My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 461 The Pang Family's Choice
Taishi Ci stood at the bow of the ship, looking at Zhao Yun who had already landed, and asked his adjutant, "Have the scouts been dispatched yet?"

The lieutenant immediately replied, "They have already been dispatched. Report back immediately if anything happens."

Taishi Ci nodded with a somewhat grave expression.

Zhao Yun has successfully captured Jinxiang Port.

Contrary to expectations, there was no fierce battle. The garrison in Jinxiang Port numbered less than three hundred. After Zhao Yun's vanguard rushed into the port, these three hundred garrison soldiers and some civilians fled from the west gate of Jinxiang Port to the main city of Jiangling.

However, while Zhao Yun delivered the good news of capturing Jinxiang, he also brought shocking news to Taishi Ci—Cai Mao had not entered Jiangling, which immediately aroused Taishi Ci's high vigilance.

Starting from Zhouling and heading towards Jiangling, besides the Xiang River, an important branch of the river, there are also large areas of marshes and lakes.

These swamps and lakes, however, can also be used to conceal naval forces.

If the Xiangyang navy were in its complete state, Cai Mao might not have dared to venture deep into these swamps and lakes, because the water depths vary greatly in these places. If he were not careful, his main warships could easily run aground in the middle of the swamps and lakes, resulting in losses.

However, Cai Mao has just suffered a major defeat, and his main fleet has been almost completely destroyed. It is hard to guarantee that he will not be forced to venture into these lakes and marshes due to being pursued by his enemies.

Most importantly, these lakes and marshes are interconnected. When all the lakes and marshes north of the Yangtze River are combined, they form the largest marshland in the world—Yunmeng Marsh.

Once inside Yunmengze, anyone familiar with the waterway can travel to three different locations from here.

One option is to head north into the Xia River, then travel downstream, entering the Yangtze River a dozen miles southwest of Jinxiang, and finally reaching Jiangling.

The second route is to head north into the Xia River, then go upstream along the Xia River, turn into the Han River near Paihu Lake, and continue north to return to Xiangyang. However, this route is shallow and has many marshes, making it easy to get stuck, and it can only be traveled during the high-water season. Once the dry season begins, even small boats cannot cross.

The third option is to head north, cross the Xia River, and continue north until you reach Huarong County in Nanjun. Then, disembark and walk forty or fifty li to reach Jingling City in the middle reaches of the Han River.

Starting from here, continuing north will lead you back to Xiangyang, but along the way, all boats will have to be abandoned.

Taishi Ci sent scouts to find Cai Mao, mainly targeting these three routes.

Taishi Ci frowned and asked the people around him, "What do you all think Cai Mao will do?"

After much deliberation, Jiang Qin cupped his hands and said, "In my humble opinion, the third path is the best option."

"oh!?"

Taishi Ci became interested: "Please teach me, Gongyi."

Jiang Qin replied solemnly, "Cai Mao fled westward without any enemy resistance. If he took the first route, he should have arrived in Tianjin several days earlier than us."

Taishi Ci nodded in agreement and continued listening to Jiang Qin say, "The second route would require abandoning all the ships. After arriving in Jingling, we would have to walk back to Xiangyang because we have lost our ships. Only the third route can guarantee the safety of the ships, although it is a slightly longer route."

Taishi Ci listened and agreed wholeheartedly, and immediately ordered the number of scouts on the third route to be doubled.

It wasn't that he necessarily wanted Cai Mao dead, but with the siege of Jiangling imminent and Cai Mao's troops nowhere to be found, the safety of the attacking forces was seriously threatened, and they had to be on guard.

With the capture of Jinxiang Port by the Yangzhou army, the situation in Jiangling City became increasingly tense.

While Liu Qi conscripted able-bodied men, distributed weapons, and drove them to defend the city, he also urgently ordered the mobilization of private troops from various families in the city.

The Pang family also received Liu Qi's orders, but the person in charge is not yet available.

Pang Degong and Pang Tong were still talking in the secret room when Pang Tong respectfully took out the secret letter from Yangzhou that had been delivered earlier and placed it in front of Pang Degong's desk.

“Uncle, the Jingzhou army has suffered a series of defeats, and its elite troops have been almost completely wiped out. There are only two or three thousand county soldiers in Jiangling City, and the number of retainers of various families is only one or two thousand. Even if we conscript young men, the number will probably be less than ten thousand.”

Pang Tong's words were all true. It was July, and the summer farming season was in full swing. Many large families had even sent their retainers to their estates to work in the fields, and many able-bodied men from the common people would also be going out of the city to farm.

At this time, the city really couldn't muster many men. Not to mention the current state of panic, even if everyone were united, they still couldn't muster ten thousand soldiers.

Pang Degong opened the secret letter and began to read it, but as he read, his face showed no joy; instead, his brows furrowed even more.

"Shiyuan, I'm afraid this letter is not true."

