Plan to cut off the nine states

After three days of traveling on various rugged paths, when he stopped for a rest, Lao Ding said: "The He Rong people must have gone north to chase Mr. Xu. I haven't seen them these days - going south is indeed a Good idea.”

Xu Chu smiled but did not answer, and said, "Of course, my young master is famous for his clever calculations. You must have heard of it, right?"

"I've heard of it." Old Ding nodded repeatedly.

Old Ding is actually not old. He is in his thirties and has a short stature. Years of wind and sun have left traces on his face that will never be erased. His eyes are covered with wrinkles and his cheeks are always red. But this face Still smiling, even if someone is walking in front, he will laugh from time to time.

Old Ding stood up and patted the dirt on his body, "Mr. Xu, can you leave? If we walk a little faster today, we should be able to reach Zuojiazhai before dark. If the surname is Zuo there, we can stay for a couple of days. God, we’ll go on the road after replenishing supplies.”

"Let's go." After sleeping in the open for three consecutive days without even a tent, Xu Chu was actually exhausted, but he was embarrassed to show it in front of Lao Ding.

The road was not easy to walk, so the three of them led their horses and walked. Chang Yan asked: "Since it is called Zuojiazhai, will it not be named Zuo?"

Old Ding smiled and said: "My surname must have been Zuo in the past, but it's hard to say now. Ever since there were bandits a few years ago, Qinzhou has never been quiet for a moment. Even a military stronghold is often taken away by others. No one knows whose house it will be tomorrow."

"Bandits? The World-born Army?" Chang Yan asked curiously.

"Yes, they worship a stick as a Bodhisattva, so both Liang and Qin call them 'stick bandits'."

Chang Yan burst out laughing. He glanced at Xu Chu and saw that the young master didn't care. He laughed and said, "That stick is not a Bodhisattva. It is a magical weapon given to the king of the world by Maitreya Buddha. It's called... the emperor-killing stick."

"The stick that kills the emperor and destroys the emperor." Xu Chu corrected, he was very familiar with that stick.

Old Ding nodded, "The gangsters all have great names. They are Buddha, King of Heaven, and killer of emperors. I don't think they will succeed."

It turns out that Lao Ding nodded and said that he had heard of Xu Chu's reputation, but he was just being polite. In fact, he knew very little about his experience. He thought he was a noble son of the Eastern Capital who was in trouble. He did not expect that he would have a deep connection with the World Army. origin.

Chang Yan coughed twice and couldn't answer the question.

Instead, Xu Chu became interested, handed the reins to Chang Yan, and caught up with Lao Ding in a few steps, walking side by side with him. "Just because the Advent Army likes to use big names, do you think they can't become popular?"

"That's right, no matter how loud you brag, it will eventually fall apart. And it doesn't stop there. The gangsters are not sure. Today they are making trouble in Qinzhou, tomorrow they go to other states, and they come back the day after tomorrow. This makes people everywhere panic and leaves behind A lot of trouble."

"It's better for the Yang family to stick to Liangzhou."

Speaking of the Yang family, Old Ding immediately changed his tone, "Of course not. The Yang family has been passed down from generation to generation and has been rooted in Liangzhou for many years. How can the gangsters compare with it? Even though Lao Mu Shou had just become king, he was actually more than ten years old. We called him the 'King of Liang' in private a few years ago. It was also unfair for Emperor Tiancheng. If he had been granted the title of king when the dynasty was established, the Yang family would have been grateful and sent troops to quell the chaos early, and Qinzhou would not be what it is now. "

Xu Chu smiled and said: "The imperial court has no foresight."

"No." Lao Ding said firmly.

"Isn't Old Liang Wang too young?"

"It's not eighty, it's seventy. My grandfather said that he met King Liang when he was a child. At that time, King Liang was young and strong. He was invincible on the battlefield. He could draw a ten-stone bow and dance with a hundred-jin long spear..."

Chang Yan couldn't help laughing again.

Old Ding turned to look at him, with no smile on his face for the first time, "What, you don't believe it?"

"I dare not say that there is no such thing as a hundred-jin long bow. A strong bow of ten stones is impossible. Two stones is enough."

Old Ding's face was already red, so he couldn't get any redder. He snorted, "You are just a follower and don't understand this. Mr. Xu, do you think so?"

"Well, I am a scholar and know very little about weapons. Since your ancestor has seen it in person, I must be pretty good." Xu Chu said vaguely.

"It's definitely true. My grandfather has never told a lie in his life."

"I really admire you. If something happens to Old Liang King, who will the throne be passed on to?"

"Hey, I don't know about this kind of thing..." Old Ding didn't dare to say anything nonsense.

"It's just a small talk. I'm not from Liangzhou, and I may not come here again in the future. Are you still afraid that I will report you?"

Chang Yan, who was behind, echoed: "Young master, you don't have to force others to do something difficult. Old Ding is just a guide. He doesn't even have an official position in the army. If he says he doesn't know, then he really doesn't know."

The method of provoking generals is always useful, Lao Ding said: "Although I am just a guide, I am the most trusted by my superiors. All correspondence between Liangzhou and Zuojiazhai is delivered by me alone. All major events and small affairs in Liangzhou , Is there anything else I don’t know? I just don’t want to talk about it.”

Xu Chu and Chang Yan neither asked further questions. Old Ding was silent for a while and then said on his own: "We Liangzhou people don't say anything with our mouths, but in our hearts we are like a mirror. It is estimated that the old King of Liang will not have much time left. Once he leaves, It must be a battle between Da Meng and the Three Meng."

The old King of Liang had three sons, who were known as the "Three Fierce Men of Liangzhou". The third fiercest man was Yang Meng's army who released Xu Chu.

