Plan to cut off the nine states

No more news came from the city. The next day after Fei Zhen left, some more officers and soldiers came. They built another wooden fence around the entire yard and set up tents, which were no different from a military camp.

Seeing this scene, Meng Yingbo finally gave up and stopped talking about escaping. He drank with Chang Yan and others for three rounds and said with emotion: "Many people have a glimmer of hope in their hearts, thinking that the prince's abdication is just a temporary measure. Sooner or later, one day, He will come out again, and maybe he will bring a powerful army to defeat the enemy. Alas, now that he has come - it is better to have hope. "

Meng Yingbo drank more than half a bowl of wine, and Chang Yan advised: "I don't know what the young master is thinking, and I don't bother to guess. It's better for General Meng to stay and live leisurely in the valley than to fight everywhere and go through life and death."

Meng Yingbo stared at Chang Yan, "Even you have changed. You are a descendant of the Chang family. Among the seven clans, the Wang family has many civil servants, and the Chang family has military generals. I remember when we were in Jiangdong..."

"Don't mention the past. To be honest, when I was still in Jiangdong, I didn't quite understand why the seven tribes had to raise an army? Why did they have to put themselves in danger?"

"Because we are seven tribes, and Jiangdong belongs to us!" Meng Yingbo was not only confused, but also a little angry. His voice became sharp and he looked at the others.

Most of the people who stayed in the valley were descendants of the seven Wu tribes. They were of low status and did not speak much in front of Meng Yingbo. They just drank and drank.

Chang Yan came from a prominent family and didn't care much about Meng Yingbo's anger. He smiled and said, "I understand what you mean, but... the Kingdom of Wu has been destroyed. Except for ourselves, there don't seem to be many people in Jiangdong who miss Emperor Wu and the Seven Clans."

"The people are ignorant and fall with the wind, so the Seven Clans must dare to be the first. When the Seven Clans take back Jiangdong and revive the Wu Kingdom, the people will bow their heads and accept their fate."

"The Tiancheng Zhang family thought the same way back then, and the Kingdom of Wu was overthrown because of this..."

Uncle Meng Ying was displeased and stood up and said, "You actually compare the Seven Clans to the Zhang family. Let's see how you can face the Chang family again in the future."

"I don't think I'll see them again."

"You can't bear to see your parents, brothers, wife and children?"

Chang Yan said with a smile: "General Xiao Meng doesn't know me very well. My parents have died long ago. I have no brothers and only one sister. I married into a family with mixed surnames and have not had contact with each other for many years. My wife is the daughter of the Lei family. , after raising the army, she told me that if I failed to restore the old Wu and become a general, I should not go back to her. There are many uncles and cousins ​​in the Chang family, but they don't have much contact. I am not one of them. Someone who likes to make friends.”

Meng Yingbo became more and more displeased as he listened, and snorted coldly, "Hey, there are too many cowards like you among the seven tribes, so the country will be destroyed." After that, he walked away.

Chang Yan was not angry at all, and said to the others: "Actually, we are the only 'cowards' among the seven tribes. I don't plan to go back, and even if one day the young master comes out again, I don't plan to follow him. You also have to think Well, whoever has a wife to take care of and whoever intends to follow the young master must make plans."

Everyone has their own ideas, and you talk to me about everything without hiding anything. You know in your heart that such leisurely days are coming to an end.

Meng Yingbo left in a rage. When he got outside, he had nowhere to go. He was afraid of the officers and soldiers and did not dare to approach. When he returned to his room, he felt depressed. He wandered in the yard and saw officers and soldiers looking at him, so he had to go to the study, where he could at least hide. one time.

Xu Chu was reading a book. Meng Yingbo was in awe and dissatisfaction with him at this time. He stood aside, hesitated again and again, and said, "Can I ask the young master something?"

"Of course." Xu Chu put down the book. He often had people coming in and out, so he was already used to the other person not speaking and him not saying hello.

"Will the young master live in seclusion for the rest of his life, or will he choose an opportunity to come out?"

"If General Xiao Meng had asked a few days earlier, I wouldn't have had an accurate answer. Now I can tell you that I will choose an opportunity to come out."

Meng Yingbo was overjoyed, "Now is a great time..."

"Don't get me wrong, General Xiao Meng. I came out not to be the King of Wu, nor to compete with other heroes, nor to conquer the world."

Meng Yingbo was stunned, "Why did the young master come out of the mountain?"

Xu Chu looked at the empty old mat and said slowly: "Inherit Mr. Fan's way, apply what you have learned, and do not compete for the world, but the world is under your control."

Meng Yingbo was even more confused, "Mr. Fan is famous all over the world. I have at least heard a little bit about it: Mr. Fan has never been an official in his life, but is a reclusive outsider. Since the young master wants to inherit his 'way', why do you want to go out? "

"That is the world's misunderstanding of Mr. Fan. He did not become an official because he was born at the wrong time. However, he did not live in seclusion. He accepted disciples and preached, met guests and solved their doubts. Unknowingly, he influenced hundreds of people. , I am also one of them. Mr. Fan is involved in the world in his own way, even more deeply than Emperor Zhang Xi and the general."

"Huh? Zhang Xi rules the world and has great generals all over the world. How can he be inferior to a scholar who refuses to be an official?"

"Wait a moment." Xu Chu said with a smile, "In a few years, you will see who is more deeply involved in the world."

"I'm afraid I can't see it anymore." Meng Yingbo became more and more disappointed and couldn't help but said: "This valley is very weird. I heard that there were monster weeds raging a few days ago. People who live here must be bewitched..." Meng Yingbo's face changed. He changed and murmured: "I have to leave quickly..."

