My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 190 A gentleman stays away from the kitchen, so as not to bear the trembling of the

His strategy finally won the approval of Guan Yu and the nod of Zhuge Jin.

Pang Tong could finally breathe a sigh of relief. This was the first time in nearly two years since he joined Liu Bei's camp that he had the opportunity to make achievements in military strategy. How could he not be nervous and expectant?

In history, although Pang Tong also experienced the stage of "talent of a hundred miles" in his early years, it did not last long after all, and he soon became a core strategist.

(Note: It is official history that Pang Tong was a county magistrate when he debuted. The Records of the Three Kingdoms says, "When the first lord led Jingzhou, Tong was appointed as the magistrate of Leiyang. He failed to govern the county and was dismissed." Therefore, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms embellished this experience and made up an extra part: "After Zhang Fei's inspection, he found that Pang Tong was actually very capable of governing Leiyang County.")
After all, Pang Tong in this life still suffered from his age. After all, he was only 19 years old when he first arrived and could only serve as a county magistrate. He waited until he was 21 years old and was able to participate in military affairs, which was considered a cultivation of Zhuge Jin.

Pang Tong was very excited and worked very hard in planning military affairs in the following days. Based on the conclusions of the military meeting that day, he helped Guan Yu design a specific implementation plan.

He suggested that the army should not take any action on the south bank of the Yangtze River for the time being, but only advance north of the Yangtze River, encircle Qichun County, the most advanced county in the north of the Yangtze River, and use the navy on the river to block the communication between Zhu County and Qichun in the rear. Use information to create panic among the defenders in the two places and try to induce them to misjudge.

Then, Pang Tong asked people to spread various news such as "Yuan Shu might escape over Tongbai Mountain, Cao Cao might also chase him into Jingzhou, Liu Bei is ready to attack at all costs to take over Jiangbei and prevent Cao Cao from intervening."

Starting from the siege of Qichun County on April 5th and the blockade of the waterway between Zhu and Qi on April 6th, Pang Tong used this tactic to spread panic for three days, but the effect was not as good as he expected.

Zhang Hu, the defender of Zhu County, did not show any signs of panic. He did not want to send troops to rescue Qichun. The Han army sent people to land to intimidate and persuade them to surrender, but no one responded. They just shot arrows back, and there was no sign of any loosening of their attitude.

This really made Pang Tong, who was using a trick for the first time, feel a little disappointed, or even a little frightened.

Sure enough, there is still a gap between actual combat and theory, especially this kind of psychological warfare. Pang Tong himself was only twenty-one years old and did not have much interpersonal experience.

After Pang Tong calmed down, he quickly summed up himself and came to a conclusion: it must be because his acting skills were not good enough. Many of the psychological warfare methods he explained were too stiff and he could not let go of his hands and feet. He could not create the oppressive feeling of impending storm.

Guan Yu also realized Pang Tong's problem, so he found an opportunity to remind him: Why not try to break through Qichun by force? Qichun is a small county that is not very strong. The Yangzhou army has new catapults and Ge Gongche. If they fight hard, the casualties will be at most a few hundred people, and they can definitely take it.

But Pang Tong thought about it and decided to risk his reputation as a strategist and dissuade Guan Yu, analyzing:
"Please give me a few more days, General Guan. Three days will be enough! If you can assign some more bandits who once served Yuan Shu, I will definitely be able to trick Zhang Hu!

General, please think about this. If we use brute force to capture Qichun, at most we can make Zhang Hu believe that "the Yangzhou army will launch a fierce attack on Huang Zu", but this alone is not enough to shake their determination to fight!

What we need is to make Zhang Hu and other generals in the rear believe that Huang Zu will be attacked from three sides! And we are racing against time!"

Guan Yu heard that he was sincere and his analysis was indeed reasonable, so he gave him another chance, but he was more cautious and asked: "Then what do you want to do with those surrendered generals and soldiers who used to be 'bandits'?"

Pang Tong: "I haven't figured this out yet, but the purpose is to deceive the commander of Zhu County, so we need to be flexible."

