Plan to cut off the nine states

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Xu Chu had never gone so deep into the palace. From the moment he entered the door, people were constantly bowing to greet him or even kneeling down to greet him. At first, he tried his best to return the favor, but soon he just strode forward.

That feeling reappeared, as if the guest who had been staying for many years suddenly became the host. Although he had not adapted immediately, he was already ecstatic and wanted to show off his power.

This is exactly what Xu Chu felt when he urged Ning Baoguan to give up.

Dongdu was like a wounded prey, lying on the ground and panting softly. No beast could hold back the hunger in its belly and open its bloody mouth at this time.

Xu Chu also has a beast side. Although he was fair and righteous when he persuaded Ning Baoguan, he felt a strong temptation at this moment. At least at this moment, Dongdu belongs to him, and he can do whatever he wants even in the palace.

Arriving outside the Queen Mother's palace, Xu Chu had resisted all temptations and no longer had random thoughts.

After the announcement, Xu Chu came to the courtyard and talked with the Queen Mother through a curtain. He felt that this arrangement was good, so he did not ask to enter the house.

Xu Chu stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Xu Chu, please pay homage to the Queen Mother."

Even through the bead curtain, Xu Chu could feel the scrutinizing eyes. After a long time, someone inside said: "Are you the King of Wu?"

"The first emperor of Wu State is my maternal ancestor. As my grandson, I temporarily hold the title of ruling king. When I find the real descendant of the Xu family, I will hand over the title and retire to serve the people."

"Oh, you are the son of Princess Wu."

"Exactly." Xu Chu asked, not being as secretive about his mother as before, "Has the Queen Mother seen my mother?"

"No, but I have heard about her deeds. She is a brave woman and a heroine. No wonder you dare to rebel."

Xu Chu took a step forward and said, "I came to see the Queen Mother to discuss important matters. If the Queen Mother avoids seeing her, it will be detrimental to the capital and even more detrimental to myself."

"Aren't you talking to me?"

"If the Queen Mother had your courage, she wouldn't be trapped in the Eastern Capital."

Someone behind the curtain whispered: "Forget it, I'll tell him. After all, I can't escape this disaster."

The figure behind the curtain shook, and someone changed. His voice was very soft, as if he had not recovered from a long-term illness, and he had no strength to speak, and no interest in pleasing anyone. When he opened his mouth, he asked: "Is King Wu here to kill me?"

"The rebel army kills tyrants and eliminates traitors, but they will not embarrass a woman."

"Are the tyrants King Wu mentioned my husband and son?"

"Exactly."

"You...were he in pain when he died?"

"Um?"

"The late Emperor, he must have died by your sword, right?" The Queen Mother's voice became lower and lower, trembling slightly, as if she was asking something extremely inappropriate, for fear that the other party would be angry.

"The Emperor of All Things was first injured by the assassin, and then he was stabbed with a dagger by me and two other people. He shouldn't have suffered much pain. Compared with the Emperor of All Things, the people are starving and selling their sons and daughters. This is the real thing. "The pain." Xu Chu couldn't help but use "people", and he suddenly understood the power of these two words. Using them to oppose anyone or anything will be detrimental.

The Queen Mother sighed softly, "I have been in the palace for a long time, and I don't know the sufferings of the people. Why did King Wu come here?"

"The people of the Eastern Capital are still suspicious of the rebels. I have come to ask the Queen Mother to pass on the decree and calm the people's hearts to avoid riots."

"I...how can I have such ability?" The Queen Mother's voice sounded panicked.

Xu Chu took out a folder from his arms and handed it over with both hands, "You don't have to worry too much about the Queen Mother. I have already drawn up the decree and the Queen Mother will seal it."

The palace maid standing by took the fold and sent it behind the curtain.

The voice pretending to be the Queen Mother spoke again, "Lou Chu, you are also an old minister of Tiancheng. Why did you betray the country and abandon the emperor and join the rebels?"

"Don't say that..." the Queen Mother whispered.

