When Liu Zhang arrived at the gate of Mu Mansion, he saw Pang Tong standing at the door. Liu Zhang got off his horse and asked, "Why are you here, sir?... Could it be that you are here to say goodbye?"
Pang Tong smiled and said: "Pang Tong knew that the emperor would definitely go to see me when he returned home, so I arrived first. I know that it is inconvenient for the emperor to say something. How about we go to the back mountain to talk?"
Liu Zhang nodded.
...Behind the Jingzhou Mufu, there was a small mountain forest, with soldiers scattered everywhere. Liu Zhang and Pang Tong walked up the hillside. The setting sun was hidden deep in the dark clouds, and the dusk was a bit gloomy.
Pang Tong was panting from the exhaustion of the climb. He placed his spear on the mound, sat down on it, weighed it, and said with a smile: "Uncle Emperor, come and sit."
Liu Zhang took a look and sat down. Pang Tong let out a long breath and said, "When Jiangling surrendered to the army, he never expected to sit side by side with the emperor's uncle. Life is so unpredictable."
"Then what do you think of?" Liu Zhang asked casually.
Pang Tong chuckled and said: "At first, I just thought that if the emperor's uncle was really a cruel king who could not see the general trend, I would listen to my uncle's words and overthrow you. At that time, I also thought of many alienation strategies.
, observe the Sichuan Army's military situation every day and analyze the psychology of the Sichuan Army generals.
Otherwise, if the emperor's uncle has great ambitions, breaks the 400-year rule, and makes great achievements, then he will join the emperor's service.
In Pang Tong's heart, the emperor's uncle must be sincere to make Pang Tong fall in love with him. No matter how arrogant Pang Tong is, the emperor's uncle will welcome him barefoot, otherwise, the emperor's uncle is not worthy of Pang Tong's surrender."
Liu Zhang didn't answer and looked quietly at the dark clouds in the west.
Pang Tong smiled forlornly and continued: "But later I discovered that Pang Tong's previous ideas were really too simple, either black or white, white or black. When he was a boy, he imagined in his mind that his perfect lord would be like this.
Only the lord is worthy of serving. Later, I finally discovered that such a lord does not exist at all.
The emperor's uncle is both headstrong and self-willed, but at the same time he has great ambitions and wants to shake the dead tree with his own strength. At the same time, the emperor's uncle also has this ability.
Until now, Pang Tong is just like what Na Yao said while playing chess. Pang Tong is sincerely willing to serve the emperor's uncle, not because Pang Tong's requirements for his lord have lowered, but because the emperor's uncle's behavior has changed Pang Tong.
The emperor's uncle is headstrong, but he has his own goals in his heart. Of course, the counselor hopes to win, how to win, and what he wants the lord to do, but the emperor's uncle is also determined and has his own standards of conduct.
Whether a dead lamb is used for meat or buried, the meat eaters think it is silly to bury it, and the buried lamb feels that eating the meat is ruthless. It cannot be wrong.
The same goes for the emperor's uncle's benevolence towards women. In fact, sometimes it seems unwise, but if you think about it carefully, it is not condensed into your heart. It is precisely because the emperor's uncle is taboo on the outside and lenient on the inside that he has a large number of civil servants and generals who are loyal to him. And this
, which was also one of the reasons why Pang Tong was willing to serve.
Without the emperor's stubbornness towards the family, without the emperor's kindness towards the people, there would be no emperor today. Otherwise, the emperor would be just an ordinary prince. In that case, Pang Tong would not admire the emperor for his kindness.
Ambition, so much nonsense has been said here.”
After Pang Tong said these words in an almost self-deprecating tone, he lowered his head silently. Liu Zhang could see that Pang Tong was very disappointed. Pang Tong and Zhou Buyi both wanted to find a lord in their hearts, but the difference was that Zhou Buyi was very interested in making contributions.
I have no interest, so it doesn't matter if I have a master or not.
Pang Tong, on the other hand, wanted to make great achievements. Even if he abandoned his clan, he still wanted to use his talents. In this way, between his strong utilitarianism and the lack of opportunities, it seemed particularly painful.
Now, Pang Tong finally found a lord who, although not the ideal lord, looked at from another aspect and was more suitable for him than his ideal lord. However, he suddenly found that he could not be loyal and had to leave.
No one can understand this kind of sadness.
Liu Zhang looked at Pang Tong and knew that Pang Tong had understood his choice. After a while, he said: "Shi Yuan, I chose Fan Lixiang and gave up on you. Where will I go from now on?"
"Why did the emperor want to kill the Sima family?" Pang Tong did not answer Liu Zhang's words, but suddenly raised his head and asked.
