The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 26: The Serious Pang Tong Makes His Debut
Cao Xuan was thrilled by Liu Bei's promise.

The phrase "Since ancient times, all men have died, but a man without integrity cannot stand" filled Cao Xuan with even greater respect.

"It is my greatest fortune to serve General Zuo!"

To show determination.

Cao Xuan immediately returned home and handed over to Liu Bei the ownership documents of his land, houses, workshops, slaves, and other assets, as well as the account books of money, silk, and grain. He also sealed the money, silk, and grain for Liu Bei to count.

Except for the fact that he did not have a younger sister who married Liu Bei, the story is just like the old story of Mi Zhu.

"Although Cao Xuan came from a humble background, he was exceptional in judging people and situations and in dealing with people. He was also good at managing his family business and knew how to be righteous and principled. If he could be used properly, he could also be a talent for governing the state."

The approving voice rang out; it was Pang Tong.

Hear the words.

Zhuge Liang subconsciously thought of Ma Su.

If Ma Su's abilities had not been overestimated and he had not been entrusted with such an important task, there would have been no regrets at Jieting.

Mind this.

Zhuge Liang asked, "Is Shi Yuan's evaluation of Cao Xuan too high? If we overestimate his abilities and entrust him with important responsibilities, it will surely lead to disaster."

"Not so!" Pang Tong laughed loudly: "The world is in great chaos now, refined virtues are declining, and there are few good people and many bad people."

“If we do not praise and publicize the people and things that are worthy of praise, we will not be able to inspire people to admire the good way; if no one admires the good way, there will be fewer and fewer people willing to do good.”

"If we want to promote good morals and improve the world, we should cultivate the reputation of those with aspirations. If five out of ten people improve themselves as a result, then there will be five more virtuous people in the world."

"Isn't it beautiful?"

Zhuge Liang considered the risk management of specific matters. Based on the regret of the Jieting incident, he paid more attention to the prudent assessment of Cao Xuan's actual abilities, worrying that overestimating Cao Xuan's abilities might lead to mistakes in personnel selection, which in turn would cause the failure of specific matters.

Pang Tong, on the other hand, considered the overall social atmosphere and believed that in chaotic times, it was necessary to actively promote "refined ways" and encourage more people to emulate them by praising talented individuals like Cao Xuan.

One is the Legalist pragmatism of "using people according to their abilities," and the other is the Confucian idealism of "governing the world through education."

Although they are from different perspectives, they each have their own logic.

"It's too superficial."

Zhuge Liang immediately realized he had misunderstood Pang Tong and readily admitted his mistake.

Pang Tong gently shook his head: "Kongming, we have known each other for many years. With your understanding, I don't need to say more. You have been working too hard lately."

With Che Zhou relinquishing power, Zhuge Liang had even more responsibilities to manage.

In addition to his original duties of strategizing, managing finances, procuring provisions, manufacturing weapons, and training troops, Zhuge Liang also had to adjust government orders, rectify official corruption, collect taxes, and provide relief to starving people.

He had to be involved in everything, big or small.

For example, today, when they came to check Cao Xuan's documents and account books, Zhuge Liang could have avoided coming to verify them personally, but he still came anyway.

"Kongming, governing a prefecture is like managing a household; one must distinguish between primary and secondary matters."

"For example, if the head of a household commands from the center: servants farm and cook, chickens and dogs crow at dawn to warn, and oxen and horses carry heavy loads and people, each in its proper place, then everything will be well done."

“If the head of a household personally wields the plow and cooks, even if he exhausts his energy, all other businesses will fall into disarray. It is not that the head of a household is less capable than servants, chickens, dogs, cattle, or horses, but rather that this violates the principles of being the head of a household.”

"Kongming was in charge of money, grain, and military equipment, as well as the rectification of officialdom. He even had to take care of disaster relief. He stayed up all night proofreading documents. Even with the wisdom of Zhang Liang and the bravery of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, how could he have lasted long?"

"Although Xu Yuanzhi, Jian Xianhe, Sun Gongyou, Mi Zizhong and others are not as talented as Kongming, they can still be entrusted with tasks. Kongming only needs to uphold the principles, and even the weight of Mount Tai can be reduced to a feather."

