Of course, Xin Ping would not inform Yuan Tan of the details of Pang Tongtong's promise to exchange 20,000 yuan for two cities.

Back in the barracks, he didn't deliberately mention how difficult the talks were, but just said lightly that Pang Tong had agreed to Yuan Tan's proposal.

The three cities originally cost 150,000 yuan, but now they can be solved with only 20,000 hanging money, Yuan Tan is of course overjoyed.

He immediately asked people to take 20,000 yuan from the military quartermaster and let Xin Ping send it to Pang Tong's army.

Coming to the Pang Tong military camp again, Xin Ping entered the tent of the commander, greeted Pang Tong, Zang Ba and Sun Guan, and said to the servants: "General Pang, my father-in-law has agreed to the conditions and ordered me to send 20,000 hanging money. Please also ask the general to return the three cities earlier. ”

"So fast." Knowing that Xin Ping would come back soon, Pang Tong still pretended to be very surprised and said: "Actually, Xin Gong doesn't need to be like this at all, we can wait a few more days." ”

"My lord and the marquis of Chu have each given orders, is General Pang still planning to delay?" Xin Ping frowned slightly, and asked Pang Tong.

"How is that possible?" Pang Tong smiled and said to Zang Ba: "General Lao Zang went to count the copper coins on my behalf. ”

Zang Ba got up and agreed, and left the tent.

Pang Tong said to Xin Ping: "Xin Gong, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that the stakes are very high, I don't dare to slack off, and I ask Xin Gong to be compassionate." ”

"General Pang doesn't have to say so much." Xin Ping replied: "I can understand all this, and please return the three cities to us as soon as possible after counting the copper coins." ”

"Well said, well said." Pang Tong said to Xin Ping: "Gong Xin, please take a seat, after General Zang counts, if there are no mistakes or omissions, I will immediately send someone to Qingzhou and ask General Chen Shuzhi to hand over the city to Yuan Xiansi as soon as possible." ”

"Then there will be labor." Xin Ping answered.

After a while, Zang Ba walked in from outside and said to Pang Tong: "General Pang, I have personally counted, 20,000 hanging money, one hanging is not much, and one hanging is a lot." ”

"Is there a copper coin count one by one?" Pang Tong asked.

Zang Ba was stunned, and then said to him: "There is no number one by one, so I will arrange for someone to handle it." ”

"No need." Zang Ba was about to leave, and Pang Tong said: "I still trust Xin Gong, he shouldn't be greedy for these small profits and spoil big things." ”

"Thank you, General Pang, for your trust." Xin Ping arched his hand to Pang Tong: "Dare to ask the general, when can the three cities be returned to us?" ”

"Right now." Pang Tong grinned and said, "Yuan Xiansi is so sincere, I can't be capricious. ”

He said to Zang Ba again: "General Zang, this matter is not small, and you have to send a trustworthy person to Qingzhou." ”

"Why don't I go." Zang Ba replied: "When General Shuzhi sees me, he will definitely not be suspicious like sending a messenger at will. ”

Looking at Xin Ping, Pang Tong asked with a smile: "Gong Xin, do you think it's appropriate to arrange it like this?" ”

"Okay." Xin Ping replied: "General Pang is so sincere, I didn't come in vain this time." ”

"Of course it won't be in vain." Pang Tong asked, "Does Gong Xin plan to wait for news here, or go back to the camp first and wait for General Chen Shuzhi to return the city?" ”

"The sincerity of my father-in-law has been delivered, presumably General Pang will not do something that should not be done from it." Xin Ping replied: "I'll go back to the barracks and wait." ”

After sending Xin Ping away, Zang Ba asked Pang Tong: "General Pang, do you really want to return the cities of Qingzhou to them?" ”

"Of course I have to pay it back." Pang Tong said: "In fact, we have taken a good advantage of getting 20,000 hanging money, if it takes a few more days, the second order of the Marquis of Chu came, even if Yuan Tan did not give us a copper coin, the city of Qingzhou still had to be returned to Yuan Tan." ”

"Since General Pang really wants to return Qingzhou City to Yuan Tan, I will set off to see Chen Shuzhi." Zang Ba took his leave and left the tent.

"Are we going to leave?" After Zang Ba left, Sun Guan asked Pang Tong.

"Of course it's going to be withdrawn, but not now." Pang Tong replied: "Yuan Xiansi hasn't left yet, if we leave, if he kills him back, wouldn't it be a big deal?" ”

"Yuan Shao has already given the order, does Yuan Xiansi still dare to ......" Sun Guan was a little unconvinced that such a thing would happen.