After reading it, Pang Degong frowned and shook his head repeatedly: "What is said in the letter is exaggerated and absurd, and cannot be believed at all."

Pang Tong was stunned and quickly asked, "What absurd thing is your statement, Uncle?"

Pang Degong pointed to the letter and said, "The letter describes the Battle of Zhouling, in which the Jingzhou navy was wiped out and more than 40,000 were captured alive. This is so absurd, how can it be true? Afterwards, they wiped out Liu Hu south of Baqiu, on the shore of Dongting Lake. How boastful and deceitful!"

Pang Tong stared blankly at Pang Degong for a moment before slowly saying, "Uncle, the Yangzhou navy has arrived at Jinxiang. Where is the Jingzhou navy? Where is the Jingzhou expeditionary force?"

"The Jingzhou navy is naturally stationed at Sha..."

Pang Degong suddenly realized what was happening, and his expression changed instantly.

Yes, if the Jingzhou navy was still in Shaxian, did the Yangzhou navy grow wings and fly over?

Even if they were to smuggle themselves across the Yunmeng Marsh, they could only use small boats. Large ships, especially multi-story ships, are extremely prone to running aground.

However, on the river outside Jiangling City, large ships gathered, their sails like clouds, and they did not look like they had crossed over illegally.

Pang Tong then said leisurely, "If the Jingzhou expeditionary force is still under the walls of Linxiang, do you think the Yangzhou navy will come to Jiangling first, or will they go down the Xiang River first to block the tail of the Jingzhou expeditionary force?"

Pang Degong's face turned solemn, and he asked incredulously, "Could it be that everything in this secret letter is true?"

"It must be true!"

Pang Tong said decisively, "Uncle, if the Jingzhou navy hadn't suffered heavy losses, almost being wiped out, why wouldn't Cai Mao's remaining troops have dared to come to Jiangling? If I'm not mistaken, Cai Mao must have known that Jiangling was indefensible and a death trap, which is why he risked crossing the Xia River from Yunmengze and heading north to Xiangyang!"

Pang Degong's fingers, gripping the silk scroll, turned white, clearly indicating he was using extreme force.

Pang Tong's words made a lot of sense; although they were also guesses, they were much more reasonable.

Pang Degong's heart skipped a beat. If his nephew was right, then surrendering the city would be their last chance.

Pang Tong had already told Pang Degong the story of Wu Commandery. The Pang family's status in Nan Commandery was in no way inferior to that of the four great families in Wu Commandery.

Thinking this through, Pang Degong secretly made a decision: "In your opinion, what should we do now?"

Upon hearing this, Pang Tong knew that his uncle was already interested, and immediately declared, "Gather the clan's forces and, while the county troops are all on the city walls, seize the county government. As long as we capture Liu Qi, the mission will be accomplished!"

Pang Degong was startled, clearly moved by his nephew's firm attitude. After thinking it over carefully, he realized that Pang Tong was absolutely right.

Liu Qi, lacking experience, immediately deployed all available troops to the city walls after seeing the Yangzhou army land, neglecting the morale of the people inside the city. Had he followed Pang Tong's plan, the success rate would likely have been quite high.

However, Pang Degong did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked a new question: "Shiyuan, should we contact the Feng family?"

After hearing this, Pang Tong also fell into deep thought, clearly quite conflicted.

As the leading aristocratic family in Nanjun, betraying them at this time without taking their underlings would obviously cause them to lose prestige and make it difficult to explain themselves in the future.

However, when it comes to rebellion, there are many people involved, and even within one's own family, one will only tell the essential elite members, for fear of the news leaking out.

After a moment's hesitation, Pang Tong came up with an idea.

"Uncle, Tong has a plan that may be feasible."

"Nephew, please tell me quickly."

Pang Tong stood up and cupped his hands: "I earnestly request that you, Uncle, personally come out of seclusion and lead the clan's troops to the prefecture to capture Liu Qi. When you take action, I will persuade the Feng family and other families to join forces to seize the city gate."

Pang Degong understood Pang Tong's meaning: the most important thing was still his own safety and the success rate of surrendering the city. He didn't mention it beforehand, but after capturing Liu Qi, he could share the credit with the Feng family and others.

Pang Degong also helplessly believed that Pang Tong's strategy was already the best he could do.

He immediately ordered all the elite members of the Pang family to gather in the hall for a meeting, and at the same time assembled the clan's soldiers, distributed weapons and armaments, and took out the powerful bows, crossbows, and armor from the storehouse.

According to Han law, anyone who privately possessed armor was guilty of treason.

However, by the Jian'an period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, major aristocratic families had already begun to purchase various types of armor to arm their troops, and the local warlords turned a blind eye to this.

After all, at this time, the troops of powerful families were often requisitioned by warlords, and were considered an unorganized army, so they could not be managed as strictly as during the Han Dynasty.

