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

"My lord, although this Mr. Pang is arrogant, he is incredibly resourceful. Even you and the strategist are humbled by him."

On the way into the city, Zhou Cang whispered to Guan Yu.

"Oh? This person is unremarkable in appearance, yet possesses such abilities?"

Guan Yu didn't believe it at all; he had met those strategists in Cao Cao's camp who seemed to be able to see through the secrets of heaven.

"We'll see how capable he is once we get to the city," Guan Yu muttered to Zhou Cang, secretly planning to give this "high-minded scholar" who had disrespected him from the start a lesson.

The crowd led Liu Bei and his entourage to the mansion. Along the way, the residents of Wancheng, upon learning of Liu Huangshu's arrival, flocked to watch. To appease the people, Liu Bei did not stop them.

It took almost half an hour to travel a distance of less than three miles.

Upon entering the mansion, Liu Bei set the tone.

"As you generals should already know, Wancheng is easy to attack but difficult to defend. I have decided to move the city to Hefei. All affairs, large and small, including the construction of the new city of Hefei, will be under the command of Mr. Pang Tong! Sir, please take a seat!"

Seeing this, Pang Tong did not refuse and went straight to sit down in the hall.

"Where are the seals of all the officials in the prefecture?" Pang Tong seamlessly entered work mode.

Where are the household registers and land registers for Lujiang Prefecture and Wancheng?

"Where are the armory, granary, currency, and ledgers for cloth?"

"Where are the criminal case files, army rosters, military tallies, defense maps of this city and prefecture, and registers of military equipment?"

"Since you are all in your posts, why are there no records or ledgers? Bring them here within one hour! Those who disobey will be punished according to military law."

Pang Tong fired off a barrage of words, and the mansion instantly erupted in chaos. The officials, both high and low, in the Jianghuai region were used to Li Shu's capricious and bandit-like behavior, and had never seen someone so decisive and ruthless from the start. Moreover, Li Shu himself was dead, and there had been no proper handover. So, they all scrambled to find materials to submit.

Chen Lan and Lei Xu were both covered in sweat, wondering to themselves, "Everyone says Liu Bei is benevolent and righteous, so why is he such a difficult person to deal with right from the start?"

Mi Zhu quietly approached Liu Bei and whispered, "My lord, all the official seals and insignia of the prefecture are in Li Shu's residence..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei stepped forward and said, "Shiyuan, Li Shu died outside the city without handing over the seals and insignia, which are still in his residence..."

"Then I'll trouble you, my lord, to make the trip and fetch the seal and insignia," Pang Tong said without even looking up, flipping through the account books.

"Shiyuan..." Xu Shu exclaimed in surprise.

"Pang Tong, how dare you speak so arrogantly!" Guan Yu roared, squinting his eyes and raising his arm to point at Pang Tong.

"Our lord has entrusted me with all affairs, large and small, in Wancheng and Hefei. If General Guan is not satisfied, he may discuss it with our lord. If there is no objection, then I shall be in charge here." Pang Tong still did not raise his head, and his voice was not loud, but it left everyone present dumbfounded.

Zhou Cang, who had been trying to persuade Guan Yu, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. This wasn't just ordinary arrogance; it was utterly outrageous. He was directly ordering his lord around...

Liu Bei was also somewhat surprised, but he quickly recovered and cupped his hands, saying, "I will go in person. Please wait a moment, Shiyuan."

After saying that, he took Mi Fang and Mi Zhu out. Before leaving, he looked at Guan Yu and shook his head to indicate that Guan Yu should not be reckless.

Zhou Cang glanced at Xu Shu, then subtly pointed at Pang Tong, mouthing, "Why don't you try to persuade him?"

Xu Shu frowned, pointed to himself, then subtly gestured outwards, mouthing, "How can I advise you?"

Zhou Cang remained silent.

Seeing that everyone was busy, Pang Tong took Chen Lan and Lei Xu to inspect the various warehouses first.

With the lord taking the lead and cooperating, in less than half an hour, all the seals and registers were piled up in the hall.

Pang Tong also returned to his desk and began working.

At Liu Bei's signal, no one dared to disturb them, and they watched as Pang Tong examined the account books in the hall, writing and drawing as he did so.

In less than half an hour, Pang Tong seemed to have finished, stretched, and asked, "Where is Guan Yu?"

Guan Yu pretended not to hear and remained motionless.