"Of course he dares." Pang Tong said: "Yuan Xiansi has been stationed in Qingzhou for so many years, but in fact, Yuan Shao does not pay attention to him. As the son of the Yuan family, he thinks that sooner or later Hebei will be subordinate to him, but Yuan Shao is biased towards the third son Yuan Shang, in fact, Yuan Xiansi has long been unhappy in his heart, but he doesn't dare to show it. This time Yuan Shao gave an order, he was obedient on the surface, but what he would do behind his back, you and I can't tell. ”

Sun nodded, and he asked Pang Tong, "What is General Pang's plan?" ”

"Exchange cities with them, and then heavily garrison the border between Mount Tai and Qingzhou." Pang Tong said: "When Yuan Xiansi goes away, it will not be too late for us to return to Pengcheng." ”

"I see." Sun Guan replied: "I'll arrange it." ”

Pang Tong fought with Yuan Tan in the area of Mount Tai, and soldiers and horses from all over the country returned to Pengcheng one after another, but his progress was the slowest.

Back in Pengcheng, Lü Bu told his subordinates about the agreement he had agreed with Yuan Shao to fight Cao Cao together.

"Previously, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao fought against Xuzhou together, but I didn't expect that now it is the opposite, and the Marquis of Chu has reached an alliance with Yuan Shao." Sitting in the front hall, after listening to Lu Bu's narration, Chen Gong said: "In this way, it is no longer us who are passive, but Cao Cao." ”

"The so-called alliance is nothing more than interests." Lu Bu replied: "Only with the same interests can there be a need for an alliance." If their interests conflict with each other, they will become enemies. Previously, Yuan Benchu and Cao Mengde had similar interests, and they both planned to take Xuzhou and divide it. Cao Mengde failed to break through Dangshan twice, and Yuan Benchu also found that spending too much effort to crusade against Xuzhou would definitely plunge Hebei into a long and bitter battle. If Cao Mengde suddenly withdrew his troops at this time, and the Hebei soldiers and horses were pinned down by us on the Xuzhou front, his Yecheng would be difficult to protect. Under such an unfavorable situation, do you think Yuan Benchu will join forces with Cao Mengde to fight against me? ”

"So the Marquis of Chu saw the opportunity and reached a peace agreement with Yuan Benchu, and then formed an alliance to crusade against Cao Cao." Chen Gong nodded: "If Yuan Benchu is willing to send troops in time, Cao Cao's army will not be able to resist ...... at all."

"He will definitely not send troops in time." Lu Bu interrupted Chen Gong: "Yuan Benchu will sit on the side and watch the tiger first, he knows very well that Cao Mengde and I are already dying. Even if Hebei does not send a single soldier, I will definitely go to crusade against Cao Cao. Why bother to do things that weren't necessary? ”

"Marquis Chu knew that Yuan Benchu would not send troops, so why did he still form an alliance with him?" Zhang Liao said to Lu Bu puzzled: "When our army defeats Cao Cao, won't he benefit the most?" ”

"There are several possibilities for our army to engage Cao Cao." Lü Bu said: "One is that our army is not Cao Cao's opponent, and Yuan Ben would have sent troops to attack the Cao family when Pengcheng was about to fall, so as to defeat Cao Mengde and force me to submit to him. The second is that our army has won victories one after another, and when it is about to attack Xudu, Yuan Benchu will send troops. However, there are two possibilities for him to send troops at this time, one is to tear up the alliance with our army and unite with Cao Cao to break us. When we are defeated, he will be able to turn around and take Cao Cao again. Another possibility is that he will help us destroy Cao Cao, and then fight a decisive battle with our army. ”

His gaze wandered around everyone's faces, and Lu Bu continued: "No matter what, we have a battle with the Yuan family in Hebei. It's just that in this battle, whether we are completely passive or able to take some initiative depends entirely on our ability to gain the upper hand in the fight with Cao Cao. ”

"What Chu Hou said is indeed right." Zhou Yu said: "When I retired from Yanjin, I was thinking about one thing, I don't know if you have thought about it. ”

Zhou Yu said that he was pondering something, and Lu Bu asked, "I don't know what Gong Jin is pondering?" ”

"Tarzan." Zhou Yu said: "I'm not too worried about other places, but Taishan always makes people feel at ease." ”

"It seems that Shiyuan is also worried about Taishan, otherwise he would not have returned to Pengcheng until now." Lu Bu said: "Yuan Xiansi is different from Yuan Xianyi and Yuan Xianfu. Since Yuan Shao continued the Liu family and gave birth to Yuan Shang, the Yuan family has never been peaceful again. As the eldest son, Yuan Tan is not an incompetent. When he arrived at Mount Tai, he drove out Beihai Xiang Kong Rong and others. For a character like him, inheriting the Yuan family in Hebei should have been logical. But Yuan Shao just made some things out of it, which made the Yuan family unstable, and Yuan Tan often did some risky things in order to prove his ability. When our army crusaded against Cao Cao, it was difficult to guarantee that he would not enter Mount Tai in Qingzhou cavalry, thus breaking through the north gate of Xuzhou. ”

"What is Chu Hou's plan?" The thing he was worried about was said by Lu Bu, and Zhou Yu immediately asked.

