Plan to cut off the nine states

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Gan Zhao arrived as promised that night with only two followers. Song Xingcai was ordered to wait outside the camp for a long time. Without any notification, he immediately brought the King of Shu into the camp to see the governor.

Gan Zhao shook off the snow on his body, took off his cloak, held his hands to Xu Chu and said, "Keep Wu King waiting."

"Isn't it wonderful to have friends come to you in the snow?"

The two of them laughed. Xu Chu had prepared hot wine. Each drank three cups and chatted about other things. He said, "I am here because I have something to ask the King of Wu."

"Don't dare, just call me 'Mr. Xu'. With the word 'King of Wu', you and I can't speak freely."

"Haha, then I won't be polite. If Mr. Xu doesn't see you anymore, please still address him as 'Commander Gan'."

"Commander Gan."

After drinking a few more drinks, Gan Zhaocai said: "I have a question, is it really a good time to become king now? Of course, Mr. Xu has also become king, so he must feel that this is a good time, but I still don't feel secure enough."

"What did someone say to Commander Gan?"

"Haha, someone told me that whoever claims the title of king first will be jealous and will not last long. The best strategy is to occupy more land, delay the title of king, wait for the situation to change, pretend to be a pig and eat the tiger, all those who aspired to the title in the previous generation are not in this way."

Xu Chu shook his head, "Times have changed and things have changed. Those who aspired to the throne in the previous generation were quick to be crowned kings, and there were also those who were slow to crown kings. There is no need to imitate the previous generation, and only look at the present day in everything."

"Is this the right time to quickly become king?"

"Trouble has just begun, but the imperial court is still stable, and the rebels have not yet started a prairie fire. To be king is like setting fire to one's body. This is the time to 'slow down'. Chaos has already begun, and rebels are emerging from all directions. Kings are everywhere, and the heroes of the world do not know it. Therefore, this is the time to 'quickly'. As for pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger -" Xu Chu smiled, "In today's world, those who pretend to be tigers are often considered to be pigs, and those who pretend to be pigs are even pigs. It’s worse than that.”

Gan Zhao was startled for a moment, then understood and laughed loudly: "Master Xu is right, after hearing your words, I have no worries." Then he put away his smile and leaned forward slightly, "Someone has been pretending to be a tiger for a long time. It’s really like eating people.”

Xu Chu poured wine for Gan Zhao, "Are you going to repeat the old plan again?"

Gan Zhao nodded and said directly: "The King of the World is jealous of the virtuous. The person who becomes the king may not attract the fire of the court, but it will attract his anger. Although he has not revealed it to anyone, I can guess that he hopes When the kings and officers and soldiers fought in a decisive battle, and both sides suffered losses, the descending army took advantage of them again. "

In terms of military strength alone, the Incarnation Army accounts for the majority of the rebel army. If Xue Liujia refuses to join the battle, even if the five kings join forces, they will be unable to defeat the officers and soldiers.

"Can the Advent Army accept the new king?" Xu Chu asked.

Gan Zhao shook his head, "This is the advantage of pretending to be a tiger. Some people can see through it, but more people are willing to accept the tiger skin. Most soldiers really believe that the King of the World is Maitreya's direct disciple. Otherwise, how can a villager be able to Isn't it God's will to gather millions of troops to make the Tiancheng Dynasty collapse?

Gan Zhao was originally a local official, and joined the World Army on the way. He had secret ambitions. Of course he did not believe that Xue Liujia was a "real tiger", but after following him for a long time and seeing the King of World come back to life several times, his belief changed. shake.

"It has nothing to do with God's will. Those who take advantage of the situation get their name. This is the reason why the Jinyang soldiers became famous in the first battle at Mengjin."

Gan Zhao said with a smile: "Indeed, the officers and soldiers were defeated for no reason at Mengjin. The reason is still a mystery. Not long after the incident, many people have forgotten the incident. They only remember the victory of Jinyang soldiers and called it bravery. The king came to the world." The one I fear the most is King Jin."

Xu Chu suddenly realized that no wonder Xue Liujia deliberately ignored Shen Dan when the kings met.

"There is only one way to make King Jingshi send troops." Xu Chu said.

