Plan to cut off the nine states

(Please subscribe and vote monthly)

Before seizing the Eastern Capital, Ningbaoguan had also captured several cities. The places were not big and there were no people in the cities. They were almost all empty cities. The food collected was only enough to sustain the army for a few days.

In the eyes of the soldiers, King Ning was always so calm and knew everything. No matter how big the threat was, he could always remain calm and arrange the entire army properly. The only thing the soldiers had to do was to fight bravely. Combat.

No one knows that Ning Baoguan’s first thought when he wakes up every morning is how much food is left in the army and where can he get more food. The larger the army, the more urgent this problem becomes.

Therefore, Ning Baoguan tried his best not to recruit soldiers with families and families, but he could not stop his subordinates from snatching "family members". Every time a place was captured, a useless population would be added to the team, so he could only turn a blind eye. , and sometimes the captives were publicly rewarded to someone.

When there is no gold, silver, food, or titles, rewarding people is one of the few options he has left.

Therefore, when a granary in Dongdu was finally opened, and Ning Baoguan stood at the door to check the size, he felt a rush of blood rushing to the top of his head, and tears almost came out of his eyes.

The grain in this warehouse alone was more than what he had plundered from the entire city before.

More than a dozen soldiers stood behind Ning Baoguan, even more stunned. Someone stepped forward, grabbed a handful of corn, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it. When he turned around, his eyes really filled with tears and he said vaguely: " It’s true, it’s true! The emperor saved so much food by himself, but let the people of Qinzhou starve..."

"With this much food, we can eat it for a few years without doing anything, right?" Another person said, swallowing.

Ning Baoguan finally came to his senses, "Everyone in the army will receive a handful of dendrobium first. Don't touch the rest of the grain. Don't open any other granaries."

"Yes." The generals were very happy, and a handful of food could satisfy them for a while.

Ning Baoguan turned around and said to the generals: "Follow me into the palace and see what the ladies in the palace look like!"

Everyone cheered loudly, their eyes shining with excitement.

Ning Baoguan needed their excitement, and when he glanced over, he saw a face that was completely devoid of excitement.

"King Wu seems to have something to say." Ning Baoguan calmed down a little.

"It's not me who has something to say, it's King Jin, King Jianshi and others outside the city who have something to say."

Ning Baoguan was completely uninterested and said to the generals: "Send the food first, and we will discuss other matters later. The Eastern Capital is already ours, so there is no rush now."

The generals left angrily, discussing what the women in the palace would look like as they walked.

Ning Baoguan signaled the guards to stay where they were, and took Xu Chu aside. "You persuaded me to proclaim myself emperor outside the city, but now you feel it's not the right time?"

Xu Chu smiled and said: "I advised Prince Ning to proclaim himself emperor. I talked about several conveniences, but I never said that everything would be smooth sailing after proclaiming himself emperor. It's just..."

Only in front of Xu Chu, Ning Baoguan found it difficult to remain calm. He always wanted to touch the knife with his right hand, "You talk nonsense sometimes, what on earth are you?"

Xu Chu held up his hand and said, "Don't worry about people's words and lies. Prince Ning will choose the good ones and follow them. Why not?"

Ning Baoguan turned his head and looked at the granary, then at the guards who were still in excitement, and thought again and again, "Tell me something more humane."

"King Ning's capture of the Eastern Capital is like picking up gold on the road. You can squander it for a while, sell your land to buy land, hide it without using it, and give it to others."

"Wait a minute, the first part sounds like human talk, but the second part is wrong. Why should I give the gold I picked up to others?"

"Why did Prince Ning give each soldier a handful of grain just now?"

"They fight for me, so of course they want to share some benefits, not just food, but also the good things in Dongdu."

Xu Chu handed over his hand, "No wonder the soldiers of the World Army are willing to follow King Ning. But King Ning still wants more soldiers?"

