The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 161: The king and his ministers attack together, and Pang Tong can't stand it
However, Li Yi had already written a document and sent it to Jingzhou to recruit Zhang Zhongjing.

Historical records say that he cared about the country and the people, so he gave up his official position to become a doctor.

I just hope that after reading my documents, he will really be willing to come to Xuzhou.

Li Yi not only wrote down his superficial understanding of medicine, but more importantly, he expressed his importance to medicine.

We are living in a chaotic world now. Ordinary people can't even get enough food to eat, so who has money to see a doctor?

If you don’t treat minor illnesses, you will die from major illnesses.

If you endure it, you will get through it. If you can't endure it, you will die.

This is a portrayal of the people's lives in this era.

For many rulers, they only think about monopolizing the power and wealth in their hands. How could they be meticulous enough to pay attention to the medical health of the people?
Therefore, Li Yi expressed in the letter that he was willing to vigorously support medicine.

As long as Zhang Zhongjing is willing to come, I would like to set up a hundred clinics in Xuzhou, all under the jurisdiction of Zhang Zhongjing.

The sincerity has been shown, it just depends on whether Zhang Zhongjing appreciates it.

After the letter was sent, Li Yi continued to handle official documents.

Suddenly someone reported that a noble envoy from Jingzhou had arrived.

The servant specifically emphasized that he was a noble envoy and came to report to Li Yi.

Li Yi was also responsible for receiving visitors from other states.

If the person is of a minor origin, someone else will be sent to meet him.

If the person is from an important background, Li Yi will meet him personally.

After Li Yi meets him, if he indeed has important strategic value, Li Yi will introduce him to Liu Bei.

He was received by Liu Bei in person.

This is also the normal procedure for Xuzhou to receive foreign guests.

Since he was an honorable envoy from Jingzhou, Li Yi could not neglect him.

He immediately ordered his servants to pack their bags and go down to the post house to meet the guest.

The Jingzhou delegation, headed by Pang Ji, saluted Li Yi.

"Meet the Marquis of Tan!"

Everyone bowed to Li Yi.

"I don't deserve it. You all must have come all this way. Please take a seat!"

Li Yi immediately returned the greeting and invited everyone to take a seat.

Pang Ji introduced himself to Li Yi, and Li Yi bowed again:
"I have long heard of Minister Pang's great name, and now I am fortunate to have the opportunity to pay my respects to him."

Pang Ji came from the Pang family, one of the four great families in Jingzhou. No wonder the servants reported that the person coming from Jingzhou was a distinguished guest.

Liu Biao sent Pang Ji out, it seems that he really has something important to discuss.

"Come, my good nephew, come and meet the Marquis of Tan."

Pang Ji specifically brought his nephew Pang Tong with him.

This can be regarded as the elders in the clan taking care of the younger generation. Pang Ji knew that his nephew was eager to become famous.

Li Yi is a famous scholar in the world. If I could introduce him to me and let him give me some comments, it would be worth the trip.

Pang Tong immediately held his head high and chest out, and saluted Li Yi gracefully.

"Pang Tong and Pang Shiyuan from Xiangyang greet the Marquis of Tan!"

Oh?
Li Yi raised his eyebrows, he didn't expect that this person was Pang Tong.

Although Li Yi is considered young in the Xuzhou political group, he is still inferior to Pang Tong in front of him.

He is about five or six years older than Pang Tong.

Li Yi held a high position in Xuzhou at a young age, but Pang Tong, who was not even twenty, was able to stay by Pang Ji's side, overshadowing other officials in Jingzhou.

Li Yi also wondered if it was some young genius.

It turns out that the wise man is chosen regardless of his relationship with him, "My Uncle the Minister".

"Okay, Shi Yuan, with his young talent, will go to Xuzhou with Minister Pang."

"You are indeed a young and promising person..."

Contrary to the traditional impression of ugly men, Pang Tong was not ugly at all.

In the "Praise of the Ministers of the Later Han Dynasty" written by Yang Xi, a minister of the Later Han Dynasty, Pang Tong was praised as:
——"The military advisor is very beautiful and elegant."

This shows that Pang Tong's image is pretty good and is definitely not ugly.

But this does not mean that Pang Tong is a handsome man like Liang Liang.

Because this eulogy of Yang Xi itself contains some exaggeration.

Moreover, the comment he left on Pang Tong was not meant to say that Pang Tong was handsome, but to praise his good temperament.

