Plan to cut off the nine states

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Xu Chu's words were righteous, but Fei Zhen just smiled after hearing it, "People, people, everyone talks about it. The more exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes there are, the more they have to mention them. The more ambitious people are, the more they have to pay." You want to ask me if I want to save the people of this city if I have the opportunity to enslave, plunder, and massacre them?"

Fei Zhen turned around and went out, Xu Chu stepped to follow, Tian Jiang followed, Zhou Lu hesitated for a moment, and also followed out. Lou Jian and others were left in the hall, complaining and blaming each other.

There were hundreds of soldiers standing outside the hall, not in formation, standing scattered in the open courtyard, avoiding the shadows cast by the city walls, staying in the sun, holding their hands on their arms, holding their spears, or chatting in a low voice. Or in silence.

No matter whether it was the court officials negotiating peace with the rebels or the field craftsman entering the hall with a knife and coming out to release Fei Zhen, there was no reaction among these people.

"Gather, line up in four rows!" Fei Zhen shouted loudly, shouting several times. The soldiers just looked at him. With great difficulty, a few people walked slowly, and then others followed suit, walking even slower, and they could only gather in groups. They are in a pile, why can't they line up in a row?

"These are the people." Fei Zhen said, taking a few steps forward. The soldiers moved faster this time and retreated one after another. Some even dropped their spears.

"Are they really fools?" Fei Zan pointed at one of them and said, "I saw with my own eyes that he received a portion of his salary, went to hide it, and then came back empty-handed to receive another portion, just because the bookkeeper was careless and did not write down his payment. Names. As long as it's profitable, he can read and understand anything."

The man was a thin veteran whose age could not be discerned. He did not refute, he laughed and moved slowly to the side, avoiding the "adult"'s finger, as if it was an arrow aimed at him.

Fei Zhen walked outside the camp, stopped at the door, and pointed to the houses on both sides of the street, "Almost all the soldiers in Dongdu have been taken away, and there are still hundreds of thousands of civilians left. Are all these people old, weak, women and children? Can't you pick one?" Two thousand young people who can fight with guns? Not necessarily. You can break into a house at random, whether it is a deep compound or a small door. If you search carefully and dig deep, you may be surprised to find those who are said to have died of illness. People who have left the city and have not returned would rather hide in a hut without seeing the light of day than stand up to defend the city. You tell them that when the rebels enter the city, they will definitely burn, kill and loot, and they will do whatever it takes, but they won't listen at all. , I always feel that I can escape the search of the government, and I can also avoid the traitors. "

The more Fei Zhen spoke, the angrier he became. His beard trembled slightly, and he suddenly raised his voice, as if to tell everyone, "They thought that just like before, as long as they handed over a few things, they would be safe. But they didn't know that betrayal The thief is not a government official. He has not yet learned to shepherd the people. He only wants to harvest once and will not leave a single grain behind!"

There were still many people in the city, but the streets were empty. Fei Zhen's voice spread far away and failed to make any waves.

"These are the people." Fei Zhen lowered his voice, tired and disappointed, and said to Xu Chu: "If it were you, would you be willing to save such a group of people?"

Xu Chu couldn't guess Fei Zhen's intention in saying these words, so he didn't answer.

Sure enough, Fei Zhen continued on his own: "I am willing, because I have seen the harshness of the government and the hardship of people's livelihood. If you think that the people are all good people, or that there are mostly good people, then there is no need to help the people, because you will be disappointed. , very disappointed. Those who talk about the people, praise them to the extreme, and worship them as gods do not really care about the people. They just use this as an excuse to fight for power. 'People just want to be emperor, or have become emperor, and warn ministers that they are the most popular among the people."

Fei Zhen's words were fierce, and he didn't look like a minister who had been an official for many years. Xu Chu understood why this man had never been able to become a high official.

"Master Fei, do you think I am also this kind of person?"

"Aren't you?" Although Fei Zhen is old, his momentum has not diminished at all. "Listening to your words and observing your actions is what is called a hero. How many real common people have you seen as a well-dressed young man? You don't need to threaten me, saying that as long as you surrender, you can save the people in the city. It's all nonsense. The rebels are attacking all the way, and there is only a city that cannot be conquered. How can you not plunder the city? The soldiers thought more that they were originally ordinary people, with the same advantages and disadvantages. If you don't let them plunder the city, they will abandon you and replace you with another leader. "

Fei Zhen poured out some of the pent-up energy in his chest, felt a little relieved, and turned to Tian Jiang, "You don't want to take care of your mother anymore?"

"My mother kicked me out, and I thought that instead of guarding the door of my home, I should take a few more steps to guard the city gate."

"A truly strong man, his mother-in-law is his mother-in-law, without mentioning the word 'common people'."

"Those who talk about common people never think of themselves as common people, and I am just one of the common people." Tian Jiang said.

Fei Zhen nodded and said to Xu Chu: "You heard it, this is my answer. You have also seen that Dongdu is weak and everyone is protecting themselves. There is only one person who is willing to take a few more steps from the door of his house. But betrayal The thief asked us to surrender, don't even think about it. I won't kill you, but I want you to send a message to the people outside: There are two people in Dongdu, one old and one young. You can attack the city as much as possible, and you can do whatever it takes after the city is broken. Let’s see how long the people of Dongdu can endure the looting. If Dongdu tolerates it, let’s see how long the people of the world can endure it.”

Fei Zhen turned his head to show off.

Xu Chu did not move and asked: "Master Fei is also a commoner. Is Master Fei the only one in the world who is sincere?"