"The Sima family came to the fore, and Fan Lixiang put the Sima family on the fire. The people hated her so much that I had no choice but to kill him."
"Haha." Pang Tong smiled, "The emperor's uncle can find thousands of reasons to kill the Sima family. The humiliation of Jiangjindu, the hatred of recommending Xu Shu, the sin of abandoning Xu Shu, and Xiangyang's contempt for the emperor, and the emperor's uncle
Those reasons mentioned, but these are not the real reasons why the emperor killed the Sima family."
Pang Tong said with a smile: "Fan Lixiang, Pang Tong knows that the emperor's uncle is not because of Fan Lixiang. Moreover, after returning from playing chess that day, I thought about it carefully. The emperor's uncle behaves in the same way as the emperor's uncle, even if he keeps Fan Lixiang,
Pang Tong was also willing to be loyal, but Pang Tong didn't want to work hard to find his lord anymore. It was very tiring to look for him.
The emperor's uncle could live today without Pang Tong. If Pang Tong was added, wouldn't it mean that Pang Tong was too incompetent just because Fan Lixiang couldn't decide the future? What's more, Fan Lixiang's behavior also made the emperor's uncle jealous.
Heart, isn’t it?
But Pang Tong knows that the emperor's uncle really made up his mind to give up Pang Tong, not because of Fan Lixiang, but because the entire Pang family, the emperor's uncle, is going to take action against the family, right?"
Liu Zhang's face moved slightly. Huang Yueying could see it, and Pang Tong could also see it. Liu Zhang had endured for so long, didn't he just want to force the family to rebel? What about confiscation of land, gold and silver, and the execution of the Sima clan?
The family is driven to a dead end.
Liu Zhang nodded silently.
Pang Tong smiled lightly and said: "Pang Tong can understand the emperor's uncle's approach. Since the emperor's uncle stationed in Xiangyang, there has been no open battle. It's all the family who are thinking about how to confront the emperor's uncle. This kind of confrontation cannot hurt the emperor's uncle."
The muscles and bones move, but they are like mosquitoes on the body. Unless they are killed, they cannot do other things with peace of mind.
Concealing reports and bribery are all relatively minor. Like the Cai clan, this kind of power that has been suppressed is the most dangerous. The emperor's uncle stands in the open. If he keeps fighting with the family and fighting for endurance with the family, the emperor's uncle will
I'm afraid he will have to die in Xiangyang, and may even be bitten by the Cai clan.
That's why the emperor's uncle decided to force the people to rebel. At the cost of tens of thousands of lives in Xiangyang and ten years of economy, he had to let Xiangyang settle down first. It was really courageous.
In fact, Pang Tong admired his uncle very much in his heart. Although Pang Tong was a descendant of an aristocratic family, he hated the aristocratic family with its intricate connections and endless interests. Sometimes Pang Tong was forced to do something by his family, and he wanted to run away from home."
Pang Tong said and sighed: "But if this happens, the Pang family is involved, and Pang Tong can no longer serve the emperor's uncle. This is the real reason why the emperor's uncle gave up on Pang Tong."
Liu Zhang was speechless. Pang Tong was right. From the moment he entered Xiangyang, those self-righteous families began to plot against him. They deliberately let Chen Sheng go, divided his forces with Zhang Yun, bribed, instigated, and dissented in endlessly. Liu Zhang's patience was really
It's almost being polished.
Liu Zhang came out of Sichuan with 100,000 troops. He was not outnumbered because of his rusty mind. Didn't he take so many risks because he wanted to seize the opportunity before the unification of the north? Now that four armies are surrounding him, the Xiangyang family still has to follow.
I am more patient than myself.
Congratulations, the world has won.
Liu Zhang didn't want to waste any more time, and among them, the Pang family was one that he could never escape. They were blatantly no different from the Sima family, and they had many talented people. He had to get rid of them, so Liu Zhang had to give up Pang Tong.
"Before meeting the emperor's uncle just now, Pang Tong had been thinking about whether Pang Tong could abandon his family and abandon everything just to fulfill his ambition. He thought for a long time. Although Pang Tong disliked his family, he finally found that he couldn't."
After Pang Tong finished speaking, he sighed and said in a deep voice: "If the emperor's uncle kills the Pang family, the emperor's uncle will be Pang Tong's enemy."
"However." Pang Tong looked at Liu Zhang and smiled miserably: "Maybe Pang Tong has no chance to become an enemy of the emperor's uncle. Pang Tong is also on the emperor's uncle's execution list, right?"
Liu Zhang remained silent, but his answer was very clear. If someone like Pang Tong were to become his enemy, he would be a serious problem and Liu Zhang would never let him stay.
