Plan to cut off the nine states

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The tricks could not fool everyone, but the "King of Wu" had already knelt down, and no one could help him up. The fear of a few people was enough to keep most people silent.

Xu Chu didn't want to push too hard, so he held the stick in his arms and said, "The world is in chaos. Unity makes us strong, while division makes us weak. Wu is rich in resources and people, and everyone knows that it is good at fighting. If everyone can work together, we can recover our homeland, and we can conquer the Central Plains and command the heroes. If we forget our principles for the sake of profit and fight for ourselves, a small city of Runan will be enough to stop the Wu army. What ambitions can we have?"

Everyone was silent. Xu Chu helped the trembling boy kneeling on the ground, "It is not your fault to pretend to be the King of Wu, but you are a mediocre person and it is difficult for you to take on the responsibility. If you give up the title of king, you can still be known as abdicating. What do you think?"

"Give it up, I will say that I am not the grandson of the emperor, and my family has been fishing for generations. My second aunt in the village can testify..." The boy burst into tears.

Finally, someone among the leaders with small surnames spoke up, "If he is not the real grandson of the emperor, then who is? Could it be you? We have heard that your surname is Lou, not Xu, and you are the grandson of the Emperor of Wu."

Xu Chu smiled and said, "The Xu family has its own descendants. I am the grandson of the Emperor of Wu, so of course I will restore the Wu Kingdom as a grandson. Everyone, listen to me, and set up camp here. Don't worry about food and grass. Then everyone will gather together, first elect a leader, and then slowly look for the descendants of the Empress of Wu, okay?"

The leaders with small surnames did not really want to fight with the seven clans, and were willing to step down the stairs. They nodded one after another, "Set up camp first, and elect a leader tomorrow."

"The leader must have a title."

"Prime Minister?"

"No, this title has never been used in our Wu Kingdom."

...

The people of Wu were very concerned about titles, and the dispute was endless. Meng Senglun got involved. Xu Chu said goodbye first, went back to inform Wang Dian and others, and then entered Runan City.

Bao Dun looked from the tower and found that something seemed to have happened outside. He ordered all the soldiers in the city to stand by. Song Xingcai and more than a dozen people who stayed in the city were even more panicked. When they saw Xu Chu coming back, they all rushed up and followed him closely, refusing to leave.

There were several armies inside and outside the city, but they didn't even have the most basic trust in each other. They all relied on Xu Chu to run in and out and try to bridge the gap.

When the first batch of food and grass was sent out from the city, the Wu army outside the city was relieved and took the initiative to retreat more than ten miles, so that the people in the city could also feel at ease.

The original "King of Wu" was accused of being false, and the Wu army did not even have a nominal leader. The leaders were eager to elect a new leader. First, they decided on a name, calling him "the Grand Commander of the Wu Army", and then decided on the election method.

In this matter, the Wu army had a major dispute. The seven clans were originally high-ranking families in Wu. They lost the opportunity when they first chose the King of Wu. This time, they must firmly grasp it in their hands. The leaders of the small surnames were tit-for-tat, and they had to rely on numbers to win.

Before dark, Xu Chu was busy solving this problem. After much effort, the only concession made by both sides was that all the leaders would gather together tomorrow, and the small surnames and the seven clans would each put forward one person. Whoever had the highest voice would be the Grand Commander.

For Xu Chu, this was a crucial night. On the way back and forth, he analyzed the situation clearly and made a series of plans.

First, he had to continue to win over Bao Dun.

Bao Dun was not a Wu person, but he controlled the city and food, which were the two things that the Wu army urgently needed. Moreover, among the many leaders, he was the most popular among his subordinates and could respond to his call. Others could only make their subordinates obey orders when it was profitable.

Bao Dun had been observing silently, and Xu Chu did not hide it from him. He told him the progress truthfully every time he entered the city.

At the second watch of the night, Xu Chu entered the city again, claiming that they would discuss the big plan tomorrow. Bao Dun said: "Since Master Xu intends to be king, why not take this opportunity to raise the flag and establish a name?"

