The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 238 Pang Tong devises a series of interconnected schemes; Liu Bei challenges Ma Chao to a battle of wits (5th update)
They were in a standoff.

Liu Bei rode out, with Guan Yu and Huang Zhong guarding him on either side.

Upon catching sight of Guan Yu and Huang Zhong, both as imposing as tigers, Ma Chao's expression changed, and he reined in his horse and took several steps back.

"Do not harm my lord!"

Upon seeing this, Pang De quickly led several of his lieutenants out on horseback to protect Ma Chao, glaring fiercely at Liu Bei.

"Don't misunderstand!" Liu Bei laughed, cracking his whip. After Ma Chao remounted and settled himself, he slowly spoke, pointing to his left and right: "These are my generals Guan Yu and Huang Zhong. Their horsemanship and archery skills are no less than Zhang Fei's, who just fought you."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao's expression darkened once again.

Yesterday, he was defeated by Yan Liang and Wen Chou in a two-on-one battle. Today, he fought Zhang Fei to a standstill. At this moment, Liu Bei pointed out the bravery of Guan Yu and Huang Zhong. His intention was self-evident.

This is a protest!
Unable to contain himself, Pang De shouted, "How can a military campaign be fought with the brute force of a common man?! What good are many fierce generals? Can they stop the charge of my Xiliang cavalry?"

Liu Bei looked in the direction of the voice and saw Pang De, who was imposing and dignified. His eyes immediately showed admiration, and he cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask your honorable name, valiant warrior?"

Upon being greeted by Liu Bei's cupped-hand salute, Pang De swayed and stared at Liu Bei in astonishment: "I'm here to argue with you, and you object to my cupped-hand salute?"
Feeling somewhat flustered under Liu Bei's gentle yet piercing gaze, Pang De subconsciously returned the salute, but then realized something was amiss and quickly withdrew his hand, reverting to his fierce demeanor: "I am Pang De, Pang Lingming of Nan'an! What do you intend to do with me?"

Liu Bei's smile remained gentle: "What Pang Gongshi said is quite right! Battles on the battlefield are not one-on-one duels, so I intend to challenge him to another duel." He then turned to Ma Chao: "This time, we will not fight as generals, but as strategists. You and I will each use our own methods, without regard to any strategy. Whoever can capture the other's commander alive must grant the victor one condition. What do you say?"

"Capture me alive?" Ma Chao raised an eyebrow, his anger rising. "Liu Bei! Are you implying that capturing me alive is as easy as turning your hand?"

Liu Bei shook his head slightly: "I dare not claim it will be as easy as turning my hand, but I have enough confidence; General Ma is also a man of both courage and strategy, and I'm sure he's determined to capture me alive. Shall we take the gamble?"

"What's there to be afraid of!" Provoked by Liu Bei, Ma Chao's resentment intensified, and he coldly snorted, "I will capture you alive! When shall we begin our duel?"

Without hesitation, Liu Bei said, "You fought bravely against Generals Yan and Wen yesterday, and against Zhang Fei today. You are exhausted, while I have only been observing from the sidelines. If we were to start immediately, it would be dishonorable for me to win. Moreover, your troops have come from afar and their morale is low, while mine have been here for many days and are full of energy. To be fair, you can lead your troops back to your camp to rest and take advantage of the terrain. I will lead my troops to set up camp outside Pishi City. Once I have set up camp, we will begin. What do you say?"

“It’s a deal!” Although Ma Chao found Liu Bei’s “good intentions” suspicious, he was indeed worried about the exhaustion of his troops, so he agreed.

As Liu Bei turned his horse to return to his camp, Pang De immediately warned, "General! Liu Bei must have a treacherous plan! How could he be so kind?"

Without hesitation, Ma Chao said, "I know Liu Bei is treacherous, but our supplies and provisions are almost all in this camp. If we don't leave, we'll have to be wary of Liu Bei's sneak attack after nightfall, which will make it even harder to defend against. Let's break camp and return to the camp immediately!"

Pound lowered his head and thought for a moment, but couldn't come up with a solution. Suddenly, he said, "General! Why don't you ask the strategist?"

After yesterday's events, Ma Chao realized that Sun Zi was a man of exceptional insight and hurriedly summoned him for questioning.