The Pang family had over a thousand clan soldiers, half of whom had gone to their estates outside the city to participate in the summer plowing, leaving only half in Jiangling City. Adding the Pang family's able-bodied sons, the total number was around six or seven hundred. However, according to Pang Degong's knowledge, the prefectural government at this time probably only had about a hundred of Liu Qi's guards and a hundred or so prefectural officials, with no other military forces.

Upon hearing Pang Degong and Pang Tong's decision, all the Pang family members present were shocked.

Pang Degong's cousin, Pang Yu, asked, "Brother Ji is still in Xiangyang, the capital of the state. If we welcome the Yangzhou army, wouldn't that be putting Brother Ji in a deadly situation?"

Pang Degong glanced at Pang Tong, who immediately stood up and replied, "Now that Jiangling is surrounded by Yangzhou soldiers, as long as we keep the news tightly under wraps, Uncle Ji may not be in any danger. Moreover, as long as we can capture Liu Qi, Liu Zhendong will be hesitant to harm Uncle Ji."

Pang Yu lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded, agreeing with Pang Tong's words: "If that's the case, then I'm willing to follow my elder brother's lead."

Then another person, Pang Sui, a contemporary of Pang Tong, asked, "Uncle, the Feng, Wang, Zhang and other families have all sent people to inquire about our attitude toward the governor's orders. How should we respond?"

Pang Degong and Pang Tong exchanged a glance, and the latter said, "We should remember them. After we capture Liu Qi, we can use these troops to take the city gate."

Pang Sui stopped speaking and returned to his original position.

"Very well! If there are no further questions, then today is the day of life and death for the Pang family. Anyone who deserts in the face of battle, even if they are a relative, will be executed!"

Pang Degong immediately got up and assigned tasks.

Although he had not served in office for a long time, he had always been in charge of the clan's affairs, and with Pang Tong by his side to check and fill in the gaps, the plan was quickly arranged clearly.

At the same time, he also sent people to reply to the Feng, Wang, Zhang and other families, asking them to go to the prefectural government first and then discuss matters together.

The Pang family had stockpiled a total of two hundred sets of leather armor and five sets of iron armor, which Pang Degong, Pang Tong, Pang Yu and others wore neatly.

As soon as the gate opened, Pang's retainers swarmed out and headed straight for the prefectural government.

By this time, there were hardly any people left on the streets of Jiangling; the people were huddled in their houses, filled with fear and unease.

The only people left on the road were the officials and soldiers who were conscripting able-bodied men, and the able-bodied men who were being conscripted.

Seeing the Pang family's retainers running rampant, these people dared not stop them, after all, the prefectural government had also issued an order to conscript retainers from powerful families.

Therefore, the Pang family's troops arrived at the prefectural government without any obstacles, which meant that the mutiny was at least half successful.

Upon arriving here, Pang Degong and Pang Tong both secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Their biggest worry was that something might happen on the way, which then alerted Liu Qi.

"Pang Sui, take fifty men to the back gate. Liu Qi must be alive; do not harm him."

Before entering, Pang Degong gave an order, and Pang Sui obeyed and withdrew.

They selected fifty people and hurriedly ran towards the back gate of the prefectural government.

After seeing Pang Sui run far away, Pang Tong accompanied Pang Degong forward.

At this moment, a squad of guards at the gate of the prefectural government had already drawn their swords, clearly startled by the commotion caused by the Pang family.

They only relaxed slightly after Pang Degong came over.

The squad leader hurriedly stepped forward, bowed to Pang Degong, and asked, "Lord Pang, why is there such a commotion?"

Pang Degong suddenly flew into a rage and said, "The magistrate has ordered the mobilization of troops from all families. How dare you disrupt the morale of the army here? Seize him!"

"Yes!"

Suddenly, a group of armored soldiers surged up behind Pang Degong, but they clearly dared not resist and were quickly disarmed and detained.

However, this action immediately attracted the attention of those around them, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Some people even quietly ran towards the mansion, obviously wanting to warn the people in the back mansion.

"Come, bring them with you and come with me to the mansion to meet the Magistrate!"

Pang Degong deliberately shouted loudly, ordering the armored soldiers to bring these guards, creating the impression that he was going to complain to Liu Qi, which actually eased the tense atmosphere.

Soon, the group entered the inner palace and happened to see a group of prominent Jiangling family members talking in front of the hall.

Pang Degong immediately went over and asked, "Gentlemen, you've arrived so quickly. May I ask where the Magistrate is?"

In Jiangling City, Pang Degong was not only the most famous scholar but also the head of the Pang family. These aristocratic youths usually regarded him as their leader, and upon seeing him, they hurriedly bowed their heads in respect.

"The Prefect is still in the back hall, waiting for Lord Pang to arrive so that he can receive us together."

Feng Xi, the head of the Feng family, was tall and imposing, more like a warrior than a scholar. The Feng family was one of the most powerful clans in Jiangling, half scholar and half powerful, and its retainers were even more numerous than those of the Pang family.

(End of this chapter)