When we observe a person, we can watch him do one thing completely. In March 211, Cao Cao ordered Zhong Yao, the Sili captain in Chang'an, to prepare to attack Zhang Lu. Liu Zhang was worried that it would be his turn next and was very scared.

When we observe a person, we can see him do one thing completely. Pang Tong came to Sichuan with Liu Bei for more than three years, which was enough to see his advantages and disadvantages clearly.

Persuaded Liu Bei to enter Sichuan

In March 2111, Cao Cao ordered Sili Xiaowei Zhong Yao who was in Chang'an to prepare to attack Zhang Lu. Liu Zhang was worried that it would be his turn next and was very scared.

Fortunately, Cao Cao's move aroused the dissatisfaction of Ma Chao , Han Sui and other (Tong) Guanxi princes, and they jointly raised troops to confront Cao Cao's army at Tongguan .

Yizhou Farewell Zhang Song seized the opportunity and advised Liu Zhang to take advantage of the battle between Cao Cao and Ma Chao to welcome Liu Bei into Shu, capture Zhang Lu's Hanzhong first, and resist Cao Cao by risk.

So Liu Zhang sent the military council officer Fazheng with 4,000 troops to Jingzhou again to welcome Liu Bei into Sichuan.

(Zhang Song advised Liu Zhang to ask Liu Bei to attack Zhang Lu)

Fazheng has been responsible for the liaison work between Liu Zhang and Liu Bei. Because he could not show his talents under Liu Zhang, he and his friend Zhang Song had long hoped to serve Liu Bei as the leader.

After Fazheng arrived in Jingzhou, he quietly advised Liu Bei: "Zhang Song responded, if Liu Zhang invites you to take advantage of Yizhou in the west, you can achieve great success." ("Three Kingdoms·Fa Zhengzhuan")

Liu Bei hesitated, and Pang Tong, the commander of Jingzhou and military adviser, stated Jingzhou's current disadvantages and explained to Liu Bei the necessity of taking Yizhou:

"Jingzhou has suffered from wars in the past few years. , The fields and houses are desolate and the talents are withered. Now Sun Quan and Cao Cao in the north are stronger than us. Jingzhou alone cannot realize the idea of ​​the three pillars. We should take this opportunity to capture the rich Yizhou to realize your ideal."

Liu Bei still hesitated and said:

"Cao Cao is my enemy. I can only do it with him. Only by doing the opposite of what doesn't work well can you win people's hearts! Now it’s not worth it for me to lose my great faith for a small gain! "

(Liu Bei did not want to lose his faith)

Pang Tong advised again:

"In troubled times, when changes occur, the lord cannot stick to his creed and miss the opportunity! Annexing weak countries and attacking those who have lost the support of the people was what the fifth uncle did in ancient times, and it does not lose justice. Although Yizhou was obtained through betrayal, as long as he carefully governs the people after obtaining it, grants Liu Zhang a large area of land, and repays him with justice, what is the breach of trust? What's more, if we don't take it now, Liu Zhang will eventually be taken by Cao Cao or Sun Quan. ”

Pang Tong’s thinking was progressive and logically , and Liu Bei was convinced by him. (Pei's note "Three Kingdoms Pang Tong Zhuan" cited "Jiuzhou Spring and Autumn ")

So Liu Bei left Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and other main forces to stay in Jingzhou, and led Pang Tong, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan and tens of thousands of infantry to follow the law and flow upstream to Sichuan along the Yangtze River .

Just two or three months after joining the Liu Bei Group, Pang Tong embarked on the road to Yizhou and began the first and only journey in his life. Helping Liu Bei to capture Yizhou seems to be his mission and destiny in life.

His younger brother Pang Lin and other followers also went with the army. (Pei's note on "Three Kingdoms·Pang Tongzhuan" quoted from "Xiangyang Ji")

Fu County Conspiracy Liu Zhang

Liu Beijun went west along the Yangtze River and entered Yizhou. Liu Zhang asked the counties and counties along the way to provide Liu Beijun with countless supplementary supplies. Liu Beijun seemed to have returned home.