The main emphasis is on manners rather than appearance.

According to official history, Pang Tong was described as "simple and dull when young, without any knowledge."

He looks simple and honest, the type that is harmless to people and animals.

Li Yi first received the important officials of Jingzhou one by one, and then invited Pang Ji to be the host and guest.

Unexpectedly, Pang Ji was not in a hurry to state his purpose, but instead wanted to ask Li Yi to comment on his nephew Pang Tong.

Asking celebrities to comment on unknown people was a standard practice among ancient scholars.

Once these comments spread, the reputation grew.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi naturally understood Pang Ji's intention.

He is trying to build momentum for his nephew by buying hot searches.

However, just based on the two words "Fengchu", it is worth it for Li Yi to do Pang Ji a favor.

If you get one of the Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix, you can pacify the world. This sentence actually only comes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

There is no such thing in official history.

Although Sima Hui also praised Pang Tong very much, he did not praise him so highly. Praising him too highly would have been like praising to death.

However, this does not mean that Pang Tong has no real talent or knowledge.

Whether in the novel or the official history, Pang Tong, as a later comer, can be on equal footing with Zhuge Liang.

They were both military advisors and lieutenant generals, and had equal status, which shows their abilities.

Since Pang Ji wanted to gain fame for his nephew, Li Yi didn't mind using his own reputation to help him.

He immediately commented:
"I just talked with your nephew. I saw that he was better than everyone else in discussing the remaining strategies of kingship and hegemony and the key points of reliance."

"At that time, he was the most talented person in Jingchu and the most respected scholar in the southern provinces."

Li Yi was generous in his praise and lavished high praise on Pang Tong.

Even though Pang Tong was proud of his talent, he never expected that Li Yi would give him such a high evaluation.

Pang Ji was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately said with a smile:
"Mr. Li Tan, thank you for your praise! Thank you for your praise! Hahahaha..."

I immediately thought that after returning to Jingzhou, I would quickly order people to take the lead in publicity.

Take Li Tanhou of Xuzhou for example. He praised Pang Tong as the tallest and most talented person in Jingchu and the crown of the scholars in southern provinces.

Now that he had received Li Yi's evaluation, Pang Ji could finally hand over official business with confidence.

"To be honest with you, Marquis Tan, I came here on the orders of my lord to discuss the affairs of Huainan."

"Oh? Yi would like to hear the details."

Li Yi took a sip of tea calmly and asked indifferently.

Pang Ji said seriously:

"I wonder if Marquis Tan still remembers that two years ago, it was Marquis Tan who acted as a bridge to connect Xuzhou and Jingzhou across the river, so that the people could trade with each other."

Li Yi's face was as calm as water, "...it seems to be true."

Hey, how could this be possible?
Pang Ji felt a little uneasy, but still said:

"Then I wonder if Marquis Tan still remembers the agreement he made with me in Jingzhou?"

"Yi remembers that we drafted several trade terms with Jingzhou. I wonder which agreement Minister Pang is talking about?" Li Yi asked with a smile.

Pang Ji frowned and said hurriedly:

"I am talking about giving Lujiang to Jingzhou."

"Oh?" Li Yi raised his eyebrows, "I'm afraid Minister Pang is wrong?"

"If I remember correctly, we agreed that only Liu Jingzhou would be given the right to report to the emperor in Lujiang."

"But it didn't say that Lujiang would be handed over directly to Jingzhou."

"Besides, Xiahou Dun is now the governor of Lujiang. The right to control Lujiang is not something that Xuzhou can decide."

Pang Ji then said:

"Since the power to report to the emperor about Lujiang was handed over to my lord, why did he allow Xiahou Dun to be the governor of Lujiang and allow the land south of Huaihe River to be taken by Cao Cao?"

Li Yi just replied calmly:
"This is an imperial decree, and it is not something that we, the common people, can interfere with."

"If Minister Pang is confused, he can go to the court in Chendi to meet the emperor and question him face to face."

The last words were too serious.

Although the Han Dynasty court is now in name only, it still has to save face.

Even if Pang Ji had ten times the courage, he would not dare to question the emperor face to face.

Even a rabbit will bite when it gets angry, let alone the emperor of Han Dynasty.

In history, Liu Xie once scolded Cao Cao to his face, saying, "If you can assist me, it will be great; if not, I hope you will spare me."

Cao Cao's reaction to this was, "He was horrified, begged to leave, looked around, sweat dripped down his back, and never dared to come to court again."

