Liu Zhang held the tea cup with both hands and drank unconsciously. He listened to Pang Tong's words and stared directly at the ground in the center of the hall. He no longer knew what the tea tasted like. He only caught the white thread of Pang Tong's fallen body in the corner of his eye and tried hard to make a decision.
Pang Tong succeeded in this move. The powerful visual impact made everyone remember every word he said, and this scene is likely to be remembered for a long time. Whenever these Sichuan army generals think of this scene, they will think of the four chapters of the Covenant.
If Pang Tong became the military advisor of the Sichuan Army, his orders would definitely be implemented, regardless of whether the generals were convinced or not, and Liu Zhang also believed that with at most three victories, Pang Tong would be able to convince the generals.
The Sichuan Army was stronger than the Jingzhou Army, and the three victories were easy for Pang Tong.
This is also a routine used skillfully by top counselors and is being carried out step by step.
But Liu Zhang found it difficult to make a decision, just like he did in Jiangzhou.
Is a counselor like Pang Tong really suitable for me?
"Third." Pang Tong continued to speak loudly: "Strict military discipline and military law are as high as mountains. Anyone who disobeys military and political laws must be punished. Although Wei Yan won a great victory at the beginning, if I, Pang Tong, were in Jiangling, I would kill him.
I have also heard some things, not to mention General Leng Bao, who died in the Jiangdong battle. I am afraid that Mr. Xiao Nao also made mistakes more than once and was demoted to a commoner many times. However, this is a manifestation of the lax military law.
General Lei Tong left the meeting without authorization, which proves that the Sichuan Army has not changed from the chaotic atmosphere in the past. It is still in disarray and must be rectified. If Pang Tong is lucky enough to join the Sichuan Army and be loyal to the emperor, please supervise it. If Pang Tong disobeys military orders, please supervise him.
There is no need to hesitate when it comes to public beheading."
The generals were silent. Fa Zheng lifted up his robe and stood up. He bowed to Pang Tong and said, "Shi Yuan understands the righteousness deeply and I admire Fa Zheng. Fa Zheng has indeed made unforgivable mistakes many times. I thank you for your lord's tolerance and I have managed to survive until now. From now on."
I must take it as a warning, and if I make a mistake again, I will have no regrets even if I die."
Pang Tong also saluted, nodded, and continued: "With thunderous tactics, neat military style, and strict military discipline, it will be an undefeated army. Just like the Qin army after Shang Yang's reform, no matter how powerful the enemy was, it could not defeat the enemy."
Chickens, tiles, dogs, like this, only the last bit of doubt remains."
"Sir, tell me." Liu Zhang drank tea one sip after another. What Pang Tong said could be called "inspiring" and Liu Zhang could easily remember it.
Liu Zhang was trying to decide whether his "loyalty was offensive to his ears".
Punishment should not avoid relatives. This sentence is easier said than done. If this is the case, the law is already dead in Chengdu. From ancient times to the present, almost every successful king has maintained one quality, that is, fair rewards and punishments, but there is no
Exceptionally, there was some tolerance for close relatives and ministers. When these people committed capital crimes, these kings could always find reasons to make these people atone for their crimes.
Liu Zhang believed that he was inevitably vulgar.
For the sake of great governance, Liu Zhang would not blink an eye if he sacrificed countless people, or even hundreds or thousands of people. However, when the two rivers burst their embankments, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced. Liu Zhang could not turn a blind eye in any way, let alone Jiangling.
Food and grass were originally theirs. Even if Liu Biao was in power, he would open warehouses to stock up on food.
If Fan Lixiang is to be removed from her position, regardless of whether Fan Lixiang agrees or not, Liu Zhang will not agree. If Xiao Furong does not lead the army, will he let such a lively and active girl be raised in a deep courtyard?
Regarding the three chapters of Pang Tong's previous agreement, Liu Zhang felt that they were all correct, but they were difficult to accept.
But the most difficult thing to accept is not these three rules and regulations. There are rules for everything, and there are exceptions to the rules. You can make random changes when the time comes, whether you kill Ma Su with tears or Hua Rong sins against Guan Yu.
What Liu Zhang couldn't accept the most was Pang Tong. After a few words, he offended the military commander first, then offended Xiao Furong, and now even Fazheng and Fan Lixiang were offended, and he didn't show any mercy to himself. Liu Zhang knew that Pang Tong was guilty of doing this.
His intention was to express his inner discomfort.
It's not about things, it's about people. It's just that I feel uncomfortable with Pang Tong.
"Loyal words are offensive to the ears." Liu Zhang kept using these four words to suppress his emotions.
"Fourth." The goat's milk in Pang Tong's cup was almost gone. It was the result of Xiao Furong and Sang Ye's cooking all night. Xiao Furong remembered that Sang Ye even praised that his own milk tasted better than hers...
