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

Chapter 56: With Pang Tong, the world can be at peace.
Sima Hui's evaluation of Pang Tong was "the crown of scholars in the south," which was not only a praise of Pang Tong's profound knowledge, but also a praise of Pang Tong's elegant and refined demeanor.

Although Yuan Tan was harsh on the common people, he also admired famous scholars.

Therefore, they treated Pang Tong, who was erudite and refined, with great courtesy.

Some later generations have argued that Zhang Fei's respect for virtuous men and disregard for petty men was partly due to his personal character, but the greater reason lay in the social atmosphere at the end of the Han Dynasty.

after all.

Even someone like Yuan Tan, who came from a family that had held high office for four generations, admired virtuous men but cared little for the common people, let alone Zhang Fei.

Pang Tong reciprocated Yuan Tan's courteous treatment.

Sometimes tactful and subtle, sometimes righteous and stern, sometimes humorous and witty, sometimes focusing on the matter at hand, and sometimes traversing the past and present, from emperors and generals to commoners and laborers, from all corners of the country, from ancient times to the present, all kinds of people and events are familiar to Pang Tong.

Less than three days.

Yuan Tan was impressed by Pang Tong's profound knowledge and scholarly demeanor.

Under Pang Tong's deliberate or unintentional persuasive rhetoric, Yuan Tan's long-suppressed resentment and grievances seemed to find an outlet.

"Chief Secretary Pang is unaware of this."

"Back then, the general lamented that he was born to a maid and could not realize his great ambitions. Therefore, he accepted the patriarchal adoption and married Tan's birth mother to establish his status as the legitimate son of the patriarchal clan."

"However, Tan's birth mother was plain-looking and frail. Although the general outwardly respected her, he often complained about her in private. As a result, Tan's birth mother was depressed all day long and died when Tan was young."

"Afterwards, the general married a second wife, Liu. Liu was beautiful and had a charming way of speaking, which pleased the general greatly. Liu gave birth to a son, Yuan Shang, who was handsome at a young age and was deeply loved by the general."

"Although Tan made many military achievements, he still could not gain the approval of the general. Moreover, due to Liu's slander, the general actually made Tan the adopted son of the general's deceased brother under the pretext of 'respecting the name of his deceased brother and fearing that his deceased brother would have no heir'."

"Ah!"

"Liu's despicable actions stem from his fear that Tan would usurp Yuan Shang's status as heir."

Speaking of which.

Yuan Tan couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly.

For the eldest son of a prominent family to end up in a situation where his biological father doesn't love him, his stepmother doesn't care for him, and his younger brother doesn't respect him, one can only imagine the bitterness in Yuan Tan's heart.

Pang Tong had been deliberately leading him, and seeing that Yuan Tan finally couldn't hold back his resentment and grievances, he empathized with him and said:

"I deeply regret what happened to Governor Yuan."

The Mencius said: "Therefore, when Heaven is about to entrust a great task to someone, it will first afflict his mind, exhaust his muscles and bones, starve his body, leave him destitute, and thwart his actions, so as to strengthen his resolve and increase his abilities."

"In my opinion, although Governor Yuan was not favored by the General and was slandered by his stepmother, he never became complacent or gave up. Moreover, he relied on his personal courage and strategy to defeat Tian Kai in the north, attack Kong Rong in the east, and display his military prowess in the coastal areas. This is something that Yuan Shang could not match."

“In the past, when the Grand General was fighting with Yuan Shu, although the Grand General was not as favored by Yuan Shu within the Yuan family, the scholars of the world admired the Grand General even more than Yuan Shu. The reason for this was that the Grand General was more courageous and resourceful than Yuan Shu and knew better how to respect and admire virtuous people.”

"How can Yuan Shang, a sick cat who only bares his teeth and claws at home, be compared with Governor Yuan, who roars and shakes the mountains and forests?"

Pang Tong's words struck a chord with Yuan Tan.

Yuan Tan was delighted to hear this and said, "I am of limited talent and knowledge and do not understand the darkness. Fortunately, I have met Chief Secretary Pang who has guided me through my confusion."

There was a pause.

Yuan Tan then cupped his hands and said, "I humbly request that Military Advisor Pang offer his further guidance."