After arriving in the north of Jiangzhou (today's main city of Chongqing), Liu Bei's fleet sailed into the Dianjiang River and landed in Fu County of Guanghan County (today's Mianyang City, Sichuan Province), only 360 miles away from Chengdu. ("Three Kingdoms: Biography of Liu Ermu")

(Liu Bei arrived at Fu County from Jingzhou)

Along the way, the plan to capture Shu formulated by Pang Tong and Zhou Yu (the collection has a dedicated article analysis) was not used. The mountains and rivers of the Xichuan map drawn by Zhang Song and Fazheng for Liu Bei (Pei's annotation of "Records of the Three Kingdoms: Biography of the First Master" citing "Wu Shu") only served as a travel guide for the time being.

Liu Zhang led 30,000 people on foot and cavalry, and brought sufficient supplies to the convoy to meet Liu Bei in Fu County.

The fleet vehicles are all hung with bright curtains, which are dazzling in the sun. ("Three Kingdoms·Liu Ermu Biography")

Zhang Song sent a letter to Fazheng who was in Liu Bei's army in advance, asking him to persuade Liu Bei to attack Liu Zhang during the meeting, but Liu Bei felt it was too hasty and refused. ("Three Kingdoms: Biography of the First Lord")

Pang Tong persuaded Liu Bei again:

"As long as captures Liu Zhang during the meeting, you can seize a state without troops." ("Three Kingdoms: Biography of Pang Tong")

It seems that Pang Tong and Fazheng said the same thing, so why should he persuade Liu Bei again? The reason is that Pang Tong understands Liu Bei better than Fazheng at this time.

He advised Liu Bei not to attack Liu Zhang, but to capture him; and then to prevent the people of Yizhou from suffering from military disasters and capture Yizhou, this would make Liu Bei, who preached "benevolence", even more tempted.

(Liu Bei and Liu Zhang met in Fu County)

As a counselor, if you cannot express good suggestions in a way that is most acceptable to the lord, what is the use if they are not adopted?

is like Guo Tu has a high level of speaking skills, Yuan Shao can always be adopted; while Jushu is more far-sighted, but what he says cannot reach Yuan Shao's heart, and it is the same as he has repeatedly offered suggestions but cannot be used.

Although Liu Bei still did not follow Pang Tong's suggestion, he believed that the trust of Yizhou had not been established when he first arrived, and even if he won Yizhou in this way, it would be difficult to pacify and govern it. ("Three Kingdoms·Pang Tong Biography")

But we can see that Pang Tong and Liu Bei were able to always speak deep into Liu Bei's heart in a short period of time. This is a manifestation of his high ability as a counselor.

Presenting Three Strategies of Chengdu

In Fu County, the armies of Liu Bei and Liu Zhang had a high degree of contact and feasted for more than a hundred days, which lasted for three or four months. ("Three Kingdoms·Liu Ermu Biography")

Liu Zhang also allocated Liu Bei troops, horses and a large amount of supplies, and then Liu Bei was asked to attack Zhang Lu, and the border defense troops stationed in Baishui Pass, Baishui County were also given to Liu Bei to command.

At this time, Liu Bei had more than 30,000 soldiers and horses, and had sufficient weapons, money, food and other supplies. ("Three Kingdoms·The First Master")

Why didn't Liu Zhang leave Liu Bei to go to war after the New Year? This guy is so honest.

Liu Zhang returned to Chengdu, and Liu Bei also set out for Jiameng County, Guanghan County (now the earth foundation dam of Shipan Village, Zhaohua Town, Zhaohua District, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province).

(Liu Bei from Fujian County to Jiameng County)

Here, Liu Bei did not go to crusade Zhang Lu, but only focused on extending favors and winning people's hearts.

A year passed in a flash, and in October 212, Cao Cao Battle of Tongguan defeated Ma Chao and other Kansai princes, and now he has gone east to Ruxu to conquer Sun Quan.

In the twelfth month of winter, the stars were among the five princes. -- "Book of the Later Han·Records of Emperor Xiaoxian"

"Five princes" refers to the five princes and star officials, which refers to the five local princes in heaven. This means that an alien star appears next to the Five Lords Star, which indicates that the princes in the world will be in trouble.

