Plan to cut off the nine states

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Shen Cong came back from outside the city, and Xu Chu went to visit. They were slightly embarrassed when they met, but neither of them had forgotten the betrayal in Jinyang City.

Shen Cong let out a long sigh, wanting to speak but not wanting to, and finally said, "Why are you here?"

Xu Chu stepped forward, cupped his hands and said: "The three kings of the World Army entrusted me to come over to check the movements of Jizhou soldiers."

"There is nothing to check. Everything goes well. In about ten days, they will go to Mengjin to join the war, at least the soldiers from Bingzhou Department will go."

"In this case, Shen Bingzhou and the World Army can rest assured."

"Well, you can go back tomorrow."

Guo Shifeng stepped forward, "I have told Mr. Xu our plan."

Shen Cong's face turned cold, "You...why didn't you discuss this with me beforehand?"

"Mr. Xu has experience, and he is the brother-in-law of Prince Yu, so he is easy to get close to."

Shen Cong stared at Xu Chu, "Are you willing to help?"

"I'm still thinking about it."

"What to consider?"

"The Emperor of All Things has exclusive power. Assassination can shake the imperial court. Prince Yu is still young and insignificant in the imperial court. Assassinating him may not be of much use."

Shen Cong's expression changed again, and he complained to Guo Shifeng: "Look, you revealed the secret, but they didn't accept it."

Guo Shifeng smiled and said: "Mr. Xu is a cautious person, so you should think more about it, but he will never leak secrets. I can guarantee this."

Shen Cong laughed, endured it again and again, and said: "To be honest, you really shouldn't participate. If you do things like assassinations too much, you will become a habit. If this continues, who will dare to believe you again?"

"What the Shenyang Ministry of Industry said is absolutely true, so I am going to the military camp tomorrow. If I can persuade the five soldiers of Jizhou to go to Mengjin to join the battle earlier, the assassination will not be necessary."

Shen Cong laughed again, "Don't think that because those people are officers and soldiers, they are easier to talk to. All the generals in Jizhou are reckless, especially that Wang Tiemei, who doesn't get along with you... You can try it. If you can really persuade him, it will be a success." It’s a great achievement, the Shen family will thank you.”

"Is Wang Tiemei hesitant just because he is waiting to see the situation?"

"This man is greedy for money and benefits. He wants Bingzhou to provide tens of thousands of soldiers and horses for him and a king's title. These are enough, but he continues to open his mouth like a lion and actually wants Jinyang soldiers to obey his command. In this way, He wants more than just the throne."

Shen Cong didn't want to elaborate and yawned, "You will understand if you go there a few more times."

Xu Chu left, and Guo Shifeng followed him out and said in the courtyard: "Wang Tiemei has an aide beside him named Sun Yalu. He is the mastermind and is more difficult to deal with."

"What does this person like?"

"It's a good name. Brother Chu, it's best not to mention the name "Yue Xue Guan".

Among the Chinese studies in the capital, the Yuxue School has the lowest status and is not valued by scholars.

"Thank you, Brother Guo, for reminding me."

"You should also think about that matter carefully. The situation is critical and we need to cut through the mess quickly."

"clear."

Not long after dark, Master Huang came to visit again. His attitude was cordial and he wanted to take the names of Xu Chu and an entourage. "You can leave the city early tomorrow morning and come back before dark. When you leave, you must be two people. When you come back, you must be two people." Sir. Governor Zhou will see you the day after tomorrow."

It seems that Zhou Guan has no intention of hosting a banquet.

"I heard that the Eastern Capital has sent another group of envoys, arriving tomorrow?" Xu Chu wanted to get some news from Master Huang.

"Yes, the Prince of Jibei and a princess, but they only passed through Yecheng and stayed for two or three days before leaving. It is said that they are going to the north to negotiate peace with the He Rong tribe. Since the Tiancheng Dynasty is still there, of course the governor Be easy to pick up and deliver. But this group of messengers has nothing to do with you, so don’t worry.”

Xu Chu thanked him, but he thought the same as Guo Shifeng. Zhang Shiyu must have come here to win over the five soldiers of Jizhou. The so-called peace negotiation was just an excuse to hide the truth from others.

