I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 212 Calculation
Changbanpo in Dangyang is the first open area between the narrow river channel upstream and the Jianghan Plain.

In other words, this place is narrow in the north and wide in the south, making it extremely difficult to retreat to the north.

Although Liu Miao had strictly forbidden Zhou Yu from going into battle these past few months, he did not actually "cultivate himself" as Liu Miao had said, staying in the military camp doing nothing. Instead, he worked with Sun Ce, Lü Meng, Lu Yi, and others to thoroughly explore the terrain around Xiangyang.

Xiangyang was backed by Mount Xian and had the Han River flowing through it, forming a natural moat. Most importantly, it faced a general like Wen Ping, skilled in defense, so Zhou Yu directly refused to make Xiangyang the main battlefield for the major battle.

"If we launch a direct attack on Xiangyang, it might take a year or two to take it."

"Your only plan now is to lure the soldiers of Xiangyang into a direct confrontation with our army!"

Lu Meng and Lu Yi were no longer relegated to the role of scribes, but could now stand openly in front of the military tent and discuss matters with the generals.

Lu Meng was not optimistic about Zhou Yu's plan to lure the defending troops out of Xiangyang.

"In terms of battlefield strategy alone, probably no one can surpass Cao Cao. Even Cao Cao was held up in Nanyang by Wen Ping for several months. How can we possibly lure Wen Ping out?"

Lu Yi also agreed with Lü Meng's viewpoint.

"Our lord's killing of Huang Zu and victory over Jiangxia have already shocked Jingzhou. The fact that he hasn't dared to send his soldiers to attack even once for so long clearly shows that he is prepared to defend to the death."

"It will probably be difficult to lure the Jingzhou army out."

Zhou Yu was also somewhat troubled by this difficulty, but he quickly remembered someone—

"My lord, where is Pang Tong?"

"He has been kept in Xiakou. If Gongjin wants to see him, he can be sent here."

Zhou Yu, however, said, "Pang Tong is a renowned scholar of Jingzhou. He should not be moved around as if he were a prisoner."

Liu Miao understood Zhou Yu's meaning: "Alright! Then Gongjin and I will go in person."

The two took some time to return to Xiakou and met Pang Tong.

Liu Miao did not actually imprison Pang Tong, but simply confined him to a small courtyard, restricting his movements.

When Liu Miao and Zhou Yu went to see Pang Tong, Pang Tong was chatting with the soldiers next to him.

Where are you from?

"Hanoi people".

"Hanoi? Then how did you end up serving under Liu Miao?"

The soldier who had been spoken to by Pang Tong gave him a disdainful look: "It's one thing that you're ugly, but how come you're also so stupid?"

Pang Tong glared at the soldiers and said, "Speak properly! Do you know that from childhood to adulthood, no one has ever said that Pang Shiyuan is stupid!"

"There must be quite a few people who say you're ugly, right?"

"..."

Pang Tong snorted: "You can't talk about ice with a summer insect~~~ I won't argue with a vulgar person like you!"

The soldier said, "But I heard that the government used to require officials to have a presentable appearance before appointing them. Does that mean the emperor and those so-called Three Dukes and Nine Ministers are all uncouth people?"

"..."

Pang Tong had been with Liu Miao for quite some time and thought he had gotten used to the rudeness of his subordinates, but he was still taken aback by the whisper of a lowly soldier.

"Right? It's only because of these chaotic times that someone like you can gain fame. In peaceful times, someone like you would probably have a hard time even becoming a minor clerk."

The soldiers didn't mean any harm, since it was common knowledge that Pang Tong was ugly, so they quickly started chatting with him.

"You ask me why I came to serve under Liu Biaoqi as a soldier? Do I really need to give you such an obvious answer?"

"Back in my hometown, first the Yellow Turban rebels, then the Black Mountain Army, and finally even the Xiongnu fled there. What else could I do but run away?"

