I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 187 Catch them all in one fell swoop

Pengli Lake, also known as Pengze, is divided into two lakes, North and South, with the Yangtze River flowing through the isthmus between them.

Beihu is located within Lujiang County, which is mostly mountainous and has rugged terrain.

Nanhu Lake is located within Yuzhang County. It is a place with many water features and its appearance is unpredictable.

After Pang Tong led Chen Wu into Pengze, they lingered in the lake for three days, causing Chen Wu to frown several times.

"Pang Tong, don't forget, you only have seven days."

"I remember! I remember!"

Pang Tong rowed the oars, leading the lone boat forward, creating ripples on the water.

"Chen Zilie, right? Why are you staring at me like that? Isn't the scenery of Pengze more beautiful than my face? Don't you think so?"

The river flows gently, the mountains shrouded in mist. Looking upstream along the Yangtze, the towering cliffs of Penglangji and Xiaogushan stand guard in the distance, their peaks like white ribbons bound by swirling smoke. In a hazy dream, one might hear the melodious strains of a zither, as if it were celestial music from a watery palace. The mountains, waters, and vegetation here are all imbued with the spirit of nature; even the most skilled painter would find it difficult to fully capture the splendor of Pengze.

"The beauty of Pengze is comparable to that of Yunmengze! If you don't take a good look, you'll regret it!"

rub!
But the only response Pang Tong received was the sound of Chen Wu drawing his sword.

Pang Tong was somewhat annoyed when he saw Chen Wu draw his sword without saying a word.

"Disappointing..."

Chen Wu simply pointed his knife at Pang Tong and said, "When it comes to scenery, which place in Jiangdong, Taihu Lake or Sangbo Lake, isn't it the most outstanding?"

"But do you know that our lord has never stopped going to these places to leisurely enjoy the scenery like you so-called famous scholars?"

"Whenever our lord goes out, he either goes to the farmland to check on farming, to the city of metallurgy to check on armor, or to the market to inspect commerce."

“These days should have been a rare time for our lord to rest, but after hearing about your situation, he immediately came to Yuzhang.”

Seeing that Pang Tong dared not act rashly, Chen Wu sheathed his blade again.

"Do you think the lord is merely afraid that you will cause unrest in Yuzhang?"

Chen Wu shook his head.

Having spent many years by Liu Miao's side, Chen Wu was able to guess many of Liu Miao's thoughts.

"Now, our lord has many capable generals and fierce warriors under his command, with ample armor and weapons, and complete bows and crossbows. Even if Yuzhang rebels, we can quell it within a month."

"What our lord is truly worried about is the death of people in Yuzhang! Whether it is the common people of Yuzhang who die, or the so-called Yue people you speak of, our lord does not want to see it!"

Pang Tong scoffed at Chen Wu's answer: "Does Liu Miao really care about the Shanyue people?"

Chen Wu: "Our lord once issued an order that no one is allowed to call others by the name 'Shanyue' anymore."

"And don't you know that our lord has already married Lady Yan, the daughter of the powerful general Yan Baihu?"

“In your eyes, the Shanyue people may be a group of barbarians, thieves and bandits hiding in the mountains who may cause trouble at any time! But in our lord’s eyes, they have never been like that.”

"If you really understood the Yue people, you would find that most of them were originally Han Chinese who made a living by farming for generations! It was only due to natural disasters and man-made calamities that they fled to the mountains and started a business of plundering."

Chen Wu looked at Pang Tong: "So, when our lord wanted to kill you, he was probably serious."

"You incited the people to kill each other, you deserve to die!"

"Now, your lord is giving you a chance to repent and start anew. Please cherish this opportunity. After all, this matter not only concerns your life and death, but also the lives and deaths of tens of thousands of people, including the tens of thousands of Yue people you speak of!"

Pang Tong was surprised that the seemingly dull Chen Wu could talk to him so much.

After hearing Chen Wu's words, Pang Tong was even more confused: "Are you saying that Liu Miao really considers those Yue people as ordinary citizens?"

"Otherwise what? Just like you sons of wealthy families, treating people like livestock, like numbers, to be played with at will?"

Pang Tong felt a little disheartened: "Don't you have a huge misunderstanding about me?"

Chen Wu paused for a few moments, then decisively shook his head.

"If you're really not the kind of person I think you are, why are you here instigating those mountain tribes?"

"Do you know how many lives have been lost because of your words, lives that should have been lived in peace?"

Chen Wu gripped the hilt of his sword: "I'll ask you one more time, are you going or not? If you're not going, I'll kill you right now and return to report to our lord!"

Pang Tong: "Oh, you, oh, you, oh..."

Pang Tong, who was known for his eloquence, was at a loss when faced with the somewhat dull Chen Wu. He stammered for a while before finally saying, "We'll be there soon! Wait a little longer!"

The boat moored in a marshland, and suddenly a rustling sound came from all around.

Chen Wu cautiously surveyed his surroundings, and every ripple that appeared made him want to peek out.

Pang Tong suddenly stood up: "It's me! Pang Tong! Pang Shiyuan! Do you all remember me?"

"..."

After a few croaks of frogs, a voice came from deep within the reeds: "Of course I remember! I can't forget your face even if I wanted to!"

The once calm reeds suddenly shook violently, as if the entire puddle had come alive.

