Plan to cut off the nine states

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Ma Wei ushered in a special group of defectors in the big city on the south bank. They were all Luoyang people. They were neither officials nor civilians nor businessmen. They were heroes in the alleys. They were recruited as soldiers by the government. After discussing with each other, they decided to leave the military camp and bring them with them. Bingjia rode to Hebei to look for the rebels, but met the "King of Liang" in Mengjin.

What's even more coincidental is that Ma Wei recognized several of them as friends he had made in Dongdu.

More than a dozen Liang soldiers guarded the left and right, calling him "His Royal Highness King Liang", which gave a deep impression to the newcomers. More than forty people dismounted their horses to worship. Although they did not kneel down and kowtow, it was regarded as acknowledgment of Ma Wei's superior status.

No matter how serious Liang Bing was, Ma Wei seemed so easy-going. He stood under the city gate, walked quickly to greet him, supported the person in front of him, as if to stop everyone from kneeling, and then greeted each acquaintance enthusiastically. After greetings, let them introduce you, and when you spoke again, you were able to call everyone by name.

"Hebei is no longer owned by Tiancheng. I have no talents. I have been elected as the King of Liang by everyone. I will serve as the vanguard of the rebel army and capture Mengjin. In the near future, I will send troops directly to the Eastern Capital. At this time of employment, all the heroes come to join us. Isn't it God's will?"

A hero once participated in the assassination and was lucky enough to escape the government's investigation. At this time, he no longer concealed it and told the truth loudly: "You may not know yet, but the mastermind who planned the assassination was Mahou Ye. I was invited to stay here. Outside Shao Junqian’s residence, it’s a pity that I couldn’t catch up with the emperor.”

In addition to being slightly dissatisfied with the title "Mahou Ye", Ma Wei felt that the truth was revealed just right, and sighed: "Although the tyrant was removed, the world was not at peace. The court did not want to repent, but became more harsh and violent, so that the officials forced the people to rebel, and all directions The commotion happened because of me. How could I sit back and watch? I can only stand up and join forces to bring peace to the people of the world."

One person asked: "I heard that the Three Heroes of the World Army, the River Army, and the Jinyang Army are in a powerful position. Which side does Mahou Ye belong to?"

Ma Wei especially didn't like the term "belonging". He laughed dryly and said: "When the three heroes join forces, there is no question of belonging. If it must be discussed, I am a member of the rebel army and was elected as the King of Liang."

Finally someone said: "Brother Ma is the emperor of the Liang Dynasty, and he deserves to be crowned King of Liang."

Everyone said yes, Ma Wei became happy, invited everyone into the city, and accepted them with all their heart. He believed that with the reputation of these heroes, he would be able to attract more people in the future.

Entering the city, Ma Wei was looking for a place to entertain the heroes. Wang Ning of Wuyue arrived with dozens of cavalry, but the city guards also did not dare to stop him and did not have time to report.

Ning Baoguan brought not many people, but they all rode horses and held flags. They looked like a vanguard force, followed by thousands of troops.

Ma Wei was shocked. He had guessed that Ning Baoguan would come as soon as possible, but he didn't expect it to be so fast. The heroes didn't know why, and they were all a little confused. They looked at Ma Wei and waited for him to explain the situation.

Ning Baoguan reined in his horse in the street. A flag-bearer stepped forward and said loudly: "Ma Wei, why don't you pay your respects to the King of Wuyue?"

In just a short moment, Ma Wei had countless thoughts, each of which could gain him more recognition, but would also bring danger.

Ning Baoguan jumped off his horse and strode over, looking up and holding on to the handle of the knife.

Ma Wei only hesitated for a moment, and before he could figure it out, he knelt on his knees and prostrated himself beside the road, "Your Majesty, Ma Wei."

The surrounding Liang soldiers all knelt down with Ma Wei. The dozens of heroes who had just joined were shocked and knelt down one after another. No one dared to look up.

"Pingsheng." Ning Baoguan stood for a while, accepting everyone's kneeling, and then spoke.

Ma Weixie stood up and sighed heavily in his heart. The time had passed. No matter what he did, he could never be on an equal footing with Ning Baoguan.

"Call all your people over." Ning Baoguan ordered.

"Many people are defending the city."