After hearing this, Guan Yu couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

A strategist is given the power to mobilize troops, even if the number is small and they are just to carry out deception missions, but he cannot explain the details clearly and is still a little uneasy.

But considering that Pang Tong was recommended by Zhuge Jin and he also helped Zhuge Jin defend Poyang and Chaisang for two years, Guan Yu finally decided to ask Zhuge Jin's opinion.

So he and Pang Tong went to find Zhuge Jin together and told him Pang Tong's needs.

Then Guan Yu asked in a low voice: "Ziyu, do you think we should give up this power?"

Zhuge Jin's eyes turned slightly. He remembered that Pang Tong in history was a person who would do anything to achieve his goals. For example, he advised Liu Bei not to worry about "Cao is violent, I am kind, and I will oppose Cao, then things can be accomplished", and directly seized Yizhou from Liu Zhang.

So at this moment, Zhuge Jin had some vague guesses about what Pang Tong was planning to do.

Perhaps Pang Tong really hadn’t thought about the details yet and wanted to get authorization first and then act on the situation.

Perhaps Pang Tong had already thought about it, but was too embarrassed to say it, so he made an excuse.

If it is the latter, Pang Tong's move would probably be more insidious.

Zhuge Jin could allow strategic deception, but he could not watch Pang Tong squander Liu Bei's reputation, otherwise how would that be any different from Zhang Yi, the devil, consuming King Huiwen of Qin?

So Zhuge Jin said in a neutral tone: "Since we haven't made up our minds yet and the military situation cannot be delayed, we can naturally give Shiyuan the right to act according to circumstances. However, please also ask Shiyuan to sign a military order. No matter what specific tricks you think of to deal with Zhang Hu, you must not do anything to harm the people. Can Shiyuan promise to do so?"

Pang Tong was slightly shocked, thinking that maybe General Fu Bo had seen through his thoughts. This was not surprising.

However, his deception does not necessarily require sacrificing the people. There is always a way to have the best of both worlds. Just agree to it first.

So Pang Tong promised. Guan Yu believed that he would not go back on his word, so he immediately assigned Xu Qian, a surrendered general who was originally a "bandit", to Pang Tong to temporarily obey his orders.

Xu Qian was the guy who had been a pirate in Chaohu Lake with Zhang Duo, and was later forced to surrender by Guan Yu in the Second Battle of Ruxukou.

After Pang Tong thanked him, he turned around and left the tent.

Guan Yu chatted with Zhuge Jin for a few more sentences, exchanged some military information, and then said goodbye.

As soon as Guan Yu left, Zhuge Jin's personal guards were about to come over to clean up the desk and the teacups left by the guests. But Zhuge Jin continued to wave his folding fan slowly, signaling the personal guards to leave first and not to rush to clean up.

Sure enough, just a dozen seconds later, Pang Tong flashed into Zhuge Jin's tent again. He obviously saw Guan Yu leaving and turned back.

Zhuge Jin continued to wave his folding fan, without any surprise on his face. He just used the fan bone to point at Pang Tong's teacup, indicating that if he was thirsty, he could have a few more sips. Pang Tong saw Zhuge Jin's expression and the teacup, and couldn't help but sigh with shame. He was indeed no match for General Fubo in every aspect.

Pang Tong said a few words of admiration and then asked, "General, you don't allow me to harm the people. I'm afraid that it will spread and hurt the reputation of the lord. I admit this.

I just want to ask, if I can pick out a few powerful strongholds located in the valleys upstream of Jushui, north of Zhu County, especially those that are hated by the people and oppress the common people, and let Xu Qian pretend to be a defeated soldier of Yuan army coming from the north to plunder them, and spread the panic that the remnants of Yuan Shu's army have entered the country, this would not be considered harming the people, right?

Let's just do justice for the people. I promise not to harm the poor villages! And as far as I know, when Yuan Shu was in power, he often looted forts and plundered the savings of rich families to provide food and fodder for the army. If this is done and everyone knows it, they will believe that it was Yuan Shu who did it. "

Pang Tong asked this question because he felt that the concept of "common people" mentioned by Zhuge Jin just now was too broad and difficult for him to grasp.

