Chapter 58: Pang Tong offers another suggestion, showing the power of a top strategist

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In the meeting hall, Liu Wu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Gan Ning, Xu Shu and others were startled and came to the map one after another.

“Shi Yuan, what are you talking about? Cao Cao wants to give up the three states of Guandong? How is this possible?”

Liu Wu couldn’t help but ask Pang Tong first.

“Yes, Mr. Shi Yuan, what nonsense are you talking about? In Guandong, Cao Cao has three provinces, Xuzhou, Yuzhou, and Yanzhou, as well as half of Yangzhou. How could he give it up and go to Guanzhong?”

Zhang Fei said in surprise and dissatisfaction to Pang Tong.

He admitted that Pang Tong brought an army of 100,000 from the Jingxiang aristocratic families, and he was impressed by Pang Tong, but isn’t he talking nonsense now?
Faced with everyone’s doubts, Pang Tong did not care, but carefully observed the map of the Han Dynasty. Sure enough, after looking at all the states in Guandong, Pang Tong really could not find a place where Cao Cao could turn the tables.

If he stayed in Guandong, Cao Cao would have to face attacks from the northern and southern princes. Although the princes in Guandong were all very weak, none of them would be Cao Cao’s opponent.

Finally, Pang Tong set his sights on Xu Du.

In a flash of inspiration, Pang Tong finally understood Cao Cao’s determination to give up the three and a half states.

Son of Heaven!

Emperor Liu Xie is no longer in Xudu!
“Cao Cao has so many talented officials and counselors under his command. He cut off his arm to survive and broke the situation with great courage. It’s really amazing.”

Pang Tong ignored Zhang Fei’s dissatisfaction and questioning, but instead praised Cao Cao’s top strategist.

At this time, Pang Tong bowed to Liu Wu and said:
“My lord, now that we have rescued the emperor, Xudu is almost meaningless, and there is no strategic location to defend in Guandong. The princes in Guanzhong, Liu Biao, and Sun Quan are all attacking Cao Cao. Yuan Tan, Yuan Shang, and Yuan Xi in the north will not miss this opportunity to beat the fallen dog.”

“Therefore, if Cao Cao holds on to Guandong, Cao Cao will be in danger. If Cao Cao draws forces from Guandong to enter Guanzhong, he can take advantage of the situation to suppress Ma Teng, Han Sui, and Gao Gan, and guard each pass, and watch us, the princes of Guandong, fight for territory and kill each other.”

Pang Tong explained to Liu Wu.

After hearing Pang Tong’s explanation, everyone looked at the map together, and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Gan Ning and others all changed their expressions in an instant.

It’s not that they don’t understand any strategy at all. They understood it as soon as Pang Tong gave them a point.

They immediately discovered Cao Cao’s intention.

“Are we just going to let Cao Cao get away like this? Since we already knew what Cao Cao was up to, can’t we just attack now and stop him?”

Zhang Fei said somewhat unhappily.

I finally got the chance to defeat Cao Cao.

Now, Cao Cao is actually leaving.

Pang Tong shook his head and said:
“We can’t keep him here. Cao Cao has 200,000 to 300,000 regular troops under his command, and there are also soldiers from various counties, probably no less than 100,000. If he insists on leading his troops into Guanzhong, we can’t stop him. Now Cao Cao sent Xu Huang to lead the Puyang army to the west to Luoyang, while he himself did not move his troops. Isn’t it just to intimidate us and Liu Biao?”

Pang Tong’s words made everyone feel quite sorry.

But then Pang Tong smiled and said:

“However, it is not without benefit to us. Since Cao Cao is going to retreat to Guanzhong, we already know his strategy. We can make arrangements earlier and occupy as much of Cao Cao’s territory as possible. After all, the territory of three and a half states is the fertile plain of Guandong.”

Pang Tong’s words made Liu Wu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others’ eyes light up.

It has to be said that as soon as Pang Tong said this, everyone immediately became excited.

Yes, Cao Cao withdrew and the territory was ownerless, so they could make the best possible arrangements and occupy it in advance.

“Shi Yuan, just tell me what you think.”

Liu Wu spoke to Pang Tong without hesitation about giving him power.

I have to admit that Pang Tong is worthy of being called a phoenix who is as famous as Zhuge Liang. He is very smart and quick-witted.

Everyone was convinced by Pang Tong and looked at him. This was a good opportunity to expand their territory.

Pang Tong was not polite and said directly:
“Since Cao’s army is going to retreat, then all the states will be empty. We must first determine how many states we need to occupy. After determining it, we will immediately send people to lurk in the key states and counties. Once Cao’s army withdraws, we will seize the important cities before the other princes.”

“Of course, we must understand that we can only defend as much territory as possible. We cannot be greedy. Otherwise, we will become the target of public criticism and the target of attack by Liu Biao, Sun Quan, Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan and others.”

After Pang Tong said this, everyone understood.