Pang Tong continued to speak loudly: "Family affairs should be cultivated and family affairs should never be used to interfere with political affairs. The emperor's uncle raised an army to go out to Xichuan to conquer the world, rescue the emperor, and support the Han Dynasty. In the future, he will definitely be granted the title of marquis by the prime minister, or even the king by breaking the earth."
The lord's wife is the prince's wife. Xiao Furong, as a barbarian, did not get promoted to the main family. The emperor's uncle did the right thing, but even if he is a wife, his status is extremely respected. He should not behave like this now.
, should be disciplined. It is not convenient for subordinates to interfere with the imperial uncle's family affairs. Now, Pang Tong has not officially entered the Sichuan camp to make some suggestions to the emperor's uncle."
Liu Zhang had finished the tea in his cup and looked at the bottom of the cup quietly. He knew what Xiao Furong was doing without looking at it. The celebrities during the Three Kingdoms period were famous for their venomous tongues. Pang Tong also spoke with venom. Xiao Furong usually
She seemed carefree, but only Liu Zhang knew that this girl's heart was actually very fragile, especially when it came to whether she was worthy of being the wife of Zhou Mu, it was an unbearable pain for her.
Any insinuation or even a contemptuous look would directly penetrate her heart, and even so, she still had to smile to make others feel that she didn't care about anything.
She has worked hard to change.
If it were not Pang Tong who was speaking there, but someone else, Liu Zhang would have ordered them to be pushed out.
"Shi Yuan, since it is my official's family matter, I don't think we should mention it. It's getting late. Let's all disperse. We'll talk about it tomorrow." Liu Zhang stood up and touched the tea cup with his hand, which was knocked on the table.
Several circles made a sound in the silent hall.
Pang Tong looked at Liu Zhang: "In this way, can Pang Tong understand that the emperor's uncle does not want Pang Tong to serve the Sichuan Army? If I go to bed now, the emperor's uncle can sleep, but Pang Tong cannot. I know that the emperor's uncle does not want to hear it, but if you want
To achieve hegemony, we must eliminate shortcomings. Otherwise, how can the emperor fight for hegemony? Why should he compete with the world's aristocratic clans, a force that is shattering the world?
Please believe, uncle, that his family matters are not trivial. Pang Tong has no enmity with Madam Xiao. Even Xiao Furong is Pang Tong’s future mistress. I, Pang Tong, have no need to enmity with Madam. I say this not only for the great cause of the emperor, but also for the great cause of the emperor.
In order for Mrs. Xiao to have a better future, if she does not change her barbarian habits, she will have to suffer the consequences in the end.
If Pang Tong says anything wrong, my uncle, my wife, and all the civil servants and generals in this hall can point it out. I, Pang Tong, have made so many mistakes since I went to the Military Law Office to collect military sticks, and how about dozens of military sticks?"
Xiao Furong stood motionless, picking up her fingers little by little. Sang Ye handed the tea tray to a soldier on guard, and pulled Xiao Furong's sleeve without pulling.
Everyone in the room wanted to find something wrong with Pang Tong, but when he thought about it carefully, although Pang Tong's words were harsh and vicious, they were not picky at all. Shamoko snorted, looked at Pang Tong hatefully, and hit himself with a sledgehammer. head of.
Pang Tong saw that the whole hall was silent and smiled, "In this case, it means that Pang Tong's words are not wrong, but the wrong person does not want to admit his mistakes. This is also common sense. In this case, I suggest that the emperor, Mrs. Xiao, no longer control The soldiers should no longer go out with the army, but should stay in the Mufu in Chengdu and invite some ladies to teach Mrs. Xiao some common etiquette.
At the beginning, people in the world had heard about the debate in Yizhou about Mrs. Xiao being a concubine and a wife. Pang Tong felt that it was unnecessary. Mrs. Xiao, as a barbarian, should not be in the royal family at all. It doesn't matter that the emperor's uncle is just a shepherd in Yizhou now. The most important thing is that it is unimaginable to be a marquis, a king, or even... the daughter of a barbarian whose main wife is a barbarian. She will inevitably be subject to countless unprovoked attacks and give food to her political enemies.
It’s okay for a barbarian’s daughter to be a concubine…”
"Okay, Shi Yuan." Liu Zhang took a deep breath and said impatiently to Pang Tong: "I am tired today, let's talk tomorrow."
"Is your uncle really tired?" Pang Tong could see that Liu Zhang was impatient, but he didn't intend to shut up: "I heard that your uncle was already suffering from a hidden disease, and he often stayed up late to deal with military affairs, just like tonight. Because of this, Only then did Pang Tong feel that the emperor's uncle was someone he could serve. The emperor's uncle really shouldn't make excuses to avoid words he didn't want to hear.
You know, covering your eyes doesn't mean others can't see you.
Xiao Furong is in charge of the army and is the first to intervene in military affairs from the harem. The imperial uncle's family affairs are definitely a major matter in Sichuan Camp."
Liu Zhang was silent.