Sun Zi, discerning the situation, said, "Since it's a battle of wits, cunning is inevitable. General, you are currently stationed here as an independent camp, united in purpose. Simply holding the camp is sufficient to handle the situation. But if you return to your main camp..." Sun Zi's tone deepened, "Neither Yan Xing nor the Commandant of the Capital Region are of one mind with you. If Liu Bei exerts pressure from the outside and sows discord from within, even a slight misunderstanding between you and the Commandant of the Capital Region or Yan Xing will inevitably lead to chaos! Liu Bei's so-called 'fairness' is trading geographical advantage for our popular support! It's extremely treacherous!"

Ma Chao was horrified: "So that's how it is! What a cunning Liu Bei!"

Then, Ma Chao bowed to Sun Zi and said, "Fortunately, the strategist has given me guidance! Now that the strategist knows Liu Bei's intentions, do you have a plan to deal with them?"

When it comes to charging into battle, Ma Chao is not afraid of Liu Bei; when it comes to scheming and plotting, Ma Chao is quite troubled; now that Sun Zi can see through Liu Bei's schemes, Ma Chao is secretly relieved.

Sun Zi bowed respectfully and said solemnly, “General, you are wise. After returning to the camp, the person in charge will be the Commandant of the Capital Region, not you! You only need to remember one thing: in all matters, you must prioritize the Commandant of the Capital Region’s orders! He can defend if he wants to defend, or attack if he wants to attack. You must not act on your own initiative, nor should you offer any suggestions. This is the best way to deal with the situation!”

Pang De asked anxiously, "What do you mean by that, strategist? If we do that, won't we be rendered useless?"

Sun Zi shook his head solemnly, speaking earnestly: "This is utterly wrong! If you were here, General, I could offer advice to help defend the city; however, in Pishi City, the decision-making power rests with the Commandant of the Capital Region. If I offer advice, and you use it, you will be going against your commander and easily create discord; if you don't use it, you will feel uneasy and miss a crucial opportunity. This is not a good strategy, but rather a path to disaster! If you argue with the Commandant of the Capital Region or Yan Xing out of doubt or resentment, you will be playing right into Liu Bei's hands. We will not be attacked by the enemy, but instead create discord among ourselves. How can we defend against the enemy then? Therefore, remaining silent is the best course of action; for now, obeying the Commandant of the Capital Region's orders is the foundation of our safety!"

Ma Chao's expression was solemn, and he wholeheartedly agreed: "Lingming! The strategist's insight is astute, and what he says is absolutely true! Quickly organize the troops, break camp, and return to the camp immediately!"

After a moment's thought, he gave another order: "Lingming! You should ride light cavalry quickly and return to the city ahead of us. Report to the Commandant of the Capital Region exactly what happened between me and Liu Bei these past two days, and what Liu Bei said about challenging me to a duel!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Although Pang De still had doubts about Sun Zi's words, he did not hesitate to obey Ma Chao's order. He immediately gathered several of his personal guards, spurred his horse, and galloped straight towards Pishi City.

Before long, the camp was completely dismantled.

As Ma Chao watched the sun slowly set, he dared not delay and led his army to hastily retreat to their camp.

"As the strategist predicted, Ma Chao indeed withdrew his troops."

A smile appeared on Liu Bei's lips as he watched Ma Chao and his troops from Guanzhong leave in a hurry.

Pang Tong smiled and said, "If you want to win Ma Chao's trust, you can't fight him too fiercely. Otherwise, the soldiers' resentment will be hard to dispel and things could easily change. Since you can't fight Ma Chao, you can only fight someone else."

There was a pause.

Pang Tong's eyes gleamed with a mocking light: "Ma Chao has faced off against you for two days, yet he hasn't lost a single soldier. Instead, he's received a bolt of Shu brocade as a gift from you, and he's even challenged you to a duel at the gates of Pi City. No matter how Ma Chao behaves after he returns, he won't be able to dispel Zhong Yao's suspicions. Ma Chao's mother died at the hands of Han Sui's generals, though not by Yan Xing. However, Han Sui's generals under Yan Xing will surely be suspicious of Ma Chao's actions these past two days. And with Sun Zi's abilities, he will definitely advise Ma Chao to be wary of divisive tactics and to obey Zhong Yao's orders. All his sincerity will only earn him suspicion and fear. Even with the advantage of terrain, Ma Chao will surely be captured alive by you, General!"

　Update 5 is here!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)