Chapter 218: Once the pledge of allegiance is submitted, the dragon and phoenix are gathered! The weak soldier is the weak point! The father is kind and the son is filial, but each has his own ulterior motives!

"General Zuo can choose a general who surrendered from the Sun clan, and use the excuse of surrendering to Sun Quan as a pretext to lead a troop into Lu'an City and act as General Zuo's internal support."

"At that time, General Zuo's special forces can make a long-distance attack and directly attack Lu'an. With the cooperation of the insiders, they can quickly break through the city and capture Lu'an in one fell swoop."

"By the time Lu Bu got the news, General Zuo had already taken Lu'an and continued to march north to besiege Yangquan and threaten Shouchun City."

"Although Yangquan is a barrier upstream of Shouchun, after Cao Cao withdrew his troops, there are less than 2,000 soldiers and horses left in the city."

"If Lü Bu rescues Yangquan, Chengde City will be undefendable. General Zuo will be able to take Chengde and march north from Feishui to besiege Shouchun."

"If Lu Bu does not rescue Yangquan, this small force can capture Yangquan and reach Shouchun."

"Lü Bu has few soldiers and cannot take care of both the east and the west. In the end, he has no choice but to retreat to Shouchun."

"By that time, General Zuo's two armies will be able to calmly meet up in Shouchun and encircle Lu Bu. It won't be long before we capture Huainan!"

Pang Tong laid out his strategy in a confident tone.

Old Liu stared at the map, chewing on Pang Tong's advice, and a look of surprise gradually appeared on his face.

Zhuge Liang, Lu Su, Lu Xun and other counselors soon realized the ingenuity of Pang Tong's plan and could not help but praise it.

Xiao Fang nodded slightly, secretly approving in his heart.

Fengchu is worthy of being Fengchu. This strategy alone is enough to prove that his wisdom and talent are comparable to Zhuge Liang.

The strength of my brother-in-law is that he is an all-rounder. He is good at commanding the army, governing the government, and making strategic plans.

The only thing that is slightly inferior to Pang Tong is probably the specific micro-management of tactics.

The strategy Pang Tong proposed today is enough to prove his extraordinary talent in tactics and he deserves the name of Phoenix.

"Jinglue, what do you think of Shiyuan's plan?"

Liu Bei suppressed his joy and looked at Xiao Fang inquiringly.

Xiao Fangfang pointed at the map with a look of approval and said:
"It seems that Shi Yuan came here prepared today. From Huainan to Jiangdong, he knows Lü Bu's strengths and weaknesses very well."

"Compared to the lord, Lu Bu's most obvious weakness is his lack of troops. This is why he has to use Sun Quan to guard Liu'an."

"He simply wants to borrow Sun Quan's name to recruit Sun's old subordinates to serve him and make up for his weakness of insufficient military strength."

"Shi Yuan's plan was to take advantage of the situation and place the lord's spy in Lu'an, so that the lord could quickly capture Lu'an City and Lu Bu would not have time to send reinforcements to rescue him."

"This plan is indeed a brilliant one to quickly capture Huainan. I think it is feasible."

Xiao Fang nodded in agreement, and Liu Bei no longer had any worries.

So he took a picture of the map and said happily:
"Shi Yuan's plan is indeed ingenious. I will use Shi Yuan's plan to kick open the southern gate of Shouchun and eliminate Sun Quan, the remnant of the Sun family, in one fell swoop!"

Inside the palace hall, all the generals were excited.

The corners of Pang Tong's mouth rose slightly, and a hint of pride could not be concealed on his young face.

At this time, Liu Bei was no longer the mat weaver and shoe seller, but the overlord of the south, one of the three greatest princes in the world along with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

He was just a commoner, yet Liu Bei treated him with respect and even adopted his strategy. Not to mention that he was arrogant to begin with, even if he was a person of indifferent attitude, how could he not feel proud?

What's more, this plan of his was praised and recognized by Xiao Fang.

Who is Xiao Fang?
He is a man of great reputation throughout the world, with a brilliant mind and a reputation as a sage of strategy!