Xu Chu was waiting for this sentence, "To be honest, I have this intention, but there are many factions in the Wu army, each with its own selfishness, and it is difficult for me to convince everyone at once."

Bao Dun laughed and said: "Master Xu is overthinking. It has always been the case that people only claim to be king first and use the name to convince the people. How can you convince the people first and then claim to be king? Everyone is a hero in one area, who can convince whom? If you want to convince the people, you have to go through a series of bloody battles. It is better to claim the king as soon as possible."

"The general situation of the world is not determined, and it seems better to claim the king later. That makes sense. "

"The title of king can be delayed, but the power of king cannot be delayed. The generals of Wu army will elect the Grand Commander tomorrow, and it must be Master Xu. If it is someone else, I will not follow, and Runan City will not follow either."

Xu Chu no longer refused, "I have heard this from Master Bao, as if it were a gift from heaven. I will be arrogant once, and I will definitely get the position of Grand Commander tomorrow."

Bao Dun nodded, "Just ask Master Xu to give orders, and the soldiers and civilians of Runan City are willing to serve with a little effort."

"Tomorrow, please ask Master Bao to lead dozens of warriors to cheer me up, okay?"

"If the generals of Wu army have any objections, Bao will be killed on the spot!"

Bao Dun was angry, and he was quite intimidating. He didn't look like a kind businessman or a wealthy man who stayed at home.

Xu Chu bowed his hands in thanks, "I originally had 70% confidence in seizing the position of Grand Commander, and with the help of Lord Bao, I have a 100% chance of winning. I will go outside the city to appease the generals and make sure that nothing goes wrong."

Xu Chu led Tang Weitian and other followers out of the city and headed straight for the Jingzhou military camp. These people were brought by Xu Chu. Sandwiched between the two armies, the only person they trusted was Master Xu. As for whether Master Xu was a Wu person, or an envoy of the King of Wu Yue or the court, it was no longer important.

More than 20 Jingzhou heroes gathered together to swear an oath of blood and jointly recommended Xu Chu as the Grand General of Jingzhou, vowing to fully support him as the Grand Commander of the Wu Army tomorrow.

Xu Chu cut his hand and bled a lot. After bandaging it, he immediately went to see the leaders of the seven tribes.

Strictly speaking, Bao Dun and the powerful officials in Jingzhou were not qualified to interfere in Wu affairs, but Xu Chu desperately needed their support to compete for power with the generals of the Wu army.

The night wind was biting, and the chill penetrated the layers of clothes, but Xu Chu didn't feel cold at all, and his blood flowed around him, proving to him that self-reliance is indeed much more interesting than persuading others.

No one is born a counselor, and no one is born an emperor.

The leaders of the seven clans were awake and were discussing how to deal with the leaders of the lower surnames tomorrow, but they could not reach a consensus and kept arguing.

As soon as he saw Xu Chu coming in, Wang Dian immediately greeted him and motioned for him to come out of the tent to talk.

There were not many rules in the camp. The guards had already found a place to sleep. There was no one outside. Wang Dian asked, "Does Mr. Xu intend to compete for the position of Governor?"

"That's what I meant." Xu Chu didn't intend to be polite anymore.

Wang Dian nodded, "I guess so, so General Meng and I fully recommend you, but others are hesitant?"

"Do you think I'm too young?"

"That's not true, they think..."

"General Wang and I are old acquaintances. If you have anything to say, just say it."

"They feel that Mr. Xu's ambition goes beyond being the governor-general, and they are worried that if they find the real descendant of Prince Wu in the future, Mr. Xu will not be willing to accept him as their master."

Wu Jun was defeated in consecutive battles and came to Luozhou with no other options. He was still worried about whether the position of King Wu would be stable in the future. Xu Chu despised him in his heart, but with a smile on his face, "If I were the governor, the first thing I would do would be to offer sacrifices to all the Wu kings in the past." Your Majesty, I swore to find the descendant of Queen Wu. What I said in public was known to all gods and ghosts. How can I go back on it in the future?"

Wang Dian smiled and said: "This promise from Mr. Xu is enough. You don't have to enter the account. I will go and persuade everyone. I will do my best to recommend Mr. Xu tomorrow."