Pang Ji raised his head, looked at Li Yi, and said sincerely:

"Since this is the case, I, Jingzhou, will send someone to submit a petition to the emperor."

"I would like to recommend an official from Jingzhou to be appointed as the governor of Lujiang. What do you think, Marquis Tan?"

This is a very subtle question.

Logically speaking, whether to submit a memorial was their own business in Jingzhou, but Pang Ji asked Li Yi for his opinion first.

Because everyone knew that the court was controlled by the Cao and Liu families.

Can this memorial be approved by the emperor? Doesn’t it require the approval of both Cao and Liu?
They are all thousand-year-old foxes, there is no need to play any games like Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.

Li Yi frowned and said:
"This is a difficult matter. The current Lujiang Governor Xiahou Dun was appointed by the Emperor himself."

"How can government orders be changed overnight, and officials be replaced overnight?"

"Besides, Lujiang is still in the hands of Minister Cao. If Minister Pang wants Lujiang, he must discuss it with Minister Cao."

"Why are you coming to Xuzhou?"

Pang Ji raised his eyes. He had heard of Li Yi's reputation for a long time. After seeing him today, he found that his reputation was well-deserved.

Li Ziyu is indeed a typical politician.

This Tai Chi move is performed very well. In the final analysis, it is just passing the buck everywhere and not sticking to the pan.

Pang Ji saw that Li Yi was difficult to deal with, so he prepared himself mentally in advance.

"To be honest, if Lujiang cannot be won, my lord will not force it."

"It's just that Liu Zitai from Lujiang has recently come to Jingzhou to seek asylum."

"My Lord is kind and righteous, and could not bear to see him being harmed by others, so he took him in."

"But he was afraid that Cao Sikong would send troops to the counties south of Lujiang, so he sent me to Xuzhou to ask General Liu for help."

Li Yi smiled and said:

"Yike doesn't understand what you are saying. Liu Zitai is a remnant of Yuan Shu, and Minister Cao is raising an army to attack him."

"It is in line with the will of the emperor and the will of the people. My lord is already unable to support us. Do you think we should raise troops to stop us?"

Li Yi had already set the basic strategy for the south of Xuzhou.

He wanted to instigate Sun Ce and Liu Biao to attack each other, as he did not want Liu Biao to interfere too much in the affairs of Yangzhou.

In response to this, Pang Ji was not in a hurry and said calmly:

"You don't have to talk like that, Marquis Tan. We are all smart people, so why should we pretend to be ignorant when we know the truth?"

"Let's speak frankly. My Lord wants Liu Xun to own the Nanlujiang County."

"Then if General Liu can mediate and prevent Cao Mengde from sending troops to Nanlujiang, my lord will be willing to offer 300,000 hu of grain."

"To support the military in Xuzhou."

Pang Ji knew clearly that for politicians, only interests mattered, not feelings.

Everything can be negotiated. If there is no agreement, it only means that the money was not paid enough.

Since Li Yi is willing to accompany him here, it means that his attitude towards the Lujiang issue is not a veto.

He must have a price in mind and be willing to meet it.

What Pang Ji is doing now is to test what his price is.

"This is difficult..."

Li Yi shook his head. "The ownership of Lujiang belongs to Cao Sikong. I am an outsider in Xuzhou. How can I interfere?"

Pang Ji was also a veteran in the officialdom. When he saw Li Yi in a dilemma, he was actually very happy.

Since Li Yi said it was difficult, it meant that it could be done, not that it could not be done.

At that moment, he stood up very politely and personally poured a cup of tea for Li Yi.

"I also know that this matter is very difficult, but it is precisely because of the difficulty that I came to see General Liu."

"People at that time all said that General Liu was known for his benevolence and righteousness, and that he could save people in times of emergency."

"Although Liu Xun is not a relative of the Han Dynasty, he is also a member of the Hua clan like General Liu."

"I don't think you will just stand by and watch someone die, right?"

Li Yi burst into laughter when he heard this.

It's useless to try to use moral blackmail because Liu Bei is not here at all.

Li Yi came out to deal with you politicians, specifically to guard against those of you who engage in moral kidnapping.

"Minister Pang, what you said is inappropriate. If you want to save people, you should save those who should be saved."

"In the past, Kong Wenju was trapped in Beihai by the Yellow Turban bandits. If the city were to fall, the people would be captured by the bandits."