The next moment, several men wearing straw raincoats and short turbans waded through waist-deep lake water toward Pang Tong and Chen Wu, and grabbed the boat.

"Pang Shiyuan, why did you come back after you left?"

"I have received news that Liu Miao has arrived in Yuzhang, so I feel I should make things clear to all the powerful leaders."

One of them immediately exclaimed, "Liu Miao is here?"

Pang Tong looked closely and realized that it was Peng Hu, the local chieftain, so he quickly went up to him.

Peng Hu, however, looked disgusted and slapped his wet hand across Pang Tong's face:
"Get away from me! Your nose hair is poking my face!"

"..." Pang Tong took a few steps back, looking aggrieved: "General, it's absolutely true!"

"Now that Liu Miao has arrived in Yuzhang, we can no longer act recklessly as before. Shouldn't we establish some rules?"

Peng Hu asked suspiciously, "What regulations?"

"The Art of War says: 'The momentum is like a drawn crossbow, the timing like releasing the trigger. Amidst the chaos and turmoil, one must not lose control; amidst the confusion and uncertainty, one's form is perfectly round and invincible!'"

Peng Hu spat and said, "What military strategy are you talking about? Do I look like someone who's been to school? Speak like a normal person!"

"..."

Fortunately, Pang Tong had experienced even more impolite things, so he could only use plain language to persuade Peng Hu: "If you fight alone, you will inevitably be defeated one by one by Liu Miao!"

"Only by uniting as one and seizing the right opportunity can we achieve a swift and decisive victory, making Liu Miao utterly terrified!"

Pang Tong clenched his five short, chubby fingers into a fist: "I also need to go to the other powerful leaders' places. We'll arrange a place to discuss things properly, figure out our strategy, and only then can we defeat Liu Miao!"

After hearing this, Peng Hu felt there was some truth to it, but he couldn't help but wonder, "Unite as one? Then who will be the leader?"

Pang Tong immediately revealed a few fawning smiles: "Of course it's you!"

"Who in the entire Yuzhang region doesn't know that you, Peng Hu, are the most powerful and capable leader! If people don't listen to you, then who will they listen to?"

Upon hearing this, Peng Hu was extremely pleased: "That's true!"

What he didn't know was that Pang Tong and several other powerful generals said the same thing...

Pang Tong persuaded the leaders of several powerful families, and they all rushed to the place Pang Tong had agreed to meet them at Nan Shi Ji.

Peng Hu, Li Yu, and Wang Hai are the three largest clan leaders, each commanding tens of thousands of Yue tribes.

When the three met, none of them were willing to give way.

"Why aren't you hiding in the mountains? Why are you out here basking in the sun today?"

"What a joke! Do you dare to openly flaunt yourself in front of the government troops?"

"..."

The group of powerful figures were about to start a fight at the slightest provocation when Peng Hu slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "What's all this noise about? Don't you know why you're here today?"

The scene was silent at first.

Then, an even more chaotic noise erupted!

"Peng Laohu! What the hell are you pretending for?"

Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the boss!

"Peng Hu! Your men crossed the border and fished on my territory last time. You'd better give me an explanation today!"

"..."

The constant arguing was giving Peng Hu a headache, so he quickly asked the person next to him, "Where is Pang Tong?"

"I've never seen it."

Peng Hu then loudly asked the local leaders, "Has any of you ever seen Pang Tong?"

"never seen it."

"Did it leak?"

"Nonsense! With his appearance, who could possibly miss him?"

After searching around, they couldn't find any trace of Pang Tong, which sent a chill down the spines of Peng Hu and the other leaders.

"Damn it! Where is everyone?"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a monstrous wave seemed to suddenly surge up in Pengze, which had been calm!

Countless small boats, warships, and tower ships surged in from all directions, their large banners bearing the character "Liu" filling the hearts of all the heroes and generals with trepidation!
"I thought Pang Tong just looked like a turtle! I never expected him to act like a coward too!"

"Is it possible that it's Liu Biao's ship from Jingzhou? Wasn't Pang Tong sent here on Liu Biao's orders?"

"Nonsense! The Jingzhou navy can reach Pengze? Do you really think Taishi Ci is a useless person?"

The moment the surrounding ships appeared, all these powerful generals were filled with panic!

Some people tried to leave by boat as quickly as possible, but those warships covered in iron and cowhide mercilessly rammed them and smashed them to pieces.

Some people simply jumped into the lake, but with the soldiers on the high ships looking down on them, they often couldn't escape far before being caught and brought back by the boats.

Peng Hu, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted Pang Tong, who had invited him to this place, standing at the bow of one of the warships!

"Pang Tong! I will never forgive you!"

Pang Tong, who was on the ship, obviously heard this as well and quickly hid behind Liu Miao.

However, considering the current situation, Pang Tong stepped forward again, straightening his back: "Peng Hu! Now that things have come to this, why don't you surrender quickly!"

"Trust me! General Liu will not treat you unfairly!"

After saying this, Pang Tong stepped back, bowed, and smiled at Liu Miao, saying, "General Liu won't treat them unfairly...right?"

Liu Miao smiled slightly: "I will not mistreat them."

"As for you... I'm afraid it's hard to say."

Pang Tong's smile immediately froze on his face, making his expression even uglier...

(End of this chapter)