When speaking to a wise man, there is no need to hide anything.
The two fell into silence again. Pang Tong put his hands on his knees and stared at the ground. He had never felt so lost in more than 20 years. A lord he was willing to serve was right in front of him. He should have followed him and planned his death.
Standing on the general platform, commanding thousands of troops and horses, fighting with heroes in the land of China, becoming generals and prime ministers, so that future generations will remember their names.
However, because of his identity, he stood on the opposite side of him.
At this moment, Pang Tong's hatred for his family deepened. But after all, he was still a member of the Pang family. If he rebelled, how could he watch his family's destruction and surrender to his enemies?
Pang Tong suddenly stood up, turned around and squatted down again, looking at the dark spear in front of him. This was the only gift he got when he joined the Sichuan Army, and it has always been with him.
Before he died, Pang Tong suddenly felt that he had a deep relationship with this spear.
Liu Zhang killed Pang and Pang Tong. Liu Zhang, who was on the high platform today, had already realized the moment he opened his eyes after closing his eyes for a long time, but from the beginning to the end, he never thought about using his own wisdom to resolve the crisis.
The Pang family wants to go against Liu Zhang, which Pang Tong cannot persuade even if he wants to. A big family like the Pang family is spread all over the world, and Jingzhou is just a branch. It is completely different from the small aristocratic families in Jiangzhou. The huge family interests make the family members
He had to fight against Liu Zhang.
If someone dares to disobey, he is an unfilial son, a deviant, a sinner of the family, a public enemy of society, and an object of condemnation. Even the history books will cast aside him.
Pang Tong didn't listen to Pang Degong and tried to subvert the Sichuan army. Pang Tong had already been cursed by Pang Jiaru countless times. How could he persuade him?
The only struggle is that Pang Tong can use his own wisdom to find a way out for himself.
But Pang Tong finally gave up.
The phoenix roosts in the phoenix tree, and the phoenix divine bird is rare to find. As everyone knows, it is also difficult to find the phoenix tree that the phoenix is willing to rest on. The phoenix tree that Pang Tong finally found is gone. He intuitively knows that no sycamore tree is better than this one in this young age, and he feels in his heart
Then he died too.
Pang Tong stroked his spear, the dark and smooth wooden pole. He held it in his hand every day, standing guard, marching, washing clothes, making a fire for cooking. Things that he had never thought about before, he could do with this spear.
A thousand.
This spear witnessed his hardships in the Sichuan camp. At the same time, Pang Tong felt that it was the easiest time he had lived in so many years. Whether he was serving as a soldier for Gao Pei, or doing laundry and cooking.
It is much better than before when I was restricted by the strict rules of the clan and was taught the rules and etiquette of being a leader in the family and completing the family's mission every day.
Pang Tong had long since abandoned the life of the aristocratic family.
"Uncle Emperor, I heard that before Xu Shu died, he gave his uncle a tip and gave him three pieces of advice. Before Pang Tong died, could he also do three things for his uncle? In that way, Pang Tong would be considered a breakthrough for his uncle.
I have tried my best to follow the prescribed path. Maybe, if the emperor succeeds, my name, Pang Tong, will still be in the history books in the future."
Pang Tong's tone was relaxed, but to Liu Zhang's ears, it was filled with infinite sadness. Pang Tong's tone of voice was full of talent, buried in the road, and would be annihilated in the darkness before it could shine in this troubled world.
This is not something a person who is dedicated to making great achievements can bear.
"Shi Yuan, tell me." Liu Zhang left the spear and sat on the grass that had been soaked by the heavy rain for several days.
Pang Tong took out a brochure bag from his arms and handed it to Liu Zhang: "This is to deal with Jiangdong Army, Huang Zu and Zhang Yun. Chen Sheng is the least threatening, but the most troublesome. He is hiding in the deep mountains and old forests. He must be lured."
He can only come out. It depends on how the Xiangyang family behaves.
If the Xiangyang family wants to fight against the emperor's uncle, they must contact the four armies. However, Chen Sheng is different from the other three armies. He is the weakest, but he is the only one who can come on land, so he can only send out all his troops.
And given Chen Sheng's hatred for the emperor's uncle, he would inevitably use all his troops to fight against him.
So as long as the family moves, it will be the opportunity to annihilate Chen Sheng."
Liu Zhang took the brocade bag. There was still a little fragrance on it. It was the same as the one that predicted the seven-day rain, but it was different. He held it tightly in his hand and Liu Zhang felt a little cold.
Why didn't Liu Zhang want to accept Pang Tong? Pang Tong was born in a noble family and hated the noble family. Appointing Pang Tong was much more effective than appointing Li Yan as Xu Shu suggested. It must be a big blow to the hearts of the noble family.
