Plan to cut off the nine states

Liang Wang Mawei sat on a chair with his eyes closed and meditative. Under the chair was a platform several feet high, covered with animal skin blankets. In this way, even if he was sitting, he was still a little taller than a standing person.

The platform is small and square. Although it is very high, there are no steps, making people wonder how Liang Wang went up and down.

Four armor-clad warriors guarded the door, two on each side, with expressions even sterner than the guardian statues in the temple. They were holding the handles of their sabers with one hand and staring at the intruder with eight eyes, as if trying to see through his internal organs. Search for hidden weapons.

A samurai stretched out his arm to signal the guests to stop.

Between the four warriors and King Liang, there was another person guarding a small table. He was lowering his head to check something. When he heard the sound, he turned his head and looked over with a smile on his face, "Long time no see, King Wu is still as charming as ever."

This was an old eunuch. Xu Chu looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was. "I no longer call myself the king, it's just Xu Chu. Please forgive my poor eyesight, your Excellency is..."

The old eunuch took a small step closer and said, "Nobles often forget things. It's no wonder that when he was in the Eastern Capital, King Wu - no, Mr. Xu - didn't have a moment to spare. How could he have time to talk to us, people who are not in prison? My surname is Gao, named Shengze, once worked under Cao Shenxi, General Cao, and helped him manage the palace. "

Xu Chu remembered that when Cao Shenxi was appointed to take charge of the Eastern Capital, he had indeed hired a group of eunuchs, including Gao Shengze, so he handed over his hands and said: "It turns out to be Gao, disrespectful."

"I didn't dare to be the general manager, but now I am the constant attendant of King Liang."

"Servant Gao Chang." Xu Chu raised his hand again and glanced at Ma Wei in the distance. He had already entered the tent, but Ma Wei did not open his eyes.

"Prince Liang is too tired." Gao Shengze explained in a low voice, and then showed a hint of embarrassment, "According to the rules, those who enter must undergo a body search, but Mr. Xu is different from others - I dare to make my own decisions and avoid the stereotypes, but..."

Xu Chu opened his arms and said with a smile: "Thank you, but no need. I will do as the Romans do, and I am willing to be searched."

Gao Shengze was relieved. He winked at the warrior next to him and said, "Master Xu, you really don't care?"

Xu Chu nodded.

A warrior came forward, searched from top to bottom, and then replaced him with another one. After everyone confirmed that nothing was wrong, Gao Shengze stepped aside and asked the guests to go inside. He said with an apologetic smile: "This is the rule. If it is based on people, It’s not called rules anymore, right? The original Emperor of All Things died because of the lack of rules.”

"This is a new statement."

Gao Shengze led the guests to the table. There were no chairs or stools on the left and right, so the two of them could only stand.

On the table are some official documents and a stack of blank papers.

Gao Shengze Zhiluo: "The Emperor of All Things is extremely strict, but he often makes exceptions for someone. Those who are treated in this way are grateful and virtuous, thinking that they are favored, but others are at a loss. They often have no idea what is the rule and what is. He made an exception and was full of loopholes, giving Mr. Xu a chance to stab him. "

Xu Chu smiled and said: "What you say makes sense. Gao Changshi's profound insights are admirable. It's a pity that the Emperor of All Things does not recognize talents and failed to reuse you."

"It's just some simple truths that everyone understands, but no one dares to say. As the saying goes, there are always horses with thousands of miles, but not always with boles. When a tyrant comes to the court, everyone talks about it. When a wise king comes into the world, humble servants also enthusiastically offer their advice. I am just a person. You are a lowly official, and you have to look at me differently before you dare to make occasional comments."

It turned out that all these words were meant for King Liang. Xu Chu smiled and said, "Does King Liang often sleep during the day?"

"The King of Liang has many things to do. He didn't sleep all night last night. Today, in order to meet Mr. Xu, he took a break here and took a nap. He specifically asked me to wake up the King of Liang as soon as Mr. Xu comes, but..."