"Of course... I understand what you mean." Ning Baoguan was silent for a while, not thinking about the meaning of Xu Chu's words, but wondering whether he was willing to accept it, "I picked Dongdu for free. , use it to win people’s hearts, and I can pick out bigger gold.”

Xu Chu handed over his hand again. Ning Baoguan was by no means an easy person to persuade, but at least he could listen.

"But I might not be able to pick out a bigger piece of gold, and instead I would split the piece I got."

Xu Chu nodded and allowed Ning Baoguan to think on his own.

After a long time, Ning Baoguan said: "How many hearts do I have to win over?"

"The more the better."

"Hey, after hearing what you said, Dongdu immediately became not that big, and there wasn't much food. It seemed like there wasn't enough."

"Those who aspire to the world will of course regard the east as a small country."

"Unknowingly, you have gone from human talk to nonsense..." Ning Baoguan fell into deep thought again. Before the gold he got was used to enjoy it, he had to share it with others. It was an extremely difficult choice for anyone. .

Ning Baoguan is different from others in that he can listen to opinions when he needs persuasion. Once he makes a decision, he no longer discusses with others but makes his own decision.

The generals happened to bring their own soldiers over to collect food. Not all of them came, but only a few people. They carried away enough food and divided it up when they went back. Ning Baoguan showed his magnanimity and allowed the generals to report their own number of people, and did not pursue any more. .

Taking advantage of everyone's happiness, he said to the generals: "From now on, all the keys to the eastern capital will be controlled by the King of Wu. No one can open any door, whether it is the gate of the palace or the small door of the common people's house, without the permission of the King of Wu." Enter. Do you understand?”

After receiving the order, all the generals looked at Xu Chu with great envy, envying him for getting such a good job, but due to the merits of the King of Wu, no one raised any objections.

Ning Baoguan walked up to Xu Chu and whispered: "Since we want to win people's hearts, let's start with you. If it really works, I will consider the 'more, the merrier' thing."

"If Prince Ning had no ambition, I would never say those words."

Ning Baoguan showed a smile and said, "I am in charge of the city above and outside the city, and you are in charge of the city below and inside the city. Don't let my people starve, freeze, or suffer. You can handle other things as you please."

"I will not let Prince Ning down."

This was originally a flattery, but Ning Baoguan sighed, "Go find your people and leave some of them to help me defend the city."

For Ning Baoguan, trusting King Wu was a necessary move and a necessary risk.

Xu Chu handed over his hand and didn't say another word.

This time Xu Chu no longer had to pretend to call Ning Wang's subordinates, but directly called the soldiers from the Wu army headquarters, leaving all the Liang and Jin soldiers to Ning Baoguan.

Most of the Wu army's cavalry was lent to the King of Jin, with less than 300 remaining. Their leader Chang Shunzhi was executed. Xu Chu had to reconsolidate the loyalty of these people to him.

This was not difficult to do. Xu Chu had already been respected by the Wu army. Chang Shunzhi's death only added to the fear. After receiving some additional rewards, the nearly three hundred Wu soldiers no longer had any complaints against the ruling king. .

There are many departments and warehouses in Dongdu, and no one is in charge of all the keys. If Xu Chu collects them from everywhere, he may not be able to complete them in a few months. He has to find another way.

Zhou Lu ran away, but Cao Shenxi was still there. He was still a prisoner in the army and was imprisoned in a military camp. Because of the care of the King of Wu, Cao Shenxi had a room to himself and did not suffer much.

As soon as he saw Xu Chu, Cao Shenxi sighed, a hundred times more sad than Ning Baoguan.

"The general has led his troops to escape. The kings of the World Army are outside the city. King Ning is considering whether to let them all in." Xu Chu said.

"Alas, Dongdu has really fallen into the hands of a group of thieves, what can I say? This is my fault. If I... Oh, let's not mention it. I just hope that you can be a little merciful and leave some time for the people of Dongdu. A way to survive. Especially for you, no matter what grudges you have with the Lou family, Dongdu is still your hometown."