"Actually, I also wanted to go to Jingzhou, but I heard about something, so I didn't go to Jingzhou and went to Huainan instead."

Pang Tong immediately guessed what the other person was talking about.

"Just because Liu Miao distributed land equally among you?"

"What do you mean 'because'? And you better watch your manners! How dare you call our lord by his name so casually?"

It was clear that the soldier respected Liu Miao greatly, and his previously calm expression turned angry again.

Pang Tong repeatedly bowed and said, "Very well! Prefect Liu! Governor Liu! General Liu, are you all right?"

The soldiers then calmed down.

"You idiot, do you even know what equal distribution of land means? It's land that you can leave to your descendants after you die! It's your own private land!"

The soldier spoke while looking at Pang Tong with disdain.

"I heard you come from a prominent family, so you must have lived a life of luxury since childhood, where everything was done for you. Of course, a few dozen acres of land are nothing to people like you!"

Pang Tong defended himself: "Although I have never farmed, I have not indulged in sensual pleasures; instead, I have devoted myself to reading and scholarship! Only in this way can I serve the country and save the people..."

"Nonsence!"

The soldier spat directly at Pang Tong.

"That sounds nice! Serving the country above and saving the common people below... Then let me ask you, what is the state of the country now? What is the state of the emperor now? And what is the state of the people now?"

Pang Tong felt wronged: "It wasn't my fault."

The soldier became even angrier: "Do you think I don't know what you went to Yuzhang for? You went there to incite those mountain tribes to be enemies with our lord! If you really succeed, do you know how many innocent people will die? Doesn't that concern you?"

Pang Tong remained silent for a moment.

“I used to be a tenant farmer too, tilling the land for the landlord. My master said almost the same things you said, just spouting nonsense about caring for the people all the time, but the rent and agricultural loans kept increasing year by year!”

The soldiers were not particularly happy to see that their momentum had overwhelmed Pang Tong.

"Pang Tong, even if you scholars can eat a lot, how much grain can you consume in a year? Why would you rather pile up that grain in the granary for rats and sparrows to eat than give it to us?"

"Our lord doesn't intend to make you spit out what he's swallowed; he just wants you to take out the contents of the granary and give them to everyone. Why are you unwilling?"

Pang Tong hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

With Pang Tong's eloquence, he easily discovered many loopholes in the soldier's words that allowed him to refute them.

However, Pang Tong was powerless to argue with a soldier about such a matter. Instead, he was drawn into the soldier's thoughts and began to reflect on why this was happening...

"what's the topic?"

When Liu Miao's voice rang out from behind Pang Tong, Pang Tong was immediately startled.

When Pang Tong saw that Liu Miao was accompanied only by Zhou Yu, he breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that General Liu is not here to kill me?"

"How do you know?" Liu Miao waved to Pang Tong's soldiers, who tactfully withdrew.

"If you intend to kill me, it must be after you have captured Xiangfan. But since you are only accompanied by Zhou Yu and not any other generals from Jiangdong, it seems you are not planning to withdraw your troops back to Jiangdong, are you?"

Liu Miao laughed heartily and deliberately slapped Pang Tong hard on the back: "As expected of the Phoenix Chick, you're so clever!"

Pang Tong was beaten so badly by Liu Miao that he was wincing, but he still guessed Liu Miao's purpose: "Is General Liu encountering difficulties while attacking Xiangfan?"

"No! What difficulties could there be?"

Pang Tong immediately saw through Liu Miao's rhetoric: "Xiangfan's defense system is not so easy to break through."

"Moreover, the local scholars of Jingzhou, such as Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao, already disliked our lord. Now they are probably united in resisting Liu Biaoqi. If Liu Biaoqi could really break through so easily, he would just march north to fight Yuan Shao. Why would he suddenly return to Xiakou to find me?"

"what!"

Seeing that he could not hide it from Pang Tong, Liu Miao also admitted to the matter.

Pang Tong: "Did General Liu come to me for advice?"

