Chapter 229 Ponzi's Ambition
There are still some faint traces of winter snow in various places in Lumen Mountain.

Pang Tong and Xu Shu visited various places and while chatting came to the top of a slope overlooking the Lumen Mountain Road, which was the place where they watched the black bear leave.

The winter bushes and grass had been cut away by the scholars studying at Lumen Mountain, so their traces were now obvious.

The mountain breeze blew over, my clothes fluttered, and I felt a chill.

There is also snowfall in the Han River Basin, but the snow is heavy and melts quickly.

The two men looked at the woodcutters cutting dead trees in the distance. Pang Tong's eyes were mainly focused on a few short and thick wintersweets near the mountain wall that were spreading all around.

Xu Shu was recounting what he had seen and heard in Nanyang. A slight breeze covered and blew away Xu Shu's words.

After hearing this, Pang Tong felt that the current situation was becoming increasingly difficult.

The issue of whether Yuan Tan should stay or go triggered a dispute between Liu Biao and his son; during the dispute, the Xu Du side supported Liu Qi.

So Xu Shu was caught in a dilemma: whether to support Liu Bei in persuading Yuan Tan to stay, or to cooperate with the request of the Yingchuan folks and find a way to drive Yuan Tan to Jiaozhou.

The reason why Xu Shu found this problem troublesome was that he was from Yingchuan, and it was other people from Yingchuan who persuaded Yuan Tan to go to Jiaozhou.

Pang Tong heard this and grasped the key to the problem: "So, General Fu Bo is on the same page with Xu Du at this moment?"

"Exactly."

Xu Shu also felt helpless: "Not only Yingchuan, but also people from Runan are lobbying Yuan Tan."

Now Pang Tong understood that the drastic change in Yuan Tan's attitude was most likely due to the statement made by his fellow villagers in Runan.

Everyone thinks that Yuan Tan has great appeal in Runan. Is it possible that during and after the Battle of Guandu, the people of Runan who were inclined towards Yuan were already frightened and weakened by the desire to kill Cao Cao?
Yuan Tan did not have as strong appeal as expected, so he chose to retreat to Jiaozhou and retire early.

But we cannot draw such a hasty conclusion. In fact, if Liu Bei's offensive is fierce enough next year, the people of Runan are very likely to climb up the pole.

Runan is like a pool of clear stagnant water with thick silt beneath the surface.

Now looking at the rejection of Yuan Tan, if a stone really falls on him and the water becomes turbid, who knows what his attitude will be.

They said no, but when Liu Bei really stabbed his sword into Xu Du, the Ruying scholars would definitely have a different attitude.

There is no need to even break into Xu Du. As long as Liu Bei's army repeatedly rubs against Cao's army in Wankou, the attitude of the Ruying scholars will immediately become ambiguous.

Most of the people from Runan who took the initiative to come and see Yuan Tan should be representatives of public opinion chosen by Cao Cao. It is conceivable that their words are insincere.

There were many factors that caused Yuan Tan to change his position and ideas, and the people's representativeness of Runan was only one of them.

Pang Tong frowned and thought, then asked, "Does Liu Jingsheng want to regain power now, or take advantage of the opportunity to disrupt the situation and clear up hidden dangers for General Fubo?"

His questions were tricky and he began to suspect another possibility of infighting between Liu Biao and his sons.

When Liu Biao was unable to win, he would definitely help his son.

Just as Black Bear persuaded Liu Qi, Liu Qi had the least burden in launching a mutiny or a coup.

The same principle applies now. When Liu Biao can't hold on, Liu Qi will maintain his dignity for him.

After all, they are father and son. After the internal strife broke out, Liu Biao helped Liu Qi get rid of the people who jumped the most, and then turned around and killed a bunch of people on his side to give an explanation.

This was just Pang Tong's guess, he couldn't gamble on Liu Biao's conscience.

Xu Shu was also somewhat surprised by Pang Tong's thinking, and considered his tone: "As far as I know, Liu Biao only wants various exotic fragrances and gorgeous clothes. If General Fu Bo can satisfy these, I don't think Liu Biao will do anything extreme. After all, he only has three sons, and the second and youngest sons have no foundation and are not capable of taking on important tasks."