"Leave the defense of the city to me, you don't have to worry about it."

Ma Wei did not dare to argue and ordered his subordinates to summon all the Liang soldiers. Feeling ashamed, he introduced the newly arrived heroes to Ning Baoguan, hoping to improve his status.

Ning Baoguan was more polite to these people, but he could only nod.

Luo Hanqi came with his troops. He was panting from running. As soon as he got close, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

Ning Baoguan did not let Luo Hanqi get up, and directly ordered the five hundred soldiers to be divided into several teams, each with their own responsibilities, either to defend the city, or to go out to patrol the city, or to go to meet the army in the rear, or to take over the food, grass and prisoners. .

Only then did Ma Wei know that Ning Baoguan had only brought dozens of horses into the city in advance.

After the distribution was completed, the two hundred Liang soldiers had also arrived. Ning Baoguan continued to pass orders, mixing these people with the five hundred soldiers just now.

Finally, Ning Baoguan said to the heroes in Luoyang: "You have come all the way. Do you want to use the road to go elsewhere, or do you want to stay with me to fight against the officers and soldiers?"

Ning Baoguan commanded Ruoding, and the heroes saw this and rushed to express their willingness to stay.

In less than half an hour, both the large and small cities of Mengjin returned to Ningbaoguan, and Ma Wei was alone again. Only a few Liang soldiers still treated him as a minister. Ma Wei did not dare to let outsiders see him, and whispered to them to be careful.

Ning Baoguan ordered people to arrange a group of heroes and led his troops to patrol the two cities. The streets soon became empty, leaving only two idlers, Ma Wei and Xu Chu.

Ma Wei walked towards Xu Chu, with a smile on his face, "Life has its ups and downs, as is often the case. It's probably because the time really hasn't come yet."

Xu Chu did not reveal his wounds on the spot, but said: "Since someone has come from Dongdu, it is a good time to inquire about the situation there and find out what the officers and soldiers are planning."

Mavi nodded.

The two walked side by side, and Ma Wei suddenly said: "No matter how many setbacks God has imposed on me, my heart will not change, and the time will always come."

Ma Wei returned to normal, took Xu Chu to find the heroes of Dongdu, drank with them, and asked acquaintances for news.

Luoyang was already in chaos. According to rumors, rebellions also occurred in the states of Jiangnan, and even in Luozhou, there were rioters killing officials and starting an uprising, but the scale was not large, not as serious as in the northern states.

Even so, the court was unwilling to re-employ the general Lou Wen, but handed over the military power to Lan Xun.

As Xu Chu and Ma Wei expected, after Lan Xun came to power, he was not in a hurry to quell the rebellion, but led his troops back to Beijing to force the court to give him more power. He has now been promoted to Taibao, Da Sima, Kaifu Yitong Sansi, and Dudu of the military of all states in the world. Only the prime minister Liang Taifu, the King of Jibei who was in charge of the imperial army, and the King of Xiangdong who entered the palace to guard the palace, could compete with him.

A few days ago, the King of Guangling, who was imprisoned for the crime of assassinating the emperor, was beheaded in the street.

Lan Xun recruited all men over 15 and under 60 in and outside Luoyang as soldiers. The army was said to be one million, and the heroes estimated that there were at least 300,000.

Xu Chu specifically inquired about the news of Cao Shenxi and Xi Yun. Hearing that both of them served as deputy generals in the army, he said to Ma Wei: "Mengjin may really be a trap. Lan Xun may be incompetent, but Cao and Xi are both veterans who have experienced hundreds of battles and will not make big mistakes."

Ma Wei did not comment, and found an opportunity to call Xu Chu aside, whispering: "Whether Mengjin is a trap or not has nothing to do with you and me. Be careful in front of the King of Wuyue."

Xu Chu understood what Ma Wei meant, "If the King of Wuyue loses, you and I will suffer."

"No, Lan Xun is incompetent and jealous of talents. If he wins, he will definitely take the credit. If we have it, we may even get rid of Cao and Xi, and the world will be even more chaotic. Only then will you and I have the opportunity to "swim into the sea". "

"With a powerful enemy in front of us, there will be internal rifts. This is exactly why the Tiancheng Dynasty will be defeated."