"General Zuo is a benevolent and righteous leader. If this little trick of mine can help General Zuo conquer Huainan, it will also benefit the people of Huainan."

Although Pang Tong was proud, he did not get carried away. He made fun of himself in time and flattered Lao Liu.

Old Liu immediately stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed solemnly to Pang Tong.

"I have the ambition to support the Han Dynasty and rebuild the Han Dynasty. I need the help of heroes and wise men in the world."

"Shi Yuan, you are extremely intelligent and have great talent. You are truly a man bestowed by heaven on me, Liu Bei, to assist me."

"I beg Shi Yuan to stay and help me, along with these heroes of civil and military affairs, to wipe out the Han Dynasty and support our great Han country!"

Liu Bei extended an olive branch to Pang Tong.

It was obvious that Pang Tong came here well prepared. He was certainly not there out of boredom, but just to show off his wisdom to Liu Bei.

Offering advice was not only a token of loyalty, but also a way to show Liu Bei his extraordinary wisdom and talent.

The real purpose was to join Liu Bei's army, seek a high position as an official, and leave a good name in the eyes of the people.

Of course, this was also done for the sake of the Pang family's future status in Liu Bei's group.

Now that he had seen Liu Bei's courtesy to the wise and humble, and had been invited by Liu Bei with such a generous gift, no matter how arrogant Pang Tong was, he had no reason not to take advantage of the opportunity.

Pang Tong pretended to be flattered, stood up hurriedly, and bowed to Lao Liu in return.

"Tong's lifelong ambition is to display his strengths and assist a great ruler in pacifying the world!"

"General Zuo has the spirit of Emperor Gaozu, the ambition of Emperor Guangwu, and the destiny of heaven. He is exactly the hero that Tong is looking for."

"Since General Zuo has invited me so kindly, I will do my best to assist him in achieving his great cause!"

Pang Tong was straightforward and frank, without any lofty reasons like "he was doing it for the common people" or "General Zuo, you are a benevolent and righteous leader".

You, Liu Bei, have the potential to be Emperor Gaozu of Han, and I, Pang Tong, want to be Chen Ping. We hit it off!
After expressing his attitude, Pang Tong bowed deeply:
"My lord, please accept my greetings!"

Liu Bei hurriedly helped Pang Tong up and laughed heartily:
"Before I could get Huainan, I got Shi Yuan, a rare and outstanding person who could assist the king. Heaven has really been very kind to me, Liu Bei."

"Come on, Shi Yuan, let's drink to our heart's content!"

In the mansion hall, bursts of laughter rang out from the crowd.

Liu Bei immediately recruited Pang Tong and followed Pang Tong's strategy, selecting an old general of the Sun family and ordering him to lead his army across the river and head north to Lu'an. At the same time, he stepped up efforts to appease the people, reorganize the surrendered soldiers, and store food and grass in preparation for the northward expedition against Lu Bu.

...

Shouchun City.

The former pseudo-imperial palace is now the provincial capital.

Lu Bu sat high on the throne that originally belonged to Yuan Shu, looking through the list presented by Sun Quan.

All those listed in the list are former generals of the Sun family who have come to Lu'an to join him in recent months.

"Zhu Zhi, Ma Zhong, Jiang Qin..."

Lu Bu read out these names one by one, and then looked at Sun Quan with a slightly suspicious look:

"Zhongmou, are all these people who come to you for help reliable?"

Sun Quan looked at Lu Bu with a one-eyed smile and said,

"Don't worry, father. Most of these people are from Huaisi. They are the old subordinates that my elder brother brought to Jiangdong when he crossed the river. They are not from Jiangdong."

"When Jiangdong fell, these people were scattered in various counties and stationed there. They had no choice but to submit to the big-eared thief."

"Now that they know my son is still alive, it is only natural for them to abandon Liu Bei and cross the river to surrender."

"Besides, I have already investigated in advance. After Liu Bei seized Jiangdong, he was extremely distrustful of my Sun family's Huainan surrendered generals and wanted to deprive them of their troops."

"My Sun family is a family of soldiers and generals. Naturally, these people are dissatisfied with Liu Bei's reduction of their troops. It is only natural for them to come to me for help."