"According to Yuan Zhi's statement, Liu Biao is following the old tricks of Duke Zhuang of Zheng."

Pang Tong said this, but he remained highly vigilant towards Liu Biao in his heart. Killing a son for power was not a big deal for the Liu family.

Unless, killing Liu Biao's other sons, leaving Liu Biao with no choice.

This thought only flashed through Pang Tong's mind, and he immediately gave up.

This kind of thing has crossed the line. People like Liu Qi shouldn't do such a thing, and the people of Jingzhou shouldn't be involved in such trouble.

After Pang Tong's doubts were resolved, Xu Shu asked: "If General Fubo can take over the power, how much help can General Fubo provide when Liu Yuzhou invades the Central Plains next year?"

"Yuan Zhi's meaning is, when Liu Yuzhou attacks Cao Cao next year, how much help can General Fu Bo provide if he is stationed in Xiangyang?"

"Yes, I think General Fu Bo should be able to move to Xiangyang next year and serve as the governor of Jingzhou."

The two of them asked and answered each other, looking at each other.

They had a tacit understanding and laughed together.

Pang Tong laughed heartily, with his hands behind his back, and he breathed a sigh of relief: "With Liu Yuzhou's help, I have nothing to worry about. As for next year, General Fubo will take control of Xiangyang and will be able to send out at least 20,000 troops."

He stretched out two fingers and waved them in front of Xu Shu, and added: "Among them, there are about 5,000 to 7,000 troops who can follow Liu Shijun to fight against the traitors. The rest of the troops will strengthen the Wankou defense line and protect the grain route."

After hearing about 20,000 people, Xu Shu could only nod his head. After excluding Yuan Tan, supporting Liu Qi to replace Liu Biao could exchange for 20,000 people, which would be very helpful for the war against Cao Cao next year.

At least these 20,000 people are visible and tangible.

As for how to deal with the ownership of Nanyang County after successfully defeating Cao Cao and taking over the court in Xudu, the two men tacitly ignored this issue.

After obtaining intelligence from Xu Shu and reaching a cooperation agreement, Pang Tong had no intention of staying and prepared to leave.

Xu Shu was curious and asked, "I have heard many rumors that Hei Zhenbei is the son of Marquis Lu Wen. The battles of Bowangpo and Xiangyang were all led by Marquis Lu Wen, not Hei Zhenbei. How much does Shi Yuan know about this?"

"Does Yuan Zhi want to know for himself, or is he asking for Liu Yuzhou's advice? Or is he asking for the people in the Central Plains?"

Pang Tong turned his head and looked at Xu Shu: "If Yuanzhi asked himself, as a classmate and friend, I can only say that this is a rumor, but the old fellow villagers of Lü Wenhou are indeed close to Hei Zhenbei." Xu Shu said nothing and listened quietly.

Seeing his expression, Pang Tong smiled and said, "If you are consulting for Liu Yuzhou, his subordinate Zhao Zilong knows a lot, so I don't need to elaborate."

Pang Tong looked at Xu Shu with a smile, and Xu Shu said ashamedly: "The villagers asked me to inquire about this matter, and I am also curious."

Seeing Xu Shu speaking the truth, Pang Tong restrained his smile and said, "Whether Lü Wenhou faked his death and escaped, or his son started a business, it is all in the past. As far as I know, Taishi Wengong is even more valiant than Lü Wenhou, and Hei Zhenbei is as wild in using troops as Guanjunhou. As a friend, I can only advise Yuanzhi."

"Please speak."

Xu Shu bowed solemnly and pretended to listen.

Pang Tong also sighed: "I also know that you, Yuanzhi, can't persuade the villagers, but Hei Zhenbei is fierce in using troops, and Cao Cao can never resist him. You might as well persuade your best friends to send their children to Jingzhou to serve General Fubo. In the future, for the sake of General Fubo, maybe you can ask Hei Zhenbei for a favor."

"I will keep this in mind and will never forget it."

Xu Shu bowed again, and Pang Tong also knew how difficult it was for Xu Shu.

Xu Shu was born into a commoner family. When he was a teenager, he carried a sword and was arrested during a fight.

After his companions rescued him and he escaped, he turned over a new leaf and devoted himself to studying classics.

Yingchuan has a strong academic atmosphere, with many great scholars and famous people giving lectures.