So, everyone excitedly began to divide Cao Cao’s three states of Yuzhou, Yanzhou and Xuzhou on the map of Guandong. As for the other half of Yangzhou, it was subconsciously abandoned by everyone.

You have to give up.

The truth is, Nanyang’s military strength is limited, and Sun Quan has an army of 100,000 ready to capture the entire Yangzhou and even rule the Central Plains.

If they competed with Sun Quan for Yangzhou at this time, Sun Quan would definitely overturn the table.

Therefore, Yangzhou was directly abandoned by everyone, and they turned their attention to the three states of Yuzhou, Yanzhou and Xuzhou.

Zhang Fei shouted excitedly that he must take the three states. If he didn’t take action now, when would he take action? It would be a gift for nothing.

Guan Yu immediately refuted: “With the current Nanyang military strength, we can’t hold on to the three states under the watchful eyes of the princes. Let alone three states, even holding on to two states will be difficult.”

It’s not that Guan Yu’s appetite has become smaller, but that Guan Yu has a clearer understanding of the current military strength of Nanyang.

To be honest, with the current military strength of Nanyang, if they fight with all their strength, they will probably be as strong as Liu Biao and Sun Quan.

It is simply impossible to control too much territory.

“So, we can only choose one state? Isn’t that too bad?”

Gan Ning said rather unwillingly.

Now Gan Ning has placed all his loyalty and future on Liu Wu. He could have taken the opportunity to expand his territory, but he could only take over one state. This made Gan Ning quite distressed.

Liu Wu also frowned.

However, at this time, Pang Tong, who had been looking at the map, said:

“No, we can at least occupy two states of Cao Cao’s territory. We can take Yuzhou and Yanzhou. As for Xuzhou, it’s a bit far, so we can give it up!”

“Ok?”

Hearing Pang Tong’s sudden words, everyone looked at him and became more alert. Did they hear the words Pang Tong used, “At least we can occupy two states”?
At the very least?

“Mr. Shi Yuan, I, Zhang Fei, admire you. If you have any good ideas, please tell me quickly.”

Zhang Fei was excited and hurriedly said to Pang Tong. At this moment, Zhang Fei felt that Pang Tong’s ugly face was exceptionally handsome.

I’m afraid that if Pang Tong asked Zhang Fei to pour wine at this time, Zhang Fei would do it without hesitation.

After all, right now, the decision at this time may involve the territory of one or two states, which is no joke.

Before, they fought to the death with Lu Bu and Cao Cao, wasn’t it just for a few counties and a state?

Now, Pang Tong was actually confident that he could allow them to occupy at least two states, which surprised them.

Pang Tong did not hesitate and said:
“We can give up Xuzhou.”

“If we in Nanyang take Yuzhou and Yanzhou, the enemies we need to face are Yuan Shang of Jizhou in the north, Liu Biao of Jingzhou in the south, and Cao Cao who has retreated to Guanzhong in the west. We can actually hold on by defending Puyang in the north and Wancheng in the south.”

Pang Tong’s words made Liu Wu, Xu Shu and Guan Yu frown.

There are not many regular troops in Nanyang now, only about 30,000 to 40,000 regular troops. In fact, to be honest, with this amount of troops, it would be a bit difficult to occupy an entire state.

According to Pang Tong, by holding the two strong cities of Puyang and Wancheng, one in the south and one in the north to resist the armies of Liu Biao and Yuan Shang, they could maintain the territories of Yuzhou, Yanzhou and Nanyang County. However, this was undoubtedly playing with fire on a tightrope.

What if Liu Biao and Yuan Shang attacked Wancheng and Puyang?
No matter how powerful the two states are, they still have a large army. At that time, if they were short of troops, they would not be able to take care of both ends, right?
Seeing that everyone was looking at him in surprise, the smile on Pang Tong’s face became even more intense.

“As the saying goes, the best strategy is to attack the enemy’s plans and make friends with those far away and attack those near. We are actually trying to grab chestnuts from the fire by occupying two states. In fact, even if we occupy any state of Yanzhou or Yuzhou, we are still trying to grab chestnuts from the fire. Cao Cao, Liu Biao, and Yuan Shang will all regard us as enemies.”

“Then, with so many enemies and so strong, what’s the difference between us having 40,000 regular troops and having 100,000 regular troops?”

Pang Tong’s voice reached the ears of Liu Wu, Guan Yu and others, making them all frown.

However, they did not feel that Pang Tong was trying to undermine their fighting spirit. It was clear from Pang Tong’s words that he had other considerations of his own.

Sure enough, Pang Tong continued:
“Whether the princes can survive in this chaotic world does not depend on the number of soldiers they have, but on their understanding of the general trend of the world.”

Pang Tong pointed to the two states of Yuzhou and Yanzhou on the map and said:

“Since there is an enemy Yuan Shang in the north, let’s get rid of Yuan Shang. This way, we will have no enemies in the north.”