I don’t know if Pang Tong knows how to watch the stars at night. Anyway, at this time he presented Liu Bei with three strategies to capture Chengdu:

Now quietly select elite troops to attack Chengdu directly. Liu Zhang didn't know much about military affairs, and he was always unprepared. The sudden appearance of the army would be enough to defeat him in one fell swoop. This is the best solution for and .

Yang Huai and Gao Pei who were stationed at Baishui Pass were famous generals under Liu Zhang, and they both held heavy troops to guard the dangerous pass. I heard that they wrote to Liu Zhang several times, requesting that we be sent back to Jingzhou.

General, you can send someone to tell them that there is an emergency in Jingzhou and they need to go back to rescue them. Let the whole army pack up and pretend to withdraw.

They both admire your reputation and hope that when we go back, we will come to see you unprepared. You can take the opportunity to capture them, then annex their armies, and then attack Chengdu. This is mid-strategy .

We withdrew to Baidi City at the mouth of the Three Gorges (in today's Fengjie County, Chongqing City), with Jingzhou at our back, and the army slowly attacked Yizhou. This is 's next step to .

(Pang Tong’s three-strategy route map for taking Chengdu)

Anyway, Pang Tong had Zhou Yu’s detailed plan for taking Shu, and Liu Bei had a map of the mountains and rivers of Xichuan, so it was possible to start over from Baidi City.

But if Liu Bei really chose the wrong strategy, Pang Tong would really dare to jump up and scold Liu Bei for being unable to help him.

Pang Tong offered this low strategy mainly as a comparison and foreshadowing. Lord, if you don’t choose the middle strategy, it will depend on whether you can tolerate this low strategy.

And his best strategy is not impossible. But in the eyes of Liu Bei, who had spent his whole life fighting on the battlefield, the war situation was so treacherous that not many of them followed the plan.

If the war can develop according to the pre-war plan, I, Old Liu, will not be known as a "running away general" in this life.

And after all, we are alone in Yizhou now, and there is no chance for trial and error. We must consider the consequences of defeat in advance, so it is better to play it safe.

In Liu Bei's eyes, Pang Tong was just a young and impulsive genius who had never experienced any setbacks on the battlefield. Pang Tong, you have very good and novel wisdom and suggestions, but I still have to make the decision myself, as an old man!

Liu Bei finally chose the middle strategy, and it did not hurt the young man's self-esteem at all.

(Zheng Du suggested the area with strong walls and clear fields)

Later, Yizhou engaged in Zheng Du, and suggested that Liu Zhang move all the people from Brazil (western Bajun of Yizhou) and Zitong County, burn all the grain and grass in the area where Liu Bei's march route was located west of Fushui , and use deep trenches, high fortifications, and strong walls to clear the fields to stop Liu Bei. ("Three Kingdoms: Fa Zhengzhuan")

Liu Zhang also has talents under his command.

Liu Zhang's son Liu Xun held on to Luocheng for a year, and there were some stubborn people who resisted.

What Pang Tong thinks is the best policy may not really be the best policy!

Banquet Arguing with Liu Bei

After deciding on the middle strategy, Liu Bei wrote to Liu Zhang, saying that he was going back to rescue Sun Quan. If he didn't go to rescue Sun Quan, Cao Cao would attack Jingzhou after defeating Sun Quan. After defeating Jingzhou, he would attack Yizhou. This was a more urgent matter than the current conquest of Zhang Lu, and asked Liu Zhang to allocate more troops, horses and supplies to him.

Liu Zhang must have felt uncomfortable, so he dialed it in half as he requested. Liu Zhang is really a good person!

Liu Bei used this to boost morale in Jiameng, saying that Liu Zhang was stingy, we came to help him, but he was still so stingy to us. ("Three Kingdoms: Biography of the First Master")

(Liu Bei boosts morale)

Zhang Song of Chengdu thought that Liu Bei really wanted to go back, so he wrote a letter to Fazheng who was in Liu Bei's army, urging Liu Bei not to go back.

