Chapter 345: Pang Tong surrenders to his master In Jingzhou, Xiangyang, in the General Zhennan's Mansion, Qin Zhen was fighting with Liu Pan in the south. Liu Biao sat in the county government office, his face as gloomy as water, without a trace of expression on his face. In his hand, he was holding a manifesto to denounce Liu Biao, and on his left were Cai Mao, Kuai Yue, Liu Xian and others. Originally there was another person named Kuai Liang on the list, but he has been ill since last autumn. It was also because he was old. It seemed that Kuai Liang was already over 50 years old and his health was deteriorating. In comparison, Liu Biao, who was of similar age, was in good mental condition and was able to suppress his anger while reading the manifesto sent by Liu Bei. In the silence of the crowd, he read it for a long time, then threw the manifesto on the table and said: "Tell us what you want. Liu Bei is ungrateful and wants to take Jingzhou." "Their army is coming. How do you think our army should respond?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Mao cupped his hands and said in a deep voice: "My lord, at this point, Liu Bei has too many troops and it is difficult for our army to fight him." "If we want to resist, we have no choice but to go north to seek help and ask Cao Gong's troops to come south." "In this way, even if we only attack one side of the army, we can still strengthen our army and increase its power." "Furthermore, Liu Bei attacked Jingzhou without justice. You can submit a petition to the emperor asking for punishment." "If there is an imperial decree, perhaps this can be used to persuade Liu Bei to withdraw his troops!" When Liu Biao heard this, he frowned and said with dissatisfaction: "This thief Cao Cao has repeatedly invaded Jingzhou, causing all areas north of Nanyang to fall into his hands." "If it weren't for this man, how could I have thought that Liu Bei would become so powerful?" "Besides, he is currently caught up in the war in Hebei. How can he have the spare energy to reinforce our army?" In fact, long before Liu Bei conquered Jiangdong, he had predicted that this day might come. Therefore, he was extremely reluctant to help Liu Bei defeat the Jiangdong navy. It was because Cao Cao was so powerful at that time that he wanted Liu Bei to help him. What he didn't expect was that the power reversal between Liu Bei and Cao Cao would be so quick! Before he could pacify the chaos in the north and south of Jingzhou, Liu Bei had already become the dominant force. It can be said that the current situation is closely related to Cao Cao's continued suppression of him. As a result, he is now asked to ask Cao Cao for help, and naturally he is unwilling to do so. However, when Cai Mao saw that he was angry, he lowered his head and sighed, then raised his head and said: "Whether it works or not, you can give it a try. The situation is like this, so we have no choice but to do it!" He had no way to deal with the current situation, and this was the only strategy he could think of. Seeing him like this, Liu Biao simply turned his gaze to the crowd and said: "Apart from Degui's suggestion, don't you have any other ideas to teach me?" "Liu Shizong, didn't you insist that our army help Liu Bei?"

"I have obeyed the king's order before. Now Liu Bei is attacking me. Do you have anything to say?" When he called out his name, Liu Xian looked ashamed and quickly bowed and said: "My lord, there is no need to say more. I am willing to go to Liu Bei's army and persuade him to withdraw!" Going to Liu Bei's army and talking is the only way he can atone for his sins now. After Liu Xian made this statement, Liu Biao could no longer ridicule him. He looked at Kuai Yue and said: "Yi Du is good at military strategy, so he must have a brilliant plan. Can you tell me about it?" When Kuai Yue saw that he was pointed at, he immediately stood up and analyzed: "My Lord, in my humble opinion, both Degui and Shizong's words can be carried out!" "Because Liu Bei started his career by respecting the king, if the emperor issued an edict, Liu Bei would have no choice but to respect him." "So in my opinion, my lord, please send an envoy to the north to ask the emperor to order them to withdraw their troops." "But now the emperor has moved the capital to Chang'an. Our army will send an envoy there, and the round trip will take more than a month." "So we first sent envoys to Liu Bei's army to seek peace, and then blocked them with heavy troops at the strategic location." "In this case, Liu Bei's route is blocked and he cannot advance. Seeing the emperor's edict, he will naturally retreat." "But from my perspective, the biggest threat to our army right now is not Liu Bei, but Qin Zhen!" When Liu Biao heard this, he raised his eyebrows and said in confusion: "What do you mean by that? Liu Bei and Qin Zhen are from the same family." "If we can stop Liu Bei, what does Qin Zhen, his subordinate, have to fear?" As soon as he asked, he saw Kuai Yue shook his head seriously and said firmly: "My lord, you must know that the two of them said they were one family, but now they are not!" "Ever since Qin Zhen took office as the governor of Jiangdong, he has had his own team." "Only if Liu Bei gave him the power of the imperial guards could Qin Zhen seize Jiaozhou." "Liu Bei's uprising this time may not have been Liu Bei's original intention, but was done by Qin Zhen." "This man is well aware of Liu Bei's weaknesses, so he first persuaded Zhang Xian to invite him to the north." "Qin Zhen has already led his troops to Jingnan. Even if Liu Bei withdraws his troops, Qin Zhen will most likely not retreat." "With Qin Zhen's tactics, if he is allowed to occupy the four counties in southern Jing, our army will never have peace." "So the danger to our army does not lie with Liu Bei, but with Qin Zhen in southern Jing!" "If we cannot expel Qin Zhen, then even if our army persuades Liu Bei, it will be of no use!" In his opinion, although Liu Bei had a large number of troops, this was not fatal to them. After all, Jiangxia was still in their hands, and it would be difficult for Liu Bei to gain a foothold if they tried their best to stop him. But Qin Zhen in the south is different. After he seized Jiaozhou, he naturally became a threat to Jingnan. And if Jingnan was captured by Qin Zhen, it would threaten the heartland of Jingzhou. In this way, even if they could stop Liu Bei, they would be devoured and annexed by Qin Zhen sooner or later.