Ma Wei smiled and said, "Let me make a suggestion to the King of Wuyue. If he listens, I will speak again. If he is arrogant because of his courage, I will not have to take risks."

"Okay, listen to Brother Ma's arrangements."

Ning Baoguan came back from patrolling the city and brought more than a dozen subordinates to the banquet. He sat in the main seat and talked with the heroes. When he was excited, he ordered people to remove the tables to both sides to compete in martial arts.

Luo Hanqi no longer dared to drink and was the first to stand up. Some of the heroes stood up to fight.

Luo Hanqi fought three games in a row. He won one in strength and one in swordsmanship, but lost in hand-to-hand combat. The opponent was good at wrestling. Luo Hanqi's lower body was unstable. After being thrown down, he never stood up again. He lost convincingly.

The scene became more and more lively. Ning Baoguan personally went to the arena, winning and losing each time. He took off his sword on the spot and gave it to the winner, "The sword is for heroes, but it was disgraced in my hands."

The heroes of Dongdu have always boasted about their fists, feet, swords and guns, and were often scolded by their elders and suppressed by the government. When they met admirers for the first time, they were all very happy. They all tried their best in the contest and were proud to be praised by the King of Wuyue.

Ning Baoguan had a good vision and did not speak casually. He could often speak to the heart of the other party.

Xu Chu and Ma Wei were not allowed to enter the arena, so they could only watch. After several rounds, Ma Wei's face changed and he was more depressed than the loser - the Liang Dynasty emperor, full of talent, could not win the hearts of the people more than the rough man in hand-to-hand combat.

After the contest, Ning Baoguan gave out a lot of rewards without any intention of being stingy. He stood up and raised his glass, first praising the abilities of the heroes, and then said: "Heroes have their own unique skills, some are strong, some are fast, but courage is the most rare. For example, Ma Wei is not good at swords and spears, but he is the most courageous. He led only 200 soldiers and drove straight to Mengjin, first captured a small city, then occupied a big city, and established the first merit for our army."

Everyone nodded, and Ma Wei actually blushed, and stood up and said "Your Majesty, you are too kind."

Ning Baoguan added: "I have promised that if Ma Wei can capture Mengjin, I will ask the King of Jiangshi to make him the King of Liang. A real man's word is as good as gold. Although the King of Jiangshi has not arrived yet, I can make the decision on his behalf. Today, Ma Wei will be made the King of Liang, and the old Liang land and its subjects will all belong to him."

Everyone called him the King of Liang, and Ma Wei's face turned redder. He knelt down to thank him. Ning Baoguan stretched out his hand to help him up, "From now on, you and I will be kings side by side, and you can no longer kneel down."

In this battle, Ning Baoguan won a great victory. What surprised the bystander Xu Chu was that the loser had no complaints, but instead felt more awed.

The heroes of Dongdu had been conquered by Ning Baoguan, and even Ma Wei had forgotten all his previous dissatisfaction. He told all his and Xu Chu's speculations, and introduced in detail the styles of Lan Xun, Cao Shenxi, Xi Yun and others, asking the King of Wuyue to be more careful.

Xu Chu kept his promise and said nothing. When he was occasionally asked, he was perfunctory.

Ma Wei stepped aside, enjoying his newly recognized title of King of Liang. Ning Baoguan waved Xu Chu over and said, "Are you still going to Yingcheng?"

"Yes, we'll leave tomorrow morning." Xu Chu felt that there was no need for him to stay in Mengjin.

"Very good, please tell Shen Mushou for me that if he is willing to give up a few pieces of land for the Jiangshi Army to stay, hundreds of thousands of people will be willing to serve him, and the kings will be willing to bow down to him. This is not just my opinion, but also the wish of the Jiangshi King and the King of Liang."

King of Liang Ma Wei listened on the side and did not dare to make any suggestions.

"What if the Shen family is unwilling to give up the land?" Xu Chu had to ask all the conditions clearly.

"We rebelled because we had nothing. We don't care about having nothing again. We just fight to the death."

"What should I say if the king accepts the court's offer of amnesty?"

"No need to say anything. Shen Mushou understands it. If you insist on entangled in this, I have nothing to say."

Xu Chu bowed and left. He spent the whole night comparing Ning Baoguan and Shen Dan in his mind, leaving no room for Ma Wei.