Zhang Song's brother Zhang Su held a very sensitive position at this time. He was the prefect of Guanghan County (stationed in Luocheng) where Jiameng and Fucheng were located, so he reported Zhang Song for fear of being implicated.

Zhang Song was beheaded, and then Liu Zhang issued a document to each pass, prohibiting Liu Bei's troops from passing through. ("Three Kingdoms: The Legend of the First Lord")

Things were exposed, and they completely fell out!

Liu Bei followed Pang Tong's strategy and summoned Yang Huai and Gao Pei from Baishui to kill them.

then sent Huang Zhong and Zhuoying to march south to Chengdu with the main force, and at the same time personally led the troops north to garrison Baishui Pass, annexed the Baishui soldiers, and then went south to join Huang Zhong and march to Fucheng. ("Three Kingdoms·The First Master")

At this time, Zheng Du asked Liu Zhang to propose a plan to strengthen the wall and clear the country, but Liu Zhang could not bear to let the people suffer and did not agree. ("Three Kingdoms·Fa Zhengzhuan")

(Liu Bei occupied Fucheng)

Liu Zhang sent Liu Huang, Leng Bao, Zhang Ren, Deng Xian, Wu Yi and other people from all walks of life to gather in Fuxian to stop Liu Bei's army from continuing to move south. ("Three Kingdoms: The Legend of the First Master")

As a result, Lao Huang Zhong often took the lead, charged into the battle, and his bravery ranked first among the three armies ("The Three Kingdoms: The Story of Huang Zhong"), Liu Zhang's troops were all defeated and retreated to Mianzhu (today's north of Huangxu Town, Jingyang District, Deyang City), and Wu Yi surrendered ("The Three Kingdoms: The Story of Yang Xi").

After a great victory in Fucheng, Liu Bei held a large banquet to celebrate the generals.

Liu Bei said to Pang Tong, "I am so happy today!"

Pang Tong said, "It makes me happy to attack the vassal country. This is not what a benevolent teacher should do!"

Liu Bei was drunk, and after hearing this, he said angrily:

" King Wu of Zhou defeated Zhou, singing before and dancing at the same time. Isn't he a teacher of benevolence? You are wrong, get out quickly!"

Pang Tong " retreated", which meant that he moved very quickly, stood up suddenly and went out, obviously angry.

After a while, Liu Bei regretted it and asked Pang Tong to come back.

Pang Tong returned to the banquet, sat back down, and did not apologize to Liu Bei or anything, just eating and drinking there.

(Pang Tong and Liu Bei are stubborn)

Liu Bei took the initiative to break the deadlock and said to him:

"Xiao Pang, who was wrong in our argument just now?"

Pang Tong replied: "Both are wrong!"

Liu Bei didn't mind the young man's stubborn temper and laughed after hearing this, so the atmosphere of the banquet returned to its original state. ("Three Kingdoms: Biography of Pang Tong")

At this time, Pang Tong had been following Liu Bei for more than two years. They were both away from home and got along with each other in the past. He was already quite familiar with each other's temperaments.

Pang Tong was "blunt" since childhood ("Three Kingdoms·Pang Tong Biography"). As his intelligence and experience increased, he still had reservations in his bones. He was not very tactful as an official, and he still liked to play petty .

But perhaps it was because of Liu Bei's consistent tolerance of him that he was able to reveal his true temperament at will, just like he once went boating on the Han River with Pang Degong and Sima Hui ("Shui Jing Zhu").

This quarrel actually reflects the harmonious relationship between the monarch and his ministers, and Liu Bei's deep love for Pang Tong.

Returning to the content of the quarrel, it can be seen that although Pang Tong advised Liu Bei to take Shu, he was not a vicious and unjust person, and he had the same benevolent heart as Liu Bei.

After all, Chen Shou said of him: He was elegant, good at attracting people, studied Confucian classics and thought wise, and was called Gaojun in Shijing and Chu. ("Three Kingdoms·Pang Tongzhuan")

(Confucian classics thinking)

is just for the benefit of Liu Bei, he needs to use some extraordinary means to maximize Liu Bei's interests.