"Although my lord has few soldiers and generals, he is willing to come to our rescue for the sake of justice."

"But Liu Xun is a member of Yuan Shu's party. Now that Minister Cao is attacking him, it is justified."

"How can you talk about saving me?"

When Pang Ji heard this, he immediately understood what Li Yi meant, so he added:
"If Marquis Tan is willing to persuade General Liu to mediate between the two states, Jingzhou will provide an additional 50,000 hu of grain to support Xuzhou's military needs."

Although Liu Biao only gave him a base of 300,000, Pang Ji still decided to test Li Yi's base first.

Li Yi's expression did not change at all, and he continued calmly:

"Three hundred and fifty thousand bushels of grain, just to buy six counties and most of Lujiang."

"I'm fine in Xuzhou, but I'm worried that Cao Sikong will not look good."

What this means is that when you ask someone to do something for you, you have to offer a sum that satisfies both parties.

If Xuzhou really came forward to mediate, wouldn't Xuzhou have to part with the money and grain that Jingzhou gave to appease Cao Cao?
"...Well, then please tell me the number, Lord Tan."

"Pang should go back and give an explanation to my Lord."

Seeing that Li Yi was so difficult to deal with, Pang Ji didn't want to deal with him anymore.

Just let Li Yi name a price, he didn't bother with the rest.

As for whether the price is high or low and whether Jingzhou will accept it, that is something Liu Biao has to consider himself.

Pang Ji felt that he had completed the mission of this mission.

What's more, Jingzhou itself has a bottom line.

If Li Yi asked for an exorbitant price.

Jingzhou would rather discuss the matter with Cao Cao alone, and maybe it wouldn't cost so much money.

The reason for finding Xuzhou as the middleman is simply to spend less money.

Of course, unless Cao Cao is determined to take over Lujiang and is not willing to sell any grain or food no matter how much money is offered, there is really nothing Jingzhou can do.

However, the people in Jingzhou did not believe that Cao Cao would be so arbitrary.

After all, to put it bluntly, the northern part of Lujiang already belongs to him, and there are only a few counties in the south.

There is no need to fight to the death with Jingzhou just for such a small piece of territory and even if you have money, you must give it up.

If a war really breaks out, all the extra money and food will be spent.

Just when Pang Ji was about to test Li Yi's bottom line in one fell swoop, Li Yi suddenly said:

"Oh, this is a very difficult matter."

"It's not easy for Yi to make the decision alone."

"Why don't we invite General Liu here first and let him make the decision himself? What do you think, Minister Pang?"

This……

Pang Jiwan didn't expect that Li Yi would actually use the tactic of procrastination.

He knew he was anxious and was deliberately keeping himself in suspense.

He just refused to say the specific number, but he didn't explicitly refuse it either, which was equivalent to giving Jingzhou hope.

Then the Jingzhou side would definitely have to wait and would not be able to go directly to Cao Cao to negotiate.

"Ugh……"

Pangji came out of the room and sighed.

Pang Tong hurried over and asked with concern, "How did the discussion between uncle and Marquis Tan go? Is it going well?"

“…It’s not going well.”

Pang Ji frowned, "Li Ziyu is more difficult to deal with than I thought. Since Yuan Shu's death, Lujiang has been a mess."

"My Lord took advantage of the chaos to bring Liu Xun into Jingzhou. I don't know whether this move was right or wrong."

At this time, Ni Heng came over with a big laugh.

"I heard that Li Ziyu is a young man. Minister Pang has been in the officialdom for a long time, but he can't even deal with a kid?"

Pang Ji knew that Ni Heng was frivolous, and he was very angry when he saw him speaking rudely to him.

I can't deal with Li Yi, but can't I deal with you?

He immediately glanced at him and shouted:
"How can you, with your child's perspective, understand Li Ziyu's talent?"

"You are arrogant because of your talent and look down on others, but you don't know that there are always people who are better than you and there are always mountains that are better than you."

"Compared to Li Ziyu, your talent is like a fluorescent light compared to the bright moon, not worth even a sneer."

Ni Heng smiled and said:

"If Li Yi is truly more intelligent than me, I will certainly submit to him."

"But I haven't met him yet, and I don't know his depth, so it's hard to describe him in one word."

He always speaks rudely to others, but he doesn't take it to heart when others curse him.

"Humph, maybe you'll see it soon."

Pang Ji put his hands behind his back and didn't need to look at him directly.

