The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

What the hell?

Wu's generals took the initiative to request an audience with the Yue people.

Pan Lin paused for a moment before asking, "What are they doing here?"

The sentry replied, "The two didn't say anything, they just said they wanted to talk to the commander in person. They asked if we could see the commander or not. If not, I'll take my men and drive them away."

Pan Lin laughed and said, "Our mountain stronghold is really lively today, bring him in."

After saying that, he returned to the table, ready to put on airs, only to find to his dismay that the table in front of him had been sawed in half. He shouted unhappily, "Eldest brother and seventh brother, take this piece of junk out and bring in a new one. It's so embarrassing for the guests to see this."

Wang Tao was still in shock at the sudden arrival of Zhou Xun and Zhuge Ke. It wasn't until Pan Ren called him several times that he reacted and hurriedly went to work.

The table was quickly rearranged, and Wang Tao said again, "Father and elder brother, since you have guests, I won't disturb you any longer. Farewell."

Pan Lin hadn't gotten the farm tools he wanted yet, so how could he let him leave? He quickly shouted, "You stay right there! If you dare to run around, I'll break your legs. Boss, keep an eye on him."

Pan Ren reached out and put his arm around his neck, forcibly pressing him down in front of his desk like a chick, before asking, "Father, what do you think Zhou Xun and Zhuge Ke want from us?"

They are the Yue people from the mountains, and they are the experience points for Wu generals to gain military merits. They used to fight them as soon as they met. Why are they coming to our door today?

Pan Lin sneered, "What else can they do? They get beaten up by the Han army and come to us for help."

"General Guan Yu was truly remarkable. He actually marched all the way from Jingzhou to Jianye. And Guan Xing, that greenhorn with only two or three thousand rabble, managed to annihilate Zhang Cheng's army of over ten thousand. Amazing!"

Wang Tao: "..."

When Guan Yu is mentioned, he is respectfully called General Guan Yu, but when Guan Xing is mentioned, he is called a brat?

Pan, are you getting too cocky?

For Wang Tao, Guan Xing was the third person besides his mother and sister to give him respect and care. He was a ray of redemption in his dark life, and his importance to him was far greater than that of his father, Pan Lin, who had no feelings for him whatsoever.

That damned Pan Lin dared to belittle his benefactor to his face; it's unforgivable.

Pan Ren asked in surprise, "Are you kidding me? You want our help to fight the Han army? We can't beat the Wu army, and the Wu army can't beat the Han army. Where did Zhou Xun and Zhuge Ke get the idea that we can beat the Han army?"

Pan Lin shook his head and said, "Never mind, let's talk about it when they arrive."

Soon, two elegantly dressed young men were brought into the room; they were Zhou Xun and Zhuge Ke.

Upon entering the room, the two looked around and the first things that caught their eye were a shovel, a hoe, and a saw. These items were out of place with the room's environment and looked quite out of place, thus attracting their attention.

The two men didn't pay any attention; they were there to do business, not to look at farm tools. So they quickly looked away and scanned other places. They didn't think much of Pan Lin and Pan Ren, but when they saw Wang Tao being carried under Pan Ren's arm, they were startled and stunned.

As a servant of the Zhou family, Zhou Xun did not know Wang Tao before, but after being captured, Wang Tao transformed into Guan Xing's personal guard, following Guan Xing around every day, so he couldn't help but recognize him.

Why would Guan Xing's personal guards be here? Could they also be here to win over Pan Lin?

The two men exchanged a glance and immediately felt immense pressure, but they had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to bow, saying, "Zhou Xun (Zhuge Ke), the Cavalry Commandant under General of the Cavalry (Sun Quan), greets Commander."

Pan Lin leaned back in his chair with an air of superiority, staring at the two men and asking, "What brings you two gentlemen to my Black Dragon Ridge?"

Zhou Xun said, “The commander is an open-minded man, so I won’t waste any more words. I am here on the orders of General Zhang Cheng to invite the commander to come out of the mountains and join us in attacking the Han army. After the mission is accomplished, General Zhang Cheng is willing to petition the General of the Cavalry to appoint the commander as the General Who Subdues the Barbarians.”