Meng Yingbo went back to his house and bolted the door, fearing that he would be tempted by the monster in the valley and lose his original intention.

This was the first time that Xu Chu admitted to outsiders that he had the idea of ​​​​going out, but he was not understood and had to smile and shake his head.

Shortly after nightfall, Xu Chu was reading a book with a lamp on. A young soldier came from outside. Xu Chu looked familiar, but couldn't remember when he had seen him before. "Your Excellency is..."

The soldier came to Xu Chu without weapons, raised his hands and whispered: "Master, don't you remember me? I came here to ask for guidance a few days ago..."

"Oh, you are... Xiaoba, Nan Zheng is back?"

"Yes, I just came back yesterday, and today I was transferred to guard the valley."

"It seems that this trip went well." Xu Chu said with a smile.

"It went well. There was no fighting. We met up with the Huaizhou Army and the Wuzhou Army. We discussed business with the superiors. We made a private deal and came back without fighting." The soldier stepped forward, took out a small baggage from his arms and offered it with both hands, " I know Mr. Xu doesn’t like these things, but everyone is grateful to Mr. Xu and would feel uneasy if they don’t give him any small gifts.”

Xu Chu took the baggage, opened a corner, and found some large and small silver nuggets inside. He smiled and said, "I didn't do anything, so I deserve it."

"As expected, we followed Young Master's advice and brought valuable soft things with us. Almost everyone in the south made some money. This money was collected by everyone. It's not much. Please accept Young Master Xu. Otherwise, I will go back There’s no way to explain it later.”

The money was only twenty or thirty taels, which was indeed not much, but for dozens of soldiers, it was not too little. They thought they each made some money during this trip.

"Who bought the things you brought?" Xu Chu asked curiously.

"The soldiers of Wuzhou Army, they really like it, especially the cloth and silk. It's a pity that we didn't bring enough, otherwise we could make a lot of money!" The soldier was excited.

"Which 'Wuzhou Army' are you talking about? As far as I know, the cities in Wuzhou are independent and call themselves Wuzhou Army."

"The Wuzhou Army in Stone City, those who were recruited a few months ago. I don't know where they got so much money, but their clothes were ragged, so everyone was generous. The Huaizhou Army was unprepared and looked at us doing business with jealousy. Very.”

"I see." Xu Chu put the silver bag on the table and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll accept it."

The soldier handed over his hand again, "I will give an explanation when I get back. Also, Mr. Xu, please understand that we are here to follow orders and have no other intentions..."

"It's too late for me to thank you all for protecting the valley. How can I talk about 'understanding'?"

The soldier chuckled a few times, "I can't stay too long, so I'm resigning. Please continue studying, Mr. Xu. Mr. Xu knows things like a god, and he will become a god in the future."

Xu Chu became a "god" again. He was very interested in the news brought back by the soldiers, and thought repeatedly: What does it mean for Ning Baoguan's men to be rewarded heavily?

The night was getting darker, and Xu Chu was about to go back to his bedroom to rest. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he heard the sound of horse hooves in the darkness. Soon, dozens of knights galloped forward, with several of the leaders holding torches.

The sound of horse hooves was so loud that other people were disturbed and came out to check.

There was no familiar face to Xu Chu among the knights.

But a general recognized him and said on his horse: "Master Xu, please come with us."

"Where to go?"

"You will know when the time comes. Set out now without delay."

"Okay, I'll bring the horse."

"No need, the horses are ready."

Someone brought the horse over. Xu Chu took the reins, got on the horse, and shouted to the stunned Chang Yan and others: "Haosheng is the housekeeper, wait for me to come back."

Everyone obeyed, but no one dared to step forward. Those knights were equipped with swords and guns, and there were hundreds of soldiers around to support them. No one could afford to offend them.

There were six or seven riders in front and dozens of riders behind. Xu Chu was caught in the middle. He left the valley overnight, got on the road, and headed straight for Yecheng.

Xu Chu didn't resist or ask. He expected that this moment would come a little earlier than expected. This would be more troublesome. He had to survive the immediate danger.

When we arrived at Yecheng, it was still dark, but the city gate opened at the first call.

When Xu Chu entered the city for the first time, he had no chance to see the bustling streets. He didn't even remember the route and was taken directly to a large house.

The journey went smoothly, and the knight was more polite to him. He invited him into a spacious room, closed the door, and locked it outside, and there was no more sound.

The house was divided into two rooms, inside and outside, with candles lit. Xu Chu blew them out one by one and went to bed. For him, the situation was irreversible. If his luck was bad, he could only admit that he was unlucky.

Shortly after dawn, Xu Chu was woken up. After washing, he followed several soldiers to the depths of the house. No one gave an explanation along the way.

In front of a small courtyard gate, the soldiers stopped and handed Xu Chu over to four eunuchs.

There were many people in the courtyard, all eunuchs and maids. He was left in the corridor and was not summoned immediately. The sun slowly rose, and Xu Chu was sleepy and hungry. Finally, someone came and took him to the main room.

There were many people in the main room, obviously to prevent accidents. Xu Chu glanced around and saw Zhang Shiyu, the crown prince of Jibei, among them. Zhang Shiyu did not look at him and looked indifferent.

"Do you have to completely destroy our Zhang family?" The Queen Mother, who was sitting in the middle, spoke, her tone not particularly angry.

Xu Chu could not step forward, so he stood at the door and cupped his hands and said, "The emperor passed away in Jiangdong. The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager express their condolences."