"It wasn't me, it was him!"

Liu Miao pointed at Zhou Yu.

"I've just been in Yicheng for a long time, so I came out for a stroll."

Pang Tong looked at Zhou Yu, making no attempt to hide his envy: "How can someone grow up to look like that?"

"Zhou Gongjin, you haven't encountered any difficulties in your life, have you?"

Zhou Yu thought about it carefully, then shook his head in agreement: "I really don't."

"Whenever I need something from someone, I just have to stand in front of them and they agree. They always treat me well... What? Aren't you the same way?"

"..."

Pang Tong let out a long sigh.

Then, recalling what the soldier had said earlier—that "only those with handsome appearances can become officials of the Han Dynasty"—he felt even more heartbroken.

"You want to ask me for a plan?"

"I'm just asking you some intelligence about Jingzhou."

Why should I tell you?

Zhou Yu was speechless.

Liu Miao immediately raised his hand: "Because if you don't tell Gongjin, I will definitely kill your whole family after I conquer Xiangyang!"

Pang Tong looked helpless: "Do we really have to be so ruthless?"

"There's no real affection between us."

"..."

Pang Tong was also somewhat troubled by Liu Miao's stubbornness: "General Liu... truly has the air of Emperor Gaozu."

Liu Miao then said, "Stop talking nonsense! Just tell me what's going on. As long as you tell the truth, I guarantee I will never harm you or your family."

"Is what Liu Biaoqi said true?"

"Nonsense! When have I, Liu Miao, ever lied to anyone? Gongjin, why are you looking at me like that? Ask me what you need to ask!"

Normally, Pang Tong would never have agreed to Liu Miao's request.

But the casual conversation with the soldier earlier stirred something within Pang Tong, who turned his gaze to Zhou Yu and nodded at him.

Zhou Yu also calmed himself down: "Are Cai Mao and Zhang Yun in command of the entire navy?"

“Cai Mao always regarded the Jingzhou navy as his private property and would never entrust it to others.”

What is Cai Mao's temperament like?

“Arrogant, extremely arrogant… or rather, those scholars who welcomed Liu Biao into Jingzhou were all like that, thinking that without them there would be no Liu Biao, and no Jingzhou as it is today.”

"One last question: Were Liu Biao and Cai Mao on good terms?"

Pang Tong frowned at this moment, no longer as certain as he had been with the previous two questions.

"I don't know."

"I don't know?"

"I simply don't know."

Pang Tong was fairly familiar with Liu Biao's past: "He was known as one of the 'Eight Steeds' when he was young, and later he was implicated in the 'Party Prohibitions' because he led the Imperial Academy students. He should have been an upright person, but I don't know why he has become so weak now."

"The Kuai and Cai families forced him to distance himself from even his own son, yet he never resisted in the slightest. So this matter is very strange."

Zhou Yu fell into deep thought again, then nodded to Pang Tong: "I understand."

"Is this the end?"

"It's over."

"Before I met you, I was only 30% confident that I could lure the Jingzhou army out; but now, I am 50% confident that I can accomplish this."

Zhou Yu immediately formulated a plan.

"If Cai Mao is in charge of the navy, he should be given the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities."

“If we allow the army to cross the Han River, he will surely send troops to intercept us.”

"When the time comes, let Gan Ning and Jiang Qin lead the navy to fight him a few times, so that he will think he has won a great victory and he will probably underestimate his lord."

"Moreover, he should not know about the situation in Jiangdong yet. If we retreat, Cai Mao will definitely lead his troops to pursue us!"

"The only uncertainty is whether Liu Biao will hand over the troops in Jingzhou to Cai Mao for command."

……

Zhou Yu was constantly worried about this matter.

The last 50% chance of an accident completely vanished when Cai Mao and Zhang Yun led a sizable Jingzhou army to Changbanpo in Dangyang.

"After this battle, Jingzhou will no longer be able to contend with our lord!"

(End of this chapter)