"Understood, you see my master working hard and can't bear to disturb him."

Gao Shengze showed gratitude, "Mr. Xu is considerate and makes me..."

"My old friend is here, King Liang wakes up!"

Xu Chu suddenly shouted loudly without any warning. Gao Shengze's face turned pale. The four warriors at the door were also startled. They stretched out their hands to hold the handle of the knife, but they didn't know whether they should pull it out.

"Mr. Xu, you..."

"I will do the things that are difficult for you to do for you. Look, King Liang is awake." Xu Chu took two steps forward.

Ma Wei woke up, but his expression did not change. He looked at Xu Chu and asked, "When did King Wu arrive?"

"I just arrived not long ago." Xu Chu cupped his hands with a smile on his face, "Now everyone calls me 'Mr. Xu', and the title of King of Wu is in the past."

"Mr. Xu? I can't call you 'Brother Chu' anymore?"

"Of course, I thought..."

"Do you think that since I am the Prince of Liang and you are a commoner, I will no longer miss the past?" Ma Wei stood up, and Gao Shengze immediately ran over quickly, pulled out a wooden stool from under the animal skin-covered table, and placed it on the edge of the table. Used to pad feet.

Ma Wei held onto the hand handed by the eunuch, slowly walked down the stage, came to Xu Chu, looked up and down several times, and suddenly laughed, "Brother Chu has not changed."

"Brother Ma has changed a lot."

"Me? This doesn't count as a change. I was originally this kind of person, but I just never showed it. Brother Chu, it's just the opposite. You haven't changed from when you were in the Yu Academy, but you are completely different from when you were King Wu."

"So Brother Ma is suitable to be king, and I am suitable to retire."

"Haha, this is your own choice." Ma Wei looked at Gao Shengze, "Why is there no wine or tea for the distinguished guests?"

"It's ready. I'll get it right away."

Gao Shengze hurried out and Ma Wei held one of Xu Chu's wrists, "Brother Chu, what do you think of this tent?"

"It's big. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be anything different about it."

"This account book belongs to Zhang Xi. It has not been used for many years and has been damaged. I found someone to repair it. I am not coveting the size of this account, but for revenge."

"Did Zhang Xi stay in this tent when he destroyed Liang?"

"Exactly." Ma Wei showed some excitement and pointed to the chair on the stage, "This is originally a belonging of our Ma family. Our ancestors loved to go on outings, so they would bring this chair with them wherever they went. Mr. Zhang didn't know the treasure, so he hid it in the warehouse. Over the years, I looked at the picture and recognized him at a glance.”

"This is called deep love for the motherland."

"A deep love for the motherland means a deep hatred for the enemy country." Ma Wei said coldly.

Gao Shengze had already returned and came forward with a tray on which there were wine bottles, teapots, and cups placed separately.

"Brother Chu, do you still love drinking as much as before?"

"Unchanged."

Ma Wei poured the wine himself, while Gao Shengze bent down and raised the tray above his head. Despite his age, his arms did not shake at all.

The two of them each held a cup, and Ma Wei said: "Everything in the military brigade is uneven, but there is only a small glass of wine to dedicate to our old friend."

"When old friends meet, it's not about the person but the thing. A glass of wine is enough to show the true love."

The two of them drank separately. Ma Wei put the empty cup on the plate and said in a different tone, "I heard that Brother Chu is here as an envoy from Yecheng, or as a deputy envoy."

"That's right."

Ma Wei's tone became more severe, and he frowned and said: "Brother Chu, a young hero, even if he doesn't want to be a king, he still wants to be independent in the world. Why should he bend his waist and become an official, and still be a minor official?"

"The messenger is not an official, and I don't bow to anyone."