"Where is Guan Yu?" Pang Tong raised his voice and asked again.

Liu Bei turned his head and whispered a reminder, "Second brother, you mustn't be rude."

Guan Yu then stepped forward and asked, "What is it?"

"The lord has ordered you to come to Wancheng several days ago. You should know how many people in the city are willing to go to Hefei, how many soldiers are willing to go to Hefei, and how long the city's food and fodder are enough for the soldiers to move to Hefei. Report all of this to me as soon as possible."

Guan Yu closed his eyes and said defiantly, "I don't know."

Seeing that Pang Tong was about to get angry, Mi Zhu quickly stepped forward and said, "Sir, about 20,000 people in the city are willing to go to Hefei, while 10,000 are unwilling to go. About 12,000 people in the army are willing to go to Hefei, while 6,000 are unwilling to go. The city's food and fodder are enough for the soldiers who are to move the city for three months."

Seeing that Mi Zhu had answered correctly, Pang Tong ignored Guan Yu and began making arrangements in one breath: "Chen Lan!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Chen Lan replied loudly.

"You have always been a force to be reckoned with in the Jianghuai region, so you should know the roads here very well. You will lead three thousand soldiers with twenty days' worth of provisions and set off tomorrow by land, passing through Shuxian to Hefei. Once you arrive, dredge the waterway at Xiaoyaojin and build a military dock to await the arrival of my supply ships."

"Your humble servant obeys!" Chen Lan blushed slightly after being told by Pang Tong to "roam freely in the Jianghuai region," but still stepped forward to accept the command.

"Raise!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Lei Xu hurriedly stepped forward.

"Liu Jingsheng of Jingzhou has lent me fifty grain transport ships, one hundred warships, and five hundred small boats. They will arrive at the Wan River ferry tomorrow. You shall lead three thousand soldiers, take twenty warships and fifty small boats, and escort the grain transport ships north to Hefei. They must arrive within twenty days without fail!"

"Yes, sir!" Lei Xu accepted the order.

Where is Mi Zhu?

"Yes!" Mi Zhu quickly stepped forward and replied.

"Tomorrow, post a notice throughout the city to select 500 craftsmen. Next spring, bring your families north to Hefei. Those who apply will be exempt from taxes for five years. Submit the list to me one month later."

"Yes, sir!"

"Mi Fang!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Tomorrow you will lead a thousand soldiers to Wankou Ferry to expand the wharf and build a water fortress. You must act according to this plan."

As he spoke, Pang Tong handed the command token and the blueprints to Mi Fang.

Where is Zhou Cang?

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Tomorrow, you will lead three thousand soldiers who are unwilling to relocate the city to take over the remaining warships borrowed by Liu Jingsheng. Before the Wankou Water Fortress is repaired, you will first conduct naval drills in the river to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances."

"Your humble servant obeys!"

After Pang Tong finished making the arrangements in one go, he walked down to the hall, bowed deeply to Liu Bei, and said, "My lord, I have completed the deployment. Please inspect it."

Guan Yu was left out in the cold by Pang Tong the entire time.

Liu Bei walked to the hall and reviewed all of Pang Tong's arrangements again, then asked, "Shiyuan, what are Yunchang's plans?"

Pang Tong walked directly to Guan Yu's side, bowed to Liu Bei, and said, "General Guan knows nothing when asked. He has no use for my military skills. Please keep your promise and choose another general to serve me."

Everyone in the hall was initially pleasantly surprised by Pang Tong's clear thinking and appropriate coordination, but upon hearing this, they all broke out in a cold sweat, their eyes fixed on Guan Yu and Pang Tong standing in the middle.

Zhou Cang was even more disheartened. Guan Yu was "arrogant to his superiors but not to his inferiors," while Pang Tong was also arrogant and disdainful of others. He just didn't expect that they would clash to this extent as soon as they met, which was even worse than the initial conflict between Prime Minister Zhuge and Guan Yu in the original book...

Guan Yu had already regretted his earlier rebuke of Pang Tong with "I don't know," acknowledging his initial mistake. However, now that Pang Tong was using "three ignorances" as an excuse to demand that his elder brother replace him, Guan Yu was instantly enraged. He opened his phoenix eyes slightly and stared directly at Pang Tong beside him.

Liu Bei was caught in a dilemma. Just as he was about to speak to the two men, a soldier rushed into the hall in a panic.

"Report! General Huang Zu of Jiangxia has sent an urgent report!"