In the evening, a feast was held in the inner courtyard of the Lukou County Government. Under the blue moon, the jet black constantly brushes against the moonlight. The sound of insects chirping can be heard from the pile of stones at the edge of the pond in the courtyard. There seem to be a lot of black creatures climbing in the rockery. Lanterns were hung under the porch and also propped up with brackets to brighten up the garden. And they sat down. After Pang Tong sat down with Liu Qi and Wang Cang, he looked at the man with a goat's black beard and a green robe. Although it seems to be a very ordinary ordinary dress, it is clear from his strong and burly body that this is not a civil official. And the wrinkles left by the years of conquest on the battlefield are clearly visible. This is a military attache in his forties.

Since he was also picked up from the post station, it was the first time he saw everyone, and he first arched his hand and said: "I am Cheng Pu, the governor of Yangzhou, and I am really fortunate to see you." His face was solemn, as if he was going to be generous, and he did not smile.

The table that Pang Tong and Wang Cang saw was Liu Qi, and this son who was not good at socializing was full of smiles on his face at the moment. Try to find words that can cope with this military attaché. After thinking about it, he still said relatively simply: "I am Liu Qi, and seeing the general today is like seeing Lord Sun Quan." There are great hopes for the future of the two companies. Lord Cheng, please feel free. Then he introduced Wang Cang, and then introduced Pang Tong. It is almost said that Pang Tong is a general who leads troops to fight. However, Cheng Pu, who had already had an in-depth understanding of Jingzhou, was eyeing Pang Tong at the moment. At such an important feast, the Lu brothers did not come because they stood with the Cai family. But even Huang Zhong didn't come, but called a general who had never even heard his name. The mood of doubt began to be senior in Cheng Pu's heart, and he even thought to himself: "Could it be that there is no one under Liu Qi's account?" ”

Liu Qi toasted him.

Cheng Pu, who began to laugh constantly, picked up the wine bottle and toasted to the three of them, and said, "Although the two families are a little small. But those old things can't hinder the two families' plans for friendship in the future. In the eyes of those of us right now, some of them are the people. If the alliance with Jingzhou can make the people of Yangzhou happy, then it is the first priority. It is more important than the fight with Cao Mengde. ”

His generous speech shone like a firefly in the dark night. What can be seen is Liu Qi's pure joy. Pang Tong could even see that the excitement in the heart of this eldest prince was pounding into his chest. However, Wang Cang and Pang Tong only kept smiling. They all know that when they hear such words, the real negotiations have just begun.

Wang Cang, who was holding the wine bottle, looked at the ripples of the wine, the moonlight was confused, and raised his head to Cheng Pu and said: "General Cheng has worked hard from afar, I toast you!" ”

After exchanging respects, Wang Cang showed a heavy expression and said: "I have only followed Liu Zhoumu for a few years, and I am not an old minister. But I have been observing the situation in the world for a long time. As it stands, Jingzhou must join forces with Yangzhou to protect itself. It is bordered by Liu Bei to the west, Pang Tong to the north, and Cao Cao to the east. And Cao Cao coveted the land of Jiangdong. Only my two alliances can stop this tiger and leopard. One day, there is a chance to kill him Cao Mengde. ”

Cheng Pu, who had wine flowing from his beard, stared at Wang Cang intently and said, "That's not bad. However, as far as the situation is concerned, we are not afraid of him Cao Cao. And if Cao Cao chooses, maybe it will be much more convenient to fight Jingzhou than my Jiangdong. After all, Jingzhou is in chaos, and the tigers and wolves around it must compete for food. At that time, our Jiangdong army can sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, which must be much more cost-effective. ”

Pang Tong, who was holding the wine bottle, said loudly: "This is wrong! If the problem is considered from this angle, Jiangdong will surely perish. ”

Cheng Pu, who was shocked by his voice and words, looked at him in surprise. Although his voice was loud and serious, Pang Tong, who was smiling, said again: "Come, first salute the general." ”

Cheng Pu, who was hesitant, cared about what he had just said, and he immediately finished his wine and began to listen.

The fiery wine ran through his stomach and intestines, Pang Tong took a deep breath and said, "It's good that Jingzhou is surrounded by tigers and wolves, but why doesn't anyone dare to move in Jingzhou?" Because the Liu family has a deep foundation and the support of the people, all the people can be soldiers when there is a war. What's more, Jingzhou is a barrier between tigers and wolves, and no one can be the first to break this barrier. If there is a day, Pang Tong and Liu Bei will have a victory, and Cao Cao and Sun Quan will have a victory, and then they will definitely break through the barrier of Jingzhou. But it seems that this matter will have to wait for a long time, and it is not something that can be glimpsed now. As everyone knows, hundreds of thousands of Pang Tong's army are pressed on the border of Yizhou, and judging from this trend, Yizhou is the primary target of Pang Tong, so Jingzhou will be fine. And Cao Cao set his sights on the land in Jiangdong, which can be seen from his strategic layout. Cao Cao and Pang Tong have an alliance, not to mention, they have a silent tacit understanding. It's that the two birds of prey don't want to fight, they both want to kill the enemy in front of them, which is easier to deal with. It is impossible for Jiangdong to fight Jingzhou, but Cao Cao will definitely fight Jiangdong. Don't talk about the weakness of my Jingzhou, as far as the situation is concerned, Sun Quan must join forces with my eldest son in order to share the world. ”

Cheng Pu's eyes, whose expression had been calm, flickered, and he said: "How can Junior Brother Feng Xiao see the overall situation so thoroughly, in my opinion, in terms of your current strategic vision, you can be compared with Liu Bei's Zhuge Liang, Cao Cao's Guo Jia, and our Zhou Yu." ”

Pang Tong thought to himself: "Have you forgotten someone?" ”

"The eldest prince can have such a general, no, he should be a capable strategist, it is really a blessing for Jingzhou."