Xu Chu hesitated for a moment. He would rather persuade the leaders of the seven clans himself, but he couldn't bear to reject Wang Dian's good intentions. He cupped his hands and said: "Then General Lao Wang will be here. I will see General Meng and General Song before I have to return to the city."

Wang Dian entered the tent, and Meng Senglun and Song Xingcai came out quickly. They had to be chosen by Xu Chu. Meng Senglun said: "Although there are many leaders with small surnames, they all have different ideas. It is not as good as the children of the seven tribes to unite and gather tomorrow. Mr. Xu doesn't need to say much, let me recommend him. General Song and others will support him, and he will be overwhelming. I talked with Qian Jinxiang in private, and he said that if Mr. Xu can allow him to command ten battalions, he can persuade at least ten. Five ringleaders provide support.”

"Thousand-gold scales are very popular among the people. It is fitting that he should lead the Tenth Battalion under his surname."

Meng Senglun was overjoyed, chatted for a few more words, and then sent Xu Chu out of the camp with Song Xingcai.

Meng Senglun returned to his tent first, and Song Xingcai sent him an extra paragraph. When he said goodbye, he said: "Master Xu is very courageous and has the style of a Wu scholar. All the children of the seven tribes admire him. The descendants of the Emperor Wu are scattered among the people. I don't know when they will be found." Even if people are found, if they have become common people and are no different from ordinary people, how can they revive the great cause? In my humble opinion, Mr. Xu is the grandson of Emperor Wu. Since he has changed his surname, he can inherit the throne. "

Xu Chu cupped his hands and said: "Emperor Wu died for his country, and Jiangdong still thinks about him, so he has to be named Xu. I am changing my surname because I miss my deceased mother, and I have no intention of succeeding. I hope General Song will not say such things again in the future, as long as he finds the true The descendants of the Xu family, I immediately regard him as my master, without any second thoughts."

Song Xingcai was quite disappointed, "In this case... Anyway, now is not the time to talk about such things. Tomorrow I will only appoint Mr. Xu as the Commander-in-Chief. If anything happens, I am willing to lead my subordinates to set up another banner with Mr. Xu. "

Xu Chu held Song Xingcai's hands and said, "General Song and I hit it off instantly, and we will be friends of life and death from now on."

Song Xingcai said goodbye and returned to the camp. Xu Chu mounted his horse and led the people into the city to rest.

There wasn't much time left before dawn. Xu Chu couldn't sleep, so he sat with a candle, waiting for the election the next day. He thought about it over and over again. The only thing he felt was wrong was that he didn't insist on going into the account in person to persuade the leaders of the seven clans. He had too few close friends around him, and any Nothing should be left to others.

In fact, his only confidant was Tang Weitian.

Tang Weitian usually falls down and goes to sleep, and tonight he stays with him, cutting out the candles for a while, and after about half an hour, he finally couldn't help but say, "Master, can I say a word?"

Xu Chu withdrew from his thoughts and smiled: "Of course."

"What you said today, which one is true and which one is false?"

Tang Weitian kept following him, and the more he listened, the more confused he became, unable to figure out the true intention of the young master.

"Haha, it's all true."

"But... the young master will be king for a while and not king for a while. Can't both sides swear the truth?" Tang Weitian became more and more puzzled.

"Even if I become the king, I will not be the King of Wu, so the oaths sworn by both parties are not contradictory at all and are all true."

Tang Weitian was stunned for a while, and then said with a smile: "I understand, the young master is a smart man, and what he said... I can't understand."

"Don't tell outsiders."

"I don't even know what to say." Tang Weitian sighed softly, "To be honest, I still prefer the former young master. At least I could understand roughly what he said back then."

"Sometimes, we have to do what we don't want to do first, and then we can do what we want to do."

"For example, I don't want to leave my hometown, but I have to leave first before I can eat."

"Yes, one day you will be able to return home in fine clothes."

"That's great." Tang Weitian's eyes brightened, then dimmed, "I'm afraid I can't even find my hometown."

"As long as you look for it, you can always find it." Xu Chu said with certainty.