This time, he took the initiative to refine the question. After asking, Pang Tong looked at Zhuge Jin nervously. He was relieved when he saw Zhuge Jin finally nodded.

It seems that General Fu Bo guessed everything!

"A gentleman stays away from the kitchen, as he cannot bear to see it trembling. As long as Shi Yuan does not harm the people and is only acting in the name of justice, you don't need to tell me the details." After Zhuge Jin finished speaking, he closed his folding fan and waved his hand to formally send the guest off.

Zhuge Jin is kind-hearted and cannot stand being timid.

……

After Pang Tong and Zhuge Jin had finalized the implementation terms and disciplinary details, they quickly found Xu Qian.

Xu Qian had also received a notice from Guan Yu asking him to accept Pang Tong's temporary dispatch and carry out Pang Tong's tactical deception mission, so he did not show any resistance.

Pang Tong then took out a map of the surrounding counties and pointed at it to introduce it to Xu Qian:

"Sima Xu should also know that the terrain around Qi and Zhu is cut into several valleys by the Huoshan Mountain (Dabie Mountain) that runs straight to the Yangtze River. Rainwater from the southern foot of Huoshan Mountain converges into rivers in the valleys, and each valley river can support a small county.

Therefore, if the army wanted to go from Qichun to Zhu County, it could not go in a straight line. It was too difficult to cross the mountains, and the heavy carts could not pass. Instead, they had to follow the Xishui River from Qichun into the Yangtze River, then go upstream to the mouth of the Jushui River, and then go upstream into the Jushui River for dozens of miles before they could reach Zhu County.

Although Xu Qian seldom came to the Huoshan Mountain area west of Lujiang, he had lived in the eastern part of Lujiang County for many years after all. He immediately said, "I also know a little about the geography of Lujiang. I'd like to ask County Magistrate Pang to be brief and tell me what you want me to do."

Pang Tong raised his lips, as if he was helpless about the other party's impatience, and continued: "Since Sima Xu also knows that it is difficult to cross the mountains between Qi and Zhu by land, then our army will do the opposite.

You will go from north of Qichun to the west, cross the remnant of Huoshan Mountain, enter the upper reaches of Jushui River north of Zhu County, and then, under the banner of Yuan Shu's remnants, launch one or two surprise attacks and looting on the local forts. Kill the powerful and wealthy families, and leave some of the servants and private soldiers who are guarding the courtyard to break through, and let them go down Jushui River to Zhu County for help.

What would Zhang Hu think when he learned that there were bandits and thieves looting upstream? He must have thought that it was impossible for the Yangzhou army to be in this position. It was only possible that Yuan Shu's army had abandoned their heavy carts and food and fled over the mountains from the north. They were in a panic and had no food, so they burned and looted supplies along the way.

Then, you can pretend to be Yuan Shu and then pretend to be Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry at night, saying that Cao's scouts are chasing after the remnants of Yuan's escaped from the mountains. When we attack Qichun, the defenders of Zhu County will surely feel our determination to save time at all costs, and know that anyone who stands in our way will die."

After listening to this, Xu Qian took a deep breath. This Pang Juncheng was really vicious. Why did he use such a dirty trick just after his debut?

I heard that he was forced by General Fu Bo to sign the military order. If he wasn't bound by the military order, he would probably be even more vicious.

However, despite his emotion, Xu Qian quickly thought of a question and immediately rejected it:
"Impossible, absolutely impossible, Pang Juncheng, your plan won't work! You just said that the road between Qi and Zhu is difficult to travel. How can my people cross the watershed between Xishui and Jushui? You have never walked the road in this area yourself, so you don't know how steep the mountains are!"

Pang Tong still had a calm expression: "I also know that the mountain is steep. I want to deceive people by showing off the steepness of the mountain. As for the method of climbing the mountain, you don't have to worry about it.

