Three Kingdoms: I, the eldest son of Cao, a loving father of a great man!

Li Gui said a little angrily.

Cao Ang shook his head and smiled bitterly. What kind of person was Cao Cao? How could he be easily fooled?

Cao Ang said with emotion: "It seems that the two brothers Cao Cao and Sun Ce have reached a consensus."

Jia Xu said, "My lord, Cao Cao and Sun Ce have both ceased fire. Should we take advantage of this opportunity and invade?"

"Yanzhou is still in Cao Cao's hands now. We will suffer losses if we attack rashly. When Cao Cao hands Yanzhou over to Liu Bei, our army will take the opportunity to attack." Cao Ang had made arrangements in advance.

"Then I will immediately mobilize the troops and prepare to attack Yanzhou." Jia Xu said.

"No need. We still don't know what the attitudes of Cao Cao and Sun Ce are. Let's just wait and see." Cao Ang stopped him.

Jia Xu had no choice but to give up.

Cao Ang hesitated for a moment and said, "Tell Lu Bu to delay Yuan Shu's attack. I will fight Yuan Shu after I have dealt with Cao Cao!"

Cao Ang wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife, but he was not worried whether Yuan Shu could resist Lu Bu.

Lu Bu now has several great generals and is more powerful than before.

Moreover, Lu Bu also had access to elite troops like the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and with the cooperation of Zhang Liao, Yuan Shu was no match for Lu Bu.

"My lord is wise!" Jia Xu and other counselors complimented in unison.

At the junction of Yanzhou and Yuzhou, Liu Bei led his army to Xuzhou, which was his second target.

Liu Bei led his army directly to the west gate of Xuzhou and saw his old friend Xu Shu standing on the city wall.

When Xu Shu saw Liu Bei, his eyes flickered and he didn't dare to look at Liu Bei. His face looked a little flustered.

Xu Shu betrayed Liu Bei in the past, and now that he sees Liu Bei again, he feels filled with guilt.

"Xu Yuanzhi, how have you been?" Liu Bei greeted gently.

"Uncle Liu! Xu Shu greets Uncle Liu." Xu Shu bowed.

Liu Bei smiled and said, "No need to be polite. You and I are old acquaintances. I came here specially to visit you. I wonder if you can be accommodating."

"Uncle Liu, you are joking. Xu Shu is just a commoner, how can he be accommodating? Please forgive me for not being able to accompany you." Xu Shu refused Liu Bei.

Liu Bei didn't expect Xu Shu to reject his proposal, and his face turned gloomy.

When Xu Shu saw Liu Bei's appearance, he felt uneasy and quickly lowered his head.

Liu Bei stared at Xu Shu and said coldly: "Xu Shu, I will give you three days to think about it.

If you don’t agree to me in three days, I will destroy your entire clan!”

After saying this, Liu Bei turned and left.

Xu Shu slumped on the ground with a look of regret on his face.

After Liu Bei left Xuzhou, his army came to the west of Xuzhou and joined Pang Tong.

When Pang Tong saw Liu Bei coming, he hurried out to greet him: "I pay my respects to you, my lord!"

"Yuan Tu is exempt from the formalities. I wonder if Gongtai has any good plan?" Liu Bei asked.

Pang Tong said with a smile: "Don't worry, my lord. Xuzhou will be in your pocket sooner or later."

Pang Tong was confident, so Liu Bei felt relieved.

"My lord, you have been away for a while and the court has a lot of affairs to deal with. I can only do it for you." Pang Tong began to complain.

What annoyed Liu Bei the most was Pang Tong's complaints: "Yuan Tu, you should go back and sort out government affairs first. I will stay in the palace tonight, so there is no need to be so polite."

Pang Tong knew that Liu Bei did not like to complain, so he bowed and left. After Pang Tong left, Liu Bei said to Guo Jia: "Gongtai, I think Pang Tong is a little weird."

"It's a bit weird." Guo Jia nodded in agreement.

Guo Jia and Pang Tong have known each other for a long time and he knew that Pang Tong would not easily complain, but he was acting so abnormally today, which was obviously a little strange.

"My lord, do you think Pang Tong has other intentions? After all, he betrayed you before." Guo Jia guessed.

"Gongtai, do you mean Pang Tong is acting?" Liu Bei said puzzledly.

Guo Jia said: "This possibility exists. But we don't know how much it is. My lord, I suggest you send someone to monitor Pang Tong's actions as soon as possible."

"Well. Then tell me, what is Pang Tong's intention? Does he want the people of Xuzhou to support him?" Liu Bei asked.

Guo Jia shook his head and said, "I think this is possible. After all, Xuzhou is rich and Cao Ang is guarding it. If Pang Tong wants to seize Xuzhou, he must capture Cao Ang."

"Oh? Gongtai means that Pang Tong wants to use Xuzhou to contain Cao Ang?" Liu Bei understood the key point.

"That's right. Xuzhou has a large population and its people are wealthy. If the lord can control the military power of Xuzhou.

Then the lord can deal with Cao Ang with justification." Guo Jia analyzed.

Liu Bei nodded: "If that's true, Pang Tong is indeed a hero. I can't let him live any longer."

"My lord, I suggest that you go and meet Pang Tong in person. After all, Xuzhou cannot be underestimated. Pang Tong's abilities are also extraordinary." Guo Jia suggested.

Liu Bei nodded in agreement. He planned to give Pang Tong a good beating so that he would behave himself.

Pang Tong received Liu Bei and said to him with a smile: "My lord, it's been a long time since we last met. You are still as elegant as ever."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Pang Qing, you have become more handsome. Come, have a drink!"

"Thank you, my lord, for your kindness!" After some polite remarks, Pang Tong began to drink with Liu Bei.

The two of them toasted each other and soon drank four pots of liquor.

When they were half drunk, Pang Tong suddenly said to Liu Bei: "My lord, the situation in Xuzhou is complicated now. I hope you can make a decision as soon as possible."

After listening to this, Liu Bei frowned. Is this guy finally going to reveal his intentions?
Liu Bei cursed in his heart: "I knew you were not that simple. It turns out you have already defected to Cao Ang!"

Although Liu Bei was angry, he said calmly on the surface: "Pang Qing, I remember that I once advised you. I hope you will surrender to me. Unfortunately, you are stubborn and refuse to change your mind."

Pang Tong sighed and said, "Alas, I have no choice. I am not like you, my lord, who has inherited the legacy of Emperor Gaozu.

My parents, wife and children all died at the hands of the Yellow Turban bandits. I do not want to serve the Han Dynasty, but am willing to fight for the people of Xuzhou.

I do not ask for anything else, I just hope to be able to protect Xuzhou.

My Lord, the people of Xuzhou are suffering so much, they need you to save them."

Liu Bei pretended to be surprised: "I didn't expect Pang Qing to be from Xuzhou. This really surprises me."

"My lord, you are a benevolent monarch. It is a blessing for Xuzhou to have you." Pang Tong said.

Liu Bei said with emotion: "I am ambitious, but my goal is not to dominate the country.

I only hope to restore the glory of the Han Dynasty. Unfortunately, my ability is limited.

But don't worry, I will try my best."

Pang Tong was so flattered by Liu Bei that he immediately spoke.

"My Lord, I believe you can do it. The people of Xuzhou also believe you can do it."

"I will definitely try my best." Liu Bei said firmly. (End of this chapter)