Besides, Qin Zhen is not Liu Bei. This guy doesn’t care about benevolence, righteousness, and morality at all! I'm afraid that even if Liu Bei personally persuaded Qin Zhen to withdraw his troops, this guy would still come up with the idea that a general is not allowed to refuse the orders of his king when he is away from home. When the time comes and this pair of king and minister start to act in unison, you, Liu Biao, can expect to be in trouble! Listening to his analysis, Liu Biao realized the seriousness of the matter. "However, Qin Zhen is a great military commander and also good at governing. How should we deal with him?" The name Qin Zhen was like a nightmare to him. If others were in the south, it would be fine, but with Liu Pan leading the army in the south, they can hold the position. But Qin Zhen is different. He is very good at fighting and Liu Pan may not be his opponent. In addition to fighting, Qin Zhen was also very good at local governance and was quite eloquent. It can be said that you can’t beat it off, and you can’t scold it enough. It’s like psoriasis, there’s no way you can get rid of it. How can they restrain someone like Qin Zhen? Under his question, Kuai Yue hesitated for a moment and then said bluntly: "If you want to deal with Qin Zhen, the right way will not work. The only way is to alienate him." "Although Qin Zhen is a big threat right now, his power is too great." "Our army may spread rumors that Qin Zhen intends to establish his own regime!" "If we act this way, we may be able to get Liu Bei to replace Qin Zhen, all we need to do is get him off his horse." "Our army will hold the city firmly, and sooner or later we will have the opportunity to counterattack!" As soon as Kuai Yue finished speaking, Cai Mao frowned and squinted his eyes and said: "But Liu Bei regarded Qin Zhen as a close friend and trusted him as much as Guan and Zhang." "Will Liu Bei really believe that our army is so divided?" "While public opinion is powerful, this plan will work regardless of whether Liu Bei believes it or not!" Kuai Yue looked like he had a clear idea in his hand, and smiled at Cai Mao: "Because Qin Zhen is now so powerful that no one can stop him." "The people close to him all hold important positions. Is this the way to be a minister?" "If our army implements this plan, it doesn't matter whether Liu Bei believes it or not." "As long as there are people in Liu Bei's army who believe this, the morale of the army will be shaken!" "Even if Liu Bei doesn't care, Qin Zhen still needs to plan for himself, and may take the initiative to retreat!" "Other than this, there is absolutely no strategy to force Qin Zhen to retreat!" When Liu Biao heard this, he stroked his beard and thought for a while, but at this moment, he saw a soldier coming to report that Wuling had been captured by Qin Zhen. Hearing that Liu Pan was defeated by Qin Zhen, everyone was shocked. Only Kuai Yue bowed to Liu Biao with a determined look and gave another advice: "Qin Zhen is really difficult to control. I hope you can act as soon as possible." "Otherwise, Jingzhou will fall into the hands of the enemy sooner or later." Upon seeing this, Liu Biao no longer hesitated and ordered people to spread rumors.