"In the eyes of outsiders, Brother Chu is now a minister of Yecheng." Ma Wei sighed, "But I know that Brother Chu's move is definitely not out of greed for power and position, but for a word of love. Brother Chu is actually a character. The Middle Man: If you have revenge, you must avenge it, even if the enemy is the emperor, you will not retreat; if you have a favor, you must repay it, even if the benefactor is a woman - maybe because she is a woman, I can't refuse. "

"Brother Ma is already drunk after just one glass of wine, and his words are getting more and more irrelevant." Xu Chu said with a smile.

"Really? After Brother Chu assassinated the Emperor of All Things, who did he rely on to save his life and escape from the Eastern Capital? After Brother Chu abdicated, who did he seek protection from? For whom did he serve as an envoy and do his best?"

"Brother Ma is talking about Princess Huanyan?"

"We now call her the 'female'."

"There is an emperor in Yecheng, but she is not the 'lord'."

"Everyone knows who makes the decision in Yecheng."

"I don't care who takes the decision in Yecheng, I'm here to see Brother Ma..."

"Needless to say, if Brother Chu comes to intercede for the 'female master', that's fine. For the sake of our long-term friendship, after conquering Yecheng, I will spare her life and even give her to Brother Chu. If Brother Chu has no other choice, Please don’t ask for anything, I don’t want to hurt the friendship by refusing in person.”

Xu Chu thought for a while, "Brother Ma can really spare Princess Huanyan's life?"

Ma Wei laughed, "If she were a man, I wouldn't dare to spare her. A woman, relying on the Zhang family's ancestral business, was lucky enough to rule the roost for a while. Once the city of Ye was destroyed, she would naturally be no threat. But there is one thing, Brother Chu must see. "Tighten it up, don't let her become ambitious again, I can only spare her once, not a second time."

Xu Chu was silent, and Ma Wei said: "What? Brother Chu is not satisfied yet?"

"I am neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. This is not why I came to see Brother Ma."

Ma Wei knew Xu Chu very well and said with a smile: "How big of a circle are you going to make this time, brother Chu? Don't be busy, just follow me on the road first. I will hold a banquet at night to cleanse my brother from the dust. You can tell me later. I haven't listened to you for a long time." I do miss my brother’s wonderful words of encouragement.”

Ma Wei left immediately without giving the other party a chance to argue.

Some people stayed to dismantle the tents, and some escorted the King of Liang. Xu Chu joined the Yecheng people again, followed the team at the end, and turned to Yecheng.

As an envoy, Fei Zhen was not summoned, so he didn't care. When he saw Xu Chu, he asked, "How is it?"

"Just catching up on old times, not getting down to business yet."

Fei Zhen hesitated to speak, and in the end he could only sigh.

Yu Zhan, who was following him, said, "Master Xu will definitely succeed."

Fei Zhen was quite surprised. He glanced at Yu Zhan but said nothing.

Kou Daogu was still sitting in the car and did not participate in outside affairs. He was like a lady who happened to be traveling with a businessman, obeying the arrangements but refusing to show his face.

The team walked slowly and stopped after dark. The camp had already been built. The tent surpassed the team at some point and stood in the middle of the camp.

Ma Wei held a banquet and summoned three envoys from Yecheng. In front of outsiders, he and Xu Chu no longer called themselves brothers, and each called them King Liang and Mr. Xu.

Ma Wei recognized Fei Zhen and had heard about Kou Daogu. He was very polite, but he did not leave his chair and refused to talk about business. He reminisced about the past with Xu Chu, recalled the court with Fei Zhen, and talked about learning and Taoism with Kou Daogu. They were quite harmonious.

After the second update, Ma Wei announced that he was canceling the banquet and left first. Fei Zhen wanted to say something, but when he got up, he was stopped by Gao Shengze and had no chance to speak.

As soon as Xu Chu returned to the tent, he was invited out alone, mounted his horse, and rode around to a nearby hill.

Ma Wei was on the mountain looking at the bright moon hanging high in the distance. "After the moon reaches the treetops, I will ask my brother to stop talking."

The moon was not far from the treetops, and there was still about a stick of incense left.

Xu Chu felt that enough was enough and said: "It is better to attack Yuyang than to attack Yecheng."