However, Xu Shu's background and experience caused him to encounter many difficulties during his studies; it was also because of the many difficulties that the favors that helped him in the past became more precious.

Later, Sima Hui left Yingchuan, and Xu Shu followed him to Jingzhou.

In terms of teachers, Xu Shu was the direct disciple of Sima Hui, and Zhuge Liang was the direct disciple of Pang Degong.

Pang Tong was taught by Sima Hui, but there was no teacher-student bond between them.

After parting with Xu Shu, Pang Tong visited Pang Degong again. After consulting him, he left Lumen Mountain before dark and boarded a boat to Jiangling.

In the cabin, Pang Tong was reading the letter Black Bear wrote to him. It could no longer be understood as a letter, but more like a threat.

Regardless of whether Liu Qi was being plotted against outside Jiangling City or inside the city, Black Bear would take out his anger on the scholars of Jingzhou.

It was a very direct threat. Even if Liu Qi died of an accidental illness due to alcohol and sex, he would still take revenge on the people of Jingzhou.

Therefore, Pang Tong did not have many choices. He could either unite with all parties to wipe out the black bear, or actively assist Liu Qi to kill most of the court factions in Jingzhou to prevent these people from dragging everyone down with them.

Pang Tong had seen the Skeleton's Nest, and he deliberately told this to Zhuge Liang, which was itself a warning.

He could probably guess some of Zhuge Liang's thoughts. It would save a lot of trouble if he drove Zhuge Liang out of Jingzhou in advance while Zhuge Liang was still not firmly established.

Although it would offend the Huang family, Cai family, Kuai family and Ma family, it would also make Zhuge Liang unhappy.

But the situation is different now. Maintaining Liu Qi's rule is more important than anything else.

Black Bear had discussed Jingzhou's population advantage in Jingzhou. If Jingzhou was not in chaos, it would drag on until the later stage, and there would definitely be an opportunity to compete for world hegemony.

Pang Tong didn't want to gamble on any accidents. He just wanted to stabilize Jingzhou and delay the full-scale war in Jingzhou.

During this period, you can provoke anyone, but never provoke the black bear.

It must be delayed for twenty years to buy time for the next generation to grow up. By then, with Jingzhou's abundant manpower and resources, even if we cannot defeat the black bear, we will be able to stop it.

Since Sun Jian led his army north to attack Dong Zhuo, Jingzhou has been in constant turmoil.

It was only in the past two years that nominal unity was restored. Compared with Liu Biao, who was obsessed with maintaining the status quo, or Liu Bei, who insisted on attacking Xu Du to rescue the emperor, Liu Qi had a broad personality and was willing to listen to various suggestions. This made him a very good ruler.

With a neighbor like Black Bear, Liu Qi is almost the most suitable ruler of Jingzhou at present.

For the long-term future of Jingzhou, and also to avoid the bloody revenge of the black bear.

Liu Qi must be saved. If the Kuai family, the Cai family, and the Huang family insist on opposing and cause serious damage to our side, we must also get rid of these evils.

Inside the cabin, it was gradually getting dark.

Pang Tong lit the oil lamp, put himself on Liu Biao's side, and began to think about how to break the deadlock.

This made him miss his experience at Lumen Mountain, when he sat together with a few good classmates and role-played and simulated the confrontation and deduction of various forces.

But now what he was planning was too important, so he didn't dare to trust other people easily.

A secret is only a secret when it is known only to you.

When a second person knows about it, the third and fourth people will appear at any time.

The opportunity for the Pang family to ascend has appeared, and Jingzhou must be guaranteed stability for twenty years.

Even if... even if we can't defeat the black bear in the end, twenty years is enough for Lumen Mountain to train more than a thousand scholars.

With so many elite scholars, even if a new dynasty is established, they can still uphold the Pang family and Lumenshan schools!
Even if he cannot ascend to the sky, he can still influence the power of a state.

Black bears are certainly good at fighting, but if there are other means to achieve the goal, why bother fighting black bears on the battlefield?
The key is to maintain stability in Jingzhou for twenty years.

After that, it no longer mattered whether it was a complete surrender or resistance.

Pang Tong was in deep thought, with no emotion on his face.

(End of this chapter)