It is said that Qin Zhen is so proud of his great achievements that he will sooner or later seize Jiangdong, Jiaozhou, Jingnan and other places to establish his own regime. He also ordered the spread of nursery rhymes, saying that Qin Zhen's ability was better than Liu Bei's, and that he was not afraid of the expedition to the east, but only of the King of Qin. At the same time, he mobilized 30,000 troops and gave them to Wen Pin to lead to Jiangxia to assist. Let Cai Mao, the governor of Nanjun, go south to jointly recapture Jiangling City with Liu Pan. After doing all this, he sent an envoy north to Guanzhong to meet Liu Xie, and asked Liu Xian to go to Liu Bei's army as an envoy to seek peace. On the other hand, it is said that Liu Bei launched an attack on Liu Biao in late January. He first went to Lujiang to gather the troops and ordered Zhao Yun and others to lead an army of 70,000 to march west. By mid-February, the troops had finally gathered and marched towards Jiangxia. It is also said that Huang She, the prefect of Jiangxia, had no literary or military skills. When he heard that Liu Bei was coming, he hurriedly closed the city gates and ordered all counties to defend the city to the death. However, Liu Bei had a strong army and they advanced by land and sea, capturing cities and territories along the way. In just over ten days, they successively conquered Xiazhi, Qichun, Exian, Zhuxian and other places, and were about to reach Xiling. But at this time, news came from Qin Zhen, saying that he had occupied Wuling, Changsha and other places, and Jingnan was in his hands. After hearing the news, Liu Bei was overjoyed and immediately ordered his men to attack Xiling City. When Huang She saw this, he was unable to resist for a moment and almost lost the capital of Jiangxia County. Fortunately, Wen Pin arrived in time with 30,000 troops and blocked Liu Bei's offensive. In a short time, the soldiers in the city broke through the 40,000-strong army and stood in front of Liu Bei. Liu Bei attacked fiercely several times but failed to break through, so he had to order his troops to stop temporarily. At this time, the envoy Liu Xian also arrived at Liu Bei's army and asked Liu Bei why he had mobilized the army without authorization. Liu Bei had also heard of Liu Xian's name, so he naturally treated him with great courtesy and immediately said: "I heard that Liu Biao had joined forces with Yuan Shao to rebel, so I attacked him." Upon hearing this, Liu Xian argued for a while and shook his head: "Liu Mu is the heart and soul of the Han Dynasty, and he holds the position of Mu Bo." "Because Yuan Shao once fought against the traitor Dong, he was the leader of the alliance. That's why we honor him!" "After hearing that Yuan Shao had rebelled, Liu Mu did not raise his troops to respond." "I guess General Zhengdong didn't know, so there is such a misunderstanding!" Liu Bei was somewhat displeased by his rebuttal and asked hurriedly: "I heard that Liu Jingsheng offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, but I wonder what that means?" When Liu Xian heard this, he answered without thinking: "Because the king's way is not yet steadfast, the evil ones are blocking the way, holding the jade and silk but unable to present them to the emperor, and writing memorials cannot be submitted to the court." "Liu Mu was grateful for this, so he offered sacrifices to heaven and earth to show his sincerity." Seeing that he was refuted by this person again, Liu Bei could not help but said in a deep voice: "When the emperor was in Xu, Liu Jingsheng lived in Jingzhou, but he was not shown respect. Why?"

"General Zhengdong doesn't know this!" Liu Xian stroked his beard and smiled. "Before the emperor came to Xu, the palace was built for us in Jingzhou." "After the promise was made, the Lord has also frequently offered sacrifices, and has never been disrespectful!" Liu Bei asked several questions, but Liu Xian argued against him every time and he remained silent for a while. He had no choice but to order Liu to be taken away to rest first, and then called everyone to come and discuss the matter. But before anyone could say anything, a soldier came to report: "My lord, there is a scholar outside the camp who calls himself Pang Tong Pang Shiyuan, and he wants to see you!" Upon hearing the news, Liu Ye was overjoyed and said to Liu Bei with a smile: "My military advisor once told me about the talents in Jingzhou, and he mentioned a phoenix chick." "This man's name is Pang Tong, the nephew of Lord Pang De. He is a prodigy at a young age, and his name is known all over the state and county." "The good observer Fu Gongti once said that this boy is half a hero!" "Now that our army has conquered Jingzhou and has found this man, he will surely have a brilliant plan for us, my Lord!" Liu Bei had also heard Pei Qian and others mention the name of Fengchu, so he immediately led people out of the camp to welcome him. When we got outside the camp, we saw a young scholar in Taoist robes standing at the gate. Although his appearance was ordinary, his bearing was extraordinary. Liu Bei was very pleased to see him and hurried forward and said: "Are you the Phoenix Pang Shiyuan? I have heard of your name for a long time and I can't wait to meet you!" Pang Tong was shocked when he saw such courtesy and said in surprise: "Liu Zhengdong is far away in Huainan. Has he also heard of my name?" But as soon as he finished speaking, Liu Bei grabbed his hand and said with a smile: "Although I am in Huainan, I also know the talented people in Jingzhou, and I know your name!" As he said this, he invited Pang Tong into the camp for a detailed conversation, and then talked about Liu Xian's matter. Liu Bei then said: "I am not in Jingzhou, so I don't know the details of this place. I wonder if what Liu Shizong said is true?" When Pang Tong heard that Liu Xian was here, he smiled and said: "This man is a man of great debate in our state. General Zhengdong will certainly be able to defeat him in a debate." "Since you are here, I should help the general out of his predicament. Call him over and I will argue with him!" When Liu Bei heard this, he was very happy and quickly invited Liu Xian over. (End of this chapter)