Plan to cut off the nine states

Xu Chu was put on the carriage this time and walked for nearly two-quarters of an hour. The distance was not long, and stopping and stopping took a lot of time. After getting off the carriage, he followed Sun Yalu into a small room. Through the thin door panel, he could A quarrel was heard on the other end.

The cries of too many people were mixed together, and Xu Chu could only hear a few words occasionally, among which was the word "Qinzhou".

There was a low kang in the room with a small table on it. Sun Yalu asked Xu Chu to sit down, poured tea himself, and whispered: "The officers and soldiers were defeated in Hanzhou."

"Hanzhou?" Xu Chu was surprised. He had been waiting for news from Qinzhou.

"The bandit army—probably Cao Shenxi's idea—secured Xijing and secretly sent people to Hanzhou to win over the small bandit army there, gathered into one unit, and attacked the Jingzhou Army's grain road. The Jingzhou Army was greatly shocked after hearing the news. Horrible, he ran away all night, and then...sigh."

It was the same old routine again. The officers and soldiers from various states did not trust each other. When the Jingzhou Army fled, they did not even say hello to the friendly forces. When the news spread, the Huaizhou Army immediately retreated and ran for dozens of miles before sending someone to notify the commander of the Jizhou Army. .

There are still Jizhou Army and Bingzhou Army outside Xijing. These two states are the main force and can still fight, but their morale has plummeted and they can't argue over who should take the lead.

In the next room, everyone was arguing about this matter. If one person held an opinion, no one could convince the others.

Sun Yalu finally said: "Young Master Xu must understand what I mean by bringing you here. Princess Huanyan wants to hear your opinion."

"Xijing and Yecheng are far apart. If a decision is made here, the war there may be over. Who is the commander-in-chief of the Jizhou Army?"

"General Zuo Wuhou Yang Tongcai." Sun Yalu immediately replied.

"My sister is General Yang who is the concubine of Emperor Zhang Xi?"

"Yes, I had no choice but to choose him. After the death of General Wang Tiemei, the Jizhou army was leaderless, and many soldiers missed their old master Huangfu Kai. Although General Yang had never led an army alone, he had followed the late emperor in the north and south, and his reputation still existed. Among the generals in Yecheng, he is the only one who can suppress Huangfu's family."

The father and son Huangfukai and Huangfujie occupied Liaodong. Under the mediation of He Rongbu, they led an army to join the Jizhou Army. Although it was a strong reinforcement, it was also a worry for Yecheng and had to find a distinguished person to lead the army.

Xu Chu didn't know Yang Tongcai very well. He only knew that this man was not famous for his military exploits, so he asked again: "Where is the Bingzhou Army?"

"Shen An, the former garrison general, is a distant uncle of King Jin. Mr. Xu should have heard of this person."

"Have heard a little bit."

"Master Xu, do you think these two people are not enough to defeat the Xijing bandit army?"

"If these two people were really capable, they would not sit back and watch the Jingzhou and Huaizhou armies escape. Where will Huangfu station his army?"

"Tongguan, this is what he asked for, but he handed over most of his soldiers to General Yang, leaving only a few thousand for himself."

"Well, I understand, Mr. Sun, there is no need to worry."

Sun Yalu laughed, "It would be a lie to say you are not in a hurry at this time, but Mr. Xu should be more anxious. I can bring you here because of the princess's words. She said that troubled times require extraordinary people. As long as it is beneficial to the country, no matter how big or serious the crime is, it can be forgiven - Mr. Xu must at least prove that he is an extraordinary person, otherwise, I will not be able to explain to the princess, and the princess will not be able to explain to the Queen Mother. "

Sun Yalu seemed really anxious, her tone and expression were not as steady as usual.

However, Xu Chu was still not in a hurry and said with a smile: "Princess Huanyan has an idea. She summoned everyone, not to ask for advice, but to listen to their words and find a suitable executor. The result should be there soon. "

Sun Yalu was slightly startled, "If the princess has an idea, she will definitely discuss it with me first..."