Pan Lin laughed and said, "General Who Subdues the Barbarians, that's very tempting, but I have a question for you to answer, Young Master Zhou. You've come to me because you can't defeat the Han army, or you don't think you're confident you can defeat the Han army, so you want to pull me into your scheme. If you could defeat the Han army, you wouldn't have come to invite me, right?"

"So here's the question: if your Wu army can't even defeat the Han army, what makes you think I can?"

These days, nobody's a fool; no matter how tempting, you still need to be alive to enjoy it.

Zhou Xun laughed and said, "Last time we were careless and accidentally fell into Guan Xing's trap. This time, General Zhang Cheng is leading 50,000 troops south. Does the commander think that General Zhang Cheng, who is leading troops for the second time, will make the same mistake as last time? Do you think that Guan Xing's 10,000 surrendered soldiers can defeat our 50,000 troops?"

"To be honest, General Zhang Cheng did not want the commander to lead his troops out of the mountains to fight Guan Xing to the death. He just wanted the commander to block all the roads into the mountains so that Guan Xing could not escape into the mountains after his defeat."

"In other words, General Zhang Cheng did not want to defeat the Han army, but to annihilate the Han army and capture Guan Xing alive, which is why he asked the commander for help."

"Moreover, there's no need to go out and attack; simply blocking the mountain roads to prevent Guan Xing from entering shouldn't be difficult for the commander, right?"

Pan Lin tilted his head and pondered, "It's not difficult, but General Guan Yu is currently occupying Jianye, and you haven't been able to take it back for a long time. The situation between the Han and Wu armies is so deadlocked that it's really not a good time to choose sides. What if we choose the wrong side?"

Zhou Xun shook his head and said, "The more unclear the situation, the greater the benefits of choosing sides. What would we need you for if the situation were clear?"

"If the commander wants to join Guan Yu, he can, but the question is whether Guan Yu will offer more than we do. Guan Yu and his son are strict in their military discipline. If you join the Han army, the commander will not be as carefree as he is now."

"As for not surrendering to either side and continuing to hide in the old nest and watch the tigers fight, Zhou advised the commander-in-chief not to have such thoughts."

Pan Lin asked in surprise, "Why?"

Zhou Xun laughed and said, "Because when great powers are at war, they cannot allow small countries to stand by and watch. If Commander Qu doesn't take sides, we will definitely join forces with Guan Xing to destroy you first. I think Commander Qu should understand this principle."

“You don’t even need to unite. With just a little effort, they can crush you. For example, they can support one of your sons, or a powerful chieftain who is at odds with you and covets your position.”

"Chieftain, you must be almost sixty this year. As you get older, you're finding it increasingly difficult to control the various villages of the Yue tribes. If you continue to stay in the village, how much longer do you think you can live?"

"A toothless tiger is not even as good as a cat. As soon as you show signs of fatigue, your successors will pounce on you and tear you to shreds. But if you accept the title of General of the Cavalry, I dare not say anything else, but at least you can enjoy your old age in peace."

"Our conditions are already on the table. If you don't agree, Commander, please give us a straight answer. After all, everyone is quite busy."

After Zhou Xun finished speaking, he walked to the table and sat down, puffing out his chest and looking directly at Pan Lin, as if he was ready to leave immediately if things didn't go his way and wouldn't waste a single word on him.

It must be said that Han officials were arrogant and domineering in front of foreign tribes, asking for favors with an air of superiority and haughtiness.

Faced with Zhou Xun's intense gaze, Pan Lin backed down, avoiding his eyes and falling into deep thought.

Zhou Xun is right. The leaders of the Yue tribes compete for their positions. He is getting older and older, and his sons and the chieftains under him are becoming more and more restless. If he doesn't do something soon, he might be killed by his sons and subordinates tomorrow.

Surrendering to Wu was different; once he donned official robes, he gained legal protection, and those rebellious sons and subordinates would have to consider the consequences if they wanted to harm him again.

For the sake of his later years, Pan Lin immediately slammed his fist on the table and said, "I agree to your conditions, but I will only block the roads and not participate in the war."

Zhou Xun pointed at Wang Tao opposite him and said with satisfaction, "Congratulations, Commander, on making the right choice. Now, Commander, please kill this spy sent by Guan Xing to show your sincerity!"