As soon as he finished speaking, a waiter came over and invited Pang Ji.

It turned out that Liu Bei had already arrived. He ordered people to prepare a banquet and invited all the officials from Jingzhou to attend the banquet.

"General Liu is very hospitable and invites us all to the banquet."

"Shi Yuan, please don't be impolite when you see General Liu later."

Pang Ji repeatedly reminded Pang Tong, and Pang Tong had also heard of Liu Bei's reputation for a long time and had long wanted to see him.

He immediately expressed his wishes repeatedly to let his uncle rest assured.

Pang Ji was of course relieved about his nephew, but what he was really worried about was Ni Heng.

If it weren't for Huang She's sake, the governor of Zhangling would not have wanted to bring this lunatic with him.

"Ni Zhengping, let me give you a few words of advice first."

"This is not Xiangyang, let alone Zhangling, but no one will tolerate your temper."

"When you meet General Liu later, you must not lose your manners and jeopardize our important affairs in Jingzhou."

Pang Ji gritted his teeth and warned Ni Heng in a stern voice.

Ni Heng just raised his head and laughed, then walked straight past Pang Ji.

Pang Ji was furious, "How dare this young man do this!"

At this moment, he really didn't care about etiquette and wanted to go up and give Ni Heng a couple of punches.

But Pang Tong stopped him and advised:

"My uncle is focusing on official business right now."

"Don't let your momentary anger ruin Liu Jingzhou's great cause."

After Pang Tong's repeated persuasion, Pang Ji finally calmed down.

He led Pang Tong and other Jingzhou officials to the banquet.

Liu Bei sat in the main seat and Li Yi sat in the second seat.

In addition, a number of local officials were also brought in.

Among them were important figures such as Zhang Fei, Xu Huang, and Xun You.

Liu Bei used this to show his sincerity.

Pang Ji saw this and thought to himself that Li Yi must have done ideological work with Liu Bei.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to mobilize such a large number of troops. It seems that there is hope for this matter.

He then led Pang Tong and others to pay their respects to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei returned the greeting, then came to Pang Tong and said:

"This must be Pang Shiyuan, right?"

Pang Tong was stunned and said:

"How did General Liu know Pang Tong?"

Before, in front of Li Yi, his uncle introduced him.

As a result, Liu Bei actually recognized him directly and came to talk to him in front of the officials of Xuzhou and Jingzhou.

What an honor is this?
"I have just heard the military advisor's introduction. The military advisor praised Shi Yuan for his talent in governing the country."

"I have the greatest respect for talented people in my life, so I came to meet you."

When Liu Bei said this, he undoubtedly gave Pang Tong enough face in public.

Pang Tong came to Xuzhou with the intention of becoming famous.

Just now, Li Yi had given him a favorable comment, calling him "the most talented man in Jingchu, the crown of scholars in Southern Province".

The current top leader of Xuzhou and also General Zuo of Han has already given further evidence to this evaluation.

After a little publicity from his family, Pang Tong became completely famous throughout the world.

Pang Tong was surprised and delighted to know that his future career was bright.

He never expected that this trip would be so smooth, and his goal of becoming famous can be said to have been exceeded.

"Shi Yuan can sit at the same table with the military advisor."

Liu Bei invited Pang Tong again and asked him to sit next to Li Yi.

This undoubtedly made Pang Tong's heart skip a beat, and he thought to himself that no matter how talented he was, he had nothing to do with Liu Bei.

How could Liu Bei treat me so specially?

That’s right, it was Li Yi’s own request to let Pang Tong sit at the same table with Li Yi.

As the second-in-command of Xuzhou, he is second only to the emperor in Xuzhou.

As the absolute leader of Liu's army, it was naturally a great honor for him to have Pang Tong sit at the same table with him.

The reason for doing this was naturally to win over Pang Tong.

Historically, Pang Tong actually served as a minister of Sun Quan.

However, in the end, Sun Quan did not reuse Pang Tong.

This is not because Pang Tong was ugly as what is said in the novel.

In fact, when Pang Tong went to the State of Wu, he had already asked Sima Hui to buy hot searches.

With the promotion of Pang Degong, the name "Feng Chu" has spread throughout the world.

After Zhou Yu died, Pang Tong went to the State of Wu to attend the funeral, which immediately attracted a gathering of local celebrities.

When Pang Tong left, everyone ran to Changmen to see him off in person.