"Yes, Mr. Sun was not invited to attend such an important meeting, but was sent to pick up a prisoner instead. This shows that Princess Huanyan believes that this matter is non-negotiable, and all she needs is a suitable person."

Sun Yalu was stunned again, "In that case, why did the princess invite Mr. Xu to come over?"

"We'll find out later."

The two of them drank tea slowly and stopped talking.

After a long time, the voice next door gradually became weaker, and Sun Yalu said: "I just lost my composure and made Mr. Xu laugh."

"Mr. Sun's urgency is out of concern. I can only admire Yecheng for getting such a loyal minister, not ridicule."

"Hey, Mr. Xu... there are times when he can talk. What Mr. Xu just said is very true. The princess has an idea. The Jingzhou and Huaizhou armies have withdrawn their troops one after another. The officers and soldiers will be confused and their defeat has been exposed. At this time, I hope you can It is futile for the Jizhou and Bingzhou troops to defeat the rebel army. It is better to find ways to reduce losses. What Yecheng needs is a courageous and knowledgeable general who can lead the troops to the west, prevent the Jizhou army from retreating, and then bring back as much as possible. Many soldiers.”

"That must be the case."

The sound next door had weakened to the point where it was inaudible, and soon there was the sound of chaotic footsteps. It was obvious that everyone was leaving and the discussion was over.

The prince of Jibei, Zhang Shiyu, walked in and nodded to Xu Chu without saying a word. He was not surprised by his appearance.

Sun Yalu gave up her seat and went to straighten a chair opposite the short kang, but she didn't sit down. She poured tea and stood aside.

After waiting for a while, Princess Huanyan entered the room. She also said nothing. She sat on a chair and drank tea slowly. It seemed that she was still thinking about a certain problem.

Zhang Shiyu couldn't help but stood up and said: "The minister Yin Fu led the troops and the two kings' supervisory troops to support. Maybe we can still capture Xijing. Even if we can't, it will be enough to bring back the Jizhou soldiers and not be completely defeated. In short, the matter in the west can be considered One paragraph, Huanyan, if you have any worries, just tell us and we can discuss it together. There are no outsiders here, so there is no need to hide it. "

When he mentioned the word "outsider", Zhang Shiyu glanced at Xu Chu and Sun Yalu.

Princess Huanyan put down her teacup and said, "Mr. Sun, please tell me the situation in all directions so that Mr. Xu can have an idea."

"Yes." Sun Yalu has been accompanying Xu Chu, but without the permission of the princess, he did not say a single unnecessary word, "I just said the situation in Xijing, and I need to add two more sentences: The Xi family in Jingzhou and the Sheng family in Huaizhou are both They sent envoys over, one said that the headquarters was unstable and the troops must retreat to quell the chaos, and the other said that there was a fire in Jiangdong and that they must go back and set up defenses as soon as possible to avoid being affected. "

"The situation in Jiangdong is as expected. There is no emperor in Stone City. Liang Zhao and Lan Xun are willing to submit to Yecheng. That was before the news came from Xijing. Ning Baoguan also sent an envoy, claiming that as long as Yecheng granted him Prince Ning, he is also willing to become a minister."

"The He Rong tribe in the north is more upright. He Rong Pingshan claimed that with just a word from Yecheng, 100,000 cavalry can go south within a few days, at their disposal."

After Sun Yalu finished speaking, he glanced at Princess Huanyan. Seeing that he had nothing to add, he stood aside.

Zhang Shiyu said: "The matter has come to this, and the people of Yecheng should work together to overcome the difficulties. Mr. Xu, don't refuse. Since you live within the boundaries of Jizhou, you are a native of Jizhou. In times of crisis, you should contribute."

Xu Chu cupped his hands and said, "I'm afraid that my heart is full but my strength is not enough."

"Don't be humble. Everyone knows that you have a clever plan. You used it on the Jizhou Army. This time, help us use it on the enemy."

"Okay, but...what do you need me to do?"

Zhang Shiyu frowned slightly and said, "It's obvious. Please consult us and see how Yecheng can get out of the current predicament and win over all the states in the world again."