"Let no one judge whether you are sincere or not. You'd better save your rhetoric and go talk to the rebels outside the city. With the large number of people and wealth in Edom, the rebels will soon turn against each other due to the uneven distribution of the spoils. You and I We, old and young, might as well think about how to protect ourselves in the future.”

Xu Chu handed over his hand and said, "Thank you, Mr. Fei, for reminding me."

Tian Jiang stepped forward and said: "Master Xu once did me a favor, but it's a pity that I can't return the favor. There are righteousnesses and small things in the world. Helping Mr. Fei defend the city is a big righteousness, but helping Mr. Xu is a small thing. I can only say sorry. "

"It was Mr. Zhou Lu who asked me for help, so Mr. Tian doesn't need to thank me. Mr. Zhou is not a good person, and he has ulterior motives for helping you, so Mr. Tian doesn't need to thank him. Just think of it as a fluke."

Zhou Lu stood not far away and did not dare to argue.

The sky was getting dark, and Xu Chu could not wait any longer, so he raised his hands and said, "Half an hour after dark, the rebels will attack the city."

Fei Zhen said: "I'll accompany you."

Xu Chu turned to leave, then turned back and said, "Master Fei is right. I haven't been in contact with many people. I have seen some of the people's sufferings, but I don't have much experience. So what I am going to say is not to the people in the city, but to the people in the city. To the two of you: The total number of rebels is less than 30,000. If you can gather 3,000 or even 1,000 soldiers, you may be able to defend the city. If you are unwilling to defend the city, there are no rebels in the east capital except the north. If you want to leave as soon as possible , there are some scattered soldiers hiding on the road.”

Xu Chu walked toward the city gate, followed closely by Zhou Lu, who whispered: "Is King Wu really telling the truth?"

There were less than 10,000 rebels, and Xu Chu's "truth" was actually a lot of exaggeration.

"Fei Zhen is a piece of iron. Lou Zhongjun and others can still persuade him, but why not..."

"No need." Xu Chu flatly refused, "But you can stay."

"Ah? I won't stay. I have abandoned the dark side and turned to the bright side, vowing to follow the King of Wu to the death."

"Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"What are you talking about? It was Fei Zhen who was talking just now..." Zhou Lu remembered and couldn't help but slow down.

Xu Chu moved forward as usual. Behind him, Lou Gang and others chased him out and said loudly: "King Wu, Brother Seventeen, if you have anything to say, we can discuss anything. What Fei Zhen said does not count..."

Zhou Lu turned and ran to Lou Gang and others, murmured a few words in a low voice, his expressions changed, and he turned and ran away.

At the gate of the camp, Fei Zang stamped his feet, "Even if the general is wrong in all his ways, at least he behaves upright. How could he give birth to such a cunning and cunning son? Dongdu cannot be defended anymore."

Tianjiang also understood, "I will chase people and prevent them from spreading nonsense."

Fei Zhen shook his head and sighed: "It's too late."

It was indeed too late. The people who heard Xu Chu's words just now were not only Zhou Lu, but also the group of soldiers watching from a distance. They usually couldn't understand even the simplest orders, but they reacted quickly at this time. There were already people. He threw away his weapons and ran out of the camp. Tian Jiang alone couldn't stop him.

Fei Zhen sighed: "I showed my weakness to Xu Chu, tricked the rebels into attacking the city, and then mobilized hundreds of soldiers hidden in the south city. I only needed to repel them once or twice, which was enough to weaken the rebels. Now... Alas, I am old and cannot compete with young people. Mr. Tian, ​​you should go home."

"I have decided to follow Mr. Fei..."

"It's different. I originally thought that Dongdu was besieged and there was no way to escape. But now there is an extra way out. From what I see, this guy's appearance is treacherous, but he is not lying. You go home quickly and take your mother away from Dongdu. If it's a little later, when the news spreads, there will be a lot of people on the street, and it will be difficult to leave. "

Tian Jiang hesitated for a moment and said, "Master Fei, please come with me."

"Hey, you are going to escape, where can I go? There is no need to call in the soldiers from Nancheng, let them go on their own."

"Master Fei..."

"Don't you understand? I gave him a difficult problem, and he also gave me a difficult problem. If I really care about the people, I have to let them escape from the city. If I pretend, I will keep it secret and force the people to go to the city to fight."

Fei Zhen has made his choice.

Lou Jiang, Zhou Lu and others had already run out of the military camp, followed closely by the soldiers. When they passed by Fei Zhen and Tian Jiang, no one even said goodbye.

"Alas, these are the people." Fei Zhen sighed and looked at Tianjiang, "A harsh government is stronger than a tiger, and the people are naturally as weak as sheep. They can't blame others. Tiancheng dug his own grave. Let's go, let's go. Although Xu Chu used At least I gave Dongdu some time, and I still have a good heart. After the city is destroyed, I will be assassinated. Tianjiang, you can either go back to save your mother, or repay Xu Chu for your kindness..."

Master Fei was good at everything, but he was a bit verbose. Tian Jiang couldn't bear this, so he threw away the knife in his hand, picked up Fei Zhen and walked out. Although there was one more person in his arms, his steps were faster than the others.

Fei Zhen was shocked, "Let me go, others can leave, but I can't leave..."

Tianjiang said nothing and just walked quickly.

At the city gate, Xu Chu told several soldiers who opened the door: "Close this door tightly, and then go find others."

Not far outside the city gate, three soldiers were waiting on horseback. When they saw King Wu coming out, they immediately asked, "How is it?"

Xu Chu looked up at the sky and said, "In an hour, Dongdu will fall."

He gave Dongdu half an hour more.