"Gongyou, my lord has mentioned you to me many times!"
Pang Tong moved like a gust of wind, stepping forward and cupping his hands in greeting, catching Sun Qian completely off guard.
"Pang Tong, courtesy name Shiyuan." He introduced himself plainly, then immediately leaned in with curiosity. "My lord said before that all of you already know of me?"
Sun Qian gave a restrained nod, which only made Pang Tong even more intrigued.
---
On the other side, Liu Bei's mind was not on formalities at all.
I've been away for half a month; I wonder if Lady Gan has been seeing Physician Zhang for her treatments? How is the "Angered Study Hall" I had the Military Advisor build for Adou coming along? And did the talk Second Brother had with Third Brother yield any results?
"Gongyou, please look after Shiyuan for now. Tonight we will hold a banquet to welcome him."
Liu Bei gave his instructions briskly. Pang Tong, for his part, showed no dissatisfaction. Over the past three days on the boat traveling upstream from Dantu, the two of them had already spoken at length in private more than once.
Liu Bei admired the Young Phoenix's brilliance, while Pang Tong found himself impressed by Liu Bei's character. The feeling of mutual recognition had come naturally, without effort.
"Lady Sun has been sending her maids to inquire about your return, my Lord. Do not forget that," Sun Qian added as a reminder.
Liu Bei nearly stumbled on the spot, hurriedly mounted his horse, and rode off at once.
Sun Qian watched his lord flee in mild panic with a smile, then turned to the bright-eyed young general standing beside Pang Tong.
"And this is?"
"Ma Zhong. I won him," Pang Tong replied lightly.
Ma Zhong glared, but there was not a single word he could use to refute it.
---
With Sun Qian leading the way, Pang Tong deliberately lagged half a step behind, taking in Gong'an County as they walked, while casually explaining the situation.
"This Ma Zhong was originally a gate commander under Pan Zhang. As for Pan Zhang, the man is poor, addicted to gambling, greedy for wealth, and fond of drink."
Sun Qian frowned. "And such a man can still serve as a general?"
Pang Tong laughed. "Pan Zhang is one of Marquis Sun's original followers. Besides, he is quite capable when it comes to suppressing banditry in Wu Commandery."
Sun Qian's lips curved with faint irony. A man like that managing thieves sounded less like governance and more like recruitment.
He shook his head and gestured for Pang Tong to continue.
"So I prescribed the right medicine. I found him drunk, gambled with him, and when he lost without coin to pay, he wagered his own officer under him. That is how Ma Zhong came to me."
Sun Qian stood there, momentarily speechless. Then he recalled Huang Zhong's frequent remarks that Wu's troops were little different from private forces of great clans. Suddenly, the story did not sound so absurd anymore.
"Military Advisor Pang… you know how to gamble?"
"A little arithmetic, nothing more." Pang Tong looked modest.
"Arithmetic…" Sun Qian smiled. "Then this is quite the coincidence. There is another 'Young Phoenix' here in Gong'an County who is also skilled in such matters."
Pang Tong's brow twitched. "Who?"
"Military Advisor Zhuge's wife. My lord once praised her as the Young Phoenix among the Zhuge household. Later she built the rotary waterwheel and developed Zhuge Paper. The people now call her the Female Young Phoenix."
A faint sense of danger rose in Pang Tong's chest.
"That… is the rotary waterwheel?"
By the roadside stood a structure under construction, somewhat resembling a chain pump but more intricate.
"Yes. It is currently supervised by Jiang Gongyan. One waterwheel will drive stone mills, grinders, pestles, and wooden hammers all at once. It can process crops, pound and wash clothes, and even grind coal powder without human labor. Gongyan has integrated several craft devices into a single water-powered workshop."
With Sun Qian's permission, Pang Tong practically crawled inside the workshop, inspecting everything.
The more he looked, the more his confidence wavered. Could it be that the first thing I lose after joining my Lord is the title of 'Fledgling Phoenix'? While he wanted to compete, engineering was certainly not his forte.
---
They continued walking.
