The Three Kingdoms: Rise to Power Starting with Intercepting Liu Bei

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As Zhuge Liang listened to the guidance of his two mentors, he nodded repeatedly, and his depressed and melancholy mood gradually dissipated.

Seeing his disciple's intelligence, Zuo Ci quickly added fuel to the fire, lowering his voice as he said:

"In addition, you can also go north to contact those nomadic tribes and instigate them to attack Jizhou, Bingzhou and other places controlled by Qin Xuan."

Now that the Qin army has been fighting for months, morale is low, and this is the perfect opportunity.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang immediately stared wide-eyed at Zuo Ci, his face full of disbelief. He never expected that his mentor would come up with such a scheme.

Using the nomadic tribes entrenched in the northern border region to wear down the Qin army was not a bad move, but if it were exposed, it would be a severe blow to Liu Bei's reputation!

Sima Hui, observing coldly from the side, picked up the tea in front of him, took a small sip, and savored the lingering fragrance—truly the finest tea. Seeing that Zhuge Liang was still hesitating, he immediately offered his assistance:

"Kongming, those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. This is Liu Bei's best opportunity right now; otherwise, given the Qin army's pace of advance and logistical support, he simply cannot hold out for long!"

Sima Hui's words are absolutely correct. Liu Bei is now holed up in places like Shanyang, which means certain death. If there is no other way to contain the Qin army, he will be destroyed within a few months.

Zhuge Liang originally came to seek help from his two mentors. Now that they both had the same idea, it meant that the method was feasible. As for the consequences, that was none of his concern, since he was serving Liu Bei anyway.

After figuring everything out, Zhuge Liang suddenly understood and immediately adopted the two men's suggestions, only leaving Sima Hui's secluded courtyard the next day.

Sima Hui and Zuo Ci stood outside the courtyard, welcoming the rising sun to bid farewell to Zhuge Liang, watching his figure gradually disappear into the mountains.

"De Cao, I hope we can succeed this time!"

"I hope so..."

·············

Shanyang County is an inconspicuous small town in the western part of Nanyang Prefecture.

Ever since Liu Bei led his army to retreat and occupy this place, the entire city has been shrouded in a tense atmosphere of war.

Having lost a large number of troops, Liu Bei launched a massive conscription campaign, forcibly recruiting able-bodied men from the surrounding areas, issuing a decree to recruit talented individuals, and posting notices at the city gates in hopes of finding someone willing to join him.

Pang Tong, alone with a bundle in his hand and a pot of fine wine in his hand, glanced at the notice in front of him, tore it down, clutched it in his hand, and swaggered toward the city gate.

The soldiers guarding the city gate saw someone tearing down a newly posted notice in the distance and immediately went to meet them.

"Hey kid, who do you think you are, daring to tear down the notice we just put up? You want to die?!"

The soldiers immediately began to curse Pang Tong, who was ugly in appearance, without showing him any mercy.

The few pedestrians passing by hurried along as if avoiding a plague, afraid of being caught in the crossfire, and dared not stop to watch the spectacle.

Unfazed by the soldiers' vulgar insults, Pang Tong picked up his wine gourd and took a large gulp.

"Aren't you recruiting talented people? Here I am, aren't I?"

The soldiers, who had been so aggressive, burst into laughter upon hearing this, their faces revealing undisguised contempt.

"Get lost! I'll let you off the hook because you've been so ridiculous today. You dare call yourself a sage? You should take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror!"

The soldiers cursed, but did not make any pushing or shoving movements. It wasn't that these people were civilized or polite, but rather that Pang Tong's attire made them wary.

Pang Tong was wearing a robe made of silk today, the material of which looked expensive, and he also had a jade pendant tied around his waist.

This is a symbol of the upper class; ordinary people would never have such things.

"Fine, I won't stoop to your level today. Summon Zhuge Liang out and tell him that my senior brother Pang Tong has arrived. Tell him to come out of the city and see me immediately!"

Pang Tong didn't bother with these roughnecks and directly invoked the name of Zhuge Liang.

This was something he had planned long ago. After all, with his appearance, how could he possibly catch Liu Bei's eye without an introduction?

He doesn't have time to waste like this; it would be foolish not to take advantage of a back door!

Upon hearing the other side casually mention Zhuge Liang's name, the soldiers, who had been grinning from ear to ear, quickly suppressed their laughter and became serious.

"Do you know the strategist?"

The man who spoke was somewhat suspicious, because he was not an ordinary soldier, but Liu Bei's personal guard, and he had only come to the city gate today to post notices.

Being by Liu Bei's side, one naturally knows how renowned Zhuge Liang is.

"That's right!" Pang Tong said arrogantly, as if he were even more capable than Zhuge Liang.

"We studied under the same master, and our skills are about equal. We've been traveling around for years. I heard recently that he's following Liu Bei, so I came to see how he's doing and also to ask him for a recommendation."

"Come with me quickly!"

The soldiers immediately transformed into devoted lackeys, respectfully leading Pang Tong into the city to meet Liu Bei.

The soldiers immediately transformed into devoted lackeys, respectfully leading Pang Tong into the city to meet Liu Bei.

What if the other party and the strategist really know each other?

Upon arriving at the Shanyang County government office, Liu Bei, upon hearing that Liu Bei was Zhuge Liang's senior fellow apprentice, immediately came out to greet him personally, accompanied by Guan Yu.

"May I ask if you are truly Pang Tong, whose Daoist name is Phoenix Chick?"

As soon as Liu Bei appeared and saw Pang Tong in person, his face was filled with a warm smile, but he was also somewhat surprised.

After all, Zhuge Liang had revealed some information about Pang Tong to him before he left.

He was in his early twenties, somewhat ugly in appearance, but extremely knowledgeable. He was known as the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix, and his mentor Sima Hui once said that whoever possessed either of them could secure the world.

"You must be Lord Xuande. May I ask where my junior brother Kongming is? Why isn't he here?"

Pang Tong did not prove his identity himself, but instead asked Zhuge Liang for his opinion, since only the other party's statement was authoritative, and it would be difficult for him to prove himself on his own.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei immediately understood what Pang Tong meant. In those days, there were no high-definition photos, let alone portraits.

"Kongming is away on business and is not in the city right now. If you are not busy, you can stay in the city for a while until Kongming returns."

Liu Bei followed up by saying that Zhuge Liang was not here at the moment, and if you wanted to see him, you would have to wait here for him to return.

"Alright, then I'll leave the arrangements to you, sir!"

Pang Tong also understood the implication in Liu Bei's words and immediately agreed. Wasn't it just a matter of placing him under house arrest and then confronting him later?

He's not impersonating someone else, so what's there to be afraid of?

Upon seeing this, Liu Bei laughed even more heartily, and his doubts dissipated considerably. He immediately ordered his men to arrange lodgings and assign guards to protect him.

Guan Yu, who was accompanying him, was completely bewildered. He didn't know what his elder brother meant or what kind of riddle he was playing with this ugly young man. He wanted to ask but didn't know how to start.

Only after Pang Tong was taken away and properly settled did Liu Bei reveal the reason:

"This ugly young man is a wise man, because he knows that proving his identity will not dispel my suspicion of him. He might as well stay here and wait for Kongming to return. At that time, everything will fall into place, and there will be no estrangement between us."

It's better for everyone if we don't say it outright!

After saying this, Liu Bei returned to his residence, leaving Guan Yu standing there, trying to understand the meaning behind his words.

Pang Tong settled down in Shanyang and spent his days drinking and wandering around, without inquiring about any news. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was really visiting a friend!