liu Bei's eyes were filled with tears. He nodded and said, "I will remember your words from the bottom of your heart."
Pang Tong continued, "Liu Zhang will not sit still and wait for death. He will definitely collude with the Yuan army to cut off our path of retreat. Jiameng Pass and Fushui Pass are our last paths of retreat. My lord, you must send generals to guard them. "
Liu Bei nodded again and again.
Pang Tong's bean-sized eyes stared at the sky as if he had seen an illusion before his death. He raised his hand with difficulty and groped in the air. In the end, his hand fell to the ground.
Young Phoenix Pang Tong had fallen.
Liu Bei burst into tears. Zhao Yun's eyes were also filled with tears. His face was filled with guilt and self-blame. The soldiers of the other three armies also lowered their heads and did not speak.
"Brother, please restrain your grief! Now that your military advisor has unfortunately died, we cannot stop our plan of reclaiming Yi Province. Should we go to Jingzhou and invite Zhuge over? "
The only person who could persuade Liu Bei was Guan Yu.
Liu Bei wiped away his tears and said, "Zhuge is guarding the five prefectures of Jingzhou against Sun Ce and Yuan Xi. Don't worry. Before Pang Tong died, he had already planned to destroy Luocheng. "
Liu Bei told Xu Shu about Pang Tong's final plan.
Xu Shu nodded and said, "Shiyuan's final plan is highly feasible. My lord, you can do it."
…
After Pang Tong died, Liu Bei's army mourned and sent out news that they would retreat back to Fushui Pass.
When the generals of Luocheng heard this, they discussed, "If Liu Bei returns to Fushui Pass and builds morale, it won't be easy to stop him. Why don't we take advantage of the fact that they want to return and rob them? If we can kill Liu Bei, we will have nothing to worry about. "
That night, the generals of Luocheng each led an army and headed toward Liu Bei's camp.
After Bai Xiaowen found out, he brought Li Shuyi back to Hanzhong.
"Are we not going to watch?" Li Shuyi asked.
Bai Xiaowen shook his head, "There is no need. The generals of Luocheng underestimated the enemy after a small victory and forgot about how terrifying Liu Bei's army is. In this battle, Luocheng will definitely fall. Next, Liu Bei's army will be able to target Mianzhu and threaten Chengdu. It is time for our army to enter the battlefield. We can't drag this out any longer. "
As expected, right after Bai Xiaowen brought Li Shuyi back to Nanzheng, Luocheng's battle report was sent over by the scouts.
After Liu Bei lured the Luocheng army out, Liu Bei sent Guan Yu to attack Luocheng and kill the defending general, Liu Gu.
As for Ling Bao, Zhang Ren, and Wu Yi, they fell into an ambush. Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan charged out and killed Ling Bao. Zhang Ren and Wu Yi were captured.
In the end, Wu Yi surrendered and Zhang Ren was killed by Liu Bei's army.
Luocheng fell into Liu Bei's hands.
Bai Xiaowen's army also moved out from Nanzheng and went through Bazhong to Jiameng Pass, officially joining the battle for Xichuan.
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