"I heard the details."

"The officers and soldiers fought at the door, and the King of the World had no choice but to fight."

Gan Zhao thought for a while and said with a smile: "The officers and soldiers stood on the wall and stood firm. I'm afraid they won't be able to come out easily. What's more, King Jingshi is camping in the rear. The officers and soldiers must defeat the five kings before they can attack the camp of Jingshi. Unless -" Gan Zhao glanced at Xu Chu and said, "Will the five kings make way for the officers and soldiers?"

Xu Chu shook his head, "The rebels lack training and do not know how to advance and retreat. Once they make way for the officers and soldiers, their fighting spirit will disappear and they may collapse on their own."

"Master Xu must have a clever plan."

"It's not a clever plan, it can only be said that it is forced by the current situation. If the five kings can sincerely join forces, merge the five armies into one, and try their best to protect themselves, the officers and soldiers may be able to retreat in the face of difficulties and attack the World Army instead."

"If the officers and soldiers refuse to fight..."

"The officers and soldiers will definitely come out." Xu Chu said firmly without explaining the reason.

Gan Zhao put down his wine glass, cupped his hand and said: "I understand, if the five kings unite, they will live, and if they separate, they will die. I am willing to live and die with all the kings, but I am a soft-spoken person. It is difficult to pretend to be a pig, and it is even more difficult to pretend to be a tiger. In the King of Jin , Prince Liang has nothing to say..."

"I'm going to persuade the two kings of Jin and Liang. Can Commander Gan at least talk to King Ning?"

Gan Zhao nodded, "Prince Ning's heart is as deep as the sea. It is not easy to persuade him, but I can talk to him. I will go to see him tomorrow."

"How do you plan to persuade Commander Gan?"

"Besides King Jin, the one that King Jingshi is most afraid of is King Ning. King Ning knows this very well. I believe he would rather unite with other kings than surrender to King Jingshi."

"Commander Gan, be careful. If you look at King Bai Baitian's intentions, he may also want to win over King Ning."

Gan Zhao said with a smile: "Young Master Xu guessed it right. I will go to see Prince Ning tomorrow just to show my goodwill on the order of King of Coming to the World. What King of Coming to the World means is that the three of us have similar origins and we are all real soldiers of the Coming of the World." The leader, Mr. Xu and others are outsiders, they come from a high family, and they are not of the same mind as the Incarnation Army. "

"The King of Avatar actually trusts Commander Gan."

"Hey, it's just a temporary measure. The King of Avatar doesn't trust anyone."

"It is inconvenient for us to come and go. There is a Song Xingcai General Song in my camp. Commander Gan must recognize him. From now on, he will deliver letters for me. If it is someone else, Commander Gan does not need to receive him."

"I recognize it. I sent Tie Yuan to deliver the message. Mr. Xu remembers this person, right?"

"Remember." Xu Chu was protected by Gan Zhao's subordinates in the Shengshi Military Camp. They exchanged names during chats. One of them was Tie Yuan, a tall man with a smile on his face.

The two chatted for a while, then left willingly, and Xu Chu personally sent him outside the camp.

Xu Chu was very happy that the matter had gained some clarity. He drank three glasses of wine after returning to his account, thinking about what to say when he saw Shen Dan and Ma Wei tomorrow.

Meng Nilun said outside: "In charge, I have something to ask for."

"Please come in." Xu Chu sat upright. His feelings for Meng Nilun were very complicated. He couldn't stay too far away or get too close. It was extremely difficult to grasp the right balance.

Ever since Meng Nilun revealed that he had been engaged to the princess and had resorted to cruel tricks to deceive the officers and soldiers, he regarded himself as the ruling king's number one confidant. He always said what he had to say and never concealed it.

This request for a meeting is no exception.

"I heard that when the kings gathered together, the ruler was humiliated by Ning Baoguan. Is it true?"

"Who did you listen to?"

"There are rumors and everyone in the camp knows about it."

Xu Chu shook his head, "This is a rumor. Although the kings didn't talk about anything, no one was insulted."

Meng Nilun's face softened a little, "Wu people would rather die than surrender. If they would rather bully others by relying on power, please tell me in power. I am willing to sacrifice my life to take revenge."