The year before last, when General Guan attacked Linli Mountain in Danyang, I was responsible for helping General Guan to arrange logistics. At that time, Kong Ming had developed some mountaineering equipment that made it possible for him to climb cliffs as if he were walking on flat ground.

In the end, General Guan relied on the secret weapons of Kong Ming to bypass Chen Pu's army that was blocking the pass of Linli Mountain Road. Suddenly, the magic army appeared behind the enemy, and General Guan took advantage of the situation to attack the top of the mountain and killed Chen Pu. Later, with this feat, the bandits in Danyang Shanyue dared not rely on the dangers of the mountains and refuse to obey the king, and Zu Lang, Mao Gan, Jin Qi and others surrendered one after another!
The equipment that General Guan used in that battle was no longer useful after the war, so I, who was in charge of logistics, helped him store it in the warehouse and kept it strictly confidential. Later, I further improved it and made more. I will distribute these equipment to you in secret today. Are you worried that your troops will not be able to cross the watershed between Xishui and Jushui? How is this place more steep than Huangshan Mountain? "

After hearing these secrets, Xu Qian's eyes widened.

He certainly knew of Guan Yu's reputation for defeating Linlishan, beheading Chen Pu, and forcing the surrender of Zu Lang, the commander of Jing County. This was also the prelude to Guan Yu's great achievements in "subduing the bandits and the Shanyue bandits in Danyang".

But Xu Qian was not worthy of knowing the details of how Guan Yu was defeated back then. Over the past two years, the legends in the market have become more and more bizarre. In the end, it was said that the Zhuge brothers had the magical skill of climbing mountains and flying as if walking on flat ground, which was why General Guan's troops were able to descend from the sky.

It was not until today that Pang Tong helped Xu Qian to solve the mystery. With this historical credit endorsement, what else did Xu Qian have to worry about? He immediately said that this thing could be done.

Of course, Xu Qian still had some moral concerns, and he asked again, "Pang Juncheng, isn't this too bad? After all, I have followed General Guan and changed my ways from now on. If you ask me to go back to what I did as a thief, aren't you afraid of damaging General Guan's reputation? Now that we have the details of the plan, should we report it to General Guan in the end?"

Pang Tong angrily knocked at him: "Who told you to show off! Didn't we pretend that it was Yuan Shu who did it secretly? If we don't get caught, it will be fine! We didn't harm the people. We just sneak attacked a few powerful strongholds that oppressed the innocent people. We are doing justice for the heavens!"
Besides, you should learn to help General Guan share his worries. Why bother letting him know the details? Think about Zhang Duo, who has been fighting with you for several years. Do you know where Zhang Duo is now? Yes, he is in Minzhong with Buzishan Bu Zhonglang!
Although there has been no news about Zhang Duo recently, I already know that Bu Zhonglang has been appreciated by the lord, who said that he single-handedly stabilized the situation in central Fujian and curbed Sun Ce's southward expansion, and he will surely be heavily rewarded when he returns!

What Bu Zhonglang and Zhang Duo did was not something that could be made public. So far, they have not been able to raise the banner of our army and can only pretend to be "Shanyue righteous army voluntarily helping Wang Lang." However, when the war with Sun Ce is officially declared in the future, Bu Zhonglang and Zhang Duo will surely be reused by the lord.

If we don't share the coach's worries and do things that they are embarrassed to do, how can we get promoted and rewarded quickly? You don't want to fall behind your old rival Zhang Duo, do you? "

The example Pang Tong gave at the end was very convincing. Xu Qian and Zhang Duo had fought for many years when they were bandits in Chaohu Lake. Naturally, these words had a great impact on Xu Qian.

He finally gritted his teeth and said, "We'll do this! If Zhang Duo can follow Bu Zhonglang to do something shady, we can also follow Pang Juncheng to do it! I will organize the troops today. Pang Juncheng, have you brought your equipment for climbing mountains with you?"

Pang Tong: "I have prepared it for you a long time ago. Come with me to get it and then practice how to use it."

(End of this chapter)