Liu Qi was overjoyed when he heard this. But Pang Tong knew that half of Cheng Pu was telling the truth, half of him was talking nonsense, and he couldn't take it all seriously. Since Cheng Pu's words did not mention the key points of the matter, let alone analyze Pang Tong's words, from this point of view, Pang Tong determined that Jiangdong intended to use a vague policy in this negotiation, and there would be no results on the spot.

After three rounds of drinking, Wang Cang mentioned the alliance many times, and Cheng Pu was clever about it. Gradually, even Wang Cang saw that Cheng Pu's trip did not have practical significance for the alliance.

After that, when Cheng Pu drank wine and his face was red, he said: "Eldest prince, in order to show my friendship, can you use your wine bottle to let me take a sip?" ”

Liu Qi, who was stunned for a moment, just nodded and said, "Of course you can." ”

Cheng Pu, who was laughing, drank all the wine in his cup in one gulp. When Liu Qi called the attendant to his side, Pang Tong suddenly got up, and Wang Cang got up after a while. Pang Tongyi grabbed Liu Qi's hand, put the wine bottle on the table, and asked the attendant to bring a new wine bottle to Cheng Pu.

Liu Qi, whose face was unhappy, glared at Pang Tong suspiciously, and Pang Tong, who was calm and relaxed, smiled at him. Liu Qi knew that there should be something wrong with it, but he didn't understand it thoroughly, so he immediately took his wine bottle and toasted Cheng Pu. Pang Tong, who had just sat down, also raised the wine bottle and said to Cheng Pu: "The old general is so drinkable." ”

Seeing that Pang Tong stopped Liu Qi's behavior, Cheng Pu, who narrowed his eyes, looked up to the sky and said, "It's really a sudden night." He looked at Liu Qi again and said, "The eldest prince must be a person who is rich and rich, what do you think of me in Jiangdong?" ”

He asked Liu Qi, but Liu Qi immediately threw a distressed look at Wang Cang. Wang Cang didn't look at him, so he glanced at Pang Tong again. Pang Tong, who was smiling, coughed dryly, turned his head to Liu Qi and said: "Didn't the eldest prince often tell me that Jiangdong had the most wise men, and the generals were brave, so he won Yangzhou for the Sun family." He threw his eyes to Cheng Pudao again: "In my opinion, the wise men of Jiangdong are not as good as Cao Cao, the Jiangdong soldiers are not as good as Cao Cao, and the land of Jiangdong is not as rich as Cao Cao." If the two armies intersect, the Sun family will be defeated. ”

"You!" Cheng Pu, who stood up angrily, pointed at Pang Tong and said, "You are a small official, how dare you insult my Jiangdong people on behalf of the eldest prince." ”

Looking up at him, Pang Tong smiled and said, "General Cheng, don't be angry. I'm just telling the truth. If you only know how powerful you are, but you ignore the enemy, then you will lose the battle. Don't forget, it was Cao Cao who annihilated the most elite main force of Yuan Shao in Hebei, which shows the majesty of Cao Cao's army. In the case of confrontation with Jiangdong, it would not have been possible to quickly defeat Kong Ling in Yuzhou if it were not for careful and careful deployment. It can be seen that Cao Cao's strategists were far-sighted, and they were very accurate between battle and time, and at the same time they were sure to resist the attack of Lord Sun, and saw through the situation of Jingzhou, Yizhou and Pangjia's army, so that there could be a great defeat in Yuzhou. The close relationship between the parties is the most critical military secret, and Cao Cao's advisers have already calculated everything. If General Cheng could get ahead of Cao Mengde's plan, why didn't he launch a general attack on Cao Cao when he broke Yuzhou? ”

patting the sleeve of his shirt and making a stiff face, Cheng Pu sat down slowly. And Liu Qi breathed a sigh of relief, and his face turned pale.

Cheng Pu, who had a sharp eye, said to Pang Tong: "How can it be so simple for the two armies to face each other. Taking a wrong step between fiction and reality is going to ruin my Jiangdong. Cao Mengde is not a general, if he underestimates the enemy, today I Jiangdong is already in the mouth of this traitor. ”

"Adults can take the status quo seriously is the link that we can continue to talk about." Pang Tong, who was gentle on the surface, toasted Cheng Pu again. After Cheng Pu was put down by the wine bottle, he looked at Liu Qi again and said, "Eldest son, can you let the musician play a song 'Heavenly Empire for Ten Thousand Years' to help the fun." ”

Liu Qi, who breathed a deep sigh, nodded violently and said, "Of course you can, let the musician come." ”

After the musician sat down with the strings, he began to move his fingers, and the sound surrounded him, locking in the seemingly joyful and stiff atmosphere. Everyone showed an intoxicated look on their faces, as if they were conquered by this music, completely forgetting the words just now, and retreating into the quiet and gentle night.