"Old King Liang is seventy or eighty years old. Da Meng is not young, right?" Xu Chu said.

Old Ding shook his head and said with a smile: "Master Xu is not very familiar with us in Liangzhou. There are many princes and grandsons of Laoliang, the most famous of which are the 'Three Meng', but these three are all in their thirties, and none of them are too old." , above them, there are many elder brothers.”

"Isn't the old Liang King willing to pass the throne to his eldest son?"

"Our customs in Liangzhou are different from those in Kyushu in the Central Plains. The position of the head of the family must be passed on to the young and powerful descendants to prevent such a large family's property from being taken away."

"I see, it's similar to the customs of the He Rong tribe."

"So it was He Rong's troops who invaded the Central Plains, not the Central Plains who invaded beyond the Great Wall." Lao Ding's idea was extremely simple.

Emperor Tiancheng was also young and powerful when he ascended the throne. Xu Chu did not mention this and asked: "Two fierce men are competing for the throne. Which one do you support?"

"Ha, Mr. Xu really thinks highly of me. Although I may be valued by my superiors, I'm not to the point where I can 'support' whoever becomes the King of Liang." Old Ding couldn't stop laughing.

Xu Chu also laughed, "Okay, let's not say 'support', which one do you 'favour'?"

"I... of course it doesn't matter who is the King of Liang. Anyway, they are all members of the Yang family."

Chang Yan, who was behind, knew that the young master wanted to understand the situation in Liangzhou, so he helped: "Old Ding must be optimistic about Dameng, because...he is big."

Lao Ding immediately said: "The three fierce men are sorted by age, not their ability. To be optimistic - not that I am optimistic, but that everyone is optimistic about the fierce army general. He cares about the soldiers, leads troops outside all year round, and is familiar with the terrain. The world is in such chaos now. , and only the fierce generals can defend Liangzhou."

"Da Meng and Er Meng are both famous for their bravery, so they should be good at leading troops, right?" Xu Chu said.

"He's good at it, but the two of them haven't been out of the city very much in recent years. They have stayed with the old Liang King to fulfill their filial piety - well, to put it bluntly, it doesn't matter what the people below think. The old Liang King will probably pass the throne to Dameng. ." At this point, Old Ding's interest waned, and he refused to continue no matter how Xu Chu and Chang Yan guided him.

The road was a little flat, so the three of them mounted their horses and walked quickly, finally seeing a village before dark.

Zuojiazhai is built on a hillside, next to the main road, and business travelers often stay here for a night or two.

Lao Ding reminded: "Master Xu, please don't mention your identity. I have wronged you to be the scribe of Liangzhou for a few days. Let me take the lead in all negotiations to ensure your safety."

"That's very good."

Xu Chu and Chang Yan were waiting on the road. Lao Ding entered the stronghold alone and came out quickly, waving to the two of them, "Come in, it's okay."

As soon as he entered the village gate, Xu Chu noticed something was wrong. Dozens of soldiers were guarding both sides of the road, and their eyes glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally.

Xu Chu smiled at Lao Ding and said: "We have been together all the way, so we are acquaintances. How much can the two of us sell for?"

Old Ding was shocked, his face turned red, and he couldn't even hide his original blush, "I don't want any money, it's just...it's just that Zuojiazhai no longer has the surname Zuo, and there's nothing I can do..."

The soldiers gathered around and Xu Chu shouted: "Who is the general guarding the stronghold? Just take me to see him."

A soldier asked: "Are you King Xu Chu of Wu?"

"I am Xu Chu, and I am no longer the King of Wu."

"Hey, if it falls into our hands, you'll be unlucky."

Although it had just fallen into the night, none of the houses on both sides of the street had lights on. The soldiers held torches to lead the way and quickly sent Xu Chu and Chang Yan to the Guanting Yamen, which was also the only bright place in the village.

Although Zuojiazhai is a small place, because of its remote location, it is able to have its own guard. The Zuo family has always been in power, but now it has changed its owner.

The hall was brightly lit with candles, and all the original furnishings had been moved away, leaving only a large chair on which the new owner and the old wife sat.

The woman from the Zuo family had tears on her face and lowered her head without daring to make a sound.

The leader of the new village was a dark man, holding a long-handled sword in his hand. He looked majestic and had a fierce look on his face. He did not look like a reasonable person. Chang Yan thought to himself that the young master's eloquence would not be used this time.

Xu Chu stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "My Excellency, Xu Chu, what is the name of the general?"

The black man looked Xu Chu up and down several times and said in a rough voice: "I am not a general, but the King of Propaganda."

"It turns out to be the 'One-day King'." Xu Chu said with a smile. As soon as he heard the name, he knew that this person was the Advent Army. What Lao Ding said was right, the Advent Army likes to use big fonts.

"You can call me the King of One Heaven or the King of Two Heavens, call me the King of Propaganda, or swallow it all in one breath, it doesn't matter."

Xu Chu handed over his hand again, "Are you the leader of the new army of the Advent Army?"

He sneered and said, "The Army of the World is the Army of the World. There is no distinction between the old and the new. Are you that Xu Chu?"

"If there is no other Xu Chu, I am that Xu Chu."

Yitun suddenly burst out laughing, frightening the woman next to him.

"Haha, the Buddha opened his eyes and let you fall into my hands! Xu Chu, when you forced Dionysus to death in Xijing, you didn't expect this day, right?"

"I'm so hard to beat?" Xu Chu was surprised.

He was so angry that his face was as heavy as water. He originally held the knife in one hand, but now he held it with both hands, as if he wanted to get up and kill someone at any time. "You don't have to make excuses. Everyone knows about this. Everyone in the World Army wants to seek revenge on you and kill you." With you, I will be the new leader of the World Army!"