Pang Tong was so famous at that time, it was impossible for Sun Quan not to know him.

It’s not that he didn’t want to use Pang Tong, but Pang Tong himself didn’t want to stay in Wu.

The relationship between Pang Tong and Sun Quan is a bit like the relationship between Liu Bei and Chen Qun.

Chen Qun was from a prominent family in Yuzhou, so he did not want to follow Liu Bei to Xuzhou to start a business.

The same goes for Pang Tong. As he came from a prominent family in Jingzhou, it was impossible for him to stay in Wu and develop.

Pang Tong was only Sun Quan's nominal subordinate, and he had always been an official in Jingzhou.

At that time, Zhou Yu was the prefect of Nanjun in Jingzhou, so Pang Tong followed Zhou Yu as his secretary.

But if Pang Tong was asked to go to Wu, he would be unwilling to do so, because the scholars and nobles in Wu would not tolerate the foreign wealthy people from Jingzhou.

Later, it was Liu Bei's turn to become the governor of Jingzhou.

But everyone knows that Liu Bei did not use Pang Tong at the beginning.

Instead, Pang Tong was appointed as an ordinary clerk and concurrently the magistrate of Leiyang County, Changsha Prefecture.

He was also dismissed from office by Liu Bei because of his poor political performance.

Finally, even Lu Su couldn't stand it anymore and took the initiative to write a letter to Liu Bei saying,

Pang Shiyuan is not a talent capable of governing a small county of a hundred miles. Only by letting him take up positions such as Zhizhong or Beijia can he display his talents.

To be honest, Lu Su was really kind in this matter.

Later, Zhuge Liang also stood up and strongly recommended Pang Tong.

Only then did Liu Bei take the initiative to meet Pang Tong, and after a deep conversation he thought highly of him and appointed him as the Minister of Finance.

The only doubtful point in this matter is why Liu Bei, who has always been eager to seek talents, was unwilling to use Pang Tong, a young man who was as famous as Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Liang at the beginning?
According to the novel, Liu Bei disliked Pang Tong because he was ugly.

But according to official history, it was actually because Pang Tong was once Zhou Yu's secretary.

Zhou Yu was Liu Bei's mortal enemy at the time, and the two were always fighting openly and secretly.

Pang Tong served as Zhou Yu's military officer for several years, and Zhou Yu trusted him very much.

Zhou Yu even told Pang Tong the important secret that he planned to put Liu Bei under house arrest.

Given the relationship between Pang Tong and Zhou Yu, would Liu Bei dare to use him?

Does anyone know if this is an undercover agent sent by Soochow?
Fortunately, he had Lu Su's strong recommendation and Zhuge Liang's guarantee.

Liu Bei planned to give Pang Tong a chance and have a face-to-face meeting with him.

During this conversation, Liu Bei specifically asked Pang Tong whether Zhou Yu really wanted to put him under house arrest.

This was Liu Bei's test.

Pang Tong told the whole story without reservation.

Seeing that Pang Tong was so honest, Liu Bei no longer doubted him and began to use him.

"Come, Shi Yuan, please."

Li Yi pulled Pang Tong to sit next to him.

All the officials in Jingzhou saw this and were envious.

Pang Tong was also grateful for the kindness shown by Liu Bei and Li Yi, so he stood up from the table, bowed to Liu Bei and said:
"Tong has long heard that General Zuo is magnanimous and generous, respects scholars and loves the virtuous, and promotes young talents."

"After seeing it today, I know that the rumors are true. I really admire you!"

Hahaha……

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed.

Who doesn’t like being praised?
Especially since Pang Tong had been highly recommended by Li Yi, he was most likely not a fool.

Li Yi suddenly asked:

"I wonder if Shi Yuan has ever been recommended as a filial and honest official?"

Pang Tong was a little confused by this sudden question and said hurriedly:

"Tong is only a young man next year, and has not yet been selected as a filial and honest official."

The Han Dynasty implemented the system of recommendation, and in theory only those who were recommended as filial and honest were qualified to become officials.

This was very attractive to Pang Tong, who had always longed to enter officialdom.

So Li Yi catered to Liu Bei's wishes and said:

"My lord, you have always respected scholars."

"How about waiting until Shi Yuan reaches the age of twenty next year and recommending him as a filial and honest official?"

Liu Bei and Li Yi had a deep understanding of each other, and he immediately replied:
"...Good, I also have this intention."