“There is Liu Biao in the south, who may pose a threat. We have already established a connection with the Jingxiang family, so let’s replace Liu Biao and take Jingzhou into our possession in one fell swoop.”

“In this way, the crisis in Jingzhou and Jizhou has been resolved. Can we take Yuzhou and Yanzhou into our pockets?”

Liu Wu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others understood Pang Tong’s words, and they all felt a bright future ahead.

They all instantly felt that Pang Tong’s words made a lot of sense.

That’s right. If there was a threat from the north, we solved it. If there was a threat from the south, we solved it too.

They have few soldiers, so there is no problem.

“Mr. Shiyuan, what you said is very good and makes sense. However, Yuan Shang is the governor of Jizhou. How do we deal with him?” Zhang Fei reacted and immediately started yelling.

Facing everyone’s gaze, Pang Tong smiled and said:
“Who has a grudge against Yuan Shang?”

“Yuan Tan, haven’t these two brothers been fighting all the time?” Zhang Fei replied subconsciously.

Liu Wu, Guan Yu, Gan Ning and others were all shocked when they heard this.

“Haha, that’s right. We can lure Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan into a war. In this way, our crisis in the north will be resolved.”

Pang Tong told everyone about his plan and said:
“Didn’t I just say that we don’t want Xuzhou anymore? However, it doesn’t mean we don’t want it anymore. We still need to take it first. This requires General Guan to take action. General Guan, you will have 3,000 soldiers and horses. Lurk in Xuzhou. When Cao’s army withdraws, take the opportunity to take Pengcheng, Xiaopei and other important towns. Then immediately put up your big flag and show the momentum of thousands of soldiers and horses, so that he will be unsure of how many troops there are.”

“General Guan has already intimidated the Han Dynasty. Even if Yuan Tan wants to send troops, he dares not do so for the time being. We can form an alliance with Yuan Tan and agree to attack Yuan Shang together. The condition is that we will not only hand over Xuzhou to him, but also support him in taking Jizhou and let him inherit everything his father had when he was at his peak.”

“At that time, even if we only ally with Yuan Tan on the surface, Yuan Shang will be panicked and will send troops to fight Yuan Tan to decide the outcome first. He will definitely not attack us southward, because he is afraid that Yuan Tan will attack Jizhou when the army moves southward.”

“Yuan Shang may even come to Wancheng and ask us to support him instead of Yuan Tan.”

Pang Tong stroked his beard and talked about his plan with a smile. In the hall, Liu Wu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Gan Ning, Zhao Yun and others were overjoyed when they understood Pang Tong’s plan. It must be said that they felt that Pang Tong’s plan was indeed ingenious and could even trigger a life-and-death battle between Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan.

“Shi Yuan is extremely talented and intelligent, worthy of the title of Phoenix Youngster. I admire him.”

At this time, Xu Shu bowed to Pang Tong with great admiration and shame, and said.

At this moment, Xu Shu felt ashamed in his heart. He, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were all appointed as Military Advisor and General of the Central Army by Liu Wu, and their status could be said to be equal.

However, Pang Tong had immediately noticed that Cao Cao wanted to retreat to Guanzhong, and even quickly drew up a blueprint for Liu Wu, but he had not reacted yet.

This made Xu Shu feel the gap. Xu Shu felt that he had just given up military affairs and turned to literature. After studying for several years, he was still far inferior to Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

“Haha, what’s the big deal? The most urgent task is to verify and confirm that Cao Cao is really going to retreat to Xudu. We will immediately send troops to various places and take over Cao Cao’s Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and Xuzhou immediately after Cao’s army retreats.”

Pang Tong did not sense Xu Shu’s shame. Instead, he felt elated by Xu Shu’s compliment and he enjoyed this feeling.

“Shi Yuan is right. Although Cao Cao has shown signs of retreating to Guanzhong, this is mostly our inference and needs to be verified. But how can we verify it?”

Liu Wu took over the conversation and asked everyone.

“General, this is easy. If Cao Cao retreats to Guanzhong, he will definitely move to Xudu. It will cause a lot of noise. We can find out if we have people investigate carefully. Xudu is also close to Wancheng, so we will find out soon. It is very suitable.”

At this time, a young voice sounded, and it was Yang Xiu, the son of Yang Biao, who spoke.

As soon as Liu Wugang asked, Yang Xiu gave a quick reply. It was so quick that everyone’s eyes lit up and felt that it made sense.

Pang Tong looked at Yang Xiu in surprise and said, “You are quite quick-witted. Not bad, not bad.”

In response to Pang Tong’s praise, Yang Xiu held his head high.

Although Yang Xiu admired Pang Tong’s ability to plan and fight, he was not bad either. He knew everything about poetry and songs. In Xudu, who didn’t know Yang Xiu’s talent?

“Immediately send someone to inquire about the situation in Xu Du and see if Cao Cao really wants to retreat to Guanzhong!” Liu Wu gave the order without caring about the pride of Pang Tong and Yang Xiu.

(End of this chapter)