Plan to cut off the nine states

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The second group of envoys sent by the Eastern Capital was quite large, and there were endless carriages and horses on the road. When they entered the city, they attracted a large number of people to watch.

About half a mile into the city, the team stopped. Xu Chu, led by a knight in royal robes, went forward to see Zhang Shiyu, the prince of Jibei.

Zhang Shiyu was sitting in the carriage with a tired look on his face. He opened a corner of the curtain, forced a smile and complained: "It's really hard to drive all night."

"The road is rugged and the wind and dew are cold. No wonder the prince can't adapt to it."

Zhang Shiyu leaned over and grabbed one of Xu Chu's hands, "Brother-in-law, are you leaving the city?"

"Um."

"Then I won't delay you. Go say hello to my sister. When you come back, we will talk in detail."

Xu Chu was silent and Zhang Shi said with a smile: "My brother-in-law will not take the divorce letter seriously, will he? My sister was severely scolded by her father and mother. She has realized her mistake and admitted that she is still the daughter-in-law of the Lou family."

Zhang Shiqing actually showed the divorce letter to his parents. Xu Chu felt funny in his heart and held his hands in his hands and said: "The princess must be exhausted too. I will leave as soon as I see you."

Zhang Shiqing fell asleep in the car. He just opened his eyes, stretched his arms and asked colorfully to the little maid: "Are you here? Why is there no one..."

Before he finished speaking, the curtain opened and his "husband" appeared in front of the car.

"Your Majesty, you have worked hard all the way."

Zhang Shiqing immediately retracted his arm, and his face became cold. All the grievances he had accumulated for many days suddenly came to him. His eye circles suddenly turned red. He felt ashamed and angry. He said bitterly: "This guy who is still haunting me, I will hide even if I go to the ends of the earth." Won’t I drive you?”

Xu Chu was not surprised by this and said with a smile: "A couple's kindness lasts a hundred days, but now it's less than a hundred days."

Before Zhang Shiqing could cry, Xu Cugong raised his hand, turned around and left, calling his entourage to lead the horse out of the city.

There was an endless stream of people, and Xu Chu could only walk close to the roadside.

Zhang Shiqing brought at least 500 people, half of whom were guards and half of whom were ceremonial guards and waiters. The carriages were filled with various daily necessities, most of which did not look like treasures used to bribe Governor Zhou.

The King of Jibei mobilized troops and sent more than half of the people and things from the palace. I don't know if he was worried about the suffering of his children, or if he had other motives.

Xu Chu led his entourage to turn north. Before they reached the river bank, they saw a large military camp on the opposite side.

The two of them crossed the river from a small ferry. Soldiers immediately came up to them and asked about their names and origins. Xu Chu handed over the letter written by the three kings and a large bag of gifts. The soldiers took them to inform them, and some others stayed behind to monitor them. .

Not long after, the soldiers came back on horseback and allowed the visitor to enter the camp.

The Jizhou tribe has strong soldiers and horses and a neat military appearance. Among all the armies Xu Chu has seen, this is the best. Not to mention the scattered Jishi army, even the Dongdu Forbidden Army is inferior to them.

There were still miles to go from the entrance of the military camp, so Xu Chu was asked to dismount his horse and enter the camp on foot. His followers could not follow him.

Jizhou is almost entirely populated by cavalry. There is no human language in the camp, only the horses neighing constantly. The air is filled with the mixed smell of forage and horse manure. It is pungent at first, but gradually you get used to it, and you even feel very comfortable.

The Chinese military tent is not big. Except for the high general's flag at the door, its style is almost the same as other tents.

Before entering the account, Xu Chu was carefully searched and all hard objects on his body were taken out and displayed.

There were only two people in the tent, one was tall and strong, covered in heavy armor, with a thick long beard hanging down his chest. He was sitting on a chair behind the desk and was reading an official document. The other was dressed as a scribe, smiling and nodding to the guests.

No need to ask, these two people are Zhenbei General Wang Tiemei and his staff Sun Yalu.

Xu Chu stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "I, Xu Chu, have met General Tiemei and Mr. Sun."

"Young master Xu, you don't have to be polite." Sun Yalu replied.