"I will write a letter later to strongly recommend Shi Yuan to Brother Jingsheng."

According to the Three Mutual Laws, the governor of a state could only nominate people from his own state as filial and honest officials.

Therefore, when Liu Bei was the governor of Yuzhou, he could recommend Yuan Huan, a native of Yuzhou, as a talented person.

Later, when he took over Xuzhou, he still held the title of Governor of Yuzhou.

So he could still recommend Yuan Tan from Runan as a talented person.

But now, Liu Bei has actually become the governor of Xuzhou.

Moreover, Pang Tong was from Jingzhou.

Whether Liu Bei was the governor of Yuzhou or the governor of Xuzhou, he was not qualified to recommend Pang Tong as a filial and incorrupt official or an outstanding talent.

Of course,
You can also violate the Three Mutuals Law and force a recommendation.

After all, it’s not that no one does this, such as the Skeleton King next door.

But the Skeleton King has now become a pile of dry bones in a grave.

How could Liu Bei, who held the title of Left General of Han, dare to openly violate the Three Mutual Laws?

But this is nothing more than a matter of personal favor. Doesn't Liu Biao need something from him now?

The initiative is now in Liu Bei's hands.

Pang Tong was even more surprised by the sudden goodwill shown by Li Yi and Liu Bei.

I just came to buy a hot search, and I got an unexpected reward?

Pang Tong was already extremely surprised, but Liu Bei's next words shocked everyone in the room even more.

"…But I would like to make some changes to this plan."

Liu Bei pretended to hesitate and looked at Li Yi unconsciously.

Li Yi nodded at him. Liu Bei understood that this was Li Yi's chance to win people's hearts, so he said:

"I think that with Shiyuan's talent, he can be directly recommended as a Maocai, without having to recommend Xiaolian first."

The normal process is to first select filial and honest people, and then promote them to talented people.

The level of Maocai is higher than that of Xiaolian.

As long as the population of a county is over 200,000, one filial and honest official can be selected every year.

A county with a population of over one million can directly nominate five filial and honest officials every year.

But a state can only select one person every year.

So you can see the level difference between filial and honest people and talented people.

Li Yi just deliberately said that he would recommend Pang Tong as a filial and incorruptible official in order to give Liu Bei the opportunity to win people's hearts.

It was he who recommended Pang Tong as a talented person.

In this way, Liu Bei could not only win people's hearts, but also better impress Pang Tong.

After all, talking about selection of talents from the very beginning and talking about selection of talents gradually are two different things.

"...How dare the general love the wrong person like this!"

As expected, faced with the unanimous agreement between Liu Bei and Li Yi, the emperor and his minister.

Pang Tong really couldn't stand it, his eyes were almost red, and his voice was choked when he spoke.

Liu Bei and Li Yi looked at each other and smiled.

Just kidding, they have cooperated with each other and used this method to take down countless famous officials.

Still can’t handle you?
However, the people who were most shocked were the officials from Jingzhou who came with them.

When they heard that Liu Bei was going to recommend Pang Tong as a talented person, the crowd immediately went wild.

Everyone was whispering.

"… This is incredible, this is incredible. Who is this nephew of Minister Pang? How could he be so loved by Liu Xuzhou?"

"I also want this kind of special experience!"

Someone else whispered to Pang Ji:

"What good luck, nephew! What good luck...!"

Although Pang Ji didn't say anything, he was very happy in his heart.

The depression from losing to Li Yi just now was swept away at this moment, leaving only joy!
It feels so good.

It's so exciting to be looked at by so many people with admiration.

As Pang Tong's uncle, Pang Ji was of course proud of it.

Doesn't this show that he is well-educated?

Moreover, if Pang Tong really recommended a talented person, it would not only benefit him personally, but also their Pang family.

There are limited places for talented people in the state, except for the Pang family.

The Cai family, the Huang family, and the Kuai family are all eyeing covetously, and many other families are also watching.

Now with Liu Bei's guarantee, Pang Tong's spot as a talented person has been more than half secured.

"My nephew is a mediocre person. General Liu, please don't praise him too much."

The person involved, Pang Ji, also took the initiative to come forward and thank Liu Bei for his misguided love.

Although he said that Pang Tong had no talent, his face was almost broken by laughter.

Liu Bei smiled and said:

"Minister Pang, there is no need to be modest. I really admire your nephew's talent."

"I will explain this to Brother Jingsheng later."

……

……

(End of this chapter)