After hearing Sun Quan's explanation, Lu Bu closed the list and the doubt in his eyes disappeared.

"Quan'er, you are so calm and sophisticated at such a young age, and you are thoughtful. This is really rare."

"I'll leave Liu'an City to you, and I'll be relieved."

Lu Bu nodded slightly, with a look of approval on his face.

Sun Quan hurriedly bowed and said with emotion:

"Thank you for your trust, father. Don't worry, if the big-eared thief dares to attack, I will gamble my life to ensure that Lu'an is safe!"

Lu Bu smiled slightly and was obviously very satisfied with Sun Quan's statement.

Then he waved his hand and comforted Sun Quan:

"Quan'er, you have such determination, and your father is naturally relieved."

"But you don't have to be too nervous. If the big-eared thieves want to attack Shouchun, they will most likely leave Hefei and go north along the Fei River."

"At that time, your father will personally lead the army to Chengde City to stop the big-eared thieves. Your Lu'an City, along the Bishui River, will probably not be threatened."

Sun Quan's eyes rolled and a barely perceptible smile flashed across the corner of his mouth.

"It would be best if Liu Bei did not attack Lu'an. It would be a good opportunity for Lu Bu and Liu Bei to fight to the death in Chengde. I can then preserve my strength and sit back and watch the fight."

"When the two of them are both defeated, I will have a chance to profit from it..."

Sun Quan's mind was racing, but he bowed and complimented:
"Father has a keen eye and knows the big-eared thief very well. With father in charge of Chengde, even if the big-eared thief gathers all the soldiers in Jingzhou and Jiangdong, he will surely be defeated at the gate of the city!"

Sun Quan flattered Lu Bu, who was so pleased that he couldn't help but laugh and said happily:
"Don't worry, Zhongmou. As long as you can sincerely fight for your father, we can work together to defeat the big-eared thieves and defend Huainan."

"In the future, when I turn defense into offense and counterattack Jiangdong, I will kill Liu Bei and Xiao Fang for you, and avenge your elder brother Sun Ce and your Sun family!"

Sun Quan curled his lips secretly, knowing that Lu Bu was just making big promises for him.

Although he knew the truth, he pretended to be delighted, stood up and bowed, expressing his gratitude to Lu Bu.

"Recently, spies have frequently reported that Liu Bei is gathering troops and storing food and fodder, and may cross the river to attack at any time."

"Zhongmou, you should return to Lu'an as soon as possible and make preparations early."

Lu Bu ordered them to leave.

When Sun Quan was about to stand up and say goodbye.

Chen Gong, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said in a deep voice:
"According to common sense, Lord Wen's strategy to defend against the enemy is reasonable and logical."

"But has Lord Wen ever thought about this? Xiao Fang has many tricks up his sleeve, and his best trick is to win by surprise."

"If he uses a tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking the west, and uses his main force to pretend to attack Chengde City in order to attract Wenhou to lead the main army to resist, and then sends a special force to attack Lu'an via the Bishui River, how should we respond?"

Lu Bu and Sun Quan were shocked and their expressions suddenly changed.

Lu Bu was slightly startled, but said indifferently:
"If that is the case, Liu Bei will divide his troops, and I will also divide my troops to reinforce Lu'an."

Chen Gong frowned and shook his head:
"Chengde and Lu'an are more than a hundred miles apart. Unless Marquis Wen has obtained intelligence about Liu Bei's surprise attack on Lu'an in advance, it will be too late to send reinforcements to Lu'an!"

Lu Bu was speechless, his brows gradually furrowed into a straight line.

"Gongtai is really worried. How to find out in advance that Liu Bei divided his troops to attack Lu'an is indeed a difficult problem..."

Lu Bu tapped the table with his fingertips, a shadow covering his face.

Sun Quan also frowned, with worry flashing in his eyes.

The atmosphere became solemn.

In the silence, Lu Meng, who was sitting next to Sun Quan, slowly stood up, bowed and said loudly:
"Marquis Wen, I have a plan that can find out in advance whether Liu Bei will launch a surprise attack on our Lu'an City!"

(End of this chapter)