Xu Chu thought of Fei Zhen and Tian Jiang's words. Those who talked about the common people did not regard themselves as common people and were just taking advantage of the opportunity to enrich themselves.

He couldn't help but smile, and then straightened his expression, "General Cao, don't you want to go home and have a look?"

Cao Shenxi looked surprised, "I can go home...what's your intention?"

"General Cao, don't think too much. I can't let you go free, but you can accompany the general back to the house to see if your family is safe. You have to come back later."

"You...I want to go take a look." Cao Shenxi had been worried about his family for a long time and could not refuse Xu Chu's kindness.

Most of the powerful families in the Eastern Capital were concentrated in the North City. There were more civil servants in the east and more generals in the west. On the way to Cao's house, he happened to pass by the street where the building was located. Xu Chu didn't even turn his head to look at it. Cao Shenxi secretly observed, and then Sigh.

The door of Cao's mansion was closed tightly, and the soldiers of the Wu army beat it for a while. It was not until Cao Shenxi went to call the door in person that someone opened the small door. When they saw the owner, they were stunned at first, and then burst into tears.

Cao Shenxi's adult children and grandchildren were all under the general's tent. When news of the defeat came, almost all of the family members fled. Only the old lady and a few young grandchildren and granddaughters were left. They insisted on not leaving. Unexpectedly, they really waited. Here comes the husband.

The couple hugged each other and cried. Cao Shenxi calmed down first, comforted him, and explained some things. Then he returned to the door of the house and said to Xu Chu who was waiting here: "I understand your intention. Alas, originally I would rather die." I don't do this kind of thing. But along the way, I saw that the streets were not destroyed. You seem to be a rebel army. I think I can do something for you, but I will not surrender. I am still a minister of heaven, please. Don’t think about it.”

"Of course, I asked General Cao for help. I didn't want to surrender. I just wanted to protect the Eastern Capital and prevent the soldiers and people from being humiliated."

"Hey, where do you want to start?"

"Let's start by gathering the ministers. If the Eastern Capital wants to maintain normalcy, we cannot do without them."

"I'm afraid there aren't many left. I heard from my wife that my daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law all ran back to their parents' homes and escaped from Dongdu together."

"How many are there? If there are not enough, you can appoint some more. People from Dongdu should still be willing to be officials, right?"

Cao Shenxi could only sigh.

The soldiers of the Wu army ran through the streets and alleys of the city, loudly announcing that Cao Shen had returned to the city. They summoned all the ministers in the palace, from the unworthy officials to the three masters of the third division, to pay homage. The first one to arrive would be rewarded. , those who arrive later will have no merit, and those who fail to arrive will be punished.

Indeed, some people came, not many at first. After seeing Cao Shenxi, they went to look for people again, attracting many colleagues, mostly old officials, but none of the three divisions and three ministers.

Xu Chu made a book on the spot, recorded the names and positions of people, and reassigned responsibilities. After a long time, although he could not master the keys to the entire Dongdu treasury, he at least got a general idea, so he first transferred cloth, grain, grass, and equipment to supply the city. The officers and soldiers of King Ning then supplied the entire city's citizens, not even forgetting to help the poorest people, and designated several places where porridge could be borrowed on credit.

Cao Shen just showed his face and sat aside to watch. Slowly, his sighs became less and less. Finally he said: "To stabilize the Eastern Capital, start with the imperial palace. Take refuge in the two palaces. The Queen Mother is still there. If the Queen Mother can come forward, things will be better." easier."

Xu Chu thanked her and led the people to the palace gate. When he was almost at the gate, he remembered that the Queen Mother was the wife of the Emperor of All Things. He had not noticed this for so long.

A soldier ran over, amazed at the grandeur of the imperial city. He looked around while running, and when he came closer, he bowed and said, "King Ning asked me to inform King Wu that King Jiangshi will lead the kings into the city early tomorrow morning. I ask you to find a place to receive them well."

Ning Baoguan still had his own ideas after all. Xu Chu admired him, but he also understood that the road ahead would be more difficult.