Xu Chu smiled and said: "I am imprisoned and have no official or position. I am only a natural citizen, not an old minister. In the eyes of the imperial court, I am a 'rebel' type of person. How can I take refuge?" Why did you betray your country and abandon your king?”

Whether it was refuted by Xu Chu or stopped by the Queen Mother, the female voice said nothing more.

The Queen Mother said: "King Wu wrote a good article. I have read it and will stamp it immediately..."

The female officer didn't care to avoid taboos and reminded in a low voice: "You can't just stamp the seal and make conditions to him."

"What conditions?" the Queen Mother asked in surprise.

"To ensure the safety and use of the Queen Mother, unrelated persons are not allowed to enter the palace without permission, and..."

"Hey, people can do whatever they want, how can we resist? We can't do anything that the whole East has not done. You go and get the seal. If the King of Wu wants to take the seal away, you can also give it to him. "

Xu Chu had long heard that the Queen Mother was cowardly, and he was a little surprised to see her being so talkative. He cupped his hands and said, "The Eastern Capital is safe, and the Queen Mother is naturally safe. There is no need to worry."

"Life is like a dream. I have had a leisurely dream for half my life. It doesn't matter if I have a nightmare. If the people of the Eastern Capital are safe, it is also the work of King Wu and has nothing to do with me."

The palace maid came out and returned the fold. Xu Chu opened it and took a look. It had the stamp of the Queen Mother on it. This was a formal decree.

"You can also take the seal with you. It will be convenient for you." The Queen Mother said.

"No need." Xu Chu took two steps back and put away the fold, "I will try not to disturb the Queen Mother."

Outside the palace, dozens of Wu soldiers looked around. When they saw King Wu coming out, someone asked: "Has the ruler met the Queen Mother?"

"Um."

"What does it look like? Can we take a look?"

"I didn't see it, and you shouldn't see it either."

Wu Bing laughed sarcastically and followed the governor out. When they were approaching the palace gate, someone couldn't help but said: "We captured the east capital, why are we still so polite to the Queen Mother Tiancheng? Think about how Tiancheng's soldiers treated Emperor Wu back then?"

"Yes, Emperor Wu's body was exposed, his concubines were given to soldiers, and the princess...the princess of Wu was also kidnapped from the palace by Lou Wen."

"Lou Wen also indulged his soldiers in promiscuity in the harem. How many years have passed, and the people of Wu are still deeply ashamed of this."

Wu Bing said something to me, and the more he spoke, the angrier he became.

Xu Chu had to stop and said to the crowd: "Heaven is incompetent and has been dead for three generations, but do you want to follow suit?"

Everyone then reluctantly shut up.

Outside the palace, Xu Chu met up with Cao Shenxi and handed him the Queen Mother's decree, "Whether the Eastern Capital is stable or not depends entirely on General Cao."

Cao Shenxi took a few steps forward, knelt down and kowtowed towards the palace gate, then stood up and took the fold, sighing: "Cao's reputation has been completely destroyed by my hands."

"Abandoning the small family to protect the overall situation, the Cao family deserves a greater reputation."

Cao Shenxi shook his head gently, "The King of Wu asked me to take charge of the Eastern Capital. Okay, I accept it. You tell me what the rebels want, as much or as little as you want. Give me a time limit and I will try my best to satisfy it. There is only one , please be merciful to the kings and do not cause harm to the people. I will also find someone to guard the palace. I will give the palace to the rebels after I arrange a proper place for the Queen Mother. "

"It's all up to General Cao. I have something to help you with now. Tomorrow I need a place that can accommodate a hundred people. I need a big banquet with plenty of wine and enough meat."

Cao Shenxi sighed and nodded, "Oh, this is easy. There is a place in Honglu Temple. Alas, there will definitely be enough food and wine. Alas, from now on, I will be in charge of affairs outside the palace, and you can go find me there. Alas, What am I doing?"

Although he was unwilling to do so, Cao Shenxi still took over the responsibility, and following the Queen Mother's instructions, he summoned more officials who were hiding at home. After a little counting, seven out of ten officials were missing. There were many idle officials in the Eastern Capital, and the remaining 30% was enough.

