I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

Zhou Cang learned from Xu Shu about the disagreement between Liu Bei and Pang Tong.

From Zhou Cang's perspective, he was more inclined to side with his lord Liu Bei. After all, although Liu Biao was wary of Liu Bei from time to time in the original book, he still hoped that Liu Bei could continue to assist his son before his death, and there was not such a deep grudge.

But upon further reflection, Zhou Cang still acknowledged Pang Tong's abilities. After all, at this point, there were still eight years until Liu Biao fell seriously ill, and Pang Tong would certainly still possess some vigor, unlike his dejected state back then.

Therefore, when Zhou Cang learned of Liu Biao's attitude toward his lord's plan to rebuild Hefei, he was not too surprised.

When Liu Bei went to visit Pang Tong this time, he didn't even bring Zhou Cang and Zhang Quan with him, only Xu Shu and he brought gifts.

When they arrived at Pang Tong's thatched cottage, they saw the wooden door wide open and heard the melodious sound of a zither coming from inside. Liu Bei and Xu Shu quickly dismounted.

As soon as he crossed the small bridge, a young boy came out and asked, "General, why are you late? My master has been waiting for you for a long time."

Liu Bei's eyes widened, and he muttered to himself, "Master Fengchu actually knew I was coming." He quickened his pace.

This time, Pang Tong seemed like a completely different person. He was wearing a tall crown, brocade clothes, and an embroidered robe, and was playing the zither in the courtyard.

Liu Bei and Xu Shu waited quietly to the side until Pang Tong finished playing the zither before bowing respectfully.

Liu Bei said, "I was confused for a moment and did not believe your words, sir. I have come here today to apologize and hope you will enlighten me!"

As Liu Bei spoke, he prostrated himself on the ground again. Pang Tong slowly rose and helped Liu Bei up, saying, "General, there's no need for such a grand ceremony. Please follow me."

Pang Tong led the two into the thatched hut. After the three sat down, Pang Tong glanced at Xu Shu, then asked Liu Bei, "General, now that you know my words are true, do you have a plan to deal with this?"

Liu Bei was speechless.

Pang Tong then asked, "The land of Jingzhou and Xiangyang is bordered by the Han and Mian rivers to the north, connected to Wu and Kuaiji to the east, and leading to Ba and Shu to the west. Why don't you devise a plan to take it, General?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu volunteered, "When you first met me, my lord, I advised you to feign surrender to Liu Biao, claiming it was to resist Cao Cao, in order to garrison troops in Fancheng and wait for him to be unprepared before crossing the river to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang. However, my lord is a benevolent and virtuous man and does not wish to harm his own clan, so this plan was abandoned."

Upon hearing this, Pang Tong remained silent for a moment before saying to himself, "So that's how it is. I was wondering why you, General, raised such a small force to attack Cao Cao; it's all because of this."

Xu Shu continued, "Therefore, I advised my lord to take Runan as his base, issue a proclamation to the world to raise troops to attack Cao Cao, ally with Chen Deng of Guangling in the east to borrow the benefits of Xuzhou, and form an alliance with Liu Biao in the south to provide support for Jingzhou and Xiangyang. Jing Sheng initially refused, but then exchanged Wancheng for it, and only then were troops and provisions obtained."

"Now that Yancheng has been captured and Zhang Xiu has surrendered, Zilong is holding Bowang with his troops, which is only a hundred miles away from Xudu."

"Although Chen Deng did not raise troops to help, he directed Mi Zhu to Lujiang to rescue Li Shu, which led to the Hefei incident."

"Before we set off for Jingzhou, our lord had already personally written to Ma Teng of Xiliang, urging him to fulfill the imperial edict of the 'treaty in the belt' and take advantage of Cao Cao's defeat at Guandu to advance eastward to Chang'an. We still do not know if this has been fulfilled."

"Since the uprising began, though we have achieved some minor victories, we have been unable to sustain them. With my limited abilities, I dare not hinder the great cause of our lord, and thus I have come to request Brother Shiyuan to come out of seclusion and assist us!"

After Xu Shu finished speaking, he bowed deeply and did not rise. Pang Tong quickly helped Xu Shu up, but did not agree to the bow. Instead, he paced back and forth in front of the two men with his hands behind his back.

When Xu Shu last came, he was somewhat polite, but Pang Tong pointed out the shortcomings in his plan, making him realize that his abilities were indeed somewhat lacking.