Xu Chu smiled slightly and said, "With General Meng's promise, who in the world dares to despise me? General Meng, please sit down and have a few drinks with me."

Meng Nilun's face finally relaxed, and he was half awe and half loving as usual. He sat across from him and poured wine for Xu Chu, "I'm not overly concerned. The rumors are really too strong, and..."

"General Meng just says it's okay."

"You are still too young to be in power. The officers and soldiers of the Wu Army respect you like a god. When you go outside, especially when you face those so-called heroes with a rough background, you will inevitably be inferior to others in terms of momentum."

Xu Chu hadn't been called "too young" for a long time, but he had just heard someone say that he was "lower than others". He smiled and said: "A true hero has a name and a reality, but it is useless to defeat others in person. It is not helpful to have a name but not a reality."

"We don't want to defeat people in person, at least we can't be bullied. The ruler may not know the rules of Emperor Wu. I think back then, no one dared to look up to Emperor Wu wherever he went. Foreign envoys had to kneel down and worship outside the city gate. No. Those who observe etiquette will have their ears and nose cut off; if they fail to observe etiquette, their eyes will be gouged out and their tongues will be pulled out..."

"A king who has subjugated his country is not worthy of imitation."

Meng Nilun let out a long sigh and drank the wine in the glass, "The Emperor Wu was indeed a bit cruel, but the rules are always correct. When you first get the throne, you should rule with strictness and establish your authority and etiquette... Forget it, being in power is better than I am a hundred times smarter and have my own plans. I won’t say much. I just ask the governor to remember that I am willing to fight for the fierce dogs in front of the governor and bite the rude people, regardless of my own safety.”

"Keep it in mind."

Meng Nilun stood up and left.

Xu Chu breathed a sigh of relief. The Wu people were famous and stubborn, and they lived up to their reputation, especially the children of the seven tribes. Almost all of them were like this, and Meng Nilun was the leader among them. However, they were loyal to the ruling king, and they belonged to the Wu army. backbone.

Xu Chu was not satisfied with these "backbones", but he could not abandon them. He could only deal with them carefully, trying to use their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.

Facing Gan Zhao, Xu Chu opposed "pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger", while opposite Meng Nilun, he wanted to show him that occasionally "pretending to be a pig" was actually useful.

The food and wine were already cold, and Xu Chu's spirits were waning, so he asked someone to come in and clean up the broken table, and bring a basin of hot water. He would rest after heating his feet.

Taking a foot bath with hot water in the cold winter was more enjoyable than drinking alcohol. Xu Chu was enjoying it with his eyes closed when he suddenly felt a gust of cold wind coming. When he opened his eyes, he saw Tang Weitian coming in with the quilt in his arms.

"General Meng asked me to stay by the Governor's side from now on and never leave to ensure safety." Tang Weitian made a bed at the door, fell down and fell asleep.

"Don't talk nonsense about what happened when the kings gathered together." Xu Chu warned, thinking that the rumor came from Tang Weitian.

Tang Weitian sat up and widened his eyes, "It's not me, it's really not me. Several people came to ask, but I didn't say a word. If you don't believe it, ask General Meng. He pestered me for half an hour and promised me benefits. , I just didn’t say a word.”

Tang Weitian looked aggrieved. Xu Chu believed him and said with a smile, "I made a mistake. It must have come from another military camp."

The water had cooled down. Xu Chu took his feet out, wiped them off and went to bed. Tang Weitian took the water basin and handed it to the guards outside. He came back and said, "Some people just have bad mouths and make up lies wherever they go. If it were me, I would simply not let them in." camp."

"Who are you talking about?" Xu Chu was confused.

"Many people have come to seek refuge these days. One of them used to be members of the Worldly Army. I recognize them..."

Xu Chu ignored his boots and ran to the door barefoot, saying to the guard: "Tell Meng Seng Lun, Wang Dian and Song Xingcai to come over immediately."

Xu Chu returned to the tent and looked at Tang Weitian, who looked surprised. "The kings have made a covenant not to recruit each other's people. Xue Liujia is digging a hole for me."