Yu Jin and Zhang He followed Pang Tong's brilliant plan and successfully captured Dianjiang, captured prisoners, and released the news that Yan Yan had burned the food and grass and obstructed Zhang Fei from attacking Zhang Wei.
Yan Yan was captured and plotted against. He cursed the two generals for being traitors and refused to listen to advice. So the only way was to detain him first and have Ju Fu take care of him until Zhang Fei returned to deal with him.
At this time, Zhang Fei had already entered Baxi County to raise an army to punish the offenders. The people along the way did not dare to confront him. They also hated Pang Xi for allowing the Qiang people to harm and oppress the people everywhere, so they chose to stay indoors.
No matter how experienced Pang Xi was, he could not have expected that Zhang Fei would plot against Li Yi. When the defeated soldiers escaped, he realized that the situation was not good. When he wanted to deploy defenses, the troops had already reached Langzhong.
As urgent reports kept coming, Pang Zhe cursed: "Li Yi is a fool, arrogant and conceited, and he looks down on everyone. It's ok for him to be arrogant in the county, but why did you provoke Zhang Fei?"
Pang Xi sighed, "Everyone knows Liu Bowei's intention. He has wanted to take Baxi for a long time. He wanted to come to Langzhong before, but I sent him away. If he doesn't plot against Li Yi, he will find another excuse and deliberately provoke us. Now Yizhou is hard to defend, let alone Baxi."
Pang Zhe said anxiously: "The army is approaching, and no one can defeat Zhang Fei. What should we do?"
Pang Xi sighed and said, "It is futile to send troops at this time, and it will only cause disaster. It is better to send someone to see Zhang Fei and open the city to surrender."
"Zhang Fei is just a reckless man, why should we be afraid of him?" At this moment, a man strode to the government office, clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I have my own plan to repel the enemy."
Pang Xi looked up and saw that it was Pang Le. Although they had the same surname, they were not from the same clan. Pang Le was also a general under Zhao Wei. He had joined forces with Li Yi in the rebellion, and it was Pang Le who planned it all. He was quite resourceful.
Pang Zhe hurriedly asked, "What does Sima think?"
Pang Le said with a smile: "We can first arrange an ambush in Langshan, and attack him when he is halfway across the Langshui River. The ambush troops will attack from behind, and Zhang Fei will be alone in the deep, attacked from both sides, and he will be buried here."
Pang Xi sighed, "Even if we kill Zhang Fei, Liu Qi will lead his troops to attack us. Zhang Lu is no match for him, so why bother to fight against a rock with an egg? Since Liu Jiyu is suspicious of us, it is better to submit to Liu Qi. In this chaotic world, saving your life is the most important thing."
Pang Le sneered, "Instead of kneeling down to serve others, why not let us occupy Baxi and be at ease? Don't worry, sir. If we kill Zhang Fei, the soldiers of Jingzhou will surely be afraid. With the terrain of Langzhong, even if Liu Qi comes in person, I can stop him!"
Pang Le has been accustomed to the carefree life in Langzhong in recent years. He has no worries about food and drink and indulges in pleasure. Although he has not become a king, he has actually established his own faction. How can he be willing to give up just like that
Pang Xi knew that Pang Le was unwilling to be controlled by others, so he had no choice but to say, "In this case, Sima will be asked to send troops. I will wait for the victory report in the city!"
Pang Le took the order and left. After a while, the troops in the city were mobilized to ambush in the mountains. Pang Le led an army to guard the bank of Langshui River.
Pang Zhe came back with food and grass, and said worriedly: "I don't know if Sima Pang can succeed. Even if this move succeeds, Liu Qi will lead a large army and Langzhong may not be safe. We should quickly ask Chengdu for help."
"If Liu Jiyu heard the news, he would only vent his anger on me. Why would he come to rescue me?" Pang Xi sneered and said, "Pang Le has been domineering for many years. If I hadn't tried my best to win him over, he would have turned against me long ago. Keeping him here would be a big problem. It's a good opportunity to get rid of him to relieve my hatred. You leave the city immediately and meet Zhang Fei secretly to tell him about the situation."
"Father?" Pang Zhe was shocked, thinking he had heard wrongly.