Hear the words.

Zhuge Liang couldn't help but sigh.

Zhuge Liang was not unaware of what Pang Tong said; during his more than ten years as prime minister, a man named Yang Yong had also offered advice. However...

After the defeat at Jieting, Zhuge Liang dared not easily entrust matters to others and gradually developed the habit of personally handling everything.

Although I've returned to being eighteen, the habits I've developed over the years won't disappear.

Moreover, the current situation is extremely precarious.

Zhuge Liang dared not be careless, fearing that Liu Bei would suffer another defeat and lose his wife and soldiers.

Therefore, Zhuge Liang was under a lot of pressure during this period!

By personally handling every matter, Zhuge Liang could gain a comprehensive understanding of every detail, thereby reducing the risk of Liu Bei's defeat and the loss of his wives and soldiers.

"Shiyuan, when do you plan to work with Liang?"

Zhuge Liang asked the question again.

In terms of talent and comprehension, Pang Tong far surpassed Xu Shu, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Mi Zhu, and others.

Although he had only been training for a few months, Pang Tong's administrative skills had already surpassed those of Jian Yong, Sun Qian, and Mi Zhu, who had followed Liu Bei for many years.

"Kongming, I'm trying to give you advice out of kindness, but you're making me suffer instead!" Pang Tong was speechless. "If it weren't for my sister-in-law's sake, I definitely wouldn't have given you this advice."

Zhuge Liang couldn't help but laugh and said, "Shiyuan and I are of the same mind and lineage. Although I want to uphold the fundamental principles, I cannot do without Shiyuan's help to make the weight of Mount Tai as light as a feather! I will recommend him to the General!"

Although he claimed he didn't want to work hard, Pang Tong didn't refute it again.

Firstly, Pang Tong had undergone several months of training, combining theory with practice, and gaining a deeper understanding of practical matters.

Both of these points were based on Pang Tong's months of observation of Liu Bei, during which he recognized Liu Bei's ambition and virtue.

The third reason was that Pang Tong couldn't bear to see Zhuge Liang handling everything personally and working tirelessly day and night.

Furthermore, seeing today that Zhuge Liang's thoughts are too focused on "using talents according to their abilities" while neglecting "educating and governing the world," I suddenly realized that Zhuge Liang has been under so much pressure lately that he doesn't even have time to talk about his ideals.

It was not Pang Tong's wish for Zhuge Liang to become ill from overwork.

Seeing that Pang Tong no longer objected, Zhuge Liang was overjoyed and stood up to take Pang Tong's arm: "With Shi Yuan's help, I have nothing to worry about. You may come with me to see the general."

Pang Tong pushed away Zhuge Liang's arm, feigning "disdain," and said, "I'm not used to arm-in-arm with people. If I were to see you now, General, you'd be up all night proofreading documents again. Let's get down to business first, then we can drink and sleep soundly tonight."

Zhuge Liang laughed loudly: "It was my oversight. It has been a long time since I have competed with Shiyuan. Today is a good day to test our skills."

As a brilliant talent from Jingchu who was on par with Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong's abilities were beyond doubt.

Although he was far inferior to Zhuge Liang, who was fifty-four years old and had a wealth of hindsight, he was far superior to Xu Shu, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Mi Zhu, and others.

When Pang Tong is focused, his efficiency is terrifying.

As dusk approached, Cao Xuan had finished checking and verifying all his documents and account books.

"If it weren't for Shiyuan, Liang would have had to stay up all night proofreading again."

Zhuge Liang stretched his muscles and felt refreshed. He felt both the joy of Pang Tong's preparation to serve Liu Bei and the comfort of Pang Tong sharing the burden.

"Kongming, don't be too happy yet! You should think carefully about how to give General Zuo a reasonable explanation." Pang Tong smiled and said, "Now, my identity is your study companion."

Zhuge Liang laughed: "General Zuo has always been magnanimous. If he knew that Shi Yuan was no longer hiding his identity, he would be overjoyed and would not blame him."

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(End of this chapter)