Gradually, well-tended farmland came into view along the road. Sun Qian continued his introduction without pause.
"These rice fields are all cultivated using the planting methods taught by Military Advisor Zhuge. At the beginning of the month, the people also learned composting techniques. If the harvest goes well, yields may reach three and a half dan per mu."
"Three and a half…" Pang Tong murmured inwardly. It sounded almost unbelievable, yet he knew Sun Qian had no reason to deceive him.
"Kongming even understands agriculture?" His heart sank another notch.
They proceeded further, and Sun Qian showed him everything in detail.
"That tool in the field is the curved plow designed by the Military Advisor and General Zilong, far more efficient than the straight plow…"
"These are hemp leggings commissioned by the Military Advisor… and this is the processed grain powder he proposed, currently under trial…"
"This is Zhuge Paper developed by Lady Huang based on Zuobo Paper… this is the improved blacksmith workshop with small blast furnaces and bellows…"
"And that over there is the eight-oxen repeating crossbow jointly developed by the Military Advisor and Lady Huang…"
Silence.
Utter silence.
This was the Young Phoenix today.
From the moment he disembarked, he had been brimming with ambition. Now he looked as though his soul had quietly slipped away somewhere along the road.
"Military Advisor Pang?" Sun Qian called out.
"Ah. It is nothing." Pang Tong forced a relaxed expression, though his heart felt anything but.
Only a few years apart, and yet the difference had become this vast.
He, Pang Tong, had remained in Nan Commandery, followed Zhou Yu, endured years of setbacks, and only now joined Liu Bei.
Meanwhile, Kongming had entered Liu Bei's service early, and now managed logistics, understood agriculture, grasped military strategy, and even created mechanical innovations.
How had the gap grown this large?
"Gongyou… I am a little tired. Perhaps you could take me somewhere to rest first."
Sun Qian glanced at him, surprised, but nodded readily. "Of course."
---
Liu Bei, naturally, did not head straight to Chanling.
The moment he returned to Gong'an, the first thing he did was go to see Lady Gan.
Fortunately, her condition had improved significantly. Her weakness had come from shock rather than illness, and after several prescriptions from Zhang Zhongjing, her complexion had recovered.
Only then did Liu Bei finally relax.
"Husband… about Adou…" Lady Gan hesitated. "Is it perhaps a bit too harsh?"
Liu Bei snorted softly. Strict? I only want him to be worthy of a temple after he's gone, rather than being remembered as a piece of rotting wood. What is wrong with that?
Still, blood was blood. In the end, he relented.
"I will go take a look."
---
Inside the "Angered Study Hall," two lines of Liu Chen's final words hung on the walls, giving the room a stern and almost chilling atmosphere.
Today's instructor was Fu Rong.
He looked somewhat awkward as he recounted stories of the Ten Eunuchs' corruption, drawing from his own years of wandering experience. There was no need for fabrication. Such incidents had been common in the countryside.
Adou sat stiffly, equally awkward.
He did not fully understand the stories, yet he knew he had to sit properly, so he lifted his head, eyes wide, staring with pure and unfiltered innocence at Fu Rong.
Liu Bei watched for a moment, then nodded quietly and left.
It didn't matter if he didn't understand yet; the point was to hammer it into his head from a young age: Never trust eunuchs. The example of Emperor Ling is right there; the Liu family cannot fall into that pit again!
---
By the time the welcoming banquet began, Pang Tong still looked slightly distracted, as if his thoughts refused to settle.
Liu Bei, who had just hurried back from Chanling, still had traces of cosmetic powder on his sleeves. Seeing Pang Tong's expression, he immediately stepped forward and took his hand.
"Shiyuan, what troubles you?"
Pang Tong had countless thoughts in his heart, yet none seemed fit to say aloud.
In the end, he simply sighed and patted Liu Bei's hand.
"I am only worried for my lord's plans regarding Yi Province."
"A small matter." Liu Bei's face lit up with a broad, confident smile.
"Kongming already has a fine strategy prepared."
Pang Tong's expression froze on the spot.