When Mr. Huang left, he looked at Xu Chu more and said, "I didn't expect Mr. Xu to have such a rich background, so I told you that you have an extraordinary appearance. You are definitely not an ordinary lobbyist. It turns out that you are the son of a great general. Haha."

"What, does Governor Zhou want to return me to the court?"

"The governor doesn't care about these other things, but I want to remind you privately to be honest in Yecheng and not to have evil thoughts. If a dead person suddenly appears in Nanzhongfang, everyone will inevitably doubt you."

"So many people are watching." Xu Chu smiled and handed over a small package.

"Haha, that's true." Mr. Huang took the package, weighed it, and left with satisfaction.

Xu Chu didn't want to sleep, so he went to the Xuanwen Hall to drink tea alone. After nightfall, there were not many guests here. When Xu Chu came in, everyone looked at him.

Just after finishing a cup of tea, a person at a nearby table stood up and walked over, cupping his hands and saying, "You are the Seventeenth Young Master Lou, right?"

Xu Chu stood up and returned the courtesy, "I, Xu Chu, will take my mother's surname."

The man nodded, "Don't forget your original intention, you really have the demeanor of my Wu Shi."

"Are you from Jiangdong?"

"I'm Wang Dian, a person from Jiankang Prefecture in Jiangdong, so that Mr. Xu can know that the seven clans of the Wu Kingdom have raised their troops half a month ago, and they are overwhelmingly powerful. In a few months, all the old lands will be recovered. Mr. Xu is the son of the princess, why don't you go Jiangdong meets the seven tribes? "

It turned out that there were people from Wu who really cared about his identity, and unlike those river workers who looked forward to him very much, Xu Chu didn't believe what the lobbyists said, but he had an immediate liking for Wang Dian.

"Once things are settled here, I think I will go to Jiangdong for a trip."

"The Wang family is one of the seven clans. When Mr. Xu arrives in Jiangdong, if he meets the soldiers of Wu State and mentions my name, everyone will know it."

"Don't bother General Wang when the time comes."

Wang Dian was in his twenties. Although he was not strong, he had a martial and heroic spirit all over his body. Xu Chu therefore called him "General".

Wang Dian had no intention of leaving immediately, so Xu Chu asked him to sit down, and the two chatted for a while. Wang Dian talked about the situation in Jiangdong, which was more false than real, so Xu Chu guessed that it was true that the seven tribes had raised an army, but it was not necessarily true that the force was overwhelming.

Wang Dian whispered: "I saw Mr. Xu and Guo Shifeng sitting together during the day. Are you working as a lobbyist for Shen Bingzhou?"

"There are also the three kings of the Incarnation Army."

Wang Dian frowned slightly, "Shen Bingzhou is at least from a wealthy family, and the descending army is just a group of rogues. Why is Mr. Xu willing to surrender his status and be driven by them?"

"The Advent Army is the first to raise the flag of righteousness and should be respected by the wise people in the world. Moreover, the Tiancheng Dynasty is not destroyed. All parties must unite, regardless of their origins."

Wang Dian knew that what he said went too far and said with a smile: "That's right. Mr. Xu is generous and can be called a national scholar. But you must always remember your identity. The Xu family is the surname of the emperor of Wu Kingdom and the head of the seven clans. Wherever he goes, They are all superior.”

This Wu man was too proud. Xu Chu smiled and said, "What is the purpose of Brother Wang coming to Yecheng?"

"Borrow troops." Wang Dian didn't hide it, "Borrow 10,000 troops to regain the old land and divide Huainan equally with Jizhou." Wang Dian lowered his voice, "There are also envoys here in Huainan. Mr. Xu must be on guard. Our Wu State is incompatible with them. ”

"I'll be careful."

Wang Dian stood up to say goodbye, but immediately sat down again, "Can Bingzhou and the Jishi Army borrow troops?"

"Not now."

"Oh, you can't protect yourselves now."

"This may be possible in the future." Xu Chu did not mention the title of King Wuyue.

"That's all water from afar, and it can't quench our thirst. Jizhou's five troops are readily available, but unfortunately, the price they charge is too high."

"What do you want?"