"Yuan Xiansi and Shi Yuan fought in Mount Tai, although it seemed that he had taken a lot of opportunities, but in fact he suffered a lot." Lu Bu said: "He must have some scruples about Pang Shiyuan, and I plan to allocate some more soldiers and horses to Shiyuan, and he will guard Mount Tai." As for other places, I will also allocate men and horses to attack Cao Cao, and while attacking Cao Cao, we must also watch out for Yuan Shaocai. ”

has followed Lu Bu for many years, and Chen Gong also has a lot of understanding of him.

Back then, Lu Bu couldn't see these internal connections, but now he can analyze many things at the head of the Tao, which really surprised Chen Gong.

Arching his hand towards Lu Bu, Chen Gong asked, "Dare to ask the Marquis of Chu, who will guard Pengcheng?" ”

"Shi Yuan will guard Mount Tai, and Gong Jin will join me in the crusade against Cao Cao." Lu Bu said: "In addition to the public platform, who else can guard Pengcheng?" ”

Lu Bu's meaning was obvious, of course, Peng Cheng was going to be handed over to Chen Gong to guard.

Receiving this response, Chen Gong replied: "As long as I am here, Pengcheng will definitely not be captured by Cao Cao." ”

"Not only Cao Cao, but no one can give our Pengcheng away." Lu Bu smiled slightly, first answered Chen Gong, and then asked him: "Gongtai, don't be too negligent with Yuan Shao in Hebei. ”

"Don't worry, Chu Hou, I understand." Chen Gong immediately agreed.

Most of the matter had been agreed with everyone, and Lu Bu was about to let them all disperse, when Sun Ce walked in from outside the door.

Coming to Lu Bu, Sun Ce said: "Chu Hou, the news from Mount Tai just now ......"

At this point, he didn't continue, and everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Lu Bu said to him: "There are no outsiders here, Bo Fu doesn't have to hide it, just say it." ”

"Yuan Xiansi also received Yuan Shao's military order, and successively sent Xin Bi and Xin Ping to discuss peace talks with Pang Shiyuan." Sun Ce said: "Pang Shiyuan agreed to the peace talks, but he asked Yuan Xiansi to redeem the three cities captured by our army in Qingzhou with 20,000 yuan. ”

"Did Yuan Xiansi give any money?" Lu Bu asked.

"Given." Sun Ce replied: "Pang Shiyuan has ordered Zang Ba to go to Qingzhou, and asked General Chen to hand over the city to Yuan's army. ”

"That means they're coming back soon." Lu Bu nodded first, and then said to Sun Ce: "Send another military order, 20,000 hanging money does not need to be returned, let Pang Shiyuan stay in the army and reward meritorious soldiers in the future." As for him, Zang Ba, and Sun Guan, there is no need to return to Pengcheng if they stay in Taishan. After Chen Shuzhi returned to Mount Tai, he immediately led the Baiwei army back. Crusade against Cao Cao, I can use the Bai Xuan Army. ”

"I'll send somebody." Sun Ce agreed, turned and left.

"Chu Hou." After Sun Ce left, Zhou Yu said to Lu Bu: "Isn't it inappropriate to leave Pang Shiyuan and the others in Mount Tai directly?" ”

"What's wrong?" Lu Bu said: "What Yuan Xiansi is afraid of is Pang Shiyuan, we withdrew the Baiwei army, and did not send additional troops and horses to Mount Tai. When he got such news, he should understand what I was going to do. If he still wants to take advantage of our army's crusade against Cao Cao and suddenly send troops to Mount Tai, it is nothing more than to provoke a war between the Yuan family and Xuzhou. When there was no eyebrows in the big war, he did this, but it would make Yuan Benchu angry. Yuan Tan is not a fool, without absolute certainty, he should not make such a stupid decision. ”

"We all know that with Pang Shiyuan sitting in Mount Tai, Yuan Tan doesn't dare to covet it anymore." Zhou Yu said: "But we should also understand that Pang Shiyuan led the army to camp there, while Yuan Tan withdrew his army and returned to the hinterland of Qingzhou. If this news reached Yuan Benchu, I was afraid that it would also provoke him to be wary of Chu Hou. ”

The possibility proposed by Zhou Yu did exist, Lu Bu first frowned and thought for a moment, and then asked everyone, "Do you think what Gong Jin said is reasonable?" ”

"I think what Gong Jin said is indeed reasonable." Chen Gong replied: "Marquis Chu might as well transfer some soldiers and horses back from Pang Shiyuan, leaving only enough men and horses to deal with Yuan Tan." In this way, Yuan Benchu would not be afraid of our army stationed in Mount Tai, and Yuan Tan should not dare to covet Mount Tai easily. ”

Lu Bu nodded: "What you said is right, then transfer back 10,000 horses from Mount Tai, and Pang Shiyuan will lead the remaining soldiers and horses to guard Mount Tai." Let people tell him that Taishan's gains and losses are very important, and there can be no negligence in any case. ”

(End of chapter)