Xu Chu thought for a while, "The Crown Prince needs to ascend the throne as soon as possible."

Zhang Shiyu frowned even more tightly, "Is this the idea you came up with? If I need flattery, I will find someone else."

"This is what I say sincerely. Yecheng can unite the armies of various states to quell the chaos, relying on two things. One is He Rong's tribe as backup, and the other is that each family has the intention of expansion. But these two are also weaknesses, He The Rongbu can only provide support on paper, but cannot really use it..."

Zhang Shiyu interrupted: "That's wrong. There are 100,000 cavalry, why don't we use them?"

Princess Huanyan said: "Listen to Mr. Xu."

Zhang Shiyu smiled and didn't interrupt again.

Xu Chu continued: "Every family is willing to expand outwards, and naturally they must guard against others expanding into their own territory. Therefore, as soon as the Jingzhou army retreats, the Huaizhou army also retreats. Both states have ambitions for Jiangdong and Dong, and are afraid that the other party will take the lead. . Since the Huaizhou army has withdrawn, the Jizhou army can only move forward as soon as possible to avoid worries in the south. This is what Cao Shenxi's plan has succeeded and no one can defeat it.

Zhang Shiyu couldn't hold back, "Have you finished talking? I still don't know whose plan it was, or even whether it was a plan. Maybe the Hanzhou rebellion was just an accident, and the Jingzhou army was in trouble, ruining the efforts to quell the rebellion."

"Even if no one has planned it before, once the Jingzhou Army retreats, the Xijing Army will turn it into a strategy."

"When the soldiers of Jizhou return safely, Yecheng will be free of worries. The problem is that once the coalition is defeated, it will be difficult to unite, and the states will go their own way." Zhang Shiyu brought the topic back to the original point.

"So the prince needs to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor as soon as possible. Taking advantage of the chaos in the states, he first seizes the orthodox position, and then tries to command the world."

"Like Mr. Xu occupying the Valley of Thoughts?" Zhang Shi asked with a smile, "The disciples of Fan Clan have never recognized Mr. Xu's 'orthodoxy'."

“But they didn’t promote another ‘orthodoxy’ either.”

Zhang Shiyu said hey, even though he was the one to proclaim himself emperor, he couldn't act too anxious and needed to listen to Princess Huanyan's opinion.

Princess Huanyan said: "Proclaiming the emperor at this time, although it is legitimate, will also arouse the suspicion of the states. How to deal with it?"

"After becoming emperor, we must win over Huaizhou. As long as we have the support of the Sheng family, our throne will be stable."

Zhang Shiyu said: "Let's not talk about whether we should proclaim the emperor at this time. Shouldn't the strong support of Jincheng come from the He Rong tribe? Why should we win over Huaizhou?"

"The He Rong tribe has a disobedient heart. You can use its power to fake the power of a tiger, but don't lead him to his side. Huaizhou is close to Jizhou, and they are each other's horns. The Sheng family has no ambitions. With these two points, it is the most suitable ally, and the prince will It is to give half of the world to the Sheng family, but also to win it over. "

"Half the world?" Zhang Shiyu laughed and shook his head, "Maybe I think too much. I vaguely feel that Mr. Xu seems to dislike He Rongbu particularly. Is it because of my sister?"

Xu Chu refused to answer.

Princess Huanyan stood up and said, "That's it. The prince and I will go to see the old queen right now to discuss the matter of enthroning. After that, we will discuss whether to entrust He Rong to the north or the Sheng family to the south."

"The two kings are away, don't be hasty in ascending the throne..." Zhang Shiyu looked very embarrassed.

"The two kings haven't left the city yet. Let's go to the old queen to discuss it together." Princess Huanyan was the first to leave the house.

Zhang Shiqing then turned around and said goodbye to Xu Chu, blinking his eyes to express his gratitude.

Sun Yalu did not follow him out, "Is Mr. Xu making suggestions for Ye City?"

Xu Chu shook his head, "These are all thoughts that Huanyan had in mind for a long time. I only said it to protect myself. Mr. Sun, please understand. Ye City is in turmoil and I have no intention of making any suggestions."