Pang Tong glanced around. All the generals stood there with numb eyes. They could not refute Pang Tong. They just told Pang Tong with their eyes that they did not accept a word of it. Even those civil servants and generals who usually did not like Xiao Furong now turned their hearts towards Xiao Furong. Pang Tong sighed and shook his head.
"The Sichuan Army's shortcomings are too deep. It seems that no one, including the emperor's uncle, wants to hear it. So I can't say more. Mrs. Xiao has been tutored since she was a child. Her father only taught her how to hunt in the mountains and remove bones and extract meat. For example, Han women have parental restraint, which can only be taught by the emperor's uncle. In time, Mrs. Xiao will be able to know what Han women's virtues are, so that she will not become a laughing stock in front of others like tonight.
That's all, the above four points, as long as the emperor..."
"What did you say?"
Before Pang Tong finished speaking, Xiao Furong, who had been silent all the time, suddenly raised her head and looked at Pang Tong, her eyes flashing, "What did you say?" Xiao Furong asked Pang Tong word by word, with an angry look.
Pang Tong glanced at Xiao Furong, a little confused, and said to Xiao Furong: "Madam, if Pang Tong is wrong, please correct me, and Pang Tong will take responsibility for it."
"You said I can do it, why do you call me daddy?" Xiao Furong shouted loudly, looking at Pang Tong angrily.
Pang Tong said so much just now, Xiao Furong has been silently saying a word. Those words may have been said by the civil and military ministers of Yizhou, but they were just said by Pang Tong at this time. Xiao Furong numbed her mind little by little, and it was in front of the public. Next, try hard not to cry.
But in the end, Pang Tong actually talked about his father. His father indeed only taught him how to hunt in the mountains and remove bones and get meat, but he also taught him the principles of life. Although Xiao Furong tried hard to learn Han etiquette, it was just for the sake of
Liu Zhang, in order not to embarrass him, in order to always be by his side.
But this does not mean that Xiao Furong feels that she was wrong in the past. It does not mean that Xiao Furong appreciates the saintly teachings of the Han people's Three Obediences and Four Virtues. Even in Xiao Furong's heart, she is extremely disdainful of these, just because Liu Zhang forced herself to change.
Father and daughter have been dependent on each other since they were young. They go hunting together in the mountains, drink wine and eat meat together, talk and laugh, fight and make trouble. Ye Wutie is the most unoffending existence in Xiao Furong's heart. This kind of existence is even higher than that of her husband Liu Zhang. Xiao Furong can
I tolerate Pang Tong's criticism of him, but he shouldn't talk about his father indiscriminately.
"Pang Tong didn't mean to offend Madam's father, he was just discussing the matter. If your father had really taught Madam something, Pang Tong wouldn't have to waste so much time talking."
Pang Tong's expression remained unchanged and he showed no fear of Xiao Furong's anger.
"you……"
With a "clang" sound, the white jade sword was unsheathed, emitting a cold light. Mulberry Ye was startled. Fazheng and the generals all looked at Xiao Furong.
Xiao Furong looked angrily at Pang Tong, who looked calm. The delicate hand holding the hilt of the sword trembled. After hesitating for a long time, a tear fell. Xiao Furong finally did not pull out the sword, but returned the sword to its sheath, turned around and ran away.
"Madam..." Sang Ye chased after her.
"Uncle." After Xiao Furong left, Pang Tong turned to Liu Zhang with a calm expression. He did not feel that he had done anything wrong. Instead, he felt that in order to cherish Liu Zhang, a lord who could serve him, he had tolerated too much and left a lot behind in his words.
room.
God knows that Pang Tong originally wanted to use his arrogance to test whether Liu Zhang was really willing to accept him and to consolidate his future status, so he spoke so ruthlessly.
But the further he went, the more Pang Tong felt that for people like Liu Zhang, his arrogance would only have the opposite effect, and he made more and more concessions in order to be effective and successful.
Pang Tong cupped his hands to Liu Zhang and said: "The four chapters of the above agreement are as follows. As long as the emperor's uncle agrees, Pang Tong will be the emperor's uncle's minister. He will serve the emperor's uncle as his lord for the rest of his life. He also promises to capture Xiangyang within one month."
Pang Tong buried his head deeply.
All the generals looked at Liu Zhang. If Liu Zhang nodded, it would mean that Pang Tong had become the leader of the Sichuan Army, and he would have to take orders from this ugly and arrogant man who had great talent.
Everyone is heartbroken.
In private, no one wanted to stay with Pang Tong for one more second, but in public, after seeing how powerful Xu Shu was, these people all knew that the Sichuan Army was in short supply of such a talent.
Liu Zhang's fingers tapped lightly on the table. He also knew that as long as he said yes at this time, Pang Tong, the top strategist of the Three Kingdoms, would be his, and his life would depend on it. In the future, the path of the Sichuan Army would become more complicated.
Extremely smooth.
However, the feeling of difficulty in making a decision at the beginning not only did not disappear, but became stronger. Especially when Xiao Furong's tears fell and the figure turned around, she couldn't get rid of it in her mind.