Moreover, Pang Tong's talents are definitely among the best in the Three Kingdoms. With the help of such advisers, the Sichuan Army's road will be much smoother. Otherwise, Fa Zheng would not have been so angry that he pushed himself into the mud.
But if he wanted to implement his own decree and follow the goals set by Jiangzhou, he had to kill the Pang family. Pang Tong was destined to stand on his opposite side.
Originally, the two were not on the same path from the beginning.
"There is also Fan Lixiang. This woman is too obsessed with gaining power and knows how to take advantage of others. She is very clever. In order to stabilize the reputation of the Sichuan Army among the people, the emperor cannot kill her. She will definitely become a trouble in the future, and she is that kind of person.
As soon as it starts, it will cause trouble all over the body.
If the emperor is afraid of this, Pang Tong gives the emperor an idea. Whether he adopts it or not depends on the emperor himself. Fan Lixiang started her career as a leader of the peasant army and has a solid foundation for winning the hearts of the people. She uses the people's hearts to blackmail the emperor.
But my uncle can borrow a sword to attack. If Fan Lixiang is killed by Chen Sheng, or Huang Zu, Zhang Yun, or the Jiangdong Army, my uncle can avenge her entire army."
Dark clouds covered the sky, and soon it became dark. Pang Tong took his spear and went down the mountain. Liu Zhang sat for a while and then went down the mountain with his soldiers. He felt that his chest was tight, as if a big stone was blocked.
About two hundred meters away from the Mufu, in an alley, Liu Zhang suddenly saw a figure sitting under a dim lantern drinking. When he took a closer look, he saw that it was Fan Lixiang. Liu Zhang was greatly surprised.
"Drinking is not allowed in the military, didn't you know?"
The soldiers were guarding the outside of the alley, and Liu Zhang walked in with his strong men. Fan Lixiang glanced at Liu Zhang, and there was no surprise. She stood up and bowed to Liu Zhang, "Shouldn't I come out for a drink now?" Fan Lixiang said with a smile.
: "Master, come and have a drink too?"
Fan Lixiang spoke clearly, and except for her flushed face, there was no trace of drunkenness. However, as soon as Liu Zhang came closer, a smell of alcohol hit his face.
Liu Zhang was puzzled. He really couldn't imagine what could happen in this world that could make the invulnerable Fan Lixiang run into an alley to drink wine.
"It's dark now. As the general, you should return to the army."
"Didn't Pang Tong say anything? I don't know how to manage the army, so I might as well leave it to Chen Ying and Xing Daorong." After speaking, Fan Lixiang sat back on the steps, handed a wine bottle to Liu Zhang, raised her head and smiled at Liu Zhang
He said in a voice: "I saw Pang Tong just now. He was in a state of despair. Was he angry with the Lord?"
Liu Zhang looked at the jug handed to him and was stunned for a moment. He took it and took a sip. Liu Zhang rarely drank since the last celebration banquet in Jiangling. He thought it tasted pretty good.
Liu Zhang sat next to Fan Lixiang, feeling a little bored and not wanting to go back to his room to sleep so early.
"Are you here just to monitor me and Pang Tong?" In other respects, Fan Lixiang couldn't get rid of Pang Tong, but he was no less willing to give in. Pang Tong wanted to get rid of Fan Lixiang, how could Fan Lixiang not?
Cha, with Fan Lixiang's character, I'm afraid she has already been thinking of countermeasures.
"How dare you? I have done something wrong today, and I came here to ask for your lord's forgiveness." Fan Lixiang looked at Liu Zhang affectionately, and her soft voice made Liu Zhang tremble all over, and Liu Zhang tilted his head back: "
Don't do this with me. If you have anything to say, please tell me quickly and then go back to camp."
Fan Lixiang smiled, grabbed the wine jar on the side, held it in her hands, and said in a clear voice: "Has Pang Tong given up on serving the lord?"
Fan Lixiang couldn't hide Pang Tong's dejected look. Liu Zhang nodded, feeling a little sad.
Fan Lixiang looked at Liu Zhang's face for a while, then took a sip of wine. The wine jar was placed heavily between his legs, and the wine in the jar made a clanking sound. Fan Lixiang sighed faintly and said: "In this way, Li Xiang
I really did something wrong, my lord Jingran really gave up on Pang Tong, it’s not worth it.”
"You don't think it's worth it?" Liu Zhang looked at Fan Lixiang and said, "I'm not doing this for you." Liu Zhang took a sip of wine. For someone like Fan Lixiang, Liu Zhang didn't want to lie in vain.