Pang Xi sneered, "My son, didn't you see what happened to Zhao Wei? Pang Le and Li Yi are both bullies who only bully the weak and fear the strong, and seek profit and avoid harm. Their insistence on sending troops is just like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. If they are defeated by Zhang Fei, they will definitely retaliate when they return to the city, and kill my father and son to claim credit for it."
Pang Zhe's face changed slightly, and he hesitated and said, "But we are related by marriage to Governor Liu. If we surrender to Liu Qi, we may be laughed at, and Liu Qi may not be willing to use us."
Pang Xi sighed, "Liu Jiyu has welcomed a tiger into his house, and Yizhou is not safe. Why should I stick to Baxi? Sacrificing relatives for the sake of justice has been a practice since ancient times. Liu Qi is a wise leader and will make his own decisions. If I surrender early, I will still have a chance to make merit. If I hesitate and anger Liu Qi, my father and I will suffer because of Pang Le. How foolish!"
Pang Zhe suddenly came to his senses, and immediately took two of his family generals, disguised himself, left the city, and crossed the Langshui River from the west to find Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei and Gan Ning led their troops into Baxi County without any obstruction. Along the way, they strictly ordered the soldiers not to disturb the people or damage the crops. No one was harmed wherever they passed.
We rode non-stop to the bank of Langshui River. Looking around, we saw that it was surrounded by mountains. A wide open area was divided into two halves by the Langshui River, and rice fields and villages were scattered all over the place.
It was dusk, and the smoke from cooking fires at the foot of the mountain was hazy, as if in a fairyland. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, "I didn't expect that there would be such a place in Ba. When I retire and return home in the future, if I can stay here, I will have no regrets!"
Gan Ning smiled and said, "Your home is in Hebei, Taoyuan in Zhuo County. That's where you should go back to!"
Zhang Fei was slightly startled, a trace of melancholy flashed in his eyes, and he said with a sigh: "I can't go back, I can never go back again."
Gan Ning saw that he was worried about something that made him sad, so he changed his words and said, "Ba County is full of Feng Shui treasures. Yide is willing to stay in Langzhong, so I will drink with you here."
"Hahaha, what a joy!" Zhang Fei forgot his sorrow and laughed, "I have no regrets in my life for having met Xing Ba!"
It was midsummer and the weather was hot, so there was no need to set up camp. The soldiers came lightly and just built a shed with branches and banana leaves to rest. They prepared boats and rafts overnight in preparation for crossing the river the next day.
The two men had just finished their dry food and went to the shore to listen to the waves and chat, when they suddenly heard soldiers upstream shouting loudly, and it seemed that a fishing boat had been captured, and soon they saw the three men being brought over.
Zhang Fei was just wondering why ordinary people would retreat when they saw the soldiers, but there were actually people who came forward on their own initiative. When he got closer, he saw that it was Pang Zhe, and hurriedly ordered people to take him to the straw hut.
Pang Zhe bowed and said, "My father sent Li Yi to help in the war, but he was so bold that he attacked Hanchang and killed civilians. He deserved to die. This incident has nothing to do with my father. I was sent here to apologize. I hope the general will forgive me."
Zhang Fei said angrily, "Li Yi is just a small general, how dare he attack the city without authorization? I think Pang Xi must have secretly ordered him to seize Hanchang on Liu Zhang's orders to murder us. How can we let this go?"
"General, you are too serious!" Pang Zhe waved his hands and said, "My father knew the seriousness of the situation when he heard the news. In addition, he is old and frightened. He feels that he can't govern the country. I am willing to entrust Ba County to you. Please investigate this matter thoroughly and clear my father's name."
"Huh?" Zhang Fei's eyes widened as he looked at Pang Zhe in disbelief: "This... is this what your father said?"
"That's right!" Pang Zhe bowed and said, "My father has long intended to retire and return home, but Zhang Lu repeatedly invaded the border. As a minister entrusted with the care of an orphan, I had to do my best to protect the territory. Now that General Liu has surrendered to Zhang Lu and is determined to restore the Han Dynasty, the position should be held by a capable person. This is the duty of a minister!"
"A good subject's duty!" Zhang Fei snorted. Instead of looking happy, he looked constipated.
He had originally prepared a long set of rhetoric, intending to exaggerate the matter and directly point the finger at Liu Zhang, who was behind Pang Xi, in preparation for sending troops in the future.
Unexpectedly, Pang Xi surrendered directly. What a cunning old man!