Pang Tong shook his head slightly: "I dare not presume to offer my guidance, but I have a few words on my mind, and I do not know whether I should speak them or not."

Yuan Tan laughed and said, "I know that honest advice is hard to swallow. If Chief Secretary Pang has any good words, please speak them frankly." Pang Tong composed himself and said solemnly, "In your opinion, Governor Yuan, who is superior in the contest between the Grand General and the Minister of Works?"

Without hesitation, Yuan Tan spoke with disdain for Cao Cao: "Of course, the General is superior and Cao Cao is inferior. He is the descendant of a eunuch and only relies on the emperor to gain the moral high ground in the military struggle. He has only a reputation. At most, the General will capture Cao Cao alive and march into Xuchang within half a year."

Pang Tong sneered and remained silent.

See this.

Yuan Tan asked in confusion, "Could it be that Chief Clerk Pang thinks that what I said is wrong?"

Pang Tong did not answer but asked in return: "If the General captures Cao Cao alive and marches into Xuchang, how will Governor Yuan deal with himself?"

"Of course," Yuan Tan blurted out, but immediately swallowed the words back, his face turning ugly.

Yuan Tan understood what Pang Tong was saying.

If Yuan Shao captures Cao Cao alive and marches into Xuchang, he will surely become second only to the emperor.

The problem is coming.

Yuan Shang was Yuan Shao's adopted son.

Yuan Shao was second only to the emperor, and Yuan Shang would also be second only to the emperor, and above ten thousand others.

If Yuan Shang inherits the Yuan family, how will Yuan Tan, who has always been at odds with Yuan Shang, properly position himself?
Thinking a little deeper, if Yuan Shang wanted to usurp the Han throne, would Yuan Tan be given a cup of poisoned wine or a bolt of white silk?
A cold sweat trickled down Yuan Tan's back.

After carefully observing Yuan Tan's reaction, Pang Tong said, "It seems that Governor Yuan has understood my concerns."

Yuan Tan remained silent for a moment.

Originally, he just wanted to chat with Pang Tong and vent his resentment and grievances, but he never expected to suddenly realize the biggest crisis in his future life!
Seeing that Yuan Tan remained silent, Pang Tong did not say much either, but simply rode his horse alongside Yuan Tan in silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Yuan Tan emerged from his silence, his tone now bitter: "I never imagined that all my efforts would amount to nothing more than courting death?"

"No!" Pang Tong said calmly.

Pang Tong's words were like a drowning person finding a raft floating on a river, making Yuan Tan overjoyed.

"Please, Chief Secretary Pang, enlighten me!" Yuan Tan bowed again.

Seeing that Yuan Tan had taken the bait, Pang Tong stopped his charade and asked directly, "Forgive my bluntness, Governor Yuan, would you be willing to become like Wang Mang?"

Yuan Tan's expression changed drastically: "Why does Chief Clerk Pang say such a thing? The Yuan family has been favored by the Han Dynasty for generations. How could I, Tan, emulate such a usurper!"

As a member of the Yuan clan, given the clan's power, it would be self-deception to say he didn't want to become Wang Mang, but Yuan Tan certainly couldn't say it openly.

Yuan Tan was surprised: Pang Tong's question was too direct!
Yuan Tan was unaware that Pang Tong was deliberately asking this question to thwart Yuan Tan's ambition to usurp the Han throne; if Yuan Tan did indeed harbor such ambitions, then eliminating him in the future would be justified.

“Governor Yuan’s willingness to support the Han Dynasty is a blessing for the Han Dynasty.” Pang Tong first praised Yuan Tan for his righteousness, and then said, “If Governor Yuan wants to maintain the glory of four generations of high officials and prevent the situation from getting out of control, there is only one way.”

Yuan Tan, with a solemn expression, asked again in a deep voice, "Please, Chief Secretary Pang, explain yourself!"

Pang Tong solemnly replied, "The Left General and Governor Yuan have a history of recommending each other."

"Would Governor Yuan be willing to first help General Zuo establish himself in Youzhou, and then join forces with General Zuo to counterbalance the various forces of Yuan, Cao, and others?"

"Indeed, a dead end can be transformed into a path to life."

　Please vote for me and read it later
　　
　
(End of this chapter)