"If the State of Wu is to bow its head and become a vassal, it must pay tribute every year from now on with a certain amount of money, grain, cloth, and ten beauties. The State of Wu is not short of people, wealth, and materials, but to be a vassal? The seven tribes cannot afford to lose this person. They have been conquered by the Tiancheng Dynasty for more than ten years. It’s already a great shame and humiliation, how can I be suppressed by others again?”

The people of Wu were proud and did not know how to adapt. Xu Chu classified Wang Dian as a person who could not be persuaded and nodded perfunctorily.

"Has Mr. Xu met Governor Zhou?"

"Not yet. I'm going to meet with the generals of Jizhou tomorrow."

"Speak to General Tiemei for me. I can double the money, food, cloth, and beauties. It's really not possible to become a vassal."

"Okay." Xu Chu agreed.

Wang Dian boasted again about the military strength of the seven tribes, and then stood up to leave.

The tea was already cold. Xu Chu paid and walked out of the main hall. He happened to see Qiao Zhisu walking towards him, so he lowered his hand, wondering whether he should say hello or not.

"Long time no see, Young Master Seventeen is well." Qiao Zhisu took the initiative to step forward.

"Mr. Qiao...when did you come to Yecheng?"

"It's been a while. I came here with Lan Zuojun."

"Mr. Qiao, has he been promoted? Congratulations."

Qiao Zhisu was originally a staff member of General Lou Wen. He was highly trusted but had no rank. Since he was the deputy of General Lan Yong of the Left Army, he must have changed his position and got a real job.

Qiao Zhisu laughed twice and said, "Everything in the world is impermanent. Can the Seventeenth Young Master please take a step to speak?"

It turned out that Qiao Zhisu came to see him specially.

Xu Chu followed Qiao Zhisu to a dark place in the courtyard and asked, "Mr. Qiao, what advice do you have?"

"The Shen family wants to assassinate the imperial envoy?"

Qiao Zhisu asked directly. Xu Chu almost gave out his surprise because of his surprise, but he showed an ambiguous smile in time and waited for a while before saying, "Why does Mr. Qiao have such an idea?"

Qiao Zhisu stared intently and didn't see any news, so he smiled and said: "The Shen family needs Jizhou soldiers more than the imperial court. Things are at a deadlock and it is not good for them, so I guess they will take a dangerous move."

"President Zhou is the main one, and everyone else is a guest. Without Governor Zhou's permission, who would dare to take action? Besides, I am a newbie here, so the Shen family has ideas and they won't tell me."

"So, the Seventeenth Young Master is just a lobbyist and is not here for Prince Yu?"

Xu Chu suddenly realized that Qiao Zhisu thought he was here specifically to assassinate Zhang Shiyu.

"We are just lobbyists. We are not competing with swords and guns, but only with words to see who can convince the generals of Jizhou."

Qiao Zhisu smiled slightly, "The situation is not good for the Seventeenth Young Master. I don't need to persuade the Jizhou soldiers to go south to rescue him. I just need them to stay put for the time being."

He would rather Baoguan than want Jizhou soldiers to act rashly, but Xu Chu's own idea was to lead this army into the war.

"The general trend of the world is even more unfavorable to the imperial court."

"When facing seriously ill people, some people need to save them and some people need to give them up. This is our difference."

"Gentlemen are harmonious but different. Mr. Qiao and I would rather be friends than gentlemen."

"Everyone in the world regards the Seventeenth Young Master as the assassin, but I know that the Seventeenth Young Master is not as capable as one sword and one shot. Qiao is very lucky to be able to have a gentlemanly relationship with the Young Master." Qiao Zhisu handed over his hand, "Prince Yu will come in early tomorrow morning. City, can the Seventeenth Young Master please take the time to meet me?"

Xu Chu will meet with the Jizhou generals tomorrow, but he is not in a hurry, "I just arrived today, Prince Yu already knew that I was coming?"

"Prince Yu guessed that you would come, so he told me in advance to keep the Seventeenth Young Master at bay no matter what." Qiao Zhisu paused for a moment, "The princess also wants to see the Seventeenth Young Master."

"Which princess?"

"Princess Fangde."

Xu Chu was stunned. He didn't expect that the so-called deputy envoy of the princess was actually his "wife". This made him even more confused. Zhang Shiyu and Zhang Shiqing are both young brothers. What's the use of coming to Yecheng?