Cao Shenxi selected three deputies to jointly manage the eastern capital. Everything was in order. The palace and the Ministry of Revenue warehouses were sealed, and the items in them were at the disposal of King Wu.

Xu Chu left a hundred soldiers for Cao Shenxi, one as guards and the other as supervisors, and went to see Ning Baoguan himself.

Ning Baoguan lives on the top of the city tower and is not afraid of the cold. He opens the window and looks out.

Night had come, and only a few lights could be seen outside the city, but Ning Baoguan was fascinated by it. After a long time, he turned around and said to Xu Chu: "You still have a way, there are a lot of things found, I can't even pile them up here. ”

"This is only a small part. If managed properly, the tributes will continue to flow."

"Well, I have to survive in order to enjoy this 'endless supply'. I heard that you entered the palace?"

"Yes, I want to ask the Queen Mother for a decree to appease the people of the Eastern Capital."

"You still asked Cao Shenxi to help you take charge of the key?"

"Yes, the rebel army has just arrived and has not won the trust of the people of the Eastern Capital. General Cao needs to come forward to appease them."

"Hey, the one on the left appeases and the one on the right appeases. It seems that the rebels are here specifically to please the people of Dongdu."

"Buying people's hearts is sometimes the same as pleasing people, but the final results are never the same. One is for one's own use, and the other is for the use of others."

Ning Baoguan cursed, "It's hard to win people's hearts. Don't worry about me for now. Look outside. Tomorrow morning, Xue Liu will bring the King of Jin, King Liang, and King Shu into the city. I can't refuse, I can only let them Come in."

"Prince Ning did the right thing."

"Then what? Give up Dongdu, or kill them all?"

"I'm afraid the kings won't enter the city alone."

"Each brings three thousand people. Together, they are already more than us."

"That means we can't kill them all, but we won't let them leave Dongdu either."

Xu Chu didn't say anything. Ning Baoguan turned his head and looked outside again, "Xue Liu and King Jin can only get rid of one of them first. King Jin has long been harmful to me, so we should get rid of him first, but Xue Liu's subordinates At most, if I give in one more step, I'm afraid there will never be a way out..."

Ning Baoguan thought about this matter all day long and found it difficult to come to a conclusion.

Xu Chu said: "The coalition of five kings, King Ning is the commander-in-chief, and everyone in the world knows it. King Ning was originally a subordinate of the descendant king, and the king's title was given to him, and everyone in the world knows it."

"Hey, you can always hit the point. Since it's a rebellion, of course you have to get rid of the guy above your head first. That's Xue Liu. You'll leave the city later, go see King Jin, and tell him that in all nine states in the world, I can Give him the four states of Qin, Bing, Ji, and Han. If he agrees, we will kill Xue Liu together. If he doesn't agree, we will have a melee to see who is more successful."

"And where are the two kings of Liang and Shu?"

"As before, the King of Liang will get Huaizhou, and the King of Shu will get Yizhou. As for you, if I get the Eastern Capital, Wuzhou can be given to you, and there is still Jingzhou, which can be used as a pension for me."

"If Prince Ning has this intention, the world can be settled."

"I have this intention, but it's a pity that you won't believe it. Tell me the truth, has King Jin promised Wuzhou to you?"

"yes."

"But he just promised it secretly, not publicly, right?"

"certainly."

"Very good. Before you leave the city, I will summon the generals and announce that you will remove the title of King of Wu and Yue. From now on, you will only be called King Ning, and let you be the King of Wu alone. How about that?"

"Prince Ning..."

"That's right. If I can't gain your trust, I won't gain the trust of the kings, let alone the trust of the world. Xu Chu, if you help me gain the world, I will share it with you, let alone just a mere Wuzhou? Jiangdong is yours, and I will let everyone know it.”

Xu Chu admired Ning Baoguan, but at the same time he was increasingly wary. After only a few hours, King Ning had already understood the principle of sacrificing small things to gain big things, and he had mastered it to perfection.