Wang Tiemei raised his eyes and stared at the person who came, surprised that the person refused to kneel down. After a while, he sneered: "He is indeed the son of the general. Even if he changes his surname, he is still the son of the general."

Xu Chu handed over his hand again, "I have left the Lou family, and I represent the three kings of the World Army."

"Which three kings?" Wang Tiemei asked knowingly.

"The King of the World, the King of Wuyue, and the King of Liang."

Wang Tiemei turned to Sun Yalu and said: "Follow me, you can only be a staff member, why not join the World Army? Maybe you can also get a king."

Sun Yalu smiled and said: "The king of chaos is not as good as a soldier under the general. I would rather stay with the general."

Wang Tiemei laughed, and his beard trembled. After laughing, he said: "Mr. Lou, uh, Mr. Xu, don't worry, there are too many princes emerging from all over the world recently, not even a thousand, but also eight hundred. I can't accommodate you here." La. If I hadn’t heard that Mr. Xu was the son of the general, I might not have been willing to meet him today.”

Xu Chu said: "Although there are many princes from the four directions, how many of them can reach the eastern capital and confront the main force of officers and soldiers?"

Wang Tiemei's smile gradually disappeared. His face was naturally stern and could capture people's hearts without making too many expressions. "Confrontation? Who is confronting whom?"

"The three kings of the Avatar Army are confronting the officers and soldiers in Mengjin, and the King of Liang has already captured the two cities..."

"Did Mr. Xu know the information but not tell it, or has he not received the information yet?"

Xu Chu was immediately asked and could not answer.

Wang Tiemei shook the official document in his hand, and then put it on the table, "The military report just came in, the battle of Mengjin has ended, the World Army was defeated, the entire army was destroyed, and the three kings were captured."

Xu Chu was shocked, but his face remained calm. He raised his hand again and said with a smile: "May I ask, general, where do the military reports come from?"

"What, you don't believe it?"

“It’s not that I don’t believe it, but I don’t dare to believe it because I have learned from the past.”

"What lessons have been learned?" Wang Tiemei was confused. Whenever he had doubts, he looked at Sun Yalu, and this time was no exception.

Sun Yalu nodded and signaled the general to listen to the guest.

"The commander-in-chief of the officers and soldiers of the Eastern Capital is Lan Xun. Although General Tiemei has been stationed in Jizhou for a long time, he should have heard of General Lan's deeds in Qinzhou, right? He has lied about military information for more than a year. Unfortunately, he can deceive the court, but he cannot deceive the world. Rebels from all directions gathered together to expose his lies. It didn't take long for those who came to learn from it. Why did General Tiemei believe it? "

Xu Chu guessed correctly. The military report on the table came from the imperial court. Wang Tiemei picked it up and looked at it again, and whispered: "Such an outstanding military exploit is indeed not like Lan..."

Sun Yalu coughed, and Wang Tiemei hurriedly changed his words: "Even if the military report is exaggerated, it should probably be good. The World Army will definitely be defeated in the battle of Mengjin. Even if the three kings are not captured, their life or death is uncertain."

Xu Chu said: "The general stopped his troops to the north of the Zhang River and looked at the situation in Mengjin from the south. He only has a 'rough outline'. Isn't it enough?"

"Haha, lobbyists have tough mouths, and you are even tougher than the average person. Don't worry, the details will come in less than two days, and we will talk about it then. I would like to advise Mr. Xu, this 'probably' has no impact on me. , but it’s enough for you, run as far as you can, take the treasure given to you by the Advent Army, hide and become a rich man.”

"I have decided on my ambition. I would rather be the soul of the sword of chaos than be the man of a rich family who hides from the world."

Wang Tiemei sneered and waved his hand, indicating that the meeting was over.

Sun Yalu sent Xu Chu out of the military camp and said on the way: "Master Xu, don't be surprised. My general is in charge of the army of Jizhou alone. If he makes a wrong move, he will suffer 200,000 soldiers. Therefore, he is anxious in his heart and often speaks indiscriminately, not deliberately neglecting. messenger."

The counselor opened his mouth, but Xu Chu didn't take "two hundred thousand" seriously, and said: "General Tiemei is a magistrate and dominates a state. Who doesn't respect him in the world, and who doesn't look forward to it? Even if he speaks more seriously, it's the same. It should be, not to mention that General Tiemei just told a few truths."