Xu Shu's strategy has already taken effect. In terms of territory, north of Jingxiang and Jiangdong, Yangzhou, Yuzhou, and Nanyang in Jingzhou are showing signs of becoming a unified whole.

With Zhang Xiu's surrender, the strategy of winning hearts and minds will surely gradually unleash its immense power.

However, Xu Shu dared not gamble any further. The current results were already the result of fully utilizing the abilities of all the capable people and resources under his lord.

Every step from here on is crucial; one wrong move and the whole game is lost.

Compared to Xu Shu, Liu Bei was more optimistic, but he himself admitted that his supposedly excellent ability to judge people had failed him in front of Pang Tong. What a talent he was, yet he had misjudged him...

Seeing that Pang Tong remained hesitant, Liu Bei thought that perhaps his sincerity was not enough, so he bowed again and said, "Please, Mr. Phoenix, come out of seclusion to help me."

Pang Tong then helped Liu Bei up, and after much deliberation, sat back down in front of the two of them.

"I am aware of the general's ambition."

"To be honest with you both, I do indeed have the intention to leave my seclusion and realize my ambitions. I have heard that Sun Quan of Jiangdong is recruiting talented people, and I originally intended to go there."

"Now that the general has extended a sincere invitation, and with my friend Yuanzhi by my side, I am willing to postpone my trip to Jiangdong."

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Liu Bei pressed on, saying, "I hope you will not despise my humble status, but will consider the well-being of the people and humbly offer your guidance!"

Pang Tong waved his hand and said, "In this chaotic world, with endless wars, General, you have abandoned the ways of kingship and hegemony and wish to practice benevolence and righteousness in order to determine the strategy for governing the world. I dare not speak rashly for the time being."

Xu Shu was slightly disappointed, but Liu Bei was not discouraged and quickly followed up, saying, "As for the matter of Hefei, I wonder if you would be willing to help, sir?"

Pang Tong did not agree directly, but instead held up three fingers and said, "I have three requests. If you agree, I am willing to give it a try regarding Hefei."

Liu Bei was overjoyed and said, "Please, sir, speak freely!"

Pang Tong nodded: "Firstly, you must grant me full control over Hefei, including matters such as city construction, resettlement of displaced people, and land reclamation. You must act expediently and without being hindered by others."

"That's natural. If you, sir, are in charge, everyone will obey your orders."

"Secondly, for the next three years, I will not inquire about the details of money and provisions. I will also request that a general be sent to lead three thousand men to my command. Without my order, the general will not have the authority to transfer this army."

"Uh..." Liu Bei glanced at Xu Shu out of the corner of his eye, and Xu Shu quickly nodded in acknowledgment.

"This matter will also be in accordance with your wishes, sir." Seeing that Xu Shu did not object, Liu Bei hesitated briefly before agreeing.

"Thirdly, the construction of Hefei is crucial to the foundation of the Jianghuai region for the General. Without Liu Jingsheng's support, this matter will be difficult to accomplish. I have a plan, and I hope the General will consider it."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details!" Liu Bei was excited when Pang Tong brought up the matter of dealing with Liu Biao.

Xu Shu, however, had a bad feeling.

"Please emulate the story of Duke Zheng and the Zhou Emperor," Pang Tong said succinctly, then raised his eyelids and looked at Liu Bei.

"Brother Shiyuan, do you intend for our lord to send his family to Jingzhou as hostages?" Xu Shu was shocked.

"Indeed, please forgive my bluntness, but with your current strength, General, you are not even as strong as Yuan Shu was in the past, and you only have the territory of Runan. If you do not take this drastic measure, how can you gain the trust of Liu Jing?" Pang Tong did not care about Liu Bei's feelings at all.

Since he was being asked to come out of seclusion, facing reality was a prerequisite. Moreover, he wasn't facing Cao Cao. If he didn't even have the courage to send his family as hostages to gain trust and support, he didn't believe he could accomplish great things by following Liu Bei.

This was merely a more elaborate process of bowing down and acknowledging Liu Biao's allegiance, and he believed that Liu Bei, who was capable of both yielding and standing firm, should be able to do it.

Pang Tong's last words struck Liu Bei's sore spot. In that instant, he not only thought of Lady Mi and Lady Gan, but also of Lady Mi's brothers Mi Fang and Mi Zhu, who were far away in Wancheng. He even thought of his second brother Guan Yu, who had surrendered to Cao Cao after the Battle of Xuzhou and had finally managed to escort his family back from Xudu.

Can they...accept this request?

Liu Bei frowned, lowered his eyes, and tried hard to control his breathing.

"This matter..."