And he dared to speak out to persuade Liu Bei, also to maintain Liu Bei's glorious image as a benevolent person.

He puts Liu Bei in a more important position than himself. He would rather his own image be damaged than Liu Bei's image be damaged.

Perhaps in these two years of getting along, he also developed a kind of respect and love for Liu Bei, just like he did towards his uncle Pang Degong who had been guiding him back then.

died in Luocheng

Liu Zhang sent the escort Li Yan and Fei Guan ("Three Kingdoms·Yang Xi Biography") to Mianzhu to supervise the defeated troops who retreated here.

probably has lost people’s hearts and it’s hard to lead the team. Li Yan and Fei Guan ("Three Kingdoms·Yang Xi Zhuan") surrendered, and Fei Shi presented Mianzhu City ("Three Kingdoms·Fei Shi Zhuan"). ("Three Kingdoms: Biography of the First Lord")

Now, Liu Bei's soldiers and horses became more powerful, so just like playing Go, it was time to connect the city with the chess game that was deep into the dead end.

sent generals and troops to occupy the surrounding counties, and asked Zhuge Liang of Jingzhou to lead his troops westward. ("Three Kingdoms: Biography of the First Lord")

Liu Huang, Zhang Ren, and Liu Xun retreated from Mianzhu to Luocheng (now Guanghan City, Sichuan Province), and Liu Bei marched to besiege Luocheng.

(Pang Tong besieged Luocheng)

During the siege, Zhang Ren went out to fight, and was defeated and captured at Yanqiao. Zhang Ren refused to surrender. In order to prevent Liu Zhang's other generals from following suit, he was executed. (Pei's note "Three Kingdoms: Biography of the First Lord" quoted from "Yibu Qijiu Miscellaneous Notes" )

Fast forward to the leap month of 214, Luocheng has been holding on for a year.

At this time, Zhuge Liang had sent Zhang Fei to pacify Jiangyang and Jianwei , and Zhao Yun to pacify Brazil and Deyang.

Pang Tong, who commanded the attack on Luocheng, thought very highly of himself and was unwilling to be followed by others, so he became anxious.

(Liu Bei) entered Luoxian County, and (Pang) led the troops to attack the city. He was hit by a stray arrow and died at the age of thirty-six.--"Three Kingdoms·Pang Tongzhuan"

As the supreme commander on the battlefield, he came to the enemy's bow and arrow range to command the battle. This shows his inner eagerness, but unfortunately he was killed by an arrow.

(Pang Tong was killed by an arrow while attacking Luocheng)

Liu Bei regretted losing Pang Tong very much and shed tears every time he mentioned it. Later, he worshiped Pang Tong's father as Yilang, and was promoted to an admonishing doctor. Zhuge Liang personally read out the imperial edict, which shows Liu Bei's great love for Pang Tong.

summary

Pang Tong followed Liu Bei for three and a half years, basically planning to take Xichuan and attack Xichuan.

He gave Liu Bei advice, with superb strategies and careful thinking. He could easily get into Liu Bei's heart and make him accept it. He also had a strong ability to act. Whenever he was needed, he could always give good advice. First of all, he was a very good military advisor.

He and Liu Bei established a relationship that was close to family affection. In order to maintain Liu Bei's image and the morality that Liu Bei protected, he dared to speak out and offended, was affectionate and righteous, and was even more loyal.

himself admonished Liu Beiren, which shows that he also adheres to benevolence in essence.

But he is not tactful in his official duties, and sometimes has a bit of a stubborn temper. As analyzed above, he has the shortcoming of easily giving up on himself. The essence is that he has too high expectations for himself, and if he cannot achieve it after working hard, he often fails regardless of the consequences.

has such high expectations. Once he is reused, he will work very hard to prove himself, so he does things a little too hastily, and eventually loses his life.

No one is perfect, and Pang Tong is no exception. We may not have the talent of ", phoenix, ", but we can learn from his lessons and make ourselves a little better.

(End of Pang Tong series)