Sun Yalu sighed, "The king has lost his cauldron, and the minister has lost his king. The whole world has become in name only, and the common people are chattering like fish thirsting for water. Since Mr. Xu is a member of a famous family, he should think of saints and sages as his own responsibility, and save the common people. Don’t fall into the trap of vertical and horizontal and learn the art of repeated swings by lobbyists.”

Xu Chu was stunned for a moment. Sun Yalu's words were a cliché, but he shouldn't have said it, and he shouldn't have said it at this time. He seemed to regard the guests as students waiting for instruction.

"Remember it," Xu Chu said perfunctorily.

Sun Yalu didn't take it seriously and continued: "Since Master Xu came to Yecheng, have you ever visited Mr. Fan?"

Fan Guan is a famous person in the world, and everyone knows who he is when he says "Mr. Fan". Xu Chu said: "Is Mr. Fan in Yecheng? I don't know."

"I moved here a year ago and live in Siguo Valley, ten miles away from the east gate of Ye City. I visited a few days ago. The old man was not in good health, but he was still thinking about world affairs. He questioned me for an hour. In the end, his disciples persuaded him hard and he went back to his room to rest."

It was said that it was "cross-examination", but Sun Yalu had a proud look on his face, obviously proud of getting Fan Guan's attention.

"I will definitely visit if I have the chance." Xu Chu continued to be perfunctory.

Arriving at the gate of the military camp, Sun Yalu whispered: "I'm afraid that the Jishi Army is really in trouble. From now on, the Jinyang Army will face the officers and soldiers directly, and fighting or retreating is not a good strategy. Mr. Xu has already made plans."

"Thank you very much. I don't care about victory or defeat for a while." Xu Chu said goodbye and called his entourage to ride back to the city. He walked faster and faster, anxious.

The Advent Army must at least defend Mengjin, otherwise it will be a complete defeat. Xu Chu couldn't understand why the Advent Army didn't fight according to Tan Wuwei's plan since it was allied with the Jinyang Army.

When we returned to Yecheng, it was only the afternoon. There was no special reaction from the officials and people in the city. Nanzhongfang was already in chaos. Envoys from all parties were all over the streets, asking for information everywhere, regardless of whether they were enemies or friends, acquaintances or strangers. .

When Xu Chu entered the workshop, Master Huang poked his head out from the door, took one look at him, and immediately retracted, not as enthusiastic as yesterday.

Xu Chu hadn't taken a few steps when six or seven people gathered around him and asked each other: "Have you received the news that the Advent Army was defeated?"

Xu Chu didn't know these people, so he didn't answer and pushed his way forward. Wang Dian from Jiangdong came forward and said seriously: "Don't worry, Mr. Xu can follow me back to Wuzhou."

Xu Chu smiled and held his hands in thanks to show his calmness.

As soon as he arrived at the door of his residence, a follower came forward and said, "Mr. Guo asked Mr. Xu to go to his place when he comes back."

Guo Shifeng lived not far next door, so Xu Chu went there immediately.

The Jinyang people brought by Shen Cong were even more panicked and stood in the courtyard talking quietly. Guo Shifeng stood at the door of the main hall and did not talk to anyone. When he saw Xu Chu, he waved to him.

Shen Cong walked back and forth in the hall and murmured: "Something bad has happened, something bad has gone wrong. I knew that the Advent Army was not good enough, but my father refused to listen to my advice. Something bad has happened..."

Seeing Xu Chu, Shen Cong didn't stop. He continued to circle and muttered, lowering his voice slightly.

Guo Shifeng did not call Shen Cong, his expression was more serious than usual, and he said directly: "Prince Yu does not live in Nanzhongfang. Zhou Governor arranged a place for him in the mansion. Lan Yong also moved there just now. It seems that things are really not going well." wonderful."

"No new news?"

"There is a lot of news. They are all about the defeat of the World Army in Mengjin..." Guo Shifeng pulled Xu Chu aside, "Either take action immediately, or surrender. The Seventeenth Young Master must make a decisive decision."

Shen Cong on the side finally stopped and was very interested in the word "submission".