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Fei Qian nodded but did not offer any commentary on the opinions of the group. To be honest, in many matters, there is no strict distinction between right and wrong, no clear line between black and white. Take Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, for example—could one say with certainty what they had done wrong?
When the alliance rose against Dong Zhuo, did not those who flocked to their side and invested their stakes do so precisely for the rewards they would reap once they had seized power?
As for those who genuinely held the Han imperial house in their hearts, they should, like Xu Shu, be hoping that Wang Yun could restore order out of chaos...
Fei Qian was lost in thought when he suddenly realized that everyone's eyes had converged upon him. He could not help but ask, "What is it?"
Pang Tong drawled lazily, "What's your opinion? Hurry up and say it, so we can go eat!"
Fei Qian let out a hearty laugh. "Fine, I'll keep it brief... In my view, they all have their opportunities. The only difference lies in whether they can recognize when an opportunity has arrived and whether they possess the ability to seize it... Alright, let's go eat..."
Pang Tong sprang to his feet. "What kind of opinion is that, you great bluffer!" Having lived with Fei Qian for a time, Pang Tong had picked up quite a few colloquialisms from the later ages.
Fei Qian spread his hands wide. "What did you want me to say? That at such-and-such a time, so-and-so has the advantage, and as long as he can seize such-and-such an opportunity and guard against such-and-such a crisis, then victory will be assured? The truth is, just as Zijian said, many things appear incredibly complex, but at their core they are very simple. It's just a crowd of people standing around watching two brothers fight, isn't that right?"
Pang Tong clapped his hands together. "There's nothing wrong with those words. But the real question is—where do you stand right now?"
Fei Qian looked around the circle and saw that the gazes of Xu Shu, Zao Zhi, and even Taishi Ming had all gathered, waiting for his answer.
Fei Qian shook his head, let out a long sigh, and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll say it... I'm standing on the outside..."
Silence fell over the group for a moment. Then Pang Tong flung his hand dismissively and snorted. "Boring! Let's eat!"
The other three also began muttering words like "not satisfying," "too evasive," and then rose one after another, heading off to eat, leaving Fei Qian completely abandoned in the open courtyard.
"Hey! You bunch of..."
××××××××××××××
Night descended, and the sky filled with a scattering of stars. The great river of the Milky Way stretched across the heavens, incomparably dazzling and brilliant.
Draped in a heavy cloak, Fei Qian stood alone beside the small stream outside the wooden hut, his head tilted back to gaze up at the sky.
Footsteps sounded behind him. Pang Tong walked over and came to a halt at Fei Qian's side. "Why didn't you take that opportunity just now to speak your mind clearly?"
Fei Qian remained silent.
How could he not have known that Pang Tong had intentionally been trying to help him? But when the words had reached his lips, he had changed them.
Fei Qian turned his head to look at Pang Tong beside him.
Pang Tong's height had now nearly reached Fei Qian's shoulder, and in the future, he would grow even taller. As for his complexion—well, that was innate, and there was little to be done about it. He was still as dark as ever, but the keen, intelligent light shining in his eyes was now unmistakably clear...
Come to think of it, though this young fellow was a bit ugly, his looks were not of the utterly catastrophic, soul-destroying variety. So why had he first been rejected by Sun Quan, and then nearly driven away by Liu Bei?
Unless Pang Tong had gain weight and, by his twenties, had ballooned into obesity. Once he grew fat, with a face like his, it would be hard for him not to appear somewhat shifty and lecherous...
Pang Tong drew his cloak tighter around himself. "What are you staring at?"
Fei Qian laughed. "I'm imagining how ugly you'll look once you're all grown up..."
"Tch!" Pang Tong shot him a sideways glare and declared with utter certainty, "I will definitely grow more handsome with age! I may not become some rarified, lofty figure of sublime refinement, but becoming a southern bending tree of shelter should pose no problem at all!"
Fei Qian tilted his head back and let out a few exaggerated "Ha ha"s, offering no further comment.
Pang Tong snorted, then fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, he spoke: "...Could it be... you're afraid?"
"...Yes, Shiyuan. I am afraid..." Fei Qian let out a sigh. "I am afraid... that in the end, I will become a man who, in his hunger for victory, will stop at nothing..."
Pang Tong stared at Fei Qian for a long moment, then turned his gaze away. "...But if you don't become that kind of man, others will easily find your weaknesses..."
Xiang Yu had seized Liu Bang's father and threatened that if Liu Bang did not surrender, he would boil Liu Bang's father alive.
Liu Bang replied: "If that is the case, then please share a cup of the meat broth with me..."
And if Liu Bang had not done so, all his previous efforts would have come to naught.
Fei Qian nodded. "Yes, I know. And so... in the end, I will still become that kind of man... But I do not wish for people like you to be dragged into it as well... At least, not dragged into it merely because of friendship. Jing Province, if nothing unexpected occurs, should have at least a decade or more of peace..."
Originally, Fei Qian had considered using the bonds of friendship to stir and persuade Xu Shu, Zao Zhi, and even Taishi Ming. But after arriving here, the matter of Uncle Fu had made Fei Qian suddenly realize that the period of time to come would be the cruelest stretch for everyone involved...
The taking of family members as hostages was not something that would happen only once. When such a thing happened to him and to the people under his command, who could guarantee that they would always be able to make the correct choice?
In the pages of history, if Xu Shu had abandoned his mother, would he not have been incessantly condemned and attacked by the multitude of gentry sons around Liu Bei—just as Jiang Wei was later?
Xu Shu only had one mother. If arrangements were made early, it would still be relatively simple.
But what about Zao Zhi?
And Taishi Ming?
What of the vast, extended families of these people? Could they really be uprooted and moved the moment the word was given?
These people were his friends. It was precisely because they had spent that stretch of time together beneath Deer Mountain, and because the friendship born between them was real, that Fei Qian had hesitated.
To bind these people onto his own war chariot—would that not be far too selfish...
The world is like a great furnace; the hearts of men are the firewood within.
Pang Tong frowned. "Are you saying that the war between the Two Yuans will last more than a decade?" He seemed to understand Fei Qian's hesitation, yet also seemed not to. He merely seized upon the mention of time.
Fei Qian shook his head. "Shiyuan, do you know what a Gu insect is?"
"...Witchcraft and Gu?" Pang Tong replied.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, a case of Gu witchcraft had shaken the entire realm, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, even including the reigning Crown Prince at the time. Because of this, many people knew of the existence of such a thing.
"Gu: place venomous creatures into a vessel and let them devour one another. The sole survivor... is the Gu..." Fei Qian gazed up at the sky. "...This realm under Heaven, right now, is that very vessel. The Two Yuans are the largest and fattest two insects... Once those two start tearing and biting at each other, the blood that flows and the wounds laid bare will draw even more insects to join the fray..."
And so, once they truly began to tear at one another, human nature would slowly be destroyed. Pure, naked interest would become the sole standard of measure.
"And you'll just stand to the side? Once another insect gorges itself and grows fat, it'll still come and devour you!" Pang Tong argued.
Fei Qian chuckled. "Yes, you're right. But I hope that, before being eaten, I can find a way to escape this vessel."
"And what if you don't find it?"
"If I don't find it... then it will only come down to who can eat more, and who can eat faster..." Fei Qian replied. "However, I have already found some insects who are also standing on the outside..."
"Those must be some very big insects... With your current little frame?" Pang Tong said. "I still think you need to have a proper talk with Zijing and Yuanzhi. Zijian is also not bad..."
Pang Tong let out an enormous yawn, then mumbled sleepily, "I'm going back to sleep... They say you grow faster when you sleep well... A man, he's just like an insect. If he can't call out a few times and make the other insects remember him, then what's the point? As for your worries, I don't think they're necessary—at least not for Zijing, Yuanzhi, and Zijian... I'm off, I'm heading back first... At the very least, get Yuanzhi out of here. That fellow's snoring is just too infuriating. Let me get a peaceful night's sleep for once..." Pang Tong yawned again, then staggered back towards the hut. "...The Six Strategies are now in my hands..."
"...Understood, little dolt of a bird..." Fei Qian was silent for a moment, then shook his head and smiled.
"Hmph, big water-fish... Just be careful you don't let yourself get eaten too easily..."
The Six Strategies. Pang Degong had finally passed them on to Pang Tong. This signified that Pang Tong, in the future, would stand as the representative of the Pang clan and contend for a place among the multitude of gentry clans.
Of course, the other meaning was that Pang Tong was still in the midst of his studies and growth, and for the time being, he would not be taking up an official post...
Very well, then...
Pang Tong, at present, is still but a half-grown lad. It is absolutely impossible for him to take up office now.
Zhuge